Heart of the Dragon (Dragons of the Realms Book 1)

by Kym Dillon

  The problem, as he saw it, was that Feis seemed determined not to let clear defeat halt her ambition. She stood in the circle created by her huntsmen and continued to use her magic to attack his dragons where it hurt the most. Her wild red hair flew around her unflinching face. Her raised arm seemed to never tire. She went for the heart and cooked it from the inside out. They dropped like flies.

  “Retreat,” Arken sighed.

  “But, Sire,” Gaova insisted.

  He cut her short. “I said, retreat. We’re at a stalemate. We need to tend to our wounded and regroup.”

  “And, what about our dead? If we leave them here, the dragon eaters will just consume them and grow stronger.”

  “We have no choice, Gaova. There’s no time to collect them all. Get the wounded and get out of here!”

  The female dragon snorted fire and flew away from him to spread the word. The shadow of her wings darkened the sky, and her roar shook the heavens. She fired a defiant streak of dragon’s breath over the hillside, and the grass ignited. The blazed raced toward the beach, whipped by the remnant of Oedaya’s storm. Yet, still, Feis’ men held their position.

  Arken knew his sister was incensed that they were turning away from battle when it seemed they had Feis right where they wanted her, but Gaova didn’t see what he saw.

  Feis was toying with them. She had no care for the lost ships. That could only mean one thing. Reinforcements were coming. Arken had rejoiced at the sight of her tiny fleet on the horizon; however, he now realized they were only the first wave. If Arken expended any more of his soldiers in her game, there would be no more dragons left for the real battle.

  It pained him to rally his troops and head to the dormant volcanic crater where they had made camp, but he had to do it. Arken hit the ground in the indention and instantly took man-shape. He looked up at the smoky sky framed by the crater walls. Night had fallen. The first stars were winking behind a screen of the smoke. He took off briskly through the camp, which was illuminated by torches and bustled with activity.

  “How many injured and how many dead? I need numbers,” Arken barked at a passing officer.

  Gaova fell in step beside him. “Is this ‘regroup’ about you going to see that girl?” she hissed angrily.

  “No, beloved sister. This is about saving our skin.”

  “Feis is down to fifty men. Fifty! Two of us could take them!”

  “Hm. Well, about thirty of us just tried, and we were getting nowhere,” he muttered.

  A general rushed up to him and saluted. “Nine dead, Sire. Three injured.”

  “Gods,” Arken swore. “Get the injured to the safe-house and tell the others to make camp. It’ll take at least two or three days for Feis and her men to climb here. We rest while we can.”

  Gaova sighed and shook her head. Her stern face softened when she saw the strain on his. She clutched his arm and led him away from their soldiers. “I don’t like this, Arken,” she muttered.

  “Neither do I, but we’re fighting a losing battle. She’s waiting for reinforcements. Can’t you tell?”

  His sister tightened her lips. “I know. She’s the toughest of the dragon eaters. I was hoping we could take her before the situation escalated, but…Should we move the evacuees to another island?”

  “There’s no telling what direction her dragon eater friends will come from. If we put children and elders in the sky, they could be shot down by those infernal arrows.”

  “Or, canons,” Gaova smirked.

  He nodded grimly. “We can’t move anyone soon unless I can send a scout to find safe passage.”

  “I’ll get on top of it. In the meantime, what do we do, Your Majesty?”

  “We fight.”

  “And, we die.” She smiled wryly.

  “Aye, that, too,” he acknowledged. “We fight to the death.”

  “Then, go to her.” Gaova patted his shoulder and walked away, leaving Arken staring after her.

  He realized who she meant and why the sudden change of heart. His sister understood he same thing he did. When this was all said and done, there would be no victory parade. This would be his last chance to see her. His shoulders drooped, and his heart was heavy in his chest.

  He marched toward the group of dragons preparing to transport gurneys of injured shifters in man-shape to the other side of the island where the safe-house was located. “I’m going with you,” said Arken.

