by Avril Sabine
“Damn dragon.” She stalked to the kitchen where she found Kade sitting, head bent over reports. He looked up to give her a quick smile before he returned to them.
Maybe Ronan was right. Sleep was the best plan. Surely tomorrow had to be better than today. The weekend was always better than a school day.
Chapter Seven
She’d been wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. The day had started fairly ordinary. With breakfast. Then things had gone downhill. Her mother had lectured her, demanded answers and finally ended with, “At least Jasper isn’t involved in all this mess.”
Amber had barely managed not to blurt out that Jasper was in exactly the same mess, only he’d asked for it.
After Donna’s interrogation one of Ronan’s warriors arrived to return Amber’s photos, only bowing before he left, speaking not a word. She stared at the photos in her hands wondering why the photo of her grandfather was more current than the one of her uncle. Was Roger still alive?
Her uncle, like her mother, had blond hair and blue eyes, but he had a look of mischief in his gaze. The picture had to have been taken in his mid twenties. She wondered if her mother had ever had that same expression. The photo of her grandfather was of a grim, imposing man with white hair and sharp blue eyes. He looked solid and dangerous. Not someone to be messed with.
Kade walked into the kitchen where she continued to stand, staring at the photos. “Who are they?” He nodded towards the photos she held.
“My family.” She gave them to him, the one of her grandfather on top.
Kade stared at the picture. “I’m guessing he’s going to be as happy to have me in your life as your grandmother is.”
She was pretty sure Kade was correct. “I don’t know what to do.”
Kade looked up from the photo. “We’ll figure it out.” He looked down again, shifting the top photo behind the second one. “Who is this?” His voice was sharp.
Amber moved to his side. “My uncle.”
Kade stared at her.
Amber waited for him to speak, but he remained silent. “What?”
“I’ve met him before.”
“You have? How?”
Kade gave her the photos. “How long ago was he taken?”
“I already told you. Forty years. And he was six at the time.”
Kade tapped the photo she held. “He still looks like that.”
“What do you mean?”
Kade turned away to stare out the window. Silence stretched between them.
“Kade.” There was a warning note in her voice. He better hurry up and tell her. She was completely and utterly sick of secrets.
He met her eyes. “He’s married, Amber. He has three daughters.”
“And?” There had to be more. That didn’t sound like all that big a deal. People got married all the time. And had kids.
“His oldest daughter is a Gold.”
Amber frowned. Gold? “As in a dragon?” Surely she’d misheard.
Kade nodded.
“But he’s a prisoner.” Why would anyone let a prisoner get married? And obviously to a dragon.
“Not anymore.”
“He’s not a prisoner.” She said the words slowly and clearly, wanting to make certain he understood her.
“No.”
Amber stared at him, trying to make sense of everything. “Is his wife a Gold?”
“No. One of her great-great grandparents were. Or it might have been her great-great-great.”
“He’s human.”
“The base form of his kids is human, but they can change into dragons.” Kade grinned. “Were you worried we couldn’t have kids?”
She held up a hand, taking a step backwards. “Oh no, don’t even think about going there. I’ve got enough problems to deal with.” She mentally searched for her mother, hoping she was far enough away that she hadn’t heard that comment. She didn’t need any more lectures. Finding her mother outside with Gary, she relaxed a little. “So what’s this mean?”
Kade shrugged. “I don’t know. But he isn’t in a weak position.”
“What about my grandfather?”
“I’ve never seen him before.”
Amber tossed the photos onto the kitchen table. “This is great. Just great.” Her tone said it was anything but. “I need to ring Jay and tell him all hell’s working on breaking lose. Again.”
“I need to meet some warriors. I’ll leave Brann here to look out for you.”
Amber’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“They’re not for you. They’re to replace Maira. When things go crazy, I want warriors I can trust by my side.” Kade drew her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Don’t leave the house.”
“An entire fortnight without dramas. I thought everything was going back to normal. Or as normal as it’s possible to be around you dragons.”
“Probably the calm before the storm.”
Amber opened her mouth to argue, but Kade’s kiss stopped her words. When he finally pulled away, she’d forgotten what she was going to say. “Be careful.”
Kade laughed. “I’m a dragon. I can take care of myself.” He vanished into the Void.
Amber shook her head. If that was true, then dragons would never die. And they did. Far too many of them. She shied away from thoughts of Paili. She needed to ring her brother, not remember old battles. Then she had to start storing more energy. She had a bad feeling she was going to need it. Looking at the six gold bracelets she wore, she made a mental note to ask Ronan where she could buy them. She doubted any human shop would sell bracelets that had been cast with dragon-leather through them. Maybe a dozen more would be enough. She hated to think how bad a situation would be if she needed more stored power than that. The end of the world? She really didn’t want to find out.
* * *
Jasper arrived late afternoon. Hearing him drive up, Amber was out the front before she sensed her mother moving. “She’s in a really bad mood,” Amber said by way of greeting.
