“No. He’s going to be dead, all of you are. Including Damn Bird.” Lilac turned and looked at Griff. Her wink made both he and his dragon feel so much better. “What are you doing all the talking for? I want to have this conversation with someone that has a bit of intelligence.”
“You’re talking to someone much smarter than you are, moron. I used my time being around forever to have a great education. And even if I hadn’t, you have to admit calling dragons to you, while you hold one of their mothers, is about as stupid as it can get. What did you hope to gain by making this monumental mistake?”
“I want you all dead.” She laughed, and so did Dragon. “I want to talk to Griffith, not you. Griffith? Are you too afraid to face me?”
He shifted to become a man in that moment. “Nay, I am not afraid of you at all, James. Lilac is here to bargain with you. And failing that, the council has given myself and her permission to end your life. So that we may go on with our own.”
“You can’t be serious. Why does the dragon council have anything to do with this in the first place?” He told him that he’d killed a dragon. “Mother fuck, Griffith. How many times are you going to bring that up? It’s done. It’s over. Get over it.”
“No, I don’t think so. And I will be happy to have you dead and out of our lives. You will be too, James. Surely you can see that you’re not going to live.” The blood running down his mother’s throat had Griff’s dragon rushing over him, as if he were going to take him to save their mother. “Let her go, James. Let Mother go.”
“No. She’s going to get me what I want, and that’s you dead. Fuck you and the rest of them. And once I’m in the castle, I’m going to kill you all.” He looked at the dragons around them. They were lounging on the grass. Kip was having a good time playing with the faeries that had come to help should they need them. “Allow me entrance to the castle, Griffith, and I’ll let her go.”
“Done.” He could see by the look on James’s face that he’d not expected him to give that to him. “You may enter the castle. Call it your own if you wish. But, brother dear, you have to make it there, and I don’t see that being an easy task for you.”
“Then I’ll take her head now.” Griffith felt his dragon—he was pissed, and when he consumed him, he knew that he was going to kill James. And if he did, then Mom was going to be hurt as well. “You can’t hurt me, Griffith. If you so much as draw in a breath to burn me, I’ll cut her head off before you could even get to that point.”
I’m a dragon, son. He looked at his mother when she spoke to him through their link. Griff, I’m a dragon. Your brother is not. End this. I know that I did not wish for you to be the one, but I’m a dragon. Kill him.
You’ll be hurt. I cannot do that to you. She smiled, and he heard her gentle laughter. I don’t find anything about this to be humorous, Mom.
Hurt is so much better than dead, don’t you think? I do, even if you don’t. Kill him. Let us all get on with our lives—kill him. He looked at the others; they were all on alert now. I love you, Griffith, with all that I am. But he will harm you all should he get away with this.
Before he could summon the breath to breathe over his mom and brother, the faeries that had been with Kip suddenly materialized in front of him. Before he could figure out what they were about, they attacked, as one, his brother.
The screaming from James would haunt him forever, he thought. The way that the faeries went after him, digging and cutting into his flesh, had his dragon curl around him. Griff wasn’t sure if he was protecting him or just giving him comfort, but he watched in horrific detail as his brother was literally dismantled as a person.
Great slices of James’s skin were removed. Holes were burrowed into the places where his eyes had been. His fingers were torn off and his clothing stripped away, showing more of how they were cutting him apart. Mom moved away, his hold on her no longer there. And when she stood beside Lilac, Dragon held him tighter, telling him that the faeries had this.
Even torn apart as he was, James still screamed. They had yet to remove his head from his torso, and the rest of him, arms and legs, even his ears, were still intact. Griff wondered why they were toying with him, seemed to be dragging out his death for too long, when Danburn spoke to him.
They cannot kill a creature such as him. The faeries can maim him, incapacitate him, but they cannot take his life. Not remove his head in this. Griff asked him why not. Because it is the law. Even with him stripped of everything that he was—his titles, money, and castle—he is still a royal. And that makes it so that their hands are tied in this.
And they were careful of not killing him. He was sure that they could, easily, but they were never close to his neck at any time. That, however, left a great deal of him to suffer. And Griff could see that he was. Suffering as much as anyone he’d ever seen.
“Kill him, Griff.” He looked at his mom. “End his suffering. He has paid for what he has done. End his life now.”
Nodding once, he saw that the faeries seemed to understand and moved to be beside his mother and Lilac. He briefly wondered if Lilac had commanded them to do this, taking the threat away from his mom. Taking the step necessary to be closer to James, his brother’s lips, torn and bleeding, moved. That was when he noticed that the faeries had only removed one of his eyes—the other was staring at him as he lay there bleeding.
You fucked me over. He told James that he had not, he’d done that on his own. No, you did this. This is all your fault. And as soon as I’m healed, you’ll be dead.
You are nearly so now, James. There is nothing left of you to think you might live. James told him he was an immortal. You were. At one time you might have been able to recover from such a thing, but killing our father and trying to kill Mom, you began the process of having your immortality stripped from you.
No, this is your fault. He didn’t bother answering him, but watched him lie there. I hate you, Griffith. And some day you’re going to die at my hand.
