by Lili Zander
Dragon’s Treasure
Blood Prophecy Book 5
Lili Zander
Rory Reynolds
Copyright © 2018 by Lili Zander, Rory Reynolds.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Kasmit Covers
Contents
The Blood Prophecy Series
The story so far
Prologue
1. Aria
2. Mateo
3. Aria
4. Bastian
5. Aria
6. Casius
7. Aria
8. Rhys
9. Aria
10. Aria
11. Aria
12. Erik
13. Aria
14. Bastian
15. Aria
16. Mateo
17. Aria
18. Casius
19. Aria
20. Aria
21. Erik
22. Aria
Epilogue
The Blood Prophecy Series
About the Authors
Books by Lili Zander
Books by Rory Reyonlds
The Blood Prophecy Series
The Blood Prophecy series is now complete. Don’t miss any of the books.
Dragon’s Thief
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Hope
Dragon’s Ruin
Dragon’s Treasure
or
Dragon’s Fire (the omnibus edition, containing all the Blood Prophecy episodes) - releasing April 12
Subscribe to Lili Zander’s mailing list and be the first to find out when new Blood Prophecy books are released!
The story so far
After a near-death encounter with a panther shifter guard, twenty-four-year-old Norm Aria Archer promises to give up her thieving ways and embrace the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her resolve doesn’t last long. Silas, the wolf-shifter who took her in from the streets when she was fourteen, is gravely ill, and cannot pay for the treatment he needs to stay alive.
When the mysterious Drakkar Raedwulf offers Aria a million dollars to steal the Bloodstone from the five dragon princes, Aria has no choice other than to accept. Though everyone in her life warns her about the dangerous dragons, Aria is determined to help Silas.
But the five dragon princes are onto her, and the instant she opens the safe she’s been hired to empty, they appear around her…
…And claim that she’s their mate.
Rather understandably, Aria’s not inclined to trust the dragon princes. She waits until the dragons are asleep, robs the safe and sneaks out of their apartment to meet her client.
Unfortunately, Aria doesn’t have the Bloodstone. Enraged, Raedwulf almost kills her. In the nick of time, Bastian rescues her, though he’s wounded in the attack. Raedwulf and one of his wolf-shifter companions manage to escape, but the third wolf-shifter is taken prisoner by Bastian’s guards.
Aria has abilities that are far greater than any Norm, and the dragon princes try to uncover the mystery of her identity. Silas tells them that he’s been working on the same thing. He kept his findings in a diary that’s stored at his friend Pete’s house. Unfortunately, when Silas and dragon prince Erik Valder get to Pete’s apartment, they discover that the Norm had been killed by Drakkar Raedwulf, who’s also taken the diary.
Aria mourns Pete and decides to confront Raefwulf’s associate, who is being treated for concussion in a hospital. When she gets there, she’s taken prisoner by Dr. Brown, a one-time associate of Raedwulf. Aria’s able to harness Dragon Prince Mateo Valentini’s magic to free herself from the doctor, another sign that she’s not entirely Norm.
The dragon princes grow concerned at the danger Aria is in, and want to send her away, but Aria realizes she can’t leave. She’s part of a five-hundred-year-old prophecy, and she’s the dragons’ mate. She’s ready to break the curse that’s draining magic from the world.
Trust builds slowly between Aria and her five dragons. After an argument about her safety, Aria convinces the dragon princes to let her leave the apartment. The dragons decide to woo Aria; each of them takes her out on a date and gets to know her better.
Aided by the blood magic, the simmering attraction between the dragons and Aria flares to life.
Aria’s slowly getting used to her new life when Gideon Zyrian, the Dark Dragon responsible for the curse that’s draining magic from the world, invades her mind. He starts haunting her dreams, and in every one of them, he kills Silas Archer. Dragon Prince Mateo Valentini wards his mate, but he knows that Zyrian is far more powerful than he is. Any measure he can take to protect Aria is only temporary.
Meanwhile, the search continues to discover the secret of Aria’s missing identity. When Aria discovers that her CPS records are missing, she immediately realizes who’s responsible. Hagen Nygaard, the Arctic fox shifter crime lord who protected her on the streets when she was a runaway. She goes to see Nygaard along with Dragon Prince Erik Valder, and the two of them convince the crime lord to part with the missing records, which tells them that Aria’s first foster home was with a woman called Pauline Summers.
Aria and Silas go to meet Pauline in a nursing home, but the old woman is suffering from dementia. All she remembers is that Aria’s mother tried to kill her as a child.
While the dragons are uncovering Aria’s identity, Zyrian’s been testing the wards of protection around Aria. At a party for Bastian, he manages to break through. Aria draws magic from Mateo to fight back temporarily, but it leads them to realize the only way for Aria to stay safe is to go to Castle Jaeger, where the wards of Bastian’s dead mother, Maija Essen, will protect them.
