Dragon 2 Chapter 15 (Patreon)

Half an hour and several thousand questions later, Rupert and Detective Fox, and the girls came back into the room.

I’d just finished off another plate of food, stacking the empty plate on the leaning tower of dirty dishes that had accumulated. A maid swooped in, grabbing them and cleaning up my extensive meal.

“Please don’t stop there if you’re still hungry.” Claire doted on me. “Would you like some lobster?”

Both men eyed me with a mixture of annoyance and admiration. I doubted they’d seen many people eat eight full meals and still order more.

But the surprise fell off their faces, a scowl taking its place on Detective Fox’s face. “It’s time that we interview him as well.”

Scarlett’s tail bristled, and I knew she was a moment away from picking a fight with her father.

“No need.” Claire declared, patting me on the shoulder. “Zach here might as well be family. And I expect him to be treated as such.” She gave her husband a meaningful look.

I enjoyed watching Scarlett’s mouth drop open as she stood behind her father, but the expression on the two husbands was even better.

“You can’t be serious. This involved the safety of our daughter; we cannot leave any avenue unexplored.” Rupert quickly regained himself.

Jadelyn stepped forward and pulled me off the couch. “That’s right. As I said before, Zach saved me tonight. That alone should be enough for the both of you.” In front of both of their parents, she kissed me on the cheek and pulled away, blushing bright red.

I wrapped my arm around her and held her tight, the beast in my chest flaring up, prepared to fight for her.

Claire spoke first, cutting off the husbands. “Daughter, why don’t we wrap up for tonight. It’s been quite eventful, and I’m sure you could use some rest. Tomorrow, Ruby and I would like to have a conversation with you two.”

“Of course.” Jadelyn nodded, bolstered by her mother’s support.

Rupert glared at me, as if he was trying to figure out what magic I had worked on his daughter and wife. But I ignored him, wanting to know what they’d learned from the prisoner. “And the warlock? Did you get anything useful?”

Since neither of the men readily spoke, Scarlett jumped in. “He’ll still be unconscious for a few hours. Once he wakes up, he’ll get the works. But from the interviews, it sounds like Daryl’s daily habits shifted two days ago.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “Just in time for someone who might be coming to town for the Order of the Magi conference.” They looked at each other. Clearly they’d considered it, but hadn’t wanted to say it. “When you get more information, give me a call, Scar?”

“You’ll be the first call I make.”

“It isn’t unlike our family to have conflicts with the magi.” Rupert spoke up. “This needs to be handled delicately. This is not some mid-forest brawl with a few trolls.”

“Five.” Jadelyn clarified, and it sounded like it wasn’t the first time.

“Unfortunately, no one else saw all five, and there were no corpses.” Detective Fox and her father seemed unwilling to give me full credit, but that was fine. The fewer people puzzling about how I took down five trolls, the better.

Instead, I focused on the conference. Warlocks hadn’t seemed all that ostracized. “Warlocks seemed relatively accepted at the conference, but it sounds like that is new?”

“Yes. Only certain kinds of warlocks were condoned in the past.” Detective Fox made a distasteful expression. “It would seem that things have loosened up significantly since the last conference in Philly.”

Jadelyn explained. “All the way back to the beginning of magi. Warlocks, not only have those you would think of with dark rituals, demons and old gods. But those you might prefer to be called clerics or priests that worship angelics.”

I realized where she was going before she even got around to it. “The church. They employ warlocks.”

“The Church.” She agreed, saying the name with the same gravity that I’d heard every time someone mentioned the paranormal conflict back in the 17th century.

That added a new layer of complexity to all of this. It also explained why the Scalewrights wanted to handle this carefully. I would try to be more discrete, but if anyone comes after my mates, I wasn’t going to play nicely. “I understand.” I locked eyes with both of their fathers, conveying my feelings.

“Since it seems there’s nothing more to gain for now, why don’t you go home.” Rupert dismissed me, but his wife had another idea.

“Yes. I think our daughters should show you out.”

Jadelyn and Scarlett didn’t miss a beat. Each of them grabbed one of my arms and pulled me away from the tense parental situation. I wasn’t about to put up any resistance; I was happy to put some distance between us.

