by Haley Weir
Claire looked behind them and saw Crylaine engaged in a mid-air fight with a Serpentina. He landed a few good lashes, but was taking a beating from the second Serpentina who had attacked and body slammed Arrlien. Arrlien was still flapping his wings, trying to gain momentum to rejoin the fight. The Serpentina took notice of Drake, who was now pumping his wings so fast that he was a blur in the night sky. Claire looked out over the horizon and saw he was headed towards the Atlantic to draw the fight away from the city below. The Serpentina seemed to understand that he was the true target, because they abandoned their fight with Arrlien and Crylaine and flew towards Drake.
Claire hugged him with all her might and kept glancing back in fear at the citrine eyes that followed them. Drake swipped his tail with the razor-sharp ridges in hopes of hitting the Serpentina. Claire found herself shivering again. She wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the cold.
Claire made a vow that if she lived through this, she wasn’t getting on the back of a dragon again for a very long time. All she could do was pray. She felt like a sitting duck waiting to be picked off by the Serpentina, but that time never came. Crylaine and Arrlien caught up with them. They were well over the Atlantic where the roars of the battle and the slashing of talons wouldn’t be heard by any other humans. Drake got in a few good swipes, but every time he moved suddenly, Claire screamed. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t know how she managed to stay on Drake’s back, or stay conscious. Drake seemed to sense she was close to passing out, because he circled back around to the mainland and flew as fast as he could.
Claire wasn’t sure how it was possible, but as they were headed back to the city. Scyros flew past them like a bullet, intent to join the fray. Claire felt marginally better that, with Drake taking her out of harm's way, Scyros could help his brothers. She hoped Corey was safe. Had Scyros seen the Serpentina following them and ordered Corey to pull over, so he could shift and go and help? All of Claire’s questions were put on hold as Drake targeted himself toward Central Park. He swooped in and landed so quickly that the impact felt like a car crash. Thank you for flying Drake airlines, please make sure you remain in the upright and locked position while your host, a dragon makes an emergency landing. Face masks are a no go and oxygen is courtesy of the universe so please remember how to breath, Claire thought to herself
Claire almost fell to the ground as Drake shifted, but he spun and caught her, holding her to his chest. He looked into the night sky for signs of his brothers, but as she stood there trembling, he scooped her up and ran through the woods in Central Park. She had no idea how he knew where he was going, but he soon reached the edge of the thicket and he looked both ways before dashing across the street. If anyone thought a naked man holding a woman was an unusual sight in New York, they had nothing to say about it. Granted, it was the middle of the night, but this was the city that never slept. Claire guessed that people saw this sort of thing all the time in the buzzing metropolis.
Drake pushed through a wrought iron fence and ran up the stone steps to a brick and mortar townhouse. When he opened the door, Claire was relieved to see Corey alive, although he looked as stressed as she felt. He was removing white sheets from the front sitting room furniture. Apparently, the place came fully furnished. How convenient. He shut the door, ran to a stack of bags in the hallway, and began digging through them. Drake set Claire down gently, but she still felt like her legs were too weak to hold her upright. She swayed and stumbled toward him. Drake caught her immediately, and then kissed her.
He kissed her like he was breathing life into her. She kissed him back with just as much ferocity and passion that rivaled a dragon in love. She realized, as irrational as it was after only a couple of days, love defied all reason. Drake wrapped his arms around her and held her so close that she felt like their hearts beat as one. When he finally pulled back and stared into her eyes, she burst into tears from the intensity of it all.
“I know, my love. I know.”
“Are they going to be okay? They have to be okay. They just have to!” she cried. She didn’t know what she would do if any harm had come to his brothers because of her. She was grateful that Drake was safe, but she understood that it was killing him not to be out there with them, protecting them and fighting with them.
“Drakkain,” she whispered his full name and his nostrils flared. She had never used it before. There was power in it as it rolled off her tongue. Drake growled and kissed her again. She tilted her head way back and stared into his eyes. It was like she could see the reflection of the two of them together, intertwined in the flames. Their silent reverie was broken when Corey cleared his throat.
“My lord.” He held out a set of clothes and Drake nodded. Corey resumed his post at the door and Claire wondered if this was how he passed every night, waiting for his brothers to come home. She hated seeing the stress in the two men’s faces. They waited most of the night standing in the foyer together. Drake let go of her only for a brief moment to pulled on his clothes. It was close to dawn and Claire was fighting heavy eyes.
They all jumped when they heard the creak of the iron gate outside Drake was tense and ready, either to greet his brothers or shift and protect Claire and Corey.
When the door opened, Claire and Corey burst into tears when Crylaine, Scyros and Arrlien burst through the door. They greeted Drake laughing, and recounted their tale of battle. Drake immediately pulled Claire into his arms, but she pushed him away. He looked startled until she threw her arms around each of his brothers, thanking them for keeping her safe.
“Thank you!” she sniffled into Arrlien’s chest, and then she turned to Scyros. “And you, you were supposed to stay with Corey!” she exclaimed. She didn’t think it was her place to chastise the warriors, but she couldn’t help herself. She even hugged Corey. She looked around in awe of her new family.
