Dragon Released (Reclaimed Dragons Book 1)

by Terry Bolryder

  8

  The next morning, Dallin woke up thinking about Jo.

  Her little moan when she took that cupcake, the way she melted in his arms.

  He hadn’t been expecting it. He hadn’t ever thought he would make a move on one of the beacons.

  He hadn’t even wanted to go on protection duty.

  Now he just wanted to see her face again since he’d had to leave shortly after waking up to go to one of Ian’s weekly training sessions.

  He was currently at the house where he’d lived with the other hybrid dragons while waiting to be assigned.

  Brett, an ice fae prince, had agreed to watch Jo’s place, though Dallin wouldn’t be fully relaxed until he was back with her.

  “He’s thinking about the beacon,” Landon said, smirking. “I think he likes her.”

  Landon’s misty light-blue eyes always set Dallin off-kilter slightly. Perhaps it was the way they contrasted with his tanned skin and coal-black hair and lashes or the way he always read thoughts effortlessly and shamelessly.

  Or all the power he possessed.

  “Shut up,” Dallin said, glaring at Landon. “Listen to Ian.”

  Ryder let out a groan and sat forward, running his hands through his dark-brown hair. “This is just too hard.” He shook his head. “They should just put me back to sleep.”

  Ryder, whose green-yellow eyes reminded Dallin of a cat, had been in cryo for a short time after he was first “rescued.” He’d been trying to break down the building where he’d been experimented on when Dallin and Ian had shown up.

  He hadn’t been easy to control, to say the least.

  None of the hybrid dragons had been, other than Landon.

  Then they’d found out they were going to protect human beacons. At that point, Ryder had seemed cautiously optimistic, and Landon was downright delighted.

  Dallin had fought tooth and nail to get the collar off instead.

  So it was still kind of odd that he was the one protecting a beacon.

  Now that he’d met Jo, he was glad it was him.

  “He really likes her,” Landon said, smirking over at Dallin like they were erstwhile kids in a classroom and not trying to get lessons on how to access their powers.

  Then again, maybe Landon was actually on his side. It was hard to tell sometimes.

  “Shut it,” Dallin snapped.

  Landon just shrugged.

  Ian, who’d been watching the whole thing with folded arms, his gray eyes sharp and his white-blond hair ruffled from how much he’d run his hands through it, frowned. “I need you all to pay attention. This is hard enough as it is.”

  “I just don’t get it,” Ryder said, looking the most frustrated. “How are we supposed to know how much fae or dragon blood we have in us?” He gestured to Ian’s board. “I get that you want to teach us how to transform properly, but I don’t even know what I am. I have like five forms.”

  “Yeah, he’s kind of a mystery soup,” Dallin said. He’d seen a few of Ryder’s forms when helping rescue him. What the fae had done to him when they created him wasn’t pretty, to say the least.

  Ryder shot Dallin a glare, hearing his thoughts. “Thanks.”

  “We’re all monsters,” Dallin said. “It’s the truth.”

  “I’m not a monster,” Landon said helpfully.

  “I am,” Ryder said, and Dallin and he shared a look that only they could understand.

  They hadn’t talked a lot because Dallin wasn’t really in the habit of making friends very easily, but he knew just from looking in the other dragon’s haunted eyes that they shared some history.

  “You aren’t monsters,” Ian said, kind and patient as always. “You’re… unique.”

  Dallin heard a snort from Liz, who was watching from a chair in the corner. She was Ian’s soul bond and always liked to watch the sessions.

  She was a curvy Black woman with an unstoppable attitude, sparkling brown eyes, and a smile for everyone.

  Dallin thought she and Jo might get along very well.

  “Listen,” Ian said. “It doesn’t really matter what powers you have or how much of something you are. You all should be able to shift fully into both fae and dragon form due to your unique makeup.”

  “Yeah, but we were all made different ways,” Dallin said. “That’s the whole point of ‘experiments.’”

  “Right,” Ian said. “So your forms might vary slightly. But you can still access both of them somehow most likely.”

