“Good,” he told her. “Do it again. Let yourself go. You’ll be fine.”
The wings surged upwards then down again, their thrust propelling her into the air. This time she stayed there. Her body arched upwards, then control seemed to overtake her as she surged like a missile into the night sky.
“Holy shit,” Aegis muttered. A second later he’d shifted and was flying next to her, panic-stricken.
“You all right?” he asked.
“All right? I’m amazing,” she replied, letting out a low laugh as she swirled through the air, light as a swallow. “This is freaking incredible.”
“Good. There’s more, you know.”
Ashlyn halted, treading air with her wings and staring at him. “Fire,” she said. “You’re talking about weaponry.”
“Fiery girl,” he replied, his massive Dragon’s head nodding. “You need to learn to control that, too.”
She turned her head away and opened her mouth. At first a sound emerged like a sputtering cough, and a sphere of smoke shot out, dissipating in the air.
“Try again,” he said. “Imagine what you want the flame to do before you create it.”
Again she tried, and this time something sparked at the back of her throat. An arrow of blue-hot flame shot out, exploding before her like a burst of fireworks.
“This is fun,” she said. “What next?”
“I think that’s enough for now, wild woman,” Aegis replied. He turned to face his Dragon eyes towards the eastern horizon. “The sun will rise soon, and you need to be in Mardoc’s house when it does.”
“Of course you’re right,” she replied, her voice a little sad. “It probably sounds silly, but I don’t want to let her go. I feel like I’m losing my friend.”
“Not losing. Just saying good-bye for the moment,” he replied, surging towards the ground. “She’s always with you, remember. Always inside you.”
“True, and now I understand how to open myself to her. Now, how do I…?” She’d followed him, her feet hitting the ground with all the violence of a new shifter who hadn’t yet learned how to hit the brakes.
Aegis shifted to stand before her. He fixed his eyes on her, calm and collected.
“Picture your human self,” he told her as her Dragon swung its head from right to left and back again in its confusion. “You’ll be able to shift back.”
Within seconds Ashlyn was standing in front of him, breathing heavily as she ran her palms over her arms and legs. “That was…crazy,” she laughed. “Amazing. Insane. I feel so completely liberated from…everything.” She sprang over and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Aegis,” she whispered, burying her face in his skin.
“For what?” he laughed.
“For saving my life.”
Truth
Morning came with a warm, wide ray of sunshine piercing through the window to land in a broad strip along the marble tile of the floor.
Ashlyn drew her eyes open first. She reached for Aegis, smiling when her hand touched his chest. It was the first time they’d woken up together with the knowledge that they’d be together every day to come.
At least that was the plan.
As she sat up and stretched her arms over her head, soreness settled into her joints as though she’d worked out rigorously. No wonder, she thought. I became a Dragon last night. That’s got to put some wear and tear on the muscles.
But she felt good. Better than she ever had in her life, in fact. More alive, more invigorated. There was no doubt in her mind that the fevers were finally gone for good, chased away by very beast who’d brought them on all those years ago.
“Hello,” a sleepy voice croaked out from somewhere in the vicinity of her waist.
“Hello,” she replied, looking down at Aegis’s gorgeous face, his grey-green eyes half open as his features erupted in a grin. He reached a hand up to twist a tendril of blond hair around its tip, and Ashlyn let out a soft giggle. “You need to leave,” she said, her tone only mildly reproachful. “If the asshole finds you here, our little scheme will be uncovered.”
“You’re right,” he said, pressing his palms into the mattress to push his massive body upright. Craning his head, he kissed her neck, drawing the hair away with gentle fingers. “Are you sure you want me to go?” he asked softly.
“No! Of course I don’t want you to, evil man,” she laughed.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside and Ashlyn’s eyes widened. “Shit,” she said. “Go, go, go!”
Aegis rose, grabbed his clothing and pulled it on as he hopped towards the window. “I’ll be back,” he mouthed.
“I know,” Ashlyn mouthed back.
