For the Kingdom of Dragons

by Julie Wetzel

  Kyle tapped his nails on the box and watched Daniel flip through the folders.

  “Here,” Angela said, sliding the box out from under his hand.

  “Wait,” Kyle said, reaching out to stop her from opening it, but her fingers were already in motion on the complicated locking system. He curled his fingers back and watched as the lid of the box popped open. She lifted it away carefully.

  Kyle took a deep breath as he stared down into the box. The jagged crystal shimmered with a light of its own. The delicate spikes looked fragile like they had been grown from hoarfrost and would melt if something touched them. The desire to touch the crystal was too much to bear, and he reached out to take it.

  “No!”

  Kyle whipped around just in time for Eugene to slam into him. He grabbed the man, but Eugene’s momentum knocked them both back. Kyle grunted as his hip hit the desk, but he held on to Eugene as the aide reached for the box. Fear gave Kyle the strength to hold him back. He didn’t know much about dragon hearts, but something deep inside told him it would be bad to let Eugene touch the crystal.

  Shoving the man back, Kyle was able to keep Eugene from making contact with the heart, but he came at Kyle again.

  “It’s mine!” Eugene screamed as he tackled Kyle again.

  Anger boiled up in Kyle and he shoved Eugene away again. “No,” he yelled back. “It’s mine.” Throwing himself forwards, he landed on Eugene and swung his fist into the smaller man’s face.

  Taking the hit, Eugene rolled, forcing them both back into the desk again.

  The sounds of something crashing to the ground and a scream broke into Kyle’s rage, but he didn’t have time to see what had happened. Eugene kicked and squirmed so hard that it took all of Kyle’s attention to hold him. A second pair of hands grabbed Eugene as Daniel joined the fight.

  After a few more minutes of struggling, Daniel was finally able to get Eugene off Kyle and into a joint lock. “Go,” he ordered.

  Kyle drew in a ragged breath and stared at Daniel for a moment. There was an urgency to Daniel’s voice that worried him. He checked to make sure Daniel had Eugene pinned before rolling away from the pair to see what had happened.

  Glancing around the room, Kyle looked for the cause of Daniel’s distress. They had managed to knock stuff around, but nothing seemed to be broken. Pulling himself up from the floor, he looked at the desktop. His heart dropped. The box had fallen off in the struggle. He rushed over to find Angela lying on the floor behind the desk with the box, the dragon heart shattered around her.

  11

  Cold terror raced up Kyle’s spine as he stared at the tiny shards scattered across the floor. Dragon hearts were supposed to be hard like diamonds. With proper force, they could be divided, but they weren’t supposed to shatter like spun glass. Another shiver of dread hit as Angela started to move. “Stop,” Kyle cried. He stepped forward with his hand out, hoping to catch her before she could cut herself on any of the razor-sharp shards. Noah had been very specific in his instructions. One small nick was all it would take to release the dragon locked away in the crystal.

  “What?” Angela asked. She sounded dazed after her fall.

  Kyle grimaced as she moved her hands to her sides and pushed into a sitting position, spilling more shards across the carpet. He closed his eyes when she hissed and pulled her hand up from the floor. He didn’t need to see the pinpricks of blood to know she’d cut herself on one of the sharp edges. He could feel the power swirling around her.

  Angela tensed and gasped.

  Letting out a resigned breath, he stepped forward and knelt in the pile of broken pieces. The sharp edges of the crystals cut through his pants leg, but he ignored the bite as he reached for Angela. “Relax,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. “Fighting it will only make it worse.”

  She clutched the front of Kyle’s shirt.

  Kyle held her as the energy of his dragon swirled around them. Some of the power settled back into its proper place, but the majority of it rushed over his skin and slammed into Angela. “Relax,” he whispered again. Scales brushed his fingers through the soft material of her shirt and he gripped her tightly. He’d seen enough distressed dragons to know that he had to get Angela to let go or things were going to get really bad. “Just breathe,” he cooed. “Everything will be okay.”

  Pulling in a ragged breath, Angela nodded her head and laid it down on Kyle’s shoulder.

