by Minx Malone
“Mom, get inside and lock the door.”
“What? Who are these men?”
One of them grabbed her by the arm roughly and Morgan kicked at his legs. “Leave me alone!”
It didn’t seem to have much impact other than to amuse him. She didn’t think she had even a chance of fighting off a shifter but hopefully she could buy time for her mother to escape. He clapped a hand over her mouth and dragged her backward.
“Get your hands off my daughter!” Grace reached out, trying to push past the man in her way to get to Morgan. He stepped in front of her, knocking her back slightly. Her mom fell to the ground.
Enraged, Morgan bit the one holding her on the arm. He howled but his grip on her mouth loosened slightly. Then the third man in the group turned so she could see his face.
“Paul! Help us!”
He looked at her and then glanced at the others. “I thought you said you wanted the dragon?”
The dragon holding her laughed, the oily sound raising the hair on the back of her neck. “If we have his mate, he’ll come to us.”
Understanding dawned and Morgan thought she might have been able to spit fire herself. “Paul, you bastard. You did this?”
She struggled against her captor’s grip but he lifted her easily, forcing her into some kind of bag. Terror made her fight like a she-devil. They were going to put her into a body bag!
“Hey, this wasn’t part of the deal.” Paul whined.
The dragon behind him shifted in the space of a moment. Then he struck, fangs flashing, and Paul fell to the ground. Blood poured from the wound in his neck, staining the grass and rocks on the ground.
Morgan screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. Terror chilled her blood and made her insides feel like liquid.
She stopped resisting.
The raw brutality of what she’d just seen had sapped all the fight from her. If she made them angry, they might retaliate by hurting her mother next. Her mom sobbed softly from the ground, watching as they zipped Morgan into some kind of mesh bag that they secured with ropes. After spending time around dragons, she was familiar with how they transported things.
Their plan wasn’t to kill her but to steal her.
Ian stood at the window, listening as Gavin recounted the results of his last lab tests.
“I’ve isolated the compound that I believe caused your shift paralysis. It should have worn off in twenty-four hours but I suspect they shot you multiple times.”
Ian considered the idea. It didn’t line up with his memory of the event but adrenaline could have camouflaged the pain of being hit the second time.
“They probably just shot a bunch hoping one would hit me. I was flying through the trees trying to evade them.”
“Either way, I’d like to draw some more blood and do a few other tests. Hopefully there won’t be any long term damage. When will you be back?”
“Not sure.”
He’d been working with single-minded focus lately all so he could have longer stretches of time to spend with Morgan. In all the years since he and his brothers had started their business, he’d never taken a vacation. He’d never wanted to.
But now he had something worth more than money.
Ian had never known how different sex could be with someone you loved. Every sensation seemed magnified by the look in her eyes and the way she clung to him so sweetly.
There were so many things he couldn’t know about her yet but the things he knew supported his instinctive recognition of her as his perfect match. The way she talked about her parents, her incredible courage, the vulnerability he saw in her eyes when she talked about the things she wanted to see in the world. She was a dreamer but her soft heart made her afraid to venture out for fear of leaving her loved ones behind.
“Are you moving out there? Or is Morgan coming to live with us? I think Evie would welcome a little more female company around here. The only person she has to talk to is her mother and she’s already threatening to have her committed.”
Ian chuckled. “I would love to bring Morgan to live with us. But I’m not sure if she’d be open to that just yet. She’s very close to her parents.”
“Well, just let me know. I’ll find time whenever you decide to come back. And Ian… Do whatever you must to keep your mate happy.”
His brother’s words stayed on his mind long after they hung up. Gavin had lost his mate so young and lived a half-life as he mourned the loss. It killed him over the years to see the effects of a love lost and had been part of the reason why he had never wanted to search for his mate. Now fate had intervened and put his mate directly in his path, forcing him to confront it whether he was ready or not.
The fact was that Morgan was his heart now. If she wasn’t happy then he couldn’t be either. Over the past few weeks as he’d been privileged to spend time with her, he’d seen how she lived. She collected her herbs and created her potions and tonics. It was gratifying to watch her work. She truly enjoyed creating things that helped others live happier and healthier lives.
His mate had a kind heart.
What if she didn’t want to live in a clan? She seemed happy here amongst her plants. Could he make her that happy? Ian was a fighter and not known to be the most patient man. The only reason he dealt with the customer service for the business was because Gavin was too quiet and Nate didn’t give a shit about whether their customers were happy. Honestly, he probably didn’t do much better of a job than Nate would have.
He was all rough edges and blunt ends while she was sweetness and light incarnate. Would fate be so cruel as to give him a mate that couldn’t be happy with him?
The door to the cottage burst open. Morgan’s mother fell through, sobbing as she reached for him. Grace had kept her distance and never sought him out before so Ian knew instantly that something was wrong. Morgan had mentioned going to visit her parents earlier, hadn’t she? His heart beat faster.
“What’s happened? Where’s Morgan?”
