Dragon's Heart (The DragonFate Novels Book 3)

by Deborah Cooke

  She was in the shower when the verse unfurled in her thoughts.

  The gem of the hoard, lost and found;

  The fate of Others to it bound.

  A Fae treasure, laden with earth magick,

  Seized and claimed by a dragon’s trick.

  All strains of magick share this trait:

  None will share, one must dominate.

  Dragon flame and selkie tide,

  Will diminish the threat if allied.

  Their power can destroy just one stone—

  Will their choice save their unborn son?

  The prophecy! Sara seized a towel and wrapped it around herself, then hurried back into the bedroom. She found her purse and rummaged in it for a pen and paper, then wrote down the verse. As was often the case, she didn’t understand exactly what it meant, but the house was full of Pyr and they might.

  Sara found Erik and Kristofer in the kitchen with Bree and Ronnie. She put the sheet of paper with the verse on the table.

  “More YouTube videos,” the leader of the Pyr growled in frustration, not even glancing up from his phone. Ronnie’s lips tightened but she didn’t say anything.

  “They weren’t filmed during the shift at least,” Kristofer said mildly, his brows drawing together as he read the verse. Bree came to stand behind him and read it over his shoulder.

  “Sounds like there’s a battle coming,” Bree said and Kristofer nodded agreement. The other mate’s hand slipped to her stomach and Sara knew she was thinking about the son she was carrying. They passed the prophecy to Ronnie who read it quickly and looked up, a question in her gaze. Sara shrugged because she didn’t understand it either.

  “I think we should go back into hiding,” Erik said, still watching videos even though they weren’t improving his mood. Sara hadn’t seen him so annoyed since the Dragon’s Tail Wars—and Thorolf wasn’t even around.

  “I think we have to do whatever is necessary to defeat Maeve,” Kristofer said, earning a dark glance from the older Pyr. “If we’re hunted down and exterminated, there won’t be any of us left to hide.” He pushed the prophecy across the table to Erik, whose scowl deepened as he read it.

  “Magick,” he said with disgust. “The world was simpler without it.”

  “But it was here,” Ronnie pointed out. “The Fae just had it all.”

  “And now Embron has a lot of it,” Bree said. “I’m not sure that’s any better.”

  “It sounds like there’s more than one stone,” Sara said. “If the gem of the hoard is one, then what’s the other?”

  “Technically, amber isn’t a stone,” Kristofer supplied. “It’s a resin.”

  “Does that make a difference?” Bree asked and he shrugged.

  “What could the other stone be?” he asked instead. “The smoky quartz crystal that was filled with darkfire was shattered to release us from Fae.”

  “It looks like eliminating one stone, whatever is it, is up Rhys and his mate,” Sara said, tapping the prophecy.

  “Then their firestorm must be real,” Bree said. “He said she was a selkie.”

  Erik frowned at the verse, reading it again as Quinn returned with all of the boys. He sent them to get glasses of milk and cookies, then Sara felt his steady warmth behind her.

  Quinn read the prophecy, too, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Well done,” he said quietly.

  “I don’t like it,” Sara admitted.

  “You seldom do,” he reminded her and she smiled at the truth of that as he kissed her temple.

  “This has to be about Rhys’ firestorm,” Erik said. “At least it’s been satisfied. I can’t feel it burning anymore.” Quinn and Kristofer nodded agreement. “Has anyone heard from the Pyr who went back to the city with him?”

  “Drake called,” Ronnie said, speaking for the first time. “He said Rhys was with his mate and Hadrian was helping to defend his lair. Alasdair had gone after Maeve, and he’d been with Arach and Balthasar beguiling people who saw the dragonfight. He sounded exhausted.”

  “They didn’t get everyone,” Erik said with a rueful shake of his head.

  “A dragonfight can draw quite a crowd, and in a hurry,” Ronnie said, her tone a little defensive.

  Erik nodded weary agreement. He looked at his watch. “And Rafferty must still be seeking that witch.” Sara knew that Pyr and his mate, Melissa, had left the previous morning. They couldn’t knock on the door of the witch Eithne in the middle of the night so had delayed their departure. Erik frowned and lifted a finger, but before he could give a command, there was a sound like shattering glass and a roar of fury.

