by Zoe Chant
He’s the key, she thought to herself, as Erik turned away, walking to the far side of the room. If I can just make him realize that Liev and I could help him...
But how would she get the chance to talk to him, to try to convince him, with Erik in the room?
“Well. I certainly am pleased. It seems like manticores are good for something after all.”
Darklis turned her head slightly as Erik’s voice rang out from across the room. Raising her eyes, she saw he was holding something that shone brightly even in the dim light of the room. She recognized it instantly as the scepter that had been stolen from the Drakos Clan’s hoard. It certainly was superb: the golden dragon on the end was perfectly rendered and lifelike, and even its ruby dragonfire seemed to dance in the shifting light, as if it were truly a flickering flame.
Inside her chest, Darklis felt a sudden jerk, as if someone had her heart on a string, and had just given it a sudden tug. It was as if seeing such a magnificent treasure had awoken something inside her: something that hungered for the gold it was crafted from, the jewels that were embedded in its length.
My dragon.
Excitement coursed through her at the realization. Sure, humans wanted to be wealthy and a lot of them went to extreme lengths for money. But it was nothing like the hunger dragons felt when they spied a particularly beautiful item that would be perfect for their hoard.
A dragon’s hoard was the source of its power, after all. It made sense that they would hunger for anything that added to it, made it more powerful.
And now, Darklis could feel that familiar hunger unfurling inside her, at the sight of the beautiful scepter.
“Yes, it is gorgeous, isn’t it,” Erik purred suddenly, as if he had read her mind. “Truly a remarkable piece. But it’s not only its beauty that makes this scepter so desirable. It’s also the magical powers it has been imbued with. The power to teleport. The power to stun an enemy. But more important than either of those, the power to take away a shifter’s power – or to give it back.”
Darklis shifted uneasily. If Erik used the scepter on himself, then it was all over.
Liev, she thought desperately. If her dragon was stirring within her, then perhaps his was too. If she could only reach him...
Liev, please. I need you!
***
Deep inside his chest, Liev felt something stir. It felt as if his heart had suddenly moved inside him, the rhythm of its beat changing somehow. He blinked as his blood surged strangely in his veins, feeling as if it was burning, filled with fire...
I know this feeling.
His dragon.
Rowena was turned away from him, speaking quietly on her cell phone. Probably arranging for someone to come and take his blood from him so they could sell it on the streets to whoever would buy it. Gangsters, thieves, bank robbers – there was no shortage of people who would be able to see the benefits of drinking dragon’s blood, Liev was certain.
But if this feeling within me truly is my dragon...
Then perhaps he had a chance of escaping this place. And of saving Darklis from wherever she had been taken.
As soon as the words entered his head, he heard a sudden, faint sound, as if in answer to his thoughts.
Liev sucked in a quick breath. Could it be...?
Closing his eyes, he focused all his attention on the faint sound he had heard within him. It was only the softest echo, nothing more than a whisper – but he knew it was real.
Darklis!
Knitting his brows, Liev reached out to her with his mind, grasping, clinging, to any trace of her he could find. Behind his eyes, he saw a golden, shining light, rising up as if from the depths of a dark ocean, growing clearer and clearer with every passing moment.
The mated bond.
He could see it – he could feel it. Glowing brightly and stretching out from inside him, connecting him to his one true mate.
Liev! Liev, is that you?
Darklis’s voice sounded in his head, as clear and perfect as the ringing of a bell.
Darklis! I’ve found you. Are you unhurt?
Tension wound in Liev’s chest. Darklis didn’t sound hurt, but he had to be certain.
I’m fine, Liev. You worry about yourself! Where are you?
I do not know, Darklis. But I promise you, I will find you.
The golden glow of the mated bond gave a sudden pulse, like the beating of a heart. All at once, its light flared, and Liev felt warmth surge through his chest.
What was that?
I don’t know, Darklis replied, her voice cautious. Or perhaps I do...
Once again, the bond pulsed – and this time, it was more than warmth that Liev felt coursing through him. It was pure, unadulterated strength.
And then, Liev felt something else stirring within him: something with wings and claws and teeth, and fury enough to burn the whole world if that’s what it took to get his mate to safety.
My dragon.
***
Darklis stifled a gasp as she heard the roar of Liev’s dragon within him. Even another shifter would have been frightened to hear that sound: the sound of a dragon bellowing in rage at having been shut away when it was needed. The fury of a creature who would protect its loved ones until its dying breath.
And then, somewhere inside her, she felt an answering roar; an answering bellow of rage.
My dragon!
Tears sprang into her eyes as she felt the familiar presence within her. But even as she felt her dragon rising within her, she knew she would have to wait just a little while longer yet.
Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes, training them on Erik Lukich’s back. She could not risk him knowing what was happening.
Liev. Listen to me.
Of course. Liev’s response was instantaneous.
I can sense my dragon within me, but it’s weak. I think... I think only one of us will be able to shift. And I think it should be you.
