Page 2 of Her Enemy Dragon Captor (Dream Team Shifters #5)

CHAPTER 2

A lex stared at the monitoring screen, watching the pulsing energy signatures with a frown. He wasn’t even sure what to make of what he was seeing on the screen of the monitoring device Lester had cobbled together from random electronics. The old human had become a trusted ally in their fight to protect this planet... and their whole galaxy for that matter.

"See, this is what I mean!" Lester said excitedly, adjusting his glasses as he peered over Alex's shoulder.

"What is what you mean? It just looks like a bunch of squiggly lines to me...” Alex muttered. His place was fighting on a battlefield, defending the innocent, not hunched over a jerry-rigged contraption of wires and spare parts. Even if he did understand how to properly use Lester’s invention, he couldn’t focus to save his own life at the moment.

The encounter with the alluring woman in town kept replaying in his head—her scent, the strange jolt when they touched, and the way his dragon had suddenly stirred within him.

No, not alluring. Annoying.

"The readings are all over the place! See?” Lester said, as if it were obvious. I've been monitoring fluctuations across the whole grid. There are potential portal access points flashing red in practically every sector! The energy signatures are... well, inconsistent at best."

Alex forced himself to focus. "Meaning?"

"Meaning I'm not entirely sure," Lester admitted, adjusting his glasses again. "It could be normal background energy, or it could be..." His voice trailed off as he tapped at the screen.

"Just spit it out, Lester," Alex said, his patience wearing thin. His dragon was still agitated from the encounter in town, making it difficult to concentrate on Lester's scientific meanderings.

"It could mean portals are about to form...or it could mean nothing." Lester's face grew serious. "But this setup is brand new. To be honest, I'm not even sure what I'm seeing yet. I need more data before I alarm everyone."

The door to the monitoring room swung open, and Jack, the Dream Team’s bear shifter representative, strode in with Dylan, the jaguar shifter, close behind. They were from the planets Ursaline and Oncara, respectively, sent to earth, like himself, as the champions of their respective races. Their shared goal was to solidify the alliance amongst the planets against the growing threat they all face. Despite their unique backgrounds, and sometime rivalries, they had come to form a formidable team as they worked together to develop a strong plan to defend earth, and indeed the whole galaxy from the horde of dark and twisted creatures that seemed intent on destroying all the alliance stood for.

"There you are," Jack said, his imposing frame filling the doorway. "We've been looking for you."

Dylan glanced at the monitors. "Don’t tell me. More potential portals?"

"Basically...but Lester’s acting squirrelly about it," Alex said, straightening.

“Lester’s always squirrelly,” Jack quipped.

"True... more squirrelly. He’s got me nervous."

"I am not squirrelly,” their resident human conspiracy theorist turned close advisor said. "I’m being Cautious. Vigilant, even. Big difference."

Jack clapped a massive hand on Alex's shoulder. "We’re all nervous. It’s obvious something is brewing. But while Lester figures that end out, we need to do our best to be prepared for when or if actual portals start forming.

The latest batch of these recruits is showing some promise. Especially the ones they call “furries." Cindy has been a godsend and was not wrong when she theorized that as a result of all their...what do they call it again?”

“Cosplay,” Lester interjects.

“Right,” Jack continued. “Because of that...they are more able to access their innate shifter abilities.”

“Or it could be that it was their strong shifter genes that drew them to being furries in the first place... We have not established a causal relationship one way or the other-“

“Whatever, tom-AY-toe tom-AH-toe.” Dylan said, cutting him off. “Point is Cindy, my mate, was right, the furries have been a rich recruiting source as we bolster our shifter numbers against the mutants.

"Yeah, if we can train them up fast enough. Hopefully it’s not going to be too little too late," Alex said, his usual stoicism uncharacteristically bordering on pessimism.

Dylan smirked. "Someone's in a mood. Rough morning?"

