The Dragon's Charm

by Emilia Hartley

  Lying on her dining room table was the long stem of a deep purple orchid, bound by a silver ribbon to folded note.

  Flowers. Somebody had come into her house and left flowers on her table. Had her secret admirer finally crossed the line into stalker?

  Forcing herself to cross the threshold, she went to the table and picked up the flower, the note dangling by the ribbon. With a shaking hand, she opened the note and read. She let out a visible sigh of relief. It was from Nova.

  They’ve finally set a date. I will pick you up tomorrow night at six. The first trial begins at sunset.

  The first trial. The pack had decided they could move forward with the first trial?

  Amara pressed a hand to her chest. It was happening. If they got through the trials, they would be allowed to get married.

  Still glowing, she changed into shorts and a tee shirt and crawled into bed, ready to settle in with a good book. She’s been reading for maybe fifteen minutes, about to nod off, when the phone rang. Groggy, she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear. “Hello?”

  Silence.

  “Hello?” Amara said again. Was there something wrong with the line? No, she could tell someone was there. “Hello? Look, I know you’re there. I can hear you breathing.” Still, no one answered. Disgusted, Amara hung up the phone, slamming the receiver down in the cradle.

  It was probably just a wrong number. Maybe a kid pulling a prank. Probably something completely harmless. And yet, she slept with her lamp on for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 3

  Nova pulled up to Amara’s quaint little house a little before six o’clock. He’d expected to wait for a while since he was early, so he was surprised to find her waiting for him on the front porch.

  She wore a long-sleeved, black dress that swept all the way to the floor. One thin line of brass buttons ran the length of the dress down the center, and her thick, dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Though he was sure she had heard him pull up, it was clear that she was too lost in thought to notice. If she had been a wolf, he would have said she was gazing up at the moon. Who knows? Maybe she was anyway, even though that particular celestial body was obscured by clouds.

  Getting out of his truck, he slowly and quietly padded his way up the porch steps to where she was leaning against the railing staring out at the sky. Nova wrapped his arms around Amara’s waist and pulled her close, inhaling the sharp scent of her soap and the light floral scent of her skin. Even without his heightened senses, her very essence would have been intoxicating.

  “Hey, there, beautiful,” he said by way of greeting, pressing a kiss to her temple. Smiling, she tilted her head back and leaned against his chest. Her answering murmur came out more like a purr. Tipping her chin up with the tip of his finger, he covered her mouth with his. It was just a soft brush of lips at first, just a simple hello. But when he deepened the kiss, letting his tongue explore her mouth, the touch became passionate and hungry. Soon, his broad hands were gripping her waist, pulling her tight against him. He could feel himself get hard just from being so close to her.

  Never, in his entire life, had one woman had such an effect on him. And he was never letting this one get away.

  “Are you sure we have to leave now?” Amara wanted to know. Her breath was a soft caress against his cheek. Her teeth lightly grazed his ear lobe, sending shivers down her spine. Reaching up and back, she wrapped an arm around his neck, effectively locking them together in their embrace.

  More than anything, Nova wished he could whisk her inside and take her right there against the door. Or on the table. Or maybe even just there where they stood on the porch. But if they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, they needed to climb over the obstacles the Pack had placed before them, the first of which began in less than an hour.

  “I’m sorry, love,” he told her, nuzzling her neck. “We’re on a schedule tonight. But I’ll make it up to you later.” Nova gently nipped her shoulder. “I promise.”

  It was like all the heat just went out of her. With a heavy sigh, Amara went slack against him, her eyes once more clouded with tension and worry.

  “What is it?” he asked. Amara shook her head, but he could tell something was wrong. “Amara. Tell me. Please.”

  “Are you sure Kal’s locked up?” she asked. Her voice was small and tight, which was unusual. All of her normal confidence was gone. “There’s no way he can get out?”

  “None. He’s under lock and key. There are guards posted inside and out of that building during all hours of the day. Kal Vann is not getting out of there alive. You have my word.”