A knock sounded at the door just as he opened the window. Ashlyn blew him a kiss, and then with a quick leap he was gone, his Dragon soaring upwards and out of sight.
“Just a moment, I’m getting dressed.” Ashlyn threw Neko’s borrowed clothing on and grabbed a bottle of what looked like some sort of perfume from the dresser, spritzing its contents liberally into the air to cover up any residue of Aegis’s scent.
A moment later she’d removed the chair from under the doorknob and stuck her head out. The same pale, strange woman from the previous day stood in the hallway. “Mardoc wants to see you,” she said. “His guest has arrived.”
“Ah, okay. I’ll be down in a moment.”
This time, the woman didn’t leave immediately. Her eyes had narrowed, a strange, suspicious look on her face. Had she guessed what had gone on the night before? Ashlyn realized that her mood probably did seem very good, for someone whose life was supposed to be in ruins. I’d better act forlorn, she told herself. Don’t give anything away; they don’t know that I know I’m a freaking Dragon.
“Come with me,” the woman said.
Ashlyn swallowed hard. Great, now what? But she followed the strange creature down the hall to the staircase. The woman turned to her at that point and said, “They’re in the library. It’s at the bottom of the stairs, second door on the right.”
“Thank you,” Ashlyn said. Her heart was pounding. In a few seconds she’d come face to face with whomever had betrayed Aegis’s Guild. She shot her guide a quick smile and proceeded down the stairs, doing her best to control her shaking limbs. Don’t be afraid, that voice told her from somewhere in the deep reaches of her mind. You have me now.
Right, she had a giant Dragon inside her who could move like the wind and had a blowtorch for a mouth. But then, she was about to enter a room where two Dragon shifters were waiting for her.
As she approached the door to the library, she could hear voices. A man— Mardoc, she assumed—and a woman.
The woman was asking him, “Does she know about—?”
To which he replied, “No. Nothing. And I want to keep it that way as long as possible.”
They had to be talking about the fact that she was a shifter; it was the only reasonable answer. Good, so Mardoc really did believe she was still oblivious to her true nature. That she considered herself nothing more than a human, honoured to be paired with a powerful shifter like him for a mate. If only he knew.
She stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Standing by an enormous hearth were Mardoc and a red-haired woman. She was tall and slender, her face stern but beautiful. As she turned to Ashlyn she tried to smile, though she gave the distinct impression that the expression didn’t come naturally to her.
“You must be Ashlyn,” she said, stepping forward and extending a hand to shake. Ashlyn took it, trying to rid her mind of any thoughts of her Dragon. If this woman had the gift of Sight, it wouldn’t do to have her delving into her secrets.
“Yes, I am,” she said, “and you are…?”
“Tryst.”
“You’re in the Guild, with…” Ashlyn stopped short of saying Aegis’s name. She wasn’t supposed to care about him anymore.
“With Lumen and the others. Yes, I am. I wanted to come and check up on you. I know the transition to Seeker can
be a trial, even for the strongest of humans.”
Ashlyn nodded. “It’s been strange,” she said, “but I want to help the Dragons. I want to do anything I can to help fight off any threats. If I’m to be the Seeker, then I suppose this is where I belong.”
Mardoc spoke up. “Does this mean you’ve made a decision?” he asked.
Ashlyn chewed her lip, offering him a coy smile. “I’ll speak to you about it later,” she said. “But yes, I have.” She could feel him trying to draw her in, to influence her mind with his strange abilities. But she was stronger now; the Dragon inside her wouldn’t allow it. The bastard would never take possession of her again.
“Later, of course.” Mardoc looked pleased, though, as though he’d pulled off a great feat. “I look forward to it.”
“So, Tryst,” Ashlyn asked, turning to the female shifter. She wanted to extract as much information as possible from this little meeting. “You and Mardoc are old friends, then?”
Tryst looked at her host then at the floor, as though contemplating how best to answer. “I…yes, very good friends. We go way back.”
Liar.
