Rafe: The Dragon Knight (Dragon's Blood M.C. Book 10)

by B. A. Stretke

  At the end of the block, the guy stopped and went inside the all-night diner. At that moment, Rafe decided he needed a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. It wasn’t that he was particularly interested in the guy he just wanted to make sure the wolf shifters didn’t follow him.

  He would observe him for a little while and then he'd head on home. Whatever was going on in the guy's life was his own business and Rafe had no desire to get involved. Humans got themselves into all kinds of trouble and Rafe had no intention of pressing for details. Just make sure he's okay and then go home. That was his plan.

  When he stepped inside, he noticed the redhead sitting near the back half hiding behind a plastic potted plant. He couldn't help but half grin at the possibility of that thing in any way protecting him. He took a seat nearer the front but made sure he had a good view of the redhead without being obvious.

  "Coffee black and lemon pie." He gave his order to the waitress and then sat back and took in the room. It was mostly empty except for himself the redhead and an old man at the counter. It would probably pick up once the bars closed at two. He felt a sudden tension all the way across the room when the redhead recognized him. He glanced his direction and then immediately looked away and down at his meal.

  …

  Noah couldn't believe it, why was he here? Was he following him or was this his original destination when he left the bar? He kept his eyes on his food and tried to convince himself that this was all a coincidence and that big brute was not after him. Noah sunk lower in his seat, trying desperately to disappear behind that plastic plant.

  After a few minutes of stressing about his intent, Noah settled down and got back to his meal. The guy was just drinking coffee and eating pie and not paying him a bit of attention. Clearly, this was just a strange coincidence. It was nearing two in the morning and he knew the bars were going to be closing soon. He needed to get out of the diner before a crowd of drunken shifters descended.

  He quickly finished his ham and eggs and downed the last of his coffee and headed for the counter to pay his bill. As he stood there, he could feel the man’s eyes on him like a warm caress. He hadn’t been watching him before, but Noah could feel that he was definitely watching him now. Noah paid his bill and without looking at the man hiked his backpack up onto one shoulder and headed out into the night.

  He didn't like being out on the streets at this hour in an area so rife with shifters. Being human, he had few defenses against their innate strength and speed. That had been made very clear to him a month ago when they attacked his home. He barely survived that encounter, but his cousin Joe hadn't been so lucky. The jackals had beaten them both and left them for dead before setting their house on fire.

  The firemen had gotten both him and Joe out, but Joe passed away in the hospital hours later. Noah remained in the hospital for a couple of weeks recovering from the beating and the burns. He tried to explain to the police what had happened, but no one would listen.

  They didn’t believe him, said he was delusional and insisted there had been no one in the house except him and Joe and the fire was accidental. But it was when one of those men or rather animals showed up at the hospital asking about him that he realized he wasn’t delusional, and he wasn’t supposed to have survived. He managed to get away that day and had been on the run ever since. It's been two weeks now that he's been always moving with an eye over one his shoulder.

  As he thought about it, the shifter activity in this town might work in his favor. The jackals that killed Joe and nearly killed him wouldn’t find a comfortable or accepting welcome in Laramie. The shifters here were wolves, vampires, bears and a variety of cats. None of those groups ever associate with jackals. They would stand out here and not be able to slink around unnoticed as usual. Perhaps he should get a room for a couple of nights and get some real rest before he had to take off again. It might be the only chance he gets for a while.

  Rafe left shortly after the redhead and followed him at a distance. The young man looked deep in thought but still kept looking back and forth as if expecting something or someone to jump out at him. He followed him to the River Bend, a cheap motel frequented by the late-night bar crowd. This guy didn't strike him as the seedy motel type, but maybe it was just a money issue.

  This man intrigued him for some reason. He was out of place downtown alone in the bar district, he was out of place at the late-night diner, and he is out of place at this motel. Rafe was puzzled by his looks and his behavior. The thought that he could be a student at the university occurred to him, but the clothes and the backpack and the urgency that he displayed even when eating a plate of scrambled eggs indicated a troubled existence.

  He disappeared inside the motel and still, Rafe waited outside for a while watching both the motel and the surrounding area. The man's fear and anxiety were on clear display and were getting to Rafe for some odd reason. Usually, he could ignore the problems of others, especially strangers and definitely humans. Why did this man stir his interest and make him care about his problems?

  He was average as far as looks, Rafe told himself. His hair was a bright red and hung in silky waves around his face framing his soft features and curled at his nape. The look in his gorgeous blue eyes was hesitant and wary. Everything about him was guarded and watchful.

  Rafe waited in the shadows for well over a half an hour making sure that the guy was settled down for the night and that no one from the bar had followed him. He had secretly snapped a picture of the guy with his phone at the diner. He opened it up and took a look and felt the rush of compassion along with a subtle hint of longing for the little redhead in the photo. Well maybe that's all it is, just a simple case of lust, he contemplated as he closed his phone and headed back to the Lodge.

  Tomorrow morning, he would go see Cameron and have him check the guy out. It would show to everyone that he was willing to work with one of the humans and that's what he was there for so, two birds, one stone.

