Page 61 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

I inhale sharply. Two shapes move toward us. They appear like flying patches of darkness, outlined in the same ghostly green as the light surrounding the train car. The way they moved defies gravity. It’s hypnotic and terrifying at the same time. Still, I can’t take my eyes off them. They don’t look the way I always imagined dragons would. The shape of the creatures are like that of stingrays.

The green, ghostly nuance shifts like liquid over the shadow surrounding us.

One the stingray dragons maneuvers and blocks the exit of the tunnel. The other hovers over the derelict rail car. The stingray dragons hover between us and safety. My guys stop. I could sense from their stance that this was a fight or flight situation. As scared as I am, I focus my attention on the two creatures.

At first, I think the creatures are made of darkness but, the longer I stare at them, the more I notice details. They have spikes running along their spines. The shades of darkness switch between the deepest black, to dark emerald, and to a shade of vibrant blue.

One of the dragons shrieks, an ungodly noise that sounds like it came from the pits of Hell. The other dragon flies back and floats over the cart.

Draw says something to me in a tone that is so foreign and scary it hurts my ears. It sounds like a declaration of war. His tension seeps through his skin and reaches out to me. The nervous energy isn’t calming. Quite the opposite. Still, I’m ready to do whatever is needed of me.

The two dragon stingrays float closer to me and Draw.

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to focus and forget my fear. I tell myself I’m a badass, like Lisa said.

Khal roars. Mrez morphs into his Shadow form. He isn’t as imposing as Draw or Khal, but he looks as if he can kill in an instant with no remorse. It’s a vibe.

Mrez shrieks something, motions toward me, then points to the bite marks on my neck and wrists. The dragon stingray begins vibrating. I stare at it. It scares me but, at the same time, it intrigues me. What is it? What’s its purpose here?

A voice blasts inside my head, loud and clear. “Can you understand us, Chosen One?”

I glance around. The guys are frozen in mid-movement, as if someone had hit the PAUSE button on a movie. However, the dragon stingray is still vibrating. More like a pulse, growing and contracting to a beat of its own.

“I hear you.”

“Good. The journey you’re about to take is long and dangerous, filled with treacherous paths. It’s on you to see the truth. It’s on you to bring the Shadows back to the place they belong.”

The dragon stingray moves again. This time I have a vague impression I can see its face. I can’t hold on to the image, but it’s there, hidden.

“You have my support,” the dragon stingray says just before the guys begin moving and breathing again.

Am I hallucinating? This is not the best moment to ask questions. I nod and get the sense that the dragon stingray move aside, allowing us to walk toward the rail car abandoned in the old train station. Its mate floats to the side, too, granting us safe passage.

As we walk by, I sense eyes on the back of my head. A deep feeling of veneration fills me. The dragon stingray whispers, “Chosen One.” Only I can hear it. It makes me want to hold my breath.

Green light now fills the station but I’m the only one aware of it.

My guys enter the train car. I still hold on to Draw. Once inside, they shrink back to normal size, but the tension coming from them is still palpable. They are ready to fight the stingray dragons, but I’m not sure that those creatures are our enemy. I experience peace and love toward me coming from them.

The car creaks and groans under our weight.

The green light has no clear source. It seems as if it’s coming from everywhere at once and, at the same time, from nowhere in particular. At first, it has a slightly unpleasant smell. However, the closer we got to the source, the worse it becomes. The stench is bad. It smells like a mix of rotten flesh, chemicals, and copper. I don’t dare say a word. I’m still too scared. My fingernails dig into Draw’s flesh.

“It’s okay,” he whispers under his breath.

The dragon stingray slams the door behind us, but not before blasting me with a deep feeling of adoration. I feel the world spinning madly out of control. There is no up or down, no way to hold on to anything. It’s as if I’m losing myself for a second time.

My mind hums with an energy I didn’t understand at all. My body hurts, but I didn’t care. I’m watching the spectacle unfold in front of my curious gaze. Pieces of my past blast against my consciousness and I allow them in, soaking them up like a sponge. Each memory, good or bad, is welcome and makes me feel complete again.

Khal

“Ivy.”

I land hard on the ground. My head hits a sharp rock, but it doesn’t seriously hurt me. I open my eyes and look around. We’re in The Valley. Only I have no idea what version of The Valley we landed in.

The Valley is a place that always changes according to the mind of the one looking at it. The only thing constant is the taste of the air. My tongue darts out, tastes it, and receives the confirmation. Yep, I’m in The Valley.

Tall trees with thick foliage cover the surroundings and make it hard to see beyond where I am. For a second, I’m tempted to reach out mentally and look for my bond mates and Ivy. Especially Ivy. But doing that would alert the forces that I don’t want to know about me.

---