Trusting the Dragon Prince

by Rinelle Grey

  Calrian’s stomach was in turmoil, as it had been every minute since he’d seen the photo of Verrian and realised he was no longer the only Rian clan prince awake. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he wanted to fly, to fight, to find his brother before their enemy did.

  Briefly, he regretted moving so far away from the lair. He should have stayed nearby. He should have been there to greet his brother the moment he awakened.

  But he’d come here for a reason—having a safe retreat far from Ultrima’s lair was essential. He couldn’t help Verrian if he had nowhere safe to bring his brother home to.

  Their home would save his family, he’d always believed that. He just had to be patient.

  So he took slow, measured breaths to calm his racing heart as Rylee worked at the computer. A plane flight would get him back to the lair far faster than he could fly, even if he dared during the daylight hours.

  He tried not to worry about what would happen if the airport staff realised he had no human identification. He’d flown with Rylee many times and had never been asked to produce it, so why would he now?

  It would be fine. He’d make it to Mungaloo in plenty of time, and he’d find Verrian and help him. Before the humans did and before Ultrima did.

  He had to believe that.

  Rylee sighed. “I’ve booked both of you on a flight this afternoon. We need to get moving if we’re going to get to the airport in time,” she said. Her shoulders sagged, matching the feeling in Calrian’s heart.

  It would be gut wrenching to leave her, but he reassured himself it wouldn’t be for long. Rylee would be fine here. No one had any idea the resort was run by dragons. She and his family would be safe while he was gone. He had to remember that.

  It was his brother who needed him.

  Verrian never had been much of a fighter. He was a singer, a musician, a diplomat. He wouldn’t survive long on his own.

  “Mora, go pack,” he ordered. He couldn’t even think of packing himself. There was nothing important enough for him to bother with. But his daughter was a different matter. She’d been raised among humans and was used to the comforts they cultivated.

  Mora nodded. “I’ll be quick,” she promised and practically ran from the room.

  “I’ll go get the boat ready,” Hayrian offered, and he disappeared too.

  Rowan stared at them both awkwardly for a moment, then he stepped forwards and engulfed them in a hug. “I’ll take care of the resort while you take Calrian over to the mainland, Mum,” he said gruffly. Then he left too.

  Damrian followed him. Calrian wasn’t sure what he was going to do, and he didn’t really care. He was glad of the moment alone with Rylee.

  “I’ll go pack some things for you,” she started to say, turning towards their room, but before she could move, Calrian caught her around the waist and pulled her close.

  “I don’t need things,” he said softly. “Everything I need is right here.”

  Her eyes filled with tears, and Calrian’s heart constricted. He needed her to be okay with this. He needed her to understand that he had to do it, and that him going had nothing to do with her. He loved her with every cell in his body and nothing would change that.

  But he didn’t even know how to begin to tell her the depth of his feelings. He suspected he might tear up if he tried. So instead he lowered his head and kissed her, showing her in actions what he couldn’t put into words.

  Rylee clung to him, kissing him as desperately as he kissed her. He tasted her salty tears, and they cut a path all the way to his chest, engraving her pain into his heart.

  For a moment, he wished he didn’t have to go. He wanted to stay here and kiss away her tears. He didn’t want to risk this wonderful thing they had.

  But every time he even considered that, he thought of his brother worrying about facing Ultrima alone and wondering where his clan had gone.

  Calrian couldn’t abandon him. He owed it to his family to find him.

  There was every chance they wouldn’t even see Ultrima. He hadn’t cared that Calrian was awake and mated. He only cared about Sarian. And anyway, maybe the crusty old Trima leader wasn’t even around anymore? His surviving the last three hundred years defied all odds, maybe he’d finally given up?

  Calrian wished he could believe that.

  “The boat’s ready,” Hayrian announced. “We’d better get a move on if we’re going to make that plane.”

  And just like that, their time was up. Calrian gave Rylee one last kiss, squeezed her hand, and then they all headed down to the dock.

  The blood hummed in his veins, and despite his pain at leaving Rylee, he couldn’t help being excited about seeing his brother. It had been far too long.

  Chapter 59

  They made it to the airport with only ten minutes to spare. And as she looked at the crowded room, Rylee began to suspect that might not be enough time. The buzz of chatter seemed louder than normal, more agitated, and for some reason Rylee tensed, looking around as though something was wrong.

  She certainly was on edge, seeing shadows in every corner. It was the last week of school holidays, of course it was chaotic.

  The crowd meant there wouldn’t be a chance for a private goodbye, and Rylee was kind of glad. She knew if she had time to stop and dwell on it, she’d probably cry. So far she hadn’t really had time to really process Calrian leaving, and she didn’t want to. Not now.

  He needed to do this. She knew that. She might not have had siblings of her own, but she’d seen how her children protected each other, and she knew without a doubt that each one would risk their lives for the others, no matter how much they squabbled at times. Calrian had to do the same.

  She supported him completely, even if she felt like her heart was breaking.

  She tried to tell herself Calrian wasn’t choosing his brother over her, and that this really wasn’t so risky. She and Calrian had faced up to Ultrima, in his own lair no less, and they’d managed to escape with their lives. This time would be no different.

