Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (13 page)

Serafina pulled my hands to her lips and
kissed them, then she lowered our hands to the pillow separating
us. "I don't know what to think right now. There's too much for me
to take in all at once, and I'm sure there's a lot more you haven't
said."

"That's true, there is so much more that you
still need to know, but for now I think it's best if we take a
break." I squeezed her hands gently. "Why don't you take a shower
and I'll go downstairs to check on breakfast. I heard the room
service waiter open the front door a moment ago."

"Thank you," she said, releasing my hands to
wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I think some time alone would be
good for me right now."

Serafina went into the bathroom and closed
the door quietly. Downstairs the front door opened and closed again
as the room service attendant left the apartment.

I grabbed some clothes and went to one of the
other bathrooms to take a quick shower. Dressed in dark jeans and a
black t-shirt I went to gather some of her clothes thinking she
would want something to wear after her shower. Since my palm print
can open any door in the resort, I didn't need to worry about how
I'd get into her apartment. When I returned she was still in the
shower so I left her clothes on the bed and went to the kitchen.
Along the way, I turned on all the lights since the shutters would
remain closed until the sun set.

There was a knock at the door just as I
finished pouring myself a cup of coffee. When I opened the front
door Rook was waiting on the other side in the foyer. He raised an
eyebrow at me expectantly when I didn't invite him in.

"Now's not a good time if this is something
that could wait," I told him.

"I didn't think it would be, considering you
finally claimed your mate last night."

It was my turn to raise a brow. "Yet even
knowing that, here you are."

"The nightshifters are talking. Last night
all of them felt a tremor run through their souls that, according
to them, felt like their beasts rolled over in their sleep. We need
to talk."

I ran my hand over my face. "Come on in and
have breakfast with us. I'm not sure how much more Serafina can
take, but she needs to know about the danger she's in now." I moved
aside and motioned with my hand that he should enter.

I came downstairs to find Rook and Dragon
sitting at the table talking and drinking coffee. I thanked Dragon
for retrieving my clothes and he asked if I was ready to eat
breakfast. I told him I wasn't sure if my stomach could handle any
food but I needed to try and eat something. He removed the food
from the warmers then and the three of us fixed our plates and
began eating in silence. I wasn't sure why Rook was here and his
presence was a little disconcerting. My nerves were frayed to the
breaking point and all I really wanted to do was curl up in bed by
myself. But I knew that hiding wouldn't solve the problem and
everything would still be waiting for me once I emerged again. So I
ate my waffle, which seemed tasteless in my current state of mind,
and waited to see what would happen next.

When Dragon finished his steak and eggs he
wiped his mouth with his napkin then set it down on his plate and
sat back in his chair. "Rook stopped by because he has some
security concerns he'd like to discuss with us if you're feeling up
to it."

I put my fork down; I'd only been pushing my
food around the plate anyway, and blew out a breath. "I'm willing
to give it a try, but if you don't mind I'd like to move into the
living room before we get started."

They both agreed and we grabbed our drinks as
we moved towards the other room. Upon entering the living room my
eyes fixed on the sliding glass doors covered by the thick
light-blocking shutters for a moment, then I stopped and looked
over my shoulder at Dragon. "You were serious when you made that
comment about bursting in flames weren't you?"

He nodded, "Yes, and the sun is still too
high for me to take any chances."

I began walking again and thought it would
have been nice to have this conversation on the terrace in the
fresh air. Dragon's apartment was starting to feel a tad bit
claustrophobic. I sat in a comfortable, brown leather chair with my
feet pulled up beside me. Rook lounged in another chair and Dragon
took a seat on the couch.

"I'm sorry to intrude on what has to be an
already stressful day, but there are things you need to know now
that the two of you are mated, and the sooner you know them, the
better. If you have any questions don't hesitate to stop me at any
time," Rook began what I was sure would turn out to be an
illuminating if not disturbing conversation.

