Gregor did not know, and so he did not answer.
A sigh came from the prince. "When the world was first formed and the dragons were new to this world, the gods came from above and gifted everyone with a mate." He held a hand up. "It wasn’t quite as easy as that, as no gifts from the gods ever are. Our ancestors had to find them. New dragons were scattered all over the world. Not everyone was successful. The stories foretold one man or woman was prophesied for every born dragon. When a mate died, there was nothing left but an abyss of loneliness."
Daegal stopped and sipped his coffee. Gregor was still in his silence, eager to hear of what happened. His prince rarely told stories, so when he did, Gregor knew he should listen.
"But there was one man—a hero among the ancient dragons who lost his mate to a great evil. The dragon swore vengeance and devoted his life to finding the being responsible for her death. When he finally did, he realized that killing him would not ease his broken heart. You see, this being was responsible for many of the world’s ills at the time. Killing him would have been equivalent to taking only one head of the hydra. You have to cut off all of the heads to stop the evil. So, he spent the next fifty years of his life painstakingly taking down his army. He killed all of the soldiers and all of the soldier’s wives to prevent future children. He took out their weapons forges, their extended family who might have vengeance in their hearts, their villages, and anything related to his activities."
Gregor’s eyebrows were lifted in surprise. Those actions would require a skilled mind and the willpower of the gods.
"And when he was done," Daegal continued, "the dragon met the being responsible for the death of his wife. Remember, he’d taken everything away from this man. He had nothing. Not even his ego. The man quaked in front of the presence of the great dragon."
Gregor sighed. "So he killed him? That does not sound especially merciful."
Daegal’s eyes glittered. "No, indeed, it does not. And that was why the gods granted the dragon the chance of a lifetime. A second mate. It was because he did not kill him." Daegal shrugged. "Some of us might believe the dragon left him to suffer a fate worse than death. I do not believe that. Because there is always a choice. The man could continue his evil ways, or he could change."
"And did he?" Gregor asked. Change was difficult for even the strongest.
A smile played over Daegal’s mouth. "Aye, he did. For when the dragon stood there and the man quaked before him, a woman ran out and shielded the evil man from him." His eyes sparkled. "A beautiful woman with hair the color of a winter’s morning and lips the color of spilled rubies."
Gregor’s mouth dropped open.
"The dragon was not merciful because of the man, you see. He showed mercy because someone loved this man enough to die for him."
Daegal’s eyes glittered. "And because as soon as this woman stepped in front of her father, the mating bond snapped into place."
Gregor choked on the coffee he just sipped. "You’re kidding. The man who killed his first mate became his father-in-law?"
"That he did." Daegal sipped his coffee. "Could you imagine a more awkward Christmas dinner?"
Gregor chortled and sat back in his chair. "So you think it’s real?"
Daegal nodded. "It is. A mating bond cannot be faked, Gregor. It can certainly be complicated. Never faked. You need to claim Ella before it’s too late, friend. Just because there’s a mating bond in place does not mean free will ceases to exist."
Gregor stood and gave his friend a shallow bow. "Thank you, brother."
Daegal raised his mug. "My pleasure."
Gregor cloaked himself, leaped off the balcony, and snapped his wings out right before he started to plummet. He had to see Ella.
Now.
A figure stood on the balcony of Ella’s home. Gregor’s instincts sharpened and screamed. He dove for the ledge, and just as he did, the figure turned and held out a clawed hand.
Magic slammed into Gregor, sending him spinning away. Pain roared through his chest as he careened out of control. A primal screech came from him as he righted himself.
Ludovic had arrived.
Gregor flew at the dragon again, but this time, Ludovic rose to meet him. Both were cloaked, but their roars and cries could not be silenced. He fought desperately in an effort to get to Ella, but Ludovic was just as powerful as he was.
He did not think the dragon had arrived on his own, so he knew he had to get to Ella before something worse happened.
