The Lost Dragon (The Dragon Hunters Book 1) Read online

  "Okay, so which one of you wants it?" Andreas asked.

  Brandon and Demun looked at each other, clearly puzzled.

  "That's the car we both agreed on," Brandon replied.

  "We thought we'd be sharing the car," Demun added.

  "Nice idea, but no. You get separate cars," Andreas told them. "So who wants this one?"

  The boys exchanged another look, and Brandon raised his hand.

  "So what car do you want, Demun?" Andreas asked.

  Demun looked at a dark red Ford Explorer a few spots down. Andreas looked at it, noting it was the same year. The windows had a little tint to them. The inside material was gray cloth instead of leather, no tears or burn holes in it. Another standard CD player. Andreas gave a nod of approval.

  "So, looks like we need to test drive these, and then talk business. Let's get a move on."

  On Solaris, Jarel sat in his throne room again, several subjects around him. He looked up at the cry of the phoenix and watched as Vic flew in and transformed back into human form. Jarel made a motion with his hand and the others cleared out.

  "What is it?" he demanded.

  "I've just gotten word from Hades. We have a problem." Vic stopped in front of the throne. "Kalos has infiltrated the Elysian Fields."

  Jarel rose, anger beginning to build. "My son?!"

  "No, Julian and his wife are safe,” Vic answered. "This one is more personal to Andreas. It seems Kalos has received word of who you have on his trail, and he's attempting to play on Andreas' one and only weakness."

  Jarel sat back down, his hand immediately going over his eyes in exasperation. "Kazarian. How in the hell did he get to Hades without dying first?"

  "Hades doesn't know, but he's not any happier than you are. And Kazarian falls under Ares' jurisdiction. The war god wants blood."

  "And Andreas will want far more when he finds out." Jarel looks down at Vic. "You have no leads on who is hiding Kalos?"

  "None so far. And Cronus can't have the power to help him, can he?"

  Jarel shook his head. "No, he's a fallen god. He can't help anyone while within Chaos herself. My mother negates all our power, and it is to her we gods return in death. Someone else is helping Kalos, but I can't think of any that would be quite so stupid. And whoever it is had to help Kalos get into and out of the Underworld. Only we gods can properly guide anyone out of Hades' domain."

  "So what do you want me to do?" Vic asked.

  Jarel remained silent for several seconds before responding. "I can't withhold the information from Andreas. Let him know that Kazarian has been snatched from Elysia by Kalos. He needs to know the weapon Kalos will use against him, and the deal Kalos will inevitably offer him."

  "Odele for Kazarian," Vic said quietly.

  Jarel nodded. "He's going to force Andreas to choose between his loyalty to me and his greatest and only true love. He needs to know this, and we'll need to plan accordingly."

  "You think he will choose you over Kazarian?"

  Jarel scowled. "I don't want to find out for sure. We must find a way to get Kazarian back. Andreas has not seen him in eleven thousand years. I do not want them to reunite under these conditions."

  Vic raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are they supposed to reunite at some point?"

  Jarel glared at him. "They are soul mates. That does not end in death. Kazarian's death is the whole reason Andreas has never had a truly lasting relationship, only passing flings. Kazarian prevents him from moving on, though Kazarian would only want him to be happy. Indeed, at some point, they must reunite. Andreas is lost without him. Now get to my son and warn him, before Kalos does."

  Seventeen

  Brandon was in his room on his bed, headphones in as he was blasting some music. His eyes were closed, and he was content in his own little world. After a moment, he felt the cell phone Andreas had also given him that day vibrate. He picked it up, finding a text message from Adonis.

  Hey, whatcha doin?

  Obviously Adonis liked to keep it short and simple. Brandon sent a quick response. Nothing. Bored.

  He waited a few minutes and got another response.

  I want to see you.

  Brandon snorted. Where are you? I'll come get you.

  Demun came into the room and sat on his bed. "Wow, you're already getting popular and we just got the phones today."

  "It's just Adonis," Brandon replied.

  "Oh, just Adonis? Come on, who do I look like? You've got a huge thing for him. What's the point in fighting it?"

  Brandon scowled. "I'm not fighting anything. I just offered to come get him."

