Protector Dragon

by Liv Rider

  Douglas released his hand and briefly looked up at the sky. For a moment his eyes softened and Thomas got the feeling the other Keeper hadn’t flown for pleasure in far too long. “I’m guessing you’ll be wanting to get to the Davies house as soon as possible?”

  “Yes. Can you get me some boots? And a coat?” His feet were bare and it was cold out here on the grass. Shifting into his dragon was easier if he didn’t wear anything too restrictive like shoes, and he had worn a baggier pair of trousers and a loose sweater.

  Douglas nodded. “I think I got something for you. Come on in. You want something to eat? Drink? I got coffee.”

  They entered the kitchen, where there were two pair of boots for Thomas to pick from. He went with the sturdy-looking brown pair that were a little too big. They would be easier to slip out of if he needed to shift in a hurry. “Coffee would be great, and a sandwich if you have some bread.” He was pretty hungry after the long flight. “But if you don’t mind, I’ll eat in the car.”

  “Sure. I can fill you in during the ride over.”

  While Douglas had made him a peanut butter sandwich, Thomas had gulped down the coffee. He took a bite from the sandwich as Douglas started his car.

  “You think Joel’s family is going to cause trouble?” Thomas asked, after swallowing.

  Douglas barked with laughter. “They’re definitely going to cause trouble, Rollins. Question is how much.”

  That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “So long as they don’t hurt Joel.”

  “That’d make them look bad. Then again, us turning up will already make them look bad.”

  “Oh, and kidnapping Joel isn’t making them look bad?” Thomas still didn’t understand the family’s logic.

  “I guess they figured the alternative was worse. I’ve done some digging since you called. Apparently their kid running away has, ah, lowered their standing with the rest of the shifter community in Barnhill.”

  “What does that mean? Their reputation was ruined because of Joel?”

  “Pretty much. Turns out the only thing worse than having a kid who can’t shift, is having a kid who can’t shift who then runs away from home. Especially if you’re then unable to track him down.” Douglas glanced over at him. “You know how much wolves pride themselves on their ability to track.”

  “Joel humiliated them. Good.” He felt proud of Joel. Not a lot of people could avoid wolf shifters for that long.

  “Well, if they hadn’t been humiliated, they wouldn’t have put so much effort into restoring their reputation, if you catch my drift.”

  “It’s not Joel’s fault. Do you know how miserable they made him? How miserable that entire town made him?”

  “I do.” Douglas let out a long, deep sigh. “I’ve been doing this for too long, Rollins. There’s too many shifters to keep track of, too many feuds and arguments. The people here have been living in the same towns for generations. It’s a breeding ground for family feuds, on top of the feuds between the towns, between different shifter types…”

  “It sounds exhausting.” Thomas couldn’t imagine trying to keep up with all of that. “But still, Douglas, was there no sign that the Davies family was planning something?”

  “They kept it pretty quiet. From what I can tell, that might’ve been deliberate.”

  That worried Thomas. What kind of hornet’s nest was he walking into?

  “I didn’t find anything in the official records. They didn’t file any official report about their kid being missing, which is pretty weird. I did some more snooping around and it turns out that they did ask around.” Douglas paused for a moment. “They only asked other wolf shifters. They didn’t ask any councils, just friends of friends and so on.”

  “That matches what I heard. There’s a wolf shifter on my council. He met Joel’s dad yesterday, but he didn’t have the full story. He thought it was shifters coming to pick up a fellow shifter who had caused trouble back home. We do get people like that in Lewiston, so it’s not strange he leapt to that conclusion.” His anger at Louis had simmered down now, but he was still going to have a word with Louis once he was back. Louis owed Joel an apology.

  “I’ll bet that was on purpose. Those Davies guys… they’re not idiots. They must’ve known that if they tried to get councils involved, those councils either wouldn’t give a shit or they would tell them to leave the kid alone.” Douglas shook his head.

  “What about the local council? Will they get in our way?” he asked between bites of his sandwich.

  Douglas laughed, dry and humorless. “No, they won’t argue against two Keepers, especially if true mates are involved.” He eyed Thomas suspiciously. “Are you sure the kid is your mate?”

  “One hundred percent.” His dragon snarled, annoyed at Douglas’ skepticism. “Why?” If this was going to lead another round of someone pointing out that Joel was human…

  Douglas was silent for a long moment. “What’s it like?” His voice was soft, almost deferential.

  Thomas smiled, thinking about Joel and the dates they’d had, and how good it had been to wake up beside him. “The best thing that’s ever happened to me. I hadn’t been looking, hadn’t been expecting to ever find my mate, but when I saw Joel, it was like ‘oh, of course, this is the one for me.’ I need him in my life. I don’t think I could live without him, not now that I know what it’s like to be with him and feel so happy.”

  Douglas’ smile had grown as Thomas talked, but his eyes were sad. “It sounds incredible. You’re a lucky man.”

  “I am. Do you live by yourself?” From what little he had seen of Douglas’ house, it seemed only one person lived there.

  The older man nodded. “You know how it is for us. Unless you can settle down with another dragon…”

  “There’s always that suspicion,” Thomas finished for him. Douglas wasn’t the only Keeper who had remained single. “I was surprised at first that Joel was human, but it makes a lot of sense if you think about it.”

