Lost Dragons Box Set Volume Two

by Zoe Chant

  The figure’s hands went up to its head – and then it unstrapped its helmet, lifting it up. Dante found himself looking at a woman in her thirties with dark eyes and close-cropped black hair, her lips downturned in a confused frown.

  “Mercy? What’s wrong? Who’s this guy?” the woman asked.

  Dante hesitated at the sound of Mercy’s name, realizing they must know each other. Perhaps this newcomer was no one to be afraid of after all, despite her appearance. Then Mercy, standing behind him, broke out into peals of laughter.

  “Calm down, Dante – it’s just Tai. She’s my chef. But I can see why you’d be worried – Tai does look kinda scary in her riding leathers.”

  Tai snorted. “Scary, my ass. I’m a kitty cat.” She unzipped her leather jacket, shaking her head. “Not that looking scary is a disadvantage around here. Pretty sure it’s all that’s kept my bike un-stolen after all these years.” Tai shucked off her jacket, hanging it by the door. “But Mercy, you never answered my question – who’s this guy?”

  Tai gave him a coolly appraising stare, and Dante did his best not to tense up. Even after all these years, it was hard to feel relaxed when unexpectedly meeting new people. Usually when that had happened in his old life, it had meant trouble was about to go down. And trouble had almost always meant a fight.

  Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax.

  “I’m Dante,” he said, holding his hand out. Tai raised an eyebrow before she took it, but when she did, her handshake was warm and firm.

  “Tai Shimura. You’re not from around here, are you?”

  Dante shook his head. “No. What gave it away?”

  “I’d probably remember you – unless Mercy’s had you hidden away somewhere.” Tai smiled slightly, looking past Dante to send a questioning look in Mercy’s direction. “Not that I’d blame you, Mercy. I may not swing that way, but I can recognize a good thing when I see one.”

  “It’s not like that,” Dante said quickly, even as his dragon reared up proudly, puffing smoke.

  Yes! Tell her! We are Mercy’s, and Mercy is ours! Even this human can see our bond!

  I will tell her when the time is right, Dante told it firmly, as it squirmed with impatience. And this is definitely not the right time.

  “He’s right, it’s not like that,” Mercy spoke up.

  Her words felt like a stab to Dante’s gut, but he knew she had no reason to suspect what they were to each other. She was human – she probably knew nothing of shifters, of mated bonds. Of dragons or manticores or pegasi, or any other creature who kept their existence secret from humans. He’d have to explain all of that to her, along with the fact that they were mates.

  And my past. Who I was. What I was.

  He glanced at Mercy, and was surprised to see her dark cheeks had turned a dusky red, as if she was embarrassed. She cleared her throat slightly before continuing.

  “Some of Garrick’s goons turned up here last night – Dante here took care of them before they could do any damage. I patched him up and said he could stay. That’s all.”

  There was a finality in Mercy’s tone that sent a chill down Dante’s spine, but the only thing he could do for now was swallow and try to ignore his dragon kicking up a fuss within him.

  Despite the fact that he was it and it was him, it was still bestial in nature – a creature that didn’t necessarily understand things like timing. If his dragon had had its way, he would have tossed Mercy onto his back and flown her up to the top of the nearest mountain peak to profess his undying love and devotion to her.

  Dante grit his teeth as the image of that passed through his imagination – as well as what he hoped would happen after he had explained the nature of their bond. Desperate need surged through him in a way he couldn’t remember ever having experienced before, and it took him longer than he wanted to push away the images that suddenly flooded his mind – images of Mercy, her face flushed, hair in disarray, crying out from the pleasure that he knew he could give her.

  “You took on Garrick’s men?” Tai whistled appreciatively between her teeth. “That took some guts. Not that I don’t appreciate it – that stupid bastard has caused enough trouble around here.” She shook her head. “But Mercy, you know that won’t be enough to put him off forever, right?”

  “I know,” Mercy said grimly. “But we can only deal with that problem when we come to it.”

  “I’ll be here if they come back,” Dante said. “I’ve offered Mercy my protection. And I won’t be going anywhere until Garrick’s properly dealt with.”

