The Stubbornness of Dragon Love

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Emmanuel

My heart was about to leap out of my chest. Philo zipped through the air like a comet. As a human being, I just couldn’t run fast enough to catch him.

Damon soon caught up to me, with his brother in his arms. I gazed with amazement at the purple dragon.

My husband said, “I can shift, but I would be too clumsy with all these branches in the way.”

Adonis piped up. “I can get Philo.” He fluttered out of Damon’s arms, and was gone in a burst of speed!

Damon and I raced after them, but the baby dragons were too fast.

Lloyd was one conniving bastard. In any other setting, Damon could have flown there as a dragon in no time. But with dense trees and branches blocking him, he would have trouble moving freely. As for soaring above the trees, it would be hard to see where the tiny children were beneath the mass of leaves.

I staggered to a halt when I heard an ear-piercing scream. But it wasn’t from either of the children.

My husband and I hurried to the scene and came across a clearing. My son perched on a flat rock, and Adonis sat next to him. Both dragons peered into a bubbling pond.

A naked man with spiky blond hair wrestled in the water with another naked man with slick, light brown hair.

The blond man was my cousin, dragon lord Lloyd. The other man was Jace, an obnoxious dolphin shifter.

I reached to scoop my son back into my arms, but he lashed out with his tail and tried to bite me. I sighed and let him go for now. While I loved my son, it was possible that he didn’t love me. Thankfully, he didn’t resist when Damon picked him up, but it still hurt.

“Lloyd, Jace, what the hell are you two doing?” I hollered.

Jace leered at me. “What do you think we’re doing?”

Lloyd aimed a punch at Jace’s head, which the dolphin shifter dodged.

Dragons were usually less agile in the water. Lloyd was the more aggressive fighter, but Jace evaded his attacks with ease.

Adonis called out, “Uncle Lloyd, what did my parents tell you?”

I was struck by how mature the three-year-old sounded. It took a few moments before the men finally ceased their struggle.

Lloyd swam back to the shore, with Jace following at a leisurely pace.

My cousin grinned at Adonis. “Your parents are… Coming soon. But I had a score to settle with your Uncle Jace.”

It shouldn’t have startled me that Adonis knew Jace, too, but I guessed Lloyd and Jace were cut from the same cloth.

Adonis continued, “What was the score you were settling? And what’s with my — nephew?” The purple dragon glanced with confusion at my son.

Philo looked amused and burbled with delight in Damon’s arms.

Lloyd made a nasty smile at my son. “Philo, come back with us. Don’t be a bad boy.”

At his words, Philo scrunched up his face and began to cry.

“Jace,” I said. “Why were you fighting with Lloyd? And is it related to Adonis and Philo?”

Jace seemed very happy to answer, especially as I usually gave him the cold shoulder. “Lloyd and I used to be friends.” His suggestive tone implied that they had been more than friends. “But we had a disagreement. Lloyd wanted to nab your son to be his heir. I fought him to save poor Philo.”

I pressed, “Why do you do this, Lloyd? You’re not dying and in need of a will, are you?”

Lloyd had a cocky grin on his face. “There’s so much you don’t understand, my dear cousin. I’m a dragon lord, so I need an heir sooner or later, regardless of whether I’m writing my will or not. I won’t get a child anytime soon, as I’m not the type of man who would settle down with a partner.”

Damon wrinkled his nose. “Why do you choose our son in particular? Do you need his blood lineage to his grandfather Alexis?”

Jace combed a hand through his wet brown hair. “He wants leverage over you, Damon. Plus — ”

Before the dolphin shifter could go on, the ground beneath us rumbled. Adonis flew onto my shoulder. My son was unfazed. Damon looked perturbed, Lloyd appeared smug, and Jace seemed afraid.

There was a roar above us, and then the heavy beat of wings. Through the canopy of leaves, I could see dark red scales, and formidable eyes. Seconds later, the beast transformed and dropped onto a tree. A tall, buff man with some of Damon’s features stared back at us. But while Damon’s eyes were kind, the eyes of this man were dark and cruel.

He slid off the tree trunk and landed nimbly onto the ground.

My husband glared at him. “What do you want, father?”

I huddled closer to Damon to give him my support.

Alexis, Damon’s father, let out a raucous laugh. “Damon, you haven’t seen your father in ages, but you can’t even give me a proper hello.”

