Claim the Dragon

by A. C. Arthur

The communication ended and Steele walked to the front window of the antiques shop. There were tables full of stuff, display racks and shelves on the wall with more stuff bulging and giving the appearance of a very careful hoarding situation. But through it all his Drakon eyes zoomed in to their target. She was sitting across the table from an older woman. Her hair long, hanging straight past her shoulder on one side, while on the other side it was cut low with three lines shaved to her scalp. The urge to touch those lines welled up in his chest and the beast pushed him forward until only his hands lifting and pressing against the window kept him on the outside. The beast wanted her for itself, of that Steele had no more doubt, but the beast didn’t rule him—or at least it wouldn’t ever again. There was no keeping this human for himself. Steele didn’t even want a woman, whether human or other entity. He didn’t want the sticky emotions that came with that package or the crushing grief that inevitably followed when things went to shit. Not ever again.

  The woman hadn’t looked well when she’d first appeared aboveground today and he’d immediately been concerned. That concern was coupled with the fact that he’d already researched what she’d risked her life to steal that night, and how the hell she’d been able to escape him so quickly. The curse of King Tutankhamun.

  Was that what would lead to her death? The death that had been scaring him awake for the last two months?

  He didn’t have time to figure that out now. One of his other duties called and if he didn’t show up at the Office for this staff meeting there would certainly be hell to pay. And when Steele referenced hell he actually meant the bowels of the Spirit Realm where every demonic entity that had ever existed now resided. As a part of the Legion Security Company and a Drakon warrior, he was sworn to protect the humans from that experience, and those jobs usually coincided so well with his duties as a Dream Reaper. But for some reason, it wasn’t working out that way this time. So, with a grumble and a sudden cough that came in response to his beast’s quick shift of disagreement, he turned away from the antiques shop and headed down the street to where he’d parked his truck.

  The Office was a ninety-minute drive from downtown Burgess unless you were driving one of the upgraded SUVs provided by Legion Security. In that case, a flip of a switch draped the vehicle with a cloaking device which enabled it to be pressed to its max two hundred and twenty-five miles an hour speed and ride along the shoulder of the highway unseen so that Steele made the twenty-minute deadline with minutes to spare. This amenity had just been added to all eight of the vehicles owned by the company, as the technology it was created with had only recently been perfected by Isla, another Drakon who worked for the Legion.

  The Office was totally different from what its name implied. A private location where high-level agents who worked for Legion Security met, it was nestled in the base of a mountain and surrounded by acres of forest land that kept it well hidden from the human world. Steele drove along the one-lane pathway and parked the truck in the roundabout next to seven identical SUVs. He climbed out and walked along a cobblestone path until coming to a set of narrow steps. Taking them two at a time, he stopped when he came to a glass door which was tinted black, and took a second to breathe. As relaxation methods went, it wasn’t really working and his agitation for having to be here instead of talking to Ravyn continued to build.

  With resolution that came with time and loyalty, he bent over slightly because, for whatever reason, the control panel hadn’t been built to match the over-six-feet height of the majority of Drakon men. He yanked his sunglasses from his face and stared into the ocular detector. When it beeped and the control panel turned green, he pulled on the handle of the door and entered what could be called a fortress.

  The main area’s black marble floor stretched in four different directions. Steele turned right and went straight down the long hallway, with its stone walls and cavernous feel, until he came to a set of double doors which led to the main conference room. Stepping inside, he inhaled deeply as all eyes landed on him.

  All Drakon eyes, he should add. No sunglasses were needed by any of them when they were at the Office, because the unusual colored eyes of the dragons that occupied their human bodies weren’t a jolt to them and didn’t bring about more questions than they were ready or able to answer.

  “Well, well, well, the prodigal son returns.” Ziva spoke first while running her fingers through her gold-and-blonde spiked hair. Her perfectly arched brows lifted just before she winked at him.

  Steele crossed the floor, grabbing the first available seat at the far end of the fifteen-foot-long, black walnut table, and only nodded in response to Ziva’s greeting.

  “Now that we’re all present, we can get started.” Theo spoke from where he always sat at the head of the opposite end of the table.

  Looking down in that direction was different than it had been earlier this year. Part of that difference was Shola N’Gara, the new Drakon empress who was also a demigoddess from the Nigerian town of Mobo. The same village Magnum and Steele had lived in long ago.

  “Byou’s official report has been downloaded to your communicators. You can read it in its entirety at your convenience. For now, I will summarize.” Bleu, the oldest of the Drakon living on the Human Realm and Theo’s right hand stood. He moved to stand in front of the screen which was now being lowered on a side wall. Bleu loved presentations and Steele bit back a groan because he hated them. They took too long, flicking through one picture after another to explain what could just be said.

  “A number of the villages have reaffirmed their allegiance to the new emperor and thus to the throne.” As Bleu talked, he clicked the small report and six pictures of various villages on the Far Realm appeared. One which looked like a frosty haven, another that boasted the brightest blue sky and greenest grass and put Steele in mind of the In-Between that separated the veils between each realm, and another with part of its land scorched to look like a gray landing strip. None of the villages were very familiar to Steele as it had been a very long time since he and Magnum had called the Far Realm home.

