Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne)

by Lynn, Denise

  Yet. Nobody is hurting you yet. Cameron kept the thought to himself. He was going to hurt her in a moment in a way that she might never forgive.

  But his feelings didn’t matter, neither did his desire for any sliver of forgiveness. The only thing that really mattered was that she know the truth. He had no choice but to force her to clearly see what was before her and then be there for her when despair threatened to swallow her whole.

  Ariel tried to tug her head free of his hold. “Cameron, I swear—”

  “If you want to swear at anyone, it should be at that thing on the bed.”

  “Thing?” She kicked back at him. “That’s my brother.”

  “No, Ariel.” He easily dodged her foot. “I’m sorry, but it isn’t. Your brother is gone.”

  He held her close enough to feel the tensing of disbelief flow through her. But he knew from the shudder of her indrawn breath that she’d yet to accept the truth.

  “No. He’s right there. Don’t you think I’d know my own brother?”

  “You’re right, that is his body.” In an attempt to lessen the blow, he tipped his head, and with his lips against her ear whispered softly, “Ariel, I’m so sorry, but his soul isn’t there. What you see is nothing more than his flesh and bones.”

  With a strength he didn’t know she possessed, she tore free of his hold, shouting, “No! You’re wrong.” Her voice rose along with her hysteria. “He’s just in a coma.”

  “Ariel, stop.” Cam reached out to grab her before she returned to the body, but she quickly dodged his grasp.

  Why was Cameron doing this to her? Ariel knelt on the floor beside the bed. This was her brother. She watched the shallow rise and fall of his chest. “See? He’s still breathing.”

  Cam was wrong. He had to be. She couldn’t lose her brother. He was her life. He was the reason she got up in the mornings and went to work, the reason she forced herself to keep going after their parents died. She had so much to make up for. They still had things they needed to do together.

  He was not dead.

  Cam silently shook his head and slowly approached the bed.

  Ariel reached out to touch Carl’s cheek.

  “No!” Cam lunged toward her. “Don’t.”

  Before she could reach her brother’s face, her hand hit an invisible barrier that prevented her from touching him. She glared at Cam. “What did you do?”

  She tried to touch Carl again, and was just as unsuccessful as before. But this time, when her fingers made contact with the unseen shield, her stomach lurched enough to draw a gasp from her lips.

  Cam studied her closely. “What’s wrong?”

  Ariel shrugged off her sudden bout of twisting unease as nothing more than overwrought nerves. “Nothing, I’m fine.”

  “No, you aren’t. You’re pale and shaking.” He grasped her arm, forcing her to her feet. “I want you out of here. Now.”

  “I’m not leaving my brother’s side.”

  “And I’m not giving you the choice.” He waved a hand toward her.

  Ariel closed her eyes, knowing that he was yet again going to physically, magically, propel her from the room. Her heart raced as her stomach once again lurched. But this time, instead of making her ill, the movement fed warmth and strength into her veins.

  In her mind’s eye, she saw the dragon inside her stretch and unfurl its wings as it came to life on its own.

  She opened her eyes, surprised to find herself still standing next to Carl’s bed. Ariel smiled before saying, “I guess you were right all along. It is more than just a dream. I do have a beast of my own.”

  “More obviously, the beast is as stubbornly foolish as it is human.”

  “Foolish?” He had no idea of the emotions coursing through her. No inkling of the instinctive need to protect the only family she had left. Nor could he know the strength of her resolve.

  Instead of answering her, he caught her off guard and snaked one arm around her waist to draw her close. Ignoring her squirming, Cam pulled her tightly into his embrace.

  Ariel relaxed as his warmth radiated through her. She recognized the distinctive heat of Cam’s dragon as it sought to bond with the beast inside her.

  Unsteady from the emotions whipping through her, she leaned her forehead against his chest. “That isn’t fair, you know.”

  She felt him shrug, before he replied, “Both of you must trust me in this. You have to obey me.”

  She chuckled to hide her shock. “Obey you?”

  Cam slid his arms from around her to grasp her shoulders and hold her slightly away from him. “Ariel, I am not playing some cruel hoax on you. I would never do that. Carl is gone. The Learneds used his body to slip inside the Lair.”

  The man standing before her was so solemn, so sure of himself. But he was wrong. Dead wrong. “That isn’t possible.”

  “And dragons don’t exist, do they?”

  Well, he had her on that one, but still, what he was suggesting was ludicrous. She glanced over her shoulder at Carl. “He’s still breathing.”

  “It’s nothing but an illusion. The Learneds want you to believe he’s alive.”

  She stared up at Cam. “Since you can’t prove otherwise, I do believe he’s alive.”

  He frowned. “I can’t protect you well enough in my current form.”

  “Then let the dragon do it.”

  “But he doesn’t know any magic.”