  “Hmm, I suppose.” There was a hint of disapproval in Douglas’ voice. “How did he take the news?”

  Thomas shrugged as he finished eating. “As well as could be expected. He knew about shifters and mates, of course, but…” He trailed off. How was he supposed to say ‘but everyone in Barnhill made him so miserable that he was scared of me’ without sounding like he blamed Douglas?

  We do blame him, his dragon hissed. The unease had been replaced with the smoldering anger Thomas had felt ever since learning about Joel’s kidnapping.

  Yes, Thomas thought, but we mostly blame his family.

  “But?”

  “But it was still a lot to take in.” It wasn’t a complete lie. “He’s human, so he didn’t feel the connection as strongly.”

  “That sounds like it’ll make things difficult in the future too.”

  “No more than any other relationship.” He knew it wouldn’t always be smooth sailing for him and Joel. No relationship was perfect all the time. But he knew they’d always find each other again. That was what being true mates was all about.

  I’m coming for you, Joel.

  Barnhill looked peaceful and quiet. If Thomas hadn’t known better, he would’ve figured it was just another friendly small town. They passed rows of houses with well-kept gardens, a main street with independent businesses rather than big chains, and the local park. The only thing that gave away this was a shifter town were the animals walking around casually. Thomas had to smile when a bear ambled through the park. He wouldn’t trade Lewiston for the world, but he could see the appeal in a town where you didn’t have to worry so much about keeping shifting a secret.

  “Here we are.” Douglas turned left and drove onto a street that looked just as nice as every other street Thomas had seen so far. A couple of houses even had white picket fences.

  “Anything I need to know before we get out?”

  “Well, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t shift and set their house on fire.”

  What an excellent i
dea, his dragon rumbled.

  “Don’t give my dragon ideas,” he laughed, but Douglas’ face was grim. “What? You think it might come to that? Won’t they listen to you?”

  “Let’s just say that Travis Davies is a very proud and very determined man, and his sons aren’t much different.” Douglas parked his car and got out. Thomas got out too, slamming the door shut behind him once he was out.

  So this was the house Joel had grown up in. It was a single family home with a garage next to it and a lawn in front with well-trimmed hedges. It looked like any other house in this street. Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary.

  Which was, Thomas supposed, exactly how Joel’s parents wanted it. A normal house, with a normal family, and no misbehaving kids who had run away.

  He’s here! his dragon insisted, and Thomas resisted the strong urge to march up to the front door and rip it off its hinges. “You had better do the honors.” He gestured at Douglas.

  His dragon was brimming with anger as he followed Douglas. He had to stay calm, no matter how much he wanted to let all that rage out. He was a Keeper of the Peace and they could resolve this without anyone getting hurt.

  Although if Joel’s family had hurt him, Thomas didn’t think he’d be able to remain calm.

  Douglas knocked on the door while Thomas’ dragon insisted they should burn it down.

  Free our mate! Keep him safe!

  Including from our own fire, Thomas thought grimly. He had no idea where in the house Joel was being held, although he could smell him. He was definitely in there somewhere. It was the only good sign so far.

  A young man opened the door, giving them a cheerful smile. “Hey, Douglas, what brings you here?”

  This had to be one of Joel’s younger brothers. He had the same smile and a similar scent. Thomas remained quiet, letting Douglas take the lead for now. Every part of him wanted to push the other man out of the way and march inside to find his mate.

  “I think you know, Adam.” Douglas’ expression was grim, and Adam’s smile faded. “If you and your family cooperate, the punishment will be reasonable.”

  “Punishment?” Adam sounded surprised. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “You kidnapped your own brother!” Thomas stepped forward. He was taller than Adam and glared him down.

  “Half-brother.” Adam’s eyes narrowed. “We just brought him back where he belongs. Who the hell are you, anyway?”

  Thomas looked over at Douglas. “I don’t think he’s being very cooperative, do you?” His dragon was itching with the need to shift and tear this house apart until he had found his mate.

  “Not really, no.” Douglas took a step back and Adam’s frown deepened.

  Thomas looked at Adam again, smirking a little. “I’m Keeper of the Peace in Lewiston South, and you’ve kidnapped my mate.”

  Adam’s mouth fell open in shock and his face paled. He stepped back into the hallway and Thomas moved forward. “No way,” Adam managed, his eyes still wide. “He was telling the truth? You and—you can’t be!”

  “Oh, it’s a little unusual, I’ll give you that.” As Adam kept stumbling back, Thomas walked forward until Adam was backed against one of the walls. Joel’s scent was strong here. “But he is my mate and you took him from me. Do you know what the punishment is for that?”

  “But we didn’t know.” Adam shook his head. “He’s just a human, why would he—”

  “He isn’t ‘just’ anything.” Thomas grabbed Adam’s shoulders and shoved him against the wall so the back of his head hit it with a dull thud. Judging by the way Adam gasped, Thomas’ eyes had shifted into his dragon’s again. Good. “Fetch him. Now.” He pushed Adam away, into the living room. “You don’t want me to go looking myself. Not if you want your house to remain in one piece.”

