Dragons: Death by Reaper MC #4

by Esther E. Schmidt

  Vaughn shakes his head. “Except, certain members of the clan were against the change or uncertain about the consequences all of this would bring. I was too young back then but through the years I’ve read so much, including my father’s journals I recently found when I cleaned out his office. I should have done it decades ago, but I wanted everything to stay the same and could work in the office I have at the clubhouse. Anyway, his journals made me see the benefits and options instead of closing down everything and staying in the same circle without growing. At first there was a lot of resistance, mainly from Typhon and a handful of others who also shared his visions. But the younger generation grew up without the prosperity of an eternal mate and I wanted to give them hope. Hope and a damn chance. It’s why I thought of the exchange program and succeeded. But still failed those who came here. Again, what you said…it makes sense. And if this is true—”

  I place my palm against his cheek. “Then you will act accordingly.”

  “I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner. Your mother. She would have never been shunned. Dammit, the more I think about it the more sense it all makes.”

  “Calm down,” I tell him. “This has been going on for so long, you need to take a deep breath and distance yourself to oversee everything. Then get a few folks you trust and start digging because I have a feeling you will need a lot of evidence to back up your accusations to show others what he’s been doing. And again, if he’s been doing this for so long, he would have made mistakes. No one is perfect so just breathe, okay? You will get to the bottom of it, I know you will.”

  “Just a few hours in my life and already you give me the support to lean on and build something. As if you were born to do this. A solid team goes beyond the eternal mate connection. Being the president’s old lady entails more. The things you just said…the way you just said them…it reminds me of the connection my parents had.” The emotion in his voice shimmers through every word and I know it’s probably due to the things he just shared about his parents and what’s going on.

  Though, he’s right. “We might have just started today but our connection was founded the day we were born, right? Eternal mates are linked at birth from what I’ve read. Even if the information I gathered was mostly from fairytales and written by humans.”

  There’s a tiny smile tugging his lips. “Some fairytales hold truth. Most secrets aren’t shared with humans and are taken out of rotation but you’re right about being linked at birth, souls who are one before they are divided and placed on this Earth to find their other half.” His thumb feathers across my bottom lip. “And I’m glad I found mine.”

  “Are you sure it’s not the other way around?” I smirk.

  His head tips back and laughter rips out. “I’m fairly sure you were the one running away from me.”

  My shoulders sag. “Yeah. I totally was.”

  “None of it matters,” he murmurs against my lips. “We’re here. Fully bonded. And I have plans for you.”

  “I’m kinda hoping those plans involve your dick,” I blurt and realize I’ve said it out loud. My cheeks heat and I quickly add, “Shit. I have a one-track mind. I do realize we have a lot of work to do involving finding solutions to the problems at hand.”

  His thumb strokes my cheek and his gaze is intense and makes me feel as if I’m his only focus in life. “Everything going on outside these walls has been going on for years on end. As you said, we need to assess everything with a clear head, and we will come morning. Then we will also have the results and the opinion of our clan doctor because I’m sure Lucio and Polina will have discussed everything. For now, everyone expects us to be consumed with one another. As is tradition.”

  “As is tradition,” I muse. “Kinda like our wedding night.” As soon as the words fall from my lips, realization sets in. “Holy shit. We’re like married, married. And you knocked me up. That’s not simply putting everything on a speed train, that’s more like traveling at the speed of light.” I swallow hard and wait for the panic to set in.

  Except…it doesn’t happen. This feels right. It did the moment we were together. Then more intense when we had sex and truly bonded but the way he knew flawlessly what to do to make me shift. And then again to make me shift back…everything falls into place; this is where I belong.

  “This was once my mother’s home and it will be mine too. The both of us will fight to right the wrong that was done to her,” I tell him.

  “We will,” he vows. “Together. And once we have settled everything, I will have to keep another promise. One I made when I was informed of your existence.”

  “My sister.” I nod.

  “Sisters. As in plural.” He grins back.

  I can feel my eyes widen. “Plural?”

  “I will reach out to Vike tomorrow morning to get things set, but I would rather wait a few days to handle things here first.” His voice holds hesitation and I know he’s right to prioritize.

  “I know,” I muse. “And even if I had no idea about their existence, I am anxious to meet them. But I guess you’re right. We need to handle things here first. Everything is new so one thing at a time makes more sense and seeing we just started off our focus needs to be here too.”

  “My old lady. The president’s old lady. Prioritizing is needed and placing your own needs in front of others is not what leadership is about. The fact you just pushed your own needs into the background touches me deeply. As I said before…a solid team goes beyond the eternal mate connection. I am grateful to have you at my side.”

  “Yeah, well, just remember you said that when I get on your nerves, because I won’t always be this compliant,” I mutter, making him laugh.

  “I think I can handle everything you throw at me,” he murmurs against my neck, placing soft kisses here and there. “Otherwise I’ll make you shift and chase you down to force you into submission again.”

  I gasp and smack his chest. “I did not submit to you.”

