Pax Draconis

by LeisurelyPanda

Summary:

5 years after the events of Dragon’s Reign, Caden’s ascent as the 9th Dragon Shifter, the mate of King Valerius and Raziel, Caden finds that his life is due for yet another shocking, unexpected change that no one, not even the other dragon spirits, saw coming. The spirits may be sexless, but that doesn’t mean new spirits can’t be born… after a fashion. As the fated mate of Dragon King Valerius and Raziel, Caden learns just what the purpose of a Dragon mate is.

On top of that, none of the Dragon Spirits freed from the Behemoth's control have bonded with a human yet. Bonding with a Dragon Spirit is rare, yes, but many of the Dragon Shifters were expecting... more. The long silence from the other Dragon Spirits has left some of the Kings and Queens feeling anxious. Who will their mate be? When will they be found? And will they all be as lucky as Caden and Valerius?

Notes:

For those of you who follow my Marvel works, this might come as a surprise to you. This is a fic for a gay dragon shifter fantasy book called Dragon's Reign, which is phenomenal and you should all go listen to it on Spotify and/or YouTube! Highly recommend listening/reading that before reading this, but it's well worth the time!

Chapter 1: Days of Peace

Caden was never going to get used to doing interviews, he knew it. He walked out of the latest interview regarding a new initiative by President Goodfellow that Caden had worked with her closely on. It was an effort to encourage greater integration of shifters and humans in society. The interviewer Chione had called for it unfortunately didn't go easy on Caden, so naturally Caden wanted lunch. A big lunch. With cheeseburgers. And Valerius, of course.

Thinking of Valerius made Iolaire stir in his chest. It missed Raziel whenever they were separated, even after 5 years. Caden was still getting used to the idea that 5 years wasn't a long time. Tilly was starting college now and had already declared a major in international politics! Caden still looked 25, even though he was 30. Of course, all of the dragon shifters and shifters in general looked the same age as when they bonded their spirits, but Caden wasn't used to… not aging. 30 years from now he would still look like this and… he didn't want to think of what his family would look like.

He stepped outside the Gash and blinked at the sudden influx of sunlight. It was a gorgeous day. Inside his chest, he could see Iolaire stretch and trill with enthusiasm as it stretched out its wings. He grinned as he walked over to the SUV waiting for him. A member of the Claw was waiting in the driver’s seat. Caden opened the door.

“I’m going to fly back,” he said. “Can you have someone take care of my clothes when you get back to High Reach?”

“Of course, King Caden,” the Claw officer said.

“Thank you!” Caden said with a smile.

Caden quickly stripped out of his clothes and tossed them into the car. Despite Valerius’s penchant for destroying any clothes but the ones they wore for their wedding and the bachelor party, Caden never became comfortable with simply shredding his clothes. He had nice clothes and he wanted to take care of them. Raziel thought it was silly, but amusing. He had, however, stopped wearing underwear. A fact that still pleased Valerius immensely.

The only thing he didn’t remove was his ring. Maybe it was because of whatever dragon magic was used to make it or something, but when he shifted, it grew to fit around the claw his finger changed into. Caden was grateful for it because he would hate to remove the ring for any reason. Not that he needed it to know that Valerius loved him, but it was special, so Caden never took it off.

Fully naked, he closed the door to the SUV and it drove away. Caden shifted without thought and then he and Iolaire were one. They stretched their huge wings out before they leaped into the sky and started flying. The summer sun beamed down, warm against their scales, the wind equally warm as it lifted them up. Iolaire trilled happily as they flew and basked in the nearly perfect day.

Just as they banked around the city for the second time, there was a flash of movement from below. Caden looked down and saw Raziel’s enormous form flying up to meet them. It roared out a greeting and Iolaire chittered in response as their mates flew alongside them. He felt the brush of his mates’ minds against his own as they greeted him.

Hello, Little Dragon, Raziel said.

How did your interview go, my love? Valerius asked.

I made it through, somehow, Caden replied. I’m still not used to it. You’re so much better at public speaking!

And yet, I enjoy it even less than you do, Valerius said with a chuckle. Caden could swear that he heard Raziel laughing as they flew. I am surprised that you have not grown accustomed to it by now. You are much better with people than I am.

I don’t know, it’s just, like, every time I see a camera and a reporter and their lights and everything, I just freeze up! Caden whined down the bond. I think I’m getting better at it, though.

Chione would agree, Valerius said. As would Wally and Rose, I’m sure.

Only because they’ve helped me out so much these past few years, all of you have, Caden replied. Seriously, I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for them.

You would have done well regardless, Valerius insisted. You are more suited for this than you realize.

Caden purred at the thought. Iolaire trilled in agreement with him and even Raziel seemed to offer a low rumble of approval. Caden took control for a brief moment to nip playfully at Raziel’s wingtip. Raziel gave a mocking roar and Iolaire laughed as it and Caden sped away towards the fields past the city outskirts.

You cannot escape me, little dragon, Raziel roared in faux anger. Iolaire responded with the image of it keeping out of reach of the black dragon and ducking away at the last minute to keep out of reach. Caden heard, or felt, the laughter from Raziel and Valerius. He and Iolaire grinned as the chase started in earnest.

If either of them had bothered looking below, they would notice throngs of onlookers delightedly getting pictures and videos of their aerial game of cat and mouse. Iolaire would bank just as Raziel was about to catch up, or dive to keep out of reach. The higher they flew, the more exciting the game became. Raziel would release small jets of fire that Iolaire would counter with a stream of ice.

