Do you think that is what is happening? His dragon shook his head firmly. Our treasure is a part of us. It’s not calling us to our doom. It’s calling to us because it’s a part of us.
How do you know that? Ivan sucked in a deep breath and relaxed as Larisa’s calming effect flooded through him.
Because I do. His dragon gnashed his teeth and paced around in Ivan’s head. I can’t explain it but the song in our heads is like a lullaby, it’s just that someone has turned the volume up too loud.
Ivan gave a short laugh. That’s one way to describe it.
“Ivan.” Larisa’s voice drew him back to the people in the car.
“The wrong way around?” He vaguely recalled her question.
“Yes. What if you need to find your treasure so you can help people?” Larisa didn’t make any sense. How could his treasure help people? So far, all Ivan knew about dragons was death and betrayal.
“Yes. That the treasure, your treasure, is the start of putting things right. That the treasure led you here so that you could meet this fae. That you are supposed to learn something from him that will help you solve the mystery of your parents’ death and that will shed light on what really happened to Murray,” Zara said. “Don’t forget how many people are caught up in this. It’s not just Larisa’s family, it’s Belle’s family, too. And Caleb and Aiden.”
“I understand,” Ivan murmured.
“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.” Larisa gently stroked his cheek and he turned to face her.
“Do I look that bad?” He wiped his hand over his forehead which was clammy to the touch.
“You keep zoning out.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. “But you’re here now.”
He breathed deeply. “You keep me here.” He looked down at his lap and then raised his head. “Thank you. All of you. I don’t think I’d have gotten this far alone.”
“You’re not alone,” Larisa reminded him. “You have us and you have your brothers and Valerie. Whatever happens, we will always be there for you. And with you.”
“Okay, we’re close.” Zara slowed the truck and pulled over to the side of the road. “Do we have a plan or are we going to go in and see what happens?”
“We go in and play it by ear,” Ivan said. “We have Hannah’s note. We don’t have to mention the treasure.”
Larisa pursed her lips together and turned her gaze from him as she pulled one of the vials from her pocket. “Then maybe you should take more of this?”
Ivan shook his head. “I want to be alert. And anyway, if this fae is one of the good guys, if he is guarding my father’s treasure, I’m going to need to prove to him that it’s rightfully mine.”
“And drooling like a crazy person is going to prove that?” Karros asked drily.
“That’s the plan.” Ivan grinned. “Either that or I’ll shift and show him who I really am.”
“Let’s save that plan as a last resort.” Zara put her foot down on the gas and drove back onto the road.
Ivan stared out of the window focusing on their surroundings as they drew closer to the treasure. The forests surrounding them were similar to the wildwoods where Hannah lived. The trees grew tall and strong, and the undergrowth was thick in places, almost impenetrable, yet there were also glimpses of woodland glades filled with dappled sunlight and pretty blue flowers.
“I haven’t been this way for years,” Karros said. “When I was a child, Grandma Hannah used to read us stories about elves. In the stories, this was one of the last strongholds of the elves.”
“What happened to them?” Larisa asked.
“The stories go that centuries ago the fae encroached on their territory and we fought, often. A long, bitter peace lasted for a century or more before the elves left.”
“Left?” Larisa asked. “Where did they go?”
“No one really knows, or if they did, no one ever said. The fae took over the realms and made their courts. The elves became nothing more than a myth. Or maybe they were a myth all along.”
“Like King Arthur and Merlin. We have similar myths.” Larisa stared out of the window at the tall trees. It was as if something was lurking just out of sight. As if something truly was stirring.
Ivan blinked and tried to keep a focus on the people in the truck. He needed to stay grounded. He needed to keep it together for all their sakes.
Karros half-turned in his seat and studied Larisa for a moment. “You remind me of them. At least the ones in fairy tales. They had white hair and pale blue eyes. And they rode on the backs of dragons in the storybooks Grandma Hannah used to read to us.”
