Suffer the Knight Read online

  Suffer

  The

  Knight

  Dragon’s Blood M.C.

  Book 11

  Copyright © 2019 by B.A. Stretke

  Published by Superiorland Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person (living or dead), place, or event is purely coincidence.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Kai woke to the sounds of battle or rather a massacre occurring on the edge of his property to the North. The dragons were at it again, but this time it sounded deadly. Ever since they moved in and took over the mountain, Kai has felt the constant pressure and the push to leave. He is the final hold out, preventing them from owning the entire mountain.

  At just twenty acres, they offered him outrageous amounts of money for the purchase of his property. Every time he refused, they offered more, but this was his home, his father's home, his grandfather's home, and he would not give it up for love nor money. It was his refuge, his solace, and, most of all - his home.

  The dragons had systematically bought up the entire mountain over the past thirteen years, and they own it all now except Kai's twenty acres. They will have to wait until the day he dies to get their hands on his land. Unfortunately, that day may come sooner rather than later. Their conflicts continued to draw closer and closer to his property line, and he was coming to the realization that it may not be a coincidence.

  They either want to make it so uncomfortable for him that he sells or hope that he will eventually become collateral damage. Kai had reached his limit with trying to ignore his ever-expanding neighbors. He had a reputation as a loner and outsider that kept to himself, but that didn't mean he wouldn't go to whatever lengths necessary to protect what was his, and this small part of the mountain was his.

  He headed out to where he heard the commotion, but by the time that he arrived, whatever had happened was over, and nothing remained on a swath of land nearly a quarter-mile wide except fine grey dust that covered the now barren earth.

  The grass, trees, undergrowth all gone in a blast of dragon fire. Kai had become familiar with the force and the outcome over the years. The dragons tended to deal with all their problems in this manner, and when on their land, it was their business. But this time, they set Kai's trees ablaze as well, and that was Kai's business.

  Pissing and whining was not his style, but he knew that if he gave these dragons an inch, they would take an acre. He would protect what was his against any and all intrusion, even dragon fire.

  This land belonged to his grandfather Henry first, and then his father Hank, and now it belonged to him. After his parents split, his father brought him here to get away from the bad influence of the wolf pack in town. Kai doesn't remember a lot about his mother Kathleen since she wasn't around much, and even when she was, she wasn't interested in him. He didn't hold it against her, she-wolves tended to be emotionally distant, according to his father.

  He remembered how the split tore his father up and how these twenty acres became his father’s comfort, his life, and his love, and Kai would be damned if a bunch of dragons were going to run him off or buy him out. He went back to his cabin and put together a formal letter of grievance and mailed it to the Dragon King.

  …

  “Duncan has asked for you to meet him inside.” Jude relayed the message to his younger brother Grey who was presently relaxing on the expansive back deck of their new home, the Gatehouse. It was a massive structure built atop the mountain to house the Dragon King and his Knights specifically, but also the service staff and any member who needed their protection.

  The Dragon Circle had completed their relocation from the Shetland Islands, where they'd lived for centuries to this beautiful mountain located on the edge of Laramie Wyoming. They’d established themselves throughout the area as landowners, business owners, and good citizens to the human population and as the apex species of predators among the paranormal population.

  As dragon shifters, there were no other species who could best them apart from hellhounds who could hold their own but could not defeat them. Shortly upon arrival, the dragons cleared the area of the wolf pack that threatened their mates and the locals and continued to keep a close watch on the paranormals that resided within their territory. This was their home, their lives, and their future together. They would defend it to the death.

  “Do you know what it’s about?” Grey asked as he quickly got up and began to head inside.

  "It has to do with the mess we left on the far side of the mountain. I believe our neighbor has lodged a complaint." Jude poured himself a glass of lemonade and took a seat. He marveled at the view every time he came out on the deck. This place was gorgeous with the color and the low hanging clouds, it was magnificent, and he was coming to love it as much as he had the islands.

  “We cleaned that up. Wasn’t a shred of evidence remaining when we left.” Grey shot back in their defense.

  "We lit up a couple of his trees in the process," Jude told him.

  "Really?" Grey responded sarcastically.

  “Really.” Jude echoed.

  “Wolves.” He said with a shake of his head. “Will we ever be finished with wolves?”

  “I doubt it.” Jude laughed as Grey went in search of Duncan.

  Jude had nothing against the wolf, but just like everyone else, he wished Mr. Becket would sell and move off to be with a pack somewhere else. Having a wolf on their mountain had never set well with them from the beginning. Since coming to this area, the dragons had more than one run-in with the beasts, and it never ended well.

  Clan Keith, the original settlers whose quest brought them to this land, began buying up the mountain over a decade ago in anticipation of the Dragon Circle moving and taking leadership of this territory. Calum Keith, the Chieftain of Clan Keith, had offered the wolf a fortune to give up his small portion of the mountain because Calum wanted it secured when the King arrived. But the stubborn wolf refused over and over even with the offer becoming obscenely large. For some reason, probably ridiculous to anyone but the wolf, he held fast.

