Dragon Lords Blood Contract

by Rylee Winters

  “You think you’re so mature, don’t you?” Drake scowled, his chest huffing up as their argument continued to escalate.

  “Only compared to someone as immature as you,” Damien sneered. “I’ve wasted enough time talking garbage with you. In the end, the better man will win. And that, I promise, won’t be you.”

  Damien swept past Drake who was blocking his path. Unable to stop him, Drake could only stand there, full of rage, and watch him leave…he cursed the nine layers of the Hell for Damien to get what was coming to him. The bastard really needed to be taken down a notch…

  Drake clenched his fists, grinding his teeth as his mind snapped back to the present. Ironically, he’d been left standing by himself again – only this time, it was by the very person who’d he’d been trying to protect...

  Frustration and anger surged forth inside his veins, heating him up as flames started licking the edges of his body, straining to get loose as his power called out to him for release.

  His inner dragon was roaring, writhing to be set loose; wanting to engulf his entire surroundings in a blaze of fire.

  “Control yourself,” he gritted out, trying to reign in his emotions. “Otherwise, you’re no better than the useless oaf Damien described you as.” And gods be damned, he wasn’t going to give his brother the satisfaction by proving him right.

  Placing one step forward, he forced himself to walk away. He needed to get out of this house and out into the open air.

  Striding along through the second level of the house, he spotted the first exit. A small balcony attached to this floor. He entered it and swiftly leapt up onto the thick, wide ledge of the railing, and jumped off into the open air.

  For a few heavy seconds, he allowed his body to plummet downwards, then with a burst of energy, he transformed, shifting into a red dragon.

  He unfurled his massive wings against the open air, flapping them, before surging upwards, higher and higher into the clear blue sky.

  He didn’t know where he was going, letting his instincts guide him. All he knew was at this moment, he wanted to be as far away from this house as possible…

  ❖❖❖

  “Where the hell have you been?” These were the first words that flew out of Ethan’s mouth when he intercepted Drake after spotting him walking into the lobby outside the main conference room. Most of the clan who were attending tonight’s meeting were already gathered around, waiting for it to begin.

  “There was something I needed to take care of,” Drake replied, trying to brush off Ethan’s question. Unfortunately, Ethan was less than satisfied with this excuse, and he had no qualms about making this abundantly clear to Drake.

  “Was this ‘something’, so damn important it was worth making you late to tonight’s meeting?” Ethan asked caustically, completely unimpressed.

  “Yes. It was.” Drake’s voice was blunt. “Besides, the meeting hasn’t even started yet,” he countered gesturing to all the people milling around.

  “You got lucky this time.”

  Drake rolled his eyes. “I doubt that. These things usually run at least fifteen minutes late.”

  “Why do I even waste my time lecturing you.” Ethan threw his hands up in exasperation.

  “Don’t ask me. I don’t know either.”

  Ethan gave Drake an acid look, but a rustling from the crowd, put an end to their bickering. Murmurs susurrated around the room as the door to the conference room swung open, and people started making their way inside.

  “Come on. We better go in,” Ethan said. “We’ll talk about this later.”

  Together, they walked towards the conference room, and on the way in, Drake spotted Jasmine standing strangely close to the door…a weird look in her eyes. Drake frowned. What’s she up to? He narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t get a chance to speak to her as he was pulled along by the throng of people entering inside.

  It’s better this way… He had no idea what to say to her anyway…not after she’d basically told him to piss off and leave her alone. Drake flexed his jaw. No. She’d made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

  So, why was it he couldn’t push away the niggling feeling she was about to do something stupid? And why the hell did he even care?

  Drake took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. Forget about her, he told himself, and crushed his feelings all the way down, hoping to get through this meeting quickly so he could high-tail it out of here.

  The conference room was pretty packed by now, and most people were busy settling into their seats.

  The chairs were arranged into a circle, with no distinct placement for who sat where. As always, there were cliques inside the clan, and members from different branches sat next to each other, banding together for support.

  Drake learnt long ago to be wary of those who enjoyed to play politics…he, of course, was not one of them. But necessity dictated he become familiar with these people and their tactics, and so he couldn’t completely avoid getting involved…

  A movement caught his eye, and he saw Ethan gesturing for him to come over and sit down. Drake made his across to his brothers, and as he was taking a seat beside Knox, the Chairman of the meeting, an older man with silver streaked, dark, black hair, cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

  A hush fell over the room, and everyone turned their eyes towards the man at the front. For Knox, he merely had to look straight up ahead; the Chairman was seated on the other side of the circle directly opposite to him and his brothers.

  “Thank you all for coming tonight…” Chairman Malek began, looking over at all the faces in the room, pausing slightly longer as his gaze settled on Drake and his four brothers. “We have some pressing matters to discuss tonight, so let us waste no more time and begin.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jasmine

  I left the lobby, going against the crowd, while all the people around me were heading towards the conference room. Frustration made my shoulders tight, as I continued to rack my brains for a way to listen in on the meeting without being found out.

