by Abigail Owen
Skylar glared. “I thought that’s what I was doing.”
With their mother gone, if she didn’t protect her sisters, who else would?
“I should take a look at her neck,” a male voice said. Probably Ladon’s Healer.
“I’m fine,” Skylar insisted. Unfortunately, the strong words were ruined by hoarse vocal cords. She added a glare for good measure, and the man approaching her held up both hands in surrender.
Kasia shook her head and raised her gaze to Ladon, who stood at Skylar’s back. She could feel him there and tried to convince herself that her sense of him was more like that of a spider lying in wait in its web, rather than what it actually was.
Awareness.
That term was about to join “moist” on her list of most hated words at this rate.
“I’d like to talk to my sister alone,” Kasia said.
Just talk? Skylar probably would’ve protested, but she was too distracted by a sudden, stark realization that sucked the air out of her lungs a second time, leaving her dazed.
She’d always been able to read people easily. Especially her sisters. For the first time, she was close enough to really take stock of Kasia. Concern bunched her eyebrows together, but that was directed at Skylar. Otherwise, she exhibited no fear. No desperate need to run away. No secret sign that she did, indeed, need help.
“You really mated him of your own free will?” Skylar whispered.
Kasia’s lips curved up in a soft smile. The only confirmation Skylar needed.
“Why would you do that?” she demanded now, louder.
CHAPTER TWO
At the derisive tone in Skylar’s question, Ladon’s eyebrows shot up. Granted, with what he’d learned from Kasia about their family history, he couldn’t blame her for hating dragon shifters. Except that was going to cause serious problems with his plan.
Claiming her as he had was the wrong damn move. He could see that now.
Kasia didn’t answer Skylar’s question, instead looking to Ladon. “I’m serious. I need to talk to her alone.”
“No way.” The denial punched out of him.
After Skylar had shoved him literally out of the room, it had taken a second to figure out where the hell he was and realize she’d somehow managed to send him next door.
Another teleporting phoenix.
Finding himself in another room in an instant had been a new experience, one that left him bewildered and slightly seasick. As soon as he’d figured out where she’d sent him, he sprinted back to the conference room only to find Kasia gone and Brand holding Skylar aloft by the throat, her feet thrashing in the air as she struggled to find leverage, and none of his men rushing to help.
Immediate and fierce need to rip his friend and only ally’s throat out had Ladon starting across the room. Thank the gods Kasia had arrived and stopped Brand before Ladon could give in to that urge.
No way in all the realms of hell was he letting this phoenix out of his sight until she was bound to him—not only to claim her for his people, but to keep her out of the clutches of every other king. He needed her to be his. He’d have to work around her hating dragon shifters issue.
The shock of there being more than one phoenix still shook him to his core. Legend had it only one phoenix ever existed at a time, each mother passing her powers on to her only daughter either through death or with the conscious choice to let those powers go.
There was supposed to be more… Whispers of some kind of blessing, or good fortune, an inability to make a wrong decision. No one was quite sure exactly what. But that more had guaranteed the man mated to the phoenix took the position of High King.
Except that hadn’t happened for Brand. No bolt of lightning or spotlight from the heavens.
Granted, Kasia brought other assets to the table: teleportation and her visions. And now that there were multiple phoenixes? The other kings wouldn’t know what to make of that development. Not that it’d stop them from trying to take one of the phoenixes for themselves.
Ladon gritted his teeth. Too many unknowns. He didn’t like it. But they’d have to figure out the High King business and what more than one phoenix meant later. After they killed Pytheios and took down the other old kings.
“I’m not leaving you with her,” Brand barked at his mate. “She’s batshit crazy.”
Kasia sat back on her heels and rolled her eyes. “She’s my sister.”
“I wouldn’t hurt her,” Skylar mumbled, still rubbing at her neck.
Ladon scowled as his gaze lit on a pale white line just under the red markings left by Brand’s grip. Friend or no friend, if he’d hurt Skylar…except the mark appeared permanent. Like an old scar.
Brand didn’t relent, jaw and fists clenching.
“Fine,” Kasia conceded. “Brand and Ladon may stay but sit over there and keep quiet.” She pointed across the room at the table. “Everyone else out.”
Skylar remained where she was on the floor, rubbing at her throat and glaring at the others with those bright, watercolor blue eyes. At least her skin had turned less sallow. Seconds ago, her pallor had him…concerned.
Ladon did his best to push adrenaline, along with the burning need to claim her immediately, down deep in his gut, though it tested the limits of his control. He gave the members of his guard—his closest friends—as well as the advisors who made up his Curia Regis, a sharp nod and waited in silence while they filed out.
“This is a bad idea,” Asher, his Beta, muttered as he passed, but he left just the same.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Arden grumbled on her way out the door. “Not that you’ll tell me.”
Reid, the captain of his guard, followed her out the door with a shake of his head. “I’m sure you’ll wheedle him out of any information you want.”
He ignored his sister and Reid and took a seat.
Maul returned to his corner, making his intention to remain in the room more than obvious when he dropped to his haunches and leveled them all with the hellhound equivalent of a glare. No one dared argue with the creature. Brand was probably lucky that he’d mated Kasia, or he might not be alive.