  The dragonsmoke barrier had been attacked.

  The Pyr were immediately on their feet, shimmering blue.

  Erik was first to the door and inhaled. “Embron,” he muttered and Sara’s heart stopped even before she spotted the black dragon overhead. Erik leapt through the door, shifting to an ebony and pewter dragon right outside the house. He shot into the sky with purpose, obviously targeting the dragon prince.

  Kristofer was right behind him, shifting to his peridot and gold dragon form with quick power. He was larger than Erik and his eyes glittered more fiercely, but then, it was his lair that was under attack and his pregnant mate was within it. He breathed a stream of dragonfire into the air, then flew high alongside Erik.

  “Stay in the house,” Quinn counseled, which Sara already intended to do. “Stay inside the dragonsmoke barrier. Sara can feel it, if you’re not sure.” He gave their sons a hard look. “Listen to your mother.” The boys nodded agreement, then he was gone as well. He bounded into the air on the patio, becoming a sapphire and steel dragon as he soared high.

  “Awesome,” Timmy said as the dragons clashed high overhead.

  “When will I be able to do that?” Garrett demanded and Sara held her oldest son closer.

  The change would come upon him all too soon, to her thinking, but she couldn’t keep him a child forever. Ronnie met her gaze and she saw understanding in that woman’s eyes, then they all went to the windows to watch the dragonfight.

  To Sara’s relief, it was short and sweet—sweet because it ended with the three Pyr returning unscathed.

  “He fled,” Kristofer said with disgust when he had shifted back to his human form.

  “He was checking how many of us were here,” Quinn said grimly.

  “No,” Erik said softly. “He changed his plan because he felt the same thing I did.” He looked at Quinn who inhaled sharply. Sara watched him close his eyes and saw his confusion.

  “The firestorm has sparked again,” he said, clearly skeptical. “How can that be?”

  “I don’t know, but I feel its burn.” Erik frowned. “We’d better call Rhys and warn him that Embron is on his way. We can tell him the prophecy, too. It might make more sense to him.”

  “But how could the firestorm spark again?” Quinn asked.

  “Maybe one was real and the other wasn’t, or isn’t,” Kristofer suggested. He took Bree’s hand as they all looked at each other, wondering.

  “I hate magick,” Erik said under his breath and Sara could only agree.

  Thorolf was surprised to realize just how much he’d missed Manhattan. The raw energy of the city made it easy to forget a series of long flights with a restless toddler. They’d come halfway around the world in the past few days: after their off-grid vacation in Bhutan, they’d returned to Bangkok to learn about Kristofer’s firestorm. Chandra was pregnant again, but as soon as Thorolf had heard that Theo was missing, he’d known he had to help.

  It was early evening and the skyscrapers were lighting up. The roads were congested as commuters headed out of the city. The cab made good time, threading through the traffic toward the core. Thorolf opened the window and took a deep breath of the familiar scent of Manhattan. Chandra leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as they rode, and Raynor finally fell asleep. With each new block, Thorolf remembered more his days as a bike courier in the city. He’d know
n every alley and every shortcut. He’d loved that job.

  So much had changed with his firestorm. There had been a time when he’d thought of nothing except working and partying, when he’d ignored the truth of his nature. Then he’d met Rox, the tattoo artist who loved dragons, and the one who’d taken him on as a project—without much success, he had to admit. Through Rox, he’d met Niall, one of the Pyr who had begun to teach him what he could do. Rox had been the first in Manhattan to know his truth, and Niall had been the first other Pyr he’d met in centuries. Thorolf was glad they’d put up with him, especially during his own firestorm with Chandra.

  And now it was payback time. Thorolf was grinning when the cab parked in front of the Beaux Arts building where he’d been Rox’s tenant. It hadn’t changed a bit. Chandra lifted Raynor to her hip and Thorolf took the bags out of the trunk.

  “You’re going to love this place,” he told his mate and she smiled.

