A Bride for the Dragon (Lost Dragon Book 4)

by Zoe Chant

  Darklis’s breath caught in her throat as she saw how tattered one of Liev’s wings was, and how hard he was having to work to keep a steady altitude.

  Oh, Liev, Liev, Darklis thought desperately, her heart filled with a searing pain. Please, just hold on a little longer...

  “I assume you want me to zap you with this thing,” Dante said, following her gaze to Erik Lukich’s massive form. “So you can go join the fight.”

  Darklis shook her head. She wasn’t sure how useful she’d be in a fight against Erik – and she didn’t think they had time for Dante to teach her how to use the scepter. “No. I’m thinking of something a little more direct.” She pointed at Erik. “I want you to zap him. Make him turn human again. He can’t fight if he can’t shift.”

  Dante nodded, frowning. “He’ll have to come closer. I don’t know if I can... get him at this distance.”

  Pulling in a quick breath and trying to suppress the panic she could feel beginning to bubble within her, Darklis closed her eyes, focusing on the mated bond that stretched between her and Liev.

  Liev... I have a plan. Try to drive Erik down toward the ground. Toward me.

  There was a moment’s pause before Liev answered.

  Toward you?

  Yes. Liev, I don’t have time to explain. Please, just trust me.

  Of course I trust you. Liev’s answer this time was immediate. Always, Darklis.

  Nodding, Darklis grit her teeth, reaching deep within herself for whatever reserve of strength was left. She had to give it to Liev – to give him everything she had. He would need it, if he were to survive the fight.

  And if Erik doesn’t take the bait...

  She shook her head. She’d worry about that when and if it happened.

  We’re ready, Liev. Do it now. Push him to fly lower to the ground.

  The bond pulsed to let her know he had heard her and understood. And then, with a bellow that seemed to shake the very ground on which she stood, Liev shot forward, eyes flashing, flames licking between his teeth.

  His sudden charge seemed to catch Erik off-guard, but he recovered quickly like the seasoned fighter he was. Letting out a bellow of his own, he swooped, descending on Liev, his claws poised to strike.

  Darklis held her breath, but at the last possible moment, Liev folded his wings, dropping like a stone through the air. Erik’s claws slashed through the air where he had just been, as he snarled in anger.

  Yes! Liev, it’s working!

  Erik, clearly becoming enraged, dipped his own wings to follow Liev’s sudden descent. It was clear he was thinking of nothing now but sinking his teeth into Liev’s throat, his eyes seeing nothing but the dragon he was hunting.

  Liev plunged toward the ground, drawing Erik after him. Darklis could see the fatigue in his movements, and the many wounds that covered his body, dripping with blood. Her heart leapt into her throat and she squeezed her hands into fists, forcing herself to be calm. She had always been able to stay calm and think clearly. And she would have to continue to do it now if she wanted them to win, no matter how badly her heart pained her to see Liev so terribly hurt.

  Be careful!

  Liev was dangerously close to the ground now – if he didn’t pull out of his dive, he’d –

  At the last possible second Liev unfurled his wings, filling them with air and giving them a single beat. It slowed his descent just enough that he could land safely, albeit extremely heavily. He didn’t stop there, however – with Erik so close behind him, he was forced to leap away quickly. Erik landed heavily right behind him, his long claws digging furrows through the concrete of the driveway.

  Looking at him, Darklis felt almost paralyzed by fear. It was as if all her childhood nightmares had been made flesh.

  “Is he close enough, Dante?” Darklis forced herself to whisper as Erik roared again, his head whipping around to look for Liev.

  “I... maybe.” Dante sounded far from certain, but Darklis knew they were running out of time. The last thing Erik Lukich was was stupid. In a moment he would realize what had happened, and then...

  Oh. Oh no.

  Darklis could barely bring herself to turn to see if what she was sensing was true. A sickening feeling built in the pit of her stomach.

  It can’t be.

  But with every passing second, her feeling only got stronger.

