by Donna Grant
“I didn’t want to,” Rhi admitted. “If it hadn’t been for Con, I wouldn’t have.”
Jeyra worried her lip. “What does any of this have to do with me?”
Vaughn met Varek’s dark eyes. “Brandr and his generals are looking for whoever did this. Once Con saw Eurwen here, he went after Brandr as backup. We need to know if your people are also getting attacked.”
“Or if they’re doing it,” Jeyra surmised with a nod. “I’d want to know the same. All right. I’ll do it.”
Varek said, “We’ll do it.”
“Is that wise, Varek? After what happened last time?” Rhi asked.
Jeyra looked at Varek and smiled. “Thankfully, we have an ally in Orgate. Sateen will be able to give us the answers we seek.”
“And I dare any of them to do anything to us,” Varek replied.
Vaughn desperately wanted to go with them, but he didn’t want to leave Eurwen. However, someone who had been at the attacks needed to be there.
“Go,” Rhi told him. “I’ll stay with my daughter.”
Vaughn reluctantly released Eurwen’s hand and got to his feet. “Let’s go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back.”
He took one more look at Eurwen and followed Varek and Jeyra out of the cottage.
“Where are V and Claire?” Varek asked.
Vaughn pointed to Eurwen’s cottage some distance away as they started down the mountain. “It seems Usaeil used her magic to no’ only guarantee that Claire would become pregnant but also make sure the child would never be born. The Dark magic held the baby in Claire’s womb. Somehow Brandr figured it out.”
“Brandr’s mix of Fae and dragon magic seems to have saved the day,” Varek said.
“What of the baby?” Jeyra asked.
Vaughn grinned when he thought of the tiny bundle. “She is doing great. Claire and V are beside themselves with joy.”
“I can no’ believe another dragon–human bairn has been born,” Varek said, awe in his voice.
Jeyra frowned. “Wouldn’t it have been wise to send Claire and the infant back to Earth with all of this going on?”
Before Vaughn could answer, Varek shook his head and said, “There have been instances where evil has attached itself to a bairn to pass undetected. Everyone is just covering all the bases.”
“We need to get to Orgate quickly,” Vaughn said, returning the conversation to the matter at hand.
Jeyra shot him a questioning look. “I’m not sure arriving in your true form is the best idea.”
“We’ll stop at the border,” Varek told her.
Vaughn didn’t wait on them. He shifted and jumped into the air, flying swift and true to the river.
Chapter Thirty-One
Eurwen knew she was in trouble. It felt as if she were bound, but she couldn’t figure out with what. No matter how hard she tried to use her limbs, they wouldn’t work. She strained, listening for anyone.
Hoping Vaughn was near.
Nothing but silence and darkness surrounded her. Yet, she knew she wasn’t alone. Something was with her. She recalled the words she’d heard before she fell unconscious. Eurwen didn’t know who the entity was. The voice was difficult to pinpoint as either male or female, but it was pure evil. Of that, she had no doubt.
She didn’t know how or why the being was on Zora, but she hoped the others would figure it out soon. She wanted to go back with them, to argue with Brandr, to see Vaughn’s Persian blue eyes, watching her with desire and longing. To hear Rhi’s laughter and talk more with Con.
First, she had to get away from her capture. At least, her body no longer hurt. Her wound must have healed itself. That would make fighting against whoever held her easier. Because she would fight. She would get free.
And back to Vaughn.
The moment the human-dragon border came into view, Vaughn began his descent. He landed, shifting to his human form. Once Varek alit, and Jeyra slid off his back, the two joined him.
“This way,” Jeyra said and began jogging.
Vaughn followed the couple across the stream. The instant they were on the other side, Jeyra started to run. Vaughn and Varek kept pace with her. They could’ve gone faster, but they wouldn’t leave her behind.
Finally, Vaughn spotted the forest giving way to open space. Soon, he heard the sounds of a decent-sized city. Then he spotted the tall barrier and the gate that surrounded the town. Neither Jeyra nor Varek paused when they walked from the trees, simply headed straight for the entrance. Few took notice of them until they drew closer to the opened gates.
