Griffith: The English Dragon ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “No, I agree with you. Even Mom has washed her hands of him.” Carson said that he thought that was a good idea too. “You know that James killed our father. He beheaded him because, as far as I can tell, he wouldn’t hand over the castle to James and any money there might have been.”

  “The council, I’m assuming, thinks they can’t do anything because he’s not a dragon.” Griff told him that was pretty much it. “Danburn, he can make a case for you. He did attempt to kill your mother, correct?”

  “That’s what he did tell them. So, I’ve been given permission to end his life. Any of us can, I guess. But Mom doesn’t want me to do it. She thinks that it’ll haunt me.” Griff laughed—it was bitter. “Like what he’s done so far doesn’t haunt me already.”

  When Lilac joined them, he held her to his lap. She was a balm to him, giving him the security that he’d not realized that he needed. When Carson moved away, the auctioneer needing him, Griff asked her what she’d gotten so far.

  “Quilts. Three of them that I’d like to put on the beds at home after I get them cleaned. And there were some pretty vases that I got, handmade I think, that will go in the nearly finished bedroom.” He told her that he loved her. “And I love you. Tell me what’s wrong, Griff. Whatever it is, I’m sure that the two of us can solve it.”

  “Nothing really. I was just talking to Carson, and he asked me about James. I think Carson’s going to ask to have his life ended. That saddens me too. I know how I would feel if something were to happen to you. That’s why he is selling all this off and has given us his home and the contents.” She whistled and he nodded. “I know. It’s a big ranch, and there are bottles of expensive wines in the cellar.”

  “He’s a very nice man.” Griff told her that he had been one of his best friends for a long time. “If he’s going to go through with this, tell him to let me know where his mate is and I’ll have the faeries make a garden over them both. That way, others who feel as you do about him can go and talk to him.”

  “That’s very nice, love. Thank you for that.” She nodded and asked him if he was ready for round two. “More? Are you going to put us in the poor house?”

  “See all my stuff over there? I’ve only spent thirty-four dollars. That’s all for all the boxes. I’m telling you, Griff, they’re selling his things for too cheap. I’m not complaining—I’ve gotten some amazing deals—but Carson might want to check into this.” He told her that like them, Carson had more than enough money. “I figured. But still. Anyway, come on, I want to bid on the two cabinets in the other ring. One of them is very old and would look good as a credenza in the hallway.”

  He looked around for Carson as Lilac waited on what she wanted. Griff saw him near the stack that Lilac had put aside and saw him put a large bag of something with them. He’d bet anything that it was his gems. When he waved at him, Griff had a feeling that he’d never see him again, and relayed the message from Lilac to him.

  Tell her that would be perfect. Mae is out by the tree that I found her at. Napping like a beautiful faerie. Yes, that would be wonderful. You thank her for me. And tell her that this gift is just for her for being your mate. Take care of her, my friend. She’s well worth it. He agreed with him. Goodbye, Griffith Alexander Farley, the Fourth Earl of Alexander’s Folly. The Duke of Winebarger and Baron of Windemere Castle. I shall miss you more than any other.

  And I you, my friend. Forever and a day, I will miss you.

  Then he was gone—just disappeared in the air. Griff did wonder if the auctioneer knew the power he was selling for and decided that he didn’t care. Carson would make this good for him, even though things were going so cheaply.

  They managed to fill the back of the cargo carrier that they’d gotten, in addition to putting some breakable things in the bed of the new truck, which was very nice. Griff thought they’d been better prepared for this trip for auction hunting. Lilac had brought some old quilts and some extra cardboard to put between things like plates.

  After they were loaded up, they made their way to the hotel they were staying in that night. They’d order a pizza in, as they had been doing for these trips. Both of them fell asleep even before they’d finished off the pizza. Auctioning was hard work, he thought with a laugh just as he was dozing off, after checking the door locks again and covering up Lilac.

