The Lost Dragon (The Dragon Hunters Book 1)

by Drako

  “Hmm, so no matter what we do, it seems the plot to resurrect the former king of the gods will continue.”

  “Yes,” Jarel said darkly. “So we’ll all have to be ready for what comes of it.”

  Thirty Six

  Vic stood on the roof of Jarel’s palace, looking out across Solaris. He was in quite a bit of pain at the moment, but he already knew why. He was dying. Of course, he was a phoenix, so it wasn’t final. He would rise again. The timing just really sucked to him.

  “Why do you continue to hold off on returning to ash?”

  Vic turned to face Jarel, who now stood behind him. “I don’t particularly like going down to Hades. He’s not the best company.”

  Jarel rolled his eyes. “Spare me the bullshit. I know you too well. You don’t want to be gone when the boys go to Desdemona. Or, should I say, when Demun goes?”

  Vic scowled. “It’s rather insulting that you think I have a favorite.”

  Jarel’s eyes were filled with amusement. “Even you haven’t lived long enough to fool me. You’re attached to both boys because they’re Julian’s sons. But Demun draws you in more.”

  Vic looked away. “There are times when working for you sucks.”

  “Only because you know I’m right. And you can’t help him like this. Your powers are beginning to fade, your reflexes are slow. You’d hinder more than help.”

  “What I’d really like to know is why I’m so drawn to him,” Vic muttered.

  Jarel smirked. “You already know the answer. It’s just not time for you to admit it yet, even to yourself. Now, go get it over with. The longer you wait, the longer it will take for you to return.”

  Vic sighed. “Fine, I’ll go.”

  Jarel watched him transform and fly off. He then turned to face Odele, who had appeared behind him.

  “It's nice to see you again in all your glory,” he told her.

  Odele smiled. “It’s nice to be back.”

  “What brings you back to my domain?” Jarel asked.

  “Well, I was wondering if by chance you’d found some trace of my mortal twin. I’m afraid I can’t find him anywhere.”

  Jarel laughed. “Poor child, you know you’ve come to the wrong place. I have no affinity with your brother. He is a creation of Apollo. If anyone could find him, it would be the god of prophecy.”

  Odele scowled. “I’m sure it is not beyond your capabilities.”

  “If I put my mind to it, I’m sure I’d find him. But Apollo would be the easiest way to ensure finding him. Why do you fear meeting Apollo again in this form?”

  “I do not fear meeting Apollo again,” Odele told him, trying to sound forceful.

  Jarel raised an eyebrow. “Who are you trying to convince, me or you?”

  Odele glowered but said nothing. She had all her memories back now, but she’d yet to sort out certain parts of her past and how she felt about them.

  “Normally, I’d leave it to Gaea or Hera to give you this type of advice, but since you’re here, I might as well say it. Stop running. You and I both know Apollo is where your heart lies, and always has. In the countless lives you’ve lived, you felt empty without ever knowing why. The reason is simply that you were lost without your other half and the reason you run from him now is because you want to be angry with him for never once showing himself to you but in truth, you know it was not his fault. It’s simply easier to blame him than yourself for your part in this.”

  “How can you blame this on me?” Odele was clearly offended.

  “Because you made the decision to agree to Hera’s request.” Jarel leveled his swirling silver eyes on her, deflating her anger instantly. “You are her servant, but she offered you a choice. Because she depended so greatly on you, you agreed to her request. But as heartless as some think Hera is, she saw what you had with Apollo and recognized it. Hera could easily have lain with Zeus and bore a child specifically for the purpose of ensnaring Eris if she’d really needed someone. Any child born of those two would be a major player in the universe, even stripped of its godhood. She asked you and because she stressed that she needed a powerful healing god or goddess who would retain their power in their blood even as a mortal, you went along with her request. And sadly you didn’t even realize her other reason for splitting you two up.”

  Odele couldn’t fathom another reason for Hera’s actions.

