Love of the Dragon (Aloha Shifters: Jewels of the Heart Book 5)

by Anna Lowe

  The irony hit him. Everyone had warned him of witches’ spells, but it was a dragon who had cast her spell over him back then. A spell that had shattered, leaving his heart in shards. In his mind, he saw a thousand splintered Moiras, all wearing the same crocodile smile.

  “Silas. Darling,” she cooed.

  The first time he had met Moira a long, long time ago, he’d cringed at that nails-over-a-chalkboard voice. But duty was duty, and his parents were convinced Moira was a good match. So he’d trained himself to endure the sound. In fact, he’d even convinced himself he liked it. But now?

  He winced.

  “So good to see you again,” Moira went on.

  He kept his mouth firmly sealed. Let Moira put on her show. Every second that ticked by was a second in his favor, even if he couldn’t put his finger on why that might be.

  Moira was smiling, but he knew she would reveal her fangs if push came to shove. She wasn’t one to engage in all-out aerial duels the way Tessa was learning to do, but she would shift to dragon form and clip him with carefully aimed bursts of fire to support Drax. Anything to be on the winning side.

  Well, he’d be ready for that. He’d fight Drax but keep one eye on Moira.

  Bet your ass, I will, his dragon murmured, borrowing a line from Cassandra.

  Then something fluttered behind Moira, and his hopes sank. There, on a craggy ridge, stood six hunched shapes. Dragons. A quarter of a mile away, watching closely.

  Drax grinned, looking at his mercenaries. His aces, so to speak. They might not join the battle immediately, but if Drax faltered, they would swoop in. Of course, they would back away at the bitter end, allowing Drax to pretend the ultimate victory was all his work.

  It turned Silas’s stomach, but what could he do? He would fight to the death, and fight honorably.

  “You know how it is.” Drax grinned. “You plan a nice little getaway for two, but you end up bringing the whole entourage.”

  No, Silas didn’t know how that was.

  Silas stood as still as the statue that would probably never be cast for him. Honor went unrewarded sometimes. Principle was a dull companion. Traditions had a way of fading into nothingness.

  Not that he wanted a statue. All he wanted was his mate.

  A steam vent blasted a plume of heated air to his right. Silas steeled himself, ready to let his inner dragon out. But footsteps hurried up behind him, making him spin.

  Mate! My mate! his dragon cried at the sight of Cassandra stomping up with determined strides.

  Silas could have cried too — really cried. The only reason he’d torn himself away from his mate that morning was to keep her safe. Instead, he’d managed to draw her straight into the line of fire.

  “Cassandra,” he whispered.

  She was unarmed, except for anger and whatever self-defense moves a New York bartender was bound to know. Which made her virtually defenseless against dragons.

  The inner clock that had been urging him to slow down suddenly pinged as if the cavalry had just arrived and everything could proceed. What the hell was that all about? The situation had grown worse, not better.

  Cassandra strode right up to him, glaring everyone down. Her brown hair tossed. Her eyes blazed.

  She’d make a great dragon, his inner beast sighed.

  That, she would, he agreed.

  She stomped right up beside him, channeling brassy New York vibes as if someone had stolen the taxi she’d hailed or made her miss her subway or any of those other serious Manhattan crimes.

  The next best thing to a real dragon. His dragon smiled.

  Silas grinned too, but only briefly. Next best wasn’t good enough, not when the enemy was Drax.

  “Hi,” Cassandra murmured a little breathlessly.

  Her eyes had a certain gleam, and Silas wondered what the hell she could possibly have up her sleeve.

  “Hi,” he managed, wishing he had time to say much more.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Cassandra tried to keep her knees from shaking as she took in the desolate scene. Ash-colored lava covered everything in sight. Wisps of steam rose here and there. The air was stifling, as was the heat. A scene straight out of hell. Her heart swelled the second she’d spotted Silas, but moments later, it sank. She was too late. Drax stood behind him, and an entire squadron of dragons loomed on a rise.

  A lure spell. God, it really had come to pass.