“We’re here.” Zara’s tense tone abruptly ended the conversation and Karros turned around to stare out of the windshield.
“Wow, Grandma Hannah failed to mention Gilliam lived in one of the palaces.” Karros sucked in a breath. “This just got more interesting. Maybe we should mention that your brother is the mate of Flora Delavere of the Starlight Realm. It might help boost our lowly status.”
Zara stopped outside of a pair of tall iron gates that looked as if they hadn’t been opened for decades. “Did we find the rear entrance?”
“No, this is it.” Karros leaned forward and stared at the gates, then he opened the door and got out. “Stay here.” He put his hand out to them and then took a run at the gates and vaulted over.
“Karros!” Zara got out of the truck and went to the gates, gripping them with both hands as if she planned to pull them down.
“Stay there. I’ll be safe.” He jogged out of sight and Zara stared after him.
“He might be safe,” Larisa murmured. “But two shifters and an elf look-alike might run into problems.”
“Especially if one of those shifters is a dragon.” Ivan leaned back in his seat. “We should sit tight and wait for Karros.”
Sitting tight is not my thing, his dragon puffed but neither of them wanted to make trouble.
At least not yet.
Chapter Nineteen – Larisa
They waited in the truck. The tension in the cab grew with each minute that passed.
“I should go look for him.” Zara put her hand on the door, but Ivan leaned forward and gripped her shoulder lightly, but firmly.
“We need to give Karros a chance. If we get out and go inside the palace gates, we might ruin whatever he might be trying to achieve.” Ivan tried to soothe Zara, who switched her hand from the door to the steering wheel, gripping it so tightly the whites of her knuckles showed.
“I know you’re right.” She slumped back in her seat. “But there’s something about this place. My shifter senses don’t seem to work as well.”
“Mine, too. And I know how hard it is for you to sit here and do nothing. But that’s exactly what we need to do. For now.” Ivan slid his hand off Zara’s shoulder.
“Does he have a cell phone? We could call him on that, couldn’t we?” Larisa didn’t dare let go of Ivan’s hand. Before she’d taken hold of it, he’d looked like a wild animal on the trail of his prey. The dragon treasure was having a terrible effect on him. Would that ever go away?
“Just relax.” Ivan seemed to be the calmest one in the truck right now. Their roles had switched, which came as some relief to Larisa. Was this the result of whatever had dampened Zara’s shifter senses? Yet as they drove here, Ivan had been able to sense his treasure, that part of him hadn’t been subdued.
She breathed out and nodded. This would all work out. They were right where they were supposed to be. She believed it, she believed in fate.
Staring out of the window, she caught her reflection in the window and brushed her hair back from her face. Her hair was almost white, when she was younger, she’d loved the way the sun reflected off the translucent strands. However, during her teenage years, she’d thought about dying it darker many times. It made her stand out at a time in her life when all she wanted to do was blend in.
“I can sense someone.” Zara frowned. “Damn, it’s like they have one
of those gadgets that scrambles radio waves.”
“Can you still sense your treasure?” Larisa asked quietly.
Ivan nodded, the dark rings under his eyes more pronounced. “It comes and goes in waves.” He clutched her hand tighter and raised it. “This helps more than you could ever know.”
“What happens if I have to let go?”
“I’ll handle it,” he assured her.
“Karros is close, he’s coming toward us.” Zara jerked the truck door open and got out.
“Should we go, too?” Larisa asked.
“No, let’s stay put. I don’t know how visible I am.” He wiped his hand across his forehead. “Damn it.”
“There’s Karros.” Larisa switched her focus from Ivan and watched as the fae approached with an older man by his side. “Do you think that’s Gilliam?”
“Let’s find out.” Ivan inhaled deeply and opened the truck door. He paused and took another breath as if fighting off a wave of pain before he got out of the truck.
Larisa didn’t let go of his hand as she slid across the seat and stood next to him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes.” Ivan nodded but didn’t look at her, his attention was fixed on Karros and the older man who approached the gates with a set of keys in his hand.
