Protector of Dragons

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Protector of Dragons

ISBN: 978-1-77111-875-0

Cover art by Carmen Waters

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Prologue

215 BC

Jiang dug his claws in the sand as he stood behind his dragon shifter brethren, right
where they told him to be. He could barely see the emperor over their broad shoulders.
His fellow dragons had formed a semi-circle around Jiang to keep him from harm. They
always watched out for him. Jiang blinked back tears. Despite their care, this would
probably be the end of them all.

A heavy pall weighed him down, as if the little magic he possessed had been

suppressed  beneath  a  heavy  curtain  and  smothered  around  him.  Jiang  shivered  at  the
unpleasant  sensation.  As  the  youngest  of  the  Chinese  water  dragons,  Jiang’s  tribe
protected him as well as they could, but there was no way to hide from Emperor Qin Shi
Huangdi. It turned out there was also no way to fight him. Huangdi had burned down
their  homes,  tortured  innocent  people  for  information  and  wiped  the  minds  of  the
humans until the once revered dragons were now considered little more than creatures
of  fantasy.  Huangdi  even  wore  the  dragon  on  his  clothes  as  a  symbol  of  his  complete
domination over their kind.

His hatred for Huangdi tasted bitter on Jiang’s tongue, an unpleasant flavor only the

emperor’s death could erase. He wished for one wistful moment he had been born a fire
dragon. Those beasts could have turned the emperor into ash. Sadly he was born into the
wrong caste for pyrotechnic tricks, and no doubt the emperor had sorcerers to counter
those spells too.

Holding back a whimper, Jiang tried to remain strong. He trusted Zhou, his leader, to

do what was best for them even in this helpless situation. Bowing down to Qin Shi
wasn’t an option. The emperor didn’t care about loyalty or sacred dragons. He only cared
about power, how he could build it and where he could steal it. Whether the dragons
caved in to his demands or not, Huangdi would have his way.

Zhou shouted at the emperor. “You cannot destroy us! No matter what you do, we will

continue our fight!”

Big words in a desperate situation, too bad Zhou was bluffing. The emperor had

already proven he could take out the dragons with his powerful team of sorcerers. The
five of them—Jiang, Zhou, Liang, Tian and Wei—were the last remaining water dragons
willing to take a stand. The others had either swum off to sea or died beneath the
emperor’s iron fist.

Jiang hadn’t seen sign of any other dragon in years. Were they it? Were they the last

remaining dragons? Only five dragons stood in the middle of the Taklimakan desert, a
handful of beasts soon to find their death in the grip of a mad emperor. Jiang’s life had
been one of fighting and hardship, why should his death be within a sea of calm? Years
from now archeologists would find dragon bones among the dinosaur fossils and wonder
how they came to be. Jiang smiled sadly at his own imagination.

The emperor smirked, an evil expression on an already unpleasant man. “My sorcerers

will take care of your feeble attempts to ruin my destiny. Without you, the others will fall
in line. Without the dragons there will be no more resistance or reason for hope. I will
give you one last chance. Serve me or become an example of the power I wield.”

Jiang held back a whimper. Even if Zhou agreed, he knew the emperor wouldn’t let

them go. He couldn’t chance the dragons coming back to ruin him. Huangdi wasn’t the
type to leave an enemy behind. He’d scorched entire towns to avoid that fate. Jiang
lowered his head and braced himself for death. How had the emperor brought them so
low with only a handful of sorcerers under his command?

“We refuse to join your cause!” Zhou challenged. Even now, in their final hours, Jiang

never doubted Zhou’s leadership. The eldest and strongest among them, Zhou had led
them well. It wasn’t the dragon shifter’s fault that the deranged emperor didn’t follow
the rules of combat. No compassion existed in Huangdi’s eyes—instead, madness had
taken root and spread to all those who followed him.

Even if they wished to stop the fighting, there would be no peace. The emperor would

never  rest  until  he  bent  them  all  to  his  will.  Jiang  shook  off  his  melancholy  and
straightened his shoulders. If he died today, he’d go with dignity. Zhou’s scales reflected
the  sun  above  them,  a  glowing  figure  of  righteousness  even  to  the  end.  Pride  spread
through  Jiang.  He  would  go  to  the  afterlife  with  his  brothers  in  arms  and  be  proud  of
what they’d accomplished.

Without warning Zhou lashed out at the men around him. His tail caught the cheek of

the closest sorcerer and sliced it open. Blood splashed on the sand, a crimson exclamation
mark. The sorcerer clutched his cheek but quickly seared the wound closed with a flash
of magic.

Huangdi had escaped the attack but fury filled his voice as he screamed at the

sorcerers. “Contain him!”

Ropes slithered from the lead sorcerer’s hands and lashed around Zhou’s ankles,

pinning him in place. Zhou roared out his anger.

Tears welled up in Jiang’s eyes. To see his leader subdued saddened him. He’d prefer

they killed Jiang first so he wouldn’t have to see his friends die before him.

“My sorcerers will destroy you!” Huangdi’s voice rose to a strident scream. Some

claimed the emperor stood on the edge of madness. Jiang knew Huangdi had been
pushed off that cliff years ago. Why else would he wage a battle to take out an entire
species for the sake of saying he could? The dragons had lived in peace for centuries until
Huangdi decided to hunt them like prey.

“Do what you will,” Zhou growled. “You cannot win. There will always be those who

fight back against the whip of insanity you wield.”

For them, the war was over. As soon as they’d landed the emperor had taken them

hostage. His sorcerers’ spell had bound them to the earth, preventing the dragons from
accessing their magic to fly. Jiang saw Zhou struggle against the bonds enough to move
his feet and tail, but Jiang knew that even if he could escape, Zhou wouldn’t leave them
behind. Zhou’s noble spirit prevented him from abandoning the lesser dragons like Jiang.

Huangdi’s mocking laughter pulled Jiang’s attention back to the emperor. The chilling

noise did little to allay Jiang’s fears that he was seeing the last few minutes of his life.

When the sorcerers laughed along with Huangdi, Jiang wished he could blast them with
a torrent of waves, but miles lay between them and the closest body of water.

The emperor had planned his strategy well when he’d picked his spot to battle water

dragons. The middle of the Taklimakan Desert contained little liquid in its depths. For
water dragons, the arid desert held no defense. Even Zhou could only call miniscule
drops of water through the filter of crushed rock beneath them, certainly not enough to
create a proper attack or break the sorcerers’ spell.

With no way to fight with their magic and unable to move enough to use claws or tail,

they were trapped. Dragons in front of Jiang wiggled restlessly trying to break free of
their captivity. They couldn’t go far, but standing still to accept their fate went against
their nature.

The hum of sorcerer magic crackled around him as if electrifying the very air. Jiang’s

ears  ached  from  the  pressure  of  power  pushing  down  on  them.  The  sorcerers  were
ensuring  the  dragons  couldn’t  break  free  at  the  last  minute—Jiang  only  wished  he  had
that  strength.  He  shivered  from  the  electrical  sparks  crawling  up  his  spine.  A  soft
whimper escaped him as his limbs stiffened. He didn’t wish to appear weak in front of
his enemy, but fear had sunk into his gut with poisonous claws. He futilely tried to move
his tail.

Useless.
Huangdi nodded to his sorcerers, then climbed up on his camel. His officers mounted

beside him. “Goodbye, dragons. I’d say you put up a good fight, but mine was better.
Since you refuse to give me your power of immortality I have no further use for you.”

Were the rumors true? Had Huangdi killed dragons before to drink their blood and

gain their magic? It must not have worked, if he was ready to destroy the handful that
remained.

Jiang growled, the only sound he could make. No other part of him could move. His

limbs had stopped following his wishes and his paws had curled into tight balls until he
couldn’t even twitch. Petrified, he could only watch as the emperor rode away.

The lead sorcerer, his face wound an angry red, approached Zhou. Jiang watched as a

surprisingly tender expression crossed the sorcerer’s face. He stroked a hand over Zhou’s
snout. “The emperor holds our families hostage to bend us to his will. However, even the
proud can only bend so far before they break. I’ve adapted his spell to transform you into
stone. The enchantment can only be broken with the blood of a vampire and the
resurrection of a dragon king’s line. Then you will be free.” The sorcerer slid an
affectionate finger across Zhou’s nose.

Jiang suspected if Zhou were free he would’ve bit that finger.
“You might not believe me now, but one day you will break out of this enchantment.

Then you can take your revenge. Be strong, my brave dragon. One day we will meet
again.”

The sorcerer’s tone indicated he looked forward to that day. Jiang didn’t think he

should. Zhou didn’t have a reputation for leniency toward people who crossed him.
Once freed, the dragon would hunt down those guilty of imprisoning them and make
them sorry.

Still, hope grew in Jiang’s chest despite the dour outlook. The sorcerers weren’t going

to  kill  them  even  if  an  eternal  existence  as  a  statue  sounded  like  a  special  living  hell.
Freedom might never come. While vampires were quite common, no one had heard from
any  of  the  dragon  kings  in  centuries.  Stories  were  told  of  them  going  to  sleep  in  the
deepest  sea,  tired  of  the  world  of  man.  How  long  could  it  take  for  a  king  to  awaken?
What if none of them ever did?

Further fears crowded his mind. What happened if they broke? Stone could shatter.

Would the wind wear them down year after year until there were only bits of them
remaining? How would that feel? Would they feel it at all? Not to mention how would a
vampire find them in the middle of the desert. They tended to stay away from the
scorching sun. No, there was no way they would ever escape from this. Jiang knew he’d
be a stone dragon until his body gave way to the erosion of time.

A tear dripped down his scaly face. He blinked and his lashes froze on the upswing.

Chapter One

Modern Day

Jiang watched the vampire slide a bloody hand across one of the foo dogs. Even with that
tiny  bit  of  blood  he  could  feel  the  spell  beginning  to  dissolve.  The  sorcerer  had  spoken
the truth, a fact Jiang had begun to doubt after centuries of stillness. He’d long ago begun
to  suspect  the  unknown  sorcerer  had  given  them  false  hope.  However,  even  with  the
vampire’s  blood,  they  still  needed  the  rebirth  of  a  dragon  king  to  complete  the
destruction of the spell.

The sorcerers must have been extremely powerful to keep their spell going over the

years. After petrifying the dragons, the sorcerers had eventually added a pair of guardian
foo dogs and four Chinese phoenixes called fenghuangs to their collection.

Jiang didn’t know why, but the sorcerers who’d conducted the spell had smuggled the

dragons out of the desert, probably to save themselves in case the emperor learned of
their deception. Hiding a group of stone dragons, even in the desert, couldn’t have been
easy.

They spent several decades in a remote Buddhist temple before the sorcerers

transferred them to a museum, then finally to a Chinese themed playhouse in Seattle.

He’d wondered occasionally why they kept everyone together when surely it would’ve

been easier to stash a dragon here and there instead of in a group. Jiang figured it was
probably simpler for the sorcerers to keep track of them if they transferred them all to the
same location. It had been several years since they’d last seen the sorcerers. Were they
even still around, or had all the sorcerers died off?

Anticipation shivered across Jiang’s skin. For the first time in centuries he could feel a

slight sensation of air across his scales. For a second he thought one of the fenghuang
blinked an eyelash and a foo dog wiggled a paw. Excitement pulsed through him. They
might almost be free.

We just need a dragon king to come back now.

Zhou’s voice whispered through Jiang’s

mind.

He agreed but doubted they would get so lucky. The odds of any of the dragon kings’

lines returning were slim. After all these centuries without a sign of the royals or any
other kind of dragon, Jiang often suspected they were the last of their breed. Perhaps the
royals had gone deep into the sea, never to be found again. If any dragon king dared to
come find them, Jiang had a few choice words for him.

He sent out magical feelers toward the others. Jiang still couldn’t turn his head or blink

his eyes, but over the years they’d grown connected to each other, and he could sense his
dragon friends and sometimes hear their thoughts if they projected hard enough.

Telepathic communication could be a blessing and a curse. After the first millennium

the fenghuangs had gone insane, the foo dogs’ grasp of reality was fading and the other
dragons had grown bitter and angry. Zhou tried to keep their spirits up and encourage
them to not abandon hope. Jiang depended on Zhou to keep him from the dark abyss

that tried to grab him and pull him down into the depths of depression and madness.

Whether the vampire’s accident would turn out to be a good thing for the dragons or

not would take time to determine. Hope could be the soul killer. The ability to feel a
fraction might be the final step in pushing Jiang into insanity.

Be steady, little one.

Zhou’s deep voice rolled through Jiang like a warm hug. The older

dragon was like a big brother to Jiang. Jiang would always be grateful for Zhou’s calm
manner throughout this entire ordeal even if they never escaped.

Music started up again. Jiang wished he could sigh, but that much motion couldn’t

happen while he remained stone, even with his newfound eye twitching ability. Besides,
he enjoyed the plays—they were far superior to the monk chanting they had endured for
decades. Their trip from China to the United States had been frightening but they’d
remained in their current spot for almost a hundred years now.

Despite Jiang’s concerns, none of them had been chipped. The spell keeping them in

stone had also rendered them indestructible. Jiang would almost prefer mortality rather
than to experience this eternal perfection. At least if he were stabbed he’d know he was
alive.

Once again, as it had for the past centuries, Jiang’s mind drifted to the other dragons.

Had any of them survived? And if so, why did they never try to find Jiang and the other
water dragons? The same questions rolled around and around in his head until he
worried they would become a loop in his brain that he could never escape.

A few days passed.
No dragon king appeared to finish the job of saving the dragons from their stone

prison or even wander by to say hello. Hope left without even a whisper goodbye.

Ow.
Pain radiated through Jiang. A loud humming noise echoed in his ears, pierced

through his eardrums and vibrated his bones with a teeth-gritting intensity.

What the hell?
What was happening? Instead of the washed out colors he’d seen for so many years

he’d lost count, the world turned bright, vibrant and too much. An ominous snap was the
last noise Jiang heard before he plummeted to the ground, screaming.

* * * *

“Aden, love, have you seen my green cardigan?”

Aden Gale continued to look through the telescope as his mate, Gallen Theos, entered

the  room  and  came  to  stand  beside  him.  The  spicy  fragrance  of  cinnamon  and  cloves
wafted  through  the  air.  Aden  hadn’t  told  Gallen,  but  the  last  few  days  he’d  been  a  lot
more  sensitive  to  smell.  Whatever  had  happened  when  they’d  officially  mated  had
changed  Aden  in  strange  ways.  He  hadn’t  shared  that  information  with  his  lover  yet,
worried he’d upset Gallen. The sorcerer tended to fret if anything happened to Aden.

“Your sweater is in the hall closet.”
“Thanks. What are you watching for? Orcas?”
“No,” Aden replied, trying to focus the telescope a bit more. He thought for a moment

he’d caught sight of something in the water. Where had that dragon gone? Aden’s
instincts told him the large beast hadn’t vanished but only temporarily gone into hiding.
At night, Aden had begun to dream of dragons flying through the air.

Sometimes he was one.
Gallen slid his fingers through Aden’s hair. Sighing, Aden tilted his head back into his

mate’s touch.

Aden turned to face Gallen. His beautiful mate watched him with wide wary eyes.

Aden’s initial resistance to their mating had left a rift in their bond he didn’t know how
to  cross.  He’d  never  cared  about  a  romantic  relationship  before.  Raising  his  boys  and
watching  out  for  their  safety  had  taken  importance  over  finding  a  love  interest  of  his
own. With his dangerous career, he’d kept others at a distance and taught Carey and his
friends  how  to  protect  themselves.  Some,  like  Harris,  had  the  natural  ability  with  their
shifter  strength,  but  Aden’s  son  had  learned  to  be  deadly  without  the  added  benefit  of
supernatural powers.

“Why do you hesitate to touch me? You know I’m yours.” Aden didn’t talk about his

emotions much, he didn’t know how, but Gallen awakened a softer side of him like no
man ever had before.

Gallen smiled, but it held little joy and more self-deprecation than anything. “I don’t

want you to think I’m too clingy. I went from my father’s house, to unconscious in a
sleeping spell, to your place.” Gallen’s cool blue eyes darkened with emotion.

“Hey,” Aden tipped Gallen’s chin up with his index finger, tilting his head perfectly

for a kiss. “Never be afraid of rejection from me. I’m a moody bastard, but I’m your
moody bastard.”

There, if that didn’t scream undying love, then he just didn’t have it in him. He

ignored the little voice pointing out he could do better. Gallen knew they were mated,
what more did he need?

“I don’t want you to think I’m only with you for the sex.” Gallen’s cheeks flushed.
Aden couldn’t resist the temptation to tease. “I can’t tell you how much I enjoy the

idea of being your sex toy.”

Gallen stepped closer. “Yeah.”
“Absolutely.” Aden wrapped his arms around Gallen’s waist then spun them around

until Gallen’s back pressed against the cool window. “How could I resist my gorgeous
mate?”

The man could’ve been on a recruiting poster for sorcerers. Who wouldn’t want to join

a coven with a stud like Gallen in the mix? Aden’s erection pressed against his zipper. He
never went fully down with Gallen beside him. His mate’s pheromones acted like an
aphrodisiac of the strongest kind.

“I need you, my mate,” Gallen whispered in Aden’s ear.
“Then you should have me.” He’d never deny his lover anything. Gallen might be too

young for him, but the fates had matched them together, and who was he to argue with
destiny?

Aden kissed Gallen. A simple meeting of lips shouldn’t cause an earthquake-sized

craving inside. Gallen’s moaning did little to help him keep control. Aden pinned Gallen

against the window, his wrists captured in Aden’s hard grip.

Small noises vibrated between their lips. Soft, needy sounds Aden fed on like an

incubus, sucking up Gallen’s desire with kisses and swipes of his tongue as if he could
taste Gallen’s passion and absorb it for his own needs.

Gallen melted beneath Aden’s dominant demands. The sharp edges of Aden’s desire

sliced through his control. “Bedroom,” he growled, his voice rougher than ever before.

“Yes, sir.” Gallen waited for Aden to release him before he rushed ahead of Aden back

to their bedroom.

Aden’s fingers burned. Jerked out of his perusal of Gallen’s ass, he examined his hands.

Nothing appeared different. Frowning, he followed his mate, dismissing his body’s
strange behavior as something to be concerned with later. Now he had more important
things to do.

The sight that greeted him when he entered the bedroom almost had him tripping over

his feet. He hadn’t thought he’d paused that long, but Gallen had stripped down and lay
naked and gorgeous on top of their comforter.

“Damn, I must’ve been a good boy in a previous life.” He sure as hell hadn’t been a

saint in this one.

Gallen’s eyes glowed with affection. “Maybe I’ve been good and you’re my reward.”
Aden laughed. “I think you could’ve done better.”
Luckily he hadn’t been wearing shoes, so he didn’t need to fumble with any

unnecessary laces. Stripping off the rest of his clothes took a matter of seconds. He slid
onto the mattress beside his mate.

“I wouldn’t change a thing.” Gallen’s heartfelt declaration warmed Aden.
He responded by kissing his mate again. Gallen’s soft lips were slick from their

previous embrace. Wetness slid across Aden’s mouth. He sipped at the moisture.

Unable to resist the allure of Gallen’s naked skin, he skimmed his palms across his

mate’s slim form. His sorcerer had little body fat compared to Aden and a lot less mass.
At his age, Gallen was probably still growing into his slim form. Aden had several years
on his mate. He worried sometimes that they were a generational gap too far apart, but
Gallen assured him that feeling would fade over time.

Aden winced when his rough hands caught on Gallen’s fine skin. “Am I scratching

you?”

“Yes, do it some more.”
Encouraged, Aden continued to map out the dips and valleys of his lover’s body.

Although they’d been together months now, he never tired of touching Gallen. Each
time they made love he craved Gallen more. If he didn’t know they were mates, he’d
worry Gallen had placed him under a spell.

“Where’s the lube?” Aden asked. They had several tubes and bottles stashed around

the condo, but they often got misplaced in the heat of passion.

Gallen slid a hand beneath his pillow and brought it back out with a small plastic

bottle. “Got it.” He gleefully handed it over.

Aden kissed him his thanks. The next several minutes were taken up with kissing as

they became more involved with tangling tongues and tasting then progressing their

lovemaking forward.

When Aden lifted his lips, Gallen stayed still, waiting for Aden to do whatever he

wanted. Instead of another kiss, Aden cupped Gallen’s face between his palms. “Never
doubt that I’m happy to be your mate.”

Gallen’s eyes glowed with pleasure. He turned his head to kiss Aden’s hand. “I’m

happy to be yours too. Now fuck me.”

Aden grinned. “I like a man who knows what he wants. Roll over. I want to take you

hard and I want you comfortable.”

Without protest Gallen flipped onto his stomach.
Aden shoved a pillow beneath Gallen’s hips. “Ready?”
Gallen nodded.
Stroking a hand down Gallen’s back Aden watched the play of muscles beneath his

hand. Gallen shivered from his touch. Smiling, Aden straddled Gallen’s legs. He kissed
the back of his mate’s neck and watched the bumps pop up across his shoulders. Aden
slid his cheek down Gallen’s spine.

