Love of the Dragon (Aloha Shifters: Jewels of the Heart Book 5)

by Anna Lowe

  “It’s mine!” Moira screamed.

  Cassandra hung on, praying the ledge wouldn’t give. Moira was across the chasm of lava that had opened up. Any minute now, she expected the she-dragon to shift, take flight, and whisk the diamond away.

  But Moira, it seemed, preferred to let Drax do her dirty work, because she just hollered. “Get it! Get it!”

  Cassandra looked up, wondering if she could possibly haul herself up. A whistling sound rushed at her from above, and she yelped.

  “Hang on!” Silas roared, plunging toward her with wide, alarmed eyes.

  If she could have hung by one hand and gestured with the other, she would have. “Get the diamond, not me.”

  Whatever possessed her to say that, she wasn’t sure. Because she really wanted to live. But Drax was hurtling toward the diamond, and if he got to it first…

  Her finger slipped, and she gasped, throwing her left hand forward in a desperate attempt to hang on. A screeching sound filled her ears.

  “Cassandra!”

  A black dragon with glowing red eyes dove toward her with outstretched claws. Claws shaped like scimitars that could tear through her shoulder in one effortless snip. She squeezed her eyes shut.

  The claws didn’t pierce her skin, though. One closed over her right arm without injuring her at all. Her eyes flew open, and for a second, she felt relief. That was Silas holding her tight.

  Then she was jerked into the air, and she screamed. Her arm felt as though it had been torn from its socket. For a minute, she couldn’t tell up from down. Only that she was flying, flying…

  Hold on, Silas’s voice boomed in her mind. I’ve got you.

  Her heart pounded in triple time. Silas had her. A plus and a minus, because holy shit, she was suspended high above the ground, airborne.

  Then she did a double take. Wait a second. Had she really heard Silas’s voice in her mind?

  A dark shadow raced under her — a dragon barreling toward the ground.

  “Silas! Look!” she screamed.

  That was Drax, extending his claws to grab at the diamond like an eagle plucking a fish from a stream.

  But Silas didn’t care about the diamond, it seemed. He glided onward, ducking his head to look at her. And though it was terrifying, her heart warmed. If she had any doubts about Silas’s priorities, they were all dispelled now.

  “Get ready,” he murmured in a soft undertone.

  An image formed in her mind, and her feet moved in the air just in time for Silas to set her down. She ran a few steps and tripped over to all fours but, whew. She was safe, back on firm ground.

  Silas landed beside her and clawed at the rough ground, looking at her. Desperate to check that she was all right. She stared.

  “Wait. You chose me over the Spirit Stone?”

  His eyes swirled. Of course I did.

  “Are you crazy?”

  He smiled a huge, toothy, dragon smile that ought to have been terrifying. Instead, it melted her heart.

  She stood motionless for a second, then gestured upward. “Well, get going already.”

  Silas’s eyes turned back to a murderous hue as he took off with a mighty leap.

  Cassandra ducked, covering her head from the powerful backwash. Silas beat his wings, taking up the chase. When she straightened again, she spotted Drax’s henchmen spiraling overhead. Anger overtook her, and she gestured at them in a frustrated motion.

  And, whoa. They cringed and backed away.

  Cassandra stared, then gestured again — and again, the dragons skittered away.

  She broke into a grin, then promptly hid it. Apparently, the dragons thought she still had the Windstone. And as long as they did…

  She kept her fist closed, hiding the fact that her hand was empty. The wind was no longer forming a blockade against the dragons, but their wary looks told her they expected the worst.

  She glared at them, bluffing wildly.

  Drax, meanwhile, rose higher and higher, heading for the center of the island. Silas rushed after him, shooting a long plume of fire until Drax had no choice but to circle back. Silas soared right on his heels, punishing Drax with blast after blast of unrelenting fire.

  Cassandra spun around. Where had Moira gone? She couldn’t spot the silk dress anywhere in the black landscape.

  Then a thunderous explosion sounded overhead, making her look up. Silas emitted one last determined blast of fire that caught a startled Drax full on. Drax screamed and dropped the diamond.

  “No!” she screamed, watching it go.

