Never Dare a Dragon

by Ashlyn Chase

  She rested her head on his shoulder and crooned, “That feels so good.”

  “Oh. So you run into burnin’ buildings, knowin’ you could die?” Chloe looked stunned.

  “Yes and no.” He turned toward Bliss and they exchanged a meaningful gaze. “I did that for a short time.”

  “I had no idea he’d keep fighting fires without being fireproof, as dragons are. Then I couldn’t stand worrying about him.”

  “Being mortal was actually a good experience,” Drake said. “I realized I had been taking stupid chances and could put my fellow firefighters, who aren’t fireproof, in danger if they followed my lead. I have a renewed respect for what they do now.”

  Chloe straightened her back. “I’d like to become a firefighter. We’re goin’ to need jobs soon. I can do anythin’ a man can do…and probably better. As you know, I’m stronger than a human and fireproof to boot. It’s a brilliant idea.” She coughed. “O’ course, you thought of it first.”

  “I can look into it for you. Do you have a believable birth certificate?”

  “I don’t,” she answered honestly.

  “A work visa?”

  “Nor that either.”

  He sighed. “I’m afraid you can’t get a paying job with the fire department without certain papers.”

  “Blast.” Her eyes narrowed, and a curl of smoke exited her nostrils.

  Bliss bailed him out, thank goodness. “What did you do in Ireland?”

  “Ah,” Rory said with a grin. “We sang at the local pub. Shannon and I composed most of our songs.”

  Bliss sat up straight. “So you’re Irish folk singers? That’s wonderful! I could probably ask Claudia to give you a gig at the tearoom.”

  “Who’s Claudia?” Chloe asked.

  “Oh, she’s my best friend. She’s part owner and manages the place.”

  The three of them glanced at each other. Rory said, “That sounds grand. Would we need to fill out an application to work there?”

  “I’ll ask if she can pay you under the counter.”

  Drake recognized the twinkle in her eye. It meant she would find a way to make it happen.

  “Now you’re talkin’,” Rory said. “We may not be here long enough to get regular jobs. I just need to clear up a few things and we’ll be returnin’.”

  “Oh.” Drake was somewhat disappointed, but he tamped it down. After all, he had Bliss and his old friends, and soon he’d have a new baby. Then he thought about how the dragons probably needed new friends more than he did.

  “Do you have a place to stay?” he asked.

  “Not yet. We had hoped to talk to the locals at the bar and get some recommendations.”

  Drake smiled. “I can help you. Bliss, why don’t I take the Arish clan to the paranormal club? You can stay here and get some rest.”

  “Great idea!”

  Chapter 3

  It was a beautiful spring day—sunny but with a breeze off the river, still cool enough for a brisk stride—and the paranormal club was within walking distance. As Rory, his sisters, and their new dragon friend walked the few blocks, Drake explained the philosophy of the place and how it started.

  “As you probably know, there are many different paranormal factions. For some reason, they all seem to like Boston, but not always each other.”

  Rory glanced at Chloe, who shrugged. The only other paranormals they had met were the leprechauns. Drake was still speaking, so Rory didn’t interrupt.

  “Boston Uncommon used to be a bar, and the bar’s owner believed that if the different species of paranormals got to know each other, they’d find commonalities and learn to respect one another’s differences. ‘To know me is to love me,’ so to speak.”

  “And did it work?” Shannon asked.

  “Indeed it did. Although not right away. But when faced with a common enemy, they were able to work together and neutralize the problem.”

  Neutralize. That word had a host of different meanings. Would Rory have to fight for his family’s place here if they couldn’t return home? He was hoping that this club might hold an answer to their supernatural problem. Perhaps one of these other species would have a suggestion.

  Chloe cleared her throat. “Just what kind of species are we apt to find there?”

  Drake shrugged. “Shapeshifters mostly. Some of them live in the building. There are several apartments, all rented to paranormals or the paranormal-friendly. One of the apartments has been converted to a club space. As long as you’re inside the club, you’re safe to ask any of the members what special powers they have.”

  At the mention of shifters, Rory had to ask… “I guess we could be considered shifters, since we shift from human form to dragons and back again. Is that what you’re talkin’ about?”

  “Yes, although as far as I know, the three of you and I are the only dragons in the city.”

  “Really?” Chloe asked. “I knew we were rare, but I figured in a big city like Boston there might be more.”

  “Boston isn’t all that big. It’s smaller than New York, and I only know one dragon there.”

  “Gettin’ back to the other species…” Rory said. “What else are there besides shifters?”

  “Oh, you know…witches, wizards, vampires—”

  Shannon gasped. “Vampires! What? How? Bollocks!”

  “Watch your language, lass,” Rory said.

  “They don’t all belong to the club. Only those paranormals who want to keep the peace with each other will be there. As long as you believe you can do that, you’ll be welcome.”

  “I see no reason why we couldn’t,” Rory said. He shot a pointed look at Chloe.

  “What?” she asked. “You don’t think I can hold me temper when I need to?”

  He leveled his eyes with hers. “You’d better.”

  Fortunately Shannon distracted them with another question. “Are there leprechauns here? We’re used to them.”