"I understand, but how did you know we're
mated? I don't think Dragon had time to call you since he was busy
getting my clothes during my shower and that's the only time he's
been out of my sight?"

He shifted uncomfortably and looked at
Dragon, who chose to remain silent, before responding. "First, I'm
going to assume that you've already realized Solomon's story last
night was true and go from there. You should know that only a
handful of our employees are human, the rest are supernatural in
some way - nightshifters, vampires, shapeshifters, demons,
etcetera. The majority of them are nightshifters. Has Dragon
explained what that term means?" I nodded and he continued. "The
spell that was cast on Dragon holds all the nightshifters' beasts
in a deep sleep. They hadn't felt the slightest vibration from
their other halves in centuries, not until last night. When
Dragon's beast marked you last night they all felt a tremor roll
through their souls."

I groaned and covered my face with my hands.
"So everyone basically felt ripples from my orgasms?"

Dragon wisely kept quiet but Rook chuckled,
"Not quite. As of right now they have no idea what happened and I'd
like to keep it that way. So far they're just speculating, but
they'll be watching for any changes now. Some of them had already
been talking about the two of you being seen in Lilith's and The
Gateway since it's so unusual for Dragon to be seen in public with
a woman. Now they're probably wondering if you might have something
to do with the tremor they felt. If we're lucky they'll write your
association with Dragon off as a coincidence."

"Why does it matter so much what everyone
else thinks?" I sat forward and rested my elbows on my knees.
Dragon was sitting quietly listening to Rook and watching my
reactions.

"Once word gets out that you're Dragon's mate
you will become a target just like the First Lady of the United
States or the wife of any other important political figure. But
there's also another more important reason that we want to control
who knows about the mating at least for now. Like any magical tale
there is a prophecy, and that prophecy has been interpreted to mean
that Dragon's mate will break the spell and release his dragon
along with all the other beasts.

The Master vampire from Solomon's story is
still very much alive and has his base of operations in New
Orleans. His name is Travali and when he hears that Dragon has
found his mate, he will do everything in his power to have you
assassinated before the spell can be broken. The prophecy is not
clear on how you will break the spell and not everyone fully
accepts that you will. So until the spell breaks its best to hide
the fact that you're Dragon's mate. That is why I would like to
have permission from both of you to have Solomon fashion a charm
that will hide the mating mark."

A quiet growl escaped Dragon and I gaped at
him in surprise. Rook stifled a laugh and explained, "Shapeshifters
are extremely possessive especially when they're newly mated. His
dragon wants everyone to know you belong to him and he does not
like the idea of covering his mark. Once that mark fills in with
color he'll settle down some but you will always need to be careful
of any contact with other males."

Dragon ducked his head then looked up and
cleared his throat. "I apologize Serafina, I'll try to control
myself better in the future." he glanced at Rook. "Go ahead and
speak to Solomon, I trust your instincts and we should do
whatever's necessary to keep Serafina safe."

"You don't need to apologize to me Dragon.
This is who you are and it sounds like I better get used to that
kind of behavior if I'm going to live in your world." He gave me an
appreciative smile and I turned to Rook. "How do you fit in to all
of this, I mean, from the way you talk about them as separate from
yourself you're obviously not a nightshifter, or even a
shapeshifter?"

"Your assumption is correct; I'm not a
nightshifter. I'm a time demon."

I'll admit, when he said he was a demon I
shifted a little farther away from him. I liked Rook, and even felt
safe with him, but demons are usually portrayed as evil creatures
that can possess humans.

He noticed the movement and gave me a knowing
smile. "One could look at demons as good and evil. Good demons can
walk in the sun while evil demons cannot. It's not really that
simple but it works as a general rule. Time demons choose to use
their powers for good and we can walk in the sun, as evidenced by
my fabulous tan." He held up his arm and sure enough it was tanned
to a medium bronze.

