His dragon spoke up. You'd better. And while I know you hate having others in charge of your fate thanks to what Marcus did, Bram is different. Everything we've read about him says he's a good bloke, and he doesn't want to control everyone.
Maybe. But you also know that Stonefire has been steering a lot of the changes in the UK whilst we were imprisoned. Who's to say they won't try to change things here, too?
We'll be meeting him soon enough. Save judgment until after you can interact with him in person.
Since Asher had been talking with his dragon, he'd missed Honoria's question. But the human spoke again. "I'll have an answer for you tomorrow. The next stage of the leadership trials won't be for a few days anyway, so if you can compete as a team, you'll know before then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have loads to do in the next few hours."
Standing, Asher exited the office and Honoria followed. Only once they were outside the cottage used by most of the former clan leaders did Asher speak again. "I don't like other clans having a say in what we do."
Honoria rolled her eyes. "They were going to play a part in choosing Skyhunter's leader anyway, so I don't see the big deal." Her expression softened. "Besides, how much do you know of Stonefire's leader?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "Not much, only what I could read. I've never met him. However, judging from what I've absorbed, he's had a lot of sway with the DDA for the last few years."
"Not exactly true. His mate is a former DDA employee, and she has a lot of contacts. Not to mention the human mate of another dragonman wrote a book which helped humans see us as more than monsters. And then there's the other human mate who has a videocast series introducing aspects of dragon-shifter life to the general public. If anything, the humans of Stonefire are doing a lot of the influencing."
"How do you know all this, Ria? You weren't even in the country."
~~~
Honoria had wanted to leave the cottage and propose a joint training session with Asher. However, he voiced his doubts and then asked her how she knew so much about Bram and Stonefire.
Asher's tone hadn't been accusatory, just curious. It was the only reason she hadn't scowled and pulled him into an abandoned building to give him a scolding.
The downside to potentially being a co-leader team was that they needed to project trust and cohesion in public. If she needed to chew his arse out, it would have to be done in private.
Her dragon spoke up. Good. Then it gives me a chance to take control and give him a lesson my way.
Ignoring her beast, she replied to Asher's questions, "Just because I was thousands of miles away doesn't mean I didn't keep track of what was happening back in the UK. Even though my parents are dead, I'd still hoped to return at some point."
"If not for the trials, would you have come?"
She looked into the distance, studying the softly rolling hills that surrounded Skyhunter on most sides. England was so much greener than back in Northern California. "Yes, although maybe not this soon." She looked back to Asher. "I still have some family in the UK, after all."
Her English cousins had gone to the Northern Irish clan and still hadn't returned to Skyhunter.
Her dragon spoke up. We can invite them back once we're in charge. Surely they'll trust us to keep everything in line.
I hope so. It'd be nice to have more family nearby.
Don't tell me you miss our cousins in America? They bloody annoyed us to no end.
Maybe. But they stood at our side when we needed it.
Namely, when Honoria had first arrived and had wanted to do nothing more than cry, her cousins had done their best to tease her and irritate her, all to help her forget her pain.
Her dragon huffed. I'm still not convinced that was the reason.
Asher's voice cut into her thoughts. "Right, then if we're to work together, maybe you should help me catch up with information about Bram and the other leaders. I don't want my lack of knowledge to be the reason we fail."
"I can do that, but you're going to teach me those flight maneuvers you did earlier in return."
The corner of his mouth ticked up. "If you think you can manage them, that is. I can't have you crashing into the ground."
She raised an eyebrow. "I can handle it, and then some. I have a few tricks of my own."
"Good, then it means I won't have to go easy on you."
Honoria was about to throw down a challenge, but the voice of Shane Farhall filled the air. "What's this I heard about you two teaming up and cheating?"
Taking a deep breath, she turned around at the same time Asher did. Hoping to avoid any sort of confrontation, she spoke before Asher could. "It's not cheating, Shane. You have the same chance as anyone else, and can compete with a partner."
Shane scowled. "If Skyhunter has two leaders, it'll broadcast to the world how we're weak. Especially since every other clan on the planet has only one person in charge."
Asher grunted. "And you've talked with every other clan in the world? Last I heard, the clans in New Zealand and Peru were refusing to talk to anyone at all. They could be having mass orgies every day there, and we'd never know it."
Honoria couldn't help but add, "Unless it's truly everyone participating in the orgies, then it might show up on the satellite images."
Asher snorted, but Shane took a step closer and growled. "You're not bloody funny, bitch. Stop trying to be like the wankers in the north and in Scotland. Humor is a sign of weakness, as it usually means the person in question can't fight properly."
"And you know this how?" she drawled.
Shane took a step toward her, but Asher stepped in the way and shoved him back. "No fighting, unless you want to be thrown out of the trials."
"If it means she's out too, then it might just be worth it," Shane spat.
Her dragon sighed. Does he think he's being macho or something?
Maybe. Remember, Marcus was our leader for a good chunk of his life. And under that dragonman, fear and a projection of strength were all that mattered.
