“There is, of course, the matter of the Relic as well,” Mardoc said when he’d swigged half his glass of wine.
“What about it?” Ashlyn replied, bracing herself for the impact of his next words.
“As the Seeker, you’ll only be able to find it once you and I have bonded. That’s why you couldn’t find it earlier, as I said—but you already knew that, didn’t you?”
Ashlyn sat in stony silence, refusing to acknowledge that painful truth.
“If you wish to return to St. Dunstan’s once we’ve been…intimate, I will gladly take you there to recover the stone.”
“Thank you.” Ashlyn’s voice had gone weak. She wanted to throw up.
“I’m not trying to rush you, but we do need to proceed, if the third Relic is to be found. It’s imperative for the good of the Guild that all four be assembled as soon as possible.”
She wanted to scream. Wow, the bastard was manipulating her again, trying to guilt her into sex. Why did men think that if they made women feel bad they’d offer up their bodies? Oh, right, because women were suckers. Well, it wasn’t going to work with her. She ground her teeth together and replied, “I thought you said that you weren’t going to pressure me?”
Mardoc’s face flashed a momentary expression of hostility before relaxing into another faux-smile. “Of course,” he said sweetly. “I just want you to be aware of the rather pressing nature of our business. We must think about more than just ourselves, you know.”
“I’m aware of that,” Ashlyn said, pushing her chair back and rising to her feet. “I’ve been thinking of someone other than myself for some time now. But if you’ll excuse me, I really am very tired. I think I’ve eaten enough. We can talk again in the morning.”
“Right,” said Mardoc, the word snapping out from behind his teeth. “Just…one more thing.”
Ashlyn stopped in her tracks, slamming her eyes shut. Crap. What else could there possibly be?
“Someone is coming by for a visit tomorrow morning. A Dragon shifter. I’d like you to meet them.”
“Oh?” Ashlyn’s heart leapt in a moment of absurd hope. If another Dragon shifter was coming, maybe she could convince him to help her. To get word to Aegis that Mardoc had toyed with her mind, and that she didn’t want to be part of this anymore. “Who is it?” she asked, her voice catching at the back of her throat. Please let it be Lumen, if not Aegis.
“Someone from the Guild.”
More heart palpitations. “Really?”
Mardoc nodded. “Well, you are to be my future mate. The Guild members whom you haven’t yet met want to acquaint themselves with you.”
So, the visitor was someone she didn’t yet know. But it didn’t matter; seeing anyone from the Guild would be reassuring.
“I look forward to it,” she said, offering him her first genuine smile. That’s what hope did to a person; it made them surrender their defences. “I’ll be up early, I’m sure. Please—do me a favour and tell your people not to disturb me til then, if you would. I really need some sleep.”
“Of course.” His face had softened with her change in mood. “Good night, Ashlyn. Until the morning, then.”
Amara
At Lumen’s request, Minach, Lyre, Trix and Amara came by his flat in the late afternoon.
Amara and Trix had forged an unlikely friendship after they’d bonded in the labyrinth under Glastonbury Tor. The Enlightened— the name given to the vamp-shifter hybrids who’d made the difficult choice never to consume human blood—were weaker than their Forsaken counterparts, but they were still powerful allies, and Amara had taken on the role of their mouthpiece. Largely concealed from the general population, her kind operated stealthily and had contacts all over the country.
When they’d entered the living room, she and Trix seated themselves on the couch. Waning daylight cast a faint glow on her pale complexion from above. As always, she looked mildly unwell, but lovely. Her smooth skin and dark hair conveyed a young appearance, though a minute or more spent in her presence revealed the wisdom and experience of a woman who’d lived for many decades.
Lyre and Minach stood silently facing her. Aegis thought he noticed a strange little smile forming on the latter man’s lips as he gazed at the Enlightened before him. Almost a look of admiration, though such an emotion was unheard of for the man who’d earned the title of “most cynical Guild member.”
