by Zoe Chant
“Dai?” Virginia touched his bare shoulder. “What is it?”
Dai became aware that he’d hunched over as if hurricane winds were howling around his ears. He made himself uncurl, clamping down on his inner dragon’s agitation. He stared at the massive star ruby in Virginia’s hand in disbelief. “That’s the artifact you found? It’s called the Dragon’s Eye, and it’s important. It belonged to...a king?”
Virginia’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m pretty certain it’s from the helmet of King Brithelm. He was a Saxon warrior who founded the first settlement here, which eventually became Brighton.”
“He was also a dragon shifter.” Dai rubbed his forehead, trying to sort through the sudden influx of racial memories. “Maybe the first white dragon in the British Isles. Red dragons are native here, but the white dragons came over from Europe along with the Saxon invaders. No wonder Bertram’s desperate to get it. Any dragon who claimed that gem would gain incredible dominance.”
Virginia’s fingers closed reflexively over the artifact. “Dai, if I could give it to you I would, but—”
“No, no.” Dai shook his head emphatically. “It’s yours. I won’t let my dragon try to steal it from you.”
His dragon lashed an indignant tail. Our mate’s hoard is a wondrous as she is. We would never seek to diminish it. It paused for a moment, looking wistfully through his eyes at the ruby. Unless she wished to trade...?
Despite his headache, Dai chuckled under his breath. I don’t think so, he told it. “Actually, my dragon is very impressed with you. That piece is a spectacular hoard all on its own. You’d have a lot of power and status, if you were a shifter.”
Virginia sat down cross-legged on the bed opposite him, turning the artifact over in her hands thoughtfully. “You talk like your dragon half is a separate being to yourself.”
“Well, it is and it isn’t.” Dai hesitated. “If you really want to have a serious discussion about the metaphysical nature of shifters right now, do you mind if we put on some clothes?” He gestured sheepishly at his groin. “It’s really hard for me to think straight when most of my blood isn’t making it as far as my brain.”
Virginia’s expression clouded with dismay. “I’m sorry, I killed the moment.” She held up the Dragon’s Eye. “I intended to ask if you’d like it if I adorned you.”
“Oh,” Dai breathed, as his inner dragon surged up. “Oh, yes. I would like that.” From Virginia’s brief downward glance and sudden smug smile, she could see exactly how much he would like it. Nonetheless, he got up. “But later.”
“Why later?” Virginia asked, pouting a little.
He kissed her as he started removing his hoard from her gorgeous body, piece by piece. “Because our bond tells me that you’re hungry.”
“I am?” Virginia’s eyebrows drew down, then she let out a surprised laugh. “I am. And so are you.”
“So we’ll eat, and talk about dragons, and then...” He kissed her again, more lingeringly.
Despite the temptation to decide that neither of them was that hungry, they got dressed, though it took rather longer than strictly necessary. Virginia’s clothes were still soaking; she rummaged through his wardrobe, finally settling on one of his dress shirts, which drowned her from neck to knees.
“I feel like a reverse Cinderella,” she said ruefully, rolling up the sleeves. “From princess to rags.”
“You look adorable,” Dai told her, holding out his bathrobe for her. She shot him a dry, disbelieving look as she shrugged into it. He spread his hands, smiling. “Just check the mate-bond if you don’t bel—”
DANGER!
His inner dragon’s shriek came barely in time. Dai flung himself on top of Virginia as the skylight above them blazed with incandescent flame. The glass barely withstood a second before exploding in a hail of shards, but it was enough time for Dai to make the fastest shift of his life, basic self-preservation instinct overriding Bertram’s restriction. Dragonfire washed over his back, scorched his armored scales.
The space was much too small for his dragon form. His sides and tail squeezed agonizingly against the walls for a moment before the brickwork crumbled. The floor gave way, unable to support his sudden weight. All Dai could do was curl in a tight ball of wings and scales around Virginia, desperately trying to shield her as they plummeted.