  She laughed, not even bothering to hide her amusement at his ridiculous statement. “Oh, Cameron. For the love of God, your dragon is magic. How do I know that but you don’t?”

  His fierce expression deepened for a moment before he gently pushed her aside. “Go stand by the door.”

  By the time she reached the door and turned around, Cam was gone. But an iridescent dragon loomed over her brother.

  She watched, transfixed, while the beast waved away the shield and then with his hand…forefoot…held barely above Carl’s face crooned some strangely melodious tune.

  Her brother’s body vibrated on the bed. The dragon extended one talon and gently drew the tip down Carl’s forehead, nose, across his lips and finally to his chin without leaving a trace of blood behind.

  A fog swirled around her brother. Ariel’s breath caught in her throat as the thick fog gathered speed, darkening with every passing turn.

  It rose from around Carl’s body like a tornado, spinning into alternating forms of Carl and Jeremy Renalde.

  Certain he’d done this on purpose, Ariel screamed at Cam. “What have you done?”

  Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran from the room. Ariel raced out of the apartment not sure where to go, but knowing she had to get away from Cam.

  Carl had been fine until now. What reason had Cam had to kill him in such a manner before her eyes? Why would he do such a thing?

  Didn’t he know how much she loved her brother? Didn’t he realize that everything she’d done had been for Carl? Didn’t he care?

  Her breath hitched as a sickening heaviness settled over her heart.

  What if her enemy wasn’t Renalde? What if the enemy who threatened her more was Cameron Drake?

  Frantic, she slammed her palm against the elevator buttons, not caring which floor she ended up on.

  * * *

  “…and that’s how I ended up here at the Lair.” Aelthed fell silent. He’d not spoken this much in centuries. Now he would wait to hear what Danielle Drake thought of all he’d told her
.

  “My nephew is a dragon changeling?”

  That’s all she got out of his overlong explanation? “You didn’t know this before?”

  “No.”

  There was a sadness in her voice that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. “Maybe he wanted it to be his secret.”

  “I suppose. But what are we going to do about Nathan and that woman’s brother?”

  “That woman is your nephew’s mate.”

  “No need to remind me.” Danielle’s long sigh was audible even inside his cube. “I should have expected as much.”

  “If she dies, he will not get another chance at happiness or love.”

  “Perhaps, but according to the curse you mentioned, he isn’t going to get a chance even if she lives.”

  “I do not think you quite understand.”

  “And what don’t I understand?”

  Her voice came from farther away. Aelthed opened a mental view of the apartment to find that Danielle had gone into the kitchen for something to drink. She returned with a steaming cup in her hand.

  “The woman is not just his soul’s mate, she too is a changeling.”

  “Impossible.” She took a sip from the cup then set it on the table. “I think you’re mistaken.”

  “Not in the least.”

  Danielle laughed softly. “Of course not.”

  Aelthed bristled at the haughty tone of her voice. She thought he was speaking in jest? “Since your nephew is getting ready to do battle with the younger Learned, and the woman has run away to hide in the basement, what are you doing here?”

  “How do you suggest I help Cameron?”

  “He doesn’t need your help. You’d only be in his way.”

  “Wonderful, I get to go find his gardener.”

  “Ariel.” Aelthed shook his head. “Her name is Ariel.”

  He sensed, rather than saw, Danielle rise from the sofa and head toward the door. “Where are you going?”

  Her footsteps paused. “To the basement?”

  “Don’t leave my cube here.” The last thing he wanted to do was risk ending up back in Nathan’s hands.

  Danielle returned to grab the cube and drop it into the pocket of her jacket. She patted the pocket. “Happy now?”

  “Woman, go do your job.”

  Chapter 20

  Ariel rested her head against the cool brick wall at her back. The basement was shrouded in darkness, yet she’d still chosen to squeeze into the small space between the ancient chest and the wall in the far corner.

  With her knees bent beneath her chin and her arms wrapped tightly around them, she wondered what would happen to her now. She had to find a way out of the Lair. If she waited long enough it would be nighttime.

  And while she realized that Cam—or his dragon—would sense her every move, she might have a shot at escaping if she could only hold out until he fell asleep. But how was she going to know if he slept or not?

  She rested her forehead on her bent knees. Harold had helped her get Carl up to her apartment, perhaps he might be willing to help?

  The door to the basement creaked open. Ariel stiffened, pressing farther back into the corner, trying to make herself as small as possible.

  For a moment, when the lights didn’t come on, she feared the visitor was Cam and held her breath, too afraid to breathe lest he hear the slightest sound.

  Footsteps drew nearer, stopping directly in front of her. Ariel bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out.

  “Ariel?”

  Her breath escaped on a gasp of shock and fear of another threat to her life. If anyone wanted her dead more than Danielle Drake she didn’t know who it might be.

  “Ariel, I’m not here to hurt you. I swear it.” The woman flicked a lighter and held it to the wick of a candle. She set the candle on top of the chest and sat down on the floor. “I came to help.”

