Rivals (Dragon Reign Book 1)

by Kit Bladegrave

  Craig and I exchanged a concerned look as she kept it up, not close to stopping anytime soon.

  “Ah, Kate?” Craig tried, but she only laughed louder.

  “I fail to see what’s so funny,” I said, and she sat up, wiping the tears from her face.

  “What’s so funny,” she said in between gasping for air and more bouts of giggles as if she were a child, “is that you’re apparently a demon of some kind and you,” she said, pointing at me and laughing harder. “You’re a dragon! You changed into a dragon right in front of me!”

  I stiffened. “I still fail to see the humor here.”

  “And then,” she went on as if I hadn’t spoken, “then I find out Mama Lucy, who I thought was a witch, is actually a freaking witch! With powers, real powers! And we get sucked through a portal to land in this… this dark, terrifying place where apparently monsters really exist too! This, this is hysterical!” She was back to laughing as if she’d heard the funniest story in the world.

  Craig grinned and chuckled with her, but there was nothing about our current predicament that was funny at all. “You two are insane,” I stated.

  “Yes, yes, I’d have to be to believe this was all real,” Kate agreed. “That’s it, I’ve completely lost my mind, and this is all in my head.”

  “No, it’s not, and you need to pull yourself together,” I snarled, tired of her attitude.

  She might be a dragon on the inside, but this was not how we reacted to situations. We did not have mental breakdowns and laugh in the face of such dire circumstances.

  “Forrest, come on, give her a break,” Craig said. “This is a lot to take in.”

  “We need her focused. How do you think we’re going to get out of this mess if she can’t keep herself together for five minutes?”

  Her laughter slowly quieted as she turned from me to Craig. “Please tell me I’m really crazy?”

  “You’re not crazy,” I said as Craig said, “Maybe a little.”

  We glared at each other.

  “No, no then that would mean… at the house, all of that actually happened?” she whispered, and all humor died from her face. Finally.

  “Yes, it did—”

  She threw herself at me over the fire, and we rolled back into the bushes.

  “You asshole! What did I ever do to you?” She drew back her fist and punched me right in the nose before I could react. “You hurt Mama Lucy! And the kids! There were kids in that house!”

  She tried to hit me again as Craig sat by and watched with glee.

  “A little help,” I muttered as I dodged another hit and tried to catch her hands. “Craig!”

  “Sorry, think you deserve this.”

  “damned straight he does!” She tried to hit me again.

  I managed to throw her off and pushed to my feet.

  “You could’ve hurt those kids and Mama Lucy! If your guys hurt her before I get back, I’ll kill you!”

  “Those guys weren’t all mine. Ask Craig.”

  She blinked once then twice and turned to face Craig, holding up his hands as she stalked towards him next, while I stood by and watched.

  “Now hold on just a second,” he said, struggling to find his feet and back away before she could hit him next. “They were only there because they followed Forrest. Mama Lucy said it herself, they couldn’t track me once I was inside the house because of the charms.”

  Kate drew back her fist anyway, and I had to hand it to Craig, he took the hit like a champ, letting her deck him twice before he swiped out his foot and she fell to the ground with an oomph. Her arms flung out to her sides, and she just laid there, staring up at the sky.

  “All of it happened,” she whispered, and we both nodded. “Will they hurt Mama Lucy and the kids?”

  Craig’s shoulders sagged, and for the first time since meeting him face to face, I felt sorry for him. Slightly.

  Craig made a half grimace. “Mama Lucy seemed pretty powerful. I don’t think my cousin and his hunters will stand much of a chance for long against her.”

  “You’re really good at not answering questions,” she mumbled, still on the ground.

  I walked over and held out my hand for hers. She eyed it warily, but Craig did the same, and together, we pulled her to her feet.

  “I thought you knew,” I said and frowned when Craig started shaking his head frantically.

  “Knew what?”

