The Dragon and the Vampire

by A. K. Michaels

  “What?! Are you sure? If so, we must stop them!” Esther interrupted him; her voice rising, which surprised him greatly. Esther was always calm, and he didn’t think he had ever heard her raise her voice, in all the years he had known her.

  “Yes, I’m sure, and yes, we have to stop them. My Sire has already explained to me that Dragons are real and we have to help.”

  Again, the old Witch broke in, “Your Sire? He has seen a Dragon?”

  “Not only seen, but he helped them four centuries ago when they were being hunted. Apparently, it was these hunters that destroyed my town and when Josef found me. So yes, he is very keen for me to help this particular Dragon.” Ronan stopped, waiting to see if Esther added anything.

  “I see, all I can say is that there are very few left. In fact, this one may be the last...so we absolutely have to ensure its safety. What do you need from me?”

  Ronan smiled. Having Esther on board would greatly enhance their odds of defeating the hunters, especially if they were wielding dark magic.

  “I’ve got some intel that the hunters, or at least one of them, may be using dark magic and, as you know, that’s dangerous to all of us. So I was hoping you would be involved in our searches, in case we come up against them.” Ronan had no doubts now that Esther would help, and he wasn’t wrong.

  “Of course I will. I would think there will only be one wielding the magic though. They tend to hunt with one Witch and several others helping. Dark magic is still rare, and he will be working with other supernatural beings, probably Vampires as they are so fast....”

  Ronan was the one to interrupt this time. “Vampires? For their speed...why?”

  Esther almost chuckled, he could hear it just before she seemed to catch herself. “Because, Ronan, Dragons while in human form are very fast. They will need Vampires to have even a ghost of a chance of catching this one.”

  Ronan’s breath caught in his throat, the girl, was she the Dragon? She had certainly moved with a speed he hadn’t thought possible, disappearing so fast that they couldn’t track her. Was that girl the Dragon? He found himself hoping she was.

  “I see. We saw a girl and she called me a ‘bloodsucking leech’ before moving so fast that the half second it took us to react...she was gone.” Ronan could still see those violet eyes, clearly in his mind, every time he thought on her.

  “That would be about right. Dragons stay hidden, usually within the human world. They try to stay away from other supernatural beings, because they would sense they weren’t what they seemed. This girl…her hatred for Vampires probably comes from a long time trying to escape their clutches. I can well understand why she would call you that.” Esther actually laughed at this point and the sound was like a high tinkling coming down the line.

  “Okay, so this girl is the Dragon. We need to find her Esther, and keep her safe.” Ronan’s heart lurched as he thought of Vampires hunting the girl. She was tall but looked undernourished; she needed help...his help. He shook his head trying to clear it as he tried to process his reaction. He didn’t even know this Dragon, but already he was trying to figure out how to get his hands on her...to keep her safe, of course...or that’s what he was trying to tell himself.

  “Yes, we do, when are you going out again?” Esther asked, as her laughter died down.

  “Tomorrow night, around ten. I’m taking Sam, Drake and Serge with me, and you, of course, if you can make it,”

  Esther replied instantly, “I’ll be ready, see you then, Ronan.”

  “Thank you,” he answered, knowing that their chances of success had just risen substantially.

  “Goodbye.” Esther hung up the phone and Ronan stood, wondering about his reaction to the girl. Strange didn’t even come close.

  He replaced the phone on the desk. “Sam.” He raised his voice only slightly as he summoned his second.

  It was a couple of minutes before Sam appeared; still looking slightly disgruntled about not going on his date the next evening. Tough, the Dragon was far more important than Sam getting his pleasure from some hot little Wolf.

  “What?” Sam all but snapped, obviously pissed off.

  “I’ve just spoken to Esther...she’s coming with us tomorrow by the way...she was explaining how fast Dragons are in human form. That girl we saw is the Dragon...and she probably hates Vampires, ‘cause that’s what they use to hunt her, for their speed,” Ronan’s voice had tapered off at the end, the thought of the girl hating Vampires...therefore him...had him wishing it weren’t so.