There was a brief pause. Then: What do you mean? Darklis, if you can get out of danger now, then I –
Liev, just listen to me. Darklis thought over her options quickly, wondering how she could concisely explain her theory. We can sense our dragons. But our dragons are still fighting against the suppressing magic. I think bringing them to the surface – shifting – will take a lot of strength. More strength than either one of us has at the moment on our own.
She took a deep breath. She could feel Liev’s interest in what she was saying, but also his resistance to what he was beginning to realize was her idea.
But I can send you my strength, she sent to him. Through the mated bond. But it’s likely I won’t have enough strength to shift myself if I do.
Silence. Then: Darklis, I don’t –
I can’t fight Erik Lukich, Darklis interrupted him. My brother Stefan is ten times stronger than I am, and he barely survived his fight with Erik. I’ll be doomed if I try. But I know you can fight those manticores. And then...
She trailed off. But she could already sense that Liev understood her.
And then, I’ll come for you, he sent to her.
***
I know you will.
The love and trust in Darklis’s voice squeezed Liev’s heart in a vise, and made his dragon, still rising within him, roar in triumph.
Our mate needs us! Our mate trusts that we will save her!
Liev could feel its wings unfurling within him as the golden bond pulsed again, filling him with strength. His heart pounded, blood surging in his veins. Heat flared through him – the heat of dragonfire.
That’s it, Liev!
Darklis was sending him her strength. He could feel it now – something that was composed of both of them, stronger than anything they could have done alone.
His dragon shook its head as if shaking off sleep, its teeth glistening, eyes filled with rage.
Who did this to me? Who sealed me away when I was needed? They will pay! They will all pay!
The mated bond became molten wi
th heat and strength, as Darklis sent him everything she had – everything he would need to transform, and break through the chains that bound him.
Almost, Darklis, almost... I’m so close...
His dragon was at last in reach, surging upwards, almost at the surface now.
From the corner of his eye, Liev saw a sudden movement, and realized that Rowena had spun around to look at him once more, her cell phone still held to her ear.
“No – no!”
Her furious shout echoed around the warehouse as she realized what was happening. Clearly, her shifter senses had suddenly alerted her to the return of his dragon, as its power spread out through the air around them. Shifters could sense each other, after all, sometimes before they had even laid eyes on one another.
Rowena’s eyes blazed, her mouth contorting in anger. She threw her cell phone aside.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” she screamed, her voice taking on an otherworldly quality that Liev knew meant she was about to shift.
I need to hurry, Darklis!
If Rowena completed her shift and injured him badly, he’d be helpless. A manticore – with its lion’s teeth and scorpion’s tail – had a range of weapons at its disposal. Its venom could penetrate even a dragon’s tough scales – and it was utterly deadly.
In response to his cry, Liev felt another pulse of pure strength surge through him.
In the next moment his dragon lifted its neck, head held high, wings beating the air as it roared, dragonfire rising in its throat.
You’ve done it, Liev!
And it was true. Liev felt himself changing, the chains that had bound him snapping like string as his arms became the scaled forelegs of his dragon. Massive black wings unfolded from his back, powerful enough to carry even his enormous form high into the skies above. Claws sprouted from his fingers, his teeth becoming longer and sharp as sabers.
At last, it was finished. The dragon’s strength was his once more – as well as the dragon’s power.
And now, we will make the ones who have done this pay, his dragon bellowed, voice rich with anger.
We will, Liev agreed with it, as he lifted his head high, and roared.
Chapter Thirteen
Liev
Liev’s roar echoed through the vast space of the warehouse.
His dragon’s vision, misted over with red, took in everything, its heightened senses able to detect things his human form simply couldn’t. It was nighttime outside; he could sense the position of the moon above. He was no longer in the city – the air smelled too clean for that, even in this musty warehouse. But most importantly, he could sense that Rowena and Norman were alone here with him. There were no other manticores he’d have to deal with.
Stupid, he thought – but then Rowena had made her arrogance clear the moment she’d opened her mouth. She clearly hadn’t felt he was any threat to her at all. But she was wrong, Liev thought, fury simmering in his belly. And now, it is time to make her pay for it.
Rowena had shifted, of course, her manticore’s monstrous form crouched on the far side of the warehouse. Manticores were almost as big as dragons, with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle – but what made them truly dangerous were their scorpion’s tails, dripping with venom that could kill even a dragon.
Rowena’s tail was poised now, waving back and forth as she tried to line up a strike in the confined space they found themselves in. Liev was bigger than her, and while he didn’t know her background, he doubted she had as much training in all forms of fighting as he had. Being able to defend himself had been something he had learned from the moment could walk.
And he knew that sometimes, the best form of defense was to attack.
Bellowing in rage, Liev threw himself forward before Rowena could have a chance to react. He saw surprise flash in the yellow of her eyes, before her tail flicked forward, spitting venom. It clearly wasn’t the precise strike she had wanted, and the powerful, viscous substance spattered across the room.
