Dane was about to go back inside the cabin and start in on other projects when Marc ran up to him, breathless. Dane’s heart gave a heavy thud at the sight of the dragon man. Marc was supposed to be scouting the perimeter of the Territory, not standing before his leader, breathless.
Dane approached him, laying a comforting hand on the dragon’s shoulder even as his heart pounded away inside the cage of his chest. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to do as Marc tried to get his breath back. The dragon man’s face was pale and Dane feared the worst.
Finally, Marc managed to straighten, the look in his eyes lined with fear and worry. “More raiding dragons were attacked outside the Territory.”
Dane felt his heart plummet into his stomach. It had been so naive of him to think that Miri’s parents would be the only ones hurt. He let his affections for his mate blind him from the problem at hand. The One-Eyed Dragon was still out there.
The dangerous dragon man was still circling Dane’s Territory, demanding he make everyone bend to his will as leader, including those not under his power. He was one man, stretched too thin. He’d been away, helping the red dragons, and now that he’d returned he was thrust into this mess.
Could Dane not have a single day of celebration? Could he not have a day of respite? He ran his fingers through his hair as he turned toward the cabin. His stomach was doing flips and his mind would not work to let him figure this out.
He was afraid. And, he was afraid to admit that.
Liana appeared in the doorway of the cabin, a question written on her face. She didn’t run to him or try to comfort him. Instead, her eyes scanned the dragons around them as if she were ready to punish someone for upsetting him.
When her eyes returned to him, she seemed to recognize the look on his face. She’d seen it not too long ago.
“More are dead,” she said. “Aren’t they?”
How could he be celebrating right now? It’s been such a foolish notion to think he deserved such a thing. He should have been on the border of his Territory, standing between the One-Eyed Dragon and the raiding families. He should have been doing something.
Dane didn’t so much fear for himself, but for the world he’d built. He’d promised these people safety and a chance to live. He’d brought them all here, to one place and now he feared that he would let them all down.
He feared he would lose everything he’d built.
Liana stepped forward. She gripped his hand in her own, like he’d done with her several times before. She met his gaze, defiantly strong.
***
Seeing the look on Dane’s face, seeing him look over the dragons filling the center of his Territory, she understood his fear. He didn’t fear for his own life. That wasn’t something that meant a lot to him in the long run. He feared more for the people he’d made promises to. He feared for the people he refused to throw in the way of harm.
She knew that Dane would not ask the twins or Isaac to help defend their home against this man. He wouldn’t risk them like that. So, when Dane thought she’d retreated into the house to sit with Miri, she slipped out of the cabin. Miri would be fine, she told herself. There were dragons within earshot and Liana had something she needed to take care of.
Liana didn’t like what she was about to do. It made her stomach churn with shame, but it was the only thing she could think of that would attract the One-Eyed Dragon’s attention. He was a force that had to be dealt with if she was ever going to get on with her life here in the States. She could not risk her new family or the Embassy she was in charge of. The problems this dragon supposedly dealt with would be hers and she was okay with that.
At the edge of a rolling hill, Liana let her monster flow over her and the small, black dragon leapt forward into the air. Her wings snapped out and she began to glide over the American countryside. It was a refreshing sight to see, full of new architecture. At least, it was new to her. The States weren’t as old as her home, so the neat, red barns that leaned with the wind weren’t as ancient as they seemed to the Americans.
She set her sight on one that was tilting toward the ground. It looked as though it should have been replaced decades ago, even if there were still cows roaming in and out of it. A roar gurgled out of her throat and she prayed it wouldn’t reach Dane back on the Territory. That was the last thing she needed.
Her claws sank into the rotting wood structure of the building. She had to use her wings to keep from putting her weight on the barn. If she did, the whole thing would crumble around her. She wanted the livestock to get as far away as they could before she started.
A firebolt surged into the air when she threw her head back. All around her, cows waddled away as fast as their hulking weight would go. She waited, watching them with eagle eyes. Another roar split the air before she turned her fury upon the building. It felt oddly nice to tear into the crumbling wood. All the pent-up anger at being forced to leave her home came tumbling out in a rush. Pieces of wood flew through the air around her.
Of course, she would have to call home when she was done and see if she could get the money to replace the bloody barn, but if everything went as she planned it would be well worth it. She would just have to remind them it served a purpose that possibly saved them money in the long run.
Once the barn was nothing more than a pile of rubble that wouldn’t even catch fire because of the advanced wet-rot, she took to the air again. What would the One-Eyed Dragon think of her color? The new black hue of her scales. He had to know what it meant for their kind. Liana soared over small towns, familiar and foreign alike, causing chaos by her menacing presence. She didn’t once attack the towns.
After what felt like a long while, her skin began to prickle. Liana was flying over an open field when he hit her. He was like a boulder, crashing into her shoulders. Together they plummeted toward the ground. She reared back, trying to catch the wind with her wings to slow them down. Then, before he could strike again, she dropped her massive shape.
