Dragon Hearts (D.O.A. Book 1) Read online

  "What's wrong with this thing?" Bren asked in confusion.

  Focusing back on his mate and dragon, Pit saw the glistening orbs of his beast. "He thinks you're rejecting him. If you would just give him a chance, he could talk──"

  "Rejecting him? What in the hell would I be rejecting? I don't understand any of this. I just want to go back to my clinic. I have a patient that just had surgery. I need to be there when she wakes." Bren practically begged.

  Pit nodded, "Yes, one of my men already contacted Stephanie and she is going to cover for you this evening. I'm sorry, Bren, but we have much we need to discuss."

  "The only thing we need to discuss is how I can get out of this mess and get my ass back to my clinic. This is insanity at its finest. I didn't ask to come here. I didn't ask for any of this. Now, how in the hell do I get away from this thing without dying?" Bren snapped.

  Their dragon began to whimper and tears filled his massive blue orbs. Their beast unwrapped Bren from his hold and sat up, his body slouched and head hanging low.

  "I know you're scared and confused, Bren, but that does not give you the right to be so cruel to our maharishi. He is a great warrior and friend. He would lay down his life for either of us. To talk as if he is a killing beast, no better than the man who is out there now killing those children, is beyond wrong. It is cruel. I would think, that as a veterinarian, you of all men would give an animal the benefit of the doubt."

  Bren looked at the dragon, and back at Rene, "He's a dragon, Rene. This isn't a lab or golden retriever. It's a fucking dragon. I've never heard of a nice dragon. Well, that's not true, there was Pete's Dragon, but he doesn't count because...well there was also the dragons in How to Train Your Dragon, but that was a cartoon. Dear God, I am losing my mind."

  "No, Bren. You are not losing your mind. All he wants──All I want, is a chance. Please just give us a chance." Rene whispered.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Bren drew in a sharp breath. Rene sounded so compelling and honest. Okay, none of this made any sense to him, but hysterics was not going to change facts. Bren liked facts. Hell, he had always prided himself on getting all the facts before diagnosing any of his patients.

  Okay, think Bren. Fact one, dragons are real. The proof was standing next to him. Fact two, these men were brought here by an angel of God, himself. Okay, maybe he didn't have real proof, but every one of the men he met had agreed to that fact, so for now, he will keep that as a fact. Fact three, Bren was the only one that could control the beast. Well, it hadn't eaten him yet and the thing had every opportunity, so, again, like fact two, he would run with that as a fact, for now. Fact four, he, Rene, and this dragon had some sort of connection. Now this one was a bit more difficult. Bren did get a boner every time he heard the man speak or saw him in person. That could just be because he was sexy as fuck, so was that really a fact? However, the fact that the dragon seemed to only want to be with him did put the odds in Rene's favor. Shit, okay, for now Bren would put that in the to be determined section. So where did that leave him? Maybe it was time he stopped freaking out and tried to do as everyone was asking him. All he had to do was think of the dragon like Brian Tillman's lady lizard that Bren did checkups on twice a year. A really big fucking lizard, but it was all he had to go with for now.

  Turning to the beast before him, Bren not only heard the whimpering sounds coming from him, he could see tears and pain within his cobalt blue eyes. Bren felt his heart clench in sadness at the thought of being the cause of such sorrow. The dragon looked heartbroken. Bren's brows scrunched together, "His eyes are the same color as yours."

  "Yes, it is the way of our link." Rene replied, sounding pleased that Bren had noticed that small fact.

  "Kind of like, the eyes are the mirror to your soul?" Bren asked.

  "I guess. Honestly, I never thought about it." Rene answered.

  Bren drew in a deep breath once more, then let it out slowly. "He really looks sad. What is his name?"

  "His name?" Rene asked in confusion.

  Turning to Rene, Bren replied, "Well, it is usually helpful to speak to someone or something if you knew what their name is."

  Shrugging Rene replied, "I always called him maharishi. Other than that, I don't know of one."

