by Zoe Chant
“Stefan will come to rescue us,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “I know he will. He might not know you’re here, but he knows where I am. And he’ll come for me.”
“Oh, I certainly hope he will.”
A deep male voice from the far side of the room made Holly jump, her heart thumping. She still couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but a moment later she heard the flick of a switch and then the low hum of flowing electricity as the dim light bulbs on the ceiling sputtered to life.
Blinking at the sudden flood of light, Holly found herself sitting in a large room in what looked like a run-down manor house: faded and worn wallpaper hung on dilapidated walls, while the sparse furniture, which had once obviously been grand, was now looking very the worse for wear. The hole she’d been speaking to Darklis through looked as if it had been kicked in – the plaster was jagged, with bits of wood sticking out of it.
But what really caught her attention was the tall, heavily-muscled man standing across the room from her, dressed in a dark suit. His dark blond hair was neatly cut, and he was extremely handsome by anyone’s standards – but it was his eyes that caught Holly’s attention. Heavy-lidded and deep-set, they nonetheless glowed with a malevolence that made her shudder. And just as Stefan’s eyes were a bright, unearthly green, Holly could see that this man’s were an unusual shade of brown…
No, not brown, Holly thought as he moved across the room toward her. They’re red. He has red eyes…
Holly swallowed heavily. She had a feeling she knew who this man was, even before Darklis hissed out his name.
“Erik.” Her voice was low in her throat.
Watching the evil smirk that worked its way across his lips, Holly could see that Stefan was right to be frightened of this man. No – this dragon. Everything about him exuded evil. If he had approached her at a bar, she felt sure she would have gotten the hell away from him as quickly as possible, despite his good looks. There was just something about him that screamed ‘creepy as fuck’.
But it wasn’t just that he was creepy – it was also clear that he was powerful. Holly could tell that he was muscular beneath his well-tailored suit, and he was almost as tall and broad as Stefan. She would have no hope of getting away if he chose to overpower her.
“You’ve brought a human into dragon affairs!” Darklis’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “You know that’s against the rules!”
Erik Lukich sneered. “Human? She’s a dragon’s mate. That makes her fair game.” He yawned boredly, buffing his nails against his suit. “If I cared about such things, in any case.”
Holly licked her lips, not daring to drag her eyes away from Erik even for a second. She felt like a mouse being slowly stalked by a cat.
“I’ve been looking for Stefan for a long, long time,” he drawled as he finally came to a stop, leaning back against the wall to Holly’s right. “At first, I thought it would be enough that we had his younger sister. The Novak Clan always did place far too much importance on family, after all. But as the years went by and he never showed up to rescue her…” Erik shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t care so much after all.”
Holly glanced over at where Darklis’s face was still visible through the hole in the wall. She could see her lip trembling.
It’s not true, she tried to tell her. Stefan truly thought you were dead. He would have come for you if he’d known. I know he would have. You don’t know how painful it’s been for him, to think you were dead…
Perhaps Darklis picked up on her message, because her large eyes darted to Holly’s face and she gave her the barest hint of a nod.
Erik laughed, low in his throat. “It seems that their mother’s magic was stronger than I had anticipated. She shielded them from me – and from each other, it seems, if what you say is true. That showed some particularly clever foresight, I have to admit.”
Holly swallowed, following him with her eyes as he moved across the room, circling her like a lion moving in on its prey.
Or a dragon.
“If it helps, dragging you here certainly wasn’t my first choice.” Erik glanced toward her, and Holly caught a glimpse of white teeth as he flashed a predatory smile. “I sent a dragon I thought could do the job of killing him, or at least capturing him, but again, it seems the Novaks have surprised me. Stefan was such a weedy little thing when he was young – so shy, so small. Clearly, he’s grown into quite a formidable dragon after all.” He shook his head. “And despite the fact the dragons of the Lukich Clan are superior in every way to the Novaks, it seems the old adage is right after all: if you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself.”
“He’ll defeat you.” It was Darklis’s voice, but Holly could have said the words herself. “Now that you’ve taken his mate, he’ll come for you. I know it.”
Erik’s smile was amused. “As I said – I certainly hope he does. Having his sister here didn’t work. But his mate…” His eyes blazed with cruelty as he looked at Holly. “Well, if that won’t draw him here, then nothing will. And if he won’t come for his mate, then he’s a coward, and doesn’t deserve to call himself a dragon.”
Holly drew in a shaking breath. “You already said your best dragon couldn’t take him. So what makes you think you’ll do any better?”
Erik shook his head, laughing. “Who, Castel? My best dragon? He’s not even in my top ten dragons. But he is my son, and as such I was forced to give him precedence. These things still have to be done according to certain rules. And as it was his sister the Novaks killed, starting this blood feud…”
“What?” Darklis burst out. “His… his sister? What are you talking about?”
Holly felt her head reeling in confusion.
The Novak Clan killed Erik’s daughter?
Stefan had told her he didn’t know the reason why the blood feud had started. But if what Erik said was true…
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you?” Erik’s smile had turned into a vicious snarl. “Well, I suppose you were very young. And Novaks are very self-righteous. But perhaps it’s time you learned the truth. Yes – that’s what started the blood feud. Do you think I could leave my daughter unavenged?”