“They took her! They took my baby,” Grace wailed, sobbing pitifully as Ian held her in his arms.
“Who took her?”
“Dragons. They said that if they had her, you would come to them. Please save my baby.”
It was a struggle to keep his scales from descending. He didn’t want to do anything that would scare her or remind her of the ones who had taken her daughter.
“Grace, you have to stay calm. I will get Morgan back. I promise you that. Your daughter is my mate. Do you understand what that means?”
The words seemed to calm her somewhat. “Yes. We were always told never to get between a dragon and his mate.”
“That’s very true. I love Morgan and I will give my life before I allow any harm to come to her.”
He settled her on the couch before grabbing his cell phone. As much as he wanted to pound his fist through the wall, he had to keep it together. It wouldn’t do to let his rage erupt now. It was time to strategize and every second counted. Nate answered his call immediately. He didn’t bother with pleasantries, just launched right into what had happened.
There was no time for an elaborate plan. With his mate on the line, there was only one thing to do. He was going to Rivenell.
If Avan wanted an audience, he’d just gotten his wish.
chapter nine
Morgan looked around at the opulent room in wonder. After she was deposited on the lawn of this castle-looking place, she’d been taken to this room and then left alone. A pretty girl had come in bringing tea but wouldn’t talk to her. She couldn’t tell if it was because she wasn’t supposed to or if the girl didn’t speak any English. But either way, she figured it wouldn’t necessarily help her to ask questions.
The answers weren’t likely to be what she wanted to hear.
As she sat there, she wondered if her mom was okay. That asshole had pushed her to the ground and at her mother’s age, any fall was dangerous. They had snatched her so quickly that she hadn’t been able to see if her mom was injured
.
She squeezed her eyes closed and made a wish that Ian would come looking for her sooner rather than later. He would know what to do. He’d get help for her mom and then come to save her. Either way, he would come for her eventually. He loved her despite all of her faults, the most glaring being her inability to share her own feelings.
I never got to tell him I love him.
The door opened and a man walked into the room. Morgan jumped to her feet, keeping the sofa between them. Tall and thin, he had hair as black as ink. His was a dramatic face, the kind meant for silent movies and old Hollywood, topped only by the gold-slitted eyes that reminded her of Ian. He was terrifyingly beautiful. It was the kind of face you could never forget.
“You’re the Dragon King,” she said finally when he didn’t seem inclined to speak first.
“I am.”
Morgan shivered. Even his voice was commanding. That was a voice that could convince you to do almost anything and then thank him for the privilege.
“Are you going to kill me?”
“No. Of course not. Would you like a drink?” He motioned to the bottles lining the credenza behind her.
She followed his movements as he crossed the room, angling to keep the sofa between them. He poured himself a drink in one of the beveled crystal glasses then held up the bottle.
“Are you planning to poison me?”
He chuckled, the deep rolling sound so at odds with his stern demeanor.
“I need you alive. My cousins have committed acts of treason. I need to know why. They will only come if you’re alive.”
“How could they possibly know that? For all Ian knows, you’ve already killed me.”
As soon as she said it, Morgan wanted to kick herself. She was supposed to be giving him reasons to keep her alive, not telling him why it didn’t matter either way.
Avan shook his head. “He would know. A dragon feels the death of his mate as if it’s the death of his own soul. We would die for our mates. To be blessed with that union is an honor and a privilege.”
Even though he was holding her hostage, Morgan couldn’t help being entranced by his words. He seemed so sincere. Obviously he was a little crazy since he didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong abducting her as long as he didn’t harm her. And the way he spoke about mates was surprising. She wouldn’t expect someone like him to value fidelity.
“Is that how you feel about your mate?”
Instantly she wished she could take the words back. His face changed, the soft look in his eyes going dark and desolate. This was a man who had seen things. Bad things. And wasn’t entirely sane afterward.
“Not all of us are so favored.”
Morgan sat on the edge of the sofa. “I don’t understand you. You don’t seem like the type to kidnap women. Or the type to try to kill your own cousin.”
His eyes snapped to hers. “Kill? Ian thinks I tried to kill him?”
“Didn’t you? I was there the day he was shot. I saw him fall from the sky. The men who came looking for him then were the same assholes you sent to grab me.”
If she’d been told that he could look any more desolate she wouldn’t have believed it. However, his face lost all color and he staggered backward. A shaky hand came to rest on his heart.
“It seems the treason is within my own camp. Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
Morgan recognized the quote but not where it came from. “Who said that?”
Avan looked at her, seeming to just remember that she was there. “The only human more skeptical about humanity than I am. Shakespeare.”
He dropped to one knee before her where she sat on the couch and picked up the hand resting on the cushion next to her.
“I must ask your forgiveness and beg your apology. It appears that I’m fighting a war with the wrong people.” He kissed the back of her hand and then flipped it over and kissed the skin of her wrist.
There was a great roar outside that shook the entirety of the building.
“Ah. It seems your ride home is here.” Avan stood up and walked to the desk across the room. “You might want to get down and cover your head.”
