Her Forbidden Threeway

Jackson tasted like smoke and salt. It was like a new flavor of candy she had suddenly become addicted to. She roamed her hands up his arms and down his back as she opened her mouth to him. He explored her, the curves of her hips, her wild and untameable red hair and her bottom lip that was big enough to bite and tease.

Jackson pursued her in a way she’d never been pursued before. She was like moldable clay in his arms that were strong enough for her to fall into. He steadied her before he pulled back with an unrecognizable expression. There was a look of unsatisfied hunger in eyes. One that caused Reade to know he wanted to push on for more, but was holding back. He had restraint.

“Am I breaking up a party?” A voice sounded from behind them. “And I thought we shared everything, brother.”

Scott sauntered over to where they stood with a cocksure look about him, though deep beneath the cold exterior, Reade could see irritation.

“You weren’t lying when you said you lurked everyone Jackson went,” Reade said, her head a foggy mess. She tried to steady herself, though found herself resting against Jackson’s side for support. “I still think it’s stalking.”

Scott’s lips curled into a cruel smirk and he ignored Reade’s remark. “So you’ve told her about the existence of us, of them, of everything?”

“I was getting around to it,” Jackson commented. “Baby steps.”

“Why not start now?” Scott snorted, stepping forward. “She’s strong enough, she’s brave enough. Let’s give the girl some credit.”

Jackson shook his head in protest, though Reade barely heard what he said next. She was too focused on Scott, his body trembling all over. Reade’s eyes widened and she pushed from Jackson’s grip that had tightened tremendously, though he wouldn’t let go.

“What’s happening?? Let me go!” Reade protested, trying to free herself from Jackson’s fingers that were clinging to her ribs and shoulders. “You’re hurting me!”

“Don’t do this, Scott,” Jackson ignored her pleas. “Not like this.”

“The damage is already done, brother,” he replied.

Reade watched in astonishment as Scott’s jaw contracted and out poured an inferno that burned the sad excuse for grass black. The dark smoke was as thick and smoldering as a winter fog and it engulfed the three of them. The sound of a roaring, thunderous cry caused birds to migrate from their nests, the ground to shake and small animals to creep into hiding. A new beast was making itself known.

Jackson, ruled by his strength to protect Reade, launched her from the ground and pulled them into a clearer breathing space, their heads bent backward as they watched the smoke grow higher and higher in the sky.

The grassy floor vibrated with a thundering footstep and out from the fog, a monster emerged. It was as large as it was terrifying and Reade expelled a shrilling scream that filtered through the air. She worked desperately to free herself from Jackson at last and fell into a shuddering heap on the ground, kicking the turf to move from its wrath.

The beast widened its mouth and out poured a sea of fiery orange, crisping the tops of broken fences and dead trees in the process.

Drakon. Dragon.

 “Contain yourself!” Jackson roared, his low voice heard even over the ruckus of the brute.

The creature swung its scaly back aggressively, a hint of blue to his leathery skin. His large tail whipped through the air and collided into Jackson’s body, causing him to fly into the darkness and to the middle of the field.

Reade screamed after him, though her voice could barely reach a tremoring whisper as her terrified eyes fixated on the dragon that hovered above it. It pointed its venomous and yellowing eyes onto her trembling frame and they narrowed. As she stared the beast in the eye and took in the full weight of just how sinister it was, she could see remnants of Scott. Despite her doubt, Reade knew that he was still in there somewhere.

Another shudder rumbled through the grass and this time she was prepared enough to clamber to her feet. She sprinted through the field at a pace that was wobbly instead of precise and quick. Reade looked back just in time to see Jackson’s true form breaking through the shadows. He was once a man, though now brother to the beast who had roared after her. The dragon pursued its twin, the same sheen of blue to its scales and the same glowing yellow in its eyes. They fought, defying the laws of Mother Nature and everything that Reade had spent her entire life believing in.

Reade reached the truck in a panic and she climbed into its cab and fumbled for the keys. Her fingers were seconds from twisting and bringing the motor to life and then she saw it. Her purse from earlier. She had left it in the truck after the disagreement with her father and was suddenly thankful that she had.

Lunging forward, Reade emptied the contents of her bag onto the leather passenger seat and sighed in relief. With the mountain of her necessities, the glowing crystals could be seen shining past the fabric of her purse. One was a delicious, lemony yellow and the other was an electric purple. Both of them were warm to the touch and continued to grow in temperature the longer she held onto them.

Reade closed her eyes and thought back to the horrifying dream she had. The elderly grandmother of Jackson and Scott had thrown a crystal into the night’s sky and watched it proceed with its magic. With its influence, its power.

“I don’t know if this will work,” Reade said to herself. “But I need to try something.”

Reade quickly moved to shovel her items back into the bag and one last object made itself known. It was the napkin that Scott had written on in the diner. The one she found but a few hours ago. Shaking her head, Reade turned it over and read the words once again.

“Fight me for it.”

He wanted her to fight. She wanted to fight.

Reade threw herself out of the truck and clutched tightly to two of the crystals from her father’s collection. Her father. The man that she discovered had been lying to her for years, maybe even decades.

The crystals continued to grow hotter the closer she got to the two dragons. Reade prepared herself mentally as she broke through the darkness that shielded the fight from her and the world.

The sight before her caused Reade’s eyes to water. It was impossible for her to tell who was who and both seemed perfectly identical in both their tactics and their appearance. One of the dragons belted out a breath of fire, the inferno exploding beside the jagged tail of the beast. Their razor claws whipped through the air, taking off chunks of scales and skin and creating a bloody mess.

Reade couldn’t wait much longer. The crystals were blistering the flesh of her hand and in a hurried moment, she decided on the yellow gem. Reade closed her eyes and squeezed the crystal tight. She applied every ounce of anger, fright, hurt and confusion she had felt into the jewel and launched it into the air.

There was nothing, and then everything was dressed in a bright gold.

The grass that was once burnt had been returned to its decaying state of brown and the two beasts, the brothers who were desperate for death, had returned to their human form. The jewel evaporated all sense of magic from the air. Even the sky, which was once swallowed in a blanket of clouds, was now starry and bright. It heightened the scene that continued playing out before her.