The strangest bit was that Amara returned the expression when her eyes met Minach’s for only a moment. Interesting, thought Aegis. He made a mental note to mock the shifter for it later.
When Lumen walked into the room the smiles faded. Down to business now.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, addressing Amara with respect.
“I heard what’s happened,” she replied solemnly, looking up at the Alpha and then at Aegis, “and I’ll do whatever I can to help you in your hunt.”
“Thank you,” said Aegis, seating himself in a large armchair opposite the couch. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss as to where to begin.”
“I’m told that you know who took her,” Amara said, looking into his eyes. Aegis winced at what he knew to be the truth in her words. “Her captor is the one who commands so many of the Forsaken. The man responsible for their recent rise in strength.”
Aegis nodded. “You’re confirming what our prisoner told us. Do you know where he lives?”
Amara shook her head, frowning. “Not exactly. Rumour has it that he’s got a place far in the north, near Hadrian’s Wall.”
“Yes, that’s what we were told as well,” said Lumen, glancing sideways at Aegis. “But anything more specific would be very helpful.”
“I have contacts up there who have eyes on all parts of the north,” said Amara. “Enlightened, like me. If you take me to them, we could meet with their leaders. Perhaps we can learn something.”
Aegis leapt to his feet. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go,” he said.
“Not so fast,” Amara replied slowly. “I…need something from you in return.”
“What is it?”
She looked towards Lumen before replying. “I need you to promise me that the Guild will help to protect the Enlightened—not just in London but throughout England. It’s a difficult life that they’ve chosen, one of relentless hunger. The Forsaken are far stronger than we are. We’re in need of protection from them, and from other threats as well.”
“We will help you in any way that we can,” Lumen said, “of course. You have my word on it.”
“Tryst won’t like that promise,” growled Minach, crossing his arms over his chest. “She hates the Enlightened, the Forsaken, anything with vampire blood in its veins.” He looked down at Amara, whose face betrayed a deep sadness. It seemed that such words stung, especially coming from the surly shifter.
“Please don’t compare us to them,” she said, “we are not the same.”
“I’m sorry, Amara,” Minach replied, his tone softening. “You’re quite right; that was harsh of me.”
Minach, apologizing? thought Aegis. Has the world gone mad?
“Fuck Tryst, anyhow,” growled Lumen. “She’s gone AWOL since our meeting, not to mention the fact that she’s grown increasingly defiant in recent weeks. Her contributions to the Guild lately add up to a big fat zero. Need I add that she’s not in charge of Guild affairs? Whether she approves of our choices doesn’t matter to me, or to any of us.”
Minach shrugged. “Fair enough, she’s an old crank anyhow.” With that, he threw Amara another grin. “I’d sooner help our new allies than worry about her feelings.”
“Astonishing to hear you refer to someone as a crank, Minach,” Amara said, “grumpy bastard that you are.”
Aegis raised an eyebrow. Okay, seriously, what the hell was up between those two? It was almost like they were flirting, if one could flirt by hurling mildly damaging insults. “Listen, can we stop with the cozy interactions and get our scaly asses moving?” he interjected. “I’m sort of desperate h
ere. This bastard Mardoc plans to make the woman I love into his mate, and I’d really like to get to him before he does something that makes me want to chew through his skull.”
“The woman you love?” Minach said, clapping his hands together and fluttering his eyelashes like a blissful teenager. “And here I thought it was mere lust. This is so exciting.”
“Things happened rather quickly,” Aegis confessed. “But fuck it. Yes, I love her. Tease me about it later, you mouldy package of dog bollocks. Right now we have a job to do.”
“Oh, I will. I promise you that.”
“Let’s go, you wankers,” Lumen commanded. “We’re off to see about an asshole. In the meantime I’m going to kiss my pregnant mate good-bye—again. I’ll meet you outdoors in three minutes.”