Liev felt a searing pain in his shoulder as a few droplets landed on his scales, but he ignored it. If he’d been in human form it would have been deadly, but as a dragon, his body could deal with it – it was only a small amount, and it had only glanced across his scales. Adrenaline surged within him, and the pain receded to nothing.
Snarling, Liev slammed into Rowena with all the strength and force he could muster, sending her flying back against the sturdy concrete wall behind her. The entire building rattled on its foundations, dust pouring from the high ceiling.
The manticore roared in pain as she rolled over, trying to find her feet. She was clearly stunned from the blow, and Liev could see that one of her wings had borne the brunt of the impact: it hung down by her side at an unnatural angle.
Manticores healed just as quickly as dragons, and Liev knew it was hardly an injury that could keep her down for long.
But it might be enough...
He didn’t have time to waste here, fighting Rowena and Norman. He had to get to Darklis, before Erik Lukich carried out whatever his plans were.
Growling, he swung his body around, whipping his thick tail through the air. It caught Rowena in a blow across her side, sending her tumbling back against the wall once more, her massive lion’s paws knocked out from under her.
Satisfied that she was down at least for the moment, Liev swung his head around, looking for Norman, expecting to find that he too had shifted. But instead, he saw him standing opened-mouthed by the door of the warehouse, his eyes moving quickly between Liev and Rowena – before he suddenly turned and ran.
Coward, thought Liev contemptuously. Ordinarily, he might have followed him – but now, he simply could not afford the time.
I have to get out of here. I have to find Darklis.
His dragon’s massive body wouldn’t be able to fit through the human-sized doorway that Norman had just fled through. He’d have to find another way out.
Thinking quickly, Liev looked up. While the roof was mainly corrugated iron, there was a large skylight above him.
It’s big enough, Liev decided. He’d have to fold his wings close to his body, but he was sure he could fit through...
It’s not big enough, his dragon argued.
It’ll have to be, Liev told it, unless you have a better idea.
His dragon’s snarl, followed by silence, told him all he needed to know.
Crouching for only a second, Liev propelled himself up, his powerful wings beating only once before he drew them close to his body, allowing his momentum to carry him.
Liev ducked his head slightly to protect the soft scales of his throat from the shards of glass that would shortly be raining down around him.
He hit the glass with a thunderous CRASH, easily smashing through it and shooting upward into the night sky. He could feel the glass, sharp as knives, rip into the thin membrane of his wings, but he could not bring himself to care. The pain was only momentary, before it was erased by the dragon’s pure fury – and the need to find its mate.
Darklis! Where have they taken you?
Spreading his wings wide once more, Liev bellowed his rage into the limitless expanse of the sky. He could feel the heat of dragonfire in his belly.
Liev... is that you?
Darklis’s voice sounded thin and thready. Clearly, sending him the amount of energy needed for him to be able to shift had taken its toll.
It’s me, Darklis. I’m coming for you, Liev sent to her. Reaching inside himself, he found the golden ribbon of their mated bond at once. Through it, he would be able to find Darklis. He would be able to sense his way to her, the bond acting as a guide.
Please... please hurry. I don’t know what Erik is going to do, but...
Liev didn’t waste a moment. With a single beat of his powerful wings, he was on his way.
I’m coming, I promise you, Liev sent, frantically hoping she could still hear him. What if the softness of Darklis’s voice wasn’t only because sending him such a huge a
mount of energy had weakened her? What if Erik had done something to harm her?
Then he will die by my claws! Liev’s dragon roared out, as its wings beat the air, propelling it forward.
In the part of his mind that was still fully human, Liev thought that it was fortunate that night had fallen – if any human on the ground looked up, the most they would see was a dark blur, moving through the sky. He could see that this area was still populated, but, it seemed, only sparsely: lights from house windows twinkled between trees, and he could make out the winding path of a road, lined by streetlights. But this was certainly not the city they had found themselves in when they had first been sucked through the portal.
The ground below was densely forested, the houses few and far between. Clearly, wherever Rowena and Erik had moved them to was quite isolated.
Then we won’t have to worry about being seen when we tear Erik Lukich to pieces, his dragon thought.
Liev, in his human mind, smiled grimly. No, we won’t. But first we have to get to him.
The golden rope of the mated bond shone the way. He followed it, straining his wings to go faster, faster.
We must hurry!
A dragon’s body was fast and strong, and could take almost any kind of punishment. But even Liev could feel the strain he was putting on his wings as he forced himself to fly faster and faster, desperate to reach his mate.
My mate. My precious mate. I will find you. And I will destroy the ones who have taken you.
Seething, Liev snapped his jaws, feeling the ache in his body melt away, even as he pushed himself to his limits.
I’m getting closer...
He could sense it. Not only was the mated bond glowing brighter than ever, he could feel the presence of other dragons now.
One of them was unmistakable – it hovered on the edge of his mind like a dark and powerful force, just out of sight.
It must be Erik Lukich.
He had only met Erik once or twice, when he’d been a small child and his father had taken him with him to a meeting of clan leaders. He had only seen Erik in his human form, but even then, he could tell how powerful he was – and how terrifying.