Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Samantha
We’d barely had time to shower and eat after our training when we’re called to the lab, which can’t be a good thing. That sinking feeling had come back into my stomach. What’s happening now? And did it have anything to do with Malikay and the other dragons?
The elevator beeps and the guys and I head into the lab. Zane takes my hand, giving me a reassuring smile, and I try to smile back, but I’m pretty sure I fail. Sometimes I wish female dragons were the big, dangerous ones, because I’d go out there and rip those assholes all to pieces.
I can’t have any real peace until they’re gone.
We take our seats, me in Zane’s lap, and stare at Dr. Duncan and Dr. Abigail. Whatever conversation they’d been having when we entered had died on their lips, and now they are staring back at us with looks of worry. Which, again, isn’t a good sign.
“So, here’s the thing,” Dr. Abigail begins, drawing out the words.
“Let’s just show them,” Dr. Duncan says gruffly.
She hesitates, then turns on the video. It’s immediately obvious that the video was filmed by a camera on the ground. It shows a group of soldiers, along with two tanks. All of them are firing at something in the sky.
A shadow passes over the soldiers. Suddenly, the green dragon, Balor, the orange dragon, Mailkay, and the salmon dragon, Kek, are on the ground tearing apart the soldiers. It’s sickening. The men on the ground scream and cry, but the dragons don’t give a damn. I notice that the salmon dragon appears to at least be killing them quickly. The green and orange dragons are playing with them, torturing them before they kill them.
The sick fucks.
A tank fires straight at the orange dragon’s back, at Malikay’s back. It strikes true, and the orange dragon wails before turning and rounding on the tank. Within seconds, all the dragons are ripping the tanks apart until the footage ends.
I swallow around a lump in my throat. What the hell is wrong with these dragons?
Dr. Duncan sighs. “Number one, problems like these are not helping us send a message of peace concerning the dragons. The government has respected the fact that all of you are ‘owned’ by Specter Inc., and not creating problems, but this is not going to offer a lot of protection to newly awakened dragons.”
“They’re ruining our reputation,” Granger says angrily. “Making us seem like thoughtless beasts. And all for what? What the hell do they want now that they’ve awoken Malikay?”
“Speaking of which, why was Malikay killing them so brutally? I mean, the other dragons have been sleeping for nearly two hundred years, they might not understand the world the way it is now, but Malikay is basically human. He went to school with humans. He got a job with humans. How the hell can he suddenly be doing that?”
Zane speaks up. “Malikay has always had something rotten inside of him during each lifetime. He likes blood, death, and violence. I even suspect he wants a mate more to control her, to win, than he does because he actually wants a mate. This is different from most dragons. Most dragons will have the natural urge to shred their mate’s wings, especially betas who are unlikely to get a mate, but they will not, because they want her happiness over her submission. Malikay is not like this.”
“He’s a fucking psychopath,” Evander says.
I shiver and wrap my arms around myself. “He’s the kind of man I wouldn’t want around me in human form or dragon form.”
“Not to worry,” Zane tells me, wrapping his arms around me. “We will eventually catch Malikay and his men. We will shred their wings, and we will dump them somewhere they can never hurt another person. It will be brutal. But necessary.”
“Why not just kill them?” Evander asks.
Zane looks troubled. “With Malikay, you risk him being reborn and us having to kill him again during our lifetime, since dragons live so long. As for the others, shredding their wings will make them helpless. We need not anger the goddess by taking their lives to be rid of them.”
Okay, fair enough.
I frown, thinking back to the video. “Where was the brown dragon?”
That somber thought falls between all of us, and nobody answers. Why is it so concerning to not be seeing one of them causing issues? Probably because we’re all wondering if they might be planning something.
Right? Or have they given up on me now that the storm dragon has been found?
Dr. Abigail gives a smile that seems a little forced. “The good news is that we’re making progress with our experiments. Sam, we were wondering if you might be willing to try out the pheromone blockers we’ve been developing.”
“Of course!” I leap out of Zane’s lap. “I’d love to find a way to hide from the other male dragons that doesn’t involve…” I clamp my mouth shut as Dr. Abigail goes to another corner of the lab, likely to get her pheromone blocker, and then glance over at my men innocently.
The guys are all staring at me, but Aydan is the one to answer. “Sorry if being with us is such an inconvenience.”
I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean. I love you guys, but it’d be nice to know I won’t be swarmed by male dragons if you guys aren’t able to boink me one day.”
“ Boink ?” Evander asks, lifting a brow.
“You heard me,” I say, staring him down.
Granger clears his throat awkwardly. “They’re just teasing, Sam. Trust us, we want you to be as safe as possible, no matter what.”
Dr. Abigail returns, holding a kit that seems to contain three perfume bottles.
“I do not understand what is happening,” Zane says, frowning at the bottles.
I give him a smile. “They’re trying to find a way to make me smell less appealing to the male dragons without needing to have constant sex.”
Zane looks at me like I’m stupid. “I already explained the solution. You have to get pregnant. Then, your scent will be changed for the rest of your lifetime to one the males do not enjoy, and you will be safe.”
“What have we done the lifetimes I haven’t gotten pregnant?” I ask.
He gives a sad look. “We stood guard, never faltering in our devotion to you.”
That sounds… exhausting.
I sigh. “Well, they’re trying to come up with a solution that’s easier than that.”
Zane shakes his head. “Silly humans. So many ideas.”
I smile. “You don’t think it’ll work?”
He shrugs. “No, but I hope it does.”
Going to Dr. Abigail, I stand still as she takes one of the perfume bottles out. She sprays me four time, and a scent of green apples comes over me, tinged with something else. Something sharper.
“What do you think?” I ask the guys.
They all start sniffing, and then Granger gives me an apologetic look. “You still smell great.”
Dr. Duncan begins scribbling on a notepad, while Dr. Abigail puts that perfume bottle away and selects the next one. “That blocker contained synthetic chemicals we constructed to block pheromones. This one started with the building blocks of clove oil, cinnamon, peppermint, lemongrass, tea tree oil, and citrus, all things that have been shown to block pheromones, only we’ve enhanced them.”
She sprays me again several times, and I wrinkle my nose. This blocker is disgusting. Like, my sensitive nose wants to curl up and fall off of my face. The good news is that I suspect this one might work.
“What do you think?” I ask, stepping toward my men and doing a little spin.
Zane cocks his head. “You still smell good, Sam. Nothing can hide your natural scent from us.”
“Damn it,” I curse.
Dr. Duncan takes more notes and Dr. Abigail sprays me with the third blocker. I’m still hopeful until I see my men’s apologetic stares. My stomach drops, and I have the urge to kick something. So I smell just awful, but male dragons will still want to get in my pants. Just great.
“Well, that was disappointing,” Dr. Abigail says, but then smiles. “But we won’t give up. We’ll keep at it until we find a solution.”
I force myself to return her smile. “Well, thanks for all your hard work. I appreciate it.”
Flopping back onto Zane’s lap, I let a sigh slip out before I can stop it.
He pulls me closer. “Do not worry, Sam. I will mate you many times and ensure you are safe.”
I laugh. “Thanks so much.”
He kisses the top of my head. “You’re welcome. Now, we should go visit my orange princess. She likely misses us.”
“That cat is perfectly fine without us.”
He laughs. “Oh no, my Miu likes her attention.”
I doubt it. And as I look at my other men, I can tell they doubt it too, but we’re all smiling because Zane loves that cat so much. “Let’s go visit the damn cat.”
Beneath me, Zane squeals in excitement.