by Celeste Raye
She had to end this once and for all. It was a fact that she had known for quite some time. She even told him herself. One of them was going to have to die, and as much as Audra had not wanted it to be her, the odds were just not stacked in her favor.
Then out of nowhere, dragons. Again. This time she was sure of what she was seeing. There was one dragon of a different color than the one she’d seen at the club. It would have been enough to have seen one dragon in a person's lifetime, but for a moment, she saw one of them as a human. A human that she knew very well. It was Neil. After watching the two dragons take out every last man that Ben had, as well as Ben himself, she only had to guess that Frank was the other dragon. The shade of the scales was somehow the exact shade of his hair.
Audra had run behind some bushes and hid underneath the brush of a tree to watch it all. She had just sat there in awe and amazement, watching it all. She’d been frozen for too long, and now they knew where she was.
Both dragons turned back into the two brothers. She would never have imagined in a million years that something like this was possible. But it all played out in front of her, and now there was no veil over her eyes.
There were dragons in the world. Not only that, but they could turn into humans. Or humans could turn into them. It was all very confusing and scary. Audra felt like she was trapped in some crazy dream, but it was too real, too visceral to be just a dream.
Even more confusing was when Neil started to walk towards her. She had never been afraid of Neil before, but she was now. He was extending his hand to her, trying to convince her that everything was going to be fine, but it didn't feel like it was. Neil was the man that she loved. He was a dragon. She might have his baby. What did that mean?
Now there were hundreds of questions running through her head simultaneously, and she backed up further from the hand that was reaching out to her. There was no way that Audra was going to be able to take it.
“Come on, Audra. Everything is going to be fine. You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you ever again.”
She just sat there in disbelief, because it was all just too much for her mind. It felt like it was shattering into a million pieces and Audra felt herself swaying on her feet. She felt drunk, dizzy, then nothing as blackness took over.
Blissful blackness, where no more questions or answers could bleed through. Audra felt the peace wash over her, and she was thankful that it had all been a dream. A strange, terrifying dream that she was now going to awaken from. Soon.
Audra woke up suddenly and backed up immediately from Neil. She didn't recognize her surroundings at first, but quickly realized that she was at the club. It didn't take much to see that she was in one of the rooms upstairs. She recognized the bed linens from the carts that passed by from housekeeping.
“What am I doing here? How did I get here?”
The last thing that she remembered was Ben’s house. Then she remembered the dragons and felt her head get light again. Neil was a dragon, and he was looking down at her like nothing was off. Her whole world was off. He kept saying how she was fine, safe, and that everything was going to work out.
Audra didn’t believe any of it. How could she? How could anything be okay when there were dragons running around? It didn’t seem possible.
“You are going to be fine, Audra. We brought you in here because we thought it would be better than coming to at Ben’s house. You haven’t been out for long, but don’t get up too quickly. I don’t want you to get light-headed again.”
“Where is Frank?”
“He isn't here right now. Do you want to talk to him?”
She shook her head from side to side vigorously and noticed that Neil was offended by the idea that she did. It was not something that she wanted to talk to either one of them about though. Audra was trying to decide if what was happening at the moment was real or not. Was it just one dream inside of another?
“Tell me, what I saw, was it real? Did I just make it up?”
It made Neil pause for a moment, and he finally shook his head. “It was real, Audra. I'm sorry to have to tell you that, but it was very real.” He went to touch her hand, and she pulled back like he was going to burn her from contact alone.
“So, Ben is...?”
“Ben is gone. You will never have to worry about him again. Ever.”
It was a relief, and it had been a situation that she had desperately wanted out of, but then again, it wasn't something that a person was supposed to smile about. She was supposed to be sad that her husband was gone, but still she felt this relief.
But then that left her with the other very big issue. Dragons. Real life, fricking dragons. Her head spun with the thought. She cleared her throat, sure that the words were going to stay lodged there, but they finally came out.
“And you’re a dragon?”
She said it so nonchalantly that it sounded completely ridiculous. There was no way that she had actually seen what she thought she saw. It must have been something else. Audra wasn't sure how to explain it yet, but she knew that it was how it was all supposed to go.
“You caught that, did you?”
She agreed with a nod of her head. She didn’t want it to be fact, but it was. He was a dragon, and she was desperately trying to make peace with that information. She just didn’t know how that was supposed to happen.
“Yes, I did. Frank is too?”
He agreed again. “Yes.” Neil moved towards her again but she shirked away. She wasn’t ready to get up close and personal with him. Not yet.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I will explain it all to you when you’re ready to hear it. I don’t think you’re quite there yet.”
She agreed wholeheartedly, but she did have some questions that Audra wasn’t able to hold back.
“So, what does that mean for Jamie if she is yours?”
“She is going to be shifter and human. We all are to some degree.”
