The Dragon’s Flight: Gay Paranormal Romance

by Clearwater, Julian

  “What the hell? Rick? I thought you were dead! You were supposed to be dead,” Big Jim roared, leveling a glare at Mickey.

  Mickey’s hands quaked anxiously, but he kept his gun trained on Rick as Big Jim looked between the two of them.

  “I can’t get good help for shit,” Big Jim complained. “Get out of here, Mickey, you’re lucky I don’t blow your brains out myself.”

  Mickey turned his back, moving to shuffle out of the room. Quick as lightning, Big Jim pulled out his own gun and fired a bullet into the back of Mickey’s skull.

  Rick bit back a gasp.

  Big Jim turned to consider him once more. “What can I say? He was too slow. You, however, well, there’s no sense trying to fool you, is there? You came here ready to die, yeah?” Big Jim grabbed Rick’s shirt collar. He lifted Rick off the ground with one hand and pressed the barrel of his gun to the side of Rick’s head.

  “I have nothing left to lose,” Rick gritted out, a tear spilling down his cheek.

  “Yeah, boy. I guess you don’t. Any last words? Some big manifesto or something?” Big Jim grinned, cocking his gun.

  “Fuck you,” Rick said simply, closing his eyes and resigning himself to his fate.

  Then, the building seemed to explode all around them.

  ***

  The dragon surveyed the scene with a measure of disdain, watching as the fat rat of a man scrambled away from the room. The scent of blood and death assaulted the massive beast’s nostrils, and a sense of panic washed over him as he looked at the men on the floor. He approached carefully, eyes wide with fear. Rick stared up at him, and he could make out the rattling of the Rick’s chest.

  Rick stared deeply into his eyes. “I…I know you. I know those eyes. Holy shit. Daryl…it’s you, isn’t it?”

  Daryl crouched beside him, reaching out to cup his cheek in a scaly hand. He knew he looked like a freak in this form—he looked half-dragon, half-man. He could speak, and he could walk upright. But he could also fight better, and blow fire. Still, he didn’t want to frighten Rick, the man he loved.

  A tear spilled down Rick’s cheek, and Daryl parted his lips to speak.

  “Wait, wait,” Rick said. “Before you say anything, Daryl, I don’t think I got a lot of time left. There’s something I need to get off my chest.”

  Rick reached out to grab Daryl around the shoulders. He managed to pull himself upright, though it was obvious that the action pained him. Tears spilled down his cheeks, and Daryl couldn’t help but shed a tear as well upon seeing the bad shape Rick was in.

  “Go ahead, Rick. I’m listening,” Daryl said gruffly, resting a hand on the small of Rick’s back. Rick’s weight pressed heavily against him, and it was obvious that Rick was swiftly running out of energy. The life seemed to ebb away from him with every shaky exhale. In spite of everything, Rick managed a smile as he considered Daryl’s scaly visage.

  “A dragon, jeez. I wouldn’t believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes…” He trailed off, coughing droplets of blood. “Anyway. I figure I ain’t got much time left, and there’s something I been meaning to tell you.” He cupped Daryl’s cheek in his hand. “Or maybe…maybe it’d be better if I just showed you,” he said weakly, before pressing their lips together in a tender kiss.

  Daryl melted into the embrace, wrapping his arms gently around the other man’s injured form. He parted his lips, and the taste of Rick’s blood on his tongue brought him back to their dreadful reality. He pulled away with some reluctance, crying in earnest now.

  “I love you, Daryl. I have from the moment I first saw you,” Rick said weakly, reaching out to wipe away the other man’s tears.

  “I love you too, you idiot. What were you thinking, coming out here on your own?” Daryl said morosely, pressing another chaste kiss to Rick’s lips.

  “I wanted to be sure you stayed safe, and now. Heh, now, I’m sure you will,” Rick chuckled, blood continuing to spill past his lips. Daryl watched him with a growing sense of dread, realizing that Rick had very little time left.

  He didn’t want to lose Rick, and in most cases, there would be no choice. However, Daryl had done a bit of reading, many years ago when he was still locked in that laboratory. He didn’t know how much dragon he had been imbued with, but he knew what he had the potential to unlock.

  As Rick began to go limp in his arms, Daryl’s decision was made. If there was any chance of saving Rick, he would take it. If there was any chance he had inherited the ability to mate like a dragon, he had to chance it. If what he’d read was true, there was a chance that the act would kill both of them. However, there was no other choice. It was either live with the other man, or die at his side.

  Bringing his wrist to his lips, Daryl bared his teeth and sliced through his own skin. Rick was obviously too far gone to fathom what was happening, and Daryl gently lay him on the ground before holding his bleeding wrist above Rick’s lips. Rick sputtered as the blood flowed into his lips, but Daryl gently rubbed his throat to coax him into swallowing.

  “Trust me, Rick. Just trust me,” he said softly. He wasn’t sure if Rick could understand him, but Rick obligingly swallowed the blood that spilled into his mouth. Suddenly, a pain unlike any other he had ever felt shot through Daryl’s body. He nearly doubled over, gasping for breath as he watched the wounds on Rick’s body change. They were healing before Daryl’s eyes. It seemed Rick’s body was repairing itself, which could only mean it had worked. They were mates now, soulbound. Any pain that Rick felt, Daryl would feel tenfold. It was worth it, however. It would all be worth it if Rick survived.

  Rick slowly blinked his eyes open, the life returning to them. He sat upright, eyes widening as he watched his wounds repair themselves.

  “What the ever-loving hell,” he cried out.

  Daryl gasped out a laugh, resting a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’ll explain later. We have a job to finish,” Daryl said gruffly, helping Rick to his feet.

