Dragon Protectors

by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  Don’t I know it. It only took me killing one dragon to know that I couldn’t keep doing that in my future. Then seeing others be taken down. Nope, no way. I’m kinda surprised that Manny is able to do it; he has such a big heart.

  “Although seeing the weapons facility would have been cool.”

  “When does that happen?” I ask.

  “Usually late in the third year. But since a lot of kids died from the attack the other night, they should look into consolidating classes.”

  “Speaking of which, why did the dragons come out and attack the school? I mean, I get that they’re mad and want to see change, but antagonizing or bullying humans isn’t what’s going to get us land, so we can live peacefully. It’s the exact opposite.”

  “My dad is the High Councilman, direct ear to the Pride Leader, and since Regan died, we’ve been lacking a true and strong leader. There are some older dragons that like killing, and we don’t have any checks and balances in place. We can’t have a civil war if we’re going to fight against the slayers. Many of the younger shifters really do want peace, but they won’t rise against the elders of the Pride.”

  We have to get on the same page, have a united front, and I hope we can put the internal battles to rest and focus on the external one that I know is looming in the distance.

  We end our run and move on to free weights. McQueen selects dumbbells, tells me how many reps, and does his own routine while I work out. About an hour later, we’re both dripping in sweat and heading toward the showers. He’ll call Staten to see what’s going on at the school.

  When I’m clean and in fresh clothes, I wander into McQueen’s room to wait. Now that it’s daylight and I’m not half asleep, I take in the surroundings. He hasn’t fixed his bed. The brown comforter is rumpled as if he tosses in his sleep. I notice the room isn’t as messy as it was yesterday. Drawers are closed. The desk has been cleared off.

  McQueen enters his room with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His body glistens with water as he pats his hair. “Like what you see?” He freezes for a second and then composes himself. “I can tell by your eyes that you do.”

  I swallow. There’s no reason to deny what he said. His half naked body is the stuff legends are made from. Stomach muscles ripple as he stalks closer to me, his legs long and powerful.

  Shrugging, I say, “I’ve seen better.” Out of his brothers, he is the most ripped.

  A sly grin forms on his face. “Sure you have.” He grabs clean clothes from his dresser drawers and saunters back into the bathroom, leaving the door wide open. “Do you want to call Staten and see what’s going on? And see if they’re coming over today. I would suggest not grabbing your luggage just yet since it’s the middle of the day. Maybe doing that at night is better.”

  “Yeah, sure. I can do that.” I pull out my phone and find Staten’s number. He picks it up on the second ring. “Hi. I’m putting you on speaker, so McQueen can hear you, too.”

  “Okay,” he says.

  “Anything we need to know about?” McQueen asks as he steps out from the bathroom, now fully clothed.

  “No, not really. Allister is having a hernia about the Council meeting. He’s been locked in his office since yesterday. We went after a couple of the students who were part of the mob last night, but no one seems to know how it got started. Sounds weird to me, sort of like magic was used on them. The school is reorganizing the Levels since there aren’t many students left.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Staten?” I ask. “How’s Noelle doing?”

  “I’ll have Manny go check on her today. We’ll all be hanging low for a while. I think we’re being watched. We did manage to get your luggage out of your room.”

  “Thanks. McQueen thinks that you guys should keep my stuff until things die down and when you get a chance, bring it to his house during the night.”

  Even though it’s only been a day, I miss my boys. And I miss Reist and Sax. They didn’t need to die. In fact, no one needed to. Not any more if I can stop it.

  “Dude, you coming out maybe tomorrow night? If only one of you can sneak off property, no one will notice. Brooklyn still needs magic training. I’ve restarted her on a workout program because the one Manny and Bronx were doing was piss poor. Her stamina is shit. They’ve been going easy on her.”

  “Hey.” I slap his arm. “I’m in the room.”

  “Yeah, I know. Just stating the facts.” He sweeps his eyes over my body. “Staten, make sure that you tell them that, too.”