  Both dragons plummeted toward the earth — Silas racing after the diamond, and Drax with his wings on fire. Drax plunged toward the river of the magma, screaming. Silas pulled up at the last possible second, but Drax…

  A hiss filled the air, along with a sickening singeing odor. Drax’s tortured scream echoed over the lunar landscape as the magma swallowed him up. The diamond pinged against rock, as clear a sound as that of a spoon against a champagne glass, then came to rest on a smooth, rocky outcrop.

  Cassandra sprinted toward the gem because Moira was sprinting too. Not quite as fast, maybe, in that fancy red gown of hers, but she had less distance to cover. Moira’s eyes shone as she ran, screaming like a banshee.

  “It’s mine!”

  Cassandra launched herself at the diamond like a linebacker making a tackle — the kind she’d seen so often in Tony’s Bar, captured in slow motion and replayed dozens of times.

  She skidded, scraping every inch of exposed skin. Lucky, it was pahoehoe lava and not the razor-sharp, aa kind. She strained for the diamond, stretching as far as she could. Her fingers closed around the hard edges, and she mentally cheered. She had it!

  A heartbeat later, Moira’s foot slammed over her hand, and she screamed. A whoosh of air followed, drowning that sound out. Through her tears of pain, Cassandra saw Silas land not twenty feet away. His mouth opened, and his eyes flashed.

  “Moira,” he said in a deep, menacing tone. “Release it. Now.”

  Cassandra lay still, grimacing as Moira crushed her hand. All Moira had to do was shift into dragon form, and the foot holding down Cassandra’s hand would turn into a claw that would scissor her flesh to bits.

  “Silas,” Moira cooed as if they were on the red carpet of the gala dinner and not at the edge of a volcano at night. “We have it. We’ve succeeded. It’s ours!”

  Cassandra gaped. What the hell?

  Silas appeared equally taken aback. He took a step forward, folding his wings slowly, and assumed a less ferocious impression. The air around him wavered, and he stooped. The scales of his chest shimmered, then blurred as he transformed into human form.

  “Moira…” he murmured the way a person might address someone about to jump from the top of a building.

  “Silas, you haven’t changed a bit,” Moira hummed, checking out every inch of his naked flesh.

  Cassandra seethed.

  “The Windstone,” Silas said.

  “Yes — it’s ours!” Moira made a grand gesture with one arm. “Can’t you see?”

  See what? Cassandra wanted to scream.

  “You and me,” Moira went on, speaking as if Cassandra weren’t pinned awkwardly under her foot. “Everything that was Drax’s can be yours. It can be ours. And together—”

  “Together?” Silas thundered. “What are you talking about?”

  “You and I are meant for each other.” Moira smiled. “Together, we will build a great future. You and I as king and queen, the most powerful dragons of all time.”

  Cassandra tensed. What if Silas wasn’t over Moira? What if he cast her — a third-rate witch — aside at the prospect of a reunion with his old flame?

  He still loves me, Moira had taunted in New York. You’ll see.

  Cassandra’s stomach turned over. Could it really be true?

  “You left me,” Silas sputtered.

  “I was confused,” Moira sniffed, pushing down with her foot.

  Cassandra bit her li
p, determined not to squeal in pain.

  “You weren’t confused.” Silas growled. “You were perfectly clear when you left me for Drax.” His tone rose, mimicking her voice. “You said, ‘Why do I need you when Drax is where the future lies?’”

  “But, Silas,” Moira pleaded. “We were young. I didn’t know how good we had it. But I know now. It’s about you and me.”

  Silas snorted. “It’s about you and power. It always was, Moira. It always will be.”

  Moira rocked back slightly, giving Cassandra just enough space to flex her aching fingers. She extended her index finger, rolling the diamond closer. If she could get her hand around it…

  “Of course, it’s about power.” Moira laughed. “What did you think? That it’s about love? Love is power. Power is love. And I have it.”

  It was terrifying, listening to the crazed woman’s words. And terrifying because as much as Cassandra believed in Silas, she still couldn’t be sure. Moira had entranced him once, a long time ago. There was no denying her beauty, her allure. What if Silas fell for her again?