  A manticore, flying fast, and coming this way.

  They were barely dealing with Erik Lukich as it was. There was no way they could deal with him, and what was likely to be a very pissed off manticore.

  We have to finish this. Fast.

  “Dante,” she said urgently.

  But Dante, it seemed, was one step ahead of her. “I sense her. It’s Rowena,” he said, eyes wide with fear. “I knew this was a stupid idea, I knew it –”

  “Don’t panic,” Darklis said, forcing her voice to stay firm. “Dante, it’s too late for second thoughts. We haven’t lost yet. We can still get out of this, but I need you to keep your head.”

  For a moment, she wasn’t certain he’d heard her. His eyes were still wide with fear – but then he blinked, something she had said finally registering. Swallowing, he nodded. “Okay. Okay. So what do we do now?”

  Darklis took a deep breath. “The same as before. Take out Erik. He’s the biggest problem. We can deal with Rowena when she gets here.”

  Dante nodded again. Impressively, he seemed to have quickly overcome his momentary panic. There was a determined look in his eye now: a look that told her he was ready to do what had to be done.

  “Take out Erik,” he agreed, raising the scepter.

  “Don’t accidentally hit Liev,” Darklis said, her heart thudding in her chest. Liev was still drawing Erik closer and closer to them, snapping with his jaws before leaping back, forcing Erik to follow him closer and closer to where they stood...

  The first crackle of magic slicing through the air took Darklis’s breath away. She had been too terrified of Erik to really notice it the first time Dante had used the scepter on him, but this time it was unmistakable. The scent of ozone filled the air, and her dragon raised its head within her, its attention held captive.

  What was that?

  Darklis held her breath, waiting for Erik Lukich to begin shrinking; for his wings and claws to retract; for him to become his comparatively fragile human form.

  But instead, there was nothing.

  Erik was still a dragon. It was true that both he and Liev had also frozen at the sudden frisson of magic in the air. But it was clear that the magic hadn’t had any effect whatsoever.

  “I missed,” Dante whispered, his voice only slightly frantic. “He moved at the last moment.”

  “Do it again,” Darklis hissed at him. They would only have a second. And then Erik would realize what had happened –

  A terrifying roar burst out, so loud it seemed to rattle her bones within her.

  Erik had clearly figured out what was happening.

  And even worse than that – if anything could be worse than an enraged Erik Lukich – Darklis felt the vibration in the ground that told her the manticore, Rowena, had arrived. Barely able to force herself to turn her head, she nonetheless managed to glance across the lawn to where the massive lion – with the wings of an eagle and the tail of a scorpion – was crouched, golden eyes mad with fury, deadly tail swinging as if trying to decide who to strike at first.

  But then Erik bellowed again, focusing all of Darklis’s attention quite squarely on him.

  Still roaring, he charged forward, claws tearing through concrete as if it was nothing more than tissue paper. Liev was after him in a moment, jaws snapping, claws ripping at Erik’s sides as he tried to slow him down. But it was clear that Erik’s attention was now laser-focused on her and Dante.

  “Do it again,” Darklis shouted to Dante, “and hit him this time.”

  She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Erik’s swiftly approaching form. His teeth, his claws, his furious red eyes seemed to f
ill her vision. But from the corner of her eye, she saw Dante raise the golden scepter once more, his hands shaking.

  Once more, she felt the shimmering energy of magic sear the air – or perhaps that was simply the heat of Erik’s breath on her face, as he opened his mouth, teeth shining in the moonlight, ready to tear her apart.

  Gasping, Darklis closed her eyes, raising her arm – for all the good it would do her.

  Darklis!!

  Liev’s voice tore through her mind. He sounded frantic, his panic and terror tearing at her heart. In that moment, she could feel the pain that ripped through him as he tried desperately to stop Erik, despite the fact he was bleeding from the wounds that covered his body.

  Liev. Liev, I’m sorry, was all she could think, as she braced herself and waited for an impact that never came.