  “Hera is goddess of marriage, and the most accurate being at recognizing those that are truly meant for each other. Pair her with Aphrodite and it’s a guarantee. But what she knew was that Apollo, much like his father, could not be faithful to you. His appetite was too great, and Zeus didn’t learn to be faithful until long after your demotion to human. Therefore she knew in order for this thing between you two to work, Apollo had to grow up. He’s far different now than he was when you knew him, is he not?”

  Odele nodded but otherwise remained silent.

  “Well then, all that’s left is for you to face him. Do you know he destroyed Eris himself, risking the infamous wrath of Hera, because she is the reason you two were parted?” Jarel watched her. “His feelings were always true. Now all that remains is to see if yours were true as well.”

  Odele stepped forward and hugged him. “Thank you.”

  Jarel laughed as he returned the hug. “Go on and see him. You have much to discuss.”

  She vanished.

  “Well, perhaps you were given the wrong role in the universe.” Aphrodite appeared beside him.

  Jarel smirked. “I’ve always had a soft spot for Odele. And I prefer to see people end up with their soul mate.”

  “And what of you, Black Dragon God?” Hera appeared before them. “When will you finally take that step to settle down?”

  Jarel rolled his eyes. “You know my situation, Hera. There is no settling for me. But I will not begrudge the youth their happiness. Now, you two stop meddling and let nature take its course.”

  Thirty Seven

  Now back in the mortal realm, Andreas was already bored. Several days had passed, and the boys were back in school. Kazarian was still on Olympus and every rogue in existence seemed to be avoiding St. Louis, Missouri at all costs. Even if they weren’t avoiding the city, it was daylight, so none of the vampires could come out if they wanted to.

  Just my luck. I haven’t killed anything in days. Retirement is not all it’s cracked up to be by elderly humans, he thought.

  He got up and went into his bedroom, deciding to shower and get out of the house. He stripped down and went into the bathroom, turning on the water and stepping in before giving it a chance to warm up. As he stood under the spray, he realized his hunger had returned, along with a very strong desire for Kazarian. He reasoned with himself that he’d gone eleven thousand years without Kazarian. Surely he could last a few more days, or weeks.

  Gods, he hoped it wouldn’t be that long. His patience was already worn thin, perhaps a drawback of being a bonded male. After all, he’d never been this impatient for anything before.

  Realizing the water had gotten cold, Andreas washed quickly and got out of the shower. He dried off, managing to ignore the hard on he was sporting. Apparently bonding had kicked his sex drive into overdrive, and how unfortunate was it that Kazarian wasn’t anywhere near him?

  Sighing, he wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped back into his room. To his surprise, Kazarian was sitting on the bed, waiting.

  “Looks like I got here at just the right time.” Kazarian smiled.

  Andreas barely resisted the urge to tackle him and take what he wanted. “How long are you here?”

  Kazarian shrugged. “Until Ares calls me. There’s not much I can do with him now. I’m already a trained warrior. I just have to get used to the heightened abilities and reflexes, and learn to control these new powers.”

  “I’d offer to help you, but your powers and mine are different since I’m a dragon and you’re a god.”

  Kazarian studied him for several seconds. “I’m not worri
ed about that right now. I’m more worried about what Hera said. What has to be done to complete our union?”

  Andreas hesitated, forming his response carefully. “Right now, we’re bonded through the blood I took from you. To complete the union, first you must take the same from me. Then we have to have a ceremony where we take vows before Hera and my father. These vows bond us together for the rest of our lives and cannot possibly be broken. There’s no divorce in Hera’s world, and she’s particularly vicious to those that commit adultery.”

  “What’s so special about her vows?” Kazarian asked.

  “Humans changed the wording to marriage vows long ago to take away the power in them and therein escape immediate punishment from Hera. Hera’s vows bind our souls together, and even our lives if we so choose.”

  Kazarian studied him again. “Why does this seem to scare you?”

  “Because it’s your choice whether or not we continue on. I can’t guide you through it or force you to do it. In order to complete this union, you must make all steps to do it instinctively.”

  “So, you’re worried that I might refuse you and leave you to be lost in this life without me again?”

  Andreas made no reply, which was in itself a reply.

  Kazarian looked him in the eyes. “I want this union, Andreas. I don’t want us to be separated again. So let’s do this.”

  The relief Andreas felt was evident.

  “Just relax and follow your own instincts. We’ve got plenty of time if you can’t seal our union today.”

  Kazarian had a determined look in his eyes. “This union will be sealed today.”

  After school, Brandon was surprised when Adonis joined him at his car.

  “So, I think we should talk,” Adonis told him.

  That doesn’t sound good, Brandon thought.

  “Sure, I’ll drive you home,” he said aloud.

  He unlocked the door and the two climbed in. He started the car and pulled off before Adonis spoke.

  “I don’t want you to think this is a bad conversation,” he said. “I’m not weirded out or getting ready to run.”

  Brandon frowned, as this mirrored his thought pattern. Adonis was human, so surely he couldn’t read his thoughts, could he?

  “I’ve just been feeling like I might feel differently than you do,” Adonis continued. “I know this change between us is going to take some getting used to for you. It has to be hard to wait for me to really accept who I am.”

  Tell me something I don’t know, came Id’s voice in Brandon’s mind.

  Brandon ignored Id and spoke aloud. “So, you’re saying you’d like to take things slow, right?”

  “More like I prefer we not be the ‘out’ gay couple at school.”

  “I can live with that, but I just have one thing to say.” As he stopped at a red light, Brandon turned to look at him. “If we’re together, we’re exclusive. No messing around with other guys, or girls either.”

  “I don’t have eyes for anyone else anyway,” Adonis replied.

  Brandon turned and drove off as the light turned. “This brings up a question.”

  “What is it?”

  “Have I led you to believe that I wasn’t interested in you?” Brandon asked.

  Adonis looked slightly uncomfortable. “I may just be paranoid because of our history.”

  Brandon heard a growl in his head, but as he saw Adonis jump, he realized it wasn’t just Id that made the noise. He’d made the noise himself out loud.

  “Don’t blame the history for what I do now,” he told Adonis forcefully. “If I make you feel unwanted, I want to know. This isn’t about the old games we played before. We decided to stop that, remember?”

  Adonis gave a thin smile. “Yeah, I know. But I’m waiting for you to begin to hate me again.”

  Brandon stopped in front of Adonis’ house and turned off the car. “I never hated you. That’s too strong an emotion. I owe you a lot actually. With you, I’m not a dragon or a demon. With you, I can be a normal teenager, a normal guy. Even when we were at each other’s throats, I was thankful because I need some sense of normalcy. I need someone to just be myself with, without worrying about my responsibilities. I have always gotten that from you.”

  Adonis gave an actual smile, full of its usual radiance. “Is that really how you feel?”

  Brandon actually smiled back. “Dude, I’m not going to lie to you. I never have before, and I won’t start now.”

  Adonis looked into his eyes, admitting to himself that Brandon had always been honest with him. As he looked into Brandon’s eyes, what he saw made him nervous. There was emotion there that even Brandon had yet to admit. Frankly, Adonis couldn’t handle that yet, and reached for the door handle.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  Brandon gave a nod and watched him get out of the car and head inside. He wondered what made Adonis jump out so fast, and smiled to himself.

  He’s ours, Id commented.

  “Yes, he is,” Brandon agreed aloud as he started the car and drove off.

  Demun arrived home first and went to his room to put away his things. When he came out, Andreas and Kazarian were in the kitchen.

  “Guess I’m the only one in the house not getting laid,” he mumbled.

  Andreas raised an eyebrow in question. Demun sighed.

  “Just because you showered doesn’t mean you don’t smell like sex,” he said irritably.

  Brandon walked in. “Yeah, I smelled that as soon as I walked in. And technically, bro, I’m not getting laid either.”

  “How did you hear that?” Kazarian asked.

  “He was thinking it and we stay connected,” Brandon answered.

  “Well, now that we’ve established how awkward things will be anytime anyone has sex here, I think we should work on establishing rules around here,” Andreas told them.

  “We’re used to doing the household chores,” Demun told him.

