Page 4 of Destiny of the Dragons

The bear shifters owned some of the casinos, but mostly if you had a body you needed taken care of, they were who you needed to contact. No one liked to be on their bad side, but it was hard, since most bears shifters perfected the art of always being pissed off.

Dragons presented a united front to the supernatural world, because weakness was a commodity to be exploited, but behind closed doors the fighting between the clans—Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond, and Emerald—was fierce and bloody.

Jace took a corner, the alleyway leading them away from the fountains.

Soon he would have the riches he needed to throw into his mother’s face.

He was the youngest son, and last to be thrown out onto the streets to live or die.

Most dragons didn’t make it through this part of their lifecycle. At first Jace thought it was because they weren’t cunning or smart enough.

But Jace was smart. He landed on his feet, and began running minor thefts, finding brokers for his goods, and moving up the street life food chain.

No, resources wasn’t the problem.

Jace didn’t realize how much weight being in a clan took off a dragon’s shoulders until that link was severed. Alone, his magic churned inside him. The older he grew, the more volatile his magic became.

He wouldn’t have made it without Smoke to help him through the moltings. Smoke, a clanless Sapphire dragon who wouldn’t spit on his old clan if they were on fire, started out as his rival on a lot of back alley deals.

On a job gone south, they started teaming up and doubling their profits. They ran jobs together ever since, and one night they gave in to their mutual passion. Taking a lover, especially a dragon lover, helped ease some of the magic inside him.

A loud pop rang through the air.

Gunfire?Jace thought.

Smoke yanked him against the hedges that lined the entrance of the casino. Gun in hand, Smoke peered around.

The sound came again, and a car spewing exhaust came into view.

Someone’s car, backfiring.

Smoke stayed tense, not moving. Jace didn’t push, he let Smoke realize they weren’t in danger on his own.

With a short shake of his head, Smoke holstered his gun. “Sorry.”

“Better cautious than dead.” They both had enemies. Maybe not bad enough to shoot them on a crowded street, yet, but they were still young.

After the hell Smoke had been through, Jace couldn’t blame him for being jumpy.

Jace pulled out a key from his pocket. It was carved red, shining like ruby. Getting a key to the Troll Market took both of them almost two years, but it was worth it. Now they could pop in any time they needed to pick up jobs better suited to their skillsets, and most of their contacts wanted to meet there, using the Neutral Ground to protect themselves from a set up. Starting a fight in the Troll Market could lead to expulsion, or worse.

Jace lead them back to the walkway, and then approached the grand entrance of the casino. If they didn’t have a job to do, he would have been tempted to play some cards. He was feeling lucky today.

Work first. As they walked through the doors, he pressed the key against the glass. He didn’t need to insert it into a doorknob to work, and the entrances to resorts and casinos were some of the easier portals to access.

Instead of the opulent lobby, there were smooth stone steps leading into the earth.

Smoke went first, and Jace closed the door behind them. It was dark, but they could see fairly well in low light. Sometimes the pathway leading to the Troll Market was a long flight of stairs, spiraling up and up. This time, it was stone steps leading down, the air growing cold and damp.

Jace blew a small burst of fire out of his mouth, just because he could.

Smoke rolled his eyes.

“You’re just jealous.” Jace smirked at him.

Smoke’s fire breath was much weaker, being a Sapphire dragon.

“Sure.” Smoke blew a puff of ice out of his mouth, and Jace’s eyebrows frosted over.

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