Alpha Dragon_Nyve Page 10

  “It’s not like we’re in their face about it.” I get up and pour a soda. Reading that shit just makes me anxious. “We still try to keep a low profile.”

  Nyve follows me. “Yeah, I’m not buying their arguments. I think this whole ‘mythicals are stealing our jobs’ is bullshit. There’s something else driving this.”

  “What?” I point at my laptop. “Other than all this propaganda and hate shit, there’s no indication there’s something deeper going on.”

  Nyve shakes his head with a frown. “I’m not sure. It’s like this tickle in the back of my head. We’re missing something.”

  Maybe we are. I don’t know. “Does it matter? They’re targeting mythicals with all this. Is this going to escalate into something physical?”

  “All we can do,” Nyve says, “is get the word out that mythicals need to be on guard. Travel in small groups.”

  He plucks the cup from my hand and puts it to the side so he can wrap me in his arms. It instantly puts me at ease, knowing I have him in my life.

  I worry for Ronnie, though. Listening to all this talk, it’s very hard to keep my dragon under wraps. Nyve senses this and pulls me into a tight hug.

  It’s small comfort. My father is involved in this somehow. I will figure out how.

  Hopefully before someone is hurt.

  14

  Nyve

  With Austin as shaken as he is after Ronnie’s discovery, he asks if I would stay the night with him.

  As if he needed to ask. I would have insisted.

  He gets no sleep and as a consequence, neither do I.

  Bleary-eyed in the morning, I get him out of his apartment for breakfast to kill time until the shop opens. We need to tell the guys of this new development.

  Unless Varos already knows. He and Ronnie appear to work well together so there’s a chance Ronnie has already filled Varos in.

  Although, I’m not sure how much new information we’ve learned. The vast part of what Ronnie sent Austin verifies what we suspected.

  “It’s nice to have it verified, though,” Taran says thoughtfully after we explained everything we learned last night.

  “For sure. At least we know now we’re not seeing ghosts which aren’t there.” Annika scoots over on my chair to let Austin have a place next to her. It’s with reluctance my mate finally sits down. He’s chewing his fingernails and his knee bounces a mile a minute.

  “None of those images on the post are shifters,” Varos says from the counter. His laptop is open in front of him as he sifts through his accumulated data of the situation so far. “I did a reverse image search and they’re all stock photos.”

  “If that were my image up there on a hate site, I’d be pissed,” Bronaz grumbles. “That shit is dangerous.”

  I am in agreement. “We should keep tabs on it. The moment real pictures go up is when we’re screwed.”

  “Surely they wouldn’t go that far?” Nosko is rocking Charity in his arms. She’s fast asleep, completely unaware of the tension-filled conversation going on around her. “Outing us and putting us in danger from the public at large?”

  Sako scoffs from his station. “I think it’s clear they don’t care that we’ve tried for ages to keep our community secret. They want to endanger us over perceived slights to their own loser state of life.”

  Austin is on his feet again. “What about going to the police? This is big enough to involve the police now, don’t you think?”

  “And what will they do that they’re not already doing now? Unless you’re talking about exposing the mythical community’s presence to the mostly-human law enforcement?” Sako flips a hand in the air. “That’s damn stupid.”

  “I’m just looking at our options.” Austin sounds defensive. I hold a hand out to him to draw him into my embrace. Standing to his back with my arms around him protectively, I can feel the tension melting from his slight frame.

  “It’s an option,” Taran says, coming to Austin’s defense. “But I’m not convinced it’ll turn in our favor. I don’t think many of the community are ready to come out yet. It’s not fair to expose them to the potential dangers.”

  “We may not have a choice, Taran.” Varos leans against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. He’s staring at his feet, brow creased in deep thought. “I don’t think we can keep a lid on this for too much longer. I mean, is it going to take the death of one of our own to spur mystical shifters into action?”

  Austin’s head falls back to rest on my shoulder. His hands hold to my wrists in a tight grip, as if he’s afraid to let me go. I tighten my arms around him.

  “Point. So I think we have to do something.” Taran glances around the room to get everyone’s consensus. Everyone is nodding, even Austin.

  “Until we have a plan, I think the best thing in our interest is to start getting the word out that this is a dangerous issue and it shows no signs of going away. If we can finger the organization specifically, as well as the false fronts set up to keep it secret, the better off we’ll be.”

  “And hope it doesn’t blow up in our faces,” Bronaz says.

  I don’t like this turn of events. I’d like it if we could just live our life in private. We’re being forced to take some action.

  The front door bell alerts us to someone walking in. Goldie darts in the door, her expression one of fear. Her eyes are red and swollen and her mascara is just dark smudges under her lashes.

