by T Shadow
Opening the book, I start at the first page. "Until Finnegan gets here, we're gonna have a little story time, since everyone wants to act like a child." Mika places her furry arse on the floor with a thump and Lucius slides off her back, running towards me and jumping in my lap for comfort. Juggling him and the book is a task, but it's manageable.
"Leland I hope you like books because we might be here awhile." I hear him shift in his spot on the windowsill, the creak of the old wood echoes throughout the shop which lets me know that he heard me without having to answer. Skipping past the contents and going straight to the first chapter, I make sure that I’m sitting comfortably in my chair as I start reading aloud.
"The studio filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink flowering thorn."
•°•
Storytime is only eventful as we're all partaking in someone else's unfortunate or rather, fortunate life. Dorian obviously has more fortune in the story than I do right now.
A peace keeper of sorts, it's been an hour that I've been unlawfully used as a human shield, a mediator and now, a teacher. I'm teaching a grown ass boy, not a man, because a man does not have temper tantrums, how not to be an asshole, a tiger that humans are friends, not food, and a stuttering lad that some people are kind beyond all reason. I'm not saying I'm kind, but my customer service persona sure does have the knack for it.
It's only when the front door opens and the chimes ring throughout the shop that our eventful endeavour comes to an end. Mika removes her arse from the floor and stands again, her eyes never moving from Landon. Poor bloke has been standing in the same position for an hour. Lucius scuttles up onto my shoulders in order to make himself higher up and therefore more superior, and Leland? Well, I'm not sure. One thing I do know for sure is that Finnegan came to the store to defuse the situation and extract the hostage, but what I didn't count on was the intimidating no speaking, all staring leader of the pack to be right behind him.
I only know the names of the three dragons in the room, the fourth still remains a mystery, considering he never disclosed it. As he rounds the corner, coming closer to a now growling Mika, I realise this man is yet again in a freshly pressed, tailor made suit, his dark hair perfectly styled, wearing smart black shoes.
"Welcome good sirs, I see we never got the memo about oxfords, not brogues ey?"
I nod down to his shoes and as I look back up, I realise he's not moved a muscle, but there's a twinkle in his emerald eyes that contradict the glare he’s giving me. Hard to accomplish that. Two conflicting emotions in one.
"Well, no matter, I guess it's more of an old school English thing. The problem here is that your friend, compadre and acquaintance has got himself into a spot of bother. Haven't you, Landon?"
He stands there still and silent, not moving even the smallest muscles as Mika's growl intensifies and her tail swishes back and forth. The backs of her ears are showing again and that white spot is shown repeatedly, as if it was a picture in a flip book. It's only then that both Finnegan and Leland approach the situation, standing behind both Mika and the alpha asshole. Their eyes assess the situation – the hissing, spitting fox, the well coiled tiger about to pounce, and their friend standing straighter than a bargepole, with eyes wider than a cat high on catnip.
"We haven't officially been introduced. My name is Remington the Third."
As he holds out his hand for me to shake, I can only think about how delicious his deep voice would sound if he wasn't such a pompous prick. A snort escapes me before I have the opportunity to speak and Lucius in his infinite wisdom lunges forward to bite the hand of one Remington the Third whilst he teeters on the edge of my shoulder.
It's only as Remington retracts his hand and raises an eyebrow at the collective reaction from Lucius and I that I realise that he really is a pompous arse, and probably expects a more regal welcome and introduction than the one he just received. Too bad he came to the wrong side of town, expecting to be served with the finest silver when really, I'd rather he shit in his hands and clap.
"Remington the Third, ey? Well, I wonder what happened to Remington the First and Remington the Second?" I stand, placing my book on the armrest of my chair and nod my head in his direction. "I’ve only met one Remington before, and if you had mentioned your name when you cornered me the other night I would have avoided you like an airborne plague. Unfortunately for you, I lump all Remington’s together in the same damn boat considering you’re all condescending pricks."
