Dragon Guard: Book 1: Prophecy of the Dragons

by E. J. Krause

  Her mom laughed and went over to give her a big hug, while her dad gave her a smile and a wink. Andi cried tears of joy and practically crushed Ben's fingers as she reached over to take his hand. He couldn't quite make out what the big deal was, but he'd find out later.

  "Yes, you get to graduate," her father said. "But since we have a few years to worry about that, as well, why don't you two tell us all about what happened while we were stuck out there. I've been patient long enough."

  He and Andi explained everything that happened while her parents had been trapped in Derian's realm. None of it much mattered anymore since they'd won, but they went over every detail. Her parents didn't interrupt the story, which Ben and Andi took turns telling, and the only parts they showed any sort of reaction to at all were Ben's supposedly impossible feats. Ben tried to downplay what he did while he told the story, but Andi wouldn't let him. He wanted to say she exaggerated her tellings, but she didn't, not really.

  When they were through, Ben's dad was the first to speak. "Wow, that was quite something. You guys didn't tell us all of it."

  "We didn't want to freak you out too much," Ben answered.

  His mom smiled. "I always knew you were destined to be something great. And I don't mean that because I'm your mother."

  "That's more true than you know, Heidi," Mrs. Thomas said. "It's more than likely he'd have had much of this power without having become Andi's guard. Those powers look to be simply complimentary. When we found out he could sense the undead before the two of them were even given a minor binding, we …"

  "That's enough, Cassie," Mr. Thomas said, while Ben and Andi simultaneously said, "What?"

  The silence in the room was deafening, with Ben, Andi, and Ben's parents waiting breathlessly for an explanation, while Andi's parents said nothing. Aloud, anyway. Both had the severe headaches of telepathic communication. Once their pain subsided, Mrs. Thomas broke the silence.

  "We'll talk about it another time. We promise."

  "No," Ben and Andi said, but Mr. Thomas ended any debate.

  "Later," he said. The tone of his voice was such that even Andi didn't argue.

  Ben looked at his parents, and a thought struck him. "At least you guys will get to see the wedding." He hadn't given it much thought, but now he realized they would end up missing most of his life. That sucked. No, that was beyond suck. Especially now that they were back to the type of parents he wanted.

  "Actually, kid, we're going to see a lot more than just the wedding," Dad said.

  Huh? "But if I only age one year for every fifty human years, how is that possible?"

  "Cassie and Lee offered us a gift, and we accepted," his mom said. She beamed at Andi's parents and gave Mrs. Thomas a hug. "The most wonderful present we could ever imagine."

  "It's unfair for the Dragon Guard's parents to be robbed of their child," Mr. Thomas said. "So it's within our power to offer the dragon lifespan to them."

  "Yeah," Mrs. Thomas said, her arms still around Ben's mom. She winked. "You can't expect them to miss out on meeting their grandchild, can you?"

  What? Grandchild? But how …? "We haven't …"

  The adults all laughed, even Mr. Thomas. Andi's look of horror mirrored his own.

  "That's right. You haven't," Mr. Thomas said, but with his humor surprisingly intact. "And you won't until we allow you to have a mortal wedding."

  Before either could say anything (and what could they say to that, anyway, especially to their parents?) Mrs. Thomas said, "Don't worry. Dragons are physically unable to conceive or create a child until they are around 1000 years old. But without that worry, it'll make your first couple hundred years of marriage that much more fun."

  "Mother!" Andi yelled, while her father screamed, "Cassandra!"

  Ben's parents laughed, but also pulled her parents out of the room. "Okay, let's leave the kids alone for awhile," his mom said. She glanced back at them with a stern look. "As long as the door stays open and you promise to be good."

  Ben chuckled and nodded, but Andi was still too embarrassed by her mother's words. When they were alone, she glanced at him shyly.

  Then she pounced.

