Sword of the King

by Megan Derr

  Blaze shrugged. "Forget it. Your brother is a piece of work, if you don't mind me saying."

  "No one steers clear of St. George because we're nice and ask politely," Rafael replied. "So, would anyone like breakfast?"

  "I would fucking love breakfast," Blaze said. "Is there more coffee? Sit down, good fucking grief. I can get it." He picked up Rafael's mug and handed it to him, then went to refill his own. Returning, he sat down next to Rafael and asked, "So is that your dragon?"

  Rafael looked at Conway, who growled and looked so much like a kicked puppy it hurt. "Conway belongs to Leo, all the best dragons do." His fingers tightened on his mug as he swallowed around the lump in his throat. "But, Conway is assigned to me a lot, so he's sort of mine."

  "He's yours," Ken said, startling Rafael. "He hasn't staked his claim, but he's yours. No dragon would ever obey a weasel like Leo unless his owner told him to."

  "Owner?" Rafael said, staring at him, frowning. "Leo is his owner. What do you mean, staked his claim?" His heart began to thud in his chest with fear, and beat even faster at the knowing look Ken gave him. But that meant Ken had probably done the same with his own dragon—fucked him, like they were always told not.

  Ken spread his hands, "I'm not here to cause trouble, I promise. Nev has sure as hell claimed me, and Erie has claimed Blaze. We know how to keep our mouths shut. But whether you've let Conway mark you or not, you're his owner."

  "Why do you keep saying owner?"

  "He means master," Blaze said, mouth quirking in an adorably boyish way before he glanced at Ken and mock-glared at him. "Ken is a little funny in the head."

  Disappointment dropped into Rafael's stomach like lead, putting him off even his coffee. How had he missed that Blaze and Ken were a thing? Hell, it was for the best, really. He wouldn't have been stupid enough to make a move, because even just fucking somebody was enough for Leo to use that person against Rafael. But he'd like that the possibility had been there. Having it so definitively taken away sucked.

  But who was he kidding? Someone like Blaze wouldn't go for Rafael, for a very long list of reasons, beginning and ending with Leo.

  So, yeah, it was for the best that Blaze was taken.

  Picking up his coffee, Rafael forced himself to finish it before he started putting breakfast together. Thankfully, with two dragons in the house and knowing there would be more, he did not lack for food. He would definitely have to increase the size of his grocery orders, though. Writing himself a note on the whiteboard by the back door, he pulled out eggs, sausage, bacon, and the necessary ingredients for pancakes.

  When the bacon and sausage were cooking, he started to mix together the pancake batter. He walked toward the bar where the others were still gathered. "You said Triad came after you?"

  Blaze nodded. "Yeah, and I wouldn't be surprised if other syndicates start to make an appearance. I don't know if it was St. George or Rust who sprang a leak, but word is definitely out now. Nothing we can't handle though." He winked at Rafael, then shared a smirk with Ken.

  Rafael mustered a smile in return, and then went back to the stove to finish cooking. Thirty minutes later all was ready and he dished out the food, leaving the syrup, salt, pepper, butter, and nearly an entire loaf of toasted bread where everyone could reach it.

  He ate his own food in silence, letting the chatter wash over him. Conway was getting along with the other dragons, at least, which made him happy. Normally he was trapped in Leo's high-rise rooms with dragons that had been broken to obedience and had no real life left in them. Rafael didn't really know how Conway had escaped that fate, but he was eternally grateful.

  A hand covered his thigh under the edge of the bar, squeezed gently, and Rafael looked up with a smile. "I'm fine, Conway." Conway rumbled, but subsided, picking unhappily at his breakfast. Rafael dropped his own hand to cover Conway's, still on his thigh, and squeezed it lightly. "Seriously, lizard. I'm fine. Stop sulking and eat, because if you're too tired to show the rest of these dragons what-for later, you're not getting any pumpkin pie."

  Conway growled at that, narrowing his eyes. Withdrawing his hand, he reached up to lightly touch Rafael's abused cheek. "Bad boss. Good Raf."

  "Something like that," Rafael said with a smile. "Now stop being a brat and eat."

  "Yes, Raf," Conway said, and began to eat his breakfast with renewed enthusiasm.

