Aris: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Stratham Dragons Book 1) Read online

  CHAPTER 3

  That night, Aris lay under the stars. Something told him he needed to be one with the night – to bask in the glory of the full moon and star-filled night. The pains from before were nearly gone as he tried to focus on the good. He lay with his hands clasped behind his head and stretched out as far as he could reach. It felt good to not be confined. It was the perfect spring night. The wind blew over his skin sending a shiver through his body.

  He was about to drift to sleep when a golden light shimmered before him. He shot up to his feet ready to fight as he watched the shape of a woman materialize before him... She smiled at him and held out her hand.

  “Aris, my boy,” she said.

  He stood frozen in front of the apparition. He couldn’t speak, but his eyes shifted, and that’s when he saw it: how much she resembled him. “Mother?”

  She nodded and ran her hand along his skin, not touching him, but he felt her warmth just the same. “You have grown, my son, but now you must save yourself and the others.”

  Aris gulped. “Save us, how? I don’t know what we need.” He basked in the warmth of her touch. It reminded him of his earlier vision. “That was real? What I saw earlier?”

  She nodded. “Yes, you are coming into your full powers.” She sat on the ground and patted the grass. “You see, my son, you and your friends – there is more to you than meets the eye. You are what we call ‘Halflings.’ There are two sides to each of you, both of which each of you must embrace in order to survive and fulfill your destiny. The Council doesn’t accept you because they don’t want the prophecy to be true, but now in their midst the five of you stand. Each of you has something the other does not. You are meant to rule them all, but without acceptance you will all surely die a horrible death. Each one of you is missing the third part of yourself, and that will be the key to your survival. Without the key, the door will stay locked.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You will. Call to your second half, the golden one, the side you get from me. It will lead you to the answers you seek, and help you save her before it’s too late. She needs you now—she’s almost given up, and if she dies, you die.”

  His mother started to disappear. He didn’t want her to leave. He didn’t even get to find out anything about her, but she couldn’t leave without telling him who he was supposed to be saving. “Wait, who am I supposed to save?”

  She shook her head, and her eyes filled with tears. It was as if she couldn’t tell him. “She is the one who will make everything clear, but first you have to accept that you are two parts of a whole, as are your brothers. Each of you will be coming into more powers, and you need to be prepared, because they are going to come for you. Only if you work as one and are able to be both sides of yourself shall you succeed.”

  “Pay attention to what you see; they are more than mere dreams, my sweet boy.” The voice came to him as a whisper in the wind as she disappeared.

  She didn’t tell him much of anything, and worst of all, he was more confused now than he was before. Aris shook his head and sighed. It was time to speak with the others. There was someone he had to save, but he also needed to tell them what he learned. They were destined to rule…what?

  Aris went inside, and the scent of fear wafted over him as he shifted his eyes. The house was full of prey. He shook his head. No, not prey. Family. Once his dragon realized this, he lay down and let out a huff. He was itching for a fight. He strode into the den to see Zarin on the couch. Zarin looked worse than him. He was younger, not by much, but why did he seem sicker? It was just another sign he wasn’t doing whatever it was he was supposed to be doing.

  He leaned down next to him. His breath came out in short pants, worrying Aris. “Don’t panic, you’ll make it worse,” he said, and laid his hand on Zarin’s forehead. The fever nearly ripped through his flesh. Aris yanked his hand. “We’re going to figure this out. I saw something tonight.”

  The others stared at him, waiting to hear what he had to say. They were loyal to a fault and always followed his lead. “I saw my birth mother tonight.” He held up his hand to hold off any unwanted rebukes. “She materialized as some sort of divine spirit. I don’t know. All I know is what she told me. She said we are going to be coming into more power. There is another side of each of us we don’t know about, and there is a woman I must save.” Glancing down at Zarin, he frowned. “And this woman is going to help us. I’m supposed to ‘listen to my dreams.’”

  “What the hell does that mean? We wait for you to dream while Zarin lays here and dies?” Ilias yelled.

  Aris glared at him. “No, but what else are we supposed to do? I’m sick, too. We need to learn about this other side of ourselves that my mother spoke of.”

  He wasn’t used to Ilias’ anger, especially towards him. When he stormed away, Aris wanted to follow him and make him understand that things were about to change in a big way, but he could only do so much. He wasn’t always going to be able to fix everything on his own. It wasn’t that simple – not anymore.

  ***

  Zarin was resting, and he needed some sleep if he was going to save the woman. Since his mother told him it was his job, he needed a sign – anything to help him know which way to go. Aris slumped back against the wooden headboard of his bed. The chill of the wood against his bare skin didn’t even faze him. He felt as though he was numb. Everything was falling apart, and everyone expected him to fix it. But for once in his life, he wanted someone else to take the reins, someone else to give him hope. He was tired of always being the strong one. He closed his eyes and exhaled a heavy breath. Now was the time he needed a vision. One that would show him what to do next.

  As if the gods heard him, images forced themselves into his eyes.

  Harsh cries and the stench of fear slammed into his head, pulling him into a swirl of darkness.

