by Rinelle Grey
But she just inclined her head regally.
Then her face paled, and she put her hand up to her cheek. “We have to get out there. They’re fighting Ultrima now, and they need our help.”
Her urgency communicated itself to him in a very physical way. Adrenaline flooded his body. How could he have forgotten? Had the coupling distracted him so much?
He reached for his clothes now, and began pulling them on, then it hit him.
It hadn’t just been the distraction. As soon as he listened, the almost complete silence hit him. All sounds of fighting outside had ceased. He’d been so preoccupied with the woman in front of him, he hadn’t noticed.
Lisa paused, turning towards the door, obviously realising the same thing he did.
“The fight is over,” he said, not sure if he felt relief, or fear.
Lisa asked the question that he couldn’t bring himself to. The question neither of them knew the answer to.
“But who won?”
Chapter 5
For a moment, Lisa froze with fear at the possibility that Ultrima had defeated Karla and Taurian, and now waited outside for Verrian to emerge. There was only one way out of the Mesmer chamber, and Ultrima surely knew exactly where it was
Verrian’s thoughts were obviously following the same path hers were.
“How many of my brothers and sisters are awake?” Verrian reached out and grasped her shoulders, staring into her eyes.
Even now, she couldn’t help focusing on the fact that she couldn’t have him. That thought tried to overwhelm all others.
But the danger of their situation was more urgent. “Just Taurian.”
Verrian’s eyes shot up. “Just Taurian? He took on Ultrima alone? Is he mad?”” The disbelief in his voice was echoed by admiration.
Lisa couldn’t help giving a little smile. Remembering how Taurian had flown to attack Ultrima without hesitation when he’d had Karla in his lair, she was pretty sure he was mad.
“Then Ultrima must have won. Taurian could never defeat him on his own when all six of us working together couldn’t.” Verrian’s voice was dull, sending a blast of icy fear down Lisa’s spine. He sounded so certain.
But then, he didn’t know what she knew.
“Taurian isn’t alone,” she said firmly. The more she thought about it, the better she felt. “He has Karla and the others to help him. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I’m sure that they must have won, not Ultrima.”
Even as she spoke the words, she felt better. Less afraid.
Not so Verrian. “Who’s Karla?” he asked sharply.
She’d avoided telling him earlier, worried that the knowledge that things had changed so much might distract him from completing the ritual. But she had no excuses now. “Karla is Taurian’s mate,” she said softly.
Verrian frowned. “She’s not from Rian clan. Or from any clan I’ve ever heard of.”
For a moment, Lisa wondered how he knew. Surely he must realise that everyone he had known, other than his brothers and sisters, were dead?
Then she realised. All the dragons had their clan name in the second half of their name. She nodded, wishing she didn’t have to throw yet another surprise at him. “Karla’s human.”
She watched his face carefully, wondering what his reaction had been. Taurian had turned his clan’s reservations about humans upside down by mating with a human. Most of them had come around. But Verrian hadn’t been there. She was possibly the first human he’d actually met. How would he feel about his brother mating a human?
He hadn’t batted an eyelid about sleeping with her, even though she was a human, but that was a one off. Mating, especially dragon mating, which was a permanent, lifetime bond, was different.
Not that it mattered to her.
She wasn’t interested in mating with him no matter how hot the sex was.
His eyes widened slightly, but there was no sign of disgust. “A human?” he asked. Then he frowned. “If his mate is a human, how is she going to help him defeat Ultrima?” Then he frowned. “You are nothing like the humans who live in this place. Where are you from?” This time, his voice was sharp.
“A lot has changed while you’ve been in the Mesmer,” she told him quietly. “Humans have come a long way. Far enough that we’re a serious threat to dragons.”
This time, Verrian’s frown was less confused, and more concerned. “How long have I been asleep?”
There was no easy way to tell him. No matter how she phrased it, it was going to come as a shock. Might as well get it over with. “Three hundred years,” she said gently.
For the first time since she’d walked in the room, Verrian looked visibly shaken. He stumbled back, his hands gripping the dais he’d lain on for support. “Three hundred years!” he repeated in shock. “How did that happen? What has happened to my other brothers and sisters? How is Ultrima still alive?”
Lisa could understand his disbelief. It must be something akin to her own when she found out dragons existed. “It must be a lot to take in,” she said gently. “And perhaps it might be better if Taurian filled you in on the rest of the details. They’re probably waiting for us outside.”
For a second, hope flickered in Verrian’s eyes. Then it was overshadowed by doubt. “If Taurian won, why would he not inform us?”
“Um, maybe they didn’t want to interrupt? You know, in case we weren’t finished yet?”
The gleam in Verrian’s eyes stirred desire in the pit of her stomach almost as readily as his kiss had earlier. That wasn’t supposed to happen, now that the Mesmer ritual was complete.
Was it?
Lisa gave herself a shake.
“I doubt my brother would be so thoughtful.” Verrian’s voice was dryly amused.
At least he didn’t sound defeated.
“You’d be surprised, being mated can change a man. Or a dragon.”