They flew out until they reached the foothills of the Gray Mountains. The enormous mountain range rose up gradually until they loomed over the earth below. From above, the snow-capped peaks looked every inch like the solemn, majestic peaks from the Peter Jackson movies they were inspired by.

Caden knew that if they turned south at this point, they would reach Valerius’ private retreat, Valinor. Strangely, he didn’t want to go there yet. Instead, he dove down towards one of the peaks with Raziel in hot pursuit. He flew around and hid behind one of the large peaks. His and Iolaire’s white scales would blend in with the snowy landscape.

Raziel flew over them and past them before it stopped to hover for a moment. The enormous dragon surveyed the landscape around them. Phase two of the game had begun. It wasn’t as easy to hide in the daytime, but it was still fun. Caden watched as their mates flew around the mountain peak again. Iolaire dug its claws into the rock beneath them, its wings tightly folded in, ready to leap up and take flight again at a moment’s notice.

Iolaire chittered excitedly, but quietly so their mates wouldn’t hear. Raziel flew, the occasional beat of his wings filling the silent, icy world. Iolaire watched patiently until Raziel was almost right on top of them. It jumped up and playfully nipped at the dragon’s right flank before it flew down the mountain, chuffing with laughter. Raziel was right behind them, though.

Sneaky little mate, you will not escape me! Raziel declared. Iolaire and Caden just laughed, but soon Raziel did overtake them and crashed into them from above. The two dragons fell upon the mountainside and skidded in the snow before they came to a stop. Iolaire jumped up to get away, but Raziel regained its balance first and pinned Iolaire beneath it with its massive body.

Iolaire nipped playfully at Raziel’s neck and blew a light stream of snowflakes into the air. Raziel responded by blowing a plume of flame that danced around the ice and licked at Iolaire’s body. Caden and Iolaire purred happily at the feeling. It was like a warm, tingling feeling on their body.

Our mates are the most beautiful, Valerius murmured into Caden and Iolaire’s mind.

Beautiful, Iolaire echoed.

It sent an image of Raziel standing, noble and proud, followed by an image of Valerius radiating the same energy as he stood before a crowd of reporters and citizens. Such addresses had become more common in the past several years for both Dragon Kings. Every time Caden saw Valerius giving a speech, he fell in love a little more.

Our mates are also the most troublesome, Raziel replied with a chortle.

Small but mighty, Iolaire countered with another puff of snowflakes. Raziel simply purred and leaned down to press their foreheads together. Caden closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. The dragon form of kissing was no less pleasurable than kissing Valerius.

They cuddled that way for a time before they heard the sound of hooves stepping through the snow. Caden looked and saw a herd of deer through the trees. They were too far to see the dragons, though they might be able to smell them if the wind shifted. Before he could think, Raziel sped down the mountain and through the brush to snatch a particularly plump deer in his jaws and gulped it down.

Oh God, Caden thought. Iolaire took over and flipped over to go after Raziel.

It is not so bad once you get used to it, Valerius laughed. I would have thought you had gotten used to it by now.

I prefer the cooked meat at home, what can I say? Caden replied. This whole eating animals raw thing is still kinda gross and I always end up with fluff or fur or something in my mouth afterwards!

I have bison steaks marinating at home, Valerius said. I will prepare them for you when we get back.

With bacon? Caden asked. He almost cringed at how needy he sounded, but he loved bacon! Sue him. Being a Dragon King meant he could have all the bacon he wanted, so naturally he ate it almost constantly, given the chance.

Yes, my love, I have bacon, as well, Valerius said. You need not worry. 8 years has taught me much about you and your appetites.

Caden felt his mouth water, though whether that was him or Iolaire, he had no idea. A second later, Iolaire snatched up a deer and swallowed it down. It was a leaner prey than its favorite sheep or cows, but still delicious in Iolaire’s mind. Caden didn’t cringe the way he did the first time, but it was still strange to him.

Wildlife had boomed in the past 40 years since the dragons took over and so the herd of deer was larger and more vibrant than they had been. Still, Valerius called a stop to it sooner than he would have for a field of livestock. They flew back into the sky and resumed flying wingtip to wingtip as they flew back to High Reach.

What would have taken an hour or more by car took only a few minutes for the two of them. It felt glorious and Caden wondered what he had done before he could fly. There were few things as freeing as feeling the wind in his wings or the sun on his scales. Iolaire chittered in agreement.

When they finally returned, Caden was the first to shift. He fell down to the veranda easily and walked inside. Valerius followed soon after, his beautiful body landing in that classic superhero pose. Even before he stood, Caden flung himself at his mate. Valerius laughed and spun him around before he kissed Caden soundly. It was hot, as always, like the fire that Valerius and Raziel could breathe.

I missed you, Caden murmured into Valerius’ mind. Valerius pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, the same way that their dragons were doing.

“I missed you, too,” he said. “These early morning meetings are insufferable.”

“It’s hard being King,” Caden said. He felt the stress, too. It felt like he’d hardly had a moment alone with his husband. The arms around him slowly lowered until Valerius’ large hands were squeezing Caden’s ass. Caden gasped and let his hands rest on his husband’s strong arms.

“Why don’t we make use of our downtime while we have it?” Valerius asked. His voice had assumed that deep, low tone that dripped with husky desire. Caden looked into his husband’s eyes and saw them glowing with that scarlet flame. He grinned as he raised his arms to wrap around Valerius’ neck.

“What are you waiting for?” Caden asked. He grinned up at Valerius before he stood on his toes to kiss him. He immediately moaned into the kiss. 5 years of this, and he was even more in love, even more attracted to Valerius. Every kiss seared his very soul, every touch made his body spark.