  Chapter 11

  With no hope of getting into the castle to get anything to use to cut their heads from their bodies, James made his way to town. The plan had been revised, and he was going to tell them, whoever would listen, that he needed to have a better place to stay. Even a hotel would be good, he’d tell them. Then he’d use the money that they’d surely throw at him—for being the poor, hurt brother of Griffith—for bribing one of the idiots at the castle to let him come in and take one of the many swords that he knew were there.

  “Mother dear, you just saved my ass and didn’t know it.” He’d seen them being taken in when his mother had moved into the castle. She’d been making a big show of being there too. Once she’d had a line of people coming in for some sort of tea party. He knew this because all the bitches that went in were wearing big fluffy hats and had on white gloves. “Why would you wear gloves to eat? Women are stupid, that’s all I can say about that.”

  He saw the staff going into the house at about six in the morning. Christ, he’d spent another nasty night out in the cold and wet, only to almost miss them when he’d gone to take a piss behind a tree. Going as close to the house as he could without going to the barrier, he called out to one of the workers that he recognized. James wasn’t sure what his name was or what job he had at the castle, but knew that he’d seen him hanging around.

  “Hey, buddy.” The guy looked like he was going to ignore him, so James threw a rock at him, hitting him in the head. “When I call for you, dumbass, you answer. I want you to get me in the castle, now.”

  “No.” He turned his back on him and James threw another rock at him, this time missing him by a mile. “You’re not going to get anyone here to let you in, no matter how many rocks you throw. Go away.”

  “I want you to just allow me to get in and get one of the swords that my father promised me. It would go a long way to letting me eat a decent meal.” The guy just stared at him. “I’ll come back tonight and give you money. I don’t know how much yet—I have to get it from Griffith. He...he owes me a lot of money.”

  “He does, does he? I’m sure that he has more than enough to not have to borrow it from you, if you had anything to lend.” When he turned his back again, James was ready to leap through the magic to kill the man, but he paused and turned back again. “Your father was a good man. A good master, and a better man than you could ever hope to be. His son, Griffith, is a great deal like him. And we all know for a fact that you murdered the lord of this castle, right there in that very forest. Stay away, Jiminy Cricket, or I’ll go to Lord Griffith and tell him what you want.”

  “Get back here, dammit. So what if I killed my father? We’ve—Griffith and I, we’ve patched things up.” The man laughed and headed back to the castle. By the time James could think of a nasty reply, the man and all the other workers were gone. “Mother shit balls, I hate people.”

  Stomping toward town, James tried to get all his anger out before he met up with his brother. He wanted to make sure that he looked sincere when he asked him for money. Also, he hoped that he’d just fork over an invite to the castle again. It had been a few days since he’d hurt anyone. He could tell him that he was turning over a new leaf. James laughed. Like that was ever going to happen.

  It took him all day to make it to his brother’s house. The fact that he lived way on the other side of town from where he’d grown up was just ignorant on his part. Why did he even have a home? The castle was right there. But he supposed that if he did live in the castle, he’d have been harder to get to. As it was now, walking all day and well into the night to get to him was hard enough.

  James found him a place to take a na
p while he waited for the sun to come up. He figured that everyone would be in their nice, cozy beds with the air conditioning running, while he suffered through the heat and had to sleep on a slab of concrete. Grumbling about how he was starving and sore got him no answers, but he’d have plenty of them tomorrow, just as soon as he found one of the many jerk-offs that were around. He knew that the others would tumble once he killed Griffith.

  Sleep was fitful for him. When he woke the sun was just cresting over the mountain behind Damn Bird’s house, and he could see that someone had been up before him and was mowing the lawns at a few of the larger homes. Griffith would have someone doing that for him. He was too lazy to do it himself.

  “I, however, am not lazy, but know that I have servants to do the grunt work. Why else would you pay someone to be at your home unless to make them work for you?” Getting up slowly, feeling every bit his age lately, he walked to the house and waited at the gate. “Keeping his own brother out. What sort of person does that?”

