Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (15 page)

I can't imagine how difficult this is for
you, being thrown into this new reality without any warning. But
you should understand, Dragon would never intentionally do anything
to hurt you or mislead you. He really has no more control over any
of this than you do. The only advantage he has is knowledge. He was
raised with magic and supernatural beings so he knows what to
expect. If you let him, he can be your guide; he can show you the
good in our world, and together, we will keep you safe from the
bad.

From a security standpoint, it would be best
if you stayed here with him - even if you stayed in one of the
guest rooms. But, I get the feeling you're not ready for that yet."
He tried to smile at me, but he couldn't quite hide the sadness in
his eyes.

I shook my head miserably wishing I could
give him a different answer. "I wish I could, but you're right. I
need my space. I need to know that I'm still me, that this bond
can't just take over my life. I'm not ready to let it overwhelm me,
at least not yet. I hope he will understand. I don't want to hurt
him, but I have to do what's right for me."

"I understand, and I'm sure he will too. When
you're ready, he'll be here for you. If you’d like to head back to
your apartment, I’ll let him know where you've gone."

"Thank you." We both stood and I pulled him
into a friendly hug. "I'm glad I have you to help me."

When he stepped back he said, "I think you
should go speak to Claire when you're feeling up to it. She knows
who you are so you could speak freely with her and she might have
some good advice for you."

"Claire? She's the psychic right? Is that how
she knows about me?"

He nodded before saying, "She knew you were
Dragon's mate before he did. She's the one who sent you the
invitation to the auditions. The golden tear drops are her symbol.
If I hadn't seen them on the invitation when Harrison brought it to
me you wouldn't have been allowed to stay for the tryouts. We don't
normally hire humans for the entertainment division, but we also
don't argue when Claire says something needs to happen." A warm
smile, like that of a proud father, flashed across his face as he
remembered something. "Well most of us anyway, she has a way of
getting under Dragon's skin like nothing else can. His iron will
and unflappable control seems to evaporate when she's around." Rook
chuckled at the memories he was obviously reliving. "You'll
understand once you meet her and see them together."

I smiled, looking forward to meeting the
psychic and finding out what made her so special. "I'll go see her
tomorrow afternoon. It might be nice to speak to another woman
about all of this and maybe she can tell me more about shapeshifter
culture."

We walked into Dragon's apartment. Rook
waited downstairs while I gathered my things then escorted me to my
apartment. Once he was gone I stripped off my shirt and examined
the mark on body. I caught a glimpse of my back in the mirror and
realized the mark wasn't only on my arms. There was another set of
claw marks on my back. They were beautiful but the eye peeking out
through them seemed sad, almost like it could reflect the emotions
I felt pouring through the bond from Dragon. I wondered if that was
true and decided I would ask Claire about it tomorrow. I got
dressed again and started unpacking; trying to appreciate being in
my own place even though I really just wanted to be with
Dragon.

I spent the rest of the evening alone trying
to keep my mind from dwelling on questions I didn't have the
answers to. I walked on the beach, played the slots and had dinner
at The Dragon's Lair. Every now and then I thought I felt Dragon
nearby but he kept his distance, giving me the space I needed. When
I crawled into bed I felt cold and lonely. My soul wanted to call
out for Dragon, but I wouldn't let it. There were too many
conflicting emotions bombarding me and I wasn't even sure how many
of them were mine. I had to find a way to ride these emotional
waves or they would pull me under for good. I cried myself to sleep
and found the peace I was searching for in my dreams.

When I hung up the phone there was a knock at
my office door before Rook strode into the room. His expression
confirmed what I already knew from the emotions I felt coming from
Serafina. He took a seat facing me and explained what happened
after I left.

"She'll eventually come around, she just
needs a little time to adjust," I told him. "Besides, her refusal
to immediately accept the mating bond is actually turning out to be
a positive development."