The impact of hitting the ground made him black out for a moment. When he came to, the first thing he was aware of was Virginia writhing in his grip, her hands shoving futilely at his scaled chest. The second was the crushing weight of the collapsed house. With tremendous effort, Dai forced his wings open, bricks and beams sliding off his back.
He twisted his neck, rain running over his spines and into his eyes as he scanned the sky. Since there was no sign of another imminent attack from above, he painfully uncurled, his tail sweeping through burning debris. He managed to roll to one side just far enough to allow Virginia to wriggle free from his grasp.
Heedless of the wreckage all around, Virginia stumbled back, her huge eyes fixed on him. Her terror and panic beat at him down the mate-bond.
“Dai!” she screamed, looking around wildly. “Dai!”
His heart froze in his chest. Impossible. She knew, she told me she knew! Yet there was no trace of recognition in Virginia’s expression.
*I’m here,* he sent urgently to her. He tried to get to his own feet, but fallen beams still pinned his hindquarters to the ground. *Virginia, it’s me!*
Virginia shook her head in mute denial, still backing away from him—and then Dai saw what was lurking, invisible to non-shifter eyes, right behind her.
*VIRGINIA!* he roared, both physically and psychically. He made a desperate lunge, but couldn’t reach her. *NO!*
Virginia broke and fled—running straight into Bertram’s waiting, outstretched claws.
Chapter 13
Virginia struggled back to consciousness in a cold, muddy field. Her first thought was: He’s a dragon. Dai’s a dragon shifter.
Her second thought was: I really wish he were here now.
The white dragon crouched opposite her, legs and wings folded neatly. With an involuntary whimper, Virginia scrabbled away from it, her back hitting a wall before she’d gone more than a foot. The great burning eyes stayed fixed on her with unblinking fascination, like a cat watching a trapped mouse. The tip of the dragon’s tail twitched slightly.
Virginia swallowed hard. “I know that’s you, Bertram,” she said, her voice trembling despite her best efforts. Her legs had turned to rubber. “And you aren’t impressing anyone, so you might as well knock it off. I know you aren’t actually going to eat me.”
The white dragon yawned expansively, giving her a fine view of teeth as long as her forearm. *What makes you so sure?*
Virginia skin crawled at the oily, slick feel of Bertram’s voice in her head. She made herself sit up straighter at least, trying to pull together what dignity she could while barefoot and in a bathrobe. “Because you’d be in a hell of a lot of trouble with the other shifters.”
*The Parliament of Shifters?* Bertram’s black, forked tongue lolled out in amusement. *My dear delectable Virginia, shifter politicians are much like politicians anywhere—concerned only with keeping their supporters happy. And my family have been extremely generous supporters.*
“I didn’t mean the shifter government,” Virginia said, hoping she sounded a lot more courageous than she actually felt. “If you don’t let me go right now, you aren’t going to last long enough to face any formal court of justice. Dai will tear you apart.”
Bertram rustled one wing in an unconcerned shrug. *The last time I checked, the little red was occupied with more pressing matters. Such as the house on top of him.*
Virginia’s blood ran cold as she remembered her last sight of Dai—his sinuous dragon’s body pinned under bricks and beams, battered and broken. Even now, he could be bleeding to death, trapped in the rubble...but the mate-bond was a steadfast, warm presence in the center of her che
st. Even though she was too far away from Dai to tell what he was thinking or where he was, she knew that he wasn’t badly hurt.
Hugh, she thought in relief, remembering the silver-haired healer with the magic hands. Hugh and the rest of the crew must have helped him.
“He’s fine,” she said defiantly. “And I bet he’s already on his way here.”
*What touching faith. You always did have a knack for rejecting the facts.* Bertram cocked his head to one side, still looking amused. *How exactly do you think he’s going to find you?*
Virginia risked taking her eyes off Bertram long enough to glance around. She’d blacked out during the terrifying flight, so she had no idea where he’d taken her. They seemed to be in a paddock—behind Bertram, she could see a small group of horses huddling at the far end as far away from the dragon as they could get, though curiously they didn’t seem totally panic-stricken by his presence. The wall behind her looked like part of some sort of stable building.
