Wolf Creek Sheriff (Texas Pack 4) (Prequel) (Wolf Creek Shapeshifters)

by Jo Ellen

  She watched the guy shift back into a dragon and unfurl his huge wings. He did. He really did ask for a ride on a dragon.

  “Come on Steph.” Colin climbed on the creatures back and held out his hand, beckoning her forward.

  Her bangs fluttered when she let out a breath as she repeated to herself, “Quest, quest, quest.”

  Scrabbling up the tough skin of her new best friend who would keep her from climbing a rock and falling to her death, she prayed her new best friend would also catch her if she fell off his back.

  “Um, new best friend?” Sitting in front of Colin and leaning over the dragon’s neck, she spoke softly, “No air acrobatics, right?”

  He turned his head to peer back at her and a small puff of smoke left both nostrils when he snuffled. Sort of between a chuckle and a snort, she decided.

  She was thankful the dragon was wide enough so that she could lean forward and practically lay down on his back. The more surface she could glue her body to, the better, in her opinion. She ignored Colin’s chuckle behind her as she felt them lift off and the wind pick up as they rose in the sky. They were flying! She only knew this by feel as she refused to actually open her eyes.

  She felt Colin settle his hands on her waist and squeeze. “Sit up Stephanie, you’re missing some great views.”

  “I’m good, thanks.” Her voice was muffled as her forehead was pressed tightly against the dragons skin.

  Colin tickled her sides, not knowing she was supremely sensitive in those spots and he caused her to wriggle to try and escape those magical fingers. She could not see the devilish grin he sported at this new knowledge.

  “Come on Steph, Quinn won’t let us fall.”

  Quinn huh. At least now she new the name of the person, err, shifter who could possibly be the death of her. She could see the headlines, assuming Faery had newspapers. “Woman killed in flying accident, Dragon Lord mourns stupid, clumsy human female that managed to fall off a perfectly good mount.” Maybe that was a tad too long for a headline, she needed to shorten it.

  Her promising new headline was broken up when Colin moved his hands to her shoulders and pulled her body up. She tried to dig her fingers into the tough hide but couldn’t make much of a dent. In that moment she hated both Quinn and Colin, just on general principal. But that didn’t stop her from grabbing on to Colin’s thighs with a hold that was sure to leave bruises behind.

  “Open your eyes,” he whispered next to her ear.

  No, no, no, no. She didn’t actually say it, but it sure did sound loud in her head.

  “Come on, look around. You’re living an epic quest, you don’t want to miss anything.”

  He wasn’t mocking her, she could tell by the sincerity in his voice. He honestly wanted her to live in the moment.

  She opened her eyes and gasped. They were hundreds of feet in the air, slowly gliding around the valley. Quinn’s wings made a slow glide up and down, which she appreciated. She was sure he could fly really fast if he wanted. Thank goodness he wasn’t a jerk in leather that got a kick out of scaring women.

  Still holding tight to Colin’s thighs, she watched as other dragons flew over where there was a large opening in the rocks with a landing big enough for several dragons. She finally noticed Robert standing with his hands on his hips, watching them fly. Seeing him slowly shake his head, she read his lips. “Show-off.”

  She wanted to laugh but she was still a little bit scared and was certain she would squeak like a mouse.

  Thankfully, Quinn drifted over and landed near Robert. Colin slid off and helped her down, which was nice since her legs were shaking from using muscles she hadn’t known she had.

  Shaking her hands out and stretching her fingers, she worked on getting the blood flow going again. She hoped her nails didn’t leave any marks on Quinn’s back. That could lead to a whole lot of trouble if he had a mate. Or wife. Did dragons have a fated mate or did they just hook up? So many questions to hit Colin with if they ever got some alone time.

  Assuring Colin she could now stand on her own, she noticed Robert had moved to talk to Quinn, who once again looked human.

  “Hey,” she spoke softly hoping the other men wouldn’t hear. “How come he shifts and still has clothes on?”

