Dragon in Distress Read online

“Fine. I’ll go see them now.” Knossos said just before he flashed away. It was twilight on the plains as the horses all gathered together, most standing and still.

  “You’re back so soon. Where is you annoying mate?” Herk asked.

  “She is at home. The leaders want you to join us for supper tomorrow night at seven. Dress is casual. Meeting will be directly after the meal. Will you be there?” Knossos asked.

  Herk grinned. “I’m a bit tired of grass. Julio and I will see you then.”

  “You can still flash to me? Sure your magic isn’t broken from being a pony so long?” Knossos asked with a laugh.

  Herk and Julio stood there naked as the day they were born in their human form. They both grabbed their sizable cocks and shook them at him. “No ponies here. This is where the saying hung like a horse came from.” Herk said.

  “Yeah what he said.” Julio the unicorn leader declared.

  “You know that display does nothing for me, right?” Knossos shook his head as he flashed away.

  “How did it go?” Ram asked.

  “They agreed to be here.”

  “You sure they’ll come?” Annie asked.

  “They have nothing to lose. All they agreed to was to listen. They’ll also get a good meal and some feminine company.” Knossos observed.

  “It’s a good step in the right direction. Dae, have anything you can throw together to help convince them?” Ram asked.

  “I’ll find something, but don’t hold back if you have anything. They won’t be an easy sell.” Dae replied.

  “We’ll all do what we can.” Ram agreed.

  “Not me, I’ve got to work tomorrow and Sophie too.” Annie admitted.

  Now that the food was all gone, everyone began to go their own way. Knossos felt restless although he didn’t know why. Maybe he missed Sophie. It would be the first time he’d ever missed a woman. It wasn’t the same as having the need for sex. Hell, he had that too.

  Sleep was fitful last night but he’d made it to breakfast. Life was all about one step at a time. The buffet style meal was set up with plenty of food for supernatural type appetites. Ram and Annie sat at the table eating enjoying each other’s company. Watching them put him in mind of what Sophie had said about wanting what they had. He couldn’t deny it looked good on them.

  “That coffee smells good.” Knossos admitted. Annie pointed to the corner where a carafe stood next to an empty pot.

  “It’s just been started, but there’s plenty in the carafe.” Annie declared.

  He poured his cup, added cream and sugar, and set it in his spot. Now he filled his plate to overflowing and sat to eat in peace. Ram and Annie spoke about the supper tonight and he listened in.

  “We’ll do a buffet style so they can get what they want.” Annie offered.

  “That sounds like a good solution. They should like a combination of everything available.” Ram suggested.

  “The kitchen will see to a large variety.” Annie assured.

  Even though Knossos was stuffing his face with delicious breakfast foods, he couldn’t wait for supper. Ram and Annie were done with their food and saying goodbye. He watched as Ram gently took Annie’s face into his hands to lightly kiss her mouth. It was sweet beyond words. Annie turned and left to go to work while Ram did his work here.

  Before the party tonight, he would have the opportunity to check out what Rabble had been doing with his businesses and his holdings. A sense of unease ran over him. Knossos knew that there was something Rabble had done wrong just from the way he’d acted. The pile of paperwork was in his hands and he began to work through it. Was there anything worse than paperwork? Yes, being cheated out of what was yours.

  He’d found a few minor discrepancies, but he was sure there was more. Ram sat in the same place he’d been earlier with a laptop in front of him. Knossos cleared his throat. “Did you need something?” Ram asked.

  “Yes. I had a troll seeing to all my businesses and accounts. I fear he’s cheated me. Do you know anyone I can have go through my accounts to tell me if that’s the case?”

  “Yes, I know several. The best is Menet, but she only takes the wealthiest clients.”

  “I have massive land holdings, or I did. I also owned some trading companies.”

  “I’ll give her a call and see if she can come.”

  “Thank you, Ram. It’s appreciated. Do you keep up with everything on that?” Knossos asked.