  Drake’s eyes widened. “They’re real? We have the occasional house brownie, but leprechauns?”

  “Sure’n they’re the reason we got kicked out of Ireland,” Chloe said.

  Drake stopped walking and stared at them. “How bad do you have to be to get kicked out of Ireland?” Then he caught himself. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  “No offense taken,” Rory said.

  Chloe chuckled. Shannon just shook her head.

  “Actually, we didn’t do a damn thing,” Chloe said. “The little bastards accused us of takin’ their gold, but we didn’t.”

  Rory added, “They thought because we’re dragons and like our treasure as much as they value their gold that we stole it.”

  Drake nodded in understanding.

  “We had all we needed and then some,” Chloe said.

  Rory sighed. “We knew that livin’ high and mighty would call attention to us, so years ago we moved to a caretaker’s cottage and had our castle hidden by magic.”

  “The magic of leprechauns,” Shannon added.

  “And now our castle is exposed and vulnerable,” Rory said. “And they set up some kind of force field to keep us out of our own country. We need to find a way around that.”

  At last they stopped in front of a typical lovely brownstone.

  “Here we are,” Drake said.

  “That’s it?” Chloe asked. “It looks like a normal building.”

  Drake chuckled. “What did you expect? Bats in the belfry?”

  “Well, no…”

  “Come on. I’ll show you the secret to getting in.”

  They followed him up the steps to the stoop. He bypassed the intercom buzzers and opened the outer door with no problem. Rory was about to ask what the big secret was when they entered a foyer and stopped at the inner door, and another intercom materialized on the wall.
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  “This is the one we use,” Drake said.

  “Holy mother,” Chloe muttered. “Whose magic is that?”

  “One of the managers is a witch. Actually, she’s a witch and a vampire.”

  Shannon started to tremble. “I-I don’t know about this, Rory…”

  “Please, don’t worry,” Drake said. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if you were in any danger. She’s a real pussycat.”

  “Wait.” Shannon folded her arms. “She’s a cat-shifter and a vampire and a witch?”

  Drake chuckled. “No, not a real pussycat. It’s an expression, meaning she’s sweet and harmless.”

  “As long as she doesn’t swipe us with claws, we should be all right,” Chloe said.

  Rory set a reassuring hand on Shannon’s shoulder. “I imagine they’ll be asleep now anyway.”

  “Actually, these particular vampires aren’t nocturnal. They’ve found a cure for most of the negative aspects of vampirism—including the bloodlust. Trust me. They won’t snack on you. They won’t even be tempted.”

  Shannon blew out a deep breath.

  “Are you ready to meet them?” Drake asked.

  All three Arish dragons exchanged a look and nodded.

  * * *

  The Arish siblings stood in the lobby of the beautiful brownstone on Beacon Street. Marble floors and gleaming dark wood stairs greeted them. Gazing up, Rory noticed a huge crystal chandelier. If we were into stealing treasure… He quickly squashed that thought. Sly, the building manager standing before them, was a vampire, Rory reminded himself. Hopefully Sly couldn’t read minds.

  They were just getting to know each other when Drake got a phone call.

  “I’m sorry, I need to leave. It’s Bliss, and it sounds like she’s in labor.”

  Everyone exclaimed their congratulations, mostly in Irish, and added wishes for good luck.

  Sly asked Drake to call when he had good news and details that could be shared with the other members. “They’ll all want to know. You two have a lot of friends here.”

  Drake glanced at the Arish clan, especially focusing on Shannon. “Will you be all right if I leave you here?”

  She glanced at Rory. “I feel safe enough.”

  “Go.” Rory slapped Drake on the back. “Give Bliss our very best.”

  “I’ll bet you wish you could use your wings now,” Chloe added.

  “Yup. But Brandee is with her, and a run will do me good.” With that he waved and bolted out of the building.

  Sly smiled at the trio. “Would you like to see the club?”

  They seemed to have passed the initial test, and Rory was relieved. “We’d love to.”

  Sly led the way up the grand staircase and opened an unlocked door on the second floor. A buxom blond in a slinky red dress and a guy with a buzz cut were playing pool. Rory noticed a dartboard on the opposite wall. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves were filled with volumes of all sizes, some paperbacks and some hardcovers. A rolling ladder allowed access to the higher shelves.

  Shannon wandered over to peruse the titles.

  “There’s a quieter room for reading down the hall, as well as a bathroom,” Sly said.

  The two pool players had just finished their game with a cheer and a groan. Obviously the woman had won.

  Sly said, “Let me introduce you to a couple of our regulars, Ruxandra”—he pointed to the woman scooping up the stack of bills from the edge of the pool table—“and Kurt”—he indicated the solidly built guy with a tattoo on his bicep that read “Semper Fi.”

  “Be careful if you play this one,” Ruxandra said. “You can never be sure if he’s using wizard magic to win.”

  “I don’t need to use it to win against anyone—even you, most of the time,” Kurt said.

  “Guys, I’d like you to meet the Arish family. Rory, Shannon, and Chloe. Drake recommended them,” Sly said.

  They both came over and shook hands with Rory and his sisters—as if it didn’t matter what they were. According to Drake, it really didn’t.