  “Knew about our world, about what I was because of what you are.”

  Craig groaned and turned away, hands clasped behind his head.

  “And what am I?” Kate asked sharply. “An idiot for trusting him and for not realizing the man I ran into on the street was dangerous?”

  “No, because you’re a dragon, too.”

  Kate’s jaw dropped, and she stepped backward as a strangled sound escaped her mouth. She clasped the bracelet on her wrist, mumbled something about the dreams being real and then keeled over a second later.

  Craig managed to catch her before I could and cradled her head on his leg.

  “Nice going,” he growled. “She didn’t know what she was.”

  “How could she not know?”

  “It’s a long story.” He gave her a little shake, but she didn’t wake. “Right. I’ll take first watch. Get some rest. When she wakes up, I’ll wake you.”

  “Or we both stay watch.” I sat down with my back to the fire and faced the trees surrounding us.

  A foreboding feeling sank into my gut as Craig whispered, “Whatever you say, scale-boy.”

  I rolled my eyes at his words and focused on my task, pondering all the while how someone could grow up and not realize a beast lived within them.

  11

  Kate

  I didn’t have to look up to know Craig and Forrest were exchanging another look. When I’d opened my eyes a few minutes ago, I’d been staring right up into Craig’s face. He’d sighed with relief to see me awake, but the last thing I wanted was to have my head resting in some… some demon’s lap.

  Demon. I couldn’t believe I thought that right now.

  Demons and dragons.

  “Kate,” Craig started, but I held up my hand, and I saw his mouth shut.

  I poked the fire with a stick, picturing it was both of them. I hadn’t really meant to go off on them earlier. I told myself all those times I felt something living inside me that I was making it up and it was all in my head. But now, now I knew it was a lie.

  I fiddled with the bangle at my wrist, tempted to remove it, but what would happen then? I lost my temper without taking the bangle off, and I feared what I’d do if I really let my true self show. My dragon self.

  “Ok. I want to ask some questions, but we’re going to use simple answers.”

  “Simple answers?” Forrest repeated. “I’m not sure how that will work.”

  “It’ll work by you guys not over-complicating matters,” I muttered. “Yes or no answers and very short explanations. I’m still trying to accept the fact that I’m a… I’m a dragon.” Wow, that sounded worse out loud than it did in my head. “First question, where are we?”

  Forrest held up his hands, and I turned to Craig for an answer.

  “Can we start with an easier question?” he pleaded.

  “It can’t be that hard,” I argued, but his face told me otherwise. “Alright, we’ll come back to that one. Who are you?”

  “Who or what?”

  I stabbed my stick into the dirt hard, and he smirked.

  “You’re really going to sit there and smile at me?”

  “Sorry, you’re cute when you’re angry.”

  “Craig, remember that I saved your ass today,” I reminded him through gritted teeth.

  “True. I am Craig, son of Raghnall, Demon King, and ruler of Broshen.”

  “King?” Damn, and here I thought this question would be an easy one to start with. “Ok, so you’re a prince? And Broshen, I’m almost afraid to ask, but I’m assuming that place is not where I’m from.”<
br />
  “Technically I’m a prince, but a bastard one. My mum was not exactly a demon.”

  “What was she?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t going to regret the answer.

  “Human. And Broshen is not in your world. All of our homes have been removed from the human world in an effort to keep us safe,” Craig explained, using his hands I guess to help his words. “Essentially, there are portals to get to our worlds, portals that should only be opened with the utmost care.” He threw a glare at Forrest across the fire.

  “We would have been fine if a spell hadn’t been cast careening us off course,” he growled.

  When they looked ready to argue again, I angrily stoked the fire, and they fell silent. “You can tear each other apart later. Now, what and who are you?” I pointed my half-burnt stick towards Forrest.

  He bowed his head as he formally introduced himself. “I am Forrest, son of Kadin, chieftain of the Chimalus clan.”

