A Dragon Revealed (3 page)

“I’ve been fighting just fine on my own,” she answered.

“You were bitten twelve times by the new Shen abominations with more potent venom, I don’t count that as fine.”

“But I survived it while you would be dead as a dog with twelve bites,” Michelle snapped. “My mother made sure I could survive, and trust me, after those twelve bites my body is stronger.”

“Do you not want to know your home and where your mother was from?” Aki asked. “As dragons we are stronger together than apart, living here without coming back to the bonds of Paladin shortens your life.”

“My mother died of a human illness. So you mean if my mother had gone back to Paladin she would still be alive?” Michelle asked.

“Yes, many hundreds of years of her life were lost and she was losing her immortality without telling you,” Orin explained. “We are not susceptible to human diseases and if you stay here without coming home you too will lose that part of yourself. Isn’t it hard for you to shift, and don’t you need to sleep to regain your strength?”

“I do, after an unusually long time in my dragon form I need to sleep like a full day and eat a bunch of food,” Michelle admitted.

“Michelle, I would like to know you as a person and a sister in time,” Orin said. “More than that, I would like to see you regain your strength. You will feel it as soon as you go through the portal, you will feel the connection with our home in your blood, the blood of your mother that courses through your veins. You are a Paladin warrior.”

“Is there stuff about my mother there?” Michelle asked doubtfully. Her heart leapt at being a stronger dragon and seeing the home of her mother, but more so she wanted to learn about her family, the people that her mother cried for when she was alone at night. She thought she was with them and that gave her some comfort. But knowing her mother left everyone to live alone because of some shame made her feel like crap.

“There are many books you can go through to learn of Paladin and your mother’s life there,” Orin said. “The war that we fight is changing and the Shen we fight are becoming stronger. Until we find the King and root him out there is not an ending.”

“Even if you kill him the Shen I’ve been fighting lately seem more intelligent and are formulating methodical plans,” Michelle explained. “They have a social structure now, lesser Shen are sent out like foot soldiers and test vulnerabilities, sacrificing themselves to do so. One of the Shen always seems to escape to report back and a second wave of the stronger Shen come in. There are some humans who know what’s going on and have formed an underground militia. There are now groups across the United States and many of them are losing bodies fast trying to thwart the Shen.”

“Humans have no business fighting what they don’t understand,” Mursi said coldly.

“So they’re supposed to leave it up to you and pretend the threat isn’t there?” Michelle threw back at him. “You can’t be everywhere at once, and while you’re chilling in Paladin people are dying and your war is becoming more known. They need to fight for their survival because if you can’t stop the king this world will burn and my mother and I were the front line to that for a long time.”

“I wonder how come we’ve never come across you before,” Bior murmured looking her up and down approvingly. “I’d of remembered you, I’m certain of it.”

Michelle smiled slowly at him. “I think I’d remember you too, big guy.”

He winked, she laughed, and Mursi growled. She barely flicked an uncaring glance over him. She was a female dragon in her prime looking for a mate and Bior was certainly an exceptional looking male.

“If all the men look like you, I’m game,” Michelle kept her eyes on Bior. “When are we going?”

“It’s best to go in dragon form for you, you will have no difficulty since you are one of us,” Orin said. “I believe Hawke told me that your mother’s home is still there and it is yours now that your mother has passed away. Her lands and possessions are passed down to her blood daughter.”

“Even after all this time has passed, you haven’t repossessed or no one has claimed it?” Michelle asked.

‘That’s not our way,” Orin said. “There was always a chance any of your mother’s blood line would claim possession. But when we found out about you we did a search in the archives and found she was the only child of an only child so you are the last.”

“Well, that’s a bummer, but I’m accustomed to being alone,” Michelle said. But knowing she was the last after her mother made her heart ache just a little.

“You’ve got us now, you can call on me anytime and I’ll be at your service night or day,” Bior said.

Michelle smiled at him. “I may take you up on that.”

“Do you want us to wait outside?” Aki said. “We have satchels for our clothes and it has a strap for your sword.”

“That would help greatly,” Michelle said. “I’d like a few of my things and as you can see I’m taller than most human women.”

“I’m willing to share, here’s mine,” Bior said and handed it over.

“We’ll wait out on your boat patio thingy,” Orin said.

She watched them step outside one after the other, and Bior closed the door behind him. She listened to the conversation outside her door through the very thin walls of her houseboat.

“Can you be any more obvious, Bior,” Mursi snapped.

“What do you mean?” Bior’s voice held feigned innocence.

“Please, you were practically ready to mate her in front of us,” Mursi answered.

“Well you don’t want her, and she is exceptional in body and looks, why not?” Bior answered.