“Don’t worry. With mom on your side, he should lose most of his bite in a day or two.” Scarlett snuggled in close to me. Her smell of cloves and cinnamon wafted in the air, calming me.

“So, are you going to tell us what you did to our mothers?” Jadelyn asked.

I smiled down at her, shrugging. “They grilled me, but in the end, they said I couldn’t earn their blessing until I told them what I was. So I told them, but then they didn’t believe me. So...”

Jadelyn’s eyes went wide. “You showed them?”

I nodded. “My instincts told me they were trustworthy. I’m starting to trust my instincts more. And let’s face it, I needed their support or things were going to get much more tense with your fathers.”

“Thank you.” Jadelyn said, leaning against me. “I know you guard your secret. To share it with them for me and Scar means the world to me.”

“It does.” Scarlett’s tails happily beat against me.

We walked quietly through their home. I pretended not to notice the security around the house, who were watching us like hawks. I kept my senses open, but no other sign of a skinwalker presented itself.

Scarlett pecked me on the cheek to get my attention, and I turned to get a full kiss, but then I paused. I wasn’t sure how okay they were with me showing the other affection when we were all together.

“Good luck. I’ll give you two a moment.” Scarlett’s hand trailed off my arm, like she was reluctant to let go before she stepped away.

A guard pulled up with Morgana’s BMW and got out, giving Jadelyn and I one look before moving away and giving us some privacy.

“Was that okay? I’m new to the whole two girlfriends thing.”

“I’m your girlfriend now?” Jadelyn cocked an eyebrow.

As she trailed off, I thought briefly about what her mother had implied. Jadelyn might push past girlfriend in a hurry; I needed to get my mind wrapped around if I was ready for that yet. “I mean, after…”

She put a hand to my mouth. “Don’t say it.” Her eyes shifted to the guards at the front door. “But yes. Sorry, I just wanted to tease you. I’m happy to be your girlfriend. As for the kiss with Scar…”

“…It was different?” Jadelyn tried, after struggling to find the right words. “I didn’t hate it. Obviously, I knew it would happen eventually. But I can’t say I wouldn’t have rather it was me.”

I let my arms wrap around Jadelyn, pulling her close and tilting her chin up. “Like this?” Holding her tightly, I kissed her passionately, without a care for the guards watching.

She was hesitant at first before she threw caution to the wind and started shoving her tongue into my mouth and raking her hands through my hair like she couldn’t get enough of me. She held nothing back.

When we broke apart, I was breathing heavily, and feeling a little dazed by the raw passion she had exhibited.

I rubbed my messy hair and looked sheepishly to the guards, who were studiously focusing everywhere but at us.

“Thank you Zach. For the date, for saving me, and most importantly, not letting what you are get to your head. Unless you run to the ends of the earth, I want a second date.” She smiled, a joke on the edge of her lips. “Scratch that. Even then, I’ll hunt you down for that second date.”

I gave her one more kiss. “Until next time then.”

Getting into the BMW and driving away, I had a grin plastered on my face. Somehow, despite being attacked by a bunch of trolls and interrogated by my girlfriends’ mothers at the same time, I was giddy. I had two amazing budding relationships, and I was no longer as freaked about dating multiple women. I couldn’t wait for that next date.

***

As I pulled into Morgana’s garage at Bumps in the Night, I pulled out my phone to find a number of texts.

Sabrina offered some answers to what she’d been able to find out tomorrow, saying it was too much to text.

Easy enough.

Morgana’s, however… I skimmed through the multitude of references about me getting it on with Jadelyn.

After rolling my eyes, I texted back. ‘You must have not had any trolls tonight; you seem bored. I’m back from the date.’

She shot back immediately. “Down at stage three.”

I locked up the car, proud that I had brought this one back in one piece.

I wasn’t surprised she was prowling her club since the trolls were light that evening. It was her business, and she was always snooping around, making sure she knew everything that went on within it.

Bumps in the Night was not only a fancy restaurant early in the night, but it descended down several layers, each one increasing in its depravity. I was glad she was only at the third stage. I wasn’t going back down to the fifth stage.

