You know the drill, I don't own American Dragon but Selena, Emily, Nicky and Bryce belong to me!

I believe I wrote that this update 'won't take me long' in my author's note on the end of the last chapter. All I can say is I'm really sorry it did take me longer than anticipated, I have no excuse other than I hit really terrible writer's block about halfway in and had no clue as to what to do. I've ended up inventing an entire new character with their own storyline to get myself out of it that I can honestly say; I had no intention of doing!

I must warn you that this character has some slight things that may offend some people or possibly gross some people out or I'm freaking out about nothing but please please don't judge me for thinking it up or judge the character either...they have some big big connections and I have big plot ideas running in my head for them.

I also said Bryce would make his first appearance in this chapter but I'm going to have to postpone that until the next chapter. Really sorry about that but I had to make room for my new character.

Enough babble, on with the chapter!

XxXxX

We had finally made it to California ten days after we'd first left New York. Since getting through Nevada and Utah were two short journeys we pushed through overnight to the other side of California to Los Angeles. I stepped off the coach and breathed in the hot Californian air. The scent was familiar and I allowed myself a few minutes to reacquaint myself with it before turning to Jake.

'Let's find a hotel or something and dump the bags. I want to get started on searching right away' I told him

'California is a huge state. How do you know he's even still here?' Jake asked

'He's been here his whole life and never left' I replied

'Oh, and how old is he?' Jake asked

I frowned; there was a slight edge to his voice that I didn't miss. I just hoisted my bag higher up my back and trudged along.

'I remember a hotel along the beach front' I replied

Jake huffed but didn't comment on me blatantly ignoring his question. I figured he must still be cautious about Bryce being Lycanthromorphic and he didn't need to know that he was a lot older. That or he was jealous of him.

We found the hotel, booked the room. The last few places we'd stayed we hadn't even bothered with separate beds, especially after we discovered most of the time it was cheaper. I sat on one side of the bed cross legged, Jake sat on the couch.

'How are we going to do this?' He asked

'I think waiting until nightfall would be best. That way I can transform and there won't be as many people about'

'I thought about asking Fu if he had any contacts here we could ask' Jake suggested 'That way you don't have to transform at all and risk someone seeing you and reporting it'

'Asking about a particular Lycanthropic's location is still risky but it's not a bad idea. Whichever way we play it we're going to be taking a risk' I told him

'I know but someone might decide to capture you if they see you. Lycanthropics fetch a good sum in bounty' Jake replied

The thought of someone catching any Lycanthropic for money made me tingle with fury but I held back. It was just over two weeks until the next full moon. I wanted to have found Bryce before then.

Fu Dog had been in touch nearly every other day. He and his Grandpa had made a few advances in getting an investigation launched and the council had also backed off bothering Emily. That meant mostly normal life had resumed for Nicky's sake but she was still frightened.

She'd been looking amongst old documents that Mum had left for us in hopes of finding my birth certificate and giving me my father's name. Since I had never asked it had never been mentioned.

'I'll give him a call' Jake said softly

I nodded. I was slightly annoyed at the fact Jake was reluctant for me to transform. I was seriously craving being in a form that felt as right as being human. I didn't see the harm seeing as I could choose when to do it but I could see the risks. It didn't stop me wanting to do it though. I was half listening to Jake talking, seeing as it had gotten to the point where not only his scent was soothing but his voice was too, and wondering how I might get away with a transformation.

'What do you mean?' Jake asked seriously

I snapped my head up to attention; I knew that tone meant no good.

'Who is this person? Have we dealt with them before?...I thought bounty hunters were a black market thing...Whatever happens, keep me posted. And keep an eye on Emily and Nicky in case they target them!...Whatever it takes Fu! Get Hayley and Sun on it if needs be...Thank you, talk soon'

Jake cut the call off and by now my heart was fluttering with nerves.

'What was that about?' I asked 'What did you mean about Emily and Nicky getting targeted?'

