Dragon's Tears (City Dragons Book 3)

by Lisa Oliver

  “Oh, they were true, down to the last gold button.” David rolled his eyes, and Ivak noticed he was far more relaxed than anyone Ivak had imagined associated with the court. “However, the king has grown weary of public displays of late. Since the death of his last child, and the poisoning of his latest mistress…”

  “Someone seems keen to ensure the king doesn’t have anymore children.” Byron’s smile didn’t falter. “Perhaps it’s just as well we brought the fire dragons with us, babe.” Ivak felt Byron’s hand slip around his arm. “Is there anyone we can trust in this court, David?”

  David glanced around. The guards were placed at six-foot intervals on either side of the huge main entrance. Ivak had already worked out how to take them all out, before they moved. “Come with me,” he said quietly. “Your wolf can wait with the vehicles, but your dragon enforcers are welcome to follow at a distance.”

  “That wolf you callously disregard is my brother, Petrov.” Ivak folded his arms across his chest, taking care to ensure Byron’s hand stayed where it was and covering it with his own. “I refuse to enter this building unless he is accorded the same respect I am. His nose is infallible, he can scent any strong emotion, including lies, and he’s as important to me as my mate.”

  Ivak braced himself, sure David would take offence. Any dragon Ivak had met before hated being told what to do and while David wasn’t a powerful dragon, he held a very high position in the ice dragon court. But Ivak was wrong.

  “My apologies to you Prince, and your brother Petrov.” Hand over his heart, David bowed low to the stunned wolf. “I couldn’t be sure although the familial resemblance is there. Come inside and welcome. I’ll arrange some light refreshments while I send word to the king you are here.”

  “I am more interested in why the king has summoned my presence here now,” Ivak said bluntly as soon as they stepped inside the castle. “Your mention of a late mistress suggests he is still intent on replacing me as heir as soon as he can produce a child who lives longer than his date of maturity, so why this, why now? He has never bonded, fate or otherwise, and I imagine there’s a waiting list of suitable applicants for the position of the king’s bedwarmer.”

  “Once, but not recently.” David was still watching his surroundings. “Come through here,” he said, leading the way to a small sitting room to the left of the reception hall. David clicked his fingers at the footman waiting by the stairs, muttering to him in Russian. The young man scampered off, and David closed the door, presumably to give them some privacy.

  “Refreshments will be here shortly, and the king will be advised you are waiting to see him. Sit, sit.” David waved at the chairs.

  Leading Byron across the room, Ivak indicated his mate take an isolated seat, preferring to stand behind it. With a click of his fingers, Petrov directed the enforcers around the room – two flanking the windows, two taking their station by the only door and the other two taking up posts on opposite sides of the warmly decorated room. Petrov crossed the room to stand next to Ivak, bringing comfort, even though he probably didn’t realize he was doing it.

  “My mate, the Prince, asked a very valid question,” Byron said, after David had taken his own seat. “I’m sure you know, the ice king’s exploits, his constant refusal to take a consort, and his numerous affairs have been gossip-fodder for decades among dragon circles. Dragons are exceptionally long-lived, and he’s well protected. Word has it, he hasn’t left his court in eons and has never suffered a challenge to his leadership. So, why this? Why now?”

  Leaning his elbows on his knees, David locked his hands together. “What I’m telling you now, must not leave this room.” He didn’t wait for an acknowledgement, something Ivak appreciated. He wasn’t in the business of assuring anyone. By contrast, Byron was the picture of a relaxed businessman, one ankle over the opposing knee, his hand resting on top of Ivak’s which rested on his shoulder.

  “The king is unwell and not expected to live.” Ivak caught David’s gaze, and it was clear the advisor waited for some reaction. You’ll be waiting a while.

  Byron broke the uncomfortable silence. “It will be a huge blow to the ice dragons, and indeed, dragons everywhere to lose a king. But what happened? Dragons don’t get sick as a rule.”