Ashlyn could tell that the other woman wasn’t accustomed to bending the truth. “That’s nice,” she said. “Will you be staying long?”
“Just long enough to have a quick chat with our host, then I need to head back to the Heath. They’ll be expecting me.”
I doubt that. They’d kill you if they knew what I know, thought Ashlyn.
Tryst continued. “But while I have you here, I should tell you—Mardoc will make a wonderful father. You’re a lucky woman.”
“Father?” Ashlyn nearly choked on the word. Oh right—she was here to breed. Keep up the act, idiot. Pretend you’re happy that you’re going to carry his demon spawn.
“Yes,” Tryst replied. “You will have children who are capable of things you’ve only ever imagined. I envy you that.”
“I…thank you.” Ashlyn was doing her best to project an air of only slight reluctance, and hoped that it was working. “Well, it sounds like you two need to talk about a few things, so I’m going to go find myself some breakfast, if that’s all right. I’m still a little faint from the fever that hit a few days back.”
“Of course,” said Mardoc. “You’ll find a good deal of food in the kitchen at the end of the hall to the right.”
Ashlyn issued Tryst a smile before turning to leave the room. Aegis had only ever mentioned the one female Dragon shifter in the Guild once; clearly he’d never suspected her of collusion with the enemy. This would no doubt come as a shock to everyone close to her.
When she’d made her way into the hall and shut the library’s door behind her, Ashlyn pressed her back to the wall, inhaling a deep breath as she tried to slow her heart rate. She could only hope that Tryst hadn’t figured out that she now knew who and what she was—that she and Mardoc would never be producing offspring. She belonged only to Aegis, now and forever.
As she inhaled deep breaths, she could hear the two conspirators talking again, in spite of the thick wall separating her from them. Her ears, which had always been excellent, had only grown more keen after bonding with Aegis. She leaned her head against the wall and listened.
“Well, I kept my end of our bargain, Mardoc,” Tryst was saying. “I told you she’d be at St. Dunstan’s, and you found her.” So you admit it. You admit betraying your Guild.
“Yes, and for that—and your gifts—I’m forever grateful. But how on earth did you keep all of this from the Guild?”
“I lied.” Ashlyn thought she detected a hint of regret in Tryst’s voice. “I told them that my vision had grown weak, and that I was only vaguely aware of your existence. Told them I’d never want to know you as you’re a bloody monster.”
“Clever woman,” Mardoc said, his tone admiring. Ashlyn felt her cheeks go hot with the anger that was beginning to consume her. What a horrific pair of soulless monsters.
“It won’t work, you know,” Tryst added, ignoring his pseudo-compliment. “Even if she doesn’t know everything yet, she’ll find all of it out soon enough. You can’t keep her locked up here forever. When she comes into her powers she’ll be very strong…”
“By then she’ll be so far gone that it won’t matter,” Mardoc said, his voice dismissive. “I’ll simply use my gifts as I did yesterday. Keep her under my thumb, as it were. And once we’ve mated…well, everyone knows that once a bond’s been forged it’s almost impossible to break. She’ll forgive me eventually for my little white lies.” Silence for a moment, and then he spoke again. “I’m just grateful that you’ve seen the light, Tryst. Come to the proper side, as it were.”
“Seen the light?” she spat in a scoffing tone. “If you must know, I think you’re all but despicable. But your end goal is the same as mine: to strengthen the Dragons’ bloodlines and shut out those who contaminate them. I don’t like what the Guild is doing. They’ve grown all too close to the Enlightened, and it’s only a matter of time before they grow even closer. I’ve seen it in my mind’s eye. Seen the vile pairings.” For a moment she went silent, and Ashlyn pictured her shuddering violently. “We need to preserve our genes, not pollute them with a weak, hateful race,” Tryst continued. “Which brings me to you and your little genetic experiment. I’m none too happy to have discovered that there are Forsaken about with Dragon blood running through their veins. Nor am I happy that you failed to mention that rather important fact to me.”
