by Lola Gabriel
“The enchantment isn’t something you can fight. It works whether you want it to or not. If you’re speaking the truth, which I think you are, then Draven has told himself he came up with this plan, but the truth is, the enchantment is working. It pushed him straight to you because you are his one true mate.”
Morgan felt butterflies in her stomach at Shem’s words. Could it be true? She couldn’t let herself believe that. And besides, even if it were true, Draven had no idea where she was or what had happened to her, and if Shem made it known to him, Joy and Miller wouldn’t let Draven come running to her rescue. Either way, she was going to lose him and probably end up dead.
“So, there you have it,” Shem said. “And now you have a choice. Once we lure Draven in, we no longer have a use for you. So we can kill you, or you can join the resistance. The repression potion will wear off after twenty-four hours and if you choose to join us, then obviously you won’t be given any more. What will it be?”
“Go to hell,” Morgan snapped.
Shem smiled.
“I thought you might say something along those lines. But take some time to think about it. Think very carefully about the fact that the ruling couple would be quite willing to sacrifice your life and ask yourself if that’s really the sort of rule you want for a pack you’re a part of.”
Shem turned and walked away before Morgan could respond. She knew that whatever happened, she would never join forces with a monster like Shem. He could tell himself that this whole thing was about freedom all he wanted, but the fact was, the ruling couple system worked. It had kept the dragons safe for centuries, and Morgan suspected that Shem was all talk; she suspected that his plan was really to take over ruling the dragons himself and how that would play out, she dreaded to think.
Maybe it’s a good thing Draven doesn’t love me, she thought. Because if he did, he would come here to save me and end up playing right into Shem’s hands. She ignored the little voice that whispered in her ear, the little voice that told her that maybe Shem was right about how the enchantment worked. She couldn’t let herself have hope now, because when it was inevitably dashed, it would break her completely.
8
Draven had moved on from the stream, but he still hadn’t found the courage to return to the cottage and tell his parents the truth about Morgan. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn’t just because he knew how angry they would be. He didn’t want to tell them because saying the words out loud would make it real, and he couldn’t imagine a world where Morgan hated him this much.
He tried calling her again, and again, her cell phone went through to her voicemail. He didn’t bother leaving her another message. She hadn’t responded to any of the other messages he had left, so what was the point?
Draven forced himself to start heading back toward the cottage. He knew he couldn’t put this off forever and the sooner he told his parents what had happened, the quicker he could go back home and try to get Morgan to talk to him.
Draven felt his heart leap in his chest when his cell phone rang in his pocket. He told himself not to get his hopes up—it was probably one of his parents calling to see if they wanted to go out for lunch or something—but his thoughts didn’t slow his racing heart down. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, then punched the air in delight when he saw Morgan’s name there.
“Morgan. Thank God,” he said as he took the call. “Please just let me explain.”
“Draven. How good to finally hear your voice,” a man said on the other end of the line.
Draven frowned, his relief turning to anger.
“Who the hell is this?” he demanded. “Why do you have Morgan’s cell phone?”
“My name is Shem,” the voice said. “I assume you know who I am?”
Draven’s heart sank and anger flared up in his stomach. He knew exactly who Shem was and it seemed that his worst fear had come true.
“If you’ve hurt her…” he started.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to be making threats, Draven,” Shem said. “But for the record, no, I haven’t hurt her. And I don’t plan to hurt her. As long as your parents do my bidding.”
“How much do you want?” Draven said.
He knew this wasn’t about money; he wished it was that simple. He could pay whatever Shem wanted—but he wanted to play a bit dumb, see if Shem would give anything away. And there was a tiny part of him that hoped that Shem wasn’t as invested in this cause as he made himself out to be. Maybe the idea of more money than he would know what to do with would sway him.
“Two million dollars? Three million dollars?” Draven added. “Name your price, Shem.”
“I think we both know I don’t want money,” Shem said. “But it’s good to know you value Morgan so highly. It makes me think you’re going to be extremely motivated to convince your parents to play by the rules.”
Draven had known the bribe wouldn’t work, but he was still disappointed to hear it confirmed.
“What do you want?” he asked.
Again, he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it out loud, hoping against hope that maybe Shem wanted less than he imagined, something he could actually deliver.
“I want your parents’ written agreement that they will step down as the ruling couple and disband the whole archaic ruling system. And in return, Morgan will be released,” Shem said.
He said it casually, as though he was requesting something simple. Draven knew for a fact that his parents would never agree to that, but he wasn’t about to tell Shem that. He knew that if he gave him any indication that his demands wouldn’t be met, Shem would kill Morgan now just to spite him.
“It might take some time for me to convince them to do that,” Draven said.
“You have roughly twenty hours,” Shem said. “Morgan believes she has been injected with a potion that will suppress her dragon for twenty-four hours. And indeed she has. But what she doesn’t know is the potion is so much more than just a suppression potion. If the effects aren’t reversed within twenty-four hours, the potion will kill her.”
“And how can they be reversed?” Draven demanded.
