by DJ Michaels
“Are you sure I look okay? I’m not sure this is the right color for a formal hearing.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “There is a color for a Council meeting?”
“You know what I mean.”
No, he didn’t have the slightest clue. “You look lovely, as always.” He held out his hand. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.”
She came to him and placed her small, soft hand in his, falling in beside him as he walked her out of their quarters, down the hallway and into the landing.
Benmonth and Annlyss were already waiting, both tacked in double saddles. There had been some discussion between the dragons about who would carry Chelsea, to the point where he and Ari had been forced to intervene. The suggestion that they simply take turns had been pounced on with typical dragon logic, so Chelsea was going to travel to town on Annlyss and return on Benmonth.
Annlyss almost vibrated with pleasure when Tarkan assisted Chelsea to sit behind Ari and helped her strap in. He stroked the dragon’s storm-gray scales. You seem happy.
I am. She replied. The other blacks are quite jealous that Benmonth and I have our own pet. I want them all to see her on my back.
Tarkan rolled his eyes. Chelsea isn’t a pet. She’s a person.
Yes, that’s what Ari says. And he could hear in her voice she didn’t think the observation was at all relevant.
Not one to fight a dragon in a losing battle, Tarkan ignored Annlyss and turned his attention to a female who actually made sense to him, mostly. “Your harness will keep you firmly on Annlyss’ back. She could fly upside down and you won’t fall off.” Chelsea’s eyes popped and he laughed. “She’ll fly straight and upright today, I promise.”
Ari reached behind him and grabbed her arms, guiding them around his waist. “Just hold on to me, pretty girl, and you’ll be fine.”
Tarkan levered himself up and pressed his mouth to hers, pleased with himself for keeping the kiss tongueless. “See you on the ground.”
He slid down Annlyss’ leg, jogged over to Benmonth and climbed into the saddle. The doors rolled open and the moment she had enough wing-room Annlyss launched herself into the sky. Then Benmonth moved forward and carried Tarkan out into the endless blue.
The air on his face, the sun on his skin and heavy dragon muscle pumping under his body had always been a magic combination for him. It was the one thing above all others that made him feel alive. He looked over at Chelsea and Ari, wrapped around each other and Tarkan mentally revised his list. Riding dragon-back just got relegated to second position.
As soon as they were in the air Jax and Kaelum flew down and took lead position while Dev and Rye tucked in behind Ari and Tarkan. They wanted a show of solidarity, not force and with the Den Commander and two out of the four Den Captains in attendance there would be no confusion about where den loyalties lay. And six blacks were quite a statement in their own right.
It didn’t take long to get to the town limits and they made for the landing on the roof of the council chambers. There were several landings on strategic rooftops around the town and surrounding estates. Most parks also had a clearing large enough to accommodate a pair of blacks.
Jax and Kaelum’s dragons dropped down to land while the other four flew in a tight circle. As soon as their riders disembarked Tengale and Jaysada took to the skies to make room for the next pair.
Tarkan leaned back in the saddle as Benmonth arced downward. The dragon’s claws barely touched ground before Tarkan started unbuckling and unsnapping his harness. Slithering to the ground he turned to help Chelsea but Jax already had her on the ground and Ari was only a beat behind. Benmonth and Annlyss lifted off and the last pair, Fellescend and Zenbaylan, descended to offload Dev and Rye.
The Enforcers moved into formation with Chelsea tucked safely at their center and made their way into the most official, most heavily guarded building in Sapphire.
They entered the building unchallenged and as they traveled down the stairs floor by floor, Tarkan realized something was very wrong. They should have encountered several of the town guard by now and as they approached the second floor the Enforcers went on high alert. As they neared the council chambers, a low hum of angry voices became audible and Tarkan palmed his knife as they rounded the final corner.
The chamber doors were closed and there were at least fifty people milling in the corridor demanding entry. Members of the town guard crowded around the periphery and six members of Tollanare Ghananstall’s personal security team were braced shoulder-to-shoulder across the doorway.
