The Dragon and the Vampire

by A. K. Michaels

Sam moved to the side to allow Esther to enter the office, her manner speaking of her annoyance. Ronan didn’t give a hoot about her nose being out of joint though. “Peri, my Sire’s mate has been kidnapped, she’s almost ready to give birth. The person that has taken her is probably wielding dark magic. You need to get to Paul as soon as you can, Esther, and that means now.”

  Esther raised an eyebrow at his tone, inclining her head to the side as she answered, “Very well, I’ll need just one thing from my office and then I’ll be off, where am I to meet him?”

  Ronan ripped a piece of paper from a pad on his desk, scribbling the details down and handing it over to her. She looked at it then up at him. “A hotel?”

  Ronan sighed, “Yes, Esther, Josef lives in the penthouse, now can you stop wasting time and get there please?”

  Esther once again raised her eyebrow at the sharpness of his voice, before she finally about turned and walked away. Ronan let out a sigh, his worry for Peri making him snap at the old Witch. He would apologize later, once Peri was safe.

  Sam sat down in the chair, directly in front of his desk. “You okay, boss? You seemed a little snippy there, or am I wrong?”

  Ronan ran a hand through his hair, a sigh escaping his mouth. “Yeah, I know, I’ll apologize later. I was already annoyed and frustrated when I got the call from Josef ‘n then his tone scared the shit outta me. I’ve never heard fear in his voice before. Never. It kinda threw me...”

  Sam butted in, “What were you already upset at?”

  Ronan reached over, picking up the report from Serge, then handing it to Sam. His friend took the folder, opened it and started reading, a frown appearing on his face as he digested everything. Once he finished, he closed the folder and placed it on the desk, looking up at him.

  Sam’s tone was conciliatory when he resumed speaking. “Look, my friend, the Rockies are a huge area, the trackers have a massive task to search for this cavern. I’m sure they’ll find it, even if it takes longer than you were hoping for, than we all were hoping for. Serge put in his report that he’s drafted in some help from the local Wolf packs in the area. More Wolves means more chance that they’ll find something. So relax, there’s nothing you can do about it anyway, so there’s no point in getting your blood pressure up, or taking it out on others. I think Esther’s pissed at you, my friend, and trust me, I don’t think you want Esther being pissed at you. She could do a spell to shrivel your manhood or something worse…”

  A squeal alerted them to Starr’s presence. “Something worse? Uh, uh, nothing worse than that!”

  Sam burst out laughing, his brilliant white teeth almost glowing against his dark skin. Starr darted behind him and gave him a hard slap on the back of the head. “Hey, don’t laugh! If Esther does something like that, then I’m blaming you!”

  Ronan watched Sam and Starr joking around, two of the few people on this earth that he truly loved...and they got on tremendously well. Their friendship growing as the days, weeks and months had gone by. Starr opening up and letting other people in, slowly. He was so glad that one of those people she had let in was Sam.

  He didn’t know what he would’ve done if she and Sam didn’t get along. Starr had also taken it upon herself to find Sam ‘the perfect mate’ and tried to hook him up with women all the time. Sometimes Sam actually would go on a date, or several, with these women, but so far nothing more than that had occurred.

  Starr seemed to take it as a personal affront when Sam didn’t fall madly in love with her choices, then she would be on the lookout for the next one. The easy way they were in each other’s company gladdened Ronan’s heart and he wasn’t aware of any other time in his life when he felt so happy, at peace, loved.

  The only thing marring his complete happiness was his promise to Starr–to rescue the Dragon held by the Witch. He always kept his promises and it riled him that, so far, he hadn’t managed to keep this one.

  He would do it, no matter how long it took, he would find...and release...the Dragon.

  Ronan sighed, pushing all thoughts of the Dragon to the side, as he concentrated on Peri. His stomach clenched at the thought of that beautiful, young woman being in the hands of someone wielding dark magic. He knew Peri was a powerful Witch but she was pregnant and he didn’t know what kind of state she would be in. If her guards had been killed then he guessed she was in serious trouble, knowing Josef would have his best men taking care of her.

