by Denna Holm
All three serpents rose gently into the air, then flew as fast as they dared with humans on their back toward Faith’s home. They didn’t need to follow the curving road this time and so made it back within just a few minutes.
“Don’t shift back to your human form,” Aeson’s sire said after they landed. He waited for Faith to crawl down off his back to add, “We will fly straight home now.”
“But I wish to say goodbye to Faith,” Aeson said. “She saved my life, Father.”
“No, my son, we don’t have time. We need to leave this place before the human military shows up. The Hunter will do what he can to hold them off, but we must go. Your uncle is weak after months of captivity.”
Aeson sighed, staring toward Faith, who watched him from in front of her house, Mark by her side. The mother had run inside as soon as she’d crawled down from the alpha’s back. Not knowing how else to thank her without a blood bond in place to allow for telepathy, Aeson lifted his head high and released a soft trilling sound, a dragon song usually reserved for an intended mate.
Faith’s mouth dropped open as she touched her chest, as though feeling his song in her very soul. “Beautiful,” she said when he finished.
Aeson dipped his head, then went to stand beside his sire and the alpha.
A few seconds later, the door opened and Aeson’s uncle, the Hunter, Leif and Faith’s father stepped out. The alpha walked over to his uncle and kneeled, allowing the weakened male to climb up on his back. It must be bad if he can’t shift forms, Aeson thought. What had the humans done to him?
Aeson glanced one last time at Faith as he opened his wings to lift off. She waved, and he could swear he saw tears in her eyes. A human crying for a dragon. His friends would never believe it. Aeson vowed then to find a way to come back to her one day, to thank her again for saving his life, and the life of his uncle. Without Faith, they might never have learned his fate.
*
Faith watched the dragons until they disappeared into the night, wondering if she would ever get to see them again. She hoped so but had her doubts.
“We need to talk,” the vampire said to her dad, motioning to the door. “You have a decision to make, and I don’t believe your mate is going to like it.”
Her dad nodded, looking defeated, his shoulders slumped, his expression sad. Faith and Mark followed him inside, the vampire and his partner bringing up the rear.
“Please sit,” Xavier said, waiting for them to do so, all of them squeezing onto the couch, Xavier and Leif standing in front of them. “The military knows it was you who led us to them.”
“Oh, God, Tom, I knew this was going to happen,” her mother said. “What are we gonna do?”
Faith’s dad took hold of her hand, squeezing. “Let’s hear what they have to say, Annie. We’ll decide then.”
“There are many humans who know about our existence,” Xavier continued. “They work for us. If you agree to it, I can arrange to take you and your family to a safe home where you will be given a new name, a new identity.”
“I don’t think it will work,” her dad said. “They have facial recognition software available now that will eventually find us no matter where we go. My family will never be safe.”
“Laizahlian technology far exceeds anything you have here on Earth. It will take a bit of time, but we’ll eventually replace your image and that of your family with someone else. Your fingerprints will be changed and anything else our people deem necessary. You won’t be found, not unless you turn yourself in.”
“No, Tom, I don’t want you working for these people. You can’t do it.”
Her dad shook his head. “We don’t have a choice, Annie. The government will never trust me again. Our lives are ruined.”
“Yes, because of—”
“No, not because of them. Because of me. I knew it was wrong, what they were doing to that dragon shifter, and yet I didn’t argue. I’m as guilty as they are for what happened to him. If I can do something to make up for this, I will.”
“Well, I don’t have to follow you. You go. It’s you the military will come after. Me and the kids will go back to Portland, back to my family.”
Faith gasped, unable to believe her mother would ever think about leaving their dad. Even Mark looked shocked at the news. “Mom?” she said. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, I’m not going to work for aliens, especially for animals. I refuse. I want to go home.”
Xavier stared down at her with his cold green eyes for a moment. “We can probably arrange to return you to your home. Your memory of all this will need to be erased, including anything about your husband or children. I can’t guarantee the military won’t still come after you, but you will remember nothing that will cause us a problem.”
Her mom’s mouth dropped open. “You wouldn’t,” she murmured, her face losing all color.
“Yes, I would.”
“Annie, be reasonable,” her father said. “I don’t understand why you hate them so badly. I’ve never seen this side of you before. Please, let’s just see what they have to offer. If you decide later that you just can’t stand it, maybe they’ll still agree to take you home.” He glanced up at Xavier, raising his eyebrows in question.
“It can be arranged,” the vampire said. Xavier nodded toward Leif, who pulled out his small communicator. “We need to leave now. You’ll all four be taken to Laizahlia first, our world, where we will arrange to alter your appearance. Don’t worry, you won’t remember anything about this part once we return you to Earth. Our people will get you set up.”
“What will they want us to do?” Faith asked. “Will I ever get to see Aeson again?”
“I can’t answer that. His family, his clan, won’t be open to the idea. Unlike some of the other shifter communities on Earth, the serpents rarely allow humans into their midst. Once our Council decides how you might best serve us, you will be set up in a new home here and assigned handlers.” Xavier tipped his head, those cold green eyes softening a bit as he studied Faith. “Your handler should be capable of contacting the serpent clan.”
Faith nodded, staring down at her folded hands in her lap. She understood the vampire’s guarded tone. Just because they could contact Aeson’s clan didn’t mean they would want anything to do with her. She stared in the direction the three serpents had flown, unable to forget the sound of Aeson’s song.
“It is most unusual for a serpent to sing to anyone but his chosen mate, especially one so young as Aeson. I’m certain you will always hold a special place in his heart.”
Faith jumped as the vampire’s thoughts entered her mind. She looked up, eyes open wide, and almost missed what he said. “Mate?” she said, her face flaming red when her family looked over at her.
“Come,” Xavier said, holding out his hand. “We need to go.”
