“Well it should be,” the man said, raising his voice to an authoritative level. “You need to learn fear, big man. You two are in danger, and we’re here to help. There are those in this century who want you gone. And they have friends in your own time, as you may have noticed.”
Lily softened for a moment, sensing at last that perhaps this man could help. “Who are these people?” she asked. “And who are you? Please, tell us.”
Conor was missing. Her family might be in danger. She needed answers.
The man extended his hands towards his colleagues, who shifted immediately in order to show themselves. The small bear became a man; short, brown-haired. Innocuous. The panther was a woman: tall, sleek and quite beautiful. Something in her face both intimidated and intrigued Lily.
“The people who seek you are an old enemy to dragons,” the stranger continued. “Assassins. They are led by a very ancient group of men who began many centuries ago to attempt to end the reign of your kind. As for who we are, we’re shifters like you two. Perhaps a little younger. Born in this century, but our bloodlines go back to the beginning of time.”
“So the man we saw earlier today in the pub—he was one of these assassins,” said Lily.
“Yes.”
“And how did you know we were here?” Lily wondered why the assassins hadn’t yet sought them out.
“My friend over there, the black cat, has a good sense about these things. She can smell your sort miles away, which is more of a curse than a blessing. You know, I’m sure, that dragons have quite a distinct smell, and I’m sure that you can guess there aren’t many in this area of the world.”
Graeme took a step forward and Lily gripped his arm, telling him not to show aggression.
“I’m sure the man doesn’t mean to offend, Lord Graeme,” she said, her voice soothing. “I doubt if he was implying that we have terrible hygiene.”
“No, not in the least.”
The panther shifter spoke now. “It is not unpleasant,” she said. “Your scent, I mean. It is only that I am at times overwhelmed by an abundance of information coming at me at once, and picking out the dragon among millions of people can be difficult, to say the least. But if you leave a trail as you did earlier today, through the busy streets of a highly-populated city, you will be discovered, and quickly.”
The tall man continued: “There are, in London, several thousand shifters. This would come as a great surprise to most humans, of course, as they don’t realize we walk among them. But much as our kind isn’t entirely uncommon, the moment you set foot here we were aware of you. Fortunately for you, their side lacks our resources. They are fine stalkers but by no means great hunters.”
“Did you know that I was here studying for months?” asked Lily, her voice skeptical. If they were so aware of her presence and so friendly, why hadn’t they shown themselves until now?
“We did. But the assassins did not. It was not until you became a potential mate that they began to hunt you. Things changed when you two arrived together, you see—” The man looked almost embarrassed to inform her of it, as though it were too personal a comment. “And the notion of two dragons mating is what puts their minds into a frenzy. And now here you are, standing before me. Man and woman, two dragons, two great threats to other shifters, ready to be with your third mate.”
“What have you done with him?” Lily stepped towards the man and this time it was Graeme holding her back. “Where is Conor?” she asked.
“So he is the one?” the man said. “The human we’ve seen at your side, wandering in the city. Well, we have done nothing with him. But it’s entirely possible that your enemy has found him.”
“Not that likely,” said Lily. “He’s clairvoyant. He would know they were coming before they knew themselves.” She said the words, wanting desperately to believe them. But Conor couldn’t entirely read her mind and so perhaps he wouldn’t be able to alert himself to their behaviour, either. The thought that something might have happened was too horrible.
“Well then, we shall hope for the best. In the meantime, I will introduce myself properly: my name is Xin, and I know your father, Lachlan, from the days that he spent in our time.”
Lily gasped. Of course; she’d forgotten how much time Lachlan had spent here, looking for her mother before finally finding her on that fateful day so many years ago. He would have associated at times with other shifters. But why had he never told her about these people?
Xin continued. “My friends here are Asta and Duncan—you’ve likely deciphered which is which. And the organization which hunts you is called the Stranieri, the Strangers, as so many have called them over the centuries. And we three are here to warn you that London is not safe for you.”
“Not safe?” protested Graeme. “Not safe. For two dragons. Ridiculous.”
Lily found herself admiring his arrogance and felt the same surge of cockiness rush up within her. It was true: who could possibly threaten them?
“The enemy will do whatever they need to in order to prevent the Ritual from occurring, you see. If it means killing you in your sleep they will attempt that. But more likely they will take the easy way out and blow up the building in which you live, or your car, or…well, you see where I’m going with this. Modern times come with modern weaponry. Dragon scales are no longer so impenetrable as they once were. It’s best that you hide until the threat is removed.”
Graeme opened his mouth in protest but Lily intervened. “He’s right,” she told him. “Ours is a very antiquated defence. We can’t compete with firearms and explosives, not really.”
“So we return to our own time,” said Graeme. “You’re saying that there we will be safe.”
“No,” said Xin. “Not safe. You would be in great danger there as well, as your family already is. It is best to remain separated from them. Oh, don’t worry, Lilliana. Your parents are on the move by now, away from Dundurn. But you cannot return to your home; even a day after you left the distant past, it is not what it once was. The castle is under attack. The only option is to take on the enemy from our time, as your family will be doing in yours.”
