“Let me go in first,” Valerius said.
“Oh, the big Black Dragon must stride ahead!” Illarion groused.
“I need you to protect Caden,” Valerius told him.
That brought Illarion up short who shrugged. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. He is your most precious treasure. Who else should protect him, but me?”
“There is no one else here,” Valerius couldn’t quite help but point that out, Caden realized.
But Illarion just snorted and the Black Dragon King glided ahead of them down the hall towards the parents’ bedroom.
The door to the bedroom was open about four-inches. There was no light shining out from there, any more than there was from any other room. The shades were drawn, and he recalled Landry saying that her parents had invested in black out curtains so not even a scintilla of light could get inside their bedroom. Her mother did shift work as a nurse and her father worked security, sometimes at night, so they slept often during the day. Those curtains were drawn now.
If Caden had still been human, he would have been able to see nothing at all. But his night vision as a Shifter allowed him to see things in shades of green and black. It was rather like having night vision goggles on. So through the four-inch crack in the door, he could glimpse the bottom, right corner of the bed. He could also glimpse four legs.
One pair was covered in denim. The other pair was bare beneath the hem of a nightgown that hung down to the woman’s knees. Ross had his mother held in front of him like a shield. Caden could see Ross’ elbow was crooked so that his hand was over his mother’s mouth. Her breathing was stentorious and her heart was racing in her chest.
Caden imagined what it must have been like when her three children snuck into her room at night, pulled her from bed, and slammed a hand over her mouth while another was wrapped so tightly across her torso that her ribs must have ached. Landry’s father was likely in the same predicament. Caden listened intently. The hearts, the breathing. It let him know that Harvey had his father in a similar position while Landry was free to roam about the room. But she was still as stone as well. Landry was standing ahead of her brothers, but just beyond the door’s crack.
Valerius met both Caden's and Illarion’s gazes. It was just then that Caden noticed the Shifter eyeshine had become much brighter. Their eyes were like jewels in the darkness, bound to give them away. Valerius tipped his head towards the door and nodded, indicating that he would burst in first and that Caden and Illarion should fan out in the room after him.
But just as they were about to move, Landry’s voice came to him, fearful and unsure, “Caden?” They all froze. “Caden, is that you?”
Caden ridiculously wanted to answer, “Yeah, Landry, totally us. Sorry for sneaking up on you like this.”
Except, of course, Landry and her brothers had their parents in practical headlocks and were standing in pitch blackness. This was not just a situation where Caden and the two other Dragon Shifters had made some terrible mistake. The look in Valerius’ eyes told him that. They needed to defuse this situation and then talk.
“Go!” Valerius commanded.
He shot through the door, but just as Caden was about to follow after him, Illarion grabbed a hold of Caden’s collar and yanked him back.
“No, don’t go in there! The scent! It’s toxic!” Illarion shouted in explanation.
“But Valerius--”
There was a roar, a combination of Valerius and Raziel crying out, and then a thud followed by girlish giggling that had the hair on Caden’s arms lifting on end.
“So predictable!” Landry purred in a voice that didn’t sound anything like her own. The reason was that though the person speaking was using her body, it wasn’t her. “Raziel always assumes he is invulnerable, plus he wanted to show off for you.”
Illarion, ironically, mirrored Ross and Harvey’s hold on their parents on Caden. He had one hand across Caden’s mouth and the other across his chest. He was having to use quite a bit of strength as all of Caden wanted to go into that room to get to Valerius. He saw the bottom of Valerius’ boots disappearing from view as Landry dragged him deeper inside.
Caden looked at Raziel and Iolaire. The White Dragon Spirit was peeking out of the wing. Raziel’s head drooped forward. It was unconscious.
Unconscious! Not dead! Can’t be dead! Not dead!
And, in fact, there were still plumes of smoke exiting Raziel’s mouth as it breathed. Iolaire moved more of the wing out of the way. It cooed uncertainly. One of its clawed forelimbs reached up and prodded the Black Dragon Spirit’s chest. But Raziel did not stir.
“Why aren’t you talking, Caden? Surely, you have something to say, Illarion? Or has Mephous got your tongue?” Landry laughed shrilly. “Remembering how I batted it away like the annoying fly it is? For once realizing you’re outclassed and outmatched? What can you do, Illarion, after all? You’re a blunt, dumb instrument and that’s all you’ve ever been! But not even the strongest blunt, dumb instrument!”
Illarion had loosened his hand around Caden’s mouth. Caden twisted towards him and whispered, “Poison breath… Can you make them fall asleep?”
“Caden, the truth is in the name you gave it. Poison. Death,” Illarion answered. “Valerius will survive, but no one else in that room will.”
Would it come to that? If there was no other way to get Valerius out of there? Would he kill everyone to get to him? Caden realized that yes, he would. But this was fear talking. He sensed it like a miasma all around them.
Is this normal? Caden wondered. This cloying inability to think because of fear? Or is it a gift?
“Is it just me or is it hard to think?” Caden asked.
