by Rinelle Grey
Hopefully they would protect them again this time.
The goddess probably wasn’t impressed. Her complaint against all of them had been that there was too much fighting, and here Wayrian was, on her way to another battle.
Well, actually, they were just going to wake their prince. If the Trima clan attacked them, that was hardly their fault. What did the goddess expect them to do, just let the enemy clan kill them? Let Ultrima try to force himself onto their Princess Sarian again?
Wayrian heaved a sigh and tried not to stare at the marking on her wrist again.
It was all too overwhelming.
She had enough to think of right now, riding into a potential battle against Ultrima.
Somewhere behind her in that same line of cars was Lisa, the woman—a human woman—who had been entrusted with the honour of waking Prince Verrian.
Not that Wayrian was jealous.
No, not one bit. She had had enough dramas with her brief engagement to Taurian. These dragon princes, and their enemies, were more trouble than they were worth.
Marrying a prince was solely her grandfather’s objective. He was the one who said it was important to remind everyone that dragons mated with dragons, not humans. He still hadn’t accepted that Prince Taurian had mated with a human, even though he had stopped publicly protesting. Yet, he was just as determined now as he had been then, sitting beside her with his back straight.
Of course she wanted to help her clan, but why did it have to involve mating a prince? Wayrian had no wish to be a notable person in the clan. She just wanted to live a quiet life.
She almost laughed at that one. Some chance she had of that, when her clan was at war. And that was before this crazy goddess had turned up and made things even more complex.
The vehicle pulled up in front of the rock formation that protected Prince Verrian’s Mesmer chamber. Other vehicles stopped on either side of them
Wayrian’s heart beat a little faster in her chest. This was it. They were here.
There was no going home now. Not until Prince Verrian was safe.
As Wayrian followed her grandfather out of the car and shared a nervous smile with another dragon climbing out of the car next to her, the feeling of camaraderie, of sharing this danger with someone else, all working together towards a greater good, felt surprisingly good.
She’d never done anything like this before. All her grandfather’s previous plans had been in the background, when they were safe in the lair. But being here, seeing her people’s history being written…
This was kind of cool.
“Get over closer to the chamber,” her grandfather hissed, shoving her towards where Taurian was leading Lisa into the shade of a rocky ledge. “You need to be well positioned to catch Prince Verrian’s attention when he emerges.”
Suddenly, this didn’t feel so good after all.
If this was meant to be, surely they didn’t need to force it? Wayrian wasn’t interested in someone she had to coerce into mating with her. If she ever mated, she wanted it to be because both of them wanted it more than anything.
Fat chance of that with her grandfather around.
There were advantages to being closer though. She was close enough to Taurian to see him hand Lisa the medallion that would open Prince Verrian’s Mesmer chamber, and she couldn’t help feeling a tingle of excitement as she watched.
It must feel special, to be chosen to wake one of the princes. Special, and a little nerve wracking, especially as…
“Ultrima’s here!”
Karla’s voice rang out, echoing off the rock, sending Wayrian’s heartbeat into overdrive.
She looked around in a panic, but her grandfather’s determination to be close to the Mesmer chamber had pushed her away from the ute she had come here in. Away from the only safe places to be in this fight—the cages on the back of the utes.
They may look flimsy and full of holes, but the last battle had proved that Chase’s idea worked. The metal of the cages dissipated the electricity from the Trima clan’s lightning safely away from anyone within them.
But only when you were inside.
Wayrian needed to make a run for them, but fear had her heart in such a tight grip, she couldn’t make her legs move. Logically, she knew that the cages were safer, but she had to cross open ground to get there.
Why had she let her grandfather talk her into coming here? She wasn’t a fighter. She was a water dragon. Water dragons didn’t fight, they simply stood their ground and refused to move until their adversaries gave up. That’s what her father had always said.
But she didn’t have time for that now. The silver forms of lighting dragons dotted the air above her. Any minute, one of them would attack. If she wasn’t ready to fight, she’d die. So Wayrian tried to gather up her power, searching for any water in the surrounding area. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus.
Ultrima’s battle screech split the air, raising every hair on her head. Any exhilaration she’d felt earlier disappeared under a wave of pure fear. She wanted to run and hide, as far away from this battle as she could.
“Quick, over here,” her grandfather scrambled into the back of the nearest ute and beckoned to her.
Wayrian couldn’t make her legs move, no matter how much she tried. Far from its racing earlier, her heartbeat seemed to have slowed, as though it were already giving up the fight. Already accepting that she was going to die.
So much for the goddess’s plan. She couldn’t mate with anyone if she’d been burned to a crisp by dragon lightning. Allendra should have chosen someone with more spunk.
“Move.” Chase appeared beside her, his hand grabbing her elbow and half pushing, half lifting her towards the nearest cage.
Somehow, his presence pushed the fear away, as if some warmth from his hand thawed the terror that had frozen her. Wayrian stumbled into the cage, crawling as far forwards as she could as Chase climbed in behind her.
