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

  Vic frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, demons are at war with pretty much every other race, even on a blood level. When they mix with another race, the blood battles for control. In my case, every so often my control is weakened and the demonic side of me gains control. At that time, I have no control over myself, and generally won't remember what I do."

  "And your brother does this too?" Vic asked.

  Brandon shook his head. "No, Demun is already mostly demonic by nature, so it runs rampant most of the time. Each of the three races somehow blend together in him. I think his personality makes it easier for the three bloodlines to get along."

  "So he never loses control of himself?"

  "Nope. No reason for him to lose control. He's completely comfortable with the demonic nature as well as his human and dragon. This is why he’s the only person other than my mother that can get through to me when I lose control."

  "That's strange. Your father didn't have that problem."

  Brandon smirked. "Yes he did, but his was a little different. He only had dragon and demon warring, and he was pretty well balanced. When his demonic side kicked in, he just had some really strong urges."

  Vic looked confused. "Urges? What kind of urges?"

  Brandon actually laughed. "The kind of urges kids don't want to know their fathers ever got."

  Vic's face actually got red. "Oh, those urges."

  "Yep. Apparently Dad's demon side was a hornball."

  Vic smiled. "That certainly explains some things over the years that I knew him. But that brings in the question, what happens to you exactly? Is this a like father like son thing, or are you different?"

  "I'm different. I become nothing short of a raging monster. With all my telekinetic power, things get real destructive real fast if I'm not stopped."

  Vic looked out the window. "Any particular triggers?"

  "Nothing that I can figure out." Brandon looked out the window as well. "It doesn't happen very often, not even once in a year, but Demun knows how to stop me when it does."

  "Well, being that Andreas and Cassandra are living with you, don't you think they'll need to know this about you?" Vic asked.

  "Andreas already knows, and I assume he'll tell Cassandra if he feels she needs to know," Brandon answered. "He's been around me a lot, you know? He knows me pretty well."

  "Yeah, I do." Andreas stood in the doorway. "So I figured you'd step out of the party sooner or later."

  Brandon and Vic turned to look at him. Andreas walked forward and stood next to Brandon.

  "I think Demun is getting worried about you, kid," he told him.

  "I'll go back in now," Brandon replied.

  Vic remained behind with Andreas, knowing that was merely Andreas' way of getting rid of the boy.

  "It's nice that you want to get involved and all...." he started.

  "Get to the point," Vic cut him off.

  "You're making Demun jealous. Why is it you approached Brandon and not Demun?"

  Vic rolled his eyes. "Why would I approach the one that doesn't like me?"

  Andreas snorted. "To get him to like you. They're both Julian's sons, you can't show favor towards one. Demun hates everyone when he first meets them, but if you put forth the effort, he comes around. Right now, you look like an old pervert to him."

  Vic scowled. "What the hell are you talking about? I haven't done more than talk to him."

  "Yeah well, Demun knows his brother pretty well, and he knows Brandon's preferences. He also knows your reputation. To him, it seems like you might have a thing for Brandon, which is kind of gross now that I think about it."

  Vic glowered at him. "You know full well I've never been a pedophile. I only mess with consenting adults that understand my lack of desire for a lasting relationship. If I wouldn't put Julian through that, why would I do it to his son?"

  Andreas had a strange glint in his eyes. "No need to get all defensive. I just feel like you need to put in an effort to get close to both boys, not just one."

  "Your concern is noted, and I'll try harder. Now let’s refrain from implying that I'm trying to have sex with a kid. I'm a lot of things, but that's over the top for me."

  Andreas laughed. "If you say so, buddy. You know, in some cultures, he'd be considered an adult. By his age, I had been in the military for years and was quite acquainted with sex, lust, love, and death."

  "Yeah, well, we're all thankful he isn't a fuckin' Spartan and this isn't ancient Greece." Vic turned and stormed off, mumbling under his breath.

