by Riley Storm
Aaric’s skin, having dulled to a burnished gold, sprang to life once more.
“She loves me,” he growled, reaching up behind him to grab the vampire’s wrists. Energy surged through him and twin suns manifested in his hands.
The vampire shrieked at the light. Aaric held tight. His eyes began to glow once more. He pulled the vampire’s hands off his head, then casually threw the creature of death clear across the open space and into the building that had collapsed from fire.
Then he turned to the Naagloshii.
“Ah, I see you don’t understand the concept of leverage,” Aaric said, his voice deepening. “You shouldn’t have let her go.”
He reached out and casually backhanded the creature away.
“Thank you, Olivia,” he said. “For the words I thought I wasn’t going to live to hear.”
His voice was deeper still, almost melodic in its rumbling bass. The ground slipped away from him as he grew. His scales were brilliant gold even in the dark of night. They seemed to emit light. The wings bursting from his back did the same.
Aaric turned his attention to the vampire first, the creature just now extricating itself from the rubble he’d tossed it into.
“You messed with her mind. You made her try to kill me. For that, I sentence you to death.”
The magnificent gold dragon thrust its jaws forward. Gold light rippled up the spikes on its back, and then fire more brilliant than the surface of the sun belched forth from its mouth.
The vampire snarled and thrust its hands up in front of it. Pure darkness, blacker than the blackest night billowed forth, trying to counter the fire as it had several times already that night.
It didn’t work. Aaric was operating on another level now. He’d known that dragons grew stronger when mated, that they fed off the bond between them and their mate, amplifying their powers, but he’d never dreamed it would be like this.
The fire he spewed forth pushed the shadow back, and then it began to melt through the vampire itself. There was a brief moment before the fire caught the vampire.
“You’ll never stop us,” he hissed. “We will claim our rightful place in this world once more. Our master has assured us.”
Then hands vanished, charred to ashes and slipping away. The rest of the vampire caught the brunt of the blast next and simply disappeared. One moment, he was there—the next, he was but ash on the wind.
Aaric’s jaws snapped closed as the last words of his vanquished foe hit home. We have returned. We.
There was no time to process the words, however, because something hit him from the side. Something big.
He reared up on his hind legs, then spun and swatted at the creature with his tail. The golden beak snapped closed around his scales, however, and bit down, absorbing the impact.
Aaric bellowed as blood and scales fell away. He turned now, confronting the beast, realizing belatedly what the Naagloshii had become.
A gryphon faced off across him now. Though smaller than his dragon, it was still the size of a school bus. The head and wings of an eagle mounted on the body of a lion, it was a powerful foe.
The eagle head shrieked and the gryphon leapt into the air.
No, not there, you idiot. We can’t let ourselves be seen!
But Aaric had no choice. He had to go after the smaller beast. The Naagloshii was pure evil and could not be allowed to escape. There was no telling what a creature of its power could do to humanity if left unchecked. It was from a different time.
Magnificent wings of burnished gold spread wide and with a mighty flex of powerful legs, the gold dragon rose into the air. Aaric had not flown in a long time, and now he regretted being unable to take the time to appreciate the beauty of the planet as it shrank below.
Instead, his focus was ahead, on the swift Naagloshii. Muscles beat and his wings powered him ahead, bulling through the air. The gryphon was fast, but he was faster. Stronger. The creature’s only advantage over him would be its mobility. It could dive and turn faster.
And this high up, Aaric would have to close to eliminate it. Using his breath to bring down the gryphon would be easier, but it would be seen for miles around. He couldn’t risk those kinds of questions being asked. It was likely someone had already seen the fight at the abandoned factory, or at least the light show reflecting in the sky.
No, this would have to be done up close and as silently as possible.
He gained more on the Naagloshii, rising higher as well, waiting for just the right moment. The massive creature shrieked at him again.
Sorry dude, I don’t speak freaky-deaky dead thing.
Fire crackled in his core but Aaric fought it down, using that energy to power his wings. Mighty sweeps brought him ever closer as they circled the factory.
What was it up to, he wondered?
And then it didn’t matter. Aaric was in range. He was lined up. Tucking his wings in tight, he plummeted from the sky, all four legs outstretched in front of him, wickedly sharp talons aimed for the gryphon’s neck.
I’ve got you, n—huh?
Suddenly, the gryphon was gone.
Aaric got a faint glimpse of something that could be a bat, and then he was rushing by.
Behind him, he heard an eagle shout, and suddenly he was the one being pursued as the gryphon plunged after him. The shapeshifting bastard had known all along what Aaric was planning and he’d used his own abilities to best him.
Putting his head down, Aaric streamlined his body, pulling his legs in tight. The two plunged down, air whistling across Aaric’s face, forcing his eyes to narrow into slits despite the protective inner eyelids that his dragon form possessed.
The gryphon shrieked again, closer this time.
Aaric snapped his left wing out. Muscles screamed at him, pain lancing up his shoulder as the membrane bit into the wind immediately and threw him off to the right. He rolled with the force and pulled the wing back in.
