I gulp. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t forget that you can bond with these dragons, but in the end, you’ll have to do whatever I ask you if you want me to heal your sister as I said.”
I feel sweat start to bead at my brow. “What do you mean whatever you ask?”
“Just what I said,” he retorts, crossing his legs in front of him. “I told you to help them, and when I give you further instructions, I expect you to follow those as well.”
I bite my lower lip. “I don’t know if I can do that. You haven’t even told me what you want. Besides, if these dragons hurt you, are they really your friends? Why do you want me to help them?”
A slight flush tinges his cheekbones. “They are still a part of my group.”
“They can be very difficult,” I offer understandingly.
Lee smiles slightly. “That’s true. Who is your favorite?”
Seth’s, Griffin’s, and Rainier’s faces all move through my mind, and I shake my head. “I couldn’t choose. I’m beginning to care for all of them.”
“Good,” Lee says. Then he looks a bit panicked, as if he gave away too much. “I mean, they’re my friends, so I’m happy you’re getting along with them.”
“Byron and Van seem okay too,” I say. “Aside from kidnapping me.”
Lee’s eyes are hesitant. “That’s where I would differ. I would say Van and Byron are the most difficult dragons. Just not at first glance.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to figure it out on your own, I suppose,” Lee says, and I realize he’s starting to fade again.
“Wait, who is projecting you?”
He waves vaguely, and his hand becomes transparent. “Be careful, dragon heart. I want to see you in the glistening city someday.”
“The glistening what?”
But then he’s gone, and I’m talking to an empty chair and looking crazy.
I let out a disappointed breath. If he wasn’t going to be helpful, why did he even come?
I guess to remind me of why I’m here in the first place. I may be getting to know the other dragons, but I came here to help my sister.
The thought is heavy in me somehow.
I stand up and pace, trying to figure out if I should go see Van and Byron, but a knock on the door saves me the trouble.
“Are you ready?” Byron asks impatiently. “We want you to come out.”
I sigh and stand up, unlocking the door and opening it because I’m not sure how patient my kidnappers can be.
When Byron sees me open the door, he opens his mouth as if to chastise me, but then his eyes wander over me and his hand comes up to cover his mouth as though he’s at a loss for words.
I think he might be blushing.
He turns away from me quickly, letting out a huff as he drops his hands. “Fine. Anyway, Van and I will meet you downstairs.”
He tromps down the stairs, his huge figure shaking them as he goes, and I can’t help but smile at his retreating back.
No matter what, he’s an interesting person.
At least he and Van didn’t hurt any of my friends.
I walk down the stairs carefully, and when I reach the living room, Byron beckons me to another part of the house. When I walk in, I see a deck at the back of the house and a grill on it.
Van has an apron on and is cooking, looking like he’s humming to himself as he adjusts the grill.
“Hungry?” Byron asks, opening the sliding glass door for me.
“Starving,” I say, wondering if I should trust them enough to eat.
“Oh, come on,” Byron says, taking a seat at the wooden table. “You can’t be serious. Why would we go to all the trouble of kidnapping you if we were just going to kill you?”
I bite my lower lip. “I didn’t mean you would poison it… Just…”
Byron stares at me, and when he catches my meaning, his beautiful, dark-gold eyebrows lower angrily. “I don’t have to rape women to get them in my bed.”
I’m speechless as he gets up and joins Van at the grill, dipping to whisper something secretively in his ear.
The two of them then look at me, giving me shivers.
They’re beautiful but terrifying at the same time, and I sit at the table to eat because I’ll probably need all my strength to deal with them.
When Van finishes cooking, he brings over three plates with what looks like steaks on them. Byron brings out a bowl of mashed potatoes from the kitchen, and as I look around at the trees rising all around us, I think that maybe these dragons have the nicest spot.
“We were sent here most recently,” Van says.
“True.” Byron agrees. “We also tried to murder people.”
“Also true,” Van says.
My steak pauses halfway to my mouth. “You what?”
“Tried to murder people,” Byron says, taking a bite of his steak. “Well, shifters. Maybe a couple times.”
“I was just trying to help,” Van says. “Trying to get a dire bear out of the world.”
“Oh, and the fact that you wanted his dragon heart means nothing?” Byron asks, gold eyes glittering.
Van just shrugs and shoves his hair over his shoulder so he can eat his steak. He pauses, stabbing his fork in Byron’s direction. “Well, you were threatening a wolf’s mate in order to draw him in and kill him.”
Byron eats a piece of meat, smiling. “Had to keep peace at the compound. Besides, he was a notorious assassin. Who knew that the oracle would care?”
I blink at them in shock, hearing them discuss being so horrible.
Unlike Seth and Griffin and Rainier, who seem to regret anything bad they’ve done, these two are wholly unrepentant.
I take an awkward bite and chew in uncomfortable silence.
“So how did you get here?” Van asks, chewing. “I haven’t seen it in any visions.”
“Visions?” I ask.
“One of my powers as purple dragon,” he says quietly.
“How did you know where to find me?” I ask.
“Oh, I saw you land near Griffin. I just didn’t see how.”