  “If it has a bed and a shower, I’ll definitely love it.” She yawned. “We’re not going anywhere for at least twenty-four hours so don’t get any ideas.”

  “I consider myself warned.” Thorolf didn’t think it was a good time to tell her that he sensed another firestorm, and that it was burning right in Manhattan. He’d felt a low hum of awareness for the past day and it had flared since they’d landed, a sign that the Pyr and his destined mate were close. He hefted their bags and headed for the door, just as Niall appeared. The Pyr who had been Thorolf’s mentor looked only a little bit older, and his smile was welcome.

  “Niall!” They shook hands, then embraced.

  “Looks like you’re moving in,” Niall complained, taking one of the bags.

  “We just might. It feels good to be back.”

  The two Pyr exchanged a glance. “Rhys,” Niall said quietly, knowing what Thorolf was wondering.

  “It’s a hot one,” Thorolf agreed.

  Chandra stopped in the lobby and turned to them, her expression forbidding. “Tell me that there’s not a firestorm burning here.” Her tone revealed that she’d guessed the truth.

  Thorolf grinned. “You know I never lie to you,” he said easily and she exhaled.

  “Just one night’s sleep. That’s all I ask.”

  “No pickles?”

  His mate slanted a glance his way when they were in the elevator. “What if I do have a craving for pickles?”

  “I called ahead,” he assured her. Chandra’s appetite for kim chee during her pregnancy with Raynor had been a bit of a joke among the Pyr.

  “Take-out Thai,” Niall said. “Lots of it because I remember how Thorolf can clean out a fridge.” He led the way down the corridor to the apartment.

  “Airport food is seriously depressing,” Thorolf said in his own defense. “Expensive, little tiny servings and it all looks like it’s been waiting for you.” Niall unlocked the door and Thorolf took a deep breath. “It smells amazing, Niall. You’re the best.” His stomach growled as if to agree and they laughed together.

  Chandra wandered into the apartment, staring. The place hadn’t changed much since Thorolf had lived there. He remembered Niall and Rox’s firestorm, kicking Slayer butt in some epic battles, chasing shadow dragons down—even Niall’s twin brother Phelan—and breathing dragonsmoke on the building’s roof.

  “Good times,” he said to Niall who laughed a little and started to unpack the food.

  The apartment was still simply furnished, although he thought the couch was new. Of course, his bike and collection of spare parts was long gone. The murals on the walls were the highlight of the place, just as they should be. Rox had painted dragons on every surface, dragons in flight, dragons fighting, dragons in all their majestic glory. The murals were just as fabulous as he remembered. Chandra walked around the apartment, studying each one.

  “Rox is really talented,” she said quietly, then glanced at Thorolf. “And she did these before she knew you?”

  “It’s why she took me in and made me her project,” Thorolf said. “She saw me shift once.”

  Chandra nodded and sank into a chair at the table, still looking. She beckoned to Thorolf and pushed up his sleeve, examining the dragon tattoo on his arm that Rox had done, then looking at the walls again.

  “I’m glad this place is empty now,” Thorolf said. “Thanks for letting us stay here.”

  “Theo had been talking about moving into town,” Niall explained. “We were going to offer this place to him, since Rox prefers to live over the shop. It’s closer to the boys’ schools.”

  “You don’t want to rent it to just anyone and risk damage to those murals,” Chandra said.

  “Exactly. But he didn’t come back from the circus, and worse, he only went there because we asked him to.” He gestured to the table and pushed a hand through his dark blond hair. “You eat while I bring you up to date. There’s a lot going on.”

  “Tell me about Kristofer’s firestorm,” Thorolf said.

  “And his mate,” Chandra added. “Am I right that the old gods were involved? It sounded like it in the emails, even though nothing was said outright.”

  “Bree was a Valkyrie,” Niall said and Chandra put down her chopsticks.

  “There’s no Valkyrie named Bree,” she said. “There never was. I’ve known them all, at least in passing.”

  “Sigrdrifa,” Niall corrected. “Bree is the name she was using in human society.”

  Chandra looked shocked. “Sigrdrifa? You Pyr don’t bother with half-measures, do you?”