Her beast grunted. Let me have a go. I bet he's a coward when it comes to an actual fight.
Asher crossed his arms over his chest, but still stayed in front of Honoria. She was tempted to step in front of him and handle Shane herself. But if they were to work together, she needed to admit Asher would be better in certain situations. It was clear Shane didn't respect females. Asher could probably get him to walk away easier than she could, and without her being tossed out of the contest, too.
Asher spoke up. "In previous trials, leader candidates have been kept apart and in seclusion for the entire duration, unless they were competing in an event. Either leave us alone, or I'll request it from the DDA. That means fixed quarters, no freedom to practice in the skies, and no chance to visit that girlfriend of yours, either."
"Asher," she whispered.
Her beast said, After being imprisoned for so long and to be willing to temporarily lose his freedom again speaks volumes about his character. It makes me want him again. Many times. He would be a fine mate.
Shane's reply prevented her from saying anything to her dragon. "No one wants to risk being tossed into a cell and never being let out again. Everyone would hate you and see it as a sign that you're just like your uncle."
Asher shrugged. "Either agree to leave us alone or I'll call the DDA human right now."
For a few beats, Shane just kept glaring at Asher. But when he turned half away, Honoria knew Shane would back down. The male gave him the double-finger salute and said, "Fuck you, King. You'll lose anyway. I'll team up with another male, and then you'll understand how working with a female puts you at a huge disadvantage."
The male walked away, his fingers clenched into fists. Her dragon shook her head. Once we win, remind me to challenge him to a series of flight maneuvers. Then he'll see how much of a burden we are.
Leave it, dragon. My guess is that Shane will flee Skyhunter if he loses. And he will lose.
Someone's confident.
<
br /> Bluster can only get you so far, and I'm sure the other leaders will see through it. At least Bram and Finn will.
Speaking of which, we should thank Asher for getting Shane off our arses. Maybe a few times. And then we can focus on training him up.
She ignored her beast and touched Asher's bicep. "I'm grateful for your help, but I hope you understand that I'm not going to always sit back and let you protect me."
Uncrossing his arms, Asher faced her. "Of course not. But Shane thinks females are only good for fucking and bearing babies, and nothing else. He might have risked being tossed out of the trials if it meant you were out, too. I couldn't risk it. I promise, the next arsehole we come across, he's all yours."
She snorted. "You're so confident that it'll be a male."
"Well, dragon-shifters skew more male than female, so statistically, it's likely."
"Okay, mister smarty-pants, are you done?"
He raised an eyebrow. "America has definitely rubbed off on you, Ria."
She shrugged and put on a mock accent. "I could be, like, totally cool, and like, talk like this all day to totes annoy you."
Asher chuckled. "You'd probably tire of it before me."
Her dragon laughed. He's right.
Not wanting to acknowledge the point to either her dragon or Asher, she motioned toward the path. "Let me tell you more about Bram and Stonefire, and then you can teach me a few flight drills."
"If I show you my secret moves, will you cook me something special, too?"
"Maybe I don't cook anymore." He raised his brows and she smiled. "Okay, I do. Although it's mostly Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. All of those are popular and quite tasty in San Francisco." Honoria should leave it at that, but something inside of her added, "But only if you help me prepare everything. That way you can learn at the same time, and then you'll cook for me later."
Once the words left her lips, she had no idea how Asher would respond. He'd gone on about being careful and keeping distance between them.
And yet, the longer she was around him, the more Honoria wanted to get to know him better. No, he wasn't her true mate, but that didn't mean they wouldn't fit together. After all, the female leader in Ireland had mated a dragonman who wasn't her true mate, and all sorts of reports floated around of them being in love and perfect for each other.
Maybe she'd come back to Skyhunter for more than helping the clan. Maybe she'd known her future mate since she'd been a child.
Not wanting to think about it, she prompted Asher, "Well, what's your answer to my deal? Or, are you afraid of a little work and touching some seafood?"
"I'm not afraid." He put out his hand. "Come on. I want to get as much done as possible before someone else bothers us."
Slipping her hand into his, a sizzle of heat shot up her arm at the contact. Even though she'd had Asher five times the day before, she burned to tear off his clothes and make it a sixth and seventh time, too.
Her dragon spoke up. Then do it.
We can't, until maybe later.
So you are thinking about him naked again. Good, because I want to ride him hard. Maybe even tie his arms up once.
Whoa, slow down. We can't forget about the trials and preparing for them. Let's wait until after dinner.
While now would be better, I suppose I can wait until then.
Her beast fell silent, and Honoria tried not to think about how she'd just agreed to wanting more sex with Asher. So much for her one-time-only resolve.
Chapter Five
Asher lazily flapped his wings to maintain his altitude and watched as Honoria dove toward the earth.
It was her second attempt. The first one had resulted in her almost smacking into the ground and doing serious damage.
His dragon spoke up. I still can't believe you wanted to tell her to stop. Then she would've tried it on her own, whether we were nearby or not.
