Drago (Second Wave Book 2)

by Mikayla Lane

  “The fle’ te’ Trugh pledge their friendship and their loyalty to the long standing bond with the fle’ te’ Brazar,” Drago said, using the official words that solidified the pact between them that they had made over two hundred years ago.

  Although it was something that should be done between the two heads of family, no seemed to care as Dread and Viper also stood and repeated Drago’s words and actions. When Dree began to cry, Drago leaned down and scooped her into his arms for a hug.

  Leaning his head down, he whispered into her ear, “We never blamed you for giving Jacordan and Kinara your ship that day. We knew that there was no way you could have known what would happen or that your ship would not be strong enough to fight the gravitational pull of the comet. And I am so sorry that we never told you that in all the years that we searched for their bodies.”

  Viper cleared the lump in his throat before speaking. “I am also sorry that we didn’t recognize how much their loss affected you as well. We were so wrapped in our own pain that we didn’t see yours and the guilt you felt at loaning them your ship. Drago is right, this is past and it’s time we left it there, where it belongs.”

  Everyone was trying to blink away tears as Trick stood and faced Dread, crossing his fist over to the opposite shoulder and bowing his head. “The fle’ te’ Brazar pledge their friendship and their loyalty to the bond with the fle’ te’ Trugh,” Trick said gruffly, fighting his own emotions.

  Dree grinned and looked into Drago’s kind eyes. “I have always loved you as a brother, but if you don’t stop squeezing me to death I will pop your ears and turn your bedroom into a nightmare.”

  Drago laughed as the emotional tension that had been going on between the families for far too long seemed to dissipate. He hadn’t been lying, he and his brothers had never blamed them for loaning Jacordan and Kinara the ship that crashed on the comet and killed them.

  By the time he and his brothers had realized the guilt that the Brazar siblings felt, the relationship between the families had become so strained that they had just let it go, hoping time would heal the rift without effort. The subdued behavior of the Brazar since they arrived had told Drago that time hadn’t healed anything and he refused to continue this mission until it was corrected.

  Glad that the energy in the room had changed, he placed Dree back on her feet and went to sit in his chair when he hit the floor. He looked up into Dree’s twinkling eyes as she held a helping hand out to him and said, “I owed you that.”

  Drago laughed and took her small hand even though he didn’t use it to get himself up. Turning around, he saw that she had kicked his chair away but created the illusion that it was still where it had been when he had stood. Now that was more like the Brazar, he thought with a grin.

  Lara laughed and held up her hands. “All right everyone, we can group hug later. Drago is right, I am glad we have cleared that now and we can be the friends we once were. I have missed all of you greatly,” she said, almost choking on her emotions before Viper squeezed her hand and she used his strength to pull herself together.

  Clearing her throat, she turned to the Brazar. “I can’t think of anyone else that I wish were not here right now than all of you, but I also wouldn’t want anyone else by our side in the battle we face. You have seen the illusions and power of the Dark Prime,” Lara said as the Brazar shook their heads as they remembered the darkness and intense power. The power had throbbed with a dark life of its own.

  “As the Guardian of the Relic of Life Force, Satalis can give and take life once he has been bonded to the stone, which he has already done. He gets the power for his illusions from the dark energy and life force power from the bond with the stone. The problem we face is that he can give true life to his illusions.” Lara paused when the room erupted.

  “What the fuck!” Dread said angrily, wondering what the hell she expected them, alone, to do about someone with that kind of power.

  Trick stood and faced Lara, his face contorted in rage. “You brought my family here to die after pledging bond to us?”

  Lara stood and sent a pulse of energy through the room that immediately silenced and calmed everyone. “You must listen with your heads, not your emotions right now or we will not stand a chance!”

  Angry that they misunderstood this entire mission, she began to pace around the room before trying to ease their minds. “We will not be facing him at all. Not right now. We are nowhere near prepared for a battle with him. It took the twelve remaining ancient ones to bind him the last time and it will take much more than the few of us, now that he is bonded to the relic.”

  “All we are doing right now is recon. We are trying to find our laustio, our skilled hunters, and a way to find out what name Satalis is using on this world so we can find and track him. That is why we need to deconstruct that house. It is the only way that we can get the original energy signature he used to create the first illusion in or around it.” Lara moved between her quiet and immobile family as she continued to pace, telling them everything they needed and wanted to know.

  “We can’t track the energy signature of his Prime beast because the dark energy and his illusions will mask it, but we can track the energy of the human body that beast is in. If a laustio, a prime hunter, can get that signature, they can track him within a hundred mile radius.”

  Lara sat back down and released them when she knew that they had calmed down and were thinking clearly. She looked around the room at her friends and family. “Somewhere in that house, or inside Devon’s mind is the name he is using. If we can find out what it is, I have no doubt Grai and his network can help us track him as well. We haven’t turned from Grai, we are splitting our resources to tackle the two, very different and very dangerous threats to all of our people and the humans.”

  Drago recalled something that he knew may be important and cleared his throat to make sure that Lara’s energy wouldn’t interfere with his speaking. He hated when she did that instant calming thing, but understood why she did, Tezarian’s were known for quick tempers.

