They walked into the garden, and Valerie scanned the intimate party. One man was more gorgeous than the next, from the king on down to the two gorgeous giants standing at her side.
“Jeez, Hannah. You weren’t kidding when you said they were all built like Soren. It’s gotta be something in that violet water. It’s like an escort convention.”
Aggie strolled up beside the girls, a knowing smirk on her face. “It’s nice to see you two together.” She eyed Valerie with a pointed gaze. “Though, you still have choices to make, don’t you?”
“Let’s not go there tonight, okay?” Val replied. “But yes, I haven’t made up my mind yet. The Gemini asked, and I agreed to the triad, but not to stay underwater forever. I need time. They rock my world, but sex isn’t everything, Aggie.”
Hannah sucked in a theatrical breath. “Bite your tongue, Valerie Ann Ross!”
“Still,” Aggie said, undeterred as they walked toward the long table set with a gorgeous service and covered with enough food it could feed an army. “After what happened on the beach, Sam’s boys have a large task ahead. Something is not right in their world, and I don’t mean your triad. Castor is their elder. He’s missing, and this Malus is a fraud.”
“Such heavy talk for a happy occasion. Give it a rest for one night, old lady.” A young woman approached carrying four glasses filled with a fragrant liquid. She held out a glass to each of the women and then lifted hers to Valerie. “I’m Selena Draakki. Rylan’s mate. Welcome to Aelantedes.”
Valerie smiled. “Nice to meet you, too. I think our husbands are distantly related.”
“Enough that you’re not too far off. Rylan is talking with Draic. He’s the king. Theda is his queen. She’s preggers and big as a house, so I’m not sure if she’ll show tonight.”
They moved to the table and took their places. Draic walked to his seat, as well. Everyone stood, but he waved them back to their seats before taking his spot at the head.
“The queen sends her regrets. Theda’s not up to entertaining tonight. Her contractions have begun, so I’m only going to stay for a moment.” He lifted a glass of wine, but he didn’t drink. Instead, he held it out toward the table. “To the Draakki and the Gemini. Peace reigns at last.”
His eyes moved to Valerie, and he inclined his head. “And to the new triad and their beautiful mate. Valerie, I hope you choose to stay with us. It’s a difficult choice, but one I’m sure you wouldn’t regret.” He grinned and then drained his glass.
Zale nodded. “We want that, too. For our peace to last and for Valerie to stay, but right now nothing has been decided.”
Rylan cocked his head, confused. “Wait, it’s my understanding you two and Soren came to a meeting of the minds earlier. If you need my seal of approval as Alpha of the Draakki, you’ve got it. I want nothing more than the clans to be united and equal.”
“It’s not that,” Adrian replied. “If you know about our truce, then you also know we face an unknown evil.”
Draic nodded. “Malus. No one knows where he came from, but he’s some sort of magician or sorcerer. It’s been speculated he’s from the Theradian Woods, but I had that checked, and he’s not. My intelligence has been watching him, especially once we knew you two were returning to Oloris.”
“Whatever he is, he’s holding Castor somewhere.” Zale looked from the king to Adrian and back again. “If our elder was dead, we’d feel it. He’s alive somewhere or Malus wouldn’t have control over Castor’s staff. He wants our alpha and omega medallions. Without them, he cannot enter the crystal cavern and our sacred grotto. Without them, he’s stuck.”
Rylan put his glass down. “What can we do to help?”
“Funny you should ask,” Adrian replied. “Zale and I are the only ones who can sense Castor’s trace. It’s a bond we’ve shared with him since childhood, especially me since he chose me for the omega. We can’t open the sacred grotto without Valerie, but right now she’s in danger. Malus knows she’s the key.”
Draic chewed, considering. He swallowed, pointing his fork at Zale and Adrian. “Then Valerie should stay here at the palace. No place is safer on all of Oloris.”
“In this one instance, I beg to differ, sire,” Rylan replied.
The king raised an eyebrow, but not in offense. “What am I missing, then?”
“Drakkylon,” Zale responded before Rylan could. “They’ve had wards and safeguards against the Gemini for centuries. The palace does business with both clans. It would take your security force too long to pinpoint Malus’s single trace, especially since it seems he’s a master of deception. Drakkylon is equipped.”
