The longer she stared, the more she couldn’t see anything of Ran inside that creature.
But then he changed, and where the dragon had been, there was nothing. No, as the smoke cleared, there was a man, jerking on the ground in what appeared to be a seizure.
Chapter 9
She ran forward and heard a poof beside her and then footsteps. Draven was running too. Somehow, he was still clothed, as was Ran. When he saw her shock, he shook his head.
“Our change isn’t purely physical. It’s hard to explain. I don’t have time.”
He knelt over Ran, and she put a hand over her mouth as she watched Ran’s beautiful features twist in agony.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, heart beating hard against her ribcage.
“Stay back,” Draven said. “It’s not safe.”
“I want to help,” she said, her heart pounding in her chest.
As Ran shook on the ground, a thought shot through her with expert clarity. She loved him.
She loved both of them. As she saw Draven kneel over Ran, a glowing shield came up around them. It was transparent gold, like gold dust sprinkled liberally over a glass dome, and she could see Ran start to calm.
What had happened? She could see little green particles in the air around him, slowly dispersing as his body calmed. His face was pale, his body limp. As Draven’s shield fell, Ran’s eyes slowly opened. His mouth was ajar, and he looked at her with slightly lost eyes.
She wanted to go to him.
If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be here. He’d saved her life that night, he and Draven.
She didn’t care that his dragon was frightening or made the air hard to breathe. She just wanted to know what she could do to help.
He beckoned her forward and she came, ignoring the dark look on Draven’s face.
“Did you see?” Ran asked, reaching a hand limply toward her and then resting it on his own knee.
“I did,” she said, kneeling in front of him and putting a hand to his face. It felt burning hot, like a particularly bad fever. “What happened?”
He shook his head. “My dragon. Poison fire. Poison blood. Hard to contain. The longer I stay in the form…”
She frowned, drawing her brows together. “You shouldn’t have done it for me, then…”
“I needed you to understand. Needed you to see the un-beautiful side of me.”
Draven snorted, shaking his head, but she could sense he was disturbed as well.
“It’s been happening more often,” Draven said. “When Ran goes on a mission, especially if he uses his dragon fire, which is laced with a poison that prevents shifter healing, he’s been having seizures.”
She stroked his soft hair as Ran closed his eyes and rested on Dray’s leg. “But he barely was in form today, and he didn’t use his fire.”
“Ran’s been tired lately and stressed I’m sure about having to tell you and having to show his form to you. The last time we showed a mate, it didn’t go so well.”
Ran winced but didn’t look at her.
“What happened?”
Draven sighed and sat back on his butt, letting Ran rest on him. “Fine, I’ll tell you everything. I told you I would tell you this last, so here it is. When dragons take a mate, it’s as I told you. If it’s successful, you’re immortal; that’s what you get. A life with us. Not that dragons can’t be killed, but it’s hard. We live a long, long time, barring exceptional circumstances. Except the black dragon.” He frowned. “The toll controlling the dragon takes on the human form causes the human form to deteriorate at a more rapid rate. That’s why black dragons have been historically paired with blue dragons.”
Ran sighed. “And Draven’s never forgiven me for choosing him instead.”
Draven ignored him and continued. “As you’ve probably noticed, we all have different powers. Blue dragons can heal, and their fire is an even more powerful version of that. My dragon fire creates a potent, individual shield from even something as devastating as Ran’s dragon fire. Ran picked me because he was more worried about losing control and needing to protect innocents from his fire than he was about having someone to heal him when he was finished.”
“What’s the point of being healed when I can’t use my powers safely?” Ran murmured. “I wanted to make a difference. I couldn’t do that if I didn’t know others in the area were safe. Do you know what a weight that fire is? It destroys everything. Frankly, I don’t know why other black dragons haven’t thought of it.”
“Because other black dragons didn’t care about unleashing the destructiveness inside them,” Draven said. “And as long as the bad were killed, if there was collateral damage, they didn’t care.”
Ran harrumphed and went back to resting.
“Anyway, shhh,” Draven said to him before turning back to Melissa with serious blue eyes. “Anyway, the dragon-hearted thing. Dragons are cautious about picking mates because when we mate, we mix blood. When you share the blood of two dragons, several things can happen. One is you become immortal. The other, much more rare, is if you are dragon-hearted, considered worthy, then you will inherit one of the six dragon powers to enhance our triad.”
“Oh,” she said. She looked at Ran. “So could I get healing?”
Draven’s eyes were somber. “Yes.”
Her heart sank slightly. “So you’re hoping I’d get blue power and be able to save Ran?”
“It’d be nice, but neither of us would ask you to do that because of the next part.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“There’s an extra risk when you mix blood with a black dragon. There’s a chance the poison can kill you.”
She sat very still as shock flooded her. She’d been promised immortality. Now she was being told she had a chance at death. Her eyes widened as she stared at Ran. Did she really understand them at all?
Draven looked at her apologetically. “Now you know why I was so hesitant. Why I didn’t want Ran to rush in.” He held his partner, gently moving his hand over Ran’s hair. “Now you’ve heard everything. You can decide on your own. Obviously, we’d love to have you. And not just for what you can do. Everything has been different since you’ve been in our lives. I was wrong to keep you out. But yeah, it’s your decision now.”