Vaughn saw the guards in the tower eyeing them with foreboding. “We’ve got eyes.”
“They’ll notify the council that we’ve arrived,” Jeyra said.
Varek met Vaughn’s gaze over Jeyra’s head. “At least magic can be used in the city now.”
Vaughn let his gaze wander around the numerous people walking in and out of the gates. They all wore the same type of clothing as Jeyra. Slim-fitting pants tucked into high boots, sleeveless tops, and armbands on each biceps in an array of yellow to brown tones. He and Varek couldn’t have stood out more had they tried.
Conversations halted as they passed while more and more gazes fell upon them. Vaughn noted that not everyone carried weapons, but those who did certainly appeared to know how to use them. Jeyra nodded to a trio of female warriors, but they turned their backs to her. Vaughn couldn’t imagine that was easy to bear, but Jeyra kept her chin up and her shoulders squared.
He saw that none of the buildings were higher than three stories. While the architecture wasn’t as advanced as the humans’ of Earth, there was still skill in the designs and craftsmanship that Vaughn couldn’t deny.
The streets began clearing as word of their arrival spread. No longer did they have to weave through the crowds. Instead, the three of them walked shoulder to shoulder down the road as everyone looked on. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling. All Vaughn could think about was Varek and how they’d held him in the city’s prison for weeks.
And the dragons they’d tortured.
Rage started to build, compounded by the morning’s attack and Eurwen, who had yet to wake. It was all Vaughn could do to keep control of it before it erupted, and he took it out on the mortals. It was easy to blame them. After all, they had been responsible for so much on Earth. They could do the same on Zora.
Yet, if his years had taught him anything, it was to get the facts first. And that’s exactly what he planned to do in Orgate.
A petite woman bent with age, her white hair pulled into an intricate bun, walked out onto the road with the help of a cane. She faced them, a smile on her wrinkled face. “I wondered when I would see you two again.”
“Sateen,” Jeyra said with a bright smile as she hurried to the frail woman.
They embraced before Jeyra stepped aside, and Sateen raised a thin, white brow at Varek, her faded gray eyes watching him. “Are you just going to stand there?”
“I wouldna dream of it,” Varek answered with a laugh as he approached and bent to hug the councilwoman. He straightened and stepped to the side, “Sateen, this is my friend, Vaughn.”
Sateen’s intense eyes slid to him as she looked him up and down. “Another Dragon King. Why do I get the feeling your arrival isn’t a social call?”
Vaughn bowed his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Jeyra and Varek spoke highly of you.”
The elder councilwoman quirked her brow, waiting for him to answer her question.
Vaughn met her gaze, liking her instantly. “Can we go somewhere private?”
“Welcome to Orgate,” she said. “The only truly private place is my home. Follow me.”
Jeyra walked beside the councilwoman as Vaughn and Varek trailed slightly behind them.
“The people here doona know what to think of our arrival,” Varek said.
Vaughn glanced at those lining the road. “They look to be frightened of what we might do.”
�
�We are Dragon Kings. They’ve been told to fear dragons, and especially Kings.”
“How, exactly?” Vaughn asked. “There are no Kings here. No’ like us. I suppose you could call Brandr a King and Eurwen a Queen, but they’ve kept their distance from the city and mortals in general.”
Varek sighed. “I’ve asked Jeyra that many times. All she can remember is being told from an early age to fear us.”
Vaughn met Varek’s gaze and nodded. They continued on in silence. He was surprised at how quickly Sateen moved for a woman who appeared as if a gentle breeze might knock her over.
“I should warn you,” Varek said. “Sateen is as sharp as a whip.”
“I gathered that.”
Vaughn spotted the entrance to an elite neighborhood in the city and wasn’t surprised when they turned down the road. They passed magnificent houses until the road dead-ended in front of an enormous mansion. Sateen didn’t even hesitate as she approached the gates. Two men suddenly appeared and opened them for her, waiting to close them after he and Varek had walked through.