  Blaze finished a large bite of pancakes, then jabbed his fork in Conway's direction. "He's a frost, right? I think I've seen him pitted before, though only the high stakes fights, if I recall correctly." He ate another bite. "These are great."

  "Uh, thanks," Rafael said, wondering if there was a way to ask Blaze to hide those green eyes. He wasn't used to being so distracted by anyone's presence, not since Marianne. He'd learned his lesson. The dragons and Leo were more than he could handle, and running the coffeehouse was the closest he got to relaxing. Conway was dangerous enough. "Yeah, he's a frost. He's a damned good pit fighter, but he's also remarkably self-sufficient for a dragon and so Leo prefers to use him for other things most of the time. But when he absolutely needs a fight won and the opponent is a wild card, he brings out Conway."

  "I'm surprised Erie has never faced him. Fire and ice always makes for an interesting fight," Blaze said thoughtfully. "But, it's just as well, because I'd hate to see either one of them hurt and with that kind of match up people would expect a brutal fight."

  Rafael nodded in agreement, true respect for Blaze blossoming, growing. He really was unique for a pit fighter—he actually seemed to care about Erie, which Rafael hadn't expected. "I've heard a lot of things about Erie. I was surprised Rust agreed to lend you out." He wouldn't doubt if Rust had ulterior motives, all bosses did.

  The quick, rueful look Blaze shot him made Rafael freeze in surprise—then laugh softly as he finished his scrambled eggs. Looking up, he glanced at Ken. "Are you from the Rust Syndicate? I've never heard your name before. What kind of dragon is Nev?"

  Ken shrugged. "I don't belong anywhere, and Nev is special." He reached out to cup Nev's cheek, and Rafael smiled at the way Nev promptly nuzzled into the touch, rumbling happily.

  He'd been expecting a lot of machismo, a lot of trouble. The group before him seemed almost too good to be true. Looking to Cam, sitting at the far end of the bar quietly eating, Rafael asked, "How are you feeling?"

  "Twitchy," Cam said. "Exactly like you said I would, when more dragons came around. Is it stupid to think that I'd be lashing my tail if I had one?"

  Rafael laughed, joined by the others. "No, no weird at all. You probably would be, and then I'd have to send you to your room because I'm really tired of replacing all the tiles and paneling in this kitchen." He looked pointedly at Conway, who rumbled innocently and paid very close attention to his last two sausage links. Rafael looked back at Cal. "With so many dragons around, I think you'll find it easier to learn how to change. I know for a fact that Conway and Erie don't need changers, and I'd be surprised if Nev did ... " Ken shook his head. "So, yes. With three such capable dragons, you'll be shifting in no ti ... "

  He trailed off as Ken and Blaze exchanged a look he couldn't read. "What?" he asked, starting to feel on edge. He should have known. When he'd thought something seemed too good to be true, that was the first clue that it was too good to be true.

  "We need to talk," Ken said quietly. "You're not at all what we were expecting."

  "The feeling is mutual," Raphael said irritably. "Fine. We'll talk outside." He didn't wait for them to reply, just stood and headed out the back door, into the enormous green yard that eventually gave over to the forest surrounding his home. "So talk," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, glaring at them, wondering just what kind of trouble he was in and how badly Leo would beat him because of it.

  Ken and Blaze shared a look, and god how he wished they'd stop doing that, because he really didn't need the two of them making eyes at each other the whole time.

  Finally, Blaze said, "T
he rumors around the syndicates were always that your brother was fiercely protective of you, that he keeps you locked away because you're valuable and important to him. He doesn't want anyone hurting you or coaxing you away."

  Rafael let out a bark of laughter at that, amused despite himself. "Is that really what people say? That I'm some princess locked in a tower for my own good? Oh, god, that must amuse the ever-loving fuck out of him." He lightly touched his bruised cheek. "My brother keeps me isolated for the same reason he keeps all his belongings locked up—he doesn't like to share his toys."

