Page 1 of Starting Over (D.O.A. DRAGO #1)

Rain watched as a guy with short colorful spiked hair got out of his car. It looked like the brand new Buick Encore GX and the guy looked clean cut and really nice.

“This is the guy.” Rain murmured to himself as he watched the guy go to the gas pump. “Please pay inside. Please pay inside.”

Once the guy pumped his gas, he walked into the Shell and Rain did a mental fist pump as he quickly rushed to the burgundy SUV, looking inside and seeing a thick warm jacket lying in the back.

Careful to watch as the man went to the coffee machine, Rain waited for the moment he knew the man wasn’t looking at his vehicle, before rushing to get inside and carefully close the door behind him.

Bring five seven meant he was small for a guy but a bit larger then was comfortable to get onto the floorboard so no one could see as he quickly stripped off his sweats and shoved them under the jacket before shifting into his elephant shrew form.

At a quick look most people that might see him would believe he was a typical mouse, but if they looked closer, they would see his snout was far longer than any mouse, and in fact he was no mouse at all, but more closely related to moles and tenrecs.

Rain loved his animal, but it sucked at how bad he was at climbing.

The good thing about his little guy was that he was a pretty good jumper and could get up to at least three feet…

so he jumped onto the seat and made his way into the far corner of the coat and burrowed in so he couldn’t be seen…

at least, he hoped he couldn’t be, because Rain needed to get as far as fuck as he could from Montreal.

The driver’s door opened and closed. Rain didn’t make a sound or movement as the man started his vehicle and began to move.

He’d done it.

He’d escaped.

Now all Rain could hope for was wait and hope he didn’t get discovered.

* * * *

The sound of a phone ringing had Rain jarring awake.

When the fuck had he even fallen asleep?

Okay, he hadn’t slept in what seemed like forever, but still, he now had no clue how long he’d been traveling and that wasn’t good. Then again, he knew that he’d needed sleep or else he’d make mistakes… and that couldn’t happen. His life depended on it.

“Hey, Bren,” the man said.

“Jude, where are you?” Bren asked.

Sighing, Jude answered, “I’m about forty-five minutes from Val D’or. I still have to stop for groceries, but I should make it to the cabin before dark. Mackie said he’d have everything ready for me when I get there.”

“I still can’t believe you’re in fucking Canada,” another voice said.

“Yeah, well I knew it would be one place Casper and Smoky wouldn’t know about and come looking for me. Thanks again, Rylee, for letting me know that they were on their way to San Antonio,” Jude said.

Snorting, Rylee replied, “You got lucky with that one. I think Casper just missed you by about thirty minutes, tops.”

“I don’t see how you find this funny, Ry. Casper and Smoky are really hurting,” Bren said rather harshly.

“I know that, Bren, and I’m not laughing. I’m… I’m… hell, I don’t know what I am. Jude, are you sure you can’t just talk to them?” Ry asked.

Jude sighed, his voice sounding so pain filled Rain hurt for him.

“I tried, Ry. I tried so many times to talk to them, but every time they brushed me off. You know I’ve wanted a baby more than anything.

Seeing all the kids at the New Mexico branch and Gordy with his mates having Asher, then Bren, Pit and Azul had Dash…

” Jude sniffled, before saying, “I love all of the babies both in Drago and in New Mexico, but I want one of my own. I want to hold something that makes up Casper, Smoky and me. I want to watch my child grow, call my mom grandma or mee-maw or whatever he wants to call her. As much as you guys are my family, I want one with my mates.”

Mates? Wait… Rain lifted his long nose and sniffed.

Although Jude had a strange scent to him, he still smelled human… but then how did… wait! He said mates so that meant he was bonded to someone that was other.

But what?

“We know, Jude, and we get it,” Ry softly said.

“And we’ll give you time, but you know as well as we do that we can’t be parted from our mates for long periods of time. It’s not healthy,” Bren warned.

Sighing once more, Jude replied, “I know, Bren. I just need some time. I can’t think when they’re around me. I need time to just think… to come to terms with not making that part of me… that dream I’ve always had come to fruition. I just… I need time.”