  Taking her weight, Kyle drew her closer. Emotion rolled through him as he soothed her. Being so close to reclaiming his dragon and losing it frustrated him, but he pushed those feelings down and concentrated on helping Angela cope.

  Over his years as king, he’d learned how delicate dragons could be. As creatures of instinct and emotion, it didn’t take much to upset a dragon. It was even worse when the two halves of a person’s soul weren’t connected. In the last year, Kyle had seen several examples of what could happen when a dragon and human were thrust together. While most had adjusted to their new life nicely, Noah and Byrd were still struggling to find balance. Kyle suspected their instability was due to Raven’s traumatic death. Unwilling to risk the same result with Angela, he kept his emotions in check and waited for the power surrounding them to settle into place. Once she was stable, they would talk to Byrd to see what could be done.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Kyle cringed as Minister Lewis’s voice boomed through the room. He tried to hush Angela as she tensed up, but the feel of scales raked across his fingers again. The loud noise had scared the dragon and nothing could stop it from ripping its way out of Angela’s skin. “Just relax and let go,” Kyle coaxed, ignoring the commotion behind him.

  Angela cried out in pain as the dragon twisted her form.

  As her bulk increased, Kyle’s pulse picked up. Shit. The dragon was going for full scale but there was no way a full-sized dragon would fit in the small office. Scooping her from the floor, Kyle ran for the window and threw his shoulder into it. The fragile panes shattered out of his way and he dumped Angela out the open window.

  Her screams morphed into a roar as the dragon took over. It rolled across the grass in a tangle of wings before coming to a stop. Righting itself, it shook its gigantic golden head and looked around.

  Kyle gripped the edge of the window and looked out in awe. He hadn’t been sure what form Angela’s dragon would take, but he hadn’t expected it to be gold. Intense emotions rolled through him, and he clenched his teeth against screaming them out.

  A single bright eye focused on him. He could see the confusion and fear roll through it, and he let out the word pushing through him. “Mine.”

  The cat-like pupil of the eye widened as the bond clicked into place. The dragon tensed and stared at him.

  Kyle opened his mouth and breathed as the dragon’s emotions washed over him. It knew who he was, but did not understand what was going on. Needing to sooth the turmoil in the dragon, Kyle leaned through the window to touch the creature’s head but was jerked back. He yelled out in surprise as he was whipped around.

  The words Minister Lewis snapped were lost in a roar as the dragon kicked into the air outside.

  The dragon’s fear slammed into Kyle making him double over. He clutched at the minister’s arm for support and tried to separate his feeling from that of the dragon’s. Something had gone terribly wrong with the heart and Kyle could feel everything the dragon was experiencing.

  “Your majesty?” the minister said, breaking into Kyle’s concentration.

  Kyle focused on the stout man trying to keep the dragon from overwhelming him.

  “I thought you were dead.”

  The minister’s surprise drew a pained grin from Kyle. “A report that was greatly exaggerated,” he said as he finally got a hold of his senses. “No thanks to your aide.”

  The minister stared at Kyle with confusion before looking over to where Daniel had finally secured Eugene with several large zip ties. “What do you mean?”

&nb
sp; Kyle shook his head and straightened. “I don’t have time to explain right now,” he said as he pulled out of the minister’s grip and moved back to the window. “I have to go save your daughter.” The look of shock that crossed the minister’s face would have made Kyle laugh if things weren’t so dire. “Ask Daniel,” he said as he climbed up on the windowsill. “He’ll explain.” Not waiting for the minster’s answer, Kyle jumped down to the grass. “Byrd, I need you,” he hollered into the small walkie-talkie Daniel had given him.

  It only took a few seconds for Byrd to land on the grass by Kyle’s side. “My lord?”

  The fact that Kyle could understand the large black dragon made his heart leap, but the joy was short-lived as he grabbed the dragon’s shoulder and climbed to his back. “After her,” he ordered not bothering to explain.

  Understanding flashed in Byrd’s eye and he kicked into the air.