“You haven’t told her everything,” Ran said. “With the last mate, when she realized what I looked like, what my dragon was, she was disgusted. When she realized she would have to risk death, she left us. It was devastating, but I realized my mistake. Back then, I was so desperate to stay with Draven that I would have tried everything. But I was going about it all wrong.”
“Ran,” Draven warned in a low, angry voice.
Ran waved a hand and turned to Melissa. “I know you probably think I’m a monster. For bringing you here and not telling you about the risks. But the truth is I never planned to give you the option of taking my blood. I just wanted someone to share Draven’s immortality. Someone he can protect. It’s in his nature.” Ran sighed deeply, pushing hair off his sweat-sheened forehead. “You don’t have to share blood with both dragons.”
Her mouth gaped open. “What?”
Draven shook his head, looking at Ran. “I knew that’s what you were thinking all along. But it’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair all around,” Ran said. “I was selfish. I know that now. And I’ve lived the way I want. And this is what I want.” He grinned. “I like her. Maybe even love her. It works.”
Draven stood abruptly, pushing Ran off. He paced angrily and then pinned his gaze on Melissa. “I can’t tell you what to do. If I were you, I’d probably just run away. I probably wouldn’t want to spend an eternity with me without Ran either.”
She grinned, but her heart was sore inside. She didn’t know what to do. She was relieved to see Ran was sitting up, getting some of his strength back.
He sat forward, rubbing his head. Just as he opened his mouth to say something to her, they heard a loud flapping noise, and in the
distance, she saw a large red object landing just outside the tree line.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes. The red dragon was easy to make out against the rich, verdant green all around her. It was peaceful here, the sky overcast, nothing around for miles.
The dragon shifted to a tall blond man with an extremely red face as he ran toward them. As he approached, he seemed to be nearly erupting with anger. It was Drake.
He looked at them, opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, and then let out a harsh breath and turned back as if he was going to leave. Then he seemed to think better of it and strode over to them. He was wearing a red jacket with a zipper over casual jeans. Once again, she was impressed by his height and breadth, as Draven stood to meet him and they stood shoulder to shoulder.
They started to talk in low voices, and then he caught sight of her.
“Damn, she looks freaked out…” He put a hand to his chin and his eyes widened, an astonishing blue-green. “You told her.” His gaze flicked to Ran. “Damn. She’s gonna run.”
She let out a growl as she strode to face him. “I’m not going to run. And what are you doing here?”
He raised a surprised eyebrow and stared down at her angrily, and then Draven turned him to face him. “Drake, what’s going on?”
Drake threw a hand through his hair, pulling it and dropping his hand down to his side in exasperation. She could feel the frustration in waves.
“Is it Quill?” Ran asked, brushing off his knees and standing unsteadily. His face still hadn’t returned to normal color, but at least he was up. She walked over to him and put her arm around his waist, earning a surprised glance from Drake.
Then Drake’s expression darkened again. “The wolves have him. The relatives of the ones you killed in that trafficking case. They knew stupid Quill couldn’t resist a disaster, so they hurt a bunch of humans, knowing he’d show up with his healing fire. He loves going invisible for that shit. But…” Drake pulled at his hair again. “He’s not supposed to go out alone.” He looked at Ran. “I’m worried I need you for this one. There are a lot of them.” He looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve had a lot lately, but I had to ask. He’s my partner. Stupid as he is.”
Ran nodded. “Let’s go.”
Draven growled and caught his arm. “You’ve got to be joking. You can’t.”
Ran shrugged. “I can’t let them hurt Quill. He’s important right now. We don’t have time for him to be reborn. And besides, he’s my friend. What’s the point to this life if I can’t protect my friends?” He gave Draven a hard glare, and Draven released his arm.
Drake looked back at Melissa. “What about her?”
“She comes with,” Draven said. “I’ll keep her in my dragon shield. Quill too, when we find him.”
Drake nodded. “I’ll fight alongside Ran. His dragon fire can’t hurt me.” He winked at Melissa. “Basically nothing can.”
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“The red dragon,” Draven said. “Never-ending cockiness and huge durability.”
“And strength,” Drake added smugly.
“Why does he need us, then?” she asked, wiping the smirk off his face as he turned to glare at her.
“It’s Ran,” Draven said. “If there are enough shifters, if they’re healing too quickly, even a dragon can’t take them down. When it’s a large group, it’s always us. If it’s one really extreme opponent, that’s more his area.” He jerked his head at Drake.
“All right,” Ran said. “Let’s hurry before they hurt Quill.”
Drake’s face took on a strained expression again, and Ran put an arm around his shoulders, laughing as Drake growled and shook it off.
“Fine,” Draven said, putting his arm out for her to take as he followed the others. “But if something happens to Ran during this, I’m holding you all responsible.”
Drake let out a bitter laugh, and Ran said nothing.
Melissa didn’t know if she should be grateful she’d been granted a reprieve while figuring out what to do about Ran and Draven and the mating, or if she was worried about the danger they were walking into.