Jake ran a hand through his hair 'It seems that ogre did as we asked and didn't go back to that Warlock. He was found a few days ago, he'd been slain and to top it off the same Warlock has put a bounty out on you'

'Well I have to go home! I have to protect Emily and Nicky!' I started frantically

Jake strode across the room and gripped my shoulders. He gave a slight shake to get my attention.

'Lee, listen to me. No one is going to harm Emily or Nicky. They will be watched at all times by my family. My Grandfather is one of the most respected dragons out there and Sun Parker is one of the best warriors I've known' Jake soothed

'But what if they slip past? Nicky is two years old Jake!'

I was no longer fighting to pull away but I could still feel tears of sheer panic building in my eyes. Jake pulled me into a hug and I gladly buried his face into his chest. Over the days spent travelling I'd explained to Jake how strong his scent was and confessed that I found it very soothing and comforting. As a result Jake had been a lot physically closer to me, giving hugs when I was worried or scared.

'Nothing is going to happen to them. They will be fine. Let's just worry about you, why this Warlock is so anxious to get hold of you and why he'd kill in retaliation to that ogre's failure' Jake replied

I pulled back 'I have no idea why someone would be like that over me. I've never done anything to anyone, not done anything particularly special and I certainly have no idea what a Warlock might want with me' I replied

Jake backed away slightly and ran his hand through his hair again 'We need to get this Bryce found don't we?'

'Yes' I replied

Jake nodded 'But first, we need to get some sleep and then see this dog Fu has told me to ask about finding Lycanthropics'

I nodded 'Alright'

We simply laid on the bed without even bothering to put our pyjamas on or get into the bed. Jake put his arm over me, an act which had once been awkward but was now familiar. I drifted off quickly.

XxXxX

Jake laid awake, listening to Selena breathing as she slept. He didn't know who to be more worried over, the Warlock or the bounty hunter he'd sent after Selena. He was highly dangerous and also one of the most wanted people in the magic world. He had a notorious reputation and he very rarely didn't find what he was looking for.

Jake squeezed Selena slightly and laid his head close to her hair. He might soothe her with his scent but he found her delicate cashmere like scent equally relaxing. He had grown to care very much for her over the time they'd spent travelling and he knew he couldn't fail her.

XxXxX

A few hours later we were up again. The sun was lower in the sky now and cooler. Jake was again on the phone to Fu Dog. I didn't listen until he cut the call off and looked up at me.

'Did you hear any of that?' He asked

'No' I replied

He rolled his eyes 'For someone who has sharper hearing you don't seem to pick anything up!'

I rolled my own eyes back and Jake shook his head before continuing 'It's a set of weird instructions. You have to go to the San Gorgonio Wilderness, head straight north up into Silverwood Falls. Search for a clear area and then transform and howl'

I frowned 'Really?'

'Yeah. I'm just worrying about the time it will take to get to the mountains. We can't exactly walk there from here and a pointless coach ride seems a bit expensive'

'It's not pointless if it's our only option'

'It isn't though' Jake replied 'I can fly you know'

I looked at him in confusion before slapping my hand to my forehead 'You're a dragon! Of course!'

'I can fly us a few miles much quicker than any bus can take us' Jake told me

I looked around the room blankly 'Well, can you carry the bags?'

Jake smirked 'Oh yeah. I can carry you too'

I smiled at his joke but I looked out of the window at the fact that it was still sunny.

'We can't go now surely? People will see you' I told him

Jake shrugged 'How about we get something to eat? We can both shower and gussy ourselves up a bit and get some nice food?'

I looked at him happily 'You want to do that?'

'Of course! We could be on the verge of getting you to safety. Why not celebrate?' Jake asked

XxXxX

Later that evening Jake was waiting for Selena to emerge from the bathroom. She'd taken her clothes and her make-up in there and had been nearly an hour. He was beside himself with anxiety. His attraction to Selena was getting stronger, so much so that he was struggling to keep himself calm around her and not lose his mind.

