Draven

by Kim Fox

  His brothers were so corrupted by their need for dominance that they locked their mates in cells to keep them from any harm, selfishly making sure they never lost their powers.

  “The sword wouldn’t be in that tower,” Draven said. “Our father used it for storing grain while he was alive. What about the library?”

  “I’ve checked,” she said.

  “Father’s old bedroom?”

  She shook her head.

  “The crypt?”

  Aleida’s face went still as she slowly dropped her jaw and looked at him. “Why didn’t I think of checking there?”

  “When was the last time you were down there?” he asked, feeling a twinge of excitement.

  “At father’s funeral,” she said bitterly. Her mother was only a mistress and was buried by the lake. She didn’t qualify for the royal crypt like Draven’s mother had.

  “Didn’t father’s tomb have a…”

  “Yes!” she said, her eyes widening in excitement. “A sword. I remember it now.”

  Draven remembered it vividly now too. Over the tomb, there was a life-sized statue of his father holding a sword, complete with a golden hilt.

  That must be it.

  “Looks like we’re starting in the crypt,” Gunner said, shaking out his shoulders as he psyched himself up. “How do we get there?”

  The only way over those high stone walls was on wings. The cloudy sky was blocking out the moon, giving them some added darkness that would hide them as they flew to the castle. It was dangerous, but they had to risk it.

  “Jarin was staying in the Eastern Tower,” Aleida said, pointing at it. “I can’t imagine anyone is in there now.”

  “Good,” Draven said, feeling like they were going to pull this off. They knew where Caliburnus was now, they had dark clouds to fly over, and an empty tower to get in through. “That’s where we’ll go. Ready?”

  Gunner nodded as he flexed his arms and cracked his knuckles. “I’ll go under one condition.”

  Both Aleida and Draven turned to him with a serious look.

  He grinned as his eyes hardened. “You let me crack one of those dragons in the jaw before you slice them up with your magical sword.”

  Draven laughed. “I knew I brought you for a reason.”

  The three shifters had been through a lot together and it was finally coming to an end. They bumped fists and wished each other luck.

  Draven’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the castle that was under siege by his brothers. It was rightfully his and now was the time to get it back.

  He clenched his jaw and let his dragon come.

  Draven, Aleida, and Gunner froze after they had phased back into their human forms on the top of the Eastern Tower, listening for any shouts, alarms, or approaching dragons.

  “I think we’re good,” Draven whispered when they heard nothing but the soft sound of an owl hooting in the distance.

  Gunner opened the bag he was holding and tossed Aleida and Draven their clothes. The three of them had seen each other naked so often with all of the phasing that was going on that they barely even noticed it anymore.

  “No more talking unless we have to,” Draven whispered once they were dressed. “I’ll lead the way.”

  He climbed through the window with Aleida following and with Gunner trailing close behind her.

  Wow. Talk about luxury.

  Jarin’s living quarters didn’t look like the inside of a dusty old castle. It had every luxury possible from the huge flatscreen TV hanging over the monster fireplace to the white suede couch that looked like it could comfortably seat half the town of Colwood.

  They snuck into the living room, past the huge painting that looked like an old Rembrandt. It was hanging next to the high tech panel that controlled the security system. Draven held his breath in a panic until he saw that it was shut off.

  Everything had changed since the last time Draven had been there. Updated and modernized with beautiful furniture and the best technology on the planet.

  But the bones of the castle had stayed the same and he still knew the way to the crypt. It was located under the castle and Draven had guided them there in less than ten minutes.

  They crept past the chefs in the kitchen who were arguing about the amount of spices they should add to the huge pot of soup on the stove, and into the impressive library. There was one door leading down to the crypt and it was located beside the castle’s large collection of rare books.

  The three of them picked up their pace as they hurried past the dusty shelves of books that were at least three stories high.

  “This is the door,” Draven whispered to Gunner when they arrived. He took a deep breath and pushed the heavy stone door to the side.