  Aris gripped the sheet tighter with each whimper. It was almost as if he was there, and each step led him closer to her. This time, he didn’t fight it. These visions were as real as him and his brothers were.

  Following her cries, he came to a large and open area. It smelled of damp mold. He wrinkled his nose and shook off the cold that sunk into his bones. He knew then he was underground somewhere. He kept walking, and around a corner he saw a bed with a wrought-iron frame and a dirty mattress that had seen better days. On that bed, he focused and saw a form. Once his eyes landed on her, he didn’t care about anything else. She was curled up with her back facing him. Her body shook, and her sobs grew louder. He couldn’t see anything other than the dress she wore and her long, midnight-black hair. His heart rate picked up, thumping wildly in his chest. A musty scent swirled around him, and his eyes shifted from honey brown to pure white. Now, he could see everything even more clearly. The hair on the back of his neck rose, tickling him. Everything in him awoke. The scents were stronger, the dim light was no longer dim, and he could see that her dress was pale, but covered in dirt – and blood. He clenched his hands and growled when his claws dug into his palm. He was in the midst of shifting. Never before had he lost control so easily.

  She turned towards him. Her light green eyes were filled with tears, and the bruising around her eye was different shades of healing, as if she’d been hit on several occasions. Again, he growled, but then she held out her hand. Could she see him?

  He stepped towards her and reached for her until he saw he was still shifted. He pulled back, but she shook her head and reached for him again. This time, he brought his hand to hers, and she ran one finger along his scales.

  “You’re coming for me, right?”

  Aris nodded, and in that moment, he realized two things: she was his mate and she was human.

  Her small lips tightened before she whispered, “Hurry, before it’s too late.”

  She laid back on the bed with her back to him. He heard a clink of something and then the rough pull of the door. Heavy footsteps came down the creaking stairs. Aris moved back into the shadows, knowing
he needed every clue he could find. He searched the large room and realized it was a basement.

  A man with greasy, brown hair came into view, standing over his mate. The man put his hand on her shoulder and her body tensed. Aris wanted to kill this man, but it was at that moment that everything went black, and the woman was lost to him.

  “No!” he screamed, and when he opened his eyes the others were staring at him as if in anticipation.

  “What happened?” Max asked, his brows pulled together like they always did when he was worried about something.

  Aris gasped and looked down at his hand. His claws were still out, and he could feel her light touch on his scales. She hadn’t seemed scared at all, and he still wondered how she even saw him.

  “I found her.”

  “Found who?” Max asked.

  “The woman – the one who is supposed to save me. The one who will make the sickness go away.”

  Blane perked up. “Well hell, let’s go get her then.”

  Aris jumped out of bed and wrapped his clawed hand around his friend’s throat. “She’s my mate,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Blane gulped and tried to nod. Aris gasped and dropped him to the floor. He’d never hurt anyone before. “God, I’m so sorry.”

  Blane rubbed his neck. Aris knew he didn’t hold it against him, and his mood never swayed, as normal.

  “Does this mean we all have mates, and that we’ll need them to survive?”

  Aris willed his body to shift back to human fully. “I don’t know, but it would make sense. There’s only one problem.” Could he handle the rejection all over again?

  “Well what’s the problem?” Max asked impatiently.

  “She’s human.” He felt deflated. Finding a mate was every dragon’s dream. He didn’t have to be raised with his kind to know that. It something he just knew deep in his bones.

  Max slumped against the wall. “Oh, well, that could be problematic.” He ran his long fingers through his hair. His wasn’t much different than Aris, except it was a shocking black with hints of blue. “She didn’t mind in your vision, right?”

  Aris sat back on the edge of his bed. He wouldn’t be able to let go of the tension in his body until he found that delicate human. “No, and she told me to hurry, but I have no clue where to find her. I have her scent but that’s it. I know she’s been hurt, too.”

  How was he ever supposed to find this woman? Was she even in Stratham? There had to be a way to reconnect with her, find out where she was so he could find her. Anger surged through his body when he remembered the bruises and the man, the one who touched her before he was pulled out of the vision.

  CHAPTER 4

  It was real. Sophie wasn’t sure how it happened, but it wasn’t the first time she’d seen him and the other ones with him, only this was the first time he was aware. There was something not quite human about him. All the years she’d been trapped in this godforsaken basement, she’d always dreamed that the creatures she read about were real, and it would be almost like the perfect fairy tale. Her knight in shining armor would come save her from her evil stepfather.

  Sophie giggled to herself.

  Right, like she’d ever be anyone’s princess.

  She closed her eyes and imagined the man-beast she’d watched through time. It was as if she could be in more than one place at once. It was that real. She focused her breathing and could see him.

  He sat on a large bed, one like she’d always dreamed of having. He was surrounded by four others, and she could sense their concern for him. He looked distraught and as if he longed for her, too. She could never hear him speak, but she could feel that he spoke of her. If only he could hear her now. She was never able to tell him how to find her.

  She floated to him and lifted her hand to his jaw. She couldn’t feel him, not really. It was almost as if she were a ghost. He shivered at her touch, and his eyes did that thing where they changed. Her body tingled with anticipation. He had to sense her. He would save her, and she would never have to come back to this place.