Ignoring his beast, he held his breath as Honoria barreled down, her wings pressed flat against her white dragon form. There wasn't much sun, but he remembered from his youth how her scales were more iridescent in the sunshine than white.
She was beautiful in any form.
His dragon snorted, but then it came time for Honoria to pull up and his beast moved their dragon head forward to watch.
One, two, three…and Honoria released her wings and maneuvered her body so that the currents swerved her up toward the sky again.
He let out his breath and said to his beast, She's still a fast learner, and more skilled than I had assumed.
All the males probably think the same. 'She is female, so she must be weak' is the traditional way of thinking.
Asher didn't like imagining others who would dismiss Honoria so easily. It just means we have to win this thing and prove everyone wrong.
To do that, we need to be at our best. I think showing Ria a thing or two with our cock will energize her right up.
If he would've been in his human form, Asher would've smiled. You tell her that and see what happens.
Honoria hovered in front of them, flapping her wings to stay in place. She tilted her head in question, and Asher didn't hesitate to bob his in acknowledgment, letting her know she'd done it correctly.
Since his promise had been teaching her one tough maneuver before they ended the session, he pointed toward the ground with his hind leg, then to her, and back to the ground again. Trusting her to understand, he dove toward the landing area.
A long-held need to impress surged through Asher's body and he pressed his wings against his back so that he fell faster toward the ground. When he was near enough to the landing area, he released his wings, held firm against the sudden jolt of resistance, and then glided the remainder of the distance to the ground. The second he touched his hind legs to the earth, the sound of clapping filled the air.
Looking over his shoulder, Asher spotted a group of dragon-shifters mostly in their late teens and early twenties. It took him a second to recognize them; they were some of his former students. All grown and no doubt less innocent than when he'd last seen them, but as he looked at each of their faces, they only had smiles and approval for him.
His dragon said softly, Let's shift and talk with them. They won't blame you for abandoning them, I'm positive.
One of the many things Asher had worried about during his imprisonment was if his students would be safe. He'd tried to teach them how to flee if necessary, but he'd never been certain if it'd been enough.
His dragon spoke again. Whilst not all of our former students are here, many are. Let's find out what happened. If we're to ever be leader, we need to start showing everyone that we are healed and ready.
Since Asher had spent the last six months trying to heal himself and tackle his demons, he'd steered clear of almost everyone who wasn't his mother and sister. For the first time, he felt confident saying, I think we are ready to talk with them.
Asher imagined his wings shrinking into his back, his forearms and hind legs shortening, and his snout morphing back into a nose and mouth.
Once he stood in his human form, the group of former students rushed toward him. One of the older boys—correction, Tony was now a young adult male—was first to speak. "That was brilliant, Mr. Asher. I vaguely remember seeing those maneuvers back when you were teaching, but either you're better now or my memory is crap."
A female not much younger than him snickered. "It's your memory, Tony."
Tony glared, but Asher noticed the look turned into one of love. He suspected the pair were an item.
Another male spoke up. "Tony, I think it's a bit of both, if I'm being honest. You always had a hard time memorizing facts or protocols, even if you are a genius with numbers."
Another female spoke up, one who had to be in her midteens and couldn't have been more than nine or ten when Asher had last seen her. "Mr. Asher, is it true you're vying to be our new clan leader?"
He was vaguely aware of Honoria walking up to them in her human form, completely dressed. He
glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow in question. Did she want him to tell the group about the joint venture?
The second she nodded, Asher looked back at the younger dragon-shifters. "I am, but not by myself. Honoria and I are running as a team."
Murmurs raced through the group, but it was the girl who'd asked about him running who managed to speak first. "I've never heard of two people wanting to lead a clan together before."
His beast said, See how she didn't first pounce on Honoria being a female? That's a good sign.
Honoria answered the female, "It's uncommon. And I don't know enough of other clan histories to say if it's ever been done at all. However, Asher and I think it's a good idea." She winked. "After all, female dragon-shifters usually avoid going to war or other such violent measures more often than the males. That alone is a point in my favor."
One of the younger males snorted. "Maybe, but I've read a lot of stories about female dragon-shifters poisoning each other. That's just as bad."
His dragon laughed. He's read one too many books.
Asher focused on the male. "Honoria isn't going to poison anyone, just like I'm not going to start a war with anyone. We all know firsthand what a rotten leader is like, and I vow to never be one."
Silence fell over the group. Maybe Asher should've tiptoed around the issue, but doing so long term wouldn't help the clan. They need to acknowledge the former leader's reign, talk about it, and begin to heal and move on.
Honoria lightly touched his back, and he took comfort from it. "I know you won't be like that, Ash."
One of the females spoke up. "Me, too, Mr. Asher. You always went out of your way to show how even those of us who are a bit weaker and slower than usual could flee, if needed. You always cared about all of us."
The group of his former students all murmured something similar. And for the first time, Asher truly believed there was hope for Skyhunter.
His beast spoke up. Their belief is only the beginning. Others will follow, especially as we progress through the trials.
Asher liked the fact his dragon was confident, without being overly so.
Winning Skyhunter Page 5