  “It’s a computer. There’s an internet that can connect you to almost anything or anyone that uses the internet too.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “It’s modern magic.” Ram admitted. “I just heard back from Menet and she will be here to see you in the morning.”

  “That’s great. What are you working on?”

  “Since you and Sophie found two secret supe groups, we’ve decided to work on our list of possibles and begin to search for them too.”

  “Trolls exist, but they are accountants and possibly dishonest ones.”

  “Annie told me you found a troll wart.”

  “I did and I explained the coming struggle to him. He promised to send the information on to his leaders. Not sure if I trust him.” Knossos explained.

  “We’ll have a hard time finding some of these.” Ram declared.

  “Most people would say unicorns are the hardest to find.”

  “True, but fae hide better than anyone.” Ram noted.

  “Some of the secret groups don’t play well with others. Even if you find them, they are usually more destructive than helpful.”

  “Any ones in particular you’re thinking of?”

  “Sprites, leprechauns, ogres, orcs, and demons.”

  “Any of those really exist?” Ram asked.

  “I can’t say for sure now, but they all existed at one time.”

  “Hell that complicates everything.”

  “Why?”

  “If they aren’t on our side, they could be swayed over to the evil side.” Ram decided.

  That was a distinct possibility since those kinds were closer to the evil side of things than the good. “It’s hard to say where they might be or even if they still exist.”

  “We will do our best. I’d best get back to work.”

  Ram left him with time on his hands and a lot of thoughts. He wondered if he could learn to use the modern magic like the computer and the cell phone. Things had changed so drastically since the time he remembered best. One he got his fortune straightened back out, he would take control of it personally and grow it even larger.

  Knossos ended up watching television to become more familiar with modern times. While it helped, there were also things on there that couldn’t be accurate. It was amazing once he began watching how quickly time got away from him. Before he knew it, Sophie was there.

  “Like watching the boob tube, huh?” She asked.

  “I thought this was the television or TV?”

  “It has many nicknames.” She admitted. “Are you ready for supper?”

  “More than ready since I missed lunch.”

  “We still have an hour to go. You need a snack to help you make it.” She led him to the kitchen.

  It was nice to have someone looking out for him. Once there, she ordered a couple sandwiches, milk, and two pieces of pie. The cook fixed them quickly and Sophie led me to the nook in Ram’s kitchen. She gave me two sandwiches and one piece of pie. The other she claimed for herself. They each had a glass of milk.

  “I can’t wait to see how this meeting turns out.” Sophie admitted.

  “You did all you could. Now it’s in other hands.”

  “Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.”

  They sat and talked as they ate. Knossos was amazed how much he enjoyed the time they’d spent together. Mating had always seemed to be more about sex and children, but he enjoyed time spent with her like this.

  “Oh, my. It’s almost time for our guests to arrive. We’d best get going.” Sophie hopped
up taking the dishes to the sink.

  Knossos got up and escorted her to the dining room where Annie put the finishing touches on the decorations. The room looked nice and he was glad it wasn’t overdone. A few well-placed candles and plants were the only decoration, but even though the meal was casual the quality of the dinnerware and linen were of the highest quality. He was sure Herk and Julio would appreciate the effort.

  He felt the magic roll over him before Herk and Julio appeared. “Greetings, old friends.”

  Herk and Julio both smiled as they surveyed the tables and their eyes landed on Annie. “Is she available?” They asked together.

  “No, the other ladies will be here shortly.” Just as he answered, Nite and Dae entered.

  Both males swiveled around to follow every move Nite made. “She is unattached, but she’s a ball buster.”

  “Don’t worry about me, Knossos. I can handle these two boys with not trouble.” Nite called out.

  “We’re not boys, Honey.” Herk offered.

  Pru entered and Herk looked pole axed. Hm, that was interesting. Pru glanced over and looked stunned too. Gertie just sent them both a come hither look as she slunk closer. “Hi, guys.” She said.

