Trusting the Dragon Prince

by Rinelle Grey

  He shook his head. “If that’s the case, she’s damn lucky to be alive.”

  He and Rylee nearly hadn’t escaped Ultrima’s guard when they’d tried to wake Warrian. If the lightning dragon hadn’t summoned clouds and Calrian hadn’t been able to make them rain, then they wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.

  If Rylee had been alone, she wouldn’t have had a chance.

  If this Lisa had been the one to wake his brother, then she was either very brave or very stupid or both.

  No matter how much he wanted to help his siblings, Calrian had done the right thing by keeping his distance.

  Hadn’t he?

  Or had he used danger as an excuse? An excuse to live his life in peace, to spend this precious time with Rylee, and to raise a family with her and create a home.

  Why had he given up on them? If he’d tried harder surely he would have been able to wake them? No, not on his own. That had gone badly every time he’d tried, but now his children were all grown…

  He looked around at them crowding around him, supporting him in this as they did in everything.

  They might have been able to wake his siblings, but at what cost? While his brothers and sisters still slept, Ultrima had left them alone. Once they were awake—once Sarian was awake—that would have changed.

  Ultrima would follow them with unrelenting determination until he had her. And Calrian would have had no choice but to join the fight. His honour would demand no less.

  They’d entered the Mesmer knowing they were at war, and once they were all awake again, that war would continue.

  And that meant waking his siblings would bring that war to Rylee. To his children.

  Deep in his heart Calrian couldn’t find it in him to regret the years of peace he’d shared with his mate and children.

  Aside from his few spies, Ultrima had left them alone in that time, seeming not to care that they ran the resort and lived their lives up here. But if they’d attempted to wake his family, that would have drawn Ultrima’s attention to them in the worst way.

  Even knowing the dangers of waking his family were very real didn’t assuage Calrian’s guilt at his inaction. And not for the first time. He’d spent many long nights second guessing his choices.

  But none of that mattered now. If Verrian was awake, that meant Calrian was no longer the only surviving member of his clan. His heart began to beat faster at that thought. Hope rose in his chest. Longing to see his family blotted out any potential risk.

  “I have to go,” Calrian said, looking over to his mate, asking her permission, or at least asking for her blessing. “I’m sorry, Rylee.”

  She nodded. “Of course you do,” she said immediately, supporting him as she always had. “They’re your family.”

  But he recognised the worry in her eyes because it was the same thing he felt in his own heart. She didn’t know what this would mean for them any more than he did. Less, really, because his brothers and sisters had only been stories in her mind. She’d never met them.

  And now she would. Calrian’s heart rose slightly at that thought. Despite all the potential danger, he couldn’t wait to introduce his mate to his family. Once they met Rylee and saw how wonderful she was they would understand, wouldn’t they? They would love her as he did.

  “Come with me, Rylee,” he said impulsively. “We can search together.”

  He could see her withdrawing. Her face held none of the hope growing in Calrian’s heart, only the fear and worry. She shook her head. “I can’t leave the resort, Calrian. Who’d run it if I wasn’t here?”

  Their sons and daughter, Calrian wanted to tell her. But the look in her eyes told him this wasn’t about that. She was as nervous about this as he was, possibly more.

  It wasn’t fair for him to pressure her. This was his responsibility, and he needed to be the one to shoulder it.

  “I can’t leave the children,” Rylee said privately to him using dragon speech. “You don’t know what you’re walking into there, but Ultrima obviously knows Verrian is awake too. This is going to be dangerous.”

  Once, long ago, Rylee had insisted on coming with him when he attempted to wake his brother. And the experience had been an unmitigated disaster. Calrian didn’t blame her for not wanting to risk that again. He didn’t really want to either, but he had no choice.

  It was better Rylee stay where she was…

  No, she’d never truly be safe. Him going put her at risk too, even if she remained. The bond that tied them together ensured that.

  Calrian felt as guilty about that as he did about not trying to wake his siblings earlier. No matter which path he chose, he would be putting someone at risk. How was he ever supposed to choose?

  “It isn’t so dangerous,” Calrian insisted, trying to convince himself as much as her. “Verrian is awake, and the fact that he was in dragon form shows he’s completed the Mesmer ritual. Once I find him, there will be two of us. And I’m not going to try to wake the others, not straight away anyway. I’m just going to find Verrian and bring him back here.”

  Rylee looked slightly reassured. “I suppose that might not be quite as dangerous,” she allowed.

  Calrian was glad she could see that. It made what he had to ask next a little easier. “It will be even safer if I’m not alone,” he suggested. And this time he wasn’t talking about her.

  The panicked expression returned to Rylee’s face. “Not much safer,” she protested.

  Calrian didn’t blame her. If it wasn’t his brother out there, he wouldn’t be considering this either. But it was, and he owed it to Verrian to do everything he could to find him and bring him home safely.

  He needed to find a way to balance protecting his own family and his clan. There had to be a way.

  “We’ll be fine,” he said firmly. “That wasn’t Ultrima my brother was fighting, just one of his clan. We can easily defeat any of the Trima dragons alone.”