  Bren gasped, pursed his lips, as he placed his hands on his hips, "Are you telling me that you two have been together for years and never once did you think to ask or give your maharishi a name? I mean, maharishi is a term, not a name. How could you two be bonded together like you say when you don't even have a name to call him? What is it you say when he helps you──Hey you, go eat that man, he's getting away?"

  "Bren, he and I have been together for over four hundred and fifty years, and he has never told me his name. We speak often. It's just that we never needed names. I don't remember a time he ever used my name, either." Rene replied.

  "Four hundred and fifty years? How the fuck old are──" Bren brought his hand up, waving it around, stopping any reply from Rene, "You know what? Don’t answer that. It's something else we can come back to.”

  Bren looked back at the maharishi, swallowed, and drew in his courage, saying, "Do you have a name?"

  The dragon never looked up as he slowly shook his head.

  "Would you like a name?" Bren asked.

  The large, electric blue, scaled head rose and the massive, sharp teeth were all Bren could focus on. Bren stepped back slightly, only for those teeth to disappear as the dragon lowered his head once more. "Shit! You were smiling, weren't you? Sorry, just try and remember, all of this is new to me. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, I'm just trying to adjust to everything."

  Keeping its dragon lips tightly closed, the corners of the maharishi's lips raised. It looked more like the poor thing was constipated, but even Bren could tell it was trying not to scare or upset him. "So, do you want us to name you?"

  The dragon slightly peeked in Bren's direction and slowly nodded.

  Giving him a small smile, Bren said, "Okay, Rene, I say we call out a few names and he can decide which he likes. I'll start. Pete?"

  The maharishi looked at Bren and Bren could have sworn, if had he had eyebrows, the dragon would be raising his right one, as his lip raised high on one side, in a look of disgust.

  Rene snorted, "Seriously? You want to name him after a movie?"

  Bren turned to Rene with shrug saying, "It was just a thought."

  "How about Zethure?" Rene asked.

  "And how the hell is that any better? Who the fuck could even say that?" Bren argued.

  Shrugging Rene replied, "It sounded dragony, at the time."

  The dragon looked at Rene and shook his head.

  "Rodney?" Bren suggested.

  Again, the dragon drew back, and looked as if he scrunched his snout, shaking his head.

  "I thought Rene said you could talk. So why not come up with some for yourself?" Bren asked.

  Sighing, Rene replied, "Because, although he chose to stay with you, Bren, the connection is not complete. Therefore, he cannot speak within your mind. Since he is no longer connected within me, he can also no longer speak to me."

  Bren looked at the maharishi wide eyes in shock, "You mean you gave up your voice to be with me?"

  The maharishi nodded at Bren then brought his arms up, spreading his hand, as if to say, why not.

  "Damn, I sure hope it will all be worth your sacrifice. Let's keep going with the name." Bren replied.

  For the next five minutes Rene and Bren called out name after name, but the damn dragon refused them all. Hell, some of them he even seemed to snort at.

  Getting frustrated himself, Bren said, "This is not working. Give me some background, it might help."

  "The day we were brought together was during our investigation in the Mexican Port. Ships would come in to trade, but someone decided to start killing the men and take their goods. Sometimes it was the traders on the ship. Sometimes it was the men they were going to trade with. My men and I were just
starting out and new to this line of work. We made mistakes. A message was sent to us about a man named Jonathan Wilks. He was what you would call today the Port authority. The informant said that there was another trade expected that evening. We rushed in without a plan. Our maharishi tried to warn us of the danger, but we ignored their alarm. We had no Intel on the location. Needless to say, we walked in on an ambush. We were in the middle of a sword fight with hundreds of men. Our maharishi joined the fight and saved our lives. It's the moment that we understood we were one with our maharishi and that meant they were part of our team."

  "What was the name of the Port?" Bren asked.

  "San Juan De Ulua." Rene replied.

  Turning to the dragon, Bren asked, "What about Juan?"

  The maharishi stood up, tilting his head from one side to the other as it clacked its large claws together. Bren could definitely tell he was considering it. Then the dragon shook his head.