  Just as long as Ultrima didn’t see Mora.

  At the boarding gates, surrounded by the loud and overwhelming crowd, she hugged Calrian and handed him the bag she’d found a few minutes to pack with some snacks and a change of clothes. Her heart was heavy, and she couldn’t quite silence the fear that this could be the last time she’d ever see him.

  There was a crackle and a whine that made Rylee wince, then an announcement interrupted her thoughts. “We apologise for any inconvenience, but due to a suspected terrorist attack in the city, all flights in and out of Brisbane airport have been temporarily grounded.”

  Rylee’s heart skipped a beat, and she and Calrian turned to each other.

  The noise level in the room kicked up a notch. For a moment, Rylee was surprised it didn’t erupt, but then she realised—at least some of the crowd had already known. Even so, she looked around, surprised the reaction hadn’t been greater.

  Not that terrorist attacks created the same kind of panic here in Australia as they did in America. Usually they were a mistake or a hoax. This would probably be sorted out quickly.

  “This is a problem,” Calrian said in dragon speech. “How am I going to get to Mungaloo now?” His dragon voice was calm, but the expression on his face wasn’t.

  “We’ll figure something out,” Rylee assured him, even as her mind began working through all the possible options. “Probably this will all be sorted in an hour or two, and you’ll still be able to catch your plane.”

  A woman talking to her partner next to them caught her attention. “Terrorist attack my foot. This has to be about that dragon flying over the city. Did you see the picture Alanna sent me? I told her to go inside and lock the doors, but I bet she’s ignoring me. That child will be the death of me.”

  Rylee felt a chill travel down her spine. “Excuse me.” She tapped the woman on the shoulder, her usual reserve disappearing under the weight of the implications. “Did you say a dragon?”

 
; The woman turned to Rylee as though they’d been friends for years, the shocking reality of the situation dissolving the usual barriers between strangers, and held up her phone. “Yes. My daughter’s in the city, and I’m terrified for her, but it looks like we’re not going to be able to get there. Not anytime soon anyway.”

  Calrian’s hand convulsed on Rylee’s as he stared at the picture of a silver dragon cavorting around the skyscrapers as though he were on a lazy Sunday flight. Rylee had no idea what dragon it was, but she knew what his silver hide meant, he was Trima clan, no doubt about it.

  Calrian’s voice in her head, deep with foreboding, saying simply, “Ultrima,” only served to increase the cold feeling stealing over her.

  Everything was changing, and far faster than she’d ever imagined it could. For a brief moment, Rylee was very glad they were stuck over a thousand kilometres away from the city, and even a little glad Calrian’s flight would be delayed. She wanted him here. She needed him here.

  “What is Ultrima doing in Brisbane?” she asked Calrian privately.

  “I don’t know.” Calrian sounded worried and uncertain. “Does that mean Verrian’s in the city too? Should I be going there instead? Or is Ultrima trying to draw me away?”

  Rylee shook her head, not knowing the answers any more than Calrian did.

  The woman was staring at her sympathetically. “Do you have friends in Brisbane? I’m sure everyone here is trying to get home to loved ones. Probably there are just as many at the airport in the city trying to get out too.”

  Suddenly, the crowd in the airport took on a far more sinister meaning.

  Suddenly, the whole world around her was different.

  Rylee had grown used to having a secret no one could even imagine. She’d come to terms with the fact that no one would ever really know who her mate was or ever understand the tie between them. She’d accepted her children would always be different.

  She’d even grown to love it.

  But now their very nature put them at risk. If anyone found out there were more dragons hiding on Dragon Island…

  The woman’s sympathetic expression was starting to change to confusion now. If Rylee didn’t say something soon, then she would start to grow suspicious.

  Rylee needed to make her voice work, to respond to the woman in a totally normal way, one which wouldn’t give away the fact that she knew far more about dragons than she should.

  But her mind was blank.

  Luckily, Calrian stepped in. “Yes, my brother,” he said solemnly. “I’m not even sure where he is, but I’m very worried about him.”

  The concern in Calrian’s voice was completely genuine, and the woman gave him an understanding smile. “I hope your brother is okay.”

  “Thanks,” Calrian said. “I hope your daughter is all right too, and we all can get down there to see them soon.”

  The woman nodded agreement, and turned back to her partner to say something in a low voice.

  Rylee’s mind was still churning. This changed all their plans. “If Ultrima is flying around the city, then all the planes could be grounded for quite some time,” she told Calrian in dragon speech.

  Calrian nodded. “Is there any way to find out? Can we ask someone?”

  Rylee glanced over at the enquiries desk, which was crowded with people all probably asking the same question, a suspicion confirmed by a second announcement only a few moments later.

  “Until we can determine the nature of this threat and how it affects air safety, all flights are cancelled until further notice. We suggest passengers return home and watch our social media accounts for news of flights resuming.”

  Calrian’s shoulders slumped, and he looked over at Rylee.

  It was almost as if Ultrima was doing his best to prevent Calrian from getting anywhere near Verrian. But that showed a lot more understanding of how humans operated than she’d expected of the Trima dragon. Rylee frowned. “We’re going to have to find another option.”

