Valentine (The Dragon Kings Book 3)

by Kimberly Loth

  Val stood up and approached Hazel. She backed away, not wanting him to touch her.

  Val flinched but stopped. “I’ve got to take Sid to the woodland dragons to make sure he’s completely healed. Aspen will come with. My father can take you back to the house. We’ll talk when I get back.”

  Val pointed to the bright red dragon behind him, and Hazel felt the blood drain from her face. No way in hell was she getting on a dragon. Val changed into a massive black dragon, and Hazel’s head spun. She took a few deep breaths so she didn’t succumb to the desire to vomit. Scrawled across Val’s ankle in bright green script was her name. What had he done to her? Why had he marked her?

  She waited for Aspen to climb onto his back, and the other women helped lift Sid up with her. Then Val spread his wings and took off. Hazel disappeared among the crowd.

  She hiked out to where they left the Hummers and sighed a breath of relief when she saw Paul leaning against the only remaining Hummer.

  “Where did everyone go?” she asked.

  “After I shot the wrong dragon, I ordered the troops to retreat. I watched long enough to see that they still killed the right dragon, then I bailed. Where’s Aspen?”

  “She’ll be staying with the dragons. Thanks for waiting.”

  So he hadn’t witnessed hundreds of dragons turning human. How convenient for the dragons. Hazel desperately wanted to talk to someone about it, but she wasn’t sure how she could without sounding like a crazy person.

  “On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are they that I shot the black one?”

  “Not much was said. They were focusing on saving his life. But I’d say pretty pissed.”

  “Is he going to live?”

  Hazel nodded.

  Paul exhaled. “I’m still in trouble, but at least I didn’t kill one I wasn’t supposed to.”

  Hazel looked down at her hands. She’d wiped most of the blood off, but there was still some caked in her fingernails.

  “Look, this has been a really long and strange day. Do you mind taking me home?”

  “Sure, Hazel. Anything for you.”

  Hazel didn’t want to talk on the way home, but Paul blathered on.

  “After I drop you off, I need to go report to my supervisor. But, Hazel, that was surreal in there. I’ve never seen so many dragons. Have you?”

  “No,” she said and kept her gaze fixed on the trees flying by. Val was a dragon. She loved him, and he had lied to her. She thought she’d finally found someone worth settling down with, but he wasn’t even human.

  “So, are you going out to dinner with Val? Celebrate the loss of the human killer?”

  Hazel shuddered as she remembered how the black dragon, who was Val, had ripped off the head of the gold dragon.

  “Val and I aren’t together anymore.”

  “Oh yeah? You want to go out to dinner with me then?”

  Hazel’s first reaction was hell no. But did she really want to stay home and replay the horror she witnessed in her mind over and over again? Paul could distract her. Save her from having to think about it for a few hours at least.

  “Only under one condition.”

  “Anything for you.”

  “I don’t want to hear the word dragon.”

  Paul dropped her off, and she made a beeline for the bathroom. She didn’t want to talk to her parents. Not yet. She knew she’d have to face them before she went out again, but she desperately needed to be alone for a few minutes.

  In the shower, Hazel scrubbed at the blood under her fingernails. She felt betrayed in every way possible. Val, who she’d finally given her heart to, broke it. He lied to her. Kept the most important thing from her. The fact that he wasn’t even human. Hazel struggled to even comprehend that idea. Tears threatened to fall, but she kept them in. She didn’t want to give Val the satisfaction that he’d hurt her. She knew he couldn’t see her, but she still didn’t want to give into the pain. The betrayal.

  She was blow-drying her hair when her mom knocked on the bathroom door.

  “Paul’s here.”

  “Tell him I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Paul said they finally killed the dragon that’s been plaguing us.”

  Hazel nodded. “Yeah, I was there. Saw it myself.”

  “Why were you there?”

  “Because I wasn’t going to let Aspen and Paul go without me.”

  “Where’s Aspen?”

  Hazel rolled her eyes. “With Sid. If I see her, I’ll have her call you.”

  There was another person who broke her heart. How could Aspen keep all of this from her? She knew what Val was, and she didn’t say a word. Not to mention this whole queen of the dragons thing.

  Paul waited downstairs and helped her put her coat on.

  “What do you want to do?” he asked when they got in the car.

  “Anything to take my mind off what I saw today.”

  “Yeah, those dragons fighting was pretty scary. How about we grab some takeout and go back to my place and watch a movie. Something funny.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  The movie was slapstick and funny and perfect for forgetting things she didn’t want to think about. She curled into Paul’s side, and he held her tight. She felt safe. Normal. This was a life she could handle. Nothing exciting, but secure. Now that she’d had a taste of commitment with Val, she realized she was done flitting around. She wanted to settle down. She wanted a real relationship. Paul would give her that. He wouldn’t blink an eye. He probably still had the ring he proposed with before she fled to Hawaii.

  The movie ended in the middle of her thoughts. Paul flicked off the television.

  “Do you want me to find another movie?”

  She shook her head, gave him a wicked grin, pulled his head down, and kissed him.

  VAL SAT AT the kitchen table with Aspen and Sid. The healing had been quick, and Sid was able to fly back on his own. Aspen stayed glued to his side. Val had never seen her so scared.

