Street Corner Lullaby

MADDIE

“Remember what we talked about. Keep your head on a swivel,” Harry said.

It wasn’t the first time he’d said that, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Our concerns were already raised after my incident with the psycho who tried to steal from me. Things had gotten even tenser after the scene in the restaurant.

Darshan and Thea had known the chef and said he was a good man. The fact that his family was murdered along with him was a shock to everyone.

Harry and I decided that when we went back out on the streets, we would be even more careful than we’d planned.

We also got into the habit of standing back to back just to ensure one of us always had an eye out.

Each new murder announced on TV made it look like a war was going on in the underbelly of this city. At first, it had seemed like they only went after the riffraff.

Now it was entirely possible whoever was perpetrating this mayhem wanted everyone in Requiem City to burn.

I scanned the neighborhood.

“Well, look who decided to show,” I said.

Harry followed my gaze and let out a sigh.

Dane and Aneurin were walking toward us. Even though we didn't know the twins well, they seemed like good people. Good enough to save a person in need, at least.

“It’s been a while since you two came around,” Harry called out.

“We were starting to get worried you’d found a better place to do business,” I added.

Dane and Aneurin shook their heads.

“You know we couldn’t do that to you guys,” Dane said.

“Just been laying low the past few days,” Aneurin admitted. “Things in this city are starting to get out of hand.”

So, Harry and I weren’t the only ones worried about the way things were going. And from the looks on their faces, Dane and Aneurin weren’t lying.

Their eyes, normally green and glowing, had become bloodshot, with dark bags underneath. The twins didn’t look to be getting much sleep.

It was bad enough for us to be selling during the middle of the day in the Skeleton Quarter. I couldn’t imagine having to live in these streets every single day.

“Good thing you came by, because we’ve got everything you need,” Harry said with a wink. “And this time we’ll give it to you for half price.”

“What’s the catch?” Aneurin asked, surprised.

“You don’t expect us to be your full-time bodyguards, do you?” Dane said.

“We expect that anyway,” I said, smiling. “It’s really just a show of gratitude. And we’re just as worried as you two. So don’t feel like you’re alone out here.”

The twins chuckled at my sentiment.

“Thanks for being so concerned. It’s nice to have a dealer with heart,” Aneurin said.

Maybe he was mocking us, but it didn’t seem like it. There was an indescribable connection between us. It was almost like I’d known them in the past.

Had we run into each other at the orphanage? It was possible, but unlikely. I remembered so many faces from my time there that it would have been hard to miss two hulking boys who barely left one another’s side.

As we stood on the corner, clouds moved over the sun. I watched the shadows form over the twins’ faces and had to do a double take.

The dream! I couldn’t stop my imagination from envisioning giant wings sprouting from their backs and razor-sharp teeth in their mouths.

Seeing them standing before me made my dream feel much more like a vision. As if there was something more to these two besides a nagging addiction to overhead.

I watched as Harry made the transaction with Dane. It was smooth and quick, just like always.

As the two men turned to walk away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something different about them. Something ~special.~ It didn’t make sense to wait to talk to them about it until they came back for more drugs in another few days.

The nagging feeling would only get worse. I needed to say something now.

I ran over and cut the twins off before they got too far.

“Hey, before you leave, I just had to figure something out...” I said.

The twins looked at one another and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Like they knew what the other was thinking.

“This might sound stupid, but I’ve heard of twins having ~special~ abilities. Do you guys ever feel like you can talk to each other without speaking?” I asked.

They gave each other another look. It was impossible to believe they didn’t have some type of higher connection.

But I needed to be sure.

“We do have a...~connection~,” Dane admitted. “And we’ve spent so much time around each other that it would be impossible not to.”

“I can hear your thoughts sometimes, though,” Aneurin said to his brother. “And it can get pretty annoying when it’s not intentional.”

“Intentional?” I asked, curious.

Dane seemed to give his brother a harder look this time. As if he was annoyed that Aneurin used those words to describe their connection.

“Well…” Aneurin stammered. “I mean. Sometimes it’s not even finishing each other’s sentences. It’s deeper than that. Like we’re having entire conversations.”

I could tell Dane was uncomfortable with how much information his brother was sharing. They definitely weren’t used to talking this much about whatever connection they had.

“I’m sorry to pry,” I said, trying to ease the situation. “I’ve just always been so curious about twins. Never had a brother or a sister of my own.”

And there was actually some truth in my lies.

Mason didn’t count...at least, not to me. I’d lived my entire life without knowing I had a father or a brother. As far as I was concerned, that wouldn’t really change anytime soon.

“It’s understandable,” Dane said. “It’s not like we don’t get a lot of looks. I imagine it is kind of odd seeing two big-ass guys that look identical going everywhere side by side.”

They looked at each other again, insinuating our conversation was over.

It was now or never…

I closed my eyes and focused my breath. Slowly, I began to hum the strange tune that put Loch and Hael out of commission.

The two giant men in front of me squinted their eyes as if they were hearing a foreign language for the first time.

Then it took its effect. Dane began to sway, followed by Aneurin. My song grew louder as I pushed the air from my lungs.

Only a few more seconds and they had collapsed on the ground at my feet.

Harry sprinted over from the corner, scared and concerned.

“Please don’t tell me that was from our stash,” he said.

“They haven’t even touched it yet,” I assured him.

“Then can you explain to me what the hell just happened?”

I shrugged my shoulders and cleared my throat. “I kind of just...sang.”

Harry shook his head, not knowing what to say.

“And no, my singing wasn’t that bad,” I said. “But this does prove something.”

“What the hell does this prove?”

“That these aren’t two ordinary twin brothers,” I said, staring at Dane’s and Aneurin’s limp bodies.

It also proved that there was more than one duo of dragons living in this city. But Harry wouldn’t understand even if I spelled it all out for him.

Most likely, he already had his suspicions, but I doubt he realized the full extent of the magic that pulsed through the veins of Requiem City.

I looked at Dane and Aneurin. How could they be dragons and not even know?

After a few long moments, the twins began to stir and finally came to their senses. Harry and I told them to take their time until they were ready to try their legs.

Eventually, they each stood up with a wobble.

“Damn...I don’t think we’re eating enough, brother,” Dane said. “Or maybe it’s the heat.”

“That’s never happened to us before,” Aneurin said.

“It’s alright,” I told them. “But promise you’ll have some food and drink plenty of water.”

“Yeah, and get some rest,” Harry added. “That was pretty scary.”

The twins walked away but glanced back at me a few times. They were probably more confused than scared, and I couldn't blame them.

But this incident raised other questions.

Were there other dragons in the city? If so, maybe that meant Loch wasn’t at fault for all the murders. It would make a lot more sense as to why burned bodies kept turning up.

Xander likely knows more about this situation, but after all he’d done to me, I couldn't go to him for help. I needed to find out more on my own.

But how?

~The invitation!~

The request I found slid under my door was exactly where I needed to go for actual answers.

I wasn’t quite ready to see Loch and Hael yet. But if I was going to find out what all this meant, I’d have to attend their stupid fundraiser.

~Great.~

Things just got a lot more complicated.

~Guess it’s time to start looking for an outfit that’ll drop their dragon jaws to the floor.~