  Meaning it had been a very long time since he’d given a damn about land and villages of beings he no longer knew. With an inward sigh, Steele tried not to look as annoyed as he felt.

  Bleu continued. “Byou, the Noble Drakon, in Theo’s absence has almost all powers that the emperor would have if he were there. However, Shola has been communicating regularly with Byou and his first in command to develop a more inclusive government structure on the realm.”

  Reece raised a hand and spoke before being acknowledged, which was true to form for this Drakon. “Why’re we asking for their cooperation? Historically all inhabitants of the Far Realm obey the throne. Isn’t that why all hell broke loose when Hoan possessed Torrance?”

  Theo’s brow lifted at Reese’s casual mention of his father who had ultimately given his life to save the realm from Hoan’s demonic hold. Of course, it would have helped if Torrance hadn’t been duped by his wife and then possessed by the demonic.

  Steele didn’t miss the slow movement of Shola’s hand as her arm extended and her fingers rested on Theo’s arm. The Drakon’s mate was helping him rule. Just as Torrance’s wife had done before she’d gone batshit crazy. Again, Steele was forced to keep himself from frowning, this time by clenching his fists. There was no reason to believe that Shola would be anything like Theo’s mother, and really it wasn’t any of Steele’s business. But it was no secret Steele didn’t believe in the Drakon Selection process, which proclaimed each beast would know its true and perfect mate long before the man did. Nor did he ever plan to let his beast do the selecting for him.

  “All countries go through change,” Shola said, her voice more heavily tinged with an African accent than either his or Magnum’s had ever been. Perhaps because they weren’t born in Mobo, just relocated there when Torrance’s possessed rule endangered their clan.

  “Some take worse tur
ns than others, like the Far Realm, but it may all have been in preparation for something better, like in Mobo. We’re rebuilding structures there too,” Shola told them.

  “But that’s only necessary in Mobo because we just learned how many Drakon have been hiding out in that region for so long,” Reese countered.

  “Yeah, and we also learned there’s a vampire army buried under the town of Mobo. I’d say that warrants restructuring how the preternatural are dealt with in that region.” Ziva and Shola had grown close in the months since the demigoddess had come to be with them. She’d also taken a special interest in that vampire army because of her personal connection to Warrick, the vamp who had created the two vamps Steele had been keeping an eye out for in the city.

  “Nobody’s raising a vampire army from the dead,” Reese stated evenly. “Not on our watch.”

  “But we’re not in Nigeria or the Congo where there’s also some graves of the undead,” Aiken, the pretty-boy Drakon, said. “It makes sense that we’re developing a network so that our Drakon Legion can communicate with others across the Human Realm.”

  “Exactly,” Theo added. “The new government structure on the Far Realm will spread out to new networks of allegiance across all realms. We’ll be reaching out to clans that we thought were lost to us hundreds of years ago to figure out their locations, and Isla’s going to start a running locator system so that it’ll be easier to contact any Drakons whenever we need.”

  Steele didn’t provide any input on the subject because after listening to Shola speak, his thoughts had circled back to Ravyn and that damned dagger.

  “Now on to new business,” Theo began just when Steele hoped he was about to tell them they could leave. “We have several new clients that need to be assigned. Steele, I have one in particular I want you to handle.”

  Of course he did. Steele cleared his throat to keep from commenting and looked down to Theo and his cool blue eyes. Staff at the Legion was broken up into groups, with Magnum handling the personal security clients such as celebrities, dignitaries and politicians, and Steele leading the division of home and business security systems. Theo worked specifically with preternatural security. The other Drakon were pulled into whichever jobs the division supervisors required.

  By the time new clients were assigned and a status was given on all current cases, an hour had passed.

  “That’s it for now,” Theo said finally. “But I’ll remind everyone to keep your communicators on and your eyes open. We all know the business with the Royal Blood isn’t over. Even if they’re not planning a direct strike against us, we’re still bound to protect whoever they choose to go after, since we’re the ones that pissed them off.”

  Steele could care less that the vamps were pissed and he was ready to strike the moment they resurfaced. He stood as soon as Theo gave the nod that the meeting was over. He needed to find Ravyn and explain everything he’d learned about that dagger. Then he needed to take that dagger from her and bury it someplace where it could never hurt anyone again—back in King Tutankhamun’s tomb would be an excellent spot.

  “Hey, what’s going on with you?” Magnum caught Steele by the arm before he had a chance to slip away.

  “Nothing,” was his instant reply. “I just need to follow up on something.”

  “Theo wants you to go meet with this new client as soon as possible.”

  “He also said the guy wasn’t available to meet today, so I’ll call him first thing tomorrow to set up a time. It’s only a home security upgrade, I think that can wait another night.”

  Magnum used a hand to push his locks back from his face. They’d both worn their hair in this style for as long as Steele could remember, but Magnum’s hung past his shoulders, almost to his rear. Steele kept his cut at the center of his back.

  “Something’s going on with you, I can feel it. And last night you came to my dream.”