The first level housed dinner and live music until the lights went down. Then, the tables were cleared for a dance floor. The second was EDM music on a dark dance floor. And the third, well, Morgana called it a burlesque show, but it was a black light lit room with a number of stations for women to dance around a crowded dance floor.

Music pumped loudly enough to give everyone that feeling of privacy, while more than a few drug deals happened.

It was clean enough, only the relatively recreational drugs. Morgana made sure of it.

Down on the fourth floor… well, I wasn’t likely to go back down there.

When I entered the third floor and tried to scan for Morgana, it was understandably hard. A blue elf should stick out like a sore thumb, but here under the blacklights, no one noticed.

Try as I might, I couldn’t spot Morgana’s silver hair. It usually lit up like a beacon under these lights. After several minutes, I grew bored, and the center stage caught my attention.

I sighed. I should have looked there sooner.

Morgana was strutting back and forth on the stage in nothing but garters and a corset. Her hair expertly covered the tips of her ears and under the blacklights, she looked like a tan woman with blindly bright blonde hair. I could tell what she was at first glance, but I assumed others that didn’t know what she looked like must gloss over the details.

Her lithe, graceful form pranced around on the stage, and her alien, elven face struck me as beautiful, but different. She grabbed the center pole and leaned back, her eyes finding me in the crowd instantly.

The smirk on her face told me she was having fun as she showed off her flexibility to the hooting and hollering of the dancing crowd below.

I rolled my eyes, and she bent off the pole, doing a somersault that got the crowd going. She ended her dance, leaning against another pole as she popped off one of the clasps holding her stockings and slowly, sensually ran a finger under them, teasing them down.

I had to admit that I wasn’t immune to her show. Most men would notice her and have trouble looking away. But I didn’t want to see Morgana that way, so I grabbed a drink at the bar, on the house, and wandered over to Morgana’s favorite corner. I parted the thin chain that somehow everyone in the rowdy crowd respected.

She watched me go and only danced to the end of the song before strolling off stage, another performer taking her place.

As she walked through the crowd, bodies turned. Everybody’s attention still locked on her until she slid down into the booth beside me.

“You didn’t take your siren for a spin all night long?” She teased, getting comfortable next to me. It was quiet in this corner, though I was unsure if that was magic or the engineering of the foam padding around us.

“And I thought you’d be out hunting trolls.”

Morgana shrugged before signaling for one of her servers to get her a drink. She sat back, popping the laces on her corset which had been even too tight for her. “Nothing tonight.” She accepted a flute of dark liquid, likely her favorite blood, from a server as dancers started to crowd the table.

With the chain gone, it seemed this space was open season.

“So, how was the date? Did your little princess love the great outdoors?” Morgana cut to the chase. She was one of the few people in my life that I could confide everything in, both normal and paranormal.

“It was great; she loved it.” I stared out.

“Of course. You kept her off her game. Took her out of her natural habitat of nice diners and fancy parties. It was smart. You said you were making… hobo dinners? Ha. I wanted to see her eat like a homeless person.” Morgana laughed and relaxed, savoring her drink.

“Just because it’s called a hobo dinner doesn’t mean it is what homeless people make. It’s a common camping meal though. She loved it, though we didn’t get to eat more than a bite.” I had fun leading into the big reveal of the trolls, but was cut a bit short by Morgana leaning over and sniffing next to my shirt collar.

“You smell different. And not just because you had a lovely lady with you tonight. You smell… fantastic.” Her eyes glowed red in the darkness for a moment before she pulled back and downed her entire glass.

Unlike the refined Morgana I was used to, she made a jerking gesture to a server and held up three fingers. He was back in a flash with two glasses and another flute. I watched Morgana down the two glasses and wave away the waiter.

“What was that?”

“Tell me what happened.” Her casual demeanor was gone.

She didn’t seem in the mood for story time, so I cut to the chase. “Trolls attacked us, warlock trapped Jadelyn and I. I went full hybrid transformation, and then I tore apart five trolls.” I gave her the short highlights.

I wondered if doing my full hybrid shift had changed my scent?

“Is everyone okay?”

“One of their security team is dead, but the warlock was wearing his skin.”

She frowned. “Sounds like you are going to end up going down the rabbit hole after this one.”

“Damn right I am.” I growled.