Jasper shrugged. “I’ll talk her round.”
“This might even be beyond you. She’s been out the back most of the day. Talking to the shrink. Then she comes inside for a bit, gives me another lecture, throws up her hands, bursts into tears and returns outside with Gary.”
“Maybe if you’d compromise about-”
Amber cut him off. “I can’t change what I am and neither can you. Compromise is impossible.”
“We’ll see.”
“I won’t. She’s coming around the side of the house. You go talk to her, I’m fed up with the lectures.” Amber strode towards the front door, glancing back once to see her mother throw her arms around Jasper as they met at the corner of the house. Feeling a presence behind her, she whirled, flames in her hands before she had time to realise it was Ronan.
“Much better.”
Extinguishing the flames, Amber lowered her hands, not relaxing. “What do you want?”
“Bathroom.”
She followed him through the house, turning the bathroom tap on while he closed the door. Making sure other dragons couldn’t overhear wasted a lot of water. Maybe she should suggest to Jasper that he organise a running water garden at her house. Her house. The thought just never seemed real. She was too young to own her own house. Pushing uncomfortable thoughts away, she faced Ronan. “What do you need to tell me?”
“We should kill Charles.”
“What?” She knew she shouldn’t let him, but Ronan always managed to surprise her.
“He’s a liability.”
“You think everyone’s a liability.”
“He killed a dragon while he was a prisoner.”
Amber stared at Ronan. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. They tried to hush it up, makes them look weak, but I found out. Couldn’t get all the details, but it wasn’t a kid. A male dragon about ninety-years-old. An experienced warrior.”
“I don’t know what to do.” She regrette
d the words the moment she spoke them. She had to stop acting so weak in front of Ronan.
“Take him out from a distance.”
“No! He’s my grandfather.”
“So? You don’t even know him. The man would kill every dragon in existence if he could.”
“You want me to kill a man that I’m directly related to.”
“I didn’t say you had to do it yourself. We’ll send an assassin.” Ronan paused, watching her carefully. “I could send Doneele’s father, Daray.”
Amber tried to keep the shock from her face. “How did you know?” Was it impossible to hide any secrets from him?
Ronan laughed. “I guessed. You confirmed.”
She glared at him. “Don’t you dare harm her.”
“She’s yours, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate.
“Then she’s safe while you live.”
Amber sat on the edge of the claw foot bathtub. “What about my uncle?”
“He’s safe. Or as safe as any dragon is.”
“He’s a dragon?” How was that possible?
“No. Married to one and fathered a Gold. So he might as well be a dragon. It’s the old man we need to worry about.”
“We’re not killing my grandfather.”
“Is he yours?”
She stared up at Ronan, trying to figure out what to say. He’d never set a limit, only told her there was one. Now didn’t seem like the time to ask him. “He’s my grandfather.”
“But do you claim him?”
She wanted to be able to say yes, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the word. How many until she ran out of people she could claim? Lowering her eyes to the floor, she said, “I don’t know.”
“You need to make a decision, kitten.” Ronan sat beside her.
“How can I?” She fiddled with her bracelets, checking that all of them glowed with power and she hadn’t missed filling any of them. “I don’t even know the man.”
“Then it should be simple. We kill him.”
Amber shook her head. “I can’t order the death of an-” she broke off. Innocent man was nowhere near accurate. He was so far from innocent she didn’t have a clue what he was. The word murderer came to mind and she pushed it away. “He’s my grandfather.”
“I once told you this weakness for family would get you killed. Being weak this time might mean the death of others.”
Fear hit Amber and she barely remained seated on the cold, hard edge of the tub. “I won’t let it.”
“Do you think you can protect all of them? That you can be in every place at once? Who will you let die and who will you protect? Kade? Maira? Brann?” There was a flash of gold in Ronan’s blue eyes. “Maybe Rian, Crystal or Jasper. The Knights won’t consider any of you human. Oh they might try and use you, but you’ll all be expendable and not trustworthy.”
She couldn’t remain seated. Rising to her feet, she glared at Ronan. “My grandfather is not to die.”
“Ever?”
Amber opened her mouth to say never, but she couldn’t keep the image of her grandfather from her mind. A dangerous man who’d killed a dragon while he’d been a prisoner. “What weapon did he use?”
Ronan frowned, then nodded once as his frown cleared. “None. He killed the dragon with his bare hands.”
“Oh.” Her legs felt weak. Wanting only to sit down again, she straightened her shoulders instead. “How is that possible?”
“Dragons have weaknesses, particularly when they’re human. And Charles is cunning. Patient and very cunning.”
“You sound like you admire him.”
Ronan grinned, the predatory one that always made Amber dread what he was thinking. “He could almost be my human counterpart.”
There was that sick feeling back in the pit of her stomach. “We get him back, then we decide what to do with him.”
“Fight or negotiate.”
“We can negotiate for him?”
“He’s very valuable. I don’t know if you’ll have anything they’ll want.”
“Try negotiating first.”