“Oh, fuck,” Gallen whispered.
Aden hadn’t shaved yet that morning, and the bristle on his face scraped against his

mate’s sensitive flash. He continued to move down Gallen’s back until he reached the
round orbs of the sorcerer’s ass.

“Please, Aden.” Gallen’s words were barely audible.
Aden pressed a kiss to each butt cheek before popping the lube cap open. The

surprisingly loud sound had Gallen wiggling. Aden slapped his ass.

“Stay still.”
Gallen froze. “Will you do that again later?”
“Maybe, if you’re good.”
Slicking up his fingers Aden prepared his mate for his entry. He didn’t bother being

too cautious—he knew from experience that Gallen could easily take him. Aden quickly
moved from one finger to two, making sure to bump against Gallen’s prostate when he
slipped inside.

“Oh, right there. Right there!” Gallen bucked against Aden’s finger, rubbing himself

against the pillow in his desperate need for friction.

“Easy, babe, don’t go off before I get inside you.” Aden needed to feel Gallen tight

around him.

“I’m ready.” Gallen turned his head giving Aden a desperate, pleading expression.

“Please.”

Aden applied more lube to his cock before lining up and pressing the weeping tip

inside. He’d been leaking pre-cum since he saw Gallen lying on the bed. His mate
relaxed, allowing Aden to push inside with little resistance.

“You feel so good.” Words had never been his strong point, but he tried to let Gallen

know how amazing he felt wrapped around him.

Gallen pushed back against Aden. “More.”
“Easy, there’s no fire. We don’t need to rush.” As soon as the words passed his lips a

burning, aching sensation flashed across Aden’s chest. The dragon mark, left by Gallen’s

bonding, glowed blue for a moment before fading again.

“Is there a problem?” Gallen turned his head to try and glimpse Aden over his

shoulder.

“No. Sorry.” Aden had stopped moving when he’d been distracted by the dragon. No

way would he admit to having any problems with his mating mark. Gallen had enough
guilt over creating it.

Instead, Aden focused on making love to his mate. He gripped Gallen’s hips to steady

his balance and get the right amount of traction. Seated fully inside his beautiful sorcerer,
Aden pulled out slowly, only to snap his hips in again. After a few tries he developed an
amazing rhythm that had both of them making noises loud enough Aden knew his
investment in soundproofing had been worth every penny.

It didn’t take long before Gallen groaned and shuddered beneath him. When the

sorcerer clenched around him, Aden poured his essence into his mate and collapsed
against Gallen’s sweaty back.

“I need a shower,” Gallen muttered into the bedding.
Aden groaned. With careful movements he slid out of his mate and toppled beside

him.

Gallen smacked Aden on the stomach. “Come on, mate, you can help scrub me then we

can come back and change the sheets.”

“Wow, the fun never ends.” Aden rolled his eyes at Gallen’s scowl but dutifully

followed his mate to the bathroom. At least he got a reward before he had to do laundry.

Showered and settled beside his mate with a cup of coffee, Aden enjoyed the view. The

water had a grey choppy look but the movement soothed something inside.

“I want to go back to school.” Gallen blurted out the words as if confessing a sin.
“You do?” Aden checked Gallen’s expression, wondering why his mate felt compelled

to mention his scholastic plans right at that moment.

Gallen nodded. “I want to be able to control my abilities better. They opened up a new

graduate study major for magic users at the University of Washington. It’s not open to
humans but it’s supposed to be a great curriculum. My father wouldn’t have let me take
it because he thought only sorcerers could teach sorcerers but I’ve always doubted that
theory.”

“If that’s what you want to do.” Aden knew Gallen’s pride demanded he work toward

a career instead of just mooching off Aden. Frankly Aden didn’t care if Gallen worked or
not. He rather enjoyed the company.

“Thanks. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my degree. I’m mostly interested in

magical traps and defensive spells and potions. I want to make sure I can keep you safe.”

Aden trailed a finger down Gallen’s cheek. “I think you are confused. I’m the one in

charge of our safety.”

“Guns can’t take care of everything.”
“Of course not. That’s why I have grenades and rocket launchers.” He’d yet to find

something a well-placed explosive couldn’t deal with.

Gallen shook his head. “I’ve signed up for classes. You said if I did you would pay my

bill—is that still the agreement? If it costs too much I can hold off a year and look into
loans. Or maybe talk to the sorcerers and see if I’m due any inheritance.”

He began to babble until Aden kissed him.
“Of course I’ll pay. Don’t worry about it. Our mating shouldn’t interfere with your

plans. I also don’t want you near those asshole sorcerers until we know what they are up
to.”

Aden didn’t trust the other magic users. Not one of them had stepped in to help Gallen

during his father’s cruel regime. They were worse than useless, in Aden’s book.

Gallen spoke, pulling Aden from his dark thoughts.
“I’m still not certain what I want to do, but I know if I can’t get a handle on my magic

it will eat me up.”

Aden offered a kiss, hoping to ease the lost look from Gallen’s eyes. “You don’t have to

rush. Take your time deciding what you want to do. As long as you spend your nights
with me, you can do whatever you want to fill your days.”

Gallen bit his lip.
Stifling a groan, Aden carefully pried Gallen’s mangled skin from beneath his front

teeth and rubbed it with his thumb. “Easy there, how am I going to kiss you if you hurt
yourself?”

Gallen’s sheepish smile had Aden’s cock valiantly trying to rise again. Stupid body had

no sense of self-preservation—if it could live permanently attached to Gallen it would be
happy.

The sunlight streamed through the big picture window and set the tips of Gallen’s hair

glowing. Aden toyed with them with his fingers, admiring the play of light. They hadn’t
been together long and already he couldn’t imagine life without Gallen. He’d slowly kill
anyone who harmed his beloved.

“Are you messing up my hair?” The smile curving Gallen’s lips was at odds with the

annoyed tone in his voice.

“I like mussing you.”
Gallen lying in bed in the morning all rumpled from a night’s sleep was on of Aden’s

favorite sights.

“What were you watching?” Gallen changed the subject quickly.
If Aden hadn’t seen him wiggle on the seat to try and find a more comfortable spot for

his sore ass, he’d be more worried. The hard ridge of Gallen’s erection drew Aden’s eyes
but he kept his hands to himself. Sometimes it helped to let their attraction simmer
before giving in.

“You mean at the telescope, before you dragged me back to the bedroom and had your

wicked way with me?”

Gallen snorted. “Yeah, that’s one interpretation.”
“I’ve been trying to spot that water dragon again. I’m assuming it was a shifter. I’d love

to talk to it and find out why it’s here.”

He needed to determine if the creature was a danger to his boys. If the beast turned out

to be a threat, Aden would have to figure out what it took to take down a dragon.

“I’m still curious how you spotted him the first time.”

Aden pulled his attention from his mental inventory of his arsenal and returned it to

his mate. “What do you mean?”

“Only people with magical blood can see dragons.”
Aden threw back his head and laughed. “That’s ridiculous. I saw it quite clearly, and

I’m human. Maybe you’re mistaken, love.”

“I am not mistaken. I’ll be right back.”
Aden watched his mate stomp off. Okay, he watched his mate’s fine ass move as he

walked off, but truly Gallen was a gorgeous sight both ways. Before long Gallen returned
carrying a thick, leather bound book.

Gallen plopped down on the couch beside Aden, then began flicking through the pages

until he found the one he wanted. “Right here!” He pointed to the section he sought.
“Read that.”

Aden shook his head at his adorable mate, but obediently read the text. “Certain

creatures can only be seen by those of magical blood. Among these are dragons, griffins,
phoenixes, basilisks and other mythological beasts. They were given this protection by
the gods to shield the minds of men from the insanity of seeing magic come to life.”

“See! You must have some magical ancestry.” Gallen snatched back his book and

waved it in triumph.

Aden frowned. “I’m not aware of any and my mother isn’t around to ask. If I have any

non-human genetics, it must be far up the family tree.”

He couldn’t remember seeing his mother doing anything he might classify as magical.

But would he have recognized it if he had?

Gallen interrupted his musing.
“A good test would be your son. If Carey can see them, then it will be your mother or

father. A human has to have at least a quarter of supernatural blood to see magical
beings.”

“What kind of blood could I possibly have? I haven’t manifested any particular

abilities. Shouldn’t I be able to set things on fire or move things with my mind or
something interesting? If I’m magical, I’m the most boring one in the history of magical
creatures.”

Gallen narrowed his eyes. Aden recognized that expression. His mate was examining

Aden with his other sight. When Gallen didn’t say anything for a long moment Aden
prodded Gallen’s leg with his toe.

“Are you going to tell me what you see?”
“I don’t know,” Gallen confessed. “I’ve never seen this before. Something inside you

has awakened. Now you have a bluish aura with sparkles around the edges. I’m not sure
what that means.”

Aden sighed. “Great, because I just love mysteries.”
“Be patient, my love. My mother always said the truth will come out in its own time.”
“Do you think I’ve changed because we bonded?” Aden hated to blame Gallen for this

new development, but he wanted to find out the cause.

“Maybe. Bonding with me could have activated your suppressed DNA. If your parents

never told you about their genetic background, there could’ve been a reason. If you have

a rare magic, they could’ve kept it secret for your own protection.”

Aden pulled Gallen into his arms, nestling the smaller man against his body until

Gallen lay on top, tucking his head beneath Aden’s chin. Immediately Gallen relaxed, the
tension easing out of him with the contact.

“Hey, it’ll be all right.”
“I’m sorry.”
Gallen’s voice, lost and upset, had Aden hugging him harder.
“Hey, don’t do that. I don’t care if our connection has done something to change my

DNA. I’m fine with that.” Aden rubbed his hands up and down Gallen’s back.

“But what if you start experiencing weird abilities?” Gallen asked.
Aden snorted. “What kind of transformation do you expect? Is my voice going to get

deeper? Am I going through magical puberty?”

“Funny man. I’m going to keep an eye on you.” Gallen frowned at him.
Aden kissed him on the nose. “Good plan. You should examine me very closely, daily,

perhaps naked in bed.”

Gallen laughed. “That could be arranged.”
Aden grinned. “Don’t worry so much love, there’s not much I can’t handle.”
He hoped the words would turn out to be true. Even with the knowledge of shifters,

vampires, and sorcerers, Aden still found himself surprised by the variety of paranormals
who were out there in the world without humans being the least aware.

A low roar outside yanked Aden’s attention away Gallen. On the other side of the glass

a large blue dragon jumped through the water like a porpoise.

“Can no one else hear that too?” Aden asked.
“Not really. Humans will feel a twitch to vacate the area but they won’t hear or see

him.”

Aden watched the dragon continue to play in the surf. Every now and then it gave out

a cry as if it were calling to someone. A restless urge had Aden shifting uneasily on the
couch.

“What’s wrong?” Gallen patted Aden’s chest.
“I don’t know. I think he’s calling to me.”
Gallen sat up then looked from the dragon to Aden and back again. “If you feel

compelled to go to it, there could be dragon shifter blood in your family. It could also
explain your tattoo.”

“You think so? Then why haven’t I ever shifted?” The thought of changing into a

dragon terrified Aden. He’d watched his boys change into an eagle, a bear or a croc but
never had he wished to become one himself.

“Maybe you weren’t ready yet. Not much is known about dragons. There aren’t

enough of them to study.”

“You don’t have anything in your book?”
Gallen ran his fingers through his hair. “Not the one I have with me, maybe in the

coven library. If they even have a library now. I’m the only one who ever cared about the
books.”

From Gallen’s wistful tone, Aden know his mate missed his resources.

“We’ll start a new library, babe. We can put up shelves in the spare room.”
The dragon’s cry cut through the air, reverberating the glass.
“Let’s go see what he wants.” Aden’s stomach swirled with nerves. So far the water

dragon hadn’t tried to hurt him, but if the beast decided to spit acid at him Aden had no
defense. For the first time, Aden didn’t know how to take down a potential enemy. “On
second thought, maybe you should stay here?”

The disgusted noise Gallen made had Aden smiling. “If you think I’m going to let you

go talk to an acid spitting dragon by yourself, you’ve lost your mind. Now let’s go.”

Gallen stood up and offered Aden his hand. Aden let his mate help him up. They left

the condo then crossed the street. No one else walked around in the cool winter air, so
they didn’t have to worry about bystanders. Maybe the dragon had subconsciously run
them off.

“Dragons tend to have a large territory. The only thing that could be attracting him

here is you,” Gallen said as they approached.

“Or you.” Despite the mark on his chest, they didn’t know for sure the dragon was

there for him.

“I’m thinking it’s probably here for you, since you saw that other dragon a few weeks

back and I haven’t seen any without you present.”

Aden nodded, even though he hated that Gallen might be right. “True. It killed the

guys shooting at me. It was a different type of dragon though, not a water one—it was
gold and black and had wings.”

“Two dragon sightings within a few weeks can’t be a coincidence.”
“As long as I have my big, bad mate to protect me, I’ll be fine,” Aden teased.
“Damn right you do.” Gallen grabbed Aden’s arm. “Come on, love. Let’s go.”
Gallen steps slowed the closer they came to the beach steps. The dragon had

abandoned the water to crawl up onto the sand. It watched them approach with liquid,
brown eyes.

“Shift!” Gallen ordered.
The dragon ignored him. The large beast turned its head toward Aden.
“Tell him to shift,” Gallen whispered to his mate.
“Into what?” Aden didn’t know if he wanted the beast any closer.
“Human.”
“Oh, right. If you could shift please, we’d like to talk to you.” Aden politely addressed

the dragon as he would a human. If the dragon were like his shifter friends, then he
would understand Aden in either form.

For a moment Aden didn’t think it would work. The dragon snorted, spewing a fine

spray of mist from its nostrils. Before Aden could say anything else a flare of blue light
encompassed the dragon. The glow transformed from a large blob of icy fire to a smaller
shape. When the light show ended, a slim oriental man in a suit of scales stood on the
sand. The shimmering scales fluttered for a bit before transforming into a pair of blue
jeans and a T-shirt, an exact copy of Aden’s clothing.

“Hello.” Aden bowed his head slightly to the Asian man uncertain of a proper dragon

greeting.

The dragon bowed deeply at the waist toward Aden then straightened. He ignored

Gallen.

“Greetings Protector, I am Jiang, a river dragon, first of all river dragons named after

the river Jiangguo.”

“I am Aden Gale, and this is my mate, Gallen Theos.”
Finally Jiang examined Gallen as if he found an interesting new fish in the waters. “A

sorcerer mated to a dragon—how odd.”

Gallen gasped. “I didn’t know any of you were still around.”
A sad smile curved Jiang’s lips. “There are of five of us that I know of. We’ve been

imprisoned in stone for centuries. We’ve only recently been freed.”

“The sea water doesn’t bother you?” Aden asked.
Jiang shook his head. “I might have been formed from a river initially, but all water

accepts water dragons. I will never travel to a desert again.”

It was a strange vow for a water dragon to make. Aden would’ve thought it was a

rather obvious for an aquatic creature to avoid an arid desert.

“What are you doing here?” Gallen asked, interrupting their discussion of water.
Jiang raised an eyebrow at Gallen but remained silent.
“Answer his question.” Aden nodded toward his mate.
The magical power pouring off the dragon scrambled his brain a bit. It was like

standing next to a lightning rod and waiting to be struck with a bolt.

“My fellow dragons and I were turned into stone by the emperor and his sorcerers. We

had no chance to elude them once they set their trap.”

“What trap?” Aden questioned. He didn’t like this story. If the dragon was bringing

danger to his doorstep Aden had to be ready.

“A dark spell that changed us. They placed fenghuangs and foo dogs as our guardians

and companions. Sadly, the foo dogs died when the spell shattered and the fenghuangs
went mad from their prolonged captivity. I woke up in the water. I’ve been calling for
days but so far no one has answered my beacon except you. I need to find my friends.”

The frantic expression on Jiang’s face pulled at Aden’s heartstrings. His need to help

out the lost dragon tugged at him.

“You came all the way from China?” Gallen asked.
Jiang shook his head. “We were brought here and put in a musical theater.”
“That was you? I don’t think anyone in Seattle knew those statues were living beings.”

Aden frowned as he remembered the many times he’d gone to that theater and never
known the decorations could come to life.

Jiang tilted his head to one side. “You didn’t know?”
“Why would I know?” Aden turned to Gallen, knowing his confusion must’ve shown

on his face.

“Because you’re part of the reason we’re free.”
Jiang’s answer startled Aden into returning his attention to the dragon shifter.
Aden’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you think that?”
Jiang stared at Aden as if he were trying to see through Aden’s clothing. “Don’t you

have a dragon tattoo?”

“I recently acquired one, yes.”
“Then you’ve come into your power?”
“So far I haven’t experienced anything considered power. I have a new tattoo and

that’s pretty much my only super ability.”

Jiang laughed, a low rusty sound, as if he wasn’t sure if the noise should leave his

throat. “If you are newly connected to your magic then it might take a bit before you gain
your skills. It can take centuries for a dragon to get his first ability. I couldn’t spit acid for
the first fifty years of my life.”

Aden scowled. “I’m still not certain I’m a dragon, and I won’t have centuries to figure

it out.”

If Aden truly was the reason the dragon broke free, he had a responsibility to the lost

shifter.

“When the spell shattered, we must’ve been sent to different locations. I can’t even

sense my companions any more. I need to find our leader, Zhou. He can tell me what to
do next.”

Gallen’s sigh dragged Aden’s attention from the dragon shifter to his mate.
“Are you sure you’re all right, Gallen?” Aden asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. What can we do to help?” Gallen asked the dragon.
Jiang snorted. “I don’t know if you can help at all, sorcerer, but I’ll never turn down

extra hands. Like I said, I need to locate Zhou. Even more immediately I need to figure
out where the fenghuangs have gone. They were the first ones to escape and they could
cause immense damage in their current condition.”

“What are fenghuangs?” Aden asked. “You mentioned them before. Why will they be

trouble?”

“They are a Chinese phoenixes,” Gallen said. “They come in times of peace. They are

actually male and female pairs, feng is the male and huang is the female. They are known
for being good luck, a symbol of prosperity and to represent the yin and yang, the symbol
of the lunar cycle.”

The dragon shifter nodded his agreement with Gallen’s definition. “Except our

fenghuangs have gone mad. Over two thousand years of being stone has snapped their
minds. There are two pairs of them and I doubt they will leave the area without venting
their rage. Luckily they are one of the mythological beasts pure humans can’t see. I think
one of the males has kept his sanity but I could only hear snatches of their conversation,
they mostly only talked to Zhou, but the past few years they kept to themselves.”

“How did the rest of you remain sane?” If the peaceful birds had snapped, why had the

dragons remained sane?

Jiang shrugged. “We stuck together and kept our communication open. Our guardians

didn’t fair so well.” Jiang’s eyes turned watery. “The foo dogs had grown too brittle to
survive.”

Sadly, there wasn’t anything Aden could do to bring back the foo dogs. “I’m sorry for

your loss. What do you think the phoenixes will do now?”

“If they aren’t stopped, they could set the city on fire,” Jiang said. “They aren’t like

regular phoenixes. They are immortal. They don’t die to be reborn—they will continue to

live and burn down the city.”

“They could try, but it wouldn’t get them very far,” Aden argued.
“Why not?”
“After The Great Seattle Fire, they put a lot of extra fire protection downtown.”
“How would you know that?” Gallen asked.
“I took this tour with the boys a few years ago. It takes you underneath Seattle and

they tell you all about the history. It’s pretty cool. We should go on it sometime.”

“Well I’m sure that would be great for a normal fire, but a phoenix fire is different.

Magical fire is all but impossible to put out,” Jiang argued.

“How do you plan to deal with them? I’m not sure I’ve got the right weapons to kill

immortal birds.”

“You have the blood of a dragon king. You will come into your magic when it is

needed.”

“I hope you know what you are talking about.” Aden had barely survived his last

injury. “If I were immortal, somehow I think my father would still be around.”

“What happened to him?” Gallen asked.
Aden shrugged. “I don’t know.”
His mother had never told him, she’d just said that his father had disappeared after

Aden’s birth.

“Are there many dragon king descendants left?” Gallen asked.
Jiang nodded to Aden. “He’s the only one I know of. If another dragon child has

awakened, he or she would’ve snapped our spell earlier.”

Gallen bit his lip looking from one man to the other. “Are you sure you have the right

person? I’m pretty sure Aden’s mark is just a sign of our mating.”

“May I see your mark?” Jiang narrowed his eyes at Aden.
Aden sighed. With one swift motion he removed his shirt. The dragon pattern

shimmered in the sunlight as if it had true scales with iridescent ink.

Jiang dropped to his knees in the sand. “My lord.” He bowed his head low.
“What are you doing?” Aden asked.
“You are truly a descendant of the dragon kings.”
“Kings? How many are there?”
“There were four main dragon kings of the seas but there are others. Once there were

too many to count, but time and the emperor have killed most of them off.”