The fae was tall, well over six foot two, and slender, not a broad-shouldered shifter. Yet for his age, he walked upright and proud. Larisa shivered, there was something about the fae that made her skin prickle, and the hairs on her arms stand on end. Perhaps it was a natural reaction for someone who had been born and raised outside of the fae realm, or maybe it was a reaction from those who were from the world beyond. When they were alone, Larisa planned to ask Zara about it since she too had been born in the world beyond and had only recently met the fae.
If meeting the fae had the same effect on her, that would have been kind of awkward since her mate was fae. Or perhaps it didn’t work the same for shifters since they also had a natural magic of their own.
“Karros, are you all right?” Zara went to the gate and reached out for Karros as he approached. “I was worried.”
“I’m fine.” He nodded as he took hold of her hand. “This is Gilliam.”
“Hello.” Gilliam spoke quietly as he unlocked the gate, which sagged even more as the lock clicked open. “Could you help me with this? I can’t remember the last time this gate was opened. I don’t get visitors very often. Sometimes I wonder if anyone ever remembers I’m here at all.”
“I told Gilliam that Hannah sent us,” Karros explained. “I also told him you have a note from her. Which will hopefully explain why we’re here.”
“A fact you have avoided telling me,” Gilliam said lightly as they manhandled the left gate open. “If you want to drive in here, we will have to open this gate, too.” The fae placed his hand on his lower back. “I had forgotten how heavy they are.”
“Let me help.” Ivan stepped forward and broke his hold on Larisa’s hand. For a moment he stopped dead in his tracks but then he seemed to recover himself and went to the gate. Gripping it tightly, he heaved it backward on his own before Karros and Gilliam came to help him.
As they worked, Gilliam stared at Ivan with intrigue. “You look like your father.” Gilliam’s words brought the gate moving to a halt and they all stared at the fae, unsure of his reaction. But the older man smiled sadly. “I think your face explains why you are here more than any note ever could. Even a note from Hannah.”
“You know who I am?” Ivan’s low voice was edged with steel. As he straightened up, he was in complete control.
“I know who you are.” Gilliam nodded. “You have your father’s eyes and mouth.”
Ivan’s jaw tensed and he gripped the metal gate with his right hand and leaned on it for support. “I never met him. I’ve never seen a picture of him.”
Gilliam nodded. “I’m sorry you never got a chance to meet him. He was one of the best men I ever met.”
“Coming from a fae that means a lot,” Ivan replied.
Gilliam chuckled. “My people are not fond of dragons, that’s true.” He glanced at Karros. “Yet here you are with a fae.”
“Zara is my brothers’ sister.” He put his finger to his temple. “My adopted brothers.”
Gilliam smiled gently. “Adopted.” His eyes filled with sadness. “I’m sorry for the loss of your parents. No child deserves that. But I’m happy you had a family to raise you.”
“Thank you,” Ivan said. “Unfortunately, I don’t remember my parents at all.”
Gilliam’s face crumpled before he inhaled deeply, his back straight as he rolled his shoulders and went back to moving the gate. “Let’s get you inside. There’s much to talk about it seems.”
Zara hesitated, her eyes fixed on Karros for a moment before she turned around and went back to the truck. Hauling herself into the driver’s seat, she switched on the engine and put the truck in drive. As soon as there was enough room for the truck to squeeze through the gates, she drove inside.
“Let’s close it up.” Gilliam heaved on the gate and with their help, the gates were closed and locked once more.
With them on the inside.
If this went wrong, if this was a trap then they were caught like caged animals.
Larisa looked over her shoulder at the forest outside of the gate. There was no one out there, no witnesses to their arrival. Only Hannah knew where they were heading. Hannah, who Karros believed was in possible danger.
“You don’t trust me.” Gilliam stood in front of her, his eyes fixed on hers.