“How can you possibly know what’s happening there?”
“Because Lachlan sent me word. He said that he’d been here, looking in on you after things went badly at the tournament. And he asked me to keep an eye on you. I’m afraid that I—we—were a little too late.”
The line of conversation was interrupted when Asta turned her head rapidly towards the staircase; the first real movement that Lily had seen in her.
“What is it?” Lily asked Xin.
“She sees or smells someone coming,” he replied. “But doesn’t seem overly concerned. It must be a human.” Xin gestured for the others to move into a side room and conceal themselves in case it was an unfriendly party making his way inside. They could shift if necessary.
“Hello?”
The voice came from the base of the staircase, and a moment after the muffled word had been uttered, Lily could hear footsteps running up the stairs.
She sprang forward and threw her arms around Conor, who was stepping into the light of the sitting room.
“I was so worried,” Lily said, fighting back relieved tears.
“I’m okay,” he said. “It’s been a hell of a day, but I’m okay. I see that you’ve infiltrated our family getaway again. And this time it seems that you’ve brought friends.”
“I want to know everything that’s happened to you,” Lily said. “But first we need to sort ourselves out here. Who is he?” Lily turned now to Xin. She knew that Conor would piece the information together, and that the intruders were already well aware of who he was. “Who is the ring leader of this group, the Stranieri?” she asked.
“We don’t know, in spite of all our best efforts,” he said. “I’m sorry. What we do know is that those he has sent back to Dundurn were Moderns—new shifters from this age, more highly evolved, more savvy than many.”
“That bear hardly
seemed ‘evolved,’” said Conor. Not surprisingly, he’d already worked out the conversation.
“So going back in time to take the group out won’t work,” said Graeme pensively. “They need to be stopped here and now, at the source.”
“Correct; it would be best to cut the head off of the dragon…if you’ll pardon the expression. To prevent those whom he assigns to the assassin’s squad from returning through their various means to the old times. You see, their theory is that if they cut off your ancestors at their source, dragons will be rendered extinct for good.”
“But if we manage to take him out in this era…” said Lily. “We could defeat him, screw up his plan, at the very least.”
“Yes,” said Xin. “Believe it or not, there are no known dragons in the twenty-first century. Best would be to take the Stranieri down, of course, and my people are working towards that goal. The leader works in shadow and manages to remain silent. Our people have followed every lead and never discovered his hiding place. We have traced him to the north, to Scotland’s borders, and that’s as much information as I am able to provide.”
“So that’s where we need to go,” said Lily. “We need to find him.”
“Lilliana,” began Conor. “It’s too dangerous. We’re not the bloody A-Team.”
“I don’t know what that is, but I will not have an organization survive which is bent on killing my family. I won’t,” she said.
“I agree with our Lady,” said Graeme. “They need to be stopped. Perhaps we lack the means to do so in a modern manner, but we have a good deal of fire power between us.”
Conor went silent for a moment, his thumb on his chin, and Lily could see that he was deep in thought. “We could have more power,” he said. “Much more.”
“How do you propose that?” asked Lily.
“The Ritual,” said Conor. “The Ritual extracts and enhancespowers from those involved. Each of us would strengthen. We would be a force to be reckoned with.”
“It’s true,” replied Graeme. “The only downside is that you’re human. Strength comes from shifter blood.”
“Not entirely human,” said Conor. “As I know Lilliana has told you. And I can see and feel you mulling my idea over: you know that it’s a good one.”
“I…” Graeme felt that his mind was being invaded by this man, and tried to empty his head of thoughts. “It would give us a greater chance,” he admitted. “If we’re to accomplish this in a timely manner.”
“That’s my boy,” said Conor, slapping Graeme on the shoulder and grinning. Lily could see the dragon shifter wince at the familiarity and casualness of the gesture, though she could also tell that they were slowly becoming friends.
She turned back to Xin, who was now flanked by the bear and panther, shifted back into their déors.
“You need to keep silent about this, understood?” she said.
Xin eyed her, initially silent and unreadable. “I’m not sure it’s wise,” he said, “to rely on yourselves in this endeavour. I was sent as protection, not as a means to get Lord Lachlan’s only daughter killed.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Lily said.
Without another word, she took a step forward and altered before their eyes, filling the space between floor and ceiling with her massive form, a dragon coated in cold flames of every shade, dancing along her scaled body. Her long neck craned, her head leaning in to look into Xin’s eyes.
The huge dragon in front of the others was a thing of beauty; Xin had never seen anything like it. Coated in fire, yet emitting no heat. He wanted to reach for it, to touch, but it would be wrong to touch another person’s déor without permission and so he restrained himself.
Conor stood in awe, looking at the woman he’d pleasured and who gave him so much pleasure. He now wanted her more than ever, now that he was seeing her power in all its glory.
Lily shifted again and Xin threw one of the robes from his bag around her shoulders.