  His rich chuckle vibrates over my skin and makes my clit throb with need. He pulls his head back and gazes down at me with an intense stare.

  “Come on, let me show you the rest of the house. After all, it’s our home now too. Besides, we have an eternity to bicker who submitted to who, so we can take it slow for now. Because you are right. Everything did involve the speed of light but I wouldn’t have it any other way since everything involved having you as mine,” he says and the way he gives me those words makes it seem as if he’s welcoming me into his life all over again.

  He laces his fingers with mine and guides me through every room in the house, stopping at some of the paintings on the walls as he explains how his mother made those and sharing memories of both his parents. It’s as if he’s playing catchup and wants me to know everything about him and in return asks me question after question about me.

  At first, I thought he was going to take me into his house and lead me straight into the bedroom and get naked with our one-track minds and yet the opposite is true. Even if there are moments where he reaches out to touch my cheek, kiss my temple, or simply pulls me down on top of him as he stares at the ceiling and talks about the way his father would practice with him as a young boy to control his Dragon.

  This is what should have happened when we first met. The whole getting to know and connecting in a different way but it’s all irrelevant because we are connected on so many levels it only deepens our bond.

  To my surprise I slowly awake to the sound of vibrations. I raise my upper body and glance down to see a sleeping Vaughn. We’re still dressed and we must have fallen asleep together when we enjoyed the silence after all the talking we did. Sunlight is streaming through the window and the buzzing sound picks up again.

  I glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand and see it’s early afternoon. Damn, it’s been a long while since I’ve slept this long. Mainly because I always feel restless and never need much sleep anyway. Also due to long hours at the station where I always gladly hang around after hou
rs to help out where I can. Even if it’s against the rules and Porter hates it, though he indulges anyway.

  Porter. I threw things at him in anger I didn’t mean at all. About him wanting to get into my pants and having the hots for me. I only said those things to lash out because he does look out for me and he is always chasing me down but it’s more like a protective streak, as if he feels he needs to take me into protection and watch over me.

  With him following us I’m sure he went looking for me to see if I was okay. I have to call him to let him know I’m okay. But I do regret everything. Lashing out at him and quitting my job. I could use some vacation time, don’t get me wrong, but I loved saving lives.

  Vaughn groans and fishes his phone from his pocket. “Talk,” he barks into his phone while his eyes are still closed. He dashes up as his eyes flash open and land on me. “Hang on,” he says and taps his phone, holding it in between us. “Run that by me again, Alastair.”

  Someone on the other side of the line clears his throat. “I said, you’re drawing unwanted attention from the human world. Your face is all over the TV channels. They show part of a security feed where you’re talking to a guy and woman who are both missing. Another guy’s face is plastered alongside of yours. Can I assume the woman in question is the missing Dragon sister? Vike was right, wasn’t he?”

  Vaughn’s eyes are still piercing into mine. “She is, and she’s not missing.”

  Security feed. A man and female missing. Vaughn along with another man. Wait. “They think I’m missing? The security feed they’re showing, it’s in front of the fire station? Porter is missing? We saw him near here, Vaughn. He’s missing? Why are they already showing it on TV channels?”

  “What waves are you creating, Vaughn? Because I’m pretty sure someone wants you gone in a sneaky way because you know as well as I do what happens if you drag the human world into our problems. Oh, and hello, Ena I presume? My mate would like to meet you and so do your other sisters along with a whole bunch of other people,” Alastair says.

  “My name is Enya, not Ena. I would love to meet them but we’re handling something here first, but I can’t wait to meet them.” I can feel a smile spread my face when I think about meeting my sisters.

  Even if they are just half-sisters and I’ve never met them, they are still family and seeing the only one I’ve had around me these last few years is Polina, I’m actually itching to meet them.

  “We will check the perimeter and see if we can track Porter, the guy showing on the security feed. I will get back to you as soon as I know more,” Vaughn replies.

  “Be sure you do, because I don’t need to tell you why I’m aware of this incident, right?” Alastair says in a harsh tone.

  Vaughn doesn’t reply but ends the call instead.

  “What was that last part about?” I question.

  Vaughn stalks into the direction of the bathroom but stops and turns slightly. “I’ve mentioned The Orderly to you last night and explained how things work in the Supernatural world, right?”

  I give him a nod because he did tell me how The Orderly is in charge of keeping the peace and controls the different kind of MCs that are spread all around the world to not only keep Supernatural beings in check, but also to assist humans and protect them. There’s an order among all the different charters of Death by Reaper MC and the Dragons MCs mainly stay out of everything.

  “Alastair is the president of the Hellhounds charter,” Vaughn simply says and stalks into the bathroom, shedding his clothes as he goes.

