Dragons: Death by Reaper MC #4

by Esther E. Schmidt

Both Lucio and Vaughn ride straight through it.

  “I guess it holds,” Polina whispers in awe and my heart skips a beat when I guide my beetle straight through it.

  “Wow,” both Polina and I gasp.

  The trees on each side continue and the road ahead of us looks bright, but the shimmer and angle of the glittery stuff gives it almost a fairytale appearance. The road opens up and houses sprinkled left and right come into view. It seems like they brought us to a tiny hidden village with pretty houses spread all over. There’s a large grass circle in the middle and the road continues for miles after that.

  A whole new pile of questions rise inside my head. From “How many Dragons live here?” to “Are we able to leave this bubble if we want?” Vaughn and Lucio park their bikes in front of a large building that looks as if it’s the town hall or something. It’s three times the size of the other houses and a row of bikes are parked out front.

  Polina’s voice filters through my thoughts as I feel her squeeze my forearm. “It’s all going to work out, sweetie. You’ll see. Remember all those times you were questioning your place here on earth? How you felt alone and unsure? Well, grab those lady balls I know you own and let them swing, because this is the place you’ve been looking for. Oh, and super thanks for taking me along for the ride.” She pats my arm a few times and slips out of the car.

  I take a few gulps of air to get my bearings until a knock on the side of my window jolts me to awareness.

  “Are you going to stay in there or come out to play?” Vaughn says, a smirk paints his way too handsome face.

  My temper rises again and I can’t believe this man has the ability to yank every damn emotion my body possesses to its full extent. It does makes sense in a way when you think about the fact he turns out to be my mate. My mate. Even the thought is a bit crazy.

  Though, it is mentioned in the information I researched. You might say it’s the same as love at first sight and nobody judges that kinda stuff. Okay, some do, but still, this is my life and as Polina said; I’ve been searching for answers for years and now I finally have the chance to get them.

  I open the door and at the same time a young guy storms up to Vaughn. He has spiky black hair and his eyes are blazing. “What are they doing here? Why are you bringing strangers into our clan? My father will—”

  “Your father is neither the president nor clan leader, prospect,” Vaughn snaps. “Return to your tasks or I will reprimand you accordantly, understood?”

  The upper lip of the young guy twitches from the anger he holds. He shoots me a look and his eyes go over to my car. I’m pretty sure he’s eyeing Polina before he locks his gaze on Vaughn one last time. Without another word he spins around and stomps off.

  “Damn menace,” Lucio mutters as he comes to a stop next to Vaughn.

  Vaughn releases a deep sigh. “One we need to keep a close eye on. We both know where his anger is really coming from.”

  They both fall silent and I’m not ashamed to say I’m a nosy person. “And that would be?” I question, to help settle my curiosity.

  Vaughn’s eyes land on me, his head tilts slightly as if he’s contemplating his answer until he says, “Dorn is the son of Typhon. Typhon is the ex-president. He’s one of the three elderly consultants who like to butt into clan business from time to time. Needless to say, Typhon is old and can’t move around all that much, hence his little helper, Dorn.”

  “I have a feeling we need to discuss more than just me and Polina because this little info tells me the clan has more drama than three soap operas thrown together.” I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Never mind, I’m sorry I asked. Let’s get inside. I need some strong coffee and a cookie. Most definitely a cookie. You can manage that, can’t you?”

  “We have cookies,” a cheery voice states from behind me.

  I spin around and come face to face with a bald man. Though the lack of hair might be because he has tattoos all over his head.

  “Hi,” I quip. “What kind of cookies?”

  His eyes slide to my chin and down to my arms before he says, “All kinds, gorgeous.”

  The bald man suddenly bends over and is gripping his head, cursing as his knees buckle.

  Vaughn steps closer and snaps, “Emery, this is your one and only warning because I know for a fact, you’re not blind. I might put up with your joking around attitude, but I won’t tolerate it when it involves my mate.”

  I glance at the man wearing a similar leather cut with the same patch as Vaughn and Lucio, and back at Vaughn while their words and actions flow on repeat through my head, making me realize what’s going on here.