The gryphon slipped past him, reacting just a hair too slowly to the unexpected move. Grinning, Aaric spread his wings and went after it.
The gryphon tried to come after him, but he hadn’t been paying attention. They were low now. Very low. Aaric’s wings allowed him to glide, but the gryphon had dropped to almost twenty feet off the ground before it swooped back up, coming after him.
Right through the electrical wires.
Aaric grinned as bright white lightning lit up the sky, the shock of it batting the beast to the side until it landed on the road outside the factory.
He dropped to the ground as daintily as a butterfly, stalking over to the blackened, steaming body of the Naagloshii.
“That must have hurt,” he said. “That’s enough.”
“You can’t kill me,” the beast hissed in a very human-sounding voice. It got up, shifted and turned to face Aaric in one motion, resuming its human form.
“So, you do speak.”
“Save me your attempts at humor. I cannot die.”
“Maybe not,” Aaric said, not knowing if there was any truth to that statement or not. “But you can go back into the prison from which you came. And if you don’t, I can make your life very miserable.”
The beast lunged at him but Aaric was ready. Fire streamed from his mouth, catching the Naagloshii full in the face. Skin blistered and bubbled and the sheer force of the fire sent the creature pinwheeling backward, slamming its skull off the curb as it went up and over and into the field of debris that was now what remained of his factory.
Good thing I was planning on tearing the entire place down to begin with.
Angrily, Aaric went after his foe, shifting as he went, until he was in his human form once more, though now he was naked.
“Don’t get any ideas,” he said as Olivia came running up to him. “I need to make sure you’re—”
“I’m fine,” she said, throwing herself at him.
Aaric tensed, but she didn’t reach for his cock. Instead, she planted a ferocious kiss on his lips, stealing just a
bit of tongue before she stepped back.
“You seem…more like yourself.”
“I’m better,” she said, joining him, walking stride in stride—or as best she could, being a foot shorter—as he headed for the still moving body of the Naagloshii.
“Better?” he asked, pausing overtop his foe, who he could see was already healing.
“Yes,” she said, taking his hand, holding it tight. “I’m in love.”
He grinned. “Me too. Now let me put this guy back where he belongs, and then I’m going to give that comment the proper attention it deserves.”
“Yes. Yes, you are,” she said with a grin.
Aaric returned her smile for a moment before switching his attention to the Naagloshii.
“Alright, buddy. Time to go home,” he said, hauling the body up by the neck.
Then he slammed his fist into its face.
Chapter 38
“Do you have a moment?”
She looked up as Aaric entered his quarters.
No, she thought. It wasn’t his quarters any longer. It was their quarters. She still maintained a place in town because it would come in handy sometimes, she knew. But for the most part, the last week had consisted of her moving stuff into Drakon Keep.
It was still empty, both the Keep and their rooms, but she was working on that. Olivia had thought she was doing well for herself until Aaric had given her access to his bank account. Their bank account, he’d said, though she felt a little guilty spending any of the money. But it was a drop in a pond compared to what he had in there, and she was using it for stuff to decorate their place, so who cared?
As long as I can bring it out of the early twentieth century, I will be happy.
The Keep itself was still empty but even now, Aaric was working on that. He’d just come from his study where he’d been doing research. She didn’t understand just what went into awakening a dragon, and she figured she never would. That was his territory, not hers. For now, she had a business to run.
For now, she thought, fiddling with an empty finger on her left hand. Aaric hadn’t said anything, but she suspected he was going to propose. He’d set up a fancy date night at Leblanc for them a week from yesterday. She didn’t know, of course. Being a dragon, he might not understand such things were important to her.
But one thing they both were on board with was the idea of kids. That same hand rubbed her stomach. It was still the same thick shape it had been a week before. Neither of them knew how long it would take, but they didn’t care, not as long as they had each other.
Besides, the practicing is fun.
“Of course,” she said, waving her mate to come sit with her on the couch. She expected him to come flop down next to her so she could cuddle into him, but instead, Aaric sat down opposite her in one of the chairs. She noted he had a small handful of paper in his one hand, though he kept it overturned for the moment.
“Something wrong?” she asked, noting his stiffer body language.
“Not wrong,” he said. “But we need to talk business.”
Olivia’s eyebrows went up slightly, a mixture of confusion and interest. “Whose business?” she wanted to know.
“House Draconis’. And if you’re interested, yours.”
“You’ve lost me,” she said slowly. “I’m not sure if you’re offering me a job or not. If you are, I’m flattered my love, but I’ll be honest, I really enjoy what I do.” She smiled regretfully at him. “I don’t want to leave.”
“That’s not quite what I meant,” he said with a smile. “I meant working together.”
“What?” Now she was thoroughly confused. “How do you mean? What can I do for you?”
“As you’re aware, most of my House has been in a deep sleep for the better part of a century, or in a number of cases, longer.”
Olivia bit her lip at the formal, almost stilted delivery. This was clearly a rehearsed speech which meant it was important to Aaric. She wasn’t going to laugh; that would be rude, though it wasn’t going to be easy not to snicker. He sounded so ridiculous!
