Scales and Flames

by Catherine Banks

  She shakes her head and smiles. “I'll see you tonight.”

  When she leaves, Brayden grabs my hand and pulls me into his house. We walk into the kitchen, where he proceeds to pull a delicious-smelling lasagna out of the oven.

  Sixteen

  Brayden

  My mother means well, but right after mating isn't the time to ask such hard questions. I laugh when I notice that Leah is salivating over the meal I prepared.

  Luckily, the whole swim debacle wasn't as traumatic to her as I expected. I need to know about her parents, though. Seeing that she is a fae dragon is unbelievable. Her kind is rare and require less magic than full-blooded dragons. Missouri is the driest state for any kind of magic that can feed our dragons. How did her parents survive? Why didn't they tell her?

  I serve some lasagna on two plates, and Leah digs in. She’s eating much faster than me, and I remember my first shift and how ravenous I was after the transition.

  My mother is right, and we need to get to the bottom of Leah’s heritage. However, I don't want to throw too much on her at one time. There hasn't been a fae dragon in centuries. They appear when war is coming and change is needed. They are the leaders for the transition, and rule over all the clans, but I'll be damned if that makes my mate a target to others.

  I suddenly realize that Leah has stopped eating and is watching me. “Is everything okay?” she asks, her eyes full of concern.

  “Yes, just thinking of everything. A lot has changed since you rolled into town,” I answer with a wink.

  She smiles at my flirting and walks over, sitting in my lap. How have I gone so long without her? I just met her, but I feel like I’ve wanted her my entire life.

  “What's on your mind? Don't keep things from me,” she says with a pout, and I lean into her and give her a quick kiss.

  It will be better for me to ask these questions alone with her. “Well, just curious about your parents.”

  At that, her eyes glaze over. “Well, growing up, we had an awesome family. A loving mom and dad, but things changed shortly after Mom got sick,” she starts.

  Alarm pulses through me. “What was wrong with your mom?”

  She bites her lip and starts running her fingers through my hair. “Well, they said it was cancer, but nothing like that had ever been seen before. Her skin started scaling, and they wanted to do chemo, but that was after my father stopped caring and was distant. We couldn't afford it, and I went into debt trying to pay for everything I could,” she answers, tears filling her eyes.

  Oh, hell. Her mother was a dragon and obviously wasn't aware. “Leah, how old was your mother?”

  “She was in her early forties when it started,” she murmurs.

  Fuck. “Honey, she didn't die of cancer,” I say, feeling the guilt that was consuming her.

  She tenses at my statement and looks me in the eyes. “What do you mean?”

  I take a deep breath. “We dragons need to be near a powerful source to live. Starting in our forties, we have to be near it or we start struggling to survive. That's what was happening to your mom,” I say.

  “What? Why wouldn't she know that? She left me, when there was a way not to?” she asks, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

  “Oh, baby. No. She would have never gone to the hospital had she known. She must have been clueless. Thank God you came here,” I reply, wiping her tears away.

  She takes a deep breath, thinking my statement through. “She didn't know, like me. I didn't really think it through earlier, but you're right. I must have gotten this from my mom. Does that mean my brother is a dragon too?”

  “Yes, he probably is. How old is he?” I question.

  “He’s eighteen. We need to get him before he gets sick,” she exclaims, jumping up.

  I grab her hand. “Calm down. Like I said earlier, dragons are fine until they approach forty. Somehow the young are able to generate power within themselves until that point. But don't worry, we will get him.”

  She relaxes at that, but looks at me with concern. “That will be hard. I can't just go get him.”

  “Why not?” I ask.

  “Because I ran away from my father, and he's very angry with me,” she whispers.

  I can smell her fear. “Why did you run away?”

  “Well, he was trying to sell me,” she replies, looking down at the floor.

  “Sell you? To whom?” I demand.

  “The local gang in the… you know… trade,” she whispers.

  Red, hot anger consumes me. This man will die. No father would do that.