  Arken had nurses watching her around the clock, but he had to see for himself that she was okay. The safe house was on the other side of the dormant volcano, and there was a secret access from the crater. Only the dragons flying with injured took the sky. The king marched with a handful of his guard through the passageway, taking advantage of it for cover.

  When they stormed through the stone doors and reached the refuge, it was like stepping into a self-sustaining, subterranean city. A pathway lit with streetlamps wove past smaller caves, tidy apartments for the young and old. There were underground greenhouses where food was grown, and a great hall was used as a cafeteria. Arken peered into each zone and saw that his dragons were making the best of the situation.

  There were children playing in a courtyard near a statue of his brother, Basyr, the city founder. Casting a warm look of appreciation at the memorial, Arken continued to a large opening that led to the temporary infirmary. Here, the soft glow of streetlamps was replaced by brighter illumination. The place crawled with busy people, working diligently to tend to the injured dragons.

  Arken took an elevator to the top floor where Daya had a wing to herself, and a nurse rose and greeted him. “How is she?” he asked breathlessly.

  “She’s well, Sire,” the nurse smiled. “She’s been asking about you. I think she’s expecting you.”

  He brightened for the first time since Daya’s arrival. Dashing to her private room, he flung open the door and found her in bed with a book. She lifted a brow and ducked her head, hiding a smile.

  “Took you long enough,” she murmured.

  He laughed and settled on the edge of the bed, afraid to touch her, afraid to breathe. It all seemed a dream. Her lustrous hair fell over her pale shoulder and framed her face. Her eyes were a luminous bright blue. He wanted to kiss her lovely mouth. He was amazed at how well she looked.

  “I thought I would never see you again,” he whispered, gingerly engulfing her in a hug.

  “Did you think for one second I would give up fighting for you? I would’ve returned to you sooner, if given half the chance.”

  “Tell me everything. Why did you go? What happened when you gave Feis the decoy?”

  “I knew there was no way for you to leave the keep and get to the Isle of Warriors with Feis on the lookout for the Heart of the Dragon. I suspected she had patrols. It seemed only natural. So, I had to go. We needed a distraction,” Daya explained. “Of course, she immediately saw through the ploy and had me locked away, but at least it took her eyes off you.”

  Arken tightened his arms around her. “Were you hurt?”

  “I’m alright, really!” She giggled. Both glanced down at her stomach but neither said a word about it. Daya sobered and gripped his hand. “You can stop worrying. It was you I worried about. Arken, there are rebels here who have turned against you. Vyda—”

  “I know. I know everything. I dealt with the rebels as soon as I got here. Most of them were convinced to see reason. A few abandoned our cause. I couldn’t afford to make an example of all of them, but Vyda eventually came around.”

  “Where is she?” Daya growled.

  “She’s dead. It happened along the way here. How did you stay alive? I feared that Feis had already…” He swallowed thickly.

  “The instant she learned I was a Maker, she realized she could use me. Her ships made the trip in record time, despite getting lost and despite my attempts to slow them down.”

  “Tell me if there are others planning to join the battle.”

  Daya tightened her lips and nodded gravely. “S
he’s enlisted the help of the rest of the dragon eaters with promises she’ll acquire the Heart of the Dragon. They believe they’ll be able to overtake you here and get the stone.”

  “That’s why she’s not concerned with the number of us she kills,” he swore softly.

  “Have many died?” Daya gasped.

  He lifted her chin and swept his mouth over hers. The kiss was intended to be brief and reassuring, but the second he touched her lips, he couldn’t pull away. Arken inhaled sharply and breathed in her smell. His tongue coaxed hers into his mouth. He molded his lips to hers and couldn’t stop. She flowed into his arms like an unchecked river.

  Both forgot the nurse and guards on the other side of the door. The passionate embrace evolved. He found himself with his back against the headboard and Daya half-in his lap.

  “How long do I have you?” she asked.

  “Forever.”

  “Seriously, how long?”

  He sighed, clutching her hips as she straddled his body. “All night,” he whispered heatedly.