Dusk had fallen, but it wasn’t yet fully night, so she must have been unconscious for about an hour. It wasn’t raining anymore, so either John had called off the storm or—more likely—Bertram had carried her well away from Brighton.
How is Dai going to find me?
“He’ll find me,” she said, and was rather surprised to find that she did believe that he would, with absolute faith. “He’s my mate, and he’ll find me.”
Bertram flipped his tail dismissively. *Then I’ll kill him.* His jaw dropped in an unmistakable feral grin. *I am still dominant over him, thanks to his pathetic hoard. I can stop him from shifting.* His head snaked down so that they were eye to eye, his slitted pupil the size of her entire head. *Tell me, my dear Virginia, how much of a chance do you think a human stands against a dragon?*
Virginia had a horrible certainty that Dai would take on a fully-grown dragon with his bare hands, if it was standing between him and her. The fire crew, she reminded herself. They’ll help him. He won’t be alone. “I think, if it comes to you or Dai, I’m betting on him.”
Bertram’s orange eyes narrowed a little. *Give me the artifact,* he demanded abruptly. *Now.*
Virginia’s mind raced. She wrapped Dai’s robe tighter around herself, mustering as withering a look as she could manage under the circumstances. “Bertram, I’m wearing a bathrobe. Do you honestly think I’ve got a fragile, priceless artifact in my pocket?”
Twin jets of smoke hissed from Bertram’s nostrils. *Where is it?*
Virginia took a deep breath, steeling herself. “Dai has it.”
Bertram reared back as if she’d slashed him across the snout with a sword. He roared in outrage, the blast of his reptilian breath flattening her against the wall. *WHAT?!*
“I showed it to him, and he recognized what it was. Like you warned me, he wanted it for himself.” She folded her arms across her chest, tucking her hands into her armpits so that Bertram couldn’t see how they were shaking. “You’re too late, Bertram. With the Dragon’s Eye, Dai’s got a more valuable hoard than you. You’ll have to submit to him. Just give up now, while you still can.”
Bertram growled. Without warning, he snatched her up in one of his front feet, the white claws closing around her so tightly Virginia couldn’t even draw breath to scream.
Hobbling awkwardly on three legs, Bertram carried her out of the paddock and into a courtyard surrounded by stable buildings. The complex was dominated by a huge structure, big enough for even a dragon to enter, which Virginia assumed had to be a covered riding arena—until Bertram nosed open the door, and her eyes were blinded by dazzling gold.
My God. And I thought Dai’s bed was over the top.
Bertram hadn’t been kidding about being able to sleep full-length on top of his hoard. The plain exterior of the barn concealed an enormous mound of jumbled gold, silver and gems. An almost physical pain shot through Virginia’s chest at the sight of so many artifacts so casually tumbled together. It was a far cry from Dai’s meticulously stored and treasured collection.
Bertram’s claws raked carelessly through the pile as he clambered over coins and cups to the center of the room. Stretching on his back legs, he dropped Virginia onto one of the steel girders supporting the high A-frame roof. Heart hammering, Virginia clutched at the dusty metal, fighting vertigo at the sight of the floor so far below. There was no question of jumping down, and nowhere to go. She was trapped.
Virginia forced her breathing to slow. Carefully, she straddled the beam, trying not to look down. She concentrated instead on the steady beacon of the mate-bond in her mind.
“Dai is coming for me,” she said out loud.
The white dragon shimmered, shrinking into human shape. “Indeed.” Bertram smirked up at her as he took his cell phone out of his pocket. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”
Chapter 14
“I don’t have time for this,” Dai snarled at Ash. “I have to find Virginia!”
“If you move again, I will personally break your other bloody leg,” Hugh snapped. His bare fingers dug into Dai’s calf as his healing talent knit bone and muscle back together. “Do you want to have to crawl to your mate’s rescue?”
“If I have to, yes!”
“You don’t know where he took her,” Ash said. Dai could have throttled the Commander for his level voice and calm expression.
Behind the Commander, another fire crew worked to put out the smoldering remains of Dai’s house. Thanks to John’s rain and Ash’s prompt arrival, the blaze hadn’t had the chance to spread to neighboring properties. The police were cordoning off the street, keeping curious onlookers well back.
