by Rinelle Grey
“It’s not…” Nate trailed off. He looked from Brad to Lyrian and back again. “How about we go inside, and I’ll explain.”
Explain what? What was his brother up to? Lyrian’s stomach churned.
“Oh, wait. The dogs. I’d better let them out of the car.”
Nate turned and headed back down the stairs towards the car. He opened the back and out jumped Luna.
Any bad feelings Lyrian had almost disappeared at that. “You had Luna!”
Nate scooped a puppy out of the back seat and walked back up the stairs. “Yes, I arrived here yesterday morning and found her all alone. I couldn’t leave her here. I figured you guys must have left in quite a hurry to forget her.”
There was no judgement attached to his statement, but it made Lyrian feel bad anyway. She shouldn’t have forgotten about Luna.
It shouldn’t have been up to Nate to rescue her, especially not since he apparently already had a puppy of his own. A very cute puppy too.
He set the pup down on the ground and she looked around at the three people watching her. Lyrian braced herself for the barking. Luna had barked like crazy when she’d first seen her, even in human form, but the little puppy barely reacted. She sniffed Brad’s feet, then Lyrian’s, then wandered back to Nate.
It was almost as if she’d smelled a dragon before.
Lyrian glanced up at Nate, only to find him regarding her with the same suspicion.
What was going on?
“Let’s go inside and have that chat,” Brad said pointedly.
Lyrian followed him inside, but she made sure to take a seat at the table as far from Nate as she could. If he weren’t Brad’s brother, if he didn’t look so like him, she’d be asking him to leave about now.
“So what’s going on?” Brad asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother.
Nate looked at him for a minute, then at Lyrian. “How about you tell me what’s going on? What happened that night?”
It was obvious he was avoiding the question.
Brad must be able to see it too. But he let it slide.
“We were attacked,” he said quietly.
“By what?”
He didn’t say by who. It had to be because he knew. Lyrian could only think of two possible ways he might know about dragons, and she was pretty sure that if he’d met one of her brothers, they’d be here with him.
She leaned forwards across the table, not even caring that her eyes transformed into dragon eyes as she glared at him. “I don’t care that you’re Brad’s brother, if you lead her to us, I’ll…”
“Woah,” Brad said, putting a hand on her arm. “How about you let him explain before you jump to conclusions, Lyrian.”
“No, she’s right,” Nate said, his voice soft. “I almost did lead her to both of you. I had no idea…” his voice trailed off, and suddenly he looked tired and defeated. And a little sad.
He’d been taken in by the Trima dragon.
Staring into his eyes, Lyrian suspected he’d been taken in in more ways than one.
She almost felt sorry for him.
Or she would have, if the dogs didn’t suddenly start barking.
If she didn’t hear a flap of wings.
If she didn’t smell Trima dragon.
The sharp, tangy, slightly burnt smell stung her nostrils, and set her adrenaline racing.
Nate had deceived them. Distracted them while the Trima dragon got close enough.
Lyrian sucked in her breath.
There was no avoiding this battle any longer. She was going to have to deal with the other dragon if she was to have any hope of finding her brothers. If she was going to be able to raise Anarian in peace. This dragon needed to go.
She hesitated only a moment before handing Anarian to Brad.
He stared at her, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.
“Don’t trust him,” she said shortly.
Then she headed to the front door, beginning the transformation as she went.
Chapter 24
Brad stared at Lyrian, her hands turning into claws and growing blue scales as she ran towards the door and ripped it open.
His heart pounded in his chest, half from excitement, half from fear. He’d never seen her like this before. It was shocking to see his beautiful, gentle, happy Lyrian changing into a dragon warrior. And exhilarating. He knew she was a dragon, of course, but up until now, it had been a distant awareness, only half real. He wanted to rush after her, to see her complete the transformation.
To see her as the dragon she truly was.
But first he had something else to deal with.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded, looking at his brother.
Nate was white as a sheet. “She must have followed me somehow, the other dragon,” he said. “I swear I didn’t lead her here deliberately, Brad. You have to believe me.”
Of course Brad believed him. He could no more believe his brother had set out to intentionally hurt him than that the sky was falling.
Or dragons existed.
He caught a blur of blue as Lyrian flashed past the open door, fully dragon now, launching into the air.
Brad swore.
He stared at Anarian, who Lyrian had handed to him so trustingly. How could he help her while he was holding the baby?
What could he do against a dragon anyway? He didn’t even know where to start. He had no plan, no strategy at all.
The best he could do was to grab the gun, rush out the door, and make it up as he went along.
He glanced over at Nate, but even before the thought had formed, he knew he couldn’t hand the baby to his brother. Lyrian would be furious, and rightly so. She hadn’t known his brother for as long as he had. In her mind, all the evidence pointed to a conclusion not to trust him.
And Nate wasn’t exactly volunteering anyway. Not to hold the baby. His face was panicked and he stared at Brad for a moment, then ran out after Lyrian.
What was he doing? What reason did he have to rush out into a dragon battle? Yes, he might feel guilty about having caused it, but what could he do? His brother had always been the more daring one, but what did he really hope to accomplish with this? It was sheer stupidity.