Vaughn spotted more warriors stationed in various places outside of the house. Many glared at both Jeyra and Varek. Varek winked at one of the men who bared his teeth as they passed.
“Forgive, Ugar,” Sateen said without looking back at them. “His pride is still bruised from the last time you and Jeyra came to my house.”
Once inside the stunning manor, Sateen turned to the left and took them into a sitting room. She sat in a chair that fit her petite frame. Jeyra and Varek sat together on a settee, and Vaughn opted to remain standing.
“Do you fear an attack?” Sateen asked him as servants walked in with a tray of food and what appeared to be tea.
Vaughn waited until the servants had left before he bowed his head to Sateen. “I mean no disrespect. It has been a…trying…morning.”
“There was an incident,” Jeyra explained.
Sateen set her cane before her and put both hands on it. “I think you’d better explain.”
Vaughn spent the next few minutes going into detail of what had transpired that morning and the day before.
The councilwoman’s face paled by the time he finished. Her brow furrowed as she swallowed. “That is horrible, but I fail to see why you came to Orgate. Unless you think someone here had something to do with it.”
“We’re covering all angles,” Varek said.
Jeyra glanced at her mate before she asked Sateen, “Has anyone had any such wounds in the city?”
Sateen shook her head. “Not that I’ve heard about.”
“What about other cities?” Jeyra pressed.
Sateen shrugged and shook her head again. “Word of something like that would’ve spread quickly.”
“Is there someone in Orgate you think could be behind the attacks?” Vaughn asked.
The councilwoman pressed her lips together. “I wish I could say no, but the truth is that since Arn’s death and the release of the dragons he tortured, the city has been divided. Some are glad to know the truth. Others… Well, let’s just say they would’ve preferred to go on believing the lies.”
“In other words, they could go after the dragons?” Varek asked.
Sateen lifted one shoulder. “If the attack had happened with weapons, I could’ve told you exactly who we needed to question. But it sounds as if they did it with magic.”
“With Arn dead, magic can be used in the city now. Nothing’s keeping those with magic from venturing here,” Jeyra said.
Sateen winced. “Most aren’t willing to give up the old ways. I fear they never will. I’d welcome any and all into the city, but the lines were drawn a very long time ago. I doubt you’d see any of us with magic going to any city.”
“Those with magic, where do they go?” Varek asked.
Sateen gave him a sad smile. “I don’t have that information. They hide. We’re taught from an early age to fear magic.”
“And dragons,” Vaughn said.
Sateen’s gaze briefly lowered to the floor. “The two get blurred, and some are unable to see one without the other.”
Vaughn held her gaze. “I still doona understand why.”
The elder woman’s lips curved into a smile. “After Jeyra and Varek left, I tried to remember how and when I had been made to believe such things about magic and dragons. When I couldn’t recall those memories, I went to the younger generation without learning the answers. I went younger and younger, getting the same responses every time.”
“I can’t remember who told me. It’s as if I just knew it,” Jeyra replied.
Sateen nodded slowly. “Exactly. I next went to the teachers and asked them. We don’t have records of our entire history, but we do have a large chunk of it. When the city was first constructed, one of the first decrees was that magic wouldn’t be tolerated.”
“All of you are brought to a planet with dragons who have magic.” Vaughn blew out a breath. “Why dread magic if you don’t know it?”
Varek looked at Vaughn. “Unless they do.”
“Of course. Magic brought the bairns here,” Vaughn said.
Sateen’s brows furrowed. “But why? And who takes us? Do we have families somewhere? Were we thrown away, and someone found us to bring us here? None of it makes sense.”
“I want answers, same as you,” Jeyra said. “And I intend to find them.”
Varek covered her hand with his. “Aye, we will.”
Sateen smiled at them before she looked to Vaughn. “What now?”
