by Rinelle Grey
He sat down next to Barry, and Nate sat next to him. Brad was relieved that Ultrima took the seat on the opposite side of the lawyer. If Barry was concerned by having a dragon sitting next to him, he gave no sign.
He was braver than Brad. He felt much better having someone between him and the Trima dragon, though it would probably make no real difference if the dragon decided he had an issue with him. His lightning would have no trouble encompassing the entire room.
Brad wondered if the suits sitting opposite them had any idea.
One or two of them stared at Ultrima with shifting eyes, as though trying to hide their fear. They knew all right, and they weren’t happy about it.
The one in the middle cleared his throat. “I’m James Nyles.”
He waited, as though he expected them to recognise the name, but Brad was mystified. The only one who seemed to recognise the name was Barry, who nodded.
“Director-General of Security,” the man added for the rest of them.
That sounded important. Apparently Barry had been busy. But it wasn’t quite what he’d promised. Brad turned to the lawyer and raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were going to try to get us an audience with the Prime Minister?”
There was a muffled laugh behind them somewhere. Sounded like a woman.
Barry gave a slight smile.
“You didn’t think we were going to put the Prime Minister in a room with a dragon, did you?” the director-general said flatly. “We know nothing about what you’re capable of, or what you plan to do. Once we’ve gone over some of the preliminary discussion, maybe, maybe, you might get an audience with the Prime Minister. But not if we sense any threat from you at all.”
Brad supposed that was reasonable. He didn’t want to be in a room with a dragon. Not the Trima one anyway.
“Who exactly are you,” Brad asked him instead. “And what can you do to help us?”
The man bristled at that, almost as if he were insulted by their lack of knowledge about him. “I’m the head of the Australian security and intelligence departments,” he said stiffly. “I’ve been authorised to discuss the matter of the dragons’ position in this country with you. I’ve been told that the three of you are the ones I can speak to about establishing contact with these dragon clans?”
That comment startled Brad a bit. Him? The one to speak to about Rian clan? He glanced over at Barry, who smiled encouragement.
Well, he guessed they didn’t have any other contacts.
Ultrima inclined his head. “I will speak with you. I am the leader of Trima clan, and have been for three hundred years.”
Okay, that sounded impressive. Even the director-general sat up a little. “Three hundred years?” He recovered quickly. “My intelligence reported that you have been here for a long time, hiding I gather?”
Ultrima inclined his head. “We have no fight with humans.”
Brad could read between the lines. No fight with humans, their fight was with Rian clan. Had the Trima leader actually been interested in his suggestion of a truce earlier, or had he just been playing them?
The director-general nodded, then turned to Brad and Nate. “And the two of you are from the other clan? But you’re not dragons, is that right?”
Brad hesitated. He didn’t want to give away anything, but this felt different than the police grilling. More… not friendly, he wouldn’t describe the man as friendly, but more inclined to consider both sides of the story. And Barry seemed to think this was the time to talk.
“I am mated to a dragon from Rian clan,” he admitted cautiously.
This time, the man seemed unable to hide his surprise. “You’re… mated… to a dragon?”
Brad shrugged, hiding a smile. It was a little hard to comprehend. He might have had the same reaction a few weeks ago. “As you can no doubt see, dragons spend quite some time in human form.”
The man stared at him for a few moments, as though trying to take that in. Then he nodded. “Rian clan, you said?”
Brad nodded. There was no harm in admitting his clan name, was there?
“So can you put us in contact with the leader from Rian clan? We’d like to discuss… where we go from here. With all the dragons.”
Brad glanced at Barry. Was this offer legitimate, or was it a trick? Some attempt to get his cooperation to reveal the location of Rian clan? Somehow it didn’t feel like it. The man’s request sounded genuine. But Brad still wasn’t prepared to give anything away.
“I might be able to,” he admitted. “That all depends on what you want from them. If you want to lock them up, then no.”
The man gave a short, sharp laugh. “I think it would be… presumptuous… of us, to assume we can keep dragons locked away. Ultrima has been most kind in cooperating with us, but from what I’ve heard, if he chose not to remain, then we would have problems holding him.”
Not stupid then.
“What do you want then?” Brad demanded.
“At this stage, I’m not sure what the best outcome will be, but it seems to me that we need to open a dialogue. My biggest concern is the security of the country, and the safety of its people. I need to know if dragons are going to be a threat to that.”
“Rian clan is no threat to humans,” Brad said flatly. “At no point have they hurt any human.” He almost added ‘unlike Trima clan’, but he really didn’t have any evidence to back that up. Sure, Kytrima had been flying in to attack him when she’d been following Lyrian, but she hadn’t actually hurt him, and he had no idea if she would have if he hadn’t shot her.
Ultrima and his clan had attacked Rian clan, and the humans who had joined them, but even he had to admit that was different.
So when Ultrima added, “Trima clan has no wish to harm humans either,” he didn’t object.
The man on the other side of the desk smiled. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Brad shrugged. “Agreeing that our clan has no wish to hurt humans is a far cry from us divulging their whereabouts or agreeing to meet with you. That’s going to require a bit more trust.”