Aden’s heart went out to the displaced dragon. It sounded like he and his friends

might be the last of their kind. “What do you need me to do? I can’t kill a mystical bird.
Stand up and talk to me.”

He wasn’t comfortable with the dragon kneeling before him.
Jiang got to his feet. “You don’t need to kill them. We need to capture them before they

destroy Seattle. Hopefully once contained, we can try to help them. They’ve suffered
enough—they need to be rehabilitated, if they can.”

“Do you think Zhou might have gone back to China to hunt down the sorcerers who

created your spell?” Aden asked.

Jiang shook his head. “No. He wouldn’t have returned without making sure all of us

were safe. Zhou has watched over us for centuries, he’s not going to stop just because
he’s been freed.”

“You are so certain he will find you?” Aden wondered if the newly freed leader might

have flown the coop. As much as Jiang said Zhou wouldn’t behave that way, who really
knew what went on inside the head of another?

“Yes.” Jiang’s conviction left no room for doubt. “Zhou is one of the best trackers ever

born. If he lives, then he will find me. Until then, I need someone to watch my back and
help me hunt and trap the fenghuangs.”

“So you want me to be what? Your supernatural bodyguard?” Aden asked.
Gallen glared at the dragon. “I won’t endanger my mate.”
Aden ran a soothing hand down Gallen’s back. “Easy, babe.”
Jiang spoke, pulling Aden’s attention away from Gallen.
“I’m not a super strong dragon. I was turned to stone just as I was coming into my

magic. I need someone to watch my back and a safe place to stay. As you are a
descendent of the dragon king, I’ve come to you for sanctuary until I can reunite with my
kin.”

Aden examined the dragon shifter’s expression. “I can offer you a safe place to stay.”
Gallen smacked Aden’s arm. “You are not going to go fight psychotic birds. Not to

mention if any of the emperor’s men are left, they will be hunting down the dragons.
They will know when the spell broke because there will be a backlash.”

“What kind of backlash?” Aden frowned. “I can’t take him to Carey’s if I’m going to

bring danger to his doorstep.”

Gallen shrugged. “It depends on their connection to the spell. A curse that powerful

will have bonded with the caster. How many men cast the spell?”

“Five. One for each dragon.” Jiang blinked his eyes to hold back tears. “Me and my

brethren were the only remaining dragons, or so we thought. Have you seen any
others?”

“I haven’t. Aden saw a fire dragon a few weeks ago.”
Jiang smiled. “Dragons will stick together. If they are pulled to you, you can share our

problems with the others. They can help us find any sorcerers who might still be
around.”

“I might be able to help you with that,” Gallen offered.
“How?” Jiang looked Gallen up and down and didn’t appear impressed by what he

saw.

Aden stepped in front of him. “My mate is a powerful sorcerer. His father, who you

killed, was the leader of the sorcerers in Seattle. Gallen might be able to talk to them and
find out if any of them have heard of your spell casters.”

Jiang bowed to Gallen. “I’d be happy for any assistance you might be able to give. I’ve

never heard of a helpful sorcerer before.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Gallen said.
Aden squeezed Gallen’s shoulder. They weren’t finished with this conversation. If

Gallen put himself in danger to get information on the sorcerers, Aden would be by his
side. Aden had to watch his mate. His sorcerer had an odd idea that Aden needed

protecting.

“I can keep your son safe,” Jiang promised.
“If he’s harmed, I will rip out your heart and return your body to the sea,” Aden

vowed. He didn’t know how he’d do it, but he would live up to that promise. No one
harmed his son and lived.

Jiang swallowed. “I vow to protect your son as if he were my own.”
“Good enough. Carey has a few rooms available now that some of the hawks have

moved out. He houses a bunch of shifters at the mansion. It should make you more
comfortable to be among the others while we try to track down both your dragon friends
and the fenghuangs.”

“Thank you.”
“I’m coming with you. It’s been a week since I saw Carey,” Gallen insisted.
“I wouldn’t go without you.” Aden kissed Gallen. His mate and son had grown close

over the past few months. A good thing, since Aden couldn’t live without either of them.

Chapter Two

Jiang followed Aden and Gallen to the metal box on wheels.

“Have you been in a car before?” Aden asked.
Jiang snorted. “No, but I adapt easily. I trust you will let me know if I need to worry.”
He refused to admit he’d only seen cars racing past the water, but had never

investigated them closer.

Gallen opened the back door. “Go ahead and get in. It might be easier if you can’t see

what’s coming. Aden isn’t known for being a cautious driver.”

Aden laughed. “What are you saying, love?”
“I’m saying you’ll scare the scales off of Jiang if he sees how you drive.”
Aden growled as he started the car. “Put on your seatbelt.”
Jiang watched as Aden pulled a belt from the side and clicked it into the other end. He

copied the action.

Aden pulled out of his parking garage with a shriek of tires.
Jiang watched the city rush by through the glass, wishing he had a better idea of where

everyone had gone. The fact they were magically separated had him uneasy. Why
wouldn’t the spell send them all to the same place? Were there other powers at work? So
many questions swirled around Jiang, like a dragon caught in a typhoon.

“I thought we would stay together,” he blurted out, more thinking aloud than

expecting an answer.

Aden pulled his attention away from the road for one heart-stopping moment to look

at Jiang over his shoulder. “Why?”

“Eyes on the road,” Gallen scolded before Jiang could take more than one panicked

breath.

Aden whipped around the corner of a narrow street, barely avoiding a car turning

wide in the opposite direction.

“When the spell dissolved I figured we would just fall off the ceiling and go from there.

I didn’t think the spell would send us to different parts of the city. I don’t really even
know if we are all still in Seattle. What if some of them went to different states? How
will I find them?”

He bit his lip as he examined Aden’s profile. The human wasn’t at all what Jiang had

been expecting. First of all the guy was white instead of Chinese, secondly Aden didn’t
even know he had dragon blood. The gods were laughing at Jiang, that could be the only
explanation. Why else would they send Jiang to a blond guy with a sorcerer lover and no
understanding of the dragon way of life? If Jiang survived this he would definitely spend
some time at a temple asking the gods what the fuck they were thinking and why they
hated him.

“Tell me about the emperor who had you cursed,” Aden demanded. “Do you think

he’s still alive?”

Jiang thought about it for a long moment before responding. If there was a way for a

human emperor to become immortal, Qin Shi would have found it. “I’m not sure. I’d like

to say no, but people that evil tend to find a way to survive. I know he was searching for
a potion of immortality. He hadn’t found it before I was petrified, but who knows what
happened after we vanished.”

“True.” Aden’s mouth quirked up at the corner. The man was really quite attractive.

Jiang wondered how Aden would look in dragon form.

“We need to find the other dragons first. Together we can coordinate together and take

down Qin Shi,” Jiang said.

“Where do we start?” Gallen asked.
Jiang thought about it for a moment before speaking. “I’ve noticed through the years

the increase of information. People can find out anything on those little phones they
carry around. Although normal humans can’t see us, there will be some who can. They
might not even be aware of their unusual genetics. We can follow the dragon sightings in
the media.”

Aden nodded. “Good idea. Luckily in Seattle, people will probably think it’s a hoax or

a bizarre art exhibit or something.”

“Good.” Jiang hoped the dragon king knew what he was doing. Jiang wasn’t the brains

of his dragon group, but he was a quick learner. He’d mentally matured over the years of
petrified imprisonment, but he hadn’t magically transformed to a master strategist like
Zhou.

The gates Aden drove through led to a beautiful mansion. The roof had nice peaks and

valleys a dragon would enjoy perching on. He made a mental note to ask the owner if he
could fly up there and curl around the chimney for a bit. He might be a water dragon,
but he still enjoyed a nice rooftop.

“My mother owned this house and left it to my son, Carey, when she died,” Aden said,

pulling the car to a stop in front of the building. “Let’s see if Carey has any ideas of how
to find your people. He’s amazing with computers.”

Jiang had to admit to curiosity over any offspring of Aden’s.
Getting out of the car, he followed Aden up to the front steps and inside the house.

Magic shimmered across his skin as if scanning him as he walked. He gasped from the
sensation, fear slamming his heart against his chest. The last time magic touched him,
he’d turned into stone.

“Hey, easy. Are you okay?” Aden asked.
“I felt a magical barrier when I walked through, as if it wanted to keep me out.” Jiang

bit his lip as he looked around.

“Huh. I’ve never had that. Have you, Gallen?”
Gallen shook his head. “But I’m your mate.”
“Interesting.” Aden narrowed his eyes as if he were trying to see the spell. “Let me

know if you sense the spell has changed and it starts to affect you.”

“All right,” Jiang agreed. The mansion was turning out to be just as interesting as the

man before him. What would life bring him next?

“I don’t know the spell and I don’t want it to start affecting Carey,” Aden explained.
What would it be like to have a protective father? Being hatched didn’t leave a lot of

time for paternal bonding. Jiang didn’t know who had sired him and it wouldn’t have

mattered if he did. Zhou had served as Jiang’s father figure and even if he hadn’t,
another member of the clutch would’ve stepped forward. Dragons were raised
communally, not by couple pairings like other shifters.

The sight of a younger version of Aden pulled him up short. Aden greeted his son with

a hard hug. The love on Carey’s face when he caught sight of his father brought a lump
to Jiang’s throat. No one who inspired that much love from his offspring could leave a
species of dragons without a leader. His optimism in dealing with the dragon king’s
descendent skyrocketed.

“Carey, let me introduce you to Jiang. He’s a dragon shifter.”
“A dragon!” Carey examined Jiang with a wide-eyed gaze. “I’ve never met a dragon

shifter before. Welcome.”

“Thank you.” Jiang gave a slight bow.
“I was hoping you could let him stay here for a few nights. We’re trying to find the rest

of his kin,” Aden said.

“Of course. Oh, wait. I gave the last room to Kurtis—if he doesn’t mind sharing, and of

course if you don’t.” Carey waved a hand toward Jiang. “The hawks haven’t officially
moved in with Harris and Rohan yet. I can juggle a few around if you aren’t comfortable
sharing.”

“No. I don’t mind at all.” He’d sleep on the comfortable looking couch if it kept him

warm and dry. While in dragon form, the cold and wet temperature didn’t bother him
but now that he was human, the fall air sent shivers across his thin, unprotected flesh.

“Do you want me to find Kurtis?” A young man who had the aura of a hawk rushed to

Carey’s side.

“Yes, if you could send him to me we can find out if he minds having a temporary

roommate,” Carey said.

“Will do.” The hawk shifter rushed off.
Jiang examined Carey with more than a little surprise. The alpha apple hadn’t fallen

far from the tree.

“Why don’t you come into the dining room and we’ll find you something to eat,”

Carey offered.

“Thank you. It has been a while since I’ve eaten.” It had been centuries since he’d had a

hot meal. The past few days he’d been eating the food he found in the ocean. There were
only so many fish he could eat before his human side began to yearn for warmer
sustenance.

“Are you two staying for lunch?” Carey asked Aden and his mate.
“We might as well,” Gallen said. “We need to strategize. There are some renegade

Chinese phoenixes flying about.”

Carey tilted his head. “Interesting. You can tell me all about it over lunch. The hawks

are cooking today.”

Apparently it took more than flaming birds to disturb Aden’s son. Like father, like son.
Aden grimaced. “I hope they’ve improved.”
“Yes, they have.” Another man entered. He smelled like a hawk, but exuded the

energy of a more dominant shifter.

“Hey, Marty,” Aden said.
“Aden, who’d you bring home with you?” Marty examined Jiang with a measuring

gaze.

This shifter must be the flock leader. His stare challenged Jiang’s dragon. If Jiang had

come to hurt Marty’s flock, he knew the hawk shifter would try to rip out Jiang’s throat.

The magical protection was beginning to look like the least dangerous thing on the

property. Jiang didn’t know if he’d come to safety or to stay with the scariest collection of
alphas he’d ever met. Jiang’s stomach swirled with nerves but he straightened his spine
and met Marty’s stare. A small dragon could take on a hawk—even a scary hawk.

“You wanted to see me, Carey?” A sweet tenor voice snapped Jiang’s attention to the

newcomer.

The scent wrapped around him like a warm dream. Dirty blond hair, grey eyes and a

slim build made for wrapping around tempted Jiang’s control. His inner dragon growled
and lashed its tail.

Jiang inhaled again. Disappointment gripped him. He’d thought for a moment that the

pigeon shifter might have been his mate. A strong attraction had pulled at him, but not
the same as a mate call, not from what he’d heard about in stories.

He stepped closer to the pretty man who stared at him with wonder. A strange smell

underlay the delicious fragrance of the blond. An enchantment shimmered across the
stranger’s body. Jiang growled at the thought of someone placing a curse on the pretty
man.

“Kurtis, would you mind sharing a room with Jiang for a night or two? He’s a dragon

shifter who needs a place to crash,” Carey said.

“A dragon shifter?” Kurtis bit his lip and peeked at Jiang through his lashes. “I’ve

never met a dragon shifter before.”

“I promise not to bite without asking.” His inner dragon growled in discontent at that

statement. Jiang curled his fingers to keep the claws from showing through the tips.
Kurtis might not be his mate, but his dragon wanted him anyway. How strange.

He received a shy smile for his comment.
“I don’t mind. I mean, I don’t have any right to it or anything.” Kurtis nodded to Jiang.

“I’m just crashing here myself until I get my stuff together and maybe figure out how to
break the spell.”

“What is that spell?” Jiang stepped closer, furious to realize his suspicions were true.

He’d find out who had bespelled Kurtis and hunt him down. Silently he added it to his
to do list.

Kurtis’ wry smile cut into Jiang’s heart. “My ex cursed me to be a pigeon.”
He’d never heard of a shape-shifting curse before. Most shifters were born with their

alternate form. Only mythical creatures could transform their mates to be like them
because only dragons, phoenix and the like had the magical ability. All other shifters
could change shape but were unable to do other magic. “Really? What is your ex?”

“He’s a powerful sorcerer.” Sorrow crossed Kurtis’ face but disappeared in a flicker of

lashes. “He didn’t like me breaking up with him. That was his punishment.”

“Sorcerers are nothing but trouble.” Jiang patted the pigeon shifter’s arm in sympathy.

He’d had enough issues with that particular breed to understand Kurtis’ pain.

“Excuse me, but not all of us are bad!” Gallen’s affronted tone turned his attention back

to Aden’s mate.

“Sorry Gallen, but my experiences with your kind haven’t been positive.”
Gallen sighed. The anger appeared to leave him as quickly as it had come. “I guess I

can’t really blame you. My encounters with sorcerers haven’t always been good either.”

Aden wrapped an arm around his mate and cuddled him close. “You’ll become the

best of your kind. You can help prove to everyone that all sorcerers aren’t bad.”

Gallen rested his head on his mate’s shoulder.
Jiang swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted a mate of his own. After centuries

as stone, the aching, desperate need for another man’s touch twisted him up inside.

He wished Zhou were there to ask for advice. The dragon had guided his life since

puberty. Jiang trusted Zhou to help him ease back in the real world.

“We’re working on a cure for Kurtis,” Carey said.
“Want me to find your ex and take care of him?” Aden asked. “If he’s dead, maybe the

curse will break.”

Jiang shivered at Aden’s practical tone.
Kurtis shook his head and a small smile crossed his lips. “That’s sweet of you to offer,

but I don’t know where he went. The sorcerers all vanished after Gallen’s father died. No
one’s heard from them recently.”

“You mean after I spit acid at him?” Jiang shivered at the memory. He didn’t enjoy

killing the sorcerer, but the man had an evil aura about him. He wouldn’t have allowed
Aden and Gallen to live. When Jiang had evaluated the situation he knew the pair beside
him were the ones who needed saving. If Aden had indeed shattered the spell on the
dragons when his DNA awakened, he was potentially the most important person to
dragon kind. Jiang would protect Aden with his life. From the strength of will pouring
off Aden, Jiang doubted the human would accept any help from him. He’d have to be a
careful dragon until Zhou came back to tell him what to do.

“All my history books state that dragons and sorcerers were allies,” Gallen said. “What

changed that?”

Jiang thought carefully about his answer. Gallen didn’t deserve Jiang’s usual disdain

toward sorcerers. The youngling hadn’t been even close to living when his predecessors
trapped the dragons.

“Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi threatened to harm the sorcerers’ families if they didn’t

help him destroy us. I think all the deaths on their hands corrupted their souls. I need to
find my dragon brothers and stop the phoenix. After they are caught we can focus on
whether the emperor is still alive and how to make him pay.”

Jiang hoped with every fiber of his being that the emperor’s bones lay under tons of

sand in the desert. The sinking feeling in his chest told him he would probably be
disappointed in that wish.

“I can’t say I’ve heard of any ancient emperor running about, but I also hadn’t heard of

dragon shifters until recently.” Aden’s blue eyes met Jiang’s. Jiang froze, uncertain of the
proper protocol when dealing with a man who could potentially be his king.

“I’ve also heard nothing about an emperor,” Gallen said. “But my father kept me

isolated from many things. I’m almost sorry he’s not around to ask.”

“Come eat,” Carey said.
Jiang followed the group into a long dining room with a buffet set up on one side. A

stack of plates were placed to the left, pretty china, a bit too delicate for the tough men
who lived there. Carey had probably inherited the tableware along with the house.

He grabbed a plate and stood in line.
Aden picked the conversation back up. “Do you think you could find some of the other

sorcerers and pump them for information? Even if they weren’t one of the emperor’s
sorcerers, they might know something.”

Gallen appeared to find the platter of food fascinating for a long moment before he

carefully picked out the perfect steak. “I can ask around if you want me to.”

“Not without me there to back you up,” Aden replied. “You are never going to talk to

them without me beside you.”

Gallen’s stiff pose relaxed. Jiang held back a snort, as if there was any doubt Gallen

wouldn’t be protected. Just knowing them the few minutes he had, Jiang could tell Aden
would lay down his life for his mate.

They settled around the table with Kurtis on Jiang’s left and Aden on his right. Jiang

watched in amazement as more people kept appearing to join them for the afternoon
meal. Introductions swirled around him. Jiang knew he would never remember all their
names, but he appreciated their effort in trying to make him feel included. Without his
dragon companions, he was adrift in a strange world.

Jiang forced himself away from his morbid thoughts to rejoin the conversation swirling

around him. “I’d like to be there if you go and talk to sorcerers. I’ll be able to tell if
someone is lying.”

He didn’t have a lot of abilities, but he had that one.
“Do you think that’s safe?” Kurtis spoke up.
Jiang turned to give the pigeon shifter his complete attention. “What do you mean?”
Kurtis picked at the tablecloth, not directly meeting his gaze. “If they know you’ve

escaped and they were responsible for your situation before, don’t you think they’ll be
preparing to battle you now?”

“The odds of these being the exact same sorcerers are slim. Were there any Chinese

sorcerers in your coven?” Jiang asked Gallen.

Not to mention if the sorcerers who trapped them were still around, they’d been the

ones who’d told the dragons how the spell could break. The lead sorcerer had given them
hope and hidden them from the emperor. Jiang had often wondered what game the
sorcerer had been playing.

Gallen froze for a moment, as if reviewing the coven members in his head. “One. Bai

Chen is Chinese or at least I think he is. He was one of my father’s friends and head of
father’s enforcers. He’s really old looking. If he found the fountain of youth he missed a
few drops.”

Jiang grinned. “Still, he might know something.”
“We’ll find them,” Aden vowed. “You’ve suffered long enough. We don’t want them

to be able to trap you again.”

“Thank you.” At one time dragons, could find sorcerers by scent alone. Jiang’s instincts

had never been very good and they hadn’t been improved by his long petrification. Zhou
might be able to locate the sorcerers, but Jiang first had to find his friend and mentor.

Aden patted his arm and with that one motion Jiang found acceptance. Aden

reminded him a bit of Zhou, without the scales and acid.

Small talk and updates on projects around the mansion filled the rest of the mealtime

conversation. When they finished, Kurtis stood beside Jiang’s chair.

“Come, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping tonight.”
Jiang got to his feet and inhaled Kurtis’ scent. The pigeon shifter’s fragrance lured

Jiang closer. He didn’t realize how much he’d crowded Kurtis until the pigeon shifter
leaned back out of reach. Jiang’s inner dragon hissed his displeasure. Frowning, Jiang
forced his feet backwards. He’d never been at such odds with his beast before. Maybe his
long time as a statue had ruined his inner balance with his dragon.

“Is there something wrong?” Kurtis frowned. Jiang clenched his fingers to stop from

tracing the lines on Kurtis’ face. Damn, the pads of his fingers tingled with the urge to
test whether the blond’s skin was as soft as it appeared.

“No.” Losing control of his dragon’s impulsive urges, Jiang grabbed the back of Kurtis’

head and held him still while Jiang sniffed at his neck. “Damn, you smell amazing.”

“Um, thank you.” Kurtis replied barely above a whisper.
Jiang jerked his hands back instead of yanking Kurtis forward like his dragon

demanded. Dozens of eyes were on him and he almost growled at so many people
staring at his pretty man.

“Is there a problem, Kurtis?” Aden’s hard voice cut through Jiang’s need. He froze.
Kurtis turned to face Aden. “No sir, I’m fine. I’m going to take Jiang to our room.”
Aden examined them both closely before nodding then returning his attention to his

son.

Jiang sucked air into his lungs. He hadn’t dared breathe beneath Aden’s scrutiny. He

knew if Aden ordered him to stay in a different room he would have obeyed. His inner
dragon snorted. They might not have stayed in there, but he would’ve been compelled to
go. He almost couldn’t wait for Aden and Zhou to meet. The two powerful men would
either get along or bring the heavens down on their heads.

“Follow me.” Kurtis’ voice broke into Jiang’s whimsical thoughts. Kurtis spun on his

heel and scurried away. Jiang had to rush to keep up. For a man with shorter legs, Kurtis
certainly knew how to make the most of them. Jiang had to speed up to keep the blond in
sight. Of course, following that pert ass ahead of him was more than enough of an
incentive to get him moving.

Jiang growled when Kurtis climbed the stairs and disappeared around the corner. He

didn’t like Kurtis out of sight. Reaching the landing he found the pigeon shifter standing
outside a door that looked like all the other doors in the hall, but smelled as delicious as
Kurtis.

“I hope you’ll be able to find this room again.” Kurtis bit his lip as if worried about

Jiang becoming lost.

Jiang smiled. “It smells like you. I’ll find it.”
Kurtis blushed. “I sometimes forget shifters have a better sense of smell than humans.

I’m not a true shifter so I don’t have any bird characteristics when I’m in this form.”

“Some do. Some don’t. Depends on the shifter.” Jiang patted Kurtis on the back, trying

to keep his touch platonic when he truly wanted to pin Kurtis to the door and run greedy
fingers all over Kurtis’ body.

Instead he passed by the shorter man and entered the room. “Nice.”
The bedroom had two comfortable beds and a wardrobe for each occupant. Spacious

and airy, it was quite a bit larger than Jiang had expected. Before his petrification, he’d
stayed in a small room no bigger than a third this size. This double room with an indoor
shower, toilet and sink tipped the room into the realm of luxury for Jiang.

“Nice.”
Kurtis walked over to stand beside Jiang. “They converted most of the upper floor into

bedrooms for the hawks. They are letting me stay here too.”

“Why are you living here?” Jiang stepped closer to Kurtis. His dragon pushed at him to

claim the sweet boy. “Don’t you have any family?”

Kurtis looked everywhere but at Jiang. “No. My family threw me out when I told them

I was gay. I did Eaton a favor and he rescued me from the sorcerers. Carey lets me stay
here in exchange for helping out around the house. The mansion needs a lot of upkeep,
so we each do our share. Besides, it’s hard to get a job when you don’t know if you’ll
spontaneously change into a bird.”

Jiang didn’t like the sad expression in Kurtis’ eyes. “You don’t have any control over

your change?”

Kurtis shook his head. “Carey thinks it’s because I was cursed and am not a natural

shifter.”

“Huh, could be. Don’t worry. When we find the sorcerers we’ll grab your asshole ex

and make him remove the curse.”

He made a silent vow to remain on the dragon king’s good side. Even if Aden never

completely gained the power of the dragon king, Jiang considered him a human not to be
messed with.

“You don’t even know me, why do you care if I remain a pigeon or not?” Kurtis

twisted his fingers together. “Not that I’m not grateful, but other than these guys I’ve
never had anyone want to help me before.”

Jiang placed his hands on Kurtis’ shoulders—a much more platonic touch than his

inner beast demanded, but he pushed back, not willing to scare the fragile man before
him. “Anyone with a bit of compassion wouldn’t want you to suffer as you are. Why did
he turn you into a pigeon, anyway?”

Kurtis blushed.
Damn, Jiang wanted to lick the red on Kurtis’ cheeks, to taste the heat beneath his

tongue.

“Are you growling?” Kurtis asked.
Jiang cleared his throat. “My dragon doesn’t like that another has harmed you. Now

answer the question.”

“He turned me into a pigeon because I always called them flying rats. They were

always pooping on my car and they liked to sit on the roof of my apartment and coo
when I was trying to study. When I broke up with him he thought it would be funny to
change me into one.”

Jiang wrapped his arms around Kurtis. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
He rocked Kurtis back and forth. His inner dragon craved contact—full body contact.
“Ah.” Kurtis’ soft noise had Jiang ready to step back but before he could act on that

behavior Kurtis hugged Jiang and pressed his face to Jiang’s chest.

“I wanted to do this when I first met you. That stupid bird inside my head is cooing so

loud it hurts my brain.”

Jiang massaged the back of Kurtis’ neck, trying to ease the tension. “That better?”
“Oh, yeah. Your hands are so warm.”
He resisted telling the pigeon shifter all the other places that were heating up.
“I enjoy touching you. I think I’m starved for contact. I need to feel alive again.” He

couldn’t stop the desperate words from spilling out.

“Touch me all you want. Kiss me,” Kurtis urged.
Jiang slid his fingers through Kurtis’ hair. “It’s been a long time since I kissed anyone.”

He’d never had much experience anyway. Fighting had taken away most of his time,
with little room left for romance. Maybe if he’d found the right guy he would’ve had
more practice but now, standing in this room, he was glad he’d never found anyone else.

“I’m happy to help you break your streak.”
“Excellent. I need a ton of practice.” Jiang licked his lips in anticipation before he

dipped down and sipped the flavor from Kurtis’ lips.

Oh.
No words could detail the myriad flavors sliding across his tongue. Tastes of the meal

they’d just consumed were buried beneath the true savory sweet temptation of Kurtis
himself.

Kurtis gripped Jiang’s hips to keep him close. Jiang rubbed against him, aligning their

bodies perfectly. Their erections, bound tight within their clothing, pressed together.
Spikes of desire ratcheted up Jiang’s spine and shivers crawled across his skin as his
craving for Kurtis grew.

Jiang broke their embrace to get some air. “Oh, right there,” Jiang growled. He gripped

Kurtis’ hair and yanked back his head. Jiang lapped and kissed the warm skin beneath,
his lips unwilling to leave any bit of flesh unexamined.

He rubbed his face against Kurtis’ neck, lathering his scent on the blond. If another

shifter came near they would know someone had claimed Kurtis. Jiang had plans to coat
Kurtis’ entire body in the same manner—a big flaming back off shifter sign. He didn’t
know how long he planned to stay in Seattle, but no one else should be touching Kurtis…
ever.

Their lips locked and Jiang clutched Kurtis to him like a dragon protecting his hoard.

He easily wrapped both arms completely around the smaller man. Kurtis melted against
Jiang as if he belonged, nestled in Jiang’s embrace.

Kurtis’ soft noise had Jiang leading them in a slow, stumbling walk to the closest bed.

“I need you naked.”

He smiled at Kurtis’ jerky nod.
“Yes. Naked.”
Jiang vanished his clothes with a thought, then turned his attention to watching Kurtis

undress.

Kurtis pulled off his shirt in slow, reluctant movements. A line of symbols glowed

across the pigeon shifter’s chest, moving marks Jiang couldn’t focus on long enough to
decipher.

“Is that the curse?”
Kurtis looked down and gasped. “They never glowed before.”
Jiang ran a hand across Kurtis’ skin. The design flared up like theater floodlights for a

brief moment before dimming to a plain ink like tattoo.

“That’s so weird,” Kurtis whispered. He ran a hand over the marks but the letters

remained ordinary.

Jiang tilted his head to try to decipher the symbols. “Do you know what it says?”
“No. Carey brought in a few witches, but all they could tell me was the words were an

arcane curse.” He laughed, bitterly. “Like I couldn’t figure that out on my own.”

“Enough about them. Take off the rest.”
Impatience had Jiang growling each word. He couldn’t stop his craving for this pigeon

shifter; it ate at him like hungry acid, burning away his inhibitions.

When Kurtis completely bared his body, Jiang let out a rolling purr. “You are

gorgeous.”

Kurtis laughed. “Haven’t looked in the mirror lately have you?”
“I look the same.” Exactly the same. “But you are something special. Now get on the

bed.”

Jiang paused. He didn’t know if he liked this new bossy side of himself or not. He’d

definitely left his childhood ways behind after so many years in stone, but he’d never
been the commanding type before. Something in Kurtis had switched Jiang into
dominant dragon mode.

Kurtis crawled backwards, displaying his lean body to Jiang’s delight.
“You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”
A flush slid down Kurtis’ body. Damn, he was freaking adorable.
“Your choices have been a bit limited before,” Kurtis protested, a small smile curving

his lips.

They’d recounted Jiang’s history over food so everyone knew what they were dealing

with. Kurtis had stared at Jiang the entire meal, not helping his erection deflate at all.

“I’ve been aware the past few millennia and I still consider you a person of beauty. You

glow  like  the  finest  pearl  in  the  sea.”  Dragons  could  see  the  innermost  essence  of  a
person.  Kurtis  shone  white,  his  energy  pure.  The  black  coating  around  the  edges
represented  the  spell’s  affect  on  his  soul.  Jiang  would  make  sure  to  destroy  that  curse
before he let Kurtis go. Even as his gut clenched at the thought of separation, he knew
Kurtis wouldn’t be his forever. After all, Jiang needed his mate, the one person born to
complete him. It would kill him to bond with Kurtis only to have to cast him aside when

Jiang found his true one.

“Are you going to join me or just admire?” Kurtis crooked a finger at him.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wander off.” Damn, he needed to pay better attention. Kurtis’

pale skin glowed from the filtered sunlight that seeped through the shades.

“It’s all right. I’m sure everything is a bit overwhelming for you right now. How long

have you been free?”

“A few weeks.” He’d spent a lot of time exploring the water, hoping to run into his

fellow dragons. When constant calling only brought him the company of whales, Jiang
had come to shore just in time to save Aden and Gallen from the sorcerers.

Jiang slipped into the spot between Kurtis and the wall. Wrapping his right arm

around Kurtis’ waist and his right leg across Kurtis’ thighs, he effectively pinned the
pigeon in place.

“I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“Now I know you aren’t.” Jiang kissed Kurtis, entwining their tongues to suck more

flavor from the pigeon shifter’s mouth. He couldn’t get enough. The tingle of scales
sliding down his back had him splitting his focus. Lifting his lips he took slow deep
breaths to regain control.

“Wow, that’s so cool!” Kurtis’ grey eyes glowed with wonder. He traced the faint

outline of scales across Jiang’s arm. “You aren’t going to dragon out are you?”

“Sorry, usually I have better control than this. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t

been in my human form much or just my strong attraction to you, but my dragon is
trying to take over. Give me a minute.”

“I don’t know if I should be thrilled I can make you shift or worried I might find a

dragon in my bed.”

Jiang laughed. “Yeah, me either. “
He inhaled big breaths of oxygen until he could push his beast down deep. If he

couldn’t keep the dragon caged, he couldn’t make love to the sweet man beside him.
Tracing Kurtis’ ribs with a slow, easy touch, he began to regain control. Eventually his
dragon lay dormant again curled up and calm.

If he didn’t know better Jiang, would’ve thought Kurtis was his mate.
“Oh, your scales vanished.” Kurtis slid a hand down Jiang’s arm. His disappointed tone

surprised Jiang. He’d thought Kurtis had wanted his human self.

“Maybe some day you can show me your dragon form. I’ve never seen a real dragon.”
Jiang relaxed. “Sure. I can do that.” Few people in ancient China had wanted to see

dragons except in battle. Dragons weren’t peacetime animals. They were raised for
fighting and trained as warriors. Jiang had never acquired the bloodthirsty hunger for
battle some of his fellow shifters had, but he’d fought well beside his brethren.

Jiang jerked when Kurtis bit his neck. His little pigeon was trying to stake a claim on

Jiang as well. After sliding together they’d firmly be branded as lovers by the other
shifters. “Trying to mark me, little one?”

Kurtis laughed, a soft puff of air Jiang felt against his skin more than heard. “Not

really. I just wanted to see how you taste. Marking you was a side benefit.”

Jiang smiled. Since he’d returned to human he’d smiled more in the past few hours

than he had his entire previous existence. A warrior rarely found reasons for joy. Maybe
the sorcerers had granted him a blessing after all. Jiang dismissed that thought. They had
destroyed the dragons. Anything positive was an accidental byproduct of their actions.
Even keeping the dragons safe no doubt had some sinister motive behind it. He planned
to find the sorcerers and discover their true intent.

Dismissing his idle thoughts, Jiang returned his attention where it needed to be—on

Kurtis. Shifting his weight, he slid his body over the blond’s, pressing his larger frame
onto the slim man beneath him. “There are so many things I want to do with you.”

“You can do anything you want, but make sure to use lots of lube.” Kurtis’ words

confused Jiang.

“What’s lube?”
Kurtis’ mouth dropped open. “Let me up.”
Reluctantly Jiang scooted back to one side of the bed.
“Roll over on your back.”
Curious, Jiang followed Kurtis orders. “Now what?”
“Now I’m going to ride you. From what you said, it’s been a long time and you

probably don’t know about disease and condoms and lube.”

“I’m a dragon. I don’t get diseases,” Jiang growled. Dragons were impervious to pretty

much anything except treacherous sorcerer spells.

“Well, I’m not really a shifter, so I can get them.”
“Not from me.” Jiang didn’t like Kurtis thinking he had anything wrong with him.
Kurtis tilted his head as he examined Jiang’s expression. “How about we use a condom

this time and we can talk to Aden and Carey about it for next?”

“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you talking to them about it?.”
Kurtis shrugged. “I always feel better after I talk to them. They’ve never given me bad

advice.”

Jiang didn’t like the idea of Kurtis depending on any man but himself. “You would

trust their word over mine?”

“In this case, yes,” Kurtis said after a long moment of silence. “Don’t get me wrong,

you seem like a really nice guy but you want in my pants. I know Aden and Carey will be
unbiased.”

Jiang let his gaze travel up and down Kurtis’ body. Even during their discussion,

Kurtis’ erection hadn’t gone down. “You aren’t wearing any pants.”

“No I’m not.” Kurtis stood up to open a small table drawer. He pulled out a foil square

and a bottle of liquid. He waved the package for Jiang to see. “Condom.” He lifted the
container. “Lube. You will need both to fuck me.”

“I don’t just fuck,” Jiang bared his teeth. “I am careful with my lovers.”
He’d known warriors who took their partners without regard for their pleasure, but

Jiang had never been a brutal man and he’d killed more than one man who’d thought he
could take what he wanted uninvited.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. Some guys like it when I talk dirty.”

The idea of anyone else with Kurtis had his dragon ready to spit acid. “You need to not

mention other men when you are with me.” He tried to keep his tone level, but he could
feel the scales pushing against his skin and his eyes flashed to heat vision before changing
back to human.

“Wow. That’s cool.” Kurtis climbed back on the bed and slid his fingers along Jiang’s

skin. Each touch caused a ripple of need to roll across Jiang’s body. He didn’t know how
long he could hold back.

“Come closer,” Jiang coaxed. The urgency to feel Kurtis’ body against his twisted him

up inside. He didn’t know what it was about Kurtis that tied him in knots but both
halves of Jiang craved Kurtis with an almost obsessive desire.

Kurtis crawled between Jiang’s thighs. With a steady hand he tore the shiny square and

rolled a weird substance over Jiang’s erection. It dulled Kurtis’ touch. Jiang vowed to pin
Aden or Carey down tomorrow—he couldn’t stand anything between him and Kurtis.

“Since you don’t know about lube I’m going to prep myself. Some guys like to watch.”
Jiang snarled. “Remember my statement about other men?”
“Crap, sorry.” Kurtis poured lube across his fingers. Jiang watched as his lover pierced

his  body  with  his  fingers,  slowly  readying  himself  for  Jiang’s  penetration.  Jiang  had
never  been  on  the  receiving  end  of  lovemaking,  saving  himself  for  his  mate.  Kurtis’
blissful expression almost had him revisiting that idea. What if he never found the other
half  of  his  soul?  For  all  Jiang  knew,  his  mate  could’ve  died  centuries  ago,  never  to  be
found again.

Jiang brushed away the uncomfortable thought. He refused to believe his soul mate

wasn’t out there. For now he’d enjoy his pigeon shifter and scare off the others from his
nest.

“You are going to feel so good,” Kurtis sighed as he lined up Jiang’s cock and sank

slowly down onto his shaft. Jiang clutched the blankets to keep from shoving deeper
inside Kurtis’ tight channel before the pigeon shifter was ready.

Jiang tilted his head back. His eyes closed to better absorb the sensation of Kurtis

sinking down on him. He grabbed Kurtis’ hips, pinning the smaller man in place. “Stay
there a moment.”

Kurtis wiggled on Jiang’s cock. Jiang’s dragon hummed inside him, the sound echoing

through his body.

“Oh fuck, it’s like I’m riding a vibrator.”
Jiang’s eyes snapped open. Kurtis lifted slightly only to slide back down. “That’s it, go

ahead and ride me, băobèi.”

“What does that mean?”
“Darling. Now fuck me.”
Kurtis laughed. “I think you are forgetting who’s in charge.”
Jiang flipped them over. He looked down into Kurtis’ surprised expression. “No, I

didn’t.”

With smooth controlled motions, he slid in and out of Kurtis, careful not to use too

much strength. He didn’t know if a cursed shifter had the same strength as a natural
shifter. If Kurtis had too much human inside, Jiang had to be careful. Too hard of a grip

could snap the slim man beneath him.

“Fuck me like you mean it.” Kurtis squeezed around Jiang, taunting him with his

internal massage.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m tougher than I look.”
Deciding to take Kurtis at his word, Jiang released a bit more of his strength and began

to slam into Kurtis with controlled passion. Dragons were the top of the shifter hierarchy.
Even with other shifters, Jiang had to be careful of his strength. When he found his soul
mate he could convert him to a dragon, and only then could he use all of his power.

Sadness filtered through him that Kurtis wouldn’t be the one. He kissed Kurtis’ neck in

a silent apology. Kurtis tightened around him, pulling Jiang’s orgasm from him in one
long groan.

“Oh, I wish you were mine,” he whispered as he pulled out of Kurtis’ body. He

dropped the rubbery mess into the trashcan beside the bed before snuggling Kurtis close
again.

“No. I don’t want to be someone’s property again.” Kurtis’ normally calm grey eyes

were stormy with emotion.

Jiang frowned. “You wouldn’t want to belong to me?”
Hurt jabbed deep. He might have known Kurtis wasn’t his mate, but to have him state

he didn’t wish to belong to Jiang had his heart aching with emotion. Why did he think
the pigeon should want him when he knew they weren’t mates?

“The last guy I thought I wanted to belong to turned me into a pigeon and kept me in a

cage.” Kurtis’ soft grey eyes hardened.

“As long as you don’t go into anyone else’s bed, we won’t have a problem.” Jiang

would kill anyone who touched Kurtis sexually. His dragon didn’t declare Kurtis, his but
they were in synch when it came to keeping the young man for now.

“As long as you can promise the same,” Kurtis replied.
Jiang admired Kurtis’ bravery. Not many would challenge a dragon, not even a

dragon’s lover.

“I promise no one will touch me like you do. If that changes and I meet my mate, I will

let you know before anything happens.” He had to be honest even if it hurt.

Kurtis glanced away for a moment then snuggled close to Jiang, his smooth blond hair

slid across Jiang’s skin like the finest Chinese silk. “Thank you. I’m sorry I’m not your
mate.”

“Yeah, me too.” Jiang stroked Kurtis head, a calm, soothing motion.
Jiang kissed the top of Kurtis’ head. Somehow finding his mate didn’t have the same

appeal as before.

Jiang opened his eyes when the body wrapped across his chest began to move away.

He grabbed Kurtis around the waist and dragged him back against him, spooning Kurtis
against his body. “Where are you going?”

“I thought I’d take a shower.”
The words made perfect sense, but Jiang heard a sadness in Kurtis’ voice he didn’t like.
“What are you thinking about?” Jiang kissed Kurtis’ neck. He watched with sleepy

pleasure as bumps popped up across Kurtis’ skin.

“My past relationship failures,” Kurtis confessed.
Jiang squeezed him gently. “Don’t fixate on the past. There’s nothing wrong with

enjoying the present. I spent too much time thinking of my past while I was stone, there
is no joy in it.”

He pressed another kiss to Kurtis’ nape, smiling when the smaller man groaned.
Kurtis scooted around until he faced Jiang. “I still don’t know why you want me. The

house is crawling with gorgeous men.”

“Because you might not be my mate, but you call to me. My dragon wanted you at first

sight. He didn’t even stir over anyone else.”

Kurtis smiled. “I’m glad.”
Poor thing. Kurtis obviously had confidence issues after his last boyfriend. Some scars

went deeper than flesh.

Jiang placed a soft kiss on Kurtis’ mouth. “We should probably get out of bed. I’ve got

to see if I can locate the fenghuangs. We have to capture them and see if we can bring
them back to sanity.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”
Jiang shrugged. Regret for the loss of the birds caused an ache in his heart. “I have to at

least try. They were with us for so many years. Besides, maybe if I find them I can find
my fellow dragons. Zhou at least will be searching for them. He is our leader.”

“Where do you think they went?”
Jiang shrugged. “I’m hoping they stayed in Seattle, but they might have decided to fly

elsewhere. I don’t know where the spell’s release might have sent them.”

Someone banging on the door interrupted their quiet discussion.
Jiang slid out of bed and headed for the door.
“Get dressed,” Kurtis hissed.
“Why? They all have the same equipment I do.” Dragons didn’t understand modesty.

There was nothing shameful about the naked form that needed to be wrapped in cloth at
all times.

Kurtis’ gaze slid across Jiang’s body. “It doesn’t mean I want them to see it.”
Jiang obediently covered his body with his magical clothing. Kurtis’ possessive attitude

warmed him even if they couldn’t last.

“Thank you.”
Jiang smiled at Kurtis then opened the door. Aden stood on the other side, his

expression serious.

“What happened?”
“The fenghuangs were spotted downtown by one of our vampire friends. We just got a

call.”

“I’ll be right there.”
Jiang closed the door then returned to stand by Kurtis’ side of the bed. “I’ve got to go.

We have to stop the birds. As much as I hate to do it to them.”

“How are you going to do that?”
“I don’t know yet. I guess we’ll work on our plan when we get there.”

Kurtis tossed off his blankets. “I’m going with you.” He walked to his wardrobe and

yanked it open. Grabbing fresh clothes he began to dress.

“No. I don’t want you there. What if you get hurt?” Jiang protested.
“What if you do?”
Jiang scoffed. “I’m a dragon. My scales will protect me from flames. Last time I

checked, pigeons weren’t fireproof.”

The thought of Kurtis putting himself in danger had Jiang’s heart spinning in his chest.
Kurtis crossed his arms. “Fine. I’ll wait here, but if you get killed I won’t ever forgive

you.”

Jiang smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“While you’re gone I’ll try to find Zhou for you.” Kurtis offered. “I can scan the news

reports and see if anyone mentions spotting a dragon.”

Jiang growled. He narrowed his eyes at Kurtis but he didn’t back down. “Fine, read up,

but stay out of danger.”

Kurtis drudged up his best smile. “Of course.”
Why did Jiang think Kurtis was lying through his pretty white teeth?

Chapter Three

Aden looked up as Jiang and Kurtis entered the room. He had the table cleared and a
large map sprawled out before him with red circles marking the spots the birds were
sighted.

“What are you doing?” Jiang asked.
“This is a map of downtown. We’re trying to find the right place to corner them. You

said we needed to trap them, right?”

“How many were spotted?” Jiang asked.
“All four.” Aden concentrated on the paper. “You think one of them is still sane?”
Jiang took a moment to respond. Aden appreciated that the dragon shifter didn’t rush

to  give  false  reassurance.  “I  don’t  know.  They  stopped  talking  to  us  after  five  hundred
years.  When  the  vampire’s  blood  began  to  shatter  the  spell  I  could  hear  some  of  their
chatter.  There  are  two  males  and  two  females.  One  of  the  males  sounded  as  if  he  were
trying to reason with the rest.”

Aden ran a hand through his hair. “I’d hate to trap them all when one of them might

be fine. I guess we’ll have to decide when we see them.”

Carey sat at the table with the others with his head propped on his hand. “What are

their weaknesses?”

“Me,” Jiang answered. “The dragons. They wanted to protect us, but they’ve gone mad.

We need to see if we can call them back from the abyss of insanity.”

“How do you plan to do that?” Aden hoped Jiang’s compassion wouldn’t endanger

them all. He could understand loyalty to people who’d endured the inhumanity of being
petrified, but Aden couldn’t let the phoenixes burn down his home.

“I can create a web of water between these two buildings and lure them inside. The

water should cool their outside temperature and hopefully slow them down enough so
we can talk.”

“And what if they won’t listen?” Kurtis asked. “ One dragon against four crazed birds

on fire didn’t sound like a recipe for success.”

“Then we are out of luck. I can’t contain them for long on my own.”
“I want to help,” Kurtis said.
“You look for Zhou like we discussed,” Jiang said. “I don’t want you anywhere near

the flaming birds.”

For a moment Kurtis opened his mouth and Aden thought the pigeon shifter would

rebuke Jiang but he snapped his lips together, holding back the words Aden could tell he
yearned to say.

“I can help with the trap.” Gallen examined the map. “Instead of a water trap that the

humans might see, I can place a containment spell beneath the convention center arch.
That should hold the fenghuangs long enough to determine their sanity. If they can’t be
reasoned with, I can create a portal and send them back to China. Being on their home
soil could help.”

Jiang nodded. “That’s a good idea. Where do we start?”

“There have been reports of random fires downtown. A lot of the streets have been

closed down due to fire trucks needing the area. We might have to park up the hill and
walk the rest of the way,” Aden said.

“How many people are going?” Jiang asked, his gaze sweeping the crowd.
Aden pointed at himself. “Me, Gallen, Marty, Eaton, and yourself. If there are too

many  of  us,  it  will  begin  to  look  suspicious.  I’m  not  bringing  Carey  because  there’s
nothing  he  can  do  against  a  phoenix  that  wouldn’t  take  enough  firepower  to  get  him
arrested.  I’d  also  like  to  bring  Harris,  but  a  bear  marching  down  the  middle  of  Seattle
would bring us too much attention.”

Carey snorted. “And Rohan would kill you.”
“Who’s Rohan?” Jiang asked.
“Harris’ vampire mate,” Aden supplied. “He’s a bit obsessive.”
“A vampire helped free us, and he had a bear shifter with him. I wonder if that is the

same one?” Jiang frowned. “I’d love to thank him some day.”

“He’ll be around. Harris drops by periodically to visit with Carey,” Aden offered.
“He’s one of my best friends.” Carey nodded his agreement.
“Let’s take the van.” Aden stood up. Everyone stood up to follow him.
Jiang shook his head. “I’d prefer to fly. I’m not getting into that death machine again if

I can help it. I’ll meet you downtown.”

Aden turned to his mate. “You said they couldn’t see him, right?”
Gallen nodded. “He should be fine. Humans will only see him in his human form. He’s

invisible as a dragon.”

“Okay, don’t try to do everything by yourself. We’ll meet you at Pike Place Market.

The Market has a big sign and it’s on the corner of First Avenue and Pike Street off the
waterfront. It’ll be a good place to meet and assess the situation. We should be able to
reach it without being blocked by fire trucks if we park beneath the viaduct.

“Where’s that on the map?”
Aden pointed it out and waited until he was certain the dragon shifter knew where he

was going before folding up the map.

“Everyone ready?”
There were nods around the table. Gallen wrapped a hand around Aden’s arm and the

little troop headed out. Aden patted his mate’s hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I guess. I didn’t think we’d be in trouble again so quickly. I had hoped we’d

have a moment of quiet before anything else started.”

Aden kissed Gallen, a hard, fast embrace. “I don’t want to bring you into danger, but I

doubt you’ll let me sneak out without you.”

“Damn right. You need me to cast that trap and possibly a teleportation spell.”
“I have no doubt you are powerful, my love. I just can’t protect you if you insist on

running around capturing flaming birds with me.”

Gallen smiled. “I don’t want you to protect me. I want to protect you. Most sorcerers

can’t cast half of my spells by themselves, that’s why they live and travel in groups.”

“Really?” Aden examined his mate more closely. “I guess I’ve been so worried about

keeping everyone safe it never occurred to me that my mate might be a badass on his

own.”

A blush crawled across Gallen’s cheeks. Aden smiled. He liked throwing Gallen off.

The gorgeous sorcerer had an odd mixture of confidence over his magic and insecurity
over his relationship with Aden. Maybe if they hadn’t started with Aden’s reluctance
over being mated it might be a different story, but that was too late to fix now.

“I didn’t say I was a badass, I said I could help protect you,” Gallen argued.
Aden patted Gallen’s hand. “Well, you’re the cutest bodyguard I’ve ever had.”
The only one too

. Aden had always been the one watching over the others. He’d never

had anyone want to be the one protecting him. Sure, he knew the boys had his back if he
ran into trouble, but no one had ever vowed to make it their job before.

“I might be small, but don’t mistake size for power.” Gallen tilted his nose up and

marched away from Aden.

Aden smiled. Gallen’s bit of temper loosened the tension gnawing away at Aden’s

insides. Gallen’s apparent youth and inexperience compared to Aden had caused more
than one misunderstanding. Although technically Gallen was older, his mate had lived a
sheltered existence before Aden.

Aden didn’t always know how to handle his sensitive mate, but if Gallen was

confident enough to fight with him maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

“Can I borrow your van?” Aden asked Carey.
Carey nodded. “You know where to get the keys. Call me if you need me to send

anything.”

“I will.” Aden had purposefully kept Carey from the action. If Broden returned from

his business trip to find Carey fighting flaming birds, Aden would have one pissed off
jaguar on his hands. Besides, if something happened to Aden, he depended on his son to
take care of everyone.

Opening the kitchen cabinet, he snatched up the red key ring and led the others

outside. He climbed into Carey’s van, smiling to see Gallen had hopped into the front
passenger’s seat. His mate apparently planned to set the tone early.

“Something amusing, mate?” Gallen’s steely gaze sent shivers of need through Aden’s

body.

He cleared his throat. “No, nothing at all.”
A deep laugh in the back didn’t dent Aden’s pure joy.
They travelled downtown in silence. Strategizing in his head, Aden reached the

parking lot through habit more than attention.

The parking area had few cars this time of the day. Tourist season had passed and most

people were at work, plugging away at their jobs in the high rises above them.

Leaving the cocoon of the van’s silence, the sound of emergency vehicles pierced the

air and surrounded them with aural pollution. Aden barely heard the brush of scales on
the ground before Jiang landed beside him.

“How do you fly without wings,” Aden asked, brimming with curiosity over the

dragon.

Jiang grinned. “Water dragons travel by magic, fire dragons use wings.”
The dragon shifter’s tone indicated how far superior water dragons were in his

estimation.

“Dragons are an interesting species. There is a wide variety,” Gallen’s speculative gaze

on Jiang had Aden wanting to growl a bit himself. He wrapped a possessive arm around
his mate, ignoring the amused glance Gallen flashed him from beneath his lashes.

“Now that we’ve discussed the amazing dragon kind, can we focus on why we’re

here?” Marty asked, raising an eyebrow. The hawk shifter had a firm arm around Eaton,
who watched the entire situation with a smile.

Aden knew if the eagle shifter had even a feather singed Marty would hunt down a

way to destroy the immortal birds.

“We need an aerial sweep to assess the situation. Marty, Eaton, you two want to take

care of that?” Aden asked.

The group created a semicircle to block sight of the men from any casual passerby. A

dragon would be easier to explain than why two men were stripping down to nothing in
the middle of the parking lot.

It took little time before, instead of two men, a hawk and an eagle stood on the asphalt.

Aden backed up, creating a hole in their protective shield. “Do a quick reconnaissance,
then come right back. Do not engage on your own.”

The two birds nodded, then with an easy flap of wings took off.
“Wow, they are really gorgeous,” Jiang’s avid gaze stayed on the birds as they flew

away.

“Yep, and if you touched one of Eaton’s tail feathers Marty would rip off your scales.”

Gallen offered the information in a helpful tone but Aden heard the satisfaction in his
voice. After being freed from his enchantment, Gallen and the eagle shifter had become
good friends.

“I have no interest in that bird.”
The way Jiang phrased it had Aden asking. “Is there a different bird you’re interested

in?”

“Kurtis, your little pigeon shifter.” Jiang looked over at the street as if it held more

interest to him than their conversation, but his clenched hands and stiff posture indicated
the conversation had greater importance to Jiang than he let on.

“Be careful with the little pigeon, he’s had it rough.” Aden kept his tone mild. He

didn’t want to scare Jiang off, but Kurtis needed a gentle touch. He also deserved to have
some fun, something Aden bet neither man had much experience with.

“Yeah, he told me about his bastard ex. I’ll be hunting him down when we’re done

here.”

“Not alone.” Gallen moved until he stood directly in front of Jiang. “Sorcerers in a pack

could take you down again. Let’s be smart, all right?”

Aden patted Jiang on the back. “We all want to help Kurtis. We’ve been busy lately

trying to battle the sorcerers but we’ll help you since you helped us. It sounds like
finding the sorcerers will solve more than one problem. The vampires are currently
searching—if they find anything they will let us know.”

Jiang frowned. “Why are the vampires looking for the sorcerers?”
“I asked Rohan. Since the sorcerers are often scheming against them, he was looking

for them anyway. He likes to know where they are at so he can keep an eye on them,”
Aden said.

When Aden had given him a call, Rohan had volunteered to share any information on

the sorcerers he found. The vampire was one of the few bloodsuckers Aden trusted.
Before he could say anything else the birds returned.

In a flash they were men again and pulling on their clothes.
Marty shivered in the cool air and quickly yanked on his thick jacket. “It looks like they

are sticking together. Right now the birds are circling around the Seattle Center. They
aren’t low enough to burn anything yet, but the Space Needle has a few new char
marks.”

Aden rolled his eyes. “Of course that’s where they would go. What kind of disaster

movie doesn’t have creatures destroying the Space Needle? It’s almost a cliché.”

Gallen laughed. “Let’s see if we can end this particular script before much more can be

damaged.”

Aden nodded. “Gallen, why don’t we go set your containment field at the convention

center. Marty, Eaton and Jiang can go to the space needle and corral the phoenixes to us.”

Marty put a protective arm around Eaton. “I don’t want him burned.”
“Good point. You two come with us. You can help keep people from trampling Gallen

while he makes his spell,” Aden said.

“I can do a transportation portal to get us to the convention center quickly,” Gallen

offered.

Eaton hesitated. “I hate portals. I could just fly.”
Aden shook his head. “I don’t think we can find a good place for you to transform

without exposing you in front of humans. This will be better. People will forget they saw
us walk out of thin air. Their minds will provide an explanation.”

“Fine,” Eaton gave in.
Within seconds Gallen created a portal. A pop in the air pressure was the only warning

before a large swirling circle formed before them.

“That is quite impressive, sorcerer,” Jiang said, bowing.
“Thank you.” Gallen glowed with pride. Aden loved to see that expression on his

mate’s face.

“How much time do you need for a trap spell, love?” Aden asked.
“One this size could take a good ten to fifteen minutes.”
“You’ll need to distract them,” Aden told Jiang. “Try getting them to talk to you. Judge

the level of their madness and we can determine if this is the way to go or not.”

“Understood.” Jiang bowed low to Aden before a quick flash of light transformed him

back into a dragon. He took off without hesitation to do Aden’s bidding.

Marty snorted. “I’ve never shifted that quickly in my life.”
Eaton patted him on the shoulder. “Faster isn’t always better.”
Marty threw back his head and laughed. “Let’s get going, mate.”
The pair walked through Gallen’s portal. Aden kissed his sorcerer on the cheek before

following the couple. He exited the portal on the sidewalk beneath the large arch. He
turned and waited impatiently for Gallen to walk through. Luckily, Gallen appeared

Chapter Four

Jiang circled the Seattle Center, careful not to get too close. He didn’t want to scare the
birds off quite yet. Right now he just wanted to be able to watch them. He kept his aerial
path in a wide circle, biding his time before he tightened his spiral.

Watching their erratic flight sank his hopes.
Damn, the more he watched their behavior, the more he doubted anyone rational still

lived inside of them.

When one of the phoenixes flew straight at a pedestrian, Jiang poured on the power to

intercept. He cut right in front of the female huang. Her claws slid harmlessly off his
scales.

“Stop,”

he projected the word at her.

She screeched, a loud piercing noise of fear and anger.
Using his larger mass, Jiang maneuvered her back up higher into the air. The others

came down, taunting and screaming at him, circling him with their silver talons exposed.

He broke out of the ring of fire they’d created. He spotted a male feng edging around

the fringes of the group, his distress obvious in the fluttering of his wings.

“Help me!”

The phoenix projected.

The voice triggered his memories.
“Li, I need to herd them to the convention center.”
Jiang had never been particularly close to the phoenixes. They preferred to hang

around the stronger dragons and Jiang had never been powerful enough to draw their
attention. Li had been the only one who bothered to sometimes speak to him.

“Where are the others?”
“I do not know.”

Jiang let his sorrow bleed across their communication. “But your friends

need to be kept from destroying the city.”

“What will you do with them?”

Li’s anxiety poured through their connection. Jiang didn’t

blame him for worrying about his friends, but Jiang wouldn’t let the flaming beasts burn
down the city either.

He made a leap of faith to tell Li of their plan. “I had hoped they’d be calm enough to talk,

to but I have to stop them from razing the city. We have set a trap for them. If they can’t be
reasoned with, we will send them back to China.”

Li’s silence worried Jiang but after a moment he received the answer he’d hoped for.
“I will help.”

Despair slid along the mental link between them.

To lead his friends into a trap was the deepest betrayal. Even though it was to save

them, the other phoenixes might never forgive Li.

Jiang couldn’t imagine how difficult the decision was for the phoenix. If given the

same choice, Jiang didn’t know if he could’ve made the right one.

Distracted, Jiang almost didn’t dodge a claw to his face. His first thought was that

Kurtis would be upset if he came back scarred.

He spit a light spray of acid to get the phoenix to back off. The liquid sizzled harmlessly

off the flaming bird.

As they tried to slash and attack him, Jiang dodged their talons. Enough time had

passed that Jiang was ready to make his move. He put on a burst of speed to escape, but
not too quickly. He didn’t want to lose the birds, just get them to follow. Their screeches
and caws echoed along the corridor of buildings.

Distracted by trying to escape, Jiang almost ran into a tall black building blocking his

path. Focus. Splattering myself against the side of a building won’t help anyone.

With the other dragons missing in action, Jiang had to be the one to get the phoenixes

out of the way. Li didn’t have the strength to push back against three others all on his
own. Jiang figured it was only their bond that kept them from ripping Li apart. Deep
inside, they were creatures of peace. If they could go back to their roots, hopefully they
could return to being the bringers of goodwill they had always been before.

Jiang stretched his body, catching the breeze that whipped through the buildings like a

wind tunnel. For a moment he relished the air sliding through his scales. Even with the
smog hovering over the tips of the buildings, Jiang didn’t care. He’d yearned for freedom
for so long, now that he had it he would bring down flaming birds to keep it in his grasp.

The birds’ screams of joy filtered back to him. They swept past a small white skyscraper

and charred the outside black. Jiang hoped the mortals below could undo the damage the
fenghuangs caused, or there would be a round of rumors questioning the source of a
burnt downtown. Already large vehicles with flashing sirens followed them down the
streets.

“Now, reverse.”

He telegraphed the order to Li.

Jiang swooped down trying to head them back north. Li swerved on the other side.

They  needed  to  herd  them  toward  the  trap.  He  hoped  Gallen  had  time  to  set  it  up.  Li
flew down beside him and between them they maneuvered the trio of flaming birds back
up  the  street.  They  swooped  past  a  mirrored  building,  the  fenghuangs’  flames  rippling
across  the  surface.  Good  thing  humans  couldn’t  see  them,  because  they  would’ve  gone
screaming at the flying balls of fire.

Almost there.
Jiang moved closer to the birds to wedge them in the tight corridor between the

buildings. His cool scales crackled from the heat of the flames but he pushed back.
Luckily downtown sat at the edge of the sound and Jiang could pull moisture from the
air. Even a water dragon might dry out from too much contact with flaming birds.

There!
The convention center stood before them. A long glass and steel arch covered the street

below.  Using  his  dragon  vision,  Jiang  spotted  the  glow  of  the  activated  spell.  Jiang
stopped  midair  as  the  phoenixes  plunged  into  the  trap.  Li  almost  didn’t  stop  in  time.
Jiang  clamped  his  teeth  onto  one  flaming  wing  and  jerked  Li  back  from  the  pull  of  the
enchantment.  His  mouth  sizzled  from  the  contact.  Gasping,  he  quickly  released  the
phoenix.

A little concentration pulled water into his mouth to douse the elemental fire.
Dropping close to the ground, he found his group and landed directly beside them.
Gallen had his hands out whispering some arcane spell while the phoenixes thrashed

in their magical net.

Jiang transformed into his human shape, dressing himself in his scales as he changed.
Li landed beside him, his flaming feathers changing to a pair of leather pants and a

plain white shirt. “I want to talk to them before you send them away.”

Jiang waited for Aden’s decision.
Aden assessed Li with his cool blue eyes. Jiang barely remembered to breathe while he

waited for their leader’s decision.

“You have five minutes. If you think they will calm down, we will give you more

time.”

Li bowed to Aden, then leapt back into the air, a phoenix once more.
Aden turned his attention back to Jiang. “What do you think?”
“I doubt he’ll be able to reason with them. They are too far gone,” Jiang reported sadly.
They stood waiting. A street musician began strumming the guitar in a weird parody

of their anticipation. Not even two minutes had passed before Li landed back beside
them. He transformed quickly and from his expression Jiang already knew what he’d say.

“Send them.” Li turned away but not before Jiang saw the wetness in his eyes.
“Ready, love?” Aden asked his mate.
Gallen nodded.
Without warning, a crackle of magic signified the arrival of additional sorcerers. Jiang

sucked in a breath. Fear shot through him at the sight of the sorcerer with a scar on his
cheek—a mark Zhou had given him on that fateful day thousands of years ago. The
sorcerer hadn’t aged a day.

Two other sorcerers appeared beside the leader. Jiang didn’t recognize them.
“Follow my lead, young mage,” the leader said. He waved his hands and muttered a

few words Jiang didn’t recognize. A loud boom shook the ground and the fenghuangs
disappeared.

Li sucked in his breath beside Jiang then fell to his knees, sobbing.
“Hey, are you all right?” Jiang asked. He wrapped a hand around Li’s arm and helped

him to his feet.

“I’m alone. Without my brothers and sisters.”
Jiang knew the fenghuangs spent their entire life bonded. How did someone recover

from losing their other half? “Why didn’t you go with them?”

“I found my mate,” Li confessed. “My huang had been chosen by my parents—they

knew I was gay, but didn’t care. They said I would get over it. I sensed my mate a year
ago. He came to the theater. Unfortunately, I don’t know which one was him. In the
large crowd I couldn’t pick him out. I have to stay in Seattle to find him.”

“We can help you,” Gallen said, coming to stand beside Aden. “You helped us. We will

help you.”

“Come home with us. We’ll help you find your mate.” Aden stepped forward and

patted Li on the shoulder. “Maybe you can take him back to China with you and reunite
with your brothers and sisters?”

“No.” Li shook his head. “I’ll never go back there. I was cursed there, and it will never

be home again.”

“Yet, you sent your friends away,” the lead sorcerer said, staring at Li. “Why?”
“Because your spell drove them mad!” Li threw a ball of fire at the sorcerer.
The magic wielder brushed it aside as if it were nothing. “I was under orders. I am

sorry to have caused you so much grief, but there was little I could do then.” Pain filled
the sorcerer’s eyes. “You were not the only one who suffered that day.”

Jiang stepped forward, putting himself between the phoenix and the sorcerer. “There

isn’t anything that can change that now.”

The sorcerer sighed. “Zhou is my mate.”
Wow!
Out of all the possible explanations, that one hadn’t occurred to Jiang. “Then why did

you petrify him? Does he know?”

“Yes. I turned him to stone because the emperor would’ve had him killed. I couldn’t

take the chance. I convinced the emperor that I could get rid of the dragons. The spell
took far longer to shatter than I had expected.” The sorcerer frowned at Aden. “I’ve
heard that your family has long been a burr among the local sorcerers. Now you appear
to have become involved in the business of dragons.”

Aden surveyed the sorcerer with a cold stare. “Perhaps if they weren’t a group of

assholes, I wouldn’t enjoy bothering them so much.”

Gallen nudged Aden in the arm.
“What?” Aden eyed his mate in surprise.
“Not all sorcerers are bad.” Gallen folded his arms and glared at his mate.
“One does not make a majority, sweetness.” Aden wrapped an arm around his mate.

“Let’s go home.”

“Wait!” Jiang stepped forward. “What is your name?”
“I am Laozi,” the sorcerer said.
“The founder of Taoism?” Gallen asked, his eyes as wide as dragon eggs.
Laozi laughed, “No. I am not that old. That was an ancestor of mine. I am from a long

line of sorcerers.”

“I am looking for a sorcerer who spelled another to be a pigeon shifter,” Jiang said. “He

placed a curse on an innocent man out of spite. I believe that is against your teachings.”

Laozi scowled. “These younger sorcerers do not know how to nurture their power. I

will find the one you seek— they are braggarts, every one—if you will do me a favor in
return.”

“What would you like?” Jiang would promise about anything to save Kurtis from his

sad fate, but he knew better than to say that to a sorcerer. He might be young in wisdom,
but he wasn’t completely stupid.

“When Zhou finds you tell him I am sorry, and give him this.” Laozi tossed a shiny

object at him.

Jiang caught it by instinct. A gold coin sat in his hand. It hummed, a faint sound as if it

were alive. “What is it?”

“When he is ready it will lead him to me.”
So many questions hovered on the tip of Jiang’s tongue but he could tell from Laozi’s

closed expression he wouldn’t answer any of them. “What if he’s never ready?”

Laozi smiled. “I’ve waited over two thousand years for him, I can wait as long as he

needs. Eventually his dragon will seek me out whether his human side is ready or not.”

“I will give it to him if I see him.” Jiang didn’t know what to make of the wizard. Had

they been petrified for so long for their own safety? “What if he doesn’t come to me?”

Laozi’s smile turned melancholy. “He will find you. He has ever enjoyed your

companionship.” He nodded to Aden, “And he’ll want to meet the new king.”

Aden rolled his eyes. “Let’s get back home.”
“Follow me,” Jiang said to Li. It would be easier for them to fly then for everyone to be

stuffed into the van. Besides, he had a feeling Li wouldn’t appreciate close quarters. After
being in a stone prison for so long, Jiang knew he preferred the open air to being locked
inside a vehicle.

They landed on the front step. Carey opened the door with a large man beside him.

From the protective stance of the big cat shifter, Jiang guessed this was Carey’s mate.

“Where’s dad?”
“He’s on his way. This is Li Feng, a Chinese Phoenix. Aden has promised to help him

find his mate.”

Carey’s mate rolled his eyes. “Why don’t we just open a dating service?”
“This is Broden, my mate,” Carey introduced. “Broden, this is Jiang, he’s a dragon

shifter.”

Broden straightened and glared at Jiang. “Don’t cause any trouble, dragon.”
Carey smacked his mate on the chest. “Be good. Jiang is my father’s guest.”
Broden growled and pulled Carey back into the mansion. “You might as well come in.”
Li waited until the mated pair had vanished into the house before he spoke. “What is

this place? I can feel magic beneath my feet.

“I think it was the dragon king’s house. Now his descendants live here. The magic

doesn’t feel completely like one type of magic. I think someone refreshed it with other
safeguards, but I can’t say for sure.”

Jiang didn’t want to think of how much magic had been sunk into the ground around

him. His dragon enjoyed the vibrations that the unsettled phoenix beside him might not
appreciate.

He only took two steps into the house before Kurtis ran across the foyer and threw

himself into Jiang’s arms. “You’re safe.”

“Yes, not even singed.”
Kurtis planted kisses all over Jiang’s face. “I’m so glad you made it.”
“You are so lucky to find your mate so soon,” Li said.
The sudden stillness of the body in his arms had Jiang pressing reassuring kisses on top

of Kurtis head. He didn’t bother to correct Li, not with Kurtis standing there. He didn’t
wish to hurt him.

“Hey, I talked to a sorcerer. He’s going to find the guy who cursed you. Hopefully

you’ll be free soon.”

Tears glowed in Kurtis eyes. “I can never thank you enough.”
Kurtis kissed Jiang. He could almost taste the blond’s pleasure at Jiang’s news. After

several minutes of kissing, Kurtis slid down Jiang’s body and stepped back.

Chapter Five

Aden watched them all break off into groups and couples. Gallen laced his fingers with
Aden’s to stop him from following the others. “Let’s go back home. We can talk there.”

Aden wondered what Gallen wished to discuss. Never had those words been met with

a positive experience. “All right. Marty, tell Carey we had to go.”

The hawk shifter nodded. “Sure, we’ll see you tomorrow?”
Aden nodded. “I need to talk to Jiang some more.”
Jiang could go over his plans to find the others. He also needed to discuss Jiang’s

closeness to Kurtis. Aden wouldn’t tolerate the dragon shifter toying with Kurtis’
affections.

The drive home was only interrupted for a stop on the way to get some Indian food.

Aden ordered extra naan to go with his lamb curry. He loved flat bread.

Once they got home, they settled on the couch and spread the food out on the coffee

table. They preferred this spot with its view of the sound. There was no sight of the water
from the little dining room, though Aden vowed to do some remodeling and fix that.

Gallen waited until they had their plates filled before speaking. “What’s going to

happen now?”

“What do you mean?” Aden tore a piece of bread off and wrapped it around a chunk of

lamb.

“Jiang keeps saying you are the dragon king. How is that going to affect us?”
Aden set down his food. “I don’t know what it means. I guess either my dad or my

mom was a dragon shifter. My mom certainly didn’t mention it to me, and I never knew
my dad. If what Jiang says is true, he must be dead, because it wouldn’t have passed
down to me if he were still alive.”

“And your mother didn’t have any other relatives to ask?”
“No. Tomorrow I’ll check some of her old files. There are some diaries and stuff of hers

I never got around to reading. I just never had the time.”

“You’ve been busy raising your son. I could help sift through stuff,” he offered.
Aden squeezed Gallen’s leg. “Thanks, love. Sometimes it all gets to be too much. I can’t

tell you how happy I am that I have you.”

Gallen kissed Aden’s cheek. “Anything for you.”
“I know I resisted at first, but I never claimed to be a clever man. I’m so glad you

insisted on being mine.”

The slide of Gallen’s mouth against his never failed to make Aden hard. He abandoned

his food without any regret. Food could be reheated. His mate needed him now.

With clever fingers and determination, Aden stripped Gallen in minutes. “Lie down,

babe,” Aden whispered against his cheek.

Gallen obediently spread himself across the leather cushions. The hot appreciation in

Gallen’s eyes warmed Aden more than a barrage of compliments. He didn’t know what
their future held, but he knew he’d spend it with his mate.

“Take me, Aden, make me yours.”

“You’re already mine, nothing will change that.”
Aden slid a hand down Gallen’s bare chest. “I know things have been a bit crazy lately.

If I could change them I would.”

“No.” Gallen shook his head. “I think that’s just how things are. Besides, you needed a

project. What else were you going do during your retirement? I mean, some people take
up hobbies, you turn into a mystic dragon king.”

Aden smiled. “I’m not sure transforming into another being actually counts as the

same as fishing or golf.”

“I’m not that fond of fish anyway.” Gallen sighed into Aden’s kiss.
Aden took care not to crush Gallen by keeping some space between them. His mate

quickly warmed beneath Aden’s hands. Aden wrapped his fingers around Gallen’s
erection, slowly pumping the soft bit of flesh.

“Keep that up and I’ll come all over your couch,” Gallen warned.
“It’s our couch and the leather wipes off just fine.” Aden continued sliding his hand up

and down Gallen’s cock in slow seductive motions, certain by now what touch would
send Gallen over the edge.

Licking and biting his way from Gallen’s neck to his hipbone, Aden traversed Gallen’s

body with single-minded intent.

“Please,” Gallen begged the third time Aden lapped around the tip of Gallen’s erection

without taking it in.

Aden lifted his head. “Hmm, you want something, babe?”
Gallen narrowed his eyes. “Suck me!”
“Demanding, aren’t we?”
Aden’s deceptively mild tone had Gallen clenching his fists.
“Yes! And if you don’t do something soon I’ll have to do it myself!”
Aden laughed against Gallen’s thigh, thrilled at his effect over his beautiful man.

“Anything for you, my mate.”

Aden’s swallowed Gallen’s erection, sucking the length into his mouth and flattening

his tongue along the tip, hitting the spot he knew drove his mate wild.

A strangled noise had Aden lifting his mouth. “Go ahead. I want to hear your noises.”
“Not if it has the neighbors calling the cops,” Gallen said dryly.
“I soundproofed my place. Didn’t I tell you?”
“Of course you did. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Aden shrugged. He went back to his task of driving Gallen out of his mind. A few

minutes later Gallen screamed out his bliss.

Sliding up Gallen’s body Aden planted a kiss on his mate’s cheek. Gallen blinked up at

him with sleepy blue eyes. “What can I do for you?”

Aden smiled. “Nothing. Let’s eat. I’ll fuck you in our bed later.”
“Deal.” Gallen pulled on his pants, leaving his shirt and underwear on the floor.
They ate in companionable silence until a knocking at their picture window drew their

attention outside. An enormous blue dragon floated outside their condo, its serpentine
head battered against the glass.

“If he breaks my window I’m going to kick his scaly ass back to China,” Aden vowed.

He marched to the door then yanked it open. “Get in here!”

The dragon transformed before Aden’s eyes until a slim Chinese man with gold eyes

and a larger build than Jiang stood before him in a pair of loose black pants and a T-shirt.
He bowed, then stepped inside, stopping just inside the front door where Aden pointed.

“I am Zhou.”
“Of course you are.” Aden frowned at the dragon shifter.
“Gallen, this is Zhou. Zhou, this is my mate.”
Zhou bowed to Gallen. Gallen nodded. “Nice to meet you. You must be Jiang’s friend.”
“You know where he is? I’m so glad. I was worried he’d come to a bad end. Jiang is the

youngest of our clutch and the least able to take care of himself.”

“I think you underestimate him,” Aden said. “Jiang has handled himself quite well.”
“So you’ve spoken to him.” Zhou’s delighted expression melted some of Aden’s icy

regard.

“He’s staying with my son right now. I can take you over in the morning if you’d like,”

he offered.

“I would like to see him tonight.” Zhou scowled. Obviously this dragon was used to

getting his way.

“That’s too bad. We just got home, and we’re not leaving. You can come back in the

morning or stay in our spare bedroom. I’m not sending you over to my son’s house right
now. He’s had a long day and he’s probably currently trying to make nice with his mate.”

Zhou growled but Aden remained unmoved. “Your mate is a sorcerer and you are

barely more than human. What is to stop me from making you do what I want?”

Aden picked Zhou up by the throat and threw him against the wall. He watched

dispassionately as the shifter fell into a heap on the ground. Aden grabbed his Glock out
of the hall table drawer beside him and pointed it at the dragon shifter. “Don’t ever come
into my house and try to push me around.”

A low growl poured out of Aden, his eyes burned but he refused to close them for

relief, not when it would require him to take his eyes away from the shifter at his feet.

Zhou whimpered on the floor. He bared his neck. “I’m sorry, your highness. I forgot

my place. You are why I was attracted to this condo. I had thought it was Jiang’s scent. I
recognize my error now.”

“Good.” Aden’s voice echoed through the apartment, thrumming with energy. The

crackling noise—like electricity sliding across his skin—startled Aden, but he’d been a
master at hiding his feelings for years and didn’t forget those hard learned lessons.

Gallen ran a soothing hand down Aden’s back. “Hey love, let’s not kill the visitor.”
“Why not?”
The dragon shifter paled. “I can wait until tomorrow.”
“I thought so.” Aden tucked his gun away in the back of the waistband of his denims.
“Are you hungry?” Gallen asked the shifter.
Zhou shook his head. “No, thank you.”
“Have a seat.” Aden ordered more than asked, but Zhou didn’t appear to care as he

dropped onto the opposite couch.

Still hungry. Aden grabbed his food back off the coffee table. If he wasn’t going to get

more sex with Gallen, he might as well eat something.

“Is Jiang truly all right?” Zhou asked quietly.
“He’s doing well. He mentioned you. Jiang said you were a good leader.” Gallen cast a

sideways glance at his mate before continuing.

Aden took a bite of his dinner and shook his head at his friendly mate.
Zhou smiled cautiously at Gallen. “He’s like a little brother to me. I saw the

fenghuangs flying through town but they were gone before I reached them.”

“We took care of them. They are back in China. Well, most of them,” Aden said

spearing a piece of lamb.

“Which one isn’t?”
Gallen rushed to fill the hole of silence. “Li. He said he’d scented his mate and wanted

to stay. Since he seemed to be the sane one, we didn’t make him go through the portal.”

“Hmm. I guess we’ll see. Where is he at?”
“My son’s house,” Aden said, pleased to offer the information.
Zhou sighed.
“What are the names of the other three dragons? Jiang only mentioned you by name,”

Gallen asked.

“Liang, Tian and Wei. I don’t know where they’ve gone. I thought I’d start with Jiang

since I found his trail first. The others can take care of themselves.”

“Jiang is tougher than you give him credit.” Aden took a sip of wine before setting the

glass down with a snap. “He helped plan the capture of the phoenixes.”

“Did he?”
Zhou’s surprise confirmed Aden’s suspicion that they underestimated the younger

dragon. He wondered if the others had always cosseted Jiang in the name of protection.

“Gallen set the transportation spell, but Jiang lured them into trap. He did very well,”

Aden believed in giving credit where it was due.

“Jiang has always been a smart dragon,” Zhou grudgingly commented.
They finished their dinner. Gallen quickly picked up everything and put the leftovers

away. Aden raised his eyebrows at Gallen’s sudden need for tidiness, but maybe having a
strange dragon shifter in their house made Gallen nervous. Aden caught Gallen pushing
his underwear beneath the couch with a shove of his foot.

“Why don’t I get Zhou settled while you get ready for bed,” Gallen offered.
Aden’s eyes burned again for a brief moment. He shook his head then stood. “I can do

that, if you want.”

“You aren’t exactly the host type, babe. Go.” He gave Aden a small shove.
Aden allowed the unfamiliar event of his mate manhandling him while Zhou followed

them down the hall. Before he could be shoved completely through their bedroom door
he grabbed Gallen and kissed him long enough that the sorcerer had to grab the
doorframe to hold himself up by the time Aden finished.

“Don’t be too long.”
Zhou nodded in response to Aden’s glare over Gallen’s shoulder. “I’ll see you in the

morning, your majesty.”

“Just Aden will do. Good night, Zhou.”

Chapter Six

Jiang woke in slow increments. Blinking, he gasped for air as he realized he could
breathe.

Where am I?
“Whoa easy, hon.” A soft tenor whispered in his ear. “You’re fine. You’re human. See,

flesh.”

Jiang followed the voice’s direction and saw he was made of skin, not stone. Still

drugged from sleep he tried to gather his thoughts. He turned to face the person beside
him.

“Wow, you’re gorgeous,” he blurted out. Damn, he hadn’t meant to say that. The

amusement in his bed companion’s eyes told him he didn’t mind.

“I’m glad you think so.” A blinding smile followed those words. The gorgeous blond

brushed their lips together.

Oh.
Jiang grabbed the human and rolled them until he lay on top of the slim man,

determined to keep him there.

“Hey, it’s all right. Do you remember yesterday?”
Yesterday?
Images raced through his mind of turning human, finding the king, chasing phoenixes.

“You’re Kurtis.”

“Yes.” Another smile greeted that pronouncement.
Jiang had other questions, but the hard rod rubbing against him made all the

comments and queries moot. He didn’t need to figure out everything right at that
moment especially when the hot man beneath him had needs. Wrapping his fist around
both their erections, he squeezed.

“Oh, god. Do that again.”
Jiang grinned. “I’ll do a lot more if you’d like.” He thought for a moment. “Lube. You

said I need lube.”

“Always.” Kurtis nodded, his eyes serious. “You always need lube.”
Jiang grabbed the familiar bottle off Kurtis’ nightstand. “Got it.”
For a moment he froze. He didn’t know the proper etiquette. Was it rude to wet a

finger and shove it inside his lover?

“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Kurtis’ soft hands stroked his face until Jiang gathered enough nerve to voice the

concerns hovering in his mind. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“No worries.” Kurtis kissed Jiang, a quick peck on the mouth, too fast for Jiang to enjoy

the sensation of lips to lips. “I can take care of it. Eventually you’ll be comfortable enough
to prep me.”

“I will.” Jiang smiled at the thought of how much practice he’d need before he could

stretch Kurtis without worrying.

Kurtis grinned. “I can’t wait.”
Throwing back the blankets Kurtis showed Jiang once again how much he liked to be

loosened in order to accept Jiang into his body. Jiang watched with avid interest, making
note of the angle Kurtis used to make those grunts. Oh yes, he’d make sure to yank those
sounds out of his lover soon.

“I’m ready.” Kurtis gasped after several minutes of stretching and spreading lube.
“I’m almost past ready. I don’t know if I can be careful,” Jiang warned.
“I’m stretched well, go for it.”
“Condom?”
Kurtis blushed. “I asked Carey last night. We can have sex without one.”
Jiang didn’t know if he appreciated Carey’s help or if he objected to Kurtis believing

their host over him. Watching the expression of lust cross Kurtis’ face he decided he
didn’t care.

Jiang climbed up on his knees. Kurtis rolled over for Jiang to easily enter. He almost

stopped the motion, but he decided to let the pigeon shifter have his way. After all, until
they became used to each other, there was no need to get too creative.

Mindful of his greater strength, Jiang pushed inside in one slow motion.
“Oh! So good.” Kurtis dragged the word out until the ‘o’ sounded twelve syllables

long.

Jiang grinned as he pulled out then slid back in.
“Harder!” Kurtis squeezed around Jiang’s cock.
“Easy. I don’t want to hurt you. You must let me be in charge. I’m the only one who

knows my strength.”

Kurtis whimpered. “Please!”
“I’ll give you what you need. Relax.” He refused to hurt Kurtis. Just the idea he might

injure the beautiful man caused his heart to ache.

“I’ll relax when I come.” Kurtis smacked Jiang’s leg. “Fucking fuck me. Now!”
Jiang’s body shook with laughter. “I am. If you can’t tell then I must be doing

something wrong.” He moved back with even slower motions. How many strokes would
it take to enrage a pigeon shifter?

“Now!”
Unable to take the strain of holding back his own release, Jiang began to make love to

Kurtis with careful force until Kurtis made sounds Jiang had never heard come out of a
lover before.

He hoped they had good insulation and they weren’t waking up anyone else in the

house. For such a slim man, Kurtis was a noisy thing. When Jiang could tell he was about
to come he pressed one hand to the mattress and wrapped the other around Kurtis’ cock.

“Come for me, my sweet bird.”
Kurtis screamed more like a proper dragon roar than a little pigeon. Jiang smiled and

kissed Kurtis’ sweaty back. Kurtis groaned and pushed back at Jiang. Jiang came inside
Kurtis’ tight hole, pleased at the smell of their mingled scents.

Although they weren’t mates, Jiang didn’t care. He’d keep his pretty pigeon for as long

as he could. They’d have to drag Kurtis from Jiang’s cold dead claws.

He pulled out as carefully as he could, mindful of Kurtis’ sensitivity. Even in ancient

China, he knew the harm he could cause by too rough a treatment. Granted, he’d stuck to
his fellow shifters but still injuries could happen.

Sighing against Kurtis’ neck, he slid sideways and tucked Kurtis against his body.
“I have to go clean up,” Kurtis muttered sleepily.
“Ooh, I’ll come with you.” The shower thing from the other night had completely won

Jiang over. What a brilliant invention.

Their shower was wet, steamy and ended with Kurtis shoved against the wall while

Jiang swallowed him down. The beauty of shifters—they bounced back easily.

A knock at the bedroom door had them reluctantly pulling apart. Jiang transformed his

scales, mimicking the look of clothing. Kurtis pulled on fabric things from his drawer.

Once Kurtis was completely covered, Jiang opened the door.
“Zhou!” Jiang threw himself at his leader, pleased when Zhou hugged him back.
“I missed you, little dragon. I worried you’d might have been eaten by something

bigger.”

“He was captured by something much smaller,” Kurtis’ tone indicated he didn’t

appreciate Jiang’s reunion.

“Zhou, this is Kurtis. He’s under an enchantment.” Jiang quickly explained.
Zhou’s mouth tilted up on one side. “I think maybe he’s cast one on you.”
Jiang laughed. “Maybe in a way.” He wrapped a hand around Kurtis’ nape and pulled

him to his side.

The larger dragon tilted his head as he examined them. “He’s not your mate?”
“No.” Jiang bit back the sigh trying to escape. Only by claiming Kurtis as his mate

could Jiang let him join the dragons. However, Jiang refused to claim Kurtis falsely to
keep him by his side. “I did meet Laozi, he claims he petrified us to save us from the
emperor.”

“You believe him?” Zhou narrowed his gaze as if he could penetrate Jiang’s brain.
“Maybe. He seemed to believe it. He offered to find the sorcerer who cursed Kurtis.”
“Hmm.” Zhou rubbed his chin as he thought. “We need to learn more about these

sorcerers and if the emperor is still alive. We also need to train the dragon king. He still
acts like a human.”

“You might want to go easy on the train-the-dragon-king thing. He’s pretty strong-

willed,” Kurtis said.

“Yes, I learned that last night.” Zhou’s rueful tone told Jiang it had been a hard lesson.
“What do we do from here?” Jiang had always depended on Zhou to lead him. He

didn’t see any reason to change that now.

“We need to find the others in our clutch. They might be in trouble. The spell spread us

pretty far apart. I was in a country called Canada. It took me two days to get here. If the
others feel the pull of the dragon king like I did, they should be arriving soon. If they
don’t show up, we’ll have to try to find them.”

“Laozi gave me a coin for you.” Jiang snatched the gold coin off of Kurtis’ dresser and

handed it over. “He said for you to use it if you want to see him.”

A melancholy expression crossed Zhou’s face. He tucked the coin in his pocket. “Thank

you.”

Zhou looked around him. “While this is nice, we should investigate a place for us

dragons to stay. Maybe Aden will have some ideas. He sent me to tell you breakfast was
ready.”

Jiang nodded and wrapped an arm around the suddenly quiet Kurtis. He glanced

down but the little pigeon shifter refused to look his way. What had he done?

All through breakfast, as talk floated around them, Jiang wondered what had caused

the sadness in his lover.

“Jiang, will you be going with Zhou to find a new place?” Carey asked.
“Yes, I know you are crowded here. I don’t want to impose.”
“What will you live on? You don’t have jobs or food.” Aden frowned.
Jiang smiled. “We are water dragons—we can live in the sea and eat there. It will do

until we can get to our hoard and sell some of our jewels.”

Even a young dragon had enough sense to keep a treasure well hidden.
“Are you sure your hoard is still there?” Kurtis asked.
Relief swept Jiang that Kurtis had spoken to him. “Yes. Dragons have a connection to

their treasure, they can sense when it’s near.”

“How do they sense it?” Aden asked. His laser gaze pinned Jiang in place.
“What do you mean?” Zhou intercepted the question, which was a good thing, because

Jiang wasn’t sure what Aden was asking.

“How does a dragon feel its hoard?” Aden asked.
Jiang and Zhou exchanged glances. How did you explain to someone about instinct?
Zhou tried first. “For me, I feel a tugging, as if there is somewhere I need to go.”
“Yeah, that’s how it is for me too.” Jiang smiled, pleased with Zhou’s description.
“Can someone inherit a hoard?” Aden asked.
Suddenly Jiang knew why Aden had pursued his line of questioning.
“Yes.” Zhou nodded. “You can inherit a treasure. That’s how younglings often begin

theirs. If a parent dies, many times their young will be led to their treasure by a genetic
marker. Generally there will be a divvying up of the hoard among all the dragon’s
descendants, if they are known, but sometimes they simply fight and the winner keeps
the treasure.”

“That’s horrible,” Kurtis said, appalled.
“I’ll arm wrestle you for it,” Carey teased his father.
Aden laughed. “Trust me, I’ve already spent a treasure trove on you. Do you feel

anything?”

“I’ve always thought the fountain had a weird hum to it, but I thought it was the damn

pump,” Carey said.

A thoughtful expression crossed Aden’s face. “That’s where I was thinking too.”
“Under a fountain would be an excellent place for a water dragon to hide his hoard,”

Jiang offered his advice.

“But Aden’s not a water dragon,” Zhou protested.
“What am I? I thought you said I was a dragon king?” Aden glared at Zhou.
Jiang worried his lip as he watched the two alphas clash. Zhou needed to tone it down

if he planned to see the next century. Stories abounded of the brutality of the dragon
kings.

“If you are descended from who I think, then you are king of all dragons,” Zhou said.

“We are only a small portion of your kingdom. There are others besides the beasts of the
sea.”

“And yet I already feel I have two too many followers,” Aden drawled.
Carey laughed. “What do you say dad? Shall we investigate?”
“Why do I feel like a member of the Hardy boys?” Aden asked, cryptically.
Kurtis giggled, drawing Jiang’s attention. He shrugged when Jiang gave him a puzzled

look. “You probably don’t get the reference.”

“No,” Jiang agreed. He doubted he’d get many cultural references among the people

here. A pang of loneliness struck him. At least now he had Zhou, even if he didn’t know
how long the dragon leader would stay near him. Would Zhou leave after he made sure
the others were safe?

Kurtis smiled. “Never mind. Let’s just say Aden and Carey are going to go play

detective.”

Jiang watched with bemusement as the entire group got up and traipsed outside, not

giving their food a second thought. No one seemed to care about the chilly weather as
they continued on without coats, and in some cases without shoes. They all walked over
to an enormous fountain in the middle of the garden.

“What do you think, son?”
“Hmm,” Carey examined the fountain for a long moment before asking. “Do dragons

visit their hoards?”

“Yes,” Jiang and Zhou replied simultaneously.
Carey smiled, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Well if dragons visit their

hoards, and grandfather wished to keep his balls, he’d make sure he didn’t ruin
grandmother’s garden while he did it.”

“Good point,” Aden approved. The pair of them examined the fountain as everyone

else looked on.

Carey stopped at the back of a large carved shell. “Do you hear an extra vibration right

here?”

Aden rushed to join him. “Yes. I think you found something.”
Jiang sat on a boulder placed as a garden decoration.
“Aren’t you going to help?” Kurtis hissed.
Jiang shook his head. “You never touch another dragon’s hoard.”
“Do you hear anything?” Kurtis tilted his head inquiringly.
“No. It’s not tuned to me. The previous king probably tuned it to his children.”
“Huh, weird.” Kurtis’ fascination with Aden’s hoard made Jiang smile. The pigeon

shifter was such a curious creature.

After several moments of pushing and poking and a few hawk’s hands being slapped

aside, Aden found the spot. A hard press on a carved fish had the entire fountain sliding
to one side.

“Nice job, dad.” Carey slapped palms with his father who appeared quite proud of

himself and the hard kiss Aden received from Gallen probably didn’t hurt his ego any.

Father and son began to enter when a large jaguar blocked their entrance.
“Broden, I thought you were going out of town again.” Carey scowled disapprovingly

at the large cat who growled at him. “Yes, fine. Dad, do you mind if he checks first.”

Aden waved a dramatic hand toward the dark pit. “Feel free, son-in-law.”
They exchanged amused looks while the big cat entered the hole. Aden followed, a gun

firmly in his right hand. Where he got a weapon Jiang didn’t know, but the knife Carey
pulled out of his boot solidified the connection between father and son in his mind.
Carey might never transform like his father, but to underestimate him would be the last
thing someone did.

Aden didn’t truly believe the entire dragon thing until that moment. Sure, the tattoo

had been weird and the sudden urge to rip out Zhou’s throat had been uncomfortable,
but until they opened a secret doorway he’d truly thought maybe a mistake had been
made.

“Why didn’t grandmother tell us?” Carey whispered.
“I don’t know.” Aden wished he could say why his mother might have held back

crucial information, but he truly didn’t know. His mother had been the one steadying
influence in his world and to find out she’d hidden an entire half of his genetics cut him
deep.

Carey patted his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, Dad.”
Aden nodded but didn’t speak. He doubted they would ever decipher the truth of

people long dead, but maybe they could learn enough to continue on in the future. The
bottom of the stairs led to darkness. Gallen whispered something and a ball of light
floated across the room.

“Holy fuck,” Carey whispered.
“You said that right,” Aden agreed. Piles of gold filled the chamber in coins, bars, rings

and chains, along with strings of pearls, chunky loose rubies, diamonds and some stones
he didn’t even recognize.

“I think we’ve got the taxes paid,” Carey said.
Aden stepped into a pile of coins. “Wow.”
His fingers tingled.
“You okay, Dad?” Carey asked. “Your eyes are glowing.”
Aden shook his head. A weird fuzzy sensation had filled it for a moment.
“Everything all right in here?” Zhou peeked his head in.
“Mine!” Aden’s body crackled and popped, his shoes ripped in half. Falling to his

hands and knees he watched as his hands transformed into claws and his skin darkened
to a shimmering translucent color. First he shone white, then gold beneath the ball of
light.

“Fuck, you’re a dragon,” Carey said.
Aden swung his head around to see a human watching him with awe.
He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a puff of smoke.
“Try not to fry me,” the human said.

Aden sniffed the human in front of him.
A large jaguar pounced in front of the human. Obligingly Aden sniffed him. The large

beast smelled of family. Aden blew on the cat’s fur, earning a snarl. Cats were fussy
anyway. He returned to the human. Sniff.

Warmth wrapped around his heart.
“Child. My child.”
Carey rolled his eyes. “I’m all grown up now, dragon man, and I prefer my father

human.”

Aden butted the human gently with his head, happy that his son understood him.
“Hey, careful love.” A sweet voice had him turning to face the speaker. Another sniff

had him rubbing against the slim blond.

“Mate!”

Aden tried to talk but nothing came out but a growl.

“Yes I’m your mate. I think I like you better as a human. You might gore me with your

horns.”

“Horns?”
Gallen smiled. “They are quite lovely.”
Aden snorted in disgust. He tried to remember his human shape.
Nothing.
His body didn’t tingle. It didn’t change.
“I’m going to go ask Zhou if he knows anything about first changes,” Aden’s child said.
“Be careful, Carey,” Gallen called out.
Carey, now he remembered. He’d named his child after his wife’s father. Why, he

couldn’t remember.

“Hang in there, love, we’ll get you back to human in no time.” Gallen scratched Aden

behind his right ear.

Aden stepped in front of his mate, blocking Gallen’s path in case he tried to leave. He

would let his child go, but not his mate. He needed someone to stay behind until he
could be human again. His dragon half wanted to keep all his treasures, human and gold,
in one place. The humans were turning out to be trickier though.

Chapter Seven

Jiang stared at Carey, unsure of what was expected of him. “I don’t know how to change
him back.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Carey glared at him, his expression so like his

father’s that Jiang had a moment of panic. “He can’t stay a dragon.”

“I’ve always been a dragon. I don’t know what it’s like to be human and not be able to

change. Look, it’s not that I don’t want to help. It’s that I don’t know how. Zhou?”

The older dragon shifter scratched his chin. “Yeah, I don’t know either. We were born

dragons, so it’s different for us.”

Carey sat at the edge of the fountain. The large jaguar shifted into its human form.

Carey tossed his mate a pair of pants that were sitting on a boulder beside him. “Here,
put some clothes on.”

“Thanks.” Broden smirked. The big cat shifter eyed Carey with a cautious expression as

he pulled on his clothes. “Listen, we need to think about what we’re going to do.”

“Well, I’m not going to leave my father and his mate under the fountain,” Carey

snarled, better than any dragon.

Rather impressive really.
They all stared at the entrance as if it might give them some answers, none of them had

any.

A loud roar shook the ground.
“He needs to be calm to change back,” Zhou said staring at the entrance.
“He’s calm enough,” Carey said. “He just can’t change back.”
Zhou scratched at his chin again. “How many children does he have?”
“Just me,” Carey replied.
Jiang didn’t like the direction of these questions. “What are you thinking, Zhou?”
“I’m thinking the dragon king isn’t going to like anyone hurting his child. You said his

mate is down below, so I only have Carey to work with.”

“Um, you might not want to do that,” Kurtis said.
“It will be fine.” Zhou brushed off Kurtis’ warning. He grabbed Carey’s arm and

shouted down at the fountain entrance. “Aden, this is Zhou, I have your son.”

A loud growl vibrated the ground.
“You might want to rethink your methods.” Carey’s voice didn’t hold any fear. He

stood placidly in Zhou’s hold.

An enormous golden head lifted through the hole and Jiang forgot how to breathe. The

dragon’s tongue flicked out like a lizard and his eyes glowed with an unnatural fire.

Zhou took a few steps back pulling Carey after him. “You can’t get out of there as a

dragon. You’ll have to shift to save your son.”

Aden narrowed his eyes a bit as if assessing the situation.
Would he go for it, or would he set everyone on fire. Most dragon shifters recognized

their human friends and family but Aden wasn’t like the others. He was new and
untested. His reptile brain might not make the connection in time.

“Release him and I won’t kill you,” Aden’s voice echoed through Jiang’s mind. The power

almost had his knees buckling.

“Change to human. We need to talk,” Zhou demanded.
“If you don’t lighten your grip, my son will kill you and save me the trouble.”
Zhou released Carey.
“Are you going to stay like that, old man?” Carey asked stepping up to the hole. “The

gold scales look good on you but Gallen might want someone more human-sized in his
bed.”

Aden growled. He swung his bejeweled gaze from Zhou to Carey before disappearing

back into the opening.

“That went well.” Carey spun around to face them. “Now what?”
Zhou sighed. “I thought that would work.”
“I think Aden knew you wouldn’t hurt Carey.” Jiang stared out across the garden as he

considered the situation.

“If he’s truly the dragon king, then he can see the will of men’s hearts,” Zhou agreed.

He came to stand beside Jiang. “What do you suggest?”

Jiang shrugged. “If I had an answer I would’ve already suggested something.”
“What’s going on?”
A person Jiang hadn’t met wandered onto the grounds. He must’ve been one of the

privileged who were allowed, because none of the people around them appeared
concerned.

“Hey, Denton,” Carey greeted the newcomer with a friendly hug.
Make that close friend, since Broden didn’t rip Denton apart for touching his mate.
A low growl had Denton spinning around. “When did we get a hole in the fountain?”
“Apparently Dad’s a dragon king and wallowing in his hoard.”
“Huh,” Denton walked to the end. “Don’t come over for a few days and you miss all

the good stuff.”

“Why is it none of you are surprised one of your own has changed into a dragon?”

Jiang didn’t understand their complete lack of shock and horror.

Denton frowned at him. “Did you two do this?”
“No. His mate began the process, I think finding his treasure finished the change.”

Jiang couldn’t be sure of that, but to him that was the only explanation.

“Hmm, I’ll go talk to him.” Denton stripped. His lean elegant body glowed in the sun.
A smack to his head knocked him out of preoccupation. Jiang turned to face his

assaulter. Kurtis glared at him.

“What?”
“He’s mated!”
“So? I didn’t touch him.” Jiang would never touch a mated man.
“Do you think you can wipe the drool off?” Kurtis growled.
It would’ve been cute to watch the pigeon shifter in full anger, but the hurt in Kurtis’

eyes twisted Jiang inside. Before he could say something to soothe the smaller man a
grunt had him turning his attention back to Denton. In the man’s place stood a crocodile.
“Wow.”

The creature crawled down the hole without hesitation.
“Isn’t he worried?” Jiang couldn’t help asking. The calmness of the people around him

seemed unnatural. Carey took his father’s transformation in stride, as did all the other
people around them. Broden draped an arm around Carey’s waist as they waited,
nestling his mate into his arms.

Jiang held back a sigh. Low growls came from below. After a long moment and an

inhuman scream, Denton climbed back out then shifted back into his human form. “He’s
fine.”

Dressing again, he went to join Carey.
Jiang had almost expected to see Gallen next, but it had been a foolish expectation.

Aden wouldn’t send his mate out first. When Aden appeared at the top of the stairs,
Jiang noticed Aden had mastered transforming his scales into clothing. Aden reached
back to help his mate out and over the last step in an unexpectedly gallant act.

“I guess I truly am a dragon,” Aden said. “What the fuck do I do now? Will Carey

change?”

Zhou spoke up, which was good, because Jiang didn’t have an answer. “No. Not unless

you are killed—then the mantle will pass to him. The dragon king’s descendants hide by
not taking their final form until they are needed.”

“Does that mean my father had been alive?” Aden asked.
“Not necessarily. I think with your mating and the vampire half breaking our spell, it

awoke your dragon DNA. If those two things hadn’t happened, you might have
continued to be a human until you died.”

Jiang was happy for the father and son. Since Carey had mated with a shifter and Aden

had become a dragon, both of them would live longer lives.

“That’s good. I don’t think I’d want to turn scaly.” Carey snuggled into his mate’s arms

as if seeking comfort. Broden kissed him on the head.

“So to recap, who the hell are you in the dragon hierarchy?” Aden pinned Zhou with a

narrowed gaze.

The leader of the dragons, who Jiang would’ve sworn feared nothing, snapped to

attention. “I am leader of the water dragons. You are leader of us all.”

“So what do we do now?” Carey asked. “So far we’ve sent some phoenixes home and

turned my dad into a dragon. It’s been an exciting week.”

Zhou scowled. “We need to find the other dragons.”
Aden ran a hand through his hair. “And I thought retirement would be boring.”
Gallen laughed behind him.
“Where is Li?” Zhou asked.
“He flew off this morning,” Carey said. “He thought he smelled his mate and he went

off in pursuit. I hope he finds him.”

Jiang didn’t quite cross his fingers but he did hope for the best for the phoenix. Li had

had it as rough as anyone and then lost his friends on top of it all.

Zhou nodded. “Li has always been the most level headed of the bunch. If anyone can

find his mate, it will be him.”

The sky darkened without warning. Jiang looked up to see that while they had been

distracted by Aden, black clouds had covered the sky. Unease had everyone moving
around restlessly, but it wasn’t as if they could escape the sky.

“What’s going on?” Jiang asked Zhou.
“I think our enemies have found us.” Zhou replied, not looking away from the sight

above them.

Lightning streaked through the clouds, crackling with menace.
Jiang would reflect later that it was like watching a movie. Out of the clouds a pure

white dragon appeared. Riding its back was a cloaked figure.

“Bai Long,” Zhou whispered.
Jiang clenched his fist so tight he knew his nails were carving holes in his palms. “I

thought he’d been destroyed.”

“You can’t destroy a dragon king,” Zhou scolded as if Jiang were a little boy who

hadn’t studied his stories.

“Who’s Bai Long?” Aden asked.
“The White Dragon King,” Zhou answered. “If he has teamed up with the emperor,

then we have greater troubles than we thought.”

