dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames

by Illene, Susan

  His lips set in a grim line. “I apologize for that, but it was necessary.”

  His voice rolled over me, the accent so foreign, and yet, a little on the sexy side. When I’d first met him, I’d been a little too intimidated to think much of it, but after months of getting used to him, I’d grown to love his deep timber. It could distract me if I wasn’t careful.

  “No, it wasn’t necessary.” I crossed my arms. “You should have let me stay there and protect those people.”

  He lifted a brow. “If I had done as you suggest, those dragons would have attacked the humans as well. Would you truly prefer to have their deaths on your hands?”

  I closed the distance between us and poked him in the chest. “Not if we fought them. You and I against three aren’t the worst odds.”

  “It would be if they called for more help,” Aidan said, glaring at my finger until I dropped it. “Matrika sent an open summons that any dragon could hear. I had no way of knowing if she spoke privately with any others in her toriq. If more of her kinsmen had come, you would have had no choice except to fight them until you were dead. I could not risk that.” A hint of strong emotion came over his eyes and he shuddered.

  And there it was—the sign he cared more deeply about me than he wanted to admit.

  “Fine, we had to get away, but you should have let me kill Matrika first. She’s been taking human children and harassing that neighborhood every night trying to get more kids. That was the whole reason I was there—to protect those people from her.”

  He shut his eyes and expelled a breath. “I’m sorry to hear that, but even if I’d known, I would not change what I did.”

  “Can we discuss this inside?” Donar asked, casting a wary glance at the darkening sky. “If I heard Matrika’s call for help from farther away than Aidan, it is likely others in our clan did as well. It is not a good idea to be out in the open should they fly over this place.”

  That was one of the reasons why Aidan and I only met to train in the afternoons. His clan members usually didn’t stray far from the fortress until evening—dragons did the bulk of their hunting at night—so the risk of being noticed was lower when the sun was high.

  “Yeah, let’s go in,” I agreed, heading across the field toward the two-story house.

  It had white siding, a red brick fireplace jutting from the side, and a covered porch running the full width of the front. My best guess was that the place had probably been built in the 1920s or 1930s. Someone had kept it in good condition before Aidan took it for his private lair. There were no obvious signs of disrepair, and the siding appeared to have been replaced within the last few years. We had no idea what happened to the owners, but they hadn’t shown up since I started coming here a few months ago.

  We entered the living room. It was cozy with wood floors, brown leather couches, black end tables, and a huge flat screen anchored above the fireplace. Every time I saw the television I remembered how much I missed watching TV shows and movies. These days we only had generators for electricity, and what little power we could get from those (when we had the spare fuel to run them) had to go to more important things like our vehicles. Modern entertainment was a luxury we couldn’t afford. Maybe one day we’d push the pure dragons back enough to rebuild and start over again.

  That was part of the reason Aidan and I had agreed to work together. His clan wanted peace and safety as much as the humans did. The shape-shifters’ first step was to claim enough territory that they’d have all the resources they needed to survive and a buffer zone between them and the pure dragons. I was secretly helping Aidan with that. His clan didn’t have a problem with humans and even let some of them live in their fortress, but a slayer like me was a different matter. We were supposed to be enemies, not allies. Aidan might have been able to think farther ahead and see the advantages of working together but not the rest of his people.

  In exchange for my help, he had promised to take me to my family’s ranch in Texas once we secured his clan’s territory. I had tried getting there on my own right after D-day (when the dragons first invaded), but a giant chasm had opened up across the southern end of Oklahoma. To reach home now, I would have to drive hundreds of miles out of my way to get around it. That wouldn’t be easy, considering I’d have to forage for fuel along the way, avoid dragons, and try not to get attacked by human gangs. It was just too dangerous to take the risk right now, and building up my slaying skills would only help that much more once I did return to Texas.

  I only hated that I had to wait so long before I could leave. It could take up to a year for me to complete my end of the bargain with Aidan, and anything could happen to my family during that time. Though I managed to talk to my mother and stepfather regularly through a satellite phone, I worried about them. Dragon attacks were just as bad where they lived, southwest of Dallas, and they couldn’t fight the beasts the way I could.

  Then there was the fact that I had two older step-brothers and one younger half-brother who were at that age where their courage was greater than their ability to calculate risks. Every time I checked in with my family, I braced for the news that one of them had gotten hurt or killed. So far they hadn’t, but I figured it was only a matter of time. My stepfather couldn’t keep an eye on them every minute of the day.

  Donar shut the curtains while I settled on the couch. Aidan grabbed an oil lamp and blew a thin flame at the wick, lighting it. Most of the time their fire went out after they stopped blowing, but I had learned they could keep a small blaze going if they concentrated hard enough.

  “You need to stay here from now on,” Aidan said, setting the lamp on the fireplace mantle. It cast a soft glow across the room and highlighted the left side of his face. He had sharp cheekbones that gave him a rough, but beautiful edge to his appearance.

  My brows drew together. “Why? You covered my scent so they shouldn’t be able to identify me.”

