Supernatural Enforcement Bureau, Book 1, The Dragon and The Vampire: Book 1 (3 page)

She hated herself for leaving him, but knew if she had stayed, they would both have been lost.

She still wasn’t sure just why these people hunted her kind. Hunting them for generations until there had only been her and Talon left...now she was on her own...the last Dragon.

She stayed perfectly still, high up in the rafters of one of the dilapidated buildings, watching and making sure the three men left. Wondering if she should leave the area now or chance staying for another few days.

She was so tired, always on alert, never getting enough sleep. Her body ached and her mind raced with thoughts of being alone in this world. Sometimes she thought she should just let them catch her...then it would be over.

Talon’s words stopped her from doing that,
‘It’s a fate worse than death if they catch you little Starr, always run, always hide, don’t ever fall into their hands, my sister.’
So she kept running, kept hiding and prayed that she could stay out of their clutches.

Her eyes stayed on the largest of the men, a Vampire, who was tall, strong, capable. Even though he was a Vampire she didn’t get that ‘feeling’ she usually got from those that hunted her. If not for the fact that they were obviously looking for her, she may have spoken to him. It had been days, no weeks, since she had actually had a conversation with anyone and she missed it.

She missed just chatting to someone, getting to know them...even if she didn’t tell a lot about herself. Sometimes she would make up stories of a life she could only dream of. Family, friends, a lover...but it was all a dream, only a dream.

She saw him turn back, his eyes searching, as if he knew she watched. His words that he had spoken ringing in her ears––‘It’s okay, we won’t harm you.’ How she wished that were true.

*****

“
So what was that about? A bloodsucking leech? Bit strong, don’t you think?” Sam seemed perplexed by the words as he walked on in front.

“
Oh I don’t know, kinda seems appropriate if you ask me.” Drake chuckled as they neared their SUV.

“
I didn’t!” Sam shot out as he drew Drake a filthy look.

“
Hey, if the shoe fits and all that,” Drake quipped, as he got into the driver’s seat, and started up the engine.

“
Damn Wolves!” Sam returned, though he had a smile on his face...one that Drake couldn’t see, of course.

Several times Ronan turned his head back the way they had come, still sure that the girl was near...even if they couldn’t find her. Her words rolling around in his head as he tried to decide if he was offended or angry. He wasn’t sure, only that he didn’t like those words she spat out at him in anger.

His thoughts were on the girl for the entire journey back into the city. He couldn’t shake those eyes from his mind; a shade so unique he was pretty sure he had never seen eyes like those before...and his before was rather a long time. He heard Sam and Drake banter back and forth but he ignored their voices as he thought of the girl.

She had some balls calling him a bloodsucking leech, with his size and power, there wasn’t an awful lot out there that was a threat to him, and he could dole out a whole lot of hurt...if he wanted to. He realized he had a small smile on his face thinking about her, and her rather cutting words. A bloodsucking leech? That was a new one! He had been called a hell of a lot in his time, but never that.

“What the heck are you smiling at?” Sam’s question jolted him out of his thoughts, and Ronan turned slightly in his seat. Sam was sitting forward with a frown on his face as he stared at him.

“
Nothing,” he replied and turned away, his eyes on the road ahead.

“
Nothing? You’re smiling at nothing? Well, that makes me think you may be ready for the padded cell. Either that or you’re thinking on that girl back there. Those eyes, jeez, I’ve never seen eyes like those before.  They were fucking gorgeous…”

“
Enough!” The word erupted from Ronan’s mouth, and he wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Daydreaming and shouting at his friend? Not his usual modus operandi.

“
Hey! Calm down, big guy. I’m just sayin’ is all, no need for you to freak out on me.” Sam’s voice was a little bewildered and Ronan couldn’t blame him...he was baffled too.

What was it about the girl that had gotten to him so? They didn’t even know who or what she was. It was obvious she wasn’t human but what was she?

There was no scent of her being a Wolf, or even a Vamp. So what then? Ronan wracked his brain trying to come up with something...but couldn’t...his mind straying to those eyes almost constantly.

“
Sorry, I’m a little out of sorts today,” he apologized to his friend but didn’t turn to face Sam, and continued staring out the window with violet eyes shining in his mind.

“
Ya don’t say!” Sam quipped back as Drake snickered quietly.

“
We’ll go back later, or tomorrow, yeah, tomorrow, but late, after dark.” Ronan nodded as he spoke, wanting to find the girl again before she came to any harm. After all, there were hunters around and she would be no match for them...she could get hurt or killed.