“Oh, that’s easy. True love’s kiss will reverse the effects of the potion. So I suggest you start working on your parents very quickly. Once you convince them to give me what I want, text Morgan’s cell phone and I will send you the details of where to meet me. Tick tock, Draven, tick tock.”
The line went dead. Draven roared in anger and slammed his cell phone back into his pocket. He already knew his parents would never agree to Shem’s demands. And the worst part about it was, even if they did, he couldn’t save Morgan now. He couldn’t give her what she needed to reverse the potion. True love’s kiss.
The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Draven. He had known the second he saw Morgan’s name on the screen of his cell phone that she was his one true mate. He was desperately in love with her; he saw it now. But now she hated him and his kiss wouldn’t work to save her.
“Fuck!” Draven yelled.
How the hell did I get Morgan into this mess? he thought to himself. He didn’t have the answer to that question, but he knew that he had to get her back out of the mess. Whatever it took. He also knew that his parents would never agree to Shem’s terms. They would likely send in someone to try and rescue Morgan, but that left too much opportunity for things to go wrong. No, Draven thought to himself. I got Morgan into this and now I need to be the one to get her back out of it. And once she is free, then I’ll work out a way to make her see that this was all a mistake, that I love her more than life itself. I’ll make her forgive me somehow and then true love’s kiss will save her.
Draven pulled his cell phone back out, ready to send the text message Shem had requested. He stopped himself before he started to type. He had told Shem he would need time to convince his parents to do this, and Shem was no fool. If he messaged him too quickly, he would smell a rat.
It was go
ing to be hard, but Draven knew he had to let a good few hours pass before he texted Shem.
The last four hours had been the longest, most agonizing hours of Draven’s life. Even worse than the hours he had spent this morning going over and over losing Morgan in his mind. Because this time, he could really lose her for good. And each minute that passed brought her closer to death, closer to being gone forever. Every moment that had passed had left Draven berating himself more and more for not doing something, anything, to try to save Morgan.
But what could he do? He had no idea where she was, and he couldn’t send Shem the text message too quickly and give the whole thing away. Even now, after four hours, he wondered if it was still too quick, but he couldn’t bear to wait any longer. He was afraid that the potion would work faster than Shem had told him, and besides, he couldn’t handle the thought of Morgan as a prisoner, alone, afraid. The worst part was, he knew that if Shem had told her what was going on, she would think no one was coming for her.
He had already told her that his parents would never step in in a situation like this. And the way he had acted this morning, Morgan would never believe he would come for her.
He had felt himself falling for Morgan last night, over dinner, over drinks. And when he had made love to her, he felt their dragons connecting, the start of the sacred bond between true mates. But he had ignored the feeling, telling himself it wasn’t real, and instead of being honest with Morgan, he had apologized for his behavior and told her it wouldn’t happen again.
He had thought that was what she wanted to hear. She had never shown any interest in them being anything more than friends over the years. But now, he was starting to think she had felt the bond too, and by pushing her away, she felt he had rejected her.
If he had just told her the truth, she never would have left the cottage and she would be safe with him now. And that was when Draven knew what he really had to do. If he wanted Morgan to be his mate, and he wanted that more than ever, he couldn’t just save her. He had to end Shem. Because while Shem lived, Morgan would always be in danger.
Finally, Draven pulled his cell phone back out of his pocket and began to type out a message to Shem.
“My parents have agreed to the deal with one condition; the contract only stands if you are being truthful about Morgan’s life. If she dies, the deal is off.”
Draven hit send and then he waited anxiously for a response. He had added the condition as an insurance policy for Morgan’s life, in case Shem was lying and had already killed her.
The cell phone beeped and Draven opened the message.
“Morgan is fine.”
A photo accompanied the message. Morgan was sitting on the ground inside a metal cage. Draven hated seeing her like that, but at least it meant she was still alive. As he looked at the photo, feeling the mixed emotions flooding through him, another message came through. The message contained directions to the meeting point, and a simple instruction: “Be there at 5:30. Come alone.”
Draven’s dragon instincts kicked in as he reread the instructions. Come alone. Why did Shem want him to come alone and not bring his parents? He knew he was walking into a trap then. He was being set up, lured in by Morgan. But why? Slowly, the truth came upon Draven. Shem knew his parents would never agree to this, but he figured that if he swapped Morgan out for him, they might agree to it to save their son’s life. Draven still highly doubted they would agree to that deal, but it made sense that Shem would think they would. Surely most people would believe someone would choose their own flesh and blood over ruling the pack.
None of that mattered, though. All that mattered was Draven getting to the meeting point and rescuing Morgan. He needed to be on his guard, as he was sure he was going to be ambushed at the meeting point.
He read over the directions again, memorizing them, and then he put his cell phone away and brought on the turn. He felt scales erupting over his body and then wings tearing out through his back. He roared, sending a plume of flames into the air, and then he took flight, heading for the meeting point, heading for Morgan.