As he pulled the cage door closed behind him, a bolt of lightning hit them square on.
Wayrian couldn’t help it. A scream erupted from her throat, and she threw herself down onto the rubber mat on the floor of the ute, her hands over her head.
A few seconds later, before she’d even had time to take in the fact that she was still alive, a loud boom filled the air, blasting her eardrums.
Her ears were still ringing as she looked up, seeing the explosion above them, colour raining down.
The beautiful display was at odds with the terrifying battle they’d been thrown into.
The image exploded into Wayrian’s mind, instantly taking her back to the dream. She held up her wrist, opening one eye in a squint to compare the two.
The mark on her wrist, the one she’d thought was a flower, was one of Chase’s weapons.
She was too stunned to even hear her grandfather’s scream for her to get up and join in the battle.
Fireworks, Karla had called them. She said they were part of a celebration among her people, but they made dragons nervous. Wayrian could understand why. The sound they made was loud and low, and it reverberated through her whole body, setting her pulse racing.
If they hit, they’d bring a full grown dragon down with ease. Dragon scales and hide might be tough enough to protect them, but their wings were vulnerable, every dragon knew that. The injuries from a fall would be enough to take them out of the battle.
This one hadn’t hit anyone though.
It’s crazy, beautiful pattern of sparkling light added to the madness of the fight.
What did it mean? How did the strange pattern indicate her fated mate? Was it one of the Trima dragons? Perhaps if one of them were hit and injured, but not killed, she would volunteer to complete the Mesmer ritual with them and somehow fall in love?
Somehow, she couldn’t see that happening. Her grandfather might say Taurian was foolish for sending the injured dragons home to heal instead of killing them in the last battle, but he wasn’t benevolent enough to l
et one of their own heal a Trima dragon.
So who was her fated mate? Not knowing was driving her crazy.
Her eyes were drawn to Chase. He stood next to her in the cage, staring up at the sky. From her spot cowering on the floor, Wayrian had a clear view of his bronzed profile, and her breath caught in her throat.
He was a hero. He had almost single handedly saved them from the Trima dragons last time. And he looked like he would do the same this time.
His fingers moved dexterously on the device in his hands, controlling his deadly fireworks.
His fireworks.
He was the one.
Her destined mate wasn’t one of the Trima dragons.
It was Chase.
More fireworks exploded above his head, framing his face with their brilliant colour. Wayrian’s heartbeat sped up, but not from fear this time. Her whole body flushed with an exhilarating warmth. She couldn’t imagine anyone better. Her fated mate wasn’t an enemy. He wasn’t some unknown dragon from her own clan.
He was someone who did great things. Someone she could admire. Someone she could see herself loving.
If only.
Wayrian bit back a crazy, panicked laugh as the impossibility of the situation hit her.
The idea of mating with a human might seem easy when compared to mating one of the enemy clan.
Wayrian knew it would be anything but.
Her grandfather’s objections to Chase would be even greater than to an unknown dragon, or, she suspected, even their enemy. Not only was he determined she was going to marry a prince, but he was convinced that the humans were the cause of everything that had gone wrong for the dragons, including this battle.
He still maintained that Prince Taurian mating with the human woman Karla, would cause the destruction of their clan.
He still thought it would have been better if the prince had mated with her.
Nothing, not even the warnings from the goddess (if Wayrian could convince him of their legitimacy, which she was doubtful of) would change his mind. And she couldn’t possibly mate with Chase against her grandfather’s objections.
A wild, crazy panic raced through her, and for a moment, Wayrian thought it was caused by the thought of defying her grandfather and the elders, but this fear surpassed even that. She felt as though Ultrima was on top of her, his claws and teeth about to rip into her.
In fact, she looked up to see if he was.
But the sky above her was clear.
She wasn’t the only one panicking. Her grandfather ducked down in the back of the ute beside her, his arms above his head.
Wayrian forced herself to take a deep breath. The panic might feel real, but without a cause, there was only one thing it could be.
Life dragon magic.
Unlike the other dragons, whose magic was physical and obvious, life dragons could affect a person’s very thoughts. They were far more dangerous than any other dragon.
And Ultrima had one and Rian clan didn’t.
Wayrian had felt their powers, the fear they could create, in the last battle with Ultrima. Even though she hadn’t been directly fighting, it had been a struggle to resist the urge to run into the lair and hide.
This time she couldn’t run. She was stuck inside the cage with her grandfather and Chase, with no way out. And she was already cowering on the ground.
She bit back a laugh. She might have worried that her grandfather would have a fit. He had, after all, told her to do something spectacular, to impress the prince. But he hadn’t so much as moved from his crouch, as though afraid that lightning would hit him if he looked up.
The only one in the ute who wasn’t in a flat panic was Chase.
Wayrian watched him out of the corner of her eye, her heart fluttering in her chest. How had she not realised how brave and skilled he was earlier? Had she been too influenced by her grandfather’s hatred of all things human?
The intense focus on his face must be the reason he was resisting the life dragon’s magic so well. He was completely unaware of her scrutiny, staring intently at the little board that controlled the fireworks.