“
Okay boss. Think we should bring Serge tomorrow? He’s got a real good nose and his magic is getting better all the time. That’s the benefit of being a quarter Witch I guess.” Drake was now keeping a close eye on the traffic all around them, now that they were back in the city.

“
Yes, that’s a good idea, so we’ll set this up for tomorrow night, say ten?” Ronan was already looking forward to going back to try and find the girl. Another smile came to his lips as he thought on her words…‘bloodsucking leech’…he needed to meet the person that felt brave enough to call him that.

“
Ten is fine with me,” Drake said as he was pulling into the underground parking area as Sam piped up.

“
Ten? As in at night? I’ve got a date tomorrow, boss, you know that nice little Wolf in records? Well she’s finally agreed to go out with...”

“
Tough, you’re working, reschedule.” Ronan wasn’t letting Sam out of this that easy.

“
What? No, no, please...it took me ages to get her to say yes! Hell! You are kidding aren’t you? I don’t really need to come tomorrow night, do I?” Sam was almost pleading as they got out of the vehicle and went towards the elevator.

“
No, I’m not kidding, and yes, you are working tomorrow night.” Ronan got in the elevator as soon as the doors opened and waited, expecting Sam to follow and continue to argue.

Sam stayed outside the elevator, a crestfallen look on his face, “Fuck!” was all he said as he stood and watched the doors close.

Ronan rode the elevator alone, not bothering to change back into his suit, making his way back to his office in his combat gear. Sam could pout all he wanted, he was working tomorrow night and that was that.

Ronan didn’t notice any of the wide eyed stares he received on his way...every female that saw him all but drooling at the sight.

Chapter 3

As Ronan sat down behind his desk he grabbed his phone, wanting to check when Esther would be available, in case of any trouble. Esther was their oldest and most powerful Witch. So old that Ronan wasn’t even sure what age she was, so powerful that he was pretty sure there wasn’t anything as strong as her out there...apart from his Sire’s mate, Peri...possibly.

He was aware that Esther could harness dark magic, and he never asked questions on how that was possible. As long as Esther was on their side, he didn’t care...if she got the job done that was all he cared about. Esther had never failed, not once. He dialed her number, hoping she wouldn’t fail this time either.

Her assistant’s phone rang once, before being picked up. “Hello?”

“Hi, Celeste, I’m just wondering where Esther is? Is she away on an assignment or is she available for something that’s going on here?” Ronan spoke quietly, in a friendly tone. Celeste always seemed a little fragile and jumpy to him. He pictured her sitting at her desk chewing the tip of a pen. Whenever he visited her office that was how she was when he entered, chewing a pen with a faraway look in her eyes.

“
Oh, hi Ronan, hmm, Esther? Oh wait, she’s here now...do you want to speak to her? I could put you through. If that’s what you want that is. Or maybe not? Is that what you want?”

Celeste’s usual confused manner of talking had various effects on Ronan, from mildly bemused to annoyed...depending on the situation. This time he only said, “Yes please, that would be great if you could put me through to her.”

“Right, yes, that’s what I’ll do, hold on.”

Ronan rolled his eyes, wondering how Esther could stand the befuddled way that Celeste worked, it would drive him insane.

“Hello, Ronan, what can I do for you?” Esther’s cool and calm voice came over the line, and he was glad he didn’t have to maneuver around Celeste’s brain any further.

“
Hi, Esther, I’m glad you’re in, we’ve got a case...kinda weird...some information about hunters that are going after a Dragon...”

“
What?! Are you sure? If so, we must stop them!” Esther interrupted him; her voice rising, which surprised him greatly. Esther was always calm, and he didn’t think he had ever heard her raise her voice, in all the years he had known her.

“
Yes, I’m sure, and yes, we have to stop them. My Sire has already explained to me that Dragons are real and we have to help.”

Again, the old Witch broke in, “Your Sire? He has seen a Dragon?”

“Not only seen, but he helped them four centuries ago when they were being hunted. Apparently, it was these hunters that destroyed my town and when Josef found me. So yes, he is very keen for me to help this particular Dragon.” Ronan stopped, waiting to see if Esther added anything.

“
I see, all I can say is that there are very few left. In fact, this one may be the last...so we absolutely
have
to ensure its safety. What do you need from me?”

Ronan smiled. Having Esther on board would greatly enhance their odds of defeating the hunters, especially if they were wielding dark magic.