  Darklis blinked, her hand shaking where it covered her face. Adrenaline still surged painfully in her veins, her stomach so tense she felt she might throw up.

  But I’m alive. Erik didn’t... he didn’t...

  Lowering her hand, Darklis wasn’t sure what she expected to see; nonetheless, the sight that met her eyes made her gasp – but with relief.

  Dante’s aim had been true this time. Erik lay sprawled on the ground, human once more, lips still pulled back in a vicious snarl, his eyes mad with rage. The wounds and bite marks he had received in his fight with Liev were still livid on his skin. He was still terrifying in human form, but at least he was human.

  Darklis was so overcome with relief that it took her a moment to notice that Erik was not alone.

  Liev – also human – sat, blinking in surprise, on the concrete of the driveway a few feet away.

  “Liev!” She couldn’t stop the horrified cry that burst from her lips. Liev, like Erik, was covered in wounds – blood trickled from a bite mark on his neck, while horrifying scratch marks covered his sides.

  Momentarily forgetting about Erik, forgetting about the manticore, Darklis rushed to his side. Her heart trembled at the extent of his injuries – but still, his arms came up to hold her as she dropped to her knees beside him, reaching up to touch his face.

  “Darklis,” he said, his voice rasping. “How – what –”

  “I told Dante to use the scepter on Erik,” she whispered, running her thumbs over his cheekbones. “But the magic must have hit you as well.”

  Erik and Liev had been so close together that she supposed it must have been unavoidable. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see the manticore had paused, clearly confused by this sudden turn of events. It snarled, teeth bared, scorpion’s tail wavering back and forth. Even if he hadn’t been in his human form, Darklis realized that Liev was too injured to fight it. There was no way she was going to ask him to do that. Liev might have been strong and brave and fiercely protective, but he was not invincible.

  Glancing around, she saw Dante beginning to run toward them, scepter still in hand.

  If I can just shift, I can try –

  “How dare you.”

  Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of Erik Lukich’s enraged voice.

  “How dare you!”

  Wide-eyed, she looked over to where the man was staggering to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds. Even in this form, he was terrifying – a demon made flesh. His red eyes seemed to glow in the night.

  Darklis felt Liev’s strong hands gripping her arms, trying to move her behind his body to protect her. He was beyond exhausted, and Darklis determinedly stayed where she was.

  Liev, no, she sent to him. You can’t fight him anymore. Please, let me –

  The furious roar of the manticore interrupted her. Rowena was clearly just as furious as Erik was at the interruption of her plans – and she had at last run out of patience.

  Shocked at the fury and force of the sound, Darklis glanced toward where the manticore stood, claws extended, teeth bared – and deadly tail poised to strike, dripping venom from its tip.

  A moment later, the tail flashed forward, spewing its deadly poison. Darklis caught her breath – Rowena clearly didn’t care which of them she hit, enemy or ally.

  If the venom touches Liev, he won’t survive.

  The knowledge was clear and stark in her head. A manticore’s venom could be deadly even to a dragon at the peak of health. But Liev had been grievously wounded – there was no way he’d live if the venom so much as touched him.

  Gritting her teeth, she spread her arms wide, determined to shield him as much as possible from the rain of deadly venom. It would be painful, and she realized she might not even survive. But Liev was her mate – he had protected her, fought for her. She could do no less for him.

  “No!”

  She heard his voice behind her, harsh with pain and weak with blood loss.

  “Liev, you can’t –” she started to say.

  She never got to finish. She might have been a dragon, but Liev, even injured as he was, was still many times stronger than her. She felt his hands on her shoulders, pushing her aside, out of the way.

  No! Liev, no!!

  But there was nothing she could do. Liev still clearly had enough strength for this. The mated bond pulsed within her as his strength surged.

  She tried to hold her ground, but it was no good. He was simply too strong. Darklis found herself pushed aside as the venom rained down.

  Liev was behind her, and Darklis’s long hair covered her eyes and obstructed her view. All she heard was a soft squelch before Liev grunted in pain.