His fireworks were fascinating. He controlled great power, but he didn’t have to stand next to it to do it, he could be at a distance and still wreak havoc. She wondered if she might even be brave enough to fight if she could do so without being in the line of fire.
She took a moment to stare at him. The tight fitting shirt he wore covered up his skin, but didn’t hide any of the muscles rippling under it. His wide brimmed hat hid part of his face in shadow, accentuating the determined set of his jaw.
When she’d indulged in secret dreams of mating a man she wanted, not a prince, it had never been anyone like this. She’d hoped for a quiet, unassuming dragon.
She’d never imagined she could mate with a hero.
Could Chase really be her fated mate? Did she stand any chance with a man as wonderful as he was? He was so bold and sure, and here she was cowering on the ground. They had nothing in common. Was there any chance she could be worthy of his love?
She wanted to be. Her heart pounded in her chest. She could try.
That thought pushed away the last of the hold the life dragon had over her. She scrambled to her feet, being careful not to touch any of the wire on the cage, and stood next to Chase. Her heart still thumped in her chest, but no lightning hit her. This wasn’t so terrifying after all.
Chase looked up briefly and flashed her a smile.
Wayrian’s heart skipped a beat. How had she missed how gorgeous he was?
Not gorgeous like the dragons, who strutted around wearing next to nothing, their muscles bulging. That had never attracted her in the slightest.
His was an understated appeal. He wasn’t attempting to show off or impress anyone. He was cool and calm in the fight, yet completely sure of himself.
His confidence was as appealing as his good looks were.
Maybe she could enjoy this task the goddess had given her after all.
His eyes flicked over to the Mesmer chamber, and a worried frown crossed his face.
Lisa.
Realisation hit her like a bolt of lightning, crisping the edges of her unprotected heart.
He cared about Lisa.
Well, that solved that. Even if she might be attracted to him, she wasn’t going to get involved in another triangle. She’d done that once, at her grandfather’s insistence, and look how well that had turned out.
If she was right about Chase being her fated mate, and he was in love with Lisa, the dragons might just have to become human after all.
As another bolt of lightning hit the cage she was in, almost sending her cowering back on the floor, she wondered if that would be such a bad thing. Maybe the goddess was right. Maybe it would be better for them to be human. Wayrian could certainly agree they fought too much.
If they were human, Ultrima wouldn’t be able to throw lightning at them.
Given the fact that his lifespan had been extended by magic, the clan’s enemy might not even still be alive.
Neither might all the princes and princesses.
That thought wasn’t so appealing. She might not want to marry one of them, but she still shared the clan’s belief that the princes and princesses were the only ones who could guide their clan to success.
None of it, not the goddess’s challenge, her fated mate, would matter if she didn’t survive this battle. She heard another round of gunfire and an angry dragon roar.
The element of surprise had almost won the humans the last battle, but the Trima dragons knew what they were up against this time. What if they lost?
Wayrian wished she were nowhere near this battle. Why had she let her grandfather talk her into coming?
Why had he even tried? Surely it would be far safer to impress the prince once he was safely back at the lair.
If he made it back to the lair.
She looked around for the dragons, trying to guess where and when the next round of lightning woul
d hit the cage. Ultrima seemed to have it in for Chase. Not surprising given he was the one who controlled the fireworks.
But to her surprise, the sky was empty.
Too empty.
Want to know what happens next?
Read about Wayrian and Chase in Wayrian: Dragon's Cowboy - Available now!
Dragon shifter Wayrian just wants to live a quiet life. Fat chance of that when her clan is at war and her grandfather wants her to marry a prince. As if that isn’t enough, a crazy goddess appears in her dreams and threatens to turn her clan human if Wayrian doesn’t marry her fated mate by the Blood Moon.
A mate who is not a prince.
Who isn’t even a dragon.
Despite being lured away from his father’s cattle station by the excitement of the dragon shifters, Chase is careful to keep his distance. He’s happy to help out by waking one of the dragon princesses, but he isn’t planning on mating forever—even if Wayrian thinks that’s the only way to save her people. He doesn’t believe in true love, he’s been burned before.
But when a reporter bent on exposing the dragons' existence drives Chase and Wayrian into hiding on the cattle station, things between them begin to heat up. The only problem is that Wayrian’s grandfather, hiding with them, is determined to keep them apart at all costs. Will Wayrian risk her grandfather’s ire to save her people, or will she make her own choice?
Grab your copy now!
About the Author
If you read a Rinelle Grey story, you can trust in a happy ending. Love will always triumph, even if it seems impossible… Rinelle Grey writes feel-good romance usually in science fiction or fantasy settings. Her heroines are independent and headstrong, and her stories are hard to put down.
She grew up in a remote area of Australia, without power, hot water, or a phone, but now lives with all of those and her (happily ever after) husband, daughter, chooks, ducks and veggie garden.
She loves to receive e-mails at [email protected], or follow her on facebook or twitter.