Dragon Mates: Dragon Knights (The Sea Captain's Daughter Trilogy Book 3)

by Bianca D’Arc

  When they arrived at The Swan, Livia requested a private chamber for her small dinner party. She also requested that the resident minstrel be sent in to play some soothing background music while they dined. That request might be considered a bit out of character for Livia by people who knew her well, but it didn’t seem to raise an eyebrow among her companions or the inn’s proprietor.

  They were served several courses over the next hour, and while they dined, an older man with a neatly trimmed beard entered and began to play soothing melodies on his harp. Livia truly appreciated the man’s talent, but she was also eager to speak with him on the real mission that had brought her here. Wanting to squirm with impatience, she instead counseled herself to calm and bided her time. She talked business with her father’s employees, bringing them up to date on the company and her travels—at least as much as was prudent to discuss about her recent adventures. Much of her sojourn on Gryphon Isle would remain secret for a long time to come, she suspected.

  They shared a pleasant meal, and she was able to give her people specific instructions regarding the special cargo she had brought with her. At length, she sent them on their way, having fulfilled her duty to her company. The minstrel remained, forgotten by the others, but she was painstakingly aware of the man.

  Finally, she saw the last man off, saying she was still working on her dessert and not to worry about leaving her. She let them go believing that she was tired from her voyage and would probably seek her bed early.

  On the contrary, she hoped to have a much more eventful evening, depending on what she could learn from the minstrel. When the door closed behind the last employee, she was left alone with the minstrel at last.

  “So, milady, what is it you wish to learn from me?” the musician spoke before Livia could. He sent her a kindly smile that belied the spark of intelligence flaring in his gray eyes.

  “I was sent by Lady Krysta, Sir Drake and Sir Mace from Dragonscove. You know they are now the leaders of our Lair there, correct?” She didn’t see the point in beating around the bush. It was obvious the man knew she wanted more than just music from him.

  The minstrel nodded. “I have become aware of the change in leadership there. About time, I say.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, surprised at his forthright statement. She would have thought a spy would be more circumspect, but then again, what did she really know about spies anyway? “Well, Krysta intimated that you might be able to help me find someone and something.”

  “That very much depends on who and what,” he said with another disarming smile.

  “Of course.” Livia shifted in her chair to better see the man who sat off to one side of the room. “The who is Captain Fisk, a pirate who has been sending his fleet to attack peaceful folk all along this coast and even to Gryphon Isle. The what is a very old book he stole from someone who wants it back.”

  The minstrel set aside his harp and came to sit beside her. His expression had changed to one of concern. His voice, when he spoke, was low and would not carry beyond the room.

  “I have seen a book. A magic book.” His frown spoke volumes.

  “How did you know it was magic?”

  “We of the Black Dragon Clan know a great deal about the forgotten ways,” he answered mysteriously, but Livia recognized the Black Dragon Clan.

  They were rumored to be the leaders of all Jinn. Her father’s traders had dealings with them in many ports around the lands. They were powerful and, yes, incredibly mysterious.

  “You’re of the Black Dragon?” Livia shouldn’t have asked, but it was out of her mouth before she could call back her words.

  The Jinn minstrel eyed her for a moment. “You are new to this game, aren’t you? Though you run with the pirates and have friends in high places, you are not artful enough yet to be deep in the game.”

  “I’m not a spy, if that’s what you mean, though I do deal in sensitive information from time to time running my father’s company. I’m sorry if my words offended you. I’m simply trying to right a wrong that could have serious implications for not only this land, but all lands.”

  The man frowned again. “The book does not belong here.”

  “You can say that again.” Some of her frustration came out in her words, yet again.

  The minstrel surprised her with laughter. “Yes, you are young in this game, but you will learn if you play it more often. I believe you have a password for me?” One of his eyebrows arched in question.

  “Oh, yes, of course. I forgot.” Livia could have kicked herself. Krysta had been very specific. “The lady who sent me to you said to say the word skylark.”

