by Zoe Chant
The most important thing was that he protect his wings. Delicate and thin, they were the most vulnerable part of a dragon’s body, and even a little bit of damage to the membrane could badly affect their ability to control his flight.
Circling, Stefan let fly with a blast of his own dragonfire, raking the green dragon’s back – and its wings. It let go a howl of pain, twisting around in the air, curling its wings into its body as they burned. Trailing smoke, the dragon fluttered, struggling to maintain altitude.
Stefan roared in triumph, banking and threatening the dragon with his claws. But it seemed it had had enough. With its ability to fly badly damaged, the green dragon was in retreat, flapping and fluttering, having to work hard just to stay in the air.
For a moment, Stefan considered chasing after it. It had, after all, attacked him – and, more importantly, it had attacked his mate. But he quickly realized that it would be futile. He had no doubt that this would only be the first attack Erik Lukich would make on him. Right now, the most important thing was getting back to Holly, to reassure her that he was safe, and try to figure out where they would go from here.
You should have known it wasn’t safe, he told himself as he turned, heading back to where he’d left her. You knew that this would happen if Erik ever found you. But you dragged her into this anyway!
Stefan shook his head, trying to clear it. Now wasn’t the time for self-recrimination. That could come later. Holly had told him that no matter what the danger, she would face it with him. And he had to trust her judgment on that.
But she doesn’t understand just how terrible that danger is, Stefan thought to himself as he circled over the clearing where he’d dropped her off. How could she? She knows nothing of dragons – of what they can be like. I should never have done this to her. I should have left when I had the chance. I’ve selfishly endangered her. My mate. My precious mate…
Circling lower, Stefan folded his wings and dropped between the trees. He would just have to tell Holly to forget about this – about him. She was human, and she could go on with her life. A mated bond might not be so strong with her as it was with him. He wasn’t sure how such things manifested in humans.
But if there was even a chance she could be happy without him, he had to push her to try. He was no good for her. A hunted dragon who would be on the run for the rest of his life – which might, if the rest of the Lukich Clan caught up with him, be a very short one indeed.
Landing, Stefan looked around, swiveling his head on the end of his long, flexible neck. He couldn’t see Holly anywhere, but then again, he had told her to stay in hiding. Stefan shifted back into his human form, groaning a little as his wounds were stretched and pulled.
“Holly!” he called out as soon as his voice returned to normal. “Holly, it’s safe for now. You can come out!”
Still, there was nothing but silence.
“Holly?” Panic began rising in his chest. “Holly!”
No answer.
Leaping over fallen logs, Stefan began frantically running through the clearing, calling her name.
Could she have decided to leave? After seeing what dragons can truly be like, did she realize she couldn’t be with me after all?
Part of Stefan wanted to believe it. If Holly had left by herself, then he wouldn’t have to convince her to go. If the sight of him fighting with the green dragon had opened her eyes to the reality of what they would be facing, then it was better this way.
But when he pictured her blue eyes and the steady way she had looked at him when she’d told him she wasn’t going anywhere, something just didn’t feel right. She at least would have stayed to tell him she didn’t think she could deal with this after all. He had seen into her mind, felt her thoughts through their bond. He had felt her heart. She had told him she loved him. And he knew she wouldn’t simply have run away without telling him of her decision.
But that means…
Panic flooded Stefan’s heart anew.
If she hadn’t left on her own, then it meant someone else had taken her.
Someone else.
“HOLLY!”
Stefan’s voice came out as a roar, rage burning in his heart. The dragon in his chest howled, writhing in fury.
Blood. Blood! Kill the ones who hurt our mate! Kill them!
Stefan growled, almost overtaken by his dragon’s furious instincts. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to swallow the rage down, knowing that he first had to make absolutely sure he was right.
Turning, his eyes fell on an area of the clearing just behind a large fallen tree. The bracken and ferns had been flattened, the brown earth churned up, a small sapling flattened.
It was clearly the site of some kind of struggle.
Trying to tamp down on his dragon’s blinding fury, Stefan called to its more helpful traits – its sense of smell and its heightened sensitivity to its mate’s presence.
Taking a deep breath, Stefan could tell that Holly had been here. The earth smelled of her. Sweet and rich and luscious, just like her. She had been here. But someone else had, too.
Concentrating, Stefan lowered himself to the ground, smelling deeply.
A dragon.
An unfamiliar one – not that any dragon was familiar to him, but this dragon was definitely no one he knew. It wasn’t a Novak dragon. That would have been impossible anyway, but it only confirmed what Stefan already knew.
The Lukich.
They had taken her.
They had distracted him. Made him waste time with a fight. Waited until his entire focus was on surviving, so he wouldn’t notice she was gone until it was too late.
And then they had taken her.
Roaring his fury to the skies, Stefan leapt into the air, shifting mid-jump, before unfurling his wings, bursting from the trees.
The dragon’s screech sent birds flying in a panic as it echoed through the forest.
I will find you, Stefan promised, hoping desperately that somehow, Holly could sense his resolve through their bond.