“And she will turn into a dragon?”
“We shall see. Some do, some don’t. I wish I would have been there when she was born. It would have told me a lot about it.”
“She was born encased in her sac. The doctors seemed pretty impressed with it.”
“Did you see her?”
Audra shook her head that she didn’t. “Not in the sac. They had already broken it, but there were pictures taken.”
“Since she was born that way, it means she will shift. She is going to be just fine and so powerful. It is very good news.”
Audra could tell that he was happy about the baby being like him. She didn’t care either way. She loved Jamie no matter what, but it was still a lot for her to think about. Audra didn’t want to imagine what sort of childhood her daughter was going to have. She also thought about the tattoos on Neil. Would she have to get those as well?
So many questions and not enough time to ask them all.
Dragons.
Audra shook her head, amazed at what the present was bringing her. It was overwhelming, all of it. She kept repeating the word: dragons. Somehow hearing it out loud, Audra couldn’t believe she was in the place she was in.
Dragons.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Several months had passed, and a lot had changed in Audra’s life. She got a large settlement from her husband’s estate after he died. It wasn’t because he had willed it all to her, but because there was a lack of will. It was hard to legally give anything away when half of what he had was made illegally. That meant that she got everything by default.
She was reeling from the revelation, and Audra felt a little guilty because of how Ben had died. She didn’t fault Neil at all, and she certainly didn’t wish it was any other way, but it felt wrong on some level to end up with it all.
Audra was approached to run the crime business that her husband had been so fond of, but she refused. Audra didn't want to have anything to do with that sort of life, especially now that she was a
mother. And wife. Audra had to get help from Frank and Neil to convince those involved that she wasn’t interested. It hadn’t taken much, and Audra never had to worry about it again. Neil was good at doing that for her.
That left her a big house that she ended up selling, and she put all of the money into the club. Frank and Neil made her a co-owner. She had grown to love her new life, even though it was changing in leaps and bounds. Audra enjoyed the patrons, especially when she started to realize that they were all dragons too.
The new renovations were done, and they finally had the grand reopening that the brothers envisioned. The celebration was massive, and the turn-out was better than they could have anticipated. Audra helped throw the bash and she was really shining in her new role. The club was doing better than ever, and everything seemed to be falling into place.
Audra was standing off by herself, trying to play out how it had all gone in her mind. It felt like there was some great mystery added to her life, and Audra was too happy. She had to pinch herself multiple times a day, just to make sure that it was all real. There was still the worry in the back of her mind that she was living in a dream that never seemed to end.
“There you are again. You look like you're lost in your own world.”
Audra turned around and smiled at Neil as he came to give her a kiss.
“Do you really think that it is such a bad thing?”
“No, I guess it's not. But do you think that this world, the real one that we are in, is so bad?”
She looked around at her surroundings and knew that it wasn’t going to get much better than the life she was living. Her daughter was asleep in her crib not too far away and the club that she now partially owned was full to the brim. It felt like it could only go downhill from there. Everything was perfect, and Audra was still surprised at how lucky she was.
“No, it’s not bad at all. My mind just goes to other places sometimes. I don’t know why. The place is packed; I’m pregnant; we’re married; Jamie is perfect… I don’t think it will ever be able to get any better than this.”
“Wait, what?”
Audra paused for a moment, embarrassed because she hadn’t told him about the news she’d just gotten a few days before. Audra had been bursting inside to tell him about it, but the grand opening of the dragon care side of the Dynasty Club, had made it impossible to whittle out time to discuss. She’d told herself that she would take care of telling him when it was all over. Now was the time.
“I found out that I was pregnant. I was going to tell you tonight after this was done.”
“Are you sure?”
She assured him and Neil was ecstatic by the way he was looking at her. The expression on his face was crystal clear.
Neil wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered a few things in her ear. The words made her tremble inside, and Audra knew that he was right. There was certainly a way to make it all the more perfect. His suggestion had her knees going weak because she didn’t want to think about it without feeling him.
“Not now, Neil. The club is in its grand opening. We can’t go running off to seek out a dark corner somewhere. What if we are found out?”
“We’re the owners after all. Do you really think that it would be that bad if we were caught?”
She knew that nothing would be done to them, but Audra needed an excuse to not run off with him. She would do it nonstop if she had her way. It wasn’t a great idea, of course, but it didn’t matter.
“That’s what got us into the mess that we’re in now, Neil.”
She indicated her stomach, and he pulled her in for a kiss. “Are you calling our son a mess?”
“Our son? How do you know?”
“Just a guess. I am serious. Do you think that this was a mistake?”
Audra couldn’t agree to that, even in jest. Everything felt like it was happening how it was supposed to. She wanted to see how it was going to work out with Neil. She already knew that she was willing to give up everything for him.
