Amethyst Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 5)

by Terry Bolryder

  Dom watched her with icy eyes, the morning wind plastering his long-sleeved sweater against his substantial muscles. Looking up at him, silhouetted by bright sunlight, he appeared even bigger than usual.

  She raised a hand to shield her eyes.

  “I’m going to get him,” Dom said. “When Zach gives the okay.”

  “I know there are other things to deal with,” Lana said. “But yeah, I won’t feel safe until he’s gone.”

  “I hate to say this, but when he’s gone, they may still be after you.”

  “I know, because I know he was only one of many shifters they were experimenting on to mate with us.”

  His face tightened. “So that’s what they were doing? Trying to breed you?” Fury radiated off of him, and she wanted the other Dom back. The one who looked excited to go flying.

  “Let’s not talk about it,” she said, walking out onto the grass, summoning her bravery, remembering she always used to be the girl who was up for every challenge. “Let’s go flying.”

  Dom raised a dark eyebrow, and a smile spread over his face. Then he closed his eyes, hunching forward slightly with closed fists, and rapidly changed in front of her.

  He’d done so before, but the effect was so different in daylight than it had been in the dark of night.

  He grew and grew in front of her eyes, a huge, dark-purple shape, glimmering in the sun. Dark, black wings encrusted with lines of purple crystal unfurled as Dom raised his dragon head to the sky with a low cry.

  Lana stared at him, heart hammering. She put a hand to her chest and waited for fear to come, but instead, as the creature turned and looked at her with ice-blue eyes, she felt only awe.

  This was Dom. Big, powerful, frightening, but only if you were on his wrong side.

  She walked forward, feeling the wind kick up around them. He took a thundering step forward, which shook the ground. He planted his front feet on the ground, standing with his long neck arched, and let her approach. His face was sleek and sharp, crusted with glittering jewels. It was so fitting that these men were just as beautiful in dragon form as they were in human form. But so deadly.

  His giant, curved claws cut into the grass, giving her a shiver.

  But she felt no danger from him as he approached. She put up a hand, feeling something inside her was proud for doing this, for coming closer when she would have run away before.

  If only her first impression of a shifter had been like this, everything would be different.

  But maybe, if she were as brave as she’d been her whole life, she could still change things.

  She put a hand out, holding it inches from the scales on his lower side, and looked up at him. He looked forward, giving permission, so she rested her palm on him, letting out a gasp at the smooth, cool feeling. Silky, like glass or stone. She stroked along him, utterly enjoying the feel of it.

  Despite how otherworldly this was, it felt right.

  She let out a sigh, and his head angled to look down at her. But she wasn’t afraid. She leaned in against him, stroking his side, and he let out a snort with a little puff of smoke.

  “Climb on,” he said, his voice a low rumble like the sound of distant thunder.

  She didn’t really know how until he lowered a giant wing so she could walk up it like a ramp. She stumbled up and then knelt on his neck, straddling it as best she could on her knees. He had little conical, sparkling spines on his neck that she could sit between, and she held on to the one in front of her as she felt his wings start to beat.

  “Let me show you my world,” he said and then pushed off the ground with his powerful feet, launching them into the air.

  Chapter 7

  Dom knew he’d taken off abruptly as he tried to stay level so his mate could hold on securely, but if he’d stayed there and let her stroke his scales anymore, he would have gone crazy.

  Having her there, accepting his dragon, he hadn’t ever expected that. Dreamed of it, yes, but not expected it.

  And a little voice in him wondered if she could accept that part of him, could she accept everything else?

  Her warm human body felt great on his shoulders, her arms clasping him just perfect.

  More than Dom had ever expected. If someone had told him back when he was so young and alone and thinking the world would always be lonely that there would be someone meant for him, he would have said he could deal with anything. Just for the chance to be with her.

  He let out a dragon cry and plunged into the clouds and then swooped upward, higher. No one on the ground would see him up here; that’s why it was important to get high fast.

  Below, the world flew by, looking tiny. It was so peaceful up here; he didn’t know why the other dragons didn’t do it more. He rose a little higher, to a place where it was all blue sky and fluffy clouds beneath them looking like layers of cotton balls, and he gently cruised, relaxing.

  He felt her sit back, letting out a deep breath as she looked around. “It’s beautiful up here. I can see why you like it.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I love it here, looking down at the world, feeling like even if you aren’t a part of it, you could be if you wanted. That you can see the world, even if you can’t join it.”

  Her hand softly grazed his scales, and he fought back a shudder. “Why can’t you join it?”

  He didn’t know what to say to that and didn’t want to ruin the mood, so instead, he just spun a corkscrew in the air, making her shriek but keeping her firmly on his back.

  “Stop that!” she yelled, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Brave woman,” he said. “Flying on a dragon.”

  “I do feel braver,” she said. And then she started moving.

  “What are you doing?” he asked nervously, feeling her shuffling around.

  “Standing,” she said.

  His eyes widened, but his lips curled into a grin. His mate was ready to fly.

  He looked back to see her upright, feet planted on either side of his spine, jacket whipping in the wind, curls flying over her face, arms spread to either side like she was trying to take everything in at once.