Verrian snorted a laugh. “Mated or not, he’s still my brother Taurian.”
There, he was sounding even better. He was laughing and all.
As though he could read her thoughts, Verrian straightened his back and drew in a deep breath. “Well, waiting in here isn’t going to change the outcome. I suppose it is time for us to see who actually won this battle.”
A nervous shiver ran up Lisa’s spine. Even though she was pretty sure Taurian and Karla hadn't lost, she couldn’t completely discount that possibility.
And if they had…
No, she refused to believe that option. It couldn’t be true.
But they did need to be careful, just in case.
She looked around the Mesmer chamber, but other than the dais in the middle of the room, it was empty. Nothing useful here to take with them. She searched near the entrance for her bow and arrows. She vaguely remembered dropping them when she’d pulled her phone out to light the cave.
Verrian rose to his feet when she did and hovered near her as she picked them up.
His eyebrows rose when he saw them. “Those don’t look like advanced weapons. Warriors had bows and arrows three hundred years ago.” His voice was scathing, disparaging even.
Lisa bristled. “And they were pretty effective at killing things then too,” she said firmly. “I don’t have a gun, and even if I did, I don’t know how to shoot it. This is better than nothing. Unless you’d rather go out there completely unarmed?”
“I am never unarmed.” Verrian’s eyes crackled with a purple flame in the darkness, narrowing into slits.
Lisa’s gaze was caught up in his, half fascinated, half terrified.
One thing she did know, she certainly wouldn’t want to meet him alone in a dark alleyway.
She laughed inwardly. Because that would be oh so much worse than trapped in a dark cave with him while the unknown awaited them on the other side of the door.
Ultrima was the enemy, she reminded herself. Not Verrian. That’s who he was angry at. Not her. She was just glad to have him on her side. In fact, she was feeling a lot better al
ready.
In an attempt to prove that was the truth, she said firmly, “Sounds like we’re ready to open this door now then?”
The fire in Verrian’s eyes flickered a little, then dimmed slightly, but he nodded.
She had no more excuses. Reminding herself that the only thing she was really likely to face was Chase’s stare, she pulled the medallion out of her pocket and turned to look at the door. She strained her ears to see if she could catch any sound outside, but the silence was almost deafening.
Taking a deep breath, she fitted the medallion into the imprint and twisted it.
The grating sound of the sliding rock was loud in the silence. Lisa squinted out the opening into the bright light, trying to figure out if they were facing Ultrima, or her friends.
She didn’t even have a chance to see anything before Verrian stepped in front of her. His head held high, he stared ahead, his mouth a thin line.
He was trying to protect her.
She couldn’t help being impressed. He was probably as scared as she was, but he hadn’t hesitated.
She couldn’t shake the thought that she wasn’t sure she would have done the same for him had the situation been reversed.
Luckily, it turned out his action was completely unnecessary.
The area was completely deserted, only the tyre tracks in the sand showing that anyone had ever been here.
Chapter 6
Verrian stared around at the empty space. There should be some evidence of the battle he’d heard raging out here. Blood. Bodies.
Something.
Instead, there was nothing but empty sand.
“Where are they?” he demanded.
Lisa shook her head, frowning in confusion. “I don’t know.”
Verrian stared around. What if it was a trap? But it wasn’t like there was anywhere for Ultrima to be hiding. Or anyone else for that matter. The whole area, other than the rocks that formed his Mesmer chamber, was flat. The only cover was the odd rock, or tuft of spinifex grass. Certainly nothing big enough to hide a dragon.
“They can’t have just disappeared.” He turned to her. “Your people can’t fly, can they?”
Lisa opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.
Verrian’s heart skipped a beat. Had she been about to say they could? He swallowed. He didn’t want to know. He had more important things to worry about right now.
Lisa pointed to the tracks in the sand. “They left in cars,” she explained. “They travel nearly as fast as you can fly, just on the ground. The question is, why?”
He could guess.
“They’re running from Ultrima,” Verrian said quietly. He wasn’t sure whether to feel glad they had survived, or worried that their survival was still in jeopardy. “There’s no other explanation.”
Lisa frowned. “If that’s the case, why wouldn’t Ultrima have left at least one dragon here to watch for us coming out?” she asked. “He wasn’t after the others, he knows where they live, and he offered us a truce. It’s you he’s after, he wouldn’t have left this chamber unguarded willingly.”
She said the words casually, but even so, they set Verrian’s heart racing. “Why would he want me?” he blurted out before he could stop himself.
Was the dragon still pissed at him for trying to reason with him? Other than that, he’d barely ever spoken to the estranged lightning dragon. Certainly not enough for Ultrima to have a personal grudge.
So why was Ultrima after him specifically?
Lisa put a hand on his arm, her warmth seeping into him. “He wanted to prevent us waking any more of your brothers and sisters. You’re just the first in line,” she reminded him. “He tried to make a deal with Taurian, he’d let Rian clan wake the rest of you if he got to wake your sister, but Taurian refused. I guess Ultrima is out for revenge, and you’re another available target.”
His fists automatically clenched as he thought about how Ultrima had tried to force himself on Verrian’s sister.