It is you that will be dead in a moment. And yet you still hurl insults at me. Threaten me with the very thing that got you here. Why, James? Why did you not care for us the way we tried to you? James laughed, the sound of it gurgled and wet sounding. You think it’s a joke that I’m going to take your life? I told you once, I’d be the last thing you saw. And here we are to that very point.
Try and kill me, Griffith. Try it. I will prove to you that I am stronger than you. Being first born, it gave me rights and magic that you’ll never have. He laughed again. You’re so dim-witted, Griffith. Thinking that you can murder me. And that is what it would be, because you are this all powerful dragon. Try it and see that I am right.
Goodbye, James. I will not lie to you and tell you that I will miss you. I won’t tell you an untruth about how much this hurts me to end your life. You have no one to blame but yourself.
Drawing in a deep breath, feeling the heat of his dragon as he readied himself for this, Griff told his brother once again that he would not live through this.
Griff let his breath go. The white of the flame licked at the building they were beside, and that was what he focused on—the building, not his brother. When the screams stopped, the sound of it echoing around the other buildings, he didn’t look at the body of James, but turned and walked away when he knew it to be finished.
He took to the skies, wanting to get away, to clear his mind of what he’d just done. Griff landed atop the mountain, which was as much a part of the earth as it was Danburn’s home and laid down. The feelings that he was having, they seemed out of proportion to what he’d just done.
Are you all right? Do you need me? He told Lilac that he was fine but needed a moment or two. All right. But I’m right here should you need me. And the faeries are cleaning up and making the building whole again.
Yes, tell them I said thanks. He thought about James. He is dead, isn’t he? He seemed so sure that he was coming back. I wouldn’t think he would, but right now, I’m second guessing everything.<
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No. He’s gone. There is nothing left of him. That was good, he told her. Yes. Your mother is taking it surprisingly well too. She does have some sadness, but not like you’d think.
She’ll be all right. So will I. But I need a few minutes. She told him that she loved him. And I you, my dear. Very much so.
In that moment, he wanted a child. One of his own that he and Lilac could raise to be a good man, one of worth and not full of hate. It would be difficult, especially with the world as it was, but he wanted to have a baby with Lilac. He’d talk to her when he got home. Closing his eyes, knowing that he was safe as his dragon, Griff let complete rest take him.
Chapter 12
Nancy sat in the little hotel and looked around. She’d never been to such a homey place before. Even the cleaning staff, young kids that were just out of high school, were courteous and friendly. They had told her that Griffith was a good man and that he was someone to trust. Nancy didn’t know what to think. When the man she was meeting showed up, every part of her wanted to run and hide.
“Miss Shipley?” She said that she was Mrs. but was widowed now. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve recently had a loss as well. Would you like to talk here or at the diner? I heard that you’ve been there. The food is good, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s fine. I guess I should tell you why I’m here.”
He said that he wanted to know, but that they should sit down and order first. The walk to the diner was made in silence, but she kept an eye on how the others in town reacted to seeing him about. There were lots of hellos. Some only nodded and smiled. Two people told Lord Griffith that they were sorry for his loss. Nancy had heard that there had been a death, but not who it had been.
As soon as they were seated, a waitress that had waited on her before came to the table with a large glass of iced tea for him and lemonade for her. That was all she’d ordered to drink since being here.
“Hello, Griff. I was thinking about you yesterday. There are some old pieces of equipment out on my daddy’s farm that I wanted to know if you wanted. It’s old as sin, but I think with the right kind of care, people would like to see them. There’s an old car and a horse drawn buggy. My momma got herself wed up in that. Well, not the buggy, but that’s how she got to the church. You want it?” Lord Griffith smiled and said that he would be out to see it today. “Good. All righty then. You having the special? It’s country fried steak and mashed taters, as well as some green beans and a bowl of chicken noodle. You can have a salad if you want it. We made the kind your wife enjoys.”
“Yes, I’ll have the special.” He looked at Nancy and she nodded, telling him that she’d enjoy that as well. When the waitress walked away, he seemed to relax. “She’ll talk your arm off, but she’s good at what she does. And her mother is about as old as the buggy, I’m thinking. I’ve been around her on several committee meetings. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I didn’t know you were a twin.” He said that few did, that his brother wasn’t well liked. “Yes, I know that. I’ve come here— Well, I came here to tell you off. To perhaps hurt you in some way. But I don’t think it was you. Actually, I know that it wasn’t you who— My sister. Several months ago, she was murdered. Killed by your twin.”
“I’m so sorry. You cannot believe how sorry I am that this happened to you. My own wife, she was one of his victims as well.” She nodded and then looked away. “You said that you came here to find me. May I ask what led you to believe that you’d find your answers here?”
“He told her his name. Your name. He took her out a couple of times, promising her all sorts of things. I had met him too, just in passing. He— I don’t know his real name.” He told her he was James. “James. He wasn’t particularly nice, not even before she was killed. I told her to stay away, to break it off, but she liked him.”