Her first night in Castle Jaeger, Maija Essen comes to Aria in a vision. She reveals that a piece of the Bloodstone is in Aria, and she gets her magical abilities from it. Maija tells Aria that she’s all that’s standing between the dragons and utter ruin.
Now aware of Aria’s existence, Zyrian goes on the offensive, starting to attack. The wolf-shifters around Bastian’s castle are pulled into a battle. The caretakers of Rhys’ home are killed, and worse of all, Bastian and Erik walk into an ambush, and Erik is almost killed.
Under pressure, Mateo admits he’s known how to end the curse for quite a while. The only problem? To break the curse, Aria has to die.
Which brings us to…
Prologue
Erik
“This is dumb,” Bastian says to me as we drive north to the lake where I’m supposed to meet my dead mate’s father. “Mettler loathes you. Why the hell do you want to talk to him?”
I take a deep breath. “I want closure,” I reply quietly.
He gives me a sidelong look. “Because…?”
A wry smile curves my lips. Bastian knows why. He just wants to hear me say the words. I trace the mating mark on my wrist with my fingertip. “I’m ready to move forward.”
“I’m really glad, Erik,” he replies quietly. He lapses into silence. A few miles go by, and then he speaks up. “I hold myself responsible for Gisele’s death.”
“Why
?”
“Zyrian went after the Council because of my mother’s actions. Had she not chosen my father…”
I hold up my hand and cut him off. “For more than five hundred years,” I tell Bastian, “I’ve blamed myself. My honor guards failed. Had I been with Gisele that day, maybe I would have been able to save her. But I realized something recently.”
“Which is?”
“Zyrian’s the only one responsible. He cast the curse. He went on a killing spree. Because I blamed myself for Gisele’s death, I isolated myself from everyone. We were weaker because we were divided. I’m not going to let that happen again.”
We walk into an ambush. Luka Mettler is waiting with twenty panthers, all armed to the teeth. “What the hell?” I swear out loud.
“You killed my daughter, Valder,” he growls. “Do you think forgiveness is possible?”
“Gideon Zyrian killed your daughter,” Bastian retorts, his eyes flashing with fury at the betrayal. “Actions have consequences, Mettler. Think carefully before you stand up against us.”
“Oh, I’ve thought about it,” he replies. “I’ve thought about nothing else for more than five hundred years. And now, finally, I have the means to ensure your destruction.”
Flames start dancing over his skin. He’s shifting, calling forth his dragon. Gritting my teeth, I do the same. At my side, Bastian’s blood red dragon emerges, pawing the ground and shooting fire into the air.
Then one of the panthers throws something at Bastian, and impossibly, he collapses. I barely have time to respond, because Mettler’s holding a spear delicately in his claws.
The sight of the weapon fills me with inexplicable fear. Then it’s hurtling toward me. It pierces my side, and when it touches my scales, my body blazes with agony.
Aria’s face swims in front of my eyes.
And then, darkness.
1
Aria
“Please tell me you’re not thinking of doing something stupid.”
I stare guiltily at the familiar face on the screen. Silas frowns at me, his gaze entirely too perceptive. Damn it. Video calling is great, except for the times when you don’t want anyone to find out what you’re going through.
It’s the morning after my yelling match with Mateo. Early enough that I’m suspicious. If it’s morning in Germany, it’s the middle of the night in Manhattan. Silas and I talk every day or two, but he’s not in the habit of staying up until three in the morning to talk to me.
Which means…
“Which one of them asked you to call me?”
I’ve apologized to Mateo for my outburst, but I’ve also avoided the guys for the last twenty hours. I spent most of the day yesterday in my room, emerging only for dinner. What can I say? In the last three weeks, I’ve become addicted to spaetzle. Buttery pasta goodness.
“Does it matter?” Silas replies with a shrug. “They’re all worried about you.”
I wince. Great. So the dragons called Silas, and now, he’s concerned too. And given that Daddy Wolf worries like a champion, this isn’t good. “What exactly did they tell you?” I ask warily.
He gives me a level look. “That Mateo doesn’t yet know a way to break the curse without endangering you.” He takes a deep breath. “But he’s smart, and so are the rest of the dragon princes. They’ll figure it out.”
“If they don’t, I’m toast.”
And there’s the rub. I don’t know how I feel about Mateo’s bombshell. There’s a big part of me that’s terrified. I’ve cycled through the entire gamut of emotions—rage, terror, sadness, resignation—and I’ve landed on numb.
One thing I know for sure? Mateo wasn’t lying. I remember the vision that Dream-Maija had shared with me. I cannot force you to do this, old friend, she had said to Halla. It has to be done of your own free will.
At the time, I thought that Maija Essen was asking permission to stick a bit of gemstone in Halla Northridottir’s gut.