  So long as Verrian wasn’t wounded. And since he’d been fighting a Trima dragon already, it was possible he was. Meaning Calrian stood a far greater chance of success if he had help.

  “Just because that wasn’t Ultrima doesn’t mean you won’t end up fighting him.”

  Calrian wanted to deny that as much because he didn’t want to believe it himself as to convince Rylee. But he couldn’t lie to his mate. “I won’t let that happen.”

  Rylee put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “If you could keep Ultrima at bay by pure determination, then we would have already woken your brothers and sisters, but you know you can’t, Calrian. You can’t promise you’ll come back to me…” Her dragon voice wavered on the last sentence, and it almost broke Calrian’s heart.

  Rylee was his life, his sunshine, and more important to him than the water that was part of his soul. He would do anything he could to keep her from getting hurt—except leave his brother to face Ultrima alone.

  His family, his children, were all staring at them, aware that a conversation was going on that they weren’t privy to.

  “We can take care of the resort, Mum. You go with Calrian,” Rowan urged.

  “Or we could go too,” Hayrian suggested. “You might need another dragon.”

  “Or two,” Damrian added.

  Only Mora was silent. She didn’t even hope they would let her go. They’d protected her her whole life…

  But this was her moment to shine.

  Calrian couldn’t help feeling, in his heart, that it was now or never. There wouldn’t be another chance like this. Maybe, with Mora’s help, he could wake all his siblings, and he’d have his family again, even if it would never bring back his clan.

  The idea seemed impossible. Even with a life dragon’s help, Ultrima was powerful. And it wasn’t as if they hadn’t had a life dragon last time. How could he possibly achieve what his whole clan hadn’t been able to manage back then?

  But this time he wasn’t trying to fight Ultrima. He just needed to slip in, find Verrian, and slip out again. They cou
ld manage that. A lot had changed in that time. Calrian was older and wiser. And he had Morian. She not only had life dragon magic, but human cunning as well.

  His daughter could be the difference between victory and defeat.

  He just had to risk her life to stand any chance.

  He stared at his mate, at the fear on her face, and winced. When they’d mated, he’d given up this path. He made the choice to live out his life here at the resort with Rylee and their children. Sure, he’d considered the fact that those children could help him wake his siblings many times, but there was a reason he’d never asked them to.

  Rylee was right to be afraid. This was risky. Very risky.

  But Calrian didn’t see how he could do anything else.

  He stared at his mate, hoping she would understand. Hoping she could see he had to do this.

  And she did understand, he could see it in her eyes. But she didn’t like it. She shook her head. “It’s too dangerous. You kids have never come face to face with Ultrima, but I have.” Her body started trembling, and her voice wavered as she said, “He’d kill you all without a second thought.”

  “He didn’t last time,” Calrian countered. “And this time we have something we didn’t have then.”

  Rylee stared back, and recognition flashed across her face. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She shook her head even more firmly. “She’s not ready,” she protested, but her voice was weak.

  Mora’s eyes widened, and she looked from her mother to her father. Calrian could see a light in her eyes and determination in her stance.

  Her mother might think she wasn’t ready, but Calrian knew she was.

  His younger siblings hadn’t been much older than Morian when they’d fought Ultrima three hundred years ago, and none of them had faltered. They hadn’t won, it was true, but they hadn’t died either. Their life dragon, though banned from fighting, had protected them then, and woven enough protections around their Mesmer chambers to keep them alive all this time. That was all Mora had to do.

  “We won’t be fighting Ultrima,” Calrian said firmly. “We just need to get in there and find Verrian and bring him back here. Where we’ll all be safe. We’ll be in and out in a day or two. You’ll barely know we’re gone.”

  Rylee didn’t look convinced. “How are you going to find him? And what if Ultrima beats you to it? He knows Verrian’s awake too, remember?”

  “That’s why I need to hurry,” Calrian said urgently. “I must get to Verrian before Ultrima does.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Hayrian said firmly. “We can protect Uncle Verrian. I know we can.”

  If only it was that simple. Calrian’s eyes didn’t leave Rylee’s. If their children were determined she wouldn’t stop them, but he didn’t want that. He wanted her support. Her understanding.

  Her approval.

  Without it, he would still go by himself, he couldn’t shirk his responsibility, but he wouldn’t take any of the children.

  Chapter 57

  Rylee’s heart had leapt when Calrian had asked her to come with him. It meant everything to her that he still wanted her by his side even though there was little she could do. She wasn’t a dragon, she couldn’t fight.

  Knowing that didn’t stop her from wanting to go. Not only did she want to support him, but the thought of an adventure filled her heart with excitement. It had been a long time since she’d had a new challenge in her life.

  Life wouldn’t be throwing this challenge at her if it didn’t think she could handle it. Together, she and Calrian had faced all their challenges and beaten them—Eric, her father, having no home, and all the other small everyday problems.

  Together they could overcome this one too. Calrian was right. This wasn’t really that risky. They weren’t intending to wake his entire clan, just find Verrian.

  It would be so easy to justify going. She could even claim she was going to protect their children, and it would be partly true.

