Reborn for the Dragon (Banished Dragons) Read online

  Was he psychoanalyzing her? Lisa was quietly fuming out the passenger side window, wondering how in the world Norris had come up with all of these little details about her. Sure, they were right on the money, but why was he saying them? How did he figure it out? Was he really just a master manipulator who could tell she was easy prey? Was he trying to turn her weaknesses into points of pride for her so she would continue to give to him without questioning it?

  “None of that really matters,” she said edgily. She wasn’t going to confirm or deny any of those preconceived notions about her. She didn’t want to make herself vulnerable. She couldn’t stand the thought of handing away information about herself to somebody who is potentially so trustworthy. “I don’t understand what you mean about the connection.”

  In truth, she had already discovered just such a connection for herself. Otherwise, why would she have allowed herself to get so close to this man? But she was curious about what his take on it was. Why did he think the connection existed? What was it about her that made him feel as if he was entitled to make these wild accusations about her personality and thinking that maybe he could use it as a way to prove something about himself to her? How twisted was that?

  “The connection between us goes deep. You know I believe in fate, even if you don’t. I think the reason that we have been brought together is because you are special. And the universe wanted us to meet each other. There are many reasons for this, but I will try and go as slowly as possible so I do not overwhelm you with strange facts that will probably make you distrust me further.”

  “I honestly don’t believe I could distrust you further,” Lisa said, shaking her head with exasperation. “I don’t know if I trust you at all.”

  “That can’t be true,” Norris said, quickly shooting her a knowing smile and then darting his eyes back to the road. “I think you trust me plenty. What you don’t trust is yourself.”

  Point and match.

  “Well, I don’t exactly have the greatest track record so far,” Lisa admitted. “I haven’t been having the world’s best month. I don’t know if you noticed or not.”

  Norris chuckled, his silky voice filling the car and filling Lisa with the desire to be able to really trust everything about him. Why couldn’t everything he said just be good? Why did things always have to end up being something crazy or terrible? But wouldn’t this sense of denial only serve to make her weaker in the long run? Why was she so into something that was clearly only going to hurt her later? It was extremely shortsighted.

  “I did notice that you’re having a bad month,” Norris said. “And I think that anybody from our bloodline is bound to be having a hard time right now. There is something terrible happening in the universe around us, and I think that if you listen to me, you’ll easily understand what it is I’m talking about. Are you willing to listen?”

  “Haven’t I been listening enough?” Lisa asked. She sighed. As much as she hated it, she really did want to know everything Norris had to say. Even if it was all just some fantastic imaginary delusion that he was buying into, it was interesting to her nonetheless. Particularly if it concerned her.

  “Listening is one thing but understanding is quite another.”

  “Well, I don’t really have anything else to do while we drive to the rental agency. You might as well tell me what it is you have to say and get it over with.”

  “If I tell you, can you promise that you will still go out on that date with me? You did already say you would.”

  Norris looked at her now, his eyes round and curious.

  Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and leaned her head against the back of her seat. “Well, you tell me first, and don’t make me make promises to you that I can’t keep. I don’t know what I’m going to feel like after you tell me what it is you think you know about me. So, you’re just going to have to be okay with the possibility that I won’t want to see you again.”

  Norris considered this, mulling it over silently as they crept along the road. Finally, he gave a slight nod. “I guess I don’t see any reason why I should have an issue with that. But if you go ahead and tell me what it is that you want to hear about first. And then I will fill you in on what you want to know.”

  “What I want to hear about first?” Lisa quirked her brow at Norris. “Why don’t you just tell me what you know. I don’t know what I don’t know. You know?”

  Norris chuckled and gave a brief nod. “All right. How about I begin with a little bit of the history of my planet. Our planet.”

  “If you say so,” Lisa said, shaking her head slowly. But she had to admit, she was curious. He really did seem to think she was from the same place he was. And truth be told, she had always felt something like an outcast. She had never really fit in. At least, not among her peers. There was always something a little different about her.

  And Norris had covered all these points somewhat in his assessment of her personality. She was always the generous type, full of creativity and wonderment, but it was something that was vastly underappreciated and usually overlooked. Worse, it could be taken for granted. She tended to be a caretaker in her relationships. She attracted men who needed help. Who wanted her to act more like a mother or a nurse to them than an equal partner. She just wanted to be equal with somebody. Was that too much to ask?

  But she couldn’t allow Norris’ expectation of her personality to influence her as she listened to what he had to say about this planet. All of this was bizarre and ridiculous, and she didn’t want to pay it any more attention than it was worth.