  “No,” Aleida gasped when a blaring alarm ripped through the library, echoing off the shelves of books. Her face turned white as she stared at Draven in shock.

  “Let’s go!” Draven shouted as he darted down the stairs as fast as he could. His heart was hammering in his chest as he cursed himself for not checking for a security alarm.

  The crypt was dark and damp just like he remembered it. He raced forward, barely able to see as he let his memory guide the way.

  Gunner and Aleida’s footsteps were thundering behind him, echoing against the cold stone walls as they ran.

  “Up ahead,” Aleida shouted, but Draven was already there.

  He pulled out the lighter in his pocket and flicked it, sparking a small flame that lit up the statue of his father. He lit the torch on the wall behind him and turned back to the tomb. The built-up tension in his tight muscles released when he saw the sword.

  “You were right,” he whispered as Aleida and Gunner arrived, staring at it in awe as they flanked his sides.

  They were so transfixed by the beautiful sword with the golden hilt that they momentarily forgot all about the alarm that was giving their position away.

  It doesn’t matter anymore, Draven thought as he reached forward with trembling hands. His pulse raced as he wrapped his hand around the cold handle and pulled it out of the statue’s grasp.

  “Caliburnus,” Aleida whispered as she stared at it with unblinking eyes. “The sword of the true Dragon King.”

  “Excalibur,” Gunner whispered, gulping as Draven lifted it in the air.

  He squeezed the golden handle, rubbing the ridges with his thumb and letting the power of the sword flow through him.

  “What does it feel like?” Aleida asked. She was completely still, unable to move.

  “Like a sword,” Draven said as he swung it from side to side, trying to release the magical power. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel.”

  Gunner’s jaw tightened nervously as he glanced back in the direction they came. The muted sound of the alarm was still echoing down the hallway of the crypt.

  “Unless we want to try it out right now,” he said with a gulp, “we should go.”

  Draven came to with a shake of his head. The sword had made him temporarily forget that his three brothers could be on the way down right now.

  He grinned as he squeezed the handle, flexing his arms. A part of him wanted to stay and test it out. To see if his mother’s prophecy was right and he could cut down his cruel brothers with a flick of his wrist.

  But he had Aleida and Gunner to think about too.

  “All right,” Draven said, feeling more confident than ever. “Let’s go.”

  Gunner grabbed the torch off the wall and led the way back, sprinting through the maze of the crypt to the stairs that led back to the library.

  Draven couldn’t stop grinning as he ran with the sword, feeling like the odds were finally in his favor after being afraid for so long. He ran forward with a confident gate and with a new lightness in his chest.

  His brothers were going to pay for killing his father. Revenge was almost his.

  Gunner skidded to a stop when he turned a corner, and Aleida crashed into his back with a whimper. Draven held the sword away from her bo
dy as he barely avoided crashing into her.

  “What the hell, Gunner?” Draven whispered, urging the lion shifter on.

  But Gunner wasn’t moving. He was staring down the dark hallway as his body stiffened, and then started vibrating.

  The torch he was holding fell to the ground with a clatter as a full-grown lion burst out of his body.

  Here we go.

  As a dragon shifter, Draven didn’t have the best senses and he couldn’t see too well in the dark, but he knew what must be coming. He just didn’t know which one it was.

  Aleida let her dragon come as the sound of the footsteps approached. Her turquoise dragon exploded out of her, barely able to fit in the stone hallway.

  “I don’t believe it.” Terrowin’s amused voice rang down the hallway, giving Draven goosebumps. He squeezed the handle of Caliburnus, holding it in front of him as he walked around Aleida’s dragon and Gunner’s lion. He kicked the torch, sending it spiraling down the hallway. It slid to a stop between them, lighting up Terrowin’s smirking face.

  His oldest brother looked as cruel as ever with his cold dark eyes and thick square jaw. Terrowin was always the smartest of his brothers as well as the meanest. He had put Draven through a lot of torture in his youth, and now it was time for payback.