“That will never happen,” he said, his voice taut. “All of us would rather die than allow it.”
“So I gathered,” Lisa said dryly. “But since he’s made a truce with Taurian, why would he chase him instead of you? Especially since he knows that you’re all but alone in here?”
Verrian shrugged. “A better question might be why did he make a truce with Taurian when he hates our entire family?”
“Aside from your sister.”
Her quick and casual reply set his blood boiling. He glared at her, and she instantly looked contrite. Her change in expression soothed his anger. He shouldn’t be too hard on her. She wasn’t a dragon, and he couldn’t possibly expect her to understand.
“That dragon tried to force himself on my sister,” he said, his voice icy. “I don’t know about your people, but among Rian clan, that is unacceptable.”
“Of course it’s unacceptable,” Lisa said quickly. “I didn’t mean…” she trailed off. Then shook her head. “Right now, we just need to figure out what is going on.”
Verrian nodded, glad she wasn’t pushing the issue. He didn’t really want to discuss it. “How do we do that?” He waved his hand. “It’s not like there’s anyone here to ask.”
Lisa’s eyes widened. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, grey box of some sort. She stared at it for a moment, then made an annoyed noise.
“What is that?” Verrian asked sharply.
It wasn’t a weapon was it? If it was, surely she would have produced it earlier? It wasn’t much use now, when there was no one here.
“It’s my phone,” Lisa explained. “It allows us to send messages over long distances. I thought maybe we could call Karla and find out what was going on, but there’s no reception out here. It does other things too, like taking photos and playing music, but none of that is useful right now.”
Sending messages between humans over long distances? Photos, whatever they were?
And music.
All were unbelievable accomplishments for such a small box. How could the humans have so much power?
Despite the fact that she’d claimed the box couldn’t help them right now, Verrian suspected that understanding the human’s technology couldn’t help but give him more clues. “How can a box play music?”
Lisa pressed something, and the front of the box lit up with vibrant colours. She expertly moved her thumb around, then suddenly a strong beat filled the air. “It doesn’t play it, as such,” she said, above the sound of the music. “It’s recorded.”
Verrian stared at the phone, afraid to touch it. She had said the humans had great technology, great weapons, and now she had produced this.
A box that played beautiful music.
His powers, as a sound dragon, had been much revered in the days before Ultrima had started this war. He’d been the life and soul of any dragon gathering, and everyone had loved him.
Unfortunately, in a war, he’d been all but useless. One battle had been enough to show him that.
Had the humans found a way to use music to defeat their enemies?
If so, he wanted to know all about it. He pulled his eyes away from the strange device and stared up at her, his eyes narrowed. “Can this help us defeat Ultrima somehow?”
She shook her head immediately. “The phone can’t help us defeat Ultrima. We used guns and fireworks for that, and wire cages, Chase called them Faraday cages, to diffuse his lightning so it couldn’t harm us.”
Her words didn’t make much more sense than her phone did, but he got the general idea.
The human’s weapons were more conventional. Like his brother’s powers. Understanding them would not help him. At least, not now.
“Your weapons must have been the ones I heard earlier. They must be powerful indeed. It seems Taurian has done well, in our absence, to form an alliance with the humans.”
“We’ll see,” Lisa said. She looked around, as though searching for something. She bent down, pushing at the sand near some s
trange imprints. Something had formed long, patterned lines in the sand, arching away from the Mesmer chambers.
“Well, the only thing we have to go on is the tracks,” Lisa said. “Do you know anything about tracking?”
Verrian bit back a laugh. Tracking was for humans, not dragons. “I hunt prey from the air,” he pointed out. “Only ground creatures need to track. I can see for miles from a high vantage point.”
Lisa’s face fell, and she turned away.
Verrian berated himself. She was here helping him. No need to upset her.
“What do these tracks tell us?” he asked, hoping to make it up to her.
It worked. Lisa pointed to one group of tyre tracks. “These are our tracks when we pulled in,” she said. “And when they reversed and turned around,” she walked a little to point to the tracks with a sharp angle in them, “they drove off here.”
“What does that mean?” Verrian asked feeling a little useless. Apparently, he was as useless at this as he was at fighting. He wished he could find something he was good at. Something that would be useful right now. “They’re not here anymore. We already knew that.”
“It tells us that they drove off,” Lisa said. She stood up and stared around.
Verrian followed her gaze, but he could see nothing more than he had seen before. Well, not nothing. He could see the tracks she pointed out now, and her explanation made sense. But that didn’t help him. It didn’t tell them what the dragons had done, and he was far more interested in their movements than the humans.
Then another set of tracks, further to the west, caught his eye. He frowned. “Are those from your people too?” He pointed.
Lisa walked across to stare at the tracks. “No, we didn’t come from this direction,” she said, frowning. “This is a different car. The tracks don’t match any of the others.”
“What does that mean?” Verrian demanded.
Her voice was low and ominous as she said, “Someone else was here.”
Chapter 7
This was not good. Not good at all.
Lisa cast around, trying to think of who else might have come all this way, but came up blank.