The Dragon's Heart: Dragon's Blood M.C.

by B. A. Stretke

  "If you'd like to shower, you're welcome to use my bathroom, and I will find you something to wear. Your clothing was in tatters after the incident at the bar, so I discarded them. I set your personal items in the top drawer." He pointed at the bedside table. "If you'd like a tub bath, to soak your muscles, I will draw it for you."

  "No, just a shower. That will be fine." Dane didn't want to linger, he needed to see Chance, and he needed to go home.

  "Make yourself at home, please." Alrick was at a loss of what to say. He'd planned on laying out the truth to him, but his obvious confusion and wariness made such candor impossible. Alrick squeezed Dane's hand and then stood. His mate was a beautiful young man, and he already demonstrated his strength both physically and mentally. Most people would not bounce back from a trauma such as Dane endured so easily. It made Alrick think about what other tragedies had befallen him for this brutal assault to have had so little effect.

  He brushed the light brown hair back from Dane’s face and captured those matching light brown eyes. They were mesmerizing and possessed a pleading quality that Alrick didn’t completely understand. His face was soft and pale, but his lips were a plump alluring pink that called to Alrick to taste. Never a man to deny himself, Alrick bent at the waist and took Dane’s lips in a tender yet distinctive kiss.

  It was a kiss of possession, ownership, and claim. Dane reached up and threaded his fingers through Alrick's thick black hair and held on as the kiss plundered and devoured him. His heart rate increased and synched in time with Alrick. It was delicious in every way possible. Dane's rational mind told him to be careful, but his need for this kind of touch was too much for him to refuse. He tasted so dark and wild. It was that thought that began to clear Dane's mind and bring back a sense of reason. He gradually began to slow his craving and removed his hands from Alrick's beautiful hair.

  Alrick didn't allow Dane time to think and pull away, he ended the kiss and stepped back. He didn't want to feel his mate reject him, so he pulled away first. His eyes never left Dane's face, studying every expression as they raced across his features.

  "I'll get you some clothes. Go ahead and shower, I'll leave them on the bed. When you're finished, come downstairs, I'll be in the main room at the base of the stairs and to your left." Alrick left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

  They had something, that was certain. Dane had never experienced that level of desire with anyone. It was special, but could he deal with it? They were very different people on very different life tracks.

  Dane could feel the sensations of that kiss long after Alrick had left the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingertips over the tender flesh of his lips that were ignited by that blistering kiss. Alrick Keith was someone he’d never expected.

  Dane got up and stretched and took his cell phone from the drawer that Alrick had indicated. He noticed his wallet, keys and pocket knife were there along with a smattering of change. He scrolled through his contacts and hit call.

  “Do you have an update?” He asked.

  “The club will not be attending in its entirety, but several members will be passing through town in the next day or two. I don’t have a specific timetable.” The voice of his hired detective, Lance Lawrence, stated clearly. “Has your contact given any more clues?”

  "My roommate is getting suspicious and has stopped discussing the club." Dane had pushed too hard the last time he tried to sound mildly interested in his roommate's activities, and the man backed off. He'd given Dane some valuable information, and he tried for more only to be shut down. It was frustrating, but not something he wasn't used to. The last five years had been nothing but frustrating.

  Dane's sister, Kara had gotten caught up with a biker gang back in their hometown of Jackson Wyoming. It wasn't the kind of town that tolerated such lawlessness and violence, and the gang was quickly sent on their way. Unfortunately, Kara, believing herself in love, went with them. That was five years ago, and Dane has been looking for her ever since. The police refused to do anything, because she was twenty at the time and, they say, left with the group willingly.

  His parents had hired a private detective, but after their death three years ago, Dane had struggled to continue paying the man. He'd given Lance everything he had left, and that got him through yesterday. Dane was now on his own, and it looked like, no closer to finding Kara.