The man looked disgruntled for a few moments. Brad suspected he wasn’t used to having people insinuate they didn’t trust him. But he schooled his face into a calm expression almost immediately. “What can we do to help gain your trust?”
That was the tricky question, wasn’t it?
“I think we need to draw up an agreement detailing what each side expects, and sign it,” Barry started.
It was the expected response, the lawyerly response. A week ago, Brad would have nodded agreement and felt suitably safe.
Not anymore. He shook his head. “That’s not enough,” he said firmly. “I can see you signing the agreement, maybe even meaning it, but then as soon as something goes wrong, or you get scared, you’re going to do whatever you like anyway.”
“We wouldn’t do that,” the director-general started, but Brad waved a hand.
He needed something bigger than that. Some way to keep them accountable.
“What we need is accountability to the public,” Brad said. “Not some secret document that you’ll feel no need to hold to. We need to do this publicly. So that if you break your word to us, everyone knows about it.”
Everyone was staring at him. Even Ultrima. Was that a hint of respect in the lightning dragon’s eyes? Brad didn’t care. All that mattered to him was keeping Lyrian safe. And this was the best way he could think of to do that.
“Everything needs to be broadcast to the public as it happens,” Brad said firmly. “We can contact that reporter, what’s her name? Rita? And she can make sure everyone knows what’s happening.”
The director-general stared at Brad, his jaw dropping. “I’m not sure that the public is ready for this…” he stuttered.
Even Barry looked a little surprised. But a slow smile spread across his face, and he leaned back and watched to see what would happen.
“I am agreeable to this stipulation as well,” Ultrima said smoothly. “Al
though I insist we choose a different reporter. Rita has been working with the Rian clan, and I have doubts as to her loyalties.”
Brad stared at the Trima dragon. Rita? Working with the Rian clan? Sure, she’d helped them once or twice, but only because it suited her and helped her get what she wanted. She certainly had no loyalties to them.
But still, he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy at Ultrima’s suggestion. What was he up to?
Not that he really cared who the reporter was, so long as they didn’t twist the truth, and right now, there was no need to twist anything to make this story exciting. The public would be hanging onto every word.
“The public has already seen evidence of dragons,” Brad said firmly. “There have been enough reports that they’re going to be curious as to what is going on. It makes more sense to keep this out in the open, for everyone’s benefit.”
“If we agree to this, you’ll take us to the clan and arrange a meeting with the leader for us?” The director-general’s face was resigned.
Brad hesitated. He was taking a big risk for the clan, and he wasn’t sure that they’d be happy about it, but he couldn’t see any other way. He heaved a sigh.
“As soon as we have someone recording, preferably live streaming, yes,” he agreed. “I’ll take you to the clan and find someone to talk to you.”
If they were still there. He glanced over at Barry, who gave a small nod. Brad wasn’t sure if that was agreement that he’d told them to move, or support for his decisions.
But if Rian clan had moved, Barry would be able to help him find them.
Wouldn’t he?
Chapter 49
Lyrian helped a young mother pack up her things, her heart still pounding in her chest. She was relieved that Sarian had agreed with them, that the wiser course of action right now was to retreat. To leave the lair and find a safe place to consolidate their position and decide on their next course of action. It was the safest option for all the dragons, and their human mates.
But Lyrian couldn’t help worrying that if the police couldn’t find them, then Brad couldn’t either. Why hadn’t she considered that before siding against Taurian. If she’d backed him up, they might be making their stand here, where Brad could find them.
No, she’d had to make the right decision for her clan, even if it did mean her mate wouldn’t be able to find her.
Lyrian fought back tears. After all she and Brad had been through in the last week to get to the point where they’d overcome their problems to decide to be together, it seemed the height of unfairness that now they would be separated for who knew how long.
She didn’t know what would happen now. If the humans were seriously searching for their clan, she didn’t know how long they would be safe even once they were in hiding. Maybe they’d have to move over and over again to keep ahead of the humans.
And there were some she didn’t want to avoid.
Would Brad wait for her? Would he search for her?
And what about the other humans who were living here with the dragons? Up until now, they’d been able to come and go between the human world and the dragon world, would they have to choose?
Lyrian couldn’t imagine having to choose between her family and her lifemate. She felt the constant pull from one to the other already, how much more it would tear her apart to have to choose?
She heaved a sigh.
Usually she thrived on chaos and change. She hated predictability and routine and found knowing what would happen tomorrow boring.
Right now, she’d give anything for a little certainty.
“Thank you for your help, Princess,” the woman said softly, clutching her baby to her chest, a bag of necessary supplies slung over her shoulder.
Lyrian forced a smile. “It was nothing.”
Karla was still looking after Anarian. She almost seemed resigned to the idea by now. And she’d insisted that Lyrian had more to do than she did right now. Still, Lyrian couldn’t wait until she could snuggle with her baby and stop worrying.
Whenever that would be.
She followed the woman out into the main room, and caught sight of Ostrian talking animatedly to Taurian, waving his arms around.