That kiss in her home he'd given her was steadily polluting his mind. Her lips had been so soft, softer than Rose's had been. He slapped himself mentally.

Stop comparing her to Rose! He chastised himself

There was a click from the bathroom lock and Selena stepped out. She was wearing a pair of slightly tighter jeans than this morning and a flowery blouse which showed off her delicate looking collar bone, far sexier than an ample cleavage in his opinion. She had left her hair loose, the soft looking honey waves fell softly around her face. She was looking at the floor shyly. Jake had never seen Selena look so insecure and he immediately stood up to reassure her.

She politely looked up to give him eye contact and Jake noticed she'd enhanced her pale green eyes with a light line of brown eyeliner and coated her long, normally pale, eyelashes with a slick of black mascara. The subtle make up had a noticeable effect. Her eyes went from cute and pretty to elegant and beautiful. Jake lost his words in his throat and Selena looked at him expectantly.

'What?' She asked

Jake swallowed slightly 'You look good, really good'

Her cheeks went slightly pink and Jake allowed himself a moment of inner-pride. She didn't blush often at all. Was it a sign? Did he effect her the same way she effected him?

'Thank you' She replied

They left the hotel and stepped out into the Californian sunshine. Jake noticed the very slight smile that tugged at the corner's of Selena's mouth. He realised that she like the sun and really if she'd grown up here, he couldn't blame her.

'Well, this is your city. Where's the best place to eat?' Jake asked

XxXxX

I thought carefully, there were so many places I'd missed and really wanted to go back to but I knew we didn;t have long and I'd have to narrow it down.

'Well, what are you hungry for?' I asked

'It would be a shame to not see the beach or something. Do you know of any good hot dog stands?' Jake asked

I bit my lip, trying not to allow an excited smile to break loose or else I'd literally crack my jaw.

'I know the perfect one! Not many people know about it. It's down on New Port beach' I told him excitedly

We took off walking. Conversation flowed easily and we managed to get along so naturally. If things hadn't been so uprooted I wouldn't have hesitated in trying to pursue some kind of relationship with Jake. Despite the fact he was a mythical creature but I could hardly talk, I was a werewolf!

We got to the stand where Jake ordered a chilli-cheese dog and I had chilli with mayo. He insisted on paying and I tried not to smile to myself as the guy on the stand gave me a coy grin. We found some space on the beach and sat down on the sand to enjoy our food.

'How could you bare to leave this?' Jake asked

I looked up at him, a slight frown on my face. He seemed to sense my confusion and he tried to clarify.

'You clearly love it here. I can see you smile when you get in the sun, you were so excited over that food stand and you look so content sat here on the sand. How have you coped?' Jake asked

I hadn't realised he'd picked up so much from me. I ran my fingers through the sand thoughtfully 'I do love it here, you're right. Even though I wasn't born here, I think of myself as a Californian. But I'd never allow sun, sea and sand to separate me and my family. My Mum meant everything to me and Emily and Nicky still do. So that's why I followed them'

Jake nodded 'Yeah, family is really important'

I nodded in agreement. We sat in silence for awhile, admiring the area. I tilted my head back, smelling the salty air greedily. Jake chuckled next to me, breaking me out of my reverie.

'What?' I asked

'You're just funny; I've only just noticed how much you smell things. It seems so obvious now. I don't know why I didn't spot it from the beginning' He replied

I wrinkled my nose in mock offence 'Well if you had my sense of smell you wouldn't waste it. The bad smells smell really bad but there's no scent like fresh air, the differences depending on where you are, are so interesting to me'

Jake chuckled again but he didn't comment any further. I went back to enjoying the smell of the air but the wind had changed direction and it was now mixing Jake's scent with the salty air. I let my eyes slide closed as I enjoyed the mix of scents. Eventually though it was time to leave and we made our way back to the motel to pack our things away.

We located a park that was wooded and headed there. I was slightly nervous, I'd seen Jake's dragon form only briefly and I couldn't properly remember it thinking back. I must've hit my head pretty hard to make me forget about that and I was pretty frustrated at myself for it. When we got there, Jake peered at me.

