Page 7 of Starfall (Stand Alone Tales #20)

E mery was numb as she walked over the bridge. The ping of her phone made her want to throw it into the river, but instead, she looked at it as she walked along. Orla, Hunter, and the texts from Rowen kept coming in.

She slowed her steps as Rowen apologized, begged her to come back, and then mentioned the one thing that would give her understanding. I have met Amy. Ty has turned her into a tree.

I will be back in twenty minutes.

She turned on her heel and started plodding back over the bridge. She would return, but there was a lot less enthusiasm for the party.

The light of the party glowed in the distance, and she slowed to a stop. It was light, renewal, and hope. She wasn t feeling any of those things now.

A sports car with strange opalescent paint pulled up next to her. It was there silently for a moment, and then, the passenger window slid down. A familiar face caused Emery s heart to stutter.

Come on, Emmy. We want to join that party.

We do? The party doesn t want me.

It does; it is just a little slow. Come on.

Avaknell, I am not sure that this is a good idea.

Get in, Emery. We don t have to get out of the car until you are ready. Avaknell Blue smiled at her.

She nodded and got into the car, closing the door only when her skirt was tucked in safely. Thanks. Do you go to this party every year?

Sure. Every year since I landed. Is Kel there already?

Yeah.

Oh, this is going to be fun. Watch his eyes bug out.

Emery chuckled. Is he your destiny?

No. Don t be silly. You know how I feel about destiny. We are from the same original population group. That s all.

She drove slowly through the quiet streets and toward the party. The parking area was surprisingly well organized, and a young woman in a safety vest directed them into a parking spot.

Original population? He s a dragon.

Yes, dear. I know. She chuckled. Now, remember where I parked. I might need you to take the car after this.

Why?

I plan on getting high. Avaknell looked at her. Now, I know that you took some kind of emotional hit, but I want you to walk back in there with your head high and light out.

What?

This is the night for it.

Will you be yourself as well?

Her mentor chuckled. That is the idea.

You will stay with me?

Until you are ready for me to peel off. We are going to light Orla up as well, so this will be a freeing night for you both.

Why didn t he come after me?

The seasons are locked in to watch the turn of the year. They can t leave until dawn.

Avaknell opened the door. Emery mimicked her. They got out and stood behind the car. Avaknell grinned. I know you don t remember this, but I look like a cheap figurine at a ren faire.

I don t remember.

Her friend took her hand as a subtle shimmer washed over her, leaving Avaknell clad in a backless gown with gorgeous, gleaming, translucent, opal wings coming out of her back. She was taller, and her skin had the milky blue sheen, but the wild riot of long curls in every pastel colour of the rainbow tumbled around her.

The tail was a bit of a surprise.

Avaknell looked skyward at the dance of the stars. They look so different through these eyes.

The eyes in question were as opal as the rest of her, only darker.

Emery looked at her friend and knew that no one would be looking at her. That was the best place to be.

Emery stood back and lit the dark fire. Black, red, and gold skimmed along her skin. It was a dark light that came from inside her. It felt so good to let it out. It had been the first thing she had to hide.

She stood with her eyes closed, and when she opened them, Avaknell was even prettier. She looked like every graceful movie elf but with wings and a tail.

Ready, Emery?

They held hands and walked to the checkpoint. Avaknell spoke calmly. She is returning. Emery, guest of Rowen and friend to Hunter and Orla.

The young man with the list swallowed. And your name?

Avaknell Blue.

He nodded and checked her off. Thank you and welcome.

Avaknell inclined her head and glided inside with Emery holding her hand. The party was in full swing, but silence fell as they walked through the crowd to where Hunter and Rowen were visible.

Emery saw Kelnen s face turn toward them in astonishment, and Avaknell started laughing.

They continued walking to the group at the edge of the party, but it was the silence that followed them which made those in front turn around.

It is fine to stand out, Emery. You have earned it. You save people, you rescue people, and don t think I don t know about the mentorship program you have started at three different junior highs. You lift people up and make them understand their own strengths. That is what your light does. It doesn t illuminate you outside; it illuminates others within.

Emery blinked as the words were spoken and reverberated around the event. Everyone was listening.

