by Zoe Chant
Turning away, Shaw nodded to his men[MT2]. “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 men[MT3].
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.
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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.
She could trust all of them: a dragon clan was a close-knit family, all of whom looked out for each other. It was even more so the case than usual with the Novaks, Mercy knew now, since they were such a small clan, who had come so close to being completely wiped out due to a blood feud with another clan.
Mercy had wept when Dante had explained the full situation to her, his pain somehow becoming hers, too – the pain of thinking he had been abandoned by his family, and then the pain of learning that while he had been loved by his parents, they had been killed when he was still only a baby.
It’s okay, Mercy, he had said as he stroked her hair. It’s okay. Because I’m home again now. I’m back with my clan – back with Stefan and Holly and Isaak and Josie and Darklis. And you. You are my family, Mercy. My mate.
And it was true. They were mates. And while they may have taken things slowly at first, now they were closer than ever. Every passing minute she shared with Dante only seemed to strengthen their bond, and make her love him more and more.
She looked up as she heard a chorus of voices, and saw Dante standing and shaking his head.
“That’s three books now,” he said, over the children’s protests. “I think that’s enough. You need to start getting ready to go home. And anyway –” he put on an exaggerated yawn “– I’m tired too! You guys have too much energy. I’m all worn out. I need a nap.”
Some of the kids giggled a little, and most reluctantly stood up when Jessa emerged to urge them to get their coats and go out into the hall to wait for their parents.
Mercy caught Dante’s eye when he looked over at her, and she felt a flare of heat in her belly, just like she did every time she looked into his bright green eyes. That was definitely one thing that hadn’t changed. If anything, she was even more attracted to him than ever – and he to her. Mercy had often found herself biting her lip and counting the minutes until it’d be a halfway respectable time to disappear into their bedroom together, and shut the outside world firmly away. In those hours, there was nothing else but him and her, as far as she was concerned.
Now, she could feel that familiar tightening in her stomach once more and she glanced at the clock, wondering just how quickly they could make their excuses and head back to her rooms above the restaurant.
Dante seemed to read her mind, quirking an eyebrow at her. He started to head over, but before he could get far he was waylaid by Stefan, who caught his arm and pulled him aside, muttering something in Dante’s ear. Dante’s head immediately shot up, a smile spreading across his face. He shot an apologetic glance in Mercy’s direction, before heading off with his cousin.
Mercy felt curiosity bubbling within her, but she was sure Dante would tell her all about whatever he’d hurried off to talk to Stefan about later. Right now, she had adorable baby Alfonso to coo over, and Adela, Calla and Firth were heading over to her, Calla leading her little brother by the hand.
“Are you guys ready to get going?” Josie asked as the kids reached them.
Adela nodded. “Will we come back to see Uncle Dante and Uncle Stefan tomorrow?”
Josie laughed. “We might get time. Did you enjoy the book?”
Adela made a face. “It was for babies – and that’s not how dragons work. But I liked looking after Calla and Firth.”
Mercy and Josie exchanged a knowing glance, smiling. At ten, Adela was the eldest and the self-appointed leader of her cousins. She was a little bossy, but she was also undeniably good at taking care of people.
“And for that, I have to say thank you,” Josie said to her. “But we should all be getting back now – you’re due home with your mom and dad tomorrow afternoon, so you’ll need to get a good night’s sleep!
”
Adela nodded solemnly. “Okay.”
“And Mercy, it’s been wonderful to see you again,” Josie said, turning to her with a warm smile. “We’ll see you and Dante at Darklis and Liev’s coronation next month, won’t we?”
Mercy nodded, still not quite daring to believe that something like that could be real. She’d met both Darklis and Liev in person, but they’d come to visit her at her home – she’d never been to the castle they apparently lived in, and which they’d be king and queen of in a couple of months’ time. It still seemed too unreal for her to even think about.
Which wasn’t to say that Darklis and Liev had been at all cold or untouchable when they’d met – in fact, Darklis had given Dante a massive hug, clearly overjoyed that he’d decided to rejoin his family. She looked just like the rest of the Novak Clan, Mercy had noted: black hair, green eyes, and very tall. Her mate Liev was taller still, his eyes a piercing blue – and despite the fact he had been nothing but friendly toward her, his regal, princely bearing had been unmistakable.
“We’ll definitely be there,” Mercy said warmly. “I really can’t wait to see both of them again. I know Darklis especially thinks the world of Dante.”
“He did save her life,” Josie said. “She missed him. She understood when he said he needed to take some time away to prove himself, but I know she wished he’d stayed with them. The Novaks need each other if they’re going to be a strong clan in future.”
Mercy nodded. Well, they were off to a fine start, she thought, as she said goodbye to Josie and watched as she collected Adela, Calla and Firth, before meeting Stefan by the door of the library. Stefan nodded to her.
Goodbye, Mercy – it was good to see you again. I’ll be sure to drop by again tomorrow morning before we head back west.
Mercy just nodded in response – it was strange how quickly she’d gotten used to dragons’ psychic communications.
“Ready to go?”
Mercy turned, smiling, at the sound of Dante’s voice beside her. She found herself looking up into his eyes, which were glowing with an excited light – and once again, she found herself wondering what he’d been talking to Stefan about.