  None of them said much. A few minutes later Pearl entered the room.

  “The third black dragon has been spotted.”

  Sid jerked his head around. “Where?”

  “Northern California. An eagle saw him, but when the dragons went in search of him, they couldn’t find him.”

  Sid turned back to Val. “It’s time to get this show on the road. Hazel needs to be made queen so we can focus on the third king. We don’t know when the war will start. It could be years from now, or it could be tomorrow. We need to be prepared.”

  “I told Hazel to meet me here.”

  Aspen shook her head. “I just got a message from my mom. She went out with Paul tonight.”

  Val’s heart clenched. “Why would she go out with him?”

  Aspen frowned. “She didn’t seem too happy to find out you were a dragon. She’s probably just processing. I’m sure she feels like she can’t talk to me or you. Let’s give her the night, and we’ll find her tomorrow. Convincing her to be queen though is not going to be easy.”

  Jealousy reared in his chest. “But she’s out with another man. I should go get her.”

  “Don’t do that. You’ll just chase her away. Let her be tonight. We probably all ought to get some sleep. I thought things would get easier once the human killer was dead, but it looks like it will be just as crazy for the next several months or even years.”

  Sid nodded. “I could definitely use some sleep.”

  Val didn’t want to go to sleep. He wanted to find Paul’s house and convince Hazel to come home with him.

  Sid put his hand on Val’s shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking, man. Just leave it. Give her a day to figure things out.”

  Reluctantly, Val went upstairs, showered, and went to bed. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep, but it came quickly. He hadn’t realized how exhausted he was.

  Light filled the room, and Val squinted his eyes against the brightness. It took a second for his eyes to adjust, but when it did
, he saw Hazel standing in the doorway. Her hair stuck out in every direction, black streaks smeared her splotchy cheeks, and fresh tears fell. Her lips pressed in a straight line, and her eyes narrowed at him.

  Without a word, she ripped off her sock and pointed to her ankle where his name was scrawled.

  “What the hell did you do to me?”

  He was so glad to see her he didn’t think. He pulled her close and smashed his lips against hers. She’d come back to him. Sid had been right to let her have some time. She returned the kiss but then stiffened against his body and pulled away.

  “No. You can’t do this to me. I want to know what the hell this means and how I can get rid of it.”

  “YOU CAN’T.”

  Hazel spun, and saw Aspen standing in the doorway.

  “Oh no, not you too.”

  “I told you. Not my secret to share.”

  Hazel rounded on her. “Not your secret? You’re the queen of the effing dragons, and you didn’t think I had a right to know that?”

  Aspen shook her head. “No one knows. I knew I’d have to tell you eventually, but we had the human killer to take care of, Rowan missing, and the fact that you don’t like dragons. You have to admit it was a lot.”

  Hazel stomped her foot like small child. “I don’t care. I had a right to know. About all of this. I still don’t understand.”

  “Well, now that you’ve woken the whole house, let’s go talk in the theater room. It’s more comfortable, and we’ll be there for a while.”

  “What time is it?” Val asked from behind her.

  “About two a.m.” She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t understand the spell he’d cast over her. But kissing Paul felt wrong, and she knew she’d never love him the way she loved Val. She had left and drove around for hours trying to make sense of things. But sense could not be found.

  “Fine. But no more lies.” She stormed off for the theater room.

  Val, Aspen, and Sid joined her a few minutes later.

  “Can I sit next to you?” Val asked.

  “No.” Hazel crossed her arms and nodded her head in the direction of the opposite side of the couch. She was far too wound up to sit near anyone.

  She sat alone on one side of the couch. The other three sat together. Aspen spoke first.

  “Your mark will never go away because you are in love with Val. That will never change.”

  “Why did you do that me?” she asked Val.

  Aspen spoke before he had a chance. “He didn’t do it to you. You did to yourself. If Val had fallen in love with you first, you would’ve never seen the mark. But you fell in love with him.”

  Hazel ran a hand through her hair. “That’s impossible. It was one kiss on an airplane.”

  Aspen grinned at her. “That must’ve been some kiss.”

  Hazel glowered at her. This wasn’t any time to be making jokes.

  “Are you saying I will never be able to love anyone else?” Hazel tried to wrap her head around that concept. The idea that she would never love another. In a way she’d already known this, but hearing the words out loud made it real.

  “I’m saying you won’t want to. Even now, you want to be with Val. Right?”

  Hazel sighed. It was difficult to even look at him. “Is this some weird magic or something that dragons have?”

  “Something like that. But I want you to know that it was you who chose to love him. He didn’t do anything to you. I loved Sid first. When my mark showed up, it didn’t have his name, and he didn’t get one until after he fell in love with me. Rowan has one too, but it doesn’t have a name because she doesn’t love him back.”

  “Wait, are you saying that Skye chick is a dragon?”

  Aspen nodded.

  “Does Rowan know?”

  “Yeah. He took it about as well as you did. But he got over it.”

  Hazel didn’t believe her. But she figured if Rowan could get over it, she would eventually as well. But that wouldn’t happen tonight.