  He moved into his present apartment because one of the roommates boasted of a biker gang connection and it sounded like the gang that took Kara, the Death Rangers. Dane had been slowly pumping him for information until recently when he clammed up. The gang or part of it was coming through town this week, and Dane wanted to be prepared. He'd come close to catching them over the years, but they always managed to vanish before he could locate Kara.

  This time he would find her, save her and give her back her life, free of drugs, alcohol, and violence. Dane trusted very few people in his life, Chance was one of them. He was so clueless, he was adorable. Dane toyed with the idea of trusting Alrick but banished the thought as soon as it formed. He didn't know the man, and he didn't know this club. For all their kindness, they could still be just as bad, down deep, as the gang that took Kara.

  He showered, and when he returned to the bedroom, jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops were there on the bed waiting for him. Alrick had found him real clothes and not just a pair of sweatpants. He quickly dressed with the intent of heading home as soon as possible. He needed to be on hand if Grant made any moves towards meeting his boyfriend.

  As he approached the door, there was a knock, and he assumed it was Alrick and automatically said, come in. To his surprise and delight Chance walked into the room, looking happy and healthy. Dane instinctively grabbed him and hugged him, so relieved to see Chance looking well. The last time he saw him, they were trussed up together awaiting a horrible fate.

  “I’m so sorry I got you involved with Blake and his friends. I almost got you killed, Dane. I’m so sorry.” Chance kept hugging him and telling him he was sorry and Dane melted like soft candy in the sunlight.

  "Not your fault, Chance, you have nothing to be sorry for. I just wish I would have known and could have helped you more before it got to the rape and kill point in your relationship with Blake. I always considered Blake a piece of shit for the way he treated you, but I never realized just how evil he was." Dane led them over to the bed, and they sat down.

  “Neither did I. Thank God that Calum and Alrick came along or I don’t think you and I would be alive today.” That bit of truth, spoken by Chance, hit Dane in the deepest part of his being. The realization that, yes, he owed his life to the big man with the striking green eyes was humbling.

  "They saved us," Dane said, almost to himself.

  “They are an extraordinary bunch of guys.” Chance went on. “They aren’t biker trash, Dane, they are something else, something special.” Dane got the impression that Chance was trying to tell him something, but he wasn’t catching it. He agreed with Chance’s depiction of these guys, or at least Calum and Alrick.

  “I’m glad the boss man, Calum had the hots for you Chance and while saving you, saved my sorry ass as well.” Dane smiled and tried to lighten the mood.

  "Calum didn't save you, Dane. It was Alrick who saved your sorry ass." Chance smiled back at his friend.

  “They’re good guys, give them a chance. I know you don’t like their kind, but they’re different.” Chance pushed for understanding.

  “Yeah, I know, they’re special.” Dane cocked a half grin at his friend.

  “Give him a chance.” Chance slapped his palm down on his thigh and held Dane’s gaze.

  "Okay, okay, I'll give him a chance." Dane was humoring him. Dane didn't know what Chance was going on about, but he did owe Alrick a genuine thank you before he left. He also wanted to see Alrick and talk to him before heading home.

  They talked a while longer mostly about how much Chance was in love with Calum and all the plans he was making f
or the future. Dane hoped to God that Calum was being honest with the poor guy and wouldn’t end up leaving him crushed in the end.

  …

  Alrick paced the room a thousand times waiting for his mate to join him. He knew that Dane wanted to go home, and he ached for a reason to make him stay, but nothing came to mind. Apart from baring his soul and laying out all the truths, there was nothing to make him stay. Dane wasn't ready for the truth, anything Alrick told him at this point, would only frighten him. It was clear that Dane had something pressing on him and until that stress was dealt with, Dane's attention would remain split. When Alrick explained the paranormal and Dane's position in Alrick's life, he wanted Dane's complete and undivided attention.

  “Fate brought you two together for a reason, Alrick. You need each other to be complete. He will come around, it’s just a matter of time.” Bryn, Calum’s younger brother, sat on one of the large sofa’s scrolling through information on his phone. “You’re so lucky, man.” He sounded excited and disappointed at the same time.

