by Zoe Chant
Dante sucked in a breath. The name wouldn’t mean anything to Mercy, but he knew who Goddard Hellner was. “The boss of the manticore crime syndicate,” he said, still feeling shocked. He was familiar to Dante as a man to be feared, to say the least – he controlled every operation that manticores were involved in, and was utterly ruthless about it. The gang who had held Dante hostage for most of his life had been under his control. As terrifying as they had been, all of them had lived in fear of pissing off Goddard Hellner. Dante had grown up hearing stories of what Hellner did to people who disappointed or defied him – and he’d known that if he ever dared to put a toe out of line, he’d end up just like them.
“But – but that’s impossible,” Mercy said, shaking her head. “I knew him – I went to school with him! I thought I lov—” She cut herself off, the next thing she’d been going to say clearly too painful for her to reveal in front of everyone. Dante put his hand on hers, trying to comfort her.
Mercy was silent for a moment before taking a deep breath.
“I just want to know why, Roy,” she said, her voice quiet and flat. “And how. You were – you seemed like – a normal human to me. I don’t understand.”
Roy shook his head, his lip curled up into a sneer. “Why would I explain it to you?” He snorted. “It was hellish living amongst you humans for so long, but that’s what my father wanted. He wanted someone he could trust who could live amongst humans. He wanted someone with an identity that couldn’t be traced back to him. So when I was fourteen, I stopped being Roy Hellner, and became Roy Wilmore. Enrolled in high school. Told everyone I’d just moved here. Went to college. Built an empire.”
“Using your father’s money,” Shaw interjected flatly. “Don’t think we haven’t done the paperwork, and chased down every piece of evidence we need. We’ve been very thorough. Roy Wilmore might have seemed to come out of nowhere and build his own empire, but it was all paid for with dirty money.”
Roy said nothing, but lowered his eyes. His shoulders were bunched with tension.
“And – and the murders?” Mercy asked, her voice shaking.
Shaw glanced at her. “You don’t need to know the details. But being in a crime syndicate is a messy business.”
Dante knew only too well what he was talking about. There was no way Roy could have been involved in his father’s work at such a high level and not have committed some terrible crimes. In a way, Dante had been lucky that he himself had only been a low-level grunt.
“I still don’t understand why, Roy,” Mercy said. “You’re rich – you could do anything. Why did you come back to Hainesville? Why did you terrorize us?” She shook her head. “No, that’s not what I meant. If it hadn’t been us, it would have been somewhere else, which is just as bad. But I still want to know why.”
Roy let out a low, cold laugh. “Do you know what it was like living amongst you putrid humans for so long?” he asked, raising his head to stare at her. “Having to pretend to be one of you – having to pretend to be ordinary? None of you had any idea what I was. Better than a dragon, better than a manticore. And far beyond your human understanding. It was disgusting. And the only thing I could think of was coming back, and wiping your miserable little town off the map – tearing it down, brick by brick.”
Dante could sense Mercy’s shock and revulsion as she stared down at Roy. He could feel his own fury rising again – how dare Roy talk about the community Mercy loved so much like that? The place she had dedicated her life to – the people she had helped to give hope to?
“That’s enough,” he growled out, hearing the dragon’s distinctive rumble in his voice. “The only disgusting one here is you, Roy. And now, you’ll pay for what you’ve done.”
Shaw glanced at him. “We’ll see he’s brought to justice. We’ve been collecting evidence on him for quite some time. Like I said – he’s slippery, and we needed to make sure our case was watertight.” He paused, his eyes going to Mercy. “But we still need every piece of evidence we can get. You’re an important witness, ma’am. Would you consider giving evidence against him?”
For a moment, Dante bristled, tempted to jump in and tell Shaw that Mercy would be doing no such thing – she’d been through enough. But then he released the urge, remembering that despite his dragon’s overprotective nature, it was Mercy’s choice, and he would support her no matter what she did.
