Heart of the Dragon (The Lost Royals Saga Book 3)

by Rachel Jonas

  Where am I?

  What will happen to the others?

  How can I save Liam when I’m not even sure how to save myself?

  The room spun and I lie there panting, working myself into a full-blown panic attack. My heart thundered against my ribs and I truly thought my lungs might explode. This was not the plan. Instead of rescuing Liam, I was now in desperate need of being rescued myself.

  ‘Brave on the outside,’ I said to myself, only finding the strength to think it when my lips failed to move.

  ‘Brave on the outside.’

  That was Liam’s rule. I could feel whatever I needed to on the inside, but I could never look like I’d fallen apart.

  And I definitely looked like that right now.

  Forcing myself upright, I scanned the room as my breathing continued at an erratic pace. It was small, maybe ten feet by ten feet. A heavy metal door with a small barred window marked the only exit. Beyond it, only darkness.

  Get to your feet.

  I had to stand, had to fight through the pain—in my head, my back.

  Get to your feet.

  I’d never survive this if I gave in to the fear, the helplessness I felt.

  If you can’t do it for you, do it for Liam.

  A deep breath puffed from my nostrils as I got my footing, shoving aside the fog and dizziness. With weary steps, I shuffled toward the door, letting my hands roam across it, feeling the lock that kept me prisoner. Although, I use the term ‘lock’ very loosely. This thing was massive, a giant wheel I’d have to turn with the aid of another, and even still, it would have required some type of key.

  I was stuck.

  I braced my forehead against the bars on the small window looking out into the hallway. I sucked in a deep breath. It couldn’t end like this. So many needed my help right now and here I was, stuck. An act of desperation, I shoved and pulled the door, hoping my increased strength would cause it to budge, but … no such luck.

  What good was supernatural strength if it still wasn’t enough?

  Frustrated, a burn settled in deep within my chest, filling me with unspeakable rage the next instant. Heat seeped from my core and filled me completely as my dragon stood from her seat in the depths of my subconscious mind and stepped forth.

  I felt her rage, her fury and embraced it.

  Glowing streaks lined my arms as the veins there pulsed with fire. My fist drew back and slammed into the door, leaving a sizable dent when I pulled away. I stared at it and, realizing it wasn’t indestructible like I allowed myself to think, I drew back and buried my fist in the metal a second time. The blemish on the door deepened and I stepped back.

  The Councilman clearly had this room built for a reason. Maybe, at their level of government, there was always the threat of an attack and this particular member had decided to make himself ready. However, as a supernatural himself, he would have to have known this door would only hold for so long.

  And that’s when it hit me, that’s when I remembered my one hidden ability that allowed me the element of surprise.

  This door must have been spelled with magic, and I was the one being it didn’t affect.

  Hope nearly made me hyperventilate again. I moved close once more and touched the door, gauging its thickness, its density. It would take more time than I had to punch my way through, but … there was another way.

  Another ability Elise and her descendants possessed.

  Staring at my hands, I observed the bright orange flames. And then, as I concentrated, the base of the dancing light began to turn that peculiar shade of turquoise—the hottest flames I was capable of producing.

  This has to work.

  Has to.

  Shaking, and only half-believing this idea wasn’t ridiculous, I placed my hand to the door, focusing all my energy on that spot, hoping the concentrated heat would be enough.

  This has to work.

  For a short time, I’d been able to block out that today’s outcome depended most heavily on me. So many lives were in my hands right now. It wasn’t far from my thoughts that the group who came with me today were loved by someone. Nick, his brothers, Beth, Lucas, and Chris by their parents. Dallas by Elise. They weren’t disposable, which was all the more reason I had to try. I couldn’t leave them out there fighting for my cause alone. I had to get Liam and then get back out there to help.

  Had to make sure my quest didn’t cost others the same pain I, myself, was trying to avoid.

  I found the strength to burn hotter, watching as flames rushed from my hand to the door like a blow torch. The metal began to glow a deep orangish-red in the shape of my palm and fingers as I pressed harder, focused more intently.

  At the feel of the material beginning to soften, I sucked in a breath. And then, when a small hole liquified, dripping molten metal onto the cement floor, I held my breath altogether. I only had the patience to wait until the widening hole was large enough to step through, giving no thought to letting it cool first. My only thought, only goal, was to get out of there.

  Squeezing through as my flames extinguished, I glanced left and right, from one end of the narrow hallway to the other. I needed to get my bearings, needed to remember which way I’d find the exit. Being brought in dazed and injured meant I’d been in a bit of a fog at the time. Now that I was thinking more clearly, I couldn’t recall.

  My chest constricted again, tightening as I realized it wouldn’t be as easy to get out of here as I thought. This house was huge, and with the sublevel basically being a footprint of the floorplan, it was huge too. I could wander around down here for a while and not be any closer to the exit.

  Letting my shoulder rest against the cool, stone wall beside me, I forced my senses to sharpen—vision, smell, hearing.

  And that’s when I picked up on something that made me freeze.

  The sound of shallow breaths. They were almost too quiet to hear, but I knew I hadn’t imagined it.

  Right.

