Perilous: The Dragon’s Creed Series Book 3

by French, Katie

  As I stood in the hall, someone wrapped me in a blanket. I’d forgotten that I was still naked. I’d forgotten a lot of things.

  Black Rock is dead. Ivy is dead. Tara is dead. I burned them. The boys saved me. Santiago was a fount of magic. Ki and I combined our powers into one.

  My head rang with losses and wins, big and small.

  Voices in the hallway finally drew my gaze. Men were rushing in our direction. My body instinctively stiffened until I spotted who it was. The boys’ fathers, Mr. Alcon and Mr. Liang, stormed toward us. They were wind-ruffled and wearing only dragon scale pants like they’d just flown in. As they came at us, their hands extended, I could feel the magic vibrating. They were ready for battle.

  Ki held out his hand to stop them from issuing blasts. “It’s okay, baba. It’s over.”

  Mr. Liang stopped in front of his son, then glanced between the two of us.

  “What happened? Someone called us with an anonymous tip and said there’d been an attack, that there were casualties. We came as quickly as we could.”

  “There are,” Ki said, swallowing hard as he glanced down at me. “But, at least it’s over.”

  “Ivy has been defeated,” Santiago said. “She and Tara were both behind the plot to overthrow the conciliatory and take out Black Rock. They were using the untamed both for experimentation and as cannon fodder to keep us all busy while they attempted to carve their way through anyone who might stop them.”

  Santiago’s father frowned as he took in his son’s words. “I thought you said you trusted her.”

  He dropped his head. “I was wrong.”

  “Santiago was amazing,” I said, making sure none of the blame fell at his feet. “He saved me. I’d be dead if it were for him. A lot of us would be.”

  Mr. Alcon gave a curt nod, but I could tell he still had more questions for his son. Obviously, they’d discussed Ivy since we got here. I wondered if Santiago had mentioned his initial decision to relinquish magic. It didn’t appear so. In any case, if Mr. Alcon tried to pin all this on Santiago, he and I would have a major problem.

  More footsteps pounded in our direction as rows of conciliatory guards, senior members and other staff flooded toward us. Silver was among them. I’d met him in passing the other day, but now he appeared wide eyed and terribly confused--nothing like the calm man I’d seen.

  “What happened here?” he demanded.

  No one seemed willing to answer.

  “Ivy sent me to Valparaíso to help Black Rock, but he wasn’t there.” There was something in his expression that told me he suspected the worst.

  I had no idea where Valparaíso was located, but I was certain it wasn’t anywhere near where the battle had taken place. This made me reevaluate Ivy’s level of evil, what she must have shared with Tara to allow her to capture a dragon as powerful as Black Rock. After the long years they had spent together Ivy must have known all his weaknesses, if he had any. Growing sad, I realized we might never know.

  Shock and concern played on the newcomers’ faces as they waited for an answer. Finally Silver and other senior members ran into the room. There were gasps and cries behind us as they saw what had happened. I vaguely wondered what would be the conciliatory’s fate now. When Silver came back out and demanding answers this time, Mr. Liang fended him off.

  “Let us all retire somewhere safe while they sort this out.” Mr. Liang extended his hand to direct us away from the chaos.

  Ki held onto me as Fang helped Tom, who seemed weakened but not badly injured. Santiago, too, walked stiffly as if he were in pain. I thought Mr. Alcon might heal our team, or at least his son, but he stayed to deal with Silver and seemed preoccupied with keeping an eye on who was coming and going out of the room, his posture straight and his eyes evaluating every move made. It was then that I realized there may have been more members in on the plot to overthrow the dragon government. And, clearly, some who were against it and thought it wise to contact Mr. Liang and Mr. Alcon just in time.

  My head throbbed. There was too much to take in.

  Somehow we made it to a lounge with soft lighting, comfy couches and the smell of coffee wafting around. A cup was pressed into my hand and I sipped the caramel macchiato, realizing that my body truly did run on coffee. Someone brought me real clothes, and I stepped into an nearby bathroom to put them on.

