He lay in the tangled sheets, fully intent on pleasuring himself, when he heard approaching cars coming up the road. The smell of rangers drifted in the window. So, he thought, three days to find him. He'd hoped for more time, but he could deal with a few rangers.
Collum stood and called on his inner dragon. The beast in him awoke instantly with the same memories of taking its woman. Collum relished the feel of the ancient nature taking over. The dragon tattoos across his chest, over his body had been his choice. He’d gotten them so no one would ever doubt who he was or where his loyalty lay. Guardian to the immortals he might be. Dragon was what he was. The beast waited only momentarily before turning to stalk its prey.
When his dragon took over, Collum retained awareness of all his acts. That awareness reminded him not to kill all the Elemental soldiers approaching his land until he had a chance to question them. He released his wings, leaped from the balcony and took flight to search for intruders. Located them about five kilometres down the road from his home. Having crossed onto his property, they were fair game. The beast flew directly to them.
Two black Mercedes peeled around the bend, churning up gravel and dust. He dove at them, spewing fire, ripping a giant fracture in the road. The cars swerved and screeched to a halt. He landed directly in front of the first car with his wings spread and his eyes spitting fire. Four young soldiers jumped out, clearly shaken but prepared to battle the creature in front of them. The dragon sneered. Again, they sent weaklings. Where were the great warriors of the Elementals he knew of? Before they could lift their hands, he spit a bolt of lightning and split the lead soldier in half.
“Why have you trespassed on my land?” the beast barked.
The three remaining soldiers recoiled.
One vomited.
The dragon sighed.
One man stepped forward, shakily decreeing, “Collum Thronus, King of the Dragons and Guardian of Immortals, by order of council members Taurin and Ealian Gondien we are here to bring you in for questioning in the matter of treason against the Elementals by the Taleisin family.”
The dragon laughed a deep throated, dark laugh. “Quite the mouthful. Do you boys know where you are?”
He looked each of them in the eyes before sucking in another breath and releasing a lightning bolt that split the soldier who’d spoken, in half. As the smell of burning flesh filled the air around them, he looked to the final two men.
They stood, white as chalk as the dragon smirked at them.
One finally found his voice. “You can't do that. You’ve committed murder and by doing so committed treason against the elders.”
Collum shook his head at the young man’s folly and allowed his beast to do what it wished. The beast roared, spread its wings and let loose a stream of blue fire at the third man who had dared to command it. Fire consumed his flesh in mere seconds. The man lay screaming on the ground, his skin on fire and melting against his bones. The beast offered no mercy. They’d come to his home and threatened him. They should have known that here his word was the only law.
The dragon turned to the young man who’d vomited earlier. His voice echoed with ancient magic. “Go back to your council. Tell them to stay away from dragon land. I was old before they were born and it’s my word that lays judgement. If they come at me again, I’ll kill them as quickly and as easily as I did these three. Do you understand me?”
The soldier nodded in acknowledgment. The beast watched, waiting with barely concealed impatience as its prey walked back to its car on shaking legs. As the car retreated, Collum returned to the man still writhing on the ground.
“You may come for revenge in the afterlife.” He used the tip of his wing to pierce the man’s heart. Bored, he took flight and quickly made his way back to the castle.
~ ~ ~
He landed in the courtyard, absorbed his wings into his body and let the beast rest. As he spun to head into the home, he noticed the little witch from the night before walking toward him with a cup of coffee.
“I thought you might like this after last night. So how was the killing and maiming?”
She'd caught him off guard again. “You’re a strange bird, you know that?”
“I've been told. I prefer to think of it as being highly witty.”
He reached out for the coffee and took a sip of the strong brew. “Glenn really does make the best coffee in England,” he said while savoring the taste of the cinnamon on his tongue.
The old man had started putting cinnamon in the coffee about fifteen years ago. Collum had been hard pressed to find a decent brew outside of his home since. He made sure he returned home regularly, mostly to check in. Didn’t want Glenn flying off half-cocked every time he missed a meeting. He’d almost lost him once—to his piece of shit father. Glenn had had the audacity to tell his father not to beat him. It’d taken Collum three months to nurse him back to health. He didn't know much about the man’s private life, and frankly, he didn't care that much either.
“Glenny and I have been having a lovely visit while you were off hunting. He’s the best. I hope you know how lucky you are to have a guy like him on your side.”
“I do, Mar. I've known since the day I met him.”
“Good. Just making sure you weren't a total loser. Now we should probably eat before the food gets cold. I suspect he’ll get angry if his perfect, Eggs Glenny, gets cold before we eat.”
As she turned on her heel, Collum marveled at how she managed to walk in five-inch stilettos before nine a.m.
Breakfast was waiting on the table when they reached the dining room. Large portions of steaming Eggs Glenny, filled their plates. The dish was a version of Eggs Benedict but with massive amounts of paprika and fresh cilantro mixed in the sauce. The taste was spicy and fresh at the same time. It was one more thing Collum couldn't get enough of.
