Page 30 of Riding My Dragons

Byron explained, “He told me he had to get off the street fast to avoid the searches and the Lacerta was the closest place to go.And he thought it was the last place the Constables would look for a fugitive.And he was so hurt and shaken up, all he wanted to do was sleep once he got away.”

”So he’s hiding out at the Lacerta—with the data box he stole?Did he get it back to whatever relative of his sent him after it?” I wondered.

”No,” Byron said.“He’s at the Lacerta, he’s got the box—and at least for right now, we’re the only ones who know he’s got it.”

“We’ll go to him then,” said Jenna.“We’ll convince him he has to turn himself and the box thing in.If Cade tells the Constables his side of the story, that he didn’t want to do it and one of his relatives put him up to it, maybe they’ll give him a break.”

“They might,” Byron said.“But he did assault a university guard.He’s likely to get time in a cage just for that.”

Agitated, worried, Jenna looked back and forth between Byron and me, and tugged on my arm.“We have to help him!Guys, come on, we have to go to him and help him right now.”

”We will go to him and get him whatever help we can,” Byron said.“You are going back to your dorm and waiting for Elliot and me to call you with an update.”

Jenna hopped across the bed and flung herself from the mattress onto the floor and started hunting for her clothes.She quickly found her panties, slacks, and halter, and sat back down on the edge of the bed to pull them on.All the while, she argued, “Why do I have to go back to the dorm?I’m worried about him just like you are!He needs all of us now!”

Byron explained, “Jenna, I explained to Cade that you should keep your distance from this whole situation.And he agreed with me.”

Sitting half naked on the bed now, Jenna sent a surprised look first to Byron, then to me, then to Byron again.“You told Cade about me?About Earth?And he believed you?”

“We believed you,” Byron said.“And Cade trusts Elliot and me.Why wouldn’t he believe me?”

Her face turned red, and her eyes got wet again.“So what, then?You mean Cade doesn’t trust me?”She slumped her shoulders and started to cry tears of frustration, which raked claws over my heart, and I’m sure over Byron’s as well.“I trusted you with myself…with everything…and you want to leave me out of this now?How could you?”

I reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.“Jenna,” I said, “I don’t think it’s about not trusting you.”I looked over at my concerned friend.“Is it, Byron?”

”Cade and I agreed it’s more about protecting you, Jenna,” said Byron sincerely.“And I think it’s right that you keep away from this.”

”How is it right?” Jenna sobbed.

”Think about it,” Byron said.“If he does turn himself over to the Constables—or they find him—there will be a lot of questions, for Cade and maybe for everyone who’s close to him.What if they come to you with questions about your relationship with Cade, about how you know him?And what if they want to know more about you—more than you want to tell them?If they go checking into your past, they might have some way of finding out that you’re not exactly who you tell them you are and that you’re not really from where you say you’re from.”

Realizing what Byron was saying, Jenna stopped crying and half-whispered, “Oh no.”

”How,” Byron gently argued, “would you explain being a visitor from a parallel world called Earth?What kind of trouble might that get you into?That’s why we thought you should circle around this mess instead of being directly in it, Jenna—to protect you.”

Jenna reluctantly accepted that, and we all got dressed.The mood in my apartment got pretty somber compared to the way we had started the morning.If Cade hadn’t called, Byron and I would have taken Jenna to my shower, where the two ofus would have given her more of what we gave her in bed, and everyone would have gone on having a good time.But with the news of Cade being in trouble, none of us were thinking of morning sex anymore.

“Cade should be here with us now,” Jenna said sadly.“We should all be having a good time together.None of this should be happening.”

”I think we’re all agreed on that,” I said, with a reassuring squeeze on her arm.“If there’s a way to get him out of this, we’ll have to find it.”

Byron thoughtfully said, “I don’t think there’s a way to keep him out of cage time, at least not completely.But if I ask around, there might be some way to get the charges reduced a bit.”

”Promise me you’ll try, Byron,” said Jenna.

“Hey,” said Byron, “I love the guy.I’ve known him for years.What’s being done to him is wrong.This is his own scales and blood that’s put him in this situation.If his own family has done this to him, he needs to know he can count on his friends.”

”Damn right,” I agreed.

Jenna went to me, and I took her in my arms.“You guys just make sure he knows he has my support too.”

Byron joined us in a group hug.“We’ll be sure to tell him.”

She looked up at Byron.“And he really believed you about Earth?”

”What’s not to believe?” Byron replied.“If you could believe your father discovered another world with dragon people, it’s not that hard for us to handle you coming from a place with nothing but humans.Cade was surprised, but right now it’s not the most unbelievable thing in his life.”

Jenna nodded.“I guess not.”

---