Winning Skyhunter

by Jessie Donovan

  ~~~

  Asher was chained to a chair, blood running down his chest from where his cousin had cut a K into his skin.

  A dull pain thudded at the wound. Maybe it would've been more pronounced if Asher hadn't been through so many "persuasion sessions" over the last four years.

  And with his dragon unable to do more than loll its head around inside his mind, there wasn't much anger left in him either.

  His cousin stood in front of a fire, holding a long piece of metal into it. If not for having various bones broken, skin shredded, or his senses overloaded purposefully for days on end, he might have had a small sense of trepidation.

  But he knew what was coming, and nothing short of swearing allegiance to Marcus would stop it.

  His cousin would brand him without hesitation.

  His cousin pulled the red-hot metal from the fire and looked at him. "All you have to do is pledge yourself to Marcus, and all of this can stop."

  It would be easy to give in. A few words from his lips, ones he didn't mean in his heart, and he could finally be reunited with his dragon and see the sky again.

  And yet, if he did that, his bastard uncle would win. Asher may be insignificant in the grander scheme of things, but if everyone gave up when it got tough, then no one would be able to eventually help Skyhunter. All of his former students, friends, and family would be forced to live a life of fear, until the day when the clan was no more.

  Because in his heart, Asher knew that if Marcus reigned for even five more years in the same way, his uncle would make a move too far. All it'd take was hurting some of the local humans to bring about the end of the clan.

  And he didn't want that.

  So, yes, giving in would be easier. However, he couldn't do it. While defiance wasn't much, it was all he had.

  Trying his best to sit up tall, Asher finally replied, "No. I won't ever serve that narcissistic, power-hungry arsehole for as long as I live."

  He swore excitement flashed in his cousin's eyes, but it was gone before he could be sure. His cousin moved to stand in front of him. "Then let's try something new. Maybe it'll be the final push you need to finally break." He lowered his voice. "Because you will break, Asher. My record is nearly flawless, except for you. So, yes, you'll break."

  And then the bastard pressed the hot metal against his open wound. Asher did his best not to scream, but as his flesh burned, he finally let out a roar. The smell also made his stomach churn, and it took everything he had not to vomit.

  His cousin finally removed the metal and Asher slumped in his seat, doing his best to stay awake even though his entire body screamed for him to fall into blissful unconsciousness.

  "Did you change your mind?"

  He could barely make his lips move, but he murmured, "Never."

  The hot metal contacted with his skin again, and all Asher could do was sit there and scream until the blackness consumed him.

  Asher sat up, taking a moment to realize he was no longer dreaming and reliving the memory.

  His dragon said softly, I'm here. That bastard can't hurt us anymore.

  Running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair, Asher nearly jumped when a warm hand touched his shoulder.

  Honoria's sleepy voice filled the room. "Are you okay, Ash? Did you have a flashback?"

  He could brush it off as a bad dream, deflect questions, and try to distract his female another way.

  However, Asher had been keeping his past from everyone but the counselor. And while he'd rather Honoria not know about his bloody barbaric imprisonment, not telling her would only keep her at arm’s length.

  She deserved better.

  His dragon chimed in. Tell her. She deserves more than our dick. She should know all of our weaknesses, too.

  Picking at the sheet with his fingers, he forced himself to answer. "It was one of my nightmares." He paused, and added softly, "As you know, I was tortured during the five years I was imprisoned. Every once in a while, one of the sessions haunts my dreams."

  Just hearing Honoria's voice helped to soothe his soul. "If you want to talk, we can. But if you need time, that's okay, too. I love you, Ash, and I just want you to know that I'll always be here if you need me. Don't forget that."

  He risked meeting Honoria's eyes, and the love shining there banished his remaining tension from the nightmare. "One day, I will. Maybe not quite yet." He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed the back of it. "But just know it's not because I don't want to tell you. It's just difficult, especially since I came out of it mostly intact, unlike my sister."

  Poor Aimee. She'd been so young and determined to follow in his footsteps.

  Remembering his teenage sister as she raised her chin in defiance and brushed off any warnings of danger about resisting Marcus, made his throat close up.

  His dragon sent threads of comfort to him. We will find a way to help her.

  Honoria's voice prevented him from replying. "I only know the bare minimum about what happened to your sister. Maybe if you can't talk about your own trials during that time, then how about Aimee's? I can't help her, either, if I don't know what's wrong."

  Yes, if he could help his sister even a little, so she could at least talk with others again, then maybe he'd be ready to share his own horrors.

  So he briefly told Honoria about how his sister didn't talk with people or her dragon; about how flashing dragon eyes caused her to scream and run away; and about how she wouldn't even set foot outside the cottage, not even to merely see the sky again.

  When he finished, Honoria merely stared at him a second. He could tell her brain was whirring. It wasn't long before she spoke again. "I have an idea, if you're willing to hear it?"

  Squeezing her hand, he murmured, "Of course."

  "Well, how much do you know about Arabella MacLeod?"

  "The mate of Lochguard's leader?"

  She bobbed her head. "Yes, that's what she is now. However, her past is what I'm talking about."

  "I don't know much, beyond the fact something happened with dragon hunters and they set her on fire."