  Just you wait and see… She could practically hear Eloise cackling in the background.

  No, she wanted to scream. I don’t want to see. This can’t be happening. Please, Eloise. Undo this mess.

  Nothing but silence greeted her ears, and she gulped. It was up to her now.

  “What are you doing here?” Silas said, searching her eyes.

  His clothes matched his grim expression. For the first time she’d ever witnessed, Silas wasn’t wearing formal, tailored clothes. Instead, it looked as if he’d raided Boone’s closet for a pair of camo pants and a plain black T-shirt. The military commander she’d always sensed in him was suddenly front and center. A man who led from the front and sacrificed himself for his men.

  A man she could fall in love with all over again.

  “Um… I was in the neighborhood?”

  Which was only half a lie. Her mind spun over the past few hours. She had rushed to the airport on Maui without telling anyone, booked the last available seat on the next flight to the Big Island, and drove her rental car to Bernadette’s address. Bernadette was her father’s stepsister, the only member of that branch of the family Cassandra had stayed in touch with.

  If you must, Eloise had warned, leave the Spirit Stone with a person no one would ever expect. She’d even joked, Like that no-good father of yours.

  So, no, Cassandra hadn’t sent the diamond to her father. She wouldn’t know where to find him anyway. But her father’s stepsister, yes. Bernadette was the sweetest, least witchy person she’d ever met, and her address was the only one Cassandra could recall that petrifying evening of the auction, so she’d scribbled the lines quickly and thrown the package into a mailbox as she fled the auction house.

  Bernadette Bernow, 17 Sunset Drive, Pahala, Hawaii, 96777.

  Easy street address, easy zip code. It had always stuck in her mind, and Bernadette wasn’t the type to open a box marked, Please hold for me.

  “But you just got here!” her shocked aunt had said less than an hour ago.

  Cassandra had barely stopped for a quick hug before grabbing the package and rushing off again, promising to explain later.

  She gulped, looking at the dragons. Would there be a later or would she die here?

  She’d come on the hope of a best-case scenario — that the lure spell hadn’t worked and all her fears were unfounded. Drax would be nowhere in sight, and she and Silas could take the diamond back to Koa Point and talk things through.

  The more likely scenario, she’d known, was encountering Silas and Drax. But the Windstone was purported to have incredible powers, so ideally, she would be able to use it — somehow — to help Silas. If only the jewel had come with a set of instructions…

  Worst-case scenario? She’d be delivering the Spirit Stone directly into the hands of the cruelest dragon lord of all.

  Drax grinned at her, showing the points of his teeth.

  “Cassandra,” Silas whispered. “What are you doing here?”

  What are you really doing here? his tone asked.

  When she locked eyes with him, a little bit of courage crept back into her. She could have said any of a dozen things. I was wrong about all dragons being evil. Or, I love you. Maybe even, I need you.

  But she settled for, “I’m here to help a stubborn dragon.”

  One corner of his mouth curved up while the other remained firmly down. “Stubborn? I suppose that makes two of us.”

  “I suppose it does.”

  The air between their bodies stirred, coaxing them to step closer and touch.

  Mate, she thought t
o herself. He really is my mate.

  Silas took a deep breath, and his lips moved a few times. “For the record, I love you.”

  She stuck her hands on her hips. “For the record? Silas — seriously?”

  The right corner of his mouth crooked up. “Seriously. I wish I could follow you to the end of my days.”

  Her cheeks heated. Hell, her whole body heated. “For the record, I love you too.”

  “Aren’t they adorable,” Moira muttered.

  Cassandra ignored her and leaned closer, faking bravado. “And about that following to the end of your days part — no one says they’re over yet.”

  “I do,” Drax boomed.

  Oh, shut up, she wanted to say. But Drax wasn’t a loudmouth customer at her bar. He was a dragon, and this was it.

  She looked around and took a deep breath. Silas hadn’t protested the help part. Clearly, he needed backup — badly. But, shit. What was she going to do against six dragons?

  She fingered the diamond in her pocket and steeled her nerves. Okay, diamond. You’d better have the power they say you do.

