Dragons: Death by Reaper MC #4

by Esther E. Schmidt

  I clear my throat and continue, “All of this aside, Lucio and I had the same mindset when we first learned about your existence. We went in search of you to see for ourselves before we decided what to do next. Yet now, all of us have the motivation to have an open mind. And like Lucio suggested, if we have something to let others see the benefits of this situation, it might be just what we need.”

  “Great. So, until then I’m a dirty secret,” Enya mutters but continues in a stronger tone. “And how are you going to explain the two of us until then? You just announced the whole ceremony, vows thing to those people in the other room.”

  “There are other, smaller clans located in a handful of states. I have been trying to get some kind of exchange program going but—”

  “Let me guess, you guys are stubborn and keep to yourselves, even if Dragons are bound to be extinct you cannot muster to work together? You know, I’m really starting to understand why there aren’t as many Dragons around because seriously…open your damn mind and be more welcoming to options and possibilities. Man, don’t you see limitations prevent you from moving forward? Jeez, I can’t believe this,” Enya says and starts to pace the room. “And you think they are going to mindlessly believe we’re from a different clan? Because I assume they can double check. Or do you keep everyone oblivious and only the clan leader is allowed to make contact with other leaders? Oh. My. God. That’s it, right? Great. Polina, are you hearing this? We’ve landed our asses in the middle ages. Unbelievable.”

  Anger flares because her words hit hard, it’s something I’m very much aware of but there’s one thing she needs to understand. “I won’t tolerate any discontent or disrespect. The way you’re voicing your opinion is something no Dragon woman would confront any man, or their clan leader with for that matter.”

  She jabs a finger against my chest. “Good thing I don’t belong here. So, you’re not my clan leader and I’m not like any other Dragon woman. And since you’re laying it all out, I might as well add the fact I won’t tolerate an environment where a woman isn’t allowed to speak her mind if she’s pissed off about the situation at hand. And if you think I’ll ever fit into this clan, one who shunned my own mother for something she had no control over, then you are insane.” An unfeminine sound rings through the air as her eyes start to spark with anger. “And yet my mom proved all of you wrong, didn’t she? I’m living proof she was able to bring a child into this world. And you know what? I’ll be damned if I’m going to hide or lie where I come from. I am who I am. If some think I’m an abomination because one of my parents wasn’t a Dragon and my blood is tainted, then fuck them. I am a person. One who has a hell of a lot more value and respect than any of you small-minded idiots.”

  I can feel Lucio’s eyes on me. And if any other person would have talked to me and spilled their opinion like Enya did just now…I’d have them thrown into a cell in the basement to cool off and handle it as clan business right after I’ve discussed the matters of discipline in church.

  But I have to admit, she has valid points and I am aware we are in need of change and to face this head on, but the risk is a scythe hanging over all our heads. Like I mentioned earlier, maybe it would be a good idea to seek alliances in the form of her siblings. I mean, if we’re going against the grain we might as well throw everything in the wind and take a whole new road which hopefully leads to a bright and better future.

  “You’ve said your first shift was when you were still a kid. Do you remember how you shifted or why?” I question and by the way she blinks I can see I’ve surprised her by changing subjects.

  Seconds tick by and she eventually says, “I don’t know. It was a long time ago.”

  “Are you thinking of going back to the old traditions? Where you start the chase in Dragon form?” Lucio says from behind me but I need to focus on Enya.

  I hold her gaze when I explain to both, “We will fall back on the oldest traditions before we fire up a new future. The ceremony has been cut short over decades. Even more due to the lack of mating and where one should think you’d celebrate more if there was a mating, it’s always been robbed from all festivities due to infertility.”

  “Why the turnaround? And need I mention you know nothing about our fertility?” Enya says as she puts her hands on her hips.

  I can’t help but smirk and I’m about to answer her, though Lucio beats me to it. “Polina’s fertile. It’s the reason I couldn’t postpone our mating and completed our bond right then and there.”

  “Close your eyes, Enya,” I tell her and step closer. “Concentrate on Polina and take a deep breath to filter her scent and tell me the first thought that enters your brain.”