"Since we have power over time, we're raised
with strict guidelines for how it can and cannot be manipulated.
Any deviations from that code and our Elders will make sure we
never alter time again." With a mischievous grin he added, "That's
not to say we can't have fun with our powers, we just have to make
sure we don't cross any important lines."

Then he leaned forward and said seriously,
"Time demons are generally known to be protectors. Once every
century on our sacred day - the thirteenth day of the thirteenth
year - a child is born that my people deem worthy of our
protection. That child is assigned a guardian from my race that was
born on the sacred day the century prior to the child's birth. The
guardian spends the first hundred years of his life training to
protect his charge. When the child is born, the guardian is bound
to him or her by blood and oath. I am Dragon's guardian. I will
protect Dragon, and now you, with all the abilities I have until my
last breath leaves my body." Rook spoke as if he were making a
solemn promise.

"Thank you Rook, I never would've thought I
needed protection, but with everything that's happened and
everything that you've told me, I'm glad I have you watching my
back." I glanced at Dragon then asked, "Since vampires burn up in
sunlight does that make them evil?"

Dragon responded with an emphatic,
"'Yes."

At the same time Rook said, "Not
necessarily."

After an acquiescing motion from Dragon, Rook
explained, "Some vampires choose to forego drinking fresh blood to
increase their psychic abilities."

"Dragon explained that to me last night," I
informed Rook. "He said it increases the virus that causes
vampirism in their bodies."

Rook nodded and looked relieved that I'd been
given the pertinent background information for this conversation.
"That's true, and having the virus in their bodies at all is enough
to make them burn in the sun because it's the demon virus that
reacts to the ultraviolet rays. As the virus multiplies it makes
them more sensitive to the sun and also affects their minds and
bodies. The demons that carried the vampire virus were known as
mind demons. These demons were unstable blood addicts that enjoyed
torture and mayhem. Thankfully, there isn't enough magic left in
this world for them to survive here. Physically, mind demons were
gaunt humanoid forms with pale leathery skin and sharp claws for
hands. They were completely hairless and lacked the necessary
organs to digest anything but blood and other liquids. If a vampire
forgoes fresh blood long enough his physical form will eventually
change into something similar to a mind demon. He will also become
a completely sociopathic killer with an addiction to blood.

The transformation happens in stages and is
the reason why vampire legends often vary so drastically. Vampires
who drink fresh blood regularly can still eat solid food and even
procreate. They have a healthy complexion and look almost
completely human, just a little on the pale side since they have to
avoid sunlight. On the other hand, vampires who forego fresh blood
routinely have a sickly pallor and may or may not be able to eat
solid foods depending on how far they've let the transformation
progress.

I believe that vampires who choose to forego
fresh blood for any reason fall into the evil category. You can
usually tell them from the rest by their translucent skin and
sunken eyes."

"I think I'd to have agree," I told Rook, and
then to Dragon I said, "Now I understand why you believe they sell
their souls for the power they gain by foregoing fresh blood. But
why do you think all vampires are evil? I see why you might think
Travali and his crew are evil, but technically you are a vampire
and I don't think you're evil."

"I believe we are all evil, myself included,
because we're parasites who have to feed off the life force of
other living beings to survive," Dragon told me.

I moved to the couch and sat beside Dragon
taking his hands in mine. "Do you intentionally harm the people you
drink from by taking too much blood, or by forcing them to share
their blood unwillingly?"

"Never intentionally, but taking another
being's life force into my body always makes me feel alive, like
every cell in my body is electrified. I don't really know how to
describe the feeling. It's like getting high, only better and far
more addictive. And with that high comes overwhelming lust. It
feels like taking the strongest aphrodisiac ever imagined. It's
easy to take too much without meaning too, especially for young
vampires. Even I've made mistakes, had accidents," he looked me in
the eyes and admitted. I understood what that meant but I wasn't
horrified, and I didn't believe he was evil.