  Bren thought a moment, the snapped his fingers, "You know, in Spanish the word for blue is Azul. What would you think of that name?"

  "Azul? I like that. What about you, maharishi?" Rene asked.

  The enormous, sharp teeth appeared once more as the dragon’s large scaled hands clapped together and his big blue head moved up and down.

  "Azul, it is." Bren replied with a smile.

  "Okay, Azul, Rene and I have a lot of things to talk over. I know I keep vibing that I'm scared, but it's because I am. To be honest, I'm fucking terrified." Bren stated.

  Azul dropped his head down, making a sad sound, Bren built up his courage and walked towards the beast, and with a shaky hand touched his large sapphire blue scale on his leg, "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or Rene's. I'm asking for a chance to digest all of this. It isn't every day that you see a myth come to life.

  Azul gave a tentative look to Bren and then looked at where Bren was touching him. Bren could have sworn he heard a purr.

  "I don't want anyone hurt while I try and understand everything going on here. Maybe there's a way for you to be with me as I work my way through all of this? Just not so others are scared to be eaten if they breath in my direction. I really need some answers. Then maybe you, me, and Rene can go somewhere and get to know each other better?" Bren asked.

  Azul looked at Bren as if seeking the truth in his words. He must have accepted what Bren was saying, because he closed his eyes, and sparkling sapphire blue particles formed around him then in a flurry, rushed onto Bren's forearm.

  Bren gasped as he felt something moving around inside, almost like butterflies where truly in his stomach. Then they settled and Bren looked down, only to see an Azul tattoo on his arm. Bren let out a small yip, when one of those beautiful eyes winked at him. "Okay, now that is fucking freaky."

  Rene walked towards Bren, holding out his hand, "Come with me, Bren and allow me to introduce you to my team. I have to check in with them anyway about what they found out today, and then if you would be so kind as to join me, we can go somewhere private and talk."

  Bren looked at Rene's hand and slowly extended his own, jerking it back as a small bolt of electricity formed between their fingers, giving him a small shock. "What in the hell was that?"

  Shaking his head, Rene replied, "I don't know exactly, but maybe Eagle has some answers for us."

  Rene continued to hold out his hand and Bren tentatively took it, feeling that small shock once more run from his hands straight to his balls. Bren's dick actually twitched in his pants. Bren wondered if Rene was having the same issue keeping his dick in check.

  "Trust me, I am." Rene saying in a tighter tone than he had just moments ago.

  Bren turned quickly to look at Rene. With a small laugh, Rene replied, "You tend to talk out loud."

  "Only when I'm nervous or scared." Bren mumbled.

  Smiling, Rene replied, "I understand that all of this is confusing and even a bit traumatic, but I swear to you that I will help you in any way that I can and so will any of my men."

  Snorting, Bren muttered, "Not the Indian. Hell, you'd think that with me being Cherokee he might find that a bonding moment."

  "Taj is Cherokee as well. He and I have been best friends our entire lives. Trust me when I say, that is a very long time. He, like the rest of us, had been told about finding our sentience, but he, like the rest of us, all thought it was a myth. I mean, we are all over five hundred years old and have been with D.O.A. for four hundred and fifty of those years. Never have any of us found or sensed our mates. So, he is a bit of a skeptic." Rene replied as they made their way to a large wood building.

  Snorting, Bren replied, "The man has serious trust issues."

  "For good reason. Bren, please, just give him a chance. I'm sure once you two get to know each other you will become close friends. Just remember, as old as we are, we have been through a great deal." Rene stated opening the door.

  Bren stopped dead in his tracks as ten men stood there staring at him. Some looked delighted by Bren's presence, some looked uneasy, a few looked indifferent, but one looked stoic, almost angry.

  "Everyone, this is doctor Bren Billman, my sentience." Rene announced.

  Justas Bren was about to say hello, a man with short dark hair and glasses came running into the room, "Pit, we have another murder."

  Rene tensed in anger, growling, "Where?"

  "Falon Fredricks on Fairview road. He was only sixteen years old." The man replied sadly.

  "Oh my God! Falon?" Bren gasped dropping into a chair next to him.