  “To which I am to reply, valley of springs.” The man nodded at her as if she was a schoolgirl he was teaching. “Very good. Now, I will tell you what I have seen.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Hrardorr was content below the surface of the water for now. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on what his water hearing told him about the placement of the ship he was watching.

  When he opened his eyes, he would catch glimpses of what Seth was seeing, talking to strangers in the Healing Guild Hall. He’d been questioned and then invited to share a meal while also sharing news from Dragonscove and the Lair. It was a common practice, or so Seth assured him, when visiting a Guild Hall.

  Hrardorr enjoyed his glimpses of places he would never see—even if he had his own eyesight back—because the Guild Hall hadn’t been built with dragons in mind. He wouldn’t have fit through the doors.

  The thing that concerned him, was that the vision from Seth’s eyes was beginning to become unreliable. It faded or fuzzed and with no discernible pattern as to when it would fail or come back. So far, it had always come back in a few moments. Hrardorr knew the time was coming, though, when it wouldn’t come back at all and he would be truly blind. Again.

  He dreaded it. And, oddly, welcomed it. For only then would the last tie with Seth be severed, and Hrardorr wouldn’t have this all-encompassing temptation making him want to ruin Seth’s life by speaking the words of Claim over him.

  Hrardorr couldn’t do that to his friend. He couldn’t condemn Seth to a life spent nursing a blind dragon. Having to wait on his dragon hand and foot and always be there to be his eyes. Humans trained dogs for that kind of work. Hrardorr wouldn’t make Seth into his seeing-eye dog. It wouldn’t be fair.

  No matter how much he wanted to. Not only because he wanted to see—even through a human’s eyes—but also because that might open up other possibilities.

  He could no more saddle Genlitha with a blind mate than he could betray Seth’s trust by choosing him. But the temptation was there. It was so tantalizing. So alluring. He wanted to do it, but his honor and pride kept him from committing the ultimate sin and hurting his friends and the one he would always love.

  The awful truth was the spell was failing faster than Gryffid had told them to expect. At this rate, Hrardorr was afraid he’d be totally blind again in a matter of hours, instead of the days they’d been promised. He tried to be philosophical about it, but it was hard. He wanted so much to retrieve the book and be the hero just one last time before he slunk off to lick his wounds again, hiding from the sighted world and eventually fading into oblivion. It’s what he’d resigned himself to, but now, of course his family had gotten involved.

  Hrardorr tried not to sigh. Letting bubbles go underwater might betray his position if anyone was looking for dragons in the water. And judging by where this pirate ship had last been seen, they’d be awfully stupid to not be considering attack—or at least surveillance—from below.

  Fisk hadn’t gotten this far by being stupid.

  *

  “I saw the book,” the minstrel told Livia. She could hardly believe her luck. But she had to be sure he saw the right book.

  “What did it look like?”

  “It was only a flash, you understand, but it was very old, and it reeked of magic. Ancient magic. The kind that should not be in the hands of mortal
men.” The minstrel scowled.

  “Again, I have to ask, how do you know? I understand the Black Dragon Clan is acquainted with magic, but I need to be certain this is the right book or precious time will be wasted tracking down the wrong thing.” Livia felt desperate, but tried not to let it show.

  The old man eyed her speculatively. “What do you know of the island beyond the shore?”

  “Gryphon Isle?” she asked, noting the way he jumped when she said the name. This man hadn’t expected her to know much, she suspected. She’d managed to surprise him. Maybe she could do so again. She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the fine handkerchiefs she’d purchased in the market on Gryphon Isle for her own use. Such fine weaving, silk and embroidery was hard to come by on the mainland. “As it happens, I know a great deal about it.”

  The minstrel dropped all pretense and reached for the hanky she held out to him. He examined it closely, his expression one of awe.

