by Megan Derr
"Conway," Rafael said sternly. "You aren't supposed to be here. What have I told you?"
"Orders," Conway said.
Rafael set down his pen and crossed the room to where Conway stood by the door. "You're soaking wet!"
"Rain," Conway rumpled happily, raking hands through his wet hair, then shaking his head and sending water droplets everywhere. Rafael laughed, resting a hand on his chest to make him still. Conway beamed. "Good morning, Rafael."
Rafael smiled, showing more fondness than was probably wise. He just couldn't help it; Conway had always been his favorite of his brother's personal dragons. Rafael ran his hand through Conway's damp hair until it was as neat as his light brown hair ever got. Yellow eyes stared at him intently, full of love and longing. Rafael ignored it, ignored that the emotions he saw in them only echoed his own. He stepped back, combed his fingers through his own mop of bright gold curls, and said, "The pumpkin scones just finished baking. Want one?"
"Pumpkin!" Conway replied and grinned at him, revealing teeth just a touch too sharp to be human. "Rafael good."
Laughing, Rafael gestured to the empty coffee shop. "Grab a seat, dragon. I'll get you a scone." He turned and walked back across the shop, through the opening in the counter and into the kitchen behind the coffee bar. He put a couple scones on a plate and poured a glass of milk, and returned to where Conway had, predictably, taken a seat at the same booth where Rafael had been catching up on paperwork.
Sitting down, Rafael handed over the scones and milk. "Eat, dragon. Then you can carry out your orders."
"Yes, Raf," Conway said, a happy rumble in his voice. He smiled, then settled into eat, muttering and rumbling happily, making Rafael's heart ache. So easy to make dragons happy, but so many abused them instead.
He forced himself to focus on his work again, slowly working his way through piles of neglected book-keeping until he felt eyes on him. Mouth quirking in a half-smile, he looked up and asked, "Good?"
"Pumpkin!" Conway declared, which was as good an answer as any. Dragons and their fixations came dangerously close to making them adorable, something he was pretty certain dragons weren't supposed to be.
Resisting an urge to ruffle the hair he'd just straightened, Rafael reluctantly asked, "So why did my brother send you?"
"Not Boss," Conway replied. "Trouble in Hatches. Docs said get Raf." Conway all but glowed with approval, that someone had been smart enough to summon Rafael.
Nodding, Rafael closed his laptop and put everything into his laptop case, slinging it over his shoulder. He penned a quick note to his head manager on a napkin and left it on the coffee bar. "Come on," he said, leading the way to the front door, flicking off the lights at the row of switches beside it. He set his bag down to pull on his dark brown trench coat, then retrieved both the bag and his dark maroon umbrella. He gestured for Conway to precede him, followed him outside, and locked the door behind him. The drizzle that had plagued him on the way to the coffee shop had turned into a moderate downpour. At least it wasn't a full on storm.
"Come on, you silly frost," he said, laughing as he watched Conway enjoy the rain. Looking away before he did something stupid, Rafael asked, "So what's the problem?"
"New dragon. Not liking changers."
"I see," Rafael said, and sighed. No wonder they'd called for him instead of Leo. If his brother knew there was a dragon-potential that was possibly allergic to the changer drugs, he would just order the man killed. Rafael hoped he could prevent that, but the chances were small.
It took a good twenty minute walk in the rain to reach the warehouses that had been converted to what were called the hatching grounds. Really they amounted to little more than holding cells for the kidnapped humans as they went through the process of activating their dragon genes.
Rafael nodding to the men guarding the entrance to the hatching grounds, and slid into the empty seat of the golf cart waiting for him. The driver waited until Conway hopped on the back then drove off, zipping across the blacktop past several warehouses until he reached one all the way in the back, where the most troublesome were kept. Rafael said nothing on the trip and remained silent as he slipped into the warehouse. A woman stood waiting for him just inside, looking the worse for wear. She took his things, casting him a grateful look.
