Chapter 3 - Stryker

Tugging on my collar to loosen my tie as we walk down the green carpet set out on the pathway leading to the grand hall, my sister Kairo slips her arm into mine. I throw her a wary smile which she returns warmly as we follow our brothers with their mates ahead of us.

“This is exciting, don’t you think?” Kairo comments without much excitement in her voice.

Scoffing under my breath, I say, “A ball to celebrate the coming of new dragonspirit children, hosted by the Fire Force clan? Yeah… No, not really.”

“Come on, Stryker,” she encourages with a gentle tug on my arm. “It can’t be that bad. At least we’ll get to dance,” she offers with a wide grin, but I can see right through the act how her eyes lose their usual ocean-blue glow.

Frowning, I’m about to question her pseudo-excitement, when we’re greeted by the Fire Force Alpha and his human mate.

The Australian dragon clan had also taken part in the human mate trials in its early stages. Falkor, the Alpha who greets us upon our arrival, was one of the first dragon shifters to take a human mate. Both the Alpha and Lady Dragon of the Fire Force clan have a radiant glow about them that indicates how happy they are.

It’s the kind of happiness I see in my brothers’ eyes and the eyes of their mates. I can’t believe I’m here, attending a ball, when I should be out there in the mortal world, chasing my own happiness.

“Thanks for coming, mate,” Alpha Falkor greets when we enter through the large parted doors of the hall’s entrance. “I heard you’re next in the mating process for the Aurora Dragons. Congrats.”

I didn’t need the reminder, I think glumly, but smile for the sake of our host.

He nods at my sister, then. “It’s lovely seeing you again, Kairo. It’s been many years.”

“A few centuries,” Kairo replies with a lighthearted giggle as she turns to his mate. “You must be Sandra.”

The blonde woman nods with a warm smile at both my sister and me. When the formalities are over, Kairo and I proceed into the grand hall with draped organza from the center of the ceiling, and golden furnishing adorning every corner of the open dancefloor.

It isn’t empty, with most of the dragon shifters from every corner of the world in attendance alongside their human mates. Reproachfully groaning, I guide my sister toward the bar and reach for the dragonclaw in my pocket.

I had to sneak in something to douse the flames of my irritation. Ordering a stiff drink and a martini for my sister, I show her the clear bag and grin mischievously.

Kairo rolls her eyes at me as she snatches the intoxicant from my hand. “You sneaky bastard!” she chuckles. “I thought Draco made it abundantly clear that we were gonna be clean tonight…”

I swivel on the bar stool and gesture to the dancefloor where Draco spins his mate, Lily, before pulling her closer in a flurry of giggles and bemusement. I can’t help but imagine myself doing the same with Camilla, a sense of longing tugging at my heartstrings and tightening my fingers around the bag of dragonclaw.

“He won’t notice,” I chuckle gloomily and return to the bar. I just have to make it through tonight, and I’ll be free to pursue my happiness and not be bombarded by a reminder of my loneliness at every turn.

“What’s with the sour mood?” Kairo inspects with a raised brow.

I glance over my shoulder, to where Stryder waltzes across the dancefloor with his mate, Olivia. Only a few months ago, my twin wouldn’t dream of a soft life such as this. Now, enveloped in the clutches of his mate’s love, he seems to be riding cloud nine.

“If I told you something, will you promise to keep it between us?”

Kairo lifts her head to the ceiling and chuckles. “Lemme guess… You’re distressed ‘cause your mate’s already locked in a bedroom on Aurora Island?”

When she looks back at me, I narrow my eyes at her. “It’s not that bad, okay?”

“What is it then?”

I point a finger sternly. “Promise.”

“I promise,” Kairo giggles. “Now tell me, what’s going on?”

Just then, our drinks are served. With my lips pursed, I decide against the use of dragonclaw to amplify the inebriating effects of the liquor, shoving the bag into my pocket as I pull my drink closer.

“I’ve known who my mate is for months now,” I confess, hanging my head abashedly.

Kairo mutters something unintelligible under her breath, prompting me to frown as I lift my head again.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing,” she relents, a smile instead growing on her face. “How did you know?”

I sigh heavily before going on to explain that the Cube of Knowledge needed to be transported from Aurora Island to the Blaze Legion clan after their leader died on Aurora Island. The dragon clan needed to consult the Cube before inaugurating their new Alpha.

My friend Landon and I were tasked with the Cube’s transportation. Curiosity got the best of me, and I tapped into the advanced powers of the Cube. That’s when my mate was revealed to me, long before I was meant to know who she was.

