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Chapter Forty-One

Anaki

E lena stood at the mountain's edge, her eyes tracing the winding trails that snaked through the lush green valleys below. “Are you sure he’s going to be okay?”

I gently lifted Elena off the back seat of my motorcycle, steadying her as she found her footing on the gravel driveway.

I reached up, fingers deftly unclasping the strap that secured her helmet, lifting it to reveal her wind-tousled hair.

We had just returned to Bear and Nadia’s rustic cabin nestled among the towering pines back in the forest. The ride had been fun, my sleek and streamlined bike slicing through the air with ease, a far cry from the bulky machines that everyone else liked so much, which rode like big clunkers.

I don’t know why everyone likes those big ones, because the smaller Kawasaki Ninja H2R was where it was at. The ladies have to hang on tight like little backpacks. Elena’s tits were pressed right on my back. It was like a tease riding all the way up the mountain.

I hit every pothole I could, just to feel her chest drag up and down my body.

Would she be okay if I drove back down?

“Mama, Luis is going to be fine. In fact, I bet he won’t want to come home after it's all said and done.”

Luis was going to stay with Beretta and Tajah for the time being, not that he minded. Tajah and Beretta were using him for their own entertainment. He was, for all intents and purposes, their child, too.

Elena had mentioned earlier at the club about them becoming his godparents. That didn’t make sense to me because how could they be godparents, they weren’t gods? However, it was a human term, referring to a tradition where they would act as second parents to him.

Humans were strange in their customs, and I wouldn’t question it.

As long as Surkash would not be a godfather, that was all I cared about.

Earlier, when Elena spoke with Tajah about Luis’ future schooling with his magic, I pulled Surkash aside at the bar.

Scales made our eyes shimmer under the dim light, casting an eerie glow in our eyes that seemed to pierce the darkness.

I could feel the heat of his jealousy rising, a palpable tension that crackled in the air.

With a deep, guttural snarl that resonated through the room, I asserted my presence, causing onlookers to retreat in fear.

Yes, I am a dragon.

Surkash stumbled backward, colliding with the bar behind him. The impact sent bottles toppling from their shelves, shattering on the floor with a sharp, chaotic crash that echoed through the now-silent room.

I was nose to nose with him as I whispered, “You stay away from my son. Do you understand me?”

I'll never forget the way Surkash's eyes widened, his pupils dilating in sheer terror.

His scales shimmered under the dim light, and I could almost see the fear emanating from the subtle tremors that coursed through his body.

A musky, sharp scent of snake pheromones wafted around him, unmistakably signaling his distress.

I pictured his tail tucked tightly between his legs, had he possessed one.

I felt powerful.

“Because you are, you are a dragon. Do I need to spell it out?” I asked. I could see Scales rolling his eyes in my mind, but I ignored him.

Then Elena had to step in and calm me down. She pulled me away before I could threaten Surkash to not even look at Luis.

I didn’t want any chances that my son would become too close to anyone else, until we bonded more.

Elena secured the helmet on the bike and wrapped her arm around mine. “You are thinking so loud I can hear it. Are you only worried about Luis and Surkash? He just has a thing for reptiles. He will like dragons more. You know that, right?”

I pulled Elena’s hand, leading her to the path that led to the cave.

“I can’t help it. I’ve got a son, and I don’t want him to like any male but me.

I want to do all the things my parents didn’t do for me.

I want to be like one of those family dads on those TV shows in the ‘90s and 2000s. They were wholesome and played catch and helped their kids. I want to be a cool dad.”

“You sound ridiculous.”

Elena made a face of disgust. “You know that is TV. It isn’t real. Most father figures aren’t like that, and there is no perfect parent. If there were, they would make bank on a How To book right now.”

I huffed in annoyance. “No, I understand. I want him to have a happy childhood. In the dragon clan, fledglings were passed around a lot. We were taught to be independent. I don’t want him to feel alone, and now we are leaving him.”

Elena stopped me and grabbed my hands. “I feel the same. Very much so, right now.” She cupped my cheek with my hand. “You didn’t want to be passed around like that? ”

I shook my head and pouted. “Not really. I felt disconnected from my parents, but I knew they loved me. It was the culture, I later realized. Dragons are a hard species to understand, and it was because we didn’t communicate well.

Heats, ruts, and our transformations can be dangerous, and we just didn’t talk about it much. ”

Elena nodded. “Luis understands that. He’s been told by many.

Abuela, Tajah, me, and even the other Iron Fang members.

This is for his safety, and it isn’t because we love him any less that we are away from him.

We are a phone call away. I don’t enjoy being away from him any more than you do.

Did your parents not explain this to you as a child? ”

I shook my head. “No. Communication is not a dragon’s strong suit. That is probably why there aren’t many texts about our species.”

Then the goddess did us a favor by having my animal speak.

“See, having me was for your benefit.”

I’m still deciding on that.

Elena moved a messy curl from my forehead. “Do you miss them? Your parents? Did you ever have a proper goodbye? That had to have been so hard.”

I huffed out a breath. “Yeah, I did actually.”

Elena gasped and pulled me closer. “You didn’t tell me that! That wasn’t part of the memory! What happened, please tell me!”

I didn’t dare tell her that it would have all been in the memory we shared after the big battle, where she got all horny and wanted to jump my bones. Not that I was complaining or anything.