  It was then he realized that Donovan was one of the men that had died. Of course Josef would have his head of security in charge of Peri’s safety. He felt sad at the loss, although only knowing Donovan slightly, he knew him to be a good and moral man, Josef would be upset at his loss.

  Starr’s voice interrupted his train of thought by saying. “What’s wrong? You looked kinda sad there.”

  She and Sam were both now watching him as he shook his head to free himself from the way his mind was thinking. “It’s just that Josef said two of his men were killed, one was his head of security, Donovan, who would’ve been in charge of Peri’s safety. He was a good man and a good Vampire. Don’t get me wrong, he could be a vicious son-of-a-bitch but he had a moral code, ya know?”

  Sam was nodding as Starr stared into his eyes with a sad look. “That’s sad, I hope they manage to get his mate back safe and sound. Fang, I thought I heard you say she was pregnant. How is that possible?”

  Ronan squirmed, just a little, still not quite understanding himself about the situation regarding Josef and his mate. He let out a little chuckle, before trying to explain. “Well, it’s a kinda weird situation. Josef, my Sire, has a friend, Gabe, who’s a Wolf. They’ve been friends for over a century, sharing his penthouse in Vegas. When they met Peri they were both drawn to her and soon realized that she was their mate. Now, in normal circumstances a Vampire and a Wolf would have fought to the death over a mate. However, because of their special bond they didn’t, fight that is. What they did do was let Peri know of their feelings and let her decide. Only she couldn’t, she cared for them both, so they all bonded. Peri is mate to both of them. It’s a unique situation and it’s Gabe’s child that she is carrying, although they all seem to refer to the child as theirs, in a kinda collective term. I still don’t quite understand it myself, I only know that Josef and Gabe cherish Peri and she loves them both.”

  He chuckled again as he finished at the shock on Starr’s face, even Sam still looked a little surprised. Ronan knew that Sam was aware of his Sire’s ‘situation’, but he had never tried to explain things before this.

  Starr’s shock soon passed, a smile creeping on her face. “She’s a lucky woman, having two who love her. I hope she and the baby are okay. When will we know?”

  Ronan frowned, he had been thinking the same thoughts. “As soon as Paul has any information he’ll let us know. I must admit I’m a little worried at Josef’s reaction if anything happens to her. He’s an ancient Vampire and very, very, powerful. I dread to think of the havoc he could create if he lost control. Let’s just hope they manage to rescue Peri and the baby unscathed or we might have one hell of a clean-up on our hands.”

  Sam got up, and stretched his long body, before speaking, “Okay, I’ll go and see if I can get any more information and I’ll also check in with Serge and see how that’s going too. See ya later guys, remember, I’m finishing early today. I’ve got a date with...oh yeah...Marie. Another one of your set ups Starr, only hope she’s a bit livelier than the last one!”

  Starr punched his arm as he passed her. “Hey, don’t be rude. Just ‘cause a woman is quiet doesn’t mean she can’t be lively or fun.”

  Sam snorted. “Quiet? She barely spoke two words the entire evening and kept her eyes firmly placed on my teeth. I think she expected my fangs to erupt and rip her throat out. She was sooooo not comfortable in the presence of a Vamp!”

  Starr just ‘harrumphed’ as Sam left them, then turned to face him. “You okay, Fang?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll let you k
now as soon as we get any news about Peri.”

  Starr nodded then went back to her own office.

  Ronan opened his laptop, logging in and opening up one of their secure sites. He inputted a name and employee number and the page morphed into a map, showing Vegas and where Paul and his men were located. He saw they were at Josef’s and hoped that they could help him get Peri back.

  A sigh escaped him as he wondered what to do. He had more work to attend to so decided to just get on with it, while he could keep checking and seeing any movement in Vegas. His attention being drawn back again and again to the page open before him.

  As time passed he saw movement, to an area on the outskirts of Vegas. He watched for some minutes, noting no further motion when his phone rang, summoning him to go and sort out a dispute between two Alphas.

