The Call of The Dragon

by B. A. Stretke

  “My shimmer connects us in many ways.” He teased.

  “Do tell.” Donell played along.

  "We can communicate telepathically, not just feeling and hunches, we can talk to one another. It's a Fae power that exists between eternal mates." Will laughed when he saw a flash of worry cross his mate's face. "Don't worry; we can't plunder each other's thoughts. We have to directly speak to each other to be heard and we only hear the words that are sent.

  “Wow, that’s a relief, sometimes I have some pretty unpleasant thoughts when I’m angry or frustrated. I wouldn’t want you to be subjected to that shit.” Will laughed again and snuggled close to Donell.

  “Can we stay here for a while?” He asked

  "We can stay for as long as you want," Donell told him and kissed the side of his face. "I'm so glad you're mine, Will." He whispered against his ear.

  …

  It was several hours before they decided to make their way back to the Lodge. Their new bond was established and a new awareness between them had cleared the way for total acceptance. The fears and doubts of their previous considerations were dismissed and the truth of their commitment and devotion to one another formed.

  Donell shifted and lifted Will carefully in his talons as he cut through the sky on his way back to the Dragon’s Blood Clan Lodge. He adored his new mate and vowed to honor and treasure him for the rest of their days. His stupidity had nearly led to the breakdown of their bond and never would he allow such foolishness as self-pity to cloud his judgment again. He had his mate and he would conduct himself like the lucky bastard that he was.

  He came in for an easy landing just behind the back deck. He set his mate down and stepped back to shift. Donell stepped up to his mate and immediately tucked the man under his arm. It was instinctual and unnecessary since everyone in the building were friends and family and a fair number were already mated, but still, he needed to be sure Will was safe.

  Will’s complexion still held an otherworldly glow and Donell took pride in the fact that he put it there. The power that continued to surge between them kept Donell on a continual sexual edge. They’d made love again before coming down from the mountain and the second time was just as sweet and explosive as the first. Donell couldn’t wait for the next round. He looked forward to christening his bedroom. Unlike Bryn, Donell never brought any of his one-night stands home. He always believed his personal space had to be kept pure and ready for his mate.

  They were met on the back deck by Calum. It was early morning now still dark, but Calum looked alert and ready which brought a tightness to Donell's stomach.

  "Alrick had a visitor here earlier this evening. I was out to dinner with Chance. It was Brady, the Beta wolf who delivered Max to us." Donell pulled Will closer. He knew something was going down and he didn't like it. He felt Will stiffen with the mention of the Beta wolf.

  “The Alpha has discovered that Will here has had a complete recovery and he is suffering from seller’s remorse.” Calum paused because Donell was incapable of not responding to that bombshell.

  "Well, he can just go fuck himself straight to hell. I'll tear his fucking head off if he or any of his goons come anywhere near my Will." Donell was breathing hard and his heart was pounding. Calum put his hand on Donell's shoulder and he began to calm.

  "My thoughts exactly," Calum told him. "I'm telling you, not to get you upset, but to urge you to be vigilant and keep a close eye on your mate." He held up his hand to stay any further comment when Donell started to speak. "The Fort Collins Pack is an affiliate of the Mid-Western Concordat which is overseen by a Premier. The Premier is an Alpha ruler of sorts and he rules all the packs within his Concordat. I'd say we just go level the bastards, but we are trying to make a life here for ourselves and our people who will be coming to join us in the coming years. We have to try to play by their rules, for now." Calum patted Donell on the shoulder and then stepped back.

  "If they make a move on Will, I will kill them," Donell admitted without hesitation.

  "And I will help you," Calum said flatly. "We have to wait for clear justification otherwise we will have to eliminate every pack in the Mid-Western Concordat. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but it would put a serious damper on the dragons finding a welcoming home here among the paranormals." Calum turned back towards the house and Donell and Will followed.

  “I understand, sir.” Donell conceded.

  "Don't worry, nothing will happen to your mate or Max. I Pledge my word as Chieftain of the Clan Keith." That pledge was usually reserved for important battles or all-out wars. To have Calum state it here and now told Donell how serious Calum was taking the possible threat.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Donell had kept Will inside the Lodge for the past two days. The first day was easy because they never got out of bed except to periodically move their lovemaking to the shower. His Fae mate had incredible stamina and stimulating skills. The second day was a little more difficult with Will wanting to take walks. Being a Fae, he had a certain need for the flora and fauna of the world, but Donell's fear was heavy enough that he agreed to stay put.

  Now it was day three and Donell knew something had to give. So, they were taking a leisurely walk through the backyard while making sure they had plenty of tree cover. Donell was not going to risk his mate's life, or sense of peace Will had found here with the dragon clan.

  "Once the wolves take a step back, we can do normal things like other newly mated couples." Donell and his dragon were eager to put an end to the nonsense here and now but getting into a war with the wolves that would span several states was not a good idea. It could be done but at what cost. These men were low-level pieces of shit and their bravado would end. Without the hundred plus packs and the Premier backing them up, they wouldn't have had the guts to have made their ludicrous demand.