I push my obnoxious attitude a little further and hold my hand out, "Welcome to Nevermore than enough Books; or just Nevermore if you’re nasty. I'm Remi, the hissing red fox is my boy Lucius and the three hundred pound beast down there is Mika, my friend that your friend Landon, insulted at the bar the other day."
All of the mens’ heads turn towards Landon, who is still having a staring competition with Mika. He looks away from Mika for a moment to Remington, before looking back at Mika again, “I didn’t say anything to the cat.”
I scoff, unamused, “You didn’t have to, you said it to me and the cat overheard.” The cat in question steps one super-sized paw forward with her teeth bared, allowing spit to drool all over my wooden floors.
“Mika! The bloody floors!” Mika swipes her tongue along her lower jaw, licking up any errant slobber as she places her paw over the saliva, hiding it from view.
I run my hand over my face and groan, peaking between my fingers as Mika looks anywhere else but me, not taking responsibility for her unconscious actions. The sight makes me smile inside but my grim expression remains plastered on my face.
“What did you say, Landon?”
Landon answers and shifts his gaze to his prim and proper friend. I find it slightly comical that Landon is now partaking in a stare-off with his comrade and I'd like to think that they're communicating silently, but for the people in the back, I'll speak with my mouth, not my mind.
"What's that Landon? Cat got your tongue?" Mika's growl sounds like that chuckle again, "You see here, Remington, Landon was enlightening me on his reading habits." Landon's cheeks heat, but I'm not sure if it's in anger that I'm about to snitch on him, or embarrassment as though I'm about to describe what book he was holding in detail. "Now he told me he doesn't read soft porn, but that whole section there is fifty percent soft porn. Ten percent hard porn, and forty percent gentle caresses during the night."
Mika and Lucius seem to be enjoying the trip down memory lane as much as I am. Lucius has a canine smile on his lips that shows enough teeth, and Mika is trying to hide behind her paw as she licks between her pads. The lads however, they're all in different states, reflecting various different emotions. Finnegan is trying not to laugh, Leland looks slightly worried, his eyes darting from Landon to Remington, and Remington? He looks in disbelief.
Time to up the ante then.
"So anyway, basically, I said ‘you must read soft porn, that book is fifty percent soft porn!’ There’s really no need to be embarrassed about it, its only sex.” Moving away from Mika with Lucius still perched on my shoulders, I go towards the shelves where Landon is, and pick the book off of the shelf. “See? Contains scenes of a sexual nature, not suitable for persons under eighteen years of age.” Sighing, I clutch the book to my chest and lean my back against the shelves, reminiscing. “Remember being eighteen? God, it was the best time, and the worst time of my life; yet I miss being eighteen everyday.” I bat my eyelashes at Landon, sighing, “to be eighteen again.”
Landon stiffens as I pull myself away from the shelves, coming dangerously close to brushing my arm against his chest; I’m not sure if it’s my stunningly good looks that make him stiffen, or the fact that I’m a ‘dirty little human’. Joke’s on him.
Walking up to Mika, I pat her gently on the head and ruffle the fur behind her ears, making her purr loud and low, “It seem
s that Landon didn’t want to talk about his preferred reading genre. Me personally? I love a good fantasy.” I end on a purr, looking up from Mika to Finnegan. “I’ll put the book aside for him and maybe, when he calms down a little, he can come back and get it.” Saying nothing, Finnegan only nods in response. Now I know that the book was actually for Finnegan, I relish in the idea that I managed to embarrass Landon over nothing.
“Well, it was nice to meet you lads, welcome to Stonehold, the home of the legendary yet obscenely fake Dragon’s Gold. Now, your friend can return later for his book, but right now, I’d like him to go back to where you’re staying and reflect on his actions like the big boy he is.”
With a predatory smile, I look at all of them. Finnegan and Leland first, Landon second and then Remington last. I crouch down to sit in front of Mika and her mismatched eyes stare straight into mine, those orbs moving silently between my own eyes and Landon’s, who remains behind me. I hold her muzzle between both of my hands and as I pull her face towards mine, I touch our noses together and close my eyes. Mika’s rumbling purr answers my gentle sigh.
