“Sit, I am no threat.” She waved at me as she walked by to grab a tumbler and pour herself two fingers of something from Jerome’s bar behind his desk. I turned and followed her progress, keeping my back from her. “Oh, boy, sit. Sit. As soon as Stephen arrives, I will need to leave.” She sat and made herself comfortable in Jerome’s chair and leaned her elbows on his desk. Her eyes glowed as they took me in, waiting for me to follow her instructions.
A staring match, eh? I could do this all day. I relaxed to let my dragon peek through my eyes but found him sitting with his head bowed. “Hey, what are you doing? We never get intimidated.” My body began to sink into the chair behind me. “What the fuck are you doing? We bow to no one!”
“We do when it’s her.” That was the only response I got from him.
“Well, now that is settled, we can begin.” She threw back her drink like a pro and clasped her hands in front of her. “We have a lot to cover in a short amount of time. I suggest you follow your dragon’s lead and just listen.”
“Who the hell are you?” I asked, a bit gruffer than I had intended.
“My dear, I’m the one who’s going to help you find your mate. Now hush up and listen.” She stood and made her way around the desk, leaning against it right in front of me. “You have something on you, something you found last night and something that has you on edge.” She held out her hand. “Let me see it.”
“No.” I sounded like a petulant child who didn’t want to share his toys. She just waited, her hand extended. I finally pulled it out and placed it gently in her palm. “I haven’t told anyone about it.”
“I know, dear. That’s okay.” She closed her hand and a glow seeped from between her fingers.
I gasped. Did she really just decimate the only proof I might have that I wasn’t the last of my species?
“Shhh, it’s all right.” She opened her hand, the golden scale still intact and shining. “Let me ease your mind. This is a sign from the goddess, the golden scale appears to dragons who are blessed with a mate. Her scent will be imbued on the scale to help you find her.” She put the scale back in my hand and curled my fingers around it. “This is a promise of what the future will hold if you follow your heart and not your head.”
“She’s waiting for you in here,” Jerome spoke as he, Mack, and Stephen walked in.
“I don’t understand why I need to go anywhere. I’m happy here with the pack,” Stephen replied, a whine in his voice.
“I don’t deal with children, Jerome.” The elderly one in front of me addressed the group coming in. It was that moment I realized I never got her name.
I butted in. “You never answered my question. Who are you?”
“I am called many things by many people. I have been around so long I have forgotten my original name, though I am sure it was unpronounceable. For now, you can call me Gran. I am here to help, guide, and protect, but I don’t have patience for childish acts or hesitation. So, remember that at our next meeting.” She walked to Stephen and framed his face with her hands, nodding as she looked at him. “You were right to contact me, Jerome. He is much more than he thinks.” Without looking at anyone else, she grabbed Stephen’s hand. “Come along, we have a journey ahead of us. The quicker we go, the quicker you can come back to your family.”
Stephen looked at Jerome again. “What did I do? Why are you sending me away?”
“Stephen, we aren’t sending you away. We are helping you discover how far your omega powers can go. You are pack, you will always be pack, and you will come back to the pack. Gran has the knowledge from the original omega and has agreed to impart it onto you. A great honor.” Jerome took a breath, and his next words were spoken with his alpha powers weaved in. “Now go with her, learn all you can, grow in your confidence, and when she deems you ready, come home.”
Stephen nodded once and followed Gran. We listened as they walked down the hall and out the front door. I turned toward Jerome’s desk and found him standing there, holding the folder he had given me earlier. “You’ll need this.”
“Thanks.” I tucked the folder under my arm, at a loss for words.
“Suzanne left a packed lunch for you. Why don’t you grab it and find a nice spot to process things?”
Mack agreed. “Yeah, there are lots of great hideout spots on Da’s land. Take the four-wheeler and find ya one. It’s in the garage out back. Keys are in it.”
A headache was building behind my eyes. I hadn’t had breakfast, so lunch sounded good. “Okay, thanks.” I knew more appreciation was in order, but it was hard to even get those words out with all the information swirling in my head and the questions Gran had brought up. Among it all, my damn inner dragon had gone silent. We had always worked through things together. His simplistic outlook always helped me and my over-processing side. But now, when I needed him the most, he became radio silent.
“Mayday, Drago, I can’t do this alone.”
He responded with four words. “Find her, and hurry.”
5
Natalie
“Dragon’s mate is what Neevie said.”
“But there aren’t any dragons left.” My best friend scoffed. Sandy and I had grown up together in our little town of Freedom. Our town was one of the few that had welcomed shifters when they came out and had lived peacefully ever since. Being a small town of about fifteen hundred people nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, we were a bit hard to find. It also had a great deal to do with the coven of witches that called this place home. “I told you that old gypsy was beyond her fortune-telling years.” Sandy munched on the brownies we had just made.
“I know, but I promised Mom I would go. Neevie predicted Mom would find Dad, and she did. She also predicted shifters would start finding their mates again, and she was right,” I pointed out.
“I still think she’s cuckoo. A dragon, those went extinct a hundred years ago.” She popped the last brownie in her mouth.
