by Tami Lund
But the dragon came back again, slashing with his talons, slapping his tail around, while Gabe fought off the attack. These guys were far better at combat than Gabe was; he couldn’t find an opportunity to go on the offensive.
I could use some help here.
He glanced to the right. The other two had ganged up on Talia. She was holding her own, twisting this way and that, not letting them get behind her or close enough to bite or slash her, but she couldn’t fend them off forever. With a roar, Gabe dropped, flying underneath the dragon attacking him.
One of the Talia’s attackers didn’t realize he was coming, and Gabe was able to get close enough to latch his front talons on the guy’s back. He reached down and clamped his jaws on the exposed neck, tearing off a chunk of scaly flesh. Probably wouldn’t kill him, but it definitely hurt enough that the dragon screamed and twisted out of his grip and then flew away over the lake.
A streak of lightning zapped from the clouds above the dragon, straight down, catching him in the crosshairs. With another agonizing scream, the creature plummeted, splashing into the lake. Gabe could hear the sound of his skin sizzling when it hit the water.
Two more.
He glanced at his flying partner.
Talia!
But it was too late. Like him, she’d been distracted by the lightning strike, and one of the remaining Rojo dragons had caught her, wrapped his tail around her neck, and was squeezing. Gabe flapped his wings as fast he as he could, trying to get to her. The more she struggled, the tighter the tail wound around her, cutting off her air supply.
Stop fighting, he commanded, but she didn’t respond.
Talia!
She was growing weaker, her struggles slowing, until her head drooped, exposing her neck. The other dragon uncoiled his tail and went in for the kill, his mouth wide open, sharp, pointed teeth glistening despite the low light.
Gabe zoomed straight at her attacker, slamming into the other dragon before he could latch onto her neck. He and the Rojo dragon both went into tailspins, while Talia fell toward earth, unconscious or too weak to flap her wings.
Talia!
He couldn’t right himself fast enough, couldn’t turn toward the ground so he could fly after her. By the time he’d shaken off the hit, he was so far away, there was no way in hell he could get to her.
No!
He started anyway, but then jerked out of his nosedive when two dragons swept out of the low bank of clouds, flying straight for Talia.
Zilarra dragons.
He watched as they used their talons to each grab a wing, right at the joint, holding her limp form between them as they slowly sank to the ground.
She’s safe now. And she’s not dead. She better not be dead.
Gabe turned his focus to his adversaries.
Time to end this.
Yeah, we need to go check on her, his dragon replied.
Can we focus?
He belched a stream of fire at the nearest dragon, who easily dodged it. Which was exactly what Gabe wanted. Abruptly sweeping to the left, he caught the dragon mid-dodge, his talons scraping across the guy’s back, drawing blood.
That looks like it hurts.
The dragon screamed and spit fire as it tried to fly but was failing miserably. After a few moments of futile attempts, it finally spread its wings and glided toward the ground.
The remaining dragon came at Gabe from the right, flying through a cloud that had heretofore concealed him from view. He slashed out with a talon, whipped his tail at Gabe, and belched fire all at the same time.
Damn, multi-talented.
Gabe twisted this way and that, avoiding a direct hit, although his own tail was singed. The Rojo dragon came at him again, using the same move, but this time, Gabe dropped low, avoiding all three hits, and then he lifted his face and blew fire as the dragon flew over top of him, hitting it in the stomach. The dragon screamed and rolled onto his back, probably to allow the rain to cool his scorched skin.
Gabe didn’t give him time to recover. He flew at the dragon, dragging a talon across the already sensitive skin he’d exposed by rolling onto his back. The dragon screamed again and belched fire, this time catching the end of one of Gabe’s wings.
Fuck, that hurt.
This needed to end. He still had no idea if Talia was alive, and his dragon was growing impatient. He dove at his wounded enemy, spraying fire and slashing with his talons at the same time, much like his adversary had done earlier. Soon, the other dragon’s blood poured from his wounds, mingling with the rain, and his wings flapped slower and slower, and Gabe knew he had his chance to kill the guy.