Just spit it out, she thought.
“Yes, I know.”
“What that has meant is that Plymouth Falls has expanded greatly since we were last a power. In that time, the other Houses have bought up much of the land in and around the town. Both Houses Ursa and Canis have made great strides in that aspect. While I do not consider them rivals, per se, House Draconis will not be outdone.”
“You want to buy land in Plymouth Falls?” she said.
“Yes. A lot of it. We want to revitalize the town. Bring in new businesses. Attract companies. Help it and its people grow and be prosperous.”
“Okay,” she said. “That’s a great goal. How does that affect me? I guess I can find you some stuff for sale. You can look it over, let me know what you like, don’t like, etc.”
Aaric shook his head. “I want you to take it on.”
“Take what on?”
“All of it,” he said. “Find the properties, for sale or not for sale. The ones that will fit with our vision. Buy them. Develop them. Seek out companies to come to town.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious? That’s a massive undertaking on so many levels. Huge. Are you sure you don’t want someone more experienced with that sort of thing?”
Aaric smiled. “Not only do I have perfect confidence in your abilities to do this, but you also have the unique, added benefit of being aware of what we truly are. It will make everything much easier.”
“Aaric, I…”
“We are prepared to compensate you appropriately,” he said, sliding the piece of paper he’d kept hidden across the coffee table to her.
Olivia took it, turned it over, scanning the document. When she saw the pay, her eyes went through the roof. “Excuse me?” she said, coughing to hide her astonishment. “You don’t need to treat me extra special.”
“I am speaking as the direct representative of House Draconis right now,” Aaric said. “Not as your mate. There is no special treatment here. I assure you this sum would be offered to anyone who took the job.”
“Wow,” she said, trying to process it all. “Um, Aaric. I don’t know what to say.”
He grinned. “Well, either you take it, sign your name on the line, or you decline, and I find someone else who isn’t as qualified, and who I have to tiptoe around because they would freak out if they found out what I am.”
She snorted. “Yeah, that would be annoying. Um, can I continue my business as well, when I’m not working on this? I really do enjoy meeting the people of Plymouth Falls, helping them out. It’s a great community.”
“Of course,” Aaric said. “We expect you to be a liaison between us and the town as well.”
Olivia bit her lip. “Well, then I’m, not sure how I can turn down this offer. I accept.”
“Great!” Aaric said, beaming. He pulled a pen from his pocket. “Then just sign on the line.”
She did. With a flourish.
Chapter 39
“Are you ready?”
Olivia shivered. He knew it wasn’t from the cold despite the cool temperatures this far underground. She was wearing a thick sweater and pants. No, he thought, it was because of what they were about to do.
Because of how it would bind them together.
“Explain it to me one more time, please,” she said, moving to walk a little closer to them as he guided her toward the specific stone statue he wanted. “How does it work?”
“No one knows how it works,” he said quietly. “Only what it does. The technology is beyond us.”
“Technology?” she asked, turning to face him.
Aaric nodded. As the only dragon left awake, it had been up to him to learn how to awaken the others. Contingencies had been set in place for just such an occasion, and Francis had been trained in what to do, though he himself did not have access. Only a dragon could possess the strength and power to pass the test necessary for entry to the Chamber of Elders
.
Though he was no elder, this was an unusual situation. Aaric had entered and had begun his research. During the course of it, he had learned many astounding truths. About dragons, about shifters and the world around them as well.
“The artifact,” he said, holding the black rectangular object up a little higher. “It’s not from our planet.”
What he was telling her was highly classified. Truthfully, he shouldn’t be telling her, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Until he could awaken one of the elders, he had to do what he felt was right.
Given what it would demand of Olivia, he didn’t feel comfortable keeping her in the dark.
“It’s alien,” she said.
“As far as anyone has been able to determine, yes,” he answered. “Which, assuming the other shifters possess such artifacts as well, explains how we all suddenly came into existence around the same time.”
“So, you’re part alien.”
Aaric frowned. “I guess. I’d never really thought of it that way. Earth is my home.”
“Right. Sorry,” she said, clearly uncomfortable with it all. “Now, what do I have to do.”
“Just hold on,” he said. “I will use it to awaken one of our elders.”
“Just hold it,” she repeated nervously. “And what is it going to do to me?”
“From what I have read, the artifact requires a bonded pair, a mated pair, to return a dragon to life. To do that, it will ensure that we are linked. For the rest of our lives.”
“You mean, the rest of your life,” Olivia said, biting her lip. “I will be linked to you for the rest of your life.”
“You will live as long as I live,” he said, nodding solemnly. “Yes. While you live, you will never suffer disease. You will heal rather faster than humans, though not as fast as me. Your entire body and system will become stronger, though not abnormally so. But everything will be slightly heightened. Strength, reflex, speed, your senses will all be better.”
“But I’m going to live as long as you do,” she said softly. “We’re talking another—what, two, three hundred years, so you’ve told me.”
Aaric nodded slowly. “Yes. You can expect to live that long.”