Now, your man wishes to apologize for letting himself be bespelled, so accept his remorse and then dance. Avaknell waved her on.

Emery turned to Rowen, but he was already up next to her and hugged her. I am sorry. I didn t know anything was happening until you were gone.

She d done it before. Anytime anyone was nice to me, she magnified anything negative they saw, and I ended up alone.

You have dark light.

I do. It flares gold or green depending on what I am doing, but this is what it looks like. She let the darkness pulse and shine.

It s lovely. Don t take this the wrong way, but it suits you.

She sighed. I know.

He laughed. Would you like to dance?

Yes. Can we make out when we stop?

His eyes gleamed. Definitely.

Emery felt the warmth of his body against hers as they walked back to the dance floor. He smiled. Take two.

They danced, and the music suddenly swelled to match them. Orla and Hunter joined them, and the rest of the party resumed.

* * * *

A vaknell turned to the looming figure next to her and said, Pleased to meet you formally, Kel. And your host, Nen. And your mate, Krys.

Wife. We call them wives here. Who are you?

She turned to him and smiled. Avaknell Blue of Blue Station. When I assumed my wings for the first time, I blew a hole in space. I fell through it and took two stars with me.

How long did you fall?

A few hundred years, I think. The idiot warlocks here were summoning stars, so we came here. I recovered my body, and they went into their mothers. When they were grown, I helped where I could while we waited for signs of the sky opening.

Kel murmured, You are going to take them?

I will come back for them when they call me. For now, they have hundreds of years ahead of them before they surrender their bodies again. I will open the sky for them when they want to resume their journey.

He looked at her. You are a female dragon.

Yes. You are a fused one. How is Nen doing?

The eyes shifted. I am fine, mistress. Thank you for inquiring.

She smiled as Kel returned.

Krys asked, So, you are a female dragon?

Yes.

You look so... pretty.

Kel just looks like that because he used to open asteroids with his face. She grinned.

But you could have been his mate. Krys looked a little nervous.

Fuck no. I do not produce the amount or type of energy that he needs. As the big bastards get older, their bodies become fussy about what they can and can t consume. I and the handful of other female dragons are not on the menu.

Handful?

Oh, we are not common. We are rare. Powerful, strong, na ve, adorable, and rare. Avaknell grinned.

Kel asked, Where were you?

My sisters and I are at Blue Station. It is where we have been running the station, taking on customer service, and tending to those who just need somewhere to rest. Our ancestor is using the station as a dating platform to draw in male dragons so he can observe and make sure we are solid matches. You know, as a good patriarch should. She grinned.

You seem jovial. You did not have a match?

Oh, I found one. Or he found me, but our first shift is a little... violent, and I had to jettison myself out of an airlock. The dragon emerged and tore the hole in space for me and those two stars. We dropped through the darkness for decades or centuries, I have no clue, until we landed here. Well, I landed, they dispersed.

Kel stared at her and then looked skyward. So, your mate is coming.

It wasn t a question.

She shrugged. The sky has been lively over this last year. If he were going to find a beacon, the two dancing stars would be it.

Avaknell looked at the dance floor where the two stars were dancing with their seasons. She flicked her fingers, and both girls got a power boost. The light and darkness spiralled upward and continued on into the sky.

How long do you think it will take for him to find you? Krys asked softly.

He will be here tonight. That was just landing lights in case he is especially dense.

Krys followed up, Why don t you just fly home?

Kelnen answered, Her dragon is a baby. She has trouble with atmospheric flight.

Avaknell tapped her nose. That s it. I am fine gliding using the starlight for power, but it takes a lot of power to escape from a planet s gravity. Basically, I need a lift.

Krys leaned in. Can his dragon carry yours?

No. Not really. I will ride him or be carried into space and then resume my other form. From there, he will be able to haul me through the nearest portal. My guardian is going to be pissed.

Avaknell looked upward. It will be a matter of finding the right path home.

Kel chuckled. Could he have arrived already?

Maybe, but as you know, dragons live long but have limited patience. She smiled. I also remember what he felt like.

Krys leaned in. What was that?

A whole lot of nothing. Avaknell grinned. He s a null.

Kel blinked. You aren t serious?