  “I can take my dragon form easily, messed up though he is,” Ryder said darkly. “It’s the fae thing I don’t understand.”

  “Yeah, when you take that form, I can’t even look at you,” Dallin said, shaking his head.

  “I don’t know. It’s kind of cool,” Liz said. “Like the villain in a sci-fi movie.”

  “Thanks.” Ryder groaned, putting his head in his hands again.

  Landon reached over awkwardly and patted his shoulder, but Ryder just waved him away as he sat back up.

  “Anyway,” Ryder said. “How do I take full fae form once I figure out what power I contain?”

  “I already know my power,” Dallin said. “Ice.”

  “That’s right,” Ian said. “Brett felt that from you. You could ask him about it.”

  Dallin shook his head. “I’ve always known that’s the type of blood they put in me. Not that I’ll ever use it.”

  Dallin’s main captor had been an ice fae, and Dallin had the sneaking suspicion, though it had never been confirmed, that the fae blood mixed with his had come from that ice fae.

  Dallin didn’t really want to know, though. He didn’t care. He was dragon through and through and always would be.

  It didn’t matter what else was in him.

  Ian folded his arms. “You shouldn’t brush it off. Having two powers, or more, is incredible. You could do so much good.”

  Dallin scoffed. “As a fairy?” He glared at Ian. “No offense, but I never want to be one of your kind.”

  Ian’s expression softened. “I understand after what you’ve gone through. Your rage is warranted, if a little misdirected.”

  “Hmph,” was Dallin’s answer.

  “Have you seen Ultraviolet?” Landon asked, perking up with a gleam in his icy-blue eyes that made them somewhat warmer.

  Landon had been a bit smitten because Ultraviolet, or Vexxus as she was known to Dallin, had been the one to rescue him from the dungeon.

  But Dallin almost didn’t want to disappoint Landon by telling him that the errant, vengeful fairy was probably the last person he should fall in love with.

  “I have no idea where she is,” Dallin said honestly, a hint of guilt pricking at him.

  He still hadn’t given up on trying to find and help her, but so far, she wasn’t wanting to be found.

  She’d hated him ever since he’d turned away from her plans to wreck the entire fae world for what it had done to her and Dallin and countless others.

  Landon looked disappointed for a moment, then shrugged, back to his usual cheery disposition.

  “Look,” Ian said, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was praying for patience. “I’m telling you that your different forms are easier to access depending on emotions.” He moved his stick to a bad drawing of a fairy with wings out and holding a wand.

  Dorky.

  “This is a true form,” Ian said. “It’s the form we take to defend our soul bond or our kingdom. It means we are linking our magic to its most powerful source and risking our lives in battle to do so.”

  Ryder scoffed. “Why would a fae put his life at risk for someone else?”

  “For the same reason as anyone,” Ian said, looking disappointed by Ryder’s remark. “Love.

  “Fairies can’t love,” Ryder muttered.

  Ian let out a sigh.

  Liz stood. “Look, I’m pretty sick of the fairy burns while Ian is right here. He’s been pretty patient, and—”

  Ryder looked up, vaguely startled, an apolog
etic look crossing his face. “I’m sorry, Ian. I suppose I’ve come to see you as something different, and I forget to modify my words when you’re around.”

  “I don’t,” Dallin said irritably. “Fairies suck. It’s the truth, in my experience.” He looked at Ian. “Are you actually offended by my saying that?”

  Ian sagged slightly. “No. But I’m a little worried that you’re going to hurt yourself by refusing to acknowledge a large part of you.”

  “Not large,” Dallin said. “Probably tiny.”

  “He has never even partially transformed into a fae,” Ryder says. “I think if any of us is mostly dragon, it’s Dallin.”

  Ian frowned. “Well, we all know Dallin is stubborn enough to suppress anything.”

  Dallin just shrugged. He already just wanted to get back to Jo.

  How do we make him shut up? he thought to Ryder and Landon.

  He’s nice, Landon thought back. You should listen.

  Ian was elucidating more about the way fae princes used their dorky true forms.