  My bald head and face were a shock. No eyebrows or eyelashes? Come on, I thought, while a more sensible Lila piped in, an eyelash for your life, little girl.

  When I walked back in, a hood hid my baldness and thick wool socks hugged my feet, helping fight off the chill that had to be shock settling over my body. I sat beside Ki and felt his warmth, pulsing magic like a tide, doling out good vibes like an emotional oil diffuser. It had to be working because I began to feel better.

  I listened as the boys filled Mr. Liang in on all they knew, but when Mercedes burst in, tears streaming down her face, I didn’t hear much above her constant threats to kill me if I ever tried to put myself in peril again.

  She hugged me and brought me buttery scones that I picked at until she demanded I eat them. Then she hugged Fang, floating between the two of us like a doting mother.

  Speaking of parents, I realized I hadn’t seen my dad since this all went down and was suddenly very worried about him. What if Ivy did something to him while we were out?

  I jumped up, startling everyone in the room. All eyes turned to me.

  “Lila, what is it?” Ki said, setting down his tea.

  “My dad. Has anyone seen him?”

  Mercedes shook her head. “Last night I did. He was fine then. I mean, I should’ve checked in on him this morning, but with everything going on—”

  I was out of the door in an instant, running down the hall to his room.

  Santiago rushed up beside me, sprinting on his long legs. “Lila, wait. I’m coming with you.”

  I didn’t argue. Together, we ran to the room. Out of breath and flustered, I skidded to a stop in front of his door, pounding it as I jiggled the locked handle. “Dad? Dad, open up! It’s Lila.”

  At first, there was nothing, but then footsteps. My heart soared until the door opened and Mr. Alcon appeared on the other side.

  My jaw dropped. “W-what are you…?”

  “Come in, Lila. Son.” He stepped back and gestured us in.

  Santiago and I walked into the fancy hotel-style room identical to the others. On the bed, my father sat up and turned to me, smiling. “Honey, you’re here.”

  “Dad?” I sat next to him, pressing into his arms to accept the hug. There was no tremor in his grasp, no weakness in his embrace as he pulled me close. His eyes were bright and full of life. He seemed like his old self.

  I pulled back, barely believing, seeking answers from his face and then from Mr. Alcon’s, who stood silently on the far side of the room with his hands clasped in front of him. He’d put on a casual business suit, sans tie, and slicked his hair back, looking every bit like the man in charge around here. He’d been busy in the two hours or so since I’d last seen him.

  He met my questioning gaze with a level one of his own. “He is healed, Lila. Your father should have no more symptoms.”

  “What do you mean? How?”

  Even Santiago seemed confused. “I thought you had tried everything to heal Lila’s father.”

  Mr. Alcon’s expression didn’t change. His dark eyebrows hovered over inscrutable brown eyes as he addressed me.

  “There was one spell, a very ancient spell that required me to break our creed to use it. But today, I learned that you saved my son’s life, Lila, vanquished our foes and put yourself in jeopardy for dragon kind. It was enough for me to decide that breaking the creed, in this instance, was allowable.”

  “You mean you could’ve saved my dad this whole time?” Anger rose inside me, but Santiago stepped between us.

  “Father, creed or not, this is Lila’s father we’re talking about.”

  “And a human,” he s
aid quietly, staring at us like a professor hell-bent on finishing his lesson. “Without laws, our people are nothing but untamed savages. Black Rock knew that. And now he is dead, true, but things are changing. It is clear our ancient ways must grow and adapt. Old rules may need to be broken. Rewritten. But there still needs to be order. Ivy and Tara flouted the rules and look where that led us. Regardless, it is done. He is healed. The Alcon debt is repaid.” He gave us a simple nod, turned, and strode to the door.

  Flabbergasted, I just stared. Santiago was the one to speak up. “What happens now, Papá?”

