Pursued: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Beasts of Edgewood, Book 3)

by Danica Rayne

  Liam swallowed, wiping his hands on his jeans.

  “What is your name?” the man asked.

  “Liam Caldwell.”

  “Is that your true name?”

  “I don’t know. My foster dad found me in the forest sixteen years ago. I was an egg.”

  “Could he have survived all these years?” the woman whispered to the man.

  The man focused his attention on Liam. “I am Dink. This is my wife, Harila. “Show us proof that you are who you say you are.”

  “But Dink,” Henk tried to protest.

  “We are protected by the snow,” he assured him. “Humans aren’t climbing this time of year. Stay close to the mountains,” he warned Liam.

  “Got it.” He walked over to the edge and spread out his arms. Then he leaped off, shifting into his dragon form. All four of their jaws dropped, and then they gasped when he disappeared from sight.

  He reappeared on the cliff as he shifted back to his human form.

  “Oh thank the heavens.” Harila rushed over and threw her arms around him. “The last child of the Indigo clan. Welcome, Liam. Welcome.” She pulled back and wiped her eyes. “I’m your aunt. Through marriage. Dink is your uncle. He was your mother’s brother.”

  “Was my mom’s brother?” Liam asked. “You mean…?”

  Guilt and sympathy ate away at her face. “She was killed during the final war. Together with your father and grandparents.” She glanced at her husband. “Dink was the only survivor, or so we thought. How did you survive all these years?” she murmured to herself as she placed her hands on his face and titled his face from side to side. “And you’re healthy. You weren’t damaged during development and birth.”

  Henk focused his attention on me. “I’m sorry, but who are you? I sense something …”

  “She’s my girlfriend,” Liam explained.

  “And she knows your true nature?” Henk asked.

  “She’s um, well…”

  “I’m a slayer,” I said. “I know all about supernaturals.”

  Henk shrugged. “Our kind was never affected by the slayers. They only hunted us if we were causing problems to the humans. Our conflict was mostly internal, amongst the clans.”

  “So how many clans are there here?” Liam asked. “If me and my uncle are the only Indigo survivors, who are you?”

  Dink nodded. “Perhaps we should invite our guests inside.”

  They led us into an opening in the mountain, and my eyes popped out of my sockets as I took it all in. It was like another world in here. The surviving dragons had carved the inside of the mountain so it looked like a small town, with paths leading to homes.

  The four of them led us to a sitting area, where we sat down on stone benches. Harila left to get us something warm to drink.

  “This place is amazing,” I said.

  “Thank you,” Dink said. “We did what we had to do to survive.”

  “Can you tell me more about that?” Liam asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. “I want to learn all I can about the dragons. About my history.”

  Henk sat back, crossing one leg over the other. “Thousands of years ago, dragons soared in the sky. Tens of clans, hundreds of us. We were even worshiped by the humans.”

  “But some of the clans felt entitled,” Dink continued. “They demanded a ruling clan. A vote was declared, and the Scarlet clan was chosen.”

  “Scarlet?” Liam asked. “So they’re like me but have red wings and talons.”

  Dink nodded. “Our people were at peace for a few hundred years. But then there was conflict. Some felt the Scarlets had ruled long enough. Others thought they were weak. They demanded another ruling clan, something the Scarlets were very upset about. A civil war broke out, half of us siding with the Scarlets while others joined the rebellion. That was the first war in our history, starting the separation of the clans.”

  “Each clan established their own ruler,” Merla said as Harila joined us with a tray of tea and freshly baked bread.

  I couldn’t help but stare at the bread. How the heck did they have that up here?

  She chuckled. “We have a market run a few times a month,” she told me.

  “But how can you afford it?” I asked. “I mean, how do you guys make money?”

  They chuckled softly. “We’ve accumulated quite some gold over the years,” Henk explained. “Dragons really love their treasure. We have enough to last a lifetime.”

  “What happened next?” Liam asked, a little impatient.

