The Dragon's Charm (Elemental Dragons Book 4)

by Emilia Hartley

  As much as Kenji’s body wanted it, he knew he would not have survived the intimacy, not if she was going to walk away again. It was for the best he never know the touch of her skin on his, not fully.

  Liana’s eyes travelled toward the now frantic human woman. It was Liana’s fault she was here. The past days on the Territory, though, were a mixture of Morgan and Kenji’s fault. It was their indecisiveness that kept her here.

  “How do we get out?” Morgan asked.

  “We go up,” Liana said, trying to console the woman. “We go up and up until we know whatever GOE has prepared cannot reach us. As long as there isn’t a cage over our heads, we can come and go as we please.”

  Dane plucked the spoon form his mate’s hand and dug into the apple crisp she was hoarding. “I don’t want to attack the walls. It sends the wrong message. How did your family deal with it? They were bound to their territory in Snowdonia.”

  Liana’s lips curled. “There weren’t walls around our home. Our home wasn’t a prison and the terms we laid out there were out of respect for the city around it. Our family was the reason for the Occurrence. The dragons here haven’t done anything near as horrible.”

  Kenji had heard of the Occurrence, the day one of the Welsh red dragons lost is over their dead mate and razed an entire city for revenge. That was the day the world learned dragons really did exist. Even then, no one had walled them in. In fact, they left the dragons to punish their own.

  Morgan spun toward Kenji. “Take me home. Now.” Her arms were wrapped around her middle, fingertips squeezing into her arms. There was a nervous energy about her that finally found its way out. He could tell she’d been trying to reign in her fear and worry since they went to the wall, but the dam had burst.

  All Kenji could do was nod. He did not ask for permission, instead he offered something else. “I will head up and see what GOE thinks they have that can box us in. While I do that, I’ll take Morgan back to her own world.”

  Both Dane and Liana watched him. He could see them weighing their options. What else did they have? Both of the Avila twins lived off the Territory with their mates. When the wall went up, it also cut Dane off from two of his most reliable dragons. Isaac was home and he did have more stealth advantage, but no one dared in case he brought a storm down on their heads.

  The last storm he’d brought upon his family had allowed GOE to steal two of their dragons.

  Thinking of his elders, Kenji’s eyes danced across the room and found Hector Avila nervously shifting from foot to foot. Their eyes met and a message was relayed without words. Things were not okay.

  “Fine,” Dane managed to bite off. “But, you keep her safe at all costs. I’m not having her injury or death on my hands.”

  Kenji knew he did not say the things he did with a mean bone in his body. Dane’s words were meant to challenge Morgan to reconsider her request. It was a dangerous time to fly out of the Territory, but it was also their fault she was trapped with them.

  “Do not worry. I will protect her with my life.”

  Liana’s lips parted, but Kenji shot her a look before she could say anything. He was sure the woman could see the bond between them, but Kenji did not need her spilling the truth in that moment. He was prepared to sacrifice his happiness for hers.

  “But, first, I have to speak to someone.”

  Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise and her lips parted. Kenji wanted to be able to lean in and kiss the outrage from her lips, but he didn’t allow himself. He kept his spine straight and assured her he would be back in moments.

  At least, he hoped it would only be moments. There was no telling how this was going to end. Kenji followed Hector out the cabin’s back door, leading him toward the house where the elders were living together.

  Lucia was napping on the front porch, the swing beneath her swaying ever so slightly in a wind that seemed to always be wrapped around her. Her face had softened, but Kenji couldn’t tell if that was from any healing her soul might have done or if it was simply sleep making her appear better. Hector spared a moment to lean forward and lay a kiss on his wife’s brow. A smile touched her lips, faint, but there all the same.

  “She’s been flipping out ever since the news of the wall,” Hector said as he looked at his wife. They both knew he was not talking about Lucia. They were talking about the ancient hag of an elder.

  “That really puts a kink in her plans, doesn’t it?”

  Hector nodded. “She’s using fear to get dragons to follow her. If you get a chance, try to talk to them. They trust you and they might listen to the voice of reason if it came from you.”

  “I, uh, don’t have much time lately. I could try, but I fear she will have control of their hearts before I could even begin. Are you sure there’s not something else we could do?”

  “If some wish to leave, it is within their rights to do so. If that should happen, the best thing we could do for them if make sure the Guardians of Existence are no longer a threat to their safety.”

  “We tried that. The trial failed.”

  Hector placed a hand on Kenji’s shoulder. The man had been like a father to him for far longer than he’d’ been a father to his own children. It didn’t seem fair to the twins, but Kenji would always be grateful for the man in his life.

  “Don’t give up hope. I do believe the Welsh dragon is still fighting any way she can.”

  “It’s a lost fight,” Kenji grumbled. “No human will ever take pity on us, no matter what kind of truth we hand them or how we package it. Not even…” Not even his own mate would spare him a second thought.

  Hector shook his head. “That’s an unfair assumption. Humanity is as varied as dragon kind. There are a great number of opinions and virtues all across the board, some of them even compatible with us. Why else would dragons mate with humans if it were not possible for us to get along?”