  “Oh, come on, I’m sure his flirting was harmless. Stupid, and useless, but harmless nonetheless.”

  Lucio slowly shakes his head and Vaughn is shooting daggers at me.

  “What? I didn’t do anything and I don’t even think he’s cute anyway.” I glance back at Emery. “No offense, dude, but you’re not my type at all.”

  “None taken,” he grunts and straightens. “Sorry, Pres. You know I was only joking around; I would never disrespect you. It’s the first time I’ve seen your magic on a woman. And besides, it’s not like you walk in here with not one, but two, new Dragon females every day.”

  A burst of flames comes from my right and Emery jumps away. When I glance into the direction where the flames came from, I see fire toning down from Lucio’s mouth while smoke bellows from his nostrils.

  I swing my head back to Emery. “So, that’s why you don’t have hair. You like to aggravate the shit out of your buddies so they burn it off. You’re crazy. And there will come a day when you’re going to regret your actions. Now stop poking Dragons and get me some cookies because my friend is hooked to Lucio, and your president rubbed his shiny shit all over me. Great. I now realize it’s the same as pissing all over me. You guys have some serious issues, anyone ever tell you that?”

  Emery’s eyes lock on Vaughn. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day a female Dragon talks back and calls a male out on his shit. She’s got spunk. Are there more where she came from?”

  “Maybe she’ll make some more,” Vaughn mutters underneath his breath and places his hand on my upper arm to guide me inside.

  There’s a wide-open space filled with couches, three TVs, and a massive bar on the side where a row of bikers are sitting, drinking a beer. All eyes are locked on me and then slide to Vaughn. They only give Polina a brief glance before I’m the subject of their attention again and it makes me uncomfortable.

  It’s as if Vaughn senses my discomfort, making him step closer. “No need to mention I’ve staked claim. This is my old lady and the traditional claim will be made tonight. Orion, make the arrangements for the ceremony and make sure your old lady will be here two hours ahead of time to assist my mate, Enya. Seeing our VP couldn’t wait and skipped our traditions, we will do a follow up after Enya and I have made our vows.”

  Vows? I feel as if my jaw is about to hit the floor. What the heck is he talking about? It’s as if he’s casually informing others about the fact the two of us will be getting married tonight.

  “I will explain everything in church when Nessie is caring for our two new old ladies. For now, Lucio and I need to talk with Enya and Polina.” Vaughn doesn’t say anything else but guides me through the hallway and into an office, locking the door once the four of us are inside.

  “Traditional claim? Making vows?” I snap. “You have us here, I think it’s time for you to put all the cards on the table because you just mentioned a ceremony and I have no freaking idea about the whole claim, old lady, slimy glittery stuff. The only thing I know is that my mother was a Dragon and part of this…this…clan where you brought us, and the fact I’m a Dragon and to blame for turning my friend into one too. Did I leave anything out? Besides me losing my job, but that might be the minor issue in the stack of problems listed.”

  Vaughn is blocking the exit and crosses his arms in front of his chest. His eyes are locked on me an
d his hand slides up to his face as he rubs his thumb over his jaw. I would say it’s a sexy look on him but I’m way too angry and confused to let my mind go down that road.

  “A couple of things. I’m going to throw it all out and then we’re discussing one thing at a time.” He waits for my reaction to his statement, so I wave my fingers for him to get it all out.

  “You’re not allowed to get angry with me for my honesty,” Vaughn states and raises his eyebrow.

  I roll my eyes in reply, because seriously, “Do you expect me to agree to something I don’t even know how I’m going to react to? So, no. I’m not agreeing I won’t get angry, because I’m already starting to get angry just by the way this discussion is going, and if I were you, I’d get it all out now without questioning the fact whether I get angry or not.”

  “You have quite the temper. More than any Dragon female I’ve encountered.”

  “And just how many Dragon females have you—” I make sure to use air quotes when I add, “Encountered?”

