by Lia Davis
She certainly didn’t think they had their own government and laws. Or that there were bad dragons and good dragons and maybe even child dragons and old dragons. No, she’d thought there was one dragon—the beast—and she feared and hated it for what it had done to her family.
It had figuratively torn her and her father’s hearts out, leaving them to try to heal in the wake of her mother’s death. How could she reconcile that Luke was part of that world?
He and his team were also dragons, yet they never once showed any signs of aggression or malice. In fact, they were kind and had risked their lives searching for the ice dragon and the victims. Not once had they been violent or hateful or mean. Could she have made a mistake in judging Luke?
She’d let her own fears get in the way of listening to him explain. But what could he actually say to make her feel safe with him?
The sound of crushing ice and snow behind her made her whirl around. “I said don’t follow me.”
She gasped as she saw the large silver ice dragon standing several feet from her. The beast towered over her, and she cringed as fear turned her blood into lava. She trembled as she started the snowmobile, but before she could get it into motion, the dragon whipped his tail around, knocking her off her seat. Pain exploded in her head as she was thrown off. She landed on her side and slid several feet from the snowmobile, which tumbled away and ended up on its side, still sputtering.
She glanced up in time to see the dragon slam one clawed foot on top of the snowmobile, crushing it. The beast turned to her, its mouth pulled into an evil grin. Tears filled her eyes, and her fear morphed into terror.
Pushing the pain away, she crawled to a stand, then began to run. Terror caused her feet to feel like leaded snow boots, and she couldn’t move fast enough to escape. The dragon scooped her up, and his claws bit into her side. She struggled, desperate to get out of his hold. If she didn’t get away, she was dead.
“Mac!”
The sound of Luke’s voice screaming her name gave her a little hope. She jerked her head up and locked gazes with him. A rumbling sound came from the silver dragon. It was like he was laughing.
She tried to pry his claws apart so she could slip out of his hold, but it was no use. She wasn’t strong enough to make him release her. She beat on his claw with her gloved hand, but he tightened his grip, squeezing her. She almost passed out, he held her so tight.
“Stop fighting, female. Don’t make me kill you before I’m ready.”
What the hell? Did he just talk to her telepathically? How did the beast get into her mind?
She glanced up at the dragon, but he was glaring at Luke. His silver scales shone so brightly, she had to shield her eyes from the glare. A new type of fear bloomed within her. The dragon wanted to torment Luke with her pain.
“Don’t hurt him. He has nothing to do with this.” She squirmed in his grip. “Please. Take me and leave him alone.”
She’d hoped to convince the dragon to leave so Luke wouldn’t get hurt, but it didn’t seem to be working.
The ice dragon laughed again, and the low-pitched rumble echoed around them. “I don’t want to hurt him. I want to break him so he joins me.”
Joins him? What the hell was the beast talking about?
As if he heard her thoughts he answered. “I gain power by feeding off the fear of others. It’s a rush. With a second ice dragon, we could rule the land.”
A second ice dragon? Her anger at Luke mixed with sadness. Her heart broke again, and she stared at him. Could he hear what the beast said? Not only was Luke a dragon, but he was also an ice dragon.
Just like the beast.
No wonder he hadn’t told her the truth. She’d have run from him and never looked back.
The beast clenched her more tightly, and she grimaced at the pain. The beast was serious. It thought Luke would join it in terrorizing the community. But Luke was nothing like the psycho dragon. He’d never harm someone intentionally, and he sure as hell wouldn’t torture anyone. She straightened in the beast’s grip, suddenly sure of herself. Strength filled her, from her heart to the tips of her fingers.
“Luke will never join you. His heart is too pure.” Mac stuck her chin out in defiance.
“We’ll see about that.” The dragon spoke in her head.
Did she imagine it, or was the beast unsure?
A screeching, roaring sound brought Mac’s attention to the sky. Three more dragons headed their way, their wings slapping the air and their claws outstretched. Had Luke’s team come to help?