  Tai raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical. “Not saying you can’t do it. Just saying you better be good, if that’s your plan. Garrick’s not some two-bit hoodlum, from what I’ve seen. He means business. And he’s only part of the problem. We’ve got corrupt cops, gang violence, kids with no hope for the future – you gonna fix all those problems?”

  “No.” Dante’s voice was steady. “Like I said, I’m new in town. You and Mercy know what this place needs better than I do. Garrick’s only one problem – but he’s a problem I can solve. It’s a start.”

  He heard a soft intake of breath behind him, and turned to see Mercy staring at him, her black eyes wide. The flush was back in her cheeks, her full lips parted slightly. For a long moment, they simply held each other’s gaze, the only sound in his ears the pounding of his heart.

  “Th-that’s a good speech,” Mercy said, shaking her head, breaking their gaze. She pulled in a deep breath, before she continued, her voice slightly softer. “I don’t know if you mean it, but at the moment, I can’t say it doesn’t do my heart good to hear someone talking about at least trying to fix some of the problems around here.”

  “Speaking of, kids’ll be through to pick up their lunchboxes in ten minutes,” Tai said. “We better get packing.”

  “Right.” Mercy nodded, before glancing at Dante. “You can help, if you want. Three pairs of hands will get this done quicker than two.” She paused. “Though maybe you should go put a shirt on first.”

  She was probably right about that, Dante thought, glancing down at himself. As he made his way back down the corridor to the sofa he’d slept on, he thought he heard Tai mutter something beneath her breath that not even his dragon’s hearing could pick up, followed by Mercy’s strident shout of, “Shut up, Tai! Did I ask?”

  It would probably be better if he pretended he hadn’t heard that, he decided. There was no use in making Mercy feel awkward. When the time was right, he’d tell her about himself – everything about himself. Until then, the best thing he could do was try to make good on the commitment he’d made to her: his promise of protection.

  He picked up his battered old t-shirt from where he’d left it by the couch, pulling it on over his head. There was a suspicious silence from the kitchen as he made his way back – and when he walked through the door, he found himself looking at a slyly smirking Tai, and a Mercy whose cheeks were burnished an even deeper red than before. Clearly, some whispered conversation had gone on while he’d been away, and from the look on Mercy’s face, Dante thought he could guess what it’d been about.

  Our mate is attracted to us – she feels it. Our bond. Her blood knows us. It will tell her the truth, even if you won’t.

  His dragon was smug, coiled within him, self-satisfied puffs of smoke rising from its nostrils. Dante ignored it. This wasn’t a case of telling the truth or not telling it: this was a case of needing to be near Mercy until the danger had passed. He couldn’t risk doing anything that might make her reject him. Not just now.

  Taking a deep breath, he made his way across the kitchen, to where Mercy and Tai were making up cartons of food.

  “What are you making, and how can I help?”

  “School lunches,” Mercy said, as she spooned some white rice into the carton, before covering it with beans. “Kids ’round here, their parents can’t always pay for cafeteria food – and if they skip too many payments, there’s no more lunch. I’m not havi
ng kids in my neighborhood go hungry if I’ve got the means to feed them.”

  Dante felt a welling of respect within him. He already knew Mercy was brave and fiercely protective of her community, but the kindness she was displaying here amazed him. He’d known kids exactly like the ones she was making lunches for now – he’d been one. The manticores hadn’t always seen fit to feed him, and, being both a teenaged boy and a dragon shifter, he’d had a huge appetite.

  More often than not, he’d simply had to go hungry. There’d been no kindly restaurant owner to make up lunches for him – good lunches, he could see, as Mercy and Tai added more things to the cartons. A bit of fried chicken, carrot sticks, a slice of cheese, a small bread roll, a snack bar, and a fruit cup with Jell-O. Cheap, and the portions were small, but it’d at least keep a kid awake throughout their classes.

  “Just put each of the items in a carton,” Mercy said. “We only have a few more to make up – we’ve got this down to a fine art by now. Kids’ll drop by on their way to the bus stop. They’ll knock on the back door.”