  “You’re going to kill him?”

  A single line creased Nova’s forehead between his brows. Were they going to kill him? Probably not. Nemoy was hoping to use Vann as a bargaining chip to gain peace between the two clans. It was slow going, to be sure. Apparently, Callahan Vann wasn’t as interested in his son’s safety as his son would have had them believe. It was a shame, too. Both Clans could use some peace. The humans were getting antsy. Amara had told him last week they were trying to get the hunting parties set up again. She was holding them back as long as she could, but it was still happening. And it was all Kal’s fault. So yes, Nova would like nothing more than to rip out his nemesis’s throat, but what he said was, “He will need to face the Tribunal. It’s a panel of Alpha’s from four different Clans throughout the region. They will try him and sentence him how they see fit.”

  For a moment, she was quiet, staring up at the sky with a hardened expression. She ran her fingers over the lump of scars at her collar bone. “I hope they give him the fate he deserves. I hope they sentence him to death.”

  Her proclamation of damnation chilled Nova to the bone. Had she always had this much hatred towards Kal? Or had it built up over the years, culminating into what it had now become after Kal had held Sadie hostage and threatened to rip out her throat right in front of them just a month ago?

  Nova squeezed her tightly. “I’m sure justice will be served.” Running his hands down her arms, he linked his fingers with hers. “Come on, gorgeous. They’re waiting for us.”

  The drive to the compound where Nova lived only took about twenty minutes. Amara was silent and distant the entire time which was incredibly unnerving to him. She was never this preoccupied around him. In fact, usually he couldn’t get her to shut up. Was Kal’s fate the only thing worrying her, or was there something else? “Amara?” Taking her hand, he pressed her fingers to his lips, kissing them lightly. “What’s bothering you? And don’t just shake your head at me. I know you. I know when something’s up. So, what is it? Did something happen at the station?”

  He watched her face for any sign of change, and what he saw incited such a fierce surge of protection toward her that he almost scared himself. Fear clouded Amara’s features and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was more than just Kal Vann that was bothering her.

  “He called me last night,” she said. Her voice trembled, and it was barely louder than a whisper. “He called my house.”

  Nova frowned. “Who called?”

  “Whoever has been leaving me flowers. He called me in the middle of the night, but he didn’t say anything.” Her fingers shook in his. “I could hear him breathing on the other end of the line.” She turned to look with him, her eyes wide. “Nova, he knows my home number. I’m unlisted. How much does this guy know about me?”

  A fury almost worse than he had ever felt washed over him as he looked at her. He rubbed her fingers with his, trying to console her, but inside, his emotions were boiling. This man, whoever he was, was terrorizing her. He was using those scare tactics to break her confidence and damn it, it was working. “I’ll increase the patrol around your house,” he told her. “I’ll make sure there is someone stationed outside, keeping watch around the clock. You will never be alone.”

  “Nova,” she let her hand caress his arm. “I don’t want that, either. I don’t want a babysitter. I ju
st want to live my life. I don’t want any of these wolf battles. I don’t want the politics. I just want a simple, normal life. You finally have Kal in custody. After ten years of looking over my shoulder, wondering if that wretched wolf was going to come back and finish the job he started that night, I finally have some peace. I can finally sleep at night without wondering if he’s going to be waiting for me when I go outside. I can walk home without feeling as if I’m being followed. At least, I should have been able to.

  “Now there’s this guy that’s actually stalking me. And what scares me even more is that I don’t think he’s a wolf. This isn’t a dispute over territory. It isn’t a vendetta. Whoever this is, he’s human. I can feel it. And I’m starting to wonder if he’s dangerous.”

  Helpless, Nova scrubbed a hand over his face. “What do you want me to do, Amara? How can I help you if you won’t let me?” He had never felt so incapable in his life. How did you stop a human stalker from making your home feel unsafe? There was no way in hell she would let him move her to the compound full time again. It was one thing to become integrated with the Pack on a regular basis, but it was another to be separated from humans entirely. She’d had a hard enough time the first time he had isolated her for her own safety. He wasn’t about to do it again, even if every fiber of his being was screaming for him to do so. “What do you want me to do?” he asked again.