  Sid leaned forward on the couch. “Hazel, we need your help.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “The dragons are about to go to war, and we need you to help us fight.”

  Hazel snorted. “I saw the fighting you did today, and I don’t see how I can help.”

  “Dragon kings get an enormous amount of strength from their queens. Aspen became my queen because she loves me, but also because I needed her. I have more strength than any other living dragon because of what she gave me. You could do the same for Val.”

  Hazel creased her eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

  Val crossed over to her side of the couch and took her hands in his own. “I’m also a dragon king.”

  “How many kings are there?”

  “Normally only one. But right now there are three. We haven’t found the third one yet, but a couple of eagles spotted him in northern California. This is the fulfillment of a prophecy given thousands of years ago. Sid is right. I need your strength. But more than that, Hazel, I’m so in love with you. I don’t want to spend another second without you. I would be honored if you would consent to become my queen. Not because I need you, but because I love you.”

  Hazel took a deep breath. She didn’t know how to respond. She loved Val with every fiber of her being. She knew that. She was also furious with him. She opened her mouth to respond when Runa crashed on the floor in between them all.

  “What is the meaning of this? Why are you having an important meeting without me?” Runa looked livid. Her face had gone a brilliant shade of red.

  Aspen burst into laughter, and Sid followed suit. Val kept his eyes trained on Hazel though, his face expectant. Hazel couldn’t find the words she needed to say, so instead, she leaned forward and kissed him.

  VAL COULDN’T believe his fortune. Hazel hadn’t hesitated for even a second. He felt like he was in a dream.

  “I’m going to summon an eagle. We’ll have the council meet us tomorrow morning and take care of the gifting and bonding ceremony,” Sid said.

  Aspen jerked. “Will she have to go through the testing?”

  Sid shook his head. “One of the things the council and I agreed upon was that the new queens would not have to submit to the testing since we already have one queen who did. But she will still need to be given the gifts so that Val can have them.”

  Hazel clenched at Val’s hands. He wished he could tell what she was thinking.

  Sid stood. “We should all go to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day. As soon as the ceremony is over, we need to go find the third king.”

  Val pulled Hazel up and led her back to his room. She crawled into bed and cuddled up to him, resting her face on his chest. He stroked her hair.

  “You don’t seem too freaked out by all this,” he said.

  She chuckled. “Oh, I’m definitely freaked out. I know I was super angry when I arrived tonight, but I had already made the decision I wanted to be with you.

  “Why? I’m glad you did, but it doesn’t make sense.”

  She slid her hand up his shirt, and he tensed, but she was still relaxed. “You know I went out with Paul tonight, right?”

  “Yeah, Aspen told me.”

  She was lightly running her fingers along his stomach, and it was incredibly distracting.

  “Well, I kissed him.”

  He unconsciously clenched his fists.

  “Ouch,” Hazel said.

  “Oh, sorry.” He’d grabbed her hair by mistake. He relaxed his fists again. “Why’d you kiss him?”

  “Because I was angry and hurt, and I wanted to forget about you.”

  “What happened?” He didn’t want to know the answer to this, but he had to hear it.

  “It was awful.”

  Val snorted. “Really?”

  Hazel shimmied off his chest and propped herself up on her elbows so she was facing him. “Yes, really. No one will ever taste as sweet as you do. Not to mention that even though I didn’t want to admit it, I’m to
tally in love with you. Much more so than I ever was with Teddy. Speaking of, it’s going to be awkward seeing him around here.” Hazel froze. “Wait, is he a dragon too?”

  Val wondered how she’d take this news. “He was.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Uh, I killed him this afternoon.”

  “That was you? And him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Huh. At some point I’m going to have to reconcile the fact that I was once in love with a serial killer.”

  “Hopefully not tonight.” He didn’t want to spend the rest of the night rehashing her relationship with Theo.

  She wiggled forward and kissed him lightly. “No, definitely not tonight. Now, can you explain to me what’s going to happen tomorrow? Because I am a little weirded out by the fact that I’m about to become a queen.”

  “I don’t really want to talk much tonight. But I promise I will tell you anything you want to know in the morning.” Val flipped her over so he was hovering over her. Her eyes had a bright sparkle, and she pulled his head down toward her. She kissed him deeply, and he knew he’d be happy to never leave that room.

  AFTER BREAKFAST the next day, an eagle tapped on the window. Sid opened it, stared at the eagle, and closed the window.

  “They council will meet us in the king’s cave in about thirty minutes. You ready?”

  Hazel nodded her head even though she really wanted to shake it. She was ready to be with Val forever, but she still wasn’t sure about the dragon thing. Val had explained what he knew about the ceremony, which wasn’t much. Aspen probably would’ve been a better resource, but Hazel hadn’t wanted to leave Val’s side, and she felt weird asking Aspen personal questions in front of him.

  The four of them went out the back door with Runa following.

  “Another queen, yay!” Runa bobbed up and down excitedly. “Do you like dragons now?” she asked Hazel.

  “No. Not really.”

  Runa dropped to the ground. She stretched her neck high, but she still didn’t reach above Hazel’s knee.

  “But you’re about to become a queen.”