Drakkar ~ Beyond the Lie (A Dark Order of the Dragon Novel Book 3)

by Sandra Bischoff

  “You know something, Montgomery. If you want me to continue helping, you better spill it. I don’t want to see him in trouble.”

  He fidgeted in his seat, looking like he was waging some inner debate over telling her. “Okay, but you have got to swear to not say a word to anyone else about it.”

  She raised her hand. “Absolutely, I swear.”

  Again he shot off a few side glances. “She gave him an ultimatum. In order to gain his freedom, he has to . . .” Nick paused and looked around again.

  “Oh my God, just spill it! No one is listening,” she hissed.

  “He has to kidnap the new princess and bring her to Absinthe.”

  “Are you serious? He can’t do that. That’s like automatic death, isn’t it? We can’t let him do it.”

  “Can’t let who do what?” Britt plopped down in the chair next to her. “And why do the two of you look like you’re conspiring to kill someone? What did I miss?”

  “Nothing.” Serenity shot Nick a look clearly conveying that they weren’t done with the conversation. “So how did it go with –Biff, was it?”

  “His name’s not Biff,” She rolled her eyes. “It’s Brian, and it didn’t go anywhere. He’s gay.”

  Nick snickered. Britt glared at him. “What?”

  “I find that amusing.” He hid his smile behind a fist.

  She folded her arms, lifting an eyebrow at him. “What’s so funny about it?”

  “I don’t know. You just spent your whole lunch period trying to get the captain of the basketball team to notice you, and he was more focused on the guy sitting next to you. Did you even realize that?”

  Her moth dropped open. “I- I thought he was trying to act all cool in front of his friends. I didn’t know he was into the guy.”

  “Now I know you’re blind. You can’t even see when a guy who’s sitting right in front of you is interested. What does it take, huh? Fireworks?” He stood flinging his bag over his shoulder. “Nettie, we’ll talk later. I’m out of here.”

  Nick waved absently at them and bolted from the cafeteria. Serenity felt bad for him. He obviously was hurt watching Britt flirt shamelessly, but wouldn’t say anything about it. They both would be so much better off just admitting their feelings.

  “What was that all about?”

  “Britt, sometimes you really need to open your eyes. Stop trying to deny what’s going on here and let it happen.” Nettie picked up her books and trash. “I have to get to class. See ya.” Tossing the crumpled paper bag and sandwich wrapper in the garbage can, she followed the direction Nick took, but lost him in the crowd.

  That was when she caught a glimpse of Drakkar at his locker. Serenity pushed her way through the throng of bodies, making it to his side before he slammed the door shut and ran off again. She touched his arm. He spun and pinned her to the locker next to him.

  “Drakar! It’s me, Serenity.” Her eyes widened. “It’s just me.”

  Drakkar stared at her like he’d never seen her before. His grip loosened and he backed up a step. “I- I’m sorry. I’m a little jumpy lately.” He grabbed a book out of his locker and slammed it shut.

  “Hey, it’s okay. I only wanted to say hi. You haven’t been around much. I thought I did or said something wrong the other night.” She hugged her notebook.

  “No, you didn’t do anything. I’ve just been busy with this project.” He leaned his shoulder against the metal door.

  “Yeah about your project, I really think you should come over so we can work on it.”

  He blinked at her. “Work on it with you?”

  She nodded over her book. “I really think I can help you with the problem. Nick, too.”

  Drake eyed her warily. “Do you have any idea what we’re talking about? I don’t think you two should get involved in this. It’s more of an individual problem.”

  “I know exactly what your project is and I insist you come over and work on it at my house after class tonight.”

  Drakkar lowered his voice. “I’m trying to protect you, can’t you understand that? Let me do this on my own.”

  “I know you are, but sometimes we all need help. Let me in, Drakkar. There’s no need for you to do what she wants you to do.” She reached out and took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. “We can help you out of this.”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t get it.”

  “I do, really. You think she’d going to hurt us. We won’t let that happen.”