Jax didn’t slow his pace so Tarkan moved closer to Chelsea and put his arm around her waist just as Ari moved in to do the same. Sheltering her between them they tucked in behind Jax and Kaelum, allowing the authority of the Den Commander to part the crowd.
“Stand aside.” Jaxmyre’s voice rang out and everyone within hearing distance jumped to his bidding, including the members of the guard. People moved back, ebbing like a tide under the weight of Jax’s authority. The fact that he was one of the most physically imposing members of the den didn’t hurt his cause either.
Then only six remained and they all wore the Ghananstall colors of brown and gold. Jax halted and loomed. “Stand aside.”
“No one is to be admitted to the chamber,” one of the security men said.
“The Council doesn’t have the authority to ban me from any building in which official business is being conducted.”
Tarkan didn’t know if that was true, but it certain sounded impressive. But not to the Ghananstall’s man. “The Council can do what it wants.”
“Incorrect. As Den Commander I have the authority to participate in any official Council meeting. If that right is denied I am permitted, by law, to take whatever actions I deem appropriate.” Jax cast a look over his shoulder and then turned back to Ghananstall’s last line of defense. “There are six of us and six of you. And if I ask it of them, every man and woman here not in uniform will come to my assistance.” Jax straightened up and stepped back. “So you need to choose between following an illegal order and eating through a straw for the rest of your life.”
Tarkan tried not to snicker, he really did, but the look on the security guard’s face when he realized Jax was serious was hilarious.
There was a whispered order, a bit of shuffling and as the security team moved aside the huge double doors creaked open. Jax stormed through as if the chamber was a part of his own personal fiefdom and the Enforcers were right on his heels. They marched to the front of the chamber and the townsfolk spilled in behind them, hurrying to find a seat so they didn’t miss anything. The council chamber could seat almost one hundred people but if word of this meeting spread like it should, it wouldn’t be long before there would only be room to stand.
As soon as they’d entered the room the councilmen rose to their feet but their indignant outrage had to wait until the noise of the excited crowd died down. Eventually Medalyn Consbaregh’s dignity couldn’t stand it anymore and he began yelling over the noise. “What do you people think you’re doing? Get out. This is a special order session and it is closed to the public.”
Nobody paid him any attention and it was a little while before everyone was seated and quiet. The Enforcers had claimed seats in the front row and Tarkan pulled Chelsea down to sit tight between him and Ari. She linked her fingers with theirs and bought their hands to her lap, pressing the back of his hand to Ari’s.
Then Dev stood up and as he moved to the small open area in front of the councilors’ table, Tarkan lowered his head to whisper in Chelsea’s ear. “Be prepared to be impressed, love. Dev could argue a dragon out of its scales.”
He just hoped Dev could argue the Council into decency.
Chapter Twenty
Chelsea looked up at Dev, not all that convinced he was the man for the job. He was almost as big as Jax—who was the tallest, muscliest Enforcer she’d met so far—and looked more like a professional wrestler than a well-educated lawyer
. His dark-purple hair was a handspan too long and his eyes were glacier blue. He was striking to look at, but in the short time Chelsea had spent with him she’d assessed him as the strong, silent type. She wasn’t at all confident in his ability to talk their way out of this.
Then he took a breath and his deep voice rolled out over the room. “Honored Councilmen, I am Devonelle Sharmanchere, keeper at Sapphire den.”
Chelsea leaned into Tarkan. “What’s a keeper?”
“They maintain our records,” he whispered. “Births, deaths, dragon pairs and their partners. All laws, traditions and histories. Dev specializes in the administrative laws of Sapphire.”
Not sure if she was any the wiser, she turned her attention to the front of the room.
Dev stood tall, his hands relaxed by his side. “It is my understanding that the special order session has been called to examine the validity of the contract between Den Captain Arian Plenastenery, Enforcer Tarkan Benestaire and the human woman Chelsea McMullin. Is this correct?”
