by test
“He isn’t right in the head. He needs attention. And it’s not the sort of attention your lot can give him. My kind needs to help him. Only counseling from us, will fix him. We might be able to heal his mind, but we can’t ever heal his soul, his own actions have damaged it beyond repair. No magic in this world can ever save him.”
“What do you mean?” Dylan knelt down to help her to her feet.
“I mean that he has two distinct personalities. One is his human and the other, the other .…” she paused, taking the time to regain her ragged breath.
“And the other?” Amelia lowered her voice to a hushed whisper.
“The other one is his dark dragon side. It has emerged and it’s relishing the power it holds when it’s in control. Now, he’s part animal, part human.”
“I thought you were all part animal?” Amelia seemed genuinely confused.
“We are dragon shifters, but when we shift we don’t lose our humanity. The
animal in O’Malley will take over completely if he’s not given the right sort of care. We have wise dragon shifters that have seen this before. They will know what to do if you allow me to send for them.”
“We can’t ask for help from your kind.” Amelia adamantly shook her head.
“You will have to. My kind will be here sooner than you think. As we speak, I’m sure that my cousin and his parents have determined that they can no longer hold their ground. They’ll know they need to retreat. They will retreat to Earth. But that’s the least of our worries, at least the Royalists aren’t set upon conquering Earth and destroying your kind.” She turned to address Dylan.
“Dylan, you need to start working on that spell. Today. I hope you’re almost done.”
Something flickered in his eyes. Was he done before Denys had even found him?
He had the spell and he didn’t want anyone to know. Since meeting her, he’d been overcome with a slew of doubts, he didn’t want the spell to become public knowledge.
He coveted it and not for selfish reasons. He coveted it because he feared that his kind would use it against innocent dragon shifters. He looked away from her, realizing that she'd taken all she needed to know from his mind.
She looked over at Amelia.
“Something wrong, Dylan?” Amelia sounded suspicious, and by the way she’d
crooked her eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, Grania knew she was forming some
theories.
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
“Nothing wrong at all, Amelia. I’m just hungry.”
“Ah, well, we can rustle you up some food. Your mother wants you to meet her
at noon sharp.”
“Keep him under constant guard. You shouldn’t even allow him to shift. With
his next shifting, he could lose his humanity all together,” Grania said, warning them, and hoping they'd take it to heart.
“I thought your kind needed to shift.” Amelia sighed.
“We can repress the need. O’Malley will just have to feel a little sick for a few days. It’s far better than having a full-blooded dragon on your hands, believe me, you don’t want to mess with one of those. Even a dragon shifter has a low chance of survival when it comes to tussling with one of them.”
“We happen to know of a few good dragons.” Amelia started to sound snooty.
“Hmm … perhaps, but those dragons weren’t half evil in their human form.”
“Oh, by the graces. How do you keep a level head with her, Dylan?” Amelia
smiled serenely, and then turned back toward the door. “Lads, make sure that O’Malley is properly subdued and transported back to his cell.”
“What else did you find out?”
Dylan spoke to her as they walked side by side toward his mother’s office.
“He killed his mate. He’s already damned himself. And, I also found out how
they plan to get into England. They figured out how to harness the magic of the land to work for them, instead of against them. The first battle will happen in Tewkesbury.
From there, they plan to take over the entire world. Those that resist, they will massacre, those that submit, they’ll enslave, and your kind ... why, you’re the luckiest ones out of the batch. You’ll be exterminated, starting with you first.”
“I’m not surprised.” His voice hardened, it filled with determination. “I’m not going to let that happen, Grania.”
“I pray that you don’t.”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
Chapter Ten
“Ah, Dylan, Grania, how did your time with O’Malley go?”
Aine looked beyond interested, she was captivated.
“I think we can safely say that O’Malley needs to stay in lockup, mother.” He
cleared his throat. “It’s beyond me how Nicholas has still managed to stay alive. From what Grania gleaned from his mind, O’Malley wasn’t just a follower of Draco’s, he was an enforcer slash assassin, just like dear old Denys.”
His mother’s face blanched. “Let’s not refer to that Denys filth, again, Dylan. It makes me feel sick.”
“Well, I don’t know why, Denys wasn’t the only one that recently tried to off
Dylan, we also had Kendra, Orion, James, Pablo and Arnold that tried to have a go at wiping him off the face of the planet.”
Aine sank down in her desk chair. “Really, I was serious, Grania. I’d rather not dredge up merry tales detailing the grim reaper that constantly trails my son. I will not hear of his so-called impending death.” She let out another rattling sigh.
“As long as I’m around, he won’t have to fear for his life.”
“So you keep saying. I heard from Nicholas how badly you were wounded last
night. I’m not so certain you’re up to the task. That’s why we’ve decided to keep my son under constant guard, here at the agency. Dylan, you are not leaving this building. I forbid it. Do you understand?”