  “So not a prince?” I clarified.

  He shrugged. “Depends on who you ask, but I am of royal descent.”

  “Guess it could be worse, stranded out here with two princes.” I poked at the ground again, head whirling, but I was doing my level best to stay calm and not have another freakout. I could tell Forrest didn’t approve of me going off on him, or my blacking out afterward, but this was a hell of a lot to take in. I was a dragon. Or at least that’s what he told me. How could he know? And Craig, did he know, too? What had he and Mama Lucy talked about while I was gone?

  And Mama Lucy. She was a real witch.

  All of this was too much. I wanted to go home and go back to my quiet town and my quiet life. There had to be a way to just get out of here and leave them here to fight it out. I stood and took three steps until I remembered that giant monster that attacked me and I promptly turned around and sat back down.

  “So, you really don’t know what you are?” Forrest asked quietly as if worried I’d deck him again.

  “No, I didn’t know, and I still don’t think I believe you.”

  “How can you not after what you’ve seen?” he shot back. “Honestly, you’re a dragon. The faster you accept that, the faster we can find a way out of this mess, and you can return to where you belong.”

  Craig sucked in a breath as he muttered, “Wrong move, man.”

  I felt something shift within me again, rolling my shoulders as the sensation to let free my anger again nearly had me ripping off the bracelet to finally see what would happen. “What did you say?”

  “You’re a dragon. Your place is with me and the rest of your kind.”

  “And who the hell are you to make that decision for me?”

  “I am technically your prince,” he said.

  Craig shook his head frantically.

  “I think someone disagrees with you,” I said, nodding towards Craig.

  Forrest’s nostrils flared, and smoke poured out of them. “You know nothing.”

  “Actually, I do. I paid attention when I was being raised in my father’s house, and I know a dragon only owes allegiance to the chieftain that rules each clan and the families within it. Unless her family is part of your clan, she does not have to do as you order,” Craig said with a smug smile and crossed his arms. “You’re welcome,” he added to me in an undertone.

  “She doesn’t know which family she comes from, do you?” Forrest asked as he turned towards me. “That bracelet, who gave it to you?”

  Self-conscious, I spun the bracelet around and around on my wrist. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I whispered, remembering how vividly I saw the events of that night the other day in the garden. I was not about to share those details with these two idiots. Not unless I had to.

  “Then how are we supposed to help you?”

  I glowered at Forrest and opened my mouth to tell him exactly how he could help me when a growl slipped from my lips.

  Startled, I slapped my hand over my mouth as Forrest blinked at me and Craig scooted back a bit.

  “What was that?” I whispered when I thought it might be safe to talk.

  “That was your inner dragon,” Forrest told me. “If you allow me, I can help you control it.”

  “But that would mean letting it out, right? Taking the bracelet off?”

  “It’s the only way, yes.”

  “Then no, not right now. I think we should focus on getting back home.”

  “No,” Forrest said impatiently. “I am returning you both to my home. Craig has a bounty on his head and you, you do not belong in the human world.”

  “I belong with Mama Lucy and those kids!”

  “And I bet that witch is the reason you’ve been trapped all your life!” He was on his feet as he ranted, more smoke trailing from his nose as his fingers curled at his sides. “There is a reason we do not associate with that kind!”

  I was on my feet next, ready to go for round two, but Craig stepped in between us, stopping me from doing something I’d probably regret later.

  “Leave it be for now, alright? Kate’s right. Our main focus should be getting out of this realm.”

  I backed away a few steps and held my hands up to show I wasn’t going to go after him. “Works for me as long as it’s the human world.”

  Did I really just say that? The human world? It didn’t matter. Later, when we were safe, and I was back with Mama Lucy, I’d let myself fall apart completely and laugh hysterically at what had happened to me.

  “If I knew where we were, I might be of more help,” Forrest commented.

  Craig scratched the back of his head. “Look, I’m just guessing. I could be wrong.”

