Chapter 4 Dragon Sex
Dragon Sex
“EVERYONE, GET BACK HERE!" Valerius cried.
The other Dragon Shifters immediately raced back to them. All looked at the Wall on the vids. There were gasps all around.
"We have to track them,” Valerius growled as these human parts of Behemoth streamed in all directions and out of the cameras’ views.
“Wally will follow them,” Caden reminded him, but the young man had his arms crossed tightly across his chest and his eyes flickered from feed to feed.
“I really hope that Wally was not exaggerating his prowess at tracking multiple targets,” Esme breathed as she, too, held herself.
“He wasn’t,” Marban said, stroking his long goatee. “If anything, he has been hiding his light under a bushel.”
“Not worried that running a shop has made him soft?” Rose asked.
“No, his caring will make him more ruthless rather than less,” Marban answered her.
“One of the reasons that Wally was feared back in the day was because he treated every one of his people like his own family. You hurt one of them, he killed five of yours. If Wally showed even a hint of interest in a job, everyone else backed off.”
“Even you?” Rose’s eyebrows lifted.
“Even me.” Marban smiled, but it quickly died as he turned from the cameras to his own phone where his people were alerting him to things with text messages.
“Where do you suppose they are going?” Kaila asked. “To plant more bombs?”
“Gods forbid,” Jahara said and shuddered.
Mei’s eyes narrowed. “That would actually be wise, but I do not see any such devices on them, do you?”
“Small devices could be covered by their clothes.” Illarion shrugged. His voice came from the doorway. He’d returned. That surprised Valerius.
“I thought you were leaving,” Mei said dryly.
“My plane cannot be here until tomorrow. I have nothing better to do,” he answered.
Caden though went right over to him. He lightly touched Illarion’s shoulder, which had the Green Dragon King tensing at first.
“You stayed. You came back,” Caden said.
“For a little while. Like I said--”
“I know what you said, but you could have flown yourself to wherever your plane is,” Caden pointed out gently.
“I have clothes here. Men. I cannot just leave them.” Illarion though would not meet Caden’s gaze.
“Okay, I understand,” Caden said, and Valerius wondered how much he did.
I am surprised, Caden. You truly have reached him. For Illarion to come back, so soon… Valerius paused. He wasn’t sure what to think of it.
He feels our need to be together. He knows it's safer.
Safe. Perhaps, Valerius agreed.
“So now instead of one Behemoth, we have hundreds of them,” Illarion said as he observed the stream of individuals in the Below as Caden went back to Valerius’ side. “All those people. Lots of trouble. Lots of bombs, I still think.”
“Could bombs survive whatever this process is that they went through?” Mei gestured towards the now completely smooth wall.
“I do not know how flesh and blood could survive it,” Tez whispered.
Kaila put an arm around him and rubbed his back. “It will be okay.”
“Will it?” Tez asked. “Do you think… think they are still them and the Behemoth or just the Behemoth?”
“Who can know? And who cares?” Illarion growled, not liking that Tez was showing fear.
Mephous was, undoubtedly, blowing out great gouts of green, poisonous smoke as it searched for an enemy to vanquish.
Tez and Eldoron’s uncertainty if there was an enemy they could strike down was causing Illarion and his Dragon Spirit’s own anxiety to spike.
But while Tez dealt with things by seeking comfort in others, it made Illarion want to smash things.
He and Raziel were more in Illarion’s quarter in this.
“If they are still themselves they might go home. Or maybe if they’re not in control, the Behemoth could make them go home,” Caden said and he straightened. “Landry and her brothers… What if they go to their parents’ place? What if the Behemoth wants to destroy their mom and dad?”
“Let us go there,” Valerius stated suddenly.
He did not know if such an act was likely, but it was something for them to do.
He couldn’t wait patiently until Wally followed all of the people and then met up with his other rat selves before finding a phone!
Valerius had to move. And, more importantly, Caden needed to do something. So they were going.
“Thanks, Valerius,” Caden breathed.
“Marban, can you manage things here?” Valerius asked.
Marban nodded and held up his phone. “My people are tracking some of the Behemoth’s minions. I’m sure Wally has the rest. Go do what you must. I will keep you informed.”
“Good.”
“And what should the rest of us do? Sit on our asses?” Illarion snarled.
Valerius thought of a million things he could tell Illarion to do with pleasure, but he said instead, “Come with us. But keep a low profile.”