  Oh well, dragons lived centuries longer than wolf shifters so they could just wait him out. The day would come when they would simply buy the property from his estate or at auction. The man was a hermit, loner type, so it was unlikely he would have any family interested in keeping twenty acres in this desolate area. Yes, they would wait him out.

  …

  "Jude, come into my office." Duncan caught Jude as he was heading to relieve Locke, their younger brother, who was patrolling. He instantly turned and followed Duncan into his office. "Sit." He was curtly instructed and so did not question or hesitate. Duncan remained standing.

  "The small problem, the minor irritation that existed between us and the landowner to the South has now, thanks to Grey's involvement, turned into an international incident." His voice kept getting louder and deeper as the sentence drew on, and Jude could feel the anger boiling. He didn't want to ask, but he had to.

  "What did Grey do?" He asked and waited for the eruption, and he didn't have to wait long.

  "He was to simply apologize and make restitution for the property damage, but instead, he thought it a better idea to threaten to destroy the man and his entire species. Grey told him that he was going to wipe out every wolf on the face of the earth." Duncan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down before c
ontinuing.

  "Was he threatened? Did the guy challenge him?" Jude interjected, hoping to find the reason for such an overreaction.

  "Grey said he was an asshole, and he probably was, but Grey was sent there to de-escalate this situation not inflame it." Duncan stated clearly, and all Jude could do was nod. Grey had really stuck his foot in it, and he'd be lucky if Duncan didn't decide to embed him with a wolf pack for a few months to teach him acceptance and humility like he'd done to their brother Rafe.

  Rafe had disrespected King Duncan’s human mate Lyle because he had a grudge against humans. Rafe was forced to spend months living among the humans and learning to appreciate their value before the King brought him home.

  Duncan had no time or tolerance for unwarranted prejudice as of late. With all the new bonds within the Circle, it was important that the leadership show acceptance of all species, with of course the exclusion of jackals. There was just nothing good or redeeming about a jackal.

  "Kai Becket, our neighbor, has contacted his Alpha and lodged an additional complaint of verbal abuse to go with the property damage and is also threatening to petition the council of paranormals citing harassment for the purpose of removal," Duncan shouted.

  He paused and took a deep breath before walking over to his desk and sitting down. “We don’t fall under the powers of either his Alpha or the council, but the optics are not good considering we are trying to make this our home. We want to go unnoticed as much as possible, and this spotlight does not help us achieve that end."

  Jude did not comment further but waited for whatever it was that Duncan needed from him. He called him in here for a reason, and Jude doubted he was going to like it. The wolf on the South side of the mountain had been a sore spot for a while, having to always take into consideration that he was there. It would be so much easier if they just had the run of the mountain. But Grey had no grounds to threaten the man, he'd never been a real problem until today.

  "I want you to go and speak with Mr. Kai Becket. I should have sent you, to begin with, but I thought it would be an easy job and that Grey could handle it." Duncan shook his head. "Clean this up, Jude, before it gets completely out of hand. You're diplomatic and wise like our birth father. You have his looks and his ability to calm any storm. The rest of us seem to have taken after the King with his fiery temper and sometimes short fuse. Who would have thought the Viking warrior would have been the rational one of the pair.” Duncan chuckled at the memory of their fathers, the Dragon King and the Viking warrior.

  "They were an unlikely couple, but so deeply in love." Jude too lovingly touched the memories. He pulled himself back before melancholia set in. "I'll do my best Duncan, but if Grey has this guy's back up, it may take more than a few kind words and some financial restitution." He warned.

  “What are you suggesting?”

  "I'm asking permission to offer up a couple of acres along with the cash if necessary. This is a wolf, their lives are much shorter than ours; at some point, Kai Becket will be no more, and the Circle will be able to purchase the land." Jude voiced his thoughts of earlier. "What's the danger in giving him a few extra acres when we know sooner or later we will get it all back?" Jude wanted something more to offer in case the visit started to go as Grey's had. The wolf valued land, so land would most likely get him to back off.

  Duncan thought about it for a few minutes before answering. "Okay, but only as a last resort and no more than five acres."

  “Has the meeting been set up?” Jude asked.

  "Yes, he's expecting you at four this afternoon," Duncan responded. "Lyle said that he was not happy about having to meet with another of our kind but relented to see you after he told him about the wall."

  Lyle was King Duncan's human mate and consort and also took on the duties of the King’s personal assistant. Lyle was good with people and well organized. He'd helped their King immensely since becoming part of their lives.

  “What wall?” Jude interjected.

  "Lyle believes that I'm taking things too far, but I need to secure our people and put a stop to the petty squabbles with our neighbor. So, once this is settled, I plan to erect a wall high enough that our business will stay our business. The wall will follow the property line of Mr. Kai Becket, blocking him out of our lives." Duncan stood, letting Jude know that to argue would be fruitless.

