by Avril Sabine
He sprang to his feet and slammed his hands flat against the table, glaring at Kade across from him. Flinn had short brown hair and blue eyes. He wasn’t as good looking as the other dragons at the table, but there was something about him that made you look twice. And then want to give him a wide berth. An air of danger that he communicated in the way he held himself and spoke. “She already is bait. All we’d be doing is taking advantage of the situation.”
“You’re not going to use her as bait,” Crystal argued before Kade had a chance to continue his argument.
“Will. You. Shut. Up.” Flinn glared at Crystal, making her flinch.
“Don’t talk to her like that.” Amber dropped her arm around Crystal, who sat beside her. “She doesn’t have to continue to be your mage.”
Flinn turned his glare on Amber. “If you really wanted to protect her you’d willingly be bait.”
“You do realise we’ve been going around in circles with this conversation.” Jasper was the only one who seemed calm.
“It’s not like she can see the future and tell us who’s after her,” Flinn snarled. “We don’t have any other choice.”
“Prophecy!” Amber turned to look at Rian. “That’s what Ronan wanted. He wants me to lie and say I can see the future.”
Rian shook his head. “He does not believe you could pull it off. You are too honest.”
“Sometimes,” Maira muttered.
“I said I was sorry about tricking you,” Amber said.
Flinn hit the tabletop again. “Can we focus? You can go on Oprah and talk about how sorry you are for all I care, as long as it’s not when I’m around. Now what about the wyvern nest? Are we still leaving Friday so we can clean it out these holidays?”
Crystal rose to her feet, glaring at Flinn. “You’re unbelievable. Amber’s life is under threat and all you can think about is passing your stupid warrior tests.”
“Can we protect Amber better on clan lands?” Jasper asked.
“I think so.” Kade turned towards Crystal. “Sit down.”
Crystal gestured towards Flinn. “When he does.”
“This is worse than dealing with prep students.” Jasper’s words drew a glare from both Crystal and Flinn. He shrugged. “Hey, I’m only telling it like it is.”
Crystal sat when Flinn did. “I still think we should tell Kade’s mum. We need more guards.”
“Just what we need. More landless Gold Dragons in the perfect position to collect the bounty,” Flinn said.
“Kiani wouldn’t send someone untrustworthy,” Crystal protested.
“Trust no one. How many times have I got to tell you that?” Flinn asked.
“A small group of guards that have nothing to gain from the situation is best,” Rian said.
Amber had finally had enough. She didn’t know how many times the conversation would circle around with nothing being solved, but she was over it. Rising to her feet, she started to move away from the table, Rian at her heels.
“Where are you going?” Kade asked.
“Anywhere but here. We’re getting no where.” Amber strode from the room, ignoring the chaos she left in her wake. Let them continue their arguments without her. She passed through the hall, into the lounge and paused at the front door. Morgan, one of Flinn’s warriors leaned against a verandah post. He ignored Amber as she went to the far end of the verandah. She didn’t want any company.
For weeks she’d been looking forward to visiting dragon lands. Now someone had ruined her school holidays. Instead of enjoying two weeks away from her grandmother, she would be stuck looking over her shoulder, waiting for someone to stab her in the back. Or maybe they’d shoot her. Ronan certainly had a fondness for guns. There were probably other dragons that did. Or how about a sniper? Amber scanned the area nervously.
The old house was surrounded by open paddocks that were dotted with gum trees. It was typical Queensland farming country and far from the city Amber had grown up in and loved. She sighed, wishing she could go home. And not to her grandmother’s house where her mother had dragged her to, for what was supposed to have been only six weeks. She wanted to be in the city, with her father, back in the house she’d been raised in. She wanted to go back to Brisbane with Jasper and Crystal when they returned. Instead, she was stuck here until the end of the year when she finished year twelve. And they weren’t even halfway through the school year yet. Not for another five days anyway.
Kade stepped up beside her and leaned on the verandah rails. Amber waited for him to speak. When he remained silent, she looked over at him.
“I’m sorry I’ve messed up your life so much.”
Amber shook her head. “It was an accident.”
“Not quite.” Kade smiled.
“What do you mean?”
“If I’d been paying attention I wouldn’t have been caught off guard by the wyvern. And I wouldn’t have ended up bleeding all over your bedroom floor.”
“Are you finally going to tell me what distracted you?”
“I was watching this gorgeous girl standing on her balcony staring up at the stars.”
“Great. So it was all my fault.”
Kade laughed. “No, it wasn’t.” He stepped forward, drawing her into his arms. “It’s no one’s.” His lips brushed across hers, but she pulled away.
“We’ve got an audience.”
“I bet I could make you forget them.”
Amber shook her head, pulling away further. “What was decided?”
“Other than you’ll still be collected from your home Friday afternoon by a limo?”
“Yeah.”
“Nothing.”
“And what else?”
“We guard you.”
Amber leaned against the verandah rails. “I’m not sitting around waiting for someone to attack me.”
Rian stepped forward. “Ronan said that when you fail to come up with a plan to tell you to ring him. He has one.”
“Like the last one? Lure her somewhere deserted and alone and let her be attacked?” Kade demanded.