He mustered a smile for her as they walked to where a man waited for them, standing outside one of the dozens of rooms where the dragon-potentials were kept. He looked just as ragged and exhausted as his partner, bloody and bandaged and barely standing on his feet. Both had the builds of athletes, and wore jeans, t-shirts, and white lab coats. "Raf," the woman said, letting out a long sigh of relief. "Thank you for coming. He's in here."
Following them into the room, Rafael took in the figure on the bed and immediately wanted to kill his fucking brother. Not that wanting to kill Leo was a new desire, but how much lower was Leo going to sink? "How old is he?"
"Twenty," the woman murmured.
Rafael's mouth tightened. "Really, Karen?"
"That's what the paperwork says," Karen said defensively.
"Because we all know how reliable the paperwork is," Rafael replied coolly. "He barely looks legal. I'll be astonished if he's a day over seventeen."
He frowned pensively, looking over the figure in the bed. It twisted his gut that the 'man' was barely more than a kid. He had bright, gold blonde hair that fell to his shoulders. There was a scratch on one cheek; lurid bruises covered the other cheek and all over his chest and arms.
Tail marks. That kind of bruising was made by being struck with a dragon tail. The gashes and scratches that decorated him from head to foot looked like claw marks. "Why were they so rough with him?"
"He was the one that got rough, apparently," Karen replied. "He took out three dragons and seven men before they finally got him sufficiently tranquilized. That was yesterday. It took him until four hours ago to sleep that off. We've tried giving him the first round of changers but he just goes green and throws them up. He finally passed out and that's when we called you."
Rafael's brows shot up at her words. "Three dragons? That's impossible, especially if he's never changed. Where's his file?"
Karen moved to the tiny desk in the far corner of the room and picked up a pale green medical file. She handed it over and Rafael flipped it open. "What's his percentage?" he asked as he began to read through all the medical and recon information accumulated.
"Blood work we have so far is only preliminary, but he's at least eighty percent dragon, and I wouldn't be surprised if the complete blood work shows something a lot closer to ninety," the man said, stepping forward and speaking in a soft voice.
"Eighty to ninety percent and yet he passes for human? How is that possible? How did they finally spot him, if he's that well blended?"
Karen smiled faintly at the sleeping figure. "His treasure. He's fixated on strawberries. That's impossible to miss."
"A fixation is easy to miss unless you're looking for it, and it's accompanied by another tell," Rafael corrected, annoyed with their ill-informed opinions. "People obsess enough over random things they could easily be mistaken as fixating to a careless eye. What else gave him away?" He flipped a page in the file, then said, "Nevermind."
He read through the meticulous notes someone had been smart enough to make, then glanced thoughtfully at the bed where the dragon, Cam, was still fast asleep. Looking back down at the file, he read through all the information again. "You can go," he said to Karen and the man still hovering close to the door. "I'll handle it from here."
They hastened out, and Rafael was glad to see the last of them. He looked up from the file to watch with a faint smile as Conway approached the bed and sat down beside Cam, nuzzled against him making low, soothing rumbles. Fast asleep, Cam moaned softly and moved closer to Conway, instinctively seeking the warmth and comfort of an older dragon.
A glint of silver caught Rafael's eye and he stooped to retrieve the fallen drug case peeking out from under
the bed. Setting the file on the bed, he flipped the case open and saw that three of the five doses within were gone, along with the syringe.
He picked out one of the remaining doses, moving the small plastic vial back and forth, admiring the deceptively pretty blue liquid within. The official name of the drug was Moderātus, though most called them 'changers' or 'controls'. The primary purpose of Moderātus was to enable dragons to shift from human to dragon and vice versa. Dragons that did not need the drugs to change were rare and highly regarded.
There was also a component in the drug that kept dragons malleable—not so tranquilized that they lost their fighting edge, but enough it was possible to control them. Nothing was more dangerous than a dragon that could not be controlled.
All people feared dragons. They might not consciously realize they were afraid, but they would give dragons a wide berth, and felt compelled to be extremely respectful.
Those people who had moderate dragon potential were most often described as charismatic or charming, the sort of people who left others feeling awed. Those with high dragon potential were often described as creepy or scary without anyone being able to say precisely why. Once their dragon potential was activated people were afraid of them.