  He grinned as he looked forward, and then they hit an unexpected air current and jolted, and he felt her lose purchase.

  She let out a little scream as she toppled off his back, and he whipped around, seeing her fall.

  She dropped with a shriek, reaching out for him, and he was there in a second, catching her softly on his back, flapping his wings to steady them. She held on tight, gasping.

  “That was—”

  “You can stand all you want,” he said. “Try dangerous and new things all you want. I’m always going to be here to catch you.”

  She was quiet at that, but her hands held on tight as he took off again, into another set of clouds, twirling them both and then flying high and then dipping.

  She felt one with him, and he could sense the happiness radiating from her with every flap of his wings.

  If this was being her friend, he’d take it every day.

  Thurston’s face flashed in front of him, and Dom didn’t know if the image was in his mind or in the clouds. Reality was often blurred. He jerked to a halt in the sky, flapping his wings and trying to make the past get out of the way of his future.

  Pain lashed through him, and he twisted wildly, flying back in the direction he’d come.

  But Thurston was there again, facing him with angry red eyes. Something was wrong. That wasn’t anything like his friend. Dom knew it was only his powerful mind, making reality of things that tortured him, but he fought to stay in the moment.

  I have my mate on my back.

  He felt her hand stroke him, her urgent voice saying something he couldn’t hear over the roar of his own heart. What was it?

  “Dom,” she cried. “Dom, what’s happening?”

  He focused, closing his eyes and maintaining their altitude as he blocked out the images around him. After a deep breath, when he opened his eyes, it was clear.
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  No ghosts to haunt him.

  His mate had pulled him back.

  “Let’s go back,” she said, and he agreed, turning. She was quiet on the way, and he could sense her concern for him. The last thing he wanted. Enough people thought he was the crazy dragon. The weird one.

  Just once, he wanted to not be thought of as a freak, and as usual, Thurston had ruined it.

  No, Dom himself had ruined it by failing to help Thurston.

  As they lowered to the ground, he felt darkness closing in around him. Depression, the need to be on his own, to not see people judging him.

  As soon as Lana got down, he transformed, landing on his hands and knees, shaking.

  She made as if to comfort him, but he put up a hand, keeping her back.

  Then he strode past her, picking up into a run as he made for the mansion.

  He just needed to be alone right now. He’d finally been tasting a little bit of happiness, and then his past had ruined it.

  He didn’t want to look Lana in the eyes right now.

  Lana watched Dom hurry into the mansion, heart thudding rapidly as she sank to her knees from the tension of the last few moments.

  Everything had been so perfect, and then it had fallen apart. Something had scared Dom. Really frightened him. So unexpected to see that from her big, protective friend and possibly soon-to-be lover. At least she’d been considering it as they soared through the clouds. As he made promises to always be there and she found she liked the sound of it.

  But then he’d panicked, flipped around, seemingly trapped by invisible monsters. And only through repeated yells had she finally gotten him to focus on her.

  She recognized the panic he was feeling. That moment when the past comes back to haunt you and there’s nowhere to run because the horror is in your own mind.

  But he’d run from her. What was she supposed to do?

  Dom was so willing to help her, but whenever she tried to help him, he froze, not wanting to let anyone in.

  How could he want to be her mate but think she wouldn’t want to get to know everything about him?

  Even if they were just friends right now, she couldn’t leave it like this.

  She ran back toward the mansion, fighting her shaky, weak legs as she crossed the wide swath of grass.

  The kitchen was empty, everyone done with breakfast. She walked through it, into the dining room, across the marble floor of the foyer, and over to the steps leading up to the bedrooms. She took them two at a time, ignoring the huff of her breath. Flying had been more exerting than she could have guessed.

  She strode toward Dom’s bedroom but stopped as she heard voices inside.

  It was Dom, talking to someone.

  She’d heard from the other dragons that he talked to himself, or sometimes it felt like there was someone in there with him, but she’d never heard it on her own.

  Maybe she hadn’t wanted to. Maybe she didn’t want to think of Dom as crazy.

  “I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. Was he crying? She couldn’t tell. She crept closer to the door, feeling like a creep but unable to just walk away.

  He hadn’t walked away from her when she’d been upset; she wouldn’t walk away from him.

  “What do you want?” His voice rose. “Why do you keep coming back? There’s nothing I can do, dammit. Fuck you!”

  She flinched back. She’d never heard him like this before. Angry. Desperate. Out of control.

  He’d always been stoic or teasing.

  Right now, he sounded trapped, strangled. Why had this happened just when they were up in the clouds? When things had been perfect?

  But wasn’t that just like baggage to come back to weigh you down when you were finally ready to go somewhere.

  She knocked on the door, steeling herself. She had to repay him for last night at least.

  The room went quiet.

  “No. No. Don’t, Thurston…”

  Who was Thurston?

  She knocked again. More silence, then Dom sobbing. She felt her heart crack in half and wished she was a shifter so she could break down the damn door.

  “Dom, let me in. I can help.”

  “No, you can’t,” he said in a low, strangled voice. “Go away.”