Putting his fork down, the king nodded, wiping his mouth. “I stand corrected, and gladly so. I much prefer the dragons stabilize this situation themselves, but if this escalates, I will send my warriors if necessary.”
“Thank you, sire.” Rylan inclined his head.
Draic pushed his chair back from the table, signaling to one of the servers. “Fill two trays with a little of everything and send them to the royal apartment.” He stood, waving for everyone to stay seated again. “Rylan, I’ll send word for a royal trident to be made ready for use in the morning. The trip to Draakki is long. Please forgive me if I don’t come to see you off. I don’t want to leave Theda on her own.”
“Actually, sire,” Serena began, shyly. “With your permission, I’d love to fly, and I know Hannah would as well.”
“Serena!” Rylan hissed.
Draic grinned at the young woman. “Just like my Theda. Strong-willed and sassy. I forgot you and Hannah earned your dragon wings.” Glancing from her to Rylan, he shrugged. “As the Alpha of the Draakki, it’s up to you, of course, but you’d be smart to remember the surface world saying, ‘happy wife, a happy life.’”
Rylan pressed his lips together, sparing a glance for his mate as she bounced in her seat. “Fine. But we follow formation. Understood?”
She squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. “You da alpha!”
Chapter Twelve
“Where are Zale and Adrian?” Rylan asked as Hannah and Valerie walked up the hill to the Dragon’s Launch with Soren. The dual stars were just blinking above the horizon, and in that moment all of Aelantedes looked golden.
“They left last night. They wanted to get a head start looking for Castor under the cover of nightfall.” Val shrugged. “I told them to tell you or Soren, but they didn’t want either of you to feel obligated to go with them.”
Rylan nodded. “I’m not sure how we’ll get word to them, now. They’ll want to know how you’re doing, but I won’t know how to contact them. The Draakki and the Gemini haven’t shared information in eons There used to be a common telepathic pathway between the triads and their respective elders, but who knows if that works anymore.”
Serena put her hand on Rylan’s shoulder. “Well, there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to try and resurrect that pathway.” She shrugged. “No one destroyed it, so even if it’s weak, that doesn’t mean it won’t do the job.”
He took her fingers and kissed them. “Ever my optimist. That is when you’re not going over my head to the king and giving me a headache.”
“Aw, you love it.” She shoved playfully at his cheek, blowing him a kiss.
Soren looked at his alpha. “Well, that leaves us with one problem. Who is going to carry Valerie?”
Gazing out at the dual stars, Rylan shrugged. “We can’t wait much longer. Like Draic said, it’s a long way.” He turned around and looked to Soren. “You’ll carry Valerie. She’s tantamount to your sister-in-law, so why not?”
“I’ll tell you why not,” Valerie replied. “My straddling my best friend’s mate is not going to happen. It’s too…too weird.” She lifted one shoulder. “Too intimate, you know?”
Serena laughed. “It’s just a ride on a dragon’s back, honey. The only time a dragon gets any kind of satisfaction from it is when it’s his mate.” She winked.
“Ew, you are so not helping.
” Valerie grimaced.
She laughed out loud. “Then Rylan can carry you. He’s the alpha and the most experienced, so it makes sense, plus I’ll be right beside him, so no hanky panky.”
“Serena—” Rylan warned.
Hannah and Soren shared an amused look. “She’s just teasing, Rylan. Val’s never done this before, so it’s all good.”
Valerie stood back and watched as Rylan raked a hand through his hair. He exhaled and walked to the edge of the bluff.
“If you all say so, then let’s get moving.” He crouched, and with a flash of electricity and a wrench of bone and sinew, Rylan transformed to his dragon.
Valerie backed away. “Holy shit-balls!”
Rylan’s dragon lips pulled back and smoke curled in a scaly chuckle. Soren walked to the beast’s side and patted his flank. “Mount up, Val. Try to situate yourself right behind Rylan’s frill. They look spiky and stiff, but they’re actually smooth. Hook your legs behind a set of scales and hold on tight.”
“Let’s go, dude.” Hannah took Valerie by the reluctant hand and walked her to the edge of the bluff.
