Arrested by the Dragon: Gay Police Paranormal Romance

by Clearwater, Julian

  Daryl walked over and took Rick by the hand. “It’s a uh, dragon thing. I learned about it many years ago, but didn’t know if it was really possible. Do you want the long story, or the short version?”

  “Short, for now,” Rick managed, pressing his back against the door.

  Daryl made a low humming sound and leaned in to press his nose to the side of Rick’s neck. He inhaled deeply, a pleased shiver running through his body.

  “We’re mates, now,” he murmured, face nestled in the crook of Rick’s neck. Rick gave a high-pitched laugh, smiling nervously as Daryl drew away.

  “So, that means we gotta seal the deal now? Mates, y’know…with the mating?” he said awkwardly.

  Daryl considered him with a grin that could be considered nothing less than hungry.

  “I think you’ve got the right idea,” he murmured, scooping Rick up in his arms.

  Rick jolted in surprise, wrapping his arms around Daryl’s neck. Daryl carried him with ease, up the stairs and to the bedroom Rick had yet to see. Boxes were still piled up, but the bed seemed usable enough. Daryl carried his newly claimed mate to the bed, dropping him on silky soft sheets.

  “We’re really going to do this?” Rick sputtered as Daryl moved on top of him.

  Daryl grinned, unfastening the button of Rick’s jeans and pulling them lower on his hips. He dragged his boxers down as well, and Rick flushed as his manhood sprung free from its confines.

  “Unless you don’t want to,” Daryl breathed, wrapping his hand around Rick’s shaft.

  Rick groaned breathily, struggling to keep his hips from jerking.

  Daryl reached into the bedside table, pulling out an unmistakable tube. “Personally, I’ve just been biding my time,” he murmured, spurting a glop of lube on Rick’s cock. He slathered the gel up and down Rick’s shaft, grinning at the soft mewls that spilled past Rick’s lips.

  “You’re gonna let me…you’re gonna…we’re gonna?” Rick managed, biting back a long groan as Daryl drew away. The draconic man parted his legs, reaching between his cheeks to press a lubed finger into his own hole. Rick sat upright, fumbling to help his new mate.

  “Shh. Let me take care of you. I promised, after all,” Daryl murmured, working another finger into himself.

  Rick watched with rapidly mounting anticipation, swallowing a thick lump that formed in his throat as Daryl shifted on top of him once more. Daryl’s hole was positioned directly above the tip of Rick’s manhood, and with a lusty sigh, Daryl began to slide down his rod.

  Rick cried out as his cock was enveloped in a gripping warmth, Daryl’s muscles flexing around him. Daryl breathed a contented sigh, his eyes rolling back in his head as his rear settled flush against Rick’s hips. He remained still for a moment before rising up halfway, slamming down with almost bruising force.

  Rick yelped, and Daryl offered Rick an apologetic look. “Too much?”

  “More,” Rick pleaded, digging his fingernails into the flesh of Daryl’s hips.

  Daryl was swift to oblige, bouncing up and down on Rick’s straining cock. Their rhythm was fast and rough, and Rick’s toes curled as he felt himself growing nearer and nearer his peak. He reached out, wrapping his hand around his lover’s rod as well. He shifted so that each time Daryl bounced on his cock, Daryl would receive a stroke of his own. They began to move more and more quickly against each other, and before Rick realized what was happening, strings of cum shot from the tip of Daryl’s cock. He clenched around Rick’s member as he came, and that was the moment Rick came undone. He jerked up, hilting himself in Daryl as he shot his own seed deep within.

  Daryl groaned loudly, leaning in to capture Rick’s lips in a tender kiss as the two rode out their orgasms. Their hips jerked as if on their own accord, slowly coming to a stop when the two men were spent.

  “I love you,” Daryl breathed, rolling off of Rick.

  Rick smiled goofily, turning to face him. He pressed their lips together once more, chuckling as he pulled away.

  “I love you too, fireball,” he said with a grin.

  Daryl snorted, rolling his eyes good naturedly. Before he could retort, he was cut off by the sound of his previously abandoned phone ringing from the living room.