9
Morgan looked up as footsteps approached the cage once more. Shem was walking toward her, flanked by Marty and another man she didn’t recognize. Shem stepped up to the door of her cage and unlocked it. He smiled in at Morgan and beckoned for her to come forward. She debated ignoring him, but she knew if she did, he would simply drag her forward and if she was going to meet her death, she was going to do it with whatever dignity she could maintain.
Her legs shook as she walked toward Shem but she got to him in one piece. He stood to one side, gesturing for her to leave the cage.
“Stay on either side of her. Don’t harm her unless she tries anything,” he said to Marty and the other man.
They got in position and Shem nodded.
“Good,” he said. “Marty, you know where we’re going. Lead the way.”
Marty started to walk and Morgan did too, her feet working almost independently of her mind. Her mind was screaming at her to run, but she knew if she did, they would catch her and any chance of a dignified end would be gone. Her feet seemed to understand this, and they carried her forward, each heavy footstep taking her closer to her inevitable death.
“How are you going to do it?” Morgan asked, glancing back at Shem, who walked behind her. “Fry me? Decapitation? Silver poisoning?”
Shem frowned, looking confused for a moment, and then Morgan saw his face change, a smile spreading across his lips as understanding dawned on him.
“You still think he won’t come for you, don’t you?” Shem said. “Oh, Morgan, you’re such a cynic. He’s coming for you. As I said, the enchantment always works. You are Draven’s one true mate, and the fact that he lied to me and told me his parents have agreed to his terms tells me he knows it now too.”
“He’s really coming for me?” Morgan said in a small voice.
Shem nodded. Morgan felt a strange mixture of emotions. She was elated to learn that her feelings weren’t imagined. She really had felt the sacred bond forming when Draven had made love to her. He did feel the same as she did. But the elation was short-lived, because Draven was coming to save her, except he wasn’t. He was walking into a trap. Draven’s love for Morgan would get him killed—or it would change the fate of the entire dragon population, depending on the course of action Draven’s parents chose.
Morgan didn’t voice her concerns. What was the point? Shem wouldn’t be swayed by an emotional plea, she knew that much. And she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his words had affected her. She just forced herself to keep walking, facing frontwards now, her head held high.
The men didn’t walk her far from the cave. They moved her in front of a huge oak tree. She could still see the cave mouth from here and she knew why. Even if they injected Draven with something to suppress his dragon side like they had her, he wouldn’t be as easy to drag around as she had been. They needed to be close to the cage.
Marty and the other man each took one of Morgan’s arms, pulling them behind her back. They weren’t particularly rough with her, but their grips were firm and Morgan knew if she tried anything, they wouldn’t hesitate to tear her arms out of the sockets. They bound her wrists together behind her back, and then Marty dropped to his knees and secured her ankles. He stood back up.
“You need to move backwards until your back touches the tree trunk,” he said. “Do you want to do it the nice way, or do you want me to throw you there?”
“The nice way,” Morgan said quietly.
She hated that she wasn’t fighting this, but what good would it do? She couldn’t turn and the three men could easily overpower her without even breaking a sweat. Marty nodded his head.
“Wise choice,” he said.
He put his hands on Morgan’s waist and lifted her from the ground, walking the few steps until her back touched the tree trunk. He set her down.
“Don’t move,” he said.
The othe
r man had another length of rope, which he now wrapped around the tree trunk and around Morgan. He made several loops around the tree and Morgan and then he tied off the rope behind her. Marty tugged on each of the ropes and then nodded when none of them so much as slipped an inch.
The three men retreated, ignoring Morgan’s questions now. Within moments, she was alone. She knew they were watching, though. They weren’t really going to just leave her here for Draven to rescue.
Morgan stood in place long enough that her feet began to ache and her arms became sore where they were pressed against the rough bark of the tree trunk. She heard a flapping sound from the sky and she looked up. She saw Draven in his dragon form, circling the area. She hoped he had spotted Shem and his men hiding amongst the rocks and foliage. He began to swoop down and he landed before her. His dragon was large, a brilliant ruby red color. Even in her current predicament, Morgan felt her heart race as Draven turned back to his human form and began to run toward her.
“Morgan, listen,” Draven said urgently as he approached her. “I know you hate me, but you have to forgive me. I don’t have time to explain, but it’s important.”
“Draven, no,” Morgan said, shaking her head frantically. “It’s a trap. You have to get out of here.”
As she spoke, she saw Shem, Marty, and the other man creeping out of their hiding places.
“Draven, look out!” she yelled.
Draven spun around and saw the three men advancing on him. Morgan watched as his shoulders tensed up. Marty broke away from the other two men, darting forward, a syringe in his hand. Draven turned back into his dragon and roared, a plume of fire flying from his mouth and nose. Marty caught fire. He screamed for a moment and then his screams faded as he dropped to the ground, burning. Morgan had to look away, unable to bear the sight of the charred flesh. She retched as the smell of cooking meat and singeing hair floated to her on the breeze.
Shem and the other man had turned into their dragon forms while Morgan was distracted by Marty. They advanced on Draven, who roared again and shot out another plume of flames. Shem and the other dragon met his plume with plumes of their own and all around Morgan, fires caught in the trees.