“Come on Mika, what is it with you scaring the poor boy? I know he shouted, but you didn’t need to threaten to eat him.” A huff escapes her maw and I open my eyes to look straight at her, “okay, slightly maim, maybe a little mauling, but that doesn’t make it right. We all know you’re the big bad puddy cat.” A long tongue licks up the side of my face, catching Lucius on the side of the nose. His little yip breaks the awkward tension in the room, and I stand. Petting Mika’s head, I start making my way towards my office. It’s only then that I realise that the four dragon shifters are still in my shop so I stop and turn slowly. Looking back at the fearsome foursome, which is what I'm now referring to them as, I nod towards the door.
“You can leave now, it’s been the most tiring day.” I hold my office door open for Mika to slink inside, letting the door shut behind her. Whilst she shifts and gets changed into her spare clothes that we keep in case of emergencies. I place the book that started all of this unnecessary drama on the front counter, “My offer still stands, I’ll be open until five pm, and if you don’t come back for the book tonight, it’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.”
Leland and Finnegan nod and Finn smiles before ushering Leland out of the door with a hand on his shoulder. The chime rings throughout the shop as they exit, leaving a scowling Remington and a relieved looking Landon behind. Though it’s not long before Remington nods his head towards me, mutters a simple goodbye and exits the shop through the main door.
Landon however, moves to the middle of the shop before looking up at me. His brows knit together in confusion, his posture relaxed. “Why didn’t you tell him what I actually said?” It’s a question I didn’t expect, and it catches me off guard. The guy who just ripped me a new one for no apparent reason, is asking why I didn’t drop him in the shit? I shrug my shoulders, feigning nonchalance.
“It’s a small world here in Stonehold. We look out for each other, even if you don’t necessarily fit into the status quo. What would telling him the truth have done? He would’ve scolded you until he was blue in the face about your bad manners and social etiquette.” I lean my hands down on the counter, leveling my stare at him. “Feeble human I might seem, Landon. But do you really know about everything in the world, enough that you could assert yourself as a prestigious being? I highly doubt you come close to being as important as, oh I don’t know, the ruler of the Dragon Realm?” It’s only his stare that I’m focused on, but his posture becomes rigid again. “I don’t believe you’re as half as important as you think you are. It’s a crying shame when people realise that they aren’t as irreplaceable as they thought they were.”
“What do you mean? What do you know?”
I already realise my mistake by mentioning too much. But instead of backtracking and making an arse out of myself, I decide to walk away instead, quickly acting like I couldn’t give zero fucks about their situation.
“Goodbye Landon... don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
I hear the chime behind me before I reach the office door. That’s fine. I let myself in and look at Mika, who’s chilling in my tattered old chair. Wearing her trademark hoodie, a pair of black boots and ripped black skinny jeans, my emo barbie looks back at me. Her mismatched eyes look at mine, and she smirks like the little shit she is. I pry Lucius off of my shoulders and pass him to her, my eyes narrowing at the fox and then at Mika.
“I thought I told you not to bring the little shit into work again.”
“Well, he wouldn’t let me leave on my own.” She boops his nose with her finger. “He didn’t want to be left alone.”
“Fine, if he’s staying here with us then I guess he’s coming out with us too.” I stare at the spawn of Satan. “He can keep Matthius company.”
Mika picks up Lucius and squeals, twirling him around with her.
Maybe The Wyvern’s Nest could be the answer to all of my problems.
As the rickety wooden door to the bookshop shuts behind me, the tension bleeds out of my shoulders. Never have I once encountered a woman who could stare into the eyes of a dragon shifter and make idle jokes about what style of shoes they were wearing. I knew I should have worn the oxfords instead. Shaking my head at her comment, I walk silently behind Finn and Leland. Those two are like peas in a pod, the same kind of person but on different ends of the spectrum. Finn is book smart, it’s his passion but common sense is his forte, whereas Leland is a whizz with a computer. It’s why I needed both of them on my team.