  “You’ve been there? Truly? Or was this sent to you?” He looked up from his examination of the handkerchief to ask.

  “I just got back. The book was stolen from someone who lives there, and it is imperative we get it back to him.”

  “Sweet Mother of All! Do you mean to say the book is… Is it one of…his? The great wizard’s?” The man made a sign of protection as his eyes went wide. Livia merely nodded while the man sputtered a moment, completely losing his cool façade. He took a moment to recover then sat forward in his chair. “Well, then. You must retrieve this book at all costs. Such things should not be out in our world. They are far too dangerous.”

  Livia nodded. “So I have been informed.” Finally, she felt a little more in control of this interview.

  “This very afternoon, I witnessed a meeting in the taproom between a man my clan knows to be an agent of Skithdron and a man I have never seen before. The unknown man was dressed as a common sailor, but he walked as if he owned the place. Playing dress-up, I thought. He had the book and showed just a corner of it to the Skithdronian agent. The agent tried to pay the purported sailor with a small pouch of gold, but it was refused. They agreed to meet here again, at which time the agent would bring a much larger sum.”

  Livia sensed they were on to something. She asked detailed questions about each of the men and matched the description of the sailor to her father’s memory of Fisk’s appearance. It sounded like Fisk. And that he had the book in his possession certainly made her think it was Fisk.

  She relayed her information to Hrardorr while she spoke to the minstrel, and the dragon took the time to tell everyone else. They would converge on this inn tonight and set the best trap they could devise, but she needed to know one more very important piece of information first.

  “When do they plan to meet again?” Livia asked the minstrel.

  “Tomorrow at dusk. The plan is to meet here to dine and pass the book while the place is busy. It is a common ploy used by this particular agent. We have been watching him for some time.”

  Livia wondered if the minstrel and his cohorts had been watching this agent for the Jinn or for the crown. She had no doubt about the former and hoped very much for the latter, as well, but of course, she couldn’t ask.

  Livia ended up taking a suite of rooms at The Swan for the night. The dragons were content in the quarters Livia had arranged for them, while Livia and her two favorite men were free to spend the night together, plotting for the next day and enjoying another blessed stolen night together.

  “As inns go, this isn’t a bad one,” Gowan mused, coming in the door of Livia’s rented room, a tray in his hands. “I had a good look round and wound up in the kitchen. Cook set us up with a tray of nibbles, as she called them.” Gowan deposited the tray on the table by the fireplace.

  “Did you charm the old dear?” Livia asked, certain Gowan had. He might seem gruff on the outside, but he had a heart of pure gold.

  “She reminded me of Cook Tilly back at home,” he admitted, though he seldom talked about his childhood or family.

  “I bet Tilly spoiled you too,” Livia said softly, a smile on her face as he met her gaze.

  “She did that,” he agreed. “Tilly was far too good to the likes of me.”

  “Oh, I can’t believe that,” Livia said, moving closer until she could walk right into his arms. He enfolded her in his embrace, and they just stood there for a moment, enjoying the freedom to just be together, and the closeness of each other. “You’re one of the finest men I know, Gowan.”

  Whatever he might’ve said in reply was halted by the opening of the door. Seth walked in, shutting the door quickly and locking it.

  “You two are a sight for sore eyes,” Seth said, keeping his voice pitched low. “There are newcomers arriving,” he said, explaining his hasty arrival. “Taking the suite next to this one, I believe.”

  Gowan let her go, and both men made a tour of the rooms she had rented, spending time in the bedroom on the far side—the smaller one of the two that came with the suite. She walked to that door and found them both with their ears pressed against the wall, listening.

  Livia wanted to laugh at the looks of concentration on their faces, but knew they were being cautious for good reason. They listened a moment longer, then as one, turned and walked toward the door to the central sitting room. Livia preceded them out the door, and Seth closed the door behind them before anyone spoke.