“She was never alone. There were four Gold Warriors, two of my brothers, Ronan and myself.”
“Well it certainly wasn’t working.” Amber wondered where Rian and his brothers had been. As far as she knew they couldn’t walk the Void since they weren’t Gold and she hadn’t sensed them when she’d searched.
Rian shrugged. “You did not give it a chance.”
“We aren’t interested in anything Ronan has to say.” Kade folded his arms across his chest.
Rian held a business card out to him. “Ronan will be at this address in the city Friday night. After that…” he shrugged. “He might not be so keen to help.”
Seeing Kade wasn’t going to take the card, Amber did. She noticed the address was in one of the wealthier suburbs. Wealth. She frowned. Would it be possible to figure out who could afford to pay out more than six million dollars in gold to get rid of the three of them?
“What are you thinking?” Kade asked.
“Who could easily afford to pay that size bounty?”
Kade shrugged. “Quite a few people.”
“Twenty-three.”
Amber stared at Rian. “How do you know?”
“Ronan has already tried to figure it out that way. And that does not include the clans or even the individuals who would work together to come up with the bounties.”
Amber turned to look out over the paddocks again. “Is this what life’s always going to be like?”
“Only until we can prove it isn’t worth the trouble going against us,” Kade said.
Amber was sure she wasn’t going to like the answer, but she had to ask the question. “How do we do that?”
“Survival of the fittest.”
Yep, she’d been right. “I’m beginning to hate that phrase,” she muttered. She could almost understand why Ronan had at times killed those who annoyed him. Causing serious bodily harm to the next person who spoke those words was becoming very t
empting.
Chapter Four
Amber felt like she was a nervous wreck. Every sound, every movement in the past two days had nearly driven her insane. She kept expecting assassins to leap out of every shadow and was sick and tired of never having a moment alone. She’d drawn the line at someone guarding her in the bathroom. If an assassin killed her in there at least it’d save her from having to die of embarrassment.
“Are you ready?”
Amber jumped at Maira’s words. She forced herself to calmness. “Ready to be committed more like.”
Maira laughed. “You’ll be alright. We’ll get you to clan lands and hole up in one of the castles Kade’s family own.”
“I’m sick of telling all of you I won’t be locked away while you deal with the wyverns.”
“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s under control,” Maira said soothingly.
Amber gritted her teeth. If she heard that phrase one more time she was likely to flatten the next person who said it. And with the lessons Rian was giving her she should make a good job of it. She looked over to the corner to check if Rian was still there. He was as silent and still as ever. It was easy to forget he was there sometimes.
A sharp knock at the front door had Amber grabbing her bags and rushing downstairs. She knew Rian would exit her room through the French doors and she could hear Maira run down the stairs behind her. Amber bit back a sigh. Never alone.
Donna stood at the foot of the stairs. “Make sure you ring me every day.”
“Mum!”
“You’re still only sixteen, Amber.”
Amber grinned fleetingly. “I won’t be when I come home.”
Donna frowned. “I’m still not sure you should be away for your birthday.”
“Jay will be there with me. I’m sure he can manage to say happy birthday.”
“We’re going to have a party for her. And Brann as well. His birthday is two days later, on the twelfth of July,” Maira said.
Amber quickly gave her mother a hug, worried she might change her mind. “See ya, Mum. One of us will ring each day.” Kade had gotten their mobile phones altered so they’d work in his world. She rushed towards the door and nearly collided with her grandmother.
“There’s a limousine at the front door.” Helen appeared extremely delighted. “I wonder how many of the neighbours noticed.”
At a look from her mother, Amber quickly gave her grandmother a hug. “See you.” She rushed outside, Maira on her heels as she reached the limousine. The door was held open for her by a uniformed chauffer and she smiled when she saw Rian already seated. Her bags were taken from her and she turned to wave to her family as she climbed in the vehicle. Donna called out last minute instructions, her words muffled by the closing door.
Amber looked out the back window as they drove off and watched as Donna continued to wave until they turned a corner. She faced forward so she could get comfortable. “I can’t believe I made it to Friday.”
Maira laughed. “Yeah, I thought a few times there you’d make a comment that would get you grounded. But don’t worry. Kade has a small castle where you can hide for the next two weeks.”
“And then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“What happens if we don’t find out who’s trying to have me killed?”
“Oh, I see what you mean. That’s no problem. Kade has the use of the castle as long as he needs it.”
Maira’s words caused a feeling of dread to wash over her. Was Kade going to keep her locked up forever? Surely not. Maira must be mistaken. “How long does Kade plan for us to stay there?”
“Until the people who put a contract on your life are found.”
“And how does he plan to find them?”
Maira shrugged. “I never asked. But I’m sure he’ll figure something out.”
“Well, he better be quick because these school holidays are only two weeks long.”
“Jay said there’s always distance education. So you don’t have to worry about finishing year twelve.”
Amber stared at Maira. “Jay’s been helping plan this?” She was going to kill her brother. Right after she finished dealing with Kade.
Maira nodded.