Morgana leaned in again and sniffed at my neck. “It must be a side effect of your transformation. Your blood smells heavenly. Smelling you makes me hungrier than you can imagine. I’ll have to stay topped off, otherwise you might tempt me.” She gave a dark chuckle and leaned back against the leather booth. “So it was an eventful night. You had a nice date and got your full hybrid form. Roaring success.”

She took another big sip. “So, did you two celebrate after? Make it to first base?”

Rolling my eyes for her own satisfaction, I gave her the more detailed play-by-play of the night. She asked a few questions, but mostly listened.

“She gave you a blow job, didn’t she?” Morgana teased. Apparently, I wasn’t doing a good enough job hiding it after my third drink. “Ha! I knew it.”

“You didn’t tell me sirens can’t go all the way.”

“Yes. They have that nasty little problem. But don’t worry, when you bag her for good, it will be totally worth it.” She took a sip of blood. “How I wish I could get one for myself.”

“Care to share?”

“No, I’m told it is one of those things you just have to experience to fully understand. Besides, where would be the fun of ruining the surprise?”

“I’d have to get married for that. Knowing what I’m getting into would be nice.”

Morgana leaned against me. “Don’t be like that. It isn’t as if this is the end. You’ll have dozens of weddings for your bevvy of beauties.”

I raised my eyebrows at dozens, nearly spitting up my drink. “I just got used to two, Morgana.”

She ignored me, continuing on. “And I’ll get to host all the bachelor parties.”

“What?”

She gestured around at the club. “Who do you know that would give you better bachelor parties? Not to mention, you haven’t really made friends broadly in the para world.”

About to argue back, I realized that she wasn’t entirely wrong. Frank and Maddie were my best friends, but since I’d learned I was a dragon, I’d been distant from them. And it would be hard to explain to them that I was getting married to a Siren and possibly a Kitsune at the same time.

“Fine. You can plan my bachelor's party. IF there is one.”

Morgana rubbed her hands together greedily.

For now, I was just going to try to roll with it. Despite my still very human upbringing, I was a dragon and was always meant to be a dragon. I’d struggled most of my years before finding out fighting the instincts that roared, sometimes literally, inside of me. It was nice to finally be able to follow them.

Morgana’s eyes flicked past me as I felt someone drunkenly lean up against me.

Our booth had steadily been encroached upon, and this wasn’t the first of the night. But something about this one put Morgana on edge. I could feel my new neighbor rub up against me, and the humid breath of someone’s mouth close to my neck.

Before I realized what happened, Morgana was there, grabbing a woman’s throat and pulling her off me. Morgana dragged the woman by the throat to be only inches away from her own face. “Am I invisible?”

The frightened girl shook her head. “N-no.”

Morgana hissed and showed off her fangs. “It sure seemed like you were ignoring me. Coming in and trying to nibble at someone sitting with me?”

That’s when I realized what was going on. This was another vamp in attendance in Morgana’s club.

“Sorry, he just smelled so good. Won’t happen again.” The vampire promised.

“It better not.” Morgana punctuated the threat by snapping the vamp’s neck and tossing her out of the booth. A server came and grabbed the vamp under the arms, hauling her out like an overly drunk patron. She’d recover; I’d seen Morgana recover from worse.

“Was that necessary?” I asked.

“I think you need to be a little more careful with how you smell now. Wouldn’t want you surrounded by hungry vampire hussies.” Morgana lifted her drink with a smile before she draped herself over my lap. “Better yet, let me ward them off.”

I ignored the tightness in my pants at having her on my lap, focusing on my drink instead. But what really bothered me was feeling my beast flare up protectively over her. I grumbled back at him, telling him this one wasn’t going to happen. He already had two women we needed to figure things out with. But the beast continued to push.

Morgana wiggled a little, and I wondered if she knew and was messing with me. “You’re not making a move are you, Morgana?” I did my best to try to keep it light.

“Of course not.” She batted her lashes before a smirk spread across her face. “Besides, you couldn’t handle me. And I don’t want to get hooked on that tasty blood of yours.”

I nodded, not entirely convinced. But for now, I’d just ignore it and enjoy the night. Morgana wasn’t one to shy away from what she wanted, so there was no need to over analyze.