Adonis clutched my shoulder more tightly. I whispered, “You don’t have to speak to your father if you don’t want to. We’ll protect you.”

But Alexis overheard me. “How nice it is to see you, my dear son-in-law. And Adonis, it looks like you’ve met your brother and brother-in-law.”

Adonis hid his face in my neck, and didn’t say a word.

Lloyd interrupted with a cheery voice, “So, Lord Alexis, how about what you promised?”

Damon

Even in my father’s presence, my mate was brave and stood his ground without trembling. I nuzzled him with my arm, and Emmanuel nuzzled back.

It was comforting that even with Alexis, Lloyd, and Jace around me, I still had someone reliable on my side.

Alexis said to Lloyd, “Go to the mountains where we first met. You’ll find the cottage and… What you were looking for.”

Lloyd looked dubious, but he nodded, as if he had no choice but to assume my father was telling the truth. Lloyd bounded up the trees like a cat. He shifted into a sleek green dragon and flew away.

Alexis grinned. “Let’s go somewhere more open, shall we?”

I didn’t like the thought that my father could shift back to his dragon form when we were out in the open. Yet, I could shift, too. As a dragon, I felt claustrophobic if I stayed in a place where I could barely shift for a long time.

Even my son was excited as he bounced in my arms, and his jubilance only increased when we were back out in the open. We were walking on a large field. Everything looked so innocuous, with shining bright grass, dazzling flowers, and a smooth lake nearby.

Philo cooed and squirmed like he wanted me to put him back down. I did, and my son shifted back into human form. Our beautiful baby stared up at us, and he crawled happily on the grass.

But as much as I wanted to keep watching my son, I couldn’t delay the inevitable. I steeled myself and said, “Father, what did Lloyd want? Why did he really want to steal Philo? And what did you promise Lloyd?”

Alexis crossed his arms over his muscular chest and gave me a snide smile. “Surely you can’t be that daft? The only thing Lloyd wants more than unlimited sex, is power.”

I frowned. “So Lloyd believes that taking your grandson as an heir, will make him rise up the ranks in the dragon council?”

Alexis snorted. “Clearly you don’t understand dragon politics. While Lloyd could get a slight boost in status if he has a ward from a high-ranking family, that’s not what he’s really going for. There are all sorts of powers. Power over the land and its people, is only one type. Some dragon lords desire power of a much more — personal kind.”

“So he wants Damon under his thumb?” Emmanuel demanded. He looked defiant, as if he could punch my father at any moment. “Damon already said no to Lloyd many times. And Damon’s my husband now, so why is Lloyd still trying?”

My father gave a nonchalant shrug. “To a dragon who gets almost anyone he wants, a man who consistently rejects him, is all the more appealing and irresistible.”

I grimaced at the memory of Lloyd’s persistence. Yet, was it just me, or was there a missing piece in my father’s story?

At this point, Adonis hopped off of Emmanuel’s shoulder, and went to sit by my son. Adonis shifted to his human form, too, and he looked like an older brother watching over the baby. My heart melted at the sight, and I was determined to keep him.

I announced, “Father, I request that we keep your son, my brother, Adonis. It’s evident that neither you nor Agnes do much childcare. Adonis would be much happier with us.” I glanced over at my mate and was relieved to see his nod of approval.

Jace seemed stunned at my declaration, while Alexis’s face was unreadable. My father said slowly, “Are you sure you know what kind of responsibility you would be getting into?”

I bristled at his condescending tone. “I do. And I won’t be alone. I have Emmanuel. Just look, Adonis and Philo are already like brothers to each other.”

Alexis peered at his son and grandchild. If my father were to say no, I would fight for my brother. While Adonis didn’t seem to be abused, at least not physically, it would be cruel to leave him with such absentee parents. I knew from firsthand experience just how traumatizing it was to be brought up in a cold and neglectful home. I resolved not to let that happen to my younger brother.

My father leaned back. “Let’s see what Agnes thinks. And what about you, Adonis? Do you want to stay with your mom? Or with your brother Damon?” Alexis’s voice was menacing as a snake’s.

Adonis leaned back against my leg, his body tense. He answered in a trembling voice, “I’ll go with whoever wants me.”

Alexis nodded, his face still emotionless. He said, “Agnes, it’s safe to come out.”

Click here for the third and final chapter

Originally published in The Kraken Lore on Nov 29, 2022