“I don’t know you and we’re trapped in here with you.” She pointed toward the gates. “Are they to keep people in or people out?”
Gilliam smiled at her, his eyes crinkled at the edges. “A little of both,” he admitted. “But I am the only one here.”
“You’re alone in this place?” Larisa’s surprise made his smile widen.
“Do you think I could expect anyone else to live in the ruins like this?” He inclined his head toward the truck. “Come, I’d like to get the truck and all of you out of sight. Most people will be fooled by the spell Hannah cast but some of us can still see the dragon beneath the surface.”
“You can?” Larisa’s concern rocketed.
“You’re his mate?” Gilliam was incredibly perceptive. Scarily so.
“She is.” Ivan was by her side, his arm around her shoulders. Did he think he needed to protect her from Gilliam?
“Good. Your father would be happy.” Gilliam looked from Larisa to Ivan before he nodded and walked toward the truck. “This way.” He waved to Zara, and she drove slowly after him as he led her under an archway that looked as if it might crumble to the ground at any moment.
“Do you trust him?” Larisa asked.
“He knew my father,” Ivan answered.
“That isn’t what I asked.” Larisa shuddered. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Because Gilliam is a fae?” Ivan walked after the truck, and she followed.
“Yeah. He gives me the chills. I don’t know why.” She looked up at the ruined building that must have been magnificent once.
“Maybe because you are descended from the people they went to war with.” Ivan was half-joking as he studied her features. “You do look like an elf. I never thought of it before, but you look just like the people in the storybooks Valerie used to read to us.”
“I don’t think elves are real,” Larisa replied.
“You didn’t think vampires were real either. But they are.” He shrugged. “Maybe elves were real once. Maybe the stories come from real-life events that happened long ago. If you are a descendant, it’s in your blood to distrust them. Just like it’s in Gilliam’s blood to mistrust me.”
“But you believe he helped your father and that he’ll help you.” She had to let go of her prejudice toward Gilliam or risk ruining their chance to find out the truth about what happened between Gilliam and Ivan’s father.
&n
bsp; “I hope he helped my father and that he’ll help us.” Ivan smiled down at her, and she leaned on his shoulder. An instant look of relief swept across his face.
“How are you doing? Being this close to your treasure must be hard.”
“I don’t want Gilliam to see how hard,” Ivan admitted. “I don’t want him to sense my weakness.”
“So you don’t trust him?”
“I live in hope, Larisa. Hope that we can get answers. Hope that we can resolve all of this.” He stopped walking and turned to face her. As he cupped her face in his hands and brushed his lips over hers, he murmured, “Hope that we can have a long life together. A life my father and mother were cheated out of.”
“Then let’s go find out exactly what Gilliam knows.” Larisa threaded her fingers through his and lifted his hand to her lips. She kissed the back of his hand, her eyes on his. “We will have a long life together, Ivan.”
He nodded but as he turned away from her, she wasn’t sure he believed that to be true.
But she would do whatever it took to make it happen. She might not be a shifter or have the gifts fae seemed to possess but that didn’t mean she was useless.
Her human senses would sniff out if Gilliam was a rat.
She looked over her shoulder at the locked gate. One way or another, they would get out of here, even if it was on the back of Ivan’s dragon with a fae army at their back.
Larisa put her fingers to her temple. Was that a premonition or a memory? No. It must have been a fantasy. One she hoped would not come true.
Chapter Twenty – Ivan
Our treasure is near. His dragon’s tail thrashed from side to side like an angry cat about to claw someone’s face off.
Calm down, Ivan told him.
How can I stay calm when so much is at stake? His dragon puffed smoke out of his nostrils. Although Ivan sensed his dragon would rather be breathing fire over the fae palace, burning it to the ground so that his treasure would finally be revealed.
A little more patience. Ivan wanted to deal with this calmly. He certainly didn’t want to anger Gilliam, who might have all the answers they were seeking.
The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance Page 13