  “To understand shifter magic, and this goes for all types of shifters on this planet and elsewhere in the universe, you have to understand that there are certain types of conductors out there that allow it to thrive. These people put positivity into the world and try to maintain a balance between the good and the bad,” Norris began. “These types of conductors are often found in the form of sacred people. Their bloodlines exist in clans that are often split up and spread out throughout the universe. If they are clustered too closely together, it can be easy for their energy to be completely drained. Because rather than caring for the greater community around them, they focus all their attention on nurturing each other. When the fact of the matter is that most of these types of conductors are very independent and do not need to take from others to sustain themselves. That is why they are so important for the full of magic to be maintained throughout the universe.”

  Lisa hated to admit it, but all of this was fascinating and made a strange sort of sense to her. Maybe it was all theoretical and crazy, but when it was explained in this way, it could seem feasible, even to the most logical of people. That is, if you consider something like magic a legitimate thing that could be measured and quantified and distributed the way other forms of energy might be.

  “So, there are actual living and breathing people who are conductors of magic?” Lisa asked, hoping to clarify whether or not she had a basic understanding of what Norris was trying to tell her.

  “Yes, that’s exactly right. Because if the conductors of this magic were not living, it would take away the most sacred element of the magic that there is. It takes true heart. Magic isn’t just a substance that can be measured or ground into a powder and finally distributed to all beings. It is something insubstantial and something that lives in the undertow of existence. Existing as a living, breathing being. If it is able to have emotions and experiences, the magic is able to thrive and develop and evolve over time. It begins to adapt to the state of the universe and put out more of what is needed in order to maintain the balance. It grows.”

  This was all very overwhelming for Lisa to hear, but at the same time, it gave her a basic idea of the way Norris’ mind worked. Even if it turned out that all of this was a fabrication, it was interesting to discover what he thought very deeply about matters that he might consider of importance socially.

  “Okay. So magic lives in the living. What does that have to do with
anything?”

  “Well,” Norris said reluctantly. “I have reason to believe that you may be one of those conductors. And not just any conductor. But one that is mixed with the Sun Dragons and Loni people from my planet. Combined, our union could potentially make way for another, even more special, type of conductor to be born.”

  “Special conductors,” Lisa mumbled, trying to take her eyes off the pleasant slope of Norris’ jaw as he spoke. “Got it.”

  “With those conductors in existence, the shifter magic that keeps my people alive, and the people who shape shift into other forms as well, will always stay relevant. It will always be alive. And we will stay healthy. Without it, the entire planet my people are from could ultimately shrivel up and perish,” Norris said, his voice taking on a depth of emotion that really drew Lisa in to what he was saying.

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “It isn’t. We are fueled by the planet’s sun where I am from. Where we are from, really, and by using the power of the sun, we are able to create a world where the magic can exist effortlessly within the atmosphere of our planet. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Something has been happening to the sacred children who are born of unions like the one I am speaking to you about. We know they are not being killed, because if they were, there would be a darkness that is traceable in their absence. Somebody is capturing them. Something really terrible is happening, and I am very concerned about it.”

  “What does any of this have to do with me? You think I’m some kind of conductor? And that if we were to have a child, it would be some special chosen one who could restore balance to the universe? Who might end up getting kidnapped?”

  Lisa shook her head in amazement. It was ridiculous how self-important some of this sounded. People would do just about anything to feel special.

  And yet, in her heart of hearts, she truly wanted to believe in Norris’ story. There was something deep within herself that wanted to be special and have access to the incredible aura of mystery that Norris promised her by including her in on his fantasy.

  “Yes, that is simply put, but it is basically what’s going on. Everything is in danger. The fabric of the universe is deteriorating because without this magic, without these conductors being present and able to touch the lives of those around them, everything that holds the greater good together, things such as fates and purpose, things such as understanding and divine coincidence, all of those things become much harder to access and people begin to delve deeper and deeper into chaos.

  “It is truly a form of evil that wants to rid the universe of these sacred beings. Without them, everything will deteriorate. Everything can be destroyed. There are good and bad forces in this universe, and everybody ends up choosing a side, one way or the other. If you are neutral, you are part of the problem. If you choose actively to fight for the good, then you become part of the cure.”

  Norris looked at Lisa now, his eyes dark and serious. “By the simple merit of your bloodline, you are part of the cure. You cure people without even trying to. It is your life’s mission. It is your purpose. It is what you were designed to do. Just as you were designed to meet me, and we were meant to fall in love and change the world for the better. I truly believe that. No matter how crazy it sounds. That’s just the way you make me feel.”

  Norris fell silent and Lisa allowed herself to take in all of the information she had received. Everything he was saying made sense, to some degree, while at the same time, if it was taken out of context, it would sound like the basis of a crazy sci-fi horror story.

  Maybe she was being pranked. Rich people sometimes didn’t have anything better to do than to take on the masses and try and convince them of ridiculous notions. Perhaps that was all that was going on. Was there a hidden camera in the car somewhere? Lisa’s eyes darted around in search of one but didn’t find anything.