  That was the most amusement I've had all day. I wonder if he even knows he's lying to himself, Andreas thought with a smile.

  Cassandra stood in the hall alone, standing off from most of the guests as she hovered by the table with refreshments on it. She did not remain alone, as Apollo appeared at her side.

  “So, why did Hera bar you from speaking to my line after you blessed us with our healing abilities?” she asked him bitterly.

  “Hera is not a goddess that explains herself. It was all I could do to bless the line with twins, always a boy and a girl, with the boy made to always protect his sister,” Apollo answered.

  Cassandra turned to look into the startling blue eyes of the healing god. “So she only banned you from communicating with us?”

  “She also banned Artemis. We were never allowed any interaction directly with the line. Your family has never even visited my temples.”

  Cassandra studied him. “You’re different than people are led to believe.”

  Apollo’s lips twitched. “No, I’m not, really. Much of what you have heard about me is true.”

  “So you’re an egotistical jackass with an overinflated opinion of yourself?” Cassandra asked, a hint of a smile visible.

  Apollo laughed. “Perhaps I am. Artemis says it often enough.”

  “You’re weird. Most guys, even if they’re gods, don’t acknowledge their faults so easily.”

  Apollo shrugged. “We gods are more comfortable with who we are than the average human. I am who I am. I see no point in denying that.”

  Cassandra strangely felt little anger towards the god at the moment. In fact, she felt a strange elation in his company. Apollo’s eyes never left her.

  “There are a lot of things that I can’t explain, and even now I cannot actively communicate with you once we leave Solaris. Hera’s laws outrank my desires, and everyone has an idea of the type of punishments she dishes out. Though I respect her, there are times when I hate her.”

  “So you have no idea why she banned you from interacting with my line?” Cassandra asked.

  “Perhaps it has something to do with my, well, shall we say, active love life,” Apollo suggested.

  Cassandra rolled her eyes. “So she stopped you from my line only? She didn’t ban you from all females or curse you to fall in love with a woman you could never have? That seems highly unlikely.”

  “Well, Hera is a very unpredictable goddess. She took a liking to your line, and she banned me from interacting with you.”

  Cassandra got the distinct impression that he was holding back information.

  “I am a god, you know. And some things aren’t meant for me to tell you. Some things you have to find out on your own.”

  Cassandra scowled. “I hate hearing that. That’s just an excuse for you gods to be cryptic and watch us mortals squirm.”

  Apollo frowned. “Do you think we delight in watching mortals suffer?”

  Cassandra snorted. “If you didn’t, the world would be perfect.”

  “That is an impossibility, because free will shapes all in the universe. Free will is what truly sets fate into motion. So long as mortals have free will, there will be no perfect world.”

  “Yeah, okay. So why did you bother to stop to talk to me?”

  “As I told you, I will be unable to do so once we leave here. Once Hera’s prying eyes can see us, I will not get another chance. And frankly, I wish for you to have a better opinion of me. I
am not a male chauvinist that chose to give the women in your family no offensive abilities. That was Hera’s choice. I merely gave you the twin brother as a protection. It is regrettable that your brother has been lost, and I sense the pain you hide from everyone else. Being a twin myself, I understand the bond you share. I am sure that your brother lives, though I cannot tell you where he is. He is hidden from me.”

  Cassandra sighed. “I just hope to find him safe and sound when this is all over. It’s unfair that he was caught in all this.”

  Apollo’s face softened. “I apologize for my part in that. I had hoped Kalos would learn from his mistake, not make larger ones. But I’m confident that Andreas will bring him to justice. Jarel left you in the most capable and protective of hands.” He extended his hand, which Cassandra quickly placed her own in. “Now, I will not hold you up any longer. I simply sought to hear the sound of your voice again before I leave.” He kissed her hand and vanished.

  That was weird, but interesting, Cassandra thought as she held the hand close to her chest, feeling the warmth from his lips long after he’d gone.