  Annika stands immediately, alarmed. “Goldie? What’s wrong?”

  “Oh my gods, Annika. Something horrible has happened. I don’t know what to do.” Goldie is twisting her hands in her long-sleeved shirt to the point of stretching it out irrevocably.

  Sako drags a stool over for her to sit down and guides her to it. She’s clutching Annika’s hand. “My little sister has been kidnapped.”

  “What?” We’re all in confusion now as we start to bombard her with questions. Taran holds up his hands to quiet us down.

  “Goldie. Take a breath and start from the beginning.”

  “My little sister, Rayne, disappeared the other night. The police thought at first that she was taking a long vacation or something. But that’s not like her.” Goldie’s voice has a desperate edge to it. Austin breaks from me and goes to sit next to her. She takes his hand, too.

  “So you reported it to the police?” Varos has his laptop open again, typing furiously.

  “Yes. We thought that maybe they were right, even though I know they aren’t. She’s responsible. She always checks in. Oh my gods, Annika, we talk every day! You know that!”

  “I do, Goldie. She’s very responsible and she wouldn’t run off without letting someone know where she was going. What’s happening now?”

  Goldie takes in a gulping breath. “We got a ransom note last night. Well, what we think is a ransom note. They want money before they set her free. It has that weird G name that you showed me, Austin.”

  Austin nods. “The shell company for Genadyne.”

  “Yeah. And… they know she’s a unicorn shifter. They said if we don’t pay the money, they’ll cut off her alicorn and auction it off.” Her hand flies to her forehead and she breaks down crying.

  My stomach roils in anger and frustration. This is insane. I get all their misguided anger and hate towards mythicals. It’s not logical but I can try to be empathetic to it.

  But this is going too far. That’s like carving off my tattoos to sell them, or cutting off one of my claws. Disfigurement is over the line, no matter how much they hate.

  “We won’t let that happen.” Taran drops to his knees in front of Goldie. “We’ll figure something out. Have you taken the ransom note to the police?”

  Goldie shakes her head. “Not yet. What are we supposed to do? They’ll just think we’re crazy if we claim to be unicorn shifters.”

  “Did they give a time limit?”

  She shakes her head again.

  “Alright.” Taran pats her knees before he rises. “We’ll come up
with a plan and we’ll get your sister back intact. I promise you.”

  Nosko opens his mouth to protest but closes it. I glance over at him and he smiles sheepishly.

  I know what he was going to say. I almost agree. We shouldn’t promise something we can’t guarantee.

  The determination in Taran’s gaze is hard to argue with. My best friend is tenacious. He won’t let this go until he has a solution.

  None of us are going to let it go either. Looking around the group, every one of my friends is in various states of concern, anger, or determination to do something.

  So Taran’s right. We’ll figure this out.

  “Why don’t you take her home, Annika,” I say. “We’ll talk through this and see what kind of plan we can come up with. Keep us updated with any developments.”

  With a grim smile, Annika gathers Goldie up and walks her out of the shop.

  Behind them, Varos locks the door and turns the OPEN sign around to say CLOSED.

  Taran doesn’t object as he motions us into the back room of the shop. We’re going to have a discussion and hopefully work out some plan of action we can take.

  It’s clear on each of our faces that this is a declaration of war.

  These terrorists may well regret their decision to take on our community.

  Austin

  The energy of the shop is subdued lately. With Goldie’s sister missing and these criminals trying to intimidate her family, and through them, the mythical shifter community, it’s a topic that stays on everyone’s mind.

  Ronnie and I just wrapped up a project and I’m taking some down time to rest and relax before another big project that I’ve just bid on and won for Invetal. If I can pull it off, it’s almost assured they’ll ask me to join full time.

  Small victory in the face of the upheaval of the mythical shifter community.

  I’m sitting at the back of the shop, staring at Nyve’s back as he bends to work on a series of vine tattoos on the feet of a grandmother. I can only wince at the mere thought of it. Nyve says that the feet can be pretty painful but the old lady is taking it like a champ.

  Watching as the guys are busy in the shop, it’s almost easy to forget the world exists outside of my tiny place in this group of friends who are closer than family at times.

  Nosko and Varos have been talking quietly while Charity plays with the chain on Varos’ watch. She is transferred so Varos can hold her and Nosko disappears.

  “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean,” Taran teases on his way by. He holds out a bottle and a roll of towels.

  “That is if I worked for you.” I take the roll and cleaner. “Where am I using this?”

  “Front shelves by the counter. I appreciate it.”

  “You guys have been jumping lately. It’s a wonder anyone’s had time or energy to do anything else. Nyve has fallen asleep on me three times in the past week.”