Oh, yes. She smiled. He s very pretty, though.

Kel snorted.

Avaknell shrugged. He is.

Olmin was slowly walking around her, staring at her.

Where are your manners, warlock? She jabbed him in the abdomen with her tail.

You brought the prophecy?

She looked at her polished nails. Prophecy?

When the doom was coming, the asteroid was coming. You gave us the information to get the guardian involved.

Oh, that. Yeah. He was busy being a statue, so there wasn t much he was doing at the time. Good call on picking Krys, Nen. She was just what the old bat needed.

Kel growled, and she snickered.

Krys muttered, Are you trying to get on his nerves?

Absolutely. But, to be honest, with him being so old and wise, it is like a toddler pouring juice on his head. It s annoying, but he s amused as hell at the same time.

Kel crossed his arms. She s not wrong. I have never seen a dragon female before. Fuck, they are annoying.

Avaknell beamed. And you are cranky. Comes with age, I guess.

He grinned and shook his head. You are going to be in so much trouble when your mate gets here.

Tell me something I don t know. But he isn t here yet, and I feel like skating. She sent a wave of dissipating heat over the snowy field, and it formed sheets of ice. Her height grew by two inches as she made some skates, and she started a slow pass over the ice to the music.

She was bigger with the wings out, but it was easier to balance. They compensated for every little wobble, as did her tail.

Ava felt like herself again, with no reason to hide or modify her body. She had understood Emery the moment that she met her. All that power and no way to show it; all that loneliness and no one to hold. Avaknell had tried to adopt Emery, but her grandparents refused it. She missed the window when Emery was available for adoption, but the foster parents had a more urgent claim to her. So, she had waited, and the moment her little dark star was free, she had taken her under her wing and helped her to become a valuable member of the community.

Emery was a glowing soul, but her glow was dark, and that was overlooked. She worked her magic deep in the hearts of those around her when she was able. She smiled at the glow that had flared when Rowen had hugged her little friend. Emery was in good hands. Great once Avaknell left the earth.

She looked around, and other individuals or couples or triads were skating along the ice, and she smiled. She always had been a trendsetter.

Two hours later, she was sitting and having some desserts and a kebab when there was a rumble of shock out on the ice. Avaknell ate her meat stick and then munched on the tarts and other fruity pastry as she walked out of the pavilion and onto the snow.

Kel walked up next to her. Looks like your ride is here.

A dark swirl in the stars got wider, a spinning spiral of darkness that blocked out the stars in its vicinity.

Avaknell frowned. That looks wrong.

Kel paused in his silent amusement. What?

He isn t so absolutely dark. Avaknell stared up and tried to think of what it could be. She didn t like the answer.

She frowned and looked around.

Looking for a place to run? Kel was amused.

Nope. Trying to figure out how large a snowball I can muster.

Why? Isn t that your null?

She hissed, Yes, but it isn t alone. Someone else is with him, and I said that I wasn t going to accept a set.

Oh. There are two of them in there?

Correct.

The dragons formed out of the swirl and descended rapidly.

One was blue-black, and one was absolute black. She had seen them both before.

Avaknell watched them head toward the icy gathering, and they back-winged to settle neatly on their clawed feet.

The party was full of amazed voices.

Kel muttered, They are big.

Avaknell mumbled around the food she was eating. Shut up.

He laughed. Oh, I believe I am understanding. Krys doesn t mind.

She s not facing two of you. She deals with you and Nen. It s different. A lot less tails involved, for one.

He was laughing as Hunter came up next to them, and they walked up with Olmin to greet the dragons, who were swaying their long necks as they looked for her. She went back to the buffet.

Emery met her as she piled her plate high. Those are dragons.

Yes.

And you are a dragon.

Correct.

And they are boys?

Yup.

And you are in here because?

I am peckish. Avaknell looked at her. So, inside my car, there are documents in the glove box, leaving you all my stuff. The car will open and drive for you and only you. It also fixes itself if you get into a fender bender.

What?

Well, one way or another, I am leaving with the gruesome twosome. I am bingeing calories because space is cold, and it will take a long few seconds to get me into my other form.

Emery cuddled up against her side, her dark light spilling over. I don t want you to go.

