“Leave him alone!” Evan screamed furiously, trying to squirm out of his captor’s grasp. The man who held him simply sneered, tightening his grip on Evan’s shoulder. Evan cried out in pain, but did not cease struggling, fighting against the man’s grip with all his might. Damon barked out a laugh, watching the scene with an expression of amusement.
“Ah, let him go. This ought to be fun.” Damon rumbled, jerking his head towards Evan. The gang member released the impregnated man obligingly, and Evan fell forward in a heap, reaching out towards Dakota. The werebear he loved was breathing heavily, his body quaking with each breath he took.
“Was it worth it, Dakota? Was it worth it to stick your dick in this piece of garbage? Don’t you wish he had stayed gone?” Damon rumbled, kicking out against Dakota’s side with his booted foot. Dakota rumbled unhappily, and Evan wrapped his arms around the injured bear’s neck, burying his face in the bloody fur. “And you. Evan, was it? Looks like you’re going to be left all alone, now. No mommy to help you. No one to help raise your child. I can’t imagine what kind of life that would be… it would truly be an act of mercy on my part, to kill you and your rotten kid. What do you think, Kota?” He drawled, kicking Dakota more viciously this time. Dakota groaned in pain, trying to get his feet under him. “Stay down!” Damon screamed, shifting into his bear form and lurching towards Dakota. Dakota wailed in pain as the other bear slammed into him, effectively pinning him to the ground.
“Get off of him!” Evan shouted, rushing towards the two. Dakota desperately rumbled, obviously trying to keep his small lover away. Damon looked towards him, raising up on his hind legs and baring his teeth in a wicked snarl. He roared, blood and saliva splattering against Evan’s face as he tried to intimidate the human into submission. Evan stood firm, bearing his own teeth in what looked an almost feral expression. “I won’t let you kill him. I won’t stand by and watch.” Evan bit out. Before he could take another step, get another word out, Damon swept a clawed paw towards him, aiming right for his gut. Fear flowed through Evan’s being, and everything seemed to go dark all around him as Damon’s claws edged against his stomach.
Suddenly, Damon was thrown back by a flash of golden light. He hit the ground hard, looking up with an animalistic and angry expression as soon as he was able to gather his sense. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the bizarre sight before him; where Evan had stood, there now stood a massive white furred bear with eyes that shone gold. Damon stared in disbelief, climbing back to his feet and seeming to deeply consider the bear who had inexplicably appeared.
“One who would disturb the life of an innocent youth is not worthy of life! As bear or man!” The white furred bear snarled, his voice shaking the house. Damon hesitated, lingering a few feet away before deciding his anger overruled his fear of the unknown. The smaller bear made to slam into the large white spirit bear, only to be knocked aside by a careless swipe of the guardian bear’s claws. As he hit the ground, the white bear rushed towards him, pinning him effortlessly to the ground. Damon struggled beneath his massive paws, gasping for breath as one of those mighty paws pressed to the side of his ribs. Damon began to struggle more fervently, and Dakota could do little more than watch as the massive bear spirit that had overtaken his lover’s form began to crush the smaller bear beneath a single paw. A loud crack of Damon’s ribs, and he roared in pain, helplessly shifting back into his human form.
“Stop! Please stop!” He cried out, sighing with relief as the bear spirit’s form began to dissipate. Where the spirit had stood, there stood Evan once more, though his eyes still shone with an unearthly golden glow. Evan smiled wickedly, pressing his foot against the center of Damon’s injured ribs, right above where his heart lay. “You wouldn’t dare.” Damon sneered, weakly trying to push the other man off of him.
“Wouldn’t I?” Evan retorted, his voice sounding wobbly and distorted. Damon’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a stomping pressure against his ribs. He screamed in agony, blood spilling past his lips. “You have brought shame to your kind. May you suffer in eternal indignity.” Evan cried out, his voice echoing all around them. He smiled to himself, drawing away from Damon as the shapeshifter desperately tried to gasp for breath, only to be choked up on his own blood. The ill willed man began to gurgle helplessly, and as the life faded from his body, so did the unearthly light begin to fade from Evan’s eyes. A final breath, and as Damon’s life ended, Evan collapsed almost bonelessly to the floor. It was as if all the strength had been drained from him in his final stand. Dakota, having shifted into his human form, lurched towards his downed lover with what little strength he could muster. He gathered Evan in his arms, murmuring soft words of comfort as Evan tried to cling to his consciousness.
“It’ll be okay, darling. Everything is going to be okay.” Dakota rambled, brushing a hand to Evan’s cheeks. Evan tried to nod, but found himself unable to move due to his sheer exhaustion. He blinked his eyes shut, fully intending to open them once more. However, he found himself too weak to do that, either. He was vaguely aware of unconsciousness sinking its metaphorical claws into him, and as much as he wanted to assure his shouting loved that everything would be okay, he simply couldn’t cling on any longer. The sensation of Dakota’s hands cradling him melted away, and the distant sounds of sirens were the last thing Evan heard before everything faded to black.
