Dragons For Hire: A Dragon Shifter Romance

by Sadie Sears

  Just beyond, Mitias and Leath chatted in the semi-dark smaller room.

  "Hey, what's up?" I tossed my truck keys onto the table and took the beer Leath had ordered for me. He slid over to the far end of the table, allowing me room to sit on the dingy leather bench seat. Mitias waited until I settled in before he frowned.

  "How bad is it?" I'd moved to Spruce to live a peaceful life, and now, wizards had popped up after years of relative silence.

  "We have intel that the wizards are setting up camp in Vermont, infiltrating universities, hospitals, and laboratories. Places they can slip in and wreak havoc." He rubbed his beard. I didn’t doubt his intel. He had ways of finding things out no one else could. I didn’t ask how, but I trusted his word.

  Leath shot a glance my way, but I sat tight-lipped. I needed to hear it all before I formed an opinion.

  “Word is they’re trying to find new ways to destroy or debilitate dragons.”

  I took a sip of my beer then shook my head. “They’ve been trying to do that since they found out we could drain their power. None of their spells or magic have worked. They simply aren’t strong enough to defeat us.”

  This wasn’t news. He’d told us about the wizards’ work before and that he was on a council of some sort working against them, hunting their pods. Mitias glanced from me to Leath before he pulled a manilla envelope from his canvas shoulder bag and spread several photographs on the table.

  “I know that, which is why they’re doing something different. They've hit a few other shifters, too. One of Mike's clan collapsed the other day, and a few humans have shown symptoms. But recently, they took a young dragon captive near the Canadian border and forcefully extracted some of its blood before he escaped.”

  “Holy shit. Why?”

  “We think they’re using it to experiment on. If they can’t use magic, they’re trying to use science.”

  “Shit.” Of all shifters, our blood was sacred because it held the secrets to our unique abilities. Not only did it allow us to manipulate the elements, but we could also drain a wizard’s magic if we believed they were using it for anything other than good. If one of them found a way to stop us, then every living creature on the planet could be in danger.

  "Holy shit. This could start a war."

  Mitias nodded. “What makes this worse is that they’re also using humans to help them. We are fighting an enemy without a familiar face; someone we can’t identify. So, I need you two to inform the others and stay on high alert. I’m certain the wizards will be looking for more blood, more dragons to capture. We must be careful.”

  "Safety in numbers," Leath said.

  "Exactly, we need to stick together and be careful."

  I frowned. I'd never seen Mitias this serious before. But I wouldn't allow wizards to hurt the town I’d come to love or the happiness I’d only just found. I'd do anything, fight tooth and nail, to protect my dragon brothers and my new life.

  To get everyone together so we could share the news, we decided to have a cook-out at Ben’s house. I hadn’t seen what he’d done to the place after I’d helped him stain the wooden siding a pale blue. I knew Dominic had helped with the large custom-designed oasis in the backyard with a small waterfall flowing into a smaller pond, and Taurus had made sure the appropriate plants and flowers grew around the perimeter and floated in the creature-friendly water.

  Ben’s home looked great, and I was glad I’d invited Gretta because I wanted to introduce her to my friends, my family. I’d also asked her to bring Justin, Lila, Zoe, and Shae to make it a real get-together.

  However, when Gretta arrived, it was without her sister.

  “Where's Lila? Is everything okay?"

  "She couldn't come. She has a support group for people suffering from MS and other debilitating diseases. They're having tea at her house. She's been feeling a little off lately, so she thought what better way to make herself feel better than to host this month’s group meeting."

  "Well, we can pack a plate for Zoe to take home for Lila." We had plenty of food, and she had to eat. If I could do anything to make the day easier for Gretta, especially something so easy, I was going to do it every time.

  Gretta tilted her head and smiled at me. "Thank you."

  I put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, catching a whiff of coconut. "You changed your shampoo. I like it."

  "You noticed."