  “I’ll try to get away tomorrow night. Maybe we should alter the schedule and become nocturnal. In the meantime, McQueen, work with her until our sessions resume.”

  “Got it. Oh, Dad is setting up a meeting for her to meet the dragons. Maybe if she goes to them, they’ll keep their noses clean and not be running around the city looking for her.”

  “Stupid beasts,” Staten says. “I get it, though. She’s a freak of nature and everyone is curious.”

  “Hey, jerk,” I say. “I’m still in the room.”

  “I didn’t think you left.”

  “Yeah, well, the next time I see you, you can tell that to my face, and we’ll see just what a freak of nature I am.”

  “I just love her feistiness.” McQueen waggles his brows. “You can show me some of that feistiness anytime, Babe. Anytime.”

  This time I punch his arm. I think my hand is more injured than he is.

  “Anything else?” Staten asks.

  “No.”

  “Okay, keep her safe, McQueen.”

  “I always will.”

  “What are we going to do now that we know Staten won’t be here until tomorrow night?” I ask.

  “I can think of one thing.”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter.” I pocket my cell phone into my waistband.

  “You love it in there.”

  I tilt my head. “Maybe. But we need to be productive.”

  “It’s getting more exercise in.” He stands, holding out his hand. “Come on, let me show you the rest of the house since we didn’t get a chance to last night.”

  McQueen guides me through the large house. He shows me the library, saying I can read any book in there I find interesting. And there are a ton. Between the history of dragons, the Council, and genealogy, I could be reading for years. Then we make our way to the game/movie room, back to the kitchen, and through the formal dining room that seats at least thirty people. He tells me that’s where the Council meets. And finally, we reach the backyard.

  We stand on the deck overlooking the bay. It’s quiet out here for the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Traffic is still heard on the Whitestone Bridge. The sun shines on my face as I tilt it back. I breathe in and relax.

  I honestly don’t think I’ve been relaxed since before my Level Two graduation night. It seems that one thing after another keeps rolling in, and we need to address it. I exhale.

  McQueen stands behind me, massaging my shoulders. I groan. I don’t need to turn around to know he’s smiling. Thankfully, he doesn’t say anything. I know what he’s thinking, anyway. His deft fingers press into my shoulder blades. My head hangs forward as his palms rub my neck.

  I think at some point I begin to purr. The sound is met by rumbling behind me. McQueen grabs my shoulders, backing me into his chest. He nips my earlobe and then nuzzles me. I lean my head against him. His arms wrap around my waist. Placing my hands over his, I lay them flat against my stomach.

  We’re content holding each other. At least our dragons are. He lays his chin on top of my head. I briefly wonder why my dragon was instantly attracted to his when it took a while for her to trust Staten, Bronx, and Manny. The moment I saw McQueen naked in the park, I knew there was something special between us. And then when I met him in the woods, she knew she wanted to be with him.

  Maybe it’s his protective nature. Maybe it’s his confidence. Maybe it’s more than that.

  And thinking of
our dragons, we should practice shifting, flying, and offensive and defensive maneuvers. But I don’t want to move away from him. I’m secure in his warm embrace. Protected.

  We stay in each other’s arms for a while longer, listening to the water lap the shore. Listening to our heartbeats. I inhale his lemongrass fragrance.

  I sigh, stepping away from his body. “Let’s go into the basement and train in dragon forms. I haven’t practiced since we were at the cabin. I need to shift faster and be used to that body.”

  He nods. “As you wish, Babe.”

  We walk downstairs, put the mats away, and gather in the large room. I don’t know if my dragon form will fit down here, but we should at least try. McQueen is already stripping his clothes off. I guess he doesn’t really have a problem with nudity. Growing up a shifter might have made him more comfortable in his own skin.

  I, on the other hand, can barely manage to change in front of Noelle. As casually as I can muster, I turn around and peel off my pants and shirt, leaving my undergarments on.

  Then I call forth my magic. The greenish flames dance on my fingertips, tracking along my arm and then over my body as they descend like a blanket. I turn my head toward McQueen, who is already in his dragon form, waiting for me. His tongue rolls out of his mouth as his eyes scan my almost-naked body.