“Jude, they never said they didn’t want kids, they just want to wait. Taj, Spirit and I talked about it and we want to wait. We want to enjoy each other longer before starting our own family. Maybe that’s all your mates want?” Rylee said.

Jude shook his head even though his friends couldn’t see him on the phone, saying, “No. You didn’t see their face every time I brought it up.

It was like I asked them to pick up dragon shit or something.

No, they don’t want them, Ry. I… I don’t know why and they don’t seem fit to tell me, so I don’t have anything to go on…

no way to process any of it. You know just like I do.

We can’t change other people, we can only change ourselves.

I just need to think about how I can do this. I’ll figure it out. I know I will.”

“We know you will too, Jude. Although, I’m with Ry that you should talk to them. Trust me, you taking off like you did has really opened their eyes. I honestly believe they’ll be willing to talk it out now,” Bren said.

Jude’s voice tightened and Rain could tell the man was pissed. “Yeah, well it shouldn’t have had to come to this to begin with. They made their bed and they can damn well lie in it.”

A loud sigh was heard on the other end of the line, then Bren said, “Just keep in contact with us. Things are kind of crazy with the move and all. Courtney and Darbin signed the papers and is now the new owner of our building in the Poconos Boulevard. Darbin said to let you know that he appreciates you contacting your patients and transferring them to him. It all went smoothly. He’s kind of excited owning his own practice.

I also saw how he was looking at Courtney, and since she is taking over my vet practice…

well, let’s just say I won’t be shocked if we get a wedding invitation one day. ”

Jude laughed, although it didn’t sound exactly right, and the scent of pain was still coming off so strong from the man, Rain had to figure that he was doing his best to sound okay, but really wasn’t… poor guy.

“Oh, and you should have seen Darwin when Axl finished his last day. He held a huge going away party and the huge guy cried like a baby, held onto Axl, begging him not to go. I’m not quite sure if it was because he was one of his best employees of Beer and Brats or if it’s because he looks at our Axl like a son.

Either way, it was kind of sad,” Bren said.

“Darwin has been like a father to Axl for years. I have a feeling it’s like a parent watching their child leave the nest for the first time. I’m sure Axl let him know that he’d come and visit,” Jude said.

“He did,” Bren answered.

Jude turned on his signal as he slowed the car down, asking, “What about Lex? Did he get the transfer he requested or is he going to have to quit?”

“He got the transfer, and TJ got a friend of his to take over for his patients and although he doesn’t really like the idea of starting over, he’s also really excited by the new plants he’s going to get access to in Montana.

Stone is still going to do what he does, but then again being our lesion allows him to work from anywhere and Orion said he’d take him to any important meetings he might need to attend. ”

Jude laughed once more, this one more sincere then the last, as he said, “Ah, the Orion Express. Gotta love it.”

“Well, it isn’t like we can’t fly and with as fast as our maharishi go it isn’t like it would be more than a couple of hours,” Bren said.

“True,” Jude said.

“I still don’t know why you guys didn’t just do that instead of selling your business,” Rylee muttered.

Bren quickly answered, “We sold it because we won’t ask our maharishi to extend themselves like that, and besides, it would defeat the entire reason for our leaving Drago to begin with.”

“How are Ingray and his brothers settling in?” Jude asked.

“They seem to be doing well, but Rusty took Ingray and his brothers to the new place to start setting up the fire house,” Bren answered.

Sighing, Rylee said, “Pit was going to have Nolan look into who to help with the new policing team he wants to create for Drago, but since we’re moving, a meeting was held and we all decided it would be best to wait for the move and then put it together.”

“So, Pit still thinks it’s necessary?” Jude asked.

Bren let out his own sigh, “Sadly, yes. We have too many people in our town to keep an eye out and make sure they’re okay, and it isn’t like DOA is in lack of business. We have to do something.”

“True. Have you guys come up with another name?” Jude asked.