Especially since he didn’t even know to take the shotgun.
Brad swore again.
This was like that first fight all over again. That dragon was going to attack Lyrian, and he could do nothing. This time, he couldn’t shoot, even if someone had handed him a gun, because he was holding the baby.
He looked down at the baby in his arms, frustrated. The loaded shotgun was under his bed, ready to go.
But Lyrian had trusted him with their daughter. Told him to protect her.
Brad’s resolve hardened. The best way to protect her was to be out there, defending her mother.
His decision made, Brad raced into the bedroom and laid Anarian down, then raced back to the other room to grab the shotgun, his heart racing.
What was he missing? Would the fight be over before he could even get there?
*****
Sunlight glinted off silver scales, setting Lyrian’s blood boiling, spoiling any enjoyment she might have had at taking flight in dragon form for the first time in many months.
If that Trima dragon thought she was capable of defeating a princess, then she had another thing coming, lightning dragon or no lightning dragon.
Lyrian quickly reviewed all her possible attacks while creating a wall of air around her, hoping to at least prevent some of the Trima dragon’s lightning from reaching her.
In front of her, the lightning dragon touched down in front of her and folded her wings. Her hide was unmarred, it was as if Brad had never shot her. Someone had helped her heal, and Lyrian was pretty sure she knew who.
The Trima dragon stared at her, her eyes whirling. Her stance was rigid and stiff, but she didn’t move to attack. She didn’t even take a step towards Lyrian.
Lyrian hovered just above the ground, glad of the rep
rieve. Glad of the chance to prepare.
But why was the Trima dragon giving her that time?
“I don’t want to fight you, Princess,” the Trima dragon said into her head, confusing Lyrian even more.
Lyrian also lowered herself to the ground, keeping the wall of air between her and the other dragon. “Why are you here then?”
“Where is the human?”
What? Lyrian’s heart skipped a beat. Was the Trima dragon after Brad? But why? He had no connection to dragons other than her.
She heard footsteps running behind her, and it took all her willpower not to swing around and look.
She knew it wasn’t Brad. She’d recognise his footsteps. So they had to be his brother.
Was the human trying to distract her? To get her to look away from the Trima dragon and give it a chance to attack?
She certainly wasn’t going to be caught out by that. She had nothing to fear from a puny human, even if he intended to attack her from behind.
But Nate didn’t attack, or come up behind her. In fact, he jumped in front of her, standing between her and the Trima dragon. “If you want her, you’re going to have to go through me.”
Lyrian would have laughed at the absurdity of it, of a human, thinking the Trima dragon might be afraid of him, if she hadn’t been so touched.
She’d misjudged Brad’s brother.
Whatever had happened before they’d arrived, whatever mistakes he’d made, he was obviously determined to make up for them now.
She was glad he was behind her wall of air, even though he couldn’t see it. She didn’t want to see the other dragon hurt him. Brad was going to need him.
Especially if she didn’t survive this fight.
*****
Brad raced out to stand in front of Lyrian, beside his brother, the shotgun ready. It might not kill the dragon, but it would distract her, make her weak and easier for Lyrian to attack.
But the enemy dragon wasn’t attacking. Neither was Lyrian. They were both just standing there staring at each other.
“Stand aside, humans.” A loud voice boomed in Brad’s head, making him wince. It had to be the enemy dragon. “This is between the princess and me. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“No, I won’t let you hurt her,” Brad shouted back.
He pointed the gun towards the other dragon, his finger on the trigger, ready to fire if she so much as moved.
But before he could even aim properly his brother lunged for the weapon, trying to push the barrel down, away from the other dragon. “Don’t shoot.”
The movement jerked Brad’s hand, and even though he hadn’t intended to, the weapon fired. The bullets hit the dirt in front of the dragon, ricocheting back up and peppering her legs.
What the hell?
Brad glared at his brother as the dragon gave a screech of mingled pain and anger.
Nate stared back, just as defiantly. Just as desperately. His eyes flicked towards the dragon as she cried out, her pain reflected in his eyes.
Had Lyrian been right? Was Nate on the wrong side of this dragon war?
If so, what was he doing standing in front of Lyrian? Brad shook his head. He couldn’t figure it out, and there wasn’t time to try. That dragon was angry now, and he had only one more shot before he reloaded.
He lifted the gun again.
“Don’t hurt her,” Nate said desperately. “Please.”
Had the other dragon bewitched his brother somehow? Was that even possible?
Brad remembered how he’d felt about Lyrian from the first moment he’d seen her. She had certainly bewitched him, even if it hadn’t been her intention.
“She’s trying to hurt Lyrian,” Brad said firmly. “I can’t let her do that.”
He glanced over at the other dragon, searching for any sign that she was taking advantage of Nate distracting him and moving to attack.
But she hadn’t moved. She just stared at them, as though she were waiting to see what would happen too.
“Let me take care of it,” Nate said desperately. He stared at Brad for a moment, then across at the Trima dragon. “I can take care of it,” Nate repeated. Then he let go of the gun and turned and walked towards the other dragon, his hands out as though he could somehow calm her.