“Are we getting transported again?” Mark said, looking excited.
“Yes.”
“Can I get Axel? We can’t just leave him here.”
Leif chuckled. “Come on, young Mark, I’ll go with you to get the pet.”
Once they returned, Xavier focused on her mother. “What is your decision?”
She slumped against Faith’s dad, refusing to meet Xavier’s eyes. “I’ll stay with my family.”
“Very good. I believe you are making the right decision.” He held out his hand. “Take my hand. Our method of travel is extremely painful for a human. I’m sorry I can only take the pain from two of you.”
Oh, God, Faith thought, beginning to panic a little. She did not want to go through this again.
“You help our children,” her dad said, wrapping his arm around their mom. “We’ll be okay.”
“Very well,” Xavier said. He took hold of Faith’s hand, giving her a light squeeze. Leif held onto Axel’s collar as Mark took Xavier’s other hand.
And then they were flying through the dark. No pain this time. No melting away of her flesh and bone. Faith still felt sad over the tho
ught of never seeing Aeson again, but she also felt growing excitement over where her life might lead in this brand-new world. No matter what ended up happening between her and Aeson, Faith suspected her life would never, ever be boring.
EPILOGUE
Ten years later….
“You’re sure about this?” Aeson’s father asked. “We can find you a serpent mate. There are several coming of age on the other side of the country. And if not one of them, we can search in other countries.”
“No, I’m sure, Father. I knew when my serpent sang to her that Faith would be my future mate. It’s time. I need to find her.”
“She’s human, son. It’s been ten years. What if she has already taken a human mate?”
“Then I’ll deal with it.” But he didn’t think he would find Faith mated. Aeson could still feel her in his heart, and his serpent had pressed him harder with each passing year to go claim their mate. “Did you ask the alpha to contact Xavier? He’ll know where to start my search.”
“I did, but the Council informed him that Xavier has disappeared. They’ve had no contact with him for the past two years. Some suspect he might have gone rogue.”
Aeson shook his head, frowning. He didn’t think so. Xavier must have had a good reason for disappearing. “What about the tracker, Leif?”
“He wasn’t sure where she is, but Treyton said the wolf agreed to track her down for you. It may take some time. Why don’t you stay here until we hear word? It’s not safe in the human world, Aeson. You can’t pass for human, not now.”
No, he couldn’t, not with mature horns erupting from his forehead. “I’ve contacted the alpha of one of the shifter communities that reside on the other side of the Cascades. A cougar pack. It’s near the area where Xavier first settled Faith’s family. The alpha has agreed to take me in and help me try to locate her. His mate is a wolf shifter from Laizahlia, a former tracker. She’s agreed to try to use her contacts on Laizahlia to help me.” Aeson still didn’t understand how the Laizahlian Council had lost track of Faith. What happened to her handler? No one seemed to know anything. Or they didn’t care.
“I can’t talk you out of this?” his sire said.
“No. Faith is my mate, Father. My serpent will never settle until after I claim her. I don’t have a choice.”
“Then I’ll pray she is more open to the union than her dam was. Good luck, my son. I hope you will return to us after you have sealed the bond.”
Aeson nodded, not sure what Faith would want to do, though he hoped she would consider making her home with him here. His home had always been with his people, but a mated serpent belonged with his mate. He would face that problem later.
With his clothes gathered in a small pack, Aeson shifted to his serpent form. He’d matured over these past ten years, his serpent even larger than his father’s now. As an alpha himself, Aeson knew he might not be welcomed back into his clan, though he had no desire to challenge their current ruler. Perhaps he and Faith could establish a new clan.
Though sad over leaving his family, Aeson was also filled with excitement. He picked up his pack with his mouth and lifted off, circling his home twice under the cover of darkness before heading toward the mountains.
My Faith, he thought as the dragon song built within him, I’m coming for you.
Thank you for choosing this book. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or leaving a review on Goodreads or the site where you bought it. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Denna is a retired dressage trainer who has earned her USDF bronze and silver medals. She and her husband Lee make their home in the beautiful state of Oregon with their two dogs and two cats. They love to camp, fish, and spend time with their three adult children and wonderful grandchildren.
Social Media Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Denna-Holm/e/B00IOR9Q4M/
Twitter: @dennaholm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denna.holm.author/
Web page and blog: https://www.dennaholm.net/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7381240.Denna_Holm
ALSO BY DENNA HOLM
IMMORTAL WARRIORS SERIES
Dark Warrior (Immortal Warriors Novella)
Warrior Betrayed (Immortal Warriors Prequel)
Soul of a Warrior (Immortal Warriors Book 1)
Ghost Warrior (Immortal Warriors Book 2)
A Warrior’s Nightmare (Immortal Warriors Book 3)
Heart of a Warrior (Immortal Warriors Book 4)
Rise of a Warrior (Immortal Warriors Book 5)
COMING SOON
Warrior Mine (Immortal Warriors Book 6)
RAIDEN WARRIORS SERIES
Claimed by Nicolai (Raiden Warriors Book 1)
Claimed by Rafa (Raiden Warriors Book 2)
COMING SOON
Claimed by Seraphym (Raiden Warriors Book 3)
Claimed by Gauge (Raiden Warriors Book 4)
COMING SOON
CYBORG REBORN SERIES
Silvano’s Redemption (Cyborg Reborn Book 1)
THE FORSAKEN ONES
House of Pain (The Forsaken Ones Book 1)
COMING SOON
Wrath of Justice (The Forsaken Ones Book 2)
~o~
Libraries Information
Holm, Denna
Dragon Song
1. Fiction 2. Young Adult 3. Fantasy 4. Alien Romance 5. Paranormal 6. Science-Fiction 7. First Contact 8. Vampires 9. Shifters
www.crimsoncloakpublishing.com
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