  I walked that way, toward the sound, feeling my heart race inside my chest with each step. There were other doors, other rooms, each with the same barred window at the top. I stopped at each, frantically searching. My hopes lifted at the idea of whose shallow breaths those might be, but I was afraid to think it was possible. The tie between Liam was so weak I barely even noticed it now.

  But still, I searched.

  Each room. Feeling the same sense of disappointment every time I stood on the tips of my toes and peered inside, only to find the space just as empty as the last. But then, at the moment I thought the sound might have just been a stray echo … I spotted a figure. It was way deep in the corner, crumbled on the floor, but it was enough to jumpstart my doubtful heart.

  “Liam …”

  His name left my mouth as a whisper. Not out of fear that someone else might hear. The fear I felt was at the thought that it might not be him. Or, if it was … that I might be too late.

  Frantic, shaking from head to toe, my hand ignited and I placed it on the metal door just like I’d done a moment ago. This time, I was smart, melting the space where the locking mechanism met the frame. It felt like it took forever for the steel to reach a hot enough temperature to soften, but eventually it did, the small patch I touched melting to the floor in a metallic puddle.

  There was no need to climb through thanks to my last-minute idea. I only needed to reach inside and pull the door toward me. Standing there, with only a few meters between myself and the shadow in the corner, I was nearly paralyzed by that fear I tried to dismiss. In truth, it was beginning to overtake me.

  What if it’s not him?

  What if he’s dead?

  What if the Sovereign has done heinous things to him, and what I’m staring at … is only remains.

  A wave of nausea made my stomach churn at that last thought, at the idea of a being so powerful, so full of life and love, reduced to a heap of flesh after Sebastian had … harvested him for parts.

  “Liam …”

  My lips qu
ivered as his name left my mouth for a second time, just as hushed and timid as before. Maybe even more so.

  There was no answer and I willed myself to take another step. Stretching my hand forth, I ignited my fingertips to provide just enough light to see what was in front of me, not enough to give away my location too soon if someone decided to come down to check on me.

  Another step.

  Another vile thought of what I might find when I got closer.

  And then … I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks.

  Blood.

  Lots and lots of blood.

  Some splattered on the walls, but mostly pooled on the floor near a dark boot that came into view. At the sight of it, I rushed ahead full speed until I was able to lay eyes on his entire body.

  His bloody, beaten, broken body.

  He would have fought them off. All of them. So I was sure most of this was the handy work of witches. Or they’d at least had a hand in rendering him helpless while Sebastian and his soldiers did this.

  Tears blurred my eyes, but wouldn’t fall because I’d suddenly switched over to survival mode. My thoughts were all centered around evaluating the situation and figuring out how to get us both out of this place. As I looked Liam over—the unhealed cuts and gashes, the swollen fingers on a hand I was sure had been broken. And that’s when I noticed it; his fingers were bare. All of them.

  They’d taken the ring, but left the leather band on his wrist because, to them, it held no value. No one but Liam and I knew that to be a lie.

  A fresh surge of hatred and vengeance burst within my soul. For a second, I lost focus and could only think of how badly I wanted to kill all the ones who’d done this.

  All of them.

  The only thing I could do was get him out of here. He wasn’t healing, which was another indicator of there being magic involved, so I had to take him with me as is, and would figure out how to fix him later.

  Moving blood-soaked strands of his lengthy hair from his face, I touched a hand to his cheek, unsure of whether or not he even knew someone was in the room with him.

  “I’m getting you out of here,” I whispered, hearing the strained words leave my mouth as I forced my emotions into submission.

  Putting myself between his body and the wall, I gripped him beneath his arms, turning him so it’d be easier to back out of the room. This was dangerous, and I was aware of the fact that I would likely be caught, but I wouldn’t leave here without him. I’d rather die in this place than to make it out, knowing I hadn’t done everything I could to save him.

  Just like he would have done for me.

  As I struggled to inch his weight down the corridor, I thought of how he ended up here, how he’d willingly laid down his freedom, and possibly his life, so I had even a chance of making it away from the Sovereign. It was this memory of his sacrifice on my behalf that made me fight harder, made me move faster.

  He groaned as I tugged him and I was sure I was doing him more harm than good, but I couldn’t stop. Blood soaked my hands and I had to set him down a moment to get a better grip before he slipped out of my grasp. Easing myself down onto the floor, I let his body rest gently on my legs. It was then that I felt it—two soft wounds in his back, side-by-side, leaking fresh blood onto my jeans. Breaths entered and exited my lungs rapidly again. I was positive I already knew what’d been done, but needed to see to be sure. Needed to see if the new measure of rage swelling within me was warranted.

  His frame was solid and dense, so when I turned him, it was like shifting a semi-truck onto its side. But, eventually, I managed to lift him. Eventually, my suspicions were concerned.

  His wings … they’d been removed.

  The wounds were jagged and ugly, a sign the makeshift surgeons had little concern for the condition they’d leave him in when their work was done. The Sovereign had done exactly what he promised, harvesting Liam’s parts. If I had to guess, those wings had been rinsed clean of his blood and packed away neatly to be displayed the moment Sebastian returned to his own home.