“That’s what they say, but there is a legend that one escaped the destruction and has been living under the radar ever since.” I wiped the counter down, cleaning the crumbs that had accumulated from our chocolate binge. “I believe her. I can’t explain why. She said he would be searching for me soon, that everything was changing and his heritage would be revealed.”
“Oh, pishposh. Stories from an old lady. That’s all those are. Come on, let’s go shopping and forget about all this mate mumbo jumbo. How would you be able to mate with a thousand-pound dragon anyway? It’s not physically possible.”
“Well, I’m sure the mating would happen in human form, and just imagine what a form that must be.” I gave her a wicked smile.
“Oh, you. You need to get laid so your mind will get out of the gutter. Come on, I want to go shopping.”
I watched my bestie flounce out of the kitchen with every bit of confidence that I would follow. I did; I always followed. After speaking with the gypsy though, I began to feel like it was time to change that. If I was to be a dragon’s mate, he would need someone strong and confident, not a meek woman. If being a dragon’s mate was my destiny, then I would learn all I could.
I followed Sandy around our little town square as she popped in and out of the little shops. We didn’t have much, an old-fashioned drug store complete with soda counter, a post office, bank, and three vintage resale shops. We had a discount store on the edge of town and a grocery store with a full-time butcher on the other end. One gas station, four bars, three churches, a VFW, and a masonic lodge weren’t far either. Oh, and someone had just bought an old, rundown warehouse and converted it into a flea-market type store. People could purchase booths to sell their junk. I waved at familiar faces as we walked, the joy of being within a community that cared about each other bringing warmth to my heart.
“Maybe we should take a drive to Asheville. I forget how little we have here,” Sandy suggested.
“It’s already after noon. It would take an hour to drive there, plus however long you decided you wa
nted to shop, then an hour drive back.” I sighed. I really wasn’t in the mood to drive that far to watch her shop.
“We could grab dinner and see a movie.” She smiled, trying to coax me into going.
“Sandy, you know that’s not in my budget.” I cringed. Admitting I had to stick to a budget was always a sore spot in our friendship. My part time job at the high school library fed my soul more than my pocket book.
“You know I’ll spring for it. Why do you always do that? If you don’t want to go, then just say so.” She crossed her arms in frustration.
“Okay, I don’t want to go.”
“Fine, well I am. I need a new dress, and I hear Miranda’s is having a killer sale on shoes.” She dug in her purse for her keys. “I can drop you at your place on the way if you want.” She stood there, keys dangling and one hip jutted out, waiting for my answer.
“No, it’s the opposite way of the interstate. I’ll just grab a soda at the drug store and wait for Mom to get off work. Maybe I’ll stop by the historical society and do a little research on the dragon shifters.”
“Whatever, I think it’s a waste of time.” She strode into the parking lot. “I’ll call you when I get back,” she hollered as she sank into the driver’s seat of her sporty, royal-blue BMW. She peeled out of the parking lot and zipped past me, waving as she went.
I shook my head. If she wasn’t careful, the one cop this town had would catch her speeding one day.
I walked down the street heading toward the historical society, enjoying the sun on my face and slight breeze through my hair. I reflected on what I had shared with Sandy: the fact that the gypsy Neevie had opened a new path for my future. Sandy could call it whatever she wanted, but deep in my soul, I felt what she had told me was true. I had been dreaming about dragons since I was little. I read every book I could find about them, fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal. I devoured all things that had to do with the mystical world we lived in. Now to find I would become part of it excited me.
I had always yearned for my life to move past my hometown. I enjoyed learning in school, English and Mythology were two of my favorite classes. It was those classes that fueled my desire to learn more about the history of our town. Mom hadn’t been able to afford for me to go to college and the idea of both leaving my mom all alone and graduating swimming in debt encouraged me to stay safe in my bubble in Freedom. I was lucky enough to get a job surrounded by the things I loved and that allowed me to help mom with the house and anything else she needed. She had done so much for me I felt it my duty to stay, though I yearned for more. Part of that me didn’t want to leave mom all alone, but another part wanted more.
I stopped and looked at our historical society building. It was the oldest in Freedom. When the town was founded, it was our original church. Over time, the congregation grew, and they had to build a new parish to house them all, and this one had been left to ruin. The first shifter to settle here had bought it and restored it. Ever since, it had been the place to go to search any type of local history and those who lived here. Supernatural or human, you could find it here if you were willing to put the time in.
I climbed the steps towards the door open. The cool air swept against me as I stepped over the threshold, bringing with it a zing along my skin—magic, or what I imagined magic felt like. I rubbed the gooseflesh that had risen on my arms as I walked toward the circulation desk. Mr. Crawford smiled as I approached.
“What a pleasant surprise. How can I help you today, Miss Seraphim?” Mr. Crawford had run the library since I was little, and he never seemed to age. He looked to be in his fifties but fit and healthy. I saw him running every morning around town or through the walking path in the park. He always had a smile for everyone and a wealth of knowledge to help those who asked for it. He was also a shifter, though I have never seen him in his animal form. He’s one of the town’s protectors and is well respected.