  His words ring loud in my ears before they make sense. I dash after him into the bathroom and find him naked underneath the shower. “Alastair will come for you to handle the missing human situation? But you didn’t do anything. We were right here and I’m not missing. Maybe Porter is, but we saw him here yesterday. Surely Alastair doesn’t mean he’ll…what? What can he do? He’s a Hellhound, you’re a Dragon. He doesn’t stand a chance. Besides, I won’t let him take you, as I said, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Vaughn rubs a hand over his face to clear it from the water. “If he does come for me, I can’t fight him, Enya. If I do, The Orderly will interfere and I’ll be dead anyway. Everyone is put on this earth to fulfill a task he’s just doing his.”

  “I’m glad to see you’re so calm about all of this,” I growl and stalk out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind me for good measure.

  Chapter Nine

  ***Vaughn***

  What a fucking day. First being awoken by a phone call from Alastair, then the discussion with Enya in the bathroom. Pretty sure she’s still angry at me but it’s not like we’ve had a moment alone since. I got dressed and when I went downstairs looking for Enya, Lucio was knocking on my door.

  It seems Typhon is missing and no one has seen him since we had the argument during the mating tradition. He supposedly went home but there’s also no one who can validate that. Dorn was questioned but he said he had to do some jobs for Orion and hasn’t seen him either.

  Orion couldn’t remember what it was, but shrugged and probably thought Dorn was right because prospects do have shitty tasks they need to do, but it’s not like there are direct orders or a list for each of them to complete.

  This whole day has been useless. Well, maybe not completely since the talk we had with Cyril about Polina and Enya’s ability did give all of us hope. Cyril brought Zahra up to speed about everything. Zahra is a nurse and has been trying to figure out the fertility problem along with Cyril. Mainly because she’s a female herself and longs to start a family of her own someday.

  Then I had to go straight into church for a planned meeting to get everyone up to speed about everything. This meant no holding back. There’s a line between MC and clan business but I will never lie to my brothers. This is the reason I ended up spilling the details about Enya. And this is where I am now. Staring at my stunned brothers while the whole room is wrapped in silence.

  “The bad always comes with the good,” Emery finally states as he glances left and right. “The whole doom part in the legend tangles with a white Dragon can also mean she’s our salvation. A fucking miracle in a time of need. You know, because one is linked with the other? We’ve already been wrapped in years of doom with that fertility shit. That right there means ends of time for all of us if we can’t breed and reproduce. It’s that fucking simple. Our Pres found a mate, she’s with child already. Our VP found one too and if this means there’s hope for me, for all of us? Then I couldn’t care less about what magic runs through her or if her blood isn’t pure Dragon or if her hide is white. From where I was standing all I saw is a sweet looking Dragon. And she’s nice too, standing up to our Pres all feisty. I like it and I hope there’s more to follow.”

  “I want to do some testing when it comes to her blood,” Cyril states. “But knowing she was able to turn a human into a potential Dragon is astonishing. I know magic was a huge part in this and I might not be able to narrow down everything because the mating with Lucio had something to do with it too since that was the point where she fully transformed into a Dragon. So, you see it’s not only Enya who transformed Polina, she only created the opportunity if you ask me. Polina’s DNA accepted the change and she evolved when Lucio’s blood merged with hers during their mating.”

  “Can we create a signup sheet? I’d like to head into town and find me a woman I find attractive so Enya can give her a boost to let me finish it off,” a voice from my right says and I stare the young Dragon in question down.

  “It’s not going to be like that, you idiot. I won’t deny this offers possibilities, but it’s certainly not my intention to use my mate in any way, understood?” I growl and make sure to make eye contact with every biker sitting at the table.

  I receive grunts of agreement and I have to add, I didn’t expect this information to be processed this well. We all know about legends because it’s our upbringing and part of our history, though my brothers accept this change—and my mate—along with
whatever will come our way.

  “Are we done here? I’d like to take my mate home, it’s been a long day,” Lucio says and slowly rises from his chair.

  “Rub it in why don’t you,” Emery grumbles.

  Lucio punches him in the shoulder and Emery chuckles.

  “I’m just messing with ya, brother. I’m damn glad you nailed yourself a mate.” Emery grabs Lucio’s cut and drags him into a hug, slapping his back a few times before letting go. “Now head out and fire up your dick and go reproduce. Oh, wait, you already knocked her up.” Emery laughs and tries to dodge the punch Lucio is trying to swing at him.

  “Okay, knock it off, guys. I’m heading out too. Cyril, let me know if you and Zahra come up with anything else or have questions.” I get up and so do the rest of my brothers.

  We all head for the main room of the clubhouse. Enya is sitting at a table along with Zahra who came to take some of Enya’s blood that’s needed for testing. Polina stands and rushes to Lucio. He wraps his arm around her waist and guides her out of the clubhouse.

  “Are you ready to go?” I ask Enya, and release a deep sigh.

  I expect her to shoot me an angry look and ignore me but instead she stands and says to Zahra, “Let me know what you find and if you need any more blood or have questions, just ask, okay? And be sure to take Polina up on her offer, she has an amazing reputation and is almost finished with her fellowship in pediatric surgery, she can help.”