But the dragon dropped his head in submission, and stayed like that, suspended in air. Then he twisted his head, exposing his neck. If Gabe wanted to, he could finish him.
Shit.
With an impatient nod, he indicated the dragon should fly to the ground. The Rojo obeyed his unspoken command, and when they touched the grass, they both shifted and magicked clothing onto their bodies.
It was Darius, the one who claimed Ruby was his.
He dropped to his knees, the various cuts and burns he’d sustained in flight still visible on his skin. The blood from the burn on his stomach was already soaking through his shirt. He needed medical attention, but Gabe’s forgiveness only went so far. Especially since he didn’t know Talia’s status.
“She’s mine,” Gabe said, standing over the Rojo dragon. “She’s my daughter. My heir. And her mother belongs to this colony, too. Take what’s left of your cronies and get the hell off my land. Know that, from this point forward, if you ever come back, we will immediately assume you mean us harm, and we will act accordingly.”
The guy nodded once without looking up.
“Go.”
He struggled to his feet and limped to his nearest comrade. Arm in arm, they walked away, and a few moments later, they both shifted, flying across the sky and disappearing into the clouds. The shift would hasten the healing of their wounds. Not to mention, they’d get home a hell of a lot faster.
Gabe should shift again, too, but he needed to know first.
“Talia,” he asked the nearest dragon, who pointed toward the house. He took off at a run, his bare feet slapping the grass, his wounds forgotten.
He burst through the back door, gasping for breath, and then skidded across the tile floor, his hip slamming into the counter before he righted himself and headed toward the front of the house.
“Upstairs,” Julian, who stood in the middle of the foyer, said. Gabe didn’t waste time asking how he knew who he was looking for.
Gabe found her, lying in her own bed, several dragons in human form hovering around her, including Yari, their healer, who was in the process of applying some sort of salve to Talia’s throat.
Which meant she was alive. Right?
“She’s…”
“Going to be fine,” Yari said, straightening and dropping the jar into her bag.
Gabe let out a breath as Talia’s eyes fluttered open. “Good,” he said. Then he narrowed his eyes at the woman lying in the bed.
“Now get up and get the hell out of my house.”
Chapter 15
“The deceased Rojo dragons have been returned to their colony. Their reeve stated that he appropriately reprimanded Darius Redd, who also happens to be his son. He also stated he would sign a peace treaty, if someone would write one up.”
The room fell silent, and Talia glanced up from her computer screen. She hadn’t actually been taking notes like she was supposed to be doing. Instead, she’d been daydreaming, imagining a world in which Gabe didn’t give her the cold shoulder, didn’t treat her like a pariah, didn’t refuse to speak to her, and in fact, would actually allow himself to be in her presence beyond these meetings.
Everyone was looking her way, expectant. She sat straighter in her chair.
“Sorry, did I miss something?”
Gabe, seated as far away from her as he could and still be in the same
room, rolled his eyes. “The Rojo reeve agreed to sign a peace treaty.” He bit off the words, as if the act of speaking to her was as annoying as a persistent fly buzzing around his head. “Can you write one up?”
“Yes, of course.” She tapped on the computer keys, her gaze riveted to the screen, while the meeting once again commenced around her.
There’d been a lot of them lately. Meetings with the Elders. They weren’t happy that their reeve had been in a battle in his own territory, on his own property. They weren’t happy the children had been momentarily in danger, although Ilsa had apparently acted quickly and tucked them away so the little ones weren’t vulnerable. They weren’t happy that no one had been aware of what was going on until it was almost too late.
So the meetings were to plan for the colony’s safety. To up security. Well, create it in the first place. Some weren’t happy that Gabe had let the Rojo dragons go, when, according to eyewitnesses, he could have killed Darius, the one who started it all. Others were pleased with his restraint, applauded him for being a just and fair leader. About the only thing they could agree on was relief that he hadn’t died.