  The Lodge was dark except for the back deck and the kitchen, so Rafe went around back rather than entering through the main doors. There on the deck under the moon and stars, he found Calum his second Alrick and Bryn relaxing in the night air. They acknowledged him as he took a seat.

  “Did you find a willing companion after you left the Red Lion?” Bryn asked with a sly smirk.

  "Nothing that exciting," Rafe assured him as he took the offered beer.

  "Better luck next time." Bryn smiled and Rafe nodded and took a sip of his beer. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the mountain. His King, his brothers, and the elders all resided on the mountain and he often felt a yearning and a pull to be with them, but it was not to be. His path to enlightenment, as Duncan had called it, was here among the warriors and humans and his duty was to serve his Chieftain.

  “Do you miss them, Rafe?” Alrick must have been reading his thoughts. Rafe glanced over to where Alrick sat next to Calum and nodded.

  "I do, I have lived side by side and fought and served with my brothers for centuries. Being apart from them is hard but being here with you all has made it easier. Every day I feel my life here taking on the purpose and direction that I need. Thank you, Calum for accepting me into your home. I am honored to serve you."

  "You're welcome, Rafe," Calum answered and then added. "For what it's worth, your brothers miss you as well. Lyle has spoken out on your behalf, but King Duncan wants you to remain here for now."

  “I appreciate the Consorts concerns, but I agree with Duncan, I have things to learn and I can’t learn them isolated on the mountain. I will be a better man for my time spent here with you.” Rafe was surprised and touched by Lyle’s support.

  "Clan Keith is honored to have the First Knight among our number and standing with us," Calum stated and everyone on the deck shouted in agreement. Rafe felt the first pangs of belonging and truly being one with these men. This was a good place.

  …

  Noah tossed his backpack on the chair by the desk and pulled
the curtains closed. It wasn’t a bad place considering the cost. He’d expected something much worse, but the room appeared, on the surface anyway, to be clean and he wasn’t going to look too deep. He washed up and sat down on the edge of the bed just to feel still and calm even for a few minutes.

  The jackals would catch up to him soon, it never took very long before they were there on his heels trying to finish the job they started a month ago in Idaho. It didn’t matter where he went or how hard he tried to hide, they always found him. It wasn’t long ago he hadn’t even been aware that shifters existed and now here he was on the run from two men that could turn themselves into jackals. He didn’t know which was scarier, the men or the beasts.

  He stripped down to his briefs and slid into bed after securing the door and making sure the window was locked. The room was on the second floor, but he'd learned that with shifters anything was possible, so he took every precaution. Just as his mind began to rest and his muscles relax, his phone rang. Only one person had his number, so he quickly grabbed it from his jeans pocket and answered.

  "Hello, Justin." He answered, pleased to be able to talk with his friend. He was the only person who knew what Noah was going through and believed him.

  "How are you holding up, Noah?" He asked and sounded wide awake, considering it was just past three in the morning.

  “I’m staying one step ahead of them, thank God.” Noah sat up and cradled the cheap burner phone to his ear. He got a new phone every few days but always gave Justin his number.

  The burner phone should be safe, but he wondered if there wasn't a defect or weakness in them that his pursuers were able to take advantage of. The jackals seemed to find him too fast, they had to have some sort of advantage. He didn't know a lot about technology, but Justin, who did, had told him the cheap phones could not be traced, Noah had his doubts.

  “You can’t keep running Noah. Come home and we’ll try to fight this together with the authorities involved maybe they can stop these men or whoever it was who hired them.” Justin was persistent, he told him to come home every time they spoke and it gave Noah hope for about a split second and then reality came back to him.

  “No one can help me. You’ve gone to the police numerable times and they don’t believe you so why would they believe anything I have to tell them. I just need to disappear.” Noah gave his usual answer.

  “Where are you, I’ll come get you.”

  "No, you can't get involved like that. If they know you're helping me, they'll try to kill you too." Noah brushed off his first question, not feeling comfortable stating his location over this phone.

  “Tell me Noah, are you still in Texas?” Justin continued to press. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable and not knowing why Noah cut the call. When the phone began to ring a few seconds later he took it and turned it off.

  He placed the phone back into his jeans pocket and got up and placed the do not disturb sign on the door. He wanted to rest, and Justin rarely had anything constructive to tell him anyway.

  The police still believe it was an accident all of our injuries were suffered in the fire and Joe’s death was just unfortunate. The lead detective was a very close friend of Joe’s and even he believed it was an accident. The case was closed for everyone except those jackals and whoever hired them.

  Noah forced it all out of his mind for now and stretched out on the bed and tried to go to sleep. He was so tired, physically, mentally, emotionally tired that he just wanted to crawl under a rock somewhere and have the world forget that he existed.

  His mind continued to wander as he lay there and soon it fell upon the man who had helped him escape the drunken wolf shifters out front of the Red Lion. He should have been suspicious when the same man showed up at the same diner as him a few minutes later, but he sensed no malice from the large intimidating man.