“I was, but we saw the Serpentina fly overhead, trailing you. I knew they were planning an ambush, so I had Corey pull over just outside the city, so I could fly in,” he explained.
“Had me pull over, Sir? I’m fairly certain I pulled the SUV over, pushed you out of the car, told you not to worry about me, and to go to their aid.” Everyone in the room laughed as the two men briefly embraced. Claire turned to Crylaine who reached out and pulled her into a brief hug.
“We are honored to have protected you and Lord Drakkain.” Claire stepped back, content for the first time to care enough about people to not let her pride and self-sufficiency stand in the way of receiving their help.
“Well, just so you know, I have every intention of looking after all of you here in my city,” she added.
“Truly?” Crylaine asked.
“Yes, we are all in this together,” Drake responded. Claire will finish her studies and I will return to my teaching post. Maybe I can straighten the humans out and show them the truth of history.”
“Drake, you can’t change the entire course of how history was written!” Claire chastised.
“Why not?”
“Because, because…no one will believe you when you tell them dragons helped shape the course of history.”
“Well do you believe me?”
“Of course, I do! But that’s not the point,” she protested.
“It’s good enough for me.” He kissed her again in front of his brothers. When he let her go, she was blushing. She swore she would never be so vulnerable in front of anyone again, but they made her feel like she could be herself. Especially Drake. He brought out the best in her, and she hoped she did they same for him. The flames in his eyes were a testament of that.
Claire tucked herself into his side as Drake glared around at his brothers. “Put some damn clothes on,” he demanded. “Humans are modest.”
Scyros was young and naïve enough to joke, “she wasn’t so modest when the two of you were raising the roof this afternoon…”
Drake stepped toward his brother, but Crylaine grabbed him by the earlobe and walked him out into the hall, followed b
y his laughing brothers. Claire turned her flaming face up to Drake.
“Please forgive the idiocy of my brothers. They don’t know how to properly talk in front of a lady.”
“Oh please,” she said breezily. They aren’t any worse than the men bar hopping down in the Village on a Saturday night.”
“You have a village?” he asked.
“Umm, no. It’s just the name of a certain part of Manhattan,” she explained.
“I see. Well don’t tell them, they will want to terrorize the village at the first opportunity.”
Claire laughed, knowing the terror they would cause wouldn’t be one of fear and destruction. Watch out women of New York, because those three were bound to be heartbreakers. She was just grateful her own heart was being held, unbroken by her own dragon.
“I want it to be known, and to go down in history, that this is the fastest New York minute anyone has ever taken to fall in love.”
“Well, let it be known, my native New Yorker, that a dragon’s love is forever. That’s a whole lot of New York minutes to add up.”
“I love you Drakkain, my Drake.”
“I love you too, my New York.”
****
THE END
Mason’s Match: Bears with Benefits Book 1
Chapter One
Outside her window, Ava heard an engine groan and brakes squeak. She peeked her head through the curtains. She looked just in time to see the postal worker slide her mail into the box, giving her home a slight frown before popping back into his truck and driving on to the next house. That didn’t bode well. She was even more reluctant to check the mailbox than she’d been earlier, but at least she would have a chance to breathe in some fresh air, and offered a much-needed break from staring at job-hunting websites.
Ava slipped on a pair of ballet flats and headed outside. Basking in warm sunshine, even just for a moment, helped improve her mood after being stuck inside her dimly lit home all afternoon. Life hadn’t been easy recently. A few months ago, Ava had plenty going for her: a beautiful apartment, a luxury car, and her dream job at a marketing firm. But everything changed when she was laid off from her job.
With her experience and contacts, she thought that finding a new one would be easy. Boy, was she wrong. Her generous severance package only supported her lifestyle for a short time. She had to move to a house with cheaper rent and a sleazy landlord. Then she was trade her car in for an old, worn-down lemon with 90,000 miles on it.
She opened the mailbox and a few envelopes and a postcard tumbled out. When she reached down to pick them up, one of the letters stood out in particular. Her landlord’s name and address were written on the envelope, with another message in big, bold, red letters: FINAL WARNING. Ava cringed, as she was dreading this moment. She knew how behind she was on paying her bills, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep up. She flipped through the rest of the envelopes and saw a letter with her name on it in her landlords nearly illegible scrawl. This was her worst nightmare coming true. She tucked the mail under her arm and jogged back up to her front door. The last thing she needed was to give her nosy neighbors more to gossip about.
Ava locked the door behind her and leaned against the doorframe. She took a few deep breaths before glancing down at the mail in her shaky hand. If she was going to do this, she needed to sit first.
She tucked a leg under her as she sat on the couch, pondering her murky future. Her initial fears were confirmed when she opened the letter from her landlord: he left an eviction notice that said if she couldn’t cough up the rent and utilities she owed, then she’d be out on her own.
She could not control the tears that began streaming down her cheeks. She could barely believe this was her life. It certainly was not what she imagined for herself as she walked across the stage during her college graduation. A year ago, she had a great salary, and felt confident about her career trajectory. Apparently, none of it was meant to be.