  My shoulders heaved when a flood of emotion powered through me with a force akin to that of a mighty, rushing waterfall. I could hardly control it, could hardly see straight through the fury within. Typically, my dragon was finely calibrated, in control in every situation in which she stepped forth. However, as I stared down on how they mangled Liam … I felt her spiraling.

  And there was nothing I could do to bridle her.

  She got me to my feet, and this time, instead of dragging Liam in a painstakingly slow manner across the floor, I moved with ease. If I’d only been relying on my own strength, this would have been impossible. This was all her, my dragon.

  We came to the end of another hallway and I went right, praying this was the direction I’d come from. Or, that I’d at least be able to find my way to the stairs again some other way. With each step, I felt my resolve strengthen. Making it out with Liam was the only option, so I had to keep believing this mission wasn’t already a failure.

  A slow creaking hinge made me stop where I was, freezing like a statue as I listened harder.

  Footsteps.

  Slow at first, and then picking up speed as they came closer. I panicked, but my dragon stood strong. Gently lowering Liam to the ground again, I turned to face the oncoming threat head on, prepared to fight whoever was coming to stop me.

  My will was airtight, but … there was no guarantee I’d be any match for them. But there was no place to go, nowhere to run, so I did the one thing I could, what I’d been taught.

  I would stand my ground and show no fear.

  Liam wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  —Chapter Nineteen—

  Evie

  My heart had begun to beat double time as I stared at the corner, watching, waiting.

  But then … I saw him, the one person I wasn’t expecting.

  Nick.

  The relief that followed seeing him was dizzying. My body slumped against the closest wall as I caught my breath after holding it for so long. It was nothing short of a miracle that he found me. I sensed the lycans and Blaise had carried me quite some distance, and then to know exactly where I was in this massive, dark basement, composed of confusing, identical passageways.

  And then I remembered his ability. Remembered how my heartbeat acted as a lighthouse whenever he needed to find me—a feature that was meant to be a curse, but at this moment, it was only a blessing.

  “Come on. We have to get out of here. I wasn’t able to get in without being noticed,” he said in a rush, sounding winded, but not tired.

  “The others … are they okay?”

  “We took care of most of the lycans, but it was only a matter of time before more of witches made their way out. I convinced Richie it was time for us to back off. Besides, there was no way we’d all be able to slip in, so I volunteered.”

  When he finished explaining, before I could even ask for help, he moved to where I laid Liam’s lifeless body near the wall. Without a second thought about their past confrontations or the deep-rooted hatred between them, Nick hoisted Liam over his shoulder before taking me by the hand.

  “This way,” he urged.

  Grateful to have him as a guide through the maze, I followed him blindly. We turned corner after corner, pausing at each to check that the coast was clear. When we confirmed that it was, we jogged to the next, moving us closer to our destination.

  Freedom.

  Soon, we came to a small corridor and it flooded with light, illuminating the stairs we’d been searching for. My pulse quickened, vibrating behind my ears. The hope of making it out alive became so real I could taste it, could feel my spirit begin to lift.

  It lasted a moment, that feeling.

  Only fading when a foreboding silhouette blocked the light, cutting Nick and I off from our exit as we came to a stop halfway up the stairwell. One silhouette became four and I focused my eyes through the sudden burst of light. Blaise and two lycan soldiers fla
nked Sebastian as he stood front and center, staring the three of us down while I’m sure Nick felt our chance slipping away just like I did.

  “Well, what have we here?” Sebastian crooned, the soft, melodic tone of his voice contrasting such a tense standoff. His features were sharp and only added to the general darkness of his presence.

  Nick and I both watched, calculating what his next move might be as we backed down the stairs slowly, keeping our eyes trained on Sebastian. Within a few seconds, we were back where we started, in the basement once more as the four who blocked us began their descent. The little progress Nick and I made had been erased. Just like that.

  “What should we do with them?” It was Blaise who asked, waiting for his father’s response with that inherited darkness in his eyes.

  Sebastian was thoughtful for a moment, maybe running through all the possibilities, the many tortuous ways he could end us all. When he settled on a conclusion, a bored sigh left his mouth.

  “Get the dragons back to their rooms. Kill the lycan and bleed him for the witches,” he ordered, speaking about our lives as though they were so incredibly disposable, like we were nothing. I suppose, to him, we were nothing.

  Blaise and the soldiers started toward us, prompting Nick to lean in. The words he spoke were faint and rushed, but I understood his warning when he issued it.

  “I’m going to fight them without shifting,” he whispered. “But just in case I can’t control it, keep away from me.”

  A grave look came my way and I questioned why he would plan to fight them—those formidable men who made for even deadlier lycans—without shifting. But then I remembered. Lately, he hadn’t quite been able to control himself, didn’t quite trust his own judgements. I recalled the video footage I was shown of him leaving the facility in a trancelike state, unaware of his actions.

  He was doing this for me … because he didn’t want to accidentally hurt me.

  Slowly, with a gentleness I didn’t expect, he eased Liam down onto the ground. He was surprisingly sympathetic to those tender wounds on Liam’s back, sympathetic to my sensitivity regarding how he was handled. There was no time to express my gratitude, but it was certainly felt.