Brand sat, too, saying nothing, probably sensing the dangerous edge on which Ladon’s emotions balanced.
“Damage my future mate like that again, and I’ll rip your arms out of their sockets.” The warning slid from Ladon. He couldn’t have held it back even if he wanted to. Not that he wanted to.
Still on the floor, Skylar’s back stiffened. “I’m not your future anything, asshole.”
“Not helping,” Kasia said pointedly, adding a glare at him for effect.
Shit. Where’d his control go? He’d just been telling himself to cool it with the claiming language. Ladon clamped down on more words.
Kasia held out her hands and pulled Skylar to her feet, allowing Ladon a view of Skylar’s face. His body tensed in reaction. Now that he had a chance to study her, he couldn’t deny her beauty. Darker and sharper than her sister, those glacial eyes a striking contrast to her midnight hair, her skin a darker shade than Kasia’s paleness, and those lips…
Kasia focused on her sister, her gaze settling. “I love you, but you got this totally wrong.”
Given her attitude so far, Ladon waited for an immediate rejection, but Skylar didn’t speak for a long beat, searching Kasia’s eyes. “My sources informed me that a rogue dragon kidnapped you and dragged you here to mate you to a king. Brand is the rightful King of the Gold Throne, right? He killed Uther, and apparently at least some gold dragons now bear Brand’s mark on their hands, which makes him king. A king you’re mated to. Am I wrong?”
Kasia sent a smiling glance at Brand. “You got it mostly right, but what you missed was that I didn’t mate the king I was intended to.”
Skylar turned those ice-blue eyes on Ladon. As realization dawned, her lips quirked. “Wha
t happened, big boy? Couldn’t close the deal?”
Ladon held her glance with an unaffected stare, hiding his reaction. Why the hell was her insulting him so amusing?
“Stop that.” Kasia shook her head. “I wasn’t aware of Brand’s claim to the Gold Throne until after. So, I sort of mated a king, but not on purpose. Ladon stepped aside and is now our strongest ally.”
“How sweet,” Skylar drawled.
Again, Ladon had to bite back a laugh at the sarcasm glazing her words like a poisoned candy coating. Nothing made him laugh these days. And really, he should be offended.
Skylar crossed her arms. “Do you hear yourself? Why are you helping dragon kings?” She spat the last word.
Yeah. She really hated them. Which meant him. This was going to be harder than he had time for.
Kasia scowled. “Are you so blinded by hatred that you can’t hear me or see what’s in front of your face? I love him. Brand is my destined mate.”
Kasia turned and lifted the heavy fall of her hair to reveal a symbol branded into her skin at the nape—an insignia that combined the sisters’ family crest and Brand’s own family mark. Their mating bond had solidified quickly, tethering them to each other for life.
The fight went out of Skylar, her shoulders drooping. She studied her sister’s face, then tossed a glance at Brand before returning her focus to Kasia. “You must love him if you’d believe that crap,” she said softly.
Given how passionately determined she’d been that Kasia couldn’t be here on purpose, that had been fast.
“Our mother mated a dragon king.” Kasia’s voice was low, and Ladon caught it only because of his enhanced hearing.
Maul lumbered over from where he’d settled in the back corner. He padded to stand in front of Skylar, nuzzling her. She softened, reaching up to scratch the massive hellhound behind his ear, her lips even tipping up as he leaned into her hand. Ladon had to clamp down on the strangest dark emotion. Not used to anything along those lines, it took him a second to place it as jealously.
Of a damn dog.
No.
No way should he be this possessive this fast. He needed her for what she was. That was all.
His ruthless reputation might discourage challenges to his throne from within his own clan, but not impending war with the old kings still ruling the other clans. White, red, black, and green—all the other dragon shifters were gunning for him. To keep the throne and protect his people, what he needed was a miracle, and a phoenix in his corner counted. Luck or no luck. Brand didn’t have his clan behind him yet, and Kasia was his.
That left Skylar.
Suddenly both women tensed and focused on the pitch-black dog who stood more than a head over them both, the scent of a forest fire with an underlying rancid odor of death trailing him everywhere he went in the mountain.
“You were there when our father was killed?” Skylar demanded.
Maul communicated with telepathic images, like a picture book. But telling them about their father’s death? How was that possible? Why would he have been there?
Hellhounds were thought to be warriors who had unfinished business, killed before their rightful time, reincarnated to finish what they’d left behind. Legends abounded that their arrival portended death. Not that that had proved true with Maul. How the Amon sisters even had a hellhound as a loyal pet was still a big question mark.
“What’s he saying?” Ladon asked.
But neither woman answered, absorbed by whatever Maul was showing them. A few times Skylar shook her head, as if she was denying the images, rejecting them. “No. I don’t believe it.”
Maul gave a low growl, the sound rousing the dragon inside Ladon. He and Brand were up and out of their chairs in a heartbeat, except that sound turned more menacing as Maul directed his bottomless, red glowing gaze at them and bared his teeth in a snarl.
At the same time, an image of Maul playing with Kasia and Skylar as toddlers flashed through Ladon’s mind.