  Dante nodded, reaching for a handful of snack bars before dropping one into each of the cartons in front of him. Now the heavy’s comment of last night – She’ll think it’s one of those brats she’s always feeding – made more sense. Clearly, Mercy’s kindness was well-known around here. The fact that Garrick’s men had tried to use it to hurt her made his blood boil.

  “Careful not to squash those,” Mercy said, glancing up, and Dante realized that in his anger, he’d reflexively tightened his fist around the snack bars.

  “Sorry,” he said, loosening his grip and dropping the remaining bars into the cartons. “You said you have trouble staying in the black, but you still provide these free lunches?”

  Mercy nodded, taking a deep breath. “I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s something I have to do. I never went hungry when I was a kid – my momma saw to that – but I knew plenty of kids who did.”

  As she spoke, there was a sharp knock on the kitchen’s back door. Dante’s head shot up, his dragon immediately alert.

  “Relax, it’s just the kids,” Mercy said, laughing a little. “Right on time, as per usual.”

  “Still, let me answer,” Dante said. The heavy’s words of last night still rang loudly in his ears. If he’d arrived only a few minutes later, he wouldn’t have been there to stop Garrick’s attack on Mercy. They’d banked on her thinking it was one of the kids knocking. He wasn’t about to allow her to put herself in harm’s way.

  “You’re being really ridiculous,” Mercy said – but Dante could hear the slight shake in her voice. Clearly, the arrival of Garrick’s thugs last night had shaken her more than she was willing to let on.

  But we will protect her now, his dragon said, its green eyes flashing. She will have nothing to fear, so long as we stand between her and danger.

  Dante held Mercy’s gaze for a long moment, hoping she could read his thoughts in it – that she could see in his eyes that as long as he was with her, she was safe.

  He thought he saw something glimmering in the beautiful black depths of her eyes – an understanding, perhaps, a recognition that he would protect her no matter what – but then she shook her head, looking away.

  Dante swallowed, turning toward the door. It didn’t matter if Mercy didn’t quite believe in him yet – she had no way of knowing about their bond. He would simply have to show her how serious he was.

  Preparing himself, Dante opened the door – and found himself staring down into the face of one very annoyed-looking fourth-grader.

  “What took so long? C’mon, the bus’ll be here soon.”

  The kid – barely taller than Dante’s waist – pushed past him to get into the kitchen.

  “You watch your mouth, Joe,” Mercy said, though her laughter was clear in her voice. “What’ve I told you about being rude?”

  “Sorry Ms. Reynolds,” Joe dutifully responded, his voice only just short of singsong. “But we’re in a hurry. And Kyan hurt his leg yesterday, so he can’t walk fast.”

  “How’d Kyan do that?” Mercy asked, as she handed Joe a carton of food. Her tone was casual, but Dante saw serious concern flash in her eyes.

  Joe shrugged. “I dunno, I think he was playing basketball, but I wasn’t there. It was with some older kids.”

  Mercy frowned. “What older kids?”

  Joe shrugged again. “I dunno.”

  Dante watched as Mercy hesitated, clearly on the verge of grilling Joe for more information, before she simply pursed her lips. “All right. Well, you tell Kyan if his leg doesn’t feel better soon he should come and see me. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Joe took his carton of lunch and, smiling at Mercy before casting a dubious look in Dante’s direction, he headed back out the door.

  It was only a moment later that the next kid arrived – a tall girl Mercy greeted as Tamika. Then there were twin boys, Jonathan and Matthew, and after that came Laura, holding her younger sister Jenny’s hand. All of them addressed Mercy as Ms. Reynolds, and though some were shy, all of them clearly adored her. Dante could see it in their eyes as Mercy handed them their lunch cartons and asked how they were, or how their parents and siblings were.

  “You tell that older sister of yours if she’s playing hooky from school, she’ll have me to answer to,” Mercy told Laura and Jenny sternly. “I don’t care if she thinks it’s boring, she’s still got to go.”