  “While our mother was sick, we did everything around here,” Brandon added.

  “Yeah, you probably won’t do that very much anymore. Retirement is boring as hell and it will give me something to do during the day.” Andreas went to the refrigerator and took out a soda. “I wanted to talk about other things. Basically, you’ll work hard enough on learning to control your powers and such. I have more money than I need, so you’ll get an allowance to keep up your cars and do any of the extra stuff for school you need.”

  “Um, I don’t do extra stuff at school,” Demun commented.

  “Do video games count?” Brandon asked.

  Andreas rolled his eyes. “So long as you realize I’m going to play all those games while you’re at school, just as soon as you teach me how.”

  Brandon and Demun laughed.

  “And I realize both of you are active, as am I, so no having sex in the house while the rest of us are here.”

  “This is the single most awkward conversation any teenager anywhere has had with a parent figure in history,” Brandon muttered.

  Andreas chose to ignore that and continued on. “Curfew is eleven on school nights. No unnecessary brawls in front of humans and frankly, you should probably avoid other species you don’t normally interact with. No hunting alone unless you clear it with me first. And try to refrain from pissing me off, which means laying off the smart-ass remarks when I’m in a bad mood. Don’t disrespect the soul mate and we’re good.”

  “As far as we’re concerned, he’s another uncle, so respect is automatic,” Demun told him.

  “Well then, all that’s left is to begin training. You boys didn’t do so well on your first mission. It’s time to work on some of the problems Father pointed out.” Andreas stopped to down the rest of his soda. “So, let’s get started, shall we?”

  Epilogue

  Jarel’s great hall was filled with people from all species. There were rows of chairs from the throne area to the door, with an aisle for walking. Demeter had provided the most beautiful roses anyone had eve
r seen to line the aisle separating the seating. The throne had been removed, and Jarel stood alongside Hera where the throne normally sat. Brandon stood off to the right in a dark blue chiton while Demun stood off to the left in a dark red one. Apollo was off to the right with his infamous lyre in hand, and the Muses stood behind him.

  In the front row were several gods, most prominently Zeus. Ares and Hades joined him, along with Aphrodite and Demeter. All of Andreas’ brothers and his sister were also in the front row. The rows behind them were filled with friends he’d made over the years as well as other family members. Off to the side stood his uncle and Jarel’s identical twin brother, Zarel, along with his wife, Natalya, and daughter Verlaine.

  Apollo and the Muses began to fill the hall with beautiful music and the doors opened. Andreas and Odele began to walk in arm in arm, Andreas in a royal blue chiton and Odele in a pale blue gown. The two walked up the aisle with the whole audience watching them. Upon reaching Jarel and Hera, Odele unhooked her arm and joined Brandon off to the side. Andreas turned and looked back to the entrance.

  Kazarian and Artemis walked in, Kazarian in a blood red chiton and Artemis in a similarly colored form fitting gown that caught the eye of most males in the room. Andreas, however, was solely attuned to Kazarian. Zeus frowned at Artemis as she walked past, causing her to grin at him. She was far too old to worry about daddy’s disapproval. She parted with Kazarian at the base of the throne area and took her place beside Demun as the music slowly faded out. Jarel’s voice now filled the room as only the voice of a god could do.

  “We are gathered here today to celebrate a rare occasion, the union of two soul mates. This event is even rarer as it a union of a god and a dragon, and more specifically, a black dragon. Prior to this, we have seen only one of my children find his soul mate, and that child is currently watching from the Elysian Fields with her. This event is over eleven thousand years in the making, and will seal their bond permanently.” Jarel turned to Hera, allowing her to speak now.

  “You stand here in witness to the blessing of this union by me, the goddess of marriage and queen of heaven, as well as Jarel, the Black Dragon God and ruler of the paranormal. These two have been led to the altar by the goddesses Odele and Artemis and are supported by the latest additions to the service of Jarel, Brandon and Demun. These men are bonded in love and blood and now must speak their vows before us to forevermore bind their souls together.” Hera looked to Andreas. “You may speak first.”