The only people dragons obeyed were those who did not feel that instinctive fear. But finding enough people lacking that fear was nearly impossible. In lieu of enough masters, the syndicates relied heavily on the drugs.
Rafael reached out without thinking to stroke Conway's head, smiling faintly. Conway rumbled in approval, pushing into the touch, amber eyes bright as he smiled up at Rafael. One of the many reasons Leo hated Rafael was that Rafael felt no dragon fear, while Leo could only pretend.
Dropping his hand, Rafael looked over the notes again. There were several pages detailing all the instances that the recon team had noted the dragon-fear in people that Cam came in contact with. Cam, like many people with dragon potential, probably regarded himself as a loner, and had likely been hurt more than once when people told him he was scary.
Since Cam still acted more human than dragon, he'd probably never shifted before. Rafael checked the preliminary blood work again, which confirmed that Cam had ever turned into a dragon. At least eighty percent dragon and he'd gone eighteen to twenty years as a human. Rafael was surprised that nothing environmental had triggered a change.
Sadness swept through Rafael as he thought of all the humanity that would fall away once Cam changed. His draconic nature would take over completely, especially if he was bound for the pits.
Conway rumbled a warning. Rafael looked up to meet eyes the color of molten gold. He stared in surprise—the file listed Cam's eyes as blue. They wouldn’t change to amber until he shifted for the first time. Why in the world had his eyes turned gold?
A shiver of fear trailed down Rafael's spine, and Conway backed away with a low growl, dropping to his knees beside Rafael. What in the world? Conway shouldn't be afraid of another dragon. Rafael shouldn't be feeling any sort of fear either.
What in the world kind of dragon was Cam?
Shaking himself, Rafael said, "Good morning, Cam. Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, but I won't for long if you're here to give me more of those nasty ass drugs."
Rafael looked at the bottle he still held and shook his head. "No," he said, and put it back in the case, then tossed the case onto the desk behind him. "You don't need them; they'd just handicap you. That's why you've had such a hard time with them so far."
Cam made a face, and pulled up the blankets he had shoved away in his sleep. "Who are you?"
"My name is Rafael. This is Conway. You seem remarkably calm about all this."
Shrugging, Cam said, "You ever feel like you were just waiting for something to happen? Like, you know it's there, you know it's coming, but you don't know what it is or even why you feel that way? That feeling has been gnawing and picking at me for years. Then all this crazy shit happens and well, I feel like I'm finally done waiting. Whatever is happening, at least I'm done waiting for it."
Rafael smiled faintly. "Though the sensation is not normally so extreme, that is more or less how most dragons describe feeling."
"Dragons, yeah, I remember those. Like out of a fucking book, they were crazy. Hit like sons of bitches, too, man. I almost had them when they finally doped me."
"Most people cannot defeat one dragon, let alone three and an additional seven men," Rafael said dryly.
Cam blinked at him. "Um. Oh. Uh. Are you sure?"
"Very sure," Rafael said with a smile. "I don't know—" he stopped as the door slammed open and Conway gave a low, hateful growl. Rafael tensed, but forced himself not to recoil as Leo strode into the room shadowed by his assistant and two bodyguards.
Rafael swallowed as his brother drew close. Where he was lithe and average, with light blue eyes and bright blond hair, Leo was broad, tall, dark—and mean. Always his mouth and eyes looked mean. He reeked of coffee, whiskey, and his fancy cigars. "Good morning, brother," Leo said with cold cheer, and smacked Rafael's cheek with faux congeniality. "I do not recall inviting you to this party."
"I didn't know there was a party," Rafael said. "They called me because a dragon was having trouble with the changers. I thought it was just an allergy. This is something else." He glanced at Cam before looking away, afraid he would reveal that he was more than clinically interested. "Where'd you find him? He's something else again, Leo."
Leo smirked, clearly satisfied with Rafael's reply, and settled in the seat at the desk. Rafael was impressed the tiny seat didn't give. He pulled out a cigar case and lit a cigar, then leaned back and looked from Rafael to Conway to Cam. "So you like my new dragon, then? Found him up north, by pure chance. What's your initial impression?"