“You can’t forbid me anymore, mother. I’m not a child.”
“Nonetheless, you will not be leaving here.”
“You lured us here. You’ve known all along what O’Malley was up to, haven’t
you?” Dylan asked. Grania gasped, aghast at the machinations Dylan's mother had employed to get them to walk willingly into a trap.
His mother looked away from him. “I will not be accused by my own son.”
“Admit it, mum, you knew.”
“O’Malley did admit something that caused the last telepath to walk away far whiter than when she’d walked into the room. She did find out the truth. You put me in there as your patsy .…” Grania’s voice trailed off. She didn’t like being manipulated …
she liked it far less when it was someone like Aine Lightfoot.
“I will not be treated like a criminal by the two of you. I will not allow you to make me feel like I’m the guilty party in all of this. I only sought to keep you safe, Dylan. You are my only son. I won’t let you get killed because her kind is having a stupid war! When Draco brings the war to Earth, he will learn that we have zero tolerance for pests like him. In the years since our last war, wizards and witches have become less scrupulous about how they fight a war. Now, we fight to win. If that means killing as many of you as possible, then so be it. It won’t be our kind facing extermination, it will be yours. This is a war that will find the victors in the race for the survival of the fittest. Your kind will discover that our kind will do whatever we have to do in order to survive!”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
“You can’t kill them en masse unless you have my spell,” Dylan pointed out,
apparently buoyed by that thought. Grania's heart went out to him. If he thought that was going to waylay someone like Aine, he was dead wrong.
“My darling son, even though you are the most brilliant wizard of your age, you aren’t the only one that knows how to create spells of the magnitude that you can. We have what we need to defeat the dragon shifters, with o
r without your spell. That’s why I need to secure your safety. Last night was an annoyance. It destroyed part of my house, but I never would have let them kill you. I’m not all tea, scones and clotted cream, dear.
I can fight ... I will fight. Even now, I’m having our best and brightest assemble to meet the first wave.”
“You do know,” Dylan groaned.
“I do, indeed. If I didn’t, I would be following in my father’s foolish footsteps.
As we speak, Tewkesbury is being evacuated and our forces are being deployed. I have called for our vicar to unite the two of you in holy matrimony. If we do happen to fail, which I seriously, seriously doubt, you will be a part of her family, that in itself should keep you from harm.”
“With all due respect, Aine, you are underestimating my father. You only know where the first wave will emerge, you have no idea where my father intends to send the second and third wave.”
“I think, child, that I know what I’m doing. Thank you for your concern,
though.” She stood up. “Come, the vicar is waiting in my receiving rooms.”
“I’m not going through with this.” She started shaking her head.
“You aren’t going anywhere, Grania.” Dylan turned to her. She’d never seen him look so ... macho. She didn’t know if she liked it.
“Don’t think you’re going to sway my decision, Dylan. Your mother is only
using us as a means to an end.”
“I assure you, Grania, that I have no ulterior motives when it comes to Dylan. I would do anything to keep him safe.” Emotion welled in her usually cool, calm and collected voice. “We have heard about the blood ties within your society. You value above all else, the institution of family.”
“Fat lot of good that did for O’Malley’s mate, Rayne.”
“You knew her?” Dylan sounded shocked.
“Aye. I knew her, I didn’t know that she was O’Malley’s mate, but everyone
close to the Royal Court knew each other by sight. She was one of the Queen’s ladies in waiting.”
“Oh … I’m sorry, Grania.”
Even Aine looked remorseful. “War touches us all. In your case, Grania, it
touches you more frequently. As the daughter of the leader of the rebel forces, you should start expecting it.”
“I never expect to lose someone I love. As we speak, my family could be losing their lives. The king and queen have young children. Their only child that is old enough to actually take care of himself is Blaze.”
“I thought that your cousin had a twin?” Aine seemed perplexed.
“He did, she was killed last year. She died fighting for what she believed was right. Now he fights alone.”
Bitterness welled inside of her. Her aunt and uncle kept their other children a DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
secret. They didn’t want anyone to know that they existed for fear of having them come under enemy fire. Now that she reflected on it, Bronwyn and Brianna had to be nearing the dragon shifter age of maturity. The last ten years had flown by.
“They are wise indeed.” Aine nodded in silent understanding. “Losing a child is a pain that I never wish to feel. Your aunt and uncle have my deepest sympathies.”
“You must release me, if you know that they are retreating, you must let me go to them. They are the only family I have left. I won’t let them stand alone in their darkest hours!” Her emotions were warring with what she wanted to do and what she knew she had to do.
“Now, my dear, I’m sorry to say that they reached their darkest hours many days ago. They shielded you, or kept you ignorant because of your relation to Draco, I can’t decide which, either way; they had the barbarians knocking at their gate five days ago.
They remained under siege for as long as they could ....”
She interrupted Aine.