  “Dragons are magic. They’re not of the earth plane, they’re Fae creatures,” Colin said.

  That bit of information made her more curious about the inhabitants of Faery, but now was not the time as she saw Robert motion them over.

  “Quinn will get us a meeting with the Dragon Lord. He’s kindly invited us to stay in his wing,” Robert told them.

  Quinn crooked his arm out for Stephanie to put her arm through his. “Madam?”

  Colin pinched the bridge of his nose before nodding to her. She could tell he wasn’t upset, more like resigned.

  She consented and allowed Quinn to escort her through the huge archway leading from the landing area. She was so busy looking around she almost missed Quinn’s question.

  “How did you like your first flight?”

  “Awesome,” she fibbed. “Nothing to it.”

  His slight chuckle let her know he wasn’t buying her blasé attitude.

  Walking through the corridors, she couldn’t help but notice people nodding in deference to Quinn. “Are you famous or something?” she asked bluntly.

  If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn he blushed. But no way, he was too suave for that.

  “My father is the Dragon Lord, which makes me next in line,” he said.

  Colin moved to Quinn’s other side and slapped him on the back. “He’s a prince, but you won’t hear him bragging about it. Thank God he’s not a pampered, whiny little monarch.”

  Quinn ignored him, changing the subject as they entered his rooms. “Colin, you know how some dragons feel about earth weapons, so keep that gun tucked away.”

  Stephanie swung around in surprise, leaving her perusal of the room until later. “You have a gun on you?”

  “Hon, I’m a Texan and a sheriff. I always have a gun on me. And a knife.” He paused as if trying to remember if he carried any more weaponry on his person.

  “Oh. Well I was thinking that since you turn into, you know, a huge freaking wolf with big teeth and gigantor claws, you wouldn’t need anything more,” she said.

  They all laughed, which kind of pissed her off. Every werewolf book she ever read disdained using mere human weapons to take down their enemy. Obviously she had to rethink the whole werewolf world now.

  He got serious real fast. “Stephanie, I’m a cop. I handle human situations most of the time. Ian is our pack enforcer. He’s handles any threats to the pack and protects us while also guarding the magical pond.”

  Okay, she got it, different law enforcement for different creatures. Kind of made sense in a surreal, I’m learning about a whole new ‘thang’ kind of way.

  * * *

  “Thank you for seeing us, my lord.” Robert bowed gracefully to the dragon lord.

  They were meeting in his solar, a private room away from nosy ears and prying eyes.

  Stephanie stood slightly behind and to the side of Colin, trying to stay hidden like a school kid sitting in the back of the classroom. Which inevitably made the teacher call on them.

  “Welcome Stephanie, to my province. We don’t get a lot of human visitors, which is a shame as humans are so tasty.” He winked.

  Stephanie gawked. She couldn’t believe the King, Lord High, whatever, was teasing her. Not knowing how to address him, she curtsied and mumbled a quiet thank you. Oh my god, I just curtsied to a dragon lord. Surreal didn’t cover it.

  She sort of drifted along, completely oblivious when Colin guided her to sit on the sofa next to him as Robert explained their need. She was happy to see the dragon lord nod in agreement at their request, though somewhat disappointed their quest would soon be over. Oh, this was going to be so easy. No dragons to slay or mind numbing challenges along the way. She watched as the dragon lord took
the container holding the dragon wine and blew into the opening and wondered why he’d agreed so easily. She’d been under the impression this task would be difficult.

  “That should do it. Tell Doan I’ll want a full report on this person who cursed him. I’m afraid this may be something bigger than just taking Doan out of the picture.” The dragon lord gave the potion back to Robert before turning to Colin.

  “Now I have a request of you, Colin of the Wolf Creek Pack. I have a meeting with the dragon regions in a few moments and I’m requesting your help.” The dragon lord paused and looked at his son.

  Aha! Now she understood why the dragon lord had agreed to help them so easily.

  * * *

  Quinn had tensed up as soon as his father had made a formal request from someone not in the dragon clan, though he understood the need. He and his father had been debating what to do about their problem.