  “I understand if you are repulsed by me now…” she starts, pulling away to get up.

  Oh, shit. How could she think that? I lean into her, growling. “You are mine, always. Don't ever think that again. Do you understand?”

  She nods, melting into me, and before anything else can take place, our dragons take over and I rush her to our bed.

  We emerge from the bedroom satiated; at least, for a little while. There is a knock on my door and then it opens wide.

  Jacob and Sarah walk in, with Dave following. As soon as they see Leah and me, they stop in their tracks. I know they can sense our mate connection and smell sex in the air.

  Dave recovers first and walks over to her. “Hi, sis! I'm Dave. This awkward guy is Jacob and his mate, Sarah.”

  Jacob glares at him and walks over to us. “Hi, Leah. As the dumbass said, I'm Jacob. It's very nice to meet you.”

  Sarah stays quiet, but gives me a polite smile. Dave then turns to me. “Mom’s told the whole clan. They are wanting to meet their leaders and take flight tonight, in celebration.”

  Mom and her big mouth. What part of ‘family meeting’ did she not understand? I was hoping to give us some time.

  “Their leaders? We have leaders here?” Leah asks me.

  Dave bursts out laughing. “Haven't told her much at all, have you?”

  Leah’s eyes widen, and she stares me down. My dragon is already purring because she looks damn sexy. “Shut up, Dave.” I hiss.

  She props her hand on her hip, and I almost want to make her angrier. She's fucking hot when she's pissed. “Baby, we are the leaders,” I answer.

  Her face turns confused, and I chuckle.

  “We? What do you mean?” she questions.

  Jacob’s shocked she doesn't know, and now I feel like shit. I guess I should have told her. “You and I. Now that you are my mate, you are as much as their leader as I am,” I answer.

  “Oh, is your mom the queen?” she asks with wide, innocent eyes.

  Dave starts laughing at her, and I have him pinned to the wall in less than two seconds. “You will not laugh at my mate. Got it?” I command.

  His cheeks redden, and he nods his head. Jacob speaks up, trying to diffuse the situation, as always. “No, she is not. Now you are, in a sense. We don't have queens of local clans, but leaders, per se. Brayden is the dominant and you are his mate. You are now both in charge of our clan.”

  I release Dave and look at Jacob. “I was really hoping to postpone the clan flight, but now we can't. It's a sign of them accepting Leah as one of our own, and we can't turn back from that,” I state.

  “Why would you want to delay that? I figured you would want that done as soon as possible,” Sarah quietly asks.

  I look at Leah and grab her hand, pulling her close to me. “I was going to mention this while we were still alone, but then we got distracted and my brothers intruded. Is it okay if I share with everyone?”

  She nods her head, and I know she's dying to know what I'm about to say. I look at her and then glance at my brothers. “She is a fae dragon.”

  My brothers stare in shock while Leah is confused. “No, I was a dragon. I could see my legs and arms. Wait, are they still called that in dragon form?” she babbles.

  “Honey, it's a big deal. Your wings aren’t the same shape of just a dragon, but a combination of dragon and fairy. Also, you are smaller than most dragons, but you have more power than
a whole clan combined. We just need to figure out how you can access it. Fae dragons are very rare, which means you are very important,” I explain.

  She is bewildered by what I am saying, and who can blame her. She knows nothing about her heritage or what clan she is from. Jacob jumps in, trying to help, “Leah, any time a fae dragon comes, it means it’s time for a change. We know that all the clans are getting ornery, and mutiny isn't far. Clans are wanting to rise up against the elders, saying they are corrupt. You are living proof that change is needed, and the fae dragons are the champions for that.”

  Leah looks like she is about to faint.

  Seventeen

  Leah

  I am suddenly very lightheaded, and my body begins to tremble. How in the hell am I supposed to lead a war I know nothing about? I couldn't even stand up to my deadbeat dad. I'm not strong enough for this, and I feel my inner beast get furious at that thought.