Lyrian frowned. What was the ornery old elder up to? He’d been suspiciously absent up until now. Probably meaning he was up to no good.
For a moment, she felt a flicker of hope that he might be trying to convince Taurian to remain here, not to return to the old lair to hide. But the hope died almost before it was born when she remembered that Ostrian had supported retreat from the beginning.
So what was he discussing so animatedly with Taurian now?
She strode across the room to find out.
“Don’t you see,” Ostrian said, his voice raised in excitement. “We have to find a way to make peace with these humans because they are essential to our survival.”
Lyrian did a double take. Was Ostrian… arguing for peace with humans?
She stared at him, intrigued. His face was earnest, as though he truly believed what he was saying. There was no sign of the deception that usually lurked under the surface.
As if that wasn’t strange enough, his hair and robes were rumpled, as though he’d slept in them, or…
A woman had her arm slipped through his and stood closer to Ostrian than anyone with any sense usually stood. It took Lyrian a few moments to place her. Her name was Mary, wasn’t it? And she was a human woman, aunt to one of the humans who had recently mated a dragon.
Was she responsible for Ostrian’s change of heart?
A hint of amusement tickled Lyrian’s heart. She’d thought someone needed to bring the grumpy old dragon into line, but apparently he just needed a little love, a little human love, to be won over to the cause.
But surely falling in love wouldn’t be enough to convince the elder that they needed the humans?
Lyrian listened as he continued to talk.
“I don’t know how I’ve missed it up until now,” Ostrian said earnestly, patting Mary’s hand. “Maybe I just wasn’t looking in the right places.” The two of them shared a knowing smile. “But it appears that our ancestor’s relationship with the humans was for more than just a bit of fun.”
“What do you mean?” Taurian asked sharply.
Ostrian took a deep breath. “I’ve spent all night checking the records from before we left England, and there’s no way around it. I can’t find any record of a life dragon that doesn’t have a human ancestor somewhere. It appears that life dragons aren’t just another dragon group, they’re a dragon human group. Something special that happens when humans and dragons mate.”
Taurian stared at the elder, his eyes widening. Lyrian felt her own eyes widen too. More than a few nearby dragons stopped talking to listen.
“So you’re telling me,” Taurian said, a hint of amusement in his eyes, “that when you tried to convince me to mate with your granddaughter, you would have been decreasing our chances of producing a life dragon?”
Ostrian drew himself up and looked Taurian straight in the eye. “I didn’t know this at the time, or I would not have made that suggestion,” he said tightly. “I had the clan’s best interest at heart, even if my information was incorrect.”
Ostrian’s voice stumbled on the last words, and his shoulders slumped a little. Even Mary patting his arm didn’t seem to help his despondency.
“I understand if you wish to remove me from the elder’s council over this,” he said stiffly, “but please don’t ignore my advice because of that. This time I am sure of the information I’m giving you, and I have the numbers to prove it. We need to establish an ongoing relationship with the humans if we’re ever to have viable numbers of life dragons again. If I’d realised this earlier, then we might have defeated Ultrima long ago.”
There was a complete silence in the room at his pronouncement.
Everyone was staring at Ostrian.
His eyes didn’t leave Taurian. Waiting for his response.
/>
Taurian looked a little stunned, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to say to that.
The idea was so unbelievable that it took some taking in.
But it did explain a lot of things. Lyrian had felt a strange attachment to the humans ever since she’d woken from the Mesmer. And an instant attraction to Brad. She’d thought that her fondness for the humans she’d met had been because she been stuck with them when she hadn’t been able to find her clan.
But maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe there was something that tied humans and dragons together. Maybe their future was intertwined.
Except right now, they were in the middle of fleeing from the humans. Of trying desperately to hide from them, just as they had centuries ago when they’d left England.
The feeling that something was wrong that had plagued her ever since Brad had left the lair suddenly came into sharp focus. With a clarity she hadn’t had since the war with Ultrima began, Lyrian knew what she had to do.
She stepped forwards and put a hand on Taurian’s arm. “Perhaps it is time to call the retreat off. Stay here and face up to the humans and try to find a way that we can share this land, without fighting.”
Ostrian looked at her, his face hopeful. “Yes,” he agreed. “We need to find a way to connect with the humans. That is what we must do.”
Taurian stared at her, his face registering shock and disbelief. And more than a little anger. “A few hours ago, you were urging me to abandon our lair and go into hiding. And now you’re just changing your mind? Because of this? You think because we tell the humans we need them, they’re suddenly going to be friendly towards us? I don’t want to hide anymore than the next dragon, I’ve made my feelings on that clear, but is this new information really enough to change what is right for the safety of our clan?”
Lyrian hesitated. She couldn’t say for certain. No one could. But somehow, this felt right.
The pain that had been constricting her heart ever since the decision to leave the lair had been made, eased. And not just because it meant Brad would be able to find them.
“We ran from the humans in England,” she said softly. “We found a continent away from them, where they wouldn’t bother us. But they followed us here. There is nowhere else to run. Nowhere we will ever truly be hidden from them. Our only option is to find a way to coexist here.”