He shoveled spoonfuls into his mouth. “I've been looking forward to this dish for weeks.”
“Thank you,” Glenn said. “I trust you took care of the mess on the drive. Or, do I need to send some of the young dragons to clean up?”
Collum hid his laughter under his breath. Glenn hated blood on the driveway. “Yes, ask some of the men to look after it for me. A good fire should do it.”
“Very good. I’ll see to it right away. You and Miss Del Voscovo enjoy your breakfast. Let me know when to have your bags packed.”
The man exited the breakfast room as Mar waved and sung, “Buenos Dias, Glenny” from across the room.
They made plans while shoving eggs into their mouths and guzzling back the rich black coffee.
“Tell me again how you think we find her,” Collum said.
“Well, good old Domhall left me a few cryptic hints. One of which was the notion of a portal. He found me about ten years ago, when I was sixteen and coming into my powers, asking about creating a spell to make a portal, based on the desire to locate a missing person. He wouldn't give me much more to go on and I never fully developed the spell, but in the end, I gave him all the work I had done. He paid me a bloody fortune.”
She paused for a moment to sip more of the coffee. “Actually, it was that conversation that made me decide I wanted more power. Meeting Domhall let me see what I was really capable of.”
“So, he's been planning this for ten years?”
“You know, for a big beast you catch on pretty quick.”
“Yes, Mar, I’ve heard the big dumb dragon line before. You'd do well to remember that this dumb dragon was ravishing civilizations before you were a thought in your oldest ancestors’ minds.”
“I think I like you better when you’re drunk,” she pouted before carrying on. “Anyway, I couldn't finish the spell then, but knowing what I know now, and knowing that Domhall has figured it out, I'm certain I can as well.”
“How are you ce
rtain he’s figured it?”
“Oh Dragon, you need more coffee. How did Alex and her Parthen brother leave your courtyard? When you say a portal, I hope you'll let me slap your forehead for good measure.”
He scowled at her and set his cup down. “The Parthen can't make portals.”
“Nope, that’s one thing the Parthen can’t do, but apparently Domhall can. Give me a day or two and I'm fairly certain I can as well.”
“We don't have a day or two.”
“There is something else he told me at the airport that I didn't get around to telling you last night. He said something about loving to travel and he hoped I'd visit Athens one day to explore the history. I am willing to place bets that the Parthen King’s Island is near Greece. I think if you get me close enough, I can create a portal to the island. It'll be weak, but we won't need much strength if we’re close enough.”
“Why do you need to be close? Can't you do it from here?”
“Okay, so you have to promise not to yell at me again. I mean we were both drinking last night so I didn't bring it up then and I didn’t want to heap too much on your plate so I waited until now to tell you everything. I mean it's a fab castle, and I'd heard about Glenny's coffee . . . Honestly, every house I've been to has some poor sop in the kitchen trying to recreate this coffee, so I wanted to get a drink of it before you rushed . . .”
“Mar,” Collum roared across the room with so much force a blast of fire followed it.
"Dios Mio, man, I thought I asked you not to yell at me,” she yelled back while dodging the flame. “Okay, so, after talking about the history of the Greek culture, Domhall handed me a binder with all the papers I’d originally given him. Since we’re in a hurry, I know I can't spend weeks on it, but I do believe if you give me a bit of time and get me to Greece, I can find your girlfriend.”
Collum looked at her, exasperation tinged with respect. “Get your bags. We leave in fifteen minutes.”
~ ~ ~
It ended up being late afternoon before the plane took off. First, there had been a young dragon who’d broken a wing when trying to fly. As king, he'd needed to make plans for the kid’s recovery. Then they couldn't get his plane out of the hanger because the captain had pulled out parts for repair.
If it had been only him, he would have taken flight and been halfway to Greece by now. But he had the witch with him and he couldn’t carry them both that far. They drove to the ferry to get off the island, followed by another hour to Heathrow terminal before settling themselves in for a five-hour, first class flight. If all went well, they’d be in Greece by ten p.m. that night. Depending on how long it took Mar to figure out the spell to open a portal, he was hopeful he’d reach Alex in as a little as thirty-six hours.
Chapter 31
Lachon surveyed his office from behind an antique teak desk. Law books lined the linen colored walls. Normally inspired by the knowledge that surrounded him, today those books felt like tombs. He knew in his bones that the daughter of Gray Taleisin was alive but he couldn't prove it. Rangers he’d sent to speak with the record keeper had disappeared. They’d last made contact prior to checking in at the Vancouver airport. The fools hadn't even made it to her island. All the feelers he sent out came back with the same message. Something had changed. A power had shifted but so far no one could get a hold on why. Then, two nights ago, reports came in from a spy in England that Collum Thronus had been seen with Domhall Taleisin and a young woman at the Heathrow Airport.
Lachon was no fool. He knew what that meant. He'd suspected it from the beginning if he was being honest.
Thronus with Domhall was a variable he didn't want to deal with. Thronus was old, older than old. If the dragons were now involved? If Thronus was somehow involved with the girl, it would change things. He didn't want a war with the dragons, but if the council was right about who her father had been then she was far too dangerous to live. Goddamn he was tired of all this bullshit. And he missed his friend.
