by Zoe Chant
And it had all been for nothing.
Closing his eyes, Stefan tried to stay focused. There would be time for mourning. Now, even though his chest was tight with horror, there were still things he needed to know.
“Why didn’t you come back?” he asked, his voice rasping. “The blood feud… if you knew it wasn’t true… why did you wait until we were all dead?”
Landra shook her head, but it was Marko who answered.
“Stefan, we didn’t know.” His voice broke. “If I’d known, I would have… oh God, do you think we would have left you to die if we’d known?”
Anger rose in him. “How could you not have known? We were under attack, and you didn’t know?”
“I asked my father to banish me too,” Marko said, raising his hands in appeal. “Not because he wanted to, but because I knew if he didn’t, I’d always be torn between my clan and my mate – and I couldn’t have that. We were worried Erik might come after us if I brought Landra to Novak lands, but I couldn’t be away from them. It was the only way we could be together. So I asked him to do it – and he did. But from then on, I couldn’t sense any of you anymore. I didn’t know what was happening. I had no way of knowing. And the thought that a dragon would lie in order to start a blood feud…”
Marko’s eyes flashed bright green as he looked down at Erik.
“If I’d thought for one second… you know I wouldn’t have… I’d never have imagined someone could be so evil.”
“Why did you come back now, then?” It was Holly who spoke up next, her voice low and strong. “If you couldn’t… sense your clans anymore, how did you know to come back now?”
Marko turned back to Landra, placing his hand over her belly. “Because of this.” He drew in a deep breath. “Landra is pregnant. A baby that belongs to both Novak and Lukich. I wanted my father to know – and since my banishment was voluntary, I wanted to travel back to the edge of Novak lands, and hope that he could still sense me – or that he could sense his grandchild. But when I got there, I realized something wasn’t right. It took me a long time to track down someone who could tell me the truth. And when I knew…”
He closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. After a moment, tears began to stream down his face.
“To know that your clan, you whole clan has been wiped out because of something you did…”
“Not your whole clan.” Darklis stood up, going to him and wrapping her arms around her cousin as he sobbed. “We’re still here. Me and Stefan. We know it wasn’t your fault. Erik lied. He’s the one to blame here.”
“What will happen to him now?” It was Holly again, speaking up where Stefan knew he wasn’t yet strong enough to do so. “He has to face some kind of justice. I know I’m new to dragons, but you can’t let this stand. I don’t care who he is, or what he’s the leader of.”
“He’ll face justice.” One of Erik’s men came forward, his fists clenched, his face grim. “He didn’t just lie to you – he lied to us. He initiated this blood feud by telling us it was justified – that a Novak had killed Landra, and the leader of their clan was refusing to hand over the murderer. Do you think we would have fought the blood feud if we’d known the truth? He’s made us all guilty. There’s innocent blood on our hands, now. This isn’t something we take lightly.”
He glanced toward his fallen leader, pure hatred and contempt on his face.
“The Lukich have always been proud of doing things the old way – the traditional way. And that includes making sure that wrongdoers are punished. Even if they are our leader.”
Stefan glanced toward Landra, to see if she might object. She looked pale and her lips were pressed together, tears in her eyes, but she said nothing. Pity swelled within him, almost despite himself – he knew it must be hard to discover that your father was a monster. He didn’t know if he was ready to forgive yet, but he knew that, at least, he could understand.
“We have your assurance he’ll face justice for the crimes he’s committed?” Stefan asked, knowing his voice was trembling, but by now too exhausted to care. The revelations of the past few minutes had slowly chipped away at him, and he had fought two hard battles. He didn’t know how much longer he could stand to be here. All he wanted to do was sweep Holly up in his arms, to kiss her, to know that she, at least, was still here with him…
“You have my assurance. I, as the new leader of the Lukich, will personally see that justice is done.” Despite the tears in her eyes, Landra’s voice was strong. “Crimes must be punished.”
At that, Erik at last looked up, a vicious snarl on his face. “You, the leader of the Lukich, after you betrayed me with a Novak? Ha. And as for lying – you were dead to me. You were stolen from me, jus the same as if you had been killed. There was no difference.” Erik’s laugh was manic. “I’d do the same thing again, if I had to, do you hear me? I’d do it again –”
Stefan at last felt the frayed edges of his temper completely snap. Fury welled up in him, as well as some dark power that he’d never truly felt within him before…
“Enough.”
Erik instantly fell silent, though his expression remained utterly enraged. His mouth worked but no words emerged.
The Voice.
Stefan realized that the power to silence Erik had come from him – that once again, he’d used a Voice without really meaning to.
He’d never imagined that he would hold any power whatsoever over a dragon like Erik Lukich – but now, it seemed, he did. Stefan didn’t understand how or why, but clearly, it was effective. Erik Lukich, even with all his power and strength, could not disobey the command.
Stefan didn’t know if it was his anger that gave his power strength, and he wasn’t sure at this moment that he cared. But perhaps as well, Erik’s own power had been diminished with the revelation of his treachery. Whatever the case, Erik was silenced. He had no choice but to obey Stefan’s command.