  Turning to him, she shook her head, one lone tear sliding down her cheek. “That’s the problem, Nova. I don’t know.”

  Chapter 4

  There was a crowd waiting for them when they pulled into the compound. At least eight people stood outside the Council building. It was a long, wooden structure with huge wooden poles at either corner made with woven grass walls. It was where they held meetings and conducted important ceremonies, Amara knew. And yet, for all the time she had spent with the Pack at the compound, she had only ever been inside once.

  Nova clasped Amara’s hand as they started forward, their feet crunching over the gravel in their wake. “Are you nervous?” he asked her, a bit of a tease in his voice.

  Instinctively, Amara balked. “No,” she answered automatically. But she knew that wasn’t true. Forcing herself to calm down and be less defensive, she took a deep breath. The long, slow inhale and exhale did her good. Maybe she should take up meditation as her next hobby. “Okay, maybe a little,” she admitted. Nova’s lips twitched at the corners. Her eyes widened. “Are you laughing at me, Lowery?” she wanted to know.

  Instantly, the little grin disappeared, but amusement still danced in his eyes. “Of course not.”

  “You are. Here I am, about to enter some unknown trial to do God only knows what, so a bunch of virtual strangers can tell me if I’m fit to marry, and the man I’m supposed to be marrying is sitting here laughing at me!” And yet she couldn’t help but find the hilarity in it herself.

  “No, I’m not,” he assured her with a chuckle. Amara rolled her eyes. “And I do appreciate you doing this. I know you’re going into it blind.”

  And wasn’t that terrifying? “Are you sure you can’t tell me what’s about to happen?”

  “I wish I could, love. Trust me. But I don’t know any more about these trials than you do.” He shrugged. “Nobody does. It’s a Council secret. Even though I’m technically on the Council, only the Head Shaman knows what goes on during the trials. Even the Alpha isn’t privy to that information.”

  Amara frowned. “I thought you said the Trials were public?”

  “To the Council, they are. But even they heed the advice of our Shaman. He is the supreme spiritual leader in the community, you know. They say he even has a direct link to our ancestors.”

  She suppressed a shudder. Men turning into wolves she could handle, but for some reason, all the magic and spiritual stuff sort of freaked her out. Maybe it was because she had never really been big on faith and religion. Or maybe it was because she was finding out that all her grandfather’s old stories were real.

  As they got closer, Nemoy stepped forward. The robe he was wearing was a deep, cobalt blue embroidered with an intricate forest design of red, gold, silver, and green. The others surrounding him were in similar robes of various jewel tones. Nemoy’s face, all sharp lines and angles, looked strange in the torch light. It was almost like it was softer somehow. Happier. Maybe it was because he was smiling. “Welcome Amara, Nova.” He nodded to each of them in turn. “Welcome to the First Trial in your nuptial ceremony. There are three trials in all. If you can pass each of these trials, you will be allowed to wed, and your union will become permanent and untouchable under Pack Law. Mountain Clan wolves mate for life. There is no divorce. Death is the only severance, and as a pack, we fight like hell to keep that from happening. If you fail, however, then you are honor bound to dissolve your union and go your separate ways. The penalty for failure to comply in this situation is exile.

  “Amara, we know you are human, however, you are choosing to wed a Mountain Clan wolf and join our pack, so we are unable to change the trials to be more suitable for a human life. They will be challenging, and you will find yourself in situations where being human may be your downfall. Unfortunately, without the completion of these trials, the Council is unable to honor your marriage. Do you consent to participate in these trials and follow the laws of the Pack?”

  Amara pursed her lips. She knew she had to answer, but it all felt so formal. Was this part of the trials? Had they already begun? Or was it just part of the ceremony? She glanced over her shoulder at Nova. He smiled his encouragement. Okay then. Amara nodded to Nemoy. “Yes, I consent.”