“One last thing.” That was Gabe’s voice, interrupting one of the Elders. “My daughter.”
A murmur went up among the gathered dragons. By now, everyone knew the truth: Ruby wasn’t Gabe’s biological child. Unlike his decision not to kill Darius, the colony was pretty much in agreement over her decision to lie to Gabe about the child’s paternity.
She had become enemy number one…well, two, if one took the Rojo dragons into consideration. She had become what she strived every day, every moment of her life, not to be: a failure. One poor decision—no matter her reasoning behind it—had destroyed everything she’d worked for.
“I want to formally adopt her,” Gabe said. “And, yes, I want to declare her my heir, but I understand your hesitation. I’m willing to wait on that. But I’m not willing to wait for the adoption. She’s mine.”
Oh, how Talia wished he would say that about her. “You’re mine, Talia. Don’t ever leave me.”
But he didn’t. He wouldn’t.
He hated her for lying to him. She had tried to explain. She’d yelled, she’d cried, she’d begged, and each and every time, he refused to hear her out. She’d broken his trust, which was apparently the one thing he held in high esteem. Trust. Who knew? He didn’t seem to care about anything else, yet lying to him was the one thing he couldn’t forgive.
The worst part was, she’d done it to save the child he now claimed as his daughter.
“That’s fair,” Adelbern said. “At the upcoming colony meeting?”
“Yes,” Gabe replied.
“It will be done,” another Elder declared. “Now, can we end this meeting, please? I could use a drink.”
Talia slammed her laptop closed and bolted from the room. Normally, she hovered, hoping for the chance to speak to Gabe, but not tonight. She needed to get out of here. Like that Elder, she could really use a drink. It had been a hell of a long two weeks.
***
“Your wounds have healed nicely,” her mother said by way of greeting a short time later. Apparently, that drink was going to have to wait.
Talia touched her throat. Yes, the physical signs of the battle were gone, but the emotional ones…she was beginning to believe they’d never heal.
“Where’s Jasmine?”
“In her room. She’s been waiting for you to come by.”
Just as Gabe had avoided Talia for the past two weeks, so had she avoided her sister.
At the end of the hall, she paused in front of the closed door and knocked twice.
“Come in.”
Well, at least someone appeared to be doing better over these past two weeks. Jasmine looked phenomenal. Better than she had before she’d left, six years ago.
“Hey,” she said when Talia stepped into her bedroom. She sat on her bed, cross-legged, with a laptop parked on the comforter in front of her. “You finally came by.”
Talia scratched her nose. “I’ve been busy. Recovering. Taking care of the PR nightmare that little skirmish was.” Hating myself. Wishing for something I can’t have. Blaming you for taking it all away from me.
“You look good.”
“Thanks.” So do you would have been appropriate, but Talia wasn’t in a complimentary mood.
“You just missed Petra.”
Talia’s former bestie was sticking to her promise to take care of Jasmine. Good to know. Talia missed her, but not enough to extend an olive branch. Not yet.
“He’s letting me see Ruby,” Jasmine added.
“Of course he is. You’re her mother.”
Jasmine shook her head. “I still have a long road to recover from my addiction. And he’s claimed her. It’s the way of dragons. It’s our way.”
“Yes, but—”
“She’s happy with him. And he loves her. She’s missed out on five years of having a father. Now she’ll have two parents. She’s going to live with him, but I can see her any time I want. He even brought her by yesterday.”
One more thing to resent her sister for. Talia hadn’t seen Ruby in two weeks.
“You can ask why I left, you know. I know you want to,” Jasmine said.
“Why don’t you just tell me? Why do I have to ask? In fact, why haven’t you sought me out to tell me?”
Jasmine winced and closed the computer. “I knew you would still be mad. You are good at holding a grudge, you know.”