"He's powerful," Rafael replied. "Even Conway is leery of him. I don't recommend trying the drugs again; they're just a handicap to him."
"He's getting drugged," Leo said flatly. "There won't be any other way to control him."
Rafael's mouth tightened. "Leo, you don't treat a Maserati like a Civic. If you drug—" Rafael broke off with a cry of pain as Leo shot out of his chair and backhanded him. "Sorry," he said, eyes blurring. He wiped his bloodied mouth with the back of his hand. "I didn't mean any disrespect, Leo. I'm trying to help you with your dragon, that's all."
Leo grunted and retreated, but only a couple of steps. Rafael felt sick, but pressed on. He had to stay close to Cam. He shuddered to think what would happen if he didn't—to Cam, to Leo, to everyone. Dragons were tricky enough to control as it was; there was no telling what would happen with an unknown type dragon that couldn't effectively be drugged.
"I really am sorry," Rafael said, keeping his eyes downcast. "He's different, powerful; I just want to help. I can teach him to shift without the drugs, and maybe find someone to master him."
"You don't need to do anything but babysit him until more suitable assistance arrives," Leo said, finally sitting down again. "I've called in a favor with the Rust Syndicate; they owe me. They're sending their best pit fighter to work with this one and get him trained. They say the bastard doesn't need drugs to control or change his dragon, and they've gone undefeated for the past three years."
Rafael wiped away more blood. "You're talking about Blaze and Eros." Leo grunted an affirmative. "Is that a good idea, letting–" Rafael realized too late what he'd said, and didn't brace himself in time.
Leo slammed a fist into his stomach, sending him stumbling to his knees. Rafael bit back a cry, but couldn't hold back a groan. He heard Conway growl softly, and pleaded, "Please don't."
Conway reluctantly subsided, but Rafael knew that if he were in his true form Conway's tail would be furiously lashing back and forth.
"I'm sorry, Leo," Rafael gasped out. "I wasn't questioning you, I was just worried. You know I worry about the dragons."
Leo grabbed his hair and forced his head up. "You'd be a lot happier, Raf, if you did less worrying and just learned to obey. Rust's
fighter is coming here; he's going to take care of the dragon. You just watch it until they get here. See if you can't get it to change. Don't do anything else unless you've cleared it with me. Understand?"
"Y-yes, Leo," Rafael said.
"Good boy," Leo said, and squeezed his shoulder hard enough to bruise. Turning away, he snapped his fingers. "Conway, come."
Rafael grabbed the edge of the bed and used it as leverage to pull himself to his feet. "No, Leo, please. I need him. If you want me to take care of an unknown dragon and get him to shift, I'm going to need another dragon to help him. Conway is used to me, trusts me, so he'll listen to me better than another dragon would. He's also fathered kits before so he's used to new and young dragons. Please, Leo?" He kept his voice soft and submissive, and kept his eyes the ground.
Leo smacked his cheek again and ruffled his hair. "See? Is that so hard? You say please so prettily, little brother. Fine, keep him. It's not like he's of much use outside of the pits, anyway. Check in twice a day, keep me informed. I'll drive up with Rust's fighter when he arrives."
"Yes, Leo."
He waited until Leo and his goons finally departed, then sank back down to his knees, hating himself for being so weak; but hating Leo more for putting him in such a position in the first place.
All he wanted was to kill the bastard, but he couldn't do shit without hurting the dragons. Rafael relaxed as familiar, gentle fingers combed through his hair, pulled him close against a broad chest. He rested his head in the hollow of Conway's neck, breathing in the dragon's scent.
"Okay?" Conway asked, rumbling softly, soothingly.
"I'm okay," Rafael whispered.
"Bad boss, hurt Raf." He growled low, threatening.
Rafael pulled away and shook his head, looking at Conway in earnest. "Don't do anything, Conway. I can handle whatever he does, as long as it means you and the other dragons are safe. He's not worth killing, not yet."
