Gemma
Gemma wandered the house for several days. She hadn’t seen or heard anything from Theo.
She was sitting in his library, immersed in readingThe Canterbury Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer, in middle English, when Theo burst through the door.
“Get some clothes together. Quickly. There is a full-on war going on. The wolves have heard that you are protected by the dragon clan and have already attacked some of our members. Of course, wolves don’t stand a chance against dragons, but it won’t be long until the wolves come here,” Theo said.
Gemma sighed heavily. “Let them come. I don’t care anymore. My parents are dead because of me. Wolves have died because of me. I don’t want any dragons to die because of me. I’m not worth it,” she said, defeated.
“That is the dumbest thing I’ve heard you say. Obviously, your life is very sacred. You are meant for something greater than just being a sacrifice. Now, get your shit together like I told you. I’m going to get some other supplies together,” Theo ordered.
“Can I take a couple of books?” she asked.
“Of course,” he said, waving at his massive collection of books.
She was back down the stairs in five minutes. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“I have a secret lair higher in the mountains,” he said. “No one knows about it except Germaine.”
“Shall I change to my wolf form?” she asked.
“No. First, we don’t want them to get ahold of your scent and follow you up there. Second, it’s only accessible by flying. Any other way would be too dangerous,” he said. “I’m going to transform into my dragon, and you are going to ride me up to the lair.”
They stepped outside, and Gemma was mesmerized by the beauty of Theo’s dragon form. His iridescent blue scales glistened in the sun. He was huge.
He sent her a telepathic message.Put the bags on my back and get on.
She obeyed. Soon, they were flying. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, she would have found the flight exhilarating.
Soon, they landed on a ridge at the very tip of the mountain.
“I have a propane heater for you. I packed water and food. There is a blanket in here. I’ll check on you every couple of days, or Germaine will, and bring you more supplies. You will be safe here,” he said.
Then, without another word, he took off.
Except when Gemma was reading, she stayed in her wolf form. It was warmer, for one thing. For another, she would be more capable of defending herself in this form than in her human body.
She hadn’t seen Theo or Germaine for two days, and she was getting lonely and worried. She missed Theo more than anything. She knew she had fallen so completely in love with him that she would never be able to be with another man.
She had always wanted children but figured that maybe she could adopt. And get a dog.
Gemma was sitting on the ridge in her wolf form, howling her sorrows at the moon when she saw a dragon form approaching. She waited until Theo landed before she got out of her attack stance.
Theo was angry. “I’m taking you back down to the mansion. The wolves will not come to get you there,” he said. “Get your stuff.”
Gemma transformed into her human shape and asked, “What has happened?”
She got dressed and picked up the few things that weren’t already in the bag. She had kept the lair very clean, and the only thing left out of the bags was a half-empty bottle of water and a copy of the Bard’s poems.
“The wolf shifters have gone crazy. They have taken the woman who has been helping you all of these years. They are holding her hostage and have said they will let her go in exchange for you. Otherwise, they will kill her in your place,” Theo told her.
Gemma cried. “They have Aliyah? She is my mother’s best friend and the only family I have left in the world. How is she?”
“She is fine right now. They want you, and Aliyah is their only leverage,” Theo said. “Come on, I’m taking you back to the mansion.”
When they arrived, Gemma told Theo, “I want to talk to Ivan. Tell him to tell the wolf shifters I will take her place. I will not allow another person, especially a human and one who has been so kind to me, to be hurt because of me.”
Theo looked at her. “That is not going to happen. But don’t worry about your friend. I’m going to find out where they are hiding her, and I’ll save her myself. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
With that, Theo turned and went upstairs to his room.
Gemma put the books she had borrowed back on the shelf in the library.
Then, feeling like she was moving in slow motion, she headed up the stairs. She shed her clothes and turned the water on as hot as she could stand it. She had more than a week of dirt and filth to get off her body.
There has been enough bloodshed for her sake. Enough people had died. There was not one person in the world important enough to justify the number of people who had been killed.
Once Gemma had nearly scrubbed her skin from bone, she dried herself off. She stared at her reflection. And then, she announced to her reflection, “This ends now. There will be no more sacrifices for my sake.”
