Dragon 2 Chapter 13 (Patreon)

The sound of somebody jogging towards us on the trail had everybody on edge. I watched carefully, still protecting Jadelyn.

Into the clearing barged a wide eyed Kelly in a skimpy dress. She looked like she was about to go out to the club. She slowed down, taking in the scene around.

“Oh, wow.” She said, her eyes looked up at me as the campfire reflected in her eyes. “He’s huge.”

“Yeah, and not shifting back.” Scarlett retorted, sounding a little annoyed at me.

“Look at him. He’s guarding her. Why is he guarding her?” Kelly asked, looking around and seeing the blood for the first time. Her eyes locked on something, and I followed her line of sight.

A single firefly blinked red. My brain got confused seeing the red. Focusing harder on it, I could make out a drop of blood coating it and tinting its light.

In the heat of the moment, I hadn’t realized how violent and bloody I’d been with the trolls.

“They were attacked by multiple swamp trolls.” Scarlett informed Kelly, leaving out vital details of the barrier spell.

Growling at Scarlett for leaving that out, I frowned. Something told me it was important.

“Look at him.” Kelly gestured to me. “Whatever happened, he doesn’t think it is safe for him to let go of her. You aren’t going to get him to shift back until he thinks it is safe.”

I nodded my head rapidly. Yes, Kelly. Tell them.

My mind was already catching back up. In the shock of my transformation and everything that had happened, my mind hadn’t focused on an important aspect.

How did anyone know to put that barrier spell here? That meant someone planned this; someone lured the trolls here and the only people that knew about this spot and our date were still in the clearing.

I let a low threatening growl rumble out of me as I turned towards Jadelyn’s security detail. Scarlett, Jadelyn and Kelly weren’t a concern. I trusted each of them.

But these others? I should just toast all of them to be safe.

“Stop.” Scarlett must have seen my intent, stepping and positioning herself between the detail and me.

I looked over at Jadelyn and used a claw to draw a circle in the dirt before pointing to the two of us and making two x’s inside the circle and then five dots.

She gasped, clearly catching up.

“Scar, we’ve been so wrapped up in the big guy. Who made the barrier?”

I could see Scarlett’s eyes dart back and forth rapidly as she thought through it. Then she cursed. “Everyone, guns down. We have a problem.” Scarlett turned back to me. “We’ll handle this. Do. Not. Kill. Them.”

Puffing smoke in her face, I disagreed with her strategy. Killing them was the smart option. It made sure we didn’t leave any loose ends.

“What’s going on?” Kelly asked.

Jadelyn explained. “We were attacked by swamp trolls, like Scarlett said.” Her eyes wandered to the blood on the ground. “But at the same time, a barrier spell went up around us, trapping Zach and I in with the five swamp trolls and keeping Scarlett and the others out.”

Kelly looked at the blood. “I’m gonna guess that is what’s left of five swamp trolls?” She turned back towards me. “And what’s hanging from his muzzle.”

It’s not a muzzle. It’s a snout. I growled and hovered over her.

Kelly put her hands up in surrender. “Sorry? Can’t he speak?”

I tried to tell her that, of course, I could, but it came out once again in a growling mess.

Kelly laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach. “Oh, this is great.”

While this was amusing, I was more interested in the security detail and which one had betrayed Jadelyn. Scarlett was already investigating, though, pulling them aside one by one.

My eyes roved over the security detail, and instinctively I could feel that something wasn’t right. There was something my draconic senses were picking up on that my human mind couldn’t. My mind seemed fast, but I knew I was processing more though my instincts than I was consciously.

I tried to puzzle through it, but I still couldn’t. I waited for Scarlett to finish interviewing each of her detail; it didn’t take long.

“This is my crew. There’s no one new. They are all vetted every two weeks. None of them are a problem.” Scarlett reassured me.

She was clearly trying to calm my dragon, but my instincts were telling me something else. I leaned into those instincts, letting them guide me as I eyed the group.

One of the detail in particular caught my attention, but for the life of me, I couldn’t have explained why.

“That one.” Kelly followed my focus.

“Can’t be. That’s Daryl. He’s been with us for eight years. His wife is friends with my father. There’s no way.”

My own sense of unease was growing as I glared at Daryl, looking for some sort of excuse.

These instincts had been right before, with Chad. I thought back to Jared and then even the hobo walking into this park.