  Maybe I should do this by myself. He’s making me self-conscious; I know that when I need to change back, I’ll be buck-naked. Shaking that thought from my mind, I let the magic seep into me, allowing the change to come. My head drops to my chest. I fall onto all fours. My skin tickles as it morphs into multi-colored green scales. A tail sprouts and a nose elongates. Fingers change into claws. And then a pair of massive leathery wings sprout from my back.

  McQueen moves to the corner of the room, giving me ample space to make the shift. Once I’m in my dragon body, I do take up most of the room. I crouch my head, and my tail is curled around my hind legs. I won’t be able to do any fighting in this room. Not with the both of us in here.

  “Took you long enough, Babe.”

  I give him a salty look that says, “Shut up.” This is why I told him I needed to practice. The boys can change in a matter of seconds, while it takes me almost a minute. It needs to be instant, or at least close to it.

  “It’ll come faster the more you do it, and the discomfort will also go away,” he says.

  “I can handle that. I barely feel it now.”

  “I’ll have to take you outside if you want to fight.” His large jade eyes roam around the room. He can almost touch his head to the ceiling. Making his way toward me, he slinks along the ground, a submissive posture. My dragon kinda likes that.

  “Maybe we’ll just practice shifting until I’m as fast as you guys.”

  “Not a bad idea. It does come in handy at times. I’ll stay in this form so your dragon gets used to me.”

  “Oh, she’s already used to seeing you.”

  “Is she now?”

  I shake my head at him, purring sounds from my chest, and I know he hears it. Stupid inner dragon.

  Letting my magic course through my body once again, it wraps around me and finally changes me back into a human body. The slight cracking of bones gets easier and easier. My skin doesn’t itch like it used to; I’ve shifted a handful of times now.

  When I’m back having two legs and arms, I don’t give my brain too long to dwell on the fact that I’m naked, and McQueen’s eyes are intense with desire.

  My magic doesn’t extinguish; I need it right away to change back into the dragon. This time, my thoughts are focused on the change itself. What my body does, what needs to happen. I don’t look at McQueen as my green scales reappear.

  After practicing changing between dragon and human form to the point where it becomes second nature, I finally shift under five seconds. Almost as fast as McQueen.

  I missed lunch, but my body keeps calling for a nap from shifting. “How about a break?” I ask.

  McQueen is pulling on his pants. “Sure. You’ve got to be exhausted.”

  “I want to learn this, and since there isn’t anything else to do ...”

  “How about we grab a snack, and then if you’re feeling up for it later tonight, we can use the darkness, and I can show you some fighting moves.”

  I nod. Using all of my magic reserves takes a toll, and I need to be in top shape mentally and physically if I’m going to fight and continue with magic lessons with Staten. He and I will need to sort a schedule out, especially if he can’t come over here regularly.

  Of course, it’s never far from my mind the reason why the constant pushing of my physical and magical abilities. A battle looms on the horizon. Or something is coming, and I must be ready.

  THE MUCH-NEEDED BREAK has done wonders for my body, mind, and soul. I ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours after the late lunch. It’s not until I hear a quiet knock on my door that I wake. “Yes?” I say.

  “You up?” McQueen says.

  I shake the remnants of my sleep away and stretch. “Come in.”

  The door opens and McQueen grins. “Glad you got some rest. It’s just about dusk, and if you’re up for it, we can continue our training.”

  I stifle a yawn and nod. I’m still wearing my clothes from earlier, and they’ll do just fine for the evening. I lie there a couple more seconds and then swing my legs off the bed. “All right, let’s go.”

  We walk out of the back door and onto the lawn. The sky is dark navy with the last remaining streaks of reds, oranges, and purples from the sun. The sliver of moon is just peeking above the horizon.

  “My father warded the backyard, so we’re free to do what we need to,” McQueen says. “He might pop in and give you some pointers and see how training is coming along.”