  I feel more anger starting to rise and fire starts to burn in my veins, something that always results in visible blue flames dancing around my fists. I glance down and notice the blue fire crackling.

  “Shit. Don’t answer the females thing, I don’t want to know,” I mutter. “Just give me the truth about everything else.”

  My gaze hits the floor and I try to calm myself down by concentrating on my breathing. I can feel Vaughn stepping closer as he places his finger underneath my chin and tilts my head back to let our gaze collide.

  “There are no other females I’ve encountered the way you are insinuating. I am one of many who believe in the traditional ways. Meaning I have waited for my eternal mate. All while knowing finding a mate is rare since we are a dying breed due to complications with infertility and giving birth.”

  “Do you know why? Has anyone been able to study—”

  I cut Polina off with a glare and she mouths, “Sorry.”

  The corner of Vaughn’s mouth twitches and his fingers slip from my chin and I instantly miss the heat of them warming my skin.

  He keeps his eyes locked on mine but answers Polina’s question. “In the past we’ve tried to obtain information. One of our doctors started to test Dragons who volunteered. One of those Dragons was your mother Camilla. She was found sterile and the result was leaked. Every male Dragon shunned her, and it didn’t matter how hard I tried to undo the rumors, she didn’t feel at home and left our central ring of houses to live on the outskirts of our village.”

  I swallow hard and croak, “My mother was shunned?”

  Lucio clears his throat and all eyes in the room land on him. He puts his hands on the large table and leans forward. “We think it was Dorn who told Typhon who then leaked the results and pointed a finger in Camilla’s direction in an effort to stop the research Cyril, our doctor, was doing. Dorn was Cyril’s assistant before Zahra took over, since we couldn’t have Dorn stay on as a doctor’s assistant with the breach of trust. Typhon doesn’t honor new technology or modern times. He’d rather see all of us die than take a step forward and embrace any option technology might give us in an effort to enhance the chance to either make women or men fertile or conceive in another ways. Like the exchange project Vaughn put into motion with another Dragon clan across the country in an effort to let our clan grow. Hell, at this point we’d even settle for allowing a Dragon to carry a child full-term and bring it into this world alive and healthy. But the thing is…there hasn’t been one single pregnancy for the last few decades.”

  “I’m really starting to hate this Typhon guy,” I mutter.

  “And I would like to get my hands on some of the research this doctor of yours has done. Is there anything different between human births and Dragon births?” Polina quips.

  “We’re shifters and have both a human form and a Dragon form. This means a child will grow in the womb, but the amniotic sac is more like a hard eggshell, this complicates giving birth,” Lucio says.

  “Ouch,” I whisper and cringe at the thought of having a huge, hard egg inside my body that needs out. Let alone having a tiny baby within a hard shell who wants out, talk about double trouble.

  “You mentioned my mother was infertile and I remembered you said something about hexbags and magic? If this Typhon doesn’t honor new things and is an old-fashioned fart…he’s going to have a heart attack meeting me.”

  “Only me and Lucio are aware of what you are, no one else in our clan knows. Except for Polina. And we’re going to keep it that way until after the ceremony,” Vaughn states.

  My breathing picks up as does my train of thought, hitting full speed. “If they shunned my mother for being infertile… they will burn me at the stake for being an abomination of their species,” I whisper, mainly to myself. “I’m right, aren’t I?” I swallow hard when I see Vaughn flinch.

  “You think I’m an abomination?” I gasp and take a step back from the mental blow I’m getting from the revelation he does and this makes me wonder… “You came looking for me to do what? Capture me? Kill me?”

  Another flinch and I know I have my answer.

  Chapter Five

  ***Vaughn***

  Within this moment I wish I could lie, but I can’t. “Since the very first day Dragons roamed the earth, there has never been a half-blood. It’s simply not possible. And as I mentioned, the problems our breed has, it was hard to comprehend the existence of a half-blood. Not to mention the involvement of a hexbag. Magic involving magic is asking for trouble. And yet we know nothing about you or your abilities. I guess the main thing is the not knowing.”

