Releasing the Dragon Read online

  “Right,” Annie said dully. “But not plenty more Drakes.”

  “What?” Mrs. Hofstadter looked confused. “I’m sorry, dear—what did you say? My hearing aid must be acting up.”

  “Nothing.” Annie tried to give her a smile. “I’m just…really tired. I think I’ll go lie down for a little while.”

  “Yes, well, you do look like you’ve had a rough night,” Mrs. Hofstadter said tactfully. “Um…is that a cat tail you’ve got on, dear? Was that part of a different Halloween costume?”

  “Something like that,” Annie muttered tiredly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to go. I’m dead on my feet.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. You go on now—shoo.” Her neighbor made a little shooing gesture with one hand. “Get some rest and come over when you feel like it. I’ll bake you a nice plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Just the thing for a broken heart.”

  “Thank you.” Annie managed a smile this time—a small one but it was genuine. Her neighbor really was a sweet lady. And though Annie tried hard not to “eat her feelings” anymore, she thought she would make an exception this time. Not that even a whole plateful of chocolate chip cookies could make her forget what a jerk Dru had been.

  She sighed and gave a tired wave as Mrs. Hofstadter went back into her own apartment. Then, just as she was about to go in her own door, she realized she didn’t have her keys. They were probably still up on the Mother Ship somewhere with the outfit she’d been wearing to the reunion. Along with her phone and the keys to her car—which was still sitting in the high school parking lot.

  “Crap,” she muttered under her breath. It was going to be a huge pain in the ass getting a new key cut for her door and also a new one for the car because she was not going back up to the Kindred ship where Dru was!

  Well, she would have to deal with it later. Right now she was too worn out to even think about it. Good thing she had given a spare key to Mrs. Hofstadter just in case she ever got locked out. But now she had to bother her neighbor again and possibly field more questions about her outfit.

  “Damn it!” Annie snapped and pounded her door with the flat of her hand in sheer frustration. Why couldn’t anything ever go right? Why couldn’t—

  Her thought was cut off in the middle as the door of her apartment swung silently open.

  It hadn’t been locked at all.

  “What in the world?” Annie muttered under her breath. She looked into her apartment and saw that nothing appeared to have been disturbed. Had she forgotten to lock it the other night before she left? She had been really excited and anxious to get to the reunion but it wasn’t like her to be so careless!

  Uncertainly, she stepped into the living room. Everything looked all right but there was a funny smell in the air—a smell like alcohol. Scotch fumes—that was it. Where had she smelled that smell recently?

  Suddenly the door creaked closed on its own. Annie jumped and nearly screamed as she did a quick about-face to see what had happened.

  Standing just beside the door was Christian. He looked a lot worse for the wear—as though he hadn’t changed since the reunion. In fact, Annie was certain he was wearing the same cheap button-down shirt and polyester slacks he’d had on in the gym.

  “Hello, pretty Annie,” he drawled. “I was wondering when you would ever get home.”

  “Christian…” She put a hand to her chest and backed away a step. “What…what are you doing here in my apartment?”

  “Why, just passing the time waiting for you, pretty lady.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “And looks like you were worth waiting for. Just look at that pretty little outfit you’ve got on! You must have had yourself some fun after that big boyfriend of yours interrupted us the other night.”

  His eyes crawled greedily over her mostly exposed flesh and Annie felt her stomach clench into a cold fist.

  “I’d like you to leave please,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Before I call the police.”

  Which was a total bluff because her cell phone was with her keys up on the Mother Ship. As was her pepper spray. All she had was the wrinkled purple walnut with Nutter Butter inside and she certainly couldn’t use that as a weapon.

  “Oh, I don’t think you’re going to do that.” Christian grinned—a cold expression that didn’t quite reach his pale blue eyes. “Not when I have this, anyway.”

  To Annie’s horror, he reached into the pocket of his cheap, polyester pants and pulled out a gun.

  “Now don’t scream,” he cautioned her when she opened her mouth to do just that. “I know that nosey old bitch of a neighbor is right next door but I promise you, pretty Annie, if you scream and get her over here I’ll shoot her first. She isn’t my type, if you know what I mean.” He laughed humorlessly. “And you, I’m beginning to think, very much are. You really have changed since high school.”

  “Leave me alone,” Annie whispered. She was beginning to feel more and more frightened. “What are you going to do to me?”

  “Nothing…here. As I said before, I like to hear a girl scream and I’m afraid that would attract too much attention in an apartment building. Besides, I don’t want your boyfriend butting in again.”

  “You’ll never get away with this,” Annie whispered. “Dru…Dru will kill you.” Another bluff since she knew she’d never see the big Kindred again.

  “All the more reason to take this party somewhere else, pretty Annie.” Christian crossed the room and got his arm around her throat before she could move. The cold muzzle of the gun pressed hard against her ribs. “You seem to have a nice little tangle of trees behind your building. Why don’t we go there? I’m sure we can get as much privacy as we want.”

  “No,” Annie whispered. She wanted to fight him but he dug the gun into her back and she found herself moving forward.

  Run—try to break free! Scream—shout! yelled a little voice in her head. Remember all his knives, Annie! What he does to you with those will be a hundred times worse than being killed by gunshot. Try to get away!

  But somehow her voice was frozen in her throat and she couldn’t seem to do anything but go forward as Christian directed.

  Dru, she thought desperately. Oh Dru, where are you? Last time I was in this position you came riding in to save the day.

  But there would be no help from that direction—of that she was certain.

  “Don’t bother me again.” Those had been her last words to the big Kindred. And besides, he was going to have his hands full searching the Kindred Mother Ship for the Xi-46 that might or might not be on board.

  By the time he got around to coming back to Earth—if he ever did—it would be too late.

  Twenty-One

  “Warrior—turn your ship around. NOW.”

  The strong female voice seemed to come from all around him at once. It filled the cabin of the shuttle so suddenly and completely that Dru nearly jumped out of the pilot’s chair.

  “What…where?” was all he could get out as he looked frantically for the source of the voice.

  “You have been foolish in the extreme, Warrior—you have rejected the one I have chosen for you,” the voice continued.

  “Who—?” Dru began and then a presence filled the shuttle—strong and authoritative and most definitely female.

  At last he understood—he was in the presence of the Goddess.

  “Mother of All Life,” he gasped, speaking with numb lips. He had heard of the Goddess talking to others before but he had never expected to experience it himself—it was hard to know what to say.

  “Turn the ship around and go back to Earth,” the Goddess commanded again and this time she sounded more than stern or displeased—she sounded angry. Maybe even furious.

  Dru didn’t dare to disobey her but he couldn’t help protesting even as he changed course.

  “Annie will not wish to see me again. She was very angry and hurt when I left her.”

  “Because you rejected her,” the Goddess said, her voice pounding