Ronan nodded once. “And you try and not get yourself killed before the end of the year.”
“Yeah, I know. Someone’s missing their home, sweet, home.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice.
“There’s nothing sweet about it, but it’s mine and I want it back.” Ronan disappeared into the Void and Amber was left alone.
Sighing, she turned off the tap and sat on the edge of the bathtub. It was crazy. What was she supposed to do now?
“Amber?”
She mentally searched until she found Jasper in the lounge room. A little more searching showed her mother and Gary were out the back again. “I’m in the bathroom.” Opening the door, she waited for her brother, closing the door behind him when he joined her.
“Why are you in here?”
She turned on the tap before she answered him. “Ronan was here.” It didn’t take her long before she’d filled him in on the visit.
“I’ve sorted Mum out and I’m going to go talk to Grandma next, but I don’t have a clue what we’re going to do about our grandfather.”
Amber’s eyes were drawn to the plaited leather band around Jasper’s wrist, semi-precious stones down the centre of it, then to the silver rings on his fingers. Silver and semi-precious stones were what he worked with best for storing power. “Are they all full?”
“Yeah, but I’m not lit up like a Christmas tree.” He nodded towards all the bracelets Amber wore, as well as her pendant and earring.
“Maybe you should be. I think we’re going to need it.”
“I can’t believe our family. Bloody Knights. Of all the luck.”
“If they hadn’t been captured we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Jasper shook his head. “No, it’d be worse. If they hadn’t been captured, we’d have been Knights too and never known what it was like to be mages. Never flown as hawks and we wouldn’t have captured our own castle. Or known dragons as anything other than enemies.”
“Never have met Kade.” That thought made her feel empty.
“Yeah.” He fell silent.
Amber couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Finally she could. “What do we do with him?”
“I haven’t got a clue, but he sounds like a real bastard.”
“I can’t believe Grandma has protected him all these years by hiding everything from us and quitting the Knights.”
“Maybe she wasn’t protecting him. Maybe it was Roger.”
“I didn’t think of that. It makes more sense. Not that much of this does make sense.”
“Yeah, I know. I better go and see her. I’m only staying the day. I’m heading back in the morning.”
“What did you tell Mum?” Amber didn’t want to get their stories mixed up.
“The truth.” Jasper grinned. “Mostly. I didn’t mention Crystal. She’d probably feel obligated to tell her parents and they’d freak worse than Mum.”
“What else didn’t you mention?”
“Isleen, your house and our castle.”
“So you didn’t tell her much at all.”
Jasper laughed. “When I left her, Gary was asking her if she wanted something to help calm her down.”
“Great. Typical doctor. Always wanting to fill everyone with pills.” She turned the tap off. “While you’re at Grandma’s, ask to look at the book she’s got listing all the kill on sight dragons. And look at the crimes.”
“All of them?”
“Until you think you’re ready to throw the book at her.”
“Okay.” Jasper gave her a quick hug before he left.
Amber searched out her mother and Gary, shaking her head when she found them out the back. Making her way to the laundry windows, Amber watched her mother pace back and forth, Gary talking softly as Donna gestured wildly. It looked like her mother was still having problems with everything. Jasper wasn’t as good as he thought h
e was.
Chapter Eight
It was late when Kade returned home and Amber was already in bed, trying unsuccessfully to sleep. She felt the mattress dip as Kade joined her in the king-sized bed. “Did you have any luck?”
“There were a couple that Maira and Rian were happy with. They’ll give them a trial and see how they work out.”
She snuggled against Kade when he finished getting comfortable. “Ronan found my grandfather.”
“And?”
It took several minutes before she could bring herself to tell Kade everything. He remained silent once she’d finished. “Well?”
“I really don’t know what to tell you, Amber.”
“What would you do?”
“You shouldn’t need to ask. Survival of the fittest.”
She moved so she could rest her head on her hand, her elbow propped up on the pillow. “You think I should kill him?”
“I think you shouldn’t risk your life for someone you don’t know and who is likely to want to kill you.”
Sighing, Amber dropped back on her pillow. “Why has everything got to be so complicated?”
Kade reached for her, tugging her close. “This is your decision. He’s your family. I’ll help you with whatever choice you make.”
“I-” she broke off, sitting up as she finally figured it out. “Damn it. Ronan thinks she’s like me.”
Kade sat up too. “What?”
“Mum. That she’ll do anything for someone she loves. And he thinks Gary will follow his orders, but if he loves her too, all of Ronan’s scheming might be for nothing.”
“You sound happy about that.”
“It’d serve him right if all his plotting and planning came to nothing.” She reached for her mobile phone, which was on the bedside drawers.
“You’re not going to ring him right now, are you? It’s after midnight.”
“Yep.” She dialled Ronan’s number, waiting for him to answer.
“This better be good.”
“You think you can manipulate my mum through love.”
“I know I can. If she loves him deeply enough she’ll do anything for him. All you humans are the same.”
“No, we’re not.”