  When she looked back at Norris, the disturbance on his face seemed painfully genuine. She could feel her empathy acting up straight away. She wished sometimes that she didn’t have such strong emotions. But maybe Norris was right. Maybe it was all part of the fact that she was a healer who is destined to try and make the world around her a better place.

  Maybe that was the source of all her problems. Giving too much was simply an innate action she was capable of taking because of some random hardwiring within her that she didn’t know about and had no control over. It was a nice thought, anyway.

  “Thank you for telling your story, Norris,” she said quietly, taking a slow, deep breath. “I’m going to have to consider everything you told me. I appreciate you putting yourself out there. I know it can be hard for people to think you’re crazy. I’ll try my best not to make any judgments until I know exactly what is going on.”

  Norris smiled brightly. It was as if this was the best news he had ever heard.

  “Thank you. I think your objectivity will be extremely valuable in this process. In the meantime, I will hope that you are able to take everything seriously and give it the weight it deserves.”

  Lisa nodded quietly, and Norris pulled into the rental agency’s parking lot. “We are here. I bet you’re probably pretty happy to end this conversation now. Let’s just pick it up later, if you have any thoughts or questions on the matter. I don’t expect you to accept or believe all of this now. But maybe later you will see that I’m telling the truth when you want to learn more about it. And that is okay too.”

  Norris offered her another painfully attractive smile before getting out of the car and heading inside. Lisa lingered behind a few moments longer, taking a few deep breaths to still her rapidly beating heart. Why had this story affected her so deeply? Was it because it showed just what a basket case Norris truly was? Or was there something more to it than that?

  She allowed herself to sit in silence just a few moments longer before following the mysterious man into the rental agency. No matter what the case turned out being, she was going to have to deal with it one way or another. She might as well have something to drive while she did it.

  11.

  “This is getting pretty serious,” Gavin said, frowning deeply at the other five Dragon shifters in the room.

  Norris sighed heavily. It had completely slipped his mind to use the device to test his connection to Lisa, but now that he saw the depth of his friend’s concern, he knew he would have to do it as soon as possible. Probably during their date. Unless he could find a piece of her hair in his car, which was highly likely.

  Lisa hadn’t gotten back with him one way or another about whether or not she still wanted to go on a date yet, but he had a good feeling about it. Everything was going to work out as it was meant to. He was sure of it.

  “We just have to make sure that the bunkers are secure and none of the negative entities out there are going to be able to find the artifacts. As long as we are able to keep them with us, we will be able to sustain ourselves as long as necessary until we find the rest of our fated mates.”

  Gavin shot a look toward Norris, clearly hoping for him to speak up about his hope of finding someone. But he didn’t want to tell the others until he was sure about it. He had actually been planning a surprise getaway to the new Dragon club that was opening in downtown Brookside. It was the first time Norris had allowed himself to get excited about an event like this and he was thrilled at the thought of being able to share it with all the other hard working Dragon shifters. They were due for a break.

  He even had security covered. While all of them were out at the club, Norris had arranged for the base to be guarded by a machine he had been setting up to secure the area so that everybody could relax and have a good night together at least one last time before things got really dangerous.

  During that event, he was hoping to introduce Lisa to the others. He had been hoping to convince her of her place as one of the sacred Loni people and it had been quite a difficult task, to say the least. Everything that came out of his mouth probably sounded like complete and utter cr
ap to her. He couldn’t blame her for being skeptical and concerned when dealing with him. But he had a feeling that sooner, rather than later, everything was going to work out for the best and they were going to have everything they needed. She would believe in her role as his fated mate and maybe, they would be able to consummate the relationship and bring another golden child into the world.

  Gavin continued speaking, driving Norris’ thoughts away.

  “Fortunately, we were able to locate potential area where the enemies could be congregating. There is a high likelihood that it is a place of interest, and we are planning a raid for three nights from now. All of our tactical strategies have to be put into place in order to really flush out the area. It is becoming harder and harder for us to maintain our Dragon forms without some form of help, such as from the totems we were given when we first arrived on Earth. Perhaps the Elders had anticipated just such an event occurring. Whatever the reason, it is obvious that we have a lot of work to do.

  “As the only Dragon shifters on Earth, it is our duty to seek out and protect all of those with a sacred bloodline. It is common knowledge that there are not usually more than ten sacred beings on a single planet, depending on the communities. So, the children that we have already brought into the world are taking up a significant portion of the population on Earth. Perhaps with more on the way, this will no longer be quite as serious of an issue. As you know, the sun on our planet provided us with much of the shifter magic that maintained our Dragon forms. But having the sacred children in their rightful place may ultimately prove to be just what we need to maintain some form of balance.”