by Rinelle Grey
“That's probably a good idea,” she agreed, “except Dad will be home any minute. I'd really rather he didn't catch us naked in bed together.”
“I will listen for your father’s return and wake you in plenty of time to get dressed and downstairs,” Taurian promised.
The idea was tempting. Now that everything was over, exhaustion was setting in. The urgency to go and rescue Bruce was still strong, but they couldn't do anything until her father returned anyway. She'd just close her eyes for a few minutes, not sleep exactly… just… rest.
Chapter 3
The gentle buzzing of her phone pulled Karla from a half sleep. For a moment, she was tempted to ignore it. It was warm and comfortable snuggled in Taurian's arms. Then she remembered. Her father was due home any minute. Karla’s heart gave a thump and sped up, and her whole body heated up a notch. How long had she been asleep? He could be home already. Crap. If he caught her and Taurian in bed together, she’d never be able to explain it.
She listened, but the house was still silent.
The phone buzzed again, and Karla sighed. She glanced at Taurian as she slipped out of his arms, but he didn't even stir. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Who had needed a sleep?
Turning away, she reached for her clothes, pulling them on as she grabbed the phone and slipped out of the door, closing it softly behind her. Only then did she glance at the screen, and her heart skipped a beat.
It was Bruce’s number.
Her fingers fumbled as she raced to answer it. “Are you okay?” she demanded.
“I'm totally fine, thank you for asking,” an unexpected voice purred.
Not Bruce. The hairs rose on the back of Karla’s neck. “Ultrima?” she demanded.
“Brains as well as beauty. I can see why Taurian has kept you around. Oh no, wait, he just needs to sleep with you to finish the Mesmer ritual. Where is he? I need to speak to him.”
His tone was so dismissive, it made Karla bristle. “He’s not available right now, so you’re just going to have to talk to me. What have you done with Bruce?”
“Oh, he’s perfectly fine. Your actions hurt him more than I did. I have no interest in him. It’s Taurian I want. How about we swap?”
He had to be joking, right?
The fact that he wasn’t became apparent as he continued. “Just take him to a nice, open, deserted field somewhere. You’re clever enough to make up a reason to be there, and I’ll do the rest. You can have your boyfriend back in a matter of hours and get back on with your life. No more dealing with dragons ever again.”
A few days ago that was what Karla had wanted. Or thought she had. A lot had changed since then.
Now that the Mesmer ritual was complete, the bond between her and Taurian was gone. She should be able to assess how she felt about him without magic getting in the way.
But the feelings that had been stirred up by their intense lovemaking lingered, sending warmth flooding through her every time she thought about it. She wanted to do that again. How could she not? It had been amazing. But that was part of the magic.
It probably wouldn’t feel that good now that the Mesmer bond was complete. The magic was gone, and it would be just normal sex. Well, perhaps not normal…
The only way to know for sure would be to try it out, wouldn’t it?
Karla gave herself a shake.
Perhaps she still needed a little more distance before she could assess this.
And whether she cared about Taurian in that manner didn’t matter anyway. She couldn’t just turn him over to Ultrima without a second thought. She couldn’t do that to anyone. Especially not since the dragon was lying to her outright by telling her she could just get on with her life. “Sure, and the fact that being apart from him without completing the Mesmer ritual is going to kill me is just a small matter, nothing to worry about.”
Probably not an issue now that they had slept together, but Ultrima didn’t know that. And it seemed prudent to keep that information from him.
There was a silence on the other end of the phone. So he hadn’t expected her to know. Karla found his surprise satisfying.
“That is a small concern,” he agreed finally. “I am prepared to wait until the ritual is complete if necessary. It won’t take more than another week at most.”
“You’re not bothered that he will be at full power then?” A shiver ran up Karla’s spine.
“Not at all. Even at full power, Taurian is no match for me.”
Was it overconfidence, or was he telling the truth? Any hope Karla had felt that Taurian could easily deal with Ultrima now that the ritual was complete evaporated.
Now how was she going to get Bruce back?
“How about we arrange a time and place?” Ultrima prodded.
Did he really think she would do something like that? Of course he did, because he would, without a moment’s hesitation.
She could use that. If she could convince him he had it all sorted out, then he would relax and just wait. He’d stop following them. And maybe they could find a way to surprise him enough to defeat him. Or at least rescue Bruce.
“How about out at the Dragon Scales,” she suggested. “You know where that is, right?”
“I do,” Ultrima confirmed. “In a week then?”
“Sure, in a week,” Karla agreed.
“It’s a date,” Ultrima purred, and hung up.
Karla stared at the phone in her hand. She’d just bought them some time, but would it be enough?
If Taurian wasn’t strong enough to defeat Ultrima, then what other options did they have? The dragon had made it plain that he wasn’t going to stop hounding them until he got what he wanted—Taurian.
What he planned to do with him wasn’t clear, but from what she’d heard about dragons, Karla was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be good.
Taurian obviously thought he was good enough to defeat the lightning dragon. Karla’s lips lifted in a smile. Overconfident much? She had no idea which dragon was bluffing, and she didn’t want to find out
She needed to find another way, a better way.