  He doesn’t get it, Ryder thought back. We aren’t like him. Or the other dragons. We never will be. They should just accept that and put us somewhere we can’t hurt anyone.

  Speak for yourself, Landon thought. I’m going to find Ultraviolet someday.

  Good luck, Dallin replied.

  With what? Winning her? Landon asked.

  Not dying, Dallin thought back.

  Oh, Landon thought, frowning.

  Guys, he’s catching on, Ryder interrupted, making them all look up to see Ian folding his arms.

  “Why am I even doing this if you’re going to just conspire in your minds like that? Dammit, I wish I could read minds like a dragon,” Ian muttered.

  “Dragons are pretty awesome,” Dallin said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head lazily. “So basically, we don’t need to know anything about being fae. It would just make us weak.”

  Plus, if he never had to be fae or face any fae part of him, maybe he could truly move on in this world.

  Forget the lab, the fae world, what was done to him.

  Pretend he had been born here, a regular emerald dragon.

  I hear you’re the rarest type as an emerald dragon, Landon thought while Ryder and Ian went into a discussion about wands and their effectiveness versus dragon fire.

  That makes sense, Dallin thought back darkly. We don’t need a lot of creatures able to use mind control.

  You should mind control Vexxus then, make her come back to us, Landon thought, looking hopeful.

  Dallin just stared at him, wondering if something really wasn’t quite right with the eager-looking, mild-mannered dragon.

  No, Dallin thought to Landon. Then he turned back to Ian, clearly ending the subject.

  “I can take out any fae,” Dallin said stubbornly. “With my emerald powers, I’ve never had trouble killing one or making them kill themselves. I don’t need some stupid ice wand.”

  “The wand doesn’t shoot ice,” Ian said. “It shoots pure killing intent from the magic in a fae’s heart source, and—”

  “I’m not using it,” Dallin said fiercely, meeting Ian’s eyes.

  “Okay,” Ian said, stepping back. “But as I was just telling Ryder, when you find your soul bond—”

  Dallin raised an eyebrow. “That’s a fae term. I don’t have one.”

  “We get mates,” Landon said helpfully.

  “Sort of,” Ian said. “It depends on which type of blood is dominant in you. And who you’re paired with.”

  “What’s your beacon like?” Ryder asked.

  “None of your business,” Dallin retorted, folding his arms somewhat defensively. For some reason, he didn’t like anyone talking about Jo.

  “Nevertheless, it depends on how far back the fae blood goes and how potent it is,” Ian said. “They might end up feeling more like a mate or a soul bond. That said, your assignment is to protect them, not mate them.”

  “But we can mate them,” Landon said eagerly.

  Ian put a hand to his head. “Yes. But again, it’s complicated and…” He let out a sigh, looking at Liz. “Why did I take this job again?”

  Liz grinned, getting up out of the chair to come over to Ian, wrapping her arms around his waist and smiling up at him before giving him a kiss.

  All three dragons made rude groaning noises, and Liz and Ian ignored them, lost in each other for a few seconds.

  Then Liz pulled back from Ian, both of them flushing, though she continued to hold Ian’s waist. “You agreed to this because you have a big heart and you care about others and want to help. Because you’re a good man and a good fairy.”

  Ian flushed, and Dallin felt embarrassed just watching the two together.

  Though, he had to admit that it looked nice to have something like that. A relationship.

  It just seemed so far away.

  Jo’s face popped up in his mind, and he pushed it away. No way someone as sweet and delicate and kind was for someone like him.

  Even if he wanted to burn the world at the thought of anyone else being with her.

  “He really, really likes her,” Landon teased, making Dallin wish he wasn’t wearing a suppressor so he could tell Landon to jump out the nearest window.

  “I’m giving you one last warning to shut up,” Dallin growled, glaring at Landon, who was still grinning.

  “Now listen,” Liz said. “Ian is trying to help you, you idiot dragons, and I want to see you happy too. So pay attention, even to the fae stuff you hate, because you might need it one day, and we just want the best for you.”