“Talk to him, Orin, he’s thinking with his shaft,” Mursi snarled.

“I will do no such thing. Bior has no problem being mated, so why not,” Orin said mildly.

“Even if the prophecy says she’s to be my mate?” Mursi asked. Michelle’s eyes widened when she heard that.
What prophecy are they referring to?

“You’ve made it quite clear that you don’t care about the prophecy or the fact that it involves you,” Orin said. “Maybe the rules are meant to be changed and your loss is another dragon’s gain. You want to be so steeped in anger over something even Larissa has accepted that you refuse to see the future. No one said stop loving her, but even she says you must move on. I cannot force you to so unless you are willing to lay claim to Michelle, she can choose whomever she wants.”

“All of you suck,” Mursi muttered.

So there was a prophecy and apparently in it she and Mursi were mated. Fancy that, she was only told what they wanted her to hear.
Well, they are in for a surprise
, Michelle thought as she packed her things in Bior’s satchel. If anyone wanted to mate her they were sure as hell were going to have to work for that honor. She wasn’t going to make it easy for anyone. She stripped out of her clothes and grabbed her mother’s sword before stepping out the door. She had no problem being nude, it was part of who she was. Still, it gave her infinite pleasure to see Mursi’s eyes widen and Bior grin appreciatively.

“Let’s go boys,” she said and walked past them.

Let them see the firm, taut ass that was attached to her body as they trailed behind her.
Paladin here I come,
she thought and wondered how going to where her mother was from would change her life. She’d soon find out because she’d be following them through a portal she long thought was gone and into the unknown.

“This is the portal,” Orin said. Michelle looked in the direction of his gaze.

To any human it would look like a normal cliff and all of them standing had to make a scene of friends enjoying the evening view. But she could see the space where the portal existed was shimmering. The nothingness actually rippled as the wind blew, reminiscent of waves on the water.

“I’m guessing humans can’t see this or can fall through,” Michelle said.

“How? It’s set off over the cliff, are they going to jump out there and touch it?” Mursi said.

“Ever heard of base jumping, sky diving, or suicide?” Michelle retorted. “There’s many reasons to jump off a cliff, I can give you a few choice ones.”

“I like you a lot,” Bior grinned in her direction. “You’re just pissed because she got you on that one and many others,” Bior said to Mursi.

“And you are encouraging her,” Mursi snapped.

“Gentlemen, I’d like to get through the portal before some hikers wonder if I’m getting ready to have a romping good time with four men on this cliff,” Michelle said. “Plus I’m getting tired and it gets hard for me to shift back to dragon form when I’m drained, so let’s do this.”

Aki cleared his throat. “Well… said, but Orin and I are mated and our wives would kill us at the thought.”

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t pick other’s people fruit,” Michelle yawned.

This time when they shifted they had to wait for her to hold her form. She was seriously tired and Michelle had to concentrate to stay in her dragon shift. She usually slept over twenty-four hours to regain her strength. If in Paladin she would find her strength and regain her ability not to tire so easily, then that alone was worth the visit. Orin went through the portal first and as much as she wanted to play badass she was amazed and excited to see his blue dragon form disappear. When she went through she felt the energy over her and penetrating her scales. The sensation was not uncomfortable, it was more like drinking a Red Bull.

On the other side a new world opened to her and she saw the place her mother had painted in many pictures, Paladin and the dragons that roamed the skies. It looked like one of her mother’s painting come to life. What people thought was fantasy art was truly real. The structures and houses that rose up to the sky as if trying to touch the heavens enthralled Michelle. She fell in love with the old world feel of the cobblestone streets and the lush green trees. There was grass the color of indigo and flowers that she’d never seen in her life. Colors that were so vivid it almost hurt the eyes, but it was the dragons that made her heart jump in joy. There were others like her, in gold and red, blue and orange. They had golden scales that ran down their breasts to the tip of the tails just like hers. People, not only dragons, walked the streets, confirming to her that all on Paladin didn’t carry the shifter trait like her mother said. Michelle felt like she was Alice and she’d fallen down the rabbit hole. No matter what she knew inside herself and what she was, this place had always been a dream in her head and a place her mother immortalized in paintings. She was seeing with her own eyes and smelling the fruit-ladened air. In her heart she knew she was home. Orin took coats from a man standing close to the portal and handed them each one so they could cover their nudity.

“I’d like to invite you to stay at the palace until you are ready to see where your mother once lived,” Orin said. “If you decide to stay we can have it cleaned for you…”

“No, leave it as is,” Michelle said hastily. “I’d like to take care of it myself, if I decide to stay.”

“Why wouldn’t you? This is your mother’s home,” Mursi said.