Her excitement turned to deeper fear as she realized what the dragons’ arrival meant. She held on tightly to the beast’s claws. Things were about to go downhill fast.
The beast holding her growled then extended his wings and took flight. Mac screamed. No one could hear her.
Her stomach sank as the beast soared high in the air. If he dropped her like he did Anjij…
She peered through the small gap in his claws and saw the other dragons following them. A white one had joined them. Luke. She wasn’t sure how she knew it was him, but she did. Her heart pounded, and fear lodged in her throat.
The ice dragon stopped in midair, hovering. His wings beat steadily, and he kept his grip on her. The beast roared then blasted the other dragons with a stream of ice. The larger red dragon flew from behind and positioned himself in front of the others, blocking them from the onslaught. The red dragon breathed out a stream of fire that met the ice blast. The ice melted, falling as water to the ground. The beast trembled with fury and Mac cringed.
What would he do next?
One of the other dragons—a black and silver one—dashed close and shot a burst of fire toward them. Mac screamed even though she saw the blast was aimed for ice dragon’s back. The beast swooped down and fired back with ice.
The shot hit Luke, and he screamed then dropped to the ground. Mac’s heart stopped for a beat, and hot tears streamed down her face.
No! Not Luke. God, please let him be okay.
Luke broke the ice wrapped around his wings just before he slammed into the ground. Pain arched through his body as he slid several yards, spinning as the snow slowed his forward momentum. He was lucky he was hard to kill and there was a thick blanket of freshly fallen snow on the ground to break his fall. The snow had piled up where he slid, leaving a big gap. He rolled onto his side then onto his feet.
He scanned the dark sky. No sign of the ice dragon or Mac.
Standing, he roared in frustration and rage. Mac was gone—taken by the rogue.
Just like Jo.
Fear, anger, and heartache ignited in his soul and rose to the surface. He wanted revenge. Wanted his mate back. Whatever it took, he’d wring his revenge out of the beast.
The DSD team touched down around him, one by one. Luke met Owen’s concerned stare. His best friend just nodded his large dragon head. “We’ll get her back. That dragon just disappeared into air!”
Luke snorted. “You bet your ass we will.”
How could he have let her leave his cabin like that? He’d let her run off in the night, alone, with that beast on the prowl. He should have stopped her.
He snorted. And what if he’d made her stay? What would he do then? Force her to stay in the cabin against her will? That would have only made her more fearful of him. No, he’d had to let her go. He’d had no choice.
He tried to move his left wing and winced when white-hot pain shot through it. The beast had hit him hard with his ice, and now Luke was paying for it. Lifting the wing in the air, he studied the leathery skin. It wasn’t broken, but it was bruised and a piece of the outer edge had torn away. A low growl rumbled through him and his friends backed away.
Closing his eyes, he called his ice magic. It formed at the edge of his consciousness then spread through his body. Soon, freezing, thick ice covered him. Ice magic helped him heal faster, but it also lowered his stamina. Breathing in and out slowly, he waited impatiently for his wing to mend.
The damn beast would pay for all the hurt he’d caused. And if he did anything to Mac… Luke’s dragon snorted. He couldn’t go there.
Mine! Mac was his to protect, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
He heard Courtney say she was going to get the tusk. Good. Luke would need it for when he faced the beast. He’d almost forgotten what she’d found out. Thankfully, she was on top of things, like usual. He didn’t know what the team would do without her.
Courtney returned moments later in human form with fresh clothes on. She came up next to him and placed her hand on his wing. When he jerked, she scowled at him. “Stop being a baby. Fire is the healing element.”
His wing warmed under her hand as she pushed her fire power into him. He dipped his head almost to the snow, waiting on the fire to consume him and his injury. Yeah, fire was the healing element. His ice magic also healed him, but at a slower rate, and he needed to get well immediately. The dragon had Mac, and Luke had to save her.