  Brayden wraps his arms around me and peace settles into me. I know then that I can do anything with him by my side.

  The door opens, and Teresa and Stephanie walk in. Stephanie smiles brightly at me and envelops me into a tight hug. “It's about time we got this settled. I am so excited to have you as a sister!” she squeals.

  “A sister?” I ask.

  “Yes, I'm mated to Dave. We are officially family,” she explains, walking over to kiss him.

  I smile, but am sad. I need to get my brother here soon; he's the missing part of my family.

  “It's time to welcome Leah into the clan,” his mother states.

  Brayden takes a deep breath and nods his head. “Let's go,” he says.

  I walk out the door, following Stephanie, and Brayden catches up to me, grabbing my hand. Be prepared for the others to be shocked, and in awe of you. I'll be by your side the whole time.

  Oh, right. I'm the rare fae dragon. My nerves are getting the best of me, but this is something I have to do. I was made for this.

  We get to the yard in the center of the compound, and I'm surprised to see hundreds of people there, ranging from toddlers to old men. When they see us approach, they all lower their heads. Brayden's family stops, but he tugs at my hand, indicating that we should take a walk in front of everyone.

  I look at him and he winks at me, then turns to everyone. “I am honored that you all want to take flight with my mate tonight. This is a sign of your acceptance of her, and it means so much to us and the rest of our family. Please rise and follow us to the Falls, so we can celebrate the best day of my life.”

  He uses his dragon’s magic to make sure everyone heard, then pulls me toward the direction of the Falls and everyone follows behind. My dragon is purring in delight, seeming to already know what is about to happen.

  We approach the Falls, and it's even more beautiful at night. Despite the dark, my dragon channels her vision to me and I can see everything. When everyone starts undressing, I start freaking out. Brayden, how do I change on purpose?

  He glances at me apologetically, and walks over to kiss me. Just remove all barriers to your dragon inside. Let her know she's free to emerge. She'll know what to do.

  I nod my head and go hide behind a tree to undress. I know this is second nature to everyone, but showing my girly bits to everyone isn't something I'm wanting to do just yet.

  I open myself up to my dragon and she springs to life immediately. Thankfully, it isn't as painful as earlier, but maybe it's because I know what to expect. As soon as I step out, everyone stops and stares. Brayden is already in his dragon form as well, and comes over to me. Once he gets close, he looks me in the eyes. Fly with me, please. They'll stop staring that way.

  At that, I take off, and our clan follows behind. It is the most exhilarating night of my life.

  Waking up wrapped in Brayden’s arms is the best feeling in the entire world. I hate to bother him, but I really need to get to work.

  He opens his eyes and smiles at me. “Where are you sneaking off to?” he asks, pulling me closer to him.

  I grin, but start wiggling. “I'm going to be late to work. I was hoping to hitch a ride with Stephanie.”

  “If you keep wiggling, I won't be able to let you go until you've taken care of this itch you're creating,” he whispers and kisses me.

  I want to lose myself in him, but I really have to go. He groans as I pull away, making me giggle.

  “Why don't you put your notice in today? I could use your help in the office,” he suggests.

  His question catches me off guard, but I really like the sound of it. I hate to give up my diner job, but my dragon is ecstatic at the idea. The diner isn’t my dream job, but it’s something that’s mine. However, the thought of being near him outweighs my reservations.

  “Heck yeah! I wasn't thrilled about the diner anyway, as much as I love Stephanie. But this way, I can be closer to you. Are you sure, though?” I ask, regretting that I jumped so quickly.

  “Of course I'm sure. I want to be with you all the time,” he answers.

  I smile and kiss him again, lingering longer than I should. I pull away and head to the front door.

  “Oh, babe. Can you bring me some lunch by the office today?” he asks.

  “You bet your hot ass I can,” I say with wink and head out.

  I am surprised to find Stephanie waiting outside. She rolls down her window. “I thought you might need a ride to work.”