Her human body hit the ground and rolled away. She used the momentum to roll to her feet. Before her was a scarred, black dragon. He was not charcoal in the way that her scales were. These were black as the night sky. One yellow eye followed her. The other was a black socket that blended into the color of his scales.
“Nice to finally meet you,” Liana said in greeting. It was a dumb thing to do. This whole plan was rather dumb, she acknowledged. “I think you and I need to have a conversation.”
She moved, circling him on human feet, never stopping, never giving him a chance to attack. She kept to his blind side and she could see it was irritating him. He huffed as he twisted to keep track of her, but she was always just out of sight.
“You might think you’re the only one to uphold justice around the Territory, but your brand of justice is about to come to an end.”
He huffed, his lips curling over his teeth in a snarl. He did not like her proclamation. He would have to deal with it. If he continued to soar over the States, taking justice into his own hands with his brutal methods, dragons would continue to be mistrusted. They needed to work together to create a reputation of solidarity.
If it came down to it, she was not against employing his services, but that would only be a last-ditch effort.
Like the note the One-Eyed Dragon had left in Miri’s home had asked, she was taking care of things.
Liana’s mouth went dry. She didn’t know why. All she knew was that something was wrong. She looked up to find the One-Eyed Dragon was fuming from his nostrils. The smoke leaking from him was not the pale gray smoke of flames. It curled into the air around her with violet tendrils.
She’d only ever seen one other dragon with that element.
Her heart wanted to hammer, wanted to pound in apprehension, but she found that her body was slowing. Her limbs felt heavy and her tongue felt thick. The One-Eyed Dragon watched her, something akin to a grin unfurling across his lizard-like face before his tail whirled toward her.
It collided with Liana before she could move. The world around her went dark.
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Chapter Eleven
“Your mate left us,” Noelle growled before half of his family. She poked a finger into Dane’s chest and he thought he might explode.
His heart hammered inside his chest despite the anger that lined his face as he stared back at the small dragon. He had no idea where his mate might have gone. He didn’t even know what would make her leave. She was not in the field he’d found her in the day before, experimenting with her new form.
Dane had left the Territory to assess the carnage the One-Eyed Dragon had left behind, taking with him some of his best dragons to canvas the area. It had not been a sight he would have wished on anyone. Whereas the last family had completely disappeared, this dragon had been left behind as a message, his body nearly shredded by dragon claws. The looks on the faces of those around him hadn’t carried the fear or the accusation Dane had expected, but he felt it all the same.
He’d carried it all the way back to the center of the Territory only to find his mate gone. He should have known Liana would continue to be reckless in her brand of bravery, but he did not think she would do any of the things his family accused her of.
Some of the dragons were trying to tell him there was another dragon flying outside the Territory and causing chaos. They claimed it was his mate, the foreigner he’d brought into their family. It couldn’t be. Liana wouldn’t tear down a barn. She wouldn’t spew flames over a town full of people.
Not his mate.
“You need to back down,” Marc told Noelle, his voice gravelly with the threat his body held. He stepped forward, trying to place himself between Dane and Noelle.
He couldn’t afford to have his people fighting amongst themselves. Where had Liana gone? If only he could find her and let her explain herself to them.
“His mate betrayed us!” Noelle shouted after spinning away from Marc. “The woman is running around and acting like one of the raiding dragons. If they really are mates, what does that say about Dane?”
He felt the world shift beneath his feet. None of them knew. They couldn’t. They would never trust him If they did.
The dragons gathered around his porch made the wooden structure feel like a galley. They shifted from foot to foot, murmuring to each other and casting wary looks up to him. Their faith was wavering. So little held them together as a family.
Trust was the only glue Dane had ever tried to use. As long as they trusted him to protect them, they stayed, they respected him.
A small voice spoke up from the crowd. “Is it true? Was a raider family attacked and killed?”
Dane felt his stomach plummet. A small tug at his side had him looking down. Miri stood beside him, the absolute worst place for a child in that moment. He did not want her on display for their accusations and fears. Dane moved to push her away, but she clung to him, standing like an immovable force with her eyes trained on the crowd. She was too strong for a child of only five years, he thought.
The world they lived in had done this to her.
Dane bent and scooped Miri up in his arms. The girl twisted in his embrace, her eyes daring the crowd before them to speak against him. He couldn’t help but smile.
“Are you a raiding dragon?” Dane asked the voice in the crowd, unable to pinpoint which of his dragons had spoken.
There was a murmur that passed over the crowd as everyone spoke at once. They shifted, looking from one to the next as they each mumbled their thoughts.
“You aren’t because I’ve given you a place to live so that you don’t have to steal to live. I’m not excusing the raiders, by any means. What I’m doing is reminding you that you have it very good right now. Don’t trample over that.”
Without another word, he turned away from the crowd and retreated inside with Miri. He moved to set her down on the couch, but she clung to him, her thin legs wrapped around his torso. Marc followed him inside, a familiar face for Miri. The resemblance between them ended at the shape of their eyes and color of their skin, but he’d been the first face she’d seen here on the Territory.