Illarion blinked, but then grinned. He slapped Valerius’ shoulder. “You need my backup. The little Dragon will not be enough against the Behemoth.”
“The little Dragon kicked your ass,” Caden reminded the Green Dragon King.
Illarion ruffled Caden’s hair. “I know. I know. You are so proud of that!”
“You and Mephous are big and bad so I am proud of that,” Caden told him.
And in that moment, there was something--some emotion--on Illarion’s face that Valerius hadn’t thought the Green Dragon King capable of: true affection. Caden had taken out the sting of Illarion and Mephous’ defeat by acknowledging what a big deal it was to have beaten him.
“Yes, well, since the Behemoth is in its human form or forms, your power is not so useful now. But if it tries to shift then we will see something, Caden,” Illarion said, acknowledging in kind that Caden and Iolaire’s gift was a powerful one to be respected.
You did well in that, Valerius sent to Caden.
If Illarion could just move that chip off his shoulder he’d be a lot happier and a lot less of a dick! Caden remarked.
Valerius had to hide his laughter under a cough.
The three of them headed to the garage and piled into one of the bland SUVs with tinted windows. Valerius drove though there was a moment when he and Illarion had a stare down when they reached the driver’s side door at the same time.
“Guys, knock it off or I’ll drive. Considering I’m the one who knows where Landry’s house is I probably should be driving,” Caden had reminded them as he slipped into the passenger compartment.
“Fine! You drive, Valerius. I will treat you as I do my chauffeur!” Illarion grinned and hopped into the back while Valerius got into the driver’s seat.
“You do that and you will be walking to Landry’s,” Valerius growled.
“I will fly!” Illarion laughed.
“I know you’re just, ah, teasing each other or whatever,” Caden said uncertainly, “but, Illarion, we really can’t let them know we’re around unless something happens and we have to step in. In fact, if we can somehow pretend we don’t know what’s happened to them… that would be best.”
“Just three boys on the town, eh? It’s been some time. But how do we explain what we’re doing at your friend’s house?” Illarion asked.
“Condolences,” Caden reminded him. “I thought she was dead.”
“She may be still, you know?” Illarion’s voice was not unkind. It was more of a gentle warning. “She’s been in the Spirit Realm. Her body may have been the only thing to come back.”
Caden’s head lowered as he clicked his seatbelt on. “I know, but this is more hope than I had five minutes ago. I’m just trying to keep an open mind.”
Valerius and Illarion shared a look. It was not something that they often did as Valerius, admittedly, thought of Illarion as too stupid to understand most things.
But pain and loss were something that every Dragon Shifter knew well.
In that look, Illarion was saying, “He may be disappointed. It will be bad. But we will be there for him.”
Valerius made a small nod, accepting the offer of sympathy and help for Caden. He started up the engine and pulled out of the parking space. He drove towards one of the secret interior roads that would empty them out into the Mid.
The Green Dragon King, in contrast to Caden, did not put on his seatbelt. Instead, he rested his elbows on both of their seats and leaned forward between them to practically be a third passenger in the first row.
“So,” Illarion began as he leaned further forward to fiddle with the radio.
Valerius slapped his hand away and growled low in his throat when he reached again.
Illarion instead started to tap a rhythm on Valerius’ seat.
“What are we going to do if we find Landry and her brothers at home? If we attack the Behemoth when in its shifted form, it explodes and goodbye Reach.”
“Not an option,” Valerius replied tartly.
“Yes, unfortunately,” Illarion said, but Valerius saw the teasing grin in the rearview mirror.
“Take a right here,” Caden said as they entered one of the quiet residential streets in the Mid.
Valerius did.
“So do we imprison them?” Illarion continued on. “Perhaps the Behemoth cannot transform unless all its little itty, bitty pieces come together.”
Valerius frowned. “Could it be so easy?”
“Maybe the part of the Spirit can just leave them and move onto others,” Caden said. “Iolaire doesn’t think it's bonded to all of those people.”
“No, they are not worthy,” Illarion agreed and his tapping increased.
“I will rip your arm off if you don’t stop,” Valerius told him pointedly.
Illarion grimaced, but the tapping ceased.
“I tend to agree about Landry’s brothers, but… Landry--”
“She was eager to betray you. She is weak,” Illarion charged.
Valerius tended to agree, though Landry had stood up to him about Caden but she hadn’t been sure back then that Caden was the ninth Dragon Shifter. He wasn’t sure that she would have been so virulent in her support if she had known. After all, she had given Caden up to Jasper.