  She lifted the hem of her hospital gown and fumbled with his pants. His nails raked down her back as she guided his sudden erection to her sweet, hot fount. He surged inside without hesitation.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” he moaned.

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  She clenched fistfuls of his shirt, riding him with reckless abandonment. Arken’s eyelids fluttered in ecstasy. Her hair tickled his face, and he threw his head back to watch her. He was captivated by her magnificent beauty. Her eyes were half-closed. Her mouth dropped open. His heart clenched in his chest at the love he felt for her. He didn’t bother trying to hold back.

  He couldn’t, even if he wanted to. His overwhelming desire for her was his single most thought. She was extra slick for him, and taut around him with engorgement due to the hormones flooding her system. The idea of her already carrying their child spiked his lust. He gathered Daya closer and rolled over, stretching her out in bed. Her knees came up to bracket him between her legs, and he pushed her arms above.

  He kissed down the side of her slender neck. Her sensitive breasts thrust toward his mouth, as if she needed his kisses everywhere. He obliged her. With restless sighs, she made her desires known, causing a primal drive to roar inside him. He rocked hard and fast within her silken sheath. His woman; his mate. Her hips bucked to meet his thrusts.

  She clawed his shoulders, panting. Arken cupped the lush mounds of her buttocks and brought her snug against him. Her juices dripped between their bodies, and it drove him mad. He groaned helplessly as his arousal climbed to unparalleled heights. Her fingers raked into his hair, and she jerked him back to her mouth. Around another soul-stirring kiss, she swallowed his sobs of excitement.

  “Daya!” he whimpered.

  “I’m yours.”

  “Be more than mine. Be the queen.”

  Her eyes widened, and he knew it had nothing to do with what he had requested. He felt her body tighten around him in the tell-tale inner ripple of her climax. Her head lolled back, and a muted scream escaped her lips. Tears clung to her lashes as she held him closer. “Arken! Oh, god, yes!” she wailed.

  He chuckled breathlessly as he covered her lips and buried his face in the crook of her shoulder to muffle his own impending cries of completion. As waves of ecstasy crashed over her, she squeezed and massaged his manhood in her heavenly grip. He felt the pleasure from the crown of his head to his toes. He grunted with exertion, pumping his lower body, as he felt the fire building to explosion.

  “Ah!” he gasped. “Daya!”

  Powerful quakes wracked his frame. His shuddered uncontrollably as she drained him of everything he had. He clutched her to his chest and undulated slower and slower until his body could no longer move. Then, they locked together and the rhythmic pounding of his shaft made him lightheaded. Bliss like nothing he could explain tore through him.

  The intensity of emotion packed an unmistakable punch. He was in love with her. He was in love, and this was more than sex. The thought terrified him because he could promise her so little. A throne to a dying kingdom. A fatherless child, if the gears of war had their way.

  The vague sound of blood rushing in his ears faded to a quiet whoosh, and he heard himself breathing as if he had run a marathon. He felt his heart pounding ferociously in his chest. He felt hers, too. Arken fell away, and Daya shifted to lay her head on his shoulder as they returned to sanity.

  “I’m serious,” he whispered at length. “I’d like to make this official.”

  “Is that allowed? We’ve already broken the cardinal mating rules. I think your people would run me off with pitchforks if you made me your wife.”

  He grinned and kissed her forehead. “They’ll accept you because I accept you. Besides, you’re already the mother to my heir.”

  “Yeah, about that,” she sighed, sitting up. Her hair fell over half her face, but it couldn’t hide her troubled frown. “When I hear words like ‘hybrid,’ it scares the life out of me. Arken, what have we done? I don’t know anything about raising a child, and this one seems poised to break every mold. No one knows what to expect.”

  He sat up and cupped her face. “Neither do I, but I know I love you. We’ll get through this.” He clamped his mouth shut, for fear of making promises he couldn’t keep. “I’ll ensure you’re protected, no matter how the war turns, even if it means sending you back to your world.”

  “Ainley told me something about a prophecy.” Her forehead wrinkled.

