Midlife Magic Dragon (Midlife Shifters Book 7)

by J. L. Wilder

  “You too, bud.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were seated in a booth at a place called the Red Cup Diner. Scorn had explained it as a diner halfway between New Haven and the nearest human town, a place where dragons could grab a bite away from shifter society.

  Scorn ordered coffee and full platter meals for the table.

  “I don’t know how they do things in the shifter world,” said Maddie. “But women order for themselves.”

  “You’re gonna have to excuse her,” said Scorn. “She’s still in a little denial about how out of her depth she is.”

  “Maddie’s a human?” asked Cam. “Then why does she smell like that?”

  “Why on Earth does everyone keep talking about my smell?”

  “Because,” said Cam. “Smell’s a big deal with shifters. It’s like communication for us, how we tell each other apart outside of our clan territories.”

  Scorn nodded. “Each species has its own scent. And within those species, members of the pack can tell rank, even emotion, by scent.”

  “Then why do I have a scent?” asked Maddie. “I’m not...a shifter or something. Am I?”

  The idea seemed crazy. But with all she’d learned in the last day, it was far from the most insane thing she could imagine.

  “No,” said Cam. “Not a shifter. But...fuck, it’s strange.”

  “She has a power,” said Scorn.

  “Wait,” said Maddie. “We can tell him?”

  “He’s on our side,” said Scorn. “Cam was one of my most trusted alphas.”

  “And the rest of us are still loyal,” said Cam. “Waiting for you to come back and take your rightful place.”

  His words made Maddie want to know more. How the hell had Scorn gone from the man in charge to a loner, an outsider?

  But she kept her questions to herself, knowing it wasn’t the time.

  Scorn smirked. “That’s...not smart. Red’s obsessed with loyalty. If he finds out that anyone in the clan is still supporting me...”

  “Doesn’t matter. Red doesn’t know what he’s doing. Profits from the logging company have gone down, and we’re starting to suspect he’s siphoning money away from the clan’s savings.”

  “Why?” asked Scorn. “He’s the alpha—he doesn’t need to do that.”

  “That’s not all,” said Cam. “He’s been expanding our territory, absorbing smaller shifter clans in the region.”

  “How? Through war?”

  He shook his head. “Through threats and intimidation. But he’s plotting something. Just don’t know what it is yet. Either way, he’s been running the clan like his own personal fiefdom, purging dragons who aren’t loyal, taking the women for himself.”

  The waitress brought their food and coffee, Maddie taking a bite of her bacon.

  “The suits in Seattle,” said Scorn. “They wouldn’t let him get too out of control. He’s in charge, but they’ll pull the purse strings and keep him in line.”

  “Not if he upsets the power balance. The suits have money, but Red has numbers. And if he manages to get enough people on his side, he’ll be able to run the pack like a dictator, not needing anyone’s input.”

  “To what end?” asked Scorn. “What’s he planning?”

  Cam shook his head. “That, I can’t tell you. Thing about Red is he doesn’t let anyone in the loop who he’s not certain is on his side. And...that’s not all.”

  “Tell me,” said Scorn.

  “Some of your alphas, they’re gone.”

  “What?”

  “Jace, Rick—they went missing months ago. Not a word. One day they were there, the next gone. Talk is that Red’s picking off those whose loyalty he can’t count on.”

  “If he’s killing my men...” Rage burned in Scorn’s eyes, an anger so intense, it scared Maddie. But Scorn closed his eyes and seemed to fight it off.

  “And that’s all I can tell you,” said Cam. “Now that you’re out of hiding, I can keep you in the loop, try to gather some more information.”

  Scorn shook his head. “Fucking stupid move trying to talk with him. Part of me thought he might be willing to work with me.”

  “Fat fucking chance of that,” said Cam. “He’s the boss, and he makes the calls. You’re a warning to others.”

  Maddie cleared her throat and spoke.

  “I don’t mean to make this about me,” she said, the men taking bites of their food as she spoke. “But what about the little trick I pulled?”

