Once Upon a Steamy Night
Chapter Nineteen

"I hope whatever this is, it's worth my attention!" Claire exclaimed as she entered the sitting room. She had to make up a thousand and one excuses amongst which was her having urgent menstruation before Liam finally allowed her to go. "Daddy?"

She tried to get the light switch, but someone dragged her down. She gasped as she stared into her father's golden orbs.

"Quiet," he whispered, "Someone is here."

Claire listened and heard footsteps from the staircase.

"Why did you call me?" She asked.

"Scot texted me with a threatening message and when I got here I didn't see him, but I felt another presence."

Claire frowned. "He told Anna to come to threaten me that he would expose me if I didn't come to see him."

"So where is he?" Claire asked quietly.

"Right here!"

Claire screamed when a voice sounded behind her and the light came on immediately.

Scot was held tightly by a petite woman with long black hair and eerie violet eyes. To a normal human, this woman looked harmless, but Claire could sense the dark aura surrounding her. There was something about her.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our house?!" Adam snapped.

Scot groaned in her grasps. "Tell her to let me go. You found them already."

Claire narrowed her eyes at Scot. "What do you mean?"

"This woman ambushed me at Liam's party because she couldn't find you and she made me lead her to your house," Scot mumbled.

Adam glared at him. "You lead a stranger to our house? Bravo!"

"She's a harmless woman!" Scot shot back as the woman left him.

Claire stared at Scot as he kept bickering with Adam then she noticed the woman was staring at her.

"You look just like your mother!" She exclaimed.

The bickering stopped and Adam stared at the woman surprised, while Claire blinked momentarily taken aback.

"You know her mother?" Adam asked.

The woman nodded smiling. "Of course, she has her hair."

"Hold on, if you know Claire's birth mother then you're her mom's sister?" Scot asked.

Adam eyed him. "You know her mom doesn't have a sister."

"I know she was adopted and you're her father!" Scot snapped, "The DNA results came in today and I was told that your genes are weird but you both are related." Adam rolled his eyes at the pesky human, but he knew Scot wasn't a threat to Claire, he could read his emotions.

"We're talking about this later, Scot," Claire said.

"We can talk about everything now, Claire. I need your help," the woman said.

"Hold on, talk to me and leave my daughter alone besides tell us your name since you know ours," Adam said.

"You can call me Sam," she replied sharply, "And I have no business with you, Adam."

"What do you want, Sam?" Claire asked immediately before Adam could speak.

"The veil," she whispered.

Claire's eyes widened. "What veil?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Claire. I don't have time for such!" She snapped.

"Well, you're the one who showed up on our doorstep talking crazy," Adam sneered.

"Your daughter's mother is stuck in the underworld," Sam smiled at Adam.

Adam gasped. "You're lying. She had no reason to be there, no mortal can survive that long there."

Sam smiled smugly. "Well, I'm glad your daughter has seen it."

Claire blinked as she remembered her vision. "That's why she looked so sad and skeletal."

Adam shook his head taking a seat on the couch. "No, it's impossible!"

"Claire can get her out, Adam," Sam started.

Adam glared at her. "Claire isn't opening the veil, she's closing the veil!"

Sam chuckled humorlessly. "I was afraid you would say that."

Claire's eyes widened when the woman breathed out fire and it surrounded Adam and Scot. The fire was blue and wasn't burning anything except surrounding them. "A fire-breathing woman?!" Scot exclaimed and fainted.

Claire took a step back, but she couldn't move again. "Who are you? What did you do to me?" Claire cried.

"You're a dragon," Adam stated, "I should have guessed."

"Don't beat yourself up, Adam. You didn't expect a dragon to waltz into your house but don't worry no harm will come to your daughter," Sam smirked.

"How are you a dragon and you're human?" Claire knew she should be scared but her curiosity and fascination were greater than her fear.

"Honey, this is my human form and I also have my dragon form when I don't want to blend in," she chuckled.

"What do you want from Claire?!" Adam asked.

"She's the only one capable of closing the rift so she's the only one who can open it. I need her to help me free someone," Sam mumbled. "Anyone in the underworld deserves it!" Adam snapped.

"Well, Claire's mom didn't deserve it!" Sam retorted, "And certainly not Zubel."

Claire frowned. "Who's Zubel?"

Her blue eyes turned misty and distant. "My mate. I can't live without him. We were traveling together and came upon the rift; he slipped and fell through." "I'm sorry about that, Sam but we can't risk opening the rift anymore. It's dangerous!"

"But dad isn't there any way I can open it and rescue mom and Zubel and close it?" Claire asked.

Adam shook his head. "You're not ready, Claire. You're gonna kill yourself."

"Enough!" Sam thundered, "You don't wanna see a dragon upset so let's go, Claire."

Claire's feet moved immediately, and she frowned. "I can't go without my father."

"Sorry princess, he can't cross the dragon's flame. No one can."

"Don't go with her, Claire!" Adam warned.

"She wants to see her mom, right Claire?"