  Dare he ask? Apparently one was a wizard, but the other wasn’t.

  “So, are you shapeshifters? Vampires? Something new and exotic?” Kurt asked.

  Rory chuckled. “We’re shapeshifters, I guess.”

  Ruxandra laughed. “You guess?”

  “Well, we’re dragons.”

  “Nice. I’m a vampire,” she said.

  Rory tried to act cool as if they’d known dozens of them, but Shannon squashed that impression. “Really? I’ve ne’er known any until today, and now we’ve met two of you.”

  Ruxandra smiled. “There aren’t a lot of us.”

  That was welcome information.

  “And you?” Chloe asked Kurt. “Are you a wizard only, or somethin’ else?”

  Ruxandra smirked. “Oh, he’s something else all right.”

  “She means that metaphorically. I’m one hundred percent human. I just happen to have a talent for magic and became a wizard with a lot of study and practice.”

  I wonder if he knows enough about magic to outsmart the leprechauns, Rory thought.

  “Well, we have to get going. We promised to help a friend move some heavy furniture,” Ruxandra said. “She’s always redecorating.”

  She and Kurt waved as they left.

  Damn. There went our chance to get to know the wizard. There seemed to be a lot of kinds of people—er, creatures—he still hadn’t met. Maybe if they stuck close to the club, somewhere along the line he and the wizard would run into each other again. Or perhaps he’d meet someone else skilled in magic. Someone had mentioned a witch…

  “So, are you up for a game of darts, Sly?” Rory asked.

  “Sure. My wife is showing a potential tenant one of the vacant apartments, but when she’s finished I’ll introduce you to her.” He gathered the darts from the board and returned to the group.

  “You have flats to rent?” Chloe asked. “In this buildin’?”

  “Yes. We have two available at the moment.”

  The siblings glanced at each other and seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  Rory accepted the yellow-tipped darts and at the same time asked, “Would you be open to a small clan of displaced dragons?”

  Sly smiled. “Each unit is only a one-bedroom apartment. Do you need a place to stay long-term?”

  “Yes.”

  “My sister and I can share,” Chloe said. She shot Shannon a look so fierce that it could have impaled her on a spit.

  Shannon took a step back. “We’ve shared a room all our lives, and even a bed when friends came to visit. But we were young then.”

  “Great! My wife and her cousin used to share the one-bedroom apartment we live in now. Would you like to have a look at the vacant ones?”

  “We’d love to,” Rory said. His sisters nodded their heads enthusiastically.

  “We can have our game first, if you like.”

  Rory chuckled. “No need. If we live here, there will be plenty of time for games.”

  Sly set his darts on the bar-height table that must have been for observers. Then he dug a key ring out of his pocket. The dozens of keys clattered together as he found the right one.

  “The first place is right across the hall,” he said. “We’ve done some soundproofing, so you shouldn’t be bothered by noise from the club—not that it’s all that busy.”

  “Oh? Not many members then?” Chloe asked as she followed him.

  “About a dozen total.”

  Sly opened the door to a spacious, open-concept living room, kitchen, and dining area. To the right stood the big bay window Rory had seen from the outside. Without furniture or rugs to hide them, the beautiful hardwood floors gleamed. A fireplace with a majestic mantel stood out as the room’s focal point.

  Shannon took in a
deep breath and wandered toward the kitchen as if in awe. Chloe nodded and said, “I’ll take a look at the bedroom.” Rory inspected the bathroom. A large glass shower took up the entire back wall. A small window let in some natural light, but the glass was frosted so no one would be putting on a show for the neighbors across the alley. The other necessary parts were there, including a claw-foot tub, and everything looked sparkling clean.

  When the three of them converged again in the living room, Sly said, “The place downstairs has exactly the same layout and decor, but it’s a bit smaller—allowing room for the foyer.”

  Chloe sighed. “You should see the size of that walk-in closet. If Shannon and I needed some separation from each other, she could just move in there.”

  Sly and Rory laughed. Shannon huffed and raised herself to her full height. “Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I’m the smallest anymore.”

  “I’m kiddin’, Shan. But think of the fun we could have fillin’ that closet with new clothes.”

  Shannon glanced down at her rugged jeans and favorite sweater, knowing she’d been wearing them too long. “’Tis true,” she said. Then she turned to Rory. “Can we afford this place?”

  “That depends. How much is the rent for both flats?”

  Sly stroked his chin. “I’ve never rented two at once before. I suppose we could strike a deal if you’re willing to sign a year’s lease.”

  Both Rory and Chloe stared at Shannon. At last, she nodded.

  “You won’t find a better deal anywhere in Back Bay. We take care of our own. I just need to know one other thing…”

  “Ask us anythin’ you wish,” Rory said.

  “Can you control your powers? And I mean one hundred percent of the time. We had an Asian dragon a couple of years ago who had allergies. She sneezed fire and scorched the floors in her apartment. They had to be replaced. We hate to evict a good tenant, but for everyone’s safety, she had to go.”

  They all expressed appropriate horror. Chloe shook her head emphatically. “We have no such problems.”

  “Sneezing fire! Imagine!” Shannon said.