  “Help?” It was all Ariel could do not to laugh. “Then get me out of here.”

  “Out of where? The Lair?”

  “Yes.”

  Danielle shook her head. “No, that I won’t do. I fear my nephew needs you.”

  A flash of panic raced down her spine. “Is Cam hurt?”

  “No. Not as far as I know.”

  “Then he doesn’t need me for anything.”

  “Yes, he does.” Danielle pulled a wooden puzzle cube from her pocket and set it next to the candle. “Listen carefully. Tell me if you can hear him.”

  Ariel stared at the cube, certain it was the one Renalde had ordered her to find. Danielle had had it all this time?

  “Can you?”

  “I don’t hear anything.”

  Danielle sighed. “I know it’s hard, but relax, clear your mind of as much clutter as you can and just listen.”

  Clear her mind? That would be like trying to sweep away a roiling windstorm with a flyswatter. But she closed her eyes and tried her best.

  “Ariel, are you listening? Can you hear me?” A strange man’s voice seemed to reach out of the darkness toward her.

  She jumped. “Yes. Who are you?”

  “Aelthed.”

  She frowned. Why did that name seem familiar? Suddenly it clicked. “You wrote the grimoire.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you’re related to the Learneds.”

  “So are the Drakes. We’re all related.”

  Danielle added, “Just one big happy family.”

  Ariel agreed with the overt sarcasm in Danielle’s tone. “So, tell me, what am I supposed to do to help Cam and why should I?”

  “You should help him because he’s your mate.”

  The seriousness of Aelthed’s tone took her by surprise. “My mate? Why does everyone keep saying that?”

  “Because it’s true. Are you not as he is? Do you deny the connection of your beasts?”

  Ariel ignored Danielle’s gasp and subsequent mumbling. “He killed my brother.”

  “Who?”

  “The dragon.”

  “That’s doubtful, my dear. Highly unlikely since his single-minded goal is to protect you.”

  “You weren’t there.” Ariel swallowed against the sharp pain in her throat as the scene of her brother’s death passed through her mind over and over. “He killed Carl right in front of me.”

  “No. Listen to me, hear me, Ariel. Cameron has had more than ample opportunity to kill you. But neither the wizard, nor the dragon, have ever harmed you. Am I right?”

  It was so hard to think clearly. Her mind was such a jumbled mass of confusion that she had to force her thoughts into some semblance of order. Finally, she answered, “Yes.”

  “I have no way of knowing what did or didn’t happen to your brother. But I sense no lingering, unidentified spirit here at Dragon’s Lair. ’Tis doubtful the lad died here. If he had, I would know it.”

  “How? How would you know?”

  “Because, my dear, I too have already passed beyond this life.”

  Ariel swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. She heard the sincerity in his words. Oh, God, she was alone, there was no one but her. What would she do now?

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you will do besides carry on. You have to, because you aren’t alone. You have a dragon lord as a mate. Like it or not, Ariel, if you don’t help the man and the dragon become one, there will be no future for either.”

  Recent images from the grimoire raced across her mind. A man and a dragon fought or
a half man and a half dragon fought each other. The participants in the battle were different each time, but cowering in the background was a woman, who was always left alone and unprotected.

  She’d wondered at the meaning of the drawings, but Cam had abruptly brushed her off, so she hadn’t grilled him again. The thought that formed in her mind was insane. But what aspect of her entire stay at the Lair hadn’t been insane in some way?

  “He’s the one who is cursed, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, but you can help break that curse. Just as you can now help him defeat your common enemy.”

  She laughed weakly, more from mental exhaustion than humor. “I don’t know how to use my powers. I can’t help him.”

  “Ah, but you can.” Danielle broke into the conversation. She leaned forward and touched Ariel’s shoulder. “You currently possess more power than anyone else at the Lair, including Cameron.”

  Ariel stared at her in the flickering candlelight. “I don’t know what you’re talking…” She paused as a warmth filled her, spreading up through her chest, making her heart pound and lending strength to her overtired mind and body. “What is this?”

  Danielle explained, “It’s unfettered power. Since you have no experience, you don’t yet know what you can’t do. So everything, anything, is still possible.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would that happen?”

  “There isn’t time to teach you what is or isn’t possible. All you need to know, what you need to believe, is that your mind has no limitations. You are capable of anything you can imagine.”

  Ariel looked back at the puzzle cube. “Where are they now?”

  “In the gardens behind the Lair.”

  Marvelous. All her work would have been for nothing. She rose. “You’ll see to each other?”

  Danielle picked up the cube as she, too, rose and dropped it back into her pocket. “We’ll be waiting in my apartment.”

  * * *

  Another fireball flew past Cam’s head. He dipped his long neck, easily dodging the flames as he once again circled the unfamiliar wizard. So far he’d been unable to break through the barrier the man had cast around himself.