Sweeping his wings out, Stefan flew on, heart pounding with rage, not knowing how he would find her, but knowing that he would.
I will find you, and I will destroy anyone who’s laid a finger on you. This I promise you.
Chapter Ten
Holly
When Holly first struggled back into consciousness, the first thing she was aware of was that it was cold.
The second was that she was still wearing the now-filthy bedsheet she’d wrapped around herself when she’d gotten out of bed this morning. Back when she’d first woken up and found herself alone, and thought that Stefan had gone.
Stefan. Stefan!
The memory jerked her into full consciousness once more. Sitting up, her head spinning, Holly looked around frantically.
Where is he? And where am I?!
Stefan was nowhere in sight. Holly’s heart hammered against her ribs as she remembered that the last she had seen of him was as he shot up through the canopy of the forest to continue his fight with the dragon that had attacked him.
Raising her hands, Holly pressed her fingers to her temples, willing herself to remember.
He had told her to hide, so she had found a deep space between a fallen log and a dip in the earth, and had eased herself into it, curling up amongst the shrubs and ferns. She hadn’t been able to see or hear anything from down there – at least, until she’d heard the thump! of a dragon descending to earth somewhere nearby.
At first, she’d thought it was Stefan. Who else could it have been? She had no fear that he would defeat the other dragon.
But just as she was about to crawl out of her hiding space, some sixth sense had told her to stay where she was. Creeping forward on her hands and knees, she’d instead peeped out of a gap between the fallen log and the ground, trying to see what was happening.
She hadn’t been able to hold back a gasp at what she’d seen. A large dragon was standing not too far away – but instead of Stefan’s shim
mering red scales, this one had been golden and green, just like the one that had attacked them. It had been glancing around, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Suddenly, hysterically, Holly had been reminded of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.
She had stayed where she was, as still as any of the trees and plants that surrounded her, too frightened even to breathe.
Where is Stefan?
Closing her eyes, Holly remembered the feeling of fear that had clawed at her throat. Had this dragon come to help the first one, and together they had finished him off?
Her fragmented memories now came back to her in a rush. She had tried to stay hidden, but the dragon clearly knew she was there. It had put its nose to the ground, sniffing this way and that. Hunting. For her.
Fear had made her breath shaky, and she’d silently called out to Stefan through their bond.
Please! Please help me!
But it had done no good.
I know you’re there. The sound of the other dragon’s voice in her head had given her a shock. She had thought that perhaps this was something only mates could do – but no. Clearly, all dragons possessed this ability.
It had disgusted her to feel him there in her mind, and it had taken all of her willpower to stay still.
There’s no point in hiding. I’ll find you eventually. You can make this painless, if you choose to.
Holly had hugged herself, biting her lip. Where was Stefan?
Ahhh – Stefan. Stefan Novak.
Clearly, this other dragon had heard her thoughts, his voice sliding like oil over her mind. It made Holly want to vomit.
He’s been taken care of. You may as well not bother waiting for him. He won’t be back.
Holly had gasped then, unable to keep silent.
No. NO. It can’t be true.
She would have felt it if he were dead. She might have been completely new to dragons’ psychic abilities and the mated bond they shared, but she knew instinctively that she’d be able to tell if he had died.
But apparently, her burst of strong emotion had given the other dragon what he’d been waiting for. He turned his head on its long neck, his bright red eyes locking onto hers, as if there was nothing between them at all.
Ahh. Found you.
Holly had been too shocked to scream. All at once, the dragon had shifted, green scales melting away and becoming normal human skin. His build was muscular, though he wasn’t quite as large as Stefan, and his blond hair fell down to his shoulders. Now moving easily between the tree trunks, he’d vaulted over the log she was hiding behind and stood smiling down at her, a look of utter malevolence in his eyes.
“Did you really think you could hide from us?” he’d asked her, voice smug. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find you?”
Holly hadn’t known what to say. Fear had stopped her from being able to say or think anything at all.
As she’d stared up at him, the blond man had furrowed his brow as if in deep concentration – and then everything had gone black.
And now, I’m here, she thought, looking around her. Wherever here is.
Tucking the bedsheet a little tighter between her breasts, Holly looked shakily around her. She was surrounded by complete darkness. Her hand as she reached out to grope blindly in front of her was only faintly visible.
Feeling panic rising up inside her, Holly willed herself to calm down and just breathe.
Think, Holly. Stay sharp. You’re not going to achieve anything by panicking.
She just wished it was as easy as that.
Her knees shook as she tried to stand up. To her surprise, she realized she wasn’t chained to anything, or restrained in any way. But then again, when your captors could turn into dragons, she supposed things like that simply weren’t necessary.
I’m going to have to have a long talk with Stefan about all this, she thought to herself as she felt blindly along the floor, searching for some clue as to where she was.
If he’s still alive.
The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine. But when she looked inside herself, she found her connection to him still beating steadily with her heart. Fainter than it had been, but still there.
He can’t be dead. I just don’t believe it.
And if he wasn’t dead, then she knew he would come for her.