Valerius bent down to pick Caden up by his thighs. Caden wrapped them around Valerius’ strong, firm body. The path from the balcony to the bed was so family that Caden could sense it even with his eyes closed. His cock rubbed against Valerius’ abs, leaking pre-cum against them already.

Valerius laid Caden out on the enormous bed and stared down at him with such love in his eyes that Caden felt Iolaire reach out. He could clearly see it resting its forehead against Valerius’ and hear it purr with delight.

“My love,” Valerius murmured. Caden knew he was speaking to both of them. “You are so beautiful to me. I can hardly believe that you are mine, even now.”

Caden reached up and twined their fingers together, which Valerius placed over Caden’s head. He leaned down to suck on Caden’s throat. Caden sometimes wished that the mark would stay, but his quick healing wouldn’t let it. Still, he loved the feeling of Valerius kissing and sucking on his neck.

“I want to try something,” Caden said. He felt Valerius grin against his neck.

“Is that so? Do tell,” he murmured. He kissed up the path of Caden’s neck until he reached the ear and bit the shell. “Tell me, my love.”

Caden thrust up and their lengths slid against each other. He moaned desperately. It was still like the first time, how Valerius had Caden falling apart for him. His body practically sang and it hadn’t even started freezing over yet.

“Daddy,” Caden whispered. He felt Valerius’ grin grow and Raziel peaked out of its cave with interest, as if it also enjoyed this particular title. “Daddy, please.”

“Please what, my love?” Valerius asked with that husky whisper. He bit down on Caden’s ear again. “Use your words, baby. What do you want Daddy to do?”

Caden expelled a long, slow breath. He’d wanted to try this, but hadn’t actually figured that Valerius would go for it. He was millenia old, sure, and had tried all sorts of things in that time, but was this too weird? Apparently not.

“Please, Daddy, make love to me,” Caden moaned. His cock twitched with interest and arousal now. He scraped his nails up Valerius’ back and kissed his neck right where the hot, pulsing artery was.

“My sweet baby boy,” Valerius purred against Caden’s ear.

He shifted and captured Caden’s lips in a kiss that stole the breath from Caden’s lungs. Again. Caden didn’t care. Valerius was the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins, the bones that gave Caden solid form. He was all that and more. Caden moaned and thrust his cock against Valerius’ once more. Valerius seized Caden’s wrists and held them above his head with a single, large hand.

“Someone is impatient today,” Valerius said with a devilish grin.

“What can I say? You’re a bad influence, Daddy,” Caden replied.

Valerius bit Caden’s bottom lip until it drew blood. Caden hissed with pain and pleasure in equal measure. The wound healed instantly, just in time for Valerius to bite around Caden’s nipple. Caden let his head fall back with a hiss even as his back arched against the feeling.

“Daddy,” he moaned. “Oh, god, fuck! I-I think you like this name.”

“I would gladly have you call me this every day,” Valerius said. He looked up at Caden’s face with a teasing grin. “I am just surprised it took you this long.”

“What, you wanted me to call you Daddy?” Caden asked. “How long?”

“Since almost the beginning,” Valerius said. He reached down and began to tease Caden’s balls in his hand. Caden shivered and moaned as Valerius teased his body. It was like Caden was a harp and Valerius masterfully plucked at each string to make Caden sing. “I did not want to frighten you off in case you did not like it, though.”

“Fuck, Daddy,” Caden sighed. “5 years… you should’ve said something!”

At that exact moment, someone knocked at the door. Caden groaned. Valerius simply yelled at them to go away. A second later, they did exactly that. Caden liked to be responsible, but he loved Valerius’ cock so much more.

“5 years is nothing for immortals,” Valerius said. Caden simply grinned and Valerius resumed kissing his body, worshiping it in a way that Valerius reserved only for him. There was no god, no alter, that Valerius worshiped but that of Caden and his body. It made Caden feel so powerful, knowing that the most powerful man in the world loved him, needed him like this.

As Valerius reached the faint happy trail between Caden’s navel and his groin, Caden moaned and thrust his cock up again. It left a streak of pre-cum down Valerius’ cheek. Valerius grinned wickedly as the hand that massaged Caden’s balls wrapped around the base of Caden’s cock.

“You have a choice, baby boy,” Valerius said. His hot breath blew gently over the tip of Caden’s cock and sent shivers up his spine. “Daddy can suck your pretty cock… or you can suck mine.”

Fuck, Caden cried out with his mind. Valerius chuckled.

“Past speech already, are you?” he teased. “Daddy needs an answer, or he’ll choose for you.”

By all the spirits, Caden thought. This time he didn’t send it to Valerius. This was an agonizing choice.

“Both?” Caden replied. Valerius clicked his tongue even as his smile became even more wicked, somehow.

“Silly boy, that wasn’t an option,” Valerius purred.

He moved up Caden’s body. The movement reminded Caden of a prowling panther. Valerius kept moving until his groin hovered over Caden’s face. The large, heavy, uncut cock hung between Valerius’ powerful thighs, the tip just brushing Caden’s lips.

“Suck my cock, sweet boy,” Valerius commanded. Caden felt his bones turn to jelly as heat pooled in his core, almost like he was going to shift. Iolaire had its neck resting on Raziel’s shoulders.

Caden opened his mouth wide and took the cock deep into his mouth. Valerius groaned with approval as Caden hollowed out his cheeks to suck the massive length. Caden had always loved giving blowjobs, but sucking Valerius’ cock was almost a religious experience. The taste, the musky scent, the weight against Caden’s tongue, it all made his spirit sing. Though that might just be Iolaire trilling happily.