  Kyle scrambled to catch his seat before falling off.

  “What happened?” the dragon’s voice rumbled through his body, but it took the mic hooked over Byrd’s head and the small radio for Kyle to hear him over the wind.

  “Angela cut herself on the crystal,” Kyle answered. “We need to catch her before she hurts someone without realizing it.”

  Byrd let out a thunderous roar.

  Two roars answered from either side and Kyle looked over to see Patrick’s red and Alex’s blue. “Who’s staying to help Daniel?” Kyle called into his handset.

  “Terra, Kara, and Kathryn,” Byrd rumbled.

  Kyle let out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized the ladies had followed, but it did make sense. He let his worries for Daniel’s safety go and concentrated on his connection with Angela. He could feel the dragon’s fright pushing it away from danger. Closing his eyes he focused on those feelings. Flashes of images passed through Kyle’s brain letting him track the creature as it flew. “That way,” he said, pressing on Byrd’s side so the large dragon would take up the new course.

  Byrd cried out again and turned in the new direction. The two other dragons picked up the call and followed his lead.

  Holding tight, Kyle focused on his dragon. He was too far away to influence the creature’s emotions, but he could tell it was distressed. Kyle chewed on his lip as they got closer. Images of a lake passed before his eyes, and he gripped Byrd’s spines. “Hold,” Kyle cried out. The gold dragon was slowing down, and he didn’t want to startle it.

  Byrd let out another call and flapped hard, bringing himself to a stop in the air. The other dragons swung in nearby and held their positions in the sky.

  “It’s landing near the lake,” Kyle called in the radio. The radio in his hand squawked to life and he nearly dropped it.

  “Don’t startle her,” Kara’s voice blasted out. “She may attack if she feels threatened.”

  Irritation creased Kyle’s brow, but he worked to remain in control. Closing his eyes, he felt the dragon to get some idea of what they needed to do. “She’s near the water’s edge on the north side of the lake,” he explained. “Patrick, take right. Alex, take left. We’ll land behind her.”

  “Don’t scare her,” Kara called again.

  Kyle shoved the radio into his pocket and patted Byrd on the side. “Close enough to see her, but not close enough to threaten,” he warned.

  Byrd roared his understanding and started off again.

  Looking back, Kyle watched at Patrick tipped his wing and fell into formation on Byrd’s right. Alex fell into place on Byrd’s left. Kyle let out a sigh of relief and focused on guiding Byrd to where he believed the dragon had landed. His heart leaped when the sun caught on a flash of gold in a field. “There,” he pointed it out to Byrd.

  Byrd rumbled and turned, heading directly towards the gold dragon.

  Kyle could feel the gold dragon’s distress as it stared down into the waters of the lake. It looked up overhead and roared out a challenge.

  The three dragons split up and landed in the fields around Angela but none of them answered the cry.

  As soon as Byrd’s feet were on the ground, Kyle jumped from his back and stumbled in the tall grass. He grunted as he caught himself. After a few uncertain steps, he regained his footing and stopped. Raising his eyes, he looked over the grass at the large golden dragon. The sight took his breath away. Mine.

  Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kyle was aware of the other three dragons around him but the world dropped away leaving him and the gold dragon facing off. “Angela,” he called as he moved towards her.

  The dragon turned to face him and crouched low in the grass.

  Anxiety rolled over their connection, and Kyle did his best to not let it cripple him. He drew in several sharp breaths and continued towards the tense dragon in slow, even steps. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as he eased his way close. “You know that.”

  A line of smoke trickled from the dragon’s nose as it hunkered down.

  “Shh,” Kyle said as he inched forwards. “You know me,” he whispered. “You can feel me.” He opened himself up to the dragon.

  The gold dragon shook its head and took a step back.

  Kyle made another soothing noise and reached his hand out towards the creature. “We are one,” he said. “You and I.”

  The dragon shivered before pushing its head forwards and allowing Kyle to touch it.