'Don't get scared or anything' He said nervously

I shook my head and tried to grin 'I won't'

He gave me a nod and took a few steps back 'Dragon up!'

His body was immediately engulfed in flames, I could see why he took a few steps back but I still jumped backwards in alarm. Jake's signature scent went up tenfold if that was even possible in a quick burst until the flames died back. In Jake's place a huge dragon was stood there. I let out a gasp of disbelief and took a careful step forward.

Jake was stood on his hind legs but he went down onto all fours so he was eye level with me. I reached out hesitantly and ran my fingers down the hard leathery scales from his forehead right to the tip of his nose before letting out a laugh. Jake let a small chuckle out of his own.

'It's amazing' I grinned

The corners of Jake's lips lifted into a smile. He carried the bag's in his front claws after helping me clamber onto the area at the base of his neck, just in front of his wings.

'Hang on' He told me

He took off slowly but the air buffeted around from the flaps of his wings. I lunged forwards and wrapped my arms around his neck. Soon we were higher in the air though and Jake used warm updrafts of air to rise making it calmer for me. The view was amazing but I was a bit frightened by the fact that all I had to do was lean over slightly and I could easily fall.

'I've never carried anyone on my back while flying before' Jake shouted above the rush of air

'Really?' I asked loudly

'No, so hang on' He told me

He took off flying. At first, because it was unlike anything I'd ever felt before, I was a bit frightened but once I got used to it I found I was quite enjoying it but the fear factor never left. It took us about half an hour by air to get where we needed to go. The landing was also slightly buffeting but not as bad as the takeoff. Jake transformed as soon as I was clear of him. We shouldered our bags and looked around.

'Is this a tourist area?' I asked, pointing towards a sign

'Looks like it' Jake replied

We followed the signs for Silverwood Falls, eventually getting to a clearing. I dropped the bag I was carrying and inhaled the air. There was no wind so I couldn't pick anything up except what was in the clearing; Jake's scent was over-powering everything anyway.

'You have to howl' Jake told me

I nodded. I'd not transformed in so long I was frightnened I'd forgotten how to do it but the familiar emotions flowed through me and I transformed immediately. The freedom that I always felt came back and I let a high pitched yip escape. I turned to look at Jake, he had a blank face but I could tell he was impressed. My wolf form though larger than most domestic dogs and very regular wolf sized I knew was impressive. My golden fur was on the long-haired side and very soft, my green eyes stood out because it was rare for canines to possess green eyes.

I padded softly over to Jake and nosed his arm before standing beside him. I'd never howled before, not to summon anything anyway. I looked up at Jake and he looked down at me.

'You've not done it before have you?' Jake asked

I couldn't reply out loud or in his head so I let out a small whimper. His eyes softened and he ruffled the fur on my head. I stepped a few steps away from him, took a deep breath, looked up at the moon which was half full and let out the loudest howl I could.

To say it was loud wouldn't describe it enough. It echoed around the clearing and seemed to ricochet through the trees around us. I looked back at Jake once I was finished and he had his fingers stuffed in his ears and he was looking at me, his dark eyes wide. Slowly he took his fingers from his ears.

'Well...that was...loud'

I let out a giggle but it came out more like a hyena laugh and Jake bust up laughing in response. My ears twitched and I jerked my head around. A replying howl echoed back and I felt my chest swell with pride at what I'd done but then I jumped in surprise.

I have heard your call she-wolf. I will be with you shortly

I transformed back into a human and Jake jogged over to me.

'You alright?' He asked

I nodded slowly 'Yeah. The contact just spoke in my head...in canine...I think it's another Lycanthropic'

Jake's eyebrows furrowed 'We knew it was another canine. Fu Dog said it was a dog we should contact'

'That was no dog. The language was too fluent. Even canine from a dog can be a bit broken. Snow never communicated with me in words, just pictures and emotions' My voice trembled slightly as I thought about my beautiful companion. Jake seemed to sense it and he put his arm around my shoulders.

