Shadow on the Water

by Katya Moore

  My talons were around her throat before anyone could move. Black smoke drifted out of the nostrils in my elongated snout. An ember-like glow radiated from beneath the black scales covering my body. My wings cast dark shadows across her face. She staggered back from the force of my grasp. I felt her swallow hard, the lump traveling across my palm as I clutched her tight. I contemplated pinning her to the ground and showing her what I could really do. The smoke intensified, wreathing Meriwether’s reddening face.

  I could feel them shifting around me. I could see flashes of brightly colored scales on every side. But I was too angry to care.

  "You do not threaten my family. No one threatens my family. Do you understand?" I could barely recognize my own voice, deeper and resonating with a strange ethereal vibration.

  The senator smiled at me and rested a hand on my talon. "Of course, dear," she gasped. "We just needed to offer you some motivation. You understand?"

  I blinked in surprise, then growled, angry at her manipulation. I released my grip, and she staggered back, rubbing at her throat with a rueful glance at General Schulte. The red-scaled half-shifted dragon sighed and shifted back to her human form. The other Elders followed suit. I did not.

  "You’re definitely your mother’s daughter," the general said, looking me over. "She wasn’t one to tolerate threats, either."

  I took a deep breath. It was only my second time taking on my dragon form. At least this time I hadn’t collapsed from the effort. Shifting back voluntarily was proving to be challenging, though. My heart was still racing, my mind still swimming with rage. Schulte’s words penetrated the haze. I grasped at the dragon in my chest and willed it calm. Slowly, I shifted back to my human form.

  "You knew my mother?" I couldn’t keep the hope out of my voice.

  Schulte nodded tersely. "I did. I was on the Council when she ruled. We came to power around the same time, actually." Our eyes met. "She was a good ruler. Strong-willed, but listened to reason. She kept good council. Or so we thought." Absently, her hand moved to her throat, tracing along the scar. "Our people felt considerable loss the day she died."

  A million questions flooded my mind. What was she like? Did she look like me? What did she like to do? Was she outgoing? Shy? Did she like music? What about my fathers? Did you know them too? Anything. Anything at all.

  "You have big shoes to fill, Miss Bellmont." Schulte nodded to herself, letting her hand drop to her side. "And quickly."

  "We need a Shadow Queen sooner rather than later." Meriwether clasped her hands together in front of her in a unifying gesture. "To facilitate that, we’ve chosen the best of our best, the finest young men that dragonkind has to offer." She nodded at the guards by the tree line. They ambled toward us as I felt my jaw go slack. "They will serve as mentors, as guards, and hopefully as suitors."

  My mouth worked for a moment, but words failed.

  Meriwether took my silence for an opening. "You’ve met Kane Haydon already, haven’t you? First in his class at the Fire Dragon Proving Grounds, a skilled warrior, and a master strategist."

  Kane stood at attention. I looked him over, then returned my attention to Meriwether.

  "I…"

  She continued. "Jared McKee is of the earth dragons. He’s a second-year resident under Dr. Chang, with a specialty in emergency medicine. He works in the emergency room at Boston Metropolitan Hospital." Jared took a step forward and bowed. He looked like he’d stepped out of one of those medical dramas on TV. Young, handsome, strong jaw, sea-green eyes, sandy brown hair tousled artfully. He wore a sand-colored suit with a pale green shirt. There was a coolness in his gaze, an almost unnatural calmness.

  "I…"

  "Dario Beauvais is the Alpha Squad’s strategist and ops manager…"

  "Beauvais?" I interrupted. I looked over at the tree line. Aric was pointedly not looking at us, and he looked ready to explode. "You’re Aric’s brother, then?"

  "You’ve heard of me?" Dario stepped forward and nodded with a confident smile. "I’m his older brother." He winked. "Older and wiser."

  I disliked him already. There was no denying the familial resemblance. Dario had the same platinum hair, the same ice-blue eyes. He was broader in the shoulders than Aric, though, and had a dusting of stubble along his chiseled jaw. His silver shirt was partially unbuttoned to reveal sculpted pecs, but a look at his uncalloused hands made me think personal trainer over any kind of actual labor.

