Saberthorn (A Paranormal/Fantasy Dragonshifter Romance): Dragonkind ~ 52 Realms

by Sheri-Lynn Marean

  Mihel sat across from them, and Tirah’s anxiety subsided when his light-blue eyes met hers. He winked, and Tirah smiled.

  “That’s my brother?” Mihel asked, looking back at their mother.

  “Yes, his name is Wren,” Ashara said, love in her gaze as she stared down at the baby. Then she smiled at Casin, who stood a few feet away from them with his arms over his chest.

  “Casin, come sit.” Ashara smiled and indicated the spot beside Mihel.

  With a deep sigh, Casin glared at Mihel, then sat beside him, making sure there was space between them.

  “How are you both?” Mother asked again.

  “I’m good, thank you,” Mihel said politely.

  “Fine, of course,” Casin said grudgingly and with a hint of arrogance, which reminded Tirah of Father. Then a calculated look entered his eyes. “Mihel got in trouble for sneaking out of the dorms at night.” He grinned, and Tirah’s eye grew wide.

  “Are you all right?” Ashara asked.

  “I am.” Mihel gave Tirah and Ashara a guilty smile.

  “Why aren’t you wearing robes?” Tirah finally asked, unable to hold back her curiosity.

  Casin scowled at her. “We’re in training, we wear uniforms. Don’t you know anything?”

  Mihel jabbed him in the side, and Casin sneered at him. “She’s joining the ranks next week, she should know this stuff.”

  As Ashara drew in a breath, Tirah frowned up at her. “What is ranks?”

  Casin glared at their mother with disgust. “Don’t you teach her anything?”

  “Please, Casin, let’s just enjoy this visit. It’s been four years since I’ve seen either of you,” Ashara pleaded.

  Casin ignored her and turned to Tirah. “You will be a soldier, like us.”

  Tirah was taken aback. All the soldiers she’d ever seen were so cold looking. Scary. “I don’t want to be a soldier.”

  Mother bit back a little cry. “Casin, please—”

  Again, Casin ignored her. “You have no choice. Father is the commander. He says we are to be soldiers, and his word is law.” Then Casin reached over and pinched Tirah’s arm. “You will need some work, fatty.”

  Suddenly scared, Tirah sucked in a breath and shrank against her mother’s side. Mihel had been right, Casin was mean.

  “Casin.” Mother wrapped an arm around Tirah and held her close.

  “Leave her alone,” Mihel snapped, shoving Casin back. He glared at his older brother. With a snicker, Casin backed off.

  “M-momma?” Tirah felt sick.

  “We’ll talk later, baby,” Ashara replied, giving her a squeeze. Then she turned to Casin with tears in her eyes. “I am very sorry. It’s apparent you aren’t happy. I wish there was something, anything that I could do to change that.”

  Casin glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest again. “You don’t know anything.”

  Ashara brushed at her eyes, then squared her shoulders and looked at Casin. “You need to know, if I could have kept you here with me, I would have.”

  Casin pursed his lips and continued to glare. Ashara sighed. “I need you to know that I love you, very much.”

  Casin sneered. “I don’t care! Father told me what you are. You’re nothing but a slave. A whore. Used solely for making babies who will become soldiers. How many men have you slept with?”

  Ashara gasped, eyes wide in horror. “Casin. I’ve only ever been with your father.”

  But Casin shook his head and his gaze swept Mihel, who resembled their slight mother, then it hovered over Tirah with her long reddish-brown hair, and finally it landed on Wren. A thick mop of blue-black hair covered his head. “I don’t believe you.” Then he rushed out and as the door slammed, Wren woke up and started screaming.

  Chapter Four

  Nice Eighteenth Birthday

  Tirah caught the tang of blood and knew it was hers. Nice eighteenth birthday, she thought, and picked herself up off the hard ground. She shoved her sweat-dampened hair out of her eyes and once again wished she could either grow her hair long or cut it as short as the boys did. But for the female trainees, it had to be exactly seven inches long, everywhere. Why, she had no clue.

  She refrained from looking around at her fellow trainees. Using the back of her arm, she wiped the sweat from her brow and faced her opponent, ready to take whatever he dished out. At nineteen, Jorr was a year older and much bigger.