  “They sound ordinary, but we won’t be using that room tonight,” Seth observed as Gowan nodded in agreement, a frown on his face.

  “We’ll keep that door shut.” He gestured toward the door they’d just closed. “Ought to provide enough of a barrier between us and them. The bigger bedroom is on the corner of the building, so there’s much less possibility of being overheard by next door neighbors.”

  Livia wondered why anyone would be listening in on her bedroom and figured the boys were just taking things a little too seriously. She couldn’t fault them, though. They just wanted to keep her safe and protect their mission. A lot of lives were depending on their success.

  “To be on the safe side, we’ll limit serious topics to this room only, and then, only in a low voice that can’t be overheard from the hallway,” Gowan went on, Seth nodding agreement this time.

  “Fair enough,” Livia also agreed, heading for the table that held the tray Gowan had brought up. “But, for now, let’s see what sort of nibbles Cook sent up.”

  They talked over their plans for the following day and even checked in with the dragons. Genlitha and Hrardorr were both in the boathouse Livia had arranged for them. Genlitha would stay inside all night while Hrardorr swam intermittent patrols underwater. They both would keep an eye—in their individual ways—on the comings and goings on the docks. Genlitha would watch out the windows of the boathouse while Hrardorr sensed movement in the water from below. They would let their human friends know immediately if they spotted Fisk or if something else momentous happened.

  After the tray of nibbles was long gone and they’d rehashed their plan several times, Livia finally got up, yawned and led the way into the bedroom. She wasn’t sure about the guys, but she definitely didn’t want to waste the rest of this night—a night alone with her men away from everyone who knew them—talking. No, she wanted action, and she hoped they did too.

  Livia needn’t have worried. Seth and Gowan followed her into the bedroom almost immediately. Gowan took the precaution of locking the door before joining her by the bed, but the look on his chiseled face told her his thoughts were in the same place as hers in that moment.

  Gowan took a seat on the side of the bed and left Seth and Livia standing before him. He looked very serious, which she took to mean this was going to be one of those times when he wanted to be in charge. Livia felt a little thrill of excitement course down her spine at the idea. She liked it when Gowan took control.

  “Undress her slowly, Seth,” Gowan commanded in a quiet voice. Livia looked from Gowan to Seth and realized Seth was excited too. He like
d the idea of undressing her and playing the game Gowan devised.

  Seth took her into his arms and kissed her, seeming to seek her agreement before his hands went to the fastenings on her clothing. She gave him all the encouragement she could and was gratified when the fabric began to slip away under his touch. Before she knew it, she was bare from the waist up.

  “Turn her around,” Gowan ordered. “Show me what you’ve uncovered there.”

  Obligingly, Seth turned her in his arms until she faced Gowan. Seth cupped her breasts, as if showing them off, and Gowan smiled appreciatively, that edge of command in the twist of his lips.

  “Nice,” was Gowan’s only comment for a few moments as Seth kissed her neck, making her head loll to one side while his fingers toyed with the points of her nipples. After a few more minutes of this treatment—exactly how long, she couldn’t say because her senses were swimming with Seth’s touch—Gowan gave them his next order. “Now the skirt,” he said sharply, making her suck in a breath as her excitement peaked.

  How he could excite her with words alone, she would never fully understand. All right, he did have more than a bit of help from Seth, but still…

  Seth undid the lacings holding her skirts in place, and a moment later, they slid down her thighs. The undergarments went with them under Seth’s skillfull ministrations. Livia stood in a puddle of cloth, her body bare to her men.

  Finally.

  “Stand with your legs farther apart, Livia,” Gowan told her. Feeling her pussy flood with excitement, she complied.

  Gowan didn’t need to speak, merely looked up at Seth, then back down at Livia’s thighs for his next order. Sure enough, Seth moved his hands downward, resting first on her thighs—one on each side—then moving inward, his fingers spreading her folds, the colder air of the room hitting the sensitive nub at the apex of her thighs.