“Come on.” The Lukich Clan member who had spoken up before now grabbed Erik’s arm, pulling him to his feet. Landra made no move to stop him, and when Stefan glanced across at where Castel sat, he saw that he too was still. He seemed resigned – too shocked, perhaps, to protest. Or maybe he was relieved. From what Stefan had seen, Castel hadn’t been treated kindly by his father.
“It won’t be easy to tell the rest of the clan what’s happened here,” the Lukich who had grabbed Erik said. “But I promise you we will.”
Stefan said nothing. He felt utterly drained – and in any case, there was nothing to say. He only had the Lukich Clan’s word that they would do something about it, and he had to believe that that was enough.
He closed his eyes as exhaustion overtook him. He didn’t even open them as he heard the Lukich Clan members making their way from the room. All he wanted to do was sleep – preferably curled up around his hoard, but he didn’t know if he could manage to fly far enough to make it back there.
Then he felt Holly’s hand on his arm again, and heard her sweet voice in his ear.
“Come on – there’s beds upstairs, and you look like you need one.”
Stefan could only nod as he allowed his mate to lead him up to one of the bedrooms. It wasn’t until he was lying down, his arms around her and feeling her warmth against his skin, that he let himself relax.
You’re my mate.
Her voice drifted into his head, as steady and comforting as always.
No matter what. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve lost – but I can help you rebuild your future. I promise. I’ll always be by your side.
Stefan closed his eyes, pulling her even closer to his chest.
I love you, was the last thought he had, before he finally slipped into sleep.
Epilogue
Holly
The little dragon raced through the branches of the trees, her distinctive red and green scales sparkling in the sunlight. She arced through the air, her small body zooming higher and higher until she was barely visible among the leaves of the tall trees
that surrounded them.
“Adela, it’s time to come back!” Holly called, cupping her hands around her mouth. “You’re getting too high up! And it’ll be dinner time soon.”
But Aunty, can’t I play just a little longer?
Adela’s voice drifted down to her, transmitted over the psychic link that everyone in their clan shared.
No, little girl. We need to get you back to your mom and dad. Now come on, Holly said to her, sending her thoughts up into the treetops.
She was still getting the hang of psychic communication – with Stefan, it had always seemed to come naturally, but with the other members of her clan, it was a little trickier. And Adela was so young that she could sometimes be a little difficult to pin down – she moved so fast that it was like chasing a dragonfly.
Lifting her hand to rub her belly, Holly wondered if it would be the same way when her own little one arrived.
Adela was finally making her way down from the treetops, zipping and zooming between the golden sunbeams of late afternoon. When she finally reached the ground, landing amongst the thick ferns, she transformed into a five-year-old girl, her eyes green and her hair a mass of blonde ringlets.
“I wanted to keep flying,” Adela said, pouting a little as she trotted over to where Holly was waiting for her.
“I know, sweetheart,” Holly said, slipping a dress over the little girl’s head before helping her buckle up her sandals. “But let’s not keep your mommy and daddy waiting.”
She stood, taking Adela’s hand and leading her down the path to where she knew Landra and Marko would, by now, be waiting for them.
“You can keep flying another day,” Holly said, smiling down at her. “I promise you can visit again very soon.”
Adela was silent for a while, clearly thinking this over. “When?”
Holly laughed as they turned a corner, and three familiar figures came into view at the end of the path – Stefan, Marko and Landra. “Well, that depends on your mommy and daddy! Look – I told you they’d be waiting for us!”
“Mommy!” All thoughts of flying suddenly leaving her head, Adela let go of Holly’s hand and raced down the path toward her parents. Holly couldn’t help but grin as Landra, leaning down, scooped her daughter up in her arms.
“I hope she hasn’t been any trouble,” Landra said, turning as Holly arrived at their side. “I know she can be a bit of a handful – you’ve got way too much energy, don’t you, my little firefly?”
Holly laughed, coming to stand beside Stefan and slipping her arm through her mate’s. “No, none at all. She’s been like a dream – and believe me, it’s good practice. Having a baby is nerve-racking enough, but having a dragon…!”
Landra laughed. “I can understand that. But Adela always comes home bursting with eagerness to come back and visit you again. I’m sure you’ll know just what to do when the time comes.”
I sure hope so, Holly thought, as she leaned over to rest her head on Stefan’s shoulder, listening as Adela excitedly told her parents about her day of flying among the trees.
Five years had passed since the battle Stefan had fought against Erik Lukich. In that time, he had reclaimed his family’s ancestral lands, re-established their hoard, and begun the process of rebuilding the Novak Clan.
You should be the clan leader, Marko had said to him, all those years ago. You were the one who beat Erik. You were the one who kept the part of the hoard your mother left you with safe. It should be you. I lost the right. Even though I didn’t mean for this to happen, there’s nothing I can do to make up for it. It should be you. You’ve earned it.
Stefan had been unsure, but Holly had never doubted he could do it. He was kind and strong. There was no doubt in her mind that if anyone could bring the Novak clan back from the brink of extinction, it was him.