  She does as I say but I can tell she’s not focusing and is impatient. I reach out and take her hand, softly sliding my thumb back and forth over the back of her hand.

  “Again, slower this time,” I whisper.

  Her eyes flash open and I can tell by the surprise swirling in her gaze she knows what Lucio and I already know, except I’m fairly sure Polina doesn’t know yet. I swiftly place my finger against her lips to prevent words from falling over her tempting lips.

  “Lucio, you should be the one to explain to your mate what Enya just found out.”

  Lucio takes Polina’s face in his hands and feathers his lips against hers. “So many things have yet to be discussed between us and I know you mentioned going with your gut and how it felt right between us. Well, I might have taken a bit more advantage when I said I needed to claim you as mine because I could smell you were fertile and I needed to take the opportunity to conceive…and we did. Dragons can sense the moment our seed fertilizes our mate’s egg. You carry my scent, something you might not experience yourself.”

  Polina keeps staring at Lucio, clearly trying to process everything he just mentioned.

  “Too fast too soon,” Enya murmurs. “This is normal for you guys while it sounds insane. But, it does somehow make sense when I think about you guys having problems with infertility. I mean, that’s it, right? Connection, scent, everything needs to line up and when chemistry fails…all fails. Yet, perfect timing…and boom, everything is locked.” Her head swings to Polina. “Congrats and all, but don’t you think it’s weird? Could it be as simple as chemical imbalance? Hormone imbalance? It’s all connected, right? Oh. My. God. If she’s pregnant it also needs out. You’d better not die on me, Polina.”

  “Dammit, Enya. Can we maybe not jump from new life to death in the blink of an eye?” Polina shakes her head but suddenly holds up her finger. “Wait. Do you guys have the same 280 days, forty weeks pregnancy?”

  “Six months,” Lucio informs her. “Cyril can tell you more about the details.”

  “Shoot him a message and get him here. I will leave you two to discuss tactics. I have a feeling Enya here needs to practice before she shifts in time for the ceremony.”

  “Now just wait a second,” Enya sputters. “I don’t remember agreeing to the whole mating thing and shifting. Really? Do I need to mention that hurts like a mothertrucker? And I don’t even know if I can, I don’t remember how I did it the last time. I knew it was going to be a bad day when I woke up this morning. I should have stayed in bed.”

  “We’ll be in the training arena,” I tell my VP and head for the door, making sure to snatch Enya’s wrist and take her with me.

  “Lockdown?” Lucio chuckles.

  “Yes, wiseass. Go handle what I mentioned and we’ll meet back here in about an hour.”

  I leave the room and come face to face with Dorn.

  “Ugh, him again,” Enya mutters from behind me.

  Dorn’s upper lip turns into a snarl and he inhales deep, making my blood pressure spike.

  “Did you just sniff me?” Enya gasps in an overdramatic shocked tone. “You did, didn’t you? How rude.”

  Enya doesn’t realize it but she’s the one being rude by speaking her mind. Though in this moment I like it. With Dorn being a prospect, I don’t need to explain Enya or
myself, yet he will rush back to Typhon to spill his findings.

  Dorn inhales again and I keep my face clear of any emotions because I’ve asked Lucio right after we met and before we got on our bikes to head here if Enya’s scent was off. I couldn’t trust my own senses because if someone is your eternal mate it’s all consuming.

  Lucio told me how for him she only carries a Dragon scent and nothing else but it changed after we left her house. Probably because of my essence because he said she carried a hint of me along with her own. Her body accepts me as my essence has already seeped into her pores.

  “She wears your scent. So, it’s true?” Dorn questions and I can tell he wants to get out of here to get his father updated.

  “I’m pretty sure Orion gave all the prospects assignments to complete for the ceremony and here you are, double checking if it’s just a rumor or truth.” I slowly shake my head in disgust. “To me it’s clear you’re questioning orders given. It’s most definitely not something a prospect should do.”

  I mentally call out for Emery who instantly comes rushing down the hallway. “Pres? What do you need?”