It seemed to work. The other dragon just stood there, watching him, making no effort to attack him or Lyrian.
Lyrian’s sky blue dragon eyes whirled. Her expression looked stony, but then again, Brad had no idea what dragon expressions looked like. That could be her happy face.
Somehow, he doubted it.
Brad turned back to Nate, staring in disbelief as his brother walked right up to the enemy dragon and put his hands on her chest.
And she let him.
“Are you all right?” Nate asked, his voice just barely audible.
Brad didn’t hear a reply.
“Don’t do this,” Nate said. “Don’t make me pick a side.”
She lowered her head towards him, nudging him gently.
It was as if his brother knew the other dragon. As if… as if he cared about her.
And she cared about him. As soon as the thought occurred to him, Brad could see it in her movements. In the way her head gently nudged him.
In the fact that she seemed to have chosen not to attack Lyrian.
Unexpectedly, a stab of jealousy hit him as he watched the tenderness between them.
Nate pulled back and looked up at the dragon. “If that’s the case, return to your human form,” he said flatly, “and I might just believe you.”
Believe what? The other dragon hadn’t said anything.
Not to him, anyway. But clearly there was a conversation happening in front of him that he wasn’t hearing. He glanced up at Lyrian, wondering if she could hear it.
She stared at the other two, her face unreadable.
As Brad stared at her, he took a moment to take in her dragon form. And it was magnificent.
It was a shock to realise that this creature standing in front of him, sunlight glinting off her sky blue scales, her whole body almost designed to be a show of strength, was his gentle, loving Lyrian.
He could see quite clearly now that she was a princess. It was evident in the way she held her head, the slight snarl of her mouth as she looked at the pair standing opposite her.
A ripple flashed across the other dragon’s scales, and as Brad glanced over, she shifted into a human, the same one that had chased them back at the pub. Only this time, she was naked. And her hands and arms covered in blood.
Brad winced and glanced back to Lyrian quickly, not wanting to stare.
It wasn’t really his fault the other dragon… woman… was injured. If she truly hadn’t been intending to attack Lyrian, he wouldn’t have shot her as long as she kept her distance. But Nate had bumped him at exactly the wrong moment.
She was no real danger now. He was pretty sure that his princess could handle her in human form without any concerns whatsoever.
Lyrian wouldn’t need his help.
That thought relieved him a little, and also made him sad. Somehow he knew it was almost time for him to leave.
Finding Lyrian’s brothers wouldn’t take long now they didn’t have an enemy dragon to contend with.
*****
Lyrian watched Brad’s brother and the injured, human form dragon carefully, not letting her guard down for a moment, despite the other dragon’s obvious submission.
The Trima dragon’s injuries were surface deep. Not enough to stop her fighting. Not enough to ensure Lyrian’s victory.
Was this all a trick, or was this fight really over?
Had Brad’s brother actually saved the day, or did she still need to keep an eye on the Trima dragon?
The pair turned around and walked towards her, holding hands. Nate couldn’t sense her wall of air and would have walked straight into it if the Trima dragon hadn’t stopped him.
He glanced over at her, then back to Lyrian.
�
�Go on,” Nate urged, looking at the Trima dragon.
She looked at him, then turned back to Lyrian. To the princess’s surprise, she inclined her head in a show of respect. “Please accept my humble apologies for any trouble I have caused you.” Her voice was stiff, uncomfortable.
Lyrian stared at her, trying to figure out what her goal was. Could she trust her?
Brad was far more forthright. “What’s going on?” he demanded, looking from his brother to the Trima dragon then back.
Nate shrugged, a little embarrassed. “I think I might have fallen in love, bro. These dragons are far too alluring.”
Brad’s eyes widened, and Lyrian suspected her own were doing the same thing.
Nate was in love with the Trima dragon?
That she had not expected.
And from the look the Trima dragon gave Brad’s brother, she was just as in love with him.
Nice for them, but how did it help her?
Was the Trima dragon’s shift into human form enough of a surrender? Could Lyrian trust it?
What would it mean if the Trima dragon mated with Brad’s brother? Forcing either Brad or his brother to choose between loyalty to a mate or loyalty to a sibling would be unfair. And dangerous.
Even if the Trima dragon surrendered, they were still in the middle of a war.
While she and Brad weren’t mated, wouldn't make that commitment, they did have Anarian. That tied Brad to Rian clan as strongly as mating would.
“So, what do we do now?” Brad looked at the Trima dragon, then up at Lyrian, as though he expected her to have an answer.
Lyrian still didn’t know. She wanted a way to make everyone happy, but she just couldn’t see one.
But, she was a princess. She had to say something.
“I will not stand in the way of two people in love,” Lyrian said, projecting her voice into human and human form dragon heads alike. “But even if you have chosen not to attack me, you are still Trima. If you wish to be together, you both must leave and never return.”
It wasn’t a good solution. It wasn’t even really an acceptable one. But it was all she had.
The Trima dragon’s eyes widened in surprise, and she looked over at Nate, her expression uncertain.
Nate looked uncertain too. “But…” He stared over at Brad. “Help me out here.”