“I’ve got some intel that the hunters, or at least one of them, may be using dark magic and, as you know, that’s dangerous to all of us. So I was hoping you would be involved in our searches, in case we come up against them.” Ronan had no doubts now that Esther would help, and he wasn’t wrong.

“
Of course I will. I would think there will only be one wielding the magic though. They tend to hunt with one Witch and several others helping. Dark magic is still rare, and he will be working with other supernatural beings, probably Vampires as they are so fast....”

Ronan was the one to interrupt this time. “Vampires? For their speed...why?”

Esther almost chuckled, he could hear it just before she seemed to catch herself. “Because, Ronan, Dragons while in human form are
very
fast. They will need Vampires to have even a ghost of a chance of catching this one.”

Ronan’s breath caught in his throat, the girl, was
she
the Dragon? She had certainly moved with a speed he hadn’t thought possible, disappearing so fast that they couldn’t track her. Was that girl the Dragon? He found himself hoping she was.

“
I see. We saw a girl and she called me a ‘bloodsucking leech’ before moving so fast that the half second it took us to react...she was gone.” Ronan could still see those violet eyes, clearly in his mind, every time he thought on her.

“
That would be about right. Dragons stay hidden, usually within the human world. They try to stay away from other supernatural beings, because they would sense they weren’t what they seemed. This girl…her hatred for Vampires probably comes from a long time trying to escape their clutches. I can well understand why she would call you that.” Esther actually laughed at this point and the sound was like a high tinkling coming down the line.

“
Okay, so this girl is the Dragon. We need to find her Esther, and keep her safe.” Ronan’s heart lurched as he thought of Vampires hunting the girl. She was tall but looked undernourished; she needed help...his help. He shook his head trying to clear it as he tried to process his reaction. He didn’t even know this Dragon, but already he was trying to figure out how to get his hands on her...to keep her safe, of course...or that’s what he was trying to tell himself.

“
Yes, we do, when are you going out again?” Esther asked, as her laughter died down.

“
Tomorrow night, around ten. I’m taking Sam, Drake and Serge with me, and you, of course, if you can make it,”

Esther replied instantly, “I’ll be ready, see you then, Ronan.”

“Thank you,” he answered, knowing that their chances of success had just risen substantially.

“
Goodbye.” Esther hung up the phone and Ronan stood, wondering about his reaction to the girl. Strange didn’t even come close.

He replaced the phone on the desk. “Sam.” He raised his voice only slightly as he summoned his second.

It was a couple of minutes before Sam appeared; still looking slightly disgruntled about not going on his date the next evening. Tough, the Dragon was far more important than Sam getting his pleasure from some hot little Wolf.

“
What?” Sam all but snapped, obviously pissed off.

“
I’ve just spoken to Esther...she’s coming with us tomorrow by the way...she was explaining how fast Dragons are in human form. That girl we saw is the Dragon...and she probably hates Vampires, ‘cause that’s what they use to hunt her, for their speed,” Ronan’s voice had tapered off at the end, the thought of the girl hating Vampires...therefore him...had him wishing it weren’t so.

“
Really? Shit, no wonder she called you a ‘bloodsucking leech’! If Esther’s coming then we should be all set to find this girl or if we come across those hunters then Old Witchy can get rid of them for us, which’ll make our job a lot easier from there on.” Sam seemed to relax a little as he spoke, no doubt realizing the importance of having Esther along.

“
Do you need to call her that? She’s a very old, powerful, noble, woman...calling her Old Witchy seems so rude!” Ronan knew that his friend probably didn’t mean it to sound like that, but it still did. Sam’s pet name for Esther rankled him greatly each and every time Sam said it…probably why Sam said it in the first place.

“
Hey, she’s old and she’s a Witch, what’s wrong with saying that?” Sam was smirking, again, as Ronan frowned up at him.

“
Oh, Ifreann na Fola, just try and show some respect, will you?” Ronan just wasn’t in the mood for Sam’s crassness.

“
Okay, okay! Calm down, why don’t ya. I’m away to break the bad news to Miriam about tomorrow. I hope for your sake she lets me reschedule, ‘cause I’m telling ya, if she don’t...I’m not gonna be happy!”

Sam was referring to the Wolf in records he had had his eye on for weeks, if not months. Ronan watched as he left the office and hoped she let him change the date too. Sam could be
very
annoying when he was pissed off.

He started to sort through the mounds of paperwork on his desk, making sure teams were where they should be, reports were being handed in, expenses...jeez, he hated paperwork.