And so far, he’d done it brilliantly.
Darklis, now a grown woman, had been sent out to try to make contact with any other Novaks who might have been still living around the world. If their mother had managed to hide both of them, then others might have been able to keep themselves concealed too – and they needed to know it was safe to come out now, and return to the lands of their ancestors.
Landra had happily returned any of the Novak hoard her father had taken for his own. Sometimes, Holly still gasped when she entered the cave where it was kept – a pile of silver and gold coins, precious gemstones of every color under the sun, golden crowns, scepters, strings of pearls and even jewel-encrusted swords that towered far above her head.
She had stood in a daze the first time she had seen it all together, piled high – too stunned to say a word. But then, Stefan had wrapped his arms around her, and told her that to him, she was the most precious jewel of all – and that her worth was a thousand times the entire hoard put together.
You’ll always be the thing I treasure most. My jewel. My pearl. My mate.
Holly shivered to think of it now, a delightful shudder running down the length of her spine. He had claimed her again, there and then, on their newly reunited hoard, and she had told him that she would always be his.
And I will always be yours, my mate.
“We should get out of your hair,” Marko said, interrupting her delicious memories. “It’s good of you to look after her while you’re up here. I know this is your time together.”
Stefan shook his head. “No, it’s more than fine. Adela needs practice flying in all kinds of places. And we’re happy to take her. She’s always a delight.”
“You hear that? You’re a delight,” Marko said, booping his daughter on the nose with the tip of his finger, making her squeal with laughter. “Don’t let that go to your head, now.”
The other reason Adela spent so much time with Stefan and Holly hung in the air between them – it didn’t need to be said out loud. Adela was the first – and so far only – dragon ever to be born with lineage from both the Novak and the Lukich Clans. She was a part of both of them, and needed to be raised by both. She was a symbol of the future – a future in which the terrible mistakes of the past could never be repeated.
Never again would a dragon clan leader declare a blood feud on another.
That was the other thing that Stefan had ensured, through his determined leadership: blood feuds were a thing of the past. In a meeting of the dragon clan leaders, they had been declared illegal – now, nothing like what the Novak Clan had endured could ever happen again.
Holly could not have been more proud of her mate.
He had once told her that dragons could be brutal and medieval in their outlook, and Holly knew that in some ways, it was still true. But they had also shown that they could change, and move past their old ways and toward a better future.
She hoped it would continue.
No – hope was the wrong word.
She would ensure it would continue, standing by Stefan’s side every step of the way, to make this strange new world she had found herself in a better place.
If anyone had told her six years ago how her life would change, she would have laughed until she was sick. Back then, she’d been stuck behind a desk, bored out of her skull for eight hours a day, and dreading the commute home to find that George had, yet again, failed to do even a scrap of housework.
Her life now… well. Calling it ‘apples and oranges’ was the understatement of the century. Yes, it had been frightening and dangerous at times. But it was a world of darkness and light, magic and treasure, and more excitement than she ever could have dreamed of.
Rubbing her belly absently, Holly reflected that soon she’d be embarking on yet another new adventure – possibly the most frightening one yet, but also, the most exciting.
Landra and Marko said their goodbyes. Adela, far from her insistence that she wanted to keep flying just a few minutes earlier, was now droopy-eyed and yawning. She fell asleep before her parents had even finished shifting, curled up safely in her father’s massive forepaw, snuggling up warm against the falling night.
“Shall we go back to the cabin?” Stefan asked, once their flying forms had disappeared into the sunset.
Standing on tip-toes, Holly reached up to kiss him. “Yeah, I think so.”
They came back here every year – back to the place where they’d first met. The Novak lands included a large amount of open desert, which was the kind of terrain that suited Stefan best. But he always insisted on returning here on their anniversary. It was a time and place where their responsibilities as leaders of their clan couldn’t follow them, and they could forget the outside world and focus solely on each other.
His lips were on hers before they had even closed the door behind them. Holly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, feeling the warmth of his love wash over her as they kissed.
My mate. My love. My everything.
Holly couldn’t tell whether he had sent it to her or she to him – maybe they had both sent it at the same time. But whatever the case, she felt flooded with emotion, with passion and desire, and she knew that he felt exactly the same way.
Learning to control their mental bond had been one of the best things about their journey together. Being linked mentally as well as physically had only heightened the power of their couplings, until sometimes Holly had honestly felt she might pass out from pleasure.
Stefan’s green eyes were intense with desire when they broke away from each other, raising his hand to stroke her hair.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you, you know,” he whispered, as they made their way toward the bed. “Your strength, your determination… sometimes I’ve wanted to give up, but you’ve always been there, telling me to keep going, that you know I can do it…”
“That’s because you can,” Holly said, running her thumb over the high arch of his cheekbone. “I can’t imagine the grief you’ve suffered. But I do know you’re strong. And that I’ll always be by your side, no matter what.”
“And I’ll always be by yours.”
Holly knew it was true. Stefan was hers – just as truly as she was his.