  To be continued in Book 2: Dragon Dreams

  (And keep reading for an excerpt from Dragon Dreams)

  About the Author

  E.J. Krause lives minutes from Disneyland, and he does his best to grab the spare creativity the place bleeds off. He writes speculative fiction for many different age groups. Please visit him in his stomping grounds on the World Wide Web:

  Website: http://erickrauseauthor.blogspot.com/

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/ericjkrause

  I'd love for you to give Dragon Guard a review on Amazon, your blog, Facebook, or wherever you'd like to help spread the word. Thank you!

  Excerpt from Dragon Dreams: Book 2 of Prophecy of the Dragons

  Chapter 1

  "Are you sure you two are okay not being included?" Ben's mom asked. "We can still get you tickets if you want them."

  "Or you can stroll around the Hollywood Walk of Fame," his dad said. "Get me a few last minute Christmas gifts."

  The adults all laughed, while Andi chuckled along, her politeness overriding her annoyance. Ben had no such thought as he sighed and rolled his eyes.

  "We're fine," he said. "Go, before you miss your play."

  "What are the big plans? You two are sure eager to get rid of us," Cassie, Andi's mom, said.

  He and Andi both answered, her loud enough for them all to hear, while he muttered and hoped no one did.

  "Pizza and a movie," she said. "Either a DVD or a trip to the theater. We haven't decided yet."

  Ben's answer wasn't nearly as pleasant. "Not having sex, that's for sure." Though if their plan succeeded, that would be a lie.

  Andi kicked his foot, not hard, but hard enough to tell him to knock it off. Neither of his parents, nor Lee, Andi's dad, heard, but Cassie flashed him a quick apologetic grin. He didn't mind if she heard; he'd bitched about the chastity spell to her enough. She'd tried to talk Lee out of it, but Ben's future father-in-law wouldn't hear of it. His little girl wasn't losing her virginity until she was married, and his parents whole-heartedly agreed. Only Cassie realized how incredibly difficult it was for a dragon and her mate to be bound and not express their physical love. But, as always when it came to that subject, Lee wouldn't budge, compromise, or otherwise see reason.

  "Have fun, kids," the two moms called as they left, while the dads gave fatherly waves. The only positive thing to come from the spell was that Lee had become much friendlier. Ben had never been able to see the playful side of the man, the dragon, that Andi so loved, but now that he no longer viewed Ben as a threat to her innocence, as Cassie liked to put it, he was a lot more laid back. In fact, Ben rarely saw the big, scary man that he had grown accustomed to those first few weeks. That part was great, but he still couldn't help but hold a little bit of resentment at not being able to make love to his beautiful mate. Yes, as far as anyone knew, they were 16, though in dragon years they were still only 15, as they would be for another 40 or so years. To top it all off, if they were using human years, Andi was 759 years old. Just something else that would have blown the minds of most people. That sort of thing didn't make Ben blink twice since he'd been destined to be her Dragon Guard, her bound mate and protector. A soul mate, most people might have called it.

  As soon as their parents were out the door, Andi leaped into his arms, and their lips devoured each others'. He hugged her tight and loved the way her arms squeezed him. He'd never get tired of this, her closeness, her touch. Their binding took care of that, and he couldn't be happier.

  He moved his hand under her shirt and caressed her stomach. She moaned into his mouth and pressed herself tighter against him. He pushed up further, feeling her ribs under his fingers. She gazed into his eyes and nodded. They'd planned this for the past couple of days, when they knew for certain they'd have the house to themselves for an entire evening. Ben clutc
hed his eyes shut and concentrated. He could feel the chastity spell engulfing her, same as always, but he still couldn't get a grip on it. It was like it was a part of her very essence, and he hated that he couldn't zap it away.

  Yet.

  Today, instead of focusing on a certain part of the spell, as he'd been doing, he planned to take it out as a whole. He didn't understand his powers anyway, so why not ask them to erase it all at once? He always surprised himself, along with Andi and both sets of parents, with the things he could do, so why not this? He pushed and prodded, and then braced himself for a big mental tug that would rid them of this indignity that was so unbecoming of a dragon and her guard.

  Ben gave everything he had and went lightheaded, while Andi swooned next to him. They stared each other in the eyes, too nervous to speak aloud. He scanned her again, and this time felt nothing of the omnipresent spell that had been the bane of their existence for over a year. Her emotions sang that she couldn't feel it, either. His hand trembled as he moved it up further. His breath caught in his throat as he brushed the bottom swell of her left breast.