Alex shrugged, but the image of the woman from town was flashing stronger than ever in his mind again. The way she'd looked up at him with those defiant eyes, completely unintimidated despite their size difference.

Defiant eyes? Stop making up stories about her.

She was annoying. Plain and simple.

Then why can’t you get her out of your head?

It was vexing. To say the least.

Jack studied him curiously. "You seem distracted. Everything alright? You were in town earlier, right? Something happen?"

"Nothing important," Alex said too quickly. "Just some human who wasn't looking where she was going."

A knowing look passed between Jack and Dylan.

"She?" Jack raised his eyebrows. "Pretty?"

Alex scowled. "That's not?—"

"He's blushing," Dylan said with a grin. "The mighty dragon is blushing."

"I'm not blushing," Alex snapped, but he could feel the heat in his cheeks betraying him. "It was just irritating. She crashed into me, then had the nerve to get snippy about it."

"Just irritating? Is that why she still seems to be occupying your thoughts? What? An hour later? Or has it been longer? Maybe four?" Jack observed with a knowing smile.

Alex’s complexion darkened with even more consternation, but before he could come up with a suitable rebuke, the door opened again, and Jessa entered. The dragon scientist from Kaldernon carried a tablet and wore her usual stern expression, though it softened slightly when she saw Lester.

"I thought I might find you all here," she said, her gaze lingering on Lester a moment longer than necessary. "I've been looking over the anomalous readings."

"And?" Lester asked eagerly, straightening his glasses and smoothing his disheveled hair.

Those two need to stop beating around the bush and just get it on...

"I'm trying to figure out if it’s due to some natural interference, or something else..." Jessa said, stepping closer to examine the screen. "."

"If it were magnetic, or even tectonic, we wouldn’t be seeing waves like this, though," Lester said, instantly engaged as he stepped in next to her to examine the screen. "The patterns show?—"

"We will, um... leave you two alone to hopefully get to the bottom of these readings,” Jack spoke over him.

“Oh, we are fine, you won’t bother us a bit,” Lester replied.

“Alright, but I don’t want to distract you two. I don’t have to tell you that the knowing where the mutants will attack could make the difference between victory and defeat.”

“Yes, we are well aware of what’s at stake,” Jessa interjected.

“Very well.” With that Jack turned to the shifters. “We need to talk about the alliance.

Alex was pretty sure he knew what would come next. More pressure...

"I just got a message from the elders of the Dragon Council this morning. They're concerned about the jaguar faction's threats to withdraw."

Oh... that... Phew...

It wasn’t about him after all, it seemed.

But Dylan's expression darkened. "Don’t put this all on my people. It's not all jaguars. Just the separatists. And there are separatists on all your planets."

“Isolationists more like it. And why didn’t I get a message?” Alex added.

“Look, they put me in charge, alright – probably to gain support for the alliance... your planet was the first to make contact with the dragon shifters of earth and their Shifter League... It makes sense to spread the power around. Besides you probably did get a message-” Jack offered.

“Yeah, if you weren’t out bumping into random humans, you might have gotten it...” Dylan interrupted.

“Very funny,” Alex could feel his temper flare a bit at the repeated ribbing around the fiery little female.

Annoying. Not fiery. Annoying little female.

"Look," Jack said, "We all know it's not all jaguars causing problems, okay? But you know as well as I do how things stand. This alliance is holding on by a thread. Even with the threat we face. Many think it’s ridiculous to worry about what happens on some far-off planet like earth. And they could care even less what happens to other kinds of shifters on planets other than their own. That means we can’t give them any excuses to destabilize everything we've built. The Dragon Council just wants assurances that everything is on track."

So, this is about me after all.

But he wasn’t going to say that out loud. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t have to.

Dylan sighed. "Alright, I'm heading back to Oncara tomorrow to do damage control. But we all know that's just a Band-Aid on a bigger problem."

He and Jack exchanged a pointed look before both turned to Alex.

"Just say it," Alex growled, his patience finally snapping. "I know where this is going."