  They walked arm in arm at ease with each other and so hopeful for the future. Will stopped and stooped down to pick a purple wildflower. He held it and sniffed it, inhaling its sweet scent. “I fear the wolves, I won’t deny that, but it’s not like before when I was helpless. I have you Donell and I know that you will always keep me safe and if anything ever happens, I know you will save me. I have no doubts.”

  Donell stopped short and pulled Will into his arms for a kiss that was relieved and grateful and filled with love. “Thank you for that Will.” He said once he broke the branding kiss. “I love you, I love everything about you and everything that you are. I love you Will.” Before Will could respond, Donell took his lips in a kiss that was wild with a roughness that had Will hanging on. Donell was in heaven.

  They were in the open and in full view of the Lodge, so Will knew he couldn't take this too far. He was sure his dragon mate would have no such qualms, but a Fae tended to be more reserved and besides, there was a child in the house.

  He hugged Donell and gently pulled away signaling the end of the kiss that was very likely going to lead them back to the bedroom. Will never knew how good physical relations with one's eternal mate could be. His days as the claimed mate of a dragon has left him weak but in the best way possible. His life was near perfections and he loved his dragon mate.

  "I love you too, Donell. I know it makes you nervous when I'm outside, so why don't we head back inside?" Will suggested. He was thankful when Donell recognized his thinly veiled excuse to go back to their bedroom. With a smile, he turned them back towards the Lodge.

  They’d just made it to the back door when Angus and Ewan came out and met them. “Will you help Flynn keep an eye on the Lodge? Dane is upstairs with Archie and Cameron is in the computer room. The rest of us are heading into town. Apparently, the wolves have decided to step up their game to harassment.”

  “What are the stupid fucks doing?” Donell wanted the wolves dead who’d hurt his mate and he didn’t bother to hide that fact from anyone. He was biding his time and he knew his moment of retribution would come.

  "They're hitting our holdings and causing damage and
making a scene," Angus said, obviously choosing his words carefully in an attempt to not upset Will.

  "They're testing the limits to see how far they can go, how much we will allow them to get away with," Donell added.

  “Yeah, like you said, they’re stupid fucks.” Angus and Ewan jumped from the deck and headed to the garage to get their bikes.

  Donell and Will watched them as they disappeared around the side of the Lodge. “Do they really believe that a dragon clan would submit to a pack of wolves?” Will said the words like they nauseated him.

  “They think we’re lazy, like them and would rather give you back than put up with their shit. They really have a distorted view of dragons and the world in general I suspect.” Donell instinctively pulled Will to his side. Just the idea that these men thought they held a claim to Will was making him and his dragon furious.

  "Let's go in and check on the guys. I'm going to ask you to go upstairs and sit with Max until this all settles. Flynn and I will be guarding the house and I need to know that you are safe." Donell's request was understandable, but still, Will hated to leave his mate when there was obvious danger around.

  “I’m perfectly safe, my love.” Donell heard Will’s misgivings and responded. “I love this Fae mind meld we have.” He kissed Will and sent him upstairs. Will heard his mate tell him that he loved him just as Will entered the sitting room on the second floor. Yeah, he loved the Fae mind meld too. He chuckled.

  "You're in a good mood." Max smiled. "But then you're mated to a hot gorgeous dragon shifter, so you are bound to be in a good mood." Will laughed at Max's insinuations. He filled Max in on the situation and that they needed to stay where they were until further notice.

  "I wish the wolves would just go away," Max whined. "I'm tired of their interference in our lives. They took our dignity, our hope and four years of our lives. I can't do this again."

  “They underestimate the dragons and, in the end, that will be their undoing.” Will assured and pulled Max in for a hug.

  …

  The dragons returned to the Lodge late in the evening. "They're getting bolder, but they haven't tried to disrupt our interests in the rail yard and haven't come near the Lodge. They're playing around the edges for now." Alrick answered when asked about the wolves.

  "This Premier, perhaps he isn't as influential as the wolves claim," Angus spoke up. "Maybe we should just take out the Premier and then the rest of the wolves will calm down." He ended with a wicked grin.

  “Valid assumption and also a thoughtful consideration but killing the Premier would not end the harassment. They have a line of ascension so he would be replaced immediately.” Calum told them.

  They sat together in the great room and discussed the methods of dealing with the inner circle of the Fort Collins wolf pack. The mates were not present apart from Chance who sat close to Calum’s side.

  Donell stayed on the edge of his seat as he listened to the bullshit that the wolves had been pulling in town. It was the two Betas and the three Enforcers; the regular folks were not part of the campaign to get the dragons to return Will. The bastards wanted to feed on him again now that he was well and strong. They were disgusting and insane if they thought anything would push the dragons to harm an innocent, mate or not.

  It still rode Donell hard that he was not able to get retribution for the suffering, humiliation and degradation they’d cause his amazing mate. Although, as the wolves continued to ramp up their blind stupidity, their days on this earth seemed to lessen.

  Calum put Ewan on guard at the Lodge and Forbes at the rail yard just in case they decided to try something. Everyone could see that Calum’s patience was wearing thin.

  Donell sent another ‘I love you’ up to his mate on the second floor and received an answer in kind that warmed his soul. His mate was special beyond understanding and he knew how blessed he was to have Will in his life.