  Pleasure rolled through Kyle as his hand caressed the nose of the dragon. Things weren’t right, but now that both of his halves were together, things were getting better. “You’re mine,” he said softly and leaned his head and arms over on the dragon’s nose. He could feel the creature relax under his touch, but he couldn’t feel Angela’s presence.

  After a few minutes of cuddling the dragon’s nose, Kyle raised his head and met the dragon’s eyes. “I want to fix us,” he said, “but I need to know if the girl is all right.”

  A shiver ran through the dragon, and it tensed again. “Mine,” it rumbled.

  Kyle licked his lips as he considered the dragon. Feelings of possession and need made it hard for him to breath. The pair stared at each other for a long time coming to an understanding. The bond between the girl and the dragon was already settled and the creature wasn’t willing to give her up. “We can’t stay like this,” Kyle pressed. He could feel the dragon considering the problem. It knew that something was wrong, but didn’t know how to fix it. “Byrd can help,” Kyle added.

  The dragon’s eyes flashed. It looked up at the black dragon before coming back to Kyle. “Heal us?”

  Kyle nodded. “He can heal us, but you have to back down and let the girl out.”

  The dragon growled.

  The answer to their predicament made Kyle sigh. He didn’t want to give the dragon what it wanted, but he couldn’t see a way around it. “We don’t even know her,” he grumbled.

  Another growl rumbled out of the dragon.

  “Fine,” he agreed, dooming them both to an uncertain future. “She is yours as long as she agrees.”

  The dragon jerked his head away from Kyle and roared, “Mine.”

  Kyle shook his head trying to stop the ringing in his ears. “As long as she agrees,” he said again. Walking forwards, he placed his hand on the dragon’s chest. “We are hers if she wants us.”

  Shifting from one foot to the other, the dragon let out an unhappy whine.

  Kyle ran his hand over the warm scales. “I know,” he said soothingly. “We can try, but forcing things will only hurt her.”

  The dragon drew in a few short breaths, shifting its weight and stamping down the grass. After a moment of indecision, it blew out a puff of smoke. “Agreed,” it rumbled as it settled down.

  “Then back down and let the girl out,” Kyle instructed. Through their bond, he helped the dragon to regain human form. Magic rippled over the dragon’s scales and Kyle rushed forwards to catch Angela before she could fall, naked, into the grass. “I’ve got you,” he said as he took her weight and held her against him.

  Twist
ing around, he sat down in the grass and cradled Angela in his lap. Her eyes fluttered opened, and Kyle smiled down at her. “Hello,” he said as he pushed a loose lock of hair out of her face.

  12

  Cold air teased Angela’s skin as she stared up into Kyle’s golden eyes. They swirled with power, and she could feel that power echo inside her. A shiver raced up her spine and she tensed in his lap.

  “Relax,” Kyle said as he petted her hair.

  The sound of his voice echoed in her head, frightening her. A deep rumbling started in her chest that scared her even more. Tears burned at the corner of her eyes as a full-blown panic attack worked its way through her. She drew in several inadequate breaths. Darkness nibbled at the edge of her vision, and she grabbed at Kyle’s shirt to keep herself from being lost again.

  “Relax,” Kyle said again. His arms tightened around her. “You’re safe and I won’t let anything hurt you.”

  A wave of trust and comfort washed over Angela, pushing back her panic, but the trust, in itself, terrified her. She clutched at the material of Kyle’s shirt so hard her fingers ached. She didn’t know where these strange feelings were coming from. “Kyle?” she whimpered.

  “I’m here,” he said soothingly. “And you are okay.”

  Angela licked her lips and tried to focus on his words. They resonated with her in strange ways. “What happened?” she asked trying to get a handle on where they were. She hadn’t moved much to see what was around her, but the wind on her skin and the blue sky behind Kyle told her they were no longer in her father’s home.

  “There was an accident with the dragon heart,” he explained.

  Angela shivered. She remembered Kyle’s struggle with Eugene and the desk being knocked back. She’d reached for the box to keep it from tipping but only managed to pull it down on top of her as she fell. She didn’t remember what happened after that. “Oh God,” she whimpered, dreading what he would say next.