Val stepped into Soren’s linked fingers. “Whatever happens, I love you, bookworm. Tell the twin giants I think I love them, too.”
“Think?” Hannah raised an eyebrow.
Val looked at the immense beast she was about to mount and squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay, okay. I know I love them, but they don’t need to know that yet. Not when I haven’t wrapped my head around it myself. It’s not just hormonal, right?”
Hannah shook her head, and Serena moved to her side as well. “No, honey,” Serena answered for them both. “It’s not just hormonal. It’s a shifter thing, and once they find us and make us theirs, it’s an all or nothing deal. Trust me, baby. You won’t regret it.”
“She’s right. Besides, where else would we get guys who look like them?” Hannah jerked her thumb to her hunky mate and laughed. “I want to raise our little shiftlings together, dude. So tell those twin tree trunks you love them utterly, and then get on with it.”
Valerie’s eyes went wide. “Are you telling me you’re pregnant?”
Hannah spared a glance for Soren and then nodded, holding her finger to her lips. “We haven’t told Aggie yet, so keep your trap shut, okay?” She slid her eyes to Serena as well. “And that goes double for you, Mrs. Alpha.”
The three girls laughed, and as if on cue Soren hoisted Valerie onto Rylan’s back. “Remember what I said about holding tight. It can get bumpy up there.”
“Roger that,” she saluted and then watched as they each transformed along the cliff edge.
“Holy fire breath! Will I be able to do that, too?” she murmured, forgetting Rylan could still understand. He nodded his big head, smoke curling again in agreement.
“Of course, I’ll be a leviathan! Dragon of the seas, but who cares! Wahoo! Landing gear up, you big lizard! Let’s go!”
***
The air was smooth as silk, and the ground below passed in a hazy smudge as they headed west toward the plains of Drakkylon. Gemini Mountain loomed large as they approached, and Valerie understood from the way the dragons’ formation shifted, they were skirting enemy territory. Their band of brothers knew they had struck peace, but everyone else had yet to hear the good news.
Immense wings flapped, then went straight as they curved around the mountain range, keeping to the cloud cover. Valerie shivered. Clouds were a cold wet mist, not the fluffy cotton candy puffs they look like from the ground.
Her hair hung in wet strands and her long-sleeved tee and leggings clung to her like she struggled into them straight from the washing machine. “Ugh, worse than trying to put on a wet bathing suit,” she muttered, letting go with one hand to tug at her wet tee.
Rylan turned in that moment and she lost her balance, her hand grasping for the closest grip. The dragon’s frills were wet from the clouds as well, and her hand slipped. Sensing her distress, Rylan banked in the other direction, careful not to overcorrect. She grabbed a frill at the base and leaned in, holding on tight.
“One rule,” she muttered. “Soren gave you one rule. Hold on with both hands, but no…rules don’t apply to Valerie cocky-ass Ross.”
Rylan’s flanks rumbled in dragon laughter.
“Sure, yuck it up. I’ve got a vise grip hanging on here, so whatever part of you this transforms to when you shift back, you better have an ice pack handy,” she shot back. “Just saying.”
The wind picked up, blowing quick, hard gusts. Val’s hair whipped around her face, the wet strands slapping and stinging her cheeks. Her teeth chattered in the cold, but she held on.
Lightning crashed out of nowhere, illuminating the sky in white flashes. Thunder rumbled around the summit and Rylan and the others dove from cloud cover, trying to outmaneuver the unanticipated storm.
“I know what you’re thinking, big guy, but this is not Serena’s fault,” Valerie said, trying to keep her mind on anything but the crazy way the dragons flew.
Rylan couldn’t hear her over the sound of the wind anyway, so she gave up and closed her eyes.
Lightning flashed again, but this time a bolt crashed too close for comfort. Rylan countered, banking hard. Valerie screamed as her hands slipped from their hold on his frilled mane. She tumbled from the dragon’s back, her body plummeting toward the base of the mountains.
Hannah and Serena shrieked in panic, Soren diving for Valerie only to be cut off by a mercenary guard. Fire flew from their mouths in a coordinated pattern, circling the mountain’s perimeter. He lost sight of her as she slipped through the ring of flame just as it closed.