“You could have spoken to my uncle.” Darklis’s voice was shaky. “You could have negotiated. I’m sure he would have punished whoever did it –”
“Negotiate with a clan who harbored a killer? Never!” Erik’s eyes flashed red.
“But you didn’t need to kill all of them,” Holly spoke up, hearing the quiver in her own voice. “You could have –”
Erik moved so fast that Holly couldn’t follow the movement. In a flash, he had appeared at her side, his hand clamped under her chin, forcing her to look up into his malevolent red eyes glaring down into hers.
“And that, my dear,” he snarled, “is where you’re completely wrong.”
Chapter Eleven
Stefan
Holly!
Stefan bellowed her name through their mated bond as he circled above the dilapidated old manor below. Even from this height, he could see that the place was falling apart, and was far from the splendid house it had clearly once been. The massive gardens that surrounded it were wild and overgrown, the outbuildings in some cases completely destroyed and taken over by vines and creepers. It looked utterly uninhabited. And yet, this was where his instincts told him the Lukich had taken Holly.
She was here. He knew it.
But also…
There was some other dragon’s presence here too – someone other than the Lukich, of whom he could sense several. Stefan couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Every time he tried to lock onto the sense, to see it in more detail, it seemed to slide away from him, as if it was being shielded from him somehow.
It made him feel uneasy, but somehow he knew it wasn’t malevolent. Or at least, if it was, it was completely drowned out by the massive, terrifying presence of Erik Lukich.
He was definitely here. Stefan could remember the s
ense of him, even after all these years.
The dragon’s instincts battled within him – the instinct to tuck tail and run in the face of a dragon so much more powerful than himself, against the instinct to protect his mate at all costs.
There was no doubt in his mind as to which one he would obey. Holly had come to him. He had claimed her and crowned her. And then the Lukich had taken her. If he had only left like he’d planned to, none of this would have happened. She was his mate, and he had to save her.
Kill the ones who took our mate, his dragon seethed. They need to bleed for frightening her, for hurting her…
Letting out a deafening roar, Stefan swooped lower, circling down around the manor house before landing with a thud by the main driveway. The old stonework cracked and crumbled beneath his feet, his claws piercing it as if it was nothing more than tissue paper.
Erik!
He bellowed his fury into the night sky. He didn’t care that Erik Lukich was so powerful, or so much older and more senior than him in the dragon hierarchy. The only thing that mattered was Holly.
You have my mate! Come out here and face me!
Flames licked at the corners of his mouth, fuelled by his fury.
There was no movement from the house, and, after a moment, Stefan considered giving it a blast of dragonfire – and might have done, if it hadn’t been for the fact that it might have harmed Holly.
He was just about to call out again when at last the door opened, and a man stepped out.
Well – a dragon, in his human form.
Stefan growled deep in his chest. He recognized this dragon. It was the one who had attacked him earlier today; the one who had kept him distracted while some other Lukich had made off with his mate.
Burn him!
Stefan was sorely tempted to give in to the dragon’s goading, but he forced himself to be restrained. He had to make sure Holly was safe before he did anything.
Tell me where she is, he transmitted to the other dragon, his voice booming even inside his own head.
The man smirked – which Stefan thought was especially impudent, given that he still showed the signs of the fight he had lost on his face and in the way he carried himself.
“Transform,” the man called out, not bothering to communicate via their psychic ability. “I won’t tell you a thing until you transform. If you refuse… well. You know how fragile these humans can be.”
Stefan growled, feeling the flames of his dragonfire hot in his throat. He knew if he shifted then he would be far more vulnerable, but he just couldn’t risk Holly’s safety. He knew what the Lukich were capable of.
Reluctantly, he tucked his wings close to his body and began to shift.
“Where is she?” he growled when he stood fully human on the broken paving stones. “If you’ve hurt her…”
“Save the theatrics. I’m not my father,” the man sniffed. “I don’t care about that kind of thing.”
Stefan hesitated. This man was Erik Lukich’s son? Now that he stopped to observe him properly, he could see it – he had the same arrogance and haughty way of carrying himself. He’d seen Erik only briefly in his human form, but from what he could recall they looked alike, though this man was quite a bit smaller in stature. Digging into his memory, Stefan finally remembered him from all those years ago – a small, whiny, snobby boy named Castel.
“I’m asking you again to tell me where she is,” Stefan said. “I’m not leaving until you set her free. I’ll fight you if I have to, but I’m not going anywhere without Holly.”
Castel sniffed. “So much fuss over a human. Anyway, if you want her, you’ll have to talk to my father about it.” He smirked, his eyes flashing red. “You remember him, don’t you? Erik Lukich?”
“Of course I know who your father is,” Stefan said, his voice low and dangerous. “Stop wasting my time. Either give her to me or fight me. Either way, she won’t be staying here another moment.”
Castel paused, looking at him sideways for a long moment. Stefan tensed, thinking he was about to shift and initiate combat, but then, as if remembering their fight earlier in the day, he turned away.
“Wait here.”