  “Moira…” He held out his arm, palm up, and spoke gently. So gently, another tear slipped from Cassandra’s eyes. Oh God. He was falling for Moira.

  Moira stretched her arm and smiled. “I always knew we were meant for each other.”

  Cassandra felt sick, but she had just enough presence of mind to register the shift of Moira’s weight. The instant Moira stepped toward Silas, Cassandra gasped and rolled clear, clutching the diamond.

  “You and me. We’ll have it all,” Moira said, reaching for Silas’s hand.

  Cassandra felt nauseous. She had the Windstone, but so what? She didn’t want a diamond. She wanted love. Life. A new start.

  Silas’s eyes were locked on Moira’s, and they glowed. For a brief instant, they flicked to Cassandra’s. The light and the color changed to an intense red, making her hopes rise. Then they flicked back to Moira and dulled again.

  Cassandra’s heart leapt to her throat. Wait. Was Silas still on her side?

  Cassandra took a step back, a safe distance from Moira. The next time Silas’s eyes darted her way, he gave a small, satisfied nod. The hand he’d extended toward Moira dropped to his side, and his deep voice grew bitter.

  “There is no us, Moira. There never will be.”

  And with that, he brushed right by her, stepping toward Cassandra with open arms.

  The battle had been won. His battle. Her battle. Her heart pounded in her chest as Silas came closer.

  Moira’s eyes glowed as she glared at Silas’s back. She raised her hand, and—

  “Watch out,” Silas yelled, darting for Cassandra.

  Moira was shifting into dragon form — fast. Her neck extended, and her arms stretched into wings. Her dress shredded, and the scraps danced away, splashes of red in an otherwise black landscape. An instant later, Moira boomed in a deep, smoky contralto.

  “I said, it is mine. You are mine.”

  Silas threw his hand up, but Cassandra could see he would be too late. Moira was already winding up for a huge blast of fire.

  But Cassandra was quicker. She thrust her arm up and blew hard, letting her breath wash over the Windstone.

  Yes! Kill! the stone cried.

  Storm-force winds howled out of nowhere. The power thrust Cassandra forward, nearly pulling her off her feet. The wind caught in Moira’s open wings and shoved her toward the gaping river of magma.

  “No,” Cassandra found herself whispering. The hate driving the Windstone stemmed from her soul, and she struggled to control it. No matter how she despised Moira, she wasn’t ready to take another life. Neither was Silas, it seemed.

  “Moira!” Silas yelled, darting after her.

  Not that it was in Silas’s power to stop the wind now. Even Cassandra struggled to control it. Moira tumbled backward toward the magma, screaming.

  “Stop!” Cassandra ordered the gem lighting up her hand.

  The wind continued to howl, holding on to the last bit of her rage as if the Windstone had read her mind too literally and concluded Moira had to be stopped forever, no matter how horribly. The force of the blow pushed Moira to the very brink of the open chasm where she teetered.

  “I said, stop,” Cassandra yelled, closing her hand over the diamond.

  The wind wavered before aiming one last blast at Moira. But that brief flicker was enough. Moira caught the wind with one wing and rose clear of the chasm. She turned in midair and darted north, chased by the Windstone’s power. For a moment, the barren cliffside was alive with the roar of a bitter wind and the crash of powerful waves. The remaining dragons took up formation along Moira’s sides and flew off with her, disappearing over the lip of the caldera. Cassandra held her breath.

  A second ticked by. A minute. And slowly, she exhaled. The wind dwindled back to a whisper, and the light in the diamond dimmed.

  “Enough,” she whispered. Enough anger. Enough pain. Enough revenge.

  Silas’s arms closed around her, and she drooped, cradling her injured hand. Her body ached from a dozen cuts and bruises, and her skin was coated with dust. An eerie silence had fallen over the lava fields, but the sea breeze wafting in from the Pacific carried a breath of clean, salty air.

  Then another dragon roar split the air, and she cringed.

  “Kai. Tessa,” Silas murmured in relief.

  Two shadows shot overhead, rushing after Moira. They both spat long plumes of fire, making it clear the shifters of Koa Point ruled this territory. Then they, too, rushed out of sight, following the enemy, and the landscape hushed again.

