I tugged the chain harder, and with a curse, he stumbled over his feet down the last few stairs. “Mama Lucy saved my life. She’s the one that kept me safe all these years from my own kind.”
“We don’t know for certain what happened that night with your father. It could have been an accident.”
“An accident?” I laughed sharply. “How could it have been an accident?” I wanted to jerk on that chain so hard it made him land on his ass, or worse, hit his head on something hard.
His blank stare told me he had no idea either, and was grasping at straws. “Whether you believe me or not, I am sorry for the loss of your parents. I truly am. I do not wish to see a dragon harmed, and if you continue to let Craig guide you, you will find yourself neck deep in trouble.”
“Why don’t you like him?” I asked, walking to the dining table so I could pack the herbs in my knapsack. “What did he ever do to you?”
“He’s a half-demon. That’s enough,” he scoffed, rolling his shoulders as if he could catch something from being in the same house as Craig. “And I do not approve of you being so close to him. It’s not natural.”
My face grew hot remembering just how close we’d been in my room, and I lowered my head.
“Why do you look guilty all of a sudden?” he asked curiously.
“I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” He sniffed the air around me, and I backed away, but it was too late. His sharp, narrowed gaze told me he knew Craig and I had done more than talk a few moments ago and his lip lifted in a snarl. “He has touched you.”
“It’s no business of yours,” I snapped. “Stay out of it.”
I tried to storm past him, but he caught my arm.
The same familiar jolt of belonging shot through me as it had the day on the street when I barreled into him.
My heart pounded, and my dragon sat at attention as a strange longing filled my being.
Forrest was a dragon, and now that mine was awakened, it sensed his. I felt it stirring inside his body the longer he held onto my arm. His energy thrummed against mine, and in that moment, I wasn’t staring into his eyes—I stared into the eyes of his dragon.
“I know I have not made things easy,” he whispered, “but I do know we must stop this plague from harming our people. I will fight for you, Kate Darrah, I will. I need you to know that.”
“I want to believe you,” I replied softly, my brow furrowed, “but, how can I?”
“What do you see in my eyes? Do you see an enemy?”
His bright blue eyes glimmered with the life of his dragon, and I couldn’t deny the kinship he gave me. The connection I sensed between myself and Craig was different than what I felt now with Forrest. This was familiar, and on same strange level made me feel like I was home.
I blinked, and my gaze lingered over his chiseled face, how those blue eyes stood out against his darker skin.
Tattoos snaked up towards his neck and disappeared beneath the collar of his t-shirt before reappearing out of the sleeves. Markings of his clan. I knew it without having to ask. They jogged a memory in my mind, and the marks on my arms started to make sense.
All dragons were marked for the clan they belonged to, designating their bloodline. Guess mine had been made invisible by the bracelet I wore since I was a child.
Without a word, I reached up and undid the manacles around his wrists. “Don’t make me regret this,” I told him, and shoved the chain in my knapsack. “Just in case.”
Forrest rubbed his wrists. “I will not betray you again, Kate. You have my word as a prince.”
“How about you help me find the rest of the shield and seal the plague away for good? We can worry about all the other crap later.”
The dragon in me said I could trust him, even though I was still angry with him. Red flags shot up in my mind, but we needed his help. Craig wasn’t from the dragon realm. Forrest was, and with him, we’d be able to find our way around faster and hopefully avoid any trouble.
I felt his eyes on me as I organized my pack just for something to do.
Craig whistled as he trudged downstairs a few minutes later and paused when he saw Forrest without the manacles. “You sure you want to do that?”
“We need him, and though he decided to be an asshole once we returned home, he did help us in the Burnt World,” I pointed out. “Don’t worry, I still have the chains.”
I told them I was going to the kitchen to find some bottles of water, but really, I needed to get away from their stare-down. Whatever bro talk they were having without words, I did not want to be a part of it.
I had enough things to worry about, like finding a shield broken into possibly hundreds of pieces, and sealing a plague spawn back in its cage.
Yup, that was more than enough for me to deal with.
4
Forrest
Craig’s eyes followed Kate as she walked to the back of the house and vanished into the kitchen.
“You’re lucky,” he told me. “She trusts you.”
“She should trust me. I am the only one in this room who is trustworthy, to begin with.”
“Seriously?”
I stepped closer, so we were only a foot apart. “I’m only going to warn you once. Stay away from her. Do not think for a moment you could ever be with her. She is a dragon and a Darrah.”
“Something you seem only to care about because you deem her a traitor.” He squared his shoulders as his hands closed into fists at his sides. “And Kate is a grown woman. She can choose her path.”
“She is a dragon and belongs with her own.”
“You’re going to keep trying that line aren’t you until she gives in?” He rolled his eyes and walked away. “You know if she finds out you’re trying to keep me from her, she’ll be pissed at you all over again.”
I glanced over my shoulder towards the kitchen. “I want what’s best for her.”
Craig laughed. “You’re serious? That’s what this is about. You’re jealous.”