Finn can win over anyone with his flawless personality. Leland can find anything as long as he has an internet connection. Landon however? I’d like to think that he’s the muscle, but really, he’s just a ticking time bomb that was dragged along for the ride. A temper to rival my own, he has a short fuse, a massive ego and a disposition that’s prone to confrontation or violence. Unfortunately, it’s generally his big mouth and loose lips that get him into trouble. If the boy had a brain at all, he’d use it.
Landon is the second youngest. I’m the oldest at three hundred and seven years old, Finnegan is just shy of two hundred and seventy years, Landon is just over two hundred, and Leland is the baby at a hundred and seventy.
We’re all quite young really, compared to the average lifespan that a dragon can have. I guess younger dragons are better for field missions— we have no families, no loved ones besides our parents, and we’re generally more motivated, more inclined to please our superiors and less likely to be grumpy assholes about it.
Shit happens, but it’s a great opportunity to get ourselves out of that walled hellhole and out into the real world. I mean, yes, we have no clue what we’re looking for, but we’re not there, and it’s almost like christmas has come early.
It’s also why we’re in this shit heap of a situation. I was given a set task by Lord Draconis, it seemed easy enough to complete, and that’s why it might have been the stupidest fucking thing I ever took part in. There were only three instructions that we were given, and for a micromanaging bastard, it struck me as odd.
Assemble a team you can trust. Train them to work together and to work cohesively. Find the hoard.
That’s what confused the ever-loving shit out of me. The hoard. No descriptions, no places to check, no hints— that was it. Just find the fucking hoard. Hoard of what? Gold? Expensive jewels? Toads? No. We were told nothing.
So here we are, stuck in Stonehold on the last lead we pulled out of our arses. Why? Because we’re following a ‘lead’ which is actually a fucking tourist destination for old fogies and small naive children. We’ve been travelling for almost a year now to no avail and this is the last idea we have. We daren’t go home empty handed. Leland would be removed from the Draconis house, I would lose my position in the Lord’s Guard, Landon would go back to being exiled to the Wastes for his prior indiscretions and Finnegan would lose his scholar position in the house of Knowledge.
What is t
here for us if we go home? There’s change, there’s uncertainty and there’s no hope that we would survive there. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me motivated to find this fucking hoard. The hope that our lives might return to normal. But somehow, I’m not positive it’ll happen.
I slowed my walk back to the hotel whilst I was inside my own head. I’m still closer to the bookshop than I am to the place where we’re currently staying but I don’t check to see if Landon is behind me, because I’m sure that twat can find his way back without me holding his fucking hand.
The Hotel we’re in... it’s weird. Not weird in the sense that the wallpaper is what an old lady would have, but weird in the sense that there’s this odd vibe that I get every night when I go to sleep. Getting to sleep is easy. The beds are comfortable, like you’re laying on foam, it's firm and molds to my body, but it’s after a few hours of actually being asleep that my dreams change to ones which concern me.
They concern me because I go from a seemingly normal dream, to a wet, steamy one within seconds. I dream about the woman at the bar, the woman who now has a name to the face. For the last four days, I’ve been dreaming of the woman who let Landon get trapped between her and a half shifted tiger, and each dream has been different from the last.
In the first dream, I was busy stalking her in the dark from the bushes across from the bar where I first saw her alone. I had shifted into my dragon form and was ready to tear her limb from limb without a second thought. But then it changed, instead I stalked from the trees and pulled her flush against me when I was close enough, her body trapped mercilessly in my arms as I wrapped one around her back and pulled her chin towards me with the other, her lips only a breath away from mine. It’s only when her green eyes slitted and became reptilian in nature that I threw myself out of the dream and woke up abruptly, covered in sweat and sporting a semi. Not the worst way to wake up, but when sharing a hotel suite with three other males, it was slightly difficult to diffuse. I had to rub one out quietly, just in case one of the other guys woke up and thought I had started batting for the other team.