Her answer was instantaneous. “Yes, of course I will,” she said, her voice steady. “I’ll do whatever I need to do in order to make sure he sees justice. Just tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it.”
Despite his misgivings, Dante couldn’t help but be filled with pride.
My mate. My strong, beautiful mate.
He should have known she’d never be happy to stand by when there was something she could do to help make sure Roy never hurt anyone ever again.
Even so, he could feel Mercy’s fatigue. She had been through a lot this evening. She needed to rest. She had sent him so much strength – first in his fight against Roy, and then to heal him – that he knew she must be feeling beyond drained.
“We can discuss the details another time,” he said. “Right now, Mercy needs to rest.”
He felt Mercy gratefully squeeze his arm, as Shaw nodded.
“Yes. And we need to hurry and get Roy Hellner here back to headquarters. I don’t think anyone will really believe we’ve got him until we prove it.”
Dante nodded. Despite himself, he found he quite liked this Officer Declan Shaw – he was straightforward and no-nonsense, and he’d taken Stefan at his word that Dante was only fighting Roy to protect his mate. He’d have to ask Stefan later if he had any idea who or what the Shifter Patrol Corps were.
Turning away, Shaw nodded to his officers. “All right. Let’s go.”
All once, the dragons surrounding Roy shifted, taking on their dragon forms. Dante realized that whatever they had Roy cuffed with was inhibiting his shifter powers. He knew about things like that. Dragon hunters had used control collars to keep dragons captive in the past.
Despite Roy believing he was superior to both dragons and manticores, it was clear he still had some of their weaknesses. Dante shuddered as he thought of Roy’s shifted form – not from disgust, but almost from fear. Roy had been extremely powerful, and Dante had been lucky to escape from their fight with his life. Who knew what other kinds of shifters might be out there?
In his human form, however, there was no chance of him putting up a fight against six dragons. Shaw simply lifted him up in his giant forepaw, and then, with a flap of his mighty wings, lifted into the air, followed closely by his officers.
Dante watched them go with a mixture of apprehension and relief. Would they really make sure Roy faced justice?
Stefan must have sensed his thoughts, because he turned to Dante now, nodding.
“They will,” he assured him. “The Shifter Patrol Corps can be trusted. They contacted me a couple of years ago, since I’m a clan leader. They’re a new organization – or relatively new, anyway. We’ve been needing something like them for some time now.”
“What are they?” Dante asked.
“Shifter law enforcement,” Stefan explained. “It’s a good idea, with dragons and other shifters changing to suit the modern age. Clans don’t brutally enforce the leader’s will anymore, and dragon hunters don’t hunt down rogues like they used to so often. It’s better this way – breaking the law shouldn’t end in death or banishment. But without those old rules it means shifters who’re inclined to cause trouble tend to do it. We can’t leave human law enforcement to fix our problems – they can’t do it, anyway. No one can handle shifters except for other shifters.”
Dante nodded. He could see that. He’d have to believe Stefan when he said the Shifter Patrol Corps could be trusted. Nonetheless, he still felt doubtful. He couldn’t imagine how furious Goddard Hellner would be when he discovered that his son had been arrested. If the Shifter Patrol Corps were still relatively new,
could they take on someone has powerful as Hellner?
Worry about this later, Dante. Mercy’s voice was in his head, soft and soothing. You need to rest. We both do.
He could hear the tremble in her voice as she spoke. Although he could sense her emotions, sense how tired she was, he couldn’t imagine how much she had been through tonight, and how badly it must have shocked her. To suddenly find out shifters existed, and in such a frightening way – not to mention what she had found out about Roy, someone she had once been so close to – it had to have taken its toll on her.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about this sooner, Mercy,” Dante said, turning to her and taking her hand. “I don’t know how you can ever forgive me. I –”
“Dante.” Mercy cut him off with a shake of her head. “I won’t pretend you haven’t got a lot – and I mean a lot – of explaining to do. But let’s save it for later, all right? Just now, I think I need a little bit of peace and quiet. And something to eat. And a nap.”