“My cousin Blaze came for me last night to heal me .…”
“Under great risk for himself and the rest of his family. In your case, your cousin showed that his loyalty to his family goes far beyond the call of duty.” Admiration swelled in Aine’s voice.
“I owe him my life.”
“Where are they, mother? You must know you have eyes and ears everywhere.
You might think I’ve been living in a glass house all of these years, but I know—I know how much power you wield—your connections are impressive. I’m sure you’re in the know as to where they will be.”
“Dylan, you can rest assured that once they step their dragon shifting feet on Earth soil that we will collect them and place them under guard.”
“Under guard? You can’t be serious,” she scoffed. Inwardly, her insides were knotting up while outwardly; she attempted to keep her anger in check. Now was not a time for a good old blowup.
“Please, let us put our arguments aside for the time being so that the two of you can be married, after that, I’m open to arguing.”
“Why is she doing this?” Grania turned to Dylan, hoping to glean some insight
into his mother's apparently cracked nut.
“My mother always has to get her own way, no matter how many people she
pisses off in the process.” He offered her his hand. “It’s not like we wouldn’t have eventually walked this road, anyway. She’s just sped up the process for us.”
“You can’t honestly expect me to marry you under duress?”
“Let’s see—we’re still experiencing the Mating Fire, correct? Because if we’re not, I’m way too hot.”
“Yes, we are still under the thrall of the Mating Fire.”
“Then, I see no reason why we shouldn’t get married.” The sole dimple in his
cheek showed itself. She looked away from him. She couldn’t take staring at him not when she was being coerced into something she railed against. On one hand, she saw his side of the story—she knew that he was right. She knew it. And, yet because of the situation she’d been thrust into, she wanted to fight it with the entire fiber of her being.
“Humor me. Just give into it. Marry me.”
“And become her relation? I don’t think so.”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
Aine moved inconspicuously into the other room.
“Don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“We met yesterday.”
“The world is going to change tomorrow. Why not change first? Marry me,
Grania … let us face the coming battle together.”
“You won’t be facing the coming battle ... your mother has seen to that. She wants to keep you in a protected magical cocoon, safe from harm and worry.”
“I won’t let her do that. As your mate, I will follow you to the ends of the Earth and beyond.”
“You have to convince her to tell me where my family is. If she doesn’t, I’ll be tempted to invade her mind and take the news from her.”
“You won’t get in … my mother is very proficient when it comes to protecting
herself from any kind of invading force. You don’t want to go up against her. If you thought I was tough when I took out Orion and James, baby, you haven’t seen nothing yet. My mother will make mincemeat pie out of you. She might look as harmless as a butterfly, but she holds one hell of a bloody magical punch.”
“My kind says it takes a minute to realize you’ve found your mate, an hour to
know that it is true and a day to fall in love with them. In our case, that saying rings all too true. They also say it takes an eternity to forget them. My father is trying desperately to run from his own personal pain, by inflicting his misery on people that don’t deserve his wrath.”
“Forge the bonds of peace between our peoples. This marriage will broker that alliance. Do it! For my sake if not for anything else. You said yourself that we are literally stuck with each other, let’s not live in misery .…”
“Your mother is just a witch .…”
“She’s not just a witch, she’s the leader of our people. You
are royal dragon shifter blood, I’m royal magic kind blood, the bond we will create will unite us forever.”
“Your mother is just doing this out of political gain. I feel like I’m one of those princess brides from the medieval times. Power plays surround us, drowning us in their hypocrisy!”
“We don’t have the time to bicker. You can make the rest of my life miserable when we’re married.”
She felt like hitting him. Instead, she nodded. “For once, I’m going to agree with you. I’ll submit to this demand, but so help me if she tries to pull another fast one on us, I’m not standing for it, do you hear me?”
“I hear you loud and clear, Grania. Come on, let’s get this marriage started.”
As she stepped through the door to the next room, her outfit morphed before her eyes into something that was both red and beautiful. Even though his mother exasperated her to no end, she did have good taste when it came to clothes.
Dylan’s family all seemed crunched into the room. She recognized his father,
uncle and aunt, but a few of the other faces were mysteries to her.
“I trust we are ready?”
The vicar looked at Aine. She nodded, giving permission for the ceremony to
begin. Aine had also taken the liberty of changing Dylan’s clothes, as well. Now he wore ceremonial wizard’s robes. He had all of his family flanking her, and she had no one.
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
She entered a foggy state, only emerging when Dylan pressed her hand. She
looked into the vicar’s half smiling, half wary eyes. He knew what she was, and he was just as untrusting of her as everyone else in this building seemed to be.
Screams entered her mind’s eye. She turned her head. “Something is wrong .…”
her voice faded away.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” She suddenly felt as if her knees were going to buckle. Her body grew weak.
“NO … something horrible has just happened. Hundreds of my kind have all just died at the same time.”