  "And finally, Quinn Reinhart of the ethereal dragons. One of Elder Long’s star pupils. He teaches at the Academy." Two words: sexy professor. The young man who stepped forward had black hair, short on the sides, long on top, neatly styled. A close-trimmed beard covered a lean jaw. His brown eyes took me in curiously, eagerly. He wore a dark suit with a golden-yellow shirt and pocket square. I could see a pair of glasses tucked into the pocket as well. Ticking all the stereotypes, eh?

  "Nice to meet you all," I finally managed to sputter. "But your services are not required. I’m perfectly happy with my current arrangement."

  "See reason, Miss Bellmont," Schulte commanded. "These young men have the training and education needed to bring you into draconic society as quickly and smoothly as possible. They…"

  "Don’t know me. Don’t care about me." I glared at Schulte. "The same could be said for the four of you. All you’ve done since I got here was study me, threaten me, test me. You haven’t spent a second trying to get to know me in the least."

  "Would you have preferred a tea party?" Schulte sniffed.

  "I would have preferred being treated like a person. But you’re obviously not capable of that. Or you wouldn’t have cast me out when I was four fucking years old."

  Schulte’s jaw snapped shut. Meriwether’s eyes widened. Long and Chang exchanged wary looks.

  "Thought that was water under the bridge, did you?" My dragon was writhing again. "That I’d forget about the misery you put me through. Really, what was the rationale again? That I’d be safer?" A bitter laugh tore out of my chest. "Beaten, molested, neglected. Any shred of happiness torn away at a moment’s notice. This was your idea of safe?"

  "We…" Meriwether started to speak. I glowered at her. It was taking a lot not to shift again.

  "If you’d taken me in… if any dragon had taken me in, I’d be up to speed already, wouldn’t I? I’d know about your society. I’d know about your culture. I’d know about the Chosen of Apep and the Great Serpent." I snorted. "Oh wait, I know about them, because they’ve tried to kill me! You know why they didn’t?" I pointed at my boys, standing at the tree line. "Those guys. The four you’ve been shitting on. They kept me alive. They found me after you fucking lost track of me because my foster parents threw me out on the STREET!"

  My fingers were growing thinner, sharper. I felt things starting to shift. I didn’t care. I let the scales cover me. "They care about me more than any other dragon ever has. Except maybe my mother, but I don’t know that because I know nothing about her." Black smoke drifted from my nostrils as I took on the half-shift. "You’ve kept me ignorant, powerless. That ends now." I stabbed a talon into Schulte’s lapel. "I’m the last shadow dragon. I’m all you’ve got left. And you will listen to me."

  "Control yourself, Miss…"

  "Elder. Elder Bellmont." I glared into her eyes. "The way I see it, I’m the eldest of my kind. You want me to be your queen? Fine, I’ll rule. And you’ll fucking listen."

  Schulte glanced at Meriwether, then shoved my talon off her chest. "A compromise, then."

  Plumes of smoke wreathed her face. She waved them away, annoyed.

  "A compromise," she repeated. "Omega Squad will continue to accompany you and aid you. Supervised by Alpha Squad."

  I growled. "My friends will continue to accompany and aid me. Alpha Squad will accompany me as additional advisors."

  Schulte and I stared each other down for what felt like an eternity.

  "Alpha Squad will assume an advisory capacity, with a strong emphasis on bringing you up to sp
eed on current events and rulership requirements. Omega Squad will continue in their… support role." Meriwether’s voice was conciliatory, soothing. Political.

  I nodded tersely. "Okay then. But I’m staying with my friends." I shot Meriwether a look. "And the arranged marriage shit is right out."

  She raised her hands in a gesture of peace. "We only ask that you consider what is best for all of dragonkind when choosing your permanent mates."

  "Right. Out," I repeated.

  "Of course." She clasped her hands in front of her. "Now, if you can find it in yourself to calm down, we can make arrangements for your return to Boston."

  Chapter Four

  "Oh, Sia, baby, you look like you need this." Kitty pushed a frosty pint glass in front of me, filled with my favorite stout. "Do I need to go visit these Elders with Louise?" She nodded to the baseball bat behind the bar.

  I snorted into my beer.