He was going to have to get himself an assistant, one that could do most of this stuff for him, but he had put it off for so long that he wondered if he could work with anyone that closely. He was a little set in his ways and the thought of breaking someone in to his way of doing things wasn’t something he was looking forward to. But, if he didn’t, he was sure he was going to drown in the mountain of paper that was piling up on his desk.

His thoughts turned to the Dragon again, her words ‘bloodsucking leech’ irking him a little. She didn’t know him so how could she make such a snap decision? The way she had spoken the words stung him...loathing and hatred were clear in her tone. The thought of her hating him also got to him, but in a completely different manner.

He didn’t want her to hate him, or even dislike him...why? He didn’t know.

A knock on his door brought him out of his daydreaming. Through the glass, he saw Serge waiting in the corridor outside. “Come in,” he told the tattooed Wolf who was also part Witch.

“Drake’s just been filling me in, just to let you know I’ve got something scheduled for today but I’ll be finished and available for tomorrow. I hear you were going to see if Esther’s available? I hope she is ‘cause my magic is no match for dark magic, boss.”

Serge had moved inside, sat down and leaned forward, his elbows leaning on the edge of Ronan’s desk. The blonde hair in sharp contrast to the dark tattoos he had around his neck and disappearing down underneath his clothing.

The tattoos were tribal in nature, covering almost all of Serge’s torso, both front and back. Although Ronan had a couple himself; he knew he wouldn’t have had the patience it would take to have such a large and intricate body of work done.  Patience was one of Serge’s better qualities. He could stay in one position, under cover, for many hours, never moving, staying alert.

It was a virtue that came in handy in their line of work.

“Don’t worry, Esther’s coming with us, until we find what we’re after then she’ll accompany us.”

Serge broke in, “About that, what we’re after…is Drake pulling some kind of joke on me, or are we really looking for a Dragon?”

Ronan tried to hide the smile that came to his face, at the shocked look on Serge’s, but failed miserably. “Yeah, we are, I know, it’s kinda out there, but she’s very real and we need to protect her at all costs.”

Serge nodded, his eyes wide, as he took in Ronan’s words. “Okay, well guess we go save a Dragon.”

Serge pulled his elbows from the desk and stood up, gave his body a shake, then left, not saying anything else. Ronan guessed the Wolf was trying to process the fact that they were going on a Dragon hunt.

He went back to his paperwork, sorting out the piles into several smaller ones. Urgent, nearly urgent, not urgent, forget.

His usual filing system. One he had used since he took over as Director. The most important things, in his opinion, were making sure his men and women did what they were supposed to do without taking advantage of their positions. After that was making sure the expenses paperwork got passed up the line, going to an unnamed branch of government, which paid for the SEB. Then came the day to day stuff that had to be done in order for them to function properly and lastly...complaints and mundane things that had him shoving the paperwork in the pile for shredding.

The pile for shredding was, by far, the largest.

So far, without anyone complaining from further up the line, he would just keep doing what he did. If it wasn’t good enough the Boss could get someone else. A chuckle escaped him as he realized he was thinking of the President of the United States as the Boss. That was weird on so many different levels; he usually just forgot about that fact and did the job in hand.

Another hour and he had made some headway on the paperwork, his piles sorted and ready for him to go through in more detail...apart from the last, of course. He brought the urgent pile towards him and had just started when Sam appeared back, a smile on his face.

“I assume Miriam was okay about you changing your date?” Ronan continued shuffling paperwork, knowing that Sam would never be able to keep things to himself. If Sam had been a woman he would be called a shocking gossip.

“
She sure did! As soon as she heard what I was canceling for, she got all gushy and fluttered her lashes at me mercilessly! ‘Oh be careful Sam, dark magic and a Dragon, you could get hurt!’ Her eyes wide and her mouth all pouty...ya know?”

Ronan lifted his head but only to shake it at his friend. “You really are a man-whore, poor woman doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into.”

Sam looked hurt, an act if ever there was one. “What? I treat my ladies just fine, more than fine...I treat them like queens...and I’ve never had any complaints...”

Ronan actually laughed. “Are you shittin’ me? No complaints? What ‘bout, oh let me see… Mary, yes, Mary, remember her? I had to transfer her ‘cause she went all stalker on your ass. Then, what ‘bout Eliza? Hmm, remember Eliza? She needed fucking therapy after you dumped her! No complaints, my ass. One of these days you’re gonna meet a woman who treats you just as bad and it’s not gonna be nice!”