  “NO!”

  Darklis turned, horror filling her heart. The manticore venom that would have hit her squarely in the face had missed her, thanks to Liev pushing her out of the way at the last moment – but had instead spattered across his own chest and shoulders.

  As she watched in shock, Liev collapsed back, his chest heaving, breath labored.

  “Liev, please, no!” Darklis was by his side in a moment, pulling his head up, cradling him in her arms. “Please, please, Liev...”

  She knew how to make manticore venom antidote: Pale jewelweed, winter grape, liverleaf, burningbush and columbine, mixed in dragon’s blood. But this island was home to none of those plants. And as fast as a dragon’s healing was, a manticore’s venom was faster. Not even the increased healing of the mated bond could do much against it.

  Darklis could feel tears in her eyes as she stared down at Liev’s face. His blue eyes were still bright as he looked at her.

  “Darklis...”

  Desperation twisted within her. This cannot be happening!

  How could they have come through so much, only for this to happen? She refused to accept it. He was her mate. There had to be some way of fixing this, of doing something...

  I’ll send you my strength, she thought frantically, reaching for the mated bond. It surged with light as she sent all the love and strength she had in her heart to Liev. But she could still feel him getting weaker with every breath he took. His pulse was ebbing. Soon, it would cease altogether.

  No. No. No!!

  A sudden low growl forced her mind out of its panicked spiral.

  The manticore.

  Shaking her head, Darklis forced herself to look away from Liev’s face to where the manticore still crouched. It had clearly hoped its venom would finish them off – but now, it was ready to charge.

  I’ve got to... I’ve got to do something – fight it, or... or...

  Darklis knew she still wouldn’t be able to shift if she tried. She didn’t have the energy. She could either shift, or she could keep Liev clinging to life – but not both.

  The manticore roared again, before springing forward. Rowena was clearly enraged, her eyes focused only on Darklis, intent on her revenge.

  Think, think!

  Darklis shook her head. Despair threatened to engulf her. What could she do? There was nothing.

  She dropped her head, letting her tears come.

  I’m sorry, Liev, she sent to him. After he had fought so hard, she was going to fail him. I�
�m truly, truly –

  Darklis caught her breath as, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something glinting in the paleness of the moonlight. Lifting her head, she realized what it was: a piece of glass, clearly from one of the windows that had been shattered when Erik had burst out of the roof. Despite the fact the window had been knocked out of its frame, it was still mostly intact, lying next to her on the driveway. It shone brightly, reflecting the moonlight, white against the dark concrete.

  Reflecting...

  Darklis gasped.

  Showing a manticore its reflection will stun it into unconsciousness.

  She’d done it before. When a manticore named Gord had been coming after Magnus and his mate Alanna, she’d paralyzed him with nothing more than a small mirror.

  She didn’t have time to think. She didn’t have time to breathe. Rowena was almost upon her by the time she had shot out both hands, grabbing onto the broken piece of glass. She ignored the pain as it sliced into her fingers.

  Desperately, she lifted the glass up as if it was a shield.

  Please... please let this work...

  Angling the glass so it would catch the moonlight, Darklis closed her eyes as Rowena bounded toward her, teeth bared, yellow eyes wide...

  ... Only to suddenly let out a roar of surprise, rearing backward, before dropping heavily to the ground, utterly paralyzed.

  Shaking, Darklis didn’t dare let herself believe what had happened at first. She held up the glass, staring at Rowena’s prone form – until finally, the massive lion’s body began to shrink back down, scorpion’s tail disappearing, feathered wings becoming nothing more than skin.

  Sobbing with relief, Darklis dropped the glass back to the driveway. Rowena was defeated. Looking around wildly, Darklis saw Erik Lukich lying a short distance away – it seemed enough of the manticore venom had struck him to leave him incapacitated. She felt a slight twist in her gut at that, but right now, she only cared about Liev.

  My mate. My love.

  Liev was still alive – if only just.