  “I think he’s in town right now,” Drago said as Lara jumped to her feet and starting firing a barrage of questions at him.

  Drago watched as Viper pulled her into his lap and gently placed his finger over her mouth. “You calm down and listen this time,” Viper said with a grin, making everyone chuckle.

  Drago grinned half-heartedly. “I was outside her window when she got a phone call. She said it was her boss. From what I could tell from the short conversation, he came into town on a surprise visit, and Devon didn’t seem to be too pleased about it.” Drago sighed, wondering if Devon’s displeasure was also a part of her multiple deceptions or part of the illusions surrounding the house.

  What Drago did know, was that he needed to shield his heart and do what must be done to protect those he loved and the innocent. Ignoring Jinba and the screaming in his mind that they were all wrong about Devon, Drago cleared his mind and told Lara everything that was said between him and Devon last night.

  He hoped there would be clues that he had missed, that would help them find Satalis and understand what part Devon played in his plans. He refused to admit, even to himself, that he was also hoping there would be something to exonerate his mate of the list of atrocities she was apparently responsible for committing.

  Instead, the schools she had mentioned that she had attended, coincided with all the reported incidents of bullying and abuse that Viper had found. Her uncle, her job… everything was correct. Even with the evidence against her, his beast, Jinba, was steadfast in his belief that his mate was not capable of such evil. But, Drago couldn’t risk the lives of his friends and family on a guess.

  Having confirmed his worst fears, that his mate was little more than an evil killer, he cleared his throat and laid out his plan.

  “I am going back tonight. What do I need to look for in order to help find the original illusion? And what information do we need of her in order to find her boss? I don’t think
she will just give up his name to me,” Drago said with a derisive snort.

  Devon’s intelligence was something he didn’t think was an illusion or a deception. Even her past reflected a highly intelligent, albeit evil woman and he didn’t want to take a chance on misjudging her.

  Dread shook his head and stood to pace the room and everyone else shifted or fidgeted, none would meet Drago’s eyes. He could feel the hesitance in their energy and knew that they were afraid for him and weren’t sure if he could handle being near his mate and not fall for her lies and the illusions.

  Drago looked to Lara for help before trying to reassure his brethren. “I am not the fool you think me to be. I am well aware of what is at stake here and every one of you know that I am more than capable of handling this task. I will not sit here and beg you to trust me as I know you already do. I will just remind you of that trust and ask you to help me accomplish this as quickly as we can,” Drago said honestly.

  When no one spoke after a few minutes, Lara finally did. “What we need is the name of her boss. We also need a tail on her, in case she slips away for that meeting with her boss. We can follow her there and get information from the address. This is basic recon guys, not combat engagement. Informational recon only,” Lara said, her military past unintentionally coming out in her words.

  Drago spoke up before someone could object. “I will see what I can find out from her tonight. She seemed to loosen up around me…,” he sighed heavily. “Well, at least what she told me was the truth, even if she didn’t expound on the details. I may be able to get more out of her than we think. How do I find the first illusion? Is there something I need to look for? Feel? A sound?” Drago asked, wanting as much information that he could get so he could get in and out as fast as possible.

  He knew once he saw Devon again, he would need to concentrate on that information in order to keep him from falling into her beautiful eyes. And for her lying soul. For the sake of his family and the people he loved, he imagined a wall of armor sealing off his heart from anyone but his family and his friends. He hoped it would be enough, but he knew the power of his burgeoning feelings for his mate would quickly chip away at it.

  Lara sent Drago a wave of warm, loving energy and smiled when he looked up at her and nodded his thanks. She turned to Trick and asked, “If I help you ride his energy, can you help him to see the original illusion?”

  Trick leaned back and turned to his siblings. It was obvious they were having a private conversation through the Shengari’ and Drago looked among the siblings to try and figure out what they were thinking. He didn’t have to wait long.

  Dree cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “If you can do it, so can I,” Dree said looking at Drago when she spoke.

  Lara nodded her head and stood. She walked over to where Drago and Dree were sitting and laid a hand on each of their shoulders. Drago could feel Dree’s tension in her energy and he reached over and squeezed her hand in support at the same time that Lara zapped them both with a bolt of energy that took their breath away.

  Drago breathed in deeply and as quick as it hit, the energy was gone and he felt fine. He turned to Dree to make sure she was also all right and was surprised that she was looking around the room oddly.

  He squeezed her hand and she turned to him and jumped back as if frightened. Drago was ready to panic when Dree began to laugh. She laughed even harder when she and Drago turned to see the odd looks on everyone’s faces. Drago was becoming concerned for her, until Dree explained her momentary bout of madness.

  “I can see through your eyes if you are open to me. I will be able to see and show you the illusions,” Dree said with an amused grin. Drago could feel her energy spiking from excitement.

  He looked at Lara in horror. He didn’t want someone in his head when he was with Devon! This was not what he had expected or wanted and he was ready to blow when Lara interrupted his impending tirade.

  “You can turn it on or off. Follow Dree’s energy signature inside. You will find that it is a private path, similar to the Shengari’, that you can switch on or ignore. I doubt that Dree wants access to your private bathing practices either,” Lara said with a wink and grin at Drago.