  “Aye, there are plenty. But—one thing I’ve learned about the oracle’s foresight—her future predictions are always subject to change.”

  “No, this one is different,” Daya insisted. “It has more to do with the dragon eaters than with the Sylph. According to Ainley, the dragon eaters were once well-respected priestesses who lost prestige. Starving, for lack of offerings to their failing temples, they slayed a young dragon for food.”

  “Yes, of course. I know all this. They learned eating dragons could extend their lives, and not feeding could turn them to monsters that eventually starved to death. One bite of dragon flesh, and the soul hungers for nothing more.”

  She continued, “Did you know Feis took over after killing her mentor? Apparently, the original leader prophesied a time would come when a water dragon would rise in the east and vanquish them all. She wanted the immortals to act with restraint to keep from angering your race.

  “But, Feis wanted more—more power, more land and more life. She started the First Great War after getting rid of her competition. Now, she’s desperate to get to the Heart of the Dragon because she knows she’s running out of time before that prophecy comes true.”

  “I’ve never heard of any of this,” Arken said slowly. “Are you sure it’s true?”

  “I trust Ainley. She’s gotten us this far.”

  He chuckled and lifted a brow. “Well, what does this water dragon have to do with us? They don’t exist, by the way. It’s always puzzled me why my dragons are limited to land on a water world, but we’ve never been able to swim. I doubt we ever will.”

  “No, but that’s the thing,” she whispered excitedly. “Ainley thought I was the water dragon. Don’t you see? With the red diamond, you can transform me. I’m a Maker with the special gift of controlling water. As soon as I heard her story, it all made sense.”

  He hesitated. “Could it be…?”

  She shook her head and laid a hand over his. “I’m not. I’m not the one destined to bring down the dragon eaters, as Ainley had hoped.” She covered her stomach as her eyes filled with tears. “Our son is. Arken, he’s destined to be greater than either one of us could have ever imagined. Do you know what immense danger this puts him in?”

  He fully understood. Because Feis would’ve made the same mistake Ainley had; she would’ve believed Daya was the coming water dragon. Maybe that was why the dragon eater hadn’t killed her. She thought Daya was already too strong to destroy without help from
the stone. But, what of a small baby? How easy would it be to kill him?

  Arken reached into the Between and withdrew the cold, red Heart of the Dragon. He cupped Daya’s hands around it. “You need this. It’ll keep you and our baby safe.”

  “Don’t. I’m safe here. What about you? You’re going back into battle.”

  He didn’t answer. He rose from the bed and quickly righted his clothes. His sister needed to be told about the prophecy. Provisions had to be made. “You’re getting out of here,” he said. “I’m sending you back to the Sky Realm.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  “It is. As long as you have the stone, it’s as simple as stepping through. Now, get dressed, beloved. There’s no time to waste.”

  The door flew inward, and Daya snatched the covers to her chest. One of his soldiers burst into the room. “What is it?” Arken snapped.

  “Sire, the rebels—the two that refused to rejoin our ranks—were spotting flying over the crater. General Gaova believes they’re working with the enemy. They know the location to the safe-house.”

  “Gods!” Arken roared. He snatched Daya from the bed with the sheets wrapped tightly around her and shoved her into the soldier’s arms. “Healer!” he yelled. The Healer was in the hall. Kenna entered the room when called. “You’ll go with her. You’ll stay with the queen and keep her safe.”

  “The queen?”

  “Arken, no!” Daya sniffled.

  “You have to, beloved,” he whispered, kissing her cheek. “You have to go. Just reach with your thoughts into the between. It’ll be like falling asleep. You’ll wake up where you intend to be, and you won’t even realize you’ve traveled for months. I’ll be here for you. I swear on all the gods, I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “How will we know when they return?” the skinny young soldier asked.

  Arken shook his head because he had no idea. “We have to trust our son will see the signs like I did. Now, go!” he shouted. A thunderous explosion sounded somewhere outside the infirmary, and people in the cavern screamed. His eyes flew frantically to the door. “GO!”