  “Really? Shit, no wonder she called you a ‘bloodsucking leech’! If Esther’s coming then we should be all set to find this girl or if we come across those hunters then Old Witchy can get rid of them for us, which’ll make our job a lot easier from there on.” Sam seemed to relax a little as he spoke, no doubt realizing the importance of having Esther along.

  “Do you need to call her that? She’s a very old, powerful, noble, woman...calling her Old Witchy seems so rude!” Ronan knew that his friend probably didn’t mean it to sound like that, but it still did. Sam’s pet name for Esther rankled him greatly each and every time Sam said it…probably why Sam said it in the first place.

  “Hey, she’s old and she’s a Witch, what’s wrong with saying that?” Sam was smirking, again, as Ronan frowned up at him.

  “Oh, Ifreann na Fola, just try and show some respect, will you?” Ronan just wasn’t in the mood for Sam’s crassness.

  “Okay, okay! Calm down, why don’t ya. I’m away to break the bad news to Miriam about tomorrow. I hope for your sake she lets me reschedule, ‘cause I’m telling ya, if she don’t...I’m not gonna be happy!”

  Sam was referring to the Wolf in records he had had his eye on for weeks, if not months. Ronan watched as he left the office and hoped she let him change the date too. Sam could be very annoying when he was pissed off.

  He started to sort through the mounds of paperwork on his desk, making sure teams were where they should be, reports were being handed in, expenses...jeez, he hated paperwork.

  He was going to have to get himself an assistant, one that could do most of this stuff for him, but he had put it off for so long that he wondered if he could work with anyone that closely. He was a little set in his ways and the thought of breaking someone in to his way of doing things wasn’t something he was looking forward to. But, if he didn’t, he was sure he was going to drown in the mountain of paper that was piling up on his desk.

  His thoughts turned to the Dragon again, her words ‘bloodsucking leech’ irking him a little. She didn’t know him so how could she make such a snap decision? The way she had spoken the words stung him...loathing and hatred were clear in her tone. The thought of her hating him also got to him, but in a completely different manner.

  He didn’t want her to hate him, or even dislike him...why? He didn’t know.

  A knock on his door brought him out of his daydreaming. Through the glass, he saw Serge waiting in the corridor outside. “Come in,” he told the tattooed Wolf who was also part Witch.

  “Drake’s just been filling me in, just to let you know I’ve got something scheduled for today but I’ll be finished and available for tomorrow. I hear you were going to see if Esther’s available? I hope she is ‘cause my magic is no match for dark magic, boss.”

  Serge had moved inside, sat down and leaned forward, his elbows leaning on the edge of Ronan’s desk. The blonde hair in sharp contrast to the dark tattoos he had around his neck and disappearing down underneath his clothing.

  The tattoos were tribal in nature, covering almost all of Serge’s torso, both front and back. Although Ronan had a couple himself; he knew he wouldn’t have had the patience it would take to have such a large and intricate body of work done. Patience was one of Serge’s better qualities. He could stay in one position, under cover, for many hours, never moving, staying alert.

  It was a virtue that came in handy in their line of work.

  “Don’t worry, Esther’s coming with us, until w
e find what we’re after then she’ll accompany us.”

  Serge broke in, “About that, what we’re after…is Drake pulling some kind of joke on me, or are we really looking for a Dragon?”

  Ronan tried to hide the smile that came to his face, at the shocked look on Serge’s, but failed miserably. “Yeah, we are, I know, it’s kinda out there, but she’s very real and we need to protect her at all costs.”

  Serge nodded, his eyes wide, as he took in Ronan’s words. “Okay, well guess we go save a Dragon.”

  Serge pulled his elbows from the desk and stood up, gave his body a shake, then left, not saying anything else. Ronan guessed the Wolf was trying to process the fact that they were going on a Dragon hunt.

  He went back to his paperwork, sorting out the piles into several smaller ones. Urgent, nearly urgent, not urgent, forget.