These dragons were all so brash, there had to be a way to use that against them, just as she had used it against Edtrima in the chess game. They were so busy watching the main pieces, they paid no attention to the pawns.
Ultrima would be expecting Taurian to arrive and fight him.
He wouldn't be expecting a lowly human. It wouldn't even occur to him that she might show up and try to rescue Bruce.
Therefore, it was the best thing for her to do.
Convincing Taurian was another matter altogether. He was asleep right now, she could slip away without him knowing, but as soon as he woke up, he'd fly after her to try to attack Ultrima, thinking he was rescuing her.
So she could use that too. In fact, it would be the perfect distraction.
Karla smiled as a plan began to take shape in her mind. Then her face fell. There was just one problem—she had no idea where Ultrima was.
She thought back to the phone conversation, going over it in her mind, hoping to remember some clue that might help her guess where the dragon had taken Bruce. But it was pointless. How could a phone conversation tell her where they were?
She stared at the phone in her hand, then laughed out loud. The conversation couldn't tell her, but the phone could. She clicked through to the app, and called up the location of Bruce's phone. She held her breath as the phone searched for the information. She and Bruce had set it up so that they could tell where each other was when they were late home. Hopefully he hadn't changed it…
The loading bar filled, and a little red dot appeared. Karla let out her breath in a sigh.
The news was both good and bad. The phone gave out a good, clear signal, pinpointing Bruce's location clearly. Unfortunately, it was at least half an hour’s drive away, at the top of a remote mountain. At least there were roads nearby. She was going to need a car. And some supplies.
Heading downstairs, Karl
a paced for a few moments, staring at the dot on her phone, hoping Bruce was okay, and trying not to think about the fact that sleeping with Taurian might have just used up time she didn’t have right now.
Dwelling on that wasn’t going to help though. She needed to do something. Karla grabbed a backpack and began to fill it with some supplies she thought she might need. By the time her father’s ute pulled into the driveway, she was ready and waiting.
However, as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her, she realised her father wasn’t alone.
Lisa.
What was she doing here? Didn’t her father realise they were in a hurry? She didn’t have time for a pointless visit right now.
Lisa jumped out of the ute and marched up to Karla, her face determined. “I’m here to help.”
Help with what? Karla looked over at her father.
He held up his hands. “I didn’t tell her, K. Apparently, she had a visit from one of your… uh… friends after she drove home last night.”
Karla winced. So that was how Ultrima had found them. She should have seen this coming. She should have realised Edtrima wouldn’t just give up when he realised it wasn’t them in the car. Making her even more responsible for Bruce’s kidnapping.
“Yeah, scared the bejesus out of me too,” Lisa said, “when his eyes went all narrow like a cat’s and his hands turned into claws. He threatened to blast me with lightning if I didn’t tell him where you were, Karla. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
Karla scowled. “You could have lied,” she pointed out.
Lisa put her hands on her hips. “And have him come back as soon as he realised I was lying? And anyway, what fake address should I have given him?”
Karla didn’t want to hear her excuses. Especially not when they were valid. “Well what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be off hiding in case he returns?”
Lisa glared at her. “I came to see if I could help. Your dad says they kidnapped your boyfriend, so if there’s anything I can do, just tell me.” Then she held up a bow and arrows. “I’m not sure if these will do much, but they're better than nothing, right?”
Karla stared at the weapon in her hand. Would a bow do anything against a dragon’s hide? If there was any chance, Lisa would be the one to do it. She’d been the best at archery club. And this did help with the one hole in her plan. “Actually, I could use some help,” she agreed.
Lisa nodded resolutely. “What can I do?”
“Where’s Taurian?” her dad interrupted.
“He’s asleep. And we’re going to leave him that way,” Karla said firmly.
Her father raised an eyebrow. “What’s he doing asleep at a time like this?”
Karla hoped her blush wasn’t obvious. “I don’t think he meant to sleep, but he must have been exhausted. There were too many dragons chasing us last night for us to get much rest.”
Despite looking at her strangely, her father didn’t ask more. Instead, he asked, “Why aren’t you going to wake him?”
“I had a phone call,” Karla said. “From Ultrima.”
Lisa paled.
Her father frowned. “That seems like a reason to wake Taurian, not let him sleep.”
“He seemed unafraid about facing Taurian. In fact, that’s what he wants. He tried to convince me to bring him to a deserted field, and he would ‘swap’ him for Bruce.”
“Obviously that’s not what you intend to do?”
“Of course not. But while he’s waiting for that opportunity, I’m going to sneak up on him and rescue Bruce. I have the location from Bruce’s phone.”
Lisa paled, but nodded resolutely. “Then I’m coming too.”
“Wait a sec,” her father said. “You think the dragon is probably strong enough that Taurian can’t win against him, so you’re going to take him on without Taurian’s help? How is that going to work?”
Karla smiled. “That’s exactly how it’s going to work. If he sees me, he’s going to just laugh. These dragons think humans are useless and weak, so they pay no attention to them. He won’t be expecting me to do anything. I bet the area isn’t even guarded.”