  “Each clan chose a ruler,” Dink continued. “Your grandfather was the first ruler of the Indigo clan.”

  “My grandfather,” Liam breathed. “Wow. I never thought I’d ever hear a story about my grandfather.”

  “Even though each clan had their own ruler, there was never peace amongst the clans,” Merla said. “We were territorial. We didn’t like to share the land. We fought over the admiration of the humans. We fought over sky space. In a nutshell, we fought over everything.”

  “We caused chaos and destruction to the humans,” Harila added with a regretful look. “We killed thousands of them.”

  “Some clans didn’t care,” Dink said. “They couldn’t care less whether they died. That caused even more conflict.”

  “Eventually, every single clan was at war with each other. Those were dark times, very dark times. Members of clans were being slaughtered left and right. Clans were forced to remain in their homes in the mountains. Many died from starvation.”

  Dink reached for his wife’s hand. “Mating with a member from another clan was unheard of. But it didn’t matter to us that I was an Indigo and she was a Jade. We loved each other.”

  “And that instigated more hatred amongst the clans,” Harila said.

  “My whole family was killed right inside their home,” Dink said. “Targeted because they were the royal line. My sister, her husband, her three children. Survivors fled and sought shelter in another mountain, only to be hunted again.”

  “When they were only a handful of survivors left,” Henk continued, “a few of us banded together and demanded peace. After all these years, we finally let go of all conflict and agreed to live together in peace, away from the humans. They would certainly have their revenge on us.”

  “Some of us are unable to shift to our dragon forms,” Merla said. “Too damaged.”

  “So…where do I come in all this?”

  Dink looked at his wife. Harila slowly nodded. “Keela confided in me shortly before she was killed that she laid an egg and hid it so the other clans wouldn’t find it.” She met Liam’s eyes. “I spent hundreds of years searching for it. I couldn’t find it. Eventually, I gave up and decided another clan must have found it and killed the baby before it could hatch.” Tears entered her eyes. “I never should have given up. I’m sorry, can you ever forgive me?”

  “Of course,” Liam said. “I don’t hold it against you. A good man found me and raised me like his own son. I’ve had a pretty good life, though a lonely one. I thought I was the only one left of my kind. It says in all those books that dragons are extinct.”

  “That was what we wanted,” Dink said. “After all those years of death and destruction, all we wanted was to live in peace. That’s why we made our home here in the mountains, away from civilization.”

  “So…does this mean I’m a prince or something?” Liam asked.

  “Prince?” Henk asked. “Try king.”

  His mouth popped open.

  “But we don’t live by that anymore,” Merla said. “Everyone here is treated equally and we are governed by a council. It no longer matters what color our talons are. We are a family here. A community. We do what we can to ensure the survival of our race.”

  Harila leaned forward to take Liam’s hand. “You don’t have to be alone anymore, Liam. You are our family now. Your home is here.”

  Liam looked at me, and my heart rate picked up. Why didn’t I think this would happen? I should have prepared myself for thi
s.

  “I don’t know…” Liam said.

  “Of course you don’t have to make any decisions right now,” Dink said. “You and your friend are welcome to stay here as long as you’d like.”

  “Um, can I ask you something?” Liam said.

  “Of course.”

  “I’ve been feeling a little off lately,” he admitted. “Like my dragon side is getting stronger.”

  “You must be nearing maturity,” Henk said.

  “Okay, so what happens when I reach maturity?”

  “You have lived in your human form all these years,” Harila explained. “Your dragon side is bursting to come out. And now that you’re nearing maturity, it may be difficult to control it.”

  “We can help you,” Dink said. “It’s all about finding the balance between your human side and your dragon side. If you come with me, I can show you what I mean.”

  “Okay,” Liam said as the two of them stood. “We’re going to fly?”

  “Yes, it is the only way we can communicate in dragon form. I will teach you how to find the right balance.”

  “We can communicate to each other?” Liam asked as his uncle led him out of the mountain.