“I’m looking for dragon lore, Mr. Crawford. Can you show me where to start?” My stomach fluttered as the words came out of my mouth.
“Ahh, Ms. Neevie finally spoke to you, didn’t she?”
“How did you know?” I asked. I shouldn’t have been shocked. Mr. Crawford knew everything about everyone in town.
“She came to me when she thought it was time to see if I agreed that you were ready.” He came out from behind the desk. “I have already pulled everything I have and sorted it into different piles for you. Follow me.”
He led me down a shadowed hallway and opened a door to one of the small study rooms he had. It was a small room with fluorescent lights, a scarred wood table, and an old, overstuffed desk chair. On the table were three piles.
“I tried to keep it simple for you.” He pointed at the pile on the left. “Those are all the fairy tales and folklore about dragons. Most of it’s made up, but there are bits and pieces that are truth. You’ll find those by the sticky notes I used to mark them.”
“Okay.”
He moved to the middle pile. “This is all I have accumulated from other shifter packs and clans who have had interactions with dragons. These are old, so please be careful when you turn the pages.”
“Of course.”
“This one is all the history I have found on the last dragon clan known to the shifter council, the ones who were hunted down and decimated by our own kind out of fear. This is where I think you will find the best information. I never believed they had destroyed them all. That family was too smart to be caught together in one place.”
My head swam with what he had just said. “Thank you, Mr. Crawford. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“It was my pleasure, dear. I hated to see the dragons destroyed. They were such a regal species. As with all of us, there were bad apples, but I didn’t agree that a whole species should be punished for the faults of a few.” He patted my shoulder. “If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be at the front desk.”
I smiled at him, sure my eyes were glazed over with awe. “I will.”
He shut the door behind him, and I settled into the chair at the table. I reached for the fairy tales first. Even though I wanted to dive right into the family history of the last dragon shifter, as with all things I did, I saved the best for last. After turning to the first page indicated by Mr. Crawford’s sticky notes, I began to read.
6
My stomach growled loudly, bringing me out of my reading stupor. I blinked to focus my eyes as I looked at the lone clock on the wall trying to read the hands. When my eyes finally adjusted, I realized I had been sitting at the table reading for a good five hours. The smell of grilled meat and sauce wafted to my nose, and my stomach grumbled louder.
A knock sounded on the door, and it slowly opened. Mr. Crawford stood there with a plate overflowing with creamy pasta topped with slices of thick steak. “You’ve been at it for so long, I thought you might be a bit hungry. It’s nothing fancy but will fill your belly.”
“It smells delicious, thank you.” I took the plate from him, along with the napkin and utensils. “You didn’t have to cook for me though. I was supposed to meet Mom at the pharmacy.” I realized then I hadn’t even talked to her today.
“She stopped by earlier. You were so engrossed in your reading, she let you be. I told her I would make sure you got dinner and home before the sun set.” He looked at his watch. “Which is in an hour, Miss. Seraphim, so I would suggest you eat up and then I’ll walk you home.”
“Oh, okay.”
He turned to leave.
“Umm, Mr. Crawford?”
“Yes?”
“Would I be able to take home the books I don’t get through?”
He faced me again. “No, I’m sorry. The books must stay in the building, but I can keep them in this room for you if you’d like and you can come back tomorrow to continue.”
I had hoped he would let me take them. I kept the disappointment from my face. “I understand, and yes if you would, please.”
“Very well, now ea
t up. When you are done, follow the hallway to the last door. I’ll be in the kitchen waiting.” He left before I could respond.
I sat and devoured the plate of food. My stomach grumbled with hunger as the first bite passed my lips. I savored the flavors slowly until the plate was empty. My watch vibrated my sundown alarm and realized we had about thirty minutes till dark. I quickly picked up my plate, knocking over a stack of books in the process. Real good, Nat, my inner voice chastised as I kneeled and picked up the books that had made it to the floor. With everything stacked back up, my notebook in my tote of a purse, I slung it over my shoulder, and left the room. Plate in hand. I knocked softly on the door Mr. Crawford had pointed out earlier.
“You may come in.” Mr. Crawford’s deep voice reverberated through the door.
I found a small yet tidy kitchen behind the door with all-white cabinets and floor tiles and a dark-gray counter. The old stove looked like it belonged in a rustic cabin rather than this room. The olive-green fridge was straight from the seventies, and the Formica table and vinyl chairs screamed nineteen fifty. I tried to crane my neck to see through the doorway into the next room, but Mr. Crawford stepped in front of me, reaching for my plate and glass.
“Is everything okay? I heard a crash,” he asked as he took my plate to the sink.
Embarrassed at how nosy I was being, I dropped my eyes and replied. “Yes, sir. Dinner was fabulous. I just knocked over some books when I was cleaning up. Thank you again for cooking.” I felt the heat of a blush creep up my neck.
“Very well. We are cutting it close. Let’s go.” He motioned for me to follow him out the kitchen door. I heard him lock it behind us and then lock the main door when we exited it as well. He took my elbow to guide me down the sidewalk toward my mom’s house.
“Mr. Crawford, can I ask you a question?” I looked at him from the corner of my eye, trying to judge if he would be willing to answer.
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