  His usual filing system. One he had used since he took over as Director. The most important things, in his opinion, were making sure his men and women did what they were supposed to do without taking advantage of their positions. After that was making sure the expenses paperwork got passed up the line, going to an unnamed branch of government, which paid for the SEB. Then came the day to day stuff that had to be done in order for them to function properly and lastly...complaints and mundane things that had him shoving the paperwork in the pile for shredding.

  The pile for shredding was, by far, the largest.

  So far, without anyone complaining from further up the line, he would just keep doing what he did. If it wasn’t good enough the Boss could get someone else. A chuckle escaped him as he realized he was thinking of the President of the United States as the Boss. That was weird on so many different levels; he usually just forgot about that fact and did the job in hand.

  Another hour and he had made some headway on the paperwork, his piles sorted and ready for him to go through in more detail...apart from the last, of course. He brought the urgent pile towards him and had just started when Sam appeared back, a smile on his face.

  “I assume Miriam was okay about you changing your date?” Ronan continued shuffling paperwork, knowing that Sam would never be able to keep things to himself. If Sam had been a woman he would be called a shocking gossip.

  “She sure did! As soon as she heard what I was canceling for, she got all gushy and fluttered her lashes at me mercilessly! ‘Oh be careful Sam, dark magic and a Dragon, you could get hurt!’ Her eyes wide and her mouth all pouty...ya know?”

  Ronan lifted his head but only to shake it at his friend. “You really are a man-whore, poor woman doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into.”

  Sam looked hurt, an act if ever there was one. “What? I treat my ladies just fine, more than fine...I treat them like queens...and I’ve never had any complaints...”

  Ronan actually laughed. “Are you shittin’ me? No complaints? What ‘bout, oh let me see… Mary, yes, Mary, remember her? I had to transfer her ‘cause she went all stalker on your ass. Then, what ‘bout Eliza? Hmm, remember Eliza? She needed fucking therapy after you dumped her! No complaints, my ass. One of these days you’re gonna meet a woman who treats you just as bad and it’s not gonna be nice!”

  Sam snarled, his frown deepening as Ronan’s words hit their mark. “Okay, a couple of times things got out of hand, but mostly everything’s okay. That’s why I’m sticking to Wolves for a bit of fun for now. They know it won’t go anywhere with me being a Vamp. They want their true mate and pups ‘n all that shit. I’m just a bit of fun for them...and that suits me just fine, thank you!”

  “Whatever, Sam, whatever,” Ronan mumbled, he cared for his friend deeply, but he sure as hell didn’t like the amount of women Sam went through...mostly for casual sex.

  Not that Ronan didn’t indulge in some of that himself, he did, just not nearly as often as Sam and always letting the other person know that’s exactly what it was. He would never dream of leading a woman on the way Sam sometimes did. Granted the stalker wasn’t Sam’s fault, he himself had been present when Sam had told her in the beginning he was only looking for some fun, nothing serious. She obviously hadn’t been listening as her behavior spiraled totally out of control.

  A transfer was the least of her worries, as Ronan had insisted on some serious psychological help for her before she could resume her duties.

  “I don’t mean to hurt anyone.” Sam’s voice was now full of feeling and Ronan looked up to see the pained expression on his face.

  “I know you don’t, Sam, but you need to make things crystal clear in the beginning. It’s not acceptable that your actions cause pain to these women. Just try, please, to let Miriam know straight off that this is all fun. I don’t want her Alpha coming after you because you’ve wronged her in some way.” Ronan knew that was a distinct possibility, as that particular Alpha was a little too hotheaded for his liking.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll let her know, before we go on our date.” Sam pulled his frame away from the wall, where he had been leaning and went to the door, stopping as he got there, “Look, I’m sorry, honest, I’ll try to be more responsible,”

  Ronan nodded, knowing Sam didn’t set out to hurt the women, even if he ended up doing so.

  “Okay, just try and be careful, you know Miriam’s Alpha is a lunatic. I don’t want to have to deal with him now, when we’re trying to find the girl.”

  “I hear ya, boss,” Sam threw over his shoulder as he returned to his own office.