  Eleven

  All too soon, it was time to return to the mortal world. For Cassandra, that meant a return to work and for the boys, a return to school. For Andreas, that meant a lot of following Cassandra around, despite the daylight hours. One could never be too safe, after all. Andreas suspected Kalos had non-vampiric allies that could still move in daylight. As such, he felt the need to remain with Cassandra as she made her rounds all over the city and county, checking on patients. He was sure the boys would be safe at school.

  Meanwhile, the boys were having a rather typical day at school. Brandon found his mind wandering constantly throughout the day. He just couldn’t keep his thoughts on his classes. Sitting in his math class, he found himself staring out of the window instead of paying attention to the teacher’s lesson.

  What troubles you, brother? Demun’s voice floated to his mind.

  I’m not sure. I feel so lost right now, and something feels wrong today. I can’t explain it, but I have a bad feeling, Brandon responded.

  Are you thinking about our mother? Demun asked. I can understand that you feel lost with her gone. I certainly do.

  No, it’s something more. I miss our mother, but something just feels wrong. It’s like something is coming, but I don’t know what.

  Demun sent him a wave of assurance and warmth. Maybe your grief is messing with your senses. But if you’re right, you know I’m right here with you. We’ll get through anything that comes our way.

  Brandon actually smiled slightly. I know, and I love you for it. But don’t worry about me now. Go back to your classwork.

  Demun broke off. Still, Brandon couldn’t keep his mind on work. When the bell rang, he gathered his things and went out into the hall. There was one block class left for the day, and it was his English class. He went to his locker to get the book they were discussing in class currently and his homework that was due.

  “Hey, any chance of me copying your homework today?”

  Brandon looked around his locker door to see the person speaking to him. As he’d expected, it was a boy named Adonis. Now, most people have heard of the Greek character Adonis, the most beautiful man in the world, so beautiful he caught the attention of the goddess Aphrodite. Well, this wasn’t that Adonis, but the name was certainly fitting. He was the school pretty boy, but pretty really didn’t describe him. He was, quite frankly, beautiful. He had light golden skin, which bore no marks or blemishes of any kind, and light brown eyes. His straight, black hair was done in cornrows, with not a hair out of place. He was a little heavier than Brandon and Demun, but by no means fat. He was toned, and even his teeth were perfectly white. This was the guy all the girls went for, but he wasn’t exactly the smartest guy around. He and Brandon had known each other for years, and it wasn’t exactly the friendliest of relationships. Frankly, they’d never gotten along at all until this year. It seemed they’d reached a truce of sorts. Brandon did Adonis’ homework, and in return, was left alone and therefore averted bashing the boy’s face in.

  “Yeah, I’ve got it.” Brandon handed over the worksheet. “Try to stay awake in class today, will you? Maybe you can do the homework yourself for once.”

  Adonis flashed those perfect teeth in a smile. “You’re so much better than me with all this stuff. It’s so boring.”

  Brandon rolled his eyes. “I’m not a girl, so the smile doesn’t really charm me. You’re going to be screwed when it comes time to write the paper on this book.”

  Adonis’ smile only got wider. “You know you want me.”

  “Go fuck yourself, pretty boy.”

  Adonis laughed as he opened his own locker, next to Brandon’s locker. Brandon turned to his own locker, getting books for classes he’d have to do homework for that night, as he’d leave out immediately after the next class without returning to his locker. As he was looking through to determine what he’d need, a strange howl rang out, loud and clear. Brandon and Adonis looked up.

  “Was that a wolf howl?” Adonis asked.

  And in daylight. Real wolves don’t howl during daylight, and they wouldn’t be inside the city. No, I know that type of howl, Brandon thought.

  Screams broke out from down the hall. Exit doors were ripped off the hinges and students began running. Adonis and Brandon stood where they were and watched several large, dark colored wolves enter the hall.

  “Holy shit!” Adonis muttered.

  Demun! Brandon called to his twin.