  "I notice everything about you." Right then I was busy noticing the string to her bikini-top tied around her neck. And the way her nipples felt against my chest when she breathed.

  "You two are making the rest of us a little jealous."

  I turned to see Justin. I really needed to start listening for him, but the man moved around like he walked on air. He grinned and then snapped a few pictures. When he was done, he swiped the screen of his phone a couple of times then held it up for us to see.

  “Hashtag no fakes. There, all done. It’s officially posted on all my social media accounts.”

  I shook my head at him and smiled. Gretta’s circle of friends might not have been big, but it was tight.

  Ben came over and introduced himself. “How is Sam treating you?”

  I frowned. “What kind of question is that?”

  Ben laughed. “I just want to make sure you’re making her feel like the beautiful woman she is.”

  If Ben wasn’t such a consummate flirt, his comment would have gotten my hackles up; as it was, Gretta smiled. “He treats me the same way I treat him. With the utmost respect.”

  Ben raised his eyebrows at me, and I shrugged. I wasn’t going to argue with that.

  “I should probably go help Theo with the hamburgers. Gretta, it was a pleasure to meet you.” As he headed off, I saw him spot Zoe and Shae and indicate the back garden where I was sure he was telling them about the pond. The three disappeared, and then Cam came up, followed by Vincent and Theo.

  “You’re supposed to be on hamburger duty, according to Ben,” I said as Theo smiled at Gretta.

  “As if he can’t handle it himself.” His eyes shone a myriad of colors in the sunlight, and I heard Gretta gasp.

  “You’re an ether.” She glanced from Theo to Cam. “Wow, now that I know, it’s incredible. Your eyes are so beautiful.”

  I cleared my throat, and she glanced at me.

  “Your eyes are beautiful too.”

  Theo laughed, but it was Vincent who then caught Gretta’s attention. For a second, I thought she was getting a little overwhelmed being surrounded by so many dragons at once, but she seemed fascinated, and I internally preened.

  “Would you be an air dragon?” she asked Vincent.

  He tilted his head and then nodded. “Yes, how did you know?”

  “Your eyes mostly, but you have a slim build, and Sam told me air dragons are fast and agile, faster than all the other dragons. He also told me you were the youngest of his friends.”

  “Right, I’m the only one among them born in the last century.” He laughed and jabbed an elbow into Theo’s ribs. “This guy is one of the oldest, but don’t ask him his age, he’s sensitive about it.”

  “I am not. Damn proud to have gotten to over 200. Anyway, the reason I came over, not just to introduce myself and see what a wonderful lady Sam was lucky to get, but to also offer you both congratulations.” He pointed to the ring on Gretta’s finger, and she glanced down at it as if she’d almost forgotten she was wearing it.

  “Yeah. We’re officially a couple,” I quickly said, feeling my cheeks burn.

  Gretta slowly slid her hand behind her back, and I could tell she’d suddenly become as uncomfortable about that announcement as I was. Theo, who would have picked up on the sudden shift of energy, turned to Vincent.

  “Come on, we’d better help Ben before he incinerates those hamburgers.”

  Vincent blew his bangs out of his eyes and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Gretta.” His smile was genuine as he turned to follow Theo, and I saw Cam take a few steps off to the r
ight.

  "I should probably return this." Gretta twisted the ring but didn't take it off. “It’s your mom’s.”

  “I’d rather you keep it because, you know, us being destined mates.”

  “So, you want this engagement to be real?”

  There was a slight inflection in her tone that worried me. I swallowed and remembered when I’d gotten down on one knee and proposed. I’d meant it then, and now that she’d accepted me as a dragon, I wanted that lifetime with her. “Well, I had hoped. I mean, we wouldn’t have to tie any knots until you’re ready, and I’d eventually want to claim you—”

  Gretta's smile faded. "Claim me?"

  We hadn’t quite made it that far in our conversations about what being mates meant, but I laughed like it was no big deal. "It’s not an ownership thing."