  "Right, but she also didn't talk with her dragon for nearly a decade. I don't know all the particulars, but she was afraid to do so, and hid away from everyone but her brother and her clan leader. It took meeting Finn to bring her out completely."

  He frowned. "I hope you're not suggesting we look for Aimee's true mate and hope kicking off the mate-claim frenzy brings her back."

  "No, no, of course not. Arabella should be attending the gathering with the two other clans next week. What if we ask her to meet with Aimee? I don't know if anything would come of it, but it's at least a shot. Arabella has experiences I could never dream of and might be able to get through to your sister."

  Not even Asher, whose dragon had been drugged silent for five years, could fully understand Arabella or Aimee's situation. He'd never been afraid of his beast.

  He replied, "I'll have to ask my mother first."

  "Or, we could ask Lynne together. After all, Aimee is my family now, too."

  His beast spoke up. Ask her to be our mate, then it will be true in all ways.

  Not right now. Let's get everything settled first.

  His dragon muttered something unintelligible and curled into a ball inside his mind.

  He focused back on Honoria. "Okay, we'll talk to my mum as soon as we can manage it. Although if she agrees, it may be better for you to ask Arabella than me. The last thing I need is Finn growling at me, thinking I'm doing more than talking with his mate."

  She rolled her eyes. "By every account, Finn and Arabella are devoted to each other. Give the male some credit."

  It may have only been minutes rather than hours, but Asher's dream was all but forgotten. He rolled carefully, moving his back muscles as little as possible, until Honoria was under him. He moved his face closer to hers. "Right now, there's only one female I want to think of." He kissed her gently, taking her lips in slow caresses. "She's the most clever, beautif
ul, determined female I know. And I want to claim her whenever I have the chance."

  She raised an eyebrow. "So no mention of love?"

  "Of course I bloody love you." After a quick, rough kiss, he added, "And if you doubt it at all, I think I need to convince you with both my cock and tongue of how much I love you, Honoria Wakeham."

  While claiming her in a proper ceremony before the clan would be ideal, he did the next best thing and let his female know she was his, body and soul. Sure, she had to do most of the heavy lifting because of his injury, but when they both finally fell asleep in each other's arms, he didn't think she minded.

  Not to mention no nightmare dared invade his dreams again, not with the female he loved by his side.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next week flew by in a series of meetings with clan members, interviewing people to fill various positions within what would be Skyhunter's first "enclave of leaders," and filling out the necessary paperwork sent by the Department of Dragon Affairs.

  It all happened so fast that Honoria barely had time to find a traditional dragon-shifter dress that would fit her overly tall frame. Yet as she studied her reflection in the mirror, the dark purple dress slung over one shoulder before hugging her waist and flaring out at the hips, cascading to just above the ground, Honoria thought the dress was perfect.

  For the first time in a while, a sense of pride surged through her body at the color. Dark purple had been Skyhunter's traditional color for centuries, but every time she'd worn it before, she'd always felt ashamed at what it represented.

  But no longer.

  Her dragon spoke up. Of course not. This color now represents us, Asher, and the future.

  Well, the real test will be to see how many others come dressed in the color.

  While dragon-shifter traditional dress had been specified, she and Asher had mentioned the color was up to each person's choice.

  Just because she saw it as the future didn't mean everyone else would. Marcus had forced many a gathering, even before she'd been shipped off to America, and wearing dark purple had been a requirement. After a while, the color had come to represent everything that had changed—for the worst—inside Skyhunter.

  Like many things, it would take time to change the feelings surrounding it.

  Asher entered the room, wearing a dark purple, yellow and black plaid outfit. Much like kilts of old, it was slung over one shoulder, wrapped around his waist, and the material encircled his lower half, draping to just below his knees.

  The K-shaped scar on his chest was in plain view.

  She closed the distance between them and murmured, "Someone's looking sexy tonight."

  He snorted. "I'm sure you'd say that even if I wore a skirt made out of ferns."

  "Maybe." She placed a hand over his scar. "Are you sure about this, though? I know we talked about you wearing a white shirt."

  He shook his head. "Even if it were snowing outside, I'd still go bare-chested. If Arabella MacLeod can walk around not caring about her scars, I can do the same."

  She kissed him briefly. "I'm anxious to see if her talking with Aimee tonight will help or not."

  "Me, too. But she can't do that until we get the gathering started, which means getting all the leaders to participate in the first dance."

  Raising her brows, she tilted her head. "It's not like we can start it yet. Not everyone is here. Besides, we need to greet the other clan leaders in private first." He grunted, and she laughed before adding, "Oh, come on. Bram and Finn's mates are here so there might be a little less bickering."

  "So you say," he grumbled.

  She kissed him again, more slowly this time, before stepping back and taking his hand. "Let's go. I'll be doing most of the talking anyway. Your job is not to scowl, if you can help it."

  Asher scowled.

  She lightly hit his side. "Stop it."

  He winked. "I'll try. Although I can't make any guarantees."

  She motioned toward the door. "Are you done? The sooner we do this, the sooner we can help your sister."

  Asher's face turned serious, and he guided her to the door.

