him from his world into mine? Never mind what happened to my own body during those exchanges. I didn’t really want to think about it. Such thoughts hurt my head.
A dragon, I thought.
Of course, I’d been turning into Talos now for years. That I turned into something epic and awesome wasn’t the question. But going from a giant vampire bat... to a dragon, took some getting used to. I mean, dragons had cache.
I recalled again the flying creature I’d seen a few months ago, the creature that had been keeping pace with Talos and me in the skies high above. It had very much looked like a dragon. But it had been far away and there was a very real chance I had imagined it.
And didn’t dragons guard, you know, treasures?
They also ate virgins, if I was correct.
“Sam,” said Jacky, releasing my hand and sitting back in his client chair. I had slumped down on the corner of his desk. “That was a lot of dragon talk.”
“Dragon thinking ,” I said.
“This is a lot for me to take in.”
“I bet,” I said, and zipped up my mind nice and tight. “Any chance you can forget that I can also turn into a dragon/bat thing?”
“I don’t feel so good, Sam.”
“I bet you don’t.”
I slipped into his mind quickly and gave his subconscious mind a suggestion to remove his memory from the last thirty seconds. The old guy didn’t need to know about Talos.
He blinked and looked at me. “What were we talking about, Sam?”
“We were talking about my son, and how he has an unfair—and supernatural—advantage over other fighters.”
“Ah, yes. ’Tis a shame.”
“It wouldn’t be right, Jacky.”
He nodded. “I know, and are we really having this conversation, Sam?”
“I’m afraid so,” I said. “Can you keep this to yourself, Jacky? Not even your wife?”
He snorted. “I wasn’t exactly in the church choir growing up, Sam. The wife doesn’t know that half of what I’ve done.”
“Well, she doesn’t need to know this half, either. Deal?”
“Deal.”
He looked at me. I looked at him. He said, “Your face, Sam, it was so cold. Even your tears were cold. Like ice, really.”
I nodded. “Welcome to my life.”
He nodded sadly. “Are you going to be okay, lass?”
“I hope so.”
“If you ever need anything, Sam, come see me. I can still kick some arse.”
“Thank you, Jacky.”
“And your son...” his voice broke off, and he turned away.
“He’s going to be okay, too,” I said. “I think my son might, just might, be part superhero.”
Jacky tried to smile, but all of this was just too much for him. Too much for anyone. He wiped his eyes and looked away.
“You care about him, Jacky.”
“More than you know, Sam.”
He nodded and now, I was the one swooping down, and holding the old Irishman tight, an old Irishman who had sort of adopted my son right here in his boxing gym...
God bless him.
Chapter Nine
It was late and I was running.
The run had started as a jog, but I got bored with the jog. With my knapsack secured tightly to my back, I soon found myself sprinting down street after street.
It was just past 2 a.m. Probably not the vampire hour, but pretty damn close. I sped down Bastanchury. Had I continued for another five miles or so, I would reach Master Kingsley’s stately manor. Except, of course, tonight was a full moon, and Master Kingsley—as Franklin, his butler, referred to him—would be highly indisposed. Kingsley, after all, dealt with a darkness of a different kind, a darkness that emerged once a month, every month. A darkness that took hold of him completely and totally. A darkness that would destroy anything living in its path, a darkness that preferred to feed upon the rotting dead.
And I kiss those lips, I thought, shuddering, as I turned left and headed up Imperial.
Kingsley had reached a sort of agreement with the darkness within. He fed it rotting meat (which Franklin hunted in the hills behind the estate home), and the thing within
A dragon, I thought.
Of course, I’d been turning into Talos now for years. That I turned into something epic and awesome wasn’t the question. But going from a giant vampire bat... to a dragon, took some getting used to. I mean, dragons had cache.
I recalled again the flying creature I’d seen a few months ago, the creature that had been keeping pace with Talos and me in the skies high above. It had very much looked like a dragon. But it had been far away and there was a very real chance I had imagined it.
And didn’t dragons guard, you know, treasures?
They also ate virgins, if I was correct.
“Sam,” said Jacky, releasing my hand and sitting back in his client chair. I had slumped down on the corner of his desk. “That was a lot of dragon talk.”
“Dragon thinking ,” I said.
“This is a lot for me to take in.”
“I bet,” I said, and zipped up my mind nice and tight. “Any chance you can forget that I can also turn into a dragon/bat thing?”
“I don’t feel so good, Sam.”
“I bet you don’t.”
I slipped into his mind quickly and gave his subconscious mind a suggestion to remove his memory from the last thirty seconds. The old guy didn’t need to know about Talos.
He blinked and looked at me. “What were we talking about, Sam?”
“We were talking about my son, and how he has an unfair—and supernatural—advantage over other fighters.”
“Ah, yes. ’Tis a shame.”
“It wouldn’t be right, Jacky.”
He nodded. “I know, and are we really having this conversation, Sam?”
“I’m afraid so,” I said. “Can you keep this to yourself, Jacky? Not even your wife?”
He snorted. “I wasn’t exactly in the church choir growing up, Sam. The wife doesn’t know that half of what I’ve done.”
“Well, she doesn’t need to know this half, either. Deal?”
“Deal.”
He looked at me. I looked at him. He said, “Your face, Sam, it was so cold. Even your tears were cold. Like ice, really.”
I nodded. “Welcome to my life.”
He nodded sadly. “Are you going to be okay, lass?”
“I hope so.”
“If you ever need anything, Sam, come see me. I can still kick some arse.”
“Thank you, Jacky.”
“And your son...” his voice broke off, and he turned away.
“He’s going to be okay, too,” I said. “I think my son might, just might, be part superhero.”
Jacky tried to smile, but all of this was just too much for him. Too much for anyone. He wiped his eyes and looked away.
“You care about him, Jacky.”
“More than you know, Sam.”
He nodded and now, I was the one swooping down, and holding the old Irishman tight, an old Irishman who had sort of adopted my son right here in his boxing gym...
God bless him.
Chapter Nine
It was late and I was running.
The run had started as a jog, but I got bored with the jog. With my knapsack secured tightly to my back, I soon found myself sprinting down street after street.
It was just past 2 a.m. Probably not the vampire hour, but pretty damn close. I sped down Bastanchury. Had I continued for another five miles or so, I would reach Master Kingsley’s stately manor. Except, of course, tonight was a full moon, and Master Kingsley—as Franklin, his butler, referred to him—would be highly indisposed. Kingsley, after all, dealt with a darkness of a different kind, a darkness that emerged once a month, every month. A darkness that took hold of him completely and totally. A darkness that would destroy anything living in its path, a darkness that preferred to feed upon the rotting dead.
And I kiss those lips, I thought, shuddering, as I turned left and headed up Imperial.
Kingsley had reached a sort of agreement with the darkness within. He fed it rotting meat (which Franklin hunted in the hills behind the estate home), and the thing within
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