  Mr. Alcon stopped, his hand on the knob. “For now, the conciliatory will need new leadership. I have accepted the interim role of leader until an election can be held. You, son, should take a long look at what brought you to the brink of disaster. Great power, or even great intellect, is not enough. It must be tempered with reason and control. We all can learn a thing or two from the events that transpired today.”

  Uh-oh, it seemed he’d learned about Santiago’s brush with the Erudite Society.

  He turned to me, his expression warming just the slightest. “Lila, thank you for saving my son.” His eyes darted to Santiago and something unspoken passed between them. Then he was gone, shutting the door behind him.

  I stared at the door, thinking what in the hell just happened?

  Dad was the one to break the silence. “I have no idea what any of that meant, but does anyone have something to eat? I’m starving.”

  I snorted. Santiago stifled a laugh. Before I knew it, we were all rolling with fits of laughter.

  Dad was well. It was all going to be okay.

  Chapter 22

  It had been a while since I’d been able to recline with a book and actually get to read more than a paragraph. The house was quiet. Dad and the boys were outside, shoveling snow around the lighthouse, keeping us from getting buried in the stuff.

  A bit of late afternoon sun still seeped through the living room window as I kicked Dad’s La-Z-Boy further back. The hot cocoa I’d just drunk was doing nice, dozy things to me. The book in my hands had been waiting patiently on my nightstand for the last four months. I hoped I’d make it past page one.

  We’d been back from Chile for three weeks and life had been nice. Our quiet, easy going days were almost hard to believe, and I kept expecting something to happen, some unknown demon from our recent past to rear its head and ruin the perfection we had going.

  Dad was healthy, healthier than he had been in years. He walked without a limp, had even started jogging with Santiago in the mornings, in the frigid weather… crazy males!

  Tom was slowly coming to terms with the loss of his family and the unexpected fortune he was to inherit. It turned out that, even though Tara had tried to disown him, his brother’s death left him as the only heir to a sizable fortune that would be at his disposal in a couple of years, when he turned twenty-one.

  Ki was fully healed, with barely a scar on his neck to remind us of the nightmare untamed attack. In spite all of he’d suffered, he was his usual calm, steady-as-a-rock self. He kept us all smiling when cabin fever threatened to set in and was the voice of reason when Santiago and Tom got harebrained ideas like jumping off the lighthouse in human form the way he’d done from the conciliatory platform. Just no.

  Santiago was pretty much back to his usual self, though sometimes I still found him staring into the distance, his golden eyes dark with some memory I could well imagine. It hadn’t been easy for him, especially after his father chewed his ass off for what went down with Ivy. He wouldn’t say exactly what Mr. Alcon had told him, but it must have been harsh. That man was too strict and bound by a creed that had outlived its time. Hopefully, he would change his ways one day.

  The only way things at home could have been better was if Fang and Mercedes were with us. But Mercedes had gone back to school and would spend Christmas with her family. When she’d invited Fang to join her, he had jumped at the opportunity. Honestly, he hadn’t needed any encouragement from us. It was great to see them both so happy.

  Everything had settled down so well that I was even on my way to getting my GED, studying every day and taking practice tests. The idea of college was back on the table—something I had practically given up on. Dad said we had enough to cover all the costs for the first semester and, by the time the second semester came around, he assured me he would have a full-time job that would pay for the rest. His improved health was opening up all kinds of exciting possibilities.

  I had to admit I was getting excited about the prospect of higher education, especially since the boys assured me that whatever college I selected was all right by them. They would enroll and get a degree too. Ki and Santiago said it would make their parents happy to show that they had a purpose other than me. But I didn’t mind being their purpose. I could do it all day long, as a matter of fact.

  How I ever got so lucky and found three guys that were willing to follow me to the confines of the earth, I didn’t know.

  But I would be lying if I said this didn’t worry me sometimes.

  Without life-or-death battles to keep us occupied, the chemistry I’d shared with all three of them, at one point or another, had reignited. So much that these past few days I’d had to make a point not to find myself alone with any of them and risk ripping the clothes off their bodies. Good thing it was winter too, and they weren’t running around in swim trunks like they used to do when I first met them. I had to be particularly careful when we went flying. Those brief glimpses of their naked backsides were making it hard to keep my thoughts PG.