  She smoothed her hands over her stomach and looked from me to some spot in the distance and back to me a couple times before she spoke. "What does that mean, exactly?"

  "It’s not even a thing.” Cam stood close enough to hear me humiliate myself, and I saw him grin. Bastard. “I bite you. And you’ll, um, change. To a dragon.”

  She nodded, shook her head, and nodded again. “Oh.” Her eyes were wide and the green flecks around her irises darker.

  “But you have to want me to claim you,” I said in a rush in case she thought I’d force her into it.

  Gretta glanced around the yard at all my friends, and I didn’t have to be an ether dragon to know what was going on in her mind. When she turned to me, my heart raced, and my stomach tightened almost to the point of pain. She took a deep breath, and I was sure she was going to say something, but her work pager went off. She groaned.

  “It’s work. I have to go. Where’s Justin?”

  “I can drive you.”

  Her smile was sweet and full of sunshine, and I breathed a little easier.

  “Thank you. I’ll just make sure Justin can take the girls home later because we rode in together.”

  We headed toward the hospital, past my favorite beech tree, and I pointed it out to Gretta.

  "You see that tree over there? The big one?” When she nodded, I continued. “That tree is my new buddy. Leath says it's a tree of fairies, and the branches have the wisdom of our ancestors.” Mine, not hers.

  She studied it as we drove by. "I think you like it because it protects everything around it. Kind of like you do."

  Peace settled in my soul. Gretta knew I'd protect her no matter what, and I hoped that meant she would fully embrace what dragons were, what they needed to do, what they wanted above all else.

  We rode the rest of the way in silence. I wasn’t brave enough to bring up the claiming bite again. And she didn’t ask. It was a lot to digest, and while she’d done so much better than I expected with the knowledge that I was a dragon, I didn’t want to keep throwing things at her. I pulled into the hospital parking lot, and she leaned across the center console to hug me. She kissed my cheek, probably because any other kiss would’ve put us in a very inappropriate position for such a public spot.

  Instead, I leaned my forehead against hers and stroked her cheek. "I love you."

  "I love you, too." She jumped out of my truck and hurried toward the emergency entrance.

  Nervous energy crackled in my belly. Mitias said the wizards were infiltrating universities, laboratories, and hospitals

  "Be careful!" I wouldn’t have been sure she’d heard me, but she turned at the door and stared for a second before she disappeared inside.

  13

  Gretta

  I concentrated on the curves in the road and tried to hide my concerns over Lila's worsening symptoms. Her episodes lately were much worse than ever before and that was a bad sign. At first, I'd chalked up her forgetfulness to the stress of single parenting. Zoe was a good kid, but she was nearly a teenager. But then she’d suffered double vision and rigid muscles in her fingers. Maybe it was time to face facts—Lila’s condition was worsening.

  Lila didn’t want to admit it either. I’d had to almost twist her arm to get her to make an appointment with her specialist in Burlington. Secondary Progressive MS, they’d said.

  Everything about Lila's current symptoms had me stumped because it usually took well over twenty years for the neurological functions to degenerate so much that it qualified as transitioned. We’d done all the therapies and she took care of herself and her body like it really was a temple. That should have bought us some time. But it hadn’t. The disease was following the scientific data I’d studied, but at a much faster rate. More than ever, I was determined to find a cure for her.

  "If I get the research job, we have a good shot of getting you into the clinical trials and finding a cure." And if she got into the trial, we would have to hope she got the medicine and not the control group placebo. I kept my tone even. I didn't want to upset her any more than the visit with her doctor had already.

  "I know. When we get back, will you help me reschedule my clients? I sent Sophie a text, and she's moved some appointments around so she can give me a massage and help with Zoe.”

  The resignation in her voice broke my heart, and her long, brown hair curtained her face as she twisted the silver ring on her index finger.

  "I know the massages help, Lila, but allied therapies aren't enough anymore." I watched her for any sign I’d upset her with my bluntness, but she sighed. It wasn’t her usual angry or frustrated sigh, just sad. I flipped on the radio. I wanted to hug her and cry with her, but if there was one thing I’d learned about Lila, it was that she needed to process all this in her own way.