  Kenji stood in the silence, letting Hectors words sink in. All they did was fill Kenji with despair. He wasn’t quite sure what he’d done to deserve the mate he’d been handed, but he did know she would not love him. There was lust between them, that was for sure. Yet, love was not a thing he’d seen from her.

  “I thought about…” Kenji struggled to emit the words. “I thought about leaving with her when she splits the family again. I would have a position of power and I could protect the poor saps she convinces to leave.”

  “All for a position of power?”

  Kenji ached for a place in the world. It seemed the hand he’d been dealt never quite fit, never quite stayed in place or welcomed him. He’d had power with the family, even if it was limited because of his age, but he’d known his future. Now, he had a mate who would not love him and a shaky future with a family he didn’t wholly feel a part of yet.

  He swallowed and hesitated. Was the power worth it? Was that what he really wanted? His eyes travelled back toward the cabin, thoughts on the human woman inside who was all too ready to leave the Territory and Kenji behind. No, this was not about the power. It was about being free.

  Hector seemed to realize his conclusion at the same time because he spoke before Kenji could give voice to anything. “Maybe, if all you need is a place, you should carve one out for yourself. There are strong voices here, one more strong voice would not bother this family. At least, I don’t think so. Besides, weren’t you given a role in the Welsh dragon’s new task force? She trusts you to protect this family. Perhaps that is a sign in and of itself.”

  Kenji gave his elder a sidelong glance. He would consider Hector’s words, even if a roiling feeling in his stomach told him he would never belong. The world kept trying to cast him aside. No matter how hard he fought to keep his head above the figurative water, Kenji felt it pull him down time and time again. What was the point in surviving the GOE facilities if this was to be his life?

  ***

  Morgan’s stomach churned. Kenji let his dragon out, the beast emerging from his human form almost inexplicably. He was a beautiful creat
ure to behold, his water color scales shifting from pale green to turquoise to deep blue to nearly black from body to tip. He turned his nearly dog like face toward her with questioning eyes.

  Was she ready for this?

  Her apartment, her job, her dream was waiting for her on the other side. None of that included a dragon man and anything sketchy GOE might be up to. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. Her mind was not so easily convinced. She knew she would have to repeat those facts to herself several times during the flight home.

  Once she could get pavement beneath her feet again, it would be easier. Surrounded by dragons who made apple crisp and human mates who gathered for girl talk it was hard for Morgan to think clearly.

  She climbed into Kenji’s grasp, trying to cover the trembling in her hands by gripping his claws. He pulled her tight to his body before lifting into the air. She felt safe, knowing his body was behind her and two hands held her, but the mystery of what was to come scared her. They could fly up and out of the walls. That was a possibility, even if none of the dragons here thought GOE would allow it.

  The ground passed beneath them, revealing the construction happening below. Morgan didn’t know how the organization could have pulled the scale of construction off so quickly. The wall seemed to pop up overnight, all GOE’s resources converging on one large goal. One would think the organization had focused all of its resources on winning the recent trial, but it seemed the organization’s goals had been split.

  The dark, gray wall appeared. It stood, a stark contrast against the natural beauty all around it. Morgan’s hands clenched around Kenji’s claws. He could not feel her grasp as the people below started to turn their heads upward. She wished they could blend into the sky, disappear, but the sky above was not a clear blue.

  Kenji’s water colored body was backlit by the blossoming dawn morning, shades of pink and orange highlighting his form. They were an easy target and when a number of the forms below rushed toward a vehicle, Morgan knew they’d messed up.

  More importantly, she’d messed up.

  It wasn’t a car or a van the shapes were converging on. It was a kind of tank. At first, it struck her as a little overboard, having a tank guarding the border of the American Dragon Territory. Slowly, Morgan realized GOE meant business. She realized her thoughts about the institution’s validity were falling apart. There was much more going on than she would ever know.

  Not that it mattered as the vehicle below raised a long barrel into the sky. Morgan screamed and beat her fists against Kenji’s clawed hands to get his attention. He must have seen the barrel rise in their direction because his body became fluid, bending this way and that thought the air. He would have been an impossible target had they simply fired a bullet or something along those lines at him.

  Morgan saw what it was they’d fired at the last possible second. Her words were lost in the air as she shouted net! The thin, almost invisible threads wrapped around him. The net itself wouldn’t have stopped Kenji and his wingless form if it had not packed another secret weapon.

  The threads crackled with life and electricity made the hair on her arms rise on end before she felt it hit her body. No scream escaped her body. There was nothing she could do to escape the white-hot pain. It seemed Kenji was not invulnerable to the electricity, either. His form twitched and flailed. Before she could make sense of what was happening, a wall of water was rushing toward them.

  Kenji’s body twisted. She’d thought he was unconscious, but he managed to turn himself so his body was between her and the water. The impact sounded like hitting concrete, sharp and loud. Water thrust into the air like fingers that closed around them and sucked them in.

  The damned net floated around them when Kenji pulled back his dragon form. Morgan’s mind was a mess, burnt around the edges from the pain she’d endured. Her limbs barely wanted to obey, but she forced them into motion. It was push through it or die. She knew she was not about to accept the second option and another part of her, frantically searching the water, would not let Kenji die either.