I kept a careful blank face. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. You’re jealous that I met her first, and that I had a moment with her first,” he said, and gave a crooked smile telling me exactly what that moment entailed.
They’d kissed.
He didn’t have to say it out loud. I saw the way Kate’s cheeks burned when I mentioned his name. My dragon stirred within me, thinking of this foul beast touching her, but I kept myself in check.
Whatever was between them would not last long. Craig was not a warrior, not a true hero at heart. When the time came for him to fight, he would run. I knew his kind well enough. He was not in this for the long game, no matter what lies he spewed.
We would be heading to cursed lands, and there was more than just ruins there. I’d heard the haunted howling plenty of times coming from the north. The horrid sounds would drag on through the night and well onto morning. Sounds of dying dragons, their souls forever trapped by the madness that consumed their minds while they lived.
Craig continued to watch me, but I refused to rise to the bait. If he wanted to start a fight with me, he’d have to try harder than by telling me I was jealous. Kate was a dragon, and therefore one of my clansmen. Nothing more.
Not that there could be anything more. At the end of the day, the blood of a Darrah ran in her veins whether, I wanted it to or not.
The front door opened, breaking the tension building in the room, and the witch stomped inside with Harry, two paper sacks hanging from her hands, and panic on her face.
She passed us by, set the bags on the table, and hurried off to find Kate. A few seconds later, both women returned, and the witch hastily began unpacking the bags.
“You have no more time to wait I’m afraid,” the witch told us, pausing when she noticed my freed hands. “Who removed your chains?”
“I did.” Lucy shot her a warning look, but Kate shrugged it off. “He might be more willing to help us if we’re not having to drag his ass around. Besides,
he knows what I can do now, so he’ll think twice about betraying us.”
How could I forget what power resided in this woman? She was fierce in human form with that sword, but as a dragon… I’d never seen dragon fire like that before. Seen the destruction it could cause. No, I would be a fool to cross Kate, at least not without a solid plan in play first.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Lucy said. “His friends are still here so if you’re going to do this, you need to do it now.”
“What?” I asked.
“Four of them, saw them in town. Think I managed to dodge them, but I’m sure it won’t be long before they come snooping around again.” She laid out the items from the second bag, and without a word, Harry took up his watchful position at the front windows.
My nose twitched, and I breathed in the delicious scent of gold. Sitting in the center of the table was a dagger, the sheath gold, as well as the hilt, intricately carved with sapphires embedded within it. It was a magnificent piece of work, and the dragons shaped into it were in perfect detail. My hand reached out without my realizing it, but the witch snatched it up before I could.
“This is not for you,” she told me sternly, and handed it to Kate.
But Kate didn’t take it. “What if I get another weird vision?” she asked worriedly.
“This dagger belonged to your family. That’s why it reacted the way it did.” The witch offered it again, and Kate hesitated, but took it this time.
She held her breath, but after a few seconds, her brow rose, and she let out a sigh of relief.
The witch smiled. “If it called to you before, there’s a chance it will again. It may come in handy.”
“Great, now I have to worry about a dagger and a sword.”
The witch held up a long piece of leather I realized was a sheath with a strap for a person to wear diagonally across their body that had another place on the front for a dagger. “Which is why I also brought you this.”
Kate took the piece, weighing it in her hands. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s like I’m preparing for war.”
“We probably are,” Craig said quietly, and Kate gulped. “Just being honest.”
“Maybe be less honest.” She slipped the strap over her body, and Craig went to grab the sword as I watched her attach the dagger to the sheath on the front.
She was certainly becoming more and more like a warrior than the woman that ran into me that day on the street.
Craig returned to her with the Executioner and helped sheath it at her back. His hands lingered on her shoulders a bit too long for my taste, but then he walked away, and I swallowed my jealousy down.
Craig turned to the witch. “What else did you bring?”
“Salves for healing wounds, though I pray to the goddess you won’t need them. These vials here are potions to aid in fighting. Blue is for fog, red is for explosions, and the yellow is to stun. For the love of the goddess, do not mix them up,” she said, and eyed us all sternly as if we were children.
“Dragons do not use potions.”
Kate ground her teeth, but it was Lucy who said, “Do you really want to draw attention to yourselves by flying around and letting them all know you’re there? Besides, Kate might have shifted once, but she is still new to this ability. It may not come so easily again.”
“It won’t?” Kate asked confused. “Why not?”
“Your dragon has been sleeping for years,” she explained. “And it sounds like the last time, you were in a time of high stress. I’m assuming dragon form can be affected by mood?”
She directed the question at me, and after a second I nodded in confirmation.
She continued, “So, you need these potions in case she can’t shift. Got it?”
The three of us nodded.
“I want you all to wear these.” She picked up three silver bangles I hadn’t noticed yet.
When she held one out to me, I didn’t take it.
“It’s not going to bite you.”
“What is it for?”
“To help you know where each other is. If you get separated, the bracelets will lead you back to one another.”