  Taran laughs. “Please don’t share that with the guys. I don’t want to have to break up a fight after they’ve given him shit over it.”

  I beam at him. “I’ll have to work that out in trade with him.”

  Nosko comes back a few minutes later carrying a plastic bag. He stops at the counter next to me. “Hey, Austin, got a minute?”

  Varos takes a break from his tattoo to let the client get some water and he strolls up to stand next to Nosko.

  I eye them both. “You guys are making me nervous. Is this an intervention?”

  “Sort of.” Varos leans against the counter and pulls out the box, handing it to me.

  It’s a pregnancy testing kit.

  “What—”

  Nosko holds out the bag, which has two more. “It’s just a precaution.”

  I shake my head. “No. No, it’s not possible. I haven’t been sick or even put on weight.”

  Varos taps his nose. “Nyve is Red Skull dragonkind. Scent isn’t his strong suit. Being a Runic breed gives me certain advantages, one of which is that I can tell that you are pregnant.”

  My mouth falls open. No way I’m pregnant, but Nosko and Varos seem almost positive I am.

  Nosko pushes the bag into my hand. “It won’t hurt to test, Austin. Dragon pregnancies require certain precautions. It’s best to find out now and start taking care than later and risk the baby.”

  I’m floored by this. Part of me wants to be offended that they’re prying into something so personal.

  The other is caught completely off guard that I might, actually, be pregnant.

  They both show no signs of letting this go. I sigh in resignation. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”

  I didn’t think I had to pee until I got into the bathroom and I broke out the tester. Then all of a sudden my bladder was full. Great.

  I sit there in the small employee bathroom, staring at the indicator. This is one of those instances where a watched pot never boils.

  A watched indicator never shows the results.

  I glance at the time, convinced they were wrong. When I turn the indicator over again, there it is.

  Two perfect red lines.

  Now, I want to vomit.

  The knock at the door startles me.

  “Are you okay, Austin?” Nosko’s voice is muffled.

  “Yeah. Give me a minute.”

  I’m not willing to chance this to a false positive. I open a second box and do it again.

  Same long time to appear. Same result.

  I’m pregnant.

  I open the door to find everyone standing there, Nyve front and center.

  “They told me what they did.”

  I nod.

  Everyone is silent, looking at me expectantly.

  I hold up the two test results.

  They all break into cheers and congratulations. Nyve takes the back slaps good-naturedly. He’s grinning widely. I can see how thrilled he is.

  I know children are important to him. We’ve had the conversation many times. He’s ready for a family, I’ve been fighting him every step of the way.

  It’s not that I don’t want a family. It’s that I didn’t feel I was ready for a family.

  But amid the cheers and the hugs and the congratulations as the mood is elevated in the shop, I realize that I think I am ready for a family. For commitment.

  To live my life with someone who loves me and accepts me as I am, a young, sometimes immature, man still trying to find my way in this world.

  And to feel it, deep in my core, that I love him, too. If there is ever a partner to have at my back, Nyve is the best thing to happen to me.

  He sweeps me in his arms and kisses me until we’re breathless. “I love you, Austin. And I love that we’re going to be a family. I promise that I’ll take care of you both. You’ll never be without anything you want or need.”

  I hold him fiercely, pressing my face against his chest. His scent is spicy and strong and comforting. “I know. I love you, Nyve. I hope I can be worthy of your mate.”

  “Oh my gods,” Sako says, his eyes rolling. “Save it for the marriage ceremony.”

  Taran wraps his arms over both of us. “Congratulations, you two. Nosko and I are ready to help in any way we can.” He kisses us both on the cheek and drags Nosko away, who waves tearfully at us as he is pulled behind his mate.

  With the celebratory air in the shop, I look into Nyve’s eyes, once more lost in his deep expression.

  His words say he loves me.

  I don’t doubt it.

  His gaze tells me that it’s forever.

  This makes me far happier than I ever thought possible. I hope our lives can live up to the feeling of pure love and happiness that fills my heart.

  About the Author

  Kellan Larkin has been writing fiction since he was a kid and studied English in college so he could be a writer. Now, he enjoys crafting stories about men falling in love. He has a special fondness for shifters and likes leaving his readers feeling good. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and trying new restaurants.


  Kaz Crowley has also been writing since he was a kid, but he took a meandering path before he realized he could make a living at it. After a stint working at a natural history museum and then an art museum, Kaz decided to become his own boss. He enjoys painting and drawing, going to concerts, and world-building.

  Keep in touch:

  crew.kazcrowley.com/newsletter

  kellan@kellanlarkin.com