  "She almost took them out herself," Cass marveled as he rubbed between my shoulder blades. "I thought Meriwether was toast for sure."

  Kitty blanched a little. "Meriwether. Senator Meriwether? Sia, sweetheart, what did you do?"

  Chase frowned. "She almost got herself killed by the Elder Council. Sia, you’ve got to be more careful."

  I glared at him. "She was threatening you. She was threatening my family here. I let her know that it was unacceptable behavior."

  "By choking her out." He shook his head, trying to hide a smirk. "I don’t know if I should be hugging you or kicking your ass."

  "I vote hugs," I said with a grin.

  The stern look was back. "Seriously, Sia. These are the leaders of our people. If they think you’re uncontrollable, that you can’t control yourself in a tense situation…" He trailed off. "I don’t know what they’ll do. But it won’t be good.” Chase swirled the whiskey in his glass and looked pensive. "We can teach you a lot of things, but I don’t know… maybe we do need Alpha Squad to teach you politics."

  I set my glass down hard enough to slosh on the bar. "We do not need Alpha Squad."

  "Yeah, I can teach her politics." Aric sauntered over. "Step one, kissing all the ass. You gotta get low, pucker hard, lube up a little bit…" He licked his lips and feigned grabbing an ass in front of his face.

  "Ass," I sighed.

  "Exactly. Ass. Kissing. 101. Watch the master." He smooched the air enthusiastically. "You gotta get some tongue in there, too."

  I stared morosely into my beer. "So I really fucked up, huh?"

  Chase placed his hand on the small of my back. "I didn’t say that." The smirk returned. "I’ve never seen the Elders freak out like that. You were not the meek little thing they were expecting. They thought you’d be easier to mold to their purposes."

  "Seriously. And what the hell is up with them trying to marry me off to some dudes I’ve never even met? What is this, the Middle Ages?"

  Cass frowned. His fingers curled around my shoulder possessively. "I’m not a fan of that either. Trust me. But it’s not unheard of." He released my shoulder and ran his fingers through his hair. "What she said wasn’t entirely wrong. The mates of the Shadow Queen are her closest advisors. They have the ear of the Queen in a way that the Elders never can. It’s in their best interests to have mates who best represent the concerns of their respective bloodlines. It’s in dragonkind’s best interest to have the best-trained, healthiest, strongest members of each bloodline offering up their genetics to the shadow dragon line."

  I bristled. "The last time they decided what was best for me, I wound up in foster care hell. No, thanks. As for them offering up their ‘genetics’… ew."

  Cass pulled me closer. "I know. We all know. I’m just telling you where they’re coming from. Had you been raised by your parents, they would have been preparing you for choosing your mates. You’d have gone to the Proving Grounds, the Academy, the hospitals and the society functions. You would have been part of the society and better placed to make your choices yourself." He growled softly under his breath. "This was their hamhanded effort to circumvent that process."

  I gripped his hand on my shoulder and leaned in for a kiss. "Not gonna happen." I planted my lips on his tenderly. He sighed happily and returned the kiss, parting my lips and flicking his tongue against mine.

  "Kitty, we’ve got a problem."

  I sat up, breaking the kiss. Billy stood behind me, studiously not looking in my direction.

  "What is it, honey?" Kitty set down the pint glass she was holding.

  "It’s the dragons. They’re scaring off the customers." He crossed his arms and glared at the door. I could see Tyrone, one of the new security guards, checking the IDs on a young couple. They looked up at his massive quarterback’s bulk in awe, but didn’t seem terribly perturbed otherwise. It was probably more surprising to see a black man at an Irish pub than a huge bouncer, dragon or no.

  Kitty looked around the pub pointedly. It was a bustling Saturday night. The tables were packed, and clusters of contentedly chatting people filled the room.

  "Yeah, they look petrified," she said dryly. "Stop being a fuckhead, Billy. They’re here. They’re working. They’re working hard, and they’re working well. I made you their supervisor because I trust you, and because you have seniority. That doesn’t mean you get to treat them like shit because you’re mad that they’re here."

  Billy stared slack-jawed at her for a moment. Then he straightened up and stalked off, with a serious side-glare at me and the boys.

  Kitty laughed humorlessly. "Hoo boy, Sia. He’s gonna hold this grudge for a good long time, I’m afraid."