  One guy was enough to deal with, but three?

  I loved each and every one of them and relished their distinct personalities.

  Still… three?

  How long could I keep juggling them before the situation blew up in my face?

  As if on cue, the kitchen door opened, snow blowing inside, making Pickles jump off the table, complaining about a lonely snowflake that landed on his cat head.

  Tom stood there, his laser gaze cutting through the kitchen and the living room to spot me on Dad’s recliner. Something about his expression made me sit up, pull the lever in the La-Z-Boy, and jump to my feet. My book fell off my lap and landed on the rug under the coffee table.

  “What is it?!” I asked, my heart racing. “Something wrong?”

  Tom shook his head slightly, stomped his boots on the stoop, and walked in. Closing the door behind him, he took off his jacket and threw it on one of the kitchen chairs. He covered the distance between us, unrolling the scarf he wore around his neck. Blue eyes fixed on mine, he discarded the scarf and stopped a few paces away from me.

  His cheeks were ruddy from the cold, his blond hair peppered with tiny, melting snowflakes. His expression was oddly black.

  “Is it true you kissed Santiago?” he asked, his tone neutral.

  I frowned, trying to decide how I felt about the question. He wasn’t demanding an answer, and he didn’t look angry per se, just a bit miffed. I don’t think I could have dealt with a jealous-boyfriend act. Tom and I had shared a couple of kisses—intense, sure—but that was all. After a moment, I decided this simple question was fine and deserved a simple answer.

  “It’s true,” I said, holding his gaze.

  “And Ki?” he asked with a slow blink.

  I nodded. “He asked me on a date. It was nice.” I’d also kissed him when he was injured, but that didn’t really count. “What? Have you guys been comparing notes?”

  Tom averted his gaze then, his cheeks growing impossibly redder. He took a moment to compose his expression, then glanced back. A lot seemed to be whirling in his clear gaze, and I was afraid of what he might say next. The fact that things were out in the open could ruin everything between us.

  Finally, the turmoil inside him seemed to settle, and he took a step closer, entwining his fingers with mine.

  “I know there is a spark between us,” he said, examining my face and stopping at my lips. “And
we’d barely begun to test how bright it can go. I think you’d agree.”

  He leaned forward and teasingly brushed his mouth over mine. Pulling away, he searched my face for an answer. I inhaled, getting some much-needed air into my lungs. The spark was undeniable. It tingled down my body like a touch, making me wonder if he was using his electric magic on me.

  I suspiciously narrowed my eyes at him.

  “That’s all us, Lila. No magic,” he assured me.

  Wow! I almost said it out loud, but that would have given him too much credit. Even if he deserved it, I liked to keep the upper hand.

  The kitchen door opened again, and Dad and the other two boys came in, stomping their feet, rubbing their hands together, and complaining about the cold.

  I ducked away into the bathroom off the living room, feeling as if everyone would be able to read that kiss in my expression. I pushed the door closed and splashed water on my heated face. The mirror showed me I was as rosy cheeked as if I’d been out in the weather.

  Through the thin walls, I could tell Dad and the boys had jumped straight into dinner mode. Pots clattered. The refrigerator beeped as someone left it ajar for too long, probably Tom; he was always doing that.

  I opened the door to go help and gave a little jump.

  “Ki!”

  He was standing right in front of the door.

  “Need to use the bathroom?” I tried to squeeze by to let him through, but he didn’t budge.

  Oh, no. It seemed Ki also had a bone to pick.

  “I’m the kind of guy that lets things play out,” he told me, his dark eyes saying exactly the opposite. This was not like Ki. He wasn’t the pushy type. “But I feel I have to make sure you’re aware of...” he was losing steam, his stern face falling into worry.

  It was adorable. At least until he pulled me out of the bathroom, pushed me to the wall that divided the living room from the kitchen, and kissed me.