“Chase is on his way back from London as fast as he can fly,” Ash said. “As soon as he’s here, he’ll be able to lead us to her.”
“I can’t wait that long!” Dai tried to push himself up, but John’s enormous hands on his shoulders kept him firmly seated on the ground. “I can’t sit here doing nothing. Virginia needs me now.” Her fear sawed at his soul through the mate-bond. “If you’d ever met your mate, you’d understand!”
Ash looked at him. Though his expression never changed, even Dai’s inner dragon recoiled from the brief glimpse of the inferno concealed behind those black eyes.
“I understand very well,” the Commander said quietly. “But it does not change the fact that you can do nothing to help her right now.”
Dai was saved from saying something potentially career-limiting to his commander by Ash’s phone beeping. Ash touched his hand to his earpiece, listening. His eyebrows rose fractionally.
“I see,” Ash said. Unclipping the phone, he passed it to Dai. “It’s Griff.”
“Dai?” Griff’s Scottish burr was more pronounced than usual, a sure sign of agitation. “We just got the oddest emergency call here. He called 999 and then asked for you personally. He won’t give his own name or location, but I’m certain it’s your dragon shifter.”
Adrenaline surged through Dai’s blood. “Can you trace the call?”
“I’m working on it, but he’s on a mobile phone so it’s not easy.” Dai could hear the rapid rattle of computer keys in the background. “Do you want me to keep stalling him, or put him through to you?”
“Put him through,” Dai growled. There was a click as Griff did so. “Bertram?”
“I will offer you this trade once, and once only.” Bertram’s icy tones struck Dai like a blow. He could practically taste dragonfire rising in his throat in response. “Your mate for the Dragon’s Eye.”
“I don’t have it.” Dai glanced over his shoulder at the pile of wreckage that had been his house. “Even if it’s still intact, it’s buried under a ton of bricks.”
Bertram’s scornful laugh rang in his ear. “Do you think me a fool? I know she gave it to you, so it must be on your person right this moment. No dragon would have put down such a treasure for even a second. You have thirty minutes to bring it to the site of Brithelm’s burial mound. Come alone. If you try to trick me, your mate will burn.”
John nodded. “Do you actually have this treasure the crawling worm seeks, kin-cousin?”
“No,” Dai said slowly. “And now I’m trying to remember if Virginia ever put it down.”
Chapter 15
Virginia’s feet were freezing, and she had a cramp in one hand from clinging to the cold metal beam. Bertram seemed to have been gone for hours. With childish malice, he’d flicked the lights off when he’d left, leaving her stranded in pitch darkness.
Virginia buried her face in the soft, worn material of Dai’s robe, breathing in the faint trace of his wood-smoke scent to keep herself calm. She knew that he was getting closer. The mate-bond was growing steadily brighter, flaring from a mere ember to a roaring bonfire in her soul. Through it, she could sense Dai’s fierce rage and his determination—and also how terribly afraid he was for her.
*Just come to me,* she tried to send down the mate-bond, over and over. She didn’t know whether her words were reaching him. All she could do was concentrate on radiating encouragement and reassurance down their mental link. *Trust me. Come.*
The huge door rattled open again. Virginia squinted as the lights came on again, blinding after the total darkness.
Her heart leapt at the sight of Dai’s tall form in the doorway—but Bertram, back in dragon form, was right behind him, prodding him along with vicious jabs of his ivory talons. From Dai’s windswept hair and ripped shirt, Bertram must have carried him through the air rather than allowing him to shift and fly himself.
“Dai!” Virginia called out to him. “Up here!”
“Virginia!” Dai rushed forward, but had to halt as Bertram whipped his tail forward to bar his way. Dai struck his fist impatiently against the white scales. “I need to get closer to talk to her, since you’ve forbidden me to mindspeak anyone,” he said, glaring up at the fanged head towering above him. “I’m not giving you the Dragon’s Eye until I’m absolutely satisfied she’s unharmed.”