  Demun grinned. "Ooh, so are you finally gonna...."

  Brandon threw his pillow at him to cut him off, causing Demun to laugh. Brandon looked at his phone as another text came through from Adonis.

  I'm at January Wabash Park, walking around the lake. You coming?

  Brandon couldn't hide a smile. Be there in a few.

  "So, are you going to answer my question?" Demun asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.

  "No, but I'm going out," Brandon responded. "No spying on me either."

  "Trust me, I can do without the visuals that may come with spying on you. I don't need to see Adonis naked, or you for that matter."

  Brandon rolled his eyes. "We're identical twins, you jackass. We look the same everywhere."

  "Yeah, but I look great to me. You're my brother, so by definition, you look disgusting."

  Brandon laughed and got up, heading out of the room. He went into the living room, where Andreas sat watching TV.

  "Do you mind if I go out for a while?" Brandon asked.

  Andreas shrugged. "Go ahead. Stay in contact with your brother. If there's any trouble, don't try to handle it alone."

  Brandon raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You're not going to ask any more questions?"

  Andreas gave him a dull stare. "I'm not stupid. You just got a phone and a car today. Only one place you could be heading, and that's to see Adonis. Just try not to stay out too late."

  "Wow, thanks." Brandon headed out.

  Andreas turned as Demun came into the room and sat next to him.

  "No plans for your first night with your own car?" Andreas asked.

  "Nope, got nothing to do," Demun answered. "I enjoy the bachelor life."

  Andreas laughed. "Come on now, you've got to date every now and then."

  Demun rolled his eyes. "I date. I don't get exclusive. I'm a little young for that, and monogamy is boring."

  "It's not that bad. At your age, I was with my first and only boyfriend."

  "That was how long ago?"

  Andreas gave a shrug. "Point taken. Still, there's nothing wrong with monogamy. It helps you find what you want and don't want in a relationship."

  "I'll worry about that when I decide I want a relationship." Demun stared at him. "You aren't settled down with anyone either, you know."

  Andreas had to give him that one. "I've never found anyone worth settling down with. Not since my first."

  "I take it he was human."

  Andreas nodded. "Unfortunately, he died on the battlefield right before I entered Father's service. There was no one else like him, so in all these years I've never had the urge to settle down, not with a man anyway."

  At this point, they were interrupted by the cry of the phoenix. Vic walked in, his face showing the sort of news he was bringing.

  "What is it now?" Andreas asked.

  "Something that will piss you off, to say it mildly," Vic answered. "Where's the Odele woman? She might need to hear this too."

  Andreas looked at Demun. "Go downstairs and ask Cassandra to come up, please."

  Demun left to do as he was told, giving a strange look at Vic before leaving.

  "How bad is this?" Andreas asked.

  Vic took a seat across from him. "Doesn't get much worse for you. That's why I have to let her in on this too."

  "I could have told her myself."

  Vic shook his head.
"Not this time. Sorry, even your father questions your judgment after you hear this."

  Demun and Cassandra came upstairs, sitting next to Andreas.

  "Spill it, birdbrain," Andreas ordered.

  Vic sighed. "Kalos has discovered that you're the one ordered to bring him in. And somehow, he's found your one and only weakness."

  Andreas narrowed his eyes. "I don't have a weakness."

  Vic met his stare evenly. "Yes, you do. You just didn't realize it because he's been dead for over eleven thousand years."

  Andreas' face twitched. "Kazarian? What's he got to do with this?"

  "Kalos infiltrated the Underworld and snatched his soul out of the Elysian Fields."

  Demun, the closest to Andreas, felt his uncle tense at this news.

  "His obvious plan is to use Kazarian as a bargaining chip," Vic continued. "He needs the Odele woman, and you love Kazarian."

  "And the reason you needed Cassandra to hear this is because Kalos intends to make me choose between my heart and my duty," Andreas said quietly, carefully keeping the emotion out of his voice.

  "I don't get it," Cassandra commented. "Do you think Andreas would just hand me over to Kalos?"

  Vic kept his eyes on Andreas as he answered. "We hope not, but we can't say we'd be surprised. Kazarian is his one and only love, his soul mate."