  I squeezed her hand as a light rain pelleted the windshield, and the wind picked up. "Sophie’s a good friend."

  Lila nodded. "The best, really. I'd be lost without her. And you."

  I smiled and sang along to an old Bon Jovi song she’d loved when we were kids, and she joined in as best she could, but there were things even Bon Jovi couldn’t do when it came to Lila’s MS.

  I helped Lila settle into her favorite reclining chair. Memories of us running through this room when we were children, and Mom yelling for us to be careful and not run in the house, played over in my mind. The air in the house felt heavy and hot. Lila wasn’t going to get better, and the more time passed, the worse she was going to get. She might not be around until we were little old ladies like we’d planned.

  I stepped outside to take a breath. Lila believed in healing energy, and if ever there was a time we needed it, it was now. It didn’t matter if I believed in it or not, she did, and I didn’t want to go in there with my negative energy. I wanted to have faith in it too.

  As I took in the thickly wooded scenery around me, I thought of Sam. He was my calm, and I longed to see him, but Lila needed me, and I couldn’t leave her alone. With shaking hands, I pulled my phone out and I dialed Sam’s number. If he couldn’t hold me and soothe away my fears for my sister, at least I could hear his voice.

  When he answered, I blew out a relieved breath.

  "Hi. Is everything okay? I feel like it’s not.” Sam's voice dripped with concern.

  "Is that a dragon thing?"

  He chuckled. "I don't know. Maybe if I were an ether dragon, but it's probably a destined mate thing. And you didn't answer me. Is everything all right?"

  I wanted to tell Sam everything—the diagnosis, my fears, the sadness, but I didn't want to risk Lila overhearing. Still, I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Lila's had a setback with some strange symptoms not necessarily indicative of MS."

  “What do you mean by strange?”

  “She’s extra tired, drained. Her muscles are cramping, and she’s forgetting things. I don’t know, it’s as if she’s suffering from something else, but the doctor seems to think she’s simply transitioning to the next stage of her illness.”

  “You don’t think so?”

  “I’m not a specialist, but I’ve never heard of it happening like this before.”

  “Gretta, this might sound like somethi
ng you possibly won’t believe, but you need to be careful. I think some sort of supernatural magic could be at play.”

  I swallowed hard, disappointed that he couldn’t realize this wasn’t some supernatural phenomenon. This was a disease, something not controlled by mystic forces or cured by magic potions. "Not everything is some supernatural bullshit. This is a human disease and human medicine will find the answer to fix it.” I felt bad before I even finished saying the words. I shouldn’t have snapped at him. Should have known better than to take my frustration and my desperation out on him. "Sam, I’m sorry."

  "It’s okay. I know this is hard on you. And this is also probably the wrong time to bring it up, but if I claimed you, you would live hundreds of years and could do so much for curing human diseases."

  In a hundred years, Lila would be gone. Long before that.

  "I don’t have that kind of time to help Lila." And I didn’t want to live a hundred years without her—definitely not five hundred.

  But as I had the thought, another more persistent one struck me. It would probably never work, and no way I’d ever get Lila to go along with it, but I had to mention it. What kind of sister wouldn’t try?

  “Sam? This claiming bite. Why does it change me? What about it makes me a dragon and allows me to live hundreds of years free of all diseases?” I actually thought I knew, especially since Paul had stated they were going to use dragon blood to kick off their experiments to help eradicate degenerative illnesses. If the two were linked... “What if a dragon’s bite, a claiming bite, that is, could save Lila?” I held my breath, praying Sam would have the answer to a question I wasn’t even sure I should ask.

  “Gretta, it doesn’t work that way.” His voice was soft when I wanted him to be excited, happy I’d found a way to save my sister. And if it wasn't traditional Western medicine, then that was fine. I could live with it because Lila would be alive and happy.