Valerius reached down with a hand and placed it behind Caden’s head. Caden relaxed his throat for a moment before Valerius pushed his cock further into Caden until it went down into Caden’s throat. Caden moaned around the length, making Valerius groan again.

Valerius began thrusting into Caden’s mouth. Gently at first, but Caden wasn’t in the mood for that. He reached up and began to fondle those beautiful, heavy balls that hung beneath Valerius’ cock. This always made Valerius jerk with pleasure. He thrust deeply into Caden’s mouth with a lustful growl.

“Such a good boy for me,” Valerius said. He stroked Caden’s head affectionately. Caden looked up into Valerius’ face. His long, luxurious hair fell in waves around his face as he gazed down at Caden with such love and lust in his eyes. “Do not make me cum. I have other plans for the rest of today.”

The rest of the day? Hell yeah! Despite the fact that they had sex daily, multiple times, Caden still felt that many days there was little he wanted to do more than stay in their quarters and have make love. Well, there was the meat. That was good, too, especially if Valerius fed it to him. Okay, sex and meat… and cuddling. And reading. Valerius had this adorable look on his face when he was deeply engrossed in a book. His nose scrunched up and… sex, meat, cuddling, and reading. With Valerius. The perfect day.

Caden sucked Valerius’ cock like it was a sacrament. He took it down all the way each time and relished the feeling of that thick length filling his throat. It was pure bliss. As he did, Valerius ran his fingers through Caden’s hair. His fingers scratched the scalp gently and Caden saw Iolaire thump its back leg as it cuddled with Raziel.

Caden popped off that dick obscenely and scooted down to suck on Valerius’ balls. He pulled one into his mouth and relished the salty taste of sweat and the scent of musk, leather, and smoke that was all Valerius. As he did, he pumped Valerius’ cock slowly. He twisted his hand around the head almost completely and Valerius practically bellowed with his pleasure.

“Get up, baby,” Valerius growled. Before Caden could respond, Valerius pulled him up, flipped him over, and positioned Caden so that his ass was in the air and his face was in the pillows. Valerius squeezed the globes of Caden’s ass before he slapped it roughly. Caden just moaned. “You have the perfect ass, do you know that? I love looking at it. When you are around, I can’t help but look at it.”

With that, he bent down and pulled Caden’s cheeks apart. He licked a long, slow swipe up from Caden’s taint over the hole. Caden shivered with delight as Valerius began to eat him out, his mouth licking, biting, sucking at Caden’s hole. The beard felt especially magnificent as it scratched at Caden’s sensitive skin. A moan escaped Caden’s mouth as Valerius pushed his tongue past the tight ring of muscle and began to fuck him with it.

“Fuck, Daddy,” Caden cried out.

He gripped the sheets beneath him as he rocked back against Valerius’ face. Valerius squeezed Caden’s ass with his free hand as he pushed his tongue deeper into him. Then, he pulled back and pushed a lubed finger into Caden’s ass. Caden looked back and saw the pot of that ancient lube recipe behind him. Valerius must have grabbed it while Caden was distracted by his cock.

The thick finger pressed deep inside him until it was seated to the knuckle. Caden felt it pull out and press against his prostate. He arched his back as pleasure shot through his body like lightning. He didn’t bother to hold back his moan, either.

“Such a good boy,” Valerius said as he added a second finger. He slowly massaged Caden’s prostate and spread his fingers. Caden relaxed as he felt his mate spread his ass. “You are so beautiful when you submit to me, my love.”

Caden preened with the praise. Valerius’ fingers were so thick and so skilled in their exploration of Caden’s body. No matter that they knew each other’s bodies so well after 5 years, Caden never got tired of feeling Valerius’ hands on his skin. He relaxed as he pushed back against Valerius’ hand to get those clever, glorious fingers deeper inside him.

“You really are impatient,” Valerius said with a low chuckle.

He added a third finger and Caden hissed as the stretch burned slightly. It felt amazing as always, and every time they had sex it was like the first time all over again. Not because of how quickly his ass recovered from it, but from how exciting it was and how much Caden craved it.

“Daddy, please,” Caden moaned.

He arched his back more as he pressed back against Valerius’ hand. He practically fucked himself on those fingers. The feeling of them stroking and massaging his prostate sent electric currents up his body like he was a live wire. Abruptly, Valerius pulled out and Caden moaned with both loss and anticipation as he heard Valerius lubing up his cock.

“I need to be inside you,” Valerius growled into his ear as he pressed a hand between Caden’s shoulder blades. “Let your Daddy in, my sweet.”

With that, Valerius thrust in and Caden cried out with pleasure as he was filled. This would not be a gentle session and fuck he loved that. Wild, unrestrained banging was something Valerius did very well, despite his humor at Caden’s phrasing. Valerius soon bottomed out inside him and assumed a frenzied pace. Apparently this particular kink really got him going.

Caden pressed his face down into the bed to moan, but Valerius seized a fistful of his hair and pulled his head up. The pain coupled with the pleasure he felt made Caden cry out. His body was already frosting over and each touch that Valerius made caused the frost to evaporate. Hot and cold burned against each other in a duet that harmonized as easily as though the universe ordained it to be.

“Do not hide your pleasure from me,” Valerius said. His voice dripped with command. The King of kings, with every sonorous note. Valerius punctuated each word with a thrust of his hips that dragged right over Caden’s prostate. “Let Daddy hear you sing.”