  She jiggled the knob. It was locked, obviously. “Dom, you get out here, or I’m getting another dragon to bash this door down.”

  “No,” he said. “Don’t.”

  She looked at the knob. If it was a simple handle lock and he hadn’t slipped in the deadbolt, she might be able to credit card it. She slipped out her wallet and grabbed her library card, not knowing if she’d ever get a chance to use it.

  She shoved it in the gap of the door, beneath the lock, and began sawing it back and forth, trying to wiggle the tongue free. She’d done this often enough in college when she’d locked herself out of her dorm.

  She felt the door break free with a click, and shoved the card back in her pocket, pushing the door open as she did.

  She walked into Dom’s room and put up a hand to shield her from the light coming in through his parted curtains. His room was decorated in deep-blue velvet with gray carpet. Masculine and heavy but darkly beautiful.

  Like him.

  She looked around the room, trying to see what was wrong with him, as he whipped around to face her, eyes wild, hair mussed. Sweater rumpled.

  “Get out!” he yelled, putting his hands against either side of his head.

  But she froze. Despite the harsh sound of his voice, she wasn’t going. And besides, it was good to know she wasn’t the only person going through shit in this house. It was good to know she could help someone, rather than just being a burden.

  She ran forward, wrapping her hands tight around his waist so he couldn’t pull her off. He twisted, trying to wriggle out, but she held on tight, knowing he wouldn’t do more for fear of hurting her.

  His arms finally fell to his sides. “I don’t want you to think me a freak,” he said. “I wish you wouldn’t have come in.”

  “I like my guys a little freaky,” she muttered, holding on tight. Then her eyes jerked to the corner, and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Holy shit. Oh, holy shit, what is that?”

  It was a head, floating in the corner of the room, over disembodied shoulders. A youngish boy with blond hair and brown eyes, a wicked smile.

  She pointed. “Oh holy hell, what the fuck is that?”

  Dom closed his arms around her and took a deep breath, trying to block her view. But she pushed around him.

  “Who the fuck are you?” she yelled as the phantom began to fade, still with that sickening smile, disappearing into the back wall.

  Her heart felt like a lit stick of dynamite, her legs ready to give out.

  Whatever she’d expected when she’d come in to see Dom, this wasn’t it. She’d expected him to be dealing with metaphorical ghosts from his past. Not real ones.

  She looked up at him, seeing his red eyes, feeling pity move through her, even as fear was still pumping through her veins. “Dom, what the hell was that?”

  Dom pulled back, putting his hands on her shoulders as he turned to look behind them. Then he left her to go shut the curtains and turned the lights out so it was dim and quiet.

  Then he sat on his bed, head in his hands.

  It was breaking her to see this big man so shattered.

  She walked to the door, threw the deadbolt, and then went over to the bed to sit beside him. Because she didn’t know what to say, she leaned against him.

  It was quiet for a long time. Could have been seconds. Could have been minutes. She still didn’t know what to do. She just knew that sometimes, all you could do for someone was not let them be alone.

  “Aren’t you afraid of me?” he asked in a low voice. “Don’t you want to run?”

  “From you?” she asked. “No. From that disembodied freak in the corner? Yes. Is that who you’re always talking to.”

  “Not always,” he said. “I see echoe
s. Well, I call them that. Psychic resonance from the dead. Usually, I see them only once, and when they’ve delivered their message, they’re gone.” He shook his head. “There’s only one that keeps coming back, and I guess he has good reason.”

  She put a hand on his knee. “I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

  He shook his head.

  “No, screw that,” she said. “No double standards. If it’s good for me to share who I am, then it’s good for you, too. Start talking.”

  Dom took a deep breath and looked ahead hollowly. “His name is Thurston. And I let him die.”

  Chapter 8

  Lana just blinked, processing Dom’s words. “You what?” She couldn’t imagine him letting anyone die. If someone died, then it wasn’t his fault. She was sure of it.

  He was just the type who probably blamed himself either way.

  “I let him die,” Dom said. “It’s my fault. Maybe you shouldn’t be my friend after all. I guess it’s dangerous. It was for Thurston.”

  She clenched her jaws. Dom was speaking in riddles, but there really wasn’t much she could do about it. Something this painful couldn’t just be jerked out of a person.

  “All you’ve done since you met me is save me,” she said. “And help your friends.”

  “I’m better off alone,” he said. “Thurston’s death taught me that.”

  “Whoever your friend was, he isn’t that thing that’s haunting you.”

  “I know Thurston when I see him,” Dom said. “What I don’t know is why he won’t just go away.” He turned to her, his ice-blue eyes even more striking with their red rims. “And why you could see him.”

  She bit her lip. It was true; that was weird. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you have psychic abilities? I’ve heard some humans do. Have you ever seen things no one else can?”

  She shook her head. “No. Until I was kidnapped, I was pretty much as normal as can be. That’s why I had such a strong reaction to seeing that. Him. Whatever.” She waved a hand. Her body felt cold and numb from the shock of it.

  But sitting here with Dom, sharing his pain, just felt right.