Each time my instincts picked something up, and I ignored it, it came back to bite me. So I wasn’t about to do it again this time.

I growled, thinking over how to handle this.

Scarlett grabbed my chin and tried to pull me down. “Do not kill one of my men.”

Nudging her to the side, I towered over Daryl, getting his scent. He smelled like rotten flesh mixed with fear. The fear was to be expected, but what was that putrid smell clinging to him?

Jadelyn, still in my arms, took my concern more seriously. “Daryl, use your magic.”

I looked down, surprised. Something clicked. Skinwalker?

“He’s a siren like me. I want to see his magic; it’s a precaution in case there is an illusion on him.”

She wasn’t thinking skinwalker like I was, but the test would work just the same. I focused back on Daryl.

He held up his hands. “My magic is nothing like yours, Miss Scalewright. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

I growled; there was no reason for him to evade this if it saved him from suspicion and my jaws.

If he was the skinwalker, he’d now tried to attack Jadelyn twice. Once through Chad and his pack, and now again. Was he after Jadelyn?

My mate.

An angry growl threatened to erupt into a roar.

“Daryl, just use your damn magic before he causes more problems.” Scarlett demanded.

But instead of following her orders, Daryl backed up, looking over his shoulder.

“Daryl. Don’t run.” Scarlett warned, but it was no good. He turned, running at a dead sprint.

It was like a trigger for my instincts. I uncoiled around Jadelyn and pounced over the group. He had a dozen yard lead on me and ducked into the woods, like it would save him.

I was a predator on the hunt. The few small trees snapped like twigs as I crashed through them with two bounding strides. My claw catching him and knocking him to the ground. He was pinned under my claws like a mouse caught by a cat.

Things got interesting as his skin split and a naked man shot out, like a banana comically squeezed from its peel. Still on the ground, he spun up a magic circle in the air.

Scarlett’s face was lit up by the crackle of a stun gun as she slammed it into his neck just before I could catch him in my jaws. There was a sick satisfaction in watching him twitch and jerk to the clicking of the stun gun.

I snapped at his still body. He’d be done causing problems in my belly.

“Easy, Zach. We want to keep him for questioning.” She waved and two more men came forward. One grabbed him, cuffing the naked man, while the other stuck a syringe in his neck. “We’ll get what we can out of him.”

I huffed. Eating him would have been far more satisfactory, but I could see the logic in her move.

Jadelyn was by herself now, but now my instincts weren’t going crazy telling me to protect her.

“Are there more?” Scarlett asked.

I felt better, but there was no harm in double checking. Knowing what to look for this time, I sniffed, looking for the scent of rotten flesh on all the guards. I cleared them one by one before finally feeling like I was able to relax.

Kelly patted my side. “I think it is time for you to shift back.”

I tilted my head for her to continue.

“It’s pretty simple once the stress is gone. You seem comfortable enough. Now, just relax and let it slide away.”

Laying down on the ground and curling up like a massive kitten, I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

The beast was there, still riding along with my thoughts. I slowly pushed it away to float back to my chest.

Leaves and twigs prickled my side as I opened my eyes, finding myself naked in a forest with people who were the correct size surrounding me.

Kelly let out a soft whistle. Her eyes were focused between my legs. “Damn shame you won’t become my alpha.”

“I can always kill all your beta males if you’d like.” Chuckling, I pushed off the ground. The date had been more of an ordeal than I would have liked. So much for a relaxing picnic.

“No thanks. I kind of need them to have a pack.” Kelly clicked her tongue after giving it one last look.

“Offer stands.”

Kelly chuckled. “Glad to see you’re back. I’m going to call it a night. Please don’t come anywhere near my pack. I’ll work to get them off the idea of you.”

I didn’t miss that she referred to it as her pack in a way that still made me feel that she’d make a better alpha than most of the men.

“Thank you very much for your help.” Jadelyn interjected herself. “I apologize for disturbing your evening and then kicking you out. But we have some things we need to deal with.” Her torn clothing and the scar on her shoulder made me remember what I’d done.

I’d marked her as mine, and my dragon had done some sort of magic. I needed to get more information from Morgana right away about what it meant and how the magic worked.

Kelly didn’t mind and gave me a winking salute before running off into the darkness.