“I have obligations where I am, unlike you I didn’t get raised in a place of pure peace. I’ve been fighting the Shen on Earth and I won’t abandon it or those I work with for indigo grass,” Michelle answered.

“Your mother made the choice to leave, blame her for your not being able to live here,” Mursi retorted.

That’s it!
Michelle saw red and before anyone could stop her she had a foot planted on the side of Mursi’s neck in a swift kick that had him stumbling back.

“Well hell, we should stop her,” Bior said.

“No, she looks like she can take care of herself, and trust me, Mursi’s been asking for it,” Aki said. “Her scales are bronze, the only royal color of the true warrior clan that is left on Paladin. I think she’s been fighting Shen by herself enough she can certainly defend her honor in this battle.”

She vaguely heard them talking as she stood ready to defend her mother’s honor.

“You should stop now, daughter of Vatryn. You haven’t been trained like us and I could easily hurt you without trying.” Mursi rubbed the side of his face where she’d kicked him.

When she got mad the rage in her wouldn’t be quenched by a few words. She saw it as a dare and was going to prove to him he was no better than her in fighting or how she was raised. He was man and men fought one way, trying to use brute strength. That would be to her advantage. Michelle rushed him and when he reached out two muscled arms to grab her she slid between his legs like she was trying to reach home base at a baseball game. With a deft move she kicked him in his back, sending him tumbling forward. Mursi stopped himself quicker than any Shen, ran toward her, caught her around the waist, and tackled her to the ground. He pinned her arms over her head and she struggled knowing she couldn’t break his grip.

“Ready to stop playing around now?” He smirked.

Michelle willed tears to well up in her eyes and whispered, “You’re hurting me, please.”

She watched his face soften and while he still held her hand pinned he lifted his body up a bit from where he straddled her.
Gotcha,
she thought mercilessly and used the litheness of being flexible after years of gymnastics, Pilates, and yoga to lift her lower body up and wrap her legs around his neck. The surprise in his eyes gave her satisfaction before she locked her legs tight and used all her strength to pull him off her. She twisted her hips while he lay on the ground and had his head scissored tightly between her legs. Michelle tightened her thighs for an instant cutting off his air before she pinned him face first into the grass. With her knee in the back of his neck, she grabbed a flailing arm and pulled it backward, stretching the muscle.

She was breathing hard with exertion but smiled wickedly. “Now, you can’t see me but I’m grinning like a hyena. Why, you ask? Well first, I rip a man’s arm off but since you’re dragon built, I can dislocate your shoulder. You fight like a man, a few tears and you let it douse your determination, your will. Me? Nothing stops me—anger, love, tears, nothing. The fire my mother put in me fuels me and if you speak her name again in any other way but respect, you will be sorry. You won’t see me when I attack. I’m very good at blending in with the darkness. Fuck with me and see what you get.”

She pushed off him with enough force that his face planted in the grass. She jumped back and found the cloak that she cast off in the fray. She shook it free of grass put it around her shoulders again walked towards, Orin, Aki, and Bior who were waiting without a word.

“I’m ready to go and yes, thank you very much for allowing me to stay in your home,” Michelle bowed formally. “Contrary to some people’s belief, my mother taught me to eat with utensils.”

Orin smirked. “I’m sure that you’ll be fine, the place is this way. Mursi, we’ll, um, see you when you’ve composed yourself.”

She didn’t even look back to see if he’d gotten up or not. In her eyes Mursi was an egotistical cocksucker and she wanted nothing to do with him. To think she thought he was mate potential.

As they walked towards the palace, it was nothing like what she’d thought it would be. Buckingham palace was a guesthouse compared to what was on Paladin. The massive columns reminded her of the pantheon in Rome except bigger. She’d soared over it once in her dragon form and sat in the center listening to the ghost of the past reenact the life they once had. But this place echoed with life and laughter. She heard children squeal and a baby cry as they walked through the doorway. This wasn’t just a palace, it was a home.

A woman walked toward them, holding the hand of a small boy who had green eyes like Orin. In her arms she had a baby girl on her hip who was chewing on a chubby fist. She had to be Orin’s wife, the way she looked at him it could be nothing else. Love spilled from her brown eyes and the smile on her face radiated happiness. Her hair was in braids and Michelle wondered if she plaited the tiny strands herself. She doubted there was a hair salon on Paladin, but hey, anything was possible.

“Daddy!” The boy, who had to be no more than two or maybe three years old, ran forward and Orin scooped him up in his arms.

“Have you been good for your mother?” Orin asked with a chuckle and planted a kiss in the mass of unruly curls on the boy’s head before speaking to Michelle. “This is my son, and this is my wife Valencia and our daughter Dammir.”