  “Leave it,” Rick groaned, wrapping around his lover.

  “That’s the tone I set for the station. I need to check it, baby, it might be important,” Daryl murmured, kissing the top of Rick’s head.

  “Baby, huh? I like that. All right, be free,” Rick said, releasing Daryl and rolling away. He watched Daryl’s rear until he retreated out of sight, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn’t believe how lucky he had gotten. It had seemed a lifetime since he was on the streets, struggling to make ends meet. Now, he had a boyfriend—wait. A mate, he had a mate. He had a bed to sleep in, food to eat, a roof over his head. He only wished there was more he could do for Daryl, something to make Daryl’s life as perfect as Rick’s felt.

  Rick breathed a sigh, closing his eyes and waiting for Daryl to return. He wasn’t left waiting long, and Daryl came bounding up the stairs a moment later, eyes wide and teeth bared in the biggest smile he had ever seen. Rick quirked a brow, and Daryl held a finger up to his lips before turning the phone on speaker.

  “Can you say that again? Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you,” Daryl said loudly, and there was an ahem of uncertainty on the other line.

  “Uh, yeah, sure, Pretty Boy,” the officer on the line said. “The rest of the guys and I talked it over, and it was a tough decision. We all wanted the position of chief, obviously, but after we allowed Franklin to reign for so long, we didn’t feel like we rightly deserved it. Obviously, that’s not the only reason, but…I guess what I’m trying to ask, again, is if you would do us the honor of being chief?”

  Rick looked to Daryl with his heart beating out a joyful rhythm.

  “What should I do?” Daryl mouthed, looking excited but torn, as well.

  Rick stared, not able to comprehend Daryl’s hesitation. He lurched upright, snatching the phone from Daryl’s hand and shouting into it.

  “He says yes. A resounding yes, my good sir,” Rick cried out.

  Daryl could only laugh at the stammered response on the other line.

  “Uh, that’s great,” the officer said warily, “but it’d be good to hear it from Pretty Boy himself. Wait…are we interrupting something?”

  “Yes!” Daryl and Rick said simultaneously. “Yes, I mean, to the job offer. I’ll do it. I’ll be chief,” Daryl amended, shooting Rick a look.

  “I was referencing the other thing, but,” Rick began.

  He was cut off by an uncomfortable laugh. “Okay, okay. More than I need to know. We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, Pretty Boy. I mean…Chief Pretty Boy.”

  The line went dead. Daryl stared at the phone, eyes wide with delight as he tried to process what had just happened.

  “Chief Pretty Boy,” Rick mused. “I like the sound of that. As long as those guys know you’re my pretty boy.”

  Daryl rolled his eyes, tossing the phone aside and crawling back into bed.

  “Now, Chief,” Rick said in a playful voice. “If memory serves right, you have a criminal that deserves punishment on your hands. How are you going to deal with this, as your first act of Chiefhood?”

  Daryl flashed him a wicked smile. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you. And this… this will definitely be held against you as well.” Daryl pressed his length against Rick’s back.

  Their lips met once more, and Rick could only wonder what the future would hold for them. Though, if things continued at the rate they were, it would be just fine.

  Better than fine.

  The End

  Bonus Story: Burning for His Dragon

  Cyrus

  The firehouse bell rang just as Cyrus Luz was finishing the oil check on their spare engine. Muttering an oath, he capped the valve quickly and rushed to don his gear. There was comfort in the rout
ine, despite his pumping adrenaline. Pants, coat, boots, hat, mask. His buddy Zane whipped past him and jumped into the truck. Cyrus followed him, and the chief followed behind.

  “We’ve got an outdoor structure fire—dispatcher says it’s a barn. No people inside, but there is livestock.”

  “ETA?” Cyrus asked.

  “Eight minutes.”

  Already Cyrus had looked past Zane and the chief and the others. He was calculating whether the livestock would make it. How much time could he save if he could shift to his dragon form and rush ahead of the truck? How much animal life could be saved if he were able to change into his dragon and rush the barn, break down those walls and free the terrified beasts within?

  He could do so much good as a dragon, but no human would ever see that—not anymore. Long gone were the days when humans and dragons coexisted.