  “Huh?” asked Cam.

  “Ferals jumped us near my place. Maddie here...she froze one of them.”

  “Froze?” asked Cam.

  “I said stop, and the wolf stopped in mid-air,” said Maddie. “I’ve never done anything like it in my life.”

  “It’s not shifter shit,” said Scorn.

  “It almost sounds like...nah, that can’t be it.”

  “What?” asked Maddie, desperate to know more. “What can’t be it?”

  Scorn shook his head. “They haven’t been around these parts for years. We drove them out, remember?”

  “Doesn’t mean they can’t come back. Some of the suits have been saying there’s reports of them in Seattle—lots of them.”

  Maddie had heard enough. She grabbed Scorn’s hand and gripped it tight.

  “Tell me what you’re talking about,” she said. “Or I’ll...”

  “What?” asked Scorn with a teasing smile. “You’ll what?”

  “I’ll...blow your head up.”

  He laughed. “Don’t think you’ve got that power.”

  “You never know,” she said. “Now, stop talking about me and tell me what you think is going on with me.”

  “Witches,” said Scorn. “We’re talking about witches.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Cam shook his head. “Used to be thousands of them in the Pacific Northwest. Them and their warlock men. But the shifters prevailed, drove them out of the woods.”

  “Those tombstones you see everywhere around here,” said Scorn. “Those are from witches. And they say the ground where they’re buried is cursed.”

  “You think I might be one of them?” asked Maddie.

  “Can’t say for sure. But they’re the only ones with powers like what you showed. Might be worth looking into.”

  Cam wiped the grease off his plate with a piece of toast, popping it into his mouth when he was done.

  “I need to get back—Red doesn’t like it when we leave without letting someone know where we are. Controlling fuck. Good seeing you, Scorn. And good meeting you, Maddie. I’ll make sure to keep you both in the loop.”

  He rose, nodding as he departed.

  “Witches?” asked Maddie. “There’s shifters and witches?”

  “Keep your voice down,” said Scorn. “Never know who’s around. Last thing we need is for Red to find out what’s going on.”

  He threw back the last of his coffee and took out some cash, tossing it onto the table.

  “We need to get back to the cabin, figure out our next step.”

  “What kind of next step?” asked Maddie. “I need to get back to Seattle before my life totally falls apart.”

  “Good luck going back to the human world when you’ve got shifters stalking you. If you want to go back, we need to hunker down for a few more days, make sure no one’s on your ass. Then we can send you back to Seattle.”

  Maddie winced, shifting in her seat. “I need to at least get in touch with my office, tell them I’m not dead.”

  Scorn sighed, and Maddie could tell he didn’t like this plan one bit.

  “Fine. We can go back to the cabin and we’ll find a way to get you in touch with your people. But that’s all. You tell them you’re taking vacation, that you’re going to be out of the loop for a good week or so. It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

  Maddie wasn’t a fan of leaving her work, her life, behind like this. But she could sense that Scorn was right—whatever was going on, it was bigger than any contrac
t.

  She let out a chuckle as they drove.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Scorn.

  “Nothing. Just that...this is my job.”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “This stuff—dragons and werewolves and witches and spells and magic. It’s all the stuff my job specializes in. And I always thought it was so silly. What could be more out of touch with the real world than magic? Now, here I am, right in the middle of it.”

  Scorn let out a snort of a laugh, letting her know the irony wasn’t lost on him.

  “That’s good news, right?” he asked. “It means you’ve got some tips on how all this stuff plays out. The good guys always win, I’m guessing?”

  “Well, that’s how it used to go. But these days, there’s more of a trend for darker stories where the bad guys win.”

  “That’s not a good sign. But we’re gonna pull this off. At the very least, I’m gonna make sure you’re safe, got it? You didn’t ask to be a part of this, but there’s not a chance in hell I’m gonna let Red or the wolves or anyone else hurt you. Understand?”