  “Are you all right?” she whispered.

  Silas nodded, hugging her close to his chest. “I’m okay. Are you?”

  She closed her eyes, pushing away her pain. “I’m okay.”

  The sun had set, and the sky was awash with streaks of pink light. Cassandra opened her hand, relieved to find the diamond dull and dim. But two things still gnawed at her.

  “You know I would never bewitch you, right?” She hurried to tell him. “I mean, even if I actually could, which I can’t. I would never, ever—”

  He stopped her with a finger to her lips. “I know.”

  She clutched his hands. “Eloise cast a spell. She lured you and Drax here to kill each other. And it scares me to death to think I might have inadvertently…”

  Silas raised an eyebrow. “Inadvertently what? Turned up in the nick of time to blow those dragons away?”

  Well, now that he put it that way…

  She relaxed a tiny bit, then tensed again, looking at the Windstone. Then her eyes drifted to the chasm Drax had fallen into, and her jaw clenched. She stood slowly, every joint aching, and took one cautious step toward the abyss.

  Eloise’s words echoed through her mind. Hide it. Conceal it. Better yet, destroy it. We witches created the Spirit Stones generations ago. We can destroy them too.

  Silas stepped to her side, and Cassandra took a deep breath, waiting for him to protest. He’d nearly laid down his life for the Spirit Stone. Wouldn’t he want to keep it?

  “Do it,” he said, surprising her with his conviction. “Destroy it.”

  Cassandra could practically hear Eloise’s spirit, saying the same thing.

  “Are you sure?” she asked in a raspy whisper. The Spirit Stone’s power had terrified her. But without it, she and Silas would not have survived the attack.

  Silas cupped her hands with his. “Honestly? I’m not sure. You’re the one who can control it.”

  “I could barely control it,” she protested.

  “You did better than I could. The Spirit Stones were created by witches, and the Windstone is the most powerful of them all. It takes a witch to control it.”

  Cassandra made a face. “I’m only one-eighths witch. One measly eighth.”

  “Enough to bring forth the stone’s power and direct it. In any case, the Stone is yours. The choice is yours.”

  The man was a prince. A naked, buff prince, to
tally at home in his own skin.

  “Mine, huh?” She looked dubiously at the gem. “Are you sure you don’t want it?”

  A smile spread over his lips. “There’s only one thing I want. Well, two.” His voice was hopeful, teasing, and uncertain, all at the same time.

  “And what would those be?”

  Silas’s eyes heated as he squeezed her hands. “You. I want you. As my mate.” He studied her for a moment, then added, “My friend. Partner. Lover.”

  Up to that point, her body had throbbed with aches and complaints. But the moment Silas spoke, a warm, comforting goodness spread through her veins, and her cheeks stretched with a smile.

  “And what would the second thing be?”

  Yes, it was a little unfair, making Silas work so hard when she already knew her answer was an enthusiastic yes. But it was kind of fun, and just in case, she’d better check what his second wish was. If it was domination of the shifter world, she was out of there.

  “Peace,” he said without hesitation.

  And Eloise had claimed all dragons were evil. Ha.

  Cassandra shrugged. “I’m not sure I can arrange for peace. But maybe this can.” She looked at the diamond. “There was something about uniting the Spirit Stones, right?”

  Silas looked as reluctant as she was. “So the legends say. But you know what they say about legends…”

  She nodded. “Yep. You can’t believe everything you read.” Then she aimed her meanest glare at the diamond. “Listen, and listen good. Unless you want me to throw you into the volcano…”

  The diamond blinked with a weak light.

  “…you will do as you’re told. No more hurricanes. No more whirlwinds.”

  “No more revenge,” Silas added firmly.

  Cassandra nodded. “No nothing unless you’re asked to. You got that?”

  The diamond shone brighter than ever then went dim again.

  Cassandra made a face. “Hmpf. I still don’t trust it. But it might be worth keeping. Do you have a safe place?”

  Silas nodded. “My lair.”

  “Your what?” she blurted, picturing a dripping cave littered with bones.

  “Just a small one,” he explained quickly. “An old lava tube behind the house. I’ll show you.”