So that was what all this was about. Genetics. Tryst was here because she supported Mardoc’s intention of mating with a female Dragon shifter. If she wants that so badly, why doesn’t she mate with the fucker herself?
“My offspring are a disappointment, I’ll admit,” Mardoc said, his tone betraying defeat. “When I first mated with their mothers, I thought I was creating a powerful hybrid. Little did I know how weak they would be. They’ve inherited all the stubbornness of Dragons, coupled with all the mental issues of the blood seekers.”
“Which is precisely why I hate the idea of them,” said Tryst.
“It’s really a pity that you can’t give birth yourself, Tryst,” Mardoc said. Ah, so that was it. She couldn’t have children. “You’re a devilishly beautiful woman. But Ashlyn will do nicely, I suppose. She’s young and strong, and I must say that I’d be only too happy to fuck such a specimen on a daily basis.”
You sick fucking bastard, you’ll never, ever get your hands on me. Ashlyn had to resist her Dragon’s desire to claw through the wall to get to her enemies. Patience. There’s more to learn yet.
“She’ll need to strong, for what you have planned,” Tryst replied, ignoring Mardoc’s total lack of tact. “You’re going to need many offspring to offset the strength of the Guild, once they have the four Relics assembled.”
“Then we’ll just have to take the Relics away, won’t we?” Mardoc said. “My friends under Glastonbury Tor failed in their task of obtaining the Relic of Air, but with your help I expect that we can secure all of them for our purposes.”
“About that—it won’t be easy, you know,” Tryst admitted. “They’ll be under lock and key, and I’m not the one with access to the vault.”
“Where’s your sense of fun? I’ll help, and don’t forget, I have a hundred or so Forsaken at my disposal.”
“How could I forget that fact? Horrid creatures. Between them and the Lapsed, London’s turned into a house of horrors, largely thanks to you.”
“The Forsaken will be off the streets when we’ve accomplished our goal of forcing the Dragon Guild out of London. That territory will be mine—and yours, to control, my dear. The Forsaken will retreat into the shadows. If they don’t, I’ll see to it that they suffer a far worse fate.”
“And the Lapsed?”
“Come now, you know the Lapsed are no real threat,” Mardoc said. “When the Forsaken disappear, so will they, and the natural order can be restored. London needs only one or two Dragon shifter overlords. Once we’ve secured the capital w
e can spread our influence and continue to produce superior offspring.”
Lunatic, thought Ashlyn. The guy sounded like a psychotic Dragon supremacist. Superior offspring, my ass.
A sudden burst of movement down the hall caught her eye and she jerked away from the wall, stepping quickly towards the kitchen. One of the pale servants was wandering about with a broom, presumably doing some housekeeping for her mind-bending boss.
“Excuse me?” Ashlyn asked when she’d pulled up close.
“Yes?” said the woman, eyeing her as though she were something between an intruder and a space alien.
“Is there anything to eat? I haven’t had breakfast.”
“Kitchen’s at the end of the hall,” the woman said, nodding her head in the direction of a large brown door.
“Thanks.”
She wandered on, contemplating everything that she’d heard from the secret meeting. So, she was Mardoc’s first prize. But the Relics were next on the agenda, and Tryst intended to help him to gain access.
Ashlyn had to warn the others, to let them know what was happening and who the traitor was within their midst.
She walked into the kitchen, heading straight for a window. She found herself looking into the strange courtyard that she’d first seen from high above, whose walls were as tall as the tops of oak trees.
“Shit,” she said, looking around. At least a dozen sets of eyes settled on her from various dark corners, a reminder that if she tried anything they’d alert their boss and she wouldn’t get very far. She pulled the door shut and explored the kitchen for a snack.
When she’d consumed an apple and some cheese she headed back towards the library, only to see its door swing open inwards. Quickly, Ashlyn tucked herself behind a tall bookshelf that stood against the far wall, concealing herself again. It seemed that she’d inherited Aegis’s gift for stealth.
Dragon's Lover, Part Three: A Dragon Shifter Romance Page 8