  Maddie said nothing, but she could sense he meant his words.

  “Yeah. And...thanks. I’ve been kind of a pill since you saved me.”

  “You have,” he said with a surprisingly warm smile. “But you’re in the middle of a place you didn’t ask to be. Least I could do is get you out of it in one piece. And we’re almost back to my cabin. We’ll figure it all out once we’re there.”

  His words put her at ease, made her feel as though she could trust him.

  And there was a moment between the two of them, one Maddie couldn’t ignore. She felt as if there was a connection between her and Scorn, something more than the physical one she knew they shared.

  But it didn’t last long.

  “What...what the fuck?”

  Maddie snapped her attention away from Scorn. She didn’t need to ask what she was reacting to—off in the distance, over the sharp points of the tops of the pines, smoke rose into the otherwise blue sky.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s near my place, whatever it is. Buckle up and hold the fuck on.”

  Maddie nodded, grabbing the armrest of the door as Scorn gunned the engine, kicking up the speed of their drive through the woods. He expertly steered the truck over the dirt road, Maddie’s stomach tense at what they might find.

  She didn’t need to wonder for long. Scorn pulled into the clearing where his cabin was located.

  And Maddie saw right away the source of the smoke.

  The cabin was ablaze, two massive, red creatures flying in circles above the flaming building, belching fire onto the conflagration.

  “Oh, my God,” said Maddie.

  Scorn said nothing, pure rage on his face as he pulled the truck into a sharp turn, bringing it to a halt.

  He turned to Maddie, his golden eyes nearly glowing.

  “You stay here,” he said. “Don’t move.”

  “What are you going to—”

  “Stay here!” His voice was inhumanely deep, like that of a wild animal.

  She nodded as Scorn threw open the door and rushed toward the fire. He shifted into his black dragon form as he approached the flames, leaping into the air and flying toward the nearest dragon.

  Maddie watched as the first red dragon turned its head toward Scorn just in time to catch a burst of fire exploding from Scorn’s mouth. The jets of flame from the red dragons had been small, contained bursts. But Scorn’s was a true blaze, like the gates of hell had opened and shot forward. The dragon was totally consumed by the fire. And when it faded, there was nothing left of the dragon but an ash cloud that vanished in the wind.

  The other dragon turned toward Scorn, straightening out his body and flying as fast as a bullet toward him. Scorn waited until the last moment, pivoting out of the way and letting the dragon sail past.

  “Get him!” shouted Maddie, her hands clenched into fists.

  Then the truck shifted, a massive weight setting down in the back. She turned, screaming at what she saw.

  Another dragon, a third, was in the bed of the truck. He opened his mouth and let out a roar, the horrible noise enough to make Maddie’s heart tight with fear. She screamed as the dragon stepped out of the bed, making its way around the truck and to the passenger-side door.

  Once there, he shifted into his human form, tall and muscular, his hair long and blond.

  “Come on!” he shouted. “Get the fuck out of the car!”

  Maddie realized at his words that the man, whoever he was, wasn’t there to kill her, but to kidnap her. She unbuckled, scooting back and putting as much distance between her and the man as possible. He yanked the door open, effortlessly pulling it off its hinges and tossing it into the woods behind him.

  He lunged into the car, reaching for Maddie.

  “Get your ass out here and you won’t get hurt!”

  The man shoved his hand deeper into the interior, grabbing Maddie’s ankle.

  “Fuck off!” She pulled her free foot back and drove it into the man’s face, connecting with his nose hard enough to draw blood. He let go of her foot and clamped his hands over his nose, blood trickling down through his fingers.

  “You...you fucking bitch!” He took his hands from his face, wiping the blood away with his sleeve, a red smear across his hard features. With an animalistic growl, he grabbed onto her ankles with both hands and yanked her out of the truck.

  Maddie let out a cry of pain as she landed on the ground.

  “Now,” he said, bending over and grabbing her ankle again. “Are you going to come with me, or am I going to have to do some drastic shit?”