“Um, Rainier helped,” I say truthfully because it feels like it would be hard to hide things from them.
“But why?” Van asks, resting his face on his cheek.
“Who cares?” Byron says. “We rescued her, and now she’s with the best dragons and everything will be fine from here on out.”
I cock my head at them. “You think you rescued me?”
Van peers at me. “You were going to be on fire, were you not?”
“What about at the cabin with the merchant? You tried to take me then as well.”
“Griffin’s an asshole, and Seth is literally toxic,” Byron says. “I knew you wouldn’t want to be with them.”
I’m quiet for a moment as I cut my steak, and I’m surprised when tears well up. “They’re my friends. I want to be with them.”
Van and Byron are silent, and then Byron scoffs.
His beautiful face is so much less beautiful the more I get to know him.
“This is ridiculous. There’s no way you can prefer those inferior dragons. We are the leaders of the pairs.”
“Then why did you let all of this happen?” I ask, looking over at Van. “Why didn’t you see things going wrong?”
Van suddenly lets out a screech, holding his head and bending forward over the table. Byron jumps up to go over to him, but Van just writhes back and forth, clutching his head like he’s trying to keep it in one piece.
He lets out a low moan and then flops onto the table, unconscious, and begins to snore.
I’m so shocked I just stare at him, feeling my heartbeat in my throat.
“Um. What just happened?” I ask Byron, who is slinging Van’s arm over his shoulder and standing up to carry him inside.
“Nothing,” Byron says shortly. “You stay here and eat. I’ll be back in a minute. Then we’ll talk.”
I nod, but once they’ve gone back
into the house, I feel a sense of unease at everything. Like just being here is very wrong.
When I stab into my meat, I can’t help but pretend it’s Byron’s smug face.
32
Griffin
Griffin glared at Rainier, who glared at Seth, who glared at Griffin as they all sat in the wreckage of Rainier’s house created by the shockwave caused when Griffin had to break out of the dungeon.
It wasn’t the worst dungeon Griffin had been in. Hell, it was probably more comfortable than his own home, but it separated him from Anna, which made it unbearable.
Which was why it was ironic that Griffin was separated from her now.
He and Rainier had pulled back at the last second and diverted their fire, but it hadn’t mattered. Because someone had fucking kidnapped their dragon heart into the sky while they were fighting.
Because they were fighting.
Griffin put his head in his hands and leaned over the table, ignoring Rainier’s servants as they picked up rubble all around. “Sorry about your house,” he said dully.
Rainier just narrowed his silver eyes, still clearly pissed.
“I didn’t mean to wreck it.” Griffin went on, shame so deep inside him he couldn’t breathe right. “You shouldn’t have locked me up.”
More silence from Seth and Rainier. Silence that felt like it was killing Griffin.
But maybe silence was better than blaming.
Maybe Griffin had caused everything bad to happen in the first place. Maybe it was his fault they’d been split up. Maybe…
“You’re right, I shouldn’t have done that,” Rainier said in a low voice, glaring down at the fold-up table. If anything, now that he wasn’t looking at Griffin, he seemed even angrier.
A sudden revelation came over Griffin as he stared at the weary dragon who could have been his partner.
Rainier wasn’t angry with Griffin; he was angry with himself.
They all were.
Sure enough, Seth was next. “I should have been stronger. If she didn’t need serum for me, she wouldn’t have gone with you.”
“She would have,” Rainier said. “I shouldn’t have pushed her.”
“It’s hard not to,” Griffin said, pushing back in his chair with a huff. “It’s hard not to want her so badly I can’t see straight.”
“Me too,” Rainier said.
“Me three,” Seth said. “But maybe for different reasons than you both.”
Griffin eyed Seth, who was looking less pale after Rainier had given him serum, right after the golden shield had finally set them free.
A few hours after Anna was gone.
“I mean, I just wanted her because she was a human. Because she might be able to make the poison go away.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “At least at first. I don’t know how I feel now.”
“But you still want her,” Griffin said.
“Yes,” Seth answered.
It was quiet, and a breeze blew through their ridiculous little scene, scattering more of Rainier’s rubble.
“So, uh, are you going to be able to fix this?” Griffin asked, looking around them at ground zero.
Rainier shook his head. “But it’s nothing I can’t easily buy again.”
Griffin kind of thought he was downplaying the seriousness of it, but that was fine with him. He was blaming himself enough already.
“You’re taking this better than I thought you would,” Seth said quietly, peering up at Rainier.
Rainier turned the cup of tea in front of him slightly, studying the pattern on the side. His silver hair lifted, and Griffin noticed a bit of debris had flown in and gotten caught.
Griffin reached over to pull it out, and Rainier looked up at him sharply, eyes wide.
Figuring there was nowhere to go from here that was any less awkward, Griffin plucked the bit of debris from Rainier’s hair and tossed it aside.
Seth was watching the whole thing like his life depended on it. Maybe it did.
Because for once, three dragons from their group were sitting together and not trying to kill or maim each other, and Griffin had to admit it was kind of nice.
Even if the only reason they were finally getting along was because everything had been taken from them.
It was different when they were banished to the human world. They hadn’t wanted to be pairs, not really, so it wasn’t much of a punishment at first.