  “The poisoning of his mistress impacted the king as well,” David said, and Ivak had to give the man credit – he looked genuinely upset at the idea of the king in danger. “Myra, the woman who died, had gotten suspicious of everything and everyone after the death of the king’s children – those who were living at the court. They were sharing a bottle of wine, something the king didn’t normally drink. But Myra insisted he get someone to taste it first, claiming it might have been tampered with. Rather than call anyone in, the king took half a glass to prove it was untampered with. Myra drank the rest of the bottle and died two hours later.”

  “Meravin,” Ivak said, thinking quickly. “A slow acting poison that enters the bloodstream and works to shut down all of a body’s major organs. It’s difficult to detect in food or drink and can stay in a substance, like a bottle of wine for up to a week without disintegrating or losing potency. There is no cure, potion, spell, magic, or even a shift that would heal the taker from its affects. Whoever is responsible for this is a coward. Who do you suspect or has someone already admitted to the crime?”

  “This is being kept very quiet.” David got up as there was a discreet tap at the door. The same footman came in, carrying a large tray. David took it, dismissed him and set the tray on the table. His hand hovered over the large coffee pot. “Anyone?”

  “I’ll serve it.” Petrov moved over to the tray, his face almost smushed in the coffee pot. He then proceeded to inhale over the plates of tiny sandwiches and cakes arranged on a cake stand and the little displays of caviar, toast and crackers. Ivak’s grip on Byron’s shoulder tightened briefly as he masked his smile. Byron looked up at him, and Ivak did smile then.

  Petrov’s pissed about the wolf comment, I assume?

  Yep. Ivak noticed David had gone back to his chair but was having trouble sitting still. Finally, David said, “What is your brother doing, Prince?”

  “I would have thought it was obvious,” Ivak said coldly. “You’ve already admitted you have a poisoner in court, and then you offer us refreshments. If you were in cahoots with my cousin Bertrand for example, it would be safe to say our refreshments have been tainted too. Of course, it might not be your fault. My mate and I made no secret of our arrival – we came to the front door and I imagine it’s already all over the court that the new heir and his consort are here.”

  “The coffee is untainted,” Petrov poured three cups and then straightened to his full height, coming over to hand one to Byron first, Ivak took the second one and Petrov kept the third. “I wouldn’t touch the food, in particular the salmon sandwiches and the caviar.”

  “The food is poisoned?” David jumped to his feet, looking between the door and Ivak. “My Prince, please, you have to believe me, I had nothing to do with this.”

  “The sexy silver fox does not lie.” Petrov inhaled his coffee and then took an appreciative sip. “You will be fine, Prince Consort. Enjoy your coffee while this man runs around like a headless chicken achieving nothing.”

  “Sexy?” David gave Petrov a second look. “Chicken?” That one was screeched.

  “Bertrand,” Ivak said firmly. “Is my cousin Bertrand in the castle?”

  “Yes, Prince.” David inhaled sharply, pressing a hand against his chest as he let his breath out slowly. “Bertrand has been sitting with the king these past few days. His devotion to his majesty has been noticed.”

  “More like, he’s waiting to be in the room alone with the king so he can smother him with a pillow once the old man’s too weak to resist. Come, Byron, let’s go and see my father one last time.”

  “But… but… but…” David was looking between Petrov, the tray with the offending food, and the door. “The king hasn’t sent word he’s ready to see
you yet.”

  “David, focus.” From all accounts, David was a brilliant adviser and had been by his father’s side for a long time. But Ivak didn’t have time for hysterics or for David to work out what was going on all by himself. “Bertrand is the bad guy. Petrov is your mate. The king will likely be killed the first time his room guard goes on break, or the shift changes, especially now I’m here and there’s a good chance the footman was intercepted sending your message to the king, so he doesn’t even know we’re here. It’s time to surprise him.”

  “Mate?” David’s eyes widened, and then his face reddened as he ducked his head. “You think I’m sexy, wolf?”

  “Gods, save me from blushing fools.” Ivak felt like tugging his hair out. “Will you accompany me, Byron, my adorable mate? See, I can be romantic too, but someone has to go and check on the king.”

  “Of course, but Petrov and David will come too, as will our enforcers,” Byron said, standing gracefully and taking Ivak’s hand. “Those two can put their mating on hold for five minutes seeing as it is the king’s life we’re talking about.”