  Chapter 4

  Ronan carried on with his paperwork but couldn’t settle, his mind returning time and again to the girl, the Dragon. Her eyes clear in his thoughts and her words irking him more as the day wore on. She had been quick to judge him and he didn’t like that, not one bit.

  His phone rang, interrupting his musings. Not fully listening, he answered. “Ronan, it’s Seth, we just raided that address and you’re not going to believe what we found.”

  Ronan sat up; listening intently now as Seth led the team he had sent to raid the sect’s premises. The sect whose previous and present leader was out to harm...no, not harm...kill, Peri, his Sire’s mate.

  He frowned as he listened to the report, snarling in several places as Seth told him everything. It wasn’t good news.

  As his operative finished his verbal report Ronan sighed. “Okay, Seth, thanks. Get me the written report as soon as you can. I’ll take things from here.”

  “Will do, bye.” Seth hung up the phone and Ronan realized he would have to let Josef know.

  Opening his laptop and his emails he started to type a new message.

  ‘Sent a team to site, rounded up several dozen folks, most of whom were glad we had arrived! Seemingly terrified of their new leader and glad to be ‘rescued’ ... their words not mine. Some young women were taken immediately to the emergency room to be treated for rape and beatings. The abuse was, apparently, pretty severe. This new guy wasn’t there; he had seemingly become very agitated earlier in the day and left, taking a large suitcase and two of his closest men with him. Nobody knew where he was going, or if he would be back. Sorry Josef, looks like he escaped. I will, of course, keep the search open for him and if I get any new information or my men catch him, I will let you know. Take care of Peri.’

  Pressing send, he knew this was not the outcome Josef was hoping for and wished he had been able to take out this new threat to Peri. He hoped Josef and Gabe could keep her safe, even though she was a powerful Witch in her own right.

  He was now feeling pretty ill-tempered–first not catching the Dragon, her biting words, Sam, and now this. He closed down his laptop, standing up and leaving the paperwork where it lay. It would be there for him in the morning. Tonight he was going home to have quite a few drinks.

  Luckily, he didn’t have far to go. The SEB owned the building their offices were in, six floors with underground parking and a Penthouse apartment on the top floor. That apartment was his, as Director, and he made his way up to it with a scowl on his face.

  As soon as he was in
side, he made for the small bar area, set up in the corner of his lounge, pouring himself a large bourbon. He drank it down in one gulp, before refilling the glass and going to his favorite chair. A large, reclining, leather armchair sat directly in front of the floor to ceiling windows, which ran the entire length of the lounge. The chair facing outwards so he could sit and watch the city–loving to watch the sun rise and set.

  He relaxed his huge frame into the chair, pressing the button to recline it slightly, before sipping his drink. Ronan’s thoughts were scattered as they wound from Josef, to his hometown, to Peri, to the Dragon and inevitably settling on the girl.

  He hoped they could find her and convince her they wanted to help. Maybe she thought they had been hunters? It would’ve been a logical assumption if she was used to Vampires chasing her. Maybe that was why she had spoken to him in such a harsh tone…

  He guessed if he was being hunted, he wouldn’t be too gracious either, to folks turning up in full combat gear. Ronan was well aware of the sight he projected, even when not dressed for a mission. Downright scary was probably the words to describe him. Which meant the girl had even more courage than he thought, throwing that insult out at him as she had.

  Stretching his legs he grimaced, realizing he was still in his combat gear, including weapons, which were now digging into him. He placed his glass on the side table next to his chair, and stood up, already starting to undress. The weapons he placed on the bar, then he continued on down the hallway to his bedroom, throwing the clothes in the hamper as he removed them.

  Once down to his underwear he about turned and went back to his seat, the leather slightly cold against his skin for the first few seconds. Picking up his glass, he sipped some more of his drink while he stared out the window...for once seeing nothing...apart from violet eyes.

  Ronan had no idea how long he stayed there, only moving when fatigue started to lower his eyelids. Peeling his body from the leather, he placed the glass on the bar and went to bed–a very large bed, one which accommodated his huge frame and had cost him a small fortune to be made. It was one of the few items he treasured.