* * *
Minach, Lyre, Lumen and Aegis flew north, following Amara’s directions. Trix rode on Lyre’s back, while Amara travelled astride Minach. Aegis was becoming more and more certain that the two had forged some sort of friendship, or possibly even more than that. But his mind was soon taken over by thoughts of his lover, wishing that he had some way to contact her. If Ashlyn had gone willingly with the shifter, she must have been convinced that he was on her side. But even if she thought herself safe, she didn’t yet know about the Dragon inside her. Which meant that she was still at risk for fevers or worse. Her déor would be trying hard to fight its way to the surface, and she would no doubt continue to fight it back. The sooner Aegis got to her, the better his chance to help heal, once and for all.
“Hadrian’s Wall is seventy-three miles long,” he said to the other shifters as they flew, his silent words penetrating their minds. “Where exactly are we going?” He’d seen the ancient Roman fortification when he was a child. Situated near the Scottish border in the north of England, it dated back to 122 AD, and had been constructed under the power of the emperor Hadrian.
“A place called Lanercost,” Lumen replied. “Amara told me about it before we took off. It’s a tiny village, which is why her people have gathered there; no one disturbs them. We’ll meet with them and see what’s what.”
“They’re not going to try and drink our blood, are they?” Minach’s voice boomed through the minds of those around him. The Enlightened on his back couldn’t hear him, but Aegis wondered if she registered the Dragon’s mood. She wouldn’t be too pleased about such talk.
“Who knows? At least we can rest assured that no one would drink Minach’s,” said Lumen. “It probably tastes more bitter than espresso that’s been filtered through gravel.”
“Some people like bitter things,” protested Minach.
“Shut up and focus,” Aegis growled. “I have a woman to find.”
They flew for an hour or so before Amara guided Minach to land in a damp field behind a small stone farmhouse. The others followed suit, and when they’d shifted, Amara led them to the door of what looked like a small wooden shed made of decaying planks. She opened the door and gestured the others to enter.
“You’re joking, right?” asked Minach. “Trying to get this lot in there is like a dozen clowns trying to fit into a sodding car.”
“Not exactly,” Amara said, stepping inside and looking over her shoulder to throw him a smile. “You Dragons aren’t the only ones with hiding spots under the earth.”
Aegis looked about the area before following the others in, only to discover a stone staircase immediately inside the door, leading downwards. He shut the door behind him. A click echoed through the small space as though a locking mechanism had just slipped into its sheath.
“Where are we?” he asked when he’d reached the bottom of the stairs, impatient for answers. Walls of thick clay rose up around them, arching above into a strange, chilly tunnel just tall enough for the men to stand without hitting their heads. The others were standing around, waiting for Amara’s instructions.
“This is where my friends meet,” she told him, pulling a torch off its hanger on the wall and lighting it. “Forgive the surroundings; we’ve grown accustomed to congregating in dark places over the years.”
“We’ll be meeting with them now, then?”
“Yes, with one of them. I’ll get any answers I can for you, Aegis. You have my word on it.”
It wasn’t long before the damp, dark tunnel opened to a larger chamber, lit with candles and lanterns. Its walls glowed from the dampness about them, and Aegis couldn’t help but hope that its inhabitants didn’t spend too much time down here. Something about the dampness struck him as unhealthy and depressing.
In the room a man sat at a small wooden table. His skin, like Amara’s, was like alabaster, his hair dark brown.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Cardagh. These are the shifters of the Guild,” Amara told him, and he nodded quietly, reverently. The shifters stood facing him in a line, bowing their heads for a moment.
“You’re welcome here,” said the man. “What can I do for you?”
“First of all, thank you for allowing us to speak to you,” said Lumen. “Secondly, we’re looking for someone who’s said to reside near the Wall. An ancient Dragon shifter.”
“Mardoc,” Cardagh replied. “We know him all too well.”
“Yes, that’s his name,” Aegis said, stepping forward eagerly. “What can you tell us about him?”
“Nothing good, I’m afraid. He is gifted in mind control, and has taken to corrupting Enlightened for his own purposes.”