  Rene looked at Bren, "You know this young man?"

  Nodding, Bren whispered, "I've known all the boys that have been killed."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Rene lightly gripped Bren's shoulder and gently squeezed, "I'm sorry, Bren."

  Cobra gently asked, "I'm sorry for your loss, Bren, but do you think you might be able to answer some questions? I hate to ask, but you might be able to help us gather some information that could help us catch this fucker killing these kids."

  Bren nodded, quietly saying, "I don't know how I can help. I mean, I knew the boys, we talked and laughed together. I really liked them and they were good kids. However, they were still kids. I didn't exactly hang out with them."

  "Just tell us what you can remember about them." Hunter encouraged.

  Bren's pain was like acid to Rene's skin. Rene hated to see his mate hurting and would give anything to make that anguish evaporate from his mate's heart and mind. However, the only thing he could think to do was catch this son of a bitch before he did it again.

  Drawing in a loud breath and letting it out slowly, Bren asked, "Where do you want me to start?"

  "How about if we begin with Aaron. I figure you met him through his mom, Stephanie?" Rene asked.

  Bren looked at Rene, and nodded, "Steph and I went to high school together in El Paso, Texas. When Rylee, Jude, and I decided to move here out of college, Steph asked to come with us. She had just broken things off with her boyfriend and wanted a fresh start."

  "Wait, are you telling me that you've known Aaron Archer since he was born?" Rene asked in horror.

  Nodding, Bren replied. His eyes teared up, and his words almost choked with his tears, "We were all there in the birthing room.”

  "What about Aaron's dad?" Rene asked.

  Bren snorted, as he wiped his eyes, "You mean the sperm donor? The second he found out about Steph being pregnant he took off. She dated here and there, but when she dumped the last guy she felt like she needed a change, and since Rylee, Jude, and I decided to move out here, she packed up Aaron and came with us."

  "Rylee and Jude?" Rene asked with a slight growl in his tone.

  Bren smiled at the sound of Rene's jealousy, saying, "We've been best friends since we were in diapers. We all graduated college at the same time. Jude's a doctor and Rylee is a lawyer."

  "And you're a Vet? Nice. Damn, your mom must be proud. " Wiz said with a nod.

  Once again Bren scoffed, "I wouldn't know. I haven't spoken
to her or my father since the day I turned fifteen and they found out I was gay."

  Wiz gasped, "Oh, my Gods, that's horrible. So young to be turned away!?"

  "I was lucky compared to most kids this happens to. Jude's mom took me in and raised me as her own. The state granted her guardianship and they became my family from that moment on. I was raised with more love than I knew what to do with." Bren replied softly.

  Taj grunted, asking, "Did you like the kid?"

  Bren looked up at Taj angrily, "No, I loved Aaron. He was a great kid. He was smart and funny."

  "Then why do I smell guilt whenever you talk about the boy?" Taj asked with a little more force than necessary.

  Rene snapped, "What the fuck is your problem, Taj? Don't talk to my sentience in that tone or I'll knock your fucking teeth out."

  Taj threw his arm in Bren's direction, "He is the one holding back, Pit, and if your mind was on this case and not on his dick then maybe we might find out who the hell is doing this to these boys."

  Rene jumped forward, but Bren stood up and got in the middle of the two men yelling, "Stop! Just stop it!"

  Casper, Cobra, and Solo held Taj back, as Taj yelled, "You all know I'm right. The scent of guilt is so heavy in this room you can damn near taste it. What does Bren, your precious sentience, have to feel guilty about?"

  "I gave him his first fucking plane, asshole!" Bren yelled then dropped back into his chair, wiping the tear from his eyes. "The day he was born I got him an airplane mobile for his crib. Every year after that I would buy him a plane. I even got him a remote control one for his fifth birthday. That's when he started talking about wanting to be a pilot." A watery laugh escaped Bren's lips, as he said, "Of course, he didn't know what a pilot was at that age, but he would say, "look Bren, I fly! I fly! When I growed up, I'm gonna fly one."