  "I’m sorry," I started.

  She waved me off. "Don’t be. It’s nice having the extra help. Your dragon friends have cut down on fights just by being here, and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of the Donovan boys. Scaring off the Irish mob is no easy feat, especially when they’ve got a bug up their ass about you ‘owin’ them a favor.’" She sighed. "I think this is less about the new security staff and more about a broken heart."

  "Oh." Lead filled my stomach. "Yeah." Billy had tried to make a move on me the night of my birthday, the night the cult came and turned my life upside down. I’d gently deflected it. Then, I met the boys. Now, I was casually making out with four men in the middle of the bar, right in front of him, only two weeks later. Tactful. "Maybe we should just… go. I don’t want to cause even more trouble."

  Kitty shook her head. "Billy’s going to have to get used to the new normal. If he’s going to be a sore loser, I’ll give him a boot in the ass. Lovingly. But I’m not going to stop you from having a life just because it inconveniences the boy. And part of your life is here, with us. So drink your beer and enjoy your…" she trailed off and gestured at the boys with a wry grin. "Ah, to be young again." She went back to filling drink orders.

  Billy’s glares wore me down over the course of the night, so the boys and I sought sanctuary in the back room. It still smelled of cigar smoke from the years of Donovan’s mob friends smoking up the joint, but it was quiet.

  "You guys need anything?" Missi poked her head in and assessed our drink status. "Chase, another whiskey? Cass, still nursing that gin and tonic?"

  Galen finished his cola and nodded at her. "Another designated driver special, please."

  "You bet!" She side-eyed Aric. "Anything for you? Blood of a virgin? Unicorn tears?"

  Aric sniffed back and raised his empty glass. "Refill from my private stock."

  I glared at him.

  "Please." He gave me a sour look.

  She curtsied at him and spun on her heel. She froze in the doorway.

  "What? What is it?" I sat up out of Cass’s arms, heart pounding.

  "You would not believe the eye candy that just walked in. Holy hell." She glanced over her shoulder at me and grinned. "Maybe it’s time for me to get my own man-pile. Excuse me, folks."

  I slumped back into Cass and cursed under my breath. Chase settled back into his seat as well. The past couple weeks had left us a little
on edge. Missi poked her head back in, and we all jumped.

  "They’re looking for you," she pouted. "Stop hogging all the hot guys."

  "For me?" I sat back up and frowned. "And Tyrone let them in?"

  "Let them in?" she snorted. "He practically bowed to them. They seem like some sort of dragon royalty." She gasped. "They’re not the Elders you were talking about, are they?"

  I shook my head, chewing on my lip. "No, the Elders are women. Shit. I think I know who they are." I looked at the boys. They all looked as thrilled as I felt. Chase’s fist was clenched around his whiskey glass. Cass’s arm tightened around me. Galen straightened up in his chair and looked pensive. Even Aric looked uncharacteristically affected, his sneer replaced with a look of nausea.

  Missi looked at me curiously. "Should I have Billy bounce them?"

  I shook my head slowly. "No. Send them in. I have to talk to them eventually."

  "No, you don’t," Galen muttered under his breath.

  I sighed. "Yes, I do. Send them in, please."

  Missi gave me a long, lingering look of doubt, then ducked back out the door.

  "…bout fucking time…" I heard outside the door as it opened.

  In walked Alpha Squad. Through my annoyance, I could see what Missi was talking about. Kane wore slacks and a red button-down shirt, open at the neck and displaying a hint of some exemplary pecs. Jared had a blazer slung over his shoulder, with his blue button-down in a similar state of artful disarray. Quinn wore a navy blazer with a gold t-shirt underneath, and well-fitted jeans. From the lingering look Missi cast after him, the view was spectacular. Dario wore an open white button-down shirt over a black fitted tank-top and skinny jeans.

  I’ll admit, I was not unmoved. They looked fine. Better than fine. The Elders had obviously selected for more than just exemplary skill sets in draconic politics and procedures.

  "Hello," I managed.

  Kane surveyed the room like he was looking for terrorists, then strode over to us with a half-smile on his face. "Miss Bellmont. So good to see you again."