  She nearly yelped when the jewel warmed under her hand.

  Silas tilted his head at her, but before he could ask, Moira’s shrill voice turned every head.

  “Isn’t that precious? She thinks she can stop us.”

  Actually, Cassandra wanted to snort. I kind of doubt I can. But I’m here because I love my man. My man, you got that?

  The way Moira’s hungry eyes roved over Silas hinted that whatever had once passed between them wasn’t entirely extinguished, at least in Moira’s heart — if she had one.

  “Shut it, Moira,” Cassandra barked.

  Silas’s eyes blazed. Ever the noble warrior, he took one step forward, shielding Cassandra with his body. But she wasn’t one to shrink back, so she stepped firmly to his side. If they were going to survive this, they’d do so together.

  Drax let loose a peal of laughter. “Now don’t you wish you had let me buy that diamond at the auction?”

  “You’re the one wishing,” she snapped.

  In truth, her first reaction was yes, that would have been nice. She would have been three million dollars richer and ignorant of the archaic world of dragon shifters. But, no. She wouldn’t go back in time if she could. She never would have gotten close to Silas if she had let the diamond go, and she would have failed in the mission assigned to her.

  You must keep the Windstone out of the hands of dragons. Kill if need be.

  Eloise had been wrong about a lot of things, but Cassandra agreed with the core message. Keep the Windstone away from Drax, and kill evil dragons if need be. The question was, how?

  Her thigh heated, and she placed her hand over her pocket, keeping the motion slow and subtle. If the dragons realized she had the diamond with her…

  “You will never have it,” Silas declared.

  “Oh, but I will. It’s here on the Big Island, isn’t it?” Drax crowed. “It’s only a matter of time before I track it down and claim what is mine.” His eyes glowed an eerie pinkish-orange.

  Mine. Moira’s lips formed the word, though she didn’t speak aloud.

  Cassandra looked between Moira and Drax. Something told her it was only a matter of time before Moira claimed the diamond for herself. And maybe more than the diamond. Was she after Drax’s empire?

  Another steam vent huffed loudly, reminding Cassandra she had more immediate problems than that.

  “You won’t be tracking anything, Drax. It all ends here,” Silas said, looking every inch the warrior. He held his arms out from his sides, ready for action, and his feet braced wide. Uncompromising. Determined.

  “No, it starts here,” Drax shot back. “A new phase in my illustrious career. New properties. New powers. New horizons.”

  Cassandra shuddered to imagine what that meant — not only for the shifters of Koa Point, but everywhere.

  “Yes, I think I can make myself quite comfortable on that estate you’ve been taking care of for me,” Drax said. Then he looked right at Cassandra and licked his lips. “To the winner go the spoils.”

  Cassandra’s stomach turned. What did Drax mean by that?

  Silas growled, and his fingers flexed. He pushed Cassandra gently from his side — a subtle cue that he was preparing to shift into dragon form?

  “To the winner go the spoils,” Silas echoed.

  Drax hunched his shoulders and bared his teeth. Moira looked on, practically rubbing her hands.

  “The winner? That would be me,” Drax grunted in a voice that grew deeper with every word. His eyes started to glow a greedy green.

  Cassandra looked on dumbly, then stumbled when Silas nudged her back.

  Run, his expression said. Run while you can. Hide.

  Like hell, she’d run or hide. She slipped her hand into her pocket and closed it around the diamond.

  A sea breeze had been blowing steadily, pushing wisps of hair over her face. But the second she touched the diamond, the wind direction reversed. She lifted her face, and the wind pushed her hair back behind her ears.

  So the Windstone did have some power. The question was, how to harness it?

  A powerful witch can control almost anything, Eloise had once declared.

  Great. Cassandra couldn’t summon a single spell. She was totally out of her league.

  Just fake it, her first bartending mentor, Louanne, had always said. Whatever you do, never show weakness.

  Of course, Louanne had meant customers in a bar, not diamonds with magical powers.