  Of course, he would when he owned the castle again. And he’d only hire people that had worked for the rest of them. James figured they’d be happy to have a job when he was finished, and he was going to hire them for half pay. That would teach them to work for a traitor like Griffith. And the rest of them, including Damn Bird.

  When Griffith came out of his house, it gave James a fright. His brother came right toward him, no hesitation on his part, and it sort of unnerved him a little. Once they were standing as close as he could get to him, Griffith just stared at him. Well, he’d not be the first one to speak in this game of wits. But when Griffith shrugged and walked away, James called him back.

  “Why do you always have to win? Christ, you’re a pain in my ass. I want you to give me money. I’ve been being a good citizen, and you need to—”

  “No. If there is nothing else, I want to have breakfast with my wife.” James called him every name that he could think of. “Yes, that shows me just how much of a good citizen you are. What do you want, James? I’m not going to give it to you, but you might as well have your say. You did walk a long way here for it.”

  “As I said, I want money. I haven’t had a shower in days other than getting drenched in the water and the rain. I’m starving to death, as all the game around me seems to have disappeared. I’m assuming you had something to do with that.” Griffith told him that he had. “Why? What have I ever done to you that you’d make your own brother, your older brother, starve?”

  “You killed my father.” He asked him why he was forever bringing that up. “Because you did it. And I will never forgive you for it. I’m not going to give you money. You’re on your own. Deal with it.”

  “I’m going to enjoy killing you, Griffith. And when you’re all dead, I’m going to live in the castle and make it my own. I might even fuck your wife before I take her head off too. What do you think of that?” Griffith said nothing, but he did smile. “You don’t believe me, do you? Well, I’ve a spy in the castle, and they’re going to get me whatever I want.”

  “Sure you do. This spy you have, is it the same man you pelted with rocks just yesterday? If so, then he already told me that you wanted to bribe him to let you in. Of course, he turned you down. You, of all people, wouldn’t understand loyalty. And that’s what the staff there is, very loyal to me and the family.” James screamed at him that he was his family. “No, not anymore. Not since you drew a sword against our father and murdered him for no other reason than you could. Even the one you gave us when you bragged about it hasn’t come true, has it? You’re no closer to living in the castle than you are to me being your friend. It’s just not going to happen.”

  “You bastard. I fucking hate you.” Again, his brother shrugged at him and turned away. James was getting sick of people dismissing him this way. Reaching for him, meaning to teach him a lesson, he watched in horror as Griffith shifted to his great beast. “No, don’t hurt me.”

  The dragon blew heat all around him—never touching him with it, not even getting close enough that it made him too hot. And when Griffith laughed, his dragon making the nastiest noise he’d ever heard, James wanted to hit him, but didn’t. He wasn’t that stupid. The dragon, he knew, wouldn’t stop short of him this time.

  “Come here again, for any reason, and I will not stop at just scorching the earth around you. I will enjoy taking your life with my dragon. As I have said to you before, and I mean it even more this time, I am going to be the last thing you see before you’re dead.” The flame surrounded him again, this time coming close enough that he feared for his life. “Go away, James. Or so help me, you’ll not live another day.”

  He left him there, wondering what the neighbors would say about the dragon in the yard. But then James remembered that they were all fucking dragons, including his own dip shit mother. James wanted one thing to go his way. Just one fucking thing. But it seemed that if he was going to get this done, killing off the dragons, he was going to have to come up with something else. Then he saw his mother walking along the street ahead of him.

  “Hello, Mother.”

  She turned and looked at him, and he pulled out the butcher knife that he’d stolen several days ago. It wasn’t all that sharp, certainly nowhere near enough to remove her head, but it would get him into the castle, and that was what he needed.