  There was also the added bonus that his brother hated him for being better with dragons. Raf was lucky that was reason enough to hate him, beat him, but not kill him. If Leo ever found out about just how close he'd been to Marianne … but thinking about Marianne just made him hurt. "What does my brother's possessive streak have to do with anything?" Rafael asked. Ken and Blaze shared a look again, and Rafael's patience snapped. He wasn't in the mood to be caught up in whatever game they were playing. "Look, I don't know what you're up to, but don't think that just because my brother beats me and smacks me around that I'll tolerate it from anyone else."

  Conway growled and approached, scales cold to the touch as he rubbed up against Rafael before standing protectively in front of him. Rafael wondered when he'd stripped and changed. Cold poured off of Conway like an icy breeze through an open door, making the air around them distinctly chilly.

  Blaze's eyes widened slightly, and Rafael wondered what surprised him, because Blaze had to be long used to a dragon in fighting mode. "I'm not going to put up with any games," Rafael said. "Say what you've got to say, or make your move if it's a fight you want. I have dragons to take care of and a boss to keep appeased."

  "We're not here to pick a fight," Blaze said, catching Erie's arm as he growled and prepared to shift as well. Behind Ken, Nev stood still and calm, patiently waiting for orders. "I promise it's not like that. We thought you'd be on your brother's side, is all. But you're not, which changes everything."

  Rafael gave them a hard stare, not quite certain he dared to believe what he was hearing. "You're wandering into dangerous territory," he said at last. "I'm on the dragons' side. I do whatever I have to do to protect the dragons as best I'm able."

  "So how are you going to protect him?" Ken asked quietly, pointing a thumb at Cam, who stood off to the side watching the proceedings with his usual strange calm.

  Cam scratched his nose, stepped closer to the circle, and said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that once I learn how to be a dragon I won't need anyone protecting me."

  "You have no idea what you are," Ken said. "No idea at all, and not a single syndicate is prepared for you—no one is, really. Even the clans barely have a grip on your kind."

  Rafael met Ken's eyes. "You know something I don't. What do you know, and how do you know it? There's not a single person in any of the syndicates who knows the dragons better than me. So how do you know more?"

  "Because I come from somewhere else," Ken replied.

  "The clans you just mentioned? What are these clans?" Rafael asked.

  Ken nodded. "Yeah, the clans. I don't suppose you'd set your dragon back to above freezing, would you? No one is going to hurt you, but he is freezing my balls right off."

  Rafael blinked, then laughed. He reached out a hand and lightly touched Conway's head. "It's okay, Conway. I'm safe, Cam is safe. Stand down. You're a good dragon."

  Conway growled, but obeyed, sitting back on his haunches and letting his temperature rise again.

  "He's amazing," Blaze said, slowly dragging his eyes away from Conway to look at Rafael, socking him again with those green eyes. It sounded so cliché to say 'like emeralds' but fuck if that wasn't exactly their color. Christ, he so did not need to be in lust with anyone right then. "I've never seen a frost with such fine control." He yanked Erie close when he growled unhappily. "Erie has no equal, but Conway would be the kind of opponent he'd love. Maybe you'll let them spar sometime. I bet they'd have fun."

  The offer startled Rafael, and he found his respect for Blaze growing all the more. He'd effortlessly acknowledged Conway's skills while still putting his own dragon first, and asked permission for a friendly fight. He didn't know many pit fighters who could fight without turning it into a bloodbath. "Sometime," he conceded. "Right now, I'd rather get back to the part where you sounded like you were trying to convince me to do something stupid."

  Ken hesitated, beckoned Nev forward, and said, "Shift."

  Nev silently obeyed, quickly stripping off his clothes and casting them carelessly aside. If the cold air bothered him, he made no show of it. With a soft growl, he shifted, changing from a winsome, lithe young man into ...

  Rafael stared, not quite believing what he was seeing. "That's a steel. They don't exist. What in the hell …?"

  Ken laughed softly and stroked Nev's head as he rubbed against Ken's thigh. "They definitely exist. He's a steel dragon, though we call them knight dragons."

  "Fuck," Rafael said, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, mind spinning with all the new problems that would arise if the syndicates found out about the actual existence of steel dragons. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about what would happen if Leo found out about Nev. "So are you trying to tell me, in your very roundabout and dramatic way, that Cam is a steel?"