  He listened as everyone talked and groused about the pack and their behavior and their demands. It was difficult for everyone not to just kill the fuckers, but as Calum had stated, they worked the past four years to build a life and a home for their kind here in Wyoming.

  Social integration took ages and was still an ongoing process. If they wiped out the pack, it would set them back considerably. The local paranormals would resist working with them and the Concordat would set over a hundred or more packs in opposition to their growth and industry.

  While they discussed the situation further someone came to their front door. Angus answered, he was usually closest since he liked to sit in the overstuffed armchair by the archway. Voices could be heard and then Angus led a very cocky acting Beta Brady into the room. Everyone stood up and Calum approached the man with steel in his stare.

  “Why are you here in my home?”

  The Beta stepped closer to Calum and glanced dismissively at him and then at the other men in the room before speaking. "Are you ready to give us what we want? Turn over the Fae, or we'll make your life . . ." Brady was unable to finish his threat because his head was no longer attached to his body.

  In a move so fast that the wolf probably never saw it coming, Calum grabbed him by the throat and tore his head from his shoulders. Now he just lay there on the floor silently bleeding out and trying to process the fact that he was dead.

  Calum threw the head down to lay next to the body and turned to Donell. “Finish it Donell.” He commanded and Donell tore out of the room shifting as he lifted off from the back deck. “Go with him Angus but don’t interfere. This is Donell’s fight.” Calum then turned to regard the rest of his men in the room. “Fuck the Concordat.”

  …

  Donell lifted on the night air high into the clouds away from Laramie. Fort Collins was his destination. He knew the Pack House and he knew only the inner circle resided in the Pack House. The threat to his mate would end this night.

  Will felt it the moment that Donell left the house. He reached out to him, but he only received the feeling of determination and resolve. Will hurried downstairs to find out what was going on but was stopped at the stairs by Flynn.

  "Donell will be back soon, don't worry." He said and gradually turned Will and urged him back up the stairs. "The situation with the wolf pack is being resolved. Donell will explain it when he returns." Flynn brought Will to Donell's bedroom. He was very familiar with the room and it gave him the comfort that he needed. It was filled with Donell's scent and the lingering sweet aroma of their lovemaking, it calmed him immediately. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “Don’t worry Will, Donell is fine. Reach out to him you will feel him.” Will reached out and again felt the dogged determination of a man with a single focus.

  “He’s going to confront the wolves.” Will said, and Flynn nodded.

  …

  Donell descended in a cloud of hot vapors and burning brush. He set fire to the outside of the Pack House before shifting and tearing the doors off. He walked through with a single-minded purpose and that was to eliminate the Alpha and his inner circle for the crimes they committed against his mate.

  The Alpha, a large rather rotund individual, shifted and tried to attack Donell as he stormed into the large meeting room of the Pack House. It was over as soon as Donell grabbed the wolf's neck in one hand snapped it. He breathed white-hot flames and set the carcass on fire and then threw the remains against the far wall. The Alpha was dead and now he was on the hunt for the remaining offenders.

  He found the second Beta and the three Enforcers in the backyard of the house. They'd run when they heard their Alpha being destroyed but they weren't smart enough to keep on running. They turned as a group and attempted to attack, but they were grossly ineffective even in a group.

  Donell shifted and with a rage brought on by the knowledge of what these men had done, the crimes they had committed, he incinerated the lot of them with the blue dragon flame that left nothing but a fine gray ash. He turned to the Pack House and leveled it in the same manner. He saw An
gus off to the side observing. He was there just in case and Donell appreciated his presence. Angus shifted and lifted into the sky and Donell followed.

  Nothing remained of the abusers or their home but smoke and ash. His dragon called out its satisfaction at destroying the lingering threat and Angus echoed the call. His mate was safe now, Donell had secured his safety.

  Will felt a wave of serenity pass over and then through him. Donell was coming home and he was safe. “I love you Donell.” He sent the words to him eager and expectant. “I love you too, sweetheart.” Came the answering call.

  EPILOGUE

  Life got back to normal after the elimination of the wolves. Will was finding his place among the dragons and Donell was learning the secret life of the Fae. It was an education for them both but one that was desired and appreciated just like their feelings for one another.

  Max decided to move to the Chamberlin Coven after meeting Master Augustin and several members but promised to visit often. The dragons had become very protective of the little Fae and when he moved there, they turned that duty over to their Clan brother, Kyle, who was mated to the Coven Second.

  It was another morning and about half the dragon clan was in the kitchen having breakfast. Calum sat with his mate Chance on his lap and asked the question that had been on his mind for a while.

  “How did Dr. Jesse Tate have the ability to see Will when he was hiding himself with a glamour?” He glanced around at those seated at the table and waited for an answer.

  It was Will who answered his question although there were at least two others that knew the truth. “Dr. Tate is half Fae. He is a Sidhe which is a warrior sect among the Fae society.”

  "Sidhe," Calum repeated and Will nodded. "Interesting." He added.

  “He doesn’t present as Fae except for his ears which he keeps carefully covered.” Will continued.