  Adam gulped and nodded. He disappeared through one of the doors and he heard raised voices. No doubt Adam was relaying everything to his family.

  “Let’s hope they do the right thing.”

  Thomas turned to look at Douglas. “They don’t think they’ve done anything wrong.” That surprised him more than anything.

  Douglas shrugged. “If they had the sense to know that what they were doing was wrong, they wouldn’t have done it.”

  Thomas supposed that was true, but he still couldn’t wrap his head around it. How could anyone treat their own family like this? But then, even from that brief exchange with Adam it was clear that Joel’s family didn’t see him as an equal. His heart broke for his mate all over again. Joel had been treated as inferior for so long, no wonder he had been cagey and suspicious at first. Why he still was suspicious of Thomas’ council and other shifters.

  Once he had Joel back with him in Lewiston and Joel was willing to discuss their future, he wouldn’t push him to get involved with shifter issues again. It had been unfair to expect that from him in the first place, but being here really brought home why.

  When the door opened again, Thomas’ heart leapt for a moment, expecting to see Joel.

  But it was an older man, presumably Joel’s stepfather, who walked over to them. His face was grim and determined, glaring back at Thomas. “You have no right to enter my home.”

  “You have no right to kidnap my mate.” Thomas didn’t move one inch when the other man stopped right in front of him. This was a man who was used to getting his way. There was a brief flicker of surprise when Thomas didn’t step back. He couldn’t really think he could defeat a Keeper of the Peace, right?

  “You got proof of that? Made it official?”

  Thomas raised his eyebrows. Was this guy seriously doubting his word? “No, because I actually value Joel’s opinion and want him to agree before doing anything.”

  Joel’s stepfather snorted at that. “Then he isn’t really your mate.”

  How dare he! his dragon raged. How dare he question a true mate?

  It really was an incredibly rude thing to say. “I’m Joel’s true mate. If you’re attached to this house at all, I suggest you bring him to me as quickly as possible.”

  “You threatening me in my own home?” the older man fumed. “You’ve got no right to be here!”

  “But I do,” Douglas said, before Thomas could reply. His voice was calm. “You know he’s right, Travis. Get the kid and we’ll get out of your hair.”

  Thomas wanted to argue that it shouldn’t be this easy, but Joel’s stepfather shook his head. “No. Joel stays here, where he belongs. Do you know what he’s put us through over the past few years?”

  “What?” Thomas was shocked more than anything.

  “If he really is your mate,” the older man continued, “you should be thanking us. He’s a useless, ungrateful brat. He’s lucky we’re giving him a second chance and a roof over his head.”

  Destroy him, his dragon hissed. Destroy him and everything he loves.

  Thomas didn’t have it in him to argue. He’d tried to be reasonable, but it hadn’t worked. Time for a different tactic. “I challenge you to a fight. Shifted form.”

  The older man’s cocky demeanor vanished immediately. “But you’re a dragon.”

  Thomas gave him a cold smile. “Then it won’t be a long fight, will it?” Without waiting for a reply he walked past Douglas and out the front door. He was already unzipping his coat, letting it fall on the lawn. He heard footsteps behind him as he began untying the laces of his boots.

  “Thomas, this is ridiculous,” Douglas said. “You can’t fight a wolf shifter.”

  “I don’t want to fight him. I want him to admit defeat.” He took his boots off. “I don’t want him trying again. Joel can’t spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder and worrying. He deserves peace.”

  “There has to be a different way.” Douglas looked over at the house. Travis was standing in the doorway, staring at them.

  “We tried that. They didn’t want it.” Thomas gestured at Joel’s stepfather. “This ends here and now.” He took a few steps away from Douglas and clos
ed his eyes. He focused on scales and wings and power, letting it ripple over him as he shifted. When he opened his eyes, he looked down on Douglas and he had to raise his tail as he turned towards the house so he didn’t hit one of the parked cars. He stretched his wings, both because it felt good right after shifting and to make Joel’s stepfather flinch in fear.

  He only had to move one front claw closer to the house before the older man headed back in and ran through the door towards the living room. Thomas tilted his head back and spat out a fireball. He barely felt the heat. Its light was bright, even in the daylight.

  “That wasn’t really necessary.” Douglas stood next to his right hind leg.

  Thomas snorted, dark smoke escaping from his nostrils. It had been very necessary.

  It was agony, having to wait for someone to come back out. His dragon’s ears were good enough to hear people talking inside, but he couldn’t make out the words.

  He ran away, we can burn down the coward’s home!

  Not with Joel still inside, Thomas reminded his dragon. Those urges were much stronger now that he was in his shifted form, but it was all the more important he remained in control. If Joel got hurt because of him, he would never forgive himself.

  It felt like hours before someone appeared in the doorway again. It was Adam, with his hands raised above his head as he stood on the porch. “My dad is getting Joel. He wants to make a deal.”

  We don’t make deals with these cowards.

  Thomas didn’t like the sound of that either, but he nodded. His long neck moved gracefully through the air. We have to make sure our mate is doing all right. He needed to know if Joel was fine. If Joel was hurt in any way…