“NO.” Stefan’s bellow stopped Castel dead in his tracks. “You will bring her to me. NOW.”
His voice rumbled, leaving his mouth with more power than he expected. Certainly, it seemed to surprise Castel: though he attempted to retain his cool demeanor, Stefan could see he was shaken. He stared at Stefan a moment, seeming to be trapped halfway between going and staying, his face an almost comical picture of indecision.
But in the next moment, the choice was taken out of his hands, as Erik Lukich himself, flanked by some four other dragons, appeared in the doorway before strolling out onto the wide front steps.
“Thank you, Castel,” Erik said. “Nice work. Give yourself a round of applause.”
Even Stefan had to flinch a little at the drawled sarcasm in Erik’s voice. But then, he had no reason to think that he would treat his own children with any more respect than he treated anyone else.
Castel licked his lips, looking at his father plaintively. “But Father, I –”
“Don’t you think you’ve failed me enough times already today? Go inside and wait. Let me deal with this.”
Castel swallowed, before moving behind his father and disappearing into the darkness of the old manor.
Stefan clenched his fists, all his attention trained on Erik. The sheer presence of such a powerful dragon made his stomach tighten, but he ignored it. Even the leader of the Lukich Clan couldn’t keep him from Holly.
“Where is she?” he asked, his voice low.
Erik cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, as if thinking. “She?” he asked, as if he had no idea what Stefan was talking about. “Exactly which she do you mean?”
Stefan glared at him. He could feel fire boiling in his belly. “You know who I mean. My mate. You took her.”
“Oh, her.” Erik laughed, low and sinister. “I was only wondering, because I believe we have two women I assume you’d like to see in one piece…”
Stefan blinked, surprise rippling through him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
In answer, Erik only laughed again, before jerking his head as if to signal to someone still inside the house. In the next moment, two more large Lukich Clan members emerged onto the front steps – their hands clamped around the upper arms of two women.
“Holly!” Stefan called. Relief flooded him – she was alive, and she looked unharmed, just shaken and pale. The expression on her face wasn’t one of horror and revulsion as she looked at him. Instead, her eyes were full of hope, and he could feel her own relief at seeing him through their mated bond.
I can’t let her down. I have to save her…
At this, Stefan’s dragon reared up inside him, fire pouring from its jaws.
Free me! it demanded. Make them pay for hurting her! Let me hurt them…
With effort, Stefan subdued it. He couldn’t do anything until she was safely away from Erik. Castel was right: humans were fragile. Any move from him, and Erik’s men wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her.
“Are you all right?” he called to her, his eyes never leaving Erik. “Did they hurt you?”
Holly shook her head. “No. Stefan, I’m fine. But… there’s someone here you know.”
Stefan scarcely dared to take his eyes off Erik even for a moment, but he shifted them to glance at the other woman standing beside her. Now that he looked at her face properly, he realized she wasn’t really a woman at all – more of a young girl, tall for her age, with long black hair that tumbled down over her shoulders. She stared at him with wide, gray-green eyes, her mouth open in shock.
And suddenly, it hit him.
“Darklis?” he whispered, scarcely able to believe his eyes. The last time he had seen his younger sister she had only been a small child, just an awkward jumble of wings and claws tucked under his mother’s forearm. He hadn’t even had a chanc
e to say goodbye to her before his mother had launched herself away from the mouth of the cave, telling Stefan to stay where he was no matter what.
“S-Stefan?” Darklis’ voice was trembling. “Is it really you? I thought… I thought you were dead.”
Stefan felt some unnamable emotion welling up inside him. After so many years of thinking he was the only one left, that he was the last of the Novaks, it turned out that he wasn’t alone after all.
Reaching out with his mind, he tried to communicate with her, only to find he couldn’t. Whenever he tried to find her, her presence slipped away, and he couldn’t make contact. He realized with a jolt that she was the strange, elusive dragon he had detected as he circled the manor – that it was Darklis he had been trying, and failing, to sense.
Rage quickly replaced his relief at seeing her.
“Why can’t I sense her?” he growled, turning to look at Erik once more. “What kind of magic have you used?”
“Me?” Erik shook his head, his smile like a knife. “I haven’t done anything. That was your dear mother, I’m afraid, running short of time and options. I have to say, I admire her forethought, even though I suppose it has this rather unfortunate side effect. She knew that if we ever found one of you, we’d soon find the other through your psychic link. Using her magic to shield you from each other certainly made that impossible, however.” Erik shook his head in mock regret. “Ahhh, but when you found your mate…”
Stefan’s heart clenched in his chest. So he’d been right. Being his mate had put Holly in the path of danger after all. If not for him, she’d be wrapped up safe and warm in her cabin, and would never have had any reason to even hear the name Erik Lukich.
He swallowed, feeling nauseated. He had done this to her. And now, he had to save her. No matter what the cost.
“How did you know?” he growled, clenching his fists so hard he could feel his short, blunt nails cutting crescents into his skin. “How did you find us?”
Erik shook his head. “You Novaks – so ignorant. It’d be laughable if it weren’t so pathetic. It’s almost like you’re not dragons at all.”