When he awoke, his body was wracked with intense pain which seemed to radiate from within his stomach. He kept his eyes squeezed shut against it, able to make out a somewhat distant chatter that was growing increasingly louder. He groaned weakly, reaching out to touch his stomach. It was sore to the touch, with stitches going across his entire underbelly.
“Evan?” Dakota implored softly, receiving an unhappy grumble in response. “Evan! Everyone, he’s awake!” The bear shifter shouted, leaning in to kiss Evan on the forehead. As little as Evan wanted to be touched in that particular moment, the small show of affection was appreciated.
“Thank God.” Evan’s mother said weakly, and Evan’s eyes popped open in sheer disbelief just upon hearing her voice. Immediately, his vision was assaulted by a bright light, and he was aware of just how many people were surrounding his bed. He tried to sit up, but his mother was swift to stop him, pressing a gentle hand to his chest.
“You’re going to feel very weak for a little while… Mister… Misses… Williams.” A professional voice said uncertainly.
“Mister Williams, thank you very much. And you’d do well not to forget it.” His mother snapped at the unidentified voice.
Evan blinked blearily, soon able to make out the vaguely familiar shapes of a hospital room surrounding the cot he lay on. His mother stood right to the his head, and what seemed to be nearly the entire hospital staff surrounded the remainder of his bed. Feeling overwhelmingly exposed, he drew the sheet over himself, glancing to his mother with a pleading stare.
“You’re in the hospital, honey. Just a bunch of no good gawkers, like they’ve never seen a man give birth before.” His mother snorted derisively. Dakota snorted out a laugh, and the hospital staff seemed to take the hint, awkwardly shuffling away from bed and going back about their normal tasks.
“Where… where’s Dakota? And oh god! I gave… birth? I actually gave birth!? Is the baby okay? The baby! Oh god please let me see the baby.” He shrieked, jolting upwards and immediately crying out in pain.
“I’m right here, love. Just relax, they had to do a c-section, so you’re going to be really sore for a while.” Dakota murmured, shuffling over to the bed with a white bundle held in his arms. He reached out to take Evan by the hand, shifting to hold the bundle in one arm. Evan squeezed his hand appreciatively, staring at the white bundle with wide eyed uncertainty. “I take it you wanna meet your son?” Dakota smiled. Evan nodded fervently, and Dakota shifted his grip on the bundle in his arms once more before gently lowering the bundle into Evan’s arms. “Careful, he’s a heavy one.” He added, receiving
a strained grunt in reply.
“Heavy is right.” Evan muttered, unable to smother a nearly face splitting grin as he took his child into his arms. “Oh my god.” He murmured, tears springing to his eyes.
For all intents and purposes, the baby looked to be a normal bouncing baby boy. He had Dakota’s dark hair, and Evan’s brilliant blue eyes-- eyes that viewed the world with a rather inquisitive nature. However, instead of crying like a typical infant, their child seemed more content to grumble and growl unhappily. He reached out with a pair of clawed hands, and Evan bit back a laugh as Dakota reached back, only to have their baby sink his claws into his hand. Dakota winced, but managed a small smile in spite of it, flicking the baby’s nose much to the small child’s discontent.
“Grumpy little thing.” Dakota griped good naturedly, receiving a little glare from the other father.
“He’s beautiful.” Evan said defensively, receiving a resounding hum of agreement from both his mother and his lover.
“Just like his daddy.” His mother beamed. She hesitated, glancing to Dakota before drawing her gaze back to Evan. “Like the daddy that birthed him, I mean. No offense, Dakota, honey.” She corrected herself. Evan was unable to bite back the laugh that spilled past his lips this time, and Dakota leveled a glare at him, looking more than a little offended.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay. He’s got your good looks as well. Look at that hair… all that hair” Evan murmured, trying to hide his smile. Dakota rolled his eyes, drawing his hand back from the child’s grip to tousle the long hair atop his head. Their son rumbled unhappily, the animalistic noises he was making sounding somewhat odd in his human tongue. “He’s even got your way with words.” Evan added with a smirk.
“Har de har har.” Dakota bit out, snapping his pointed teeth at his lover. Their child repeated the motion, snapping its gums together. Evan was certain the motion would be much more fearsome when the infant had actual teeth to snap.
“What are you two going to name him?” Evan’s mother implored rather abruptly, leaning in to coo at the infant. He happily rumbled in response, and Evan smirked at Dakota who simply rolled his eyes once more.
“Oh, he’s not grumpy. He just has impeccable taste.” Evan’s mother announced, gathering the infant in her arms and rocking him to and fro. Dakota watched with a slight smile, in spite of the subtle dig his mother in law had managed to get in. Again.
“Anyway. About that name?” Dakota inquired, glancing towards his currently bed-ridden lover.
“Well…” Evan started, trailing off somewhat thoughtfully. “My father’s name was Barry. We could name him that.” He smiled, receiving an abrupt bark of laughter in reply. “What’s so funny?” He deadpanned, glaring at Dakota. The bear shifter continued to guffaw for a solid minute, and Evan looked to his mother for backup. For her part, she seemed to be smothering giggles as well, and Dakota took a moment to ruffle Evan’s hair.
