by A. C. Ryals
Chapter 6
Down a long gravel driveway shrouded by maple and pine trees was Wrath’s two-story country home. Pine needles blanketed the ground around the house prohibiting the growth of a lawn of any sort. That was fine with Wrath. Less maintenance. He never understood the fixation some humans had with covering the ground in a monoculture of turf grass that needed continual care.
Farther down the road was a large metal barn that served as a parking garage for his people. They parked there to hide their numbers. They didn’t live with him in the house, they had their own accommodations below ground.
Wrath knew his many times great granddaughter Lily was inside the house before he opened the door. His sweet girl smelled like cedar and strawberries now that she was a teenager. A few years ago, she always smelled like dirt, old leaves, and stolen candy.
Lily was spoiled rotten, but well loved. It would be easy to get the impression that she was favored over her older sister, Iris, but that wasn’t the case. The truth was, Iris was the one who insisted her baby sister be spoiled. She doted on the girl and everyone else followed suit to please Iris.
The girls were adopted, sharing the same birth parents, but they’d won the hearts of the whole family.
When he walked into his house, the teenager came bounding into the entryway. He had just enough time to put down the groceries before she jumped into his arms and attempted to squeeze the life out of him. She might have broken a rib if he wasn’t a dragon.
“You find anything, sweetheart?” Wrath asked.
She released him from the hug and gave him her best angry look, which wasn’t all that convincing.
“I was worried about you, Poppy. Have the dragons found you?” she asked.
“I think so, but I can handle myself. What do you have?”
She turned on her heel and headed for the dining room, her blond ponytail bouncing along with her. “A lot. Since she has magic, I looked for her family to find a clue on what she is and that’s where it gets interesting.”
Wrath followed her to the dining table where she’d set up a laptop.
“First off, she’s an orphan,” Lily said. “I may know why. There was a restraining order against her mother filed by one Aegidius Calvin III.”
“My brother,” Wrath said.
“Right. A week later, there’s a gas explosion at her house. Only Jess survived. The news stories said she was unharmed. An infant found in smoldering rubble like it was a miracle or something. It must be her magic. She was then raised by her paternal grandparents who were as boring as humans can be. Her maternal grandmother is more interesting, though.”
Lily brought up an old government document. “She was convicted of harassment of guess who?”
“Aegidius?”
“That’s the one. Only it was Aegidius Calvin II. Same dragon, though. I think she comes from a line of dragon hunters, Poppy. That’s why I had every right to be worried. I know you’re a big strong dragon, but if she had set a trap…”
“Is there any evidence that she’s even aware of dragons?”
“She went to work for Kurtis Drake. I didn’t even have to look up that guy to know he was a dragon. The name is a little on the nose.”
“The explosion, is there anything to suggest it wasn’t an accident?”
“It was ruled an accident. I think it was, but I think her mother caused it. I think she was building a bomb in the basement beside the furnace.”
Lily brought up what looked like scanned images of handwritten reports.
“Bits of the mom were found by the furnace along with what one investigator thought might be the makings of a pipe bomb. She was going to try to kill a dragon but orphaned her daughter instead. Dumbass. Like a pipe bomb would have worked anyway.”
“Did you find any connection between Aegidius and her family other than the harassment and restraining order?”
“Nope. No idea how they found him. Both Jess’s mother and grandmother worked regular middle-class jobs that weren’t in any way affected by anything Aegidius did. He didn’t even own real estate on their side of town.”
“There may not have been a connection before, but it’s possible Aegidius kept track of Jess when she was growing up and put a word in for her with Kurt.”
“I’ll see what I can find, but I’ll need dad’s help to look into the financials. I’m not sure how she paid for college or anything. Her parents were in debt when they died, and her grandparents weren’t any better off. She got a scholarship, but not a full ride. Maybe Aegidius helped her out and then got Kurtis to hire her. He wouldn’t have made it obvious, though.”
“Could be. Tell your dad look into it. Any sign that the mom or grandmother had magic?”
“No, but that wouldn’t be obvious in public records. Maybe that’s how they found Aegidius, though.”
“Thank you, little one.”
Lily looked up at him, giving her best puppy dog eyes. “You’ll stay away from her, right?”
“I can’t. I need to know why she was sent here.”
Determination filled Lily’s eyes. “If she tries to hurt you, I’ll kill her.”
“You said the same thing about the baker if he was out of blueberry doughnuts again, but point taken. I’m bringing her here this afternoon. No slithering through the woods to spy. As far as I know she doesn’t know about any of us. Keep your distance, okay?”
“Yes, Poppy.”
“Good girl. Now help me put away the groceries.”
Lily dutifully helped him. It was an odd change to go from the outside world where people treated him like he was an attractive young man in his mid to late twenties to being at home where he was the venerated patriarch that his descendants felt obliged to serve and protect. The young often needed to be reminded that his age made him more powerful, not less. If anyone was going to do the protecting, it was Wrath.
