“Let me tell you a story, then,” he began. Liana stayed standing. She wouldn’t be fooled by him. He didn’t seem to care whether or not she did a handstand; he launched into his tale. “About a century ago now, I was flying over this land. It was just an expanse of wild forests and fields then, dotted with small homesteads and burgeoning towns.
“I happened across a dragon taking great pleasure in what he did, the townsfolk living in fear of his green scales. People in the towns gathered and spoke of the monster that terrorized their efforts to start families and farms. They lived in starvation because they could not raise a barn without it being torn down. They could not sow a field without it being razed. So, they gathered and shared stories that I collected, treating him like a myth.
“Of course, our government didn’t know of our existence then. If I’d let the green scaled dragon continue with his ways, our existence would have been outed to the world. I took measures to stop that, only to have your own family ruin that some years later. I could not fix that, but I could end the terror these people lived in. I hunted this dragon, took him by surprise because he was a strong man and I might not have won otherwise.
“I did not realize, at the time, that this dragon had a family. The boy, a sullen man who looked as though his life had leeched everything from his spirit, was frozen. Then, the wife came out. There was no way of knowing if she was a dragon in that moment, but I took no chances with her. I killed the green dragon and his wife to make sure our secret was safe.”
Liana paused. “Yet, you spared the boy.”
The old man on the floor nodded. “He was young. At least, in the years of a dragon. There was a chance that my actions had spurred some kind of inspiration in his soul. That, or fear. I was okay with either one as long as it kept him on the straight and narrow. I don’t blame him for attacking me in that moment. It was his right, it was the heat of the moment. But, I let him live with only one request, that he become a good man. Not the man his father was, but someone that the world needed.
“If he did not, then I would return to finish the job. It seems that he was doing an okay job, trying his best to be a good man by starting that family of his, but, if he fancies himself a leader, he hasn’t been keeping a good reign on the goings on around his Territory.”
Liana growled, stalking toward the bars. One man was not enough to accomplish everything the One-Eyed Dragon wanted from Dane. Her mate was not his father. He was not a man who took pleasure in the destruction of others. She knew him as a loyal and protective leader. He did what they could not do in Wales, bringing all sorts together.
But, the One-Eyed Dragon waved her off. “You’re only so worked up because he’s your mate. Do you even have the ability to see him as he is? The bond between the two of you has clouded your mind.”
She sank to her haunches so that she was face to face with him. Her monster rose to the surface. This was a man who would understand the creature beneath her skin because he’d forged such monsters in his life. He must have had his own, she guessed.
“You are not God,” she began. “You are not the final voice in this world. We are not infallible creatures meant to live up to your perfect standards. You do not stand beside Dane King and watch what he does, you don’t see the good man that he is. He rescued two starving boys and raised them to be his family. He created something from nothing, making a home in the States for unwelcome dragons. It is not his fault that some fail to reach out to him, that some are evil.”
The One-Eyed Dragon watched her with wariness. He was beginning to see who she really was.
“Dane has stood alone for too long, unable to handle everything you think he should be doing. That time has ended. Where he is the king that his people will love and respect, I will be the force that keeps the outside world in line.”
“You? You think you’re willing to do what I do?” His voice was incredulous.
She smiled and his face faltered. While the monster in her still lurked near the surface, she sat back and made herself comfortable. “I can and I will. But, I will not do it the same way you do. We are working on setting up an Embassy here in the States. It will allow better interaction between the humans and dragons. My role in the Embassy will be to help those seeking refuge find a home in the Territory, or start their own Territory.”
His face darkened. He, apparently, didn’t like her answer.
“Working within the system is your plan? These are dragons we’re talking about. I’ve seen your scales and heard the news from Wales. I know what you’ve been through. Yet, you still think working within the system will make any difference?” His lips pulled away in a snarl as he talked down to her.
She might have been locked behind bars, but she leaned forward and wrapped her fingers around them. Careful to look out for the smoke that could trickle from his mouth, she almost didn’t notice that the bars of the door swung beneath her grip.
Liana startled back. The door had been unlocked the entire time. Curious, she looked to the One-Eyed Dragon. What was his plan? Was this about to end the same way Drystan had? Who would come out on the winning end of this fight? Liana had her monster, but the dragon was old and cunning.
Plus, he had that nifty gas trick up his sleeve.
The old man rolled his eyes before picking himself up from the ground. He turned toward the stairs that wound up toward a source of glowing light. At the foot of the stairs, he stopped. He turned toward her.
“I never planned on hurting you,” he confessed. “The cage was just to make sure you didn’t want to attack me on sight. You’re welcome to come upstairs whenever you’re ready.”
He left her standing alone in the dark basement. She was a little confused as to what was happening. Maybe, she was going to have to take notes from him while she still had the chance. He’d managed to get her to a controlled space, where he had the upper hand purely by sleight of hand.
After a long moment of contemplation, she followed him upstairs. He was busy puttering around a kitchen that reminded her of the one in Wesley’s tower. In fact, much of the décor and architecture reminded her of Wesley’s tower. Had he flown her back to Wales to make Dane weak?