  I nod and start stripping out of my clothes before a tail sprouts or the massive wings can appear, destroying my attire. Each time, it’s getting easier to be naked in front of my boys. The magic comes forth effortlessly. A snout protrudes before I even get my shoes off. In no time, my dragon body forms and sits on the grass. I’m a split second slower than McQueen. I smile, flashing my long teeth at him.

  “Hey, Babe, that’s your fastest shift yet. I knew you could do it. With more practice, you’ll be changing faster than us.”

  “You think so?”

  He nods. “Well, maybe not Staten. But it’s not a contest.”

  “What’s the first step?” I slowly advance on his two-toned dragon. He doesn’t lower his head in a submissive posture. A growl escapes my lips. My dragon doesn’t like that he’s not being submissive. Then, he holds it higher. My growls turn into purring. I wish she would stop that. McQueen’s nostrils flare as he inhales my scent.

  I think back to gym class when Madi handed me my ass, and Bronx should have stopped the fight sooner. “Go easy on me.” Putting those instructions out there settles me. Almost. “Just out of curiosity, why am I learning to fight in dragon form? Do we normally fight others of our kind?”

  “Not too often, but it does happen, and as leader you need to be prepared for everything. Bronx told me a bit about what happened at school. So we’ll talk through what you’ll do first, then I’ll show you, and then you can follow along with me.” That sounds like a great approach. My dragon thinks so, too. “Let’s have you learn to use your body weight. You’re a lot larger than normal male dragons.” His eyes scan my body. “You should be able to use brute force to get others into submission. Knocking your opponents down and incapacitating them is your first priority. Watching out for their teeth and claws while trying to gain the upper hand is the trick. So I’m going to come at you and try to knock you down. I’ll be gentle.”

  McQueen takes a few steps toward me. He hunkers down as I watch him in slow motion. “See how my body is low to the ground? And how my shoulder is leading? You’ll want to direct the force into a small, compact punch. Think of it as using a fist to hit someone in their face versus a palm. Both are effective, but the fisted ha
nd hurts more.” He angles his body upward and then gently hits me in my chest, in between the juncture of my leg and shoulder. “Okay, now you try.”

  I lumber toward him, sizing him up. He’s right in that I’m taller and broader than he is. But he’s used to his dragon form. I’m not. My wings fan out.

  “Pull your wings in,” McQueen says. “They’ll create drag.”

  I do as I’m told, barreling into him. He doesn’t budge. Using my head, I ram it into his chest and push. His feet remain planted in the same position. I back up to the outer edge of the lawn, running at him again. It only takes six strides to reach him. Tucking my head low to the ground, I jam my shoulder into his neck.

  McQueen’s front legs step back. Before I can push him over, he’s balanced again.

  Boroughs.

  While he’s smaller than me, his body is solid muscle. I’m not going to toss him using my weight alone, even though he thinks I can. Maybe on a lesser dragon, or one who’s inexperienced, or perhaps one I catch by surprise. But not McQueen. He’s ready for me.

  “While you can use your head like a battering ram, you can hurt yourself if it’s not done properly,” McQueen says. “Your neck is a weak point. You could twist it, cut your own air supply off, and in extreme cases, have spinal injuries. Head butting is more often used to stun the other dragon. Let me show you how to use your legs. Remember that you have four of them and a tail at your disposal.” He launches himself up onto his hind legs, paws the air, and slams back into the ground. His actions remind me of how a polar bear stomps on ice. Then his tail sweeps to the side and back again. “You try.”

  Again, I mimic what he did, so I’m used to the movements.

  “Good. Now use it on me.”

  We continue like that well into the night. By the time he calls it quits, he’s demonstrated the areas on a dragon that are the weakest: neck, eyes, and belly. He shows me how to use teeth and claws to scratch, bite, and maim the opponent into submission. McQueen is an excellent instructor. He’s patient and not his cocky self. It’s probably how he was taught. Or perhaps Bronx told him what happened to me in more detail than what McQueen led me to believe.