  Rick seemed startled to find that he could, indeed, stand. He grabbed the gun he had dropped.

  “You won’t be needing that,” Daryl said with a grin, lacing his fingers with those of his lover… no, his mate.

  Rick looked unsure, but seemed to become more and more confident as life returned to his body. “Let’s find that shitbag and end this,” Rick growled.

  Daryl smirked, raising his head and inhaling deeply through his nose. The scent of fear permeated the entire area, acrid and bitter on the back of his tongue. However, as he followed the direction that Big Jim Hawthorne had escaped in, he could make out the vaguest of trails.

  “Follow me,” Daryl said simply, following the trail like some sort of police dog.

  He could feel Rick’s eyes upon him as he led a path through the house and out into the back yard. The scent seemed to fade, which was odd, however Daryl realized the reason as his eyes fell upon a massive greenhouse. He pointed toward it, grinning a sharp toothed grin. “There,” he growled.

  Rick nodded, tightening his grip on Daryl’s hand and leading the way to the greenhouse. There was only one door—one way in and one way out. Daryl steeled himself, gesturing for Rick to wait at the door as he stepped inside. Immediately, his ears were assaulted with the sounds of girlish screams. He grinned wickedly as he laid eyes upon Big Jim Hawthorne, the very man who had orchestrated this hellish situation.

  “Please, please! Let me go! Just let me go! I’ll never commit another crime, so long as I live,” Big Jim pleaded, scrambling away from Daryl.

  Daryl narrowed his eyes, stalking closer and closer to the crime lord. After all the man had put Rick and himself through, it would be all too sweet to see him dead on the greenhouse floor.

  “Wait! Daryl,” Rick called out, stepping into the greenhouse. Daryl glanced to him curiously, and the crime lord’s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Rick once more.

  “Damn, kid, why won’t you just die?” Big Jim blurted.

  Daryl narrowed his eyes, taking a step closer t
o the man. Rick grabbed him by the arm, holding him back.

  “Daryl, I know you wanna kill him. I know you wanna do it real bad. But you’re not like me. You’re not a criminal. You’re a police officer. This man has committed unspeakable crimes, but he deserves to be sentenced just like any other criminal. You can’t sacrifice your morals for this shitbag. It’ll feel good in the moment, but you’ll never forgive yourself for it,” Rick said carefully, rubbing a hand up and down Daryl’s scaled arm. Daryl was fully prepared to kill the crime lord, that much was true. He felt like the man deserved that much and more.

  However…

  Daryl had to admit that Rick had a point. As much as he wanted to see the man’s insides splattered across the greenhouse, Daryl wasn’t a murderer. He was a man of the law. In spite of all Chief Franklin had done to turn this entire city upside down, there was still a chance it could be salvaged. There had to be. Even if there wasn’t, Daryl wasn’t about to add to the unspeakably evil situation. He gritted his teeth, stepping toward the crime lord and grabbing him by the wrist. He gripped a bit more tightly than strictly necessary, and the sound of the man’s wrist snapping echoed through the greenhouse.

  “Shit! Fuck you! Fuck you, pretty boy,” Big Jim cursed angrily, tears streaming down his cheeks from the pain.

  “That’s my job, buddy,” Rick said with a sly smile.

  Daryl offered Rick a wink that clearly wasn’t expected.

  Rick’s eyes widened as if to say ‘wait, really?’ but Daryl edged past him. He kept a firm grip on Big Jim’s arm, and the three trekked the entire distance back to the police station. The veteran officers were outside, speaking angrily amongst themselves.

  “It ain’t right. The new kid didn’t deserve to get wrapped up in all this. I was hoping we’d scare him off, but,” one veteran officer ranted, cutting himself off as Daryl cleared his throat. The veteran officers turned to face him, their collective eyes widening in fear and disbelief. “What the hell—” the officer blurted, and Daryl quirked his lips in a sharp toothed smile.

  “Officer Pretty Boy, here to turn this shitbag in,” he announced proudly, and the other officers exchanged surprised looks.

  “Is that—” one of the men began, and Rick swiftly interrupted him.

  “Yep! Big Jim Hawthorne, biggest crime lord in the city. Here to be locked up and tried like a proper criminal,” he announced proudly.

  “No, I mean. Is that a dragon? Pretty Boy is a dragon?” the man said, voice tinged with awe.

  Then, as the group seemed to shake off their reverie, one of the officers produced a pair of handcuffs. Daryl snapped them around Big Jim’s wrists, handing him over to the men.

  “The chief did some things none of us were proud of,” Daryl said carefully. “But I think between all of us, if you men are willing, I think we can finally clean this city up.”

  The veteran officers exchanged looks, the fate of their chief not needing to be said.

  “We’ll have to decide on a new chief and all, but—” one of the officers began.

  Daryl was quick to interrupt him. “I’ll let you decide that for yourselves. In the meantime, I’d like to take my boyfriend home and celebrate the end of this whole…thing.”

  The men nodded, and Daryl turned to face Rick with quirked lips. “Let’s go home.”

  ***

  Once they were away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Rick became vaguely aware of how drawn he was to the man he loved. Though, granted, he had always felt drawn to Daryl, this felt different somehow. They stepped through the front door of the house, and it was all Rick could do to keep from immediately pouncing on Daryl.

  He hesitated near the doorway, fidgeting uncomfortably.

  “You mind telling me what kind of magic you did back there?” he said, forcing himself to sound casual.

  Daryl glanced over his shoulder, holding up a finger before shifting back into his human form. His nudity no longer obscured by scales, Rick could see every inch of Daryl’s body. Every last inch. He felt himself grow stiff in his jeans, and he averted his eyes, not sure how interested Daryl was in his reaction.

  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.