  “That’s not it. It’s not you she’s threatening. It’s-”

  The bell rang. People filed into the classrooms. Drakkar pushed off the locker and walked away. Her hand on his arm stopped him.

  “We’re going to be late, Serenity.”

  “Drakkar, who is she controlling you with now?”

  He reached out and brushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “Absinthe is threating to kill my mother.”

  Drakkar and Nick followed Serenity into the kitchen. She motioned for them to stay put while she scouted out the rest of the house to see if they were alone. It didn’t take her long to return. When she did, she flipped on the lights.

  “So, you want anything to drink? I think we have soda or something.” She opened the fridge and moved a few things around. “Yup, here we go.” Serenity pulled a bottle of cola from inside and set it on the counter with a few plastic cups.

  “How about some chips? I’m starving.” Nick slid the bottle across the granite counter and poured the soda into the cups while Serenity opened cabinets, searching for some sort of snack.

  The two were comfortably chit chatting about things from school as if they weren’t about to plan an act of treason. Drakkar could only watch them, completely lost for words. They were acting like planning to kidnap a baby was an everyday occurrence. While he, on the other hand, was a complete ball of nerves.

  How could they be so calm?

  “Excuse me? Did I miss something?”

  Serenity and Nick paused to look at him.

  “Nope, just getting some grub before we plot the demise of your mo -I mean, Absinthe.” Nick gathered the bags of chips Serenity placed on the counter. “Come on, this way.” He jerked his head toward the family room.

  Serenity picked up the bottle and one of the cups. “Drakkar, we’ll figure this out. Grab those cups and come inside. It’s more comfortable than hanging out in here.”

  He placed his backpack on the barstool next to the island and picked up the cups. Following her into the next room, he was acutely aware of his surroundings. The last time he was in the house, it was too dark to see anything. With all the lights on, however, it boasted a warm, homey feel. The walls were buttercream yellow, making the family room bright and cheerful. The oversized brown suede couch was worn and lived-in. It faced a large, curved television mounted to the wall above a brick fireplace.

  Nick dropped the chips on the coffee table and picked up the remote before he fell back onto the couch. Serenity put her items down alongside the chips and snatched the remote out of his hand.

  “Hey! I wanted to see what’s on,” he whined.

  “We’re not here for a party. We’re here to work, remember?” She tossed the remote back on the table and sat on the couch next to him, curling her feet underneath her. Looking up at Drakkar, she patted the couch on her other side, grinning. “Don’t worry, we won’t bite.”

  Drake hesitated. “Is your uncle going to come out of the woodwork again? I really don’t want to play the punching bag again.”

  Serenity laughed and it soothed his nerves. “It’s only us here. My mom and Jake won’t be home till the sun comes up. And before you ask, no, there’s no recording devices anywhere in this house. We are free from surveillance.”

  He lowered onto the edge of the cushion, placing the cups on the glass. The tension in his shoulders dissipated and Drake crumbled. He put his head in his hands, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I can’t do this.”

  She wrapped her arms around him
, drawing him into her embrace. “I know, baby. It will be alright.”

  “No, it’s not.” He looked at Nick over her shoulder. “There’s no way out of this.”

  “There has to be a way. Do you have any idea why she wants the baby?” Nick picked up one of the cups and took a sip.

  Drakkar debated what he should say. He couldn’t tell them he was really Bonatelli’s son. He couldn’t say that the princess was his half-sister. Telling them any of his secrets would open up a can of worms he wasn’t sure he wanted to open.

  Who’s to say Bonatelli would even accept him if he knew? He was raised by Jared’s enemy. Didn’t that make him an enemy, as well?

  He pulled away from Serenity and leaned back on the couch. “Apparently she’s going to be extremely powerful as she gets older. Absinthe said something about her being the next Merlin of our kind. I’m not sure what she meant by that.”

  Nick whistled. “Oh man, if she controlled the next Merlin, there would be no stopping her. She’d have the throne without having to lift a finger. I can’t imagine a world where she’d be Queen.”