"We shouldn’t have to say it," Jack said, crossing his arms. "You need to get a mate, Alex. And not next month or next year. Now."

"Everyone else has done their part," Dylan added. “Jacwannsoool – I mean, “Jack”, has Sierra, I have Cindy, Jason has Avery, Brian has Lisa. You're the last holdout, and it's becoming a political liability we can't afford."

His reversion to Jack’s real name only reminded him of the lengths they all had to go to for this mission. They had all adopted “Earth names” to fit in. His own name “Azalexor” would have certainly raised eyebrows. “Alex” was an easy choice for an “earth name.”

Alex's eyes narrowed, as he came back to the moment. "I am well aware of my responsibilities."

"Are you?" Jack challenged. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're finding every excuse to avoid them. I get it—after what happened to you, you've been gun-shy about personal attachments. But this isn't just about you anymore. We’ve all had to fight hard and make sacrifices."

"The separation between home worlds lasted for thousands of years after the wars bombed us all back to the stone ages," Dylan added, his tone gentler. "Now that we've finally reconnected, now that we actually have a chance to unite as we were meant to be united, we can't let it all fall apart because one dragon is too stubborn to find a mate."

Alex's dragon snarled inside him, bristling at the criticism. But deep down, he knew they were right.

Of course they’re right.

"So, what about this human?" Jack asked, seeming to abruptly changing tactics. "This female who's got you so rattled."

"I'm not rattled," Alex insisted. "And she was nobody. Definitely not my mate. Don’t even start."

Instantly his dragon hissed and roared deep inside.

As if he had a different perspective on the matter.

Wonderful.

Whatever, He’s always upset about something. Doesn’t mean shit.

That only caused a fresh round of consternation as his dragon reared up on its hind legs.

Definitely unhappy.

But still, his mind wandered back to the way she had felt when they touched...

That surge of electric pleasure...

No.

That shock...

His manhood began to pulse as he felt it come awake...

Not. A. Chance.

Down boy.

"You know," Jack said with a sly grin, "they say when a dragon has that strong a reaction to someone, it usually means something."

Alex rolled his eyes. "It means she was annoying."

"Or," Dylan drawled, "it means you should consider every possibility. We're not exactly swimming in viable mate options here."

"So now I should pursue any random human who bumps into me on the street?" Alex snapped. "Brilliant strategy."

Jack held up his hands in surrender. "All I'm saying is, don't dismiss anything out of hand. We're running out of time."

Before Alex could formulate a suitably cutting response, Dylan's phone buzzed. He checked it and grimaced.

"Speaking of things none of us want to do," Dylan said, "guess who's on screening duty for the new recruits tomorrow?"

Alex stared at him. "You're joking."

"Afraid not, brother," Dylan said, clapping him on the shoulder with mock sympathy. "Your turn to vet the new recruits. Cindy's bringing in a fresh batch tomorrow."

Alex groaned. Of all the duties they rotated among the Dream Team members, the relatively new one of screening potential recruits was the most tedious. Hours of checking boxes and then listening to humans— “furries”, to be precise—explain why they felt such a deep connection to their animal personas.

Fursonas... Alex. It’s fursonas.

"Whatever," he muttered. "From champion dragon warrior to glorified receptionist. Exactly what I trained my entire life for."

Jack chuckled. "Hey, we've all done it. Just try not to scare them all away with that charming personality of yours."

Alex grunted in response, but his mind had already drifted back to the woman from town—her defiant stance, that spark of fire in her eyes. Something about her nagged at him, though he couldn't put his claw on what.

You know exactly what it is...

As Jack and Dylan continued discussing alliance politics, Alex found himself wondering if their paths would cross again. Greenrock wasn't that big, after all.

Why would you want to run into her again anyhow?

So she can annoy you some more?

His dragon rumbled with something that felt disturbingly like anticipation.

And he could feel something else rumbling too.

He adjusted his belt, trying to get more comfortable.

Perfect...