Her father didn’t look convinced. “I’m seeing a flaw in your plan. I doubt Taurian is going to sleep for that long. And when he wakes up and finds you gone, he’s going to want to go straight after you. I doubt I can stop him.”
“I don’t want you to. In fact, I’m counting on it. Taurian fighting Ultrima will be just the distraction I need to get Bruce out of there.”
A frown wrinkled her father’s forehead. “But I thought the plan was to rescue Bruce without Taurian fighting Ultrima? You’re not just going to let him get killed are you?” He looked worried by the idea. Did he have a soft spot for Taurian?
Funny how earlier he had been worried about her hurting Bruce. Now it was the other way around. Karla bit her lip. She wished she could protect both of them. And she could. Or she could try at least.
“No, I have a plan for that too,” Karla explained. “That’s where Lisa comes in.”
“Me?” Lisa squeaked.
“Yes, you. I was wondering how I was going to keep the dragons distracted, but your bow and arrow is the perfect solution.”
“I wasn’t planning on taking a dragon on by myself,” Lisa protested.
“You won’t be by yourself. Taurian will be there too. Until he shows up, you can stay low and not be noticed.”
Lisa looked doubtful, but she nodded. “I can try.”
Not very encouraging, but it would have to do.
“Let’s get going then,” Karla said. “If we sit around chatting any longer, Taurian will wake up and the whole thing will be wasted.”
Her father hesitated for a moment, holding the keys to the ute and looking at her. Then he nodded. “It’s a risky plan, but it might just work. But there’s one more thing.”
“What?” Karla asked. Had she missed something? She was sure she’d thought of everything.
“I’m coming too,” her father said.
Karla smiled at his determined look even as she shook her head. “There isn’t room in the car. We can only fit three people in the ute, and we’ll need the final space for Bruce once we rescue him. Besides, I need you to stay here and distract Taurian for as long as possible.”
Her father frowned. “You really think I’m going to be able to sit here while the two of you are off fighting a dragon?” he asked.
“There’s no other way,” Karla said quietly. “I have to do this, Dad.”
He stared at her for a few minutes, then sighed and handed her the keys. “Take care, okay?”
“I will.”
Chapter 4
Taurian sat bolt upright in the narrow bed. The Mesmer ritual was complete and he could feel his full power surging through him. He should have felt powerful and confident.
But something was wrong. He was alone in the room. Where was Karla? How had he fallen asleep? He’d been determined to fight the urge—to stay awake so he could protect her.
Had Ultrima somehow gained entry to the room while he slept and stolen her too?
Throwing back the bedcovers, Taurian stood up, only just remembering to grab his clothes and pull them on. He wouldn’t need them once he transformed anyway, but these humans seemed disturbed by nakedness.
Karla hadn’t been bothered by his lack of clothes today. He’d seen how her eyes widened when she saw him. She’d been impressed. As she should be.
He didn’t have time for those thoughts. He needed to find her.
He heard movement below and gave a sigh of relief. She’d just woken before him and gone downstairs.
Still, he moved cautiously as he descended, following the sounds. Opening the door to the kitchen, he was disappointed to see Karla’s father, not her.
“Where’s Karla?”
The man jumped and swung around, his hand going to his chest. “Oh, it’s just you, Taurian.”
“Of course it’s me,” Taurian growled. “W
ho did you expect?”
“Well, we have had quite a few dragons carrying people off lately,” he pointed out.
“A few?” Taurian demanded. “Did Ultrima get Karla too?” He felt all the blood drain from his face at the thought. If Ultrima had her, he would kill the other dragon, no doubt about it.
It took several moments of anguish before it even occurred to him that Ultrima could use Karla to get back at him. He could be thinking that he didn’t have to kill Taurian. He didn't know they had completed the Mesmer ritual. He still thought that if he killed Karla, poor, defenceless Karla, then it would achieve the same aim.
His presence had put her in danger. His hands clenched into fists.
“No, no, she’s fine,” her father said quickly, although his brow was wrinkled. He was worried about her. That wasn’t good.
“Where is she then?”
The man hesitated just a few moments, before saying, “She went… out. She, uh, said she needed to get something for, uh, your preparations. That's right. She said you'd know what it was.”
Taurian frowned. Karla's part in their preparations was done. The rest was up to him. So the old man was lying. Why? There was no reason he would cover up the truth if Ultrima had kidnapped Karla, which meant…
“You let her go after Ultrima on her own, didn’t you? Do you have any idea how dangerous that could be?” Taurian growled. This man was Karla's father, wasn't he supposed to care for her?
The fact that he did showed in the way the man’s face paled. He didn't back down though. “And it wasn't in the least dangerous for you,” he challenged.
“Of course not,” Taurian said flatly. “Ultrima is a lowly lightning dragon. He's no match for me.”
“That’s not what he said.”
“What? When did you talk to Ultrima?”
“I didn't, but he apparently called Karla while I was out and you were asleep. He managed to convince her that it would be dangerous for you to fight him.”
“And she believed him?” Taurian clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to admit that it might be the truth. He couldn’t accept that possibility. Not to himself, and certainly not to Karla or her father. “So she thinks it's better to risk herself than to trust in me? And you let her go?”