“No, you will never be a mistake to me. You have done so much for me. You saved me more than once, and now you take care of me. I could never view that as a mistake.”
“Then what about running off with me so that we can be alone, and I can put my hands on you?”
A ‘no’ was poised on her lips, but she was unable to say the word. Audra had known for a while that it was impossible to tell him no. She wanted to think that she was able to, after their time together, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. She was finding it impossible every day to resist him. It didn’t matter what she was doing or where they were; Audra gave in, pretty much every time.
“Come on, if you come with me, I will take you out for something special tonight.”
“I like the sound of that, though I didn’t know that you had resorted to bribery.”
“I will resort to anything that I have to do to get my way.”
She smiled at his answer because she knew quite well that he meant every word of it. Audra couldn’t manage to tell him no. She just didn’t have it in her, and she took his hand and ignored the wide grin on his face.
Audra slipped off with Neil. They had been married for months, but it still felt like they were on their honeymoon. She wondered if that feeling would ever go away and she hoped that it wouldn't. “You make everything so much better.”
With Neil, everything was so much better.
An hour went by before they turned back up. Frank had a big smile on his face because he knew where his brother was. He was happy for their love and he was even more pleased to see his brother happy after all this time. He had been wondering if Neil would ever find love.
There was another part of him that felt a little jealousy because of it. He had fallen a few times in the past and even had a couple of kids, but he didn't think he had ever loved anybody the way that Neil loved Audra. It was an enduring love that he hoped would stand the test of time. His marriage was another subject altogether.
At the same time, Frank wanted that for himself too. He didn't know where he was going to find it, but he was determined. He watched Neil change right in front of him, and Frank wondered if there was still a love story in his future. Or at least a rebound.
“It's time. You guys are going to have to keep your hands off of each other for a little while longer. We are introducing a new section of the club, and I want you to be here, next to me.”
Audra agreed, and she pulled her husband towards the second wing of the club. It was a big day for Neil because this was all his idea. Half of the people were there because of his new dragon care section and Audra wanted him to fully enjoy that. Neil liked to downplay what he did, but she wanted him to see another good thing he was doing.
“Come on, Neil, this is your moment.”
He waved her off because the last thing he wanted to do was make a speech.
He went and stepped next to his brother and waved at a few people in the crowd. He was nervous, and it showed on his face.
“You all know me as Frank’s little brother. It's been over a hundred years, and I am still that very thing. I was ecstatic when he took me on as his partner in this wonderful club. As this club has been around for a very long time and I hope that Dynasty will be around for centuries to come, I am honored to be a part of it. We are the only exclusive club on this side of Earth for only dragons. And now, we will take care of you all, in any form you come to us in.”
There was a loud whoop and holler from the rest of the people in attendance and Neil gave them a minute before he started talking again. He would never have imagined they would get this sort of response from his idea.
“And because of that, we wanted to make sure that this was a place for you all to come and rest your weary heads. And also, your scales. You have unique needs, and we are ready and willing to take care of all of them. As time goes on, we'll be taking suggestions and opening up new services for everyone to enjoy. For now, indulge and escape for just a while.�
�
“What about the humans?”
The room got quiet and everybody looked towards the elderly man who had spoken.
Neil took it all in stride and moved towards the aged man.
“Are you speaking of my wife?”
“No, I am speaking of the owner of this place. She is a partner, is she not?”
Neil agreed.
“Do you really think that it is wise for her to be in control of this place?”
There had been a lot of friction in certain groups of people because of Audra’s buy into the company, but Neil refused to listen to it. It was his brother's club, and he had brought him in. Frank had no problem with Audra being part of it, so none of the rest of it mattered.
“I would trust her with my life, and I have more than once. You are more than welcome not to come if it bothers you so much.”
“Do you know who I am?”
Neil told the man that he did.
“You fought with my father, and I appreciate your loyalty to him. However, it is a new time in history. Loyalty still matters, but family does even more. She is my wife and the mother of my child. I will not apologize for bringing her in. This is our business, and that is that.”
Another silence covered the room, and Frank wanted to smooth over the tension that had suddenly built. His brother was still quick to anger, no matter how long he had been around.
“And who says that my brother is the one with the people skills?”
Frank chuckled, and a few people joined him. He got a better response when he told them all to drink up because he was buying a round for the house.
Everyone exclaimed their enthusiasm, and the bar was rushed with people. Audra was no longer on the other side of it. She didn’t have to work in that way any longer, and she no longer worried herself with that sort of thing. She had enough to do managing the place, while Frank took some time off. She needed people behind her if she was going to be successful in his absence.
Several eyes went to her direction, and she tried her best to ignore it. Audra wasn’t used to all of the attention, and she wished more than once that she wasn’t subjected to it. She just wanted to blend in with everyone else.