  She had never beaten Jorr before and knew she didn’t stand much of a chance now. Yet, as the other trainees shook their heads and made taunting comments, Tirah’s resolve to do just that strengthened.

  Determined to show them and ignoring everyone other than Jorr, Tirah quickly moved in. A moment later, to everyone’s shock—herself included—Jorr lay moaning on the ground.

  I did it! Tirah grinned, until her name was called. Sudden fear crashed into her and she turned to see Casin striding across the compound. Damn. What did I do now? She stifled a groan, knowing that whatever Casin wanted wouldn’t be good. It never was.

  She glanced around and spotted a scrawny, shaggy, dark-haired boy watching her. Wren. At the sight of Casin, he averted his gaze and quickly ducked onto the building that housed the eight-to ten-year-old boys. At ten, Wren should be moving to the older boy’s dorm any day now. It never failed to surprise her how different each of her brothers were.

  Her heart wrenched as she wished she had a relationship with her little brother. Over the years she and Mihel tried to talk to Wren, but he refused. Though it wasn’t uncommon to catch him watching them, yet whenever she attempted to get close, he’d turn and hurry away. She also noticed Wren with Casin a lot, and his association with her older brother scared her. Mihel on the other hand, remained her friend. In fact, he was her best friend, and she had no idea how she’d have survived training, or Casin, if it hadn’t been for him. He always did his best to protect her.

  She watched Casin and bit back her trepidation. Her oldest brother had grown more cruel and hateful over the years.

  As he approached, all of Tirah’s classmates scattered. Even Jorr pulled himself up from the ground and hobbled away. Tirah clasped her hands behind her back and lowered her eyes, hoping Casin wouldn’t notice her tremble.

  “With the training you do all day long, how are you still so fat?” Casin asked, a sneer in his voice. Tirah’s face flushed at his words. He just couldn’t help harassing her.

  “Well?” Casin asked. Tirah swallowed and then knowing he’d keep her there all day, shrugged. She tried to act like his words didn’t hurt, but they did. She worked harder than anyone and ate less. Yet no matter what she did, she was still on the heavy side. A fact her brother loved to point out.

  “Casin.” Mihel shouted, and Tirah wanted to breathe a sigh of relief.

  Then the door to sword training banged open, and a group of trainees rushed out talking and laughing as they made their way to their next class. But as they caught sight of her and Casin, they all grew quiet, until a few girls spotted Mihel.

  “Hi, Mihel.” They tittered, trying to catch his eye. Mihel ignored them and after a moment, they hurried to catch up to the rest of their group, whispering to one another. Tirah could only imagine about what.

  Casin clenched his fists as Tirah saw anger and hatred flare brightly in his eyes. Normally obnoxious, he didn’t say a word as Mihel drew near. Casin outweighed Mihel by a good hundred pounds and always had, yet for some reason, he feared Mihel. Two years into her training, Tirah finally learned why.

  ***

  She had just witnessed Casin back off from Mihel yet again and was trying to figure out why, when a classmate, who had a crush on Mihel, had smirked. “Casin pushed Mihel too far one day.” At the question in Tirah’s eyes, she smiled. “Casin bullies everyone. I guess Mihel got tired of it.”

  “What do you mean? What did Mihel do?” Tirah asked.

  “Mihel was bleeding but he picked himself up, dusted his uniform off, and then beat the crap out of Casin.” The girl watche
d Mihel with a dreamy expression. “Mihel just about killed him. An instructor had to pull him off. Casin ended up in the infirmary for a week.”

  Tirah knew she shouldn’t be happy about it, Casin was her brother. Still, she couldn’t help feeling pride for Mihel as the girl walked away.

  ***

  Casin sneered at Mihel with cold, disdainful brown eyes. “What do you want?”

  “Leave her alone,” Mihel said with the authority in the ranks, a position presently above Casin. While Casin may be older, Mihel was smarter. Which in the long run, propelled him further up the chain of command. Tirah knew that had to burn Casin.

  Mihel waited, daring Casin to disobey.