“You’ve been out of Dane’s life for the past century,” she began. A peek out the window at the foliage outside told her they had not gone back to Wales. They were still in the wilds of the States. “Yet, all of a sudden, you show up demanding more of him.”
The old man looked up at her, one eye a slumped and empty socket, but the other was sharp and cunning. The knife in his hand from chopping carrots hovered in the air. She noted it and kept the kitchen island between them.
“You haven’t cared for the past century. Why show up and start enacting justice now?”
The tip of the knife was embedded in the butcher block counter in an instant. The old man turned a wild grin up at her. She’d found what he was hiding. Instead of attacking, he leaned against the counter. There was a glint of madness that reminded her of Elgar. Or, perhaps that was ambition.
Liana knew what he wanted. The One-Eyed Dragon had come, not to dispense justice, but to steal what Dane had built. He was going to use fear and deception to do it.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to work for me instead of that flimsy Embassy you dream of? I’m sure together you and I could make an empire out of the States.”
She snorted. “You set up someone else to build the base of that empire for you. Do you really think you’re fit to run his family? Because that’s what it is. It’s a family and they won’t be too willing to bend to your will.”
Liana could only hope. She’d seen the dedication that the twins and Isaac had for their leader. She knew that the Territory ran smoothly beneath Dane’s rule, even while he’d been away.
“I highly doubt that, my dear. You’ve helped me, even if you thought you were doing the right thing. Your attempts to gain my attention did you no favors among Dane’s supposed family. They turned on him in heartbeat.”
&nbs
p; Liana couldn’t breathe. Panic flared through her, electrical jolts that surged through her body. She’d done that. She’d caused the beginning of his downfall. Hunting the One-Eyed Dragon should have been the right thing to do.
It still was.
She couldn’t let her emotions rule her. Sure, she could use them for strength, but they would not rule her. Her love for Dane, her affection for the child that entered their lives because of the man before her, made her stronger. It did not protect her, but made her willing to protect them.
“Dane’s family doesn’t have to love me,” Liana informed the dragon on the other side of the kitchen island. “They will love him and I will stand by him. You aren’t going to get away with your plan. You can’t swoop in and steal Dane’s family to build your own empire.”
Everything happened so fast. Tendrils of purple gas curled through the air while she struck. The One-Eyed Dragon was old, but he still landed his hit. He yanked the knife from the block and brought it down. She feinted to the side, but the blade still pierced her forearm.
That was okay. She didn’t need it to kill a dragon.
Black scales and claws unfolded over her own hand. Heat wafted over her. Her right hand swiped at him while he was distracted with the blade in her arm. The blade tore downward, slicing through her flesh, but her hand hit home. Claws sliced through skin and veins until they grazed bone.
Liana caught the movement of his arm, dropping from where he’d blocked her hit. She’d struck the bone of his arm and not his neck. She was no closer to a killing blow than he was in that moment.
Her head swam with the purple smoke still floating in the air. It made her stagger when she moved to pull the blade from her forearm. It clattered to the floor, just another part of the mess while she fumbled toward the front door.
She had to trust that Dane was already looking for her, because she knew she couldn’t keep this up forever. Her body needed to heal the damage the dragon had done to her arm. She kept pressure on it to keep the veins from pumping faster than she could handle.
The One-Eyed Dragon was old, his steps just a fraction too slow. Liana danced away from his strikes, trying to draw the fight out until Dane came. The monster inside of her pressed against the surface. It promised her a victory before Dane arrived.
She hesitated.
I will win this fight. You don’t need to worry, it whispered to her.
The One-Eyed Dragon lunged for her and she barely fumbled back from his razor sharp claws. She should have used her dragon shape to topple the house down around her. She shouldn’t have come alone.
But, she would have to rely on what strengths she had in that moment. Losing this fight wasn’t an option. There was too much at stake.
Do what you have to, she whispered to the monster inside of her. It rose with joyous glee, flashing pointed teeth in expectation.
While the monster fought for her, she debated whether or not she was going to tell Dane the One-Eyed Dragon was a relative of his. She suspected he was most likely his grandfather. He was about the right age, putting him in the same bracket as Owain or Elgar. It made sense to her that the older dragon had been upset with his son’s lifestyle, but had chosen to spare the grandson. That was why Dane lived.
That was why he’d given him a second chance.
It just so happened that his grandson had built a so-called empire in the grandfather’s absence. One that looked good enough to take over.
Too bad Liana would never let that happen.
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Chapter Thirteen
Dane flew over all his Territory. Liana couldn’t have gone far. She still had to be here.
It warmed his heart when the family turned toward Noelle and told her the truth. His dragons put rebellious Noelle in her place and reminded her why she lived a safe and happy life. In the end, she’d been remorseful. It had been jealousy that made her lash out like that. He knew she wanted to stand by his side, knew she’d held feelings for him for a long while.
It was not his fault that he’d met his mate overseas. That was not a thing any dragon could help. If she was lucky, she too would find her mate.