“A grudge? This isn’t some stupid childhood prank, Jasmine. I lied to Gabe. To protect you and your child. And now he won’t even speak to me.”
Jasmine cocked her head. “You’re in love with our reeve.”
“No.” Yes.
“This is blowing my mind a bit right now. Out of all the men in this colony, you chose him?”
“It wasn’t exactly a choice,” Talia grumbled. “I’m not sure what it really is, but he seems to think we’re fated mates.”
Jasmine gasped. “How is that possible? With the curse?”
Talia shrugged. “No idea.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jasmine said. “I wish…”
“You wish what?”
“I wish I hadn’t ever left.”
“Why did you?” Talia asked the question she’d wondered about since the day she’d woke up and realized her sister was gone and wasn’t coming home again.
Jasmine dropped her gaze to her lap and toyed with a loose thread on the quilt. “I was jealous of you. And insanely insecure. God, I was such a moron.”
“What are you talking about?”
She shook her head. “You were so perfect. Everybody loved you. Our parents, the reeve, anyone who met you loved you. And no one even noticed me. I started acting out just to draw attention, and all our parents and the schoolmistress would say was, ‘Why don’t you act more like your sister?’”
“Oh, Jasmine.”
“I let it consume me, started to hate you. And our parents. Convinced myself I could never be happy here. So I left. Didn’t have a clue where I wanted to go, though. A couple of girlfriends were heading to New Orleans for vacation, so I went along, figuring I’d start my adventure there. But then I met Darius, and my adventure ended there. He decided he wanted me, so he pressured me into having sex with him.”
“Wait. Pressured you?”
Jasmine nodded. “He was my first. My only, actually.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. When he was trying to seduce me, he promised to buy me a ruby.” Her laugh was brittle. “Dragons and our stupid attraction to shiny things. And when I found out I was pregnant, I thought, ‘Well, he didn’t give me the gem, but he gave me a child, and that’s an even better treasure.’ I was such a fool.”
Talia sank onto the bed and placed her hand on Jasmine’s arm. Her sister blinked, probably trying to fight the tears, but they fell anyway, dripping onto the comforter.
“He didn’t even want me. I was nothing but a conqu
est. He told me I was a worthless whore when I told him I was carrying his child. I left here looking for a way to feel better about myself, and I ended up far away from home, alone, pregnant, and more depressed than ever. ”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not. I mean, I’m sorry I got caught up with Darius, but I’ll never be sorry for bringing Ruby into this world.”
Talia scratched her nose again. “Except for the whole getting addicted to dragon’s blood and overdosing and nearly leaving her alone in this world.”
Jasmine flinched. “Is that why you lied to Gabe? Told him Ruby was his?”
Blowing out a breath, Talia nodded. “When I saw you lying on that floor, I thought you were dead. Ruby was sitting next to you, shaking you, crying, begging you to wake up. I blamed myself for not trying to find you sooner. I wondered how the hell I was supposed to tell our parents. And I vowed that I’d get your child away from that place and ensure she lived a happy, secure life.”
Both women swiped a tear at almost the exact same time, which made Jasmine chuckle and Talia offer up a watery smile.
“When I realized you were alive, my game plan changed a bit. I got you out of New Orleans and checked you into that rehab facility. Initially, I was going to bring Ruby here to our parents. That way, I’d be free to keep tabs on you and still do my job as PR manager for Gabe, and Ruby would be in that safe, secure environment I’d vowed to give her. Bonus that she was going to be raised by her own grandparents.
“But then I started thinking about Gabe, like I always do. Even before we, he, uh…” She flapped her hand.
“I understand. You’ve always been like that, Talia. Always taking care of everyone else, never giving up until you reach your goal. It’s what makes you so good at your job. And would probably make you an excellent reeve’s mate.”
“Yeah, well, clearly that’s off the table now. Heck, Gabe didn’t want it to happen even before he found out I lied about Ruby’s paternity.”