  No one would blame her for making that choice. They’d all support her unwaveringly.

  She looked around at her family as they waited for her answer. Every single one of them was more precious to her than life itself. And in her heart, she knew going with Calrian wasn’t the best way to keep them safe.

  That plan was far different.

  “We’ll find your brother,” she told Calrian firmly, “And bring him home here to be with us. But we need to do it the smart way. Rushing in there with a large group will only let Ultrima know we’re there. That will lead to a confrontation as surely as rocking up at his lair would.”

  As she spoke, warmth and love lit up Calrian’s face, and any last, hidden reserves of fear began to melt. That little sliver of fear in the back of her mind didn’t entirely go away, but it retreated far enough that she could ignore it and help Calrian figure out the best way to do this.

  “What do you think we should do?” Calrian asked softly.

  She could see it in his eyes. He trusted her. He respected her opinions. That thought helped her concentrate on the plan.

  Rylee took a deep breath. The idea swirling around in her mind was risky, and a little terrifying, but it was the only one she could think of. “Mora has to go with you and only Mora. She can hide you from Ultrima if you see him and maybe help you find Verrian before he does.”

  Mora’s face lit up. “Me?”

  Rylee stared at her daughter, her only daughter. She was special. She always had been. And not just because she was a life dragon and her magic had the power to save Calrian’s family. She was special because of who she was.

  Right from the moment she’d taken her first steps and spoken her first words, Morian had been different. She saw things in a way none of the rest of them did, understood when they were happy or sad, worried or hopeful, sometimes even before they knew it themselves. She had an intuition and understanding Rylee had never experienced before.

  That was why Rylee and Calrian had protected her for so long. Even her brothers, dragon and human alike, had dedicated their lives to making sure she was safe. They’d all worked together to shelter her from the harsh realities of life and from the hate and negativity in the world, knowing they would hurt her deeply.

  Rylee had always known she would have to spread her wings one day. She’d just hoped to delay it for as long as she could.

  But apparently the day had come when she could put it off no longer. Calrian needed help, and from the look in Mora’s eyes, she needed this chance to prove herself.

  “Yes, you,” she said firmly. “But you have to understand you aren’t there to fight. You’re there to protect, to hide, and to help search.”

  She looked over at Calrian. “You will make sure she stays safe?” she asked him in dragon speech.

  “Of course,” he responded promptly. “She’s our daughter. I will protect her with my life.”

  She knew that, of course. She didn’t doubt him for a moment. But that didn’t mean this wasn’t one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

  Mora’s eyes were solemn. More than anyone in the room, she knew how hard this was for Rylee. Her life dragon magic could feel her mother’s fear.

  Not for the first time, Rylee wished she could hide it from her. Mora didn’t need that responsibility.

  But her young daughter shouldered it well. Her back was straight and her voice firm as she said, “Of course, Mum. I’ll be careful, and I’ll stay with Dad. But I can do this. I know I can.”

  Rylee smiled, blinking away the tears in her eyes. Mora had worked and studied and trained for this moment. “I know you can do it too, honey.” She pulled her daughter into her arms and hugged her tightly.

  “You’re sending Mora, but we have to stay here?” Hayrian demanded, looking grumpy.

  “We should be there to look after her,” Damrian insisted.

  “Your mother’s right,” Calrian said firmly. “The more dragons that come with me, the more likely Ultrima will find us. A small stealthy group is far more li
kely to succeed. I must go, because he’s my brother, and as a life dragon, Mora is the logical other choice.”

  “I could go,” Rowan suggested. “As a human no one will even notice me.”

  Of course her human son was going to volunteer. Rylee felt a smile lift the corners of her mouth. What Rowan lacked in dragon genes he more than made up for in courage.

  “That’s why we need you here,” Calrian said firmly. “If something happens to me, then you’ll be in charge of the resort.”

  Everyone fell silent at his comment. Even Rowan understood what Calrian was saying—if he died, then Rylee did too, meaning their children would be all that was left.

  No one wanted to talk about it. No one even really wanted to think about it.

  But it stopped any further arguments.

  Calrian looked around the room for a moment, then said, “I could not have wished for a better family. You, my children, and you, my wonderful mate,” he smiled at Rylee, and the tears welled up in her eyes again, “have given me a wonderful life, better than any I could have imagined. I hope we can bring the same to Verrian.”

  He was smiling, but there was a sadness to his face as well. Rylee understood.

  Despite being overjoyed that his brother was awake, she knew he was dreading having to break the news their clan was gone and that he and his brothers and sisters were all that were left.

  That was one task Rylee couldn’t help him with. His brother would mourn as he had. All she could do was make sure they had somewhere to come home to, and Verrian had somewhere to start anew, as Calrian had.

  Which meant everything had to continue as normal here on the island.

  “We will be right here waiting for you, as always,” she said softly into Calrian’s mind. Then she took a deep breath. “Right, let’s see if I can book you some flights then.”

  Chapter 58

  Calrian’s children and mate left their breakfast, half eaten and cold, on their plates as they all trooped into the office, and Rylee began to look up flight times. Everyone looked silently over her shoulder as she searched all the major airlines.