Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 128
Silvie held up a fork with a square of meatloaf on it and moved it towards his mouth. Boyd was fairly sure his choice was either to open his mouth or to have meatloaf mashed into his face. He opened his mouth and accepted the morsel. It was surprisingly good. Mushy hospital food usually focused more on nutrition and being easy to digest than being palatable.
Then, he accepted the next bite, and the next, as Silvie cooed and encouraged him to eat. He would probably normally have complained about the treatment but found it incredibly sweet in the warm and comfortable state whatever Laura had given him induced. Eventually, the tray was empty, and his face dabbed clean with a sightly damp napkin—even though Silvie hadn’t spilled anything.
Boyd asked a question that had been bugging him. “Where is Raev… and why is she drunk?”
“Oh!” Silvie let out her bell like giggle. “She’s keeping Sinoe company. She wanted to be here, but we didn’t want Sinoe to be all alone, and she took to Raev, so our kitsune volunteered to stay with her. They got drunk… that’s one way to deal with things. She wanted me to tell you she’s sorry for not being here when you woke up.”
“No, that’s good. Tell her thank you if you talk to her before I do. What else did I miss?” Boyd asked.
“Well…” Silvie hedged, and Boyd felt a sense of trepidation flow through her. “It’s been twelve hours. Laura wanted the burns to mostly heal before waking you up, since it wasn’t expected to take too long. The Last Dragon has been flying straight at a city for ten of those. Based on prior behavior, it’s going to attack it.”
Boyd’s stomach roiled. Dammit, he didn’t have time to be relaxing in a sick bed. Plans had to be made, he needed to get to Tinker’s lab. Some of the designs he’d given her needed to be updated.
“Don’t worry, though!” Silvie added before Boyd could begin to rise. “It doesn’t seem to be healing quickly, so it’s even slower than normal. They’ll have a full four days to evacuate and have already started doing so. Nobody is in danger.”
“Oh.” Boyd settled back into his pillow. That gave him a little time to relax in a sick bed. He didn’t know about eight more hours, though.
“Which city?” He asked, curious about which city he would swoop in dramatically to save.
‘We are going to talk about that,’ Mindy growled into his mind.
At that moment, the base’s synthetic female AI voice of said, “Incoming call for Boyd, from Hope.” They’d updated the system to use their informal names.
A big smile split Boyd’s lips, they didn’t normally have permission to contact each other. She must have found out about him being hurt and gotten special permission. She was such a sweet woman.
“Answer,” Boyd called out happily.
At the same time, Silvie muttered, “Oh no, this is the worst way.”
Hope’s image appeared on a view screen mounted to the ceiling for viewing from the bed. It wasn’t the largest view screen, but only an image from the shoulders up of the breathtaking woman was visible. Boyd’s eyes were strong, so he easily made out the details of her angelic face.
Her deep cerulean eyes shined brightly in the light of the screen she viewed him on, but she was in an otherwise dark room. Boyd’s smile faltered, sinking into a concerned frown. Her eyes were only cerulean if she had cried recently. The red that rimmed them confirmed his concern, but the pout of her full lips made him certain.
“What happened?” they both asked at the same time, voices overlapping.
Epilogue
Hope took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She’d been crying since she realized that all the hopes and dreams she and Silvie had planned for… well, forever… but specifically for the past three years, was going to be ripped from her. And just when they were about to come true, too. She blotted her eyes with a soft washcloth and then smacked her cheeks a few times to get some color back into them.
If this was going to be the last chance she’d have to see him, she couldn’t let him see her a crying mess. “Come on girl,” she muttered to herself, grabbing a brush and fixing her sandy blonde hair, “keep it together long enough to say goodbye. You owe him that much, at least.”
Finally as put together as she was going to get, she arranged things just so in the room. Maybe if she dimmed the lights, the splotches on her face wouldn’t be so obvious. Grabbing a tissue to blow her nose, the washcloth to wipe at her eyes, and a tube of lip balm to make her feel like she put some effort into looking good for him, she called out to the room’s AI, “Call Boyd, at Mountain Base.”
It took just a moment, but the screen soon brightened to show the inside of what looked like a hospital room. Silvie stood beside a hospital bed, in which lay her Boyd. He looked pale and his eyes were slightly glazed, but what immediately caught her attention was the way that his glorious wings were held up and away from him in a rack that supported their weight. That, and the way that the top third of his wings were covered in loose bandages.
“What happened?” they both asked at the same time, voices overlapping.
“You first,” Boyd insisted quickly, before she could say another word, binding her to answer first by their old rules.
Dammit, he’d beaten her to the punch. She’d almost forgotten the fact that whoever spoke first set the order of the conversation. It had seemed like such a smart rule when they were eight, one that kept the adults off their backs because it kept their voices from getting too loud as they shouted over one another to be heard.