  “I feel her,” he said, and she gasped because she heard him. He was speaking to the others, and each one tensed while glancing around the room as if they were waiting to be attacked. She realized then they were alike, yet different. Each one attractive, but nothing like the man with the white mohawk. He called to her.

  She smiled. “I’m here. Can’t you see me?”

  He jumped from the bed, going right through her. His body convulsed, and she watched as the others moved. He began to change. One of the others was in front of him, with large hands shaking his shoulders. “You can’t change. Not here, Aris. You know better than this shit. Pull yourself together!”

  She could see how strong he – Aris – was. A happy thrill ran down her spine. She finally heard his voice and knew what he said. She was fully connected now, and she had no idea how it happened, but she didn’t care. For months, she’d come to him. The first time, she thought she was crazy, but it kept happening. She thought she’d be able to beg for help, but he never heard her. She thought she was doomed until he came to her tonight and touched her. That must have made the difference. His touch had to have been the one thing she was missing all this time. But what changed? How was he able to hear her now, when she’d been calling to him for over a year?

  “She’s here. Somehow, she is fucking here, and I can’t get to her, but I can feel her. My beast wants her, to protect her.” Aris looked around, and Sophie reached out and ran her fingers down his bare torso. The muscles tensed, and his eyes closed as if he were savoring her touch.

  “Please find me.”

  His eyes shot open. “Where are you, love?”

  Sophie blushed at his endearment. “My name is Sophie Heinikan, and I live–”

  The slap came out of nowhere, pulling her out before she could finish talking to Aris. This was the first time he had surprised her in a long while. Her face stung, and tears sprung from her eyes.

  “You stupid bitch! You’re fucking crazy just like your mother.”

  And she was back, away from the warmth she felt from Aris and the others. It seemed like they all cared for her, too, but not quite the same way he did. Sophie wasn’t sure how she knew it, but Aris loved her. As crazy as it sounded, she held onto that feeling. She tried to focus on the good feelings from her visit. She wasn’t sure if she would ever figure out if it was actually real or if her mind had created it as a safe place.

  Ron lifted her by her shoulders from her old mattress and slammed her against the cold, brick wall. It bit into her, and she gasped as the roughness scrapped her back. His fingers gripped her tightly, and searing pain shot through her body. She could deal with the pain. The beatings and lashings – all of that was fine. It was the other she didn’t think she could take, not anymore. Sometimes, she wished she could end her life, but she didn’t believe in that. She always prayed that one day she would be free. Those days were dwindling.

  “What do you think you’re going to do in that fantasy world of yours?” he asked as the scent of whiskey filled her nose. She always knew what was going to happen, and it made her sick to her stomach knowing there was nothing she could do. Fighting back now wouldn’t be smart, not when she was so close to being free. She knew if she could just make it through what was about to happen she’d eventually be okay and she’d be free.

  She’d learned long ago not to answer his questions; it was always worse if she talked back. Instead, she bit her tongue hard and imagined she could show Aris what was happening. She hoped he would come and take her away from her misery. He would save her even if she couldn’t save herself. The whole time she’d been planning her escape, she never thought her dreams were real, but how could she deny it now? No, he was real, and he was coming for her.

  In the back of her mind, she felt his warmth as if he was protecting her. For a few seconds, it no longer hurt. Until she felt thick, dry fingers digging into her side, yanking her panties down her thin, bruised leg
s. She was weak and couldn’t fight back. It wasn’t much longer before his vile fingers touched her. She closed her eyes and drifted into nothingness. It was the only way to be safe.

  CHAPTER 5

  Aris roared in agony when he was snapped out of her vision. She disappeared, and then a few minutes later she was back, but she was in pain. He couldn’t see anything, but the scent of her fear raised the beast. He had to find her.

  Max still held him. “Look at me.”

  Aris stared at him, but his eyes had turned to white again. It had to be related to his new powers. His vision was so much different compared to before when his eyes always shifted to gold. The white meant his rage was in control. These thoughts helped ground him, but it was also Max’s words seeping through his subconscious, thinking about Sophie.

  “‘Think about anything,’ she said. We know we have to find her. Obviously, she’s in a dangerous situation, but you have to think. You can’t barrel into her house as a dragon. They’d shoot you on the spot, and then who would be there for her?”

  It was strange. Lately, Max actually made sense. He was usually the goofy, ‘I don’t give a crap’ one of the bunch, but Aris could see the hard lines above his eyes.

  “I’m here. Thanks, brother.”

  Max nodded. “Okay, so you said she told you her name?”

  “Sophie Heinikan.” Aris sighed. “That’s all I’ve got on her, nothing else. How am I going to find her that way?”

  “Well first off, sit your ass down. And secondly, you’re not going to find her alone. We’re going to help.” Max was determined to prove something to him. “If finding her is a way to get us closer to a cure, we need her. Plus, she’s your mate, man. If you’re destined to find love, maybe we all are.”

  “Let’s go to the den. It’s too much with you all in here.” He wasn’t used to spending so much time in his room. Dragons were very territorial, and they all needed their own space that no one else invaded. Right now, he felt very close to being invaded, and it made him anxious.