Owen stepped up next to her, followed by Anders, moving into position to help her heal him. Luke closed his eyes and hummed as the team worked together to help him. The males laid their hands on different parts of his wing and flooded the wounded area with their fire magic.
Being an ice dragon, he hated their form of healing him. The fire was hot and itchy and spread through his flesh like a slow-moving cloud. Still, it was a hell of a lot faster when they used their bond to help him. He could deal with the itchiness.
When the pain vanished, he shook them off and stretched his wing out. No pain. He moved it up and down and twisted it sideways.
Amazing.
Courtney walked around to stand in front of him. She held up the magical dagger tied to a thin, silver rope. “The rope is charmed to lengthen so you can wear it around your neck while in dragon form. It’ll make the dagger easier to carry since I know you will get there before us.”
He nodded his head. Leave it to Courtney to think of all the logistics of a mission.
“Don’t lose it,” she chastised.
He gave her a little push with his wing, almost knocking her to the snowy ground. He was the smaller of the four of them, but not by much. His size and the fact he was an ice dragon meant he could fly faster than the others in the frigid air.
Besides, the beast had his mate. Luke would move twice as quickly. As soon as he had the dagger, he was out of there.
He lowered his head to her level, and Courtney tossed the necklace over his head. A hum of power circled him while the rope expanded and then settled itself around his neck, the dagger swinging at the end. After one last glance at his team, he stretched his wings, then he was airborne.
He hoped he wasn’t too late to save his mate.
Chapter Fifteen
A storm of emotions raged inside Luke, waiting to strike everyone in his path. Anger and fear pommeled his psyche, along with feelings of regret and hostility.
Despite the whirlwind, he felt unusually calm.
He was focused on the bastard rogue he was about to kill. By night’s end, that hateful and murderous dragon would no longer suck oxygen from the air. Instead, it would provide food for passing scavengers, a mere shell of the beast it was.
Luke soared over the rocky cliffs where the ice dragon’s lair was hewn from rock. Its sanctuary would soon convert to its tomb, and Luke wouldn’t feel a bit bad about it.
With a slow descent, Luke landed in front of the cave where he had found Elisipie. He checked to make sure he still had the dagger around his neck. He did. There were no signs of a struggle near the cave and no blood drops or anything else to show that the dragon had hurt Mac.
He took in a deep breath, drawing in Mac’s scent. She was in the cave, no doubt about it. His dragon heart thumped, and he prayed to the gods she was okay. Anxiety consumed him and he tried to ease his fears. As long as Mac was alive, he’d have a chance to make everything okay.
He could defeat the ice dragon. He would defeat it.
Remaining in dragon form, he entered the cave, the dagger jiggling on the necklace and clanking as he walked. His senses were open and on high alert to a possible sneak attack. It’d be like the ice dragon to plan something underhanded.
The cave opened to a large room, with rock formations doming overhead and a trickling stream winding through one side of the expansive space. Water dripped from the ceiling, splashing down from the stalactites that hung low. The rocks were gray in the dim light with a few crystals near the back of the room.
The dragon hadn’t picked the cave for its riches. Another tunnel split off from the large room but he couldn’t see far down the path because it was dark. The dragon must be in the cave, somewhere. Hell, he could be hiding behind any of the larger rocks. Luke craned his long neck to search every part of the room.
Where was it?
A groan followed by sobbing snapped his attention to the center of the large, open cave.
Mac.
She was chained to a stalagmite that had to be at least three feet wide and ten feet tall. He growled, and she turned to look at him. Luke moved toward her, trying not to frighten her.
At first, she stared wide-eyed and tried to get away from him, though she couldn’t. The chains were too tight to allow much movement. When he lowered his head, she started crying. “I thought he killed you.”
Her voice echoed in the chamber.
He swallowed down the fear that had bunched in his throat. Jo had been chained. Jo had called for him. Then Jo had been murdered.
This time, there would be a different outcome. He’d make sure of it.