Hope frowned but bowed to their old rules. “The Last Dragon is heading towards my city, New Eden.” She tried to smile but knew that it didn’t reach her eyes. “Which wouldn’t be too bad because something managed to hurt it, so we have almost four full days to evacuate. That’s plenty of time to get everyone out, so we would just lose the buildings. No big deal, we can rebuild buildings, right?”
“Yes, you can,” Boyd nodded sincerely while the smile returned to his face.
A piece of her heart clenched, while the rest of it fluttered. She only wished she could be there instead of here, to see that beautiful smile of his in person. She held it together as long as she could, but the thought that she wouldn’t get to see that smile every day like she and Silvie had planned burst through the damn of her reserve.
“Then why are they making us fight it?” Hope’s face crumbled and she failed to restrain the sob that burst from her soul, although she did manage to hold back further tears.
“What?!” Silvie snapped. “They can’t do that! Your shields might be able to take one, maybe two blasts, but no more than that. That isn’t nearly enough with how often it can attack.”
“I know,” Hope replied bitterly. “I tried to tell them, but it was like it always is.” She adopted a deeper voice, trying to mimic her idiot of a handler. “‘You can do it Hopewing!’ and ‘Whatever you can do will surely be enough.’ They never listen.”
“And because it’s already wounded that…” her face twisted into a sneer, “that jerk that I have to call Captain thinks he can beat it. It’s the Last Dragon! Just because it has a broken wing doesn’t mean his stupid little energy swords that he’s so proud of are going to scratch it. I know it’s terrible, but I hope it kills him quickly so the rest of us can run away.”
She hated letting Boyd see her like this—a mix between upset and angry. She knew anger wasn’t something he associated with her, and she wanted his last memory of her to be… well, if not cheerful, then at least resolute and brave.
“But no, now I have to go and probably die needlessly before I even get to be with the man I love. It isn’t fair! I tried to tell them no, but they already told everyone that we would save the city, so now nearly a third of the civilians are refusing to leave. It just… It isn’t fair!” She punched a pillow beside her on the couch, producing a soft thump.
“When will you make the attempt?” Boyd asked calmly.
“There are two mountains it should pass through a hundred miles north of the city. The plan is to try and stop it there,” Hope said despondently.
At her words, Boyd frowned. She didn’t want to remember him as sad, though. “Who knows,” she tried and failed to put some cheer in her voice, “maybe we can give it a boo boo and it will turn back.”
Boyd blinked, but then he grinned.
“Hope,” Boyd said warmly, drawing her eyes to him. He looked so confident and his expression—even though she knew he’d practiced it with her and Silvie like a thousand times—reassured her just like it was supposed to do. “You don’t have to worry… and thank you for answering my question. Now, I’ll answer yours.”
He grinned his cockiest grin. “Silvie and I already tangled with the natural disaster that’s headed your way. I got a little burned fighting the Last Dragon, but it got the worse end of the deal. You see, I broke its wing and put a few holes in it… and I wasn’t even prepared for the fight.” Boyd said the words casually, as if it were no big deal.
“I’ll be healed up in a few hours then I’ll go spend some time with Tinker—she makes our stuff… you’ll love her. She’ll help me get prepared for the next round. Then we are coming to save you, alright? So don’t fret. Just like we always promised each other, I’ll be there when you need me,” Boyd vowed. “And who knows, if defeating the Last Dragon gives me enough clout, I’ll ensure you are transferred to The Devoted so that you will never be alone again.”
Hope’s eyes went wide. Could it be true? Had Boyd been the one to injure the Last Dragon—if anyone could, it would be her Boyd. Hope knew he could do the impossible.
She saw him turn to a dark-haired woman she recognized as Mind Witch. What had her real name been again? Oh, yeah…Mindy. Hope couldn’t help the jealousy that rose within her at seeing Boyd’s old flame. It should have been her, or at least Silvie, that he lost his V-card to. Instead, the older goth witch had taken advantage of her man.
Boyd said, “And no, we won’t be discussing this. There is no longer another option. I will not force you to participate, but our odds improve with your assistance.”
“R-really?” Hope asked, her voice filled with disbelief. “You really hurt the Last Dragon?”
“I did, Silvie was there, and I call on her to confirm it.” Boyd once again used one of their old rules.
Silvie didn’t let him down. “I was there, Hope. He can really do it. We are going to come save you.”
Hope's heart surged and her face bloomed into a hope-filled smile. “You are?” she asked on a rising note, wanting to believe them, but not quite ready to—not yet.
“Yes, we are on our way. We will kill the Last Dragon and help save you and your city,” Boyd promised.
“I… I don’t know what to say, and I don’t have much time left. I used every piece of goodwill I earned from my handler to get a few minutes for this call, but I’m so glad I did. Thank you… thank you so much.” Her voice brightened considerably, and a grin stretched her lips.