Taurin and Ealian burst into his room brandishing a cell phone like a sword. Ealian was practically purple her passions ran so high and Taurin was whiter than normal. They dressed in faded gowns reminiscent of the sixteen hundreds. Their pale and dirty locks hung around their faces. Ealian's breasts attempted to break loose from the too small dress she wore.
He wondered again why he hadn't removed the brother and sister from the council long ago. Elders or not, something was wrong with them. Perhaps they shouldn't have lived so long.
Taurin wailed, “The dragon has killed my soldiers. This is an act of treason. You must send your people after him and kill him.”
Lachon’s heartbeat raced. “What are you talking about? Sit down for God’s sake. You and Ealian rushing in here like tornados solves nothing.”
“Nothing. Indeed, you seem to solve nothing, don't you Lachon?” Ealian seethed.
Her tattoo was dry, the colors of the wind faded but even those shook against her skin. It was a reminder to Lachon that Ealian, at least, was dangerous still.
“Why don't you tell me what you’re talking about and we can find a solution that doesn't involve war with the dragons.”
Taurin practically fell into the leather chair. Ealian slammed her body into the other seat, her small breasts battering against her skin. Taurin grabbed her hand. Lachon noticed again the strange relationship between the two. He wondered, not for the first time, if Taurin's choices had warped his sister’s uncontrollable passion.
“I sent four of my men to Thronus's home in England to see what the bastard beast knows, since you didn't seem to be bothered to do so, and he killed three of them,” Taurin screeched. “This is an aggression that cannot be allowed against us. You must hunt him down.”
Disbelief froze Lachon’s features. “You sent four armed idiots to a dragon’s home and expected what exactly? And you did this without my knowledge. May I fucking remind you that I make the laws for our kind. Not you. Dammit. The council means nothing if you act alone. You know that. And may I also remind you that our laws are not dragon laws. Thronus doesn’t answer to any of us. He was long ago named The Guardian of all races. The beast is a law unto himself.”
“He protects a child that is a danger to us, Lachon,” Taurin whined.
“I know this. And I am working on it. But running off half-cocked won’t help us.” Lachon took a steadying breath. “What did your man report to you?”
Ealian composed herself enough to speak. “He said he was old before we were born and he would kill us as easily as he did our men.”
Lachon slammed his fist onto the desk, disgusted with them like never before. “You’ve endangered us all. Surely you must know this isn’t the way to handle things? My God, what’s happened to the two of you? Never mind. Don’t tell me. Just get out.”
Their blank looks only fired his rage further. “Leave. I can’t stand to look at you. I’m tired of this . . . of you both.” He swept his hand at the office door. “Now go away so I can think.”
As they blustered and argued he managed to push them out the door. They truly were idiots, but idiots were dangerous. None of that changed anything though.
Twenty-five years ago, the council agreed Gray Taleisin should be wed to keep her in check. She’d grown too wild and there were rumors of her finding a lover that could produce a child powerful enough to upset the balance in their world. It was that simple. He'd hated the decision. As expected, it had almost broken Domhall, but he'd agreed it was the right decision. Taurin and Ealian were tasked with finding a strong mate for the young woman.
They’d thought it was all under control until the partner they’d chosen claimed he’d been made a fool. He’d killed her. First, he’d killed the man she’d maintained was her true husband. It had been a shit show of the highest order.
If there was a child from that original union? If
that’s who was coming into power, and he suspected it was, then they were in deep, extraordinarily deep, shit.
He spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to outmaneuver the dragon and his old friend, Domhall, but there seemed to be no good plan. If Thronus protected the daughter, it meant the Elementals were at war with the Dragon kind as well as the Parthen.
Shortly after nine o’clock that night, his assistant knocked on his door. “This came for you and it’s marked private.” She handed him a black envelope.
Lachon rushed her out the door and told her to go home before he set himself behind his desk. He sliced through the envelope with an old ivory letter opener. Five words in bold lettering materialized on the paper. Five words he didn't understand. He suspected that he knew who could. Lachon called his assistant back before she reached the elevator.
“Call the pilot and tell him to prep the helicopter for a quick trip to Victoria as soon as he can. Preferably now.”
He turned back to the desk as she scrambled to do his bidding and re-read the words he suspected were about to change everything.
The witch can bind their powers.
Chapter 32
After that night with Collum, Alex immersed herself in family. Her mother remained with her almost every waking moment. Neeren, almost every other. The days were full of laughter and Alex pushed Collum from her mind. Whatever they might be, could wait. She had a life with her mother to build. She spent lazy afternoons floating in the water while listening to Gray's stories. They talked of her past and how she had grown up.
Alex told Gray about her adopted family and about Aunt Quinn. Gray listened attentively and asked questions about her adopted mother and how she had been treated. Often her eyes glazed over with sadness when Alex told stories of Aunt Quinn’s sardonic humor.
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