  The rest of us sat in silence.

  “Please have some bead,” Harila offered.

  “Thanks.” I took a bite. “This is delicious. I can’t believe you actually bake bread up here.”

  “We can do everything up here.”

  I glanced between the three of them. “Can you give me an honest answer?”

  “We’ll try,” Merla said.

  “Do you think Liam would be happier here? With his own family, his own kind.”

  They exchanged a glance. “We don’t know him very well,” Harila said. “We don’t know what kind of life he’s had, though it seems it was a good one and he’s happy.”

  “He is.”

  “We don’t want to take that away from him,” Henk said. “We don’t want to take him away from his human family.”

  “Well his family isn’t exactly human,” I explained. “They’re supernaturals.”

  “Oh. Well that does make it a little better,” Merla said. “They are more accepting.”

  “Yeah, they are. Liam told me he didn’t care about his family because he thought they abandoned him, but I always thought that was a lie. He yearned to meet someone like him. And now he has, and I want him to be happy. But the decision is up to him. I won’t stand in his way.”

  “That’s what we want as well,” Harila agreed.

  I spent the next hour talking about what life was like down below. They didn’t interact much with the outside world, just when they went to the market for supplies. I also told them about the portal and demon lord that invaded our world.

  “We sensed a great evil,” Merla said. “We nearly came out of hiding to protect the world.”

  “But we decided it wasn’t our battle. We knew there were others out there who were tasked with protecting the world,” Henk said. “Like you.”

  “Oh, we could have definitely used your help,” I said with a laugh. “And you wouldn’t have had to worry about humans finding out. The witches cast a spell that wiped the memory from all the humans.”

  “I admit I would have loved to join,” Henk said as he sipped from his tea. These dragons liked hot things just like Liam. When I drank from my tea, it burned my tongue.

  “Maybe next time,” Merla said. “We may isolate ourselves here, but we wouldn’t want the humans to be destroyed or lose our world to demons.”

  Liam rushed inside the mountain. “I did it!” he nearly yelled. “I finally figured out how to control my dragon side.” He leaped over the stone chair and landed on his knees in front of me. He grabbed my hand. “Do you feel any heat?”

  “No.”

  “I can finally touch you!” He yanked me into his arms and squeezed me so tight he was crushing my bones. But I wasn’t complaining, because he felt so good.

  “How did you figure it out?” I asked as I tried to pull out of his arms to look at his face.

  “No way.” He tightened his hold on me. “I’m holding onto you forever. And to answer your question, I just had to embrace the dragon side of me. I didn’t realize I had all these pent-up emotions about what I was and my parents abandoning me. But once I let go and accepted every part of myself, I was able to find the right balance. My uncle helped me.”

  I ran my hands through his hair, so glad it didn’t burn my skin. “I’m so happy for you.” This time, he let me pull away so I could look into his eyes. “Liam, if you want to stay here, I’m okay with that. I think Levi and the guys would feel the same.”

  His eyebrows creased. “You want me to stay here?”

  “If it’ll make you happy, then yes. I want what’s best for you.”

  His gaze moved to the four adults surrounding us. “I…I’m so thankful for meeting you guys. You have no idea how happy I am to know that there are others like me. That I have family.” He smiled. “But my home is in Edgewood, with my foster dad and foster brothers. With my girlfriend.”

  “We understand,” Dink said. “Know that our home is always open to you.”

  “I’ll visit you all the time,” he promised. “Now that I know you guys exist, nothing will keep me away.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Liam made a pit stop on a tall building on the way home.

  “Why did we stop here?” I asked as I slid off him.

  Back in his human form, he gathered me in his arms and cradled me against his chest, his lips close to my ear. “Just wanted to give you a proper thank you.”

  “For what? I didn’t do anything.”

  “You brought me to my family.”