  "How long has Kalos had him?" Andreas asked.

  "Hades noticed him missing today," Vic answered. "He's quite pissed, and so is Ares."

  "What the hell does Ares care?!" Andreas scowled. "He's the one that let him die in the first place."

  Vic found it hard to argue the point, but he had to stand strong in the face of the dragon’s anger. "Kazarian is a Spartan soldier, which means Ares is his patron god. He's not the most sentimental god, nor the timeliest, but he cares for anyone that bore the title of Spartan. Ares insisted on Kazarian being placed in the Elysian Fields, where he wouldn't feel the pain of being separated from you."

  Andreas waved that off, refusing to believe Ares had any remorse for his failure to save Kazarian. "How can Kalos have taken him? He's a soul, and only the gods have the ability to harness souls."

  "Obviously he had help." Vic looked around. "Where's Brandon?"

  "He went out with his new boyfriend," Andreas told him.

  "If I had to guess, I think Kalos will make an attempt for him now, while he has the human with him and will be distracted. We need to get to him."

  Andreas turned to Demun again. "Stay here with Cassandra. Kalos may want us split up, our attention on Brandon so he can grab Cassandra." He turned to Vic. "Let's go."

  Eighteen

  Adonis was sitting on a bench in front of the lake in the center of the park. Brandon took a seat next to him, the two watching the sunset.

  "How are you feeling?" Brandon asked.

  Adonis smiled at him. "I feel fine. It feels like nothing ever happened."

  "Let me see your neck."

  Adonis tilted his head to the side, to show where he'd been bitten. "There's nothing there."

  "So I see." Brandon placed his finger over the spot where Adonis had been bitten.

  "How is it you know the exact spot he bit me in?" Adonis asked.

  "I have a really good memory." Brandon lowered his hand. "I'm not likely to ever really forget that day."

  "That makes two of us," Adonis muttered.

  "You know, I'd understand if you wanted to distance yourself from me. I mean, the only reason they went after you is because of me."

  Adonis turned to look him in the eyes. "What good would it do me to avoid you? That could have happened to anyone, for any reason. I do know your grandfather, and all his laws. Besides that, you're the only person I'm attracted to right now. There's no way to get around that. And I don't want to."

  Brandon couldn't really think of a response to that.

  "Anyway, let's take a walk around the lake," Adonis suggested.

  The two stood up and began to walk. Brandon noticed Adonis walked rather close to him, which he hadn't expected.

  "So, there's the last dance of the year coming up," Adonis commented.

  Brandon chose to play stupid. "Yeah, the spring dance. You're going?"

  "I'm thinking about it." Adonis fell silent.

  "Is something wrong?" Brandon asked, barely hiding his smile.

  "Well, it'd be kind of odd now to go with a girl. But I don't know how you really feel. I mean, we're just getting started so....."

  Brandon laughed at his rambling. "Adonis, just say what's on your mind. You want me to go with you?"

  Adonis smiled nervously. "Well, yeah. I just don't know how you'd feel about it."

  Brandon rolled his eyes. "I'm gay, and not at all self-conscious about it. I think you'll have more of a problem with it than me. After all, this is new to you."

  "Yeah, but it feels right. I don't want to have to pretend I'm there with someone else when you're the one I'll be watching. You're the one I want to be standing next to and the one I want to be holding at the end of the night."

  Brandon pulled him to a stop as they reached the farthest part of the lake, where no one else was currently walking. "Do you really mean that?"

  Adonis looked him directly in the eyes to answer. "Yeah, I mean that."

  Brandon held his gaze, then slowly leaned forward. Adonis leaned in as well and their lips met, gently at first. Brandon felt Id stirring in his mind but frankly, he wasn't necessary. Brandon wasn't about to hold back his instincts. This felt all too right to him. He wrapped his arms around Adonis' waist and pulled his body towards him, his kiss going from gentle to all-out assault. Adonis could only hang on for the ride as Brandon dominated him, stealing his senses, weakening his knees. Brandon turned slightly to deepen the angle of the kiss, and to gain better control. Adonis' lips parted and Brandon's tongue went in, going across his bottom lip first. Brandon withdrew his tongue after a few seconds and snagged Adonis' bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds before releasing him. Straightening up, he held Adonis upright and smiled at him.