  Fear rose in Maddie. But something else was there, too—anger.

  And it was a strange anger, one that boiled and seemed almost like another presence inside of her. The sensation was how she’d felt in the woods when the wolves had attacked.

  “How about this,” she yelled. “Go to hell!”

  She swung her hand through the air, trying to connect with the man’s face. Maddie missed, but something else happened instead. A thump sounded out, the noise of a huge fist connecting to a huge face.

  The man looked shocked, then he flew backward, sailing several dozen feet through the air and connecting with one of the tree trunks. A sickening crack filled the air, and the man tumbled to the forest floor in a heap.

  “Holy shit.”

  Maddie turned to see Scorn standing a dozen feet away, a shocked expression on his face.

  “You...you launched that fucker.”

  He ran over to Maddie and helped her up, checking her out to make sure she was uninjured.

  “Is he dead?”

  Right after she spoke, a groan sounded from the man. Scorn rushed over just in time for the man to stand up and close his eyes in preparation for a shift.

  He didn’t get the chance. Scorn grabbed his neck, lifted him off his feet, and gave him a twist. Another crack sounded out, the man going limp in Scorn’s grasp. Scorn tossed the man aside, throwing him away like trash.

  Maddie, still in shock, turned her attention back to the burning cabin.

  “Oh, my God.” The situation dawned on her.

  She wasn’t safe.

  But Scorn wasn’t about to wait around. He grabbed her hand and gave Maddie a pull.

  “We need to leave. Now.”

  CHAPTER 8

  SCORN

  This is all her fault, bud. You brought her into your life, and now she’s made a mess of it. You had a good thing going, you know. But you had to fuck it all up. Starting to sound like a running theme in your life, huh?

  Fuck off. You’re the last opinion I want to hear right now.

  Scorn focused his eyes on the road ahead. The rage still spoke to him, still piped up when he least wanted it. But despite all that had happened, Maddie simply being near him was enough to keep it all at bay.

  Most of the drive to Seattle had been in silence. The sun had begun t
o dip down below the trees, the truck’s engine rumbling.

  “What are we going to do when we get there?”

  Scorn snorted. “You’ve been complaining about getting back to Seattle since we met. Now it’s happening, and you’re still complaining?”

  “I’m not ‘complaining.’ I just want to know if we have a plan or not.”

  It was a good question. Scorn had money, but not much of it—not nearly enough to buy them the protection they needed.

  “We find a place to hide out—that’s the first step. Then after that, we connect with the Blackshroud clan in the city.”

  “But aren’t they on your alpha’s side?”

  “Not necessarily. The money and the industry sides of the clan are...different. Red’s more rugged, rural. The suits are their own men. And I know for a fact not all of them are fans of the new leadership.”

  Maddie nodded.

  “My apartment. We can hide out there. It’s pretty secure, as far as I know.”

  “Not a good idea. They might already know where you are.”

  “But that’s my life back there,” she said, her voice stern. “Everything I have is in that apartment. I can’t just...abandon it.”

  Scorn wanted to talk some sense into her, to get her to see reason.

  Third time I’ve lost everything I’ve had. No sense in making her go through it too.

  Scorn sighed. “Fine. We can check out your place, but we can’t stay—only for as long as it takes to find somewhere else to hide out.”

  Maddie smiled, his words putting her at ease. “Thank you. And...I’m sorry about what happened to your home.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It was hardly a home—more a place I’d crashed for a couple years or so. I liked the land, though—good view of the lake.”

  Maddie reached over and took his hand, squeezing it.

  And just like that, the rage died down. He’d felt it during the drive and worried he might lose control.

  But Maddie, as always, managed to calm him down. It was so strange to him that the rage he’d done battle with for years was able to be calmed by her. Part of him wanted to believe it was a sign that she was something more than just a gorgeous woman with strange powers.

  He put those thoughts aside for the time being, the towers of the city appearing in the distance, the sky a wild orange from the sun setting between them.