  She found him behind her, his body floating differently. She didn’t have time to think about it before she reached for his body. He’d taken that impact for her, shielded her body with his own. It must have hurt like nothing else. At that distance, breaking the surface of water was more like hitting pavement. Thankfully, the holes in the net were large enough that Morgan could swim through and pull Kenji’s body after her own.

  Would the agents think to come looking for them? Morgan didn’t have time to think. She pushed toward a shore, breaking the surface only long enough to gasp for air. Beside her, she saw the rise and fall of Kenji’s chest, not impeded at all by the flow of water into his lungs. Was that his dragon magic? Did it allow even his human form to breathe water?

  She was damned lucky, then. She was not trained for CPR or anything of its like. If she’d had to do something like that on Kenji, she would have panicked. As it was, her mind was racing. It was all she could do to focus on paddling toward the shore.

  Then, it struck her. They were past the wall.

  Using the last nit of her strength, she hooked her arms beneath Kenji’s armpits and hauled him onto the shore. Her senses were on high alert. She was no dragon, but she could hear and feel everything around her while the adrenaline still pumped through her system. At any moment, agents could burst through the brush and surround them.

  They needed to find somewhere to hide. Morgan looked down at Kenji, no closer to regaining consciousness than he’d been moments ago. Worry gnawed on the edges of her mind. What if he never woke up? The electrical impact still made her own muscles twitch and jump. She had no idea what it might have done to Kenji and the realization made her sick to her stomach.

  She would inspect the exaggerated emotion later, she told herself. While her concern for Kenji was strange, Morgan knew they needed to get out of there fast.

  ***

  You’ve got to come back to me.

  I need you.

  Kenji was faintly aware of a voice in the darkness. It begged and pleaded with him, a woman’s voice. The words attached to his consciousness and tugged. He struggled to follow it, need suddenly taking over, until he hit the surface.

  His eyes snapped open and he sucked in a breath. His body shot upright and Morgan stumbled back in surprise. Water rose from his lung, making him cough and gag until it was up and out. He was not a pretty sight, but he wiped at his lips with the back of his hand and looked toward his mate.

  It’d been her voice that called to him in the darkness. His heart leapt inside his chest. The urge to crawl to her, to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her tight. Now was not the time. His eyes rose to the sky, tracking the sun’s movement. How much time had passed since they were shot down?

  His brow crinkled. “How did you get us free of the net?”

  Morgan’s gaze snapped away from the shoreline, surprise in her eyes. “Uh, the holes in the net were big enough that I could sim through. Your body… it changed back to your human form once you passed out and it made it easier to get you free. I’m just happy you breathe water.”

  Kenji laughed, feeling his chest burn with the leftover water. Just because he could didn’t mean he liked it. Switching between the two, air and water, was a harsh transition. Still, she was right. His element must have made it easier for her to save them both. He was in her debt.

  He studied her, the shining black hair that clung to her forehead, the wild look in her eyes. She’d taken time in her panic to save him. She’d begged him to come back to her.

  Could he have a chance with his mate after all? Hope blossomed like light inside his chest and helped him pull himself to his feet. Morgan followed suit, her brow low over her eyes as she glared in the direction they’d come from.

  “I know where we are,” she informed him. “It took me a moment to recognize the lake, but I used to swim here as a teen. It’s just a short walk back to town from the other side of the la
ke.”

  Kenji stretched his twitching muscles. He hated electricity. With a passion.

  Nothing would ever hurt like the pain he’d endured in GOE’s facilities, but ice and electricity were turning out to be very close in comparison. His body refused to follow his directions, calf muscles trying to drop him when he took a step forward. With a growl of frustration, he paused and waited for his body to answer to his command once more.

  Morgan’s glare pulled away from the shore and she darted to tuck herself under his shoulder. He could feel her body reacting similarly and held onto her in case she, too, lost control. Together, they made their way on foot toward the opposite side of the lake. Kenji knew flight was out of the question and he wasn’t sure swimming would be very smart. Watching a woman ride a submersed dragon across the water might garner unwanted attention.

  It was a long walk, but they managed to regain feeling in their bodies by the time they reached the other side of the lake. Kenji noted the lake’s presence, just in case his stay here became permanent. He glanced at the woman who’d pulled away from him once his gait became normal. If she would not accept the bond, Kenji knew he would have to leave.

  There was no life for him, living near her if he could not have her. He would not spend his years pining after her. It would make both of their lives miserable.

  “You know the way back to town from here. Right?”

  Morgan paused, her head snapping up at the sound of his voice. “I already said I did. Where did you think I was leading you?”

  He looked back in the direction they’d come, glanced up at where they’d fallen from the skies. “You should go home, then. I said I’d get you home and I think this is where that journey ends for us.”

  Kenji could feel his stomach clench as he said the words. He would always have the kiss they’d shared, one small moment of intimacy for him to remember his mate by. Her life would be better without him, anyway. It was clear there was no room for a dragon man in it.