'I will make sure you can go home' He told me

I nodded, not daring to speak in case I crumbled. I'd stayed strong so far and I wasn't going to break now. Jake simply put his other arm around me and drew me into a reassuring hug. I buried my face into his chest and simply breathed in his scent.

We stayed like that for about fifteen minutes but then the air changed. I jerked as soon as I sensed it and I looked around. It was like the air had gone still. A smell that wasn't all too unfamiliar came to me but I knew I'd never scented it before. It was like déjà vu. Jake knew something was happening but he didn't speak, he just took his arms away and just as he did, a huge wolf stepped into the clearing.

I knew it was a male from him speaking to me but I could tell he was a male immediately, his scent gave it away. He stepped right out to look at me. He was at least the size of a pony with fur the same colour as my wolf form which I was surprised to see, I knew Lycanthropics had darker pelts. His eyes matched his fur being golden coloured too.

I took a cautious step towards him but paused; it was like my sensed were on high alert and I could sense Jake's caution and nerves. I reached back and held onto his hand. I glanced back at him and he gave a short nod to me. I let my fingers slip from his hand and I closed the gap between me and the wolf. He looked at me appraisingly, as if he was assessing me. I stood stock still as he inspected me. He walked once around me before coming to face me again

I have been expecting you. Both of you He told me

I furrowed my eyebrows What do you mean?

It's a long story and now is not the time. I have known for awhile that a she-wolf of hybrid blood and a dragon would come to see me

I looked back at Jake in alarm and he immediately took a step forwards but held back cautiously. I looked back to the wolf to see his eyes glittering in amusement. He stepped forwards himself and looked up at Jake.

It's no use, he won't underst-

'Greetings American Dragon'

Jake jumped in surprise and my mouth fell open. The wolf let out a low rumble in his chest and I realised it was amusement. He didn't pause for either of us to comment though.

'There isn't much time and I know what you are here for. You are looking for a Lycanthromorphic named Andrew Bryce?' The wolf asked

I nodded, Jake was beside me now. His fingers wound in mine again. I could practically feel a protective air coming from him.

'He is with a large and organised group of hidden Lycanthropics now. He's dropped from the radar and the Dragons are looking for him which makes it more difficult for you. You've both been linked already; the dragon's spies go deep' The wolf told me

'Did Bryce have to hide because of me?' I asked

'No, He went into hiding shortly before you began to travel. But the dragons linked you both. They actually had some idea of your existence but your mother moved you before they could tag you'

I gasped. I had wondered if that was why we'd moved. Jake jumped in though.

'Are you saying Lee's mother moved her because of the dragons?' He asked

'Yes. Your father warned her, Selena. He was already tagged as a Lycanthropic and your parent's tried to keep your existence a secret but as I said; the dragon's spies go deep and they were told about you'

I looked up at Jake and his hand squeezed mine. We were both shocked.

'This is a surprise?' The wolf asked

I struggled to answer 'My father?' I simply asked in amazement

'Your father loved you very much, as he loved your mother but he felt you and your mother's needs were greater than his own and he let you both go' The wolf told me

My eyes filled with tears. I'd missed out on a relationship with my father all these years but I understood why it had been done. I didn't want to lay blame on Jake's council but it seemed impossible to ignore that if the dragons had left us alone, I would've had a father. I couldn't believe I'd never taken an interest in him before. Jake's hand was tightly squeezing mine.

'I truly am sorry I had to tell you these things Selena' The wolf told me

Jake stepped in front of me suddenly 'How do you know these things? This is intimate knowledge that even Selena didn't know so how is you knew?'

The wolf lifted one lip to reveal sharp teeth but it wasn't a nasty gesture, it was like it was a lopsided grin.

'Selena's father is also my own'

XxXxX

And that people is where I shall leave it.

Review and tell me what you think of this revelation that was so totally improvised and unplanned when I started this story.