  “Fine.” Casin sneered at her. “I’ll see you later. Right now, Captayen wants to see you.”

  “Are you all right?” Mihel asked gently as Casin hurried away. Sometimes her brother was so kind it made her want to cry. Something Tirah couldn’t afford to do as it would only make her fellow trainees ridicule her more.

  She straightened her uniform and nodded, heart thudding at the prospect of going in front of Captayen almost as bad as seeing Casin later. She shivered. The familiar leer in Captayen’s eyes always gave her the creeps. “What does he want with me?”

  Mihel sighed, his anger apparent. “I’m not sure. It likely has something to do with their secret mission tonight.”

  ***

  Tirah gaped at her superior. “You want me to go on the mission?” In the excitement of her first OP, she forgot how much she disliked Captayen.

  Good friends with Casin, Captayen had driven Tirah mercilessly over the years, often humiliating her in front of her peers. She wasn’t sure if it was because he disliked her, or because of his friendship with Casin. Though lately, Tirah noticed how her superior studied her, as if he were undressing her. It soured her stomach.

  Her happiness at her promotion plummeted when Captayen moved out from behind his polished dragon-scale desk. Pale-grey eyes raked her from top to bottom, and Tirah’s gut clenched as he invaded her space. With slightly mussed blond hair, and a toned body, he wasn’t ugly by any means. In fact, a lot of the girls swooned over him. Yet Captayen had always repulsed Tirah for some reason.

  Maybe because she was always aware of what he wanted.

  Captayen reached out and drew his fingers over her cheek, and Tirah fought the revulsion his contact elicited. “Yes, I do. Your brother doesn’t believe you’ll ever make a good soldier. I think you’ll do nicely. I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen your determination. You are very unassuming, hoping no one will notice, yet you’ve become one of the best fighters in your class.”

  Tirah was surprised he’d even noticed. Still, surely there were better choices, weren’t there? Though Captayen was right, she had been diligent in trying not to draw attention to herself, if only to escape the torment of others. Obviously, she hadn’t been careful enough.

  “What do you think?” Captayen asked, pressing closer. Tirah fought the urge to bolt. She couldn’t let him know how much he scared her, it would only provoke him more. Just like Casin, Captayen seemed to enjoy watching others squirm.

  Despite her mixed feelings toward the Ilyium, her father’s people, it was all she knew. When she learned she couldn’t fight her destiny to become a soldier, she grudgingly accepted it. Then, as her brother and other trainees continuously mocked her and told her she’d never amount to anything, she decided to prove her worth, or die trying.

  “Go move your belongings and then get ready, we leave in an hour,” Captayen said.

  “Sir?” Tirah blinked, sure she’d missed something.

  “Yes, you are no longer a student. You lucked out.”

  Tirah closed her mouth as happiness sang through her veins. This was it, what she’d been fighting for—the rank of soldier. Maybe now everyone would leave her alone and finally begin to respect her. Though she had her doubts, she could still dream. Other females dreamed of mating, but no man Tirah ever met made her desire that same dream.

  Thrilled at her new promotion, she started to leave when Captayen’s voice stopped her. “There is an open dorm right beside mine. You will move into it. Oh, and go wash up, you’re filthy.”

  Her happiness gone, Tirah glanced back and shuddered at the gleam in his eyes as his gaze landed on her large breasts. She fought the urge to flee, and steeling herself, she walked out of his office, not sure what had just happened. She’d pushed herself beyond her limits to be promoted, eager for her first mission. Yet now, anxiety at how she’d thrown herself into the lion’s den almost paralyzed her. At eighteen years of age, she knew what men did with women and was terrifyingly aware of what Captayen wanted from her.

  Tirah rushed blindly down the hallway until she found an exit. Not stopping, she ran outside and around to the back of the building where no one would see her. Then she threw up the little she’d consumed for lunch. What am I going to do now?

  She wiped her mouth, then leaned up against the building and waited until her heartbeat returned to normal. She’d never thought ahead to what she’d do when she was finally promoted, but this? Ugh, this was the last thing she’d wanted. With a sigh, she tilted her head up and stared at the sky, she searched for any sign of the magical barrier that hid their presence, keeping their enemies out. She had often wished she could fly like the dragon, the creature she used to draw. But even if she could, she’d be trapped in the dome that covered their military town.