  * * *

  Colin straightened, his full attention on the dragon lord. “Anything you need, sir.”

  The dragon lord sighed. “We have a dragon insisting we should take over the human realm.”

  Stephanie gasped. Humans wouldn’t stand a chance against dragons. A ripple of fear slid down her spine.

  The dragon lord noticed, of course. “Do not fear Stephanie, I will not allow that to happen.”

  She believed him. His deep voice and hypnotic tenor lent sincerity and truthfulness to his speech.

  “What can I do to help?” Colin asked.

  Quinn took over. “We’re about to go into a meeting with representatives from the different provinces. Most are in agreement and do not want a war with the human realm, but a few are greedy and want more land than they have now. My father leads us as our lord, but we are not a dictatorship, but we aren’t a democracy either. Each region will have their say and my father will make the final decision for all.”

  The dragon lord stared directly into Colin’s eyes, holding him with his intense stare. “One of my dragons is evil, but I cannot prove it. He is unstable and volatile.” He paused. “I would like you to testify before my dragons, explain to them the earth realm mind set. Dragons have not typically visited your realm and may not know that humans do not bow down in fear of an opponent.”

  Colin raked a hand through his hair. “Shit, this would be all kinds of bad.” He shook his head in apology for his language. “Sorry sir.”

  Stephanie watched as he got up to pace the room. They all watched him walk and talk to himself, his mutterings unclear.

  He finally stopped pacing and stood before the dragon lord. “Is this why Doan is at Wolf Creek? To start a panic among the humans?”

  “I don’t know!” The dragon lord roared, his frustration showing. His breathed deeply, obviously trying to calm himself down.

  “There are no laws saying dragons cannot go to the human realm. There has always been an unwritten rule to not reveal yourself, but after hearing what was done to Doan, I’m now convinced Amon was behind it. But again, I have no proof.” You could hear the anger in the dragon lord’s voice.

  “Amon? I doona ken him.” Robert’s brow furrowed. “I’ll need to inform the Queen.”

  The dragon lord shook his head. “No need Robert, I’ve already spoken with her. She said she has confidence in my ability to take care of the problem.” Left unsaid was that they both knew she would step in if anyone got close to exposing Faery.

  Stephanie felt like she was at a play without a playbill. “Queen? Aren’t you the king? Or is she the queen regnant?” She was so confused.

  The dragon lord chuckled, dissipating some of the gloom and doom. “I am the Dragon Lord, my reign is of the dragons only. I am not a king. When Robert speaks of the Queen, he means of the Queen of all Faery. She is the only queen in Faery. My wife is known as The Dragon Lady. A somewhat appropriate term.” He smiled.

  Okay, only one queen in this land. Stephanie nodded, yeah, that made things easier to understand.

  Colin discussed his role in their upcoming performance. As a proxy for the human realm, he needed to be coherent and convincing.

  The dragon lord stood. It was time to go, no more deliberating. “And Colin…keep your gun on your person. As I’ve stated, I do not trust Amon.”

  “Always,” Colin said, not surprised the dragon lord knew he was packing.

  Chapter 8

  Entering a large cavern, Stephanie looked around at the men and women standing around in groups, talking. That was until they saw them and quieted down. There were no chairs and she wondered why. Maybe so they could shift quickly? Or maybe it kept the meetings short with no comfy furniture anywhere in site.

  She ran her hand down the wall nearest to her and watched as a sparkly dust appeared on her fingers. She expected to find a wet and cold crypt like stone and was fascinated instead at the cool, dry surface. The dust illuminated the area where she stood, with the small, additional feature of glowing fingers. Absolutely freaking cool! This kind of magic would be awesome for human spelunkers. Putting her hands in her pockets, she hurried to catch up with her friends.

  She was one of the last to enter and was glad, as she was able to hide behind the larger men. She was sure the individuals already there recognized her humanity and they probably wondered why she was here with their king. Or lord. Someday she’d get the titles right. Her group stood aside as the dragon lord went to the middle of the tavern and spoke to his dragons. She studied their faces, trying to pick Amon out of the crowd.