Caden moaned loudly, obediently. He pushed back against Valerius and met every thrust. His ass squeezed around that huge cock, milking it, trying to pull it deeper inside him. Valerius groaned just as loudly as Caden had. His free hand stroked up and down Caden’s spine, a gesture that would have made him purr any other time. It wandered down and squeezed Caden’s hip roughly. He didn’t let go of Caden’s hair, either, and each thrust caused him to pull Caden’s hair, as well.

Caden felt his balls rise as his pleasure built. He moaned louder and fisted the sheets beneath him. His breath covered the sheets in frost, ice formed on his skin and fell off him in sheets with each hard thrust into his body. Valerius felt like an inferno. Heat rolled off him in waves, evaporating the ice, melting the frost so that the bed steamed. A mirror on the other side of the room became foggy as the ice vaporized directly into steam.

“Cum for me, Caden,” Valerius growled. “Cum for your Daddy. Now!”

Caden cried out as his orgasm burst out of him like a shotgun. His seed coated his chest, his abs, and the sheets beneath him. He felt Valerius’ cock pulse inside him before he felt hot cum fill his ass. The heat warms his core and it spreads through his whole body until it feels like a ball of warmth has settled inside him, caressing Caden’s cold magic.

Time stood still. There was no way of knowing how many minutes or hours passed. Caden took one breath after another in tandem with his mate. Their dragons watched, their eyes open with Raziel resting his neck atop of Iolaire’s smaller one. They purred together and Caden thought that perhaps there was something significant about what just happened. Or maybe they just enjoyed the show.

At the moment, though, Caden could hardly bring himself to speak, let alone touch Valerius’ mind to communicate. His brain felt like mush in the best possible way. Valerius shifted and pulled out before he dropped onto the bed next to Caden and pulled him into his arms.

“Fuck,” Caden breathed. His brain was still rebooting. “What just happened?”

“I believe we just made love,” Valerius said with a breathless chuckle. Caden rolled his eyes but grinned up at his lover. 5 years had changed his life in many ways, but he still loved that he could make Valerius smile and laugh.

Caden had just settled himself on Valerius’ chest and relaxed when the tablet that they kept near the bed began to ring. Valerius growled with annoyance as he reached over and saw that Chione was calling. He answered and Caden braced himself for the grumpy version of his mate to appear.

“You have terrible timing, Chione,” Valerius groused. He kept the tablet at a level so that she could only see his face.

“Apologies, my Kings, but Tez has sent word of an urgent matter,” she replied. “He’s called and says he needs to speak with you immediately.”

“Is it a fashion disaster or does he simply want to come visit again?” Valerius asked. Caden couldn’t help but smile as he held back a laugh. Tez was fun and a good man, but he and his dragon, Elderon, were incredibly vain. “Put him through.”

Chione nodded and the call shifted so that Tez’s face appeared. The normally cheerful, upbeat man looked troubled, which immediately put Caden on edge. Maybe something had happened to his people. He cared about them possibly the most out of all the Dragon Shifters.

“Tez, what is going on?” Valerius asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Valerius, there’s a new dragon!” Tez said. “It attacked Mexico City!”

Chapter 2

Notes:

A new, original character of mine. Enjoy the ride!

Los Angeles was a different city than it had been before the shifters were revealed. Prior to the War, It had been a thriving port city where millions of people gathered until it became one of the most profitable and expensive cities in California and the United States. It had been known for its liberal leanings, thriving queer populations, and as a haven for gay men who left the Navy.

It was still all of those things, of course. Port cities didn’t just stop doing business just because shifters governed regulations and Dragon Monarchs ruled the world. But under King Valerius’ rule, the city had spread out. It became less cramped. More parks filled the city and green architecture was on the rise. Trees and greenery could be found all over the city.

The biggest change was the pollution, though. In the past 40 years, King Valerius had specifically introduced changes to improve the nature in his territory. That petered off after about 20 years, but with the rise of King Caden, Valerius had started tackling pollution again. Public transportation was revamped, smog was down, and the amount of driving people did that relied on fossil fuels had been drastically reduced.

What resulted was a sprawling, metropolitan city with clear skies, plants and wildlife returning, and the inhabitants leading happier, healthier lives. Alec Winters thought of all of this as he looked out over the city from his vantage point in his hotel room. He was still a bit tired after his flight from Sydney yesterday. He’d had time to eat and sleep before he returned to work.

He turned from the window and walked back to the bathroom. He was a man of average height, about 5’10. His bright ginger hair was kept combed back on top with the sides cut close. His beard was also kept relatively short and well-groomed. His body was strong, but also round and soft. His belly protruded a bit and his ass was plush and round.

Alec had no illusions about his body. He came from a family that gained weight easily and lost it almost never. He was a bear, or he would be if he grew any body hair on his chest and stomach. Alas, aside from his beard, he didn’t have much hair on his body. His chest and belly were smooth, as were his arms. Still, he liked his body, even if it made it difficult to find guys who were interested in him. And since he was constantly traveling, it was almost impossible to find a steady boyfriend.

Today was special, though. He had his passport ready to go and his suitcase packed. A freshly cleaned and ironed pilot’s uniform was laying on the neatly made bed in the hotel room. After today, he would have all the necessary hours completed to gain his pilot certification.

The fact that this flight was to Mexico City was especially exciting. He planned on going to Tecolutla when he had rested. He was taking a week off to celebrate completing his hours. He would sit in the sun and probably get a sunburn, drink tequila, go dancing in the clubs. Maybe he would even get to see King Tezcacoatl fly around!