“Nice to meet you.” Valencia smiled. “You’ve caused quite a stir in the court. The sister Orin didn’t know he had.”

Michelle wondered where she was going with that statement but saw nothing but kindness on Valencia’s face. She smiled, hoping it didn’t fall short of friendly. “It was a big surprise to me too, but before you ask I don’t want anything. They keep telling me I’m needed here for something.”

Valencia gave a rueful laugh. “Trust me when I say my first time in Paladin was a culture shock. I don’t think you have a hidden agenda. It has to be completely unnerving to know about this place after thinking you were alone.”

“It is,” Michelle admitted. “I know my mother was from this place but I don’t know if I belong here.”

“You’ll figure it out with no pressure from anyone else,” Valencia said. ‘I’ll make sure of it.”

“I need to assemble the court so they can meet Michelle and we can discuss the Shen,” Orin said.

“Not today, give her a chance to rest. Unless the Shen are amassing at our borders, the meeting can wait,” Valencia said firmly. “Besides, Ginna has gone into labor and Kalv looks like a maniac. You all need to go calm him down.”

Orin ginned and kissed her gently. “As usual I defer to your wisdom. Can you make sure that Michelle gets settled? We’ll go see our warrior brother.”

“I can do that. Where is Mursi?” Valencia asked worriedly.

“He’s picking up his pride off the floor,” Michelle said.

Orin laughed as he walked away holding his son, and Aki and Bior followed him grinning.

“Something I should know about?” Valencia asked. “Come this way, I’ll show you the guest rooms in the family wing. Since we found out certain information Orin has kept the warriors close and the families in one area.”

Michelle looked as guards followed them. “Looks like you may have been infiltrated for all the security.”

“That and more, but Orin will explain it all when you meet the rest of dragon warriors of the court,” Valencia explained in a serious tone.

Together they walked down the long corridors, six armed guards followed close behind with stern faces. They wouldn’t even crack a smile and why would they? Michelle may have only known her brother for a very short time but seeing how he openly adored his wife she could see if anything happened to Valencia those guards would have much to answer for. Valencia carried the baby that was babbling and cooing happily. Michelle looked at the amazing opulence and carved marble with each step she took. It was not only because of the beauty, but the gut-wrenching ache that was building inside her when she heard the baby. She wanted children, wanted a mate to break the loneliness. Maybe Bior would be suitable, certainly while she favored Mursi it would be difficult to be mated with him since they had a mutual dislike for each other.

Valencia stopped in front of set of heavy carved wood doors. “This is your suite, Michelle. Ours are at the end of the hall where you see the two guards in red standing.”

“Why so close?” Michelle cleared her throat. “I mean, I wouldn’t think Orin would want his half sister he didn’t know about being so close to his family.”

Valencia put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Michelle, you are family. From the time he knew about you it was a given fact. If you had met your father before he died it would have been the same way. There is no malice here from Orin or anyone in Paladin. He and the warriors have one goal: to remove the Shen menace from this world and Earth.”

“I’d believe you if it wasn’t for Mursi,” Michelle admitted. “He’s as mean as a rattlesnake. The reason why he wasn’t with us is because I had to kick his ass for disrespecting my mother.”

Valencia shook her head sadly. “He’s suffered a lot in the past few months. The death of his wife, knowing what the Shen did to her almost killed him.”

Michelle nodded in understanding. “He’s not the only one who has known loss from the creatures. I know a few people who have suffered at the hands of the Shen. I work with humans who’ve seen and understood the monsters that live under the bed and in their nightmares are very real. He’s a dick straight up.”

“If you knew the man before the loss you’d see the difference.” Valencia gave a smile and Michelle saw tears shimmering in her eyes. “I hope to see that man again. We have evening meal around seven Earth time, here it’s much darker.”

Michelle was hardly listening. She looked at the baby in Valencia’s arms. The baby’s big wide eyes and sweet disposition had her enraptured.

“Do you want to hold her?” Valencia asked.

Michelle was itching to take the baby but shook her head in refusal. She knew what was happening, her mother told her that her dragon cycle would kick in when she hit around the two hundred mark. She was a young dragon, only one hundred and eighty-six. But the loneliness combined with being around so many male dragons must have kicked her libido into high gear. The primal force inside her made her want to mate and to nest.
Damn, I’m a warrior, not mother material
. She could hear her mother’s laughter in her head and could still picture her saying
, I was both.

“I’ll see you later, Valencia, thank you so much for inviting me into your home,” Michelle said and ran her finger down Dammir’s soft cheek. “I’ll hold you later, little princess.”