I didn’t like the idea of wearing a magical enchantment, but Craig already slipped his on, and Kate watched me closely.
Finally, I did the same. “Happy?”
“No,” Lucy said, but she accepted it. “Now, I wanted to ensure you could find your way home this time, so this will create a portal, but be careful. This is powerful magic and if used incorrectly can have consequences.”
The rounded object was the size of her palm and appeared to be an ancient coin. Not gold, but silver and bronze. Words were etched around it, and the image in the center was of a moon cracked down the center.
“I’ve heard of these,” Craig said in awe. “I spent months looking for one for a buyer.”
I frowned. “What is it?”
Craig tentatively reached out, and Lucy laid it in his hand.
“It’s a moon door portal,” he whispered, turning it over gently. “Witches use them to create portals.”
“And this one is very old,” Lucy said. “Do your best not to lose it, or damage it.”
Craig nodded, and handed it over to Kate so she could look it over. Lucy packed the salves and other items into the knapsack, closed it, and handed it to Craig who diligently swung it onto his back. “I believe we’re ready to go.”
“And you should before his friends return.”
Lucy eyed me disapprovingly again, but I ignored it. My men were doing as they were instructed and since their job was to guard me and I was nowhere to be found, they were searching for me. My father would know by now I had disappeared, which meant more of our men would be roaming the dragon realm than normal. Getting to the ruins would not be an easy trek.
Kate moved to the foyer, Craig standing beside her, and I took a place to the other side. Lucy hugged Kate close, and they clung to each other. I saw the worry in Lucy’s eyes as she held Kate like she was her daughter. She had raised her well enough I supposed, but part of me could not forgive the witch for allowing that bracelet to remain on Kate’s wrist, trapping her true form. They finally parted, and both women wiped their eyes hastily. The three of us stood in a tight circle as Kate held the portal in her hand.
“As you hold the coin, you have to think of where you want to go,” Lucy instructed.
“But I’ve never been there,” Kate said. “What if I mess it up?”
“I could get us there,” I offered, trying to sound helpful and not too eager to return to my homeland.
Craig gave me a doubtful look, but I did really want us to return to the dragon world.
I glared at him. “Look, this plague is going to spread if we don’t stop it. We need answers, and if those answers are at the Darrah ruins, then that’s where I’ll take us. I swear it.”
Craig looked ready to argue, but Kate handed me the coin. “You take us anywhere else, or straight to your dad, and I’ll kick your ass,” she warned.
Wearing the Executioner blade on her back and the dagger at her front, she looked like she probably could without a problem.
“I swear I will take you to the ruins.” I rubbed my thumbs over the coin, feeling the power waiting to be used. “How do I make it work?”
“Focus on where you want to go,” Lucy said. “Picture yourself there, picture the place.”
I did that, but nothing happened. “It’s not working.”
She rolled her eyes. “Clearly your mind is conflicted.”
“It is not,” I argued.
“Then it should work. Are you sure you want to go where you said?” she challenged.
I shut my eyes, tuning out her nagging doubts and thought of where I wanted to go.
My instincts told me to go back to my home, back to the castle I left behind, but part of me rebelled. My dragon to be precise. He reared his head and growled indignantly that I could not forget all that occurred in the Burnt World. Craig and Kat
e saved my life when they did not have to. And Kate, she risked herself to save both of us so we could get back home. She fought a plagued demon, could’ve easily died, and I was considering going back on my word.
I wanted to say my father would understand our plight and aid us in this quest, but the dragon huffed in annoyance.
My father would look to his own first. He would see Craig as a means to an end and Kate as a Darrah. As much as I told myself it had to be an accident, her father dying, the dragon in me sensed the deception. Whatever happened to her parents came back to my father’s actions.
No, I had to help them and stop this plague from leaving the Burnt World and coming to the dragon one next, unless it was already there.
“Think it’s working.”
At Kate’s words, I opened my eyes to see the coin glowing and humming with power. The words turned bright blue, and Lucy told us to hold onto one another.
She only had eyes for Kate, and I saw the silent exchange between them.
The fear Kate might not come back.
The glow from the coin grew, and Craig and Kate laid a hand on my shoulders. Soon it surrounded us, and I felt my feet leave the floor as we were removed from the witch’s home and flung through the portal. Swirling blue and purple lights surrounded us, and though I couldn’t see Kate or Craig, their hands dug into my shoulders. We twisted and turned until I thought I was going to be sick.
When the lights faded, we collapsed in a heap, hitting solid ground with a thud. I grimaced as my head hit harder than the rest of me and I opened my eyes.
“Are we in the right place?” Kate asked, sitting beside me and looking around curiously.
I sat up, holding my throbbing head, and nodded. “Welcome to Gregornath,” I said, “home of the dragon clans.”
“And where exactly are we?” Craig asked.
I glanced around and tried to get my bearings, my head still throbbing making it hard to focus. “We should be on the outskirts of the capital. A few miles at least, away from anyone who might see us. Why?”
Shards (Dragon Reign Book 2) Page 3