Unlike his father, he didn’t rule his people like a king, though some insisted on treating him like one. His son, Seth, had written colorful chronicles of Wrath’s history on scrolls some thousand years ago. They’d been copied and recopied a hundred times as well as being translated. Wrath was a living legend among his people because of those silly stories. Most were based on a far darker reality, but Wrath let the young have their fun retelling the mythology of their ancestor without correction. It wasn’t really about him. It was about them and their taking pride in their history in a way they saw fit.
He’d always encouraged them to develop their own culture and they did, complete with holidays.
Lily left through the patio door and headed toward the wooded back of the property where she lived with her family. Wrath had tried to live underground as they did but found that he needed more sunlight. Only when he slept did he prefer being underground.
As soon as the distraction of Lily was gone, Wrath’s mind turned to Jess. She was a lovely thing, the perfect trap for him. He wanted to touch her again and catch the sweet scent of her arousal. The thought of her heart-shaped ass pressed against his crotch awakened his dick. Great.
He decided to take a quick shower, but there were still images of Jess in his mind. Hot water caressing his body, he eased his discomfort with the palm of his hand. He hadn’t had it this bad since he was a kid over four thousand years ago. That had to mean something.
He got out of the shower and put on looser jeans to make room for the inevitable erection. He also put on a sweater that would add a layer of concealment.
His inner dragon remained annoyingly silent when he thought of Jess. That also had to mean something, didn’t it? His dragon was never slow to give a warning and he still trusted it to do so. Maybe it saw Jess as a different kind of threat.
Maybe she could make her way into his heart.
That was a problem. As much as he felt driven to find a mate, he’d had a mate and lost her. She’d given him a family and he’d always be grateful for that. To find a new mate and start a new family would be a regression. He couldn’t bring
dragons into his family and, whatever magic Jess had, they’d most likely have dragon offspring.
His family fought and died for independence from dragon rule. He couldn’t upset the balance they’d achieved.
No, she couldn’t be his mate. If that was what Etel was going for, he’d failed. Wrath might fuck Jess, but she’d never be his mate and he’d never bring dragons into his family. It would incite a war with dragons wanting to claim his offspring as their own. Wanting to rule them and use them.
As he prepared to leave to meet Jess, Wrath swore he would never let that happen.
He had to get his head in the game. He’d get all the information he could from Jess, maybe have some fun with her, and send her on her way. She was working with Kurt and Etel. She might even be a dragon hunter. Jess was the enemy.
If he kept reminding himself of that he’d be fine.
Chapter 7
A baby girl. Kurt never thought he’d have a girl. No first-generation dragon had ever had one. His little girl was special from the start. He saw her scales for just a moment after she was born, and that was all he needed to see to know that she was a dragon. The first female dragon shifter ever born, though her magic had a foreign feel to it.
“Her magic is healthy, though not purely dragon. She won’t need an exam,” the mage said.
Shifter babies had magic and were more durable than humans. Having the mage there for the birth was overkill. Of course the baby was healthy. The only strange thing was that she was female.
Girls had been born to dragon parents, but they weren’t shifters. His daughter’s teal and copper scales were proof that she was a shifter.
My treasure, his dragon commented.
She was his and he’d always protect her. It was hard to hand the baby girl with blue eyes and a mop of dark hair on her head over to Faith, but with some prodding from the mage, he managed it. He still stayed close, lying beside the two of them on the bed, keeping his hand on his new daughter as though she’d disappear if he wasn’t touching her.
He wanted more of them. He’d thought it before, but now he was sure. He wanted a house full of little dragons.
Not that he could tell Faith that. She’d spent quite some time screaming about how Kurt was never touching her again. The mage had eased the pain, but Faith was still panicked about the whole thing. The next one would be easier, he assumed. Maybe it got easier every time. He’d look it up and present his case later.
“She’s perfect,” Faith said, tears running down her face.
As usual, the tears agitated his dragon.
Kill the mage, it suggested. It clearly blamed the mage for Faith’s emotional state.
“She is perfect. Just like her mommy,” Kurt said, ignoring his inner beast.
“I should tell my parents,” Faith said.
“I’ll tell everyone. You just enjoy this moment, angel.”
As much as he wanted to enjoy the moment as his baby girl latched to Faith’s breast for the first time, he sensed his mate was still emotional. He’d do anything to make her feel better, so he pulled out his phone. He had messages but ignored them at first. He sent a text to his father, Kur, and to Faith’s parents letting them know they were grandparents of a yet unnamed little girl. Kurt and Faith had focused on boy names. They’d have to bring out the books again.
It was still strange for Kurt to have a father he could report to. Kur had been asleep for most of Kurt’s life. Even after Kur woke, they’d barely had contact. Kurt almost preferred not to know his father.
He sent a message to his best friend and nephew, Talon, who was also expecting a child soon.
Only then did he notice the increasingly panicked messages from Clarence that ended with a picture of Jess with a familiar face. Kurt had never seen Ezzu before, but it was almost like looking in a mirror. If Kurt cut his hair and grew a beard, he’d look almost exactly like the dragon in the picture. He was unmistakably a first-generation dragon. Kurt could almost feel his power through the screen.
He’d done this. He put an innocent woman in the path of a monster.
“Did my parents respond?” Faith asked.
There were new messages, but Kurt had to help Jess. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about her until that moment.