Rook's brows drew together in confusion. "How
could that be possible? Shapeshifters are unpredictable at best
during the early stages of mating, but keep them away from their
mates and they become violently homicidal."

I couldn't help but smile at his description
of the emotions raging inside of me. "Exactly. We wanted to know
how to wake the dragon, well this is the answer. Since the moment
she sent me away he has been clawing at my insides trying to get
out. He's still asleep, but he is anything but happy. The longer
she keeps me away, the angrier he will get. It might be just what
he needs to shake off the curse." And once he did, nothing would
stand between him and his mate.

"It's a dangerous game, but a game we will
have to play. Let me know if anything changes or the instant he
awakens. We have no way of knowing what will happen to the other
nightshifters once the spell is broken. The last thing we need is
hundreds of shapeshifters losing control and changing into their
beasts in front of humans." That was why Rook was in charge of
security. He always had his eye on the big picture.

"I'll keep you up to date. For now though we
have a new problem to discuss. Garreck just called to let me know
he's decided to marry his sex demon according to human customs.
He's chosen this resort as the site for his wedding, which he wants
to take place next weekend." I couldn't hide the frustration in my
voice at this new turn of events.

In the supernatural world Garreck was the
head of an interracial council charged with maintaining peace
between races and hiding our existence from the human population.
As a solar demon he made a formidable opponent for any supernatural
being with an aversion to the sun. One look and he could literally
burn us to ash. In the human world he was known as Senator Garrett
Mitchell from the state of Mississippi. His wedding would draw
supernaturals from all over the world as well as human politicians
and media. It was a disaster waiting to happen but I was powerless
to stop it. Garreck was not someone who accepted no for an
answer.

"Damn. That is not a complication we need
right now. Can I assume Travali is on the guest list?" Rook
inquired.

"Yes, as a member of the council Travali will
be expected to attend the wedding. We cannot deny him admittance.
His emissary will be here in a few days to negotiate security
protocols and the conditions for his visit." Everything from the
number of people in his entourage to the exact time and manner he
will arrive and be expected to leave would be hammered out before I
allowed Travali anywhere near my people.

"I'd like Doyle to handle the negotiations
while I keep a close eye from a distance. Not only will the
emissary be insulted that one of us is not handling the
negotiations personally, it will also send a message to Travali
that we're not worried about him entering our territory." I could
see the hatred for Travali in Rook's eyes but I knew he wouldn't
let it cloud his judgment. He never let his personal feelings get
in the way.

"If you believe that's the best strategy then
I will trust your instincts. I’ll let you fill Doyle in. I need to
speak to Solomon. Garreck has requested he put on a special show
for the wedding guests after the ceremony. I'm not sure yet who
Travali will send but it will most likely be Malachi."

"I'll get started right away," Rook said as
he rose from the chair. He turned and left the room intent on
carrying out his duties.

I spent a few moments focusing on Serafina's
emotions and determined she was most likely in the casino. There
was an excited giddiness masking the underlying anxiety she'd felt
since the afternoon. On my way to see Solomon I stopped by the
casino to check on her. She was jumping up and down in front of a
slot machine with all its bells and whistles going crazy. It was
good to see her happy if only for the moment. I made my exit before
she saw me giving the dragon renewed strength in his battle to wake
up.

Solomon was backstage at The Gateway since
Claire was the main attraction for the night. I didn't have to
worry about disturbing him while he worked since he could easily
keep up with the lighting and scenery changes even while we talked.
I told him about Garreck's request and he said he would come up
with something magical.

I left him to his work and walked through the
clubs and restaurants checking on business. It was a busy night as
Saturdays often were. Live bands in Lilith's and The Catacombs drew
in hordes of people ready to dance or mosh the night away. Not to
mention the sex crazed maniacs that frequented Mystique. Weekly
poker tournaments and chip discounts brought in the gambling crowd.
Even the diners were treated with hard to pass up specials.