  “Hi, yourself, Babe. Why don’t you sit by me?” Julio offered.

  “My name is Gertie. What’s yours?”

  “I’m Julio and I’m yours tonight.”

  “I like a direct male.” Gertie giggled like a schoolgirl.

  Knossos rolled his eyes. Sophie had saved him from these random hookups. He didn’t like the look or sound of things at all. He’d tell Julio Gertie already had a mate, but he wasn’t sure he’d care. It wasn’t like his friend was looking for something lasting.

  Julio and Gertie sat down next to each other whispering and planning their get together. Herk and Pru sat by each other too, but they didn’t talk much. Could they be fated mates? Knossos had no way to know for sure unless one of them told him.

  Ram and Annie came in and the servers began to put the rest of the food in the buffet. They all lined up to fill their plates with Pru and Gertie guiding their guests. Everyone had full plates before they sat down.

  “This is nice. We’ve not been at a feast in a while.” Herk admitted.

  “Please, enjoy the food and drinks. We are pleased to have you with us.” Annie said.

  “And we are pleased to be here.” Julio said as he leered at Gertie.

  Knossos saw the disappointed look on Annie’s face. He was sure she was worried about Gertie and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Pru on the other hand was behaving perfectly as was Herk. His behavior was unusual to say the least.

  They all ate with a limited amount of talk. “Why don’t we have our business talk now and eat dessert afterwards?” Ram suggested. “Gertie and Pru will be alright for a little while, won’t you ladies?”

  Of course they both agreed. Everyone else trooped into the meeting room. They all sat with Ram at the front and Herk and Julio took seats at the back. “Have either of you ever seen a presentation before?” Ram asked as he turned the projector on and a picture appeared on the wall.

  “No, we’ve been living naturally.” Herk declared.

  “Okay. As you can see here, the enemy is called Hubolla.”

  “We’ve heard of him in ancient tales.” Herk admitted.

  “He’s real and he wants to rule the world. Seems that goal never gets old.”

  “If he’s stuck in another world, how can he come here?” Herk asked.

  “Right now, he can’t but he can communicate and empower some of his followers. We don’t know how, but he’s doing it. There must be a weak spot between the two worlds and he’s trying to make it weak enough to allow him through. Meanwhile as he works on that, his followers are raising an army and money.” Ram explained.

  “Sounds like he has a plan. What’s yours?” Herk asked.

  “Right now, we are on defense. We take out his followers, raid his money, and take away any property he gets. We also try to aid his victims. While we do that, we are trying to gather allies.” Ram explained.

  “A reasonable plan, but what success have you had?” Julio finally paid some attention.

  “We’ve taken out hundreds of followers, several whore houses, and seized around ten thousand dollars cash plus an unspecified amount of property. That’s in about a month.”

  “How long has he been digging in?” Herk wondered.

  “At least several months, but he may have been making small inroads for years without anyone noticing. Just know that if he wins, you’re kind will be enslaved. There won’t be any escape.” Ram insisted.

  “Okay. We understand. Bad man hurt everyone, right?” Herk said. It almost sounded like he was joking, but he looked as serious as a heart attack. “Now let me explain our problem. Our kinds were hunted ruthlessly. Pegasus were enslaved while unicorns were killed for their horns. If we join you and the word gets out, we’re as good as dead anyway. Sophie made a suggestion, she said we could fight in our human form.”

  “So far that is what all of us have been doing. Most shifters aren’t as strong in human form, but we still can access some of our magic and our strength is only a little less. Right now, we need brains more than brawn.” Ram admitted.

  “We would like to go with you on a mission. That way we can assess how much good you’re doing and how much help we’d be.” Herk suggested.

  “That is acceptable. Dae, when is the next mission?” Ram asked.

  Dae looked up then looked at his phone. “We’ll be going out in the morning around nine. It’s a small mission, at least it looks to be.” He observed.

  “What does that mean?” Julio asked.

  “Last time we went out on a small mission, we uncovered a larger one.” Annie admitted.