Now, I understand the truth. Maija Essen had known she was condemning Halla’s descendant—me—to death.
It is not a gift to see the future. It is a curse.
I can’t even blame Bastian’s mother for what she did. Zyrian’s curse is causing magic to wither and die. Measured against that, what’s the life of one Norm woman worth?
“Aria.” Silas’ voice is firm. “Promise me you won’t do something stupid.”
I make a face. “What do you think I’m going to do? I don’t have a death wish.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Ahem. You conveniently forget the time you stole from the dragon princes.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t remind me of that,” I grumble ruefully. “Those were under very different circumstances, and you know it.”
“Don’t change the topic.”
“I’m not.” I smile at him. “How’s Sarina? I heard that Lukus Hyde is planning on offering you a spot in the pack. Sounds like you guys are getting serious.”
“You just changed the topic again,” Silas notes, shaking his head at me.
“And you’re avoiding talking about Sarina,” I sing-song.
My father looks sheepish. “Fine,” he concedes. “Things are going well.”
“Things are moving fast…”
His expression turns serious. “It’s been a tough year,” he says quietly. “Being sick. Pete dying. You growing up and moving out. I guess it just made me realize that life moves fast. I don’t have a lot of time to waste.”
“Whoa.” I lean forward. “What the hell? I’m not moving out. This Germany thing, it’s temporary. Before you know it, I’ll be back in New York. Someone has to make sure the milk hasn’t expired, after all.”
But though my words are emphatic, I know deep down that things have changed. Permanently. No matter what happens with Zyrian, I’m never again going to live in my Hell’s Kitchen apartment. Those days are behind me.
I’m not a teenager, but this is the first time I’ve really felt like an adult. And I’ll be honest. Growing up sucks.
“That’s true,” Silas agrees, his eyes suspiciously misty. “Expired milk is pretty gross.”
Damn it, Silas. If you start tearing up, I’m going to bawl my eyes out like a baby.
2
Mateo
I’m pouring over a rare alchemy textbook when Aria enters the room. “I’m early for our magic lesson,” she murmurs. “I can find something to do if you’re not ready for me.”
I shut the book and smile at her. “That’s okay. I’m not making much headway.”
We didn’t talk much yesterday. After I’d snapped and told her the truth, she’d asked to be left alone. Her reaction is perfectly understandable, but it hasn’t stopped me from worrying. After dinner last night, we’d called Silas and told him everything, and asked him to check up on her.
Aria must know that we’d never endanger her. Right?
“I’m sorry about yelling at you.”
“You already apologized yesterday,” I say gently. “Aria, it’s fine. We’re all under a lot of pressure.”
She pulls up a chair next to me and laces her fingers in mine. “Yeah, but you didn’t lose your cool, did you? I did.”
“I’m a few years older than you are,” I reply wryly. “I’ve had a lot of practice. I used to be very hot-headed as a teenager.”
Her lip twitches. “I don’t believe you. You’re just making that up to make me feel better.”
“Is it working?” I give her a concerned glance. “How are you feeling? You weren’t in a talkative mood last night.”
She takes a deep breath. “Silas asked me that earlier,” she replies. “To be honest, I just don’t know. Mostly, I’m freaking out.”
“You know that it’s never going to be an option, don’t you?” I demand. “There is never a scenario in which breaking the curse matters more than you. Ever.”
She gives me a small nod. “But what if it’s not within your control?” Her voice is so low that I can barely hear her. “Bastian’s mother
, she could see the future. What if she’s already foreseen my death? If this is my destiny, then it really doesn’t matter what we want, does it?”
I shake my head immediately. “That’s not how the future works.” About this, I’m certain. “Every choice you make puts you on a different path. The future is vast and changeable. Your destiny isn’t carved into stone, tesoro. You always have a choice. You control your own fate.”
She looks unconvinced, and I search for the right words. “At best, the Silver Mage could see possibilities,” I explain. “Hints of what might come to pass. When she broke off a piece of the Bloodstone and gave it to her maid, she picked a path that was most likely to end the curse, but that doesn’t mean success is guaranteed.”
My throat tightens. What is success? Breaking the curse isn’t success anymore. If the cost of breaking the curse is Aria’s death, I’m definitely not on board. None of us are.
“How long have you known that I might die? Did everyone but me know?”
“Just Casius,” I reply honestly. “Neither of us wanted to talk about it.” I give her a faint smile. “Saying it out loud might have made it seem real.” I put my arm around her and draw her close.
She’s such a little thing. So fragile, but underneath her softness, there’s a core of steel. It’s always been there. When I first met her, Raedwulf’s minion was threatening her, but she hadn’t flinched. She’d marched into our penthouse without fear, prepared to steal from us. A few days ago, the Bloodstone’s magic almost overwhelmed her, and yet, here she is. Facing everything head on.