Anger burned through Amber. They were not going to take her from her world. Even if they thought it was the best thing for her. Without looking at him, she sent her thoughts to Rian. “What’s Ronan’s plan?”
“Drawing the assassins out so we can catch them. He believes he can make them talk.”
Amber fell silent. Two choices. Be locked away in a castle for who knew how long or, follow Ronan’s plan that if past experience was anything to go by, probably consisted of her being bait. Hide or face her enemy. She’d never been any good at hiding. The other alternative didn’t sound appealing either. Although if anyone could pull off a stunt like that, it’d probably be Ronan. She glanced at Maira. There was no way she’d be able to convince Maira that going to Ronan’s was a good idea. It looked like it’d have to be trickery again. She only hoped it didn’t cause more problems between Maira and Kade.
Amber leaned her head back, closing her eyes. For now she could only wait. Time dragged slowly. Night eventually fell, and they were on the outskirts of the city when an opportunity came. The chauffer stopped for petrol and when he left to pay for it, Amber turned to Rian. “Can you grab me an ice cream?” She met his eyes. “Refuse me.”
“I am your bodyguard. I cannot leave you alone. Send Maira.”
She turned to Maira. “Can you please? I’d go myself, but with the way everyone carries on lately…” Amber let her words trail off.
“We’ll send the chauffer as soon as he’s back from paying for the fuel,” Maira said.
“I want to pick Jay and Crystal up so I can get out of this vehicle. I want to stretch my legs and I know neither of you will let me do that.” Amber kept her gaze on Maira, speaking directly to Rian. “A little help here.”
“It is not safe for you to go wandering about,” Rian said.
“Oh, all right. I won’t be long,” Maira grumbled as she got out of the limousine and shut the door.
“What are you planning?” Rian asked.
“I need to see Ronan.” Amber pulled her long sleeved dress over her head, her dragon-leather pants and vest were on underneath it. She grabbed out a pen and piece of paper and wrote ‘sorry’ on it. “Follow if you can.” She changed into a hawk. “And open the door for me. It’s a little beyond what I can manage in this body.” As soon as the door was open, Amber checked that Maira and the chauffer weren’t looking in her direction before she flew out of the vehicle and into the sky.
From above, she saw Rian dash across the road and between two buildings. He streaked into the sky, a blur of movement humans would have missed. When she saw he followed after her, she headed for the address on Ronan’s business card. Moments later, Maira frantically broadcast Amber’s name. She ignored her. She didn’t want to give her a direction to head in. They’d figure it out soon enough. That was if Kade recalled the address on the card he’d refused to take. If Amber could have grinned she would have.
That’d teach them to try and cage her. She swooped at a pigeon she flew past and watched as it dodged away. A quick movement and she had it in her talons. It had been too easy. She let it go, overriding the hawk’s instinct to make a meal of it. She was no one’s pigeon to be easily caught. If they wanted to come after her she’d show them what they could do with their survival of the fittest rule. It was going to be survival of the smartest and they’d soon see she wasn’t lacking in that area.
Unaccustomed to flying long distances, Amber was relieved to see Ronan’s house. Rian led her to a rooftop garden where she could change into her human form. Ronan was lazing on a couch amongst the plants when they arrived. She glanced at Rian, but as usual, his expression was unreadable.
“Where’s the entourage?” Ronan glanced around. “I was beginning to think you couldn’t go anywhere without them.”
<
br /> Amber ignored Ronan’s comment and sat in an empty chair across from him. “Explain your plan.”
“Lovely weather we’ve been having and I know it’s terribly rude to drop in unannounced, but I had missed seeing you so much.”
Amber wasn’t in the mood. The past few days had worn out any good humour she possessed. “Oh shut up, Ronan. You invited me. Now do you have a plan or am I going to leave again?”
“Manners never hurt. It seems like you have them for everyone but me.”
Amber glanced towards Rian and wondered what tales he’d been telling Ronan. And he was right. She wasn’t usually this rude, but she had a very good excuse. She was sick of looking over her shoulder waiting for someone to attack her.
“I’m tired. It’s been a long week and when have you ever bothered to ask me how I’m doing? Cut the crap and get to the point.” Amber stared at Ronan, waiting to see how he’d take her comment. It was probably crazy to bait him, but if it was one thing she’d learned, Ronan hated weakness and pounced on it like a cat on a mouse. She wanted to be a mouse as much as she wanted to be a pigeon.
“I’ll send out several messages to places you could possibly be, letting them think I don’t know where to find you. That way we’ll have a greater chance of at least one message being intercepted. I believe there’s even someone already planted in the castle Kade plans to take you to. In the message I’ll give the time and location of where we’ll meet and allow you to bring one bodyguard.” Ronan gestured towards Rian. “I daresay they’ll try and take him out first, but if he lets anything happen to you he better hope they kill him.” He sent a warning look to his son before he returned his gaze to Amber. “You I will get to safety while my Gold Warriors come out of the Void and catch the assassin.”
“It sounds simple enough, but how do you know it’ll work?” Amber asked.
“Because I’ve done my homework.”
“Then what happens after that? You’ll only have the assassin, not the person who ordered the contract.”