  “We found a bordello.” Sophie clarified. “We had to help the victims.”

  “Okay. This seems settled. We’ll be here in the morning. Now can we go have dessert?” Julio asked.

  Knossos knew what kind of dessert Julio wanted. Still, it wasn’t like those two weren’t consenting adults. “Yeah, I’m ready for dessert too.”

  “Fine. Everyone go to the dining room and we’ll have dessert.” Ram agreed. There really wasn’t anything else to discuss for now.

  As they all took their seats, servers put plates with carrot cake and a dish of vanilla ice cream in front of each of them. They all seemed to enjoy it and Knossos was sure he’d never eaten anything like it. When Sophie explained it had carrots in it, he was amazed.

  Once dessert was eaten, Herk took Pru for a walk while Julio took Gertie away somewhere. Ram and Annie said good night so Knossos was left with Sophie. “Interesting night, wasn’t it?” He asked.

  “I was worried, but they agreed to look into things closer. That gives me hope.” Sophie admitted.

  “Come here.” Knossos said. He was tired of waiting for her. If she was his, he wanted more than what they had so far.”

  “What?” She asked nervously.

  “I want you here.” His hands pointed at him.

  “Okay.” She stepped closer. It wasn’t like they hadn’t kissed before. Reaching out, he pulled her to him.

  “Do you want me, Sophie?” He asked and he was sure his eyes were red with passion.

  Sophie gulped nervously. “Yes.” She said so softly he had to strain to hear it.

  “Do you believe I want you too?”

  “Sometimes, but other times it seems you don’t want me at all.”

  “Fair enough. There are many kinds of want, Sophie. I’ve always been attracted to you. It’s taken me time to get to know you better, but now that I do, I like you too. Becoming a mate, that’s a big step.” He pulled her chin up so their eyes met. “My father never mated my mom. You know why?”

  “He didn’t love her?”

  “I’m not sure if he did or not, but that wasn’t why. He didn’t trust anyone. His position as a ruler made him fear having a mate or any close relations
hip. That was what he always told me. ‘If you want to be a good ruler, boy, rule alone.’ I’ve thought about that a lot. I even considered living the way he did, but I’ve seen something lately. I’ve seen the strength a true mate can give a leader. My mother was an exceptional female and had he mated her, he would probably still be alive. Even if he wasn’t, the time he had would have been more joyful instead of the misery he called a life.”

  “When did you come to all those conclusions?” Sophie asked.

  “Being around my mom reminded me of some things I’d forgotten. Having time today to watch TV and think, was a good thing. I decided I don’t want to live the way he did. I watched Julio with Gertie and that’s fine for a youngling, but I don’t like that for me. Are you in this thing with me?”

  “Yes.” She said as she slipped her arms around his neck.

  Knossos flashed them to his room. It was a nice room with a big bed in the center. This room would be a comfortable place to claim his mate. Any ceremonies could come later. But once she was his, he would need to find a place of their own.

  He kissed her as heat rolled over them both. Stepping back, he began to undress. Sophie watched with obvious fascination. Once he was naked, her eyes stopped on his cock and her mouth opened into a big O. Now he stepped over to her and began to undress her. Gods the female was too sexy. His hand shook with need as he unzipped her skirt and it dropped to the floor.

  Chapter 6

  Saving Sophie

  Sophie felt tremors run through her. Did Knossos really want her or was he playing a game with her? She’d heard that many males played these kinds of games then ran away leaving the females crying and alone. Stepping back quickly, Knossos’ looked up in alarm. “What wrong?”

  “I just want to know, are you sure?” Sophie whispered.

  “I’ve never been surer of anything.”

  She flew into his arms half naked but ready to be with him and him alone. Sophie knew she should run screaming as she stared at his giant cock that jutted out between his legs. Some of the naughty fairy tales about dragons had suggested they were big everywhere. The view both excited and terrified her. But she knew Knossos was experienced and he would not hurt her.