“Give me just a second,” Kurt said.
He sent a message to Clarence: Sorry for leaving you hanging. My last message must have scared the shit out of you. I was in a bit of a panic because my wife went into labor. I overreacted. Jess will be fine.
He was lying, of course. Because Jess was now in contact with a dragon, Clarence had to be cut out of the loop. There was nothing he could do to help Jess get away from Ezzu. Even Kurt, a first-generation dragon himself, couldn’t stand up to the most powerful firedrake on the planet. Ezzu’s magic was too old and too strong. Only Etel could help her now.
Kurt forwarded the picture of Jess and Ezzu to Etel with the message: Now what?
Etel replied: I’ll handle it. You have enough on your plate. Kur told me the news. Congratulations. You’re about to be inundated with arranged marriage proposals for your little girl. Enjoy.
Kurt: Fuck.
Kurt would have to come out with a fair, blanket response to interested dragons. Some would contact him on behalf of their sons, but others might contact him on their own behalf. Dragons older than Kurt would want to mate his daughter when she came of age.
There was no way he’d force her into a mating at sexual maturity, a mere two and a half decades of age. He might allow some dragons to meet her, but only if she was interested in meeting them. For all he knew, she may grow up to prefer females. It wasn’t unheard for dragons to be uninterested in the opposite sex.
No dragon would be alone with her lest they get tempted to try to kidnap her. That would be a fatal error on their part and one Kurt would rather avoid.
“What are you growling about?” Faith asked.
“There might not be an equivalent to a nunnery for our little drakaina, but I’ll try to make one,” Kurt said.
“You have a protective daddy,” Faith whispered to the baby.
He switched over to messages from friends and family and read them to Faith as their daughter fed eagerly like a healthy shifter newborn.
His protective instincts in high gear, he couldn’t help but feel a crushing guilt over failing to protect his employee. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Aegidius that the woman he’d recommended for a job at Kurt’s firm had been handed over to an enemy.
Chapter 8
Wrath pulled his truck beside Brad’s in the bistro’s parking lot. He’d been watching the bistro for any unusual activity. It was a few minutes before 2 o’clock so Wrath took a moment to consult with him.
“Nothin’ too unusual,” Brad said after rolling down his window. “No dragons or anything. There was a werewolf and a couple of bears. They all left in a hurry. I reckon they caught your scent on the girl. They looked spooked. The girl worked like everybody else, though. No real action.”
Brad didn’t ask how Wrath had gotten his scent on her. He had better sense than that.
“Thanks,” Wrath said. “Lily found out Jess has connections to another dragon in Austin. Her family might’ve been dragon hunters. I don’t think she’s one but keep the kids in tonight to be on the safe side. I dunno if dragon hunters can tell the difference.”
“Got it. You need me to stick around?”
“Nah. You go on.”
As Brad left, Wrath headed inside. He picked up Jess’s scent immediately—cherry blossoms and coffee. Anu help him, he already felt a tightness in his groin. The sooner he got her out of his system, the better. Still, his dragon was silent. It seemed passive aggressive at this point.
Jess came out from the back and he felt a smile forming on his lips. She mirrored it, or maybe it was a genuine feeling. He couldn’t tell. He should be able to tell but his dragon was fucking napping or something.
What he could tell was that the smile on her
pouty lips was sweetly seductive. Kissing her, tasting her, was all he wanted in that moment.
“Have you heard from our mutual friends?” he asked, trying to keep his head in the game.
“I got a couple of texts. Not too interesting. I have questions, though,” she said.
“I hope I can answer them. Come on, let’s go somewhere we can talk more privately.”
She seemed a little nervous. Possibly because the shifters that came in earlier said something stupid. Bears weren’t known for their brains.
As he held the door open for her, she said, “Clarence texted to say Kurt overreacted.”
“Interesting,” Wrath said, leading her to his truck.
“Apparently, Kurt’s wife was in labor and he wasn’t in his right mind.”
“You believe that?”
“It might be true.”
“I think he saw the picture and decided to change the game plan,” Wrath said, walking around to open the passenger door.
Jess stopped before getting in and looked Wrath square in the eyes. “Probably. Why’s he afraid of you? Why is everyone afraid of you?”
She wasn’t getting in unless he answered, he could see that.
“That’s two different questions,” Wrath said. “As to my family, it’s because of choices I made in the past that I don’t regret. Not even a little. For others, they fear me as much as they would any of my brothers, including Kurt. I mean, look at me.”
She narrowed her eyes at his vague answer but got into the truck anyway. He closed the door behind her and then walked around to get in on the driver’s side wondering if it was a little too easy to get her to ride off with him, a virtual stranger.
Did she really trust him or was there something else giving her a sense of security?
His dragon had no comment. Rude.
~
Jess knew that Wrath couldn’t murder her for several reasons. First, she’d been seen leaving with him. Second, she’d had plenty of time to tell a lot of people she was going to see him after work. Third, her employer knew she was with him and he could track her with her phone. Fourth, he wanted information from her and killing her would be counterproductive. Fifth, her rental car was sitting in the parking lot and would be noticed if she didn’t return.