Luke wanted to tell her how he felt. Tell her how much he stressed and wondered if she was still alive. He wasn’t sure if he could mind-link with her without a mating bond, but he wanted to tell her so many things.
He didn’t get a chance to try. The ice dragon laughed in Luke’s mind. “What took you so long?”
Luke pivoted around and stepped to the side to keep from slamming his tail into Mac as he turned. He let out a growl that shook the cave. “I’m here. What do you want?”
“You know the answer to that.” The ice dragon’s black eyes stared through him, and Luke stepped backward.
“I’ll never join you.” Snow charged the rogue, head down, shoving him toward the cave entrance.
“Then you’ll have to kill me.” The rogue swung his head and tried to gore Snow with his horns.
Luke sidestepped the dragon. “I intend to kill you.” He put all his weight into a shove that toppled the ice dragon, pushing him from the cave and out onto the ground.
“You’re not strong enough. You’re lonely. That makes you weak. Join me! I can show you how to overcome the loneliness. I can show you how to take those feelings and turn them into a weapon.” The ice dragon’s silver scales flashed in the moonlight as he turned to face Luke.
“I’m stronger than you think.” Luke set his feet in the snow, keeping them firmly in place as he guarded the cave entrance.
From inside, Mac called to him. She couldn’t know how much strength he gained from hearing her voice, but he felt like a new dragon. Young and in love.
Invincible.
The rogue charged toward him then snapped his teeth. Snow jerked away from him before he could bite down. He then turned in a circle and hit the ice dragon with his tail, savoring the soft crack of flesh against his spines. The ice dragon wailed in pain. Snow blasted him with a stream of ice that covered the dragon in an armor of cold.
The rogue broke out of the coat of ice, so Luke kept hitting him. He sensed them right before they came into his vision—the DSD team had arrived to help.
The rogue dragon was going down.
Owen and Anders landed behind the ice dragon, their dragons fresh and ready to fight. Courtney wasn’t visible, but then she slid off Ander’s back and tossed her duffel bag to the side. Within seconds, her red and gold dragon breathed fire as it raised to full height. Luke’s dragon grinned. He wasn’t the only one who wanted
the beast dead.
The ice dragon must have sensed DSD’s arrival, because he turned and breathed ice their way. The dragons scurried out of the way, and the rogue reared back to attack again.
Together, Luke’s team created a giant fire wall and began to push it toward the dragon.
Courtney’s voice sounded in his head as if she stood at his side. “Now Luke!”
Luke tried to shake the necklace off, but he couldn’t get it to come free. He wasn’t sure if he had to be in dragon form or human to kill the rogue—Courtney hadn’t said. All he knew was he had to use the Inuit dagger. He reached up with a front claw and snapped the necklace off with a quick jerk.
The dagger hit the snow, sending up a puff of the white stuff, and Luke sniffed around to find it. He realized that the dagger was too small for his dragon hands to grip.
Growling, he shifted to human form while willing clothes on at the same time. The ice dragon was focused on his team, so Luke ran and jumped on the rogue’s back as it crouched. Irritated, the dragon blew out a stream of ice that nearly hit Owen and Anders, but they ducked out of the way. As soon as it realized Luke was on its back, the ice dragon bucked and twisted from side to side, trying to shake him off.
Luke held on. Mac screamed from the cave, and he gripped the dragon more tightly.
Owen, Courtney, and Anders continued to push the wall of fire toward the rogue, and Luke sensed the ice dragon’s anger building into rage. The dragon was losing control.
Luke would use that anger against the SOB. “You’re done for. You have killed and fed of others’ fear for the last time.”
The ice dragon shrieked in fury and took flight, bobbling a bit with the extra weight of a human on its back. Luke lifted the bone dagger and slammed it with all his strength into the dragon’s neck. The dagger’s sharpness slid under the scales and pierced the creature’s flesh. It screamed as blood gushed out of the wound. It flapped and dipped in the air, but nothing happened. The dragon was pissed off, but it didn’t die.