My parents actually saw the whole betrayal.

They were so excited for me and my soulkin to get together that they secretly followed me into the forest. They did not intervene because they knew it was part of my own life journey, to do what I had to do.

Destroy the male who had hurt me. I don’t think they were expecting me to eat them, but nevertheless, I did.

My poor mother had thrown up several times in the bushes before my father emerged from the forest and approached me.

I had shifted back into my human form in a heap, and was a sobbing mess.

That night, we made camp, far from the scene of the crime, and they told me they loved me but that it was no longer safe for me to stay.

My mother stayed with me while my father ran back to the clan and got me as much coin and clothing as he could carry, so I could leave.

They were the ones who told me to leave the realm, all those years ago.

I’d tried my best not to think about that day, and perhaps it was good that my family and I did not have the close familial bond that most humans have with their children, for that reason alone.

They cared for me, gave me what I needed, and told me they would pray to the goddess that I would be safe and would not succumb to the darkness.

I’ve never seen my mother cry like that before. But then, I’d never heard of a dragon rejecting their mate before me, and neither had my parents. There was always a first time for everything.

I unfortunately could never return. One for not having a mate and being a threat of losing control of my dragon and causing harm. And two, I ate people. That is a big no-no.

Yet we continue to do it…

“We do it because it’s tasty.”

Elena frowned as I pulled her back to the cave. Her arousal was perfuming, and I knew her heat was near. It had grown over the days, but now it was at a point where it would become uncomfortable for her. Her stress was declining, and her sorrow for Abuela was subsiding the slightest bit.

And it would become more uncomfortable for my dicks. My poor dicks were constricted in fucking compression underwear.

I ran my hand down the side of her hip and pulled her close. “My parents would be happy for me. My entire clan would,” I said as I kissed her temple .

“Can we send them a letter? To let them know? Is there some sort of correspondence between realms?”

I rubbed my chin and shoved my hand into her back jean pocket. “Maybe. I could ask Bram, since he would know best. He’s the all-knowing voodoo magic dude. His magic is waning, but that seems simple enough. I think that would put them at ease to know I was happy.”

Elena hummed. “Or, or!” She clapped. “We could go visit them.” She pointed at me and then to her nose playfully. “We could go visit them!” She said again excitedly, as she skipped down the path. “We could go! It would be so much fun, just for a couple of weeks.”

She kept going on and on about how fun it would be while I shook my head.

Sure, yeah, it would be fun to take her into a realm that she has never been to, but I haven’t been back in ages.

I didn’t know what it was like there. The Royal Council could have spies watching all over the portals now.

The one where I appeared in Ireland so many years ago was so small I could barely get through it.

The one near the Canadian border was still wide open, but… it was dangerous.

“Elena.” I ran to catch her as she pranced up to the cave. “So, can we go? After I shift? I have to be a shifter to get in, right?”

I panted and put both of my hands on either side of her face. “As much as I would love to take you to a place you would find so magical, I think it would be best if we didn’t.”

She frowned. “But why? I want to see all the things.”

I chuckled. “Yes, but all the things may be dangerous now. When I left, many years before most of the Iron Fang members got here, it was mostly at peace. As members started to cross, the Royal Council was taking over.”

I further explained about the Council: the head supernaturals of each species who came together to discuss topics for the betterment of the realm.

The creation of it was a farce. It was all about titles, who had more magical power, money, and physical power.

It was barter and trade. Who were the weakest countries?

The only people who benefited were the rich, while the poor suffered.

Bonds were breaking, and the practice of worshiping the goddess was ending. It was more dangerous there now.

There were a few rules that kept everyone on their toes here in the Earth Realm, and it was the minimal use of magical powers and mixtures of species.

If it ever got back to the Royal Council, it would risk their coming here.

We didn’t want that, because wanted to stay free for as long as possible and never come up on their radar.

As far as we knew, they didn’t even know that rogues crossed over and had integrated into a lot of the territories of Earth.

“Well, that’s no fun.” Elena pouted. “There really is no good, anywhere?”

And there may never be. There will always be evil, no matter where you go, it’s just a matter of how you deal with it.

I nipped at her bottom lip. “I think I can put two good things into something really good, right now, though.”

Elena gasped and slapped my chest. “Naughty dragon!”

I carefully slid my hand beneath her shirt, gently lowering the cup of her bra as we moved together.

I guided her backward, expecting her to come into contact with the rough, cold surface of the cave wall.

Instead, we unexpectedly stumbled into something soft, and the surprise of it caught us both off guard.

“You are out in the open, are you trying to defile her out here?” The husky voice had us both screaming like children.

I pulled Elena’s shirt down and pushed her behind me.

“Not even your dragon sniffed me out; that is disappointing.” The dark-cloaked figure pushed back his hood to reveal Bram’s white and gray bearded face.

Scales took over my body. He made us stand up straight. “Because I don’t find you threatening, old man.”

I gasped, regaining control. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. He did not mean that.” I slapped my hand over my face.

Scales uncovered my mouth. “I most certainly did. Not even his magic could penetrate our skin with our mate bond. It’s why I said nothing. Besides, I like when our mate gets embarrassed, she tastes much sweeter when she comes.”

“?Dios Mio! shut up, Scales!” Elena cried out.