  ~~~

  Asher's dragon paced inside his mind as he said, Why do we have to follow all the formalities? The clan just wants to have a party and finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  This is a party, but including traditions will help it feel more like a dragon-shifter party.

  His beast grunted. Someone is bound to stir up trouble.

  Oh, stop it. I know wearing these colors makes you uneasy, but if we can't wear them, how can we expect others to do so?

  His beast growled. They didn't have to wear dirty, torn prison uniforms with the same pattern. Or, at least not the majority of them.

  Even a few weeks ago, wearing the plaid made up of dark purple, black, and yellow would've stirred up a mixture of anger and resentment, not to mention unwanted memories. However, the moment he'd seen Honoria in the dark purple traditional dress, he'd started to view the color in another light.

  Especially since it made her skin glow and hair gleam brighter.

  His beast snorted. She would look better with nothing on at all.

  There's no bloody way I'm letting the other leaders see her naked.

  What if an emergency crops up? She's not going to hide behind a sheet to shift.

  They approached the door being used as the waiting area for Stonefire and Lochguard's leaders, and their honored guests. Shut it. I need to focus.

  Fine. But don't expect me to stay silent the entire evening.

  He and Honoria paused in front of the door. Glancing over, he asked, "Ready?"

  "Of course. Unlike you, I think this will be fun."

  "Later we're going to have to define 'fun' because I think the American clan may have given you the wrong idea."

  She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

  The corners of his mouth curved upward. "Maybe you should give classes on how to sound more American. That should be a cinch for you."

  Shaking her head, Honoria placed a hand on the doorknob. "As much as I love your teasing, let's save it for later. Skyhunter will be on shaky ground for a while yet. So let's prove we're serious enough to handle all the challenges."

  His beast huffed. If anything, Skyhunter's been too serious.

  That's not what she meant, and you know it.

  Asher bobbed his head and they entered the room.

  Inside, the Stonefire leader and his mate wore dark red. The Lochguard pair wore a deep, dark blue. Their guests—Protectors he'd learned from the RSVPs—wore the respective colors of their clans.

  He grunted his greetings to the leaders before meeting Arabella MacLeod's gaze. Her eyes flicked down to his chest and back again. A smile played on her lips. "Between Snowridge's leader and his three scars on his cheek, me and my burns, and you and your brand, people are going to think some sort of tragedy is a requirement to reach the upper echelons of a dragon-shifter clan."

  Everyone went unnaturally still, apart for Arabella. The others never would've brought up the K on his chest. At least, not so soon.

  Asher could make a noncommittal noise and change the subject. It would be easy enough.

  However, he rather liked that Arabella didn't dance around the issue. And if she could joke about it despite how much more severe the remnants of her torture were, then he should be able to do the same. "You may be on to something. Although I forever hope Honoria's excluded from that requirement."

  Finn grinned. "And me as well. We can't have these rugged good looks being tarnished, now, can we?"

  Arabella shook her head. "As I always warn you, one day you'll wake up with no hair on your head if you keep bragging about how wonderfully handsome you are."

  Finn waggled his brows. "But I am, aren't I, love?"

  "I'm not sure I should answer that," Arabella drawled.

  Finn leaned down to his mate's ear, murmured something for only her, and Arabella blushed. "Stop it, Finn."

 
Bram cleared his throat. "May I introduce my mate, Evie Marshall?"

  Honoria extended a hand toward the female with dark-red hair and blue eyes standing at Bram's side and said, "Nice to meet you, Evie. I've heard so much about you." Honoria's gaze moved to a tall, blonde-haired female standing beyond Bram. "And you, too, Jane."

  It was then that Asher noticed Stonefire's head Protector and his mate, Jane. If he could find some time to talk with the male about the latest security measures on Stonefire, then maybe the night wouldn't be completely boring.

  His beast growled. If we dance with Ria, it won't be boring.

  I know that, dragon. But I'm not big on small talk anymore, and I'm sure we'll have to do plenty of that.

  Just be blunt, like Arabella. It will make things more interesting.

  Asher battled a smile. We'll see.

  Honoria had been talking with the females, but finished and looked at Asher. "Should we lead them into the great hall now?"

  He offered his arm. "The sooner we get this started, the sooner it'll be over."

  Threading her arm through his, she looked over her shoulder. "We have plenty of things to talk about later, so no sneaking off into dark corners. Being enamored with your mates is fine and all, but tonight is too important to risk it. However, if you want some secret locations you can sneak to and ravish each other on the way home, I can share later."

  Asher bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. Leave it to Honoria to tell them no hanky-panky now, but she'd gladly give them places to do it outside of Skyhunter. She already fitted into the role of clan leader without really trying.

  Of course, he didn't want to test how far she could push the other leaders so soon. So he guided her out of the room and down the corridor leading to the great hall.

  It was time to let those invited from Stonefire and Lochguard mingle with his clan members.