The Golden Dragon King was spectacular. He probably knew it, too, from how much he showed off while he was in his dragon form, but to be honest, if Alec could turn into a dragon, he would probably do the same.

Alec dressed quickly and walked out the door with his personal effects. He checked out of the hotel with minimal fuss. The convenient thing about staying at LAX was being able to sleep in the hotel where his flight was going to head out from. Even though it felt early for him after 8 hours of sleeping, he knew that it wasn’t. It was about 3.5 hours to fly to Mexico City from here and his flight from Sydney had landed around 4am, local time. With everything from unloading the plane to checking the status of the plane, it had been closer to 5 by the time he reached his hotel room.

Alec made his way to the terminal where the plane for the Mexico City flight was located. The plane had arrived, but they needed to check the plane to make sure it was fit to fly before they drove it over to the boarding terminal for their passengers. There was already a team of engineers looking through it, so Alec made his way to the crowd of people dressed in smart uniforms that indicated the crew for the flight. At the head, he found a stocky man a little shorter than Alec with a thick, white mustache and a ruddy face.

“Hello, young man,” he said stiffly. “My name is Gregory Carson, I’ll be the captain for this flight.”

Alec smiled and shook the man’s hand. “Good to meet you, sir. I’m Alec,” he said.

“How close are you to finishing your hours?” he asked.

“Just 2 more and I’ll be done,” Alec said with a smile. “I’m taking a week off once we set down in Mexico City.”

“Well then! You’ve picked a good time to take a vacation,” he said with a wide smile. “Mexico City is beautiful this time of year. Hear King Tezcacoatl has some big plans for Mexico’s Independence Day. Probably a parade or something, he likes to entertain.”

“Can you blame him?” Alec asked. “What would you do if you could turn into a dragon?”

Gregory guffawed in a way that made it seem that he spent a lot of time laughing. It was a big, belly deep laugh that made Alec smile in spite of himself.

“Well, I tell you, I wouldn’t be a pilot, now would I?” he said. “But you’re right, if I was a dragon, I’d probably want to be seen, too, especially by the people you’re supposed to rule.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Alec said. “Honestly, I wonder when the next dragon shifter will appear. We haven’t seen another one since King Caden appeared 5 years ago.”

“Only the spirits know for sure,” Gregory harrumphed. “Now, we best focus on the task at hand. Head on and do the flight inspection while I brief the crew.”

Alec nodded and proceeded to the plane to start checking for maintenance issues. It was a necessary part of each flight and since he was still in training, he almost always had to do it unless he was told not to.

The plane looked to be in good condition. There were some surface level dents and dirt, but nothing was damaged or loose. The wings were in good condition. The flaps all worked the way they were supposed to. The engine had no leaks to speak of and was in perfect working order.

He continued down the checklist until he had verified that everything was ready to go. By that time, the flight attendants and the stewardess were seeing to their own preparations and Gregory was in the cockpit. Alec took his place on the other side and put his headset on.

“Everything look good?” Gregory asked.

“Ship-shape and ready to go,” Alec said. With that, Gregory started communicating with the airport tower and proceeded to the part of the airport where their passengers were waiting. It took a long time for them all to board, during which he talked to Gregory about his plans for his vacation in Mexico City.

“I want to spend at least a few days on the beach,” Alec said with a wistful sigh. “My family is from Iowa, so there aren’t exactly many beaches.”

“Tecolutla is your best bet,” Gregory said. “Though you’ll probably need lots of sunscreen. Never knew many gingers who got tans.”

Alec laughed. “Yeah, I’ll burn pretty much as soon as we get there, but I tell you, the beach makes it worth it,” he said. “I’ve never actually been to Mexico, actually.”

“Speak Spanish?” Gregory asked. Alec nodded. “Well, you’ll be fine then. A lot of Central America was unstable before the Dragon Shifters took over. The US spent a lot of time and energy destabilizing the region trying to make sure their people stayed in power. King Tezcacoatl was able to establish order and crack down on the warlords and drug cartels, so things have been peaceful there ever since.”

“That’s good to know,” Alec said. “Think I’ll go clubbing, too, and see if there’s any fun with the nightlife.”

“They say that King Tezcacoatl is a frequent scene at the Mexico City clubs,” Gregory said. “Maybe you’ll meet him.”

“Oh God, I have no idea what I would do if that happened,” Alec declared with nervous laughter. “What would he even be like? I mean, he’s supposed to be this man of the people guy or something, but what if that’s an act?”

“Well, it could be,” Gregory said. “Who knows what people like the Dragon Shifters are really like? All we see of them are the press releases and interviews.”

“King Caden seems pretty genuine from what I can tell,” Alec said loyally.

“Yeah, well, he’s the youngest of the lot,” Gregory said. “He’s about your age. You youngins were all born after the war, so this world is all you know.”

“So because he’s young, he’s easier to believe in?” Alec asked.

“I suppose you could put it that way,” Gregory acquiesced. “Certainly easier to believe in him than it is to believe in all these shifters that have been alive since God knows how long.”

Alec held his tongue at that. It was true that it was hard to find work in a field where shifters didn’t make up the majority of people in it. At the same time, there were serious efforts to change that and make things more equal. Caden had been as good as his word so far.

He was saved by the stewardess entering the cockpit to tell them that they had finished the safety demonstrations for the passengers and everyone was seated. Gregory turned on the mic to begin his introduction as captain. Alec started to get the plane ready to head to the runway. Within minutes, they had liftoff and they were soaring through a clear, blue sky.