“The other two are on the door incase Noelle decides to storm the cabin and burn it down.” Marc’s voice felt light, but his words weighed heavy in Dane’s chest.
“I just don’t understand where Liana would have gone. Why would she leave like that? I thought… I thought everything was going alright.” Dane threaded his hand through his hair and tugged. The small amount of pain did nothing to clear his mind of the panic that made his chest tight.
Miri’s little hands touched either side of his face, forcing him to look her in the eye. Her gaze was solemn, but he could tell she was being strong for him.
“Don’t worry,” Miri said to him. “She is going to protect us. She’s going to make sure he can’t come for us.”
Dane froze. Marc asked him what was wrong, but the words fell on deaf ears. The realization of what his mate planned on doing was like a knife through his heart. She was going to get herself killed. He’d loved her for only a few nights and lost her in moments.
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Chapter Twelve
Liana woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was dark and the stone beneath her was cool. Panic surged through her for a moment, but her monster rose and shoved it down. The monster allowed the tightness in her chest to ease, allowed her to breathe while she took in her surroundings. There were no doors, no windows to be seen.
She cursed, a whisper on her breath. Even if there had been a window with bars, she would have felt a bit better. She’d watched Wesley twist enough metal with his bare hands to know that it was possible for her, too. Instead, she was trapped in the dim space with only her monster to keep her company.
What had happened? Where had she gone wrong?
Her head throbbed. Was that the impact of his tail? Or was it the shame she felt for being so stupid? Either way, she hoped her dragon magic would make it go away soon.
Shakily, she pushed herself to her feet. Her body felt too large, kind of like when her hand fell asleep and she had to flex it to get the blood flowing again. She paused, waiting for the feeling to fade. It must have been the noxious gas.
If she was going to stay here, she had to do her homework on the world’s dragons. The community here was not defined by any single blood family, but, rather, a melting pot of dragons that came here from all over the world.
Poisonous gas was a new element for her, an element she’d only seen in one other dragon before. How common of an element was it here in the States? She knew so little about the types of dragons who lived here, but her gut told her that she was not wrong.
Dane had that element, too. It was too rare of a thing for this to be a chance encounter. There were ties between the One-Eyed Dragon and her mate that Dane didn’t see.
“You didn’t kill a single cow on that farm,” a voice said into the dark. “You burnt that old, rickety thing to the ground, but didn’t take a damned thing. Then, when you flew over the town, you made sure not to hurt a soul with your dragon fire.”
Liana let herself fall back against the cold, stone wall. It allowed her to steady her trembling limbs. Well, this was not how she’d wanted this to go, but the plan wasn’t completely shot.
“You did all this just to get my attention.”
“You bet,”’ Liana said, softly. The throbbing in her head was slowly receding. She didn’t know if that was her own dragon healing, or if it was a blessing leftover from the witch’s magic pulsing in her veins. Either way, she was thankful.
“Why is that?”
“I came to order a cease and desist on your services. Thanks for trying, but we don’t need your brand of vigilantism anymore”
“Tsk, tsk,” the voice demeaned her. “I do what I do to keep this country a safe place for my kind. It’s the ones with no morals, no honor that
make old men in suits draft laws that bind us.”
“Are you sure it isn’t the other way around?” Liana brought her fire to her hands. A small flame sparked to life, lighting up the space around her. It revealed the stone masonry behind her back, the metal bars that locked her into the space, and the face beyond them.
He reminded her of Elgar, this One-Eyed Dragon. It was almost endearing. His face was lined with impossible wrinkles, but the longer she looked she realized they were scars. They marred his face with thick scar tissue, making him look ancient. He approached the bars, his one eye meeting her glare. But, there was no madness in his gaze. Not like she saw in Elgar’s. This dragon knew what he was doing. He was conscious of every step he made.
“Are you sure the system here doesn’t force refugee dragons to act the way they do? I’m sure there are a handful that enjoy this kind of life, but not all of them enjoy living on the run all the time.”
“You may have a point, Welsh child. But, it matters not. The dragons still act out of line and need to be punished. I let the one live to see if he could become a better man. I had hopes for him. I really did.” His brows were heavy over one sharp eye and one empty socket. She wondered, just to keep her humor up, if the dragon ever bothered with glass eyes while in his human form
Liana growled and surged toward the bars. Only metal separated them. She could channel her flame like Wesley and bend them to her will. This time she would be smart enough to cover her face with her shirt to keep the dragon’s fumes from making her slow.
The One-Eyed Dragon’s eyebrows rose and a smile curved his lips. “I see I’ve found his mate. You’re a bit young for him, eh?”
She was prepared for him to lash out, to grab her and hurt her. She was not prepared for what he did. The One-Eyed Dragon sat down on the stone floor, legs crossed beneath him, and looked up to her.
Fated Dragons Complete Series: Books 1 - 5 Page 53