  Jeez he hated this part of his job. Trying to keep one irate Alpha Wolf calm was hard enough, to do it with two was damn near impossible. He stalked down to the conference room, finding the Alpha’s staring each other down while two of his guards kept them apart.

  Ronan growled as he entered, knowing these two from previous occasions he had to pacify the upset Wolves. “What the fuck is it this time? If you two can’t sort out your differences, once and for all, I’m gonna let you rip each other apart! Ya hear me? I’ve had enough of all your posturing, petty squabbles and downright trivial grievances. So, who wants to explain why I’m here this time?”

  The two large males started talking at once, with snarls, growls and loud voices. Ronan raised his arms, his voice loud in the room. “Shut up! You hear me? Shut, the, hell, up! Okay, now which one of you wants to leave? Let me make myself clear, which one of you wants you and your pack to leave here, their jobs, their apartments, everything. Come on, which one...you?”

  Ronan pointed to the Alpha to his right, the man glaring at him freely, though he shook his head. Ronan turned to the other. “You?”

  The large Wolf also shook his head.

  Ronan pulled out a chair from the conference table and sat down, put his head in his hands and took a few steadying breaths before continuing. “Okay, you two have some gripes, every fucking month, you have gripes. I am the Director of this fucking bureau and you keep pulling me away from my work to deal with your beefs. So, this is what’s gonna happen. You both have the same choice...you fucking get along, stop the posturing and shit...or leave. Simple. I’m gonna get up and leave and I expect an email from both of you by close of business today to give me your decision. If any of my men tell me that this has continued after I’ve left, then you’re both out on your ears!”

  Ronan glowered at one then the other, stood up and left the room, nodding at his men as he went. He noticed the smirks on their faces as they inclined their heads in his direction.

  His journey back to his own office was, as usual, held up with people asking him questions, showing him things they thought he should know, or just wanting to ‘shoot the breeze.’ Another reason he hated getting called down to the conference room.

  It was quite some time before he reached his door, going in and closing it behind him. He had never erupted like that when asked to mediate between two Alphas, but those two drove him to distraction, acting more like enemies on the playground than two powerful Wolves. He just couldn’t take their bickering any more. If they didn’t comply then it would certainly cause him some staffing issues. In his opinion, it was worth it, he refused to deal with them again.

  He relaxed back into his chair and closed his eyes, trying to calm his thoughts and his strained body.

  Starr’s hand on his shoulder jolted him into awareness, his body flying forward and into a standing position so quickly that she took a startled step back, a questioning look on her face. “You okay?” she asked him quietly as he realized he must’ve dozed off.

  Sitting back down, he nodded. “Heck, I just closed my eyes to calm myself. Sorry, seems like I dozed off.”

  Starr was smiling down at him. “Yeah, I heard what happened. In fact, everyone’s heard what happened. Ya kinda lost it, didn’t ya?”

  Ronan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, as he replied, “I sure did. I’m just so fed up with those two. Petty squabbles almost every week and there’s plenty of really serious things to get worked up about and they waste their time and energy, and mine, on mindless point scoring. I’ve had enough, this is their last warning.”

  Starr nodded to his laptop. “They both emailed you, saying they and their packs wish to stay and they’ll stop any further disagreements from escalating. Good job, Fang, looks like you achieved the impossible. Now, I was just wondering what to do about dinner, I kinda fancy going out tonight. What do you think?”

  Ronan laughed out loud, the thought of no more arbitrating between the Alphas making him feel very happy indeed. “Oh, I think we can go out, just decide where you want...”

  His mobile rang and he reached for it quickly, noting Paul’s number as he pressed the screen. “Report!” he barked down the line.

  Paul’s calm voice answered immediately. “She’s safe, she gave birth while they had her so she’s on her way to the hospital. Josef and the Wolf, Gabe, are with her. Just to let you know, boss, it was Peri that took out the Witch. He pulled a stunt that brought the roof down on Esther. Before you ask, she’s okay, more pissed off than anything, but it was Peri that took him out. She used magic so powerful I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s a pity she’s mated to a billionaire cause if she is ever looking for a job we should have her on our side. That kind of power would sure help us out, but hey, she’s just given birth and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need a job, but it’s something to remember.”