Rylan’s roar shook the mountain, sending rocks plunging from the summit. They had to get her back or more than just the tenuous Draakki/Gemini truce was at risk. They needed to find Zale and Adrian. Fast.
Chapter Thirteen
“Try again!” Rylan yelled, stalking around the fire pit in the elder sanctuary. “I know they’re not an officially completed triad, but the woman declared her love for them before we left the king’s grounds. That has to count for something!”
He threw a hand in the air, and then hesitated, whirling to face the Draakki head elder. “Wait,” he said, pointing at the old man. “You know Castor, don’t you, Pollux? If memory serves from all that history drummed into my head as a child, you two shared the same mother. Different fathers. Yours Draakki, his Gemini.”
Pollux kept his eyes on the flames. “That was centuries ago. I haven’t seen my brother since our mother’s funeral pyre.”
“You can reach him. Castor, I mean. Even if he is held in thrall by Malus. Through him, you can tap into the bond he shares with the Gemini alpha and omega. You can find it and manipulate it.” Rylan nodded, ignoring the look of distaste on the old man’s face.
Serena moved to her husband’s side. “Go easy, love. Flies with honey, not threat of torture,” she murmured.
“Your mate is wiser than you, it seems.” The old man pulled his milky gaze from the pit. “Malus,” he said, gesturing to the book on the stone pillar on the opposite side of the fire. “He’s skilled in the old ways, or so I’ve heard.”
He tapped the side of his head. “Even sequestered in our circle of solitude, we hear the rumblings from outside.” Pollux looked to the ceiling before settling his regard on Rylan.
“For that reason, and for the sake of the surface girl this false diviner will use as his pawn, I will search my mind for the strength and ability to do as you ask.”
The elder’s acolytes ringed the fire with white stone, laying them in a row directly over the circle of hearth stones. Pollux approached the flames and knelt in the soft sand, his arms at his side and his head bent. They threw fragrant herbs into the fire, and smoke swirled.
A chant rose and the smoke eddied and curled as they fanned it toward Pollux. The old man lifted his head, and raising his arms, guided the sacred smoke toward his lungs. He inhaled and as he did, his eyes closed.
“Is he go
ing to be okay?” Hannah whispered to Soren. “An old guy like that shouldn’t breathe that kind of smoke.”
Soren shushed her, shaking his head.
The chanting increased in pace and volume and Pollux cried out, but his eyes stayed shut. He lifted his arms. “Malus has him suspended.”
“Suspended?” Rylan asked. “How do you mean? Who?”
“My brother’s consciousness is floating, separated from his body. Castor walks between the living and the dead. Not belonging in either sphere. It’s the only way Malus can control the staff and channel both his and Castor’s power through it.”
“Pollux, can you tap into that suspended consciousness without Malus knowing? Can you find the link created for the triad?” Rylan asked.
The old man swallowed hard. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and ran down the sides of his face. No one approached. Sharp breaths strained his chest, and he winced as if in fear before his face relaxed. He nodded, keeping his eyes closed the entire time.
“The link is there. I can reach it—” He cried out, his hands clenching at his sides. A long protracted breath left his lungs and he slumped forward in a Bālāsana, yoga child’s pose.
Rylan and Soren rushed to his side, but the acolytes shrieked.
“Do not touch him,” one ordered. “He is communing with his brother. When his eyes open, you will know if he succeeded or not.”
Seconds seemed like hours and minutes like days until Pollux lifted his head. His eyes snapped open, and he straightened to his knees again.
“Well?” Rylan and Soren asked in unison.
The elder nodded and a small smile took his mouth. “I touched my brother’s mind. In his suspended state, I saw everything, including how he’s missed me all these years.” He looked at the Draakki alpha and bowed his head. “I was wrong, my leader. Forgive me.”
“Yeah, yeah. The past is past. Were you able to reach Zale and Adrian?” Soren interrupted.
“Soren!” Hannah smacked his arm.
The old man cracked a smile, sparing a glance for her and Serena before addressing the question. “These surface world women. I know I was skeptical at first, but they certainly bring fiery blood into our midst.”
Taming their Tailfins: Howls Romance Page 10