Tollanare Ghananstall rose to his feet. “We do not answer to you, Enforcer.”
“I’m afraid in this you must, Councilor. Under Gemarran law, a contract can only be broken if one of the signatories brings the other to mediation, or if it can be proven that physical or emotional abuse has been inflicted on one mate by the other. The Council doesn’t have the legal or moral right to void a contract between two or more consenting adults.”
Tollanare smiled and slowly sank to his seat and Chelsea’s heart sank with him. Tollanare was young but he had an air of command about him and that smile on his face was so full of self-satisfaction Chelsea knew they’d walked into some kind of trap.
“That’s where your point of contention fails, Enforcer,” Tollanare said. “When the Council first made arrangements to rescue the Earth women from Brightstar, there were concerns raised about their place in our world and how best to protect them. We knew they would come to us with no family, no means of support and no knowledge of our world. The Council decided that the best way to protect Sapphire’s newest inhabitants was to bring them directly and legally under our care. The mating contract isn’t legal until this Council ratifies it in our capacity as Chelsea McMullin’s legal guardians.”
Chelsea had been clutching tight to her men but she threw their hands aside as she jumped to her feet. “Are you telling me you have legal control over me? That I can’t make any decision for myself without first coming to the Council for permission?”
Tollanare nodded. “That is correct.”
Bastards. The hot prickle of temper shot through her body and heated her cheeks. “So for all intents and purposes, you own me. I can’t go anywhere, do anything—including legalizing my relationship—without your say-so.”
One of the other councilmen nodded his head. “It’s for your protection and the protection of the other women.”
That pompous little gnome looked so pleased with himself she wanted to launch herself over the table and beat him to a pulp. Or better still, she’d get Ari and Tarkan to do it for her. This asshole didn’t even know her, how was he supposed to decide what was good or bad for her?
“Protection my ass.” She stomped over to stand beside Dev who, magnificent man that he was, put a steadying hand at the small of her back. “You’re a bunch of lying hypocrites. Those laws weren’t drafted to protect human women, they were made so you and your bum-kissing toadies would have a nice tidy pool of women to choose from. And that makes you different to Brightstar, how?”
“Madam, moderate your language at once,” the gnome said, his round face flushing red.
Chelsea cast a quick look at Ari and Tarkan and they gave her the nod to keep going, god love them.
“I will not moderate my language or my outrage. You can all go fuck—”
The now not-magnificent Dev clapped a hand over her mouth and held her tight to his oversized body. “Honored Councilors, what Chelsea is trying to address is the inconsistency in how this law relates the Earth women. When the Enforcers were asked to go on the rescue mission, we were assured that any women we bought back would be given full citizenship status. If that has been done, then they have no need of oversight from the Council.”
Chelsea resisted the urge to bite Dev’s hand and she tried to relax enough that he would feel safe letting her go. Then she would jump the bloody table herself. Unfortunately he must have read her mind because as soon as he released her mouth he slid his hand down her back and grabbed a fistful of her bustle.
“They have not been granted citizenship yet,” Tollanare said. “We thought it prudent to hold off on that until the women were more settled and educated in our ways.”
Chelsea snorted. “You mean you wanted to keep control of us until we were safely married off to men of the Council’s choosing.”
“That’s not what we meant at all.” Tollanare sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “When we made these decisions we knew very little about Earth women and we felt these laws were the best way to protect the people of Sapphire and the females we rescued.”
“Well, you know us now.” Chelsea took a long breath, did her best to rein in her temper and tried to sound calm and reasonable. “You know we pose no threat, you know we are intelligent beings capable of following your laws. If we are not slaves then—by definition—we have the right to self-determination.”
She almost had Tollanare, she could see it in his eyes. And then the hideous gnome piped up again. “Clearly you are not capable of following our laws, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She gave him her best saccharine smile. “I should have said we would follow the laws that are fair, decent and equitable.”