I know, huggy bear, but I have to. Keeping myself in has been painful over these few decades. Just having my wings out tonight feels amazing, but it burns a lot of calories. She looked at her friend. You will be fine, and if you need me, Orla can teach you a communication spell. I am going to have to go back into my sector, but you are not alone. If I have to drop back here again, I will.

But it will hurt you.

Those two scaly buggers flew here because I am going into heat soon. Really soon.

Oh. So, babies?

A rich, dark voice said, If we perform all the rituals correctly and frequently, that will be the result.

She looked over him and wrinkled her nose. Why are you here, Void?

His unrelieved dark features moved, forming a startling white slash of a smile. I am here because you flew so far and so fast that Null needed my help to find you.

He reached out and took a treat off her plate. She smacked his hand with her tail, but he just turned his hand, gripped, and stroked down her tail. You know that Blue authorized both of us, right?

She valiantly hid her shudder. Yes, but one of you is a little much. Two of you are obnoxious.

Emery giggled. You didn t end up here by accident.

Void shook his head. She tore a hole in space, grabbed two star souls, and dropped through it, sealing it behind her. Weirdest accident ever.

Avaknell shrugged. Oops. Sorry, Emery. I dragged you two with me.

Why?

Null was approaching.

Avaknell muttered, You two were on the way here. I need a light in the space between, so I grabbed on and used you as a tow vehicle. You dropped through at midnight, and I showed up in the middle of the day. Time is funny in the space between.

Emery laughed. So, we brought you here.

Yup. Dragons are funny. We need beacons to guide us to worlds if they don t have their own dragon population.

Null slid his arm around her waist from behind and kissed her neck. Hello, Ava.

She fought the urge to slam her tail up between his thighs, mostly because Void still had a grip on her tail and was stroking it slowly.

Null.

Emery paused. Wait, Null and Void? Are you serious? She broke off into peals of laughter.

Rowen slid his arm around her waist. Are you good?

I am good. Avaknell is younger than I thought.

Ava stuck her tongue out at Emery. Mean.

Void paused. They aren t our names, but Avaknell Blue likes to categorize things, so they are our manifestations.

Ava started eating again.

Kel came by and shook his head. You should have said.

There was never a good time. How long do we have? She glanced at Void.

We need to leave. The stars are shifting.

She sighed, handed him the plate, and hugged Emery. Be brave, be strong, be bright, and call me if you need me.

Do you have live births or lay eggs? Emery stared at her.

Avaknell sighed. Depends on what form I am wearing when I get pregnant.

Oh, wow.

If it is the scaly one, big eggs. Huge. She grinned and kissed Emery s cheek. Remember, car, glove box. Really big house.

Wait, so you knew this was happening.

Avaknell shrugged. They move through the space between worlds like a semi in need of a tune-up or a cement truck. Either way, they were going to be here tonight, but I needed to make sure you were safe and secure. Now, I have to head back and figure out the rest of my life with these two bozos. Wow, this world is full of fun words.

Emery looked sad, so Avaknell kissed the slight peak in her hair and exhaled power into it. There. I am with you always. I would have adopted you if I could. I did try.

Emery nodded. I read my file. I know. You were the best mentor I could have had, though.

Good. Now, live a life, have a family, and let Rowen s family become yours. They really want to be. They think your natural hair is cool.

Emery laughed, hugged her one more time, and then turned to Rowen. He held her as tightly as she held him.

Avaknell turned to her dragons. Let s go before I start crying.

Null and Void put their hands under her wings and walked out to the open area where they had landed. They explained the procedure, and Void changed first. He opened his mouth, and she walked into it, settling on his tongue.

Darkness surrounded her, and she was still able to breathe, but then, they shot skyward, and she felt the strain in his body as he pushed the air out from under his wings.

She felt the moment that they left the atmosphere, troposphere, and stratosphere. When they were free of gravity, she focused and crouched, and as Void opened his mouth, she shot forward and took on her glowy white wings and scales. They moved next to her, and their wing claw linked with hers. Void opened a rift, and they flew into it, gliding through space with delightful ease. Well, it was easy for her. Her mates were doing all the work. She took a nap.