Page 114 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Draco

Draco couldn’t help his snort of laughter as Sawyer and Pearl practically skipped across the road to their new neighbor’s house. He was such a breath of fresh air and the best thing about the life Draco had built here. His entire life had been built around duty and honor and he was here, in this place, for some reason he didn’t quite understand. But he’d made the most of it and found a person who made his days brighter and filled him with hope for…

No, he couldn’t go down that path. He wouldn’t be the one to break Sawyer’s heart, and if he allowed his feelings to show, allowed one more inch of love to develop, he’d be lost. It couldn’t happen. He’d continue to focus on the now and if the time came… he’d figure it out then.

Draco breathed deeply, his senses on high alert, but the only thing filling his nostrils was the vague scent of the new people across the street and the sweetness of the still warm apple cake. Movers and delivery trucks had been arriving for weeks, so it really wasn’t that unexpected for someone new to be arriving to their little neighborhood. He’d been expecting their arrival after the influx of traffic.

He caught up to Sawyer just as they crossed some sort of barrier and his senses were flooded with the presence of other. He reacted immediately, pushing Sawyer behind him as two men appeared in front of him, one with a magically-forged sword which shimmered in the setting sun. It would slice Draco’s arm off with one swing, although it wouldn’t even dent his dragon hide. That would require revealing himself to Sawyer, but he would do it in a second if it meant keeping him safe.

“Dragon,” the swordsman hissed. His face shifted and fangs emerged. A vampire then, which explained the scent of blood so heavy on the air. Whatever ward they had surrounding this place was strong, stronger than Draco had seen in his lifetime if a vampire had managed to get this close to him— to Sawyer— without his knowledge.

The other man, even though he was taller, his red hair slicked back and his dark suit impeccable, had a set of daggers, one in each hand. Draco recognized that the blades were magically formed as well. He was trouble, no matter that the guy looked like he’d stepped out of some fancy office downtown. He reached back and began to step away, making sure to herd Sawyer with him. “We mean no harm,” he said.

Then he heard more footsteps approaching, these moving quickly, and a third man appeared. This one was younger, his face unlined and with a beaming smile that belied the danger they were currently facing. “Dude, something just set off the wards…. And that would be…holy hot. You are almost as delicious as…um… never mind. Speaking of delicious, what exactly is that awesome smell?”

“Apple cake?” Sawyer said from behind Draco.

“Oh man. That sounds good. I’m starving.”

Pearl took a tentative step toward the young man, responding to the friendly tone of the new arrival. “Pearl, heel!”

Draco never spoke to her so harshly, never had to, but he hadn’t been able to take his eyes away from the blades currently held by the two fighters. She immediately obeyed and moved back to Sawyer’s side, but not without looking up at him with a pout of her own to find out what she’d done wrong. She clearly wasn’t the only one his tone bothered.

“What’s going on?” Sawyer whispered behind him. “Drake?”

“Everything’s fine. We’re leaving. We didn’t mean to intrude.”

“But you brought cake!”

“We did,” Draco said softly. “We were coming to welcome new neighbors. That’s all.”

The young man slipped between his protectors and they both growled at him in protest.

“Down boys. I got this.” He stepped forward, and Draco held up his hands to try to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Oh,” the young man sighed as he got closer. “You’re one of us.”

“What?” Sawyer peeked his head around again and stared at the newcomer. Draco stepped in front of him again.

“And who’s this?” The guy dropped down to one knee and looked at Pearl.

“Uh, that’s my dog. Pearl,” Sawyer said. “I’m Sawyer. This is Draco.”

The guy smirked. “Draco? Really, Dragon? I’m Henry. Come here, girl.”

Pearl glanced at Draco, holding her position as he’d commanded even though she was eager to scent this new person. “Go on, girl.”

The warriors took up defensive positions, but didn’t move closer. Pearl darted over to the guy and began sniffing his face enthusiastically. Henry laughed and scratched her head. “Oh, you’re a pretty girl, aren’t you? You’re very well loved. That’s a good girl.”

Pearl lay down and rolled onto her back, allowing Henry to scratch her stomach nice and hard, just the way she liked it. When he looked up again, it was with a beaming smile.

“You can tell a lot about a man by how happy his animal is,” Henry said. “And this one is very happy indeed.”

“She’s mine,” Sawyer said. “And she is a good girl. A bit of a slut for belly rubs as you can see.”

Henry laughed and stood again. He closed the remaining distance between them and stared at Draco. “I’d like to touch your arm, Dragon.”

Draco could feel the barely restrained power coming from the man, so he held out his arm. Henry lay his hand carefully along Draco’s wrist, then his head fell back with a gasp. His eyes glowed the bright blue of the mages and he closed them a moment later with a sigh. “You bear the mark?”