Scarlett was pulling her phone out of the bag and calling someone. I assumed it was her father by the way she spoke. “We had a problem, one of our own. Jadelyn was attacked on her date, but everything was resolved. We have the suspect out cold. Prep a cell for a magi, and we need a debriefing for my whole team.”

There was a curt affirmative on the other end of the phone before Scarlett hung up and looked at the rest of us. “Pack it up. We’re going back to the Scalewright manor. Each and every one of you is going to get interviewed. We need to understand how they got Daryl and clear everyone for duty.”

“When you are asked what happened.” She pointed to me. “What he is needs to stay between us. Do I make myself clear? Once we leave here tonight, even among yourselves or to me and Jadelyn, you don’t mention what he is. For purposes of debriefing tonight, you can describe what happened. He and Jadelyn were cut off from us by a barrier spell with five trolls. When the barrier came down, he had taken care of all five trolls, and Jadelyn was fine.

“He wants to keep what he is a secret, and you owe him at least that much. If it was any of us trapped in that barrier with Jadelyn, we would be dead. Any questions?” Scarlett finished her speech with her hands on her hips.

I kind of liked the authoritative, badass vibe she was putting out.

“He’s really a dragon? I thought they had wings.”

Not backing down, I spoke up, feeling just a small twinge of awkwardness standing there naked. “That was my hybrid form. I’m much bigger if I went full dragon.”

There were a few nervous gulps in the group.

“Any other questions?” Scarlett pushed.

“What do we say about Daryl? He was sniffed by a dragon and found out?”

Scarlett paused for a moment. “Just say Zach was able to detect it. Leave out all details pertaining to his paranormal species.” When there were no other questions, she clapped her hands. “Move out. Jadelyn stays with the big ugly, unless one of you thinks you can guard her better.”

Her eyes went back to my naked form. “Someone get him a spare pair of clothes too.”

In the end, one of the guards gave me a pair of sweats from his SUV and I found myself driving with Jadelyn in the car and four SUV’s hovering around me in traffic.

The street lamps strobed through the front windshield as we rode quietly in the car.

It was Jadelyn who spoke up first. “Thank you. For saving me, and for trusting me with what you are.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“You didn’t have to save me, and you could have killed the security team.” She trailed off before stating quietly, “You are a gold dragon. Who are we to try to tell you what to do?”

I glared at her out of the side of my eyes. “It seems what I am has changed how you talk to me.” That bothered me; it was exactly what I didn’t want.

“What you are demands respect.” She replied carefully.

“I’m still me. I’m the same guy you were just having a date with before you knew.” My hand tightened on the steering wheel and the leather creaked.

She paused for a moment, considering what I said. She let out a sigh as she nodded her head, seeming to realize she’d been treating me differently.

As her face softened, her hand began trailing along my thigh and her nails grazed me through the sweatpants. “Then where were we before the interruption?” Her voice had softened a bit. “Ah yes, I was explaining that a siren can’t lose her virginity until they are sure the man is the one for them. But, they can do other things.”

“Jade.” My voice carried a warning tone. “Don’t do this just because of what I am.”

Her nails dug into my thigh. “Listen up. This was going to happen before I learned you are one of the most powerful creatures in the world. Do you know how many times in my life I’ve second guessed someone’s friendliness for someone wanting me for my wealth?”

I opened my mouth to tell her that it was never about that, but she pushed on through.

“No. I know you didn’t give a crap about that. You didn’t know when you met me. At that point you were outside the whole sphere of the paranormal.”

“Then what?” I growled.

“Learn to trust yourself and make up your mind. I went on a date with you, and I was about to give you a blow job before I knew anything. Can you relax? Do you trust me that I’m not here for your gold scales?”

Blowing out a breath, I realized just how much I was planning to push her away once she knew. “Yeah. I can and I do.”

“Power is a burden.” She let her hands wander to the inside of my thigh again, and this time I was filled with anticipation as I started to tent in my pants. “I get it, but let me still be just a girl on a date with a guy that she really was hoping to hook with a great blow job.”

I relaxed in the seat as she worked to get us both back in the mood with soft touches. Breathy sighs escaped her as she felt the size of me.

Her fingers finally began undoing the tie to my sweatpants, pulling them down. I felt the cool air on my erection before she wrapped it in her warm, soft hand, pumping it gently. Her seatbelt clicked, and she crawled over the center console.

I couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful blonde as she bit her pink lips and her sapphire eyes drank me in hungrily.