Rylee snorted, “Pit said we will always be Drago no matter where we live.”

“But doesn’t that defeat the purpose of us moving as well?” Jude asked in confusion.

“Nope. Heck already did his thing. No one and nothing will even remember the town we bought ever even existed. He already warded the shit out of it and since you aren’t going to go into business in town and neither am I…”

“What about Axl? Isn’t he going to try and open a restaurant or something?” Jude asked.

“Not in town. He and Gordy are going to open a place at the new location. We have a shit ton of residents of our own. Wiz is going to start offering computer classes for the townsfolk and help them with online businesses and anyone that has to work in town is going to have someone to take them and pick them back up. Pit’s getting some special vans, so if we have product that needs to be mailed in, we can do it ourselves,” Bren said.

Jude sighed, “It really sucks that our cover was fucked by that sleaze bag Loon. I guess it is what it is.”

Cover blown? Learning to operate businesses from the internet?

What the actual fuck?

Who were these people?

Rain was getting more and more concerned by the minute, and then he heard Rylee say, “We have to keep the citizens of Drago safe. That’s our number one priority. It’s what being part of the DOA is all about.”

Holy shit! DOA? Weren’t they a myth?

Everyone in the paranormal world had heard about DOA. For the bad they were the boogeyman. For people like Rain… they were the guardian angels when needed.

They were exactly what Rain needed… well, if the stories he’d heard growing up were true.

DOA was created by Heck… the right hand man to the creator himself.

Man and dragon working together to take out the worst of the worst.

WAIT! They said Heck had done something at their new place… Poconos Boulevard… did that mean they were located in Pennsylvania right now?

Shit, that was a long way off from Quebec, Canada.

Damn, when Jude said he needed to get away or some shit, he wasn’t kidding.

Anyway, DOA was created to help with cases that were really bad…

really, really bad. Serialists if Rain remembered correctly.

All kinds of serialists…rapists, murderers, con men and women…

just all together bad people that did bad things to a lot of people…

and especially if anyone “other” was involved.

Mentally sighing, Rain realized that his problem had nothing to do with what DOA worked on.

Well, shit.

Then again, maybe if Rain told Jude what his problem was… maybe then he could see if DOA could help him. From the sounds of it, he had an in with the guys.

The car stopped and Rain lifted his nose and sniffed. He smelled food and people, and yuck, was that propane? Gods that shit stank.

“I’m at the grocery store. I’ll talk to you guys when I get to the cabin,” Jude said as his friends said goodbye and he shut off the car and got out.

Rain didn’t know how long Jude had been gone, and Rain must have fallen asleep again because the next thing he knew the back of the SUV was opening and Jude was putting stuff in the back part of the vehicle… most likely his groceries.

“Damn, it’s getting cold,” Jude muttered.

Rain was snuggling back in when the coat he’d been hiding under was ripped away. “What the fuck?”

Rain let out a squeal of surprise and rushed under one of his pieces of clothing. However, it wasn’t long before that was also removed.

“What the fuck?” Jude said again, and Rain couldn’t stop but look up at the man as fear completely filled him.

“You aren’t a mouse. At least I don’t think so. I’ve never seen a mouse with that big of a nose,” Jude muttered.

Rain would be offended about the nose comment, but what could he say? He wasn’t wrong. There was a reason they called his animal an elephant shrew.

“Your eyes remind me of my friend Lex and the guys in New Mexico. I can see the intelligence in them and there’s this… thing, that screams shifter when I look in them. Who are you and why are you in my car?” Jude demanded.

Rain shifted, shaking from both fear and the cold, begging, “Please, don’t kick me out. Please, I need help and I heard you talking to your friends and you have an in with DOA. Please, will you call them and get me help? I don’t want to die.”

Jude drew back, looking around. “Calm down and get dressed. We’re lucky and it’s kind of late so we don’t have many people here right now, but I honestly don’t want people asking questions on why I have a naked man in my backseat. When you’re done, you and I are going to talk.”

“Well, shit,” Rain muttered as he got dressed.