  “Not well enough.” He shook his head. “If I’d had more time, perhaps, but I only covered it enough so they couldn’t easily track us. Matrika will remember your scent, and the others will be able to pick it up at the park.”

  I ground my teeth. I’d never imagined attacking one particular dragon could cause this much trouble. “You can’t expect me to abandon my friends. Who is going to protect them if I’m not living in the neighborhood anymore?”

  “Has it occurred to you that their lives are in more danger with you there?” Aidan’s gaze softened. “Until today, I’ve managed to cover your tracks, but your presence is now known among the dragons. The best way you can protect your friends is to avoid them as much as possible. A slayer’s life is a lonely one, but that is the way it must be.”

  I closed my eyes. He’d been hinting at this for weeks, but I had ignored him. I’d never been a very social person, and yet I couldn’t stand the thought of living by myself. Even a small circle of friends made life that much more bearable. How was I going to battle dragons on a regular basis, risking my life, and then come back here—to nothing? Conrad, Trish, Danae, and the others in the neighborhood were always there to patch me up and calm me down after a battle. Aidan would probably try to visit as often as he could, but sometimes a week passed between our meetings. He had a life that went beyond me.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Matrika before?” I asked, getting up to pace the room.

  He started to walk toward me and stopped halfway. This happened a lot when we were together. It was like Aidan’s subconscious guided him to me, and he had to resist it constantly. Sometimes, I wondered what would happen if he ever stopped fighting that attraction. We’d kissed once, but he’d sworn it would never happen again.

  Only under extreme circumstances—such as flying me across the city—did he even touch me. I hated that it had to be that way between us, but I also recognized it was necessary. The last thing I needed was to feel divided when the day came that I could return to my family. We could be allies, maybe even friends, but nothing more.

 
“I never thought you’d come across her,” he replied, running a hand through his short spiky hair. “She usually doesn’t go out alone, and she certainly doesn’t have to hunt.”

  Donar’s brows drew together. “How did you end up fighting her anyway?”

  “She’s been stealing human children recently. A man from a nearby neighborhood told me she’s been targeting kids and asked for my help. So Conrad and I set up a lure to draw her to us instead.”

  “A lure?” Donar asked.

  “Dead possum. We thought the scent would grab her attention,” I explained.

  Donar rubbed his chin. “That wasn’t a bad idea. The pure dragons aren’t as particular about their meat as we are, and if it’s easy to obtain,” he paused and scrunched his nose, “all the better.”

  Aidan’s expression darkened. He’d been quiet for the last couple of minutes. “You said Matrika is targeting children? Taking them alive?”

  “Yeah—except I don’t know how long they’d last with her grabbing them.”

  He moved over to a cedar chest against the wall and drew out some bandages and ointment we kept stored there. His back was to me as he spoke, “It is said that she cannot produce viable eggs. She and her former mate tried for years with no success.”

  “So she’s, uh, barren?” I asked.

  “That is what we believe.” He gestured at me. “Sit while I clean your wounds.”

  I glanced at my arm and chest. With everything that had happened, I’d forgotten about the gashes Matrika and Aidan had given me. They’d stopped bleeding before we’d even reached the house—another benefit of being a dragon slayer. It would take a day or two for them to heal, though.

  “What does her being barren have to do with taking human children? It’s not like she can make them grow up to be dragons.” I didn’t even see how she could attempt to properly take care of them.

  Aidan kept his gaze on my wounds. He was making every effort to touch me as little as possible while he cleaned the punctures and gashes. “Perhaps she is jealous and wishes to make humans suffer as she does.”

  “My mother once told me a story about a dragon who kept human children in her den,” Donar said, knitting his brows. “In this case, she’d had several children of her own, but they died in battle, and she could not have more. She began taking young humans and raising them to keep her company.”

  I gaped at him. “How could she have pulled that off? They have to be fed, clothed, bathed, and other stuff. She couldn’t even touch them without burning them.”

  “I asked that same question.” He shook his head, mystified. “This occurred long ago before we were banished to Kederrawien, but my mother said the dragon did not take them so young they could not do some things for themselves. I suppose she was also very careful. They lived to be adults and stayed with the toriq for their entire lives.”

  “Do you think it’s really true?” I asked.

  Donar’s expression turned thoughtful. “My mother heard it from her grandmother, who swore she saw the humans for herself. I do not know why she would lie about such a thing.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved by that or more worried. The child who had been taken in Keith’s neighborhood had been about six years old, and he’d told me while we had scouted the park that the other missing children were a similar age. That was young, but not so much the kids would be completely helpless. If the dragon gave them decent food to eat and protected them, it was possible they might survive—at least until I could track them down and get them back to their families. Now that I knew it was possible, I had to hold on to the belief that I could find the children alive.

  “Do you have any idea how Matrika could grab the children without hurting them?” No matter how careful the dragon, she couldn’t touch a human without burning them.

  He shrugged. “We have used blankets in the past when we needed to pick up a human. Even if Matrika does not have one made of camrium cloth, she could still grasp the ends of a regular one with her claws, which aren’t hot enough to burn through the material. She would just need to be very careful.”