  “We’re definitely coming with you,” Petrov said firmly. “My mate might be sexy, but he’s got a lot of groveling to do before I forgive his initial refusal to let me into the castle. Come sexy, we have work to do.”

  “My name’s David Guard,” David said falling in beside Petrov. “I’ve been the sentinel here for decades and…”

  “I don’t need your resume.” Petrov leaned over and sniffed very deliberately at David’s neck. “You smell good and my wolf wants to make the claim, but I will still insist on you groveling first. Now shut up.”

  Ivak could feel Byron’s humor as they climbed the stairs. He already knew where the king’s suite was. He’d studied and kept watch on his father’s court for a very long time. His dragon and wolf were both propelling him, urging him to move faster, and as the grip on his hand tightened, Ivak realized Byron could feel that urgency too.

  Our animal spirits are worried.

  Nodding, Ivak quickened his pace. Bertrand was an ice dragon too. It was unlikely he could do anything overt without Ivak’s dragon knowing about it, but Ivak had only been on the fringes of the clan his whole life. The hallway seemed to go on for miles, but when Ivak got to the end, he pushed through the doors without knocking, snarling as he saw Bertrand leaning over the bed and no guard in sight.

  “Trying to hasten things along, cousin?” Ivak stood aside so David and Petrov could check on his father.

  Bertrand moved away quickly, smoothing down his gold-edged silk robe that must have cost a fortune. In person, the man was deathly thin, his bright blue eyes the only color on his pale face. “Do I know you? David, what is the meaning of this intrusion? Who are these people?” His eyes narrowed as the Hollingsworth guards filed into the room and took up defensive positions around it. “Fire dragons? David, I insist you answer me. What is the meaning of all this?”

  “The king lives, barely.” David stood by the bed, tears in his eyes.

  “There is fresh poison on the king’s breath,” Petrov said bluntly. “More meravin, administered directly this time.”

  “How did you know…” Bertrand stopped himself suddenly. “Guards, guards!” His shriek rang down the hallway.

  “They won’t be coming.” Ivak kicked the bedroom suite door closed. “Time to fess up, Bertrand. You were leaning over the king’s bed. You’re the only one in the room and because of you, and that added dose, the king will be dead before daybreak.”

  “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bertrand fussed with a piece of gold braid. “I was leaning over the bed because the King was speaking, and I was having trouble hearing him. In the absence of an heir, he named me as his successor.” He glanced over his shoulder at the bed. “David, you’ll need to make the announcement.”

  “You’re jumping on my grave a little quickly, aren’t you?” Ivak clicked his fingers, a huge scroll appearing in his hands. Ivak had barely looked at it, in the decades he’d had it, but he knew every word by heart. “You can see the seal yourself and the headline is big enough. My father named me as his heir the day I reached maturity. Admittedly, it was before you were born, and that was the only time I ever met the man, but this document hasn’t been superseded by any other since or it would have ceased to exist as per clause five.”

  “You’re Ice?” Bertrand glared, his mouth a twisted sneer. “The man who lost his mate through his own stupidity? The man who’s a wanted criminal by the paranormal council? You’re my cousin?”

  “Oh, boy.” Byron sighed as he moved around the bed, swapping places with Petrov who hurried to Ivak’s side. “Talk about the easiest way to incriminate yourself in one set of stupid questions.”

  “I don’t know who the hell you think you are…” Bertrand turned his ire on Byron.

  “That’s my fated mate, the man whose death you ordered to set up an ambush for me.” Ivak held up his hands, causing his scroll to disappear as his fingers became claws. “The one you ordered to be buried alive in a glass coffin, within a steel crate that lesser men would never escape from. Guess what,” he said as he stepped closer, Petrov a rumbling presence by his side. “My mate is not a lesser man.”

  “Look at those claws.” Bertrand had nowhere else to go. He was backed up against a wall. “You’re not even a dragon – you’re tainted with the wolf blood thanks to that slut of a mother of yours. There’s no way… David, where are those fucking guards? I want them in here now.”