“You’re assuming they are in partnership.” Jiang watched the emperor pulling at the

dragon’s harness. “I think he’s controlling him.”

“How strong do you have to be to command a king?” Gallen asked.
“I don’t want to find out,” Jiang said.
A loud bell rang across the garden.
“Someone wants in.” Carey headed for the front of their property.
“Go with him,” Aden ordered the dragon shifters.
Without a thought Jiang bowed, then rushed to follow Carey in an instinctive need to

serve his king.

“He’s very strong,” Zhou whispered beside him, having obeyed as quickly as Jiang had.
“I’m surprised it took him so long to transform,” Jiang agreed. He didn’t want to upset

Aden, but his son might start exhibiting powers. Despite what Zhou told him, Carey
wouldn’t completely avoid the dragon king ancestry. As he grew older, Carey would
begin to develop some abilities.

“Me too. I wonder which dragon king Aden’s a descendent of?”
“We may never know unless he finds information from his mother.” Zhou came to a

complete halt.

Concentrating on avoiding a garden bench, Jiang almost ran into him. “Why did you

stop?”

“Them.” Zhou pointed at the gate.
A row of sorcerers stood on the other side of the iron bars. Carey stopped a foot away

from them and crossed his arms. “Why are you here?”

Laozi jerked his gaze from Zhou. “I have brought the pigeon shifter his curser, but I see

you have greater problems. Let us in and we will help.”

“Do not trust them,” Zhou growled.
Carey glanced over his shoulder. “You think he’s here to cause trouble.”
Laozi shook his head. “No. I promised Jiang I would help the pigeon shifter. He was

wronged, and I’m trying to convert these wayward magic users to be proper sorcerers.
My issues with Zhou are separate from this.”

“Issues?” Zhou snorted his disdain. “You turned us to stone!”
Jiang heard all the pain, rage and betrayal in that one short sentence. He glanced at the

sorcerer fast enough to catch the expression of soul-wrenching sorrow on his face.

“You have Kurtis’ ex?”
Laozi pushed forward a slim man with black hair and a sullen expression on his face.

“Jonah here has volunteered to remove it.”

From the bruise on Jonah’s face, Jiang had a feeling the idea wasn’t quite as voluntary

as Laozi said but he wouldn’t argue. “Carey, can you let them in?”

Carey tilted his head for a moment. “I don’t know if I want to open the property to

sorcerers.”

“You let in Gallen,” Laozi pointed out.
“Gallen’s an exception. He’s my father’s mate.”
“We can make sure the emperor is unable to land on your property,” Laozi promised.
After a brief hesitation Carey opened the gate and let the sorcerers in. Before Zhou and

Jiang could object, the sorcerers ran toward the fountain, sending magic bouncing up into
the air. Jonah followed at a slower pace but didn’t try to run off like Jiang suspected he
truly wished to.

The sorcerers stood holding hands in a circle and chanted beside the fountain that had

been moved back to its original position somehow. A white glow emerged from the
center of the wizards. Jiang watched wide-eyed as a bolt of lightning shot up straight
from the ground directly in line with the man riding the dragon above.

Screams rolled from the white dragon. In a burst of lightning it vanished.
The sky cleared up overhead, but the sorcerers’ chanting didn’t end. A blue arch

emerged from their huddle. It traveled in multiple directions until, to Jiang’s dragon
sight, dozens of arches covered the air above them.

After a few more minutes of spell casting, the sorcerers put down their arms and broke

their circle. For a second Jiang could still see the blue lights, but they vanished, leaving
behind the wispy trail of a spell finished.

Laozi bowed to Aden. “Greetings, dragon king. As a gesture of good will, we’ve

created a protective shell over your home. No one with ill intent will be welcome here.”

“Thank you.” Aden bowed slightly. “Have you come to remove Kurtis’ curse?”
“We have.” Laozi reached out and snagged Jonah by the collar. Jonah yelped over the

rough treatment but didn’t further complain.

Jiang heard the intake of breath when Kurtis caught sight of his old boyfriend again.

Jiang’s rushed to Kurtis’ side to offer support.

“I bet if we kill him it will end the curse too,” Jiang suggested.
Laozi answered the statement. “It may or may not, curses can be tricky things. Come

here, Kurtis.”

Kurtis took a deep breath, then stepped forward. “Okay I’m ready.”
The sorcerers stepped back as Kurtis approached. Jiang wondered how many of the

men had poked at Kurtis in his cage. How many of them turned a blind eye and didn’t

rescue him, despite the knowledge that their fellow magic user had committed a crime.
A few refused to meet Kurtis eyes, probably too ashamed to face the reality of their
neglect.

The sorcerers created a semi-circle around Jiang and Kurtis.
“Step back, dragon, we don’t want you to be in the path of any rebound,” Laozi

warned.

Jiang almost argued, unwilling to leave Kurtis without protection, but he stepped to

the side, away from the others but within grabbing distance if Kurtis had problems.

“First Jonah owes you an apology,” Laozi stated. It wasn’t a question, and from Jonah’s

sour expression he knew it too.

“I’m sorry for turning you into a pigeon,” Jonah said. He didn’t sound sorry to Jiang

but he wasn’t going to get into it when Kurtis was seconds from being free of his curse.

Kurtis bit his lip and Jiang knew his lover was holding back words. Jiang didn’t know if

the positions were reversed if he would’ve withheld a single criticism

“Remove the curse,” Laozi ordered.
Jiang held his breath, almost afraid to exhale in case he somehow messed up the curse

removal by moving.

Jonah waved his hands and muttered some indecipherable words. A glow covered

Kurtis’ body. His hands turned a golden orange and he clenched his fists as if the
sensation from the spell removal affected him adversely.

Kurtis sucked in deep breath. His body relaxed and his knees buckled. Jiang rushed to

wrap Kurtis in his arms. He’d never let the sweet man topple to the ground

“Thanks, Jiang,” Kurtis whispered.
“Always.” Jiang knew he shouldn’t make wishful statements but he couldn’t get his

mouth to agree. “Is it removed?”

Jiang scanned Kurtis, trying to spot any sign of magic that might still be clinging to

him.

Laozi nodded. “Yes, I no longer sense the spell, do you?”
Jiang sniffed Kurtis’ neck. “You smell different. How do you feel?”
“Good. I feel really good. What do you mean I smell different?”
Jiang inhaled deeply. “Mate,” he whispered. “You smell like my mate.”
Kurtis spun around. “What are you saying?”
“Let’s go back inside,” Jiang said, stubbornly refusing to answer Kurtis’ question in

front of everyone else.

“You will be given recompense for your troubles.” Laozi held out something.
Kurtis stepped forward and grabbed a slim credit card from Laozi. “What’s this?”
“A prepaid card. It has ten thousand on it. You will receive one for each month you

were trapped in your pigeon form. If you prefer cash, call me with your banking
information.” He held out another card, this one paper.

Jiang snatched it from Laozi’s hand. “I will provide for my mate.”
“It isn’t up to you. I will send it to you at this address until you tell me otherwise.” He

nodded to Kurtis before turning his attention to Zhao standing on the other side of the
fence. “I will be back, Zhao, our business isn’t over.”

The sorcerers vanished, nothing showy or magical. One moment they were there, the

next they weren’t.

“I thought they needed a vortex or something,” Jiang asked, bemused.
“No. I only made one to transport the non-sorcerers. On my own, I can teleport like

that,” Gallen said.

Carey asked the question they were all wondering. “Where did emperor psycho and

his pet dragon go?”

Okay maybe not wondering in quite that manner, but curious all the same.
“He vanished,” Aden replied. “I think he’s just letting us know he’s here and aware of

the dragons still being around.”

“Friendly of him,” Carey mused.
“Let’s go back inside and recap our weird day. You okay, Kurtis?” Aden eyed him

carefully.

Kurtis nodded. “Yes, for the first time in a while, I am fine. Laozi gave me some

money.” He waved his credit card around. “Maybe I can get some decent clothes.”

“Good. You can stay here until you get on your feet. Don’t feel you have to rush off.

We’ve gotten fond of you,” Aden reassured him.

“I have too.” Jiang wrapped an arm around Kurtis’ waist and led him back to their

room.

“Don’t you want to hear what the others are going to talk about?”
“No. I need to talk to you. Zhou will tell me of their plans. They don’t need my input.”
Kurtis waited until the door closed behind them before asking. “What did you mean

when you called me mate?”

“Exactly what you think. Once the curse was lifted I could smell your real scent. Now I

know why I was so pulled toward you. You are truly my mate and I found you at last.”

Kurtis stepped closer. “No one else will come to take my place?”
Jiang shook his head. “Never. You will always be mine but there is a slight problem.”
“What?”
“I don’t know if you remember, but when a dragon finds their mate and bonds, they

can transform their beloved into a dragon.”

Kurtis’ mouth dropped open. “I’m going to be changed into a dragon like Aden?
“Um…no. Aden is a dragon king. You would be a lesser dragon. Probably one of the

smaller blue dragons.”

“Would I be able to fly?”
“Well, you wouldn’t get wings, but you could fly. I don’t have wings but I fly—we

float on the currents of air rather than creating our own.”

Kurtis interrupted before Jiang could go into further detail. “Hey, don’t worry about it.

Flapping your wings can be exhausting anyway. I can’t tell you how many times I pulled
an arm muscle when I shifted back. I just don’t know if I’m ready to be a dragon. I kind
of wanted to enjoy being human for a bit.”

Jiang frowned. “You won’t transform until I bite you. If you want to wait a few months

or even a year or two, I might be able to hold off. I can’t always control my dragon
though. It might want to claim you before you are ready. I will hold back as long as I can,

though.”

“I’m not saying for years but if you can wait at least a month. I’d appreciate it. I know

it sounds strange, I mean who wouldn’t want to be a dragon, but I’ve been transformed
before against my will, and I kind of want to be the one to make the decision this time.”

“Understandable.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t have hot sex though, does it?” Kurtis asked.
Jiang laughed. “No. It doesn’t mean that at all. We’d better make love face to face, it

will cut some of my instinct to bite your nape and claim you as my mate.”

“What about Aden and Gallen, will Aden change his mate?”
Jiang shook his head. “I’m pretty sure it only happens with humans. Sorcerers and

other shifters keep their own shape.”

“Good. I don’t want to think about a shape shifting sorcerer.”
Jiang’s kiss stole Kurtis’ ability to ask more questions. Their tongues tangled, then

withdrew to tangle again. Moans filled the air, spiking Jiang’s desire. To know Kurtis
craved him was the finest aphrodisiac.

Jiang’s touch became more frantic. Needy and wanting, he clawed at his mate, heady

with the knowledge Kurtis would always be with him. No longer would he need to
search for someone to spend his life with. Loneliness would be relegated to a bad
memory in his past.

“Relax mate, you are mine now.” Kurtis’ sweet words soothed Jiang’s battered soul.
“Always,” Jiang whispered against Kurtis’ lips.
They kissed, then Kurtis dipped his head to nip Jiang’s neck, not breaking the skin but

sending jolts of desire to Jiang’s cock. His brain scrambled, drowning beneath a sea of
sensation leaving him swirling and groundless.

Jiang returned the favor, careful not to leave a mark.
Kurtis tilted his head back further. “Yes, bite me.”
“Not yet. Not when you are needy and not thinking.”
“Why are you still able to think?”
“I’m older.”
Jiang stripped off Kurtis’ clothes before dissolving his own. Climbing onto the bed, he

grabbed Kurtis’ left wrist and dragged his mate after him. Kurtis ended up sprawled on
his back and deliciously accessible. Jiang covered Kurtis with his body, relishing the
warmth between them.

Sliding down, Jiang latched onto Kurtis’ nipple and bit down.
“Oh, fuck!” Kurtis yelled.
Jiang released his bit of flesh. “Not yet. I want you ready for me.”
“If I were any more ready I’d explode.” Kurtis scowled at Jiang.
“No exploding mates,” Jiang scolded. He slid his mouth along Kurtis’ hipbone and

nibbled there just light enough to send shivers down Kurtis body. Jiang slowly grazed his
nails across Kurtis’ balls. Kurtis arched his back trying to escape and push toward Jiang’s
touch at the same time.

“I need you.”
“I’m here.” Jiang grabbed the lube and after some liberal application pressed one

fingertip inside of Kurtis.

Impatient, Kurtis shoved back to get more of Jiang inside him. “Now!”
Willing to oblige his needy mate, Jiang slid his finger in and out, dragging the tip over

Kurtis’ happy spot.

“Right there,” Kurtis gasped.
“I know.” Jiang pulled his finger out completely, making Kurtis whimper. He applied

more lube, then plunged in two fingers. He gradually prepped Kurtis despite Kurtis’
insistence he could move faster.

“I’m going to celebrate my hundredth birthday before you finally screw me,” Kurtis

grumbled.

“I could stop and make you a cake.”
“Don’t make me rip off your scales.”
“Ouch.” Jiang obediently lined up the tip of his cock and pushed the tip inside.
“Finally.”
Jiang kissed Kurtis’ shoulder. “It hasn’t been that long.”
“I don’t know…I think it’s pretty long.” Kurtis tightened around Jiang’s shaft,

squeezing with his muscles.

Groaning Jiang kissed Kurtis again, sliding his tongue across Kurtis’ and sharing their

combined flavor. No matter how long he lived Jiang would never forget Kurtis’ taste, the
strength of his body pressing Kurtis down into the mattress, or the scent of male musk
combined with a hint of seawater.

Jiang wrapped his large hand around Kurtis’ erection, pumping in time with his

motions in and out of Kurtis’ body.

“I’m so close,” Kurtis spoke through clenched teeth.
“Relax, give me everything.” Jiang’s demanded.
Kurtis shouted out his pleasure in a spurted release between them. Jiang grunted, a

harsh, guttural sound followed by a gush of liquid filling Kurtis’ body.

After he caught his breath, Jiang went to the small bathroom and came back with a

small towel he used to wipe Kurtis clean. He tossed it into the hamper in the corner then
climbed back onto the bed to pull Kurtis into his arms. “We will have to find a new place
to live. You can come live with the dragons, since you are my mate.”

Kurtis sighed. “I like living here. The other shifters have always been nice to me.”
“I’m a dragon, Kurtis. I need to live some place I can keep my hoard.”
Kurtis tilted his head. “Do you even have a hoard? Won’t you have to go to China to

see if it still exists?”

Jiang shook his head. “I told you we could feel it. I know it is still there. I will have to

go fetch it, but I am reluctant to go when you are vulnerable. I won’t find it until I know I
have a place to keep you safe or you’ve changed into your dragon.”

“Then we can stay here.” Kurtis nestled into Jiang’s arms. “With all the magic

protecting the grounds, this is the safest place, and Seattle is expensive. Until you can
retrieve your jewels we don’t really have a lot of money except for the card the sorcerer
gave me.”

“How many months does he owe you?”

“Twenty-four. I lost two years of my life to that bastard. I wanted my pound of flesh,

but I guess money will do.”

“Why would you want a pound of his flesh? Is it useful? Would you like me to go get it

from him?”

Jiang didn’t understand why Kurtis laughed until his eyes leaked. “No. Not an actual

pound of flesh, that is only an expression. Meaning I want him to suffer like I did.”

“I can understand that. Sometimes the people who hurt us seem to be the only people

who get a break. The emperor killed many people and destroyed the dragons, and yet he
has found immortality and continues to imprison our kind.”

Kurtis held out his arms. After a moment Jiang lay down and allowed Kurtis to wrap

his arms around him.

“I’m sorry the asshole emperor is still alive. But now you have more people on your

side than ever before, and I just know Aden will make an awesome dragon king. He’ll
get everyone back on track.”

“I hope so.”

Epilogue

Aden paced back and forth in front of his condo’s big picture window. “I don’t know
what to do, Gallen, I turned into a dragon.”

Gallen sat on the couch and watched Aden move back and forth across the living room.

“Now love, no reason to freak out.”

“Did you miss the dragon part?” Aden stared at his mate in surprise. How could Gallen

not  think  this  was  a  big  freaking  deal?  He  had  always  prided  himself  on  being  calm  in
the  face  of  emergency.  When  things  went  to  hell  Aden  could  always  keep  his  shit
together.  Not  now.  Not  when  he  was  supposedly  a  dragon  king  and  now  in  mortal
combat  with  an  emperor  who  should’ve  been  dead  for  more  years  than  Aden  could
count.

“You made a magnificent dragon,” Gallen soothed. “Your gold scales were very shiny.”
“Gee, thanks. Were my big teeth nice too? I could’ve killed you.”
Gallen slid off the couch and rushed to Aden’s side. “No, mate. I could tell you still

knew who I was in your dragon form. You were very careful with me. Don’t think this is
a way to worm out of our mating.”

Aden scowled. “I wasn’t trying to worm out of anything. I’m stating a fact. I turned

into a dragon and kept you hostage in my treasure room. As if…” he couldn’t think of a
proper comparison.

“As if I were as precious to you as your treasure?” Gallen offered.
Aden sighed and let his anger go. He couldn’t let Gallen bear the brunt of his

displeasure  anyway.  He  slid  his  hands  down  Gallen’s  arms,  relishing  the  texture  of  his
mate’s  skin.  “You  are  more  valuable  to  me  than  any  gold  or  jewels  or  shiny  goblets.  I
can’t  replace  you  and  wouldn’t  want  to,  no  matter  the  shiny  bobble  offered.  You  are
everything.”

Gallen blinked rapidly.
“Are you crying?” Aden wrapped Gallen in his arms. He smiled when Gallen nestled

in closer and sighed against his neck.

“I can’t help it. Sometimes you are super sweet.”
Aden barked out a laugh. “I think I fried your brain earlier with my transformation, if

you think any part of me is sweet.”

Gallen shook his head. “I love you. I’ll spell anyone who tells me you aren’t romantic.”
“I don’t think that would be a great way to make friends.” Aden ran his fingers

through Gallen’s thick blond hair. “All I want to do is keep you safe. I think we might
have to move in with Carey until this whole thing blows over.”

“By blowing over you mean kill the emperor, don’t you?” Gallen asked.
“Yes, he will have to be taken care of one way or another. He knows where Carey lives.

I can’t have him trying to intimidate my son.”

“I’m not so sure he can be intimidated. He’s tough like his father.”
“Maybe, but he’s not dragon tough. He has a good arsenal and maybe I can convince

Zhou and Jiang to stay with us as imperial guards or something.”

“I’m sure you could. Jiang isn’t going to be in a hurry to displace his mate from a home

he’s comfortable in, and Zhou isn’t going anywhere without Jiang. I think they’d be open
to any suggestions.”

“I thought so too. I can help them relocate after the emperor is taken care of.”
Gallen snuggled closer. “We’ll get through this.”
“Of course we will.” Aden didn’t know how or why, but no way would he let his mate

worry. They would vanquish the emperor, get the dragons where they needed to go,
then settle back to his ordinary life. Well, at least one that didn’t include mythical beasts.
He was fine with animal shifters, but when the bodies formed shapes Aden hadn’t
thought were real, it became a different situation all together.

“Don’t worry so much, my love. I’m with you.”
“Yes, I know. I appreciate your support.” He kissed Gallen on the forehead. If there

was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Gallen would stand beside him. Carey and
the other boys would be there too.

Maybe life truly had symmetry to it. He’d saved the kids from their problems, and it

was now time for them to do the same for Aden. As long as it didn’t involve one of his
boys getting killed, he’d let them participate. They needed to come up with a plan. Those
sorcerers knew more than they were willing to admit, and Aden had a feeling he could
get Zhou to shake down their leader. The sparks between them were fierce and Aden
knew they were mates.

So many lives could be messed up if Aden didn’t do his duty. He’d thought retirement

would leave him more time to putter around the place, read books in the afternoon and
hound his son about possible chances of grandchildren before Aden got too old. Now it
seemed he would never get too old. Hopefully Broden’s bond with his mate would keep
Carey alive for a long time to come. No way would he outlive his son. Parents weren’t
meant to do that. The pain would be too much for Aden to bear.

“Whatever you’re thinking about, let it go,” Gallen said tickling Aden’s side.
“How do you always know when I’m thinking dark thoughts?”
“It’s a mate thing. The same way you know to come and cheer me up.”
“If I don’t say it enough, I love you. I might have had to be dragged into our mating,

but I’ve been happy every day I wake up to your face.”

“Good.”
Gallen’s smile of relief told Aden he’d not done a good job saying it often enough

before.

“Let’s get some rest, love.” Aden took Gallen’s hand and led him toward their

bedroom. “Tomorrow is another day of dragons, emperors and weird events.”

“Can’t wait.” Gallen’s jaw dropped open in an enormous yawn.
“Yes, I can see that.” Aden laughed. He might have the fate of the dragons on his

shoulders, but he’d handled responsibility all of his life. The hand of fate had swirled the
cooking pot and Aden sat in the middle of the vortex. Tonight he’d show Gallen how
much he meant to Aden. Tomorrow, he’d see what he could do to change the fate of
dragon kind, and maybe watch a baseball game on television.

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