  His presence may or may not have been a coincidence, but Noah felt sure that he wasn’t there to hurt him or report his whereabouts to the jackals. He hadn’t followed him from the diner, Noah had kept a careful watch and he was certain no one had followed him. Maybe the nice-looking man just wanted to make sure he was okay after his run-in with the wolf shifters. That was such a kind thought, unlikely but still kind. Noah smiled softly and fell asleep.

  …

  Rafe was up early the next morning; first, he went and checked on the man at the motel, making sure he was still there. Second, he headed to the kitchen to catch Cameron and hopefully find out the guy's name and any background he could find.

  The young man was still at the motel and the clerk agreed to call him if he left. Rafe paid the man well and impressed upon him the importance of carrying out his end of the bargain. Rafe had a way with people, they never wanted to disappoint or piss him off.

  For the entire night, the little redhead would not leave his thoughts for a moment and Rafe had to find out why. His dragon was getting irritable and anxious and was pressing Rafe to go back and check on the vulnerable little human again.

  His dragon was not easily bothered, so whatever was up with the man must in some way, be connected to him or this Lodge. It was the only explanation Rafe could think of for his mood and the mood of his dragon. There was something serious in the air.

  Bryn and Cameron usually had their breakfast together about this time so Rafe was sure he could catch them in the kitchen. He entered and poured himself a cup of coffee and dished up some ham and eggs before taking a seat next to Cameron at the bar instead of his usual place at the table across the room. Bryn was the first to comment with a broad smile.

  "To what do we owe this honor?" He said, joking.

  "I have a favor to ask of Cameron," Rafe answered matter of fact and took a sip of his coffee. "Why sit at the bar if I have nothing to ask or contribute?" He added.

  “You’re welcome to sit here with us even if you have absolutely nothing to say, Rafe.” Dane, Alrick’s mate who had prepared breakfast this morning told him as he took a seat to Rafe’s left. Rafe was sitting with Cameron on his right and Dane on his left and he didn’t feel the usual urge to leave. He looked back and forth between them and cocked a half smile, maybe he was finally getting used to this lot.

  “Thank you, Dane.”

  “What’s the favor?” Bryn asked obviously more curious than Cameron.

  “When I left the Red Lion last night a few wolf shifters were giving this guy, a human, a hard time and I broke it up and sent him on his way.” Rafe paused and took another sip of his coffee.

  “I got a strange vibe off this man, so I followed him. He stopped at the diner a block up from the bar and ate a full meal at that hour and he ate like he hadn’t eaten in quite a while. He then walked to the River Bend Motel and got a room at three in the morning. He was alone.” Rafe added the last because the River Bend, known locally as just the Bend, was notorious for its practice of renting rooms by the hour.

  Rafe took his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the photo he'd snapped while in the diner. "I was hoping you could get me a name and some background on him." He handed his phone to Cameron, who took it readily and quickly transferred the photo to his own device.

  “What was it that bothered you about him, Rafe?” Calum asked as he and Alrick walked in and took a seat across from him. Rafe watched as Alrick leaned across the bar to kiss Dane and wish him a good morning. Normally Rafe would find such sentimentality grating, but this morning he thought it was quite sweet.

  Rafe got his mind back on the question and answered. “He was shaken and not just by the wolf shifters that were giving him grief. His desperation went deep. I’d also swear that he knew what he was dealing with, he knew they were wolves or shifters at least. It was in his eyes, his stance and the way he looked at me when I exited the bar. He was trying to figure me out as in what kind of shifter I might be. His fear ratcheted up at my presence and then settled a little when I put the run on the wolves.” Rafe paused for a moment realizing his need to identify this man went deeper than idle interest. He wa
s feeling a touch of desperation himself. He needed a name.

  “He looked relieved but said nothing just stared at me for a few seconds and then and took off like a shot just to stop a block down the street and order dinner. I believe he’s on the run, probably in danger and that he is acquainted with the supernatural world. I need to know who he is.” Rafe finished and took a couple bites of his breakfast.

  Cameron passed the phone to Calum so he and Alrick could see the man in question. Neither recognized him. Calum handed the phone back and fixed Rafe with a pointed stare before commenting on what he’d shared.

  "I trust your instincts, Rafe, but I have to ask, is it possible that this man is connecting with you on a deeper level than you realize?" Rafe wasn't sure what he was driving at so didn't respond. "This diner is the place we stopped when we first entered this town, it is the place I met my Chance the first of the mates to be discovered. He was sitting at the counter and scared stiff that a bunch of bikers were sitting at a table directly behind him. At first, I was too shocked to understand what I was feeling, but I soon figured it out."

  "I got nothing from his scent other than he was a human," Rafe told him.

  “If he is on the run as you suspect and his pursuers are shifters it would make sense that he’d use some form of scent diffuser to protect himself. How is your dragon reacting to the young man?” Calum continued.

  "Agitated, anxious, but I assumed the feelings were caused by distrust." Suddenly Rafe's eyebrows shot right up to his hairline shocked by what Calum was suggesting. Could this man, this human be his forever mate, could Fate be that big of a bitch to tie him to a human for all time? He found the thought devastating.