“While I appreciate wanting to name our son after your father, don’t you think a bear shifter named Barry is a bit… obvious?” Dakota said carefully. Evan’s eyes widened, and he snorted derisively at himself.
“It would be be rather… unbearable, don’t you think?” His mother supplied, smiling a cheesy grin. The two man groaned loudly in response. One doctor who lingered outside the room watched the spectacle as it took place, writing notes on the chart he had for Evan Williams. It seemed for now, the name would go undecided, which the doctor found a bit strange. Though, for that matter, he had never seen a man give birth to a clawed and growling infant before, either.
Suddenly, Dakota lurched towards the door, baring his teeth at the snooping physician. The doctor yelped as the door was slammed in his face, lingering a moment longer before slipping away with a huff.
Frankly, he was with the young man’s mother. It was more than one could bear.
The End
Bonus Book: Arrested by the Dragon
Carefully shuffling into his freshly pressed police uniform, Daryl Jameson examined his reflection with no small measure of pride. The navy blue of the uniform contrasted with his porcelain pale skin. His jet-black hair was neatly trimmed into a clean crew cut, and his green eyes shone with genuine excitement for what was perhaps the first time in his life. Today was the day. After years of strenuous training, after years of longing, it was finally here. Today was his first day on the force.
Daryl quirked his lips in a faint smile, his pointed teeth just barely visible. He had done a lot of growing since the day, many years ago, that he decided he wanted to join the force. He had been little more than a child then. Then again, he had gone through things that no child rightfully should. His eyes grew slightly hazy as he became lost in thought, reflecting on what had brought him to this point.
At the age of ten, what was then a boy became so much more. He still carried vague memories of being snatched out of his yard, still carried vague memories of his dead parents. More prevalent in his mind were the years that followed, from when he was taken until the police managed to shut down the mysterious operation. The intent of the organization was unclear, and the police reports had since been vaulted.
Daryl remembered the other children captured by Genesis Corporation, however, and he remembered when he’d received his first injection. He’d never been fond of needles, crying and screaming every time he had to receive some sort of vaccination. The injections given by Genesis were immeasurably more painful than those he had received prior. It was as if his insides were set aflame each time they injected the mysterious fluid into his veins.
While the other children began to grow ill, he only grew stronger. He noticed changes with his body, starting with the subtle point of his teeth and nails. Strenuous testing exercises were the norm, but nothing slowed him down. Nothing hurt him, except those cursed shots.
It all culminated when they gave him a final injection, and it seemed to trigger some ultimate transformation. His body had contorted, cracked, and shifted in ways he never thought possible. The other children were given similar injections that day. He was the only one who survived the transformation. He could still remember the sensation of fire brewing in his stomach, exploding out of his mouth to set the building aflame. After that incident, he was forced to wear a muzzle at all times, even when he wasn’t in the form of… well, might as well call it what it was. Over the course of the painful injections of ancient DNA, he had become something unimaginable.
He had become part dragon.
Daryl himself never learned the purpose behind the experiment. The strongest memory of that time was being forced to bury the bodies of the other children. He thought that place was all he would ever know, until the police raided the facility. They could have rightfully killed him. He had been turned into a monster, a man who had no place among humans. A kind officer offered to take him in, however, and the rest was history.
Which brought him to the present day, where he shook himself free of his thoughts. He noticed tears pricking at the corner of his eyes, and roughly rubbed away the evidence that he had been crying.
“Be strong, Daryl. You have to make them proud,” he muttered to his reflection, his expression somber. He inhaled a sharp breath, straightening his back and lingering a moment longer at the mirror. Though he wasn’t due at the station for another hour, he was eager to make a good impression. This was his dream come true.
A few moments later found him walking the sidewalk in the direction of the station, humming softly under his breath. Though he had been reluctant to move to another town, it was for the best to obscure his identity. He had chosen a town rumored to be riddled with crime in the hopes that he would be able to make a real difference.
The police chief had seemed friendly enough when they first spoke, and Daryl was eager to get to know the other officers on the force. As he approached the station, he spotted a few uniformed officers lingering outside, cigarettes hanging from their mouths. He steeled himself before approaching, nodding his head at the men as he stepp
ed among them. They seemed to reel at his appearance, and before he could voice his greeting, one of the older men was swift to speak.
“Ah, this must be the pretty boy the chief was talking about. Hell, kid, what do you think you’re getting yourself into?” The man took a drag off of his cigarette.
Daryl hesitated, considering his words carefully. “I’m here to make a difference.”
The other men exchanged looks before bursting into laughter.
“You have no idea how the real world works, pretty boy,” another officer said with a grin.
Daryl fought not to bare his teeth, dismissing the men as bitter and jaded. Perhaps they thought it was good enough to scrape by on their duties, but he had a stronger work ethic than that. He had a stronger moral code.
The Dragon’s Flight: Gay Paranormal Romance Page 17