  Alrick stopped his pacing and gave Bryn his attention. "Keep your eyes open, you may be next." That was enough to brighten the clouded look on Bryn's face, and he shot Alrick a hopeful smile. Alrick heard and sensed his mate descending the stairs and turned to greet him as he was enveloped in a cloud of lavender. Dane was a handsome man, small, slender, but strong in so many ways. Bryn got up and quickly vacated the room so they could have privacy.

  Dane walked directly over to Alrick and took his hand, holding it firmly in both of his. "I want to thank you for saving me and for taking care of me afterward." Dane's eyes held his, and it felt so intimate that Alrick raised his other hand and cupped Dane's cheek. This moment was beautiful, and Alrick wanted to hold onto it.

  “My pleasure.” Alrick bent slightly and took Dane’s lips in a light kiss. After that first kiss, Alrick was eager for every opportunity for another. Kissing Dane was fast becoming an addiction.

  “What happened to that asshole, Zack? Is he still in town?” Dane had a foggy memory, a vague recollection of something fierce that filled the room and protected him from his enemies, but it was all too unclear. He wasn’t sure what happened to Zack and the men who’d taken them.

  "He's gone, he will never bother you again. No one in that shit bar and that shit pack will ever bother you again." Alrick assured him and placed another kiss to those plump lips. He pulled back and let his hand drop when Dane looked away.

  “That’s good to know. I have enough going on. I don’t have time to be dealing with a bunch of violent bastards like Conrad and his psychotic pals.” The admission left his lips before he even realized he was sharing too much.

  "What do you have going on? Tell me, maybe I can help." Alrick leaped on the information. He suddenly needed to know what problems Dane was dealing with more than he needed his next breath.

  “Nothing, really. I, it was just a figure of speech. I’m fine, really.” Dane scrambled to cover the slip. Alrick was watching him too close.

  "I can help you," Alrick stated, and Dane had no doubt that he could, but Dane's problems were his own, and he didn't want to burden anyone.

  Alrick gripped the hand that still held him, desperate that Dane does not walk away. "Don't go." It was all he could think of to say. He'd never been good with people, always to the point and never dealing in the gray area. He suddenly wished he had Calum's skill at conversation or even Bryn's charm, he'd take anything, at the moment. His mate was looking at him strangely.

  "I have to." Dane stared at him as if he had so much more he wanted to say, but couldn't. "I have to change, and my shift at the café starts at noon. Thank you for everything Alrick." It was Dane who squeezed Alrick's hand this time and then turned towards the door.

  "I'll drive you." Alrick blurted and moved ahead of him and out the door. Dane paused for a moment, taken aback by the abrupt change. Dane followed wondering if Alrick was going to give him a ride home on his bike, but instead, he walked over to one of two black SUVs in the driveway and got in.

  Alrick dropped his mate in front of his rented house and watched as he entered after he'd made sure that his injuries were not still bothering him. The cuts and bruises on his face were still prominent but were fading fast, another perk for humans who have a dragon for a mate. The longer they connect, the more healing power they glean. Once they bond, Dane's injuries would heal immediately.

  Alrick then called Kyle and gave him all the information he had on Dane’s three roommates. He wanted all the material Kyle could gather on the three. His instincts told him that Dane would not be sharing a home with these men if he didn’t have to. Something was keeping him here, under their harsh rules. He’d linked with Dane’s cell phone while the man was sleeping. It would allow him to keep tabs on his mate’s movements. He justified it as simple protection, which was his right as the man’s fated mate.

  He parked several blocks away and walked back to the rented house. He stayed in the alley on the left side of the house and kept himself concealed. He couldn’t leave his mate until he knew he was safe. Dane had been too matter-of-fact about the incident at Night Whispers and that was a concern. Whatever Dane had going on, as he put it, was directly linked to one or all the men he roomed with.