  “Bring this prospect to Orion and let him know Dorn questioned his order and felt the need to check for himself if it was real or not.”

  “Fucking asshole,” Emery growls underneath his breath and grabs Dorn by his leather cut that clearly states prospect and drags him along.

  “And here I thought my issues were bad,” Enya mutters and I’m about to chuckle but I can sense someone is close to the safety perimeter I have in place with my magic that surrounds our tiny village.

  “I need to check something. Do you want to come with me or stay here?”

  She raises an eyebrow. “You’re asking nicely, wow. Then I guess I’ll come with you.”

  Without thinking I lace our fingers and drag her along with me. Well, not so much drag because she matches my strides perfectly when I head out through the back and head for the woods. I go around the building and the spot where I sensed someone trying to enter is right where we went through when we brought Polina and Enya back with us.

  This is also the reason why I couldn’t send someone else to check. The ones who might have had a tail were obviously the four of us. My magic protects all of us due to a large shield I’ve put in place.

  If something touches the shield, I instantly become aware. Obviously, it’s tweaked so tiny wildlife can go through without any issues. Humans, though? It triggers an alarm and it doesn’t let them through. To them it’s like an impenetrable wall of trees. Slowing my pace, I can see the human who is testing the shield, trying to find a way through.

  “What the heck is Porter doing here?” Enya whispers from behind me.

  “I’m wondering the same thing,” I mutter in reply.

  “Did he seriously follow us? Oh. No. He. Didn’t,” Enya growls underneath her breath and rips her hand away from mine to pull her phone from her pocket.

  I hear some twigs break and my head snaps in that direction. Scanning the area, I come up empty except for the curses coming from Enya, making my attention slide back to her. She turns off her phone and starts to rip it apart.

  I glance at Porter and see he’s holding his phone too and is now furiously tapping it. He takes a few steps back and glances right at us, though I know he can’t see us, but Enya’s sharp inhale lets me know she thinks he’s spotted us.

  “He can’t see or hear us. My magic protects all of us within the shield.”

  “That’s pretty awesome. Can I do that?”

  I watch how Porter slowly backs away and gets in his car. My mind is still trying to grasp the fact this man tracked Enya down when I pull her along with me to head for the training area. Porter will eventually leave because he won’t find anything here and has already stepped inside his car. Enya matches my stride while I answer her question.

  “I honestly don’t know.” I run a hand through my hair. “When you challenge a clan leader you have to hold a certain level of magic. Not everyone has the same…doses, so to say. Each Dragon has their own strength and weaknesses. Some are inherited, others are developed over time. Some might never reach enough magic to form a shield to protect their own Dragon form, others like me can set up a protection shield and not have it weaken my strength.”

  “Others like you. So, there are others with this ability. Does Typhon or Dorn have the ability?”

  “No,” I snap and instantly regret the anger in my voice. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to lash out, you just hit a nerve because Typhon has the higher mental influence. Inflicting pain with a single thought for instance. It’s meant to reprimand when needed but he always used it as a way to hold power over others.”

  “I haven’t met the guy but I seriously hate his guts. Wait. You mentioned inherited. Does this mean Dorn also holds the same ability as Typhon?”

  The corner of my mouth twitches. “Smart woman. You’re trying to see who you’re dealing with, huh?” She gives me a shy smile and I give her a radiant one in return and tell her, “Well, when Dorn was born there were some complications. It resulted in some damage in his abilities and he’s still trying to evolve his magic. He will eventually be able to control it. Well, I hope he will because a Dragon without his magic is unable to shift.”

  “So, if you say a Dragon without magic is unable to shift, then a Dragon with a lot of magic would be able to shift quickly?”

  “Something like that,” I mutter. “Tell me, Enya, have you used any magic or do you have other abilities you’re aware of?”

  Her forehead scrunches up adorably. “I know fire can’t hurt me.”