  “Welcome back, brother,” Terrowin said as he approached, stopping a safe distance from him as the torch burned between them.

  Gunner’s lion growled as Terrowin looked over Draven’s shoulder at the turquoise dragon. “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he said, shaking his head with a smirk on his face. “Oh, Aleida. You could have had it all.”

  “Had what?” Draven asked, feeling the confidence flowing through his veins as he held the magic sword. “Death and destruction? Murder and mayhem? The days of ruling dragons are over.”

  “No,” Terrowin said, shaking his head as his face lit up in a wicked smile. “The days of ruling dragons are just beginning. Once Jarin and Valerius return, we’ll get started.”

  Valerius and Jarin? That meant the ice dragon wasn’t in the castle.

  “I’m the true heir to the Dragon Throne,” Draven said, clenching his jaw as he took a step forward. “It’s time to take back what’s mine. It’s time to claim my birthright.”

  Terrowin let out a chuckle as he looked down at the sword in Draven’s hands. “With what? A measly sword?” He laughed. “A pussycat and my little sister? You’re going to have to do better than that Dravenous. I’m a mated dragon now with the power of invincibility. What do you have?”

  Draven’s body tensed as he stepped forward, squeezing the sword as all the anger and rage from spending centuries in hiding came surging through his veins in a flush of heat. He hated this man with every ounce of his being and now was the time to make him pay for every cruel act he’d done.

  Invincibility meant nothing with the power of magic and prophecy on his side.

  “I have this,” he said, swinging the sword as he glared at him with murderous eyes. “Caliburnus. My destiny to rule. Your destiny to die.”

  Terrowin smirked as Draven rushed forward, swinging the sword with a sweeping arc. The foolish dragon shifter thought he was invincible and didn’t even attempt to move.

  I’ll make him pay for that overconfidence.

  He brought the sword down on his brother’s head with every bit of strength that he had, smashing it into his forehead with centuries of pain and anger behind it, willing it to cut through the invincible bone like the prophecy had said that it would.

  But instead, the sword exploded into a thousand metal fragments, shattering to pieces.

  Draven stared at the golden handle in his hand with widening eyes as his shocked brain tried to figure out what happened. It hadn’t worked. The prophecy was wrong. The sword wasn’t magical. It was just a sword. And now it was just a pile of broken steel.

  Terrowin grinned as he stepped forward, looking more terrifying than ever. Draven slunk back as the handle of the broken sword slipped from his sweaty palms.

  The confidence and rage that was flowing through his veins vanished, suddenly replaced by a shakiness and fear as the realization of what happened finally sunk in.

  Terrowin’s invincible body was standing between them and the only exit. Basically, they were up shit’s creek without a magical sword.

  “Was that your genius plan?” he asked, rolling up his sleeves as he approached them. “I hope you have something better than that.”

  Draven fought back his fear, stood up, and raised his fists. He had no chance for victory but he held his ground as his brother came forward. His friend and his sister were behind him and Terrowin would have to go through him before Draven would ever let him hurt them.

  He cocked his fist back, ready to let it fly as Gunner’s lion rushed past him. He leapt onto the dragon shifter, but Terrowin was too fast. He laughed as he snatched the brave lion out of the air, gripping him by the throat. It all happened in a blur. Terrowin lifted the lion easily and then slammed him into the stone wall, cracking the hard bricks that had stood there for centuries. He hurled him into the wall again and again and again, crushing his bones against the broken stone wall as Gunner’s body went limp.

  Terrowin tossed his battered body to the floor and grinned.

  Draven’s muscles flexed as he squeezed his hands into fists and glared at his brother. Just as he was about to charge forward, a massive dragon’s head appeared over his shoulder, nearly knocking him over as Aleida’s dragon opened her huge turquoise mouth.