  …

  Kai paced the floor of his small cottage wishing he'd controlled his anger and minded his own damned business. His grievance letter to the King led to a very distasteful visit by the biggest horse's ass in existence. Now he was to endure another such visit, which could very likely be followed by his property being walled off from the rest of the mountain. Long story short, he had completely fucked himself.

  After that, Dragon Knight Grey Adair strutted onto his property, dripping with superiority and disdain, he could not stop himself from reacting. He threw the man's offer of restitution back in his face. He followed that with a stupid idle threat of contacting his Alpha, who happens to be Premier Alpha, leader of all the packs West of the Mississippi. Then added that he would present a formal citation to the Council. What a fucking idiot he was.

  He checked his watch and saw that it was nearing four, so he stepped out onto his porch. He really should invite whoever arrives inside, but he just couldn't stomach having one of those dragons in his home. They would talk outside.

  …

  Jude drove one of the black SUVs only because it handled well on the mountain roads. He would have preferred a less dominant threatening vehicle like Lyle’s unassuming little car, but it had to be the SUV for these roads. He spoke with Grey before leaving so as to have an idea of the extent of the hornet’s nest he was about to walk into.

  Apparently, the wolf had a very haughty attitude from the get-go and made some derogatory remarks about dragons being bad neighbors. This led to Grey behaving likewise and subsequently being thrown off the wolf’s property. That was the short version.

  Grey made one very interesting observation before his departure, and that was the lack of scent. For a full-grown male wolf Kai Becket should be giving off buckets of scent, but Grey insisted it was barely there, just a light essence which would be missed unless you were looking for it. He may be only part shifter or using an inhibitor. Until recently, Mr. Becket preferred quiet isolation, so an inhibitor was not a surprise, for it would hide him from the paranormal world.

  Whatever his reasons, it was none of Jude's business. His only concern was settling the dispute over the incinerated trees and convincing Mr. Becket to dismiss the complaints he issued to his Alpha and the Council.

  Jude chose to drive around the front and enter through the main road that led to Kai's driveway. The drive was long and bending with ruts and debris, definitely not a welcoming entrance. Finally, he pulled up in front of a rather pleasant little cottage with a large, deep covered front porch. As he exited his vehicle, he saw a man step down from the porch and approach, watching Jude with eyes that seemed to bore right through him.

  This was Kai Becket, the recluse, the hermit, the wolf shifter. He looked handsome as hell, and that struck Jude out of left field. Since when did he ever find a wolf shifter even the slightest bit attractive?

  Wolves were by nature, lowborn and ill-bred. They leaned heavy on their beast and acted as such. But it was true, the attraction he felt stirred a desire that was carnal and urgent. The thick dusty blond hair that lifted slightly with the wind along with the alluring hazel eyes were definitely catching his attention.

  The man's body was solid and muscled as a farmer or laborers would be. He looked strong and of the earth, and he called to Jude's lust, which was very awkward considering he was there to negotiate a deal and not bed the man.

  Maybe the attraction was due to the fact that Kai did not give off a pungent smell of wolf. As Grey had said, Kai smelled more human than wolf. If he was using an inhibitor, it was a good one, which meant it had magic as its base. But that again was not his business
, he was there to negotiate, not to discuss the man's life choices.

  Jude paused a moment to dismiss his unwanted attraction before walking up to the man who had descended the stairs to meet him. It didn't look like he was to be invited inside, which wasn’t a surprise considering Grey’s behavior. The meeting would be here in the drive with the clear intent of it being over with quickly.

  CHAPTER TWO

  This man was obviously one of the Dragon Knights his size and look was similar to the other who had paid him a visit. The man on the phone said he would be meeting with Jude Adair, Second of the King’s Knights. It was an impressive title for a very impressive looking man.

  He stood tall like the other, and his hair was black and his eyes the same striking emerald green, but his appearance was raw and wild like a warrior of old, whereas Grey Adair's style had been classic and conservative like a soldier.

  Jude’s hair was long down the center of his back long and braided tight on either side of his head and hanging free down the center. It struck Kai as tribal or of Viking origins. He also had a series of intricate tattoos that covered the left side of his face along the hairline, not interfering with his handsome features, and continued down his throat and beyond.

  On closer inspection, it was clear that Jude was of Viking heritage as well as his obvious Scottish roots as the tattoos spoke to both. This man was a fighter, a seasoned and capable warrior, and he didn't bother to hide that fact. Everything about this man screamed killer, proficient killer, except for his eyes.

  His eyes held a depth, intellect, and wary regard along with what looked like interest. Kai suddenly wondered why such a man was sent to speak with him about such a mundane matter as property damage. His fear that he held in check suddenly began to bleed into his mind and his actions as he took a step back from the man that was towering before him.

  As he drew closer, the smell of dragon filled Kai and stirred his wolf. The smell was heady and rich and full of promise. Kai abruptly looked away and raised his hand, indicating that the dragon should come no closer. They could communicate from here; there was no need to get too close. The dragon stopped and waited, not forcing his way or making any demands. He waited for Kai to speak first as he continued to study him.