snapped to Bliss’s face, but before she could do or say anything, Bliss opened the shed door, shoved Zina inside, and leaned against it.
“Can you zap her out of here quick? Maybe to outer space?”
Vulcan chuckled. “I know just what to do with her.”
He transported himself inside the shed, grabbed Zina before she could get away again, and in a flash they arrived on the top floor of the office building that housed the Council. Zina gazed at the glass-bubble dome, openmouthed but silent.
His god cronies looked up from their poker game, but where was Gaia?
“Is she here?”
He didn’t have to tell the other gods who he meant. Apollo pointed to the forest in the corner. “She’s been in there all day… chanting.”
“Chanting?”
“At your own peril.”
Zina ripped her arm out of Vulcan’s grasp. “Where the hell are we? And how did we get here? Who are you anyway?”
“I’m out.” Apollo tossed his cards into the middle of the table, rose, and strolled over to them. “Is this the dragon she’s after?”
“And who are you, pretty boy?” Zina gave the sun god a grin that was probably supposed to be alluring. Instead it made her look like the predator she was.
“This is she,” Vulcan answered. “Zina.”
“I think Gaia would want to know. I’ll get her.” Apollo strode off to the forest and spoke softly. He made a reverent apology for disturbing her and stepped away.
A few moments later, a bleary-eyed Mother Nature emerged. “Who dares disturb me when I’m deep in meditation?”
Vulcan appeared before her quickly so she wouldn’t blame Apollo. “That would be me. Meditation? I’ve never known you to meditate before.” He immediately wondered if he should have said that out loud.
“I understand it might make me a little calmer. Believe me, I could use some serenity.”
She glanced over at Zina and frowned. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Yes, Gaia. Zina is the dragon who’s been setting fires to your beloved city.”
“And risking exposure of her kind… not that I’m fond of dragons, but the human population really can’t handle the knowledge that they exist—or ever existed. We’ve finally managed to convince them that the whole race was a myth. She almost single-handedly undid all that work.”
“Yes, Gaia.”
She reached out and touched his arm. “You did well, Vulcan. Now, leave her to me.”
“Can I watch?” he asked impulsively.
Mother Nature paused, and he wondered if she was going to tell him to mind his own business, but to his surprise, she simply nodded. The two of them approached Zina together.
The usually cocky dragon took a few steps backward as they came closer.
“Not so confident now, are you?” Gaia said.
“Only because I don’t know who you are.” Then she puffed herself up. “Not that it matters. There’s nothing you can do to me.”
A sinister smile spread slowly across Gaia’s lips. “Oh, no?”
“Nope. I’m immortal.”
Mother Nature grinned. “I know. Which makes my punishment for you even richer.”
“Punishment? Who are you to punish me? I don’t see a judge or jury anywhere.”
Chuckling, Gaia strolled around her. “I’m neither judge nor jury… I am your mother—the mother of all, and you’ve been very naughty.”
“Mother of all?” Suddenly Zina’s eyes grew wide. “Me remember now. Mother Nature?”
“The one and only.”
“Oh shit.”
“Indeed.”
Zina looked all around her, probably hoping for an escape route. She saw the bank of elevators and began to inch toward them.
“It’s too late,” Gaia said. “I’ve already done most of what I plan to do to you.”
“Most of… what are you talking about?” Zina asked.
Vulcan couldn’t help echoing the question in his head too.
Mother Nature held herself regally as she pronounced, “Zina, you have abused your gift of flight. You can no longer fly. You have abused your power of fire. You can no longer breathe fire.”
Zina opened her mouth and huffed. Nothing came out. Not so much as a smoke curl.
Gaia strolled around her. “And now I need to know why. Did all of this stem from trying to make someone love you and create the gift of life inside you?”
“It started that way, but my cycle ended three days ago. Thanks to that harlot, I won’t get another chance for five years.”
Mother Nature’s brows rose. “Excuse me? Did you say your cycle ended three days ago?”
“Yes. What of it?”
“Isn’t that when you set fire to the bar in which she and several other people worked? The building that was previously home to five people?”
Zina held her head high. “I was upset. I don’t like being rejected.”
“Nobody likes to be rejected… just like it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. Believe me, I understand. But do I burn down every company that makes butter taste good with half the calories? Or smite every sixty-year-old who tries Botox? Hmmm… do I?
“No.”
“Of course not. Only spoiled children expect to get their own way all of the time. Which isn’t to say it’s not natural to want what you want… It’s just not okay to get revenge when things don’t go your way.”
Zina crossed her arms and looked like she was pouting.
Gaia paced back and forth, hands clasped behind her back, muttering, “What am I going to do with you?”
At last she stopped in front of Zina and pointed at her. “Because you have abused your fertility, I’m taking that away from you until you can handle it.”
“You can’t do that!” Zina screamed.
“Yes, I can. In fact, I can do a little more. Have fun in Siberia.” Mother Nature waved her hand in a wide arc, and Zina disappeared from sight.
Drake had finished putting out the dock fire and rested on the shore. Bliss was arguing with her family, but he didn’t know why. He figured he should probably stay out of the way… until he heard one of the male voices saying, “Hey, it happens all the time. Firemen like to play hero. He probably made us think he left when he ran off looking for a taxi, then his accomplice snuck back there and set the fire.”
“Then he ran back to save the day,” said the other brother.
“What are you, nuts?” Bliss was obviously getting agitated, but it was her family. She could handle them.
“I don’t know, Blissy. It makes a certain kind of sense,” Mrs. Russo said.
“No, it doesn’t! It doesn’t make any sense at all. Why would he make more work for himself?”
“It’s not logical, Sis. I think there’s a name for that type of thing, but I don’t know what it is. Some kind of mental disorder.”
“Are you saying he’s deranged? How dare you? He was in the station when most of those fires broke out, and then he risked his life to answer the calls. Don’t you think his buddies would notice if he was missing?”
Drake rose and checked the area behind the arguing family. There stood the director and cameramen—with