A blast of azure blue magic burst from his hands and hit its target. Ludovic screeched in pain and plummeted, his wing a smoking mess.
Gregor didn’t bother to watch the fall. He flew to the balcony and landed sloppy, his steps stumbling and off-balance. He crashed into the glass doors, shattering the glass and wood.
He fell onto his knees, his mind barely registering the thousand cuts on his hands as he kneeled. His gaze frantically searched the apartment.
"ELLA!" His roar echoed through the house. Gregor stood and rushed through every room. His mind catalogued the destruction of the rooms.
There was no sign of her.
"ELLA!" he called one more time. When no one answered, Gregor slumped against the wall, his hand over his mouth and his eyes wet with suspicious moisture. He stood there for a moment, stunned at the development.
Less than a minute later, he launched himself off the balcony, not bothering to cloak himself until he was well in the air.
He landed on the balcony of Sara’s home, wounded and enraged. Carrie was the first to see him. He noted the concern in her eyes right before he collapsed.
"Daegal!" the woman screamed.
Cool hands touched his face, his chest, his arm. Carrie sucked in a breath. "It will be okay, Gregor. Whatever this is, I promise you, it will be okay."
"She’s dead," Gregor said. "I know it. She’s gone from me."
The hands stilled on his arm. "I’ve never wanted to hit an injured man until right now. Unless you’ve seen her body, you idiot, I refuse to believe my friend is dead. Now lie here and wait for help."
Gregor shut his eyes and the world went black.
Four dragons, a mate, and two humans sat around the living room much later that evening, mindlessly drinking wine and plotting. Gregor sat there in a haze of grief.
His mate had been taken right out from under his nose. He’d left her alone, and now she was gone. He could no longer feel their bond. If she was alive, she was either hidden by magic or no longer in this world.
A raven pecked at the glass of the balcony window. Everyone stilled. Conversation stopped. It was already unusual for a bird to come so close, but this one had something attached to his leg. Gregor was about to stand, but Daegal put a warning hand out.
He was, after all, the prince’s enforcer. He stood down and allowed Daegal to approach the bird. The humans watched, shocked, as the raven allowed Daegal to come close enough to remove what looked like a tube from its foot.
As soon as it was off, the raven flew off with a caw and a flurry of feathers.
Daegal opened the tube and unfurled a small piece of paper. Gregor watched, hoping against hope in his heart, but his hopes were dashed like a fall to the rocks when Daegal’s expression turned grim.
"Ella is dead," he announced.
The paper floated down to the ground.
Ash on the wind. Dust to dust.
The first wail of grief floated on the air, stunning in its ferocity.
9
Ella
A person could be beautiful, but if they were a psychopath it kind of diminished their chances with women. Ella stared at Ludovic in disgust for probably the fifth time that day.
This was the third time he’d tried to get her to put on some ridiculous looking harem outfit. He proclaimed that as his new mate, she had to dress the part.
Ella had promptly told him to fuck off and then thrown her shoe at him.
Now, they stood staring at each other from across the room. Ell
a had one shoe still on, disproportionately affecting her height, but it still didn’t stop the epic glare she was throwing at Ludovic.
"I am not your mate," she growled at him.
Ludovic leaned against the wall closest to the door of the room he kept her locked in. Ella was pretty sure she’d been here for seven days. He hadn’t harmed her yet, but he was good at scaring the shit out of her with his words.
Since she’d been here for almost a week, she was beginning to wonder if he really did have some messed up feelings toward her.
"Does it matter?" Ludovic answered. He pushed off the wall and prowled toward her. Ella denied a lot of things, but she could not deny how beautiful he was.
The effect was ruined by the perpetual sneer the dragon wore. Jet black hair flopped over one eye. The other was a harsh blue. His lips were a slash against his face, and Ella wondered if he ever smiled. He could be an underwear model. Ludovic had the build for it and the untouchable, frozen handsomeness most of them possessed.