“We will follow the lead you’ve given us,” she said to Xin. “And when we find this leader of assassins, I will thank you. And you will thank us. But you will not tell anyone of the plan.”
“Very well. And we will provide you with any services that you require,” said Xin. “You should leave soon. Tomorrow, at the latest. Asta will guide you towards your next destination. Be on the watch for her here. And whatever you do, do not leave this house.”
25
Escape, Chapter Seven
When the three infiltrating allies had left, having kindly turned the electricity back on, Conor locked the door behind them. Somehow they had managed to get in without breaking anything; the lock, the door, a window, and their methods remained a mystery.
“Perhaps one of them has powers that we can’t see,” said Lily. “I’m beginning to realize that these modern-day shifters are somewhat impressive.”
“They are,” admitted Graeme. “In our day it’s principally brute strength that wins battles. Here, it seems that stealth and a keen tracking skill are assets.”
“Well, that should make us good candidates to locate this ring leader,” said Lily. “You and I are nothing if not experienced hunters, are we, Graeme?”
Graeme cringed. “I was never much of a hunter, to be quite honest,” he said. “In my experience, dragons did not hunt. We’re a little big to be properly concealed predators.”
“Yes, that’s true,” said Lily. “Come to think of it, I always accompanied my dire wolf fathers in my human form, and it was Rohan who shifted. He often ran around as a cat, much like that tiger or the panther. I did envy him the capacity to shift into so many creatures. Though I could get an overhead view like no one else’s. I could spot a deer from miles away.”
“I think I understand what the plan is,” said Conor. “But I may have a few questions about the kitty cats and the bear.”
“Were you able to read their thoughts?” asked Lily.
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“And? Do you trust them?”
“Inasmuch as I can trust fuzzy carnivores with huge teeth, yes. They do seem to be allies. But remember that when one reads another’s thoughts, they don’t come out as tidy, complete sentences; more like a jumble of images, of intentions. The good news is that I couldn’t read any nefarious plans and have no reason not to trust them.”
“Good,” said Lily. “But tell us: what happened to you today?”
“Let’s just say that my apartment isn’t the same place I left a few days ago—it’s a touch messier. A disaster zone, actually. It would seem that when I left you two at your place, I was tracked. As I stood outside the building I was hit by the mental image of two large men—not very bright ones—tearing the place apart. They knew where you lived, Lily. And I knew that they were tracking you.”
“So what did you do?”
“I didn’t go in; common sense dictated that I run away. So I made my way down to the most public place I could think of: the Victoria and Albert Museum. But it seems that their sense of smell is pretty good, and they pursued me.”
“Into the gallery? How the hell did you get away?”
Conor smiled. “I could read them, their intentions. Like the bear, they weren’t entirely brilliant at concealing thoughts. They planned on waiting until I was out and then taking me down, though even they weren’t sure why a simple human should be a threat. At any rate, to make a long story slightly shorter, I may have told a security guard that I’d seen someone attempting to steal a certain famous princess’s wedding dress from the costume gallery.
“You didn’t.”
“I did. I must say that the image of two big, muscular men being led off in handcuffs on the pretense that they wanted to swipe a puffy-sleeved gown was enough to make me howl. Well, almost.”
Graeme, who seemed increasingly to mellow, spoke now. “I am glad that you made it, Conor,” he said. It was the first set of friendly words he’d uttered. “I think we shall need you in the near future.”
Lily r
aised an eyebrow as she looked towards the dragon shifter. His tone of voice was so familiar now, and she realized that he was reminding her of Lachlan in addition to Rauth—Lachlan, whose instinct for leadership always managed to trump any personal feelings.
No matter how distasteful he might find another person or shifter, he always managed to see their use and to offer praise when it was due. But Graeme seemed genuinely to be warming to the idea of this third party in their relationship, and even to admire him a little.
“We need to get some sleep,” Lily said. “I suspect that we’re in for a long journey tomorrow.”
“Right. I’ll show you to the one bedroom left in this place,” said Conor.
He led them to a room on the top floor which was cordoned off from the rest of the house, out of bounds to most visitors. There they discovered a shower, a sink and even some packaged toothbrushes and toothpaste.
“We’ve often put people up here over the years,” he said. “Visitors from out of town. And my parents like to be prepared. You know, like boy scouts.”
Both Lily and Graeme looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“All right—like boy scouts or shifters readying themselves for war,” Conor added, laughing. “You two are really going to need some schooling on last century or so, or I’m going to have to stop referring to it.”
The men left Lily to shower before each doing so themselves, and then the three made their way to the only bedroom: one which housed a king sized bed; a rarity in London. The men remained clothed in their jeans; Lily in the robe that Xin had given her.
She stopped for a moment, taking in the sight of the two strong bodies before her.
“Well, isn’t this delightfully awkward,” she said.
“Lilliana, take it. It’s all yours,” said Conor. “We can sleep on the floor.”
“Don’t be silly,” she replied. “The bed’s huge. And even though you two are pretty massive, I think we can all squeeze in without any accidental pregnancies occurring.”
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