After losing her marketing job, she had no one to turn to, no shoulder to cry on. By working so hard and ignoring her need for a social life, she ostracized herself from her college friends. Even her parents wanted nothing to do with her now that she had fallen so far from grace. They were disappointed in her for not living up to their high expectations. How could their only daughter have been let go from a prestigious marketing firm? It had to be her fault; she must have done something wrong. In their eyes, there was no other explanation.
Now, she had nothing and no one.
Ava tossed the eviction notice on the coffee table, staring at it in disbelief. The person she was today felt like a complete stranger. She pinched herself, trying in vain to wake up. Maybe this was all just a terrible nightmare. She shook her head and glanced down at the other envelopes. They were all past due notices. She shuffled through the pile, finally picking up a postcard for a new dating agency. Seriously? In case her other failures weren’t depressing enough; here was a glaring reminder that she was also very, very single. She chucked it back onto the coffee table next to the rest of the mail, and then noticed a gold star in the corner of the postcard that read: “NOW HIRING!”
The thought of working at a dating agency didn’t thrill her, but something about the mailer made her feel hopeful. Plus, she was not in a position to turn her nose up at an employment opportunity. It would be another application she could add to her list, and the worst thing they could say was no. What did she have to lose? She bit her lower lip, hoping she wasn’t making a fool of herself. If her parents knew she was applying for a position somewhere like that, they would…she caught herself and stopped mind-thought. Why was she even thinking about them? They only cared that their daughter had brought shame to the family name.
She grabbed her laptop from the coffee table, opened it, and typed in the URL provided on the postcard. The website for the Prince Dating Agency looked like it catered to high-profile clients. Her new neighborhood was far from ritzy. Why had they sent this advertisement to her? She stopped this line of thinking, because it really didn’t matter. If she focused on her concerns for too long, she would talk herself out of applying altogether. She clicked on the Careers link at the bottom of the website. One of the positions they had open was for their marketing department. The requirements for the job matched her previous experience. If anything, Ava was overqualified. She hoped that management would see that as a positive, rather than a reason to reject her application.
The application was fairly straightforward. She spruced up her cover letter, tactfully describing why she was the perfect candidate for the job based on her experience, and what she could offer the company. Ava attached her resume, filled in her phone number, address, and other personal details, then hit the submit button. All of the other applications she sent out all gave her the jitters, but for some reason, she didn’t feel that way applying for this job. It felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders.
She leaned back on the couch, let out a breath, and stared at the ceiling. The job description mentioned a potential salary, and while it wasn’t as high as her old job, she would not be making minimum wage like some of the other places she applied for. With the money she would make at Prince Dating Agency, she might be able to pay enough to satisfy her landlord—and make sure her power wasn’t cut off. A girl also needed to eat, and ramen noodles were getting pretty old. She couldn’t live like a poor college kid for much longer, even if she was beyond struggling to keep her head above water with her bills.
After a few moments, she set her laptop aside. Her stomach grumbled and a pang of hunger gnawed at her. The clock hanging on the wall read four p.m., and she was shocked. Where had her afternoon gone? No wonder she was so hungry! She headed to the kitchen and fixed herself something to eat.
After eating, she searched job-hunting websites again, and submitted a few more applications before calling it a night.
* * *
The next morning, Ava checked her email, hoping for a job offer to have magically appeared
in her inbox overnight. Unfortunately, the only thing she received was one automated message saying a company had received her application, and they would get in touch if they were interested. She continued on with her day, applying for more positions, and following up with applications she had not heard back from. As she pressed send on a carefully crafted email, her cell phone buzzed.
The caller ID wasn’t much help; all it showed was a local number. She reasoned that it could be a telemarketer, a bill collector, or a recruiter calling back about a job application. While she desperately hoped it was the latter, she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.
“Hello?” Ava answered the phone with as much cheer as she could muster.
“Hi, I’m calling for a Miss Ava Douglas.” The woman’s voice was warm and friendly, but professional. “Is this she?”
“Yes, I’m Ava Douglas,” she replied, trying to maintain a calm, composed tone of voice. “May I ask who is calling?”
“Hello, Miss Douglas. My name is Henrietta Miller, from the Prince Dating Agency. Ms. Prince is expanding her business, so we’re hoping to hire someone for the marketing position to start as soon as possible. I’ve reviewed your application and your resume. Do you have a moment to speak about your application?”
Ava opened her mouth in surprise, not knowing exactly what to say. Only one or two companies had ever gotten back to her this quickly, and she realized they had not been worth her time. She finally cleared her throat. “Yes, certainly. Now is a perfect time to talk. Thank you for contacting me, Ms. Miller.”
Henrietta chuckled. “Please, Henrietta is fine. Great, I’m glad to hear it. I usually do an over-the-phone interview, and if all goes well, we’ll schedule an in-person interview. When we do, you’ll meet Ms. Prince. In addition to founding the company, she is also the matchmaker. She is personally dedicated to making sure all of our clients meet his or her perfect match. How does that sound?”