  “There have been some rumors flying around about invading the human realm. I will state to you now, I will not invade! Nor will your Queen allow this. This is a foolhardy plan in my opinion. You already know my reasons, but you have not heard from one who lives there. I have asked Colin of the Wolf Creek Pack to speak on their behalf.” He nodded to Colin.

  Stephanie admired the way Colin confidently strode to the middle of the room and addressed the audience.

  “Humans are not ready to learn of us. They fear magic and will fight back with more than any of you can imagine. They are not weak in any way. If they have one foe to focus on, they will throw everything they have against it and will unify to defeat you. You also do not have the Fae community behind this outrageous proposal. I suggest you drop this foolish plot before it goes any further.” Expecting either outrage or questions, he waited for both.

  Most of the practical thinking dragons shook their heads in agreement, silently admonishing the over zealous ones.

  “I’d heard the rumors.” Stroking his long, white beard, the older dragon stood out in the crowd. “These uprisings have come and gone many, many times in my lifetime. Which, as most of you know has been pretty darn long.” He paused at the chuckles echoing through the chamber. “Living in the Faery world benefits dragons beyond the incredibly beautiful landscape and clean air to fly in. Lest you younger dragons forget, Faery magic sustains us. Your magic comes from this plain, and this plain only. Yes, you could live on earth, but at what cost? Over the centuries you would not be as strong as you are living here. Oh yes, you could visit Faery and get a boost, but it’s not the same as soaking it in every day. You would start to age at a faster rate and at my age, I can’t afford to lose any more years.” They chuckled again as he stepped back into the crowd, his speech done.

  Stephanie noted the tone of the room and from her observations these dragons had no need or desire to start a war with humans. She wondered if Amon was even here, or maybe he was doing his work behind the scenes and trying to influence dragons on a small scale. Whispers to attentive ears can do a lot of damage.

  “That’s easy for you to say, old one. You have a large province for your clan. What about the younger dragons?”

  Stephanie no longer wondered. Evidently this was Amon and he decided it was time to speak up. She wasn’t impressed. Oh, he was tall like every shifter she’d met, and cute, but not beautiful. He had the pretty boy face of a young model doing underwear ads, but no character lines showing any strength or adversity. Wh
at he did have was charisma, and that was a dangerous thing in a young, untried rebel. Whether he was intelligent or imbecile, she wasn’t sure yet. The combination of charisma and intelligence could do horrible things in a society willing to follow any leader that stood out among the crowd. So far with what she knew of dragons, she didn’t think that was possible since stubbornness seemed to be bred into their bones and blindly following simply wasn’t going to happen. She tuned back in when she heard him getting louder and more virulent in his speech.

  “Enough,” the dragon lord shouted and pointed at Amon. “You are greedy. There is plenty of space in Faery and each province provides an area for every clan. I would suggest you speak with the governor of your region before you go off half-cocked wanting to invade another realm.” The dragon lord turned his back in obvious dismissal.

  Stephanie couldn’t help but worry as Amon visibly trembled in outrage. Her fear kicked up a notch when a growl rumbled throughout the room. She noted the dragons stiffening in response, readying for a fight. But to her horror, Colin still stood in the middle of the room making a perfect target for Amon’s rage.

  Could a wolf take out a dragon if they both shifted? She doubted it. But man against man? Yeah, she believed in Colin. She bit her lip to stop herself from yelling out and distracting Colin when she could see he was totally fixated on Amon. Barely aware of Quinn and Robert, she felt the air stir when they moved to back up Colin.

  She watched the dragon lord walk away from Amon in disgust.

  Amon leapt at the dragon lord, claws showing where fingernails had been a moment before. No one was close enough to stop him from ripping into their lord, except for Colin and he didn’t hesitate. He moved in a blur so fast, Stephanie now understood how he’d been able to catch up to her in the restaurant parking lot.