  "No!" she shouted, shocking him back from her. He read right away that her outburst was both from the spell in place and her frustration at that fact. She crashed into his arms and fought hard to keep from crying, while he did the same. Now that they knew it was still there, he could feel the stupid spell as strong as ever.

  "I think whatever I did erased it from our minds for a minute. I don't know what else to do."

  She nodded into his chest. "I guess we put up with it for another year and a half." The spell would be lifted as soon as they graduated high school and had a proper human wedding. The day after graduation, if they had their way.

  Ben gave her forehead a peck, stood up, and punched the back of the couch. Controlling his anger had become harder and harder lately, so he'd taken Cassie's advice and hit something soft or swatted his sword against something inanimate in order to ward off a huge temper tantrum, as Andi was fond of calling them. He hated that assessment, but, of course, she had a knack of saying it at the perfect moment to calm him down.

  "It's not fair." Another punch to the couch. "It's not." Another punch, this one digging through the cushions so much it stung his hand.

  Before he could deliver another blow, Andi stood and engulfed him in a hug. "I agree, but freaking out about it isn't going to help. If you insist on hitting things, go into Mom's practice room and cream some targets with a sword. I was hoping to have a good time tonight, not a trip to the ER."

  Ben slumped down on the couch. "It'd heal on its own if it broke. Before we even made it to the hospital."

  She sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I know. But are you picking up on what I'm saying?"

  He did, and wanted to put an end to the subject for the night, but it wouldn't quit nagging at him. The best thing in the world would be to pull out his phone and fire up the pizza delivery app, and maybe see if there was anything good showing at the Citrus Valley 12 Theaters. Andi thought so, even if she didn't voice it. Not that she had to since they could sense each other's emotions so clearly, and right now she was shooting positive energy at him. That was usually enough to quell one of his outbursts, but not tonight. Not when one name came to mind.

  Rico.

  "It's that damn demon," he said, venom dripping off every word.

  Andi rolled her eyes. "You keep blaming him for no reason."

  "He's the one who gave your dad the spell."

  "So are you going to blame Amazon when your iPad breaks?"

  "That's not the same thing."

  "It is, too. Close enough, anyway. If you want to be mad at someone, you should be mad at my dad."

  "Rico didn't have to give him such a good one. That demon has had it out for me from the start."

  "Ben, that's enough. Can't we order the pizza? I'm getting hungry."

  He brooded for a second, almost gave in, and then the fire reignited. "I want to go to Orangeville Acres."

  Andi's face lit up. "Yeah, that'll be fun. I want a Whirlyburger, fries, and a Secret Society Chocolate Shake. Unless you think you might puke that all up when we go on the Secret of the Whirlybird."

  That was the newest rollercoaster in the amusement park, an awesome ride in and of itself, with its explosive launch and multiple loops, but it also had a whole spy story to go along with it. It was so cool it even had a themed restaurant and shop. That little area in itself made the annual passes they got last Christmas worth it, to say nothing of the rest of the already awesome theme park.

  "I'm not lucky enough to have a bottomless dragon gullet," he said. "Besides, you're going to have to wait until after we see Rico to do anything."

  "Ben, no. What would be the point? He's not going to take it back, and he won't give us a chance to earn it off. Not against my dad's wishes."

  Ben stood and went to get his coat, car keys, and wallet. Andi zipped up to her room to get her purse and a jacket of her own. Even if she wasn't thrilled with the prospect of confronting Rico, there was no way she'd pass on a chance to hit Orangeville Acres.

  As they drove the half-hour or so trek, Andi did all she could to talk about any subject besides Rico. Though his anger had died down considerably, Ben held onto enough so that he still obsessed over the demon. The first time he'd met Rico, on the quest to rescue his parents, the demon had looked down upon him and Andi because they'd had a partial rather than a full bind. When he and Andi had gone back later by themselves, Rico threatened to take their future child as payment for his help. Ben tried to attack the demon, and it hadn't ended well, with Rico putting Ben on his back in less than a second. After that, Ben and Rico didn't get along. Andi contended he was imagining things, especially since they'd rescued that ugly statue for him, but he knew he wasn't. Rico didn't like him, and he didn't like Rico.