  I grin. “Yes, I was worried that I might miss you!”

  “Girl, we can carpool every day!” she exclaims.

  When I don't respond, she looks over at me and groans. “No, please don't tell me you're quitting. You're going to work for the family business, aren't you?” she accuses.

  Cringing, I nod my head, which makes her laugh. “Girl, no worries. I just enjoyed working with you. We still have the evenings.”

  The day goes by fast. Right before the noon rush, I grab some food for me and Brayden, and head to his office.

  When I open the door, Gwen looks up and curls her nose at me. “I didn't realize the diner delivered. Who is it for?” she asks.

  “Oh, Brayden wanted me to bring it by. Just point me in his direction, and I'll be out of your way,” I reply.

  She jumps up and saunters over to me to grab the food. “Don't worry, I can take it to him. We're dating, after all, and could use a snack, if you know what I mean.” She bites her lip at the end of her statement.

  My dragon is raging and getting out of control. Brayden apparently senses my fury, and rushes out from a side hallway, coming over to me. He pulls me into his arms, and my inner turmoil starts to ease. Gwen huffs at the interaction, and he turns to face her.

  He stiffens and lets me go, closing in on her. She looks over at me, grinning. “Gwen, get your shit and leave.”

  Her face transforms into pure shock and terror. “What? Why?” she asks.

  “You've hit on every man that looks halfway decent in here. Many wives have complained. Lastly, and most importantly, no one ever talks to Leah that way,” he says quietly, which is somehow scarier than him screaming.

  “She only came into town a few days ago. Did she brainwash you? I throw myself at you every day, and this goody two shoes gets you whipped in less than a week!” she cries in outrage.

  “She is my wife, and don't forget it. Now get your shit and leave. Leah will be taking over your position,” he informs.

  “Your wife? I don't see a ring!” she yells.

  “Yes, you're right, and I'm taking care of that today. You know your way out. Leave your keys on the table,” he says, reaching for my hand and leading me down a hall.

  He pulls me into his office and instantly, his mouth is on mine. My anger calms at his touch but another need takes over. Before I know what’s happening, he’s shutting the door, and we are connecting in a way I’m desperate for, after what I just went through.

  After satiating one need, I realize that Gwen’s taken our food, and I have no clue what she did with it. Brayden chuckles. “Don't worry, I�
��ll go grab it.”

  Eighteen

  Brayden

  I never thought I'd be the type to just have my way with my mate on my office table, but I plan on doing it again, and soon. However, Leah is hungry, and there is no way I'll let that bitch try to mess with her again.

  She's not fully in sync with her dragon, and doesn't have the control. She almost shifted in front of Gwen, and if our kind wasn't trying to blend in with the humans, I'd have loved to see her put the fear in the homewrecker.

  I walk out front, unsurprised to see Gwen still there. She won't go down without a fight. However, there is a middle-aged man there, talking to her. He has dark hair and beady eyes, and doesn't even look slightly familiar. Without even interacting with him, I know he's trouble. He notices me approaching and starts taking a few steps back.

  “Thanks so much for your help,” he replies, as he turns and walks out the door.

  Gwen looks up at me and pouts her lips. “That dumb blonde is gone; now let me show you what a real lady is about,” she purrs.

  I walk over to the desk and grab her stuff, along with her keys. “Hey, what are you doing!” she yells.

  I ignore her and walk out the door, toward her car. I unlock it and throw all of her shit in the back, then open the driver’s side door. I start the car and get out, leaving it running. She's right behind me and looking at me with hatred in her eyes.

  “Fine! I hope your slut gets what she deserves,” she says, as she gets in her car and proceeds to burn out of the parking lot.

  I notice people watched the whole scene. Oh well. I ignore them and walk back into the building. Luckily, I find the bag of food sitting on the desk, and it's been left alone. I grab it, heading back to my office, when Leah walks out, trying to fix her hair.

  “Hey, what's taking so long?” she asks.