“What? Why?”
Even as she asked the question, she hunched over and put her hands over her head. Morgan could barely keep up with how fast his moods changed but if the Dragon King told her to do something, at this point, she didn’t think things could get much weirder.
Then the window behind her shattered.
Ian flew over the stone structure that comprised the royal compound of Rivenell. No sentries appeared on the roof and no one tried to stop him from getting closer so he knew the King must have warned them to be expecting visitors.
He forced himself to calm down but in his dragon form, his control was hanging by a thread. His instincts screamed for him to raze everything in front of him with blood and fire. To ravage the ones who’d dared to touch his mate. But his human side reminded him that Avan was a calculating bastard. He’d keep Morgan close to him, lessening Ian’s opportunities to kill him. He knew no dragon male would risk such an attempt near his mate.
Through the window he saw Avan. From his vantage point he could only see the top of his head so he flew closer. Avan knelt before Morgan and kissed her hand. His vision went hazy as fury took over.
He’s touching her. He’s smiling at her.
Rage came out in the form of a primal scream that echoed throughout the valley. Although he knew this was just another power play on his cousin’s part, the mated male could only see another man kneeling at the foot of his mate. He was kissing his mate’s skin. Whatever Avan’s true intentions, Ian only saw that.
He wants to take our mate. Kill. Destroy.
The rational part of his brain holding him back snapped and Ian dove for the window, punching his face straight through the glass.
Morgan’s scream brought him out of his fury somewhat. The window wasn’t that big so he dove forward and shifted simultaneously, dropping to the floor amidst shattered glass. He shook off the impact and stood.
Men suddenly filled the room. Ian’s scales came out as he glanced around frantically for his mate. In all the commotion she’d dropped to the floor, her hands over her head. When she looked up and saw him, she darted to his side. He caught her and immediately pushed her behind him.
Avan stood and held out his fist. The guards fell back.
“This feud is between us. You crossed a line when you took my mate. Trying to kill me is one thing. Harming women is not our way.”
He wanted to punch his cousin when he spread his arms as if they were all there for a family reunion. “I was unaware of how my guards handled your mate until I spoke to her. And I didn’t try to kill you. Once I figure out who did, they will be reprimanded.”
That softened Ian’s stance somewhat. Under the old laws, a reprimand wasn’t just a scolding. It was a harsh punishment. Usually a few months in the dungeon.
At that moment there was another roar outside, the sound carrying through the broken window. Morgan clapped her hands over her ears. He pulled her closer, soothing her with a gentle hand over her back.
“It’s just my brothers.”
They waited in silence until a few minutes later, the door opened and Nate and Gavin walked in.
Avan smiled. “Welcome cousins. Thank you for not breaking any other windows.”
Ian scowled at his cavalier manner. “This isn’t a game. You’ve committed offenses that more than justify a declaration of war. There are still villagers here who support the old rule and would gladly oust you to put Nate back on the throne.”
Avan ceded the point with a nod. “I am not unaware of this.”
“You know there is open rebellion and you still do this? Are you trying to be deposed? Jovan was right to be worried about your sanity.”
Ian tensed, worried he might have pushed too far. Avan appeared stable but any dragon without a mate at his age was at risk of dissolution, losing control of their huma
nity completely. It was only a matter of time before he wouldn’t be sane enough to rule.
“I am aware that my rule is contested by many. I was unaware that you were still in contact with Jovan.”
Nate glared at him. “We’re only in contact because I stopped him from kidnapping my mate. Apparently he’s been doing that for months, snatching girls hoping to find one that’s a match for you.”
Avan just stared at him. “He admitted this to you?”
“Yes. Jovan finds and drugs the girls and then Kavan hired us to ferry them here before they woke up. But I couldn’t deliver one of the packages on time and took it home. That’s how I discovered it.”
The King sat in the large chair behind the desk. His hand shook as he placed it on the armrest. “I had no idea. Girls would show up here but I was told they were hired from the villages as maids or serving girls.”
He hit a button on the desk. A second later a small, dark-haired girl entered. When she saw all the people in the room, she shrank back.
“It’s all right, Selene. Come forward.”
She skirted around the guards near the door and came to stand next to the desk. “Yes, my liege.”
“How did you come to work here, Selene?”
She paled. “I-I was hired by your brother, my liege.”
Avan hung his head. “You’re lying to me.”
The girl dropped to her knees. “Please, sir. I swear. I was hired as a maid.”
“You’re not in trouble.” He helped her up. “I already know that you weren’t hired in the traditional way. You were taken by force, weren’t you.”
She bit her lip and nodded.
“You don’t have to be afraid, little one. We’ll send you back home to your family–”
“No! Please don’t send me back. Lord Jovan said I could stay even if I wasn’t chosen. That I would never have to go back. Please.” She dissolved into a mess of incoherent sobs. Avan glanced over at them dumbfounded.
Morgan stuck her head from behind Ian. “Miss? Do you like it here? You want to stay?”