“James was killed several days ago.” She said that she’d heard that as well. “I’m so very sorry. We, my family and I, are trying to find all the women that met with him. And we’re setting up a fund to help with funeral costs. Some of them, a very few, are alive but not well.”
Nancy looked at him. “You’re very wealthy.” He said that he was. “Yet you met with me, here in your home town, like a regular person.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that. We’re all just regular people.” Nancy shook her head and told him she didn’t mean to insult him. “You didn’t. I just wondered what you meant, that’s all.”
“I’m broke.” She laughed, bitterly. “My sister, Belinda Shipley, was all I had in the world. And when she was found—killed, I had to use all my resources to bury her, and then take out a loan to come here to fuck you over.”
“I can help you, Nancy.” She told him that wasn’t necessary. “But it is. My wife would have my head if I were to allow you to have had this expense and not reimburse you in some way.”
A beautiful woman came in then and sat down beside her. The man took up most of the other seat, and Nancy assumed this was the wife. It would only figure that a man as good looking as him would have a drop dead gorgeous wife too. Lord Griffith introduced her to his wife.
“Lady Lilac, it’s nice to meet you.” She said to please just call her Lilac. And then Griffith told her to call him Griff. “You’re so very nice, the two of you. I’ve been holding onto this anger, this pissed off-ness, for so long that it’s hard to equate you being related to that monster. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. He was a monster. Of the worse sort. And I’m so sorry that you became one of his prey as well.” She said it had been her sister. “No, you both were his prey in this. He hurt whole families with his depravity. And ruined a great many lives in the process. I’m very glad that you came to see us. This way when we start to contact others like you and your sister, we can include you in this. His mother, Marissa, she’s the one that is helping us put together what we think families might need.”
“I wouldn’t even hazard a guess on what people would need to have closure on this. Just knowing that he’s dead— I’m sorry Griffith, but knowing that he’s dead, it does help a great deal.” Griffith said that he agreed with her. “The things that he did to her. The way that—”
Nancy cried, something that she’d sworn that she was finished with. But when Lilac wrapped her up in her arms, it felt as if she could let go. To help herself heal now. Blubbering all the things that came into her head, things that James had done to Belinda, was easier than it had been. Just because these people cared.
When she was cried out, she looked around and there wasn’t anyone staring at her. And Griffith had left the two of them there. Feeling embarrassed, she told Lilac that she was sorry. That she’d not meant to make a fool of herself.
“You didn’t. You were hurt and holding that in can break you or make you. I think you’ll begin to heal now.”
Nancy nodded and looked at the plate of food in front of her. “I don’t think I can eat now.”
“Of course, you can. I’ll have Griff’s, though I think they know him well enough to double up his meal. There isn’t any way that I can eat all this.” Another woman joined them, and Nancy was introduced to Marissa, mother to James and Griff. “She was just telling me that she’s not hungry. And I have Griff’s plate.”
“I should hope you hadn’t ordered all that. But, my dear, you must eat. Go ahead—now that you’ve been lifted out of the mess that James put you in, you’re going to feel much better.” The other woman took a biscuit off the plate of Lilac and started putting butter on it. “I’ve been looking for someone that could come in a few days a week. I have to admit, I thought it would be a good deal easier than it’s turned out to be. I don’t suppose you have any skills to keep an old woman straight, do you? Scheduling things for me is a big thing, and someone to keep me sane on other days.”
“I was an event scheduler for my boss at my last job. I lost it when I couldn’t cope with losing my sister.” While she told Marissa what she’d done before, Nancy picked up her
fork and started eating. They were right, it was much easier now. “I’d love to work with you, but I have commitments at home that have to be dealt with.”
“Oh, pish posh. We’ll get that taken care of, won’t we Lilac?” Lilac smiled and said that it would be a piece of cake. “Good. Now, you’ll stay with me too. I’m alone in the house since my son has married. And the place has plenty of room. Oh, you’ll need a car. I’ve never learned how to drive yet, so that’ll be something we can work on as well.”
Before she left with Marissa, she had her things moved to the house, her apartment being closed down, and an order for a new car. The limo that took them to the house was something that she’d never experienced before, and she enjoyed it. But as soon as they pulled up in front of the house, she literally felt her jaw drop.
“This is not a house. You do know that, don’t you?” Marissa just smiled. “This is.... This is.... I’m not sure what to say. But I can’t stay here. This is just too much.”
“This is the reason that I didn’t tell you that you’d be living in a castle with me. It might well have overwhelmed you, and then where would I be?” They were handed out of the limo. Her luggage, the man told her, was already put in the blue room. “I didn’t think that you’d want to be all girly. There is a yellow room as well as a pink one. You can move to any of them should you want. I’m just glad that you’re here.”
“Are you sure about this? For all you know, I’m this mass murderer.” She realized what she’d said and asked her for forgiveness. “I just don’t want you to find out something about me later and I’ll be out on my ass again.”
“Before you came here, you were thoroughly investigated. It isn’t just you, dear. Anyone that comes in contact with this family has their lives looked into. We didn’t connect you with your sister, as we’re still trying to match up names to bodies that were found.”
Griffith: The English Dragon ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Page 15