  Drago immediately followed the new path in his mind and sure enough, he was able to turn it on or off. He sighed in relief and looked up as Dree spoke to him through the Shengari’, through their private path.

  “I understand how difficult this will be for you. I promise that anything I may see or hear accidentally, will not be repeated to anyone. Unless of course you’re being killed or something… then I’ll think about it,” Dree said with a brilliant smile that was so infectious, Drago couldn’t help but grin back at her.

  He looked up and saw Lara’s smile and knew that she had heard what Dree had said. He was going to have to warn the Brazar siblings about Lara’s ability to snoop on the Shengari’ later, he thought.

  Drago turned back to Dree. “So I should look around the house as much as possible? Do I need to check the cabinets or anything?” He asked, unsure what it was he needed to look for or how large it would be.

  Dree shook her head sadly and replied, “It won’t be that easy. It could be anywhere in the house. Think of an illusion like a house. A lot of materials go into making a house and a good portion of those are never seen. What we’re looking for is the same. Like the first pipe or wire laid in the home, or the first block.”

  Dree stood and with a wave of her hand, she had created a very accurate, small scale version of Devon’s house in front of them. Her fingers moved around the illusion, deconstructing the home in front of them, until all that remained was the plumbing stubs in the ground.

  She walked up to the plumbing stubs and pointed. “That is what we’re looking for, the first piece of the illusion,” Dree said with a grin at Drago, who looked horrified.

  Trick saw the look on Drago’s face and had to stop himself from roaring with laughter. Although his baby sister had explained it very well, it was easy to be confused when she left out the details.

  Fighting his smile, Trick decided to cut the guy a break. “It is easier than it appears. There will be small signs that Dree will be able to see clearly through your eyes. Signs that will help lead her to the original.”

  Realizing that Drago was still a little confused and unhappy, Mir added, “The energy of a layered illusion, is very different from an original. Dree will be able to discard the layers and follow the more intense energy to the original.”

  Still a little confused, Drago asked, “If all you are doing is seeing through my eyes, how can you sense the energy?”

  He immediately became suspicious when Dree looked at her hands in her lap and Mir and Trick had a sudden interest in the curtains. He turned to Lara with narrowed eyes, knowing there was something else that he needed to know.

  Lara looked directly at him as she spoke, hoping he would understand. “She can also feel your energy and emotions.” Knowing the normally calm giant was going to explode, Lara rushed on.

  “Again, you can turn it on and off, just like the eyesight. It was necessary for Dree to be able to sense the energy around you in order to find the original illusion. If you do find it, she will be able to help you deconstruct it and get the energy signature that we need.”

  Lara felt terrible when Drago only relaxed slightly and nodded his head, as if defeated. She wasn’t surprised when Dread and Trick exploded at her through the Shengari’, angry that the sweet and gentle man’s pain and humiliation would be broadcast entirely to Dree. It would be brutal. For both of them.

  Dree stood and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention before turning to Drago and holding out her hand again. He looked at her with confusion before taking it, causing Dree to smile at his trust. She sent him waves of energy for a moment. Courage, love and strength.

  When he lifted his chin and gave her a nod of thanks, Dree turned to the others. “Back off,” she said, looking directly at her brother and t
he scarier looking Dread. She smiled when Drago gave her hand a squeeze and continued.

  “We both know that you are worried for us and we do appreciate your love and concern. But this is something that we must be required to go through, or one of you would be able to do it for us,” Dree said with a smile and wink at Drago.

  She turned back to the others. “When this is over and Lara removes the energy piggy back, I will be grateful for the deeper bond that he and I will always share. Mostly because he’s the nicest one of all you assholes and if I gotta be in anyone’s head, I’m glad it’s his.” Dree laughed as Mir and Trick created pillows out of thin air and threw them at her, while Dread used a very human gesture that he’d learned, with his middle finger.

  When everyone settled back down, Drago stood. “Dree is right, I will also be glad for the bond. I also agree you are all assholes and need to stop acting like our mother and fathers. We have a mission and we need to get it planned and executed. That is what we all need to focus on. That is what I will focus on. Get your shit together and do the same.”

  *****

  Devon looked at the time and shrieked. Drago would be there in an hour and she still hadn’t figured out what to have for dinner or what to wear. She bolted up the stairs and slid across the wood floors to the closet and flung open the doors.

  “Damn,” she muttered as she took in the room sized closet full of very expensive clothes and shoes that lined it from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. She kicked herself for sleeping so late, making her have to rush through this.

  As she walked between the rows of clothes she tried to figure out what the hell to wear. She immediately discarded the low-cut and far too tight bandage dresses. There was no way that she wanted to encourage Drago sexually, she thought as her body screamed at her that she did. Quashing those thoughts quickly, Devon grabbed a more sensible pair of lined leggings and a tunic sweater.

  It was so damn cold in the mausoleum of a house and she would be glad for the warmer clothes, she thought as she shivered. Again. She grabbed a soft, lined pair of boots and went back into the bedroom, gladly closing the closet door. Rubbing the sudden goose bumps on her arms she went to the dresser and grabbed a matching bra and panty set.