“No need to thank us, we keep our promise,” Boyd grinned.
Hope beamed at him. “I should have known you would. Now, I really do have to go. I guess I’ll see you soon.” Her heart soared, a far cry from how she’d started the call. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, see you soon,” Boyd agreed.
“Bye hun!” Silvie chirped before the call ended and the screen winked out.
Hope danced around her dimmed room for just a moment, letting her wings rustle together as she spun and twirled in excitement. She let herself feel like a child once more. Oh, how she loved her Boyd! Silvie too, of course, but he was the one who had turned near certain death into a celebratory reunion.
The movement helped relax her wings which had been stiff for hours, ever since that idiot had insisted their team make a pointless stand to protect some shiny buildings. He had far too much confidence for someone who lacked any real skill and resisted training to the extent he did. All he had going for him was a flashy Power and classical good looks.
Boyd understood what it really meant to be a Hero. She’d witnessed him learn the often-painful lessons that one needed to experience in order to fully understand their role. Thinking about their past made her remember all the times she’d seen Boyd’s big, strong back as he inserted himself between her and whatever danger they faced. It always made her feel so safe, and soon she would see it between her and the Last Dragon.
“Hopewing!” A voice that totally ruined her recently improved mood preceded her team's Captain into her supposedly private room. Hope knew most people found his voice pleasant, but it grated on her.
“Oh good, I made it in time.” He smiled that smarmy smile of his, practiced and fake in all the wrong ways. “I know the Corruptor has affected you, but you must resist.”
He wore what he thought of as a charming smile on his square jawed, strong-featured face as he brushed some of his slightly too long and overly feathered dirty blonde hair from his face to peer at her with pale blue eyes. Ughhh… so boring.
“I’m glad you managed to resist until I got here,” he said. “I’ll help you persevere through the urges the Corruptor has forced upon you.”
Hope turned away from the idiot to hide the roll of her eyes she knew she could not resist, pretending to be reading something on her desk. “As I have said countless times now, Boyd has not forced anything on me. This has been proven—again, countless times. I have allowed myself to be tested in every way you have asked. My mind and heart are free from outside influence. I also asked you not to call him that in my presence.”
“Hopewing…” Archangel sighed behind her. “I know whatever… that creature has done to you prevents you from seeing it, but his vile influence is clear to me. Someday I’ll find a Powered who can detect and remove it.”
Hope’s eyes rolled again as she stated calmly, “His name is Boyd… Dashing Devil would also be acceptable. He did nothing to my mind but has won my heart. You just can’t accept that simple truth because you are an arrogant narcissist.”
“Hopewing!” This time Archangel gasped her name as if shocked.
She didn’t know why he would be; her assertions on this topic never changed.
After a moment he let out a long breath. “I know it is not your fault, but your words wound me. You are upset. I know you do not think I can defeat the Last Dragon, so must be worried for me. But you will see.”
He paused, face lighting up as if struck by an idea. Hope figured the chances of Archangel being struck by an innovative thought were about the same as him being struck by lightning.
“I’ll do it for you,” he declared. “That will certainly earn your love. I know it will.”
Hope’s lips formed a secret little smile. The man who would defeat the Last Dragon already had her love. He’d earned it long ago. Feeling a little devilish, likely due to her Boyd’s influence, she decided to give Archangel a uselessly cryptic warning. “If you behave as you usually do on the day we meet the Last Dragon, you will not like the repercussions.”
She knew he would take it to mean that if he engaged in his usual showmanship, the dragon might kill him. He would want her to mean that because it could be taken to mean that she cared for his well-being. She could say without hesitation that Archangel was one of the few living beings she’d met where she’d found that not to be the case.
“I promise I won’t be contacting Boyd tonight,” she promised, “now leave. I wish to be alone.”
It was a lie of course, she wished to be with Boyd, Silvie and the rest of The Devoted. Once Boyd killed the Last Dragon, he might just garner enough good will to finally get her transfer approved—so that day might be coming sooner than even Silvie’s plans anticipated. The fact that Boyd would use his hard-earned favor to bring her home filled her heart with warmth all over again.
Afterward
First off, thank you so much for sticking it out. I hope you enjoyed the story. I know it got a little chunky but there was a lot I wanted to get to before the end of the first arc to Boyd’s story.
Please consider leaving a review, I know we writers harp on about it, but they really are meaningful in a lot of ways. For example, I personally think book 3 came out a lot better than books 1 and 2 in part because of the reviews. I did have some help on it, though.
My new editor, Dutch, played a massive role, but I went looking for an editor because of the reviews—so it all comes back to the reviews.
We both hope you enjoyed the bonus material. They were all bits and pieces that had been either mentioned briefly in the story, or were something that Dutch and I batted back and forth. I had fun teasing those references out into something larger.
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G.D. Brooks, Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3