Hours passed. Everything was going smoothly. At about the halfway point, he checked the trajectory. The skies were clear and the sun was beginning to set behind them, bathing the sky in shades of gold as the afternoon wore on. It was stunning. This was why he’d wanted to become a pilot.

Suddenly the plane shook. It was only slightly, but it didn’t feel like turbulence. There was plenty of that during normal flights that Alec was familiar with the feeling. He frowned as he checked the cockpit for any irregularities in the plane, but nothing presented itself as being out of the ordinary.

“Did we get any warnings about turbulence?” he asked.

“Nope, but you can’t expect everything up here,” Gregory said. He clicked on the intercom. “No need to worry, folks, just a little bit of turbulence.”

He switched it off, but the man looked like he was sweating a bit. There was a single drop that appeared at Gregory’s temple and slid down his reddened face. It seemed more red than it had a few hours ago. Was he nervous? Alec did not feel reassured.

“Hey, are you sure you’re all right?” he asked. “You seem a bit… flushed.”

“I’m fine, kid, no need to worry about me,” he said. Alec nodded hesitantly and returned his attention to the sky in front of him. He scanned the buttons and switches in front of him. He mentally noted what each one did in case…

In case of what? Alec wondered. He was probably right, turbulence happens sometimes.

That was when he noticed something. His heart skipped a beat even as his head cleared. The plane was changing trajectory… and heading down. Alec tried to pull up and… nothing happened. The plane kept tilting.

“Greg, pull up,” Alec said.

“I-I’m trying, son,” Greg gasped. “Nothing is happening!”

Alec felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He flipped on the radio and gave the mayday warning. Then he warned the staff that there was an emergency and to help the passengers. All the while, Gregory was doing nothing.

“Captain, what the hell are you doing?!” Alec demanded. He glanced over and Greg was grasping his chest. The red look on his face was almost purple now. “Shit! Are you having a heart attack?!”

Greg could only nod and Alec cursed. Here he was, a pilot just shy of his flight hours, and the captain of the plane was incapacitated while they were going down! All Alec could do was focus on the problem at hand, though. The plane was going down and wasn’t responding to any efforts to make it level.

“Captain!” the head stewardess shouted as the door opened.

“He’s having a heart attack,” Alec said evenly. “Do you know what’s wrong with the plane?”

“The slats are stuck!” she cried. “All of them, they’re stuck in the downward position and the--”

At that moment, there was an almost violent shift. The plane began to angle downward more and Alec saw the ground, so far away, but getting closer. Time seemed to slow down as he tried everything, anything to get the plane to respond. Nothing worked!

No! Alec thought with a growl. It’s not ending like this! I’m not letting all these people die! Not when there’s so much to live for!

“Mayday!” he shouted again into the radio. “Slats deployed and not responding! We’re going down!”

He repeated the message in Spanish. All those years of wondering how useful a Spanish double major would be came bursting through like a geyser. His knowledge held deep in his brain was all there.

“This is Air Traffic Control, what’s your position?” a reply finally came.

“We’re going down over San Javier,” he said, followed by the exact coordinates.

“Are you able to stabilize the plane?” the radio tower asked.

“Negative, all controls are unresponsive!” he yelled. He tried everything he could think of, but the plane was completely unresponsive. The plane raced towards the earth, despite all efforts to change it.

There has to be something! Alec thought frantically. I won’t let this be the end!

Courage…

He didn’t have time to think about where that alien voice had come from. He did absolutely everything he could think to do. He tried to move other parts of the plane to compensate for the slats. He tried to move the rudder. Finally, he cut off the engines so that at least they wouldn’t be hurtling towards the ground any faster.

Still nothing worked. The engines didn’t so much as sputter. Something was very, very wrong with this. Such a failure could only mean… the plane computer had completely failed so that nothing could be done.

I am going to kill whoever missed this! Alec fumed. I will not die here!

Again, time seemed to slow down. There was the sense that he wasn’t alone. He looked out, away from the ground, past his co-captain who wouldn’t survive long enough to die of a heart attack. Outside in the clear, golden afternoon sun, was a blue dragon with white frills. It looked straight at him.

You are tenacious in the face of peril, it said.

“What the fuck?” he breathed. He was distantly aware of the tower operators trying to communicate with him, but their words held no meaning for him.

You do not give up, even when hope is lost, the dragon said. You are worthy.

That’s when everything shifted again. Then Alec was outside the plane, his hands and arms outstretched as he frantically kicked and tried to make sense of what happened. How did he get outside?! How come no one could see the dragon?! What was happening?!

The dragon extended his long, sinuous neck and touched Alec’s forehead. Everything went black. Then… he was flying. He opened his eyes. His wings-- yes, he had wings-- flapped as they steadied himself in the air. The next thing he noticed was that the plane was still falling! Faster than thought, he dove. He tucked his wings close to his body and quickly caught up with the falling plane. Inside he could see people screaming, crying, praying not to die.

We have to save them! Alec thought. The dragon, it hadn’t told Alec its name, acted. They flew over the plane and wrapped their arms and legs around it as they held their wings out. They were more than three times the width of the airplane.

The dragon tore the wings off the plane. They got in the way and they weren’t working anyway. Then, with the wings gone, they flapped hard and managed to pull the plane up so that it was once again level.

Despite their obvious strength and size, Alec felt the weight and strain of trying to carry such a large plane. He turned their head to look for a place to land. There was a clear, flat field nearby. He had no idea how, but they started to angle their wings to head for that spot.

Something in the back of his mind told him that he wasn’t in control here. The dragon was running the show, whoever he was. Was the dragon even a he? She? They? Alec shook his head and returned his attention to the task in front of him. They needed to save these people.