  The dragons all looked at each other, ashamed, and nodded at Liz.

  “Plus, every time you insult fairies, I’m going to have to come over and make Ian feel better, and you know I’m going to make out with him to do that, so—”

  “We’ll listen,” Ryder said instantly as Dallin grunted and Landon’s eyes bulged with his need to show how well he understood as he nodded his head rapidly.

  “Good,” Liz said. “Now the two of you need to listen to Ian because I need to talk to Dallin for a moment.”

  Dallin sat up, surprised. “What?”

  Ian waved a hand. “Go. Just know I can vaporize you if you try anything.”

  Liz grinned at Ian and blew him a kiss, then followed Dallin, who opened the door and held it for her as they left the office.

  9

  Ian and Liz had an apartment in the city, near the other fae, but they also had a room in the house Dallin was renting with the other dragons for when they were staying there to train and watch over them.

  It was a property on the edge of a town in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by empty fields and a row of far-off trees at the base of a mountain that rose high above.

  Not a large house, more of a cottage, though there were enough bedrooms for all of the dragons plus a master suite for Ian and Liz.

  “So how’s it going?” Liz asked sweetly as they walked into the living room, and Liz took a seat on a love seat, gesturing for Dallin to take the couch.

  “Fine,” Dallin said as he sat down on the couch hard enough it creaked.

  Despite his general tendency to be rude to everyone and fairies in particular, Dallin had something of a friendship bond with Liz regardless of her being part fae.

  Part of it was he owed her because she’d been the one to stop him on that day when he might have done something he would always regret.

  Part of it was that she was just impossible not to like.

  “Landon said you like your beacon. Is that true?” Liz’s brown eyes sparkled excitedly.

  Dallin raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you have enough romance with Ian to not dig in other people’s business?”

  She just snorted at his surliness. “Shut up. You don’t scare me. Not anymore. Now—”

  “Did I scare you before?” he asked, wondering what Jo thought of him.

  Liz cocked her head. “No. Not initially. And I hated
you when you… did what you did to Ian. But I understood, thanks to Ultraviolet.”

  “Thanks,” Dallin said.

  “So anyway, you still owe me. Now tell me about this girl.”

  Dallin swallowed, and he was surprised, as the seconds ticked by, how hard it was to know what to say. “I’m just doing my job.”

  Liz frowned. “What was Landon talking about, then?”

  “Okay,” Dallin said. “I hate being suppressed, and I don’t see why I should be anyone’s guard dog, given that I’m a monster. But yes, Jo is pretty, sweet, and kind, and if I have to guard someone, I’m glad it’s her. She deserves it.” He folded his arms and glared defiantly at Liz as if daring her to pry further.

  “I’m sure she’s happy,” Liz said. “Being protected by a strong, handsome dragon.”

  Dallin’s lip quirked. “Don’t let Ian hear you say it. I don’t need a fatal tanning session.”

  Liz laughed then, throwing her head back. “No,” she said. “You’re not handsome like Ian. No one is.” She looked off dreamily. “But I just wanted to say that I bet that human likes you back.”

  “Stop it,” Dallin said, feeling himself flushing. He wasn’t some schoolboy with a crush.

  He was a messed-up dragon who spent most of his life in a lab, being tortured and then had a short run of being a vindictive, vengeful, attempted mass murderer right after.

  But… perhaps he did have a crush.

  “You’re blushing,” Liz said. “Oh, I should get Ian.”

  “No,” Dallin said quickly. “I don’t want to… talk about this with anyone. It isn’t going anywhere.”

  Liz nodded. “And it won’t if you don’t learn to show people a little more of who you really are and not just what you want them to see.”

  “What do you mean what I want them to see?”

  “You act like this big, mean wall of a person,” Liz says. “Trying to keep everyone out. But I know there’s a better person. The one who saved Callie and Flynn.”

  Dallin frowned. “Only so they could owe us after. And to get Ian on board.”

  “And I know you only attacked the fae world to save other dragons who were still suffering.”