Emily, as independent as she is, soon learns that she cannot survive alone. Still, even with her resources dwindling day by day, she continues to run the nightclub by herself, hoping things would turn up. She just never expected that two handsome individuals would offer her a loan and a partnership she couldn’t deny. Soon, their money is replaced by a sex appeal that makes her mind swim. In a way, they seem almost too good to be true. Where did these men get their money and why did they want to help her, of all people?
As their partnership develops, Emily notices something peculiar. The men never stay past sunrise. And their eyes… Maybe Foster and Lloyd weren’t the men she thought they were. But Emily is too far deep now. If she runs, she faces mysterious councils, whelps, and maybe worse of all – death.
Chapter One
“You?” A loud, grizzly laugh echoed through the cavernous space.
“Yes. Me. I have just as much charm as you do. Girls would be swooning over me before you can even say a word to them.”
“Do you really believe that?” Lloyd Whitfield straightened himself out, peering at his step-brother, Foster.
“I’m willing to bet on it.” Foster grinned, showing off his dazzling smile. He ran his fingers through his soft brown hair, only messing it up further. He dropped his fingers to his smooth-shaven chin, rubbing it for a moment. Even in the gloom, his dark eyes sparkled with mischief. His sharp, straight nose pointed at his brother before his smirk deepened, his pink lips pressing together into a devilish smirk. “I’ve got you beat. Give up before you humiliate yourself.”
“You forget who the true heir to the throne is.” Lloyd’s voice became deep and threatening. With his face now dangerously close to his step-brother, his usually dark eyes turned green, his pupils turning into thin, malicious slits.
“Only if you find a mate.” Foster chuckled, his grin deepening as he reclined into his chair, easing into the soft leather. His fingers tightened around the armrests as he looked around. The small cavern was cloaked in darkness, but Foster could still see just as well if the room had been illuminated. The walls of the cavern were slick. There was a powerful smell of wet dirt that hung in the air. The furnishings were bare and simple.
“And like I said, I can find one faster than you.”
“And like I said, I’m willing to bet that you can’t.” Foster challenged as he got up, uncurling his tall, lithe 6’3 figure. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “Of course, if you’re scared of losing, I understand.”
Lloyd’s derisive laugh reemerged. It reverberated off the cave walls until small pieces of debris crumbled to the ground. “Me? Afraid of you? In your dreams!” Lloyd got up, towering over his step-brother. His stood at a wide stance, hoping to intimidate Foster with his muscular physique. “So, if it’s a bet you want, a bet is what you’ll get. What are the terms?” He asked, looking down at the smaller man.
“First one to find a mate becomes the new Dragon King.”
“Is that all? I thought you’d make things a little more interesting.” Lloyd smirked, thinking he had already won the gamble.
“I’m open to suggestions.” Foster’s smooth, honey-like voice faded off into the darkness as he started to walk towards the entrance of the cave.
“Loser has to live in the human world for good.”
“Are you implying banishment?” Foster turned, cocking an eyebrow in his step-brother’s direction. “And what if you lose? Are you going to keep your word?”
“I’m not going to lose.” Lloyd’s smirk deepened as he crossed the cave with long, powerful strides. He was beside Foster in a moment, his large hand wrapped around the back of his neck. “But I’m sure you’ll have fun with the humans.” He teased.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m sure I would have a lot more fun on the throne.”
Lloyd just scoffed at the comment as they continued to walk along the maze of corridors that traveled through the cave. As they walked, they passed others of their kind. Workers who were mining away at the deeper recesses of the den. Women holding small children in their arms. Old men visiting family. Teenagers who clung to the walls, snickering among themselves as they made lewd jokes.
Finally, they emerged from their den. Outside, the sky was a deep shade of azure. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. The trees crowns were full of bright verdant leaves. Their trunks twisted and gnarled as they shot up toward the sky. Ripe fruit dangled from the branches, begging to be picked.
In a flash, Lloyd’s large white wings emerged from his back, nearly clipping Foster across the face. With a single beat, he shot up into the tree, snatching the juicy fruit. He hurled himself back to the ground with a loud thud before sinking his fangs into the fruit’s flesh, letting the juice drip down his chin.
“Must you always be such a brute?” Foster asked, stepping away from his step-brother as he devoured the round, multicolored sphere.
In response, Lloyd spat out some of the seeds onto the ground and grinned. “If you don’t like it, you’ll just have to win the bet and keep me in the human world.”
“You know, there aren’t any Kanas in the human world.”
Lloyd’s eyes grew huge. “What the hell do people eat when they want something sweet?”
“I hear they have something called candy.”
There was a confused look on Lloyd’s face that made Foster snicker. “Maybe you should try reading sometime.”
“Reading is a waste of time. Now, let’s go so I can beat you at your little game. You know, you’re going to be sorry when I have all the girls swooning over me once we get to the human world.”
“Please. You don’t know the first thing about human women. They don’t like brutes like you, they prefer gentleman like me.” He straightened his posture and fixed his gray vest until it was perfectly aligned.
“Right,” Lloyd answered sarcastically.
Foster rolled his eyes before his wings started to slowly unfurl from his shoulder blades. His dark wings weren’t as long as Lloyd’s, but they were sharp and aerodynamic. Their edges were lined with ruby-red scales. “Shall we?”
Lloyd nodded, jumping into the air. His wings beat powerfully as he hovered in the air, waiting for his step-brother to join him. Seconds later, Foster floated into the air, his wings barely moving. Without a nod of his head, Lloyd shot forward, his body slowly transforming into that of a large, albino dragon. His wingspan lengthened even further. Remnants of blue flame flared from his nostrils as his neck elongated and stretched. His tail whipped out, its razor-sharp barbs slicing through the air. Armored scales glittered in the powerful sun.
Still at near the den, Foster was adjusting to his dragon form. Lloyd had already rushed past him, nothing more than a white speck on the horizon. Foster grinned, a soft growl emerging from deep within his throat. With the powerful beat of his wings, there was a tiny sonic boom that propelled him forward until he was trailing on Lloyd. It didn’t take long for him to edge ahead of his step-brother.
Lloyd growled when he noticed Foster surpass him. He tried to catch up, but no matter how hard he flapped his wings, it was hopeless. Foster might have been the smallest dragon among their kind, but he was the fastest. No one could ever hope to catch up and he was already miles ahead, his shiny black scales cutting through the wind like butter. His sleek neck streamlined his flight as his thin tail worked as a rudder, navigating his movements with sharp precision.
In no time at all, he would be in the world of humans where he would find a mate before his brother could even dream of winning the bet.
***
Foster landed in a wide-open field. His claws dug into the ground as his tail swished back and forth through the tall grass, cutting it down. He took a long whiff of the air, picking up the scent of the countless humans that inhabited this part of the world. His nostrils flared and a few red flames emerged from his mouth as he belched. Craning his long neck, he looked up at the dark sky, waiting for his brother to arrive. The minutes ticked by and Fo
ster grew restless.
Finally, he transformed back into a man, his body slowly shapeshifting. He straightened himself out and fixed his vest. He reached inside and grabbed a phone from the inner pocket. He turned it on and started fiddling with it. He had bought it on his last excursion to the human world. He had learned how to use it fairly quickly and was quite proud of the fact. The only problem was, he didn’t have anyone to call or text. So, most of the time it just gathered dust in his den. But tonight, Foster was confident that he would finally snag a girl’s number and put his brother to shame.
With the phone in hand, he sat down. He took a picture of the nighttime sky, admiring the stars that decorated the vast black canvas. The moon was hanging high overhead, casting a silvery light over the landscape. Foster zoomed in on the sphere and took another picture. Bored, he fiddled around with the filters, enhancing the picture with minuscule details.
Just as he was about to publish the photo to social media, there was a loud thud a few feet away from him. He glanced over, watching his step-brother fold his large dragon wings into his back. Lloyd shook himself, his bulky chest on display. He let out a huff of air and blue flames escaped his snout, coming dangerously close to the grass that surrounded him.
Lloyd looked away, his powerful barbed tail swishing back and forth. As Foster got up, the large appendage nearly clipped him, but luckily, he ducked just in time. “Watch where you swing that thing!” Foster shouted. Lloyd’s ears twitched slightly before he turned around, his eyes narrowing in Foster’s direction. His forked tongue slithered out as he licked his snout and moved closer, nudging Foster who was pushed back as a result. In his human form, Foster was no bigger than one of Lloyd’s large paws.
“Could you stop messing around already?” Foster crossed his arms over his chest, looking irritated.
Lloyd chuckled but finally complied. His wings folded into his back and in a blur of body parts, Lloyd was back to his human form. He rolled his shoulders and moved his jaw side to side as if trying to put together the pieces of his body. “What’s the rush? Are you that eager to lose?” Lloyd teased.
Foster rolled his eyes. “You’re all talk, you know that?” Scoffing, Foster walked over, trudging through the tall grass. In the distance, the two dragons could hear speeding cars crossing the freeway.
“Where are we going anyway?” Lloyd asked, jogging to keep up with Foster who was effortlessly speed walking.
“I hear this new nightclub opened up. It’s supposed to be the hottest new place in town. Ironically enough, it’s called The Den.” Foster chuckled.
“Any chance it's run by dragons?”
“I don’t think so, but maybe. Either way, I’m sure it’ll be bursting with human females ready to fall for me.”
Lloyd just laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“Just you wait,” Foster answered confidently. Without another word, the two dragons made their way to The Den.
***
The nightclub was situated in an old, remodeled warehouse. It was spacious and well decorated with chrome tables, a sleek dancefloor, and state of the art sound system. Despite the name, there was nothing in the whole establishment that hinted at dragons, which disappointed the step-siblings.
Their eyes took in the setting. There were so many bodies pressed together on the dancefloor. Around the bar, inebriated people clung onto their liquor with a tight grasp. In the back, couples were huddling together on the sofas. Overall, everything looked normal. The music was modern and upbeat, the tables sticky with spilled alcohol. Clothing was tight, sweat-soaked, and very promiscuous.
“Anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Foster winked, a playful grin on his face.
“Huh?”
“Well, if I’m going to have my fun with a woman, I don’t want to see your ugly face again.” Foster teased.
Before Lloyd could lash out at his step-brother for the insult, Foster was already gone, edging his way into the crowd. It quickly gobbled him up. Lloyd caught nothing more than the slightest glimpse of a woman’s body pressing against Foster’s, her red miniskirt riding up her leg, exposing her luscious thigh.
Lloyd couldn’t help but stare as his hormones got the best of him. Instincts flared up inside of him as his core body temperature rose a few degrees. Quickly, he stepped toward the dance floor, determined to win the bet.
He approached the girl with the red dress and grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to his body. Immediately, she pushed away and slapped him across the face. “What do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off me you brute!” She screamed at him, trying to overcome the music.
“I think you’re very attractive,” Lloyd said as if she hadn’t slapped him at all. “Let’s dance.” His voice was deep and guttural as he leaned down, his lips coming close to her neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I said let go of me!” She growled, her nails digging into his arms.
“Do you not want to dance with me?” Lloyd asked, seemingly confused.
“I already said no. How many more times do I have to tell you?” The woman’s voice was high-pitched and whiny at this point.
Lloyd let go of her and she slipped into the crowd, disappearing. He stood there, perplexity plaguing his thoughts. “What did I do wrong…?” He whispered to himself, trying to figure out why the woman in the red dress didn’t like him.
As the music changed, he shook his head. He wouldn’t let one little hiccup get in the way of him beating Foster. Puffing out his chest, he walked into the crowd. Unlike everyone else, his body was stiff and rigid. He kept accidently stepping on other people’s feet. Dirty glances kept coming his way as he barreled toward the center of the dancefloor.
Once there, he quickly found himself surrounded by women. He grinned and started to dance. His movements were awkward and jerky like he hadn’t danced a moment in his entire life. Some people gave him strange looks before a woman with bouncy purple curls walked up to him. “What are you doing out here all alone, handsome?” Her voice was soft and sensual, as she pressed herself against his body, letting their hips rock together.
Lloyd smirked and rested his hands on her waist as he moved as little as possible. He looked down at her small, round face and button nose, thinking she looked a bit like a pixie. “My name’s Annabella.” She introduced herself, her arms slinging around his neck.
He grinned. “I’m Lloyd.” He leaned down, his face now dangerously close to hers. “I think you look very attractive. Would you like to be with me?”
Annabella raised an eyebrow in question. “What do you mean?” She rested her fingers on the nape of his neck but pulled back almost immediately. His skin was hot to the touch. “Are you okay? You’re really hot.”
Lloyd misinterpreted the woman’s words, thinking she was giving him a compliment. He grinned, a row of uniform white teeth flashing down at her. Before she could do anything to stop him, he was kissing her. His hand tangled into her hair, pulling at it, but something gave away.
The woman shrieked, part of her hair detached from her skull. “You ruined my extensions!” She looked horrified, holding the strands of hair in her head. Her fists pounded on Lloyd’s chest in distress. “You monster! Why did you have to do that?” There were tears of rage bubbling up in the corner of her eyes before she ran away, her voluptuous hips swaying side to side.
Lloyd could feel the hostile glares of some of the other women that surrounded him. Quickly, he forced his way out of the dance floor and headed toward the bar. Obviously, he would have to rethink his approach to women. One thing was for sure: human women were very different from dragon females.
Sighing, he sat down at the bar. He eyed the bartender expertly mixing drinks behind the counter. He sniffed the air, smelling the alcohol he used. It was weak, not even close to the potency of Dragon Ale. He shook his head and examined the bottles, wondering what he should ask for.
“Can I help you?” The bartender finally addressed him after a fe
w minutes.
“Sure. I’ll have some of that vodka on the top shelf.”
“How do you want that?”
“In a glass,” Lloyd answered. “Full.”
“Are you sure…?” The bartender gave him a strange look, like Lloyd had three heads.
“I don’t care. Just get me some of it.” Lloyd shrugged.
“Okay.” Gingerly, the man grabbed the bottle and poured some into a small shot glass.
“Is this all?”
“That’s a regular shot. Do you want another?”
“Give me three more.” Again, the bartender looked wary but complied when Lloyd pulled out a large bill from his wallet and placed it on the counter. Luckily, Foster had been kind enough to give him some human money before they entered The Den. “That should be enough, shouldn’t it?”
The man nodded, quickly pocketing the money before placing all four shots on the counter. Lloyd grinned and picked up the small transparent glass in his hand and tilted his head back, letting the liquid run down his throat. There was a slight tingling sensation that tickled his mouth, but it paled in comparison to the burning sensation felt after drinking a pint of Dragon Ale.
Unsatisfied, Lloyd downed the rest of his shots in quick succession. “Have you already resorted to booze?” A voice sounded to his left. Lloyd turned to see Foster sitting down beside him, a grim expression on his face.
“Things haven’t exactly gone according to plan… let me guess, you’re here to gloat that you’ve already found ten women who want to sleep with you?” Lloyd suggested. He eyed a bottle of whiskey that was within his grasp and contemplated taking a swig.
“Sadly, no. Things haven’t been going too well for me either.” He sighed. “But, I did discover there are a lot of whelps around here.”
“Really? I didn’t see any of them.” Lloyd pointed out.
“Yeah. The lesser dragons are everywhere. Maybe that’s why it’s called The Den, but they’re trying hard to blend in with the humans. They have taken on human customs pretty seriously. They even talk with a slight accent.”
Alpha's Love (Rocky Mountain Shifters Book 3) Page 43