  “A guess is better than running around blind,” I sighed. “Just spit it out, where do you think we are?” There, see? I could sound perfectly calm and collected when I wanted to.

  “You called this the Burnt World when we arrived,” Forrest said. “I’ve never heard of such a place.”

  “And you wouldn’t, not if you didn’t dig around for some lore on the plague.”

  “Plague?” I repeated. “What plague?”

  But Forrest was already laughing, well not laughing really. More of a mocking cackle that made me want to smack him. “There were rumors floating around that you’d completely lost it, and I see now the rumors are true. A plague? You speak nonsense.”

  “I speak the truth that no one wants to believe.” He threw up his arms as he spun in a circle. “Look around you? What do you think is killing this world, huh? I can tell you it wasn’t always like this.”

  “And this plague killed the world?” I asked trying to follow.

  “No,” Forrest growled. “There is no plague. He’s lying.”

  “Why would I lie? Why? I gain nothing from lying about a plague that’s going to kill us all. Why does no one want to believe this is happening?”

  “I want to believe you, but I’m having enough issues accepting dragons and demons are real.”

  Craig walked over to the nearest tree and using the sword he carried, swung it wide and sliced off a branch. It fell to the ground with a loud thud, and I glanced around worriedly. Those giant furry beasts couldn’t be too far behind, and any loud noises could drag them over here. Including my yelling from earlier. I’d have to be more careful.

  “What are you doing?” Forrest demanded. “We don’t have time for show and tell.”

  Craig ignored him and picked up the branch. He motioned for us to come closer to look at the branch. Forrest mumbled something about half-demons being prone to madness, but when I moved forward, so did Forrest.

  “You can’t tell me that doesn’t worry you at all,” Craig muttered.

  I leaned in to stare where the rings of the branch should’ve been visible. But instead, a strange almost metallic black ooze filled the branch. It stank of rot, and when I reached closer, it bubbled and started to churn.

  “What’s it doing?” I asked, transfixed by what I was seeing.

  His mouth moved, but whatever came out was lost on me. The dark oo
ze called to me. I reached out to touch it, wanting to see what it would do when a high-pitched scream reverberated through my mind.

  I smashed my hands over my ears, trying to block it out as something warm oozed out of my ears. I sank to my knees, begging for it to stop, and then it cut off violently.

  “Kate! Kate, can you hear me?”

  I opened my eyes to find Craig looking down at me, brow creased in worry, but it was the fear in his eyes that told me what I just experienced was not supposed to happen. “I’m alright,” I muttered.

  “Your ears are bleeding.”

  “Really?” I lifted my hands to them and cursed when they came away bloody. “That’s awesome. Just add that to the list of crappy things happening today.”

  “Ah, guys?” Forrest muttered, but Craig was too busy pulling me to my feet and checking my eyes.

  He was close, very close, and I had a chance to catch the woodsy scent on him. I liked it, but then gave myself a hard shake. We were in some plague-stricken world with monsters wandering around. Now was not the time to focus on how attractive this half-demon was.

  “Craig!”

  “What?” he snarled, and I saw his face darken as his demon half looked ready to come out to play. I had no idea what he would look like if that happened and frankly, wasn’t sure I could handle that on top of everything else.

  “What is that?”

  Then I glanced up and realized Craig shifting would be the least of my troubles.

  “Run,” Craig gasped, taking hold of my hand and sheathing the sword at his back. “Run!”

  The black ooze slipped from the branch and as I chanced a look over my shoulder, saw it rise up and form into a beastly figure with arms way too long to be human and legs that bent backward.

  Its head reared back, and a horrifying scream escaped its lips. I’d been letting Craig pull me along, but now, I sprinted with everything I had as the thing gave chase.

  12

  Craig

  If I made it out of this damned world alive, I’d start taking a poll about why it took so long for people to believe me when I tried to tell them something that could save their lives.