  Drakkar nodded in agreement. “Human’s would be enslaved. Those who were loyal to Jared and the King would probably be locked up or even dead. Yeah, I know the world she wants. But if I don’t help her get that, she will kill my mother.”

  “Speaking of, how did you figure out you weren’t her son?” Serenity popped a chip in her mouth. “I mean, you kind of resemble her. The differences I see could have been from your father. But nothing stands out to me that you weren’t her son.”

  You have no idea. He stared at the floor. “I met her.”

  “You met who?” Nick sat up. “The woman in the attic, she’s your real mother.” It was more a statement than a question.

  “Yeah, she’s been Absinthe’s prisoner since before I was born, and if I don’t get this kid for her . . .”

  “Absinthe is going to kill her,” Serenity finished his sentence. “Drakkar, we have to tell the conservatorship about this.”

  “No.”

  “D, you’re in over your head. If this was just stealing information or a piece of jewelry, that would be one thing, but we’re talking about delivering a child to a monster to save another human.”

  Drakkar shot to his feet and paced the room. “You don’t think I know that? I have to deliver one family member to save another. There is no way out of this.”

  “Hold up. What did you just say?” Nick slowly got to his feet. “I thought I heard you say you were trading one family member for another.”

  Drake stopped walking and ran a hand through his blond hair. “I -yeah I said that. But don’t read into it. I still consider her my cousin, you know.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Nick wasn’t convinced. “I’ve known you for a while now Drake. You’ve never been good at covering.”

  “If you can’t trust us with the truth, how are we going to help you, Drakkar? You’re safe here,” Serenity assured him.

  He stood looking between the only two people in the world who wanted to help him. These were his only friends. The only ones he could turn to. The only ones he could count on. To include them in this death mission would endanger all of them. But that’s what they wanted. They wanted to be all in and save him from himself.

  “Alright. But what I say goes no further than this room.” Serenity’s mouth opened, and he pinned her with a harsh glare. “No. No one other than us will know this. Not until I’m ready to tell them.”

  “Okay,” Nick and Serenity agreed in unison.

  “I’m Bonatelli’s son. Absinthe has been keeping my mother -his ex, Giovanna- as her prisoner. The only reason I know any of this was because I saw her two weeks ago and we put it all together. Absinthe found us. She gave me the ultimatum that night with a deadline.” He leaned back against the fireplace, completely deflated.

  Serenity stood and went to him. “When is the deadline?”

  He looked deep into her eyes. “I have until the next full moon.”

  “That’s four days away.” She gasped.

  “Believe me, I know.”

  Nick clapped and rubbed his hands together. “Well, that just means we’re at a time crunch to come up with a plan. So I suggest we sit back down and figure this out before your mother and uncle get home. Shall we?”

  “So we all agree, we have to tell Serenity’s mom and let Conservatorship handle this.” Nick crumpled the piece of loose-leaf he was scribbling on and tossed it at Drakkar. Seated across from the couch on the other side of the coffee table, Drake caught it one-handed.

  “I don’t know. I feel like getting them involved is only going to make my mo -make Absinthe do something desperate.” Drake rolled the paper ball between his hands.

  “Drakkar, she’s already desperate. She threatened the child she raised as her own,” Serenity reasoned. “Do you really think she’s going to hurt your mother? She’s her only leverage with the Prince.”

  “That’s the thing, Absinthe doesn’t care who she hurts. She has no remorse at all.” Drakkar tossed the paper in the fireplace with the other hundred or so pages, now a simple pile of ashes.

  They’d been at it for hours. Every idea his friends came up with, Drakkar shut down almost immediately. He couldn’t let them get any more involved than they already were, but he wasn’t about to come out and say it to them. Instead, he agreed to back off completely and let the Conservators handle Absinthe.

  The only problem was, it would mean Giovanna, his real mother, could end up dead anyway. Drakkar’s gut knotted. To finally know his real mother was kept from him his whole life and then lose her in the blink of an eye, it was almost too cruel even for the Poison Princess.

