Page 10 of Lahaina Noon (Modern Legends of Dragons & Shadows #1)

Chapter 10

“ S hadow Claw, is the official name for what you’ve been seeing, what has been following you around. They’ve been watching you for some time, I imagine. Waiting for just the right moment.” He handed her a wine glass and fork. “Please, you’ll need it,” he continued.

“The Shadow Claw was originally an ancient tribe thousands of years ago when the first of them could travel through shadows and manipulate them. This was a dark power they gained by trading their souls to a demon. Bridget, tell me, have you ever noticed a shadow seeming somehow fuller than usual? Or that it seems to be moving without any light source to alter it? Maybe you’ve felt like someone was there even though you couldn’t see them?” He searched her face as if trying to gauge her reaction.

Bridget slowly nodded. He was speaking about magic, which was bonkers, of course, but still. “Yes, I’ve always been a little leery of shadows. I thought it was my imagination. But just this morning in the parking garage, I...” she trailed off.

He nodded in encouragement, “Please, tell me what you saw. ”

She shook her head, “No, it seems so silly now; I must be hallucinating.”

He rested his warm hands on her knees, “Please, Bridget, you weren’t seeing things. The Shadow Claw is real. They want you, and I will do everything in my power to protect you and stop them. Please tell me what you saw.” His eyes begged her.

Bridget wished she had one of her cats with her. They always seemed to know when she was upset and would curl up in her lap. She loved to dig her fingers into their silky fur and stroke their little ears, scratching their chins in a way that would make them seem to smile. She needed that right now. She grabbed a throw pillow and began kneading it with her fingers. Although it didn’t purr, it seemed to give her some measure of comfort, and she was able to continue.

“This morning, at the office, I had to park in the seventh circle,” she started.

Noticing his confused look, she clarified, “That’s what I call the lowest level of the parking garage. I hate how dark and creepy it is, and it reminds me of ‘Inferno’.”

“Dante.” He nodded, comprehending her reference. “How apt.”

“Anyway,” she continued, “I sensed something was in the corners, in the dark areas and I had an urge to run for safety. When I got to the elevator, there was another shadow. It was normal looking at first, but then…” she paused.

Vaughn squeezed her hand in reassurance.

“It grew. It seemed as if it was getting longer and skinnier. Like it was reaching for me. I backed up into the elevator, trying to get the door to close, and it started growing faster. I thought for sure it was going to grab me. It just oozed evil. The doors shut just in time, and when I grabbed the rail in the elevator, it shocked me. Hard. Just like you’ve seen today.” Her voice shook and she searched his face for confirmation.

He nodded encouragingly at her.

“Then in the conference room, when I got shocked, I saw it again. It was trying to reach for me. And tonight, in my bedroom.” She was sure her hands were trembling in his now. Could this be real? Shadow creatures? Surely, this was nuts, but on some level, she believed him. What else could explain this?

Vaughn tightened his grip on her hands briefly and said, “I know, Bridget, I saw them too. I was trying to get them to leave without revealing too much. I didn’t want their owners to know what I was doing. I’m so sorry you got hurt.” He rubbed her fingertips absently.

“Their owners?” she said with confusion, “What do you mean, oh my goodness. It’s Melissa, isn’t it? Melissa Payne? I’ve always thought she was some sort of evil witch. Damn it.” Bridget dug her nails into Vaughn’s grip, and he flinched. “Sorry!” she said suddenly, releasing his hands. “I’m so sorry. I just get so fired up thinking about that sorry ass good for nothing knuckle-dragging swamp bitch.” Bridget’s eyes widened, and she put a hand over her mouth. Seeing that Vaughn was struggling not to laugh, she burst out giggling, relieved when his rich, warm laughter joined hers.

“Well, Bridget, that is quite the mouth you have,” he chuckled. “But no, Payne is not a member of the Shadow Claw. She’s just an awful person.”

“Why did you let her shut down our deal? ”

“I had to protect you,” Vaughn answered nonchalantly. “I couldn’t risk her knowing who I am and that I was there to watch over you. I don’t care about the deal anymore. Yes, it would have been beneficial for both of our companies, but I only cared about it as long as it benefited you. Now that you are no longer with them, I can easily find another business partner.”

Something Vaughn said registered with Bridget suddenly. “Who you are,” she repeated. She leaned back from Vaughn. “You aren’t, you’re not,” she stammered uneasily. If he’s one of those shadow things…

Vaughn took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. “Bridget, sweet Bridget,” he gently whispered, “I mean you absolutely no harm. I swear it. I am not a Shadow Claw; my soul is my own, and I wouldn’t sell it for anything. I would never hurt you.”

Bridget relaxed under the warmth of his gaze. She believed him. She wasn’t sure why, but he seemed trustworthy and had been so genuine with Gabe earlier.

“Gabriel!” she said suddenly, reaching for her purse to get her phone.

“Relax,” he said, understanding the reason for her panic. “He’s safe. I’ve got your home under patrol. My men won’t let anything happen to your son or your friend. The only place they could be safer would be here with us, but I assure you, they are fine.” He leaned away from her, “Go ahead and call. I’m sure you will be more at ease hearing from them yourself.”

Bridget stared at him, a little pissed he’d put a protective detail around her family without telling her, but also grateful he’d taken that extra step to protect what was hers. She nodded, hoping to convey all of that. She pulled out her phone and quickly found Jorrie’s number.

After three rings, Jorrie finally answered. “Why are you calling me? You should be halfway through jumping Mr. Hotty by now. We are fine, we don’t need you, don’t want to talk to you. Rutabaga is going down!”

“No, I’m not! And stop calling me Rutabaga!” Gabe shouted in the background.

Bridget laughed and put her hand on her heart to stop it from racing right out of her body. “Thanks, Jorr. I just wanted to see if I could take you up on that offer to stay the night?”

“YES!” Jorrie shouted. “Get it, girl! Brown-chicken-brown-cow.” she sang, doing her worst impression of risqué music.

Bridget could imagine her crazy friend dancing around the living room, shaking her butt. She glanced over at Vaughn to see he could clearly hear Jorrie and her face heated. “Not what you think, Jorrie.” She kept her eyes on Vaughn so he got her meaning, too. “Vaughn and I have a lot to discuss, and I’m not sure how long this is going to take.”

Jorrie sighed, “Boo! Whatever. It’s not like you just met him tonight. How long have you been drooling after that gorgeous man? Let go Bridget. It’s beyond time you found yourself again. Sleep with him, or I am never speaking to you again.”

“Eww!” Bridget heard Gabriel yell before Jorrie disconnected the call.

Bridget held her blank phone for a moment before slowly returning it to her purse. She turned back towards Vaughn and took in his bemused expression. Not knowing quite what to say, she mentally added Jorrie to her ‘those who must be harmed’ list.

“Well, are you?” he asked with a devastating smile.

“Am I what?” she said nervously.

“Going to ensure your friendship remains intact. I quite like that friend of yours. She’s a smart woman,” he teased.

Bridget took a moment to catch his meaning and with a blush said, “Maybe later. For now, tell me more about these Shadow Claws. Why me?”

Vaughn’s smile grew bigger, “I’ll take later as long as you mean it.” He pulled her close and softly murmured, “First though, I just have to.” He crushed his mouth to hers in the kiss that had been interrupted too many times tonight.

Bridget could swear her eyes rolled back in her head. She heard angels singing and then blissfully, nothing. Her mind came to a complete halt, allowing her to enjoy the moment.

Vaughn put one hand behind her head so he could deepen the kiss and held her body tightly against his.

Oh god, it wasn’t fair how hard and soft his body was at the same time. She could feel his abs beneath her hands as she ran them up to his sculpted chest. Just not fair at all. Their lips danced with each other, and she felt his tongue alongside hers as she struggled to keep her hands from yanking his shirt open like in those steamy romance novels Jorrie was fond of reading. This can’t be real. This can’t be real , her brain chanted.

He gentled the kiss and slowly pulled away from her. “Sweet Bridget, you taste even better than I could imagine. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I believe you asked about why the Shadow Claw wants you.” He sat back on the floor.

Bridget was still for a moment, trying to wrap her brain around what happened. She gently touched her lips and marveled at how deliciously swollen they were. She cleared her throat and reached for her wine, taking a large fortifying gulp. She was beyond caring about seeming lady like. Besides, he was a man who apparently appreciated a healthy appetite. Setting her glass down, she focused on his now serious expression. “This is all starting to sound like a fantasy novel or some sci-fi show,” Bridget started.

Vaughn laughed, “I get what you mean. I hope you can hold on to how you felt a minute ago because I don’t want you to forget that I’m here to protect you, and I think it’s obvious how I feel about you. How I’ve been feeling about you.” His expression returned to serious. “The Shadows, they want you because long ago,” he paused, as if he was searching for the right words.

“In a galaxy far, far, away?” she supplied helpfully.

He narrowed his eyes at her for a second, then smirked. “No, you aren’t Princess Leia if that’s what you’re thinking, but close. Long ago, as in thousands of years ago, there was a group of magic practitioners. Most were peaceful, but some insisted they should rule. They weren’t content with the status quo, so they began looking for ways to become more powerful. As I said earlier, many of them turned dark and sold their souls to demons to become masters of the shadows. They began to use this power to take out leaders of the other tribes and other magic users. Planning to wipe them out and be the only ones who could wield power.” He paused for a sip of wine, glancing at her over the rim to see if she was following along.

She nodded encouragingly for him to continue.

“One tribe, calling themselves Wielders, were not about to go quietly and knew there was only one way to combat the Shadows. They joined forces with…” he hesitated, “Another species to eradicate the Shadow Claw menace. There was a war of which you can only imagine the magnitude. The proverbial battle of good and evil, right versus wrong, etc. Good did triumph, of course, but at great cost. The damage done to the land and the people was horrendous. The Wielders prayed to their God, Taranis of Light and Thunder, to help heal the land. He agreed, but he was displeased at the way they had used their power and their allies; he had created those allies.

“He said in exchange, he would take away their powers for two thousand years so they could learn to use them responsibly again. Two thousand years seemed a long time to the people but a mere blink of an eye to a God. The people agreed, though, so he stripped away the powers, healed the land and removed the memory of it from all that remained.” He stopped for a moment to see how Bridget was handling this.

“Well, that’s quite a story,” she said slowly, “Sounds like something straight from Celtic folklore.”

He nodded, “There’s usually some basis of truth in many of those stories.”

She tilted her head, “You said these, Wielders, joined forces with another species. Like what? Unicorns? Pegasus?” She smiled, joking with him .

Vaughn looked at her seriously and took a deep breath. “Dragons.”

Bridget sat there for a moment. “Dragons?”

He nodded gravely as if it was the most serious thing he’d ever been asked.

“Dragons,” she repeated, then burst into laughter. “Oh, Vaughn, you had me for a minute. Dragons. I could almost believe in magical powers because I’ve seen the shadows myself, but come on. Dragons were never real. Is this some sort of joke? Look, I liked you for you. I’m not sure why the elaborate story.” She wiped under her eyes and picked up her wine glass. “Dragons.” She snorted and took a sip.

Vaughn stood suddenly, and she saw flames in his eyes. “I assure you, Bridget, it’s no joke. I need you to believe me. For your own safety.” He growled as smoke began to pour from his nostrils, and his fingers began to elongate into claws.

Bridget jumped up, terrified, wondering how to get away.

The sound of fabric tearing and a flapping noise drew her eyes to his shoulders where a pair of enormous black scaley wings with golden webbing were spreading from his back.

Her hands trembled, and she looked at his face again.

He had a wicked smile, which caused her to drop the glass, hearing it shatter as it bounced from the table to the floor. She could feel the blood drain from her face, and the room began to lose all color. Her world and vision narrowed down to the flames in his eyes before everything started turning black.

She saw his eyes return to their normal color, and concern filled them before the darkness took her under, and she collapsed.

She was out cold.