  “You can sugarcoat it with all the words you want but it doesn’t take away the fact you wanted me dead before even knowing me,” Enya says, defeat rings out in each word. “I don’t even have the strength in me to become angry. Most times anger is always scratching at the surface. My temper will skyrocket at every turn, but all of this is like a kick in the gut. I always thought I was alone all my life, only to find out I did in fact have a mother. How there are other Dragons…but I get smacked in the face. You guys shunned one of your own and judged me without thinking twice. Realizing all of this…I have never felt so alone as I do in this moment. I think I’d like to go home now.”

  A growl rips from my chest. “You might not hold anger, but mine is skyrocketing for the both of us. My whole mindset changed when I saw you. I didn’t even have to touch you to know you were meant to be mine. I was ready to end my VP to prevent him from touching you. I can’t begin to explain how much has changed in the short time since I’ve met you. Like hell will I let you walk out of my life; you belong here at my side.” I step closer and wrap my fingers around her neck, sliding them until I’m cupping her nape to keep her in place. “You’re not alone anymore and you will never be again. Your mother was shunned and I tried hard to undo the damage, but she turned her back on all of us. Rightfully so, but I damn well hated I failed her. Don’t turn your back on me too, I’m right here and this means we can make a change. All of us.”

  Even if she resists and her body is rigid, I don’t mind one single bit because I need her in my arms.

  “I think we do need to keep it real when it comes to people wanting her dead, Pres. Mainly Typhon, but you know as well as I do the old man has a large following,” Lucio carefully states.

  “No one is going to kill her,” I hiss through clenched teeth.

  My mind is spinning with countless options to figure out ways to protect Enya. Suddenly a thought comes to mind and it’s something I’d never do, but the feel of this woman in my arms gives me a burst of protectiveness I’ve never encountered before.

  Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? “I would rather demand the help of her siblings than to let anything happen to Enya.”

  Lucio’s eyes widen as I feel Enya’s arms slide around my waist and in this moment, I know it was the right thing to say. Normally when a Dragon meets its mate there’s an instant connection, a
n undeniable longing burning inside every fiber of your being.

  You want to connect and consume every inch and can’t contain the instant attraction, and yet she withstands the pull and fights me on every turn. Though it seems complications are the center of our connection.

  “Maybe we don’t have to,” Lucio murmurs. “Maybe they will embrace the new change because we all want the same thing, right? A future. One filled with offspring and new blood to follow in our footsteps.”

  I tighten my hold on Enya and face my VP. “You know as well as I do how our kind feels about the purity of Dragon blood. Hell, we both did too mere hours ago, before the both of us met them. They will say our minds are tainted because the both of us have mated with outsiders.”

  “What if we have data? I know we don’t have much time, but what if there was a way to prove her blood is pure? Well, maybe not her blood but if mine is…she could be seen like some kind of twisted fountain of youth, right?” All eyes slide to Polina as she shrugs. “Sorry, I’m just thinking of ways to help.”

  I glance at my VP. “Not a bad idea at all. Cyril might be up to helping her. We all know how furious he was when he had no other choice but to shut down his research because Typhon’s rumors started to spread about bad omens and how proving infertility causes panic among our clan.”

  “All while Typhon is the bad omen and pandemonium broke loose all because of him,” Lucio mutters.

  Enya steps back and I reluctantly let her go. “If this Typhon is such a huge pressure on your clan, and you being both the president of your MC and clan leader, why are you tolerating him to do all of this?”

  Lucio crosses his arms in front of his chest. Asshole. He’s been speaking his mind about this from the get-go.

  A deep sigh rips from my chest. “Dealing with politics is hard enough but you have to understand that a leader in the human world might hold his position over a few years or so but among Dragons a clan leader might rule thousands of years. Change is something similar as walking through waist high mud, it isn’t as easy as people might think. And I know I can’t please everyone but there are many opinions that need to be considered. Typhon is also my uncle. He was there for me when my parents died and stepped into rule as clan leader, because I was too young to follow in my father’s footsteps.”