  Cyrus felt the exhaustion overwhelm him. He was tired of hiding, tired of pretending to be human. He blamed his carefully crafted pretenses for his break-up with Jonas. He’d loved Jonas, but he hadn’t been able to share everything—Jonas would never have understood.

  “Yo, Luz, where’s your head at?” Zane gave him a light punch on the shoulder.

  “Right here where it belongs,” Cyrus said. “Getting ready to put out a fire.”

  “I fuckin’ hate when animals are in danger,” Zane said. “It’s not fair when they’re trapped.”

  Despite his tough guy build, red-headed Zane had a tender heart. If he’d been gay, Cyrus might have been interested in him. As things were, Zane was happily married to his wife, the owner of a grocery chain.

  “We’ll get them out,” Cyrus promised him. “Whatever’s in there, we’ll save it.”

  “So many lives were lost in the Dragon Floods,” Zane muttered. “I hate for anything else to die.”

  Chief cleared his throat. “The tanker truck is right behind us. We might have to let the barn burn, but we’ll put enough out that we can save the animals, if possible. But you know as well as I, these things don’t always work out.”

  Cyrus nudged Zane’s shoulder with his own, commiserating quietly. If Zane knew that Cyrus was a dragon, would he accept Cyrus’s comfort? What if he knew Cyrus was gay? Cyrus wondered which thing would bother Zane more—he suspected his dragon blood would be the worst, but it was hard to tell just how accepting someone was about Cyrus’s sexuality. Prospect, Colorado only boasted about eight thousand citizens, and that probably included horses. Cyrus hated to stereotype, but sometimes small town residents weren’t exactly welcoming or open-minded.

  The truck screamed around the corner and onto the two-lane highway that led through town. Every part of Cyrus’s body urged them to go faster. If he could break free of his human skin and fly, this would be over already.

  It was only six minutes more, but it felt like sixty before they finally pulled up in front of the country home. Already Chief and some others were dragging the hose to the tanker.

  Cyrus looked to the fire. As he gazed at it, he could feel his pupils shifting, bringing on the dragon side of him. He loved fire and loathed fire. It was his kin, but it was also a destroyer.

  The structure was not long for this world. The farmer’s wife hiccupped as she told them that one of the ranch hands had probably dropped a cigarette and hadn’t put it out all the way. “The horses are on the south end—the north end is empty. Save the horses,” she said. “I don’t care about the barn—just save my horses.”

  “Done,” Cyrus muttered.

  Chief shouted at him to wait, but Cyrus bolted forward. The heat was soothing against his skin. If he were human, he’d be burned to a crisp, but as a dragon this just felt like a nice warm bath.

  The horses were screaming in terror, kicking at their stalls. He needed to get them out before this portion of the barn caught fire, before any of them kicked too hard and injured themselves, before the smoke suffocated them.

  Cyrus pulled open one stall after another, and grateful horses rushed out. He leaped aside each time, knowing the horses would find their way to the open south end of the barn and safety.

  He checked the next three stalls, but they were empty—he’d gotten them all out. He checked one more stall just to be sure. Also empty.

  Perfect. He was a hero. One more good act to convince himself that he wasn’t rotten to the core like his dragon brethren at the northern ice cap.

  The flames had climbed to the second level of the barn. Cyrus had to get out of there, fast. He jogged to the large door but skidded to a stop when a giant beam fell to the ground, sparking all around him.

  “Cyrus!” Zane shouted from outside, his voice barely registering over the roaring of the inferno of the barn. “Cyrus Luz!”

  Sounds of water sizzling against the walls. The beam was too big—Cyrus couldn’t step over it. He’d have to climb. Faint shapes dotted the space outside the barn. Chief, likely, and Zane, shouting for him. He’d been an idiot to come in here, and he’d get reamed once he got out.

  Hoping his men couldn’t see too well, Cyrus braced himself on one of the stall doors and inched over the beam. If he stayed in contact for too long, his gear would start to melt. Moving faster than a human could, he leaped the rest of the way.

  He stumbled out of the barn and fell at the chief’s feet.

  “What the hell were you thinking, son?” Chief asked.

