Dragonkind

“You’re hired.” The gruff New York accent seemed out of place in the small, Midwestern town. Even if he had not spoken, the burly ex-construction worker stood out a mile in a town where the main industry was ranching and agriculture along with a growing haulage industry.

Jenna looked up into the craggy features and gave a slight smile of thanks. “I haven’t completed my two week probation period …” she began before his stern features halted her flow.

“I know. I also know that my diner hasn’t been so busy in a long time. Nor have I heard so many people raving over my burgers. Only an idiot would let you walk out of here without a job offer and my mother didn’t raise an idiot.” He wiped his hands on the tea towel hanging from his belt. “You want the job?”

Jenna looked at the callused hand, small nicks marking the fingers where he’d caught himself with the knife chopping up the salad that week. She couldn’t afford not to accept the job offer but for once she had found a job that didn’t give her the creeps. Her smoother, paler fingers disappeared in the vastness of his palm and she nodded her acceptance.

“Good. Janice will sort out all the personnel stuff with you tomorrow when she’s in. She’s in charge of the shift rotas so let her know if there are any days you can’t do. We try to be flexible where we can. ”He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Welcome to the crew, Jenna.”

A wave of relief washed over Jenna after he had retreated back into the rear kitchen. She had a job, finally! She looked around the busy diner and gave herself a mental hug. Perhaps now she had found somewhere where she could settle without always feeling as though she was searching for something.



The crisp night air flowed across his skin like a cold, silken sheet gliding over him. The sky was cloudless, a black velvet background sprinkled with thousands of glittering diamonds. He loved nights like this one, when there was nothing around to disturb the simple pleasure of soaring high above the rooftops watching the world below him.

Obsidian eyes, twinkling with the reflection of the stars around him, scanned the town below him. Small wisps of vapour drifted from his nostrils in deference to the chill in the air. Winter was hovering on the horizon, waiting to cover everything in a thick white blanket until Spring was able to peel it all away. Winter would make the hunt harder as the prey preferred to remain indoors around a warm fire than out in the cold. He didn’t mind, though, since winter made his job easier, hunting the predators who hunted those who were vulnerable.

He glided down on to a favourite roof top, his thick talons scratching against the gravel surface as he folded his black leathery wings into his body. His large head moved around at the end of the long, scaly neck as he observed the neighbourhood below. People moved along the street, stopping to look in shop windows, before carrying along their route, oblivious to the knowledge that a large, black dragon was seated upon a rooftop above their heads.

Not that humans could see the dragons that shared their world. Powerful magic shielded the majestic forms from adult eyes unless the dragon wanted to be seen, which they didn’t. Only a child with innocence in its soul could see a dragon through its magic in the same way they could see ghosts. As they grew up and lost their innocence they lost that ability.

Thoughts of children weighed on his mind for his race was dying out. They needed to find women to mate with and produce the next generation of dragonkind or else they would exist only in the minds of children. A dragonkind pregnancy was harsh on the woman and many did not survive. Only a true mate could handle the pregnancy and they were few and far between.

He shook his head to clear his mind of such depressing thoughts and breathed deeply of the chilled air. His stomach rumbled loudly as the scent of onions frying wafted up into the night sky reminding him he had missed the evening meal. If he was lucky his favourite diner would still be open and a hot beef sandwich would go a long way to filling the void in his belly. The great wings stretched out and flexed downwards whilst the powerful hind legs thrust upwards, lifting the great body into the night sky.



“Hey, Jenna, can you make sure all the dirties are in the washers? Cora hates it when she has dirties to deal with in the morning!”

“Already done,” Jenna smiled at Gus as he came out of the storeroom and looked around the kitchen. “There are only the dishes used by the last of the customers to go into the end washer and that’s everything washed.”

“You are an angel.” Gus beamed at her. “How many customers are left?”

“Just two. One guy had a burger and the other a hot beef sandwich.”

Gus nodded. “Hunt,” he said. “Likes his hot beef sandwich. He’s a good man, quiet, but good. Why don’t you head off home? I can finish off here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure. You’ve done good today, kid. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Not giving him chance to change his mind, she whipped off the cream apron and placed it in the laundry bin before grabbing her jacket and slipping out the back door. Outside she breathed deeply of the fresh night air that wasn’t laden with the odours of meat and onions frying on a hot plate. It felt nice to have a purpose in her life after drifting along for so long.