by Rinelle Grey
“Who cares?” Calrian said.
His mate hesitated, then to his joy, she smiled and followed him into the water. As she came close, he caught her with an arm around her waist and kissed her. In that moment, he knew his life was perfect.
He couldn’t wait to explore the island, to dive under the waves and see what was in the ocean, to welcome their first group of guests together.
But first he needed to get his family settled. There would be plenty of time for everything else. He was going to be here for a long time.
Calrian couldn’t be happier with that thought.
Chapter 55
“Good morning, my mate.”
Rylee opened her eyes to see Calrian smiling down at her, just as he had every morning for the last twenty-six years. His sea blue eyes narrowed to slits, a little of his dragon nature showing through.
Just as she did every morning, she couldn’t help smiling back at him. “Good morning, my mate.” Even after nearly three decades and raising four children together, she still felt a tingle up her spine every time he smiled at her. Every time she realised he really was hers.
That thought only made her smile wider.
Calrian leaned down and kissed her, the touch of his lips sending a rush of heat through her body. She was tempted to pull him back down onto the bed and urge him to make love to her.
The look in his eyes told her he wouldn’t need much encouragement.
That hadn’t changed any either.
She deepened the kiss, and Calrian matched her, his tongue dipping into her mouth and sending a delicious shiver all the way down to her toes. She was well on her way to losing track of time when her stomach rumbled. Loudly.
Calrian laughed and pulled back. “Time for breakfast?”
Since his fingers continued to run in small circles over the satin of her nightgown, it was a hard choice. But some things couldn’t be ignored. “Bathroom, then breakfast,” she agreed, giving him one more kiss.
There would be plenty of time for lovemaking later. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Not yet anyway.
She pushed away the niggling fear that insisted he’d eventually want to try to wake his brothers and sisters, especially now their children were grown and eager to help him. He’d said he wouldn’t risk it, but his assurances hadn’t fully convinced her.
She didn’t want to think about that. So instead she kissed him again and hopped out of bed, heading for the bathroom.
When she returned, Calrian had opened the window, and a view of the sparkling blue ocean greeted her. The salt breeze came in off the water and the distant roar of the waves, a sound so constant Rylee often didn’t even notice it, echoed through her heart.
Every detail of the morning seemed determined to etch itself into her heart.
It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, and every time it hit, Rylee took time to savour it. She wished she could bottle every single moment so she could keep it forever.
She leaned up against Calrian, soaking in his warmth, smelling his unique scent, feeling her connection to him through their mating bond. Calrian kissed the top of her head, his arms going around her.
If it hadn’t been for the smell of cooking bacon, Rylee could have lost hours like that.
Calrian lifted his head and sniffed the air and then grinned. “I knew having children would come in handy. Smells like someone is cooking breakfast.” He cocked his head to one side, listening with his sensitive dragon hearing. “Hayrian I think.”
Rylee smiled. “Definitely worth checking out. I’m starving.”
They walked hand in hand down the hallway to the kitchen where their four children hung out chatting as Hayrian fried up the bacon.
Damrian stood next to his older brother, arguing over the merits of sailing around the island versus flying in a helicopter. Mora snuck a piece of crispy bacon from the plate while neither of them were paying attention.
Rowan, the only other human in the room, watched his little sister with a grin. He looked over when Rylee and Calrian entered and smiled at both of them. He might be Calrian’s stepson, but he was as much a part of this family as anyone else. And Calrian had done a far better job of being a parent than his biological father ever had. He’d always treated his stepson exactly the same as his other children.
Just thinking about it made Rylee’s heart overflow with love.
Could her life be any more perfect?
Hayrian put a heaped platter of bacon and eggs in the middle of the table. Mora brought over a plate piled high with toast, and Damrian grabbed the orange juice out of the fridge. Then they all sat down together to eat.
Rylee smiled as she looked around at her family while they made plans for the day, her heart full.
“Did the shipment arrive for the Fins and Ships?” Damrian asked as he loaded his plate with bacon. “Can’t have them running out of chips.”
Hayrian laughed. “You might starve if that happened,” he teased. “It’s due to be here at nine this morning, so in plenty of time for dinner.”
“It better.” Damrian gave a mock scowl. “Or else you’ll get a chance to prove the usefulness of that helicopter of yours by flying me over to the mainland to fetch it.”
“Sure,” Hayrian said quickly. “But we’d only just fit in enough for you.”
“Which is why a boat is better,” Damrian replied instantly.
Rylee grinned at their banter. They might never stop teasing each other, but deep down, she knew the brothers loved each other.
“Is there anything you need me to do today, Mum?” Mora asked, not looking up from her toast. “I could help you greet the new visitors as they arrive?” Her tone was hopeful, and a little wistful.