“This only works if you can keep your eyes on the road.” She put a firm hand on my chin and turned my head back. “Plus, half the fun is watching you struggle not to be distracted.” Her head ducked down and the top of her head bobbed as she kissed along my hips and feathered the shaft with soft, fluttering kisses.

The anticipation was killing me, and I pushed my hips up to her. “You make it hard to focus.”

“Would you like me to stop?” Her voice was muffled as she spoke next to my skin.

“I’d like you to start.” One hand left the wheel and tangled with her hair, pushing her on my erection. I let my eyes dip for a moment as her lips wrapped about my cock and she drew me into her mouth. Her hand came up without looking and found my chin, pointing it back at the road.

A satisfied sigh forced its way out of me as I leaned back in the seat, enjoying her while I tried to focus on the road.

She started slowly at first, working herself up and down the shaft, her tongue licking the underside and finding a sensitive spot that made me gasp. Like a kid with a new toy, she ground her lips against that spot, licking and suckling at it until I couldn’t help myself and started thrusting up into her.

I banged her head against the steering wheel, but she didn’t stop. Instead, she grabbed my hips, trying to force them down as she continued to assault that one spot she’d found.

“Fuck.” I groaned. I wanted to do something rather than just receive.

Keeping one hand on the wheel, I slid the other down her back and around the curve of her ass until I found the faintly warm cleft of her sex. Even through her jeans, I could feel the heat. Something about that reassured me that she was into this and it wasn’t for show.

I used two fingers to apply pressure at the top, rubbing and stroking her clit through her jeans.

She formed a seal around my cock and drew me in deep before her throat vibrated with a moan that had me twitching and ready to blow. But she pulled back to look up at me and make sure my attention was still on the road. It was, despite how badly I wanted to pull over and take her right there.

Jadelyn wasn’t an experienced expert, but she made up for skill with enthusiasm as she bobbed wet and fast on my cock with wet slurping noises, wanting to drain me dry.

I had to stop rubbing her and brace with both hands on the wheel. “I’m cumming.”

She drew me deep into her mouth once again as I painted the back of her throat. My body relaxed in post sex bliss while she sucked and pumped the last bits out of me. I could feel her shiver against me as she took down my seed.

Coming up for air, she sat back with a satisfied smile as she tossed her hair and adjusted her top back to her carefully sculpted look. Somehow she managed to tame her post sex hair. “That was great. I wasn’t expecting just how pleasurable your seed was.”

“It was?”

“It’s magic.” She smiled and leaned against me. “Not quite as good as an orgasm, but pretty darn close. Not to mention, dragon seed supposedly does wonders for a para’s health.”

Her talking about it made me wonder if she wanted more, and I felt myself rise back again.

“Oh my. Already?” She shook her head. “No wonder Scarlett said you were insatiable.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, that’s part of why I wanted to do that before we even went on the date. I know about her needing a break, and I had to admit I was curious. And to be clear, it had nothing to do with you being a dragon. Just about a man I was interested in and I knew needed the release.”

I glanced over at her smiling, once again noticing the tear in her top and the scar underneath. “About that.” I nodded at the mark. “I’m sorry, but I think I went a little overboard.”

She moved aside the tear and looked at the pale scar that would have blended in with her skin if not for the hint of magic I could see in it. “I kind of like it. Feels like you marked me.”

“Pretty sure that is exactly what I did.”

Jadelyn shrugged. “I trust you.” It held more meaning than just the scar; it was also about what we talked about earlier. I wasn’t here for her money or any other ulterior motive.

The feeling was mutual; somehow our connection made me sure it wasn’t just about me being a dragon. “I trust you too.”

Pausing, I took a deep breath. “But now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what’s the plan when we get to your place? And help me prep for meeting your parents. I wasn’t prepared for that tonight.”

“Even a dragon is nervous meeting the parents.” She laughed. “Well, it will be intense. I have no doubt Scarlett and my fathers are going to descend on us like hawks and try to get to the bottom of the attack tonight. Be prepared. They aren’t going to be nice about it. And you’re one of the new variables, so they’ll probably be extra critical. Also, my mother is going to want to meet you. I’ll do my best to keep them both in check, but try not to kill my father?”

I laughed. “For you, I’ll do my best.” Taking the exit ramp, I followed the turns as Jadelyn pointed them out.

AN - Time to meet the parents. I'm sure that's not going to have any problems, right?