  Damn. Steele sighed and stepped away from his brother. There were five other Drakon in this room with them right now and Steele didn’t want any of them hearing about something only he and his brother shared. Aside from being a larger than life, kickass dragon, each Drakon was gifted with a special power. As for the Eze brothers, their power rested in dreams. Magnum was a Dream Watcher, meaning he kept watch over the dreams of others, monitoring them for any interactions that could endanger the realms.

  “I’m not in any danger,” Steele said the moment he and Magnum were standing outside the conference room alone. “I’m just following up on something.”

  “On what? You’re searching for something, you have been for a while now, but I can’t see what. Tell me what’s going on, man, so I can help.” Magnum had a similar bulky build to Steele’s, but his human skin complexion was a bit darker than Steele’s reddish-brown hue. Their dragon bodies were bronze, with only a variation in their eye color.

  “I’m good, Mag. Trust me. I’d tell you if I needed your help.” Seventy-five years ago when Magnum had pulled him out of the Abyss, Steele had promised he’d always let Magnum know when he needed help. A slight tightness gripped his chest as he stood there staring into his brother’s eyes and swearing he was fine, when they both recognized the signs that proved otherwise.

  “You’re still thinking about Opal,” Magnum said with a sigh. “I sensed it in your dream, your guilt was like a weight around your neck as you moved. You’ve gotta let that go, man. It was a long time ago.”

  Steele looked down the hallway, watching as the other Drakon filed out of the conference room and went on about their business. Everybody went about their business in this world. Shit happened, people died, the world kept moving. He knew all that and didn’t like that his brother was acting as if he didn’t.

  “Opal is gone. I don’t need you reminding me of that.”

  “Then let her go and move the hell on. There was nothing you could’ve done to save her. She wasn’t meant to be saved.”

  “How the hell can you say that? She was our sister!” he yelled and then snapped his lips shut and looked away once more.

  “I know who she was and I loved her just like you. I also respected her position in our clan and in the war against the Venomstone clan. We were born warriors, and we had to fight, all of us.”

  “Not her,” Steele said, shaking his head. “She shouldn’t have been in my dream, Mag. She only had her dream power, nothing else and that wasn’t a threat to the power balance. It was bullshit and I should’ve seen it sooner. I should’ve refused to lead him to her.”

  When his brother didn’t immediately respond, Steele looked across the hallway to where he stood. The look on Magnum’s face was like stone, somber and intentional.

  “That’s your job. You were born to do it and you cannot walk away from it.”

  “Why? What’s gonna happen if I don’t give the Reaper another body? Huh? Will he take me next?”

  Magnum moved fast, stepping right up into Steele’s face. “Don’t say stupid shit! You were born to do this job, so do it.” His eyes flashed with a spark of his beast’s fire, but the edge of his tone spoke of worry.

  “What if I can’t?” Steele asked, his voice lower than his brother’s.

  Again, there was no quick response from Magnum and Steele took that moment to continue. “I’m gonna head back to the city and wrap up this thing I’ve been following up on and then first thing tomorrow I’ll get in touch with the new client and set up a meeting.”

  Magnum released a heavy sigh that made Steele feel like a colossal ass for making his brother feel like he had to worry about him or whether or not he would uphold his duties as a Drakon and a Dream Reaper.

  “When are you coming back home?” Magnum asked.

  “The Office is not my home.” The words were out before Steele could stop them and he regretted them seconds afterward.

  He and Magnum had traveled to the Human Realm after the battle of the cl
ans that had stretched across Nigeria one hundred years ago. They’d found Theo and pledged their power and allegiance to him. They were doing good and living well, but it would never be home to Steele. It would never be enough to make up for all that he’d lost.

  “I mean, for right now, the hotel’s where I’m hanging my hat. I’ll be back when it’s time to come back. But a few months ago we stirred up something in Burgess, and one of us has to be on hand when that ticking time bomb erupts.”

  Again, he wasn’t lying. And he also wasn’t sticking around any longer for his brother to figure out even more of the crap floating around in Steele’s head. Theo and Shola had questions too. Steele could see it in their eyes each time they looked at him today. He didn’t have any answers for anyone, not now. And so it was best that he leave. In fact, it was imperative because Ravyn needed him now more than ever.

  Chapter Five

  Steele stepped out of the shadows this time. He stood right behind her and was about to say something to let her know he was there when she turned, leg lifted to execute a front kick. Without blinking he caught her ankle, but she yanked her leg free of his grasp. Their gazes locked for quiet seconds before she took off running.

  “Shit!” Now he was running after her, kicking up his speed just to keep from losing her as she darted through the streets and ducked into an alley.

  How was she running so damn fast? Was she some type of Olympic sprinter or something? It was just like that night on the roof when she jumped down and ran so fast he’d had to take to the sky to track her.

  A Dumpster flew into his path as she pushed it and kept moving. He jumped over it without breaking a sweat, then ran faster, until he could circle around her and stop a few feet in front of her. She skidded to a stop, looking up at him with wide eyes and bared teeth.

  “Go to hell!” she screamed and used both her palms to push him dead center in his chest, just as she’d done earlier. But this time Steele was ready. The beast within him was always awake when he was near her, and tonight was no different, only now it was in a defensive mode.