  Shit! Draven dove to the floor, covering the lion’s ears as Terrowin laughed.

  “You expect a little fire to hur—”

  What came out wasn’t fire. Aleida let her sonic scream surge forward at her brother, holding nothing back after seeing what he’d done to her mate. The concussive force of the blast slammed into Terrowin, taking him by surprise as the devastating high-pitched scream ripped out of her.

  Draven squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw as the searing pain of the piercing sound sliced through his head. He fought the intense urge to cover his own ears and covered Gunner’s instead. The poor lion was in enough pain from the fierce beating he just took.

  Draven struggled to pry his eyes open as Aleida’s screeching dragon stepped over him, blasting her brother with a devastating sonic scream. Terrowin was pinned against the wall as the deadly concussive forces rocked him. His human skin and dragon scales were invincible, but the excruciating power of Aleida’s scream was ripping through his ears.

  Unfortunately, it was ripping through Draven’s as well. It wasn’t directed at him, but it was still agonizing as it mercilessly shrieked through the dank hallway.

  When Aleida finally shut her mouth and the vicious screaming stopped, Terrowin’s limp body collapsed to the ground.

  Aleida’s sonic scream was over but Draven’s ears were still ringing intensely. He couldn’t hear anything but the high-pitched whine as Aleida quickly phased back into her human form.

  “Let’s go,” he shouted, unable to hear his own words. Terrowin was laying on the ground for now, but a dragon shifter as powerful as him would be perfectly healed soon. And Draven didn’t want to be around when that happened. He grabbed Gunner’s lion who still wasn’t moving, and tossed him over his shoulder, grunting as he got to his feet.

  He ran down the hallway past his unconscious brother with Aleida following close behind them. They darted up the stairs, past the library and the chefs in the kitchen who were staring at them in shock, and out into the dark backyard.

  “We should go back and finish him,” Aleida said, glancing back at the door.

  Draven’s ears were still ringing but he was starting to hear a bit better. “No,” he said as he placed Gunner’s lion on the ground. “Berinon and Valerius could be on their way, and we have to take care of Gunner.”

  Her eyes tightened but she nodded. Gunner was in no position to fight, and she probably knew that although she had taken Terrowin by surprise with her sonic scr
eam, he wouldn’t let her do that again.

  The two of them phased into their dragons as quickly as they could. Aleida gently grabbed her mate with her feet and flapped her turquoise wings, taking to the sky.

  Draven followed her and they quickly circled the castle, passing by the Northern Tower where his brothers’ mates were locked up.

  A gorgeous face in the window caught his eye and he stopped flapping his wings as all the adrenaline and haste rushed out of his body like a punch to the gut.

  She was beautiful. Perfect with long amber hair that framed her delicate face in waves. She was watching with the greenest eyes that Draven had ever seen. She looked young, about nineteen if he had to guess, but he could tell from her soulful green eyes that she was wise beyond her years.

  What is she doing in there?

  His heart raced as his dragon glided on the cool night breeze. That was the tower his brothers had locked their mates in.

  It can’t be…

  His stomach dropped just thinking about it. She can’t be one of my brother’s mates. The world couldn’t be that cruel. He wanted her all to himself. He needed her all to himself.

  She raised her hand and gave him a shy wave as she watched him gliding in circles over the castle.

  Fuck it. His dragon turned and flew back to the window to get a closer look. How could he leave without her? How could he live another minute without her in his life?

  Aleida’s dragon came out of nowhere, circling around and cutting him off with an intense warning look. Gunner was still hanging limply in her dragon’s feet, and she didn’t look like she was in the mood to linger around to let Draven pick up chicks.

  The turquoise dragon let out a low snarl and with a sense of reluctance, Draven turned and followed his sister home, thinking of the girl’s beautiful face the entire way.

  Chapter 3

  Cali

  “Stay away from the window,” Cali’s mother Katrina snapped. “The alarm is going off. It’s not safe.”