“Keep an eye and ear out for anything unusual. If you discover someone with magic, see if you can find out where they live. We’ll be here until all of this is sorted.”
“How do I contact you?” Sateen asked.
Varek said, “Send Ugar with a message to the border.”
Instead of walking back through the city, they opted to leave via Sateen’s back gate.
“Returning to Orgate was tougher than I thought,” Jeyra said when they were out of the city.
Vaughn didn’t hear Varek’s response since he was deep in thought. He kept going back to those born with magic on Zora. People shunned them because they feared the unknown, but those who hid usually did it together. It was easier that way since everyone watched everyone else’s back.
On the flight back to Cairnkeep, Vaughn flew faster, eager to return to Eurwen and see if she had woken. He didn’t wait for Varek or Jeyra as he landed before shifting and running to the cottage. When he opened the door, his gaze moved to the bed where Eurwen still lay unmoving.
He walked inside, his eyes sliding to Rhi, who sat on the edge of the bed. “Any change?”
Rhi shook her head. “Did you find out anything?”
“No’ as much as we would’ve liked. None of the mortals at Orgate have been hurt like Nundro or Eurwen. And given it was magic, it isna likely it was a mortal, since those who have the ability are no’ welcome within the city. But it could still be a human with magic.”
Rhi rolled her eyes. “You and I both know they could be hiding in plain sight.”
“Much like we do on our world.”
“Precisely.”
“Sateen will send word if she hears anything.”
Rhi moved so Vaughn could resume his seat. “That’s the councilwoman Varek and Jeyra talked about. What did you think of her?”
“I like her. She’s shrewd and straightforward. I understand how she got her position. I also believe we can trust her. She understands what’s at stake. After what I heard she did for Varek, Jeyra, and the dragons, and then speaking with her myself, I realize she’s trying to find a way that everyone can live in peace.”
Rhi sat in a chair, tucking her feet to the side of her on the cushion. “I don’t think that can happen. Everyone talks about it. It doesn’t matter what species you are. Everyone tells everyone else to just get along. Did no one stop and think that sometimes two different species and cultures aren’t meant to coexist? That the very thing that distinguishes them migh
t be the very thing that’s harmful to someone else?”
“I doona know anymore. It used to be so clear. Zora wasna perfect. Eurwen and Brandr had issues to handle, things with the humans and the dragons, but it was damn near perfect in my eyes. Especially after everything we’ve been through.”
Rhi’s lips twisted ruefully. “I’d have to agree with you there.”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Con’s voice suddenly roared in Vaughn’s head.
He grabbed his head until the sound vanished. “Con? Where are you?”
“What is it?” Rhi demanded.
Vaughn shook his head as he jumped to his feet and headed outside. “I doona know. Con yelled. It was—”
“Anguished,” V said as he and Varek strode up, their expressions as worried as Vaughn felt.
Rhi lifted her chin. “Go to your King. Jeyra and I will remain and watch Claire, the bairn, and Eurwen.”
The last thing Vaughn wanted was to leave again, but something was seriously wrong. He nodded to Rhi and took off running, following his brethren to Con. In seconds, they were in the sky.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The longer Eurwen went without being able to control her limbs, the more concerned she became.
And the more certain she was that someone was with her.
She called to her Fae magic without success. She called to her dragon magic and felt a small stirring, but not enough to do anything. But she wouldn’t give up. People were out there, searching for her.
Her mind went to Vaughn. She thought of how easy it was to be with him. She’d never get tired of staring into his eyes, the color so unusual and stunning. And his laugh. He had the best laugh. Then there was the way desire took them. There was no ignoring it, no denying it. Even that first night so long ago with the Celts, she had known that what they’d experienced was special.
But she hadn’t gone to him. Hadn’t allowed herself to even contemplate what could be.
Still, Vaughn hadn’t given up on her. No doubt he was hurt that she had let untold lifetimes pass without contacting him. It wasn’t as easy as he believed. She’d thought of him every day. In order to not give in to her body—or heart—she didn’t go to Earth.