  “The Hollingsworth enforcers are more than capable of keeping the king safe,” David said, a catch in his voice. “I trust our prince to take care of himself. Byron, can you help me…”

  “You’re not a prince!” Bertrand was trying to disappear into the wall, he was backed up against it so hard. “You’re nothing. You’re a half-breed piece of shit. Your mother was a whore. Your mate is a pansy and you’re a worthless faggot. You should never have been born. You should have been drowned at birth. You…”

  Petrov’s shoulder nudged his. “This is taking too long, and his bullshit is annoying. Shall we shift?”

  Ivak nodded, his body transforming, but it wasn’t his dragon that came through. Ivak had never fought another ice dragon and never intended to, not with the power of his own dragon so much stronger than many and Ivak’s dragon had always believed he was meant to rule his people fairly, even if Ivak didn’t.

  His wolf had no such scruples. The man in front of them was responsible for harming his mate – had turned his own handler against him, and… although Ivak refused to dwell on it… had killed his half-siblings and was the reason the ice dragon king would likely never wake up again. Mercy wasn’t an option. Shaking out his fur, his brother in his wolf form beside him, Ivak growled and showed his teeth. Bertrand shit himself - literally.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Ivan stayed away from his son to keep him safe, you know.” David was wiping the king’s face with a soft cloth, his strokes gentle.

  “I’m not sure I heard you correctly.” Byron was purposefully not looking at the carnage on the other side of the bed. Ivak’s wolf form was big and beautiful with his ice white fur. The blood splattering it wasn’t a good look. “I admit. I haven’t known Ivak long, but only seeing a man once in their whole life is a bit harsh for anyone, particularly a dragon who cherish their young as a rule.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. When he was younger, Ivan was a self-confessed asshole. He didn’t care for anyone and never had any wish to settle down and have a family. He always believed, in his arrogance, that he’d have another full-blood dragon son to take his place one day.”

  “So why did he make Ivak heir at all?” A rattling gurgle filled the room, and Byron kept his eyes focused on David.

  “Ivak was the right age, and Ivan was getting a lot of pressure to find a bond mate.” David chuckled quietly. “I remember he came storming into the throne room one day, chucked a copy of th
e heir decree at me and said in a loud voice. ‘The heir’s been chosen. He’s my son. Now get me a drink.’ Of course, there was a heap of gossip going around at the time, and when some court officials complained Ivak was half wolf, I’ll never forget the King’s face or what he said. ‘My son has inherited twin spirits – not a hybrid, not one or the other, but two spirits that rightfully reflect his ancestry. Something only a royal can do.’ He was so proud.”

  “Ivak never knew this man.” Byron indicated the sleeping king. Older than Ivak definitely, there was a hint of his mate in the man’s straight nose and the fullness of his lips. But now wrinkles marred the pale skin, and his lips were almost blue. “How is that fair?”

  “He was coming around,” David shrugged. “In the first instance, Ivan thought he had enough time to produce a full dragon heir. But through his copious affairs, he only produced three more children, and when they died, Ivan refused to try again. Ivak had been an adult for decades by this point. I remember him talking about it one night, explaining how it was safer for Ivak to stay away. He knew then he had a traitor in his court.”

  “Not anymore.” The sound of ripping flesh was surprisingly loud. To the enforcers’ credits, they barely blinked, standing firm at their stations. “Ivak doesn’t want to be king.”

  “In another hour or so, he will be, like it or not.” David nibbled his bottom lip. “It’s not as though it’s a hard job. Once Ivak learns to delegate, he’ll be fine, and he will have a consort to help him.” The look David gave him was more of a sideways glance. “How do you stand it?”

  “Stand what?” Ivak’s wolf chose that moment to come bounding over, and Byron pulled back, holding up his hands. “You’re beautiful in this form, babe, truly you are. But you’re covered in blood and body bits. Go and clean up. I’ll get Ivak to shift later for a cuddle with you, okay? Take your brother with you.”

  The woof was loud, but both wolves ran towards the door, a helpful enforcer letting them out. Byron peered over the other side of the bed. “That’s going to take a bit to clean up. Bertrand really shouldn’t have had me abducted. Now, you were saying?”