  He would stay in the shadows and follow his mate the rest of the day. Hopefully, he would get some clues as to the trouble Dane was referring to earlier. He blended into the background and kept his eyes and ears on the small, rented house. His mate deserved better than this.

  …

  Dane went to the kitchen as soon as he got home and got a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. He heard Grant in the living room talking on his cell to someone he called babe. Dane cringed, he hated that endearment, or maybe he just hated it because Grant used it non-stop with every one of his hookups. Grant was an easy lay, and he was the first to admit it. His only loyalty was to Costel Raca, the lieutenant of the Death Rangers and that relationship was the reason Dane had moved in. Lance, his PI, gave him the lead and suggested that he move in.

  Dane moved closer to the entrance between the two rooms and pretended to be reading a newspaper that had been left on the counter. Actually, he was listening to this side of the conversation and trying to piece together the other side.

  One of his other roommates, Jeff, walked through and bumped him, knocking the water out of his hand and slamming him up against the counter. “Out of the way, idiot.” He barked. Dane said nothing, left the kitchen and went to his bedroom. Dane learned that engaging these morons only lead to physical confrontations. Besides, he heard enough to know that Grant’s babe was passing through in the next couple of days.

  Dane changed into a long sleeve t-shirt and slipped on his boots but kept on the jeans that Alrick had given him to wear. He had an hour before work, so stretched out on his bed and scrolled through his phone. His mind suddenly wandered to the bar scene last night and how close he’d come to dying. Lying here on his bed, he could almost convince himself that it hadn’t happened, but truth never lets you go.

  He remembered the terror and the belief that both he and Chance were about to be brutalized by those thugs. An image of Zack swam in front of his eyes, and he recoiled and began to shake. Yeah, he wasn't handling it as well as he thought. And then Alrick's face came to him, sure and steadfast and he calmed almost immediately.

  He remembered some of it. Zack had knocked him around, and his consciousness was coming and going, but he remembered Zack leaped at him and then he was gone. Dane had tensed for impact, but none had come. Instead, Zack was gone and strong, gentle hands touched his forehead first, and then carefully this man picked him up and held him secure in his arms. Dane knew he was safe and all fear evaporated as Alrick held him close. It was a strange reaction to have to someone he just met, but strange seemed to be the operative word when dealing with Alrick and the Dragon's Blood bikers.

  He searched his mind for anything that he could compare to that feeling of security he'd fel
t in Alrick's arms, but nothing came to mind. It was a sense of safety that was bone deep and trust that ran just as deep. Alrick Keith was a stranger in every sense of the word, and yet, Dane had never felt safer than when he was in his arms. On some level, he believed he already knew this man. Would Alrick call or stop by the café? He wondered.

  Dane sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a moment. He was analyzing this too deep. It was fortunate that Calum and his friend had been there when Dane and Chance had needed them, but that didn’t mean that Alrick was going to continue to hang around. If Dane had the time, he would probably seek Alrick out and see if he wanted more than just those few heart stopping kisses. Yeah, wow, those kisses.

  Dane had not expected the intimacy, but he didn’t resist either. The moment Alrick’s firm lips touched his, he was going for it, with gusto. Too many years on his own, he guessed. He smiled at himself and loved the feeling of lightness that he got when his mind was filled with that man.

  Dane got up, slipped out of the house and headed off to work. His life might be filled with secrets, intrigue, and violence, but he had to pay the bills. He was surprised at how quickly his wounds had healed but figured he just wasn't as badly hurt as he thought. He shook his head at the absurdity of it all.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Alrick felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and knew that it was Kyle sending him all the information he had on the three humans inside with his mate. He started scanning the information when he saw Dane leave the house.

  He followed, at a distance, keeping his attention on the area around his mate in case any of Conrad’s men decided to do something stupid. Several had escaped last evening and, if they were smart, they would keep running until they could run no more. But as Alrick has found during his many years on this earth, bullies, thugs, and lowlifes were rarely smart.