  "Wow," was all Adonis could say.

  Brandon's smile widened. "Looks like I did it right."

  Adonis regained the strength in his legs and stepped back. "That's an understatement."

  Brandon laughed. "Well, I guess you know where we stand now."

  "Yeah, I think I've got the picture."

  Brandon looked off into the distance, noticing the sun had gone down. The park was strangely empty now.

  "Something's not right," he muttered.

  "What's wrong?" Adonis asked.

  Brandon pulled Adonis to stand behind him. "Just another day in my life. You sure you want to be a part of this?"

  "Oh, you are quite talented. You sensed my arrival right away." A man, clearly a vampire, appeared several feet away. This man towered over the two boys and he had short black hair. His eyes were completely black, a stark contrast to his totally white skin. Strangely, he was dressed in an expensive looking black suit, complete with gold cuff links and a silk tie. Beneath the clothes, however, was a large frame, clearly muscle to those that knew what to look for.

  "Kalos," Brandon muttered.

  "Well, at least I don't have to introduce myself. I am surprised you know what I look like. After all, we've never met."

  Brandon snorted. "I killed your son, remember? And I just killed one of your partners. Blood holds memories, remember?"

  Kalos merely gave a nod. "Ah, yes, I did forget about that recent incident. However, that was the cost of figuring out just how strong you really are.

  Brandon made sure to keep himself between Kalos and Adonis, while never taking his eyes off the ancient vampire, who was alone, which was strange.

  "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here," Kalos remarked.

  "I hope it's not to talk me to death," Brandon shot back.

  "Oh no, but your death would certainly be a goal of mine, and a very good way to start off my evening."

  "Sorry, but
dying isn't on my agenda for the day." Brandon threw up his hand and his power sent Kalos flying several yards into a tree. Brandon shot forward at a full sprint, jumping up at the last second to attempt to dropkick the vampire. Kalos flipped up out of the way, so Brandon's foot struck only the tree. Brandon flipped backward and landed on his feet, then jumped back a few feet as Kalos came down, landing in a crouch where he'd previously been standing. He rose and Brandon shot in again, this time ducking low under Kalos' immediate reach. He jumped up, headbutting Kalos in the jaw and being rewarded with a satisfying crack as the jaw broke. Turning in midair, he hit a spinning roundhouse kick to Kalos' head that sent him flying again. Kalos rolled and came to his feet again and Brandon was right on him again, throwing a high kick at his head that he managed to block. Brandon threw punches with both fists, which Kalos caught. Brandon jerked his hands free as he jumped up and kicked him in the chest with both feet, knocking him back several steps. Brandon hit the ground but sprang back up again, catching a kick from Kalos that had been aimed at his head. Brandon kept hold of the leg and lifted him up, spinning him a few times before tossing him into the lake.

  Demun, where are you? He called to his twin silently.

  Andreas is on the way to you. I had to stay with Cassandra, Demun responded.

  Brandon ran back to Adonis. "I have to get you out of here. He's nowhere near done and I can't let you get caught in the crossfire again."

  Before they could move, Kalos shot up out of the lake, popping his jaw back into place.

  "Shit," Brandon mumbled.

  Kalos shot down through the air towards them. Brandon shoved Adonis to one side while he dove the other way, narrowly avoiding getting mowed down. Still in the air, Kalos turned and shot towards Brandon again, who waited until the last second before flipping over high into the air to avoid him. He turned as Kalos came back and threw a side kick that caught him in the jaw, knocking him back to the ground. The ancient vampire, however, jumped right back up and his hand shot out, grasping Brandon by the throat and lifting him off his feet.

  "Not bad, for a child," he commented.

  In response, Brandon kicked him in the jaw. When that didn't work, he wrapped both legs around Kalos' arm and dropped his weight back, bringing him down in an armbar. Jerking his legs quickly, he dislocated it from the shoulder, then rolled off him. As soon as he got up, however, Kalos hit him with his good arm, somehow already on his feet. Brandon was knocked off his feet easily but rolled backwards, away from Kalos, who shoved his arm back in its socket.