  Sort of like a stork carrying a baby, except in this case it was a dragon doing the transporting. The visual made me shudder. The poor children had to have been terrified during that ride.

  Aidan finished bandaging the worst of my wounds and stood. “We must return to the fortress soon, but I would not leave you without resources.” He glanced in the direction of the kitchen. “Do you still have some of your food stores here?”

  “Yeah, I do.” It never hurt to stash supplies in more than one place. “It’s enough to last me a few days.”

  He nodded. “Good. I will bring more as soon as I am able.”

  “Speaking of which.” Donar rose to his feet. “Your sister was looking for you, Aidan. I believe she said it had something to do with your father.”

  Aidan nodded, then looked down at me. “You will be safe enough here, but do not leave until I come back.”

  Even without transportation, I couldn’t make that promise. There was no way I could sit here alone and do nothing. I’d take a day to let my wounds heal, but after that, I’d be back out there hunting for those children. If I didn’t do it, who would?

  “Have fun at the fortress,” I said.

  “I doubt it,” he replied.

  Chapter 4

  Aidan

  Aidan and Donar landed in the field outside the clan fortress gate—a massive place built with dark-gray stone. The shape-shifter home was designed so no dragon could fly inside, and they had to be in human form to enter the keep. They passed a male and female guard, who stood alert at their posts. Being the pendragon’s son, they recognized Aidan right away. He nodded at them and continued with Donar through a short tunnel cut through the wall, passing blazing torches as they went.

  Upon entering the keep, dozens of small buildings appeared ahead of them. This was a market area during the afternoon where clan members could purchase or trade food and supplies. Now that night had fallen, most of the shopkeepers had shut down. Many of them would be preparing for the midnight meal, which was the largest of the day. Even the humans who lived here—now numbering more than one hundred—followed this practice. In its entirety, the fortress held approximately seven hundred and fifty occupants. About two hundred more resided beyond the walls in smaller dens scattered throughout their territory.

  Their soft camrium boots made little sound as they walked down the cobblestone thoroughfare. At the end of the path, they could make out the dark-stoned castle ahead. It was Aidan’s home where his family and some of the other high-ranking families dwelled, along with some of the human servants. Torches were lit at the entrance, welcoming those who wished to gather and socialize in the great hall. Aidan spotted his sister, Phoebe, standing on the steps speaking to their eldest brother, Zoran.

  Donar stopped in the middle of the path. “And this is where I leave you.”

  “Coward.”

  His cousin glanced in Zoran’s direction. “I’m in no mood to deal with him tonight.”

  Aidan didn’t like his brother that well either, but he didn’t get a choice in the matter.

  “I will see you tomorrow then,” Aidan said, clasping his cousin’s arm in farewell before continuing toward the castle.

  Phoebe caught sight of him first. “It’s about time, brother. I have been looking for you.”

  Aidan took hold of his sister’s upper arms and kissed her on the forehead. “What for?”

  “Father wishes to see us.”

  Aidan glanced around, searching for his second oldest brother. “Where is Ruari?”

  “Missing…much like you have been.” Zoran scowled.

  “Where were you?” Phoebe put her hands on her hips.

  She was larger and taller than Bailey, with the well-honed muscles of a shifter warrior. Her long, black hair was pulled back with a tie, and several small braids—one of them containing strands of silver—framed her oval face. Many women in
the clan envied Phoebe’s high cheekbones and smooth olive skin. Most couldn’t hope to compare to her beauty.

  Aidan kept expecting to hear she’d finally selected a mate, but as of yet she’d rejected the majority of her suitors outright and paid little attention to the rest. At two-hundred and seventy-five years old, Phoebe still had much of her life ahead of her. He supposed he couldn’t blame her for taking her time. Aidan was only sixty years younger than his sister, and he couldn’t imagine tying himself to a mate yet. He knew of only one exception for Phoebe, but that was a long time ago, and that particular male was far out of her reach now.

  “I was out patrolling,” he answered.

  She lifted her brows. “That’s what you always say.”

  “Not all of us can rest on our tails the entire day, dear sister, doing nothing.”

  She shoved him in the chest, forcing him back a step. “I was training the next generation of female warriors. What did you accomplish?”

  Aidan wasn’t about to tell her how his day had really gone. “I can verify our northwest border has not been violated by another toriq.”

  Zoran grunted. “And what would you have done if they crossed, whelp? Shake your tail at them in a threatening manner?”

  Aidan was sorely tempted to ask his brother how exactly that was done, but now was not the time to cross his brother—at least not yet. He had no doubt in his mind that once he began that fight, it would not end until one of them was dead. Zoran was as volatile and hot-natured as a dragon could possibly get.

  “Actually, I scowled meaningfully at them,” Aidan said, relaxing his posture into as much of a non-threatening position as he could muster. “You’d be surprised how quickly they flew away.”

  “You are a fushka.” Zoran dismissed him and turned his attention to a point beyond Aidan’s shoulder. “And there is the other idiot in our family now.”

  Ruari strode up the steps, appearing unrushed. “What is going on?”

  “We must meet with father,” Phoebe answered. “Let’s go. He’s been kept waiting long enough.”