  Ronan let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding at Paul’s words. “Thank Christ she’s safe. I was worried what would happen with Josef if she wasn’t. Thanks Paul, and I’ll keep that in mind about Peri.”

  Paul chuckled. “Shit, I don’t know what Josef woulda done if we didn’t get her, and the baby, not something I even want to think about, boss. Esther says to tell you she’ll see you tomorrow, she’s going straight home for a bath cause she’s covered in dust ‘n rubble.”

  Ronan almost laughed again, the thought of a pissed off Esther the only thing stopping his laughter. “Okay, thank you Paul and pass on my gratitude to your men.”

  Paul said a quick, “Sure thing, boss,” before hanging up.

  Starr’s face was bright and happy as he turned to her, flinging herself onto his lap, circling her arms around his neck before placing small kisses on his lips. He held her close, savoring the feel of her in his arms.

  Chapter 18

  Ronan looked at his schedule for the next day, noting that a few months had passed since the fateful day Peri had been kidnapped. All was now well in Vegas, with his Sire settling into fatherhood as if he was made for it. Gabe the proud father, talking about their son every chance he could.

  After Peri’s close call it brought it home to both Ronan and Josef just how precarious life could be. Both making an effort to stay in touch more regularly, although he and Starr still hadn’t gone for the visit that Josef kept trying to get them to take.

  Josef had also offered their help, specifically Peri’s, when or if, they found the imprisoned Dragon. He had accepted gratefully, especially after Paul’s information on how strong Peri was against dark magic. If the Witch that held the Dragon was as powerful as they thought, they may just need Peri and Esther to take him down.

  Starr pushed his office door farther open, sticking her head in. “Ready?”

  Ronan smirked, “Yes, now come in here and let me see you.”

  Starr blushed as she came inside, his breath hitching at the sight of his mate before him. She had rushed upstairs for a quick shower and to change as they were going out for a special dinner. He was dressed in his best suit and a favorite of Starr’s.

  She wore the dress he bought her for their bonding, the dark purple material hugging her body and as his eyes dipped
lower he saw her legs encased in sheer silk stockings. His reaction was instant, his cock hardening within the confines of his dress trousers. A low moan escaped his throat, as his eyes found hers. “Tá tú go h-álainn. Mo shíorghrá.”

  Starr’s eyes teared up. “Thank you. Mo shíorghrá.”

  Ronan loved that she had learned some of his sayings, her accent getting better all the time, the way she spoke ‘my eternal love’ almost as good as his own. “Do we really need to go out?” he cajoled, only wishing to rush her back upstairs to their apartment and spend hours pleasuring her as she screamed his name.

  Starr shook her head at him. “Uh uh, I’m hungry and I’m the one in this relationship that actually needs food, so come on, Fang. The quicker we head out...the quicker we get home.”

  The sultry smile she gave him had him hissing through his teeth. “Oh, you are a naughty Dragon, Miss, a very naughty Dragon.”

  Starr’s laughter was bright and easy as he stood up, doing his best to hide his hardness with his suit jacket as they left the office.

  Ronan fidgeted the entire evening, not quite getting rid of his arousal as Starr ate her meal. She enjoyed the wine, drinking almost a full bottle herself as he sipped one of his favorite bourbons. When she asked for the dessert menu he moaned aloud, which resulted in him receiving a sharp pinch from Starr.

  She pouted as she whispered, “It’s our anniversary, Ronan, let me enjoy my food.”

  He grabbed her offending pinching fingers, slowly rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. “I’m sorry, Puff, of course you can have dessert. I just want to get you back home and watch the show.”

  Starr’s brow furrowed. “What show?”

  A small chuckle escaped him before he stopped himself. “Why, you undressing for me while I sit and watch, of course.”

  The blush started on her chest, working its way up her long neck, before taking over her cheeks. Her breathing caught in her throat, her pupils dilating as he moved towards her, placing a whisper of a kiss on her lips.