Forty-One
VAUGHN
Ithink I’ve found a new phobia to add to my long list—flying on the back of a dragon. It isn’t anything like riding a roller coaster. First of all, there’s no harness. At every drop and turn, I’m certain I’ll slide off the back of Larsson and plunge to my doom. I’m holding Sophie so tight, I’m sure she’ll have bruises.
“Are we going to make it in time?” Igor shouts to be heard over the wind whooshing by.
The sky is most definitely pinker, and maybe the tension in my body is related to that as well. Vampires have a sixth sense about the sunrise. We know it’s coming even if we can’t see the sky.
“Yes,” Larsson replies in his dragon form, scaring the shit out of me.
“Whoa. I didn’t know he was verbal as a dragon,” I whisper in Sophie’s ear.
“Me neither. I’ve never been this close to one.”
“This is fucking awesome! I feel like singing,” Tish blurts out, then does start to sing “A Whole New World” fromAladdin.
To my utter astonishment, Solomon joins in, and then Vivi.
I look at her. She’s next to Sophie, and Lucca is behind her. Larsson’s back is wide enough to fit everyone comfortably. “What are you doing?”
“Come on, Vaughn, join us.” She smiles.
I shake my head, but Sophie piles on. “I want to hear you sing.”
“I don’t want to piss off you know who,” I say.
She turns her face to mine. “Please.”
“Fine, but if he nose-dives in retaliation, don’t blame me.”
She kisses me quickly, then faces forward again. That’s all the motivation I needed. I join the sing-along with gusto, belting out the lyrics with all the emotion that’s swirling in my chest. It helps me forget that we’re racing against the sunrise, and I appreciate the stunning view from this high up. The world below drowns in shifting shadows, but up here, the sky slowly goes from deep blue to magenta. The pinkish light reflects over Larsson’s light blue scales, creating a beautiful kaleidoscope effect.
The song ends just as Larsson starts his descent over a familiar landscape—Lucca’s mansion. I’m surprised he didn’t do any sharp maneuverings to make us stop singing.
“You’d better hurry,” he says.
The rays of sun are already visible, so we climb down from his back as quickly as possible. No sooner are we all on the ground than he takes off without saying a word, not even “adieu.”
The front door opens and Gerard walks out. “Was that a dragon?”
Lucca takes Vivi’s hand and runs up the steps of his mansion. I do the same with Sophie. Gerard watches us storm the front door in bewilderment. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head.
All the shutters are already down, and only the lamp lights in the living room are on, plus the fireplace is lit. It’s a cozy reception, but now that we’re all in the same room, the tension from before returns. Igor stands stiffly and closer to the hallway as if ready to bolt at any second. Not that he has anywhere to go with the sun out.
The situation escalates to the nth degree when Saxon and Aurora join us.
“Where the hell have you been?” Saxon asks, rushing past Igor without looking at him.
“Indigo Mountain,” Lucca replies.
Saxon’s brows shoot up. “Without us?”
“You were occupied,” Lucca retorts.
Aurora scans the room and notices Sophie, Tish, and Igor. “Uh, not to be rude, but who are they?”
I throw my arm around Sophie’s shoulders, pulling her to my side. “This is Sophie, my girlfriend. The cat is Tish, her familiar, and this is?—”
