Gemma Draconica

Chapter 2

I settle into the back seat, my gaze drawn to the jagged peaks of the French Alps. The snow-capped summits cut into the sky like ancient teeth—a timeless reminder that I, too, am bound by forces far older than myself.

My eyes trace the ever-shifting dance of light and shadow across the landscape while the old road weaves and meanders.

"Tell me again, Marcus, how long has Erika Dimitrov been gone?"

"About a year. She disappeared at a school carnival. Despite an extensive search, they couldn't find any trace of her."

"Who led the investigation?"

"The coven, with some help from the royal embassy. The humans got the FBI involved."

"The FBI? On a supernatural case? How did that work out?"

Marcus scoffs. "About as well as you might imagine."

"Hmm. How does a teenage vampire disappear from a school function? "

"Dimitrov believes the werewolves are behind her disappearance. Alpha Schuyler denies any involvement."

"And how bad was this skirmish?"

"A few of Dimitrov's vampires were skulking around the pack's borders the other night. Things got out of hand when the patrol stumbled across them. Schuyler diffused it before anyone was killed, but Chancellor Abbott says the situation is getting more volatile by the day."

"Fuck. Dimitrov ought to know better. Schuyler's pack is too strong for his clan to take on. It wouldn't be enough even if the Nevada clan answered a call for help."

And if he were to get the clans in Michigan, New York, and Louisiana to join forces with him, I'd have a full-scale vampire-wolf war on my hands. 

Glancing up from his phone, Marcus turns towards me with a scowl.

"The pilot grounded our plane. He found a mechanical problem during the preflight inspection. He's arranging first-class seats for us on a commercial airline."

My breath quickens, my fists clench, and my nails bite into my palms. The heat rising beneath my skin is sharp and dangerous.

"We're going to fly commercial? Great, fucking great!"

Marcus winces at my tone. My beast has been restless all day, pacing against my subconscious. Losing control and shifting on an aircraft full of mortals would be a disaster.

Humans are no strangers to supernatural creatures. We've coexisted with humanity since their emergence on earth. Over the millennia, they've witnessed werewolves, lycans, and mermaids shift into their animal forms.

But watching a draconian shift into a full-fledged dragon is an honor only a select few have ever seen. We avoid unwanted attention as much as possible, so we avoid flying in our dragon forms cross-continentally.

I can feel the weight of my father's legacy pressing down on me. Six months is all it took for the whispers to begin. He's too young. He's not ready. He'll never fill his father's shoes.

The last thing I need is to give the world another reason to doubt me. I'm already walking over a razor's edge. Every whisper and judgment remind me that I'm still an outsider in his world. This throne will crush me if I let it.

After a few hours, our driver eases the car to a halt in the designated drop-off zone at the airport.

Stepping out, I join Marcus on the curb, taking a moment to survey my surroundings and attune my senses to the environment. Tension lingers inside me, and my heightened awareness keeps me on edge.