Claire heard the warning note in her voice but before she could reply, Liam's voice rang out on her porch.

"Claire, are you all... What is going on here?" Liam asked, surprised.

"Why is there a fire and no one is putting it out?!"

Claire stopped him from rushing towards the fire. "It's not an ordinary fire, Liam!"

"Welcome to the supernatural world, buddy," Scot said dryly. He had been awake for a while now and was watching everything in silence.

"What is going on here, Claire?" Liam asked, "Who is this woman? Are you in danger?"

"She's not but you are now!"

Claire screamed as Sam grabbed Liam and raced outside. She followed her out just as a roaring sound was heard.

A huge black dragon stood before her with Liam in its snout then it flew away with Liam screaming.

"Liam!" She screamed.

She ran inside and saw her father pacing within the fire.

"Dad, she...the dragon took Liam!" She cried.

"Calm down, Claire. You need to go after her," Adam said.

"But she's flying. I can't fly and I don't know where she is," Claire complained.

"How would she even wrestle a dragon to start with?" Scot asked.

"Zip it, Scot!" Adam snapped, "You were the one who brought her to this house."

"I didn't know she was a fire-breathing monster!" Scot snapped.

"Aren't dragons supposed to be extinct?" He added.

"They are but the few left hide in the shadows and are very dangerous," Adam replied.

"Focus, dad. Liam is in danger!" Claire exclaimed.

"Yeah, right. You need to kill the dragon and that's only possible by stabbing it on its forehead while looking at its eyes," Adam replied.

"You want me to stare a dragon in its eyes and kill it without being barbecued?!" Claire cried, "Come and help me, dad!"

"I can't cross this fire till it burns out. That's how dragon blue flame works," Adam explained.

Claire stared at the flame and saw it was almost burning out.

"You have to go, Claire," Scot said, "Else you'll be responsible to explain to Tyler that a dragon killed his son."

Claire rolled her eyes. "What do I do, dad?"

"Use a locator spell to locate them and then try to reason with her to get close to her. The air will give you a boost to stare in her eyes and conjure a knife and stab her," Adam explained. Claire nodded and took a deep breath. "Once this flame is off please come."

"Of course, Claire but no matter what she says don't open the rift not even for the sake of your mother. She can't be there," Adam instructed.

Claire nodded and raced out. She picked up the wristwatch Liam had dropped when he was grabbed roughly and muttered a few spells.

The watch lit up, and she saw the place they were. She was standing on a cliff with Liam dangling over the edge. They were at the end of Rutherford town.

Claire closed her eyes and visualized where they allowed the magic to course through her veins. She needed to do this to prove to her father that she was strong. "Took you long enough!"

Claire opened her eyes and saw Sam sitting on a rock cross-legged.

"Sam, please leave Liam. He has nothing to do with this," she pleaded.

Sam chuckled. "I can't believe you claim to love him when he doesn't know the real you."

Claire glanced at Liam dangling over the edge, his edge, his face red and sweaty.

"Claire," he mumbled.

"You're gonna be alright, Liam," she said sadly.

"You should tell him, Claire," Sam mumbled.

"Then let him go," Claire said.

"You will help me get Zubel?" Sam asked.

Claire winced at how sad and broken her voice sounded. She felt so bad that she had to kill her to save them.

"Yes, Sam. I will help so I can get my mom too," she lied.

Her eyes lit up immediately. "Zubel and I are soulmates and think and think he's still alive suffering. Thank you, Claire."

Claire smiled and headed towards her hoping her time-freeze spell will work.

When she stared into her eyes the woman roared in anger.

"You're trying to kill me!"

"No!" Claire exclaimed but it was too late.

The woman transformed into a huge dragon and sunk its talon into her arm. Claire cried out in pain, but the ear-splitting scream of Liam left a pang in her heart. "He's going to die since you don't want me with my soul mate!" She roared.

Claire closed her eyes and tried to focus on the element and not the anger coursing through her veins. She couldn't lose control now.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Liam was elevated and he was unharmed while Sam stood at a spot without moving.

Claire accepted the boost from the air and was now staring into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled and stabbed the dragon.

The dragon shrank and fell to the ground disappearing into smoke while Liam landed beside her.

"What is all this, Claire?" He asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm so sorry, Liam," she cried and engulfed him in a tight hug.

"I'm glad you kids are safe."

Claire pulled back and stared at her father approaching with Scot.

"Wow! Claire defeated a dragon!!" Scot cheered.

"No time for rejoicing, Scot. If the rift has started sucking people in and news of Claire has gotten out then we're going to be having a lot of monsters in our little town," Adam said. "Hold on, what are you talking about?" Liam asked, looking clueless.

"You'll learn all about it tomorrow night," Adam replied.

Claire shook her head. "No, dad. I'm going to tell him tonight."

If there was one thing the dragon said tonight, it was her being true. If she wanted Liam to truly love her then he needed to know who she truly Is.

He needed to know that she was his sworn enemy destined to be her doom.