But Anna? Griffin had wanted her. So bad he couldn’t think straight. So bad he couldn’t control himself.
Rainier had tried to stop him. Tried to be level-headed and calm. Sometimes, when squinting, Griffin could almost imagine how it would be between the two of them if they were partners.
He had to admit it had been nice to pull the debris out of Rainier’s hair. Nice to help someone. Nice to be useful.
Rainier was definitely glaring at him now. “Something you should be telling me?”
Griffin grimaced. “No.”
“I can read your mind.”
“I know,” Griffin muttered. “But I was under the impression there was nothing worth reading in it.”
“Not true,” Rainier said softly, clutching his teacup. “I’m glad to see there’s something other than an unstoppable rage beast.”
“Oh my God, are we becoming friends?” Seth asked, looking between them. “Oh, hell yeah. We’ll need that if we’re going to take on Van and Byron.”
“Do you really think she’ll be safe with them?” Griffin asked Seth, who seemed to know them best.
“Oh yeah,” Seth said. “They’re pretty awful pieces of work, but they wouldn’t hurt a woman. Kidnap one, yes. But they probably see themselves as doing her a favor.”
“Didn’t they murder someone to get here?” Rainier asked.
Seth shook his head. “No. Not murder. Attempted murder maybe. Or kidnapping.”
There was quiet. More dust blew by.
“I still need to find her,” Griffin muttered. “Those assholes.”
“I know where to go,” Seth said. “But I don’t think we should until we figure things out.”
“Why?” Griffin asked.
“Because this would all just happen again, inevitably,” Rainier said, shaking his head. “They are united, but we are bound to fight just as soon as we have Anna back with us. Then we’re vulnerable to this happening again.” He shoved his hair back over his shoulder. “This world is too awful to take our eyes off her for a moment. We should have stayed focused.”
“Yeah,” Griffin said. “I guess for a minute, I was back in the past. Finally able to take you on. Finally trying to blame anyone but myself.”
“Please,” Rainier said. “We were all at fault. Even Lee, if we want to get right down to it.”
They were all quiet at that, and the wind howled a lonely melody around them.
“He did less than anyone to deserve it, and he got it the worst,” Seth said, his voice hoarse. He stood. “That’s it. I’m going to find Anna. But unless the two of you can get along, I’m not taking you with me.”
Griffin and Rainier looked at one another, and Griffin realized that deep down, they weren’t that different. Sure, Rainier was renowned and intelligent and respected, but Griffin was strong.
Together…
He eyed Seth. “But how would that work?”
“What, like a threesome?” Seth asked.
Rainier jolted. “I think I’m behind in this conversation.”
“Seth is right. We have to team up. But there are three of us.”
“I’m not teaming with you,” Rainier said. “I want Anna for myself.” But Griffin felt as if Rainier was hiding something. The silver dragon was the best at reading thoughts and the best at hiding them.
Hm.
“I don’t really care as long as someone mates her and gets us the blue dragon power,” Seth said. “I’m tired of waiting to die.”
Griffin sat up straighter at that. “You never deserved to be punished more than us.”
&nbs
p; Seth gave a little shrug, and the black tips of his hair blew across his jawline in the wind. “I’m dangerous. Whether I like it or not.”
They were all quiet again for a long moment. It was the most awkward moment Griffin had ever sat through in his life.
But it was still better than thinking about what Anna might be faring with the two other dragons. What if they hurt her? What if they couldn’t protect her? What if—
“Stop,” Seth said. “There’s no use worrying right now. Neither of you is in any state to fight Byron or Van. Especially you, Griffin, given how much strength you wasted bashing yourself up against Byron’s shield.”
Griffin had been desperate. The same dragon inside him that had made him want to fight Rainier, to do anything to protect Anna, had also made him wild when she’d been taken.
Rainier had ended up using telepathy to hold Griffin in place so he couldn’t bash himself up anymore.
Once again, Griffin’s eyes went to Rainier, wondering if they could actually be good teammates.
“I might as well go with you two when you find her,” Rainier said, looking at the rubble. “Nothing waiting for me here anyway.” He turned to Seth. “Do you know where they are exactly?”
“No,” Seth said. “They move around in the enchanted cottage set up by the fae for Van.”
“Enchanted?”
“Yeah. So whenever Van gets kicked out of town for ripping people off with fake prophecies, he can relocate. But I think I know where they’re situated right now.”
“How much have you seen them since they got here?” Rainier asked.
“Quite a bit,” Seth said. “I make sure and visit every new dragon, just to welcome them to the Blur.”
“Right,” Griffin said, remembering that. At a terrible time, even Seth’s face had been welcome. And then slowly but surely, he’d begun to see the other dragon as a friend.
Maybe the same thing could happen with Rainier.
Or maybe it was just his guilt since he started the fight that caused all of this.
Rainier stood suddenly, placing his hands on the table. “We don’t need to beat ourselves up about this. If Anna is our destiny, then all of this was supposed to happen too.”
Griffin raised an eyebrow. “You believe in destiny?”
Bad Dragons: Special Edition Complete Series Page 23