  Strolling through to the bar, I spotted a good-looking young man with red hair drinking a glass of scotch, and seeing how drunk he was, an idea hit me. Making my way over to him, I sidled into the seat next to him.

  “Hi,” I greeted him coyly, flashing him a brilliant white smile, and fluttering my long, dark lashes at him, hoping he was inebriated enough to fall for my act.

  The guy grinned back at me, his eyes a little unsteady as he very drunkenly and brazenly, checked me out. And bingo.

  Forcing down my revulsion, I leaned over to trail my nails gently across his arm. “What’s your name hottie?” I purred, winking at him.

  “Ariel,” he slurred through his drunken state, smiling sloppily.

  I bit back a snort. Like the Little Mermaid? I wanted to ask. Other than the red hair, there really wasn’t any other resemblance.

  “What’s a big, handsome man like you doing all alone at a bar drinking by yourself?” I asked innocently, doing my best to flirt with him.

  Ariel chuckled, and the strong stench of alcohol from his breath hit me in the nose. Ugh. Disgusting.

  “I’m here for a family meeting tonight. It’s such a waste of my time, but unfortunately my parents expect me to go.”

  “Is that right?” I asked, my lips slowly curling into a smile, and this time it wasn’t fake. “Well, why don’t you skip the meeting and join me instead?” I said suggestively, as I raked my nails down across his chest.

  Ariel shuddered underneath my touch, and his eyes became bright, lighting up with desire and need.

  “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea…” he murmured, and taking that as a signal, I grasped his hand in mine, and slid off my seat. “Let’s go somewhere nice and quiet, where we can be alone, shall we?” I smiled seductively, leading him away, and towards a quiet, dark corner I’d spotted earlier on, not far from the bar.

  I made sure we walked to the very back o
f the corner, and were completely out of sight before stopping, and as soon as we did, Ariel’s hands were all over me.

  Unfortunately, for Ariel, I had other plans.

  I twisted away from his grasp, and facing him directly, I locked gazes with him and stared deep into his eyes, activating my glamor. Using the unique power blessed on my kind, I sent him visions…hallucinations, of the two of us entangled lustfully, making love; sending him off to dreamland.

  Ariel moaned, his hands brushing wildly about in the air, as his mind filled with visions of pleasure, and I shuddered to think what images he was seeing in his thoughts.

  Although, I was able to dictate the initial idea of the fantasy when I used this technique of glamor, the individual’s own mind played a significant part in shaping it as the illusion went on.

  The only thing left was for me to find a way to make him stay here…

  Running out of time, I went with the old school method, and whacked him across the head. He immediately passed out, and I staggered back slightly as his limp body fell into my arms. With some effort, I carried his unconscious form deeper into the shadows, and lay him on the floor, propping him up slightly against the wall.

  Straightening up, I dusted off my hands. Now it was time to implement phase two of my plan.

  My blood began to hum as I dug deep inside myself, and unlocked another part of my true powers that I only occasionally used.

  Magic shot through my nerves, spread through my limbs, and engulfed my body. Slowly, my skin began to morph, stretching in all different directions…

  Then, a few blinks later, I found myself completely transformed, my appearance now an exact replica of Ariel’s, who lay slumped at my feet.

  I reminded myself I’d have to be careful to monitor my body closely. This sort of magic sucked a lot out of me, and I wasn’t capable of keeping this masquerade up for long. Two or three hours tops was my max so far.

  Generally, this was okay, and I’d never been caught out before by anyone…but I knew it was still a huge risk to take in a room full of magic wielders…most of who were probably much more powerful than me, if I were to take Ethan and his brothers as an example.

  Unfortunately, under the circumstances, it was a chance I was going to have to take.

  Straightening the leather jacket I’d glamored up to match Ariel’s clothes, I glanced down at his unconscious form one last time, before I turned on my heels and left him there, heading straight for the conference room. There was no time to waste.

  I snuck in just as the last of the attendants trailed inside, and sat down in one of the few spare seats still available, feeling nervous about the possibility of being caught out. Spotting Knox and his brothers sitting at the back of the room, I made a mental note not to look in their direction, and prayed to the goddess of light my identity would be kept safe.

  Soon after, a man with graying dark hair sitting at the front of the room spoke up, and order and quiet settled over everyone as the meeting began.

  “The Elders have given the latest report on the King…” the man declared, and I frowned, confused over what was going on. What King were they referring to?

  Peeking a sly glance at the people around me, they seemed to be following along just fine, their faces, unfortunately, shedding no further light on the topic of discussion.

  The man paused briefly, seeming almost disturbed by what he was about to say. “As the Charmain of the Circle, I must regretfully inform you all that…His Majesty has fallen into a coma,” he said, putting the news as delicately as he could to the congregation, and his eyes scanned the faces around him, trying to gauge everyone’s reactions.

  Several people gasped, while the sound of murmurs began to susurrate around the room.

  “Quiet, please!” The man said, his voice sounding strained. The chatter died down.

  “Now, I know what you’re all thinking, but I implore you: do not panic. The Grand Vizier has been making plans to resolve the ongoing issue of succession, so we can deal with the main threat that plagues us. Grand Vizier, did you want to speak to your progress?” the Chairman asked.