  Nemoy gave her a curt nod, but she was almost sure he’d smiled. He turned to his brother. “Nova, you are the Beta of the Mountain Clan Wolf Pack. You hold the second highest position in regards to prestige, and your strength is matched by no wolf in our pack, save your Alpha. And yet, you choose to wed a human.”

  Amara raised a brow. She knew everything Nemoy was saying was the truth, but it still stung a little to hear it out loud. She tried her best not to take offense. Guess I should try harder, she thought wryly.

  “Throughout these trials,” Nemoy continued, “you and your beloved will be placed in situations where her fragile state of being could hinder your success. Her human traits mean she is not as strong, not as fast, and she is not Pack. You may be asked to choose whether your allegiance is to your love,” he held out a hand to indicate Amara, “or to your Pack.” The Council members behind him bowed their heads obediently. Nemoy looked his brother straight in the eye, and Amara held her breath. “Do you consent to participate in these trials?”

  Nova never wavered. He stood straight up, his shoulders back, and he stared his Alpha down before meeting the gaze of each Council member in turn, including his own mother. Each look was like a challenge in and of itself. “Yes,” Nova declared, his voice clear as day. “I consent.”

  “Very well, then.” Nemoy clapped his hands together. “The ceremony will begin tonight. You may enter the Trial Chamber.”

  Behind him, one of the Council members opened the heavy flap and they all filed inside. Amara stared at her surroundings in wonder. The last time she had entered the Council Chambers, there had been a large throne at the far end surrounded by a compilation of benches, all of which were situated around a stone fire pit in the center of the room. It had all been open and airy, not at all claustrophobic. The smoke from the fire had gone straight up and out through a hole in the ceiling which was open to the night sky. The only decorations at all were the few tapestries which depicted the history of the Pack that had adorned the walls.

  Now, everything was different. No longer could she see the entirety of the room. In fact, if she hadn’t just come from outside and seen what building they were going in to, she never would have believed it was the same place. If the throne and benches were still there, Amara could no longer see them. The tapestries had been moved, their ends fixed around the opening in the ceiling to form a sort of dome around the fi
replace. Flames bloomed from the embers in the center of the pit, and the smoke was so thick and pungent from herbs that it was almost suffocating. Heavy, embroidered pillows lined the bottom tapestries in a semi-circle, while on the other side they had placed what looked like two beds on the ground, each one lined with elaborate cushions and blankets. Next to the fire, opposite the beds, was a rectangular tray made completely out of stone. On it were five little stone bowls filled with herbs, as well as three larger bowls of varying sizes—one of which was filled with some kind of water—and a mortar and pestle.

  Amara glanced nervously at Nova. What was this, some kind of séance? Had she really just agreed to participate in some kind of spirit quest?

  “Please, sit,” Nemoy instructed, indicating the beds. “Make yourselves comfortable.” The rest of the Council members took their seats among the cushions. Amara had expected Nemoy to sit before the tray as Alpha of the Pack, but instead, he stood off to the right and helped an old man in deep green robes take his place in front of the fire. Nemoy sat down beside him.

  “Our Great Shaman, Ianto, will mix the sacred brew.” As if on cue, the old man began to toss the herbs into the mortar and grind them into dust. Then he put them in the bowl of liquid, swirled it a few times, and held the bowl over the fire. Amara was amazed he didn’t burn his hands, they were so close to the flames.

  “The Trials will take place in the Spirit Realm,” Nemoy continued. “Each test is set up to test the strength of your loyalty to each other, as well as the strength of your loyalty to the Pack. When the test is completed, you will wake up.”

  Wake up? When were they falling asleep? Was that potion or whatever some kind of drug?

  After a few moments, the shaman handed the bowl to Neveah—Nova and Nemoy’s mother—and she carefully made her way around the stone pit to where Nova and Amara sat. She walked with her deep purple robes gathered in her hand to avoid the soot of the fire. Neveah knelt down in front of Amara and held out the bowl. The look she gave her was almost warm.