As they reached the field, the dragon flapped their wings to steady their descent. Finally, they were able to reach the ground so that they could gently release the plane with minimal fuss. Immediately, the emergency escape hatch opened and the slide to the ground expanded and the flight attendants started to get people out. The first one out was the captain.

Gregory’s face was twisted with pain. A doctor who must have been a passenger on the flight was frantically performing chest compressions. Alec walked carefully around the plane to sniff at the plane.

“We need to get this man to a hospital immediately,” the doctor said. “Where is that defibrillator?!”

“It was shattered in the descent, doctor!” the flight attendant called down.

“Damn it!” the doctor said. She turned back to the patient and kept doing chest compressions.

Alec hung his head in shame. He had saved a plane full of people, but there was nothing he could do about a heart attack. But then, the dragon leaned down and reached out a hand. It gently brushed the doctor back and lightning began to spark at the tip of the claw.

Holy shit! Alec thought. Am I… are you making electricity?!

The dragon just hummed in affirmation. It was suddenly less chatty than it had been during the descent. The doctor returned and ripped the captain’s shirt open to expose the chest before she scrambled back again.

“Clear!” she shouted. The dragon gently pressed the claw against Gregory’s chest. The pilot’s body arched up and the doctor crawled back over to listen to his heart. She started doing chest compressions again. Then she stepped back and looked up at the dragon. “Do it again!”

The dragon seemed mildly annoyed to receive such a bold order from a human. Shut up and do as she says! Alec scolded the dragon. The dragon seemed chastened and extended its claw again.

As before, Gregory’s body arched off the ground. As the doctor returned, though, Gregory’s coloring in his face began to return to normal. The doctor seemed relieved and she knelt back on her feet.

“His heart is back to normal,” she said. “We still have to get him to a hospital as soon as possible.”

“I have the nearest airport on the radio,” the stewardess said. “They’re sending a helicopter to airlift Captain Carson to the hospital.”

“Good. I’ll monitor his condition until then,” the doctor said. She looked up and a look of wonder passed over her face as she looked at Alec. Or the dragon, anyway. “Thank you.”

Alec nodded his head. People continued to file out of the plane. The children seemed most excited to get down. People raced over to the dragon, but the dragon, for some reason, seemed skittish around them. It backed away.

What are you doing? Alec asked. They’re just grateful and happy to see you.

The dragon did not seem placated by this fact. Instead, it turned around and took off. Alec cursed. Try as he might, he couldn’t get the dragon to do anything! It flew off into the clear, sunny sky. In all the commotion, Alec had forgotten that it was actually quite early in the day. The dragon flew and soon the plane was out of sight.

It might have been minutes or hours that they flew, but soon, there was something else flying towards them. A huge, golden dragon flew towards them from the south. It was almost as if it knew exactly where to find them.

It’s King Tezcacoatl! Alec cried. The dragon spirit growled in annoyance. It sent an image of a large, pompous dragon in a strange place looking proud and regal. For some reason, this annoyed the stormy blue dragon. Oh calm down, he’s friendly!

The dragon turned towards the oncoming golden dragon. King Tezcacoatl seemed… happy? He was flying and swinging his head and looping in a way that certainly seemed to convey happiness. At the same time, Alec could feel his dragon spirit’s annoyance grow.

What are you doing? Alec asked. He had a sinking feeling that his dragon spirit was not as happy to see the Golden Dragon King.

Sure enough, as soon as the golden dragon, with his scales that seemed to glow in the sun’s rays, approached, the navy blue dragon breathed and released a jet of lightning at the dragon.

Shit! What are you doing! Stop this, dammit! Alec cried desperately.

Elderon! What is happening? Why are they attacking us? I thought we were all friends now, how disappointing. This voice was wholly unfamiliar. Who was Elderon? Was that… King Tezcacoatl?

Help! Alec called desperately. I don’t know how to control it!

Alec’s dragon shot another bolt of lightning at the golden dragon. It missed by a hair. Elderon was big, but that meant it was both larger and slower than Alec’s dragon. Alec kept calling for it to stop, but it wouldn’t listen. It charged at Elderon. However, Elderon rolled at the last second and caught the dragon. Alec grunted with the weight and strength behind Elderon’s blow.

The blue dragon snapped at Elderon’s neck, but Elderon breathed a stream of hot metal that solidified on contact with the blue dragon’s neck. The blue dragon struggled to move. Before Alec could think, the golden dragon flew away and pushed the blue dragon towards the earth. A second later, they landed with a great thud against the earth.

Fuck, that hurt, Alec groaned. Have you had enough? Please tell me you have. I don’t want to fight them!

We must fight them! The blue dragon roared. It was followed by an actual roar. It thrust its neck and the metal shattered at last.

We can’t win against them! They’re thousands of years old! Just give up! Alec cried. The blue dragon growled at the golden dragon that hovered above them. It seemed to look at them with concern. For some reason, this made the blue dragon feel angry and… something else. Shame? Guilt?

Before Alec had the chance to consider this, the blue dragon shot another bolt of lightning. This one, however, wasn’t aimed at Elderon, but at a grove of trees near a group of houses. The trees burst into flames. Elderon immediately flew to handle the situation and the blue dragon took off in the opposite direction.

Despite Alec’s protestations, the dragon flew and flew and flew until the sun set below the horizon. The golden dragon did not reappear. Alec had no idea how to feel about it. He was alive… but imprisoned by a dragon who did not listen to him.

He prayed that King Tezcacoatl, or maybe even Valerius and Caden, would find him before anything bad happened.