  Parking proved no problem. The lot had a ton of cars, thanks to it being the Winter Holiday Season, but it wasn't near capacity. Next week, between Christmas and New Year's, would be a better test of how much parking there was. The park was also crowded, but not so busy that it wouldn't be fun. Later. After he took care of business.

  Andi continued chiseling away, hoping to change his mind. She didn't say anything overt, but she ignored his wishes and planned out what she wanted to do. Normally he'd let her have her way, but not tonight. He worked himself up enough to where this confrontation was needed; it wasn't just about the chastity spell anymore.

  "Is Whirlybird Burgers okay with you for dinner?" she asked after they'd gone through the gates.

  "It's fine. Sounds good, actually. We'll go right after Reach for the Sky." That was the only way to get into Rico's realm from this part of the world. The ride shot you out at a hundred miles an hour, through a loop, and up a 90 degree incline. Most people then ran through the track backwards, but if one went to Rico's, you entered at the apex of the climb. When you left his realm, he deposited you right outside the ride's exit gates.

  "Let's at least eat first. I'm hungry."

  "Dragons are always hungry. You can deal with it."

  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  "We'll spend the rest of the night doing whatever you want. We'll even stay until closing. But I want to see Rico now."

  Andi opened her mouth to argue, but swallowed her retort. Instead, she said, "Fine. But I want to browse the jewelry store at the exit of the mine car ride. And I want to have a waffle cone sundae from that ice cream shop on the boardwalk, no matter how long the line is." Ben usually managed to talk her out of the wait if the queue stuck out the door, as it did most every time they were here. No doubt it would do the same again tonight.

  "Deal."

  "I don't even know why this is so important," she said. "It's not like this was the first time you've tried to break the spell and failed."

  "Because," he said, but didn't have anything to add to that. Yeah, they'd been thwarted from sex many times before, and he'd blamed Rico then, too. They'd even h
ad opportunities to come to Orangeville Acres some of those times, but lately the anger engulfed him so much easier. Times before he'd explode, let it all out, and be fine. Now he didn't explode quite as powerfully, but the anger lingered. It poisoned him, his mom said. Andi feared that, too, but for a different reason than his mom, who was simply afraid he was turning into a pain in the butt. Concern filled Andi because of the prophecy. His often irrational anger could very well be pointing him towards turning evil. Neither of them actually knew what the prophecy said, but that little fact didn't keep them from fretting over it.

  "Last chance to not be a butthead," she said as they climbed past the open safety gates into the train for Reach for the Sky. "We can decide to not say the incantation and go off and have fun tonight."

  He placed a kiss on her neck. "I know. I'm sorry. I can't explain it, but we need to do this. Okay?"

  As they buckled up and pulled the shoulder restraints down, he could feel all of her concentration on him.

  "Fine. I don't get it, but if it's that important to you, we'll go. Remember, I speak the incantation, and you picture Rico's realm and keep me in mind."

  "Okay. Thanks, Andi. I love you."

  "You better," she said, but he heard the smile in her voice. "I'm not kidding about the jewelry store. And we're waiting for ice cream even if the line goes all the way down the boardwalk."

  He started to laugh when the train exploded out of the station. He hadn't braced himself, and his stomach sat back there, probably never to return. It wasn't until they were on the downside of the loop that he remembered to think about both Rico's realm and Andi saying the incantation. At the top of the incline, the other passengers felt weightless for a split-second before plummeting down backwards, while Ben and Andi kept moving up, now not physically, but climbing through the multiverse to Rico's small patch of reality.

  Rico smiled and opened his arms in welcome as soon as they appeared. Just seeing that smarmy face shot bolts of white-hot rage through Ben, and he launched himself at the demon. He didn't think about what power to hurl ahead of him, simply letting his subconscious mind, or whatever controlled his non-Dragon Guard energy, pick the best option. That was how he rolled, and so far it worked well.