  “You know her?” Thorolf asked.

  “Less well than some of the others, but I know of her. Who wouldn’t? She was the strongest of her kind and the one most recognized by mortals.” She took another bite, obviously thinking. “And she gave all that up for love.”

  “So did you,” Thorolf teased and she smiled at him.

  “I just find it hard to believe that there’s another Pyr as persuasive as you. Kristofer is a nice guy and all...”

  “But he had the firestorm on his side,” Niall noted.

  “I thought it was a fake firestorm,” Thorolf said.

  “It was at first,” Niall agreed. “A spell cast by the Dark Queen to trap the Pyr, and a plan that almost worked. But when Bree surrendered her immortality to save Kristofer, a real firestorm sparked for them.”

  “And now?” Chandra prompted.

  “Some of the Pyr went to Kristofer’s place to repair his scale. We stayed in town in case you got in earlier.”

  “What about Rhys’ firestorm?” Thorolf asked. “Is it real?”

  “We don’t know yet.” Niall told them then about the book belonging to Maeve, the list of paranormal creatures that she intended to extinguish. He told them about the bar, Bones, where the Others gathered to try to foil Maeve’s plan, and about the vampires of the Coven of Mercy taking possession of Maeve’s book. And finally, he told them about the Circus of Wonders.

  “And I feel like Theo’s disappearance is our fault, because we asked him to check out the Circus of Wonders,” Niall concluded. “I had no idea it was filled with Others, but Theo wanted to help.”

  “And then he went through the portal to Fae with Kristofer, who was following his fake firestorm,” Thorolf concluded.

  “Rhys and Hadrian were captured there, but Kristofer and Bree managed to free them,” Niall said. “Along with the seven warriors who had invaded the lair of Blazion and been put into an enchanted sleep. A lot of them are related to Rafferty.”

  Thorolf shook his head. “But what about Theo?”

  Niall was sober. “He never came back. The bartender from Bones, a woman named Mel, disappeared with him into Fae and no one has seen either of them since.”

  “Have you tried old-speak?” Thorolf asked.

  Niall nodded. “Erik can’t sense his presence either.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “I keep thinking about those seven Pyr who were lost fifteen hundred years ago, leaving no sign of their existence, who just woke up last week. What if Theo’s los
t for that long? What if we never see him again?”

  “And this Blazion?” Thorolf prompted.

  “He’s the old dragon from the stories,” Niall said. “The one slain by Siegfried.”

  Chandra caught her breath. “Was he awakened again?”

  “Kristofer said only briefly.” Niall grimaced. “But he has a twin brother, Embron, and he’s looking for something called the gem of the hoard, which Bree had taken from Blazion’s hoard when she and Siegfried vanquished the dragon centuries ago. She thought it was pretty and had it ever since, not realizing its importance.”

  “Where is it now?” Chandra asked, her tone so sharp that Thorolf knew she’d heard of this gem of the hoard.

  “Rafferty had it. He was going to give it to Kristofer at the scale repair, but Rhys’ mate was abducted and Embron demanded the gem of the hoard as ransom. Rafferty gave it to Rhys.”

  Chandra and Thorolf exchanged a glance. “You have to defend it,” Chandra said with urgency. “I’ll stay with Raynor. Both of you go to help Rhys.”

  “You just want all the noodles,” Thorolf complained, taking another three bites as he stood up.

  His mate smiled. “I’ll save the noodles for you. It’s this tub of ajat that has my name on it.” She gestured to the pickled cucumbers, then waved the two Pyr out the door.

  “Good news,” Niall said as they ran down the stairs together. “Rhys’ restaurant is right below his apartment. Even though it’s closed Mondays, he always cooks when he’s stressed.”

  “Now you’re talking,” Thorolf said with enthusiasm, taking the stairs three at a time.

  Hadrian was sore in places he hadn’t even known he had. There was a bump on the back of his head that hurt like hell. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he woke up on the floor of the elevator in Rhys’ building. He sat up and winced at the brightness of the light, then wondered how it could be so light in the elevator.