Regardless, she knew Draven would protect her. But who would protect Ran?
* * *
Melissa rode in Draven’s dragon claws again as they went to the location where was being held. As usual, wolves preferred somewhat remote, abandoned settings, and Draven was grateful they could use their dragon fire without assuming full dragon form if needed.
He landed quietly in a field outside a giant, abandoned warehouse, and Drake and Ran followed. Ran’s breathing was slightly labored, and Draven hated the sound of it.
Draven hated every bit of Ran’s plan. Just like Ran to do something like that, find a mate just for him because he was the one who chased away the other mate.
Why couldn’t Ran have been born with the regular ruthlessness the black dragon usually possessed? Draven shifted back and helped Melissa up, noting she still seemed slightly shaken by everything that’d happened.
This whole time, she’d accepted everything with an almost unearthly calm, but the news about Ran and about her having to risk death to be with both of them seemed to hit her limit of accepting things calmly.
Still, she hadn’t run yet, and that had to mean something.
Maybe they had a shot at this after all. Maybe they could just spend a little more time figuring out whether she was dragon-hearted, and whether that helped her chances with Ran’s poisonous blood.
Ran looked up at the warehouse, rolling back the sleeves of his black sweater. Ran always looked good in black, with his tanned skin and golden hair.
Draven never had more respect for Ran than when they were on a mission. His easy, lighthearted friend quickly became a badass of the first order.
“We’ll have to go in our human forms,” Ran said. I can’t sense Quill, so he’s probably unconscious.”
“Do you think they want dragon blood?” Drake asked, and Melissa looked over curiously.
“It’s part of why dragons travel in pairs,” Draven said. “Our blood has odd qualities and is considered valuable.” He turned to Drake. “I don’t know.”
Drake cracked his knuckles. “If they’ve touched him, they’re dead.”
“They’re dead either way,” Ran said. “Kidnapping is a Forbidden.”
Draven nodded. “All right. Let’s head in. Drake will take the lead, in case of a sneak attack, since he’s the toughest.”
Drake grinned.
Draven continued. “Ran will be next, and I’ll take up the back with Melissa. I’ll resist putting up a shield until the last minute, because the glowing could give us away. And when I see Quill, I’ll try to get to him with a shield as well. When I’m ready, I’ll give the signal, and you can fire on the rest.”
Ran nodded. “All right, let’s head in.”
They made their way quickly across the grass. He could feel Melissa’s warm hand on his arm. He wished he knew what she was thinking right now. Did she hate them for keeping secrets? He wished they’d had a moment to talk instead of having to run off to save Quill.
But saving a dragon was a top priority. He hoped after this, Quill would learn to stay on a shorter leash. Just because he had an obsession with healing, it didn’t give him an excuse to ditch his partner and get into dangerous situations.
Looking over at Drake, who was silent and focused on rescuing his partner, he had to admit the pair had worked out better than anyone would have thought after all.
The two most stubborn dragons to push against each other.
When they reached the warehouse, Drake tested the handle to the sliding door. “Locked,” he said. He ran around the side to a door with a small window and looked in. “Shit.”
He yanked the door open before Drake could ask what was wrong, and Ran charged after him, long legs covering the distance in an instance to disappear into the warehouse right after Drake. Draven looked at Melissa, heart pounding.
She nodded, biting her lip. Her long hair was pulled into a messy knot that would keep the wild curls off her face.
He put a hand up to her face. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. For the rest of my life, no matter what you choose.”
She nodded.
He focused and let his dragon shield emanate from him, a warm golden glow that covered both of them. Then he relaxed and made sure she was covered in the glow. It was like a slight halo of light around her. No matter what happened, Ran wouldn’t forgive him if he let their mate get hurt.
This would keep her safe for a few minutes at least.
“All right, I’m going in. Watch from here and join me if needed. That shield will take care of you for now. I have to look for Quill.”
She nodded.
Draven ran through the door and skidded to a stop in the room. Ran and Drake were surrounded by a huge circle of the mangiest-looking werewolves he’d ever seen.
And they all looked angry.
On a table in a corner, he saw Quill chained down, unconscious, his dark-blue hair partially covering his face, his long body splayed.
One wrist cut, leaking dark blood.
Shit!
A wolf who seemed to be the leader pushed through the others to stand in front of Ran and Drake, who looked down at him imperiously.
“It’s too late,” he said. “We’ve taken his blood.”
Draven’s teeth clenched. It wasn’t enough that they single-handedly dealt with every evil thing in the shifter world. They had to be hunted for their blood too.
The wolf was tall in human form, with a breadth bespeaking alpha status, though probably lesser alpha. He had graying hair and a scruffy face and wore a brown leather jacket with honey jeans.
The more powerful alpha wolves didn’t usually resort to things like this.
Ran’s face was tight with anger as the wolf approached, reaching for Ran’s chin.
“Such a pretty one,” the wolf growled. “Are you a dragon too?”
Ran grinned, flashing dragon fangs, and snapped at the wolf’s hand. “What do you think? Want to find out?”
A Tiger's Destiny (Tiger Protectors Book 3) Page 21