Dante swallowed. Mercy was right. He needed to explain things to her, but right now, she needed to rest.
And so do I, Dante thought. His body ached, his muscles worn out with exertion. His injuries were still healing, which took a huge amount of energy.
“Do you guys have somewhere to stay?” Holly asked, her expression sympathetic. “We can put you up somewhere close by, if you like.”
Mercy shook her head. “I really appreciate the offer, but right now, I just want to go to my own home, and sleep in my own bed. I’ve seen enough strangeness for one day – I don’t think I can handle any more.”
Holly let out a light laugh. “Understandable.” She glanced at Dante. “Stefan can fly us all back, if you like.”
“Thank you, but no,” Dante said, shaking his head. He was exhausted and injured, but he wanted to be the one to fly Mercy back to her home. “It should be me. Not that I don’t appreciate it – or you guys coming all the way here to make sure I was all right.” He swallowed. “I won’t forget this.”
Stefan nodded, his face serious. “I hope you won’t, Dante – I hope you won’t forget that we have always considered you part of the Novak Clan. We would welcome you back with open arms. Just say the word.”
Closing his eyes, Dante let Stefan’s words wash over him. And for the first time, he felt his dragon rushing up inside him eagerly at the sound of them.
Yes. We have proved ourselves. We have found our mate. It’s time for us to be back with our clan.
And, to his surprise, Dante found himself agreeing with his dragon. It was time. It wasn’t just for his own sake, either – Mercy would need the support and community of the clan and their mates as well. She was a human mated to a dragon – and Holly and Josie, the mates of his cousins Stefan and Isaak, would be able to help her and give her advice in a way that he knew he couldn’t.
“I will, Stefan,” Dante said finally. “I’m ready. I’ll come back to the clan.”
He didn’t need to look up at Holly’s face to know she was smiling – the burst of joy he felt from her direction was enough.
“Oh, Dante – I’m so happy!” She bounded forward, pulling him into a fierce hug before he could say anything else. But that was just Holly – her enthusiasm was as undeniable as it was infectious. She released him from the hug, turning to Mercy. “Once you’re rested, we’ll have to introduce you to the others!”
“The others?” Mercy asked, looking slightly dazed.
“Yes! Isaak and his mate Josie, and their little one Alfonso – not to mention my own two, Calla and Firth. Oh, and you’ll have to meet Stefan’s sister Darklis and her mate Liev – though since they’re the princess and prince now we’ll have to make some arrangements – oh, and Magnus and Alanna too –”
A princess and a prince? Mercy shot Dante a look. Just what have I gotten myself into?
A lot, Dante sent back to her, unable to stop his smile. But don’t worry, none of us bite.
Not even a little bit?
The look in Mercy’s eye was definitely mischievous when Dante glanced over at her. In spite of his fatigue, he still felt heat flare through his belly. She was irresistible – and he hoped her joking around like this meant she’d forgive him quickly for not being more forthcoming.
“We’ll introduce Mercy to everyone when the time is right,” Stefan said, a small smile on his lips. “But right now, let’s just get everyone home.”
“Oops, you’re right,” Holly said, shaking her head a little at herself. “I just got carried away. Let’s get you home.”
“Are you sure you’re all right to fly, Dante?” Stefan asked him, his voice concerned.
Dante rolled his shoulders a little, testing out how they felt. They felt okay – not perfect, but better. And besides which, he wouldn’t let anyone carry Mercy but him. “I’ll be fine.”
Stefan looked at him a moment, before nodding. “All right, then. Let’s go.”
Dante called forth his dragon, feeling twinges of pain as he shifted, and his only recently healed bones and muscles protested. He ignored it – it would all be worth it once he felt Mercy riding on his back, safe and sound.
He felt his wings sprout from his back, his hands and feet growing massive, sharp claws. His tail swept out behind him, his skin shimmering as it became dark red-gold scales.