“Madam, I will have you arrested if you continue this impertinence.”
Ha, she’d like to see him try. Her men would rip him a new one if he so much as laid a finger on her. She was about to make the offer when there was a commotion way at the back of the room.
Chelsea turned—as much as she could with Dev’s meaty fist still clutching her skirt—and saw Sorcha’s flaming-red hair bobbing toward her. When she got close enough she stared yelling and her pear-shaped Boston vowels were music to Chelsea’s ears.
“Stop! Let me through. Don’t make any rash decisions. I have a message you need to hear.” She continued on, now clearly talking to the people in her way. “Holy Mary Mother of God, will you move your stupid asses before we all die in a ball of flame?”
She burst through the crowd in a swath of tangerine silk and stalked to Chelsea, glaring at her with her fiery green eyes. “You, Miss Australia, are in so much trouble.”
Chelsea winked at her. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“No, I mean it.” Sorcha waved her hand in the air. “I’m talking Armageddon, hellfire, brimstone, the whole shebang.”
Okay, now Chelsea was confused. “I’m sending us all to hell because I want to marry Ari and Tarkan?”
“No, you idiot.” Then Sorcha clapped her hands over her ears and screamed at the ceiling. “All right! I’m getting to it. Just give me a goddamn minute!”
She dropped her hands, tossed her head like a nineteen-twenties starlet and positioned herself to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Chelsea.
“My name is Sorcha Meehan. I am one of the rescued Earth women and I have a message for the Council from Tengale, dragon partner to Den Commander Jaxmyre Randovar.”
Jax shot to his feet and held out his hand like he was trying to stop a rock fall. “No, no, no.”
Sorcha planted her hands on her hips. “Yes, yes, yes. Tengale has been shouting in my head for a solid half hour and he won’t shut up until I say his piece. And if I can’t get him to shut up I’m going to kill myself. After I kill him.”
“This is a bad idea,” Jax said.
“I know.” Sorcha pointed to the sky. “Tell him that.”
When Jax looked up but didn’t move Sorcha huffed in disgust and said something decidedly uncomplimentary
under her breath.
“Right.” She swung around to face the Council. “Tengale has asked me to speak for him so everyone in the room, especially the Council, understands that this decree comes from the dragons and not the Enforcers. He wants there to be no confusion about who is making these demands and who will be delivering retribution if the demands are not met.”
She slipped her hand into Chelsea’s and took a deep breath. “Tengale feels it necessary to remind you that dragons have their own society, their own laws and obligations. When they claim an Enforcer, that male becomes their responsibility.” Sorcha stopped and turned to Jax. “Tengale says you’re his possession, is that right?”
Jax nodded. “The blacks are very territorial.”
“Even with people?”
“Especially with people.”
Sorcha glanced at Chelsea and lowered her voice. “You sure you want to get involved with those Enforcers?”
Chelsea nodded. She had a pretty good idea where this was heading and she was right on board. “I’m thrilled to be considered a dragon’s possession.”
Sorcha heaved a melodramatic sigh. “Damn, you drank the Kool-Aid didn’t you?”
“Yep and it was delicious.”
Sorcha slapped her hand to her forehead. “Ow, ow. All right, keep it down.” Another muttered profanity, this time about dragons and she was back to addressing the council. “All the dragons in the den acknowledge that Arian and Tarkan belong to Annlyss and Benmonth. Now the Enforcers have claimed Chelsea, she also belongs to the den. Tengale wants to make it very clear that the blacks will fight for what’s theirs.”
Chelsea thought there might be a light at the end of the tunnel and she was almost ready to hope when there was an explosion and all hell broke loose. An entire section of wall disappeared in a crumble of marble and as the dust billowed, Chelsea saw a large black claw curve around the next section of wall and pull it out from under the ceiling. She knew it was Benmonth and when the opposite wall exploded, she wasn’t the least surprised to see Annlyss’ gray claw contribute to the demolition.