“Is that it?” Kairo asks nonchalantly.

“No…” I admit, tentatively. “I’ve been visiting the mortal world ever since, just to see her.”

“And…?”

“She’s… Different,” I lament. “But I think it’s turned into an obsession.”

Kairo glances over her shoulder and hums. “They’ve all been through that phase,” she says, gesturing to our brothers on the dancefloor with their mates.

“Yeah,” I relent. “The only problem is that I’ve been away for three months.”

“Hm…” she hums, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Sounds like you’re going through withdrawals…”

“Kai!” I grouch, but my sister pushes the glass of whiskey away and grabs my arm. “What you need is a distraction,” she muses as she pulls me off the barstool.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re gonna do something to distract you,” she says as she pulls me toward the dancefloor. As if on cue, the music changes to something more upbeat. She turns to me with a grin that reaches her ears. “We’re gonna dance the jitters away!”

“No, Kai,” I refuse with a firm nod of my head. In hindsight, my sister is right. I’m suffering the withdrawals of not being near the human who’s been ordained to me by the gods themselves. The Cube has never been wrong—we’ve seen it play out four times in our family already.

That’s all this is—it’s a pathetic case of withdrawals that will soon be put to rest the second I can step foot in the mortal world again.

In that museum in Fresno, to be exact.

“Why not?” she asks with a fleeting frown.

A shiver passes through my spine, and I shrug. “Everyone’s dancing with their mates…” I sulk.

My sister slaps my arm before grabbing my hand and flinging it onto her shoulder as she takes the position to dance. “We’re both here alone, remember?” she grins.

The reminder strums a chord in my heart, tugging on my empathy. I’d been so busy wallowing in the symptoms of my withdrawals, that I’d even forgotten that Kairo hasn’t been offered a turn in the new mating process adopted by the Dragon Council.

The human mating process has been reserved only for the males in the dragon clans. It’s our seed that needs to be planted for dragonspirit to be born.

Kairo doesn’t need a human for that.

But what she does need is companionship. I’ve only recently experienced the sorrows of loneliness ever since Stryder gravitated toward his duties as a family man. But Kairo has always been a lone she-dragon.

Pulling myself together, I pick up her hand and nod gently with a smile. “Fine. Let’s dance, Sister.”

Kairo curtly bows before we take a turn around the dancefloor.

A few rounds later are enough to get my mind off Camilla long enough to enjoy myself. Kairo is a good sport, and the genuine smile on her face tugs my heartstrings with all the right beats.

She’s always been the resident therapist and mediator to make things right and lift her brothers’ spirits. She’s so much like Mother, even if she despises being told that.

“What about you, Kai?” I ask as the song changes to something slower, and she rests her hand on my shoulder.

“What about me?” she shrugs.

I raise a skeptical brow. “You know that Yaz and I are rather close, right?”

“What did she tell you?” Kairo’s eyes widen in horror as she glances over at Aragon and his mate, Yazmine. The couple are heading off the dancefloor, oblivious to Kairo glaring at the back of her head through narrowed eyes.

I chuckle lowly. “She might have let it slip that you had your sights on Brantley…”

“Emphasis on had,” she blows dismissively, rolling her eyes. “No dragon is worth my time.”

“Okay, sassy Sis,” I chuckle. “We don’t have to get into it if you don’t want to.”

“If you must know, he—”

“Excuse me.”

A gentle tap on my shoulder draws my attention behind me.

“Rakon…?” Kairo gasps as her eyes widen again.

This time, it’s because of the man who just interrupted our dance.

I pause to turn to him, confused by his sudden interjection when he curtly bows. I knew I’d see him again since he’s the Beta of the Fire Force clan, and this is his turf. What I didn’t expect was to see him exercise good manners.

The last time I saw Rakon, he couldn’t care to be mannered. Many centuries ago, when we’d both attended the Dragon Council’s School for Young Dragons when it still existed, Rakon was my best friend for a hot minute.

Until a fallout between us showed me his true colors, and I couldn’t stand to be near the uncultured brute.

“How ya going, mate?” he greets with a smirk. “It’s been a minute, yeah?”

I nod slowly. “It’s been a long time. I heard you’re the Beta now. Well done.”

“Don’t sound so surprised, mate. Everyone knew if there was anyone worthy, it was me,” he grins proudly.

His presence is unsettling, only because of the history we share. What comes as a surprise is the way my sister clings to me, her nails biting into my shoulder and arm when Rakon turns his gaze to her.

Does she hold a grudge against the man simply because of what happened between us in the past?