  Nick sobered. “And that’s why we have to let the Investigations Unit take it from here. Drake, they’ll get her out before anything can happen to her.”

  “Yeah, they’ve done a bang-up job of that already.” Drakkar scoffed. “Look, Bonatelli has more important things to deal with right now. His ex is not on the list, or if she is, it’s really far down there.”

  “Drakkar.” Serenity lowered onto the floor next to him and placed her hand on his arm. “I don’t think you understand how he truly feels about Giovanna. She was his first love. Love like that doesn’t die. Sure, he found someone new, but he honestly believes she was dead, courtesy of you know who.”

  “She also tried to kill him. That has to stick in his gut somewhere, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe, but I also heard she helped them all escape Absinthe’s prison. I’m positive that helped change his mind about her. Give our plan a chance.” She wrapped her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder. “Have a little faith.”

  He wrapped a hand around one of hers resting on his shoulder, sighing in resignation. “Okay. I will go along with this plan, but let me talk to Giovanna before you say anything. She needs to know what we are planning.”

  “Got it.” Serenity brightened, kissing him on the cheek. “We won’t say a word.”

  “My lips are sealed. No one will hear anything about the plan till you call us,” Nick agreed.

  “Won’t say a word about what?” The deep voice behind them made everyone jump.

  Jackson Avery stepped into the living room eyeing each one of them suspiciously. When he realized who Serenity was hugging, he visibly bristled, but held his tongue.

  “Hey, Uncle Jake. We’re working on a project for our Biology class. Every team has to come up with a different idea. I think we have a good one. We just are making a promise to not say anything to anyone else so they don’t steal the idea.” Serenity smiled.

  The lie fell so easily from her lips, it made Drakkar wonder exactly how many times she’s done so before. He hoped she was being completely honest with him, but Serenity never gave him a reason to doubt her.

  Jake’s brow rose. “Are you sure that’s all? I know you better than that, Kid.”

  “Come on, Mr. A, I swear we aren’t up to anything bad. It’s just a
n assignment,” Nick chimed in.

  “Yeah, and I trust you even less, Nick.” He leveled his gaze on Drakkar. “And you . . .”

  Drakkar swallowed. He didn’t want another fight. All he wanted was to vanish into the woodwork and get off the human’s radar. Unfortunately, that didn’t look like it was possible. “Yes, sir?”

  “Sir, huh?” Jake laughed. “I owe you an apology for the way I treated you that night.”

  That night being when Serenity gave him a place to stay when it was too close to dawn for him to head home. Geez, he just wanted to forget about it.

  “Um, it’s okay. I’ve gotten past it. No hard feelings.” Drakkar gently removed Serenity’s arms from around his neck and rose, giving Jake a halfhearted smile. He made eye contact with Nick. “I think we should get going. I’m going to need that ride.”

  Nick nodded and stood. “The van is already in the garage. Nettie, we’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

  Serenity yawned. “Yup, I’ll write up some notes and have them ready for class tomorrow. I’ll walk you out.”

  Jake waved good-bye as she rose and led them down to the garage. He didn’t give the trio a second glance. Instead, he went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker.

  When they got to the garage, Nick went in ahead of them to start the van. Serenity stopped Drakkar before he followed. He looked at her hand on his arm.

  “Serenity? Something wrong,” he asked.

  She looked up at him. “I just wanted to say, you don’t have to feel like you’re alone. I’m here if you need me, always.”

  “Uh, thanks. I really have to go-”

  Before he could finish his sentence, she reached up and framed his face with her hands, pulling his lips down to meet hers. He held his breath while they stared into each other’s eyes. Serenity bit her bottom lip. His heart sped up.

  “Serenity.”

  “Drakkar.”

  They spoke at once, but neither looked away. He rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. She gasped. Without hesitation, Drakkar covered her lips with his. Drake closed his eyes as a calm he’d never felt before settled over him. Her hands slipped from his face to the back of his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair.