“Nerrenth?”
“The fairy,” Lee says. “He was enjoying the chaos of a bar fight. Only the worst fairies enjoy coming into the Blur for entertainment. They gave up some of their land for it to be a prison for creatures of both worlds, so they can come and go here as they please.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, Nerrenth got the whole story out of me and said he had an idea that he’d always wanted to run by a dragon. And he told me if I went along with it, he could bring my dragon back. He said he wouldn’t hurt our world too badly and I could go back to helping people, which would even things out. Honestly, I just wanted my dragon back.”
“I can understand that. But is it worth people getting hurt?”
Lee shrugs. “There are still a lot of dragons in our world. I don’t think Nerrenth will be able to do much there.”
“But you’d risk it?”
Lee gives me a shrug. “I lost my heart when I lost my dragon. What do you want from me?”
I slam my fork down on the table. “Something more than this. You could be better than this.”
He stands, looking even angrier now as he plants his hands on the table and leans over it, a dark lock of hair tinged with blue falling over his forehead. “You don’t understand what it’s like to try so hard to bring everyone together and be the only one to lose everything when it goes wrong.”
“I know it’s not fair, but—”
“Fair?” Lee asks. “I gave up on fair a long time ago. I just want my dragon back and my destiny. And if a few bad dragons have to go down, so be it.” He looks to the side. “Me and the other dragons out there can protect the world just fine without them.”
“So it’s a double-cross?” I ask.
Lee shakes his head. “No. I just don’t believe any fairy other than Nerrenth would be stupid enough to try to force open a breach between worlds. And I do believe the oracle can stop him.”
I sit there wondering if that’s actually true or if Lee just wants to believe that because it makes him feel less guilty.
“I don’t need to justify myself to you,” he says, sitting back in his chair with a huff. “I like you, Anna. It’s been fun watching your adventures. I might even be willing to mate you if you want to still be with a dragon. But the other dragons are going down. They’ve had it coming for a long time. They’ve had it so easy.”
“They haven’t,” I say, my voice tight with emotion as I think of my friends. “They might not have lost their dragons, but they have not had it easy.”
“Why?” Lee asks. “Because they’re so morally bankrupt that even the ones who had a chance in the other world ruined it?”
I shake my head, trying to keep tears from blurring my vision. “No. They didn’t have a chance in the other world. They all lost it after that day. Maybe even before that day, to be honest.”
“Why?” Lee asks, frowning suspiciously.
I take a deep breath, not wanting to betray any dragon’s trust but not having any choice if I want to get through to Lee right now. “Seth was molested by the head elder and kept in isolation all the time before that. Griffin was beaten constantly until he got his powers. Rainier was kept isolated by some narcissistic scientist that taught him that only smart people matter. Byron was raised by a jerk who kept him emotionally isolated while telling him he was special all the time. Van was constantly tortured by those around him to bring out his visions. So yeah, Lee, while you might have it the worst right now, they haven’t had it just peachy. And at least they have tried to atone.”
“Not with me,” he says firmly. “Not enough.”
I slump back in my chair. “Last question. Why me?”
He smiles at that slightly. “You started stalking me while I was at the library trying to convince Rainier to help me. I didn’t tell him about the fae, but I did tell him that as the only two dragons from our group not banished to the Blur, we might be able to make a pairing. I told him it had to be a dragon heart and we wouldn’t know unless we sent her to the Blur. To see if she was brave enough and if the other dragons would be drawn to her.”
My jaw drops. “Damn.”
“Anyway, I heard your thoughts when you were watching me and thought, She might be willing. Then I did a little digging and found out about your sister. Once I knew I had leverage, I just had to convince Rainier to go along. The guy might not be great at sniffing out liars, but he’s pretty logical about the fact that he owes me for helping start the fight the day of the pairing ceremony.”
I sigh. “So there’s no way they could ever convince you they are sorry?”
“There’s no way they could give me back my dragon,” Lee says flatly. “So while I’m sorry you had to get involved, I can assure you they deserve what they are going to get. Every last one of them.”
He stands to leave the table, and I grab him by the sleeve.
As he turns to me with hard eyes, I don’t even know how I could beg him to rethink things.
There truly seems to be no mercy left.
“You think they deserve mercy?” he hisses. “Sometimes I think being a dragon heart just means being a total idiot with no sense of self-preservation. I mean, think about it. They step in front of cars, jump in rivers, confront kidnappers and shooters… They’re stupid. Just like I was when I stepped in front of Seth’s blast and got ended.”
“You weren’t ended,” I say, knowing I’m grasping at air trying to convince him. “You’re still alive.”
He pierces me with a glare as cold as a thousand glaciers, as blue as the deepest sea. “I haven’t been alive since I lost my dragon.”
Then he grabs my hand and drags me out into the hall, probably to take me back to my room.
At least I’ll be able to see Seth soon.
Chapter 18
Griffin
Griffin watched as the other dragons slowly came to grips with what had happened.
Byron was the only one who’d gotten to even read part of the contract, and he hadn’t gotten to see much before it was snatched out of his hand.
Seth had read the contract, but he’d been taken.
Rainier was still pouring over piles of books he’d retrieved from his wrecked tower for anything that might help them against the fae.
Van and Byron had just gotten back from reaching out to fae contacts, and they looked worn out as well.
Despite dragons having superior healing powers, all of them were still bruised and wounded from the fight.
They’d done everything they could to protect Anna, and still they had failed. Worse, they were the strongest dragons of their kind, and they couldn’t stop him. So who else could?
The shame was everywhere, choking them like poisoned air.
“You found anything yet?” Byron asked Rainier, hanging his bloody jacket on a hook by the closet. Van set his coat there as well, then slumped on the couch, a hand over his face.
“No,” Rainier said. “I mean, I have figured out some reasons why they might have taken her and why they want us to come there, but I haven’t figured out a way to win.”
“There has to be something,” Griffin said, rubbing his hands over his face, oblivious to the pain there. “We need to find her.”
“She’s safe with Seth,” Rainier said sharply. “And with Lee, though I never would have thought him capable of this. It’s my fault. I was there when she signed the contract. I thought it was just about going to the Blur.”
“So you sent her here?” Byron asked.
Rainier nodded. “She wanted to go. Lee wanted to mate her. I wanted to see if she was a dragon heart. I admit if my heart was in the place it is now, I never would have let her go somewhere so dangerous. But then, she was just a human. I figured if she wanted to do something, I shouldn’t stop it.”
“You enabled it,” Byron retorted.
“You fell in love with her,” Rainier snapped. “Maybe it was the right thing for her to come here.”
“She’s going to be hurt,” Van said, s
itting forward and cradling his head in his hands. “And we can’t do anything about it.”
“Did you see a vision?” Griffin asked.
“No,” Van said. “I just… What can we do?” His face was gaunt, framed by his dark hair, which was matted.
None of them had really cleaned up since the fight. What was the point when Anna was still captured?
“No,” Byron said, standing. “We have to heal. We have to get ready. We have to trust Seth to protect her while we find any other way that can help us win.”
“I trust Seth,” Van said wearily. “I don’t trust those fae. Or Lee.”
“I know,” Byron said. “But we don’t have a choice. If we go now, we lose even harder than we did. Maybe we die.”
“We need to figure out how to fight them,” Van said. “Maybe I’ll get a vision tonight and we can learn more.”
“Maybe I can get the fae to trade me info for something,” Rainier said, looking thoughtful. “I have a huge collection, and the fae like oddities.”
Griffin slapped his hand on his knee. “I can go do one of the fighting competitions tonight, see if Azrael has any prizes that could help us. Fae magic.”
“No,” Byron said, eyeing Griffin with concern. “You need to stay here and fight.”
Griffin felt anger surge in him at the other dragon’s lack of faith in him, but Byron put up a steadying hand.
“I simply meant that since you’re one of our strongest fighters, we need you to save your strength for Anna.”
Griffin looked at Byron in confusion, but Byron just gave him an apologetic smile. And in his eyes, Griffin could see the regret he also felt.
For never being able to get along.
“I get it,” he said respectfully. “Thanks, Byron.”
Byron shrugged, red tinging his cheekbones as he turned away. “Don’t mention it.”
“Then I’ll make sure and rest,” Griffin says. “And I’ll still go to Arcwood Market and see if I can find anything.”
Byron nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
Van and Rainier looked over as if surprised to see the two most unlikely dragons working together.
“That’s new,” Van said.
“Anna’s more important,” Byron said.
Griffin nodded. “I agree with him.”
“Finally working together,” Rainier said drily. “The oracle would be proud. Until we all meet up with Anna again and start fighting each other.”
Griffin frowned at that, looking at the other dragons around the room. Something about fighting together had bonded them. And something else had bonded them.
Loving Anna.
“I don’t want to fight over it anymore,” Griffin said. “Whoever she chooses, I’m fine with it.”
“I almost wish she could choose all of us,” Rainier said quietly. “It’s hard on her, not knowing who to hurt.”
Byron snorted. “I hope she doesn’t make a decision based on that. She needs to choose who she has feelings for.”
“She has feelings for all of us,” Van said, sitting up slightly and pushing his dark hair off his face. “I’ve seen it.”
Silence fell over the room as all of them considered it.
“Could she mate us?” Griffin asked. “All of us? If we were okay with it.”
Van frowned, considering it for a moment. “Maybe. I’m not sure. It’s never happened like that.”
Byron pursed his lips. “I never saw myself sharing a mate with that many dragons.”
“Did you ever see yourself having a mate at all?” Griffin asked. “Because I didn’t. Not in the human world and not here in the Blur. Not until I met Anna.”
“Shit,” Byron said. “The answer has been right in front of us. We can leave it up to Anna, but—”
Rainier perked up. “We could give her the option at least. Of choosing all of us.”
“But how would that work?” Griffin asked.
“I suppose like it would with only two dragons,” Rainier said. “More eyes on her when we’re on a mission. More protection. More dragons to watch our back.”