  I reach out and brush my fingertips along her soft mixture of pale white and dark brown hair. “That’s part of being a Dragon. Fire can’t hurt us and this is why each of us have developed other abilities in case we need to fight another Dragon. And also, the reason why the dose of magic varies for each Dragon.”

  “When I get really angry, I can create blue flames.” Her shoulders sag. “Though I might be the only one seeing them since Polina couldn’t see them. I checked because like I said, it happens when I’m angry, and I get angry a lot.”

  “Humans cannot see Paranormal abilities unless we let them. And, please, do not worry about your anger. Dragons have a healthy dose of temperament. Any other things you’ve discovered about yourself?”

  She snorts. “You mean besides turning my friend into a freaking Dragon? No, I guess that was it as far as I know.”

  “Come on.” I place my hand on her lower back. “The training area is this way. And I honestly can’t wait to see your Dragon form. I’m guessing you’re as blue as your eyes? I’ve never seen a blue Dragon.”

  She shakes her head and says, “No blue scales. I’m completely white.”

  “White?” I whisper and my steps falter. “That can’t be.”

  My heart is beating in my chest and the realization of who this woman is hits me so hard I can’t even process everything we need to do, but I do know one thing; time is of the essence or we’re all doomed.

  Chapter Six

  ***Enya***

  “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly all shocked at the fact I can turn into a white Dragon? What? Now it’s not the half-blood part but the color that’s off? I seriously don’t understand you guys and all the freaking issues you narrow-minded Dragons have,” I grumble and step away from him.

  I was almost ready to open up to this guy and then he goes and ruins my mood.

  “It’s not like that. Remember how Dragons have existed for centuries? Well, we have scrolls where legends are explained. Stories about our past, future, rules, abilities, things that help us or prevent the clan from getting hurt or whatever we must face. And there is a part where a white Dragon is mentioned.”

  “Ooookay,” I drag out the word because all of this isn’t exactly making sense.

  He grips my upper arms with my next breath, his face an inch away from mine as he says, “The white Dragon with the touch of purity wi
ll rain salvation in times of doom.”

  “All righty then.” I blink a few times but he keeps staring at me with wild, piercing eyes and it makes me add, “Care to elaborate or include some subtitles for an enhanced translation? Because you lost me with the whole ‘rain salvation in times of doom’ thing.”

  “You’re the white Dragon with the touch of purity. I’m pretty sure the touch of purity is the Guardian blood connection. With you here it means times of doom are upon us.”

  Times of doom are upon us? “Oh, you mean with the whole Typhon situation you’re already wrapped up in? Don’t put the blame on me, buddy. That’s all you guys. If I were you, I’d find a way to throw both Typhon and Dorn out of the whole shield bubble. There. Problem; solution. Hey, maybe you’re right. Though, it’s hard to see myself involved with the whole rain salvation. More like create mud puddles. Yeah, create a mess, I’m usually good at that.”

  His eyes narrow and it makes me feel uncomfortable.

  “We have to find a way to postpone the ceremony. The way I wanted to do the whole ancient tradition where the first part of the mating ceremony takes place in Dragon form where the male chases the female. I can’t chase you, they’ll notice your white scales,” he grumbles and starts to rub his chin with his thumb and I’ve noticed he does this a lot when he’s thinking things through.

  “Well, obviously you can’t chase me,” I tell him and add in an obvious mocking tone, “Because I’m way too fast and you’ll never keep up, it’s a lost cause for sure.”

  I shoot him a wink but all it does is flare up more frustration and it makes him snap, “This isn’t a game or a fun joke, Enya. This is an ancient legend we’re talking about.”

  “Right.” I poke him against the chest. “Ancient. Letters on a piece of paper while I’m standing here, flesh and blood, making up my own mind as I go. There isn’t a path set in stone, Vaughn. Okay, maybe there are some things easy to predict but with these things? You see what you want to see. Meaning if you think you know what’s going to happen, you’re going to live like it. It will blind you. Don’t you see you’re letting this influence your every move? You’ve said it yourself, I’m a half-blood. I’m considered an abomination of your kind. Wouldn’t that make me the doom part instead of the whole raining salvation angle?”