  Still, she often sensed the dragons as they passed by overhead, though she never understood why she couldn’t see them. During training, she learned that they hid themselves with an invisibility spell.

  With a sigh, Tirah made her way along the building, back toward the barracks. She didn’t get far when Casin’s and Captayen’s voices drifted through an open window.

  “You’re right. I don’t think Tirah has any special abilities, or even any of our druid magic,” Captayen said, and Tirah ground her teeth in anger. She should be grateful no one suspected her of being anything other than she seemed, yet the urge to show them, to make them pay, was strong inside of her.

  “I told you,” Casin replied.

  “She will be perfect for what we need tonight.”

  Casin agreed, and Tirah shivered.

  “I’m moving her into the empty dorm beside mine,” Captayen said.

  “Nice. We’ll share her,” Casin said.

  Tirah hurried away, trembling. Though she wondered what her involvement in the mission would be, it was almost impossible not to let terror consume her over what would happen when they returned home.

  Chapter Five

  Bonded Mates

  Maya gave her mate an exasperated look. “I told you, I will be fine. I’m just going for some medical supplies.”

  “Do you have to go? Can’t you just wait until tomorrow when I can take you?” Cass asked. “I hate to sound so protective, but I—” He sighed deeply and looked all around, anywhere but at her.

  Maya stared at him. “You what?”

  “I … I just have this bad feeling,” he said, and she gave him a loving smile.

  “Cass, you’ve had a ‘bad feeling’ for a month now. No. I can’t wait. We’re out of everything, and this latest group of refugees have some bad wounds that I need to tend to. I’d send someone else, but we’re shorthanded as it is.”

  “Then I’ll go with you.” Cass pulled her close and lowered his lips to hers.

  Maya melted in to his arms, savoring his rich masculine taste, then pushed away. “No. Stop trying to distract me. I’ve made this trip a hundred times, and Ziri said she has something important to tell you regarding your family.”

  Cass ran a hand through his long blond hair. “I know, but—”

  Maya smiled and love surged for this male who had stolen her heart and soul. He was so protective, and she loved him for it, but she also knew how long he’d searched for his lost family, and this was the first positive lead he’d had in a very long time. “No buts. If you
don’t talk to Ziri tonight, it will be too late. She’s going back undercover tomorrow. I’d hate for you to miss this chance to find them.”

  “I do want to find them. I need to, but you … you are my family as well. You and our Young. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.” He pulled her close with a desperation that tore her apart.

  When he was only a youth, he’d become separated from his mother and brothers during an Ilyium attack. Then as he tried to get back to them, he’d been wounded. His father found him and fought to protect him but ended up dying in front of him. The enemy then left him for dead. Once healed, Cass swore to continue the search for his mother and two brothers.

  “I’ve lived without them for this long, I can survive a little longer, but I can’t lose you.” He shuddered, and she hugged him tighter, completely understanding his need to hang on to what he had.

  “Do you honestly think I’d leave you, Skye, and Aries to fend for yourselves?” Maya asked, eyes wide in horror. “Between you, Saber, and Adarias, you’d all spoil them rotten, and they’d become the wildest hooligans around,” Maya teased, letting her love shine in her eyes.

  Cass chucked and after another fierce kiss, let her go. “Fine, but hurry home. I’m hard for you already.”

  Fire danced in Maya’s eyes and with a big grin, she moved away, knowing if he kissed her again that would be it, and she’d end up in bed with him for the rest of the night instead of doing what needed to be done. “Love you.” She put a swing into her hips as she walked away and at Cass’s groan, she looked back and chuckled.

  ***

  Cass watched his mate walk away and though heat sang through his veins, he was consumed with terror. Maya had been right. For the last month he’d felt something bad was going to happen and had made a fool of himself with how protective he’d been.

  Yet just the very thought of something happening to Maya sent panic through him. It was almost paralyzing. He thought about the meeting with Ziri, and debated on whether he should go, or if he should join his mate on her journey for supplies.