  I know, brother, but I’ve got my hands full here, Demun responded.

  Brandon broke off, knowing he was on his own. By his count, there were eight wolves advancing through the halls. And while the other students were clearing out, pretty boy just had to remain behind. Brandon’s job was not going to be easy, obviously. He had no weapons here, so it was up to him and his powers alone.

  “Adonis, man, you gotta move.” Brandon pulled Adonis back behind him.

  “What are you doing?” Adonis asked him, the first traces of fear in his voice.

  “Just stay the hell out of the way,” Brandon answered.

  Before he could react, Brandon felt himself yanked backwards. Adonis was trying to pull him out of the hallway.

  “Whoa, dude, what are you doing?” Brandon asked.

  “Getting us out of here,” Adonis answered. “No way in hell can you stand up to werewolves.”

  Brandon stopped and snatched free. “What did you just say?”

  “Nothing, just come on.”

  “You know what those are?” Brandon pressed.

  “Yeah, wolves. Now can we get out of here?”

  A growl sounded way too close and the two turned as the first of the wolves charged towards them. It leaped into the air and as Adonis ducked down, Brandon held up his hand and the wolf stopped in midair. He moved his hand and slammed the wolf into the wall, cracking it.

  “Whoa,” was all Adonis could say.

  Brandon glanced back at him. “We need to talk whenever we get the hell out of this.”

  He turned back as the remaining wolves charged. Brandon stretched his power out and ripped two lockers out of the way, then clapped them together, smashing two of the werewolves together. The other five charged ahead. Brandon looked up and reached his power out again. The ceiling cracked and fell through, closing the two boys off from the wolves. Brandon grabbed Adonis’ arm, then pulled him out through a doorway, into the connecting sanctum that most of the buildings of the school were connected by. Once out, he could see that his problems were just getting started.

  “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” he muttered.

  Students were blocked off by advancing wolves, coming in from every direction.

  Demun, I seriously need some help here, he called.

  I’m coming to you now. I’ll attack from behind the wolves at the top staircase, coming from the cafeteria. You attack from the front. Hopefully we can get the other stu
dents out of here, came Demun's response

  That sounded reasonable enough, but now Brandon had to get to the front of the students. He was actually on the right level, staring into the faces of the drooling werewolves. He just had to get over the crowd. He turned to Adonis.

  “I don’t know how much you really know, but I’ve got to do this to get us out of here. Stay here, and when the coast is clear, run like hell,” he told him.

  “What are you going to do?” Adonis asked.

  Brandon didn’t answer. He turned and ran forward, then flipped up high over the crowd. Coming down in front of them, he charged into the pack of werewolves. They launched themselves at him quickly. Brandon held up his hand and sent the first two flying. Trophy cases lined the walls and he stretched his power out, lifting the large glass cases up and tossing them at the wolves, catching four of them. The cases shattered as they pinned the wolves to the floor, dropping the heavy trophies on top of them. From the other end of the hall, a stream of fire shot out and struck another wolf. Demun charged in and the two met in the center.

  “Are you okay?” Demun asked.

  Brandon nodded. “I’m fine, but we’ve got to get these students out of here. Any idea how many wolves are in here?”

  “Looks like a whole pack, but I can’t tell an exact number if you can’t.” Demun looked past him. “We can get them out, but then what? Werewolves are hard to kill.”

  “We can do a lot of damage once we have everyone out.” Brandon turned to the other students. “Let’s go, before they get up!”

  The crowd of students ran forward, heading for the doors. Brandon noticed there was one student missing from the group.

  “Damn it, where is he?”

  Demun raised an eyebrow. “Where’s who?”

  “Adonis,” Brandon answered. “I left him at the back of the group, and he didn’t run out with them.”

  “Where the hell could he have gone? There’s no way he went back in with the wolves.”

  “We’ve got to find him. There’s no way in hell I’m letting him die.”

  Demun nodded. “Let’s go.”