  She ran her fingers over the diamond’s hard edges and reached out with her mind. Are you really as powerful as they say?

  The wind shifted again, and even Drax looked around, furrowing his brow.

  She turned the jewel over in her pocket.

  Okay, then. Here’s the plan. You help me, I help you.

  The wind flickered, tossing her hair. Was that a yes or a no?

  You have to keep your inner beast on a tight leash, she’d overheard Kai coaching Tessa. Make sure it knows you’re in charge.

  Cassandra gulped. Did that apply to Spirit Stones, or was she playing with fire?

  She made a split-second decision and gripped the Windstone harder, eying the nearest steam vent. But if you fuck with me…

  The jewel burned in her hand, but she clutched it harder. I am in charge here, you got that?

  She nearly yelped from the burst of heat, but hung on as she sidestepped to a crack in the earth where flowing lava glowed a menacing red.

  Witches gave you power. Witches can destroy you, she grunted in her mind. So play along, all right?

  The wind whispered in her ear, carrying the echo of an earthy voice. Oh, I’ll play, all right.

  Cassandra wasn’t sure how to interpret that, but she was out of time. Silas was stepping toward Drax, growing taller by the second and yelling something that came out half roar.

  “It ends here,” Silas boomed, raising his arms wide.

  Cassandra stared then ducked as all hell broke loose.

  Chapter Twenty

  One second, Cassandra was standing still, holding her breath. The next, she was tumbling head over heels, shoved by a mighty force. A roar broke out in front of her, and she stared at a long line of scorched earth.

  “Watch out!” Silas shouted.

  She rolled aside, barely avoiding Drax’s second plume of fire. Lava bit into her palms and knees, and another roar thundered out. She looked up just in time to see Silas’s shirt split down the back. The air around him shimmered, and then—

  Her jaw hung open. “Silas?”

  It was one thing to know that he could shift into a dragon, but another thing to witness him transform. Back in New York, she’d only caught a glimpse of his dragon body. But now that she had come to know Silas – to spend time with him, and even to make love to him – she couldn’t quite believe the creature that rose before her eyes. A huge black dragon — black with a subtle undertone of red — who sprea
d his wings wide and roared.

  She dashed aside as Silas and Drax rose from the ground with mighty beats of their massive wings. The force was so great, she nearly fell again. In the distance, an excited, keening cry went out. The other dragons were cheering Drax on.

  “Wow. Silas,” she breathed, marveling at Silas’s new size and shape. His hide had a soft, leathery sheen, and the last bit of daylight glittered off his belly scales.

  She blinked. Scales. Holy shit. The hard abs she’d run a finger across last night were covered in dragon scales.

  Silas chased Drax higher and higher. The streams of fire they spat at each other during the rushed ascent were terrifying enough, but the firepower increased when they leveled out and flew at each other.

  Cassandra ducked, covering her head. The flames Drax aimed at Silas were thirty feet long, and they took on a life of their own, chasing their enemy through the sky in angry bursts of orange, yellow, and red. Silas barely avoided Drax’s first volley by darting right with a flick of his long tail.

  Cassandra stared, taking in that tail.

  “Get him, Drax,” Moira shouted from somewhere to the right.

  Cassandra glared, reminding herself there was more to this fight than just two dragons. She had Moira to contend with, not to mention the six beasts lined up on the ridge. One after another took flight, hurtling through the air toward the two dueling dragons. How would Silas ever overcome those odds?

  Her thigh heated, and she dug deep into her pocket and drew out the Spirit Stone, letting her eyes dart between the dragons and the gem. The flames overhead reflected in each of the diamond’s facets, mirroring the lethal forces overhead.

  “Okay. Okay…” she muttered, trying to get herself together.

  She forced in a couple of deep, slow breaths. This had been her plan all along, right? Or at least as much of a plan as she’d thrown together in the past few hours.

  Get the Windstone. Use it to stop the dragon fight. Defeat Drax.

  She grimaced. That was all much easier said than done. She’d also been secretly hoping to have learned enough magic to apply, but, hell. That hadn’t proven to be the case.