  Someone sitting near the back of the room cleared his throat, and my jaw fell open in shock as I saw Ethan slowly standing up.

  What in hell’s name was going on?

  Someone a few seats away from me gave me an odd look, and I quickly snapped out of it, closing my mouth. My mind began spinning as Ethan pulled his spine up straight, bringing himself to his full height, and began to talk.

  “We are making good progress in locating the amulet,” he informed the room, sounding self-assured and confident. “There’s no doubt we’ll find it soon. The four princes – ,” he motioned towards his brothers sitting on either side of him, “ – are working hard on this task, and we should be able to report back with even better news soon.”

  My mind spun, latching on to one, single thing: Knox and his brothers were all fucking dragon princes!

  What kind of mess have I gotten myself into?! I’d signed a blood contract with the Grand Vizier to the King of dragons…! Not to mention there four princes other princes involved…

  Oh gods and goddesses… I felt a headache coming on. My shoulders slumped over. I needed a drink. Vodka – or better yet, something even stronger.

  “Have the Elders made a decision yet on which prince will ascend to the throne?” The blonde woman sitting next to me interrupted.

  I suppressed the massive urge to slink down in my seat, as everyone’s gazes turned towards our immediate direction.

  “I’m happy to withdraw my name from the pool,” Knox offered, piping up suddenly. “Since, I don’t really want to be the next King anyway…”

  “What my little brother means,” Ethan cut in, throwing Knox a meaningful glare, “is that he just wants the best for the clan, and if that’s not him, then he understands and fully accepts that.” Ethan clarified, and I relaxed as everyone’s attention moved over to them.

  A middle-aged man with a sharp, crooked nose, scoffed. “Grand Vizier, you don’t need to cover up for the young prince…everyone knows he’s never wanted the position.”

  Ethan gave him a cold look. “Please don’t presume to know the inner workings of my brother’s mind, Morgan. It’s not your place.”

  Turning back to face the rest of the room, Ethan ignored the glare from Morgan, and continued to give his report on the situation. It was mainly a repeat of what he’d said earlier – to reassure the clan not to worry; that things were totally under control.

  He sat down shortly after, and the Chairman moved on to the next item on the agenda. Something to do with some missing livestock on some of the farms the clan owned…I didn’t pay much attention, my mind distracted by other thoughts.

  It seemed Knox, Ethan and the rest of the guys were dragon royalty…and I’d stumbled unwittingly, into a fight for the crown.

  Everything Knox and Drake had said, and the other tid-bits I’d heard from the others at different times, now all seemed to make sense.

  What the hell am I going to do? I couldn’t very well resign from this job, despite the alarm bells ringing in my head.

  I breathed out a heavy sigh. Things had just gotten a hundred times more dangerous.

  I began massaging the throbbing pain at my temples. This was turning out to be a major clusterfuck, and really, I could only blame myself for the situation. I’d been stupid enough to fall into Ethan’s trap, and I bet that asshole had calculated the whole, entire thing.

  My eyes shot over to him with a glare, however his attention was focused on the Chairman speaking up in front. Unable to help myself, my gaze drifted over to the figure sitting two seats away from him. Drake.

  With his head bent low, his hair partially obscuring his face, I wasn’t able to see his expression. I wonder what he’s thinking about…

  Suddenly, he looked up. Our gazes locked, and I froze, holding in my breath. A strange look slowly crept across his face. His eyes widened, as if he’d just rea
lized something, and he looked on at me with dismay.

  Oh fuck... Has he seen through my glamor?

  Shit. Shit. Shit. This was not good.

  I whipped my head around, breaking eye contact and trying to hide my face…but it was like I was a moth being drawn to a flame…I couldn’t help but peek back to see his reaction.

  Oh, for the love of all faeries! He was still staring at me.

  This time I looked away for good, and for the rest of the meeting, I didn’t dare to turn my head back in Drake’s direction, not even when Ethan or Liam spoke up.

  As soon as the meeting finished, I rushed to my feet and hurried out of the room, not pausing even when someone called out my name from somewhere behind me.

  Hurrying through the lobby and down the interconnecting hallway, I headed straight for the emergency stairs; hoping no one was following me from behind. I needed a place that was quiet and secluded where I could transform back to my normal self, someplace where no one could see me.

  I pushed open the emergency door, and stepped out onto the concrete landing of the stairwell. Without looking, I let the heavy door fall closed behind me, starting to feel relieved that I’d managed to escape undectected. But my relief was short lived.

  There was a sudden thud from behind, and I stopped abruptly in my tracks. Whipping my head around, my eyes widened, as I saw Drake’s outstretched hand on the edge of the door, holding it open. The next second, Drake was storming through, and slamming the door shut behind him.

  “W-what are you doing here?” I stammered, eyes searching wildly about for an escape route, as I began to back away.

  Drake took a determined step towards me, grabbing my wrist and pulling me towards him. “Who are you?” he demanded, his stern voice commanding me to answer.