  "No, he's not a steel. Cam is something else entirely. He's much more powerful than a steel, and he's got a lot of fucking baggage trailing behind him."

  Cam snorted. "It seriously cracks me up the way you people talk about dragons like they're not in the room. I'm standing right here and you're talking about me, but not to me. It's kind of aggravating, kind of amusing."

  Rafael smiled faintly. "Old habit. Dragons tend to care about only three things: their master, food, and their fixation. Anything else, they just stop paying attention."

  "Dragons are weapons, not people," Ken said, stroking Nev's scales, tilting his head up to stare into Nev's glowing amber eyes. "They can look and act like people, but that's just a way to bond with their owners and improve their edge, so to speak. Camouflage, of a sort."

  "I see," Cam replied, still amused. "So I'm weird because I'm a living weapon, but also still really human. And I'm not a steel? So what am I? Cause Raf said there were five dragon types, now you're telling me there's actually seven. So what is door number seven?"

  Ken stared at him for a moment, then finally said, "You are a Holy Pendragon. At present, there are only three others in the entire world."

  Cam lifted one brow. "That sounds crazy."

  "It sounds unbelievable," Rafael said. "Getting him to shift would settle the matter, but nothing I've tried triggers it. Conway is good at helping new dragons learn to shift, but even he can't get Cam to do it. But maybe you two know something I don't and get him to do it."

  Ken shook his head. "He won't change until his owner commands it. A Holy Pendragon requires an owner more than any other dragon; the owners are safeguards against their power. The mere presence of a Pendragon in its full power is enough to bring men to their knees. But that power goes both ways. Anyone who masters a Pendragon is automatically given royal status within the clans, and mastering a Pendragons always grants powers, or strengthens powers already possessed."

  Rafael rubbed his forehead; he could feel his temples throbbing. "This is too much for me to process. Whatever you say, all I know is that my brother and every other syndicate boss out there is going to start a war over a single dragon. I'm going for a walk."

  He didn't wait for their reply, simply walked away, heading across the yard to the winding footpath that meandered through the woods. Conway rumbled soothingly at his side, rubbing against him, then subsiding into silence as they walked.

  The path would take them to the lake, and maybe by the time they walked there and back, Rafael would have figured out what the fuck he was going to do.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The firs
t thing Amr had taught him was focus. Not paying attention got men and dragons killed. Blaze was a good fighter in no small part because he could focus like a son of a bitch. Nothing got in the way of his focus—not money, people, power, or glory. Nothing. He focused on his dragon, he focused on the fight. Even when he wasn't in the pit, he kept his focus on Erie, the syndicate, on the next fight. There was nothing on the planet that had ever made him forget Erie and what he was working toward.

  So it was really fucking annoying that every time he so much as glanced at Rafael St. George, Blaze couldn't even remember his own goddamn name.

  He watched Rafael vanish into the woods, Conway at his side, and was half-tempted to go after him for no good reason whatsoever. Fuck, the man was pretty. There was a dearth of pretty in the pits, and what little there was always seemed to come with the kind of snotty, preening attitude that made Blaze want to punch people.

  But more than that ... Rafael might play meek in front of his brother, but when his temper sparked … It was something else again when Rafael acted more like himself. Blaze wondered what he'd be like if he didn't have Leo or the syndicate dragging him down.

  "So are you going to stand there eye fucking him all day, or make a move?"

  Blaze blinked at Ken for a moment, then the words registered. "Go to hell."

  Ken just snickered. "Seriously, if you stared at his ass any harder he'd have to get a restraining order."

  "Shut up," Blaze muttered, and pointedly turned away to head back into the house. He wanted a goddamn nap; between driving all night, putting up with Leo, and all the food he'd eaten, he was more than ready to pass out for a bit.

  So fuck it, that's exactly what he was going to do. "I'm going to grab some shut eye," he said. "You can go be a smarmy asshole somewhere else."

  "I'm impressed you know the word smarmy," Ken replied, grinning. "When does your mysterious ex-clan buddy get here?"

  Blaze rolled his eyes. "You make him sound like a fucking ninja or something when you say that. He's getting here late in the afternoon, but I don't know what time. He'll text me when he's an hour or so out. Go away, seriously. Be annoying far away from me."