Also … he was kind of a dick. Perfect behavior for a supermodel.
"Don’t you like the way I look?" he asked. He ran a tan hand down perfect washboard abs.
"Sure. If I were a shallow asshole with Stockholm syndrome." Ella reached down and took off her other shoe. "Don’t take one more step toward me," she warned as she leveraged the shoe above her head.
Ludovic snorted. "Do you really think a shoe would deter me? I am a dragon. Ancient and feared."
Ella sighed. "Well I am a human. Hormonal and annoyed," she said. "I don’t know what you want from me, but I can’t give it to you."
Ludovic stopped a few feet away from her. His gaze narrowed as he studied her. A moment later, he burst into deep laughter. "You truly have no idea." He turned from her, his shoulders shaking with mirth. "This is perfect!"
Ella lowered the shoe. "What?" she demanded.
Ludovic turned to her. "Gregor is your mate," he said. A wide grin stretched his mouth. "And you never realized it. How Gregor must have suffered." He inhaled deeply. "I can just taste his torture."
Ella’s insides roiled with alarm. His mate? Impossible. "Don’t be a perv," she told Ludovic, keeping her voice steady in spite of her ragged emotions. She did not acknowledge his words.
"Ella, you seem to think he will come for you." He waved a hand. "It is never folly to hope, but Gregor and all of your friends … they think you’re dead."
The shoe dropped from her hand. Dread settled in her veins. "And why would they think something like that?" she asked, her voice soft and deadly.
Ludovic headed toward the door. "Because I told them you were." A grin slashed his cruel face. "And Gregor will believe it because this room is warded against magic. He cannot sense the bond." He gave her a shallow bow. "Have a good evening, Ella."
Ella reached down for the shoe and threw it, but it thumped harmlessly against the door Ludovic had already shut.
Ella lay flat on her back, her thoughts a whirl. She was in a room with no windows and only one door that had been locked since she arrived. They fed her by sliding a tray through a slot at the bottom of it.
A small bathroom was located off to the side of the room, but there were no windows in there either. She had no idea where she was or how far she’d been taken. Her thoughts were all over the place. She thought about Gregor most of all and how stupid she’d been. And then she thought about how stupid he’d been for not telling her about the mating bond.
Then she thought about Daegal and how he never told Sara about the bond and came to the realization that maybe dragons were just all stupid when it came to keeping their mates informed.
But … one thing clicked in the back of her mind. When Daegal had left Sara, a dragon appeared in her dreams for almost a year. She later found out it was him. Ella closed her eyes. She had no idea if this was going to work, especially since the room she was in was warded, but maybe mental connections didn’t work the same way.
Gregor, she called in her mind.
Ella waited.
Nothing.
Gregor.
Again, nothing came back to her. Ella sighed and rolled over. She had no idea if it was night or day, but weariness seeped through her bones.
He would find her.
He had to.
10
Gregor
Daegal and Sebastian did not believe Ella was really dead. Killing someone’s mate was considered the highest dishonor among dragons, and neither of them thought Ludovic would stoop that low. He would steal from them, sure. He would also enslave the humans, but they didn’t think he would murder Gregor’s mate.
Gregor thought maybe they were being overly optimistic. He couldn’t feel Ella anymore and hadn’t been able to from the moment she’d disappeared. The mating bond was silent. It was as if it had never been.
Daegal thought the only place they could be was an old abandoned castle located on what locals called "The Forbidden Island." The military was rampant on the island so sneaking in there would be difficult, especially with the technology the armed forces possessed. It was possible their cloaking abilities would be compromised.
Carrie, surprisingly enough, had been a wealth of information. Gregor was listening with half an ear when Sebastian burst into the house.
"Rolf and Aksel are there!" he shouted. Sebastian stumbled and fell to his knees. Blood seeped from a wound on his shoulder.