He looked down at Mercy when the shift was complete, worried for a moment that he might see fear on her face – but when he looked at her, he saw only wonder in her sparkling black eyes.
Climb on, he said, lowering his shoulder to make it easier for her. Let’s go home.
Mercy grinned at him as she clambered onto his back, her hand gripping the spiked horns that protruded from the base of his neck.
I can’t wait, she said, as Dante filled his wings with air, and lifted them both into the night sky.
Epilogue
Mercy
Five months later
“‘Little Dragon, should I get apples or chocolate?’ asked Mr. Dragon.”
Mercy smiled as she looked over at the group of children seated obediently on the library floor, all enraptured by Dante reading the storybook tale of Mr. Dragon and Little Dragon’s shopping trip. It would have been something that warmed her heart anyway, but this particular story had some good memories for her – she had watched Dante sit and read it to a different group of children less than a year earlier. Then, she had felt a tightness in her chest and a heat in her face that she hadn’t been able to completely explain.
Now, of course, she knew exactly why she’d responded to Dante the way she had.
It had taken her a while to get used to the idea of dragons and manticores and fated mates, of course. But Holly and Josie had taken her under their figurative wings, explaining everything she needed to know and answering every question she had. And Dante had been patient with her too, not that she’d ever thought he wouldn’t be. They’d taken things slow, despite the fact they were mates. Mercy had been so used to relying only on herself that she’d needed some time to let go of her old fears and worries – but Dante had been there for her every step of the way.
He’s my mate, after all, Mercy thought with a smile, watching as Dante finished reading the book and closed it, much to the vocal dismay of the assembled children.
“Can you read another book, Uncle Dante?”
The girl who spoke up now was Dante’s niece, Calla – Stefan and Holly’s eldest child. Sitting beside her was her little brother, Firth, who was still only two, but the most placid child Mercy had ever met. Next to him was an older girl, his cousin Adela, the child of Stefan’s cousin Marko and his mate, Landra.
Dragons have big families, Mercy thought with a smile – which suited her just fine. She’d always been part of a big community, thinking of other people’s kids as her responsibility as well. That was what being part of a community was all about, after all – sharing each other’s burdens and joy, looking out for each other, and making sure that no one ever went without.
“He’s good with them, isn’t he?”
Mercy started a little at the sound of a woman’s voice beside her, and turned to see Josie, her baby Alfonso in her arms.
“But then, it seems to be a dragon trait – great with kids,” Josie laughed.
Mercy couldn’t hold back her smile – not that she wanted to – as she watched Dante acquiesce to Calla’s request, and reach for another book. “Yeah, it sure does seem that way.”
The last few months had been more like a dream than reality, in a way – she still found herself pinching her arm from time to time, just to make sure she wasn’t about to wake up.
“I still can’t thank you enough for all you and Isaak have done for us,” Mercy said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to –”
Josie cut her off with a quick shake of her head. “Don’t talk like that,” she said with a smile. “You’re part of the Novak Clan now. You’re family. And that means everyone you consider family is our family too. I don’t want you to even think about having to repay anything, in any way.”
Mercy wanted to protest, but instead, she forced herself simply to nod. Who would have thought that Dante’s cousin Isaak would be a shipping billionaire? It had taken Mercy a little time to get used to – as well as to take it seriously when he and Josie had visited her, firstly as a new member of the Novak Clan, but also to ask her whether they would be able to set up an endowment for the Hainesville Library, as well as the schools in the area.
You wouldn’t be beholden to us, though, Isaak had explained. No conditions, no expectations. The endowment would provide you with funding, but we wouldn’t be involved in how you spend it.
At first, Mercy hadn’t known what to make of the offer, given her recent experiences of seemingly generous billionaires arriving out of nowhere to promise her money.
But as the months had gone by and she’d gotten to know more about dragons and their clans, the more she’d realized that Isaak’s offer was for real – and furthermore, than she could trust him.