  “That wasn’t me. That was Carole from Chicago. We should really call her up to thank—”

  He placed his finger on my lips. “If not for you coming to Edgewood, you would have never met with the other slayers. The slayer of Chicago would have never told you about the mountains. I wouldn’t have met my family. Don’t you see, Livia? It’s all because of you.”

  I just looked at him for a few seconds. “Well, if you put it like that…No, it’s not me. It’s fate. Like my mom used to say, ‘Life has a way of working itself out.’”

  Placing his hands on either side of my cheeks, he lowered himself to his knees, urging me down, too. “I’d rather attribute it to you. You’re amazing, Livia. You’ve made my life so much better. I love you so much. I love you to death. No, I love you beyond death. I’ll love you even when I’m six feet under.”

  I laughed.

  “And now I’m going to make another one of my dreams come true.”

  He pulled my face closer and lowered his lips on mine. They were hesitant at first, as though a part of him still worried he would burn me. But when I responded positively, they started to move over mine more urgently, so much vigor and life. Everything he’d felt for me since the moment we met in science class came through in the kiss, the frustration, the hopelessness, the defeat. Then the hope, the excitement, the love. He didn’t break for air once, like he never wanted to let me go. And I never wanted to let him go, either, because I had been waiting for this as much as he had.

  When we finally pulled apart, we rested our foreheads against each other’s.

  “Wow,” he breathed. “I never expected my first kiss to be like that.”

  “How about round two?” I asked.

  He hooked an arm around my waist, hoisting me up against his body. We devoured each other’s lips as though they were the air we needed to survive. Like our hearts would stop beating if our lips would break contact.

  The only reason we had to stop was because it was getting late. Liam pressed his cheek to mine, never wanting his skin to stop touching mine. “Can you take me to your house?” I asked. “I want to speak to Finn and Ryker.”

  “Sure. Hop aboard Dagon Airlines.”

  I laughed as I stepped closer, until our bodies were pressed together again
. “You’ve changed my life, too, Liam. I’m a much better person because of you.”

  He tapped the edge of my nose, then brought his lips to mine.

  I laughed as I pushed my palms against his chest. “We’ll never get home.”

  “Gotta get used to it. I love you so much and I’ll show you every chance I get.”

  “Okay, one quick make out session and then we’re gone.”

  But of course it wasn’t a short make out session. It was pretty dark when Liam and I entered the mansion. Finn was playing the piano, and his face brightened when he saw me.

  I signed “Hello, Finn” and he returned the greeting.

  “I’d better get started on my homework,” Liam said before running up the stairs.

  Can I join you? I signed to Finn.

  Sure.

  He scooted over and I sat down near him.

  Kayden told me where you and Liam went, he said. Did you meet other dragons?

  We did. But I’ll let Liam tell you all about it. What are you playing?

  Just something I composed.

  Ooh, show me.

  Positioning his long fingers over the keys, he started to play the song, closing his eyes and swaying his head as the notes entered his soul. I watched him, entrapped by how much the music meant to him. He was so beautiful, and I didn’t just mean his looks, which were pretty good, too. He was a good person, a guy with one of the purest souls and biggest hearts. And I was so happy he was my boyfriend.

  I clapped when it ended. “That was amazing. The most beautiful piece I’ve heard. Can you teach me?”

  He showed me how to play, and our fingers bumped into each other’s. Unlike the last time we played together, Finn didn’t shirk away. He caught my hand in his and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles.

  “Is it still hard for you to touch me?” I asked. “Do you still taste me?”

  He shook his head. All I feel is how much love I have for you.

  Warmth spread throughout my whole body. I leaned forward just as he did, and when our lips touched, it was like a symphony played in the background. Finn wrapped his arm around my middle and drew me close to his chest, his lips moving over mine so gently and lovingly. He wasn’t urgent, just slowly savored the moment, each movement showing me just how much love he had for me. His fingers curled against the nape of my neck as mine tangled in his hair, enjoying the slow pace we were moving at. I wanted to savor every second just as much as he did. With the threat behind us, we had all the time in the world.