“That could be the most powerful team ever,” Griffin said, eyes glazing over slightly. “If the oracle…”
“I mean, she hated us for not working together. You’d think she’d like it if we finally teamed up,” Byron said.
Yes, all of them seemed to finally be in agreement. They were battered and bruised, but each of them seemed to feel a little more hopeful.
Griffin did. Which surprised him because he’d thought he would be too jealous to share Anna with one dragon. But the more he got to know the other brave dragons in his group, the more he realized none of them should be left behind without someone to love them.
Anna loved them all. She’d been loving them all since she met them.
It was time for the dragons to show her love back.
And hopefully, their new resolve to stick together, to let Anna love all of them, would help them when they went to battle.
Right now, they needed all the help they could get.
Chapter 19
I stumble into the room as I feel the doors close behind me, Lee already striding away down the hall.
Seth is on the bed, and he sits up as I come in. He’s in a gray robe now, and there’s an empty plate on the nearby dresser so I guess he at least got dinner.
“What did you think of the food? Good, right?” He smiles, looking like he’s trying to stay positive, as always. But there’s something else in his eyes as I look at him. Something like heat.
“It was good,” I say hesitantly. As I walk forward, it feels like everything is falling down on me. Lee’s words about his pain, the vengeance he wants.
The fact that nothing will stop him from hurting the dragons I love.
I almost wish I hadn’t come here if it meant I was going to hurt them.
“Come here,” Seth says, putting out his hand. I run forward to take it and let him pull me onto the bed. Then he wraps his arms around me, holding me close. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
I push away and look up at him. “How can you promise that? You saw what that fairy did to the dragons.”
“I know,” Seth says. “But they’ll have learned. They’ll be better next time.”
“If they come,” I say hopelessly. “They would have every right to stay away, given that they saw this is all my fault with the contract.”
“I don’t think they think that,” Seth says. “And even if you made a mistake, they’ve all made mistakes too. It won’t stop them from loving you.”
I look up into his eyes and realize what’s different. They’re not glowing, but they’re verdant, green, alive. Warm.
“Just like it doesn’t stop me from loving you.”
It’s the first time he’s told me he has feelings for me. He’s teased, yes, but he’s never been bold like this.
“Because I didn’t have the strength,” he says. “I didn’t have the right to fight for you when I could barely hold myself together. I’m still not good enough for you. But I want you, Anna. I love you. And if I’m going to die, I might as well tell you how I feel anyway while I’m strong enough to do so.”
I squeeze his hand back and put it up to my cheek with a sigh. “I love you too, Seth. I really do.” I pause for a second. Then my eyes widen. “Wait, what do you mean if you’re going to die? You look better than I’ve ever seen you. Healthy and strong.”
Seth nods, and even his blond hair looks healthier, his skin smoother. His pretty-boy features are almost blinding now. “I am stronger. I do feel better than ever. But when the dragons come, they are going to need my powers to defeat Nerrenth. This time, I’m ready to do what is needed. Even if it ends in my death.”
“You won’t die,” I say, brushing his hair back. I catch a lock in my fingers and touch the black ends where his hair looks singed. “You’re going to be fine. The other dragons won’t let you get hurt.”
“They will if I tell them to,” Se
th says. “And I will. Because I love you, Anna. I love the world too, and I even love those stupid dragons. I want everyone to be safe, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it that way.”
I shake my head, fighting back tears. I let go of his hair and sit back on my bed, lost. “Seth, don’t talk like that. Like it’s over.”
“It’s not over,” Seth says, crawling forward to cup my chin as he kneels beside me, making me look up at him. “But I’m a realist, Anna. I know the fae’s strength, and more than anything, I don’t want them to win. If my poison can finally be good for something—”
“You’re good for something,” I say fiercely as a tear trails down my cheek before I can stop it. “Even without your poison. You’re a good friend, a good—”
“I want to be more than a friend,” he says, stroking his thumb over my lower lip as he continues to hold my chin. “I want to be with you. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been before, and right now, all I can think about is the fact that I can hold you in my arms. Finally.” He swallows nervously. “That is if there’s room in your heart for one more dragon.”
I leap forward, throwing my arms around him, keeping him close. “There’s room because you’re already in there, you silly dragon.” I nuzzle into his shoulder, not wanting to let him go.
“Thank you,” he says, resting his head against me.
The longer I sit there reveling in his feelings, in the fact that he feels good, the more I can’t help becoming aware of his heat. The feel of his muscles beneath my hands. The way even his breathing is low. Male. Sexy.
“Sorry,” I say, sitting back and flushing. “I just… well, you know. I’ve always found you attractive. And I’m a physical person, so when I have feelings, I—”
He lunges forward, catching my hands and pushing me onto my back, trapping me beneath him.
His hair falls around his angelic face, and his green eyes are sparkling. His hands are entwined with mine above my head, but his hold is gentle as he brings his lips down to hover over mine.
Soul of the Dragons: Bad Dragons Page 12