  Laura nodded. “I’ll tell her, Ms. Reynolds. But she’s been going – I promise. I told her what you said last time, and she just laughed. But then she went to school the next day.”

  “Good.” Mercy nodded firmly. “Well, off you go, or you’ll be late.”

  “Just a few more left,” Tai said. “We haven’t seen Taylor or Jay yet, have we?”

  Mercy shook her head. “No. They don’t always come,” she said to Dante, by way of explanation. “They’re tough nuts, those two, but I’ll get to them.”

  “I can believe it,” Dante said, meaning it sincerely. There was no doubt in his mind of that. He’d seen her strength and determination. “I don’t think anyone would be able to withstand you if you decided to try to make a difference in their lives.”

  Mercy snorted slightly, but she lowered her eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, as if she was pleased.

  “Well, anyway. Taylor and Jay will show up or they won’t, but either way we have to start prepping to open,” Mercy said. She turned to Tai. “In amongst all the excitement, I forgot to tell you – Debbie quit, effective immediately. She didn’t give a reason, but I think we can guess, and I don’t blame her.”

  Tai grimaced, but she nodded. “Fair, I suppose. But still inconvenient. Want me to call Kay? She could fill in for a couple of hours.”

  Mercy shook her head. “No, don’t get her all the way out here. She’d have to catch the bus, right? I can just try to make do by myself.”

  “Or,” Dante spoke up, “I could help out.”

  Mercy frowned, shaking her head. “I don’t think so, mister. You stumble in here bleeding all over the place, and now I’m supposed to put you to work? You need bed rest. You think it’ll do this place any good if the staff starts keeling over in the middle of taking an order?”

  Dante paused, wanting to tell Mercy that aside from the slight twinge when he’d bolted awake, the wound would be completely healed by now. He was pretty sure that as an experienced nurse, however, Mercy would know that in a human that just wasn’t possible.

  “You said last night the wound wasn’t as bad as you thought at first,” Dante said, hoping it would be an acceptable compromise, even as something within him told him it wouldn’t be. “I’m sure I can manage.”

  Mercy raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. “Sure,” she said after a long moment. “And while I’m at it, I’ll just head down to the ER and see if there’s anyone looking for a job there, too? No, Dante. I’m not that desperate. I can handle things without you having to drag your stabbed ass around
the restaurant floor.”

  Dante wanted to argue with her, but without pulling off the gauze she’d taped to his side and showing her the completely healed wound, there didn’t seem to be much he could do to convince her that he’d be up to the job of taking customer orders.

  Despite the fact he knew it’d be likely to raise some awkward questions, Dante was beginning to consider doing just that when Tai spoke up again.

  “He looks more like a bouncer than a waiter,” she said. “But he doesn’t look injured. Did you really get stabbed last night?”

  “I caught a nick in the side,” Dante said. “Nothing I can’t handle. I’ve had worse.”

  “That I can believe,” Mercy said flatly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m such a tyrant as to ask you to drag yourself all over the restaurant just because I’m down a waitress.”

  Show her the wound – show her that we’re fully healed and can help her in any way she might need, Dante’s dragon said.

  Dante was loath to do it, but if that’s what it took to convince Mercy he was fine, then that’s what it took.

  “Mercy –” he began to say, before he was interrupted by a knock at the kitchen’s side door.

  “Must be Taylor or Jay,” Tai said. “They’re cutting it fine.”

  Mercy shook her head. “They always do.”

  Dante turned to open the door, when a sudden, unfamiliar sensation flowed over him. His dragon within him reared up, turning its head this way and that, as if confused. Dante paused, trying to sort out the muddle his mind had suddenly become.

  The strange sensation was neither good nor bad – it was like a cloud on the horizon, or a shadow on the very edges of his perception. It was simply there, but it was unlike anything else Dante had experienced before.

  He could sense the presence of other shifters, of course, sometimes from quite far away. But this... this was different.

  “I’ll answer it,” he said quickly, shaking off the strange feeling and moving toward the door. Regardless of the fact that the sensation didn’t feel threatening, he’d still rather he was between it and Mercy until he was able to figure out what it was.