But just now, Holly couldn’t tell if she found that thought more hopeful or horrifying. It was clear to her that she was being used as bait of some kind to lure him here, for some reason. Maybe she had been Plan B if their attack hadn’t worked. Stefan had been beating the dragon that had attacked them handily when he’d dropped her off, so that seemed likely.
If he came for her, would he have to fight? She had no doubt about it. But what if the other dragons – the Lukich Clan, Stefan had called them – refused to give her up? What if they insisted that he exchange himself for her?
Holly had no doubt he’d sacrifice himself for her in a heartbeat. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. The way Stefan had spoken of the Lukich Clan had chilled her – they were clearly evil. And determined to see this blood feud through to the bitter end.
“You’re awake!”
A muffled voice to her left nearly made Holly jump out of her skin.
Blinking in the darkness and turning her head wildly first one way and then the other did nothing. She still couldn’t see a thing.
“Oh – I forgot. Humans can’t see in the dark. Here, let me help.”
Holly waited, scarcely daring to breathe, until she heard the soft snap! of clicking fingers. Just like before when she’d been with Stefan in the cave, a flare of bright fire cast a sudden glow, before settling into a low, steady flame.
“Can you see me now? I’m over here!”
Licking her lips, Holly nervously moved toward the source of the light. She wasn’t sure what to think: on the one hand, she didn’t think she should necessarily be making friends right now. On the other, the voice was warm, kindly – and clearly that of a fairly young girl.
But still…
She didn’t know anything about dragons. Maybe this was some kind of weird trick.
Cautiously, Holly leaned forward… and found herself peering through a small hole in a wall, straight at a pair of large, gray-green eyes, half-obscured by a tousle of bedraggled black hair. Sucking in a quick breath, she sat back on her ass in surprise.
“Don’t be frightened – I promise I’m not going to hurt you! I’m stuck here too.”
Holly waited for her heart to stop thumping before she moved again, crawling slowly toward the hole. The orange light flickered as the person on the other side of the wall moved slightly.
“Are… are you a dragon too?” Holly asked, though she realized as soon as she said it that it was a stupid question. Of course the girl was – she’d done the same trick with the flame as Stefan had, after all.
“Yes. But I’m not a Lukich. That I can promise you.” The girl’s voice was vehement. Holly could hear the hatred in it. “I’m a Novak.”
For a moment, Holly wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. “A… a Novak? But…” Stefan had told her that there were no more Novaks – that he was the last one. The only one. Was it possible that he’d been mistaken? That some others in his clan – or even his family – could have survived? “I thought there weren’t any more Novaks left,” she said when her mind stopped reeling. “I thought… well, someone told me –”
“That we’d all been killed?” The girl’s voice was excited now. “That’s what I thought too. I thought so right until the moment they brought you here.”
Holly felt a chill run down her spine. “How long have I been here, exactly?”
“Oh – not more than an hour,” the girl assured her, though Holly wasn’t really sure if that was a good thing or not. “But when they brought you in, I could sense him on you. And that’s when I knew.” The green eyes were practically glowing now. “He’s alive, isn’t he? Stefan – my brother? He’s… he’s really alive?”
Holly’s stomach churned. Was this girl Stefan’s younger sister? The one he said had left with his mother all those years ago, and whom he’d never seen again?
Could she really be who she says she is? Stefan seemed so sure she was dead…
“My name’s Darklis,” the girl said, as if sensing her doubt. “My mother hid me years ago, when the Lukich were first coming for us.” She swallowed, her voice shaking a little. “But I didn’t stay hidden long. They found me, along with the little bit of the Novak hoard my mother hid with me. I’ve been trapped here ever since. They told me… they told me everyone else was dead. But that they’d show me mercy because I was so young.” Her voice was bitter. “Some mercy.”
Holly felt a sharp, piercing pain in her chest, similar to what she’d felt when Stefan had told her of his clan’s fate, though not nearly so strong.
“Stefan thought you were dead,” she said softly, when the pain had subsided a little. “He really thought that…”
“But he is alive?” Darklis pressed her faced against the hole in the wall, voice urgent. “He must be. I can sense him on you. You’re his mate.”
Holly blinked, slightly taken aback. But then, she supposed if dragons had as much psychic ability as it seemed they did, then it wasn’t really so surprising that Darklis could feel their bond.
“He’s alive,” she quickly reassured Darklis, then bit her lip. “But… we got separated when one of the Lukich dragons attacked us. I know I’d be able to feel it if he were dead, though. I’d just… know. Somehow.”
Darklis nodded enthusiastically. “You would. The mated bond would tell you, even though you’re human. So he must be alive.”
“If you can sense him though me, how come you couldn’t sense that he was alive earlier?” Holly asked.
“I’m not sure,” Darklis said slowly. “I should have been able to. I wanted to – I suppose when I couldn’t, it made me truly believe the Lukich when they told me everyone was dead. I wouldn’t have believed it otherwise.” She pulled in a deep breath. “And, I suppose, when no one came looking for me…”
Holly nodded. Stefan had said the same thing. But it still seemed strange to her. Something didn’t quite seem to add up.