“Corrupting?” asked Aegis. “What do you mean?”
“The only way to break down an Enlightened is to infuse them with the blood of humans. To make us consume it is to throw us into a state of addiction, much like the Forsaken. The only thing that separates us from them is that they give in to their need. Once an Enlightened does so, they are lost. Mardoc ensures that the need is sustained, that they become addicts. He knows how to create a cult of eager followers; he provides their fix.”
“So he’s their dealer, then?” said Minach.
“In a manner of speaking, yes. He first offers the Enlightened a way to gain strength, and the weaker among us cave in. It’s not difficult to see how they succumb to his charms; he promises power and happiness. He has established a mass of Forsaken who do his bidding in the hopes of acquiring more sustenance.”
“Jesus, he’s got to be running a fucking blood bank,” Aegis snarled.
“The irony, of course, is that he hates our kind,” said the man. “He uses us to achieve his means, but he has no great love of our people.”
“Yet, he seems to have fathered a few of them,” said Aegis, thinking of Damien, the half-Dragon Forsaken.
“He has,” Cardagh replied. “Tell me though, why is your kind interested in finding him?”
“He’s taken someone close to me. A Dragon shifter, a woman,” Aegis replied, his voice rasping in his throat. “I need to find her before he…” He stopped short of expressing his worst fears.
“I see. Well, Mardoc has a place not far from here. It’s well guarded, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the likes of you. His staff is earth-bound and no match for a winged Dragon.”
“Will you show us where he lives?” asked Aegis.
“No, it would be foolhardy for Enlightened to accompany you on such a mission. But I’ll gladly show you on a map.”
“Please.”
The man pulled over a piece of paper and yanked a pen out of his pocket. He drew a dotted line that ran for some time, leading away from Lanercost’s location. Some distance to the west, he marked an X.
“He lives here,” he said. “A rather normal looking old property, if you don’t count the prison-like structure in the back.”
“Right, we’ve got what we need,” said Aegis, turning to Lumen. “Now let’s go find her.”
“Not so fast,” Lumen replied. “We don’t yet know what we’re up against, Aegis. It sounds like he’s got a lot of Forsaken under his thumb, and I’m not willing to put our Guild members at risk…”
Ae
gis forced his hands into a fist then drew his fingers straight, trying to keep his Dragon at bay. It wouldn’t do to go punching his Alpha, even if he was being infuriatingly rational. “Then would you allow me to go and have a look myself?”
“Yes, fine. Just make sure you’re not seen.”
“My déor is dark; I can stay invisible.” Aegis turned to Amara. “Is there an inn here in town where my fellow shifters can stay?”
She nodded. “Yes, of course. I’ll take you there.”
“No. You’ll take them. I’m going to find my mate.”
Night
When Ashlyn had shut her door, she dragged a heavy wooden chair over from beneath a nearby writing desk and rammed its back under the knob. The thought of Mardoc slipping in while she slept seemed like just the sort of thing he’d do, and it made her want to retch. Nausea seemed to have become a common theme since she’d met him.
Turning back to face the room she noted that the sky had gone dark already, a sea of purple clouds stretching as far as her keen eyes could see. She walked over to the window to peer out. Well, the sky matched her mood, anyhow. Making a slow escape from the awful day that had passed, it had left behind a dense mass of darkness.
Lurching back over to the bed she threw herself down, face in her hands. “Things couldn’t get much worse,” she muttered, and it was true. She’d lost Aegis for good. She was essentially trapped inside a grim fortress with a man who might be insane, who expected to make a baby machine out of her sooner rather than later.
When had her life become such a shit-show?
“If only I’d found the damned Relic,” she moaned out loud. “This day could have been ended so differently.”
“It’s already been found, beautiful girl.”
Ashlyn jerked her head up. She’d imagined the voice; she must have. There was no one in the room with her. And yet…
Dragon's Lover, Part Three: A Dragon Shifter Romance Page 5