  Calrian nodded, his expression serious. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 60

  Calrian’s mind raced a million miles an hour the whole way back to Dragon Island. He stood at the bow of the boat, staring ahead, Rylee at his side. Behind them, Hayrian drove, with Mora sitting beside him. Calrian was glad of the privacy.

  None of it made any sense. What was Ultrima doing in the city? Did he have some ulterior motive? Or was he just playing now the news of dragons was already out in the world?

  Was he taunting Calrian? Or Verrian?

  Either way, the many, many pictures Rylee had shown him on the phone were indisputable. His enemy had given up hiding. He’d flown out in the open, around the biggest city in the state no less, and confirmed the presence of dragons to the world.

  The fact that dragons existed was out there. There was no going back.

  The images of the dragons fighting on the bonnet of the car were nothing compared to this. If they’d been the only images people had seen, they would soon have faded into the background and been dismissed as fake.

  But this… there was no way of hiding this. There were too many photos, all from different angles. This was irrefutable despite the police still trying to cover it up by calling it a terrorist attack.

  Rylee was quiet beside him as their island came into view, her face worried too. Calrian put his arm around her and pulled her close. “We’ll figure it all out somehow,” he promised her.

  Rylee nodded. “I know… I just… Everything’s changed, Calrian.”

  She could feel it too.

  “Not everything,” Calrian promised her. “My love for you hasn’t changed one bit, nor my desire to keep my family safe.”

  Rylee gave him a wan smile. “I know, but… how are we going to manage that?” Her voice trembled with uncertainty, making Calrian’s heart skip a beat.

  He couldn’t answer her question. Yet. But he did know one thing. “We will find a way, Rylee. We’ve faced impossible odds before and beaten them. We can do it now too.”

  He hoped she agreed with him. He really hoped she did because he needed her positivity. If she didn’t believe, then how was he going to?

  He’d come to rely on Rylee so much—her problem solving skills, her positive attitude, and her determination that love could beat all odds. He needed them now more than ever.

  But beside him, Rylee was silent. She bit her lip as she stared out at their island.

  The island they had won against all odds.

  Surely it would remind her of what they could achieve together just as it reminded Calrian every day.

  “How?” Rylee asked, her voice anguished. “How are we supposed to beat an enemy dragon, especially if he’s no longer afraid of being discovered? The one thing we held over Ultrima was that he didn’t want the humans to know he existed. If he no longer cares about that…”

  Her voice trailed off, and some of the hopelessness in it dragged at Calrian’s determination.

  She was right. They had used the Trima dragon’s reluctance to expose their lives to the world to protect them from Ultrima twenty-six years ago, but that was useless now. The world already knew about dragons, and Ultrima’s flight declared he didn’t care as surely as a billboard would have.

  What did they have instead?

  Calrian knew the answer to that, but he suspected Rylee wasn’t going to be too keen on it.

  Mora was their biggest hope. She was the one advantage Ultrima couldn’t counter. Their secret weapon.

  And their beloved daughter.

  Telling Rylee her daughter was any kind of weapon, secret or otherwise, would only make her more determined to keep her far away from this fight.

  And that Calrian couldn’t do.

  “We will find a way to beat him,” he said determinedly. “He has bigger things to worry about right now with all the humans who are going to be searching for him. He won’t have any time to wonder what we’re up to.”

  As he spoke them, his words convi
nced himself.

  “It’s the perfect time for me to slip in to Mungaloo, find Verrian, and then slip back out again,” he said firmly. “Ultrima will never even know I was there.”

  “Maybe,” Rylee allowed. “But how are you going to manage that when all the flights are grounded?”

  That was the question, wasn’t it?

  “You’re more familiar with the human world, why don’t you tell me?” Calrian challenged. He was sure Rylee would have an answer.

  He could see her mind working, and he held out hope she’d find a way.

  But when she sighed, his heart sank. “There isn’t a faster way,” she finally said. “Even if flights don’t resume until tomorrow morning, there isn’t a faster way that will get you to Mungaloo than any alternative I can think of.”

  Any composure Calrian had cultivated dissipated in the face of Rylee’s statement. He didn’t like that answer at all, even if he did suspect it was true.

  “What if they don’t? What if Ultrima keeps flying around the city and the planes are grounded for weeks?”

  He felt panic rising at the thought. If something happened to Verrian because Calrian wasn’t there to save him…

  Rylee put a hand on his arm, and despite his worries, Calrian felt a little of his agitation drain away. “If that happens, we’ll start looking at alternatives,” she promised. “But I think we should give it at least overnight. You want to get there as fast as possible, right?”

  Calrian’s mind was so agitated it took him a while to process her question, even though the answer was simple. “Of course.”

  “Then your best option is to wait and hope you can get a plane in the morning. With any luck, Ultrima will be keeping a low profile after his display today, and things will get back to normal quickly.”

  Her expression was understanding, but firm, and Calrian knew her reasoning was sound. Yes, the Trima leader might have shown himself publicly, but that meant all eyes were now on him. The last thing on his mind would be finding Verrian. Or Calrian.

  Calrian had the lead for now, but he needed to keep it.