  “So sorry,” Cyrus said, coughing because they’d expect it. His lungs were fully able to deal with smoke, no problem. But humans had different sets of rules.

  Zane squatted down so he was face to face with Cyrus. “How’d you survive that without your mask?”

  “My—my mask?”

  Chief smacked him upside the head. “You forgot it and ran in there despite my orders. I need men, not idiots. Take a couple days off to think about your foolishness. Don’t come back until you can do as I say.”

  Cyrus nodded.

  “Not a mark on you,” Zane said. “What are you, part dragon?”

  “Excuse me?” Cyrus didn’t even pretend to cough anymore. His heart pounded too fast in his chest. Had he given himself away? Was it too late? He’d have to start all over, and he’d only started to get accepted by his crew.

  Zane laughed. “Just, you know. Dragons were rumored to be okay with fire. Obviously you’re not a dragon, man. You’ve got skin, not scales, and besides, they’re all dead.”

  “Right.” Cyrus exhaled through his nose. Damn, that had been close. He’d been halfway ready to shift forms and fly the hell out of here. It was like when he’d been dating Jonas in New York. Every now and then Cyrus would make some mistake—showing off his strength during sex, or showering in water too hot for humans to tolerate, or once, in the middle of a nightmare, nearly catching their bed on fire.

  He was lonely—he needed a mate. If he were still with his kind, he’d probably already be mated with a nice, respectable male and considering options for surrogates to bear their brood. Here, though, Cyrus couldn’t get close to anyone.

  On the way back to the station, everyone was quiet. Cyrus was a hero, which was exactly what he’d wanted, but he was in deep shit with Chief. Even worse was the loneliness that threatened to swallow him. More dangerous than any smoke, more dangerous than any fire.

  Mark

  The hospital locker room was abuzz with the group of nurses from Mark’s shift. Mark’s scrubs bore the ick of hours spent in the ER, and he was thrilled to change out of them and back into his regular jeans and t-shirt. Not so thrilling was listening to everyone talk about their plans for the evening.

  “Dinner with my wife and her parents,” Dolf said. “Kill me now. I can’t stand listening to my in-laws talk politics.”

  Sharise laughed. “It’s my night to volunteer coach my kid’s baseball team. I’ll probably end up right back in the ER—only this time I’ll be a patient.”

  “I’ve got plans with James,” Jenny said.

  Her eyes sparkled, and Mark was glad for her. Jenny was his best f
riend and she’d been lonely for a long time after her divorce. He couldn’t help but feel a little bit left behind, though—now that Jenny had someone to love, she wouldn’t be hanging out with Mark as much.

  “Mark, you should come out with us,” Jenny added. “Maybe you’ll meet someone.”

  “Yeah, no thanks,” Mark said.

  Dolf was quick to back Jenny up. “Come on, man, you haven’t been with anyone for a long time.”

  “Since before the floods,” Sharise whispered.

  Mark winced. He hadn’t been able to reach out to anyone since his big brother’s death. Eli had been Mark’s compass, always steering him in the right direction, letting him know that the world was a safe place to navigate and that Mark would never be lost.

  “Sorry, man,” Dolf said. “We shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m—I’m okay. But I’m exhausted. Just going to make a quiet night of it so I can be fresh tomorrow.”

  Fresh for more of the same. He loved his job because he loved helping people. But he couldn’t help but think sometimes that he was on some sort of hamster wheel, running and working as fast as he could, but getting nowhere.

  The dragons were gone, but he still couldn’t risk love. And without love, life seemed pretty fucking bleak.

  He grabbed his wallet and keys and left the locker room.

  It wasn’t long before he heard Jenny’s clacking footsteps behind him. “Mark, love, you have got to come out with us. Please.”

  “Jenny, you don’t need a third wheel on your date.”

  “James knows how important you are to me.” She slid her arm around his waist. “He wouldn’t mind at all. We’re just going for drinks at Hub’s.”

  “Not tonight.” They left the hospital and Jenny walked toward the bike rack. “You want a ride?” he asked.

  “Nope. I need my exercise.” She patted her curvy hips and laughed.