  Grabbing her from behind, he put the knife to her throat and held it there. He half guided and half dragged her to the alley. It was the best thing he’d had happen to him since he’d killed his own father. He wondered briefly why she’d not shifted into her dragon, but he figured that she didn’t want him hurt. James was her oldest son, after all.

  “This will get you nothing, James. Not one penny. Not into the castle, nor will it give you a chance to live out a nice life.” He told her to shut up. “What is it you think to accomplish by doing this?”

  “Everything, Mother dear. Everything that I have ever wanted, you’re going to be the reason I get it. Call to Griffith. I know that you can. Tell him that I’ve got you and that we’re headed to the castle.”

  She said that she’d not do it. He cut into her throat. Seeing the blood there made him hard and excited.

  “All right, he’s coming.”

  Getting her to the castle was trickier than he’d thought it would be. First of all, it was all the way across town. Secondly, she wasn’t exactly cooperating. So he told his mother to tell him to meet him here, behind the drug store. When she closed her eyes, he figured that she was doing as he asked and laughed. Christ, this was easier than he’d thought it would have been.

  The wait wasn’t that long, but it wasn’t Griffith that showed up, but his woman. James, spittle dripping from his mouth from all the excitement, asked her where Griffith was. He cut a little deeper into his mother’s throat just to show her that he wasn’t joking around.

  “He’s coming and is bringing help. Not that they’re going to kill you instead of him, but he might need someone there in the event you’re stupider than we all know you are already.” When she laughed, he wanted to drop his mother and run her through. But he needed Griffith dead first. “Are you, James? Stupid enough to think that you’re going to succeed at this?”

  “I will, you fucking cunt.” She laughed, and he felt his temper take him more. “You just wait. As soon as this business is done with my brother, I’m going to tie you to my bed, in the castle, and fuck you until you’re dead.”

  “You have a little dick, James. I doubt very much that you could fuck anyone to death. Your brother, however, he’s really—” Mother cleared her throat and the woman laughed again. “I am sorry, Marissa, I forgot there were decent people around.”

  “Do try not to talk about sex in front of me, dear. It’s more than I want to know about my son.” They both laughed, and he cut his mother deeper, feeling the blood rush over his hand as he did so. “I’m thinking that this will be the end of things as I know it, don’t you?”

  “You’re fucking right it’s almost
the end of you.” Mother told him she meant that he’d be dead. “No. I don’t think so. You see, I have all the cards, and I’m going to come out of this a rich and happy man.”

  “If you say so, James.” He felt the ground rumble and shift. Looking out at the field behind the store, he saw them all. Eight beautiful dragons. Some he knew, others he had no idea where they’d come from. But Christ, they were a sight to behold. “There they are now. I do hope this will be over soon, I have a hair appointment.”

  ~*~

  Griffith stayed as his dragon as he made his way to his brother. They could smell the blood, he and his dragon, and it made them both roar. Calming his other half, his dragon, he told him that this was just what they needed. For James to have made a mistake this large.

  But he is harming our mother. Griffith knew that his dragon was indeed the son of his mother too. They were a pair. Dragon to man. I wish him dead.

  As do I, but we must be careful. Our mate, she has this well under control. And we trust her. If things go the wrong way, we’ll be here to kill James. Dragon agreed, but didn’t seem all that happy with the outcome. You trust me, don’t you?

  I trust you, yes. And our mate. But I still worry. It is a good solid plan, but nothing ever goes as you wish when dealing with a madman. Lilac moved to stand in front of them in all her grandeur as her natural self. She is magnificent, is she not?

  Yes. I’m going to ask Noah to paint us together as she is now. Sitting upon your hand. The dragon agreed it would be a sight to behold. Just let us get this finished, and we’ll talk to him about it. I want James finished.

  “Well fucktard, what is it you wanted to see your brother about? If you let Marissa go now, I will guarantee you a swift death.” James asked her what she was talking about. “You. Dead. Isn’t that what you called them here for? To kill you off?”