Brand held up both hands. “Okay, boy. You won’t hurt them. I get it.”
“Do you?” Ladon asked.
Because, despite that image, Maul didn’t back down, appearing as though he was about to rip into the two precious phoenixes standing before him at the smallest provocation.
“Hey.” Skylar pulled Maul’s focus back to herself. “If we were supposed to help dragon kings, then why did Mom hide us from them all our lives?”
Again, the sisters held still, gazing into space, almost trancelike, eyes moving back and forth with whatever the hellhound was showing them.
“You’re saying that a new king makes a difference?” Kasia asked slowly.
The dog shook his massive head, jowls slapping.
Skylar wiped a spray of drool off her arm. “New kings?”
Maul let out a short huff. An affirmative, if Ladon hazarded a guess.
Hands on her hips, Skylar stepped back, blowing out a long, low breath. “I don’t know Kas. This isn’t what Mom taught us.”
Kasia put a hand on her sister’s shoulders. “She taught us to survive. We’ll do that better with them than without them.”
“Meaning dragon shifters?” Ladon asked. Had the damn dog just helped his cause?
Both women faced him, eyebrows raised.
He stepped closer. “You know, being spoken of like a virus is getting old fast.”
Kasia grimaced. “Sorry.”
But he hardly noticed, intent on Skylar, who flicked the thick braid of her raven hair over her shoulder. She crossed the room and stepped right in to him, invading his space in a way most didn’t dare. Kasia tried to pull her back, and even Brand winced.
But Skylar didn’t hesitate even a second, practically chest-bumping him. “I’m so sorry your feelings are hurt. Silly me.” She smacked her forehead. “I sometimes forget to ignore the fact that your kind murdered my entire family. In the name of…what would you call it…” She mimed thinking hard, then snapped her fingers. “Oh yeah. In the name of all-consuming, selfish fucking greed and a throne.”
The woman was on a roll, so Ladon crossed his arms and waited for her to run out of steam…and tried his best not to chuckle. Again. Why was this his reaction to her? He also did his best to ignore the way his body hardened as her cloves-tinted smoky scent tantalized his senses.
What would she do if he kissed her right now to shut her up?
Probably slit his throat.
She swung back to Kasia, effectively dismissing him. “You were saying?”
“You’re right,” Ladon said.
Slowly, she turned to face him. “Excuse me?”
He dropped his arms and stepped closer, fully aware of how her pupils dilated and those amazing eyes darkened, more of the blue coming out. “I said you’re right. My kind, as you put it, wronged your mother and her line. A horror that should never have happened, breaking generations of trust. But, before that, your ancestors ruled beside our kings.”
She scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean? That we’re obligated to continue the tradition or something?”
He shook his head. Gods she was prickly. “No. I’m saying a good relationship is possible.”
Skylar snorted her opinion of that.
“It starts with taking down Pytheios, the false High King, and his regime of puppet kings. Something I’d think you would want, too.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You, a dragon king, want to take him down?”
Ladon couldn’t help the way his lips flattened. “These centuries haven’t been kind to most dragon shifters, either.”
“You’re telling me you’ve suffered?” she scoffed.
He didn’t back down. “My people? Yes. After centuries under Thanatos, the king Pytheios made sure was placed on the Blue Throne, all the wealth of the Blue Clan was gone, and most of my people lived in poverty.
You said you’ve been here a while. Did you not notice how…shabby…things are?”
Her gaze flicked around the room. A nondescript meeting room, but the air of neglect and age was unmistakable.
“Worse, the kings in power took those thrones from decent men. Not just your family. Brand’s family was killed, too, and Thanatos did nothing to help Brand when he survived and came here asking for asylum as a child. Even though I didn’t know who he was at the time, I helped him. I hid him away.”
Skylar glanced at Kasia, who nodded a confirmation. She returned her gaze to him. “And you think you’ll do better than those kings?”
Ladon stood straighter, despite the weight of his own self-doubts. He’d be a king for his people, of that he was confident. Protect them, build them back up. Unfortunately, ruling was politics, and he didn’t have the temperament for that crap. No tolerance for bullshit, grandstanding, backstabbing, or any of the rest of it. Still…he didn’t have a choice, and she didn’t need to know any of that right now. “I do.”
She cocked her head. “Really?”
Huh. Maybe he wasn’t getting through to her.
“Because you are called the Blood King for a reason, I understand.”
Dammit. For the first time, his reputation reared its ugly head and bit him in the ass.
“And…” she continued, “as soon as you found out what I was, your immediate reaction was to claim me.” She took a step back. “Sounds like the same old shit to me. Different justification.”
I can’t let her leave. A reverberation of shock followed that blink of panic at the idea of her disappearing.
Ladon didn’t panic. Ever.
Not when his parents disappeared. Not when he’d taken the throne. Not when the mountain was attacked. Not ever.
“Are you so brainwashed you’ll make assumptions on outdated and inaccurate data?” Ladon tossed the words between them and waited for her to pick them up. No way would Skylar, with her obvious fire, be able to ignore a challenge like that.
Except she raised a single eyebrow in an unimpressed smirk. “I stopped taking stupid dares centuries ago.”