His family encouraged him to go in search of his mate. Many of them had heard tales of the One-Eyed Dragon, not many had actually seen him. He was like a boogey-man, a tale told to keep young ones from acting out.
Now, his heart fluttered in panic as he thought about Liana in the One-Eyed Dragon’s grasp. What would the man do to her to get back at Dane? Dane had tried to limit the amount of raiding outside his Territory, but it had been difficult while he was gone. He’d taken his most trustworthy and capable dragons with him to help with the White Dragon Uprising. Leaving behind the less experienced to maintain the peace.
It seemed the One-Eyed Dragon had not been pleased with that. He’d returned to take vengeance on Dane. While he’d managed to build a family and a future for his people, Dane was not the good man he should have been. He wasn’t what the world needed.
Because, when he found the One-Eyed Dragon, he was going to raze the place to the ground. He was going to tear the man limb from limb. Dane had grown since they’d last fought. He’d grown larger, grown more experienced, and grown to love a fierce woman. Nothing would quell the rage he’d feel if anything happened to her.
Below him, the old stone castle rose in the landscape. It had been a man’s attempt at reclaiming his life, building it piece by piece himself until a tower collapsed and crushed him. It should have been empty. No one had taken up residence in the place where a good man had died.
The castle and the trees around it shuddered. Dane’s heart skipped a beat. Liana would be there. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew that his mate was in that empty castle. He tucked his wings in and started into a dive toward the ground. He couldn’t get there fast enough.
His mate needed him.
At the last second, his wings snapped out and caught the air. It slowed him enough that when he returned to his human form the impact on the ground only sent a shock up his shins. He burst into a run toward the castle. Behind him, Luc and Isaac were following his lead.
The faint sounds of fighting reached Dane’s ears and his heart surged. Inside, an old man snarled and swiped at his mate. Liana fumbled, despite the smile on her face. The old man’s clawed hand just barely missed her skin. She wasn’t herself, he thought. He could tell. Gone was the emotion he’d seen return to her in the past days. In its place were the walls he’d worked so hard to tear down. The look in her eyes was empty save for the gleam of blood lust.
He knew what that was. It was the beast inside her, the one that had changed after the White Dragon Uprising.
Behind Dane, the other dragon men clamored past the door. The sound distracted his mate. Her head snapped up and her face softened for a fraction of an instant. In that moment, he saw his mate return only to be shoved back by the now in power beast.
The old dragon man used that moment to attack. His claws scratched across her shoulder and her feet staggered beneath her like she was drunk. There was something wrong with her, he realized.
Liana was not going to win this fight without help.
Dane signaled to the dragon men behind him. They slowly began to circle the fight. Isaac moved to his right, inching closer and closer to the icebox in the corner of the room. Luc glided to his left, putting the dragon man’s back against the kitchen sink.
Dane knew what his mate needed.
A good distraction.
“That’s it!” Dane’s voice boomed through the room. “You’re surrounded.”
The old dragon man, with one empty socket, paused. He took in the young dragon men surrounding him and snarled. Liana was slow, but the distraction paid off. She launched herself at him, more beast than human in that moment. Dane’s stomach churned as he watched her finish off the man that haunted his dreams most nights.
If he’d taken this kill, her beast would have fought him.
It would have been wrathful and might have refused to give Liana control again. She needed to finish this herself. The beast needed a win to feel satisfied, to return to its place inside Liana. It was her only salvation, he knew from experience.
The One-Eyed Dragon was well and truly dead, but Liana stayed where she was, her fingers wrapped around his neck. Dane kept still, waiting for his mate to return while his heart ached. Luc was the first one to move. He crouched beside Liana, hand gingerly touching her shoulder to bring her back to the present.
But, Luc didn’t get Liana. He got the beast. Dane’s mate looked up at Luc with empty eyes. Those eyes sized up Luc before pulling back from the One-Eyed Dragon. Her lips pulled back from her teeth and a sound escaped her that was pure threat. Luc jerked back, his eyes rising to meet Dane’s. There was no emotion on Liana’s face, not even a spark in her eye, as she walked past them all.
Dane held up a hand, telling the two dragons to wait inside. Luc shifted nervously, but Isaac nodded. Dane turned to follow his mate.
She stood outside, clutching her arm to staunch the bleeding. He moved to inspect her wound, but she jerked back from his touch with a soft snarl. This was not his mate, not completely.
“You might act invincible just because you’ve lived through the worst, but that doesn’t mean you can’t die. That doesn’t mean you’re alone.” Dane tilted her chin so that she had to look up at him. He gazed into her eyes and watched as Liana and her beast fought for control. Her brows leaned into one another and worry creased her face.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, so low that only he could hear. Dane thought he might be mistaken, but he wondered if those were the beast’s words because Liana returned to him.
She swayed on her feet. Blood was running in rivulets down her arm, even as it healed beneath her hand. There were a number of other, smaller wounds that were in the process of knitting back together. Was it blood loss that made her dazed, or was it something else?
Fated Dragons Complete Series: Books 1 - 5 Page 54