After checking in with all the managers on
duty I found Serafina in The Dragon's Lair. She was finishing up
her dinner and paying her bill. From there she went back to her
apartment to turn in for the evening. I could feel how lonely she
was but I also knew she wasn't ready to see me. The dragon was
furious when I wouldn't go to her. It made me wonder if he'd be
able to take me into her dreams now that she'd been marked. I
returned to my apartment and settled into bed. It seemed like hours
later when I finally fell asleep and released the reins to the
dragon.

I stood in a moonlit meadow with a gloomy
forest closing in around me. I knew I was dreaming, but something
felt different. This wasn't like my usual dreams with Dragon. There
was another presence here. Something was waiting, watching, for
what I had no idea. Where was Dragon? He should have been here
waiting for me. I went further into the clearing and called for
him. I listened carefully but there was no answer.

An eerie fog crept over the meadow blocking
out the moonlight. I shivered in the damp darkness wishing I could
wake up. The ground trembled and I spun around trying to see what
had caused it. My eyes couldn't penetrate the fog. A large animal
snuffled to my left. I backed away from whatever was coming to get
me. Suddenly the night was on fire. A great beast roared as flames
streamed into the sky.

I was frozen in place, mesmerized by the
beauty of a magnificent dragon. Thick black scales encased his
enormous body in a protective shell leaving only his red underbelly
exposed. A crest of spikes ran from the top of his head to the tip
of his long powerful tail. He stood on his muscular hind legs while
his shorter front legs raked the air with his sharp claws. He
spread his strong leathery wings wide behind him and whipped his
spiked tail from side to side. He was a living nightmare breathing
fire to heavens above.

When he dropped down on all fours he lowered
his wide snout to meet my eyes. There were long spiral horns on top
of his head with tufts of thick hair or fur surrounding them. His
eyes were black as coal and ringed with glowing red flames. I
should have been terrified but my instincts told me he would die
before he let anything hurt me.

I reached out to run my hand along his snout
and he closed his eyes leaning into my touch for a moment. When he
opened his eyes he lowered his body further, inviting me to climb
onto his back. Once I was situated between his spikes he took off,
shooting straight into the air with preternatural speed.

We raced through the air spinning and diving
then looping back up to do it all again. I'd nearly lost my voice
from screaming my excitement by the time he finally slowed down. My
hair was a knotted mess and my skin tingled from the icy wind
rushing over us. We flew along a river, passing villages and
castles until we reached a lake at the base of a mountain. The
dragon soared above the highest peak and came back down into a
hidden cavern.

He landed in a dark corner and lowered
himself for me to jump off. With a burst of flames he lit a row of
torches and nudged me towards a hot spring. I stripped off my
clothing while the dragon watched and stepped into the soothing
warmth of the steaming bubbly water. The dragon crouched down with
his wings folded tightly against his sides and his head resting on
his front legs. He took in every movement of my body with his
hungry gaze.

When my skin was a bright red and my blood
was about to boil I rose from the pool and sashayed up to the
dragon. His eyes were fixed on the rivulets of water cascading over
my heated fleshed. I stretched in front of him with my hands above
my head. As I brought them down I caressed my body cupping my
breasts then sliding them over the bare mound at the apex of my
thighs. The air around the dragon wavered like heat coming off the
pavement. Between one blink and the next a muscular male body
replaced the beast.

Dragon pulled me against his nude body and
lifted me with his hands on the backs of my thighs. His eyes glowed
with red flames and fevered heat radiated from his skin. The faint
scent of wood smoke wafted through the air. His body may have
transformed, but the man was clearly not in charge. He carried me
to a bed of furs and plunged into my body. Every possessive touch
was a claim on my soul. He took me hard and fast and it was
everything I needed from him. My hoarse cries echoed through the
cavern as he pushed me over the edge again and again. When his
release came, it was a fiery eruption that consumed us with its
heat. And when it was over, I knew I belonged to the dragon.