Daegal was on instant alert. "And Ludovic?" Sara rushed into the kitchen and came back with a first aid kit which Sebastian waved away. They were dragons and would heal much faster than the humans expected. Ripping off a bandage would only cause discomfort.
Edvard stepped into the house unscathed. "No sign of him, but they’re guarding one room closely. We cannot tell what’s inside. There’s a magical ward around it." He and Daegal exchanged a glance.
Gregor shook his head. "This is all for naught. Bide your time and attack when you’re ready. There is no need to search for Ella. The gods have cursed me. I was never worthy to have two mates, so they’ve taken her from me."
Sebastian growled at Gregor and slowly got to his feet. "Usually I’m the idiot," he said. "The least you can do is look. Try to see if she’s there."
Grief creased Gregor’s face. "The mating bond fell when she disappeared."
"Who gives a shit?" Edvard said. "You don’t give up until you find her body."
Gregor shut his eyes and tried to block the image of Ella’s lifeless body from his mind. He got up and left the room.
Three hours later, Gregor ventured back into the living room only to see Carrie, Sara, and Jillian sitting close together on the couch. Carrie had her head on Jillian’s shoulder, and Jillian’s arm was slung across Sara’s shoulders. All of them were crying silent tears.
When they saw Gregor, they did not acknowledge him at first. He wandered to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. The sense of failure careened through him and threatened to send him to his knees. All he could think about was Ella and their time together. The way she’d thrown her head back in wild abandon as they made love. The way she made him laugh.
He set the glass down with a crack.
"Where are my brothers?" he asked quietly.
A slight shimmer in the air told Gregor exactly where his brothers were. He landed right next to Sebastian. The dragon punched him in the arm.
"It’s about fucking time," he said.
Edvard acknowledged him with a nod. Daegal took his measure with a long look. Finally, he gave one short nod and cast a silence bubble.
"This is the servant’s entrance. I haven’t been able to tell if there are other humans inside. He could have cloaked them somehow, but I don’t think so. I think the entire castle is abandoned." Daegal cast a look at the door. "It’s easy enough to break into. I don’t think he anticipated being found this quickly. If we see any other dragons, we don’t stop to chat. We fight to kill. Try to keep it as quiet as possible. Once Ludovic hears, he will retreat."
&nb
sp; "He’s good at that," muttered Edvard.
"Ready?" Daegal asked.
Gregor stood in front of the door.
"Ready," they said in unison.
Gregor honed his magic, sending water pouring through the lock. Seconds later, he froze it and a slight crack sounded from the door. Gregor pulled on the handle, and it came off in his hands.
Daegal pushed the door open without a sound.
They walked in to a silent kitchen. Daegal gestured for Gregor and Sebastian to go one way and he took Edvard. As they split up, Gregor felt hope began to build within him.
"She’s alive," Sebastian said gruffly. "The gods would not be so cruel as to take another mate from you."
Gregor wasn’t so sure. "All I can do is hope." The mating bond was still dead.
"That’s all we dragons have," Sebastian acknowledged. "Especially now, being so far from home and any civilization we knew." He stopped abruptly and held a fist up.
The sound of footsteps sent Gregor into a crouch. Sebastian pulled a dagger from his waist—a wicked, lethal thing. That was the thing about his brother. The rest of them used magic or brute force to fight. Sebastian was deadly silent and clever with a dagger. He held a finger up to his lips and waited for the sound to come closer.
When a man stepped around the corner, Sebastian was there to meet him. Gregor let his brother have the kill. It was quick and silent.
His brother did not fuck around when it came to murder. The dragon lay, his life’s blood pooling from the extra mouth in his neck. Hatred burned in his eyes until they glazed over.
"Rolf," Sebastian said. He toed the man’s body with a boot. "One down, two to go," he said.
They exchanged grim nods and continued their prowl through the castle.
11
Ella
The Alpha Dragon's Mate (Dragon Shifters of Kahului Book 2) Page 9