“Care for a turn around the floor, Miss Vulkan?” he asks her sweetly, and I realize I must be mistaken.

Whatever happened between Rakon and me shouldn’t affect Kairo in any way.

But when she flicks wary eyes at me, I frown.

“Erm—I—” she stammers, her grip on me getting firmer. “ Make him go away, Stryker. Please,” she pleads through the mind link we share, her brows furrowing slightly.

“Sorry, Rakon,” I say to him without a second thought. Whatever is going on, I know I need to back my sister up on her decision. “My sister and I were enjoying this dance together.”

Did I just imagine the growl rumbling in the air when Rakon muttered something inaudible under his breath?

I frown when he takes a deliberate step forward, mentally preparing for a fight.

It won’t be the first time I fought him. The only thing holding me back is the thought of being punished by the Council if I made a fool of the Beta of tonight’s hosting clan.

“Are you putting your nose where it’s not meant to be again ?” he grates at my ear.

My inner dragon boils inside as the distinct way he punctuated the word “again” brings back memories of what occurred between us in the past.

It’s not my fault that the she-dragon he liked back in Dragon School fancied me instead. It wasn’t her preference that ruined our friendship, but how inconsiderate of her feelings he was when he demanded that she go with him to the dance.

I protected the she-dragon back then, just as I’ll protect my sister now.

The growl that builds in my chest is a warning and challenge against Rakon. It’s low enough so that no one else can hear, only threatening him with primal intent as I slowly say, “Like I said before, my sister and I were enjoying our dance. She’ll decide if she wants to dance with you when we’re done.”

I nod briskly at Kairo, who stands beside me with a grateful glint in her eyes. She doesn’t remove her gaze from mine, keeping it fixed even as Rakon glances at her as if for confirmation.

I feel her tensing when Rakon growls.

“Watch yourself, mate,” he warns before turning on his heel and marching off with his annoyance lingering in the air he just left.

“What was that all about?” I ask Kairo when he’s gone.

“It’s… Nothing,” she admits, her lips pressed into a firm line as she stares with a deep frown after Rakon as he leaves the dancefloor. She shakes her head as if shaking off the tensing in her shoulders, a sigh of relief escaping her just as she pats my shoulder. “Thanks.”

A frown flits past my face, but I’m able to continue our dance when Kairo does not explain. When the smile on her face returns, I decide not to press for an explanation until the song changes, and she asks to go back to the bar.

“Care to explain what all that animosity was about?” she asks when we order a new set of drinks.

I shrug diffidently, not seeing the need to give Rakon any more of my time. He doesn’t deserve that much.

“It’s nothing,” I offer. “We’re just not friends anymore.” I perk up a questioning brow. “Is that why you refused his dance?”

Kairo purses her lips, her unrest evident in the way she nervously stirs the straw in her drink. She opens her mouth as if she’s about to say something when our father joins us at the bar. Relief washes over her eyes upon his arrival, and I can tell she doesn’t care to give Rakon her time, either.

“Stryker…” Father pats my shoulder gently. “It’s time.”

“Time?” I ask with a hint of confusion, to which my father nods.

“I know we've kept you waiting for far too long,” he chuckles lightly. “It's time for you to go out there and do what none of your brothers have done.” He glances down at the bar, where my brothers and their mates await their drinks.

Kairo giggles. “I think they've done just fine, Father,” she observes fondly.

“Nonetheless, we have some catching up to do,” he says as he nods toward Alpha Falkor and his mate, Sandra. “Those two didn't go through as much trouble as the Vulkan boys have…” His voice falters off as if he's crushed by the disappointments brought on by his children.

Alpha Falkor and his Lady Dragon fell in love on his vacation in the Bahamas. He didn't snatch her off to Lizard Island or keep her locked in a tower until she fell in love with him.

He's been the only dragon shifter to follow through with the Council's adjusted methods after Draco's ordeal with Lily.

But he won't be the only one to make the Council proud and pave the way for a coexisting future with the humans…

“Don't worry, Father,” I assure him, resting a hand on his shoulder as determination fills my chest. Perhaps it comes with the knowing that soon, I'll be able to see Camilla again. Those dreadful claws of withdrawals subside, releasing me from the chokehold that had me feeling as if I was losing my mind.

“... I’ll do as the Council has requested,” I continue. “I have a good feeling about this.”

Little did my father know I had an advantage that none of my brothers had.

I’d been keeping a close eye on Camilla for months and paying keen attention to what makes her tick and sparks her interest.

She’ll fall in love with me in the blink of an eye, and follow me to Aurora Island willingly.

There’s no doubt in my mind.