Rylee hesitated. Of all her children, Mora was the one she worried about most. She always had. And not just because it was hard to be the only girl in a family full of exuberant dragon boys.
Unlike her brothers, Mora was a life dragon, rare and precious in the dragon world. Or she would have been if Calrian’s clan still existed. Since they were all dead, and his brothers and sisters were trapped in their Mesmer chambers, there was no one to protect her besides her parents and devoted brothers.
And they had, unfailingly, for all her twenty years.
They’d kept her hidden all this time, not even using her dragon name, Morian, among themselves for fear of it leaking out. It wasn’t worth the risk.
But Mora felt stifled under their protection, as any young adult would. She wanted to stretch her wings… literally.
Rylee could understand the feeling. That was why she hesitated before answering. Could it hurt to let Mora great the guests? They were here on holiday. It was highly unlikely any of them would be dragons.
Unlikely, but not guaranteed. They’d had a couple of dragon visitors over the years. Not many, and Calrian had picked them up early enough that they’d been able to keep Mora safely hidden from the Trima clan spies. But only because she hadn’t been there when they’d arrived.
If Ultrima ever heard of her existence…
A shiver ran down Rylee’s spine at the thought of Calrian’s greatest enemy. The evil lightning dragon might have let her and Calrian walk free, but only because he didn’t think they were a threat. If he knew of Mora’s life altering magic, it would be another matter.
They couldn’t risk it.
Calrian watched her, waiting for her to respond, only making her decision harder.
Calrian would accept whatever she decided, but Rylee knew if it were up to him, he would let Mora take more risks. He believed she was old enough to use her life dragon magic to hide her true nature. She should, in theory, easily be able to convince any Trima dragon she was just an ordinary dragon, if not an ordinary human.
But Rylee couldn’t bring herself to take the risk, not when one small slip up could cost her her daughter’s life.
“Actually, I was wondering if you could go over the inventories for me. We seem to be having trouble with the shipments lately, and we need to
keep on top of them. It’s not like we can duck down to the shops if we run out of something. All joking aside, missing a shipment could spell disaster.”
Mora’s shoulders slumped. “Sure,” she said, her voice dull.
Guilt twisted Rylee’s stomach, but she comforted herself with the fact that she was doing this for Mora’s own safety. Her impulsive daughter didn’t understand the risks. She’d never met a dragon other than her brothers. How could she possibly realise how dangerous they could be?
So Rylee forced a cheerful smile, her earlier peace dissipating, and turned to Rowan. “What are you up to today?”
Rowan stared at her blankly, as though she’d put him on the spot. He glanced over at his sister, who was very interested in her toast, then back at his mum. “Um… I have to…”
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a knock at the door. Rylee bit back a sigh. They hadn’t even finished breakfast.
She loved running the resort, but sometimes it would be nice to have an uninterrupted meal with her family. She moved to rise from her chair, but before she made it more than halfway, Calrian put a hand on her arm. “I’ll find out what it is.”
Rylee gave him a grateful smile, and ate quickly, expecting to have to deal with some emergency. At least if she finished breakfast, she’d have energy to cope with whatever it was.
The table was silent enough they could hear Calrian talking on the veranda. “The shipment will be here by nine, otherwise Hayden has offered to fly over to the mainland and find it,” he promised.
Rylee relaxed a little and slowed her eating to a more normal pace. Something easily taken care of, that was rare.
“Uh, Mum, you might want to take a look at this.” Rowan slid his phone across the table to Rylee, glancing sideways to the hallway where Calrian was still talking as he did so.
Rylee scanned the screen. From the look on Rowan’s face, she expected to see a bad review of the resort or something similar.
The reality was far worse.
There, prominently displayed, was a photo of two dragons fighting on the bonnet of a yellow car.
Rylee’s heart skipped a beat, and for a few moments she was so overwhelmed with shock and fear her brain refused to work at all. She stared at the photo blankly.
Slowly, the details began to soak in, and she tried to make sense of it all. Two dragons. One silver, one a deep purple. One Trima clan, one…
A purple dragon had to be a sound dragon, at least according to all Calrian had taught her. So definitely not Trima clan. And there was only one other clan she knew of.
Calrian had spent years pouring over the newspapers and broadcasts, hoping to catch some subtle sign his clan was still alive despite Ultrima telling him they were all gone. In all that time, he’d found nothing.
A few years ago, he’d stopped checking, and while Rylee had been sad for his loss, she’d breathed a private sigh of relief. She’d almost stopped looking over her shoulder, expecting someone to come along and steal him away.
And now this.
The moment had come, the one she’d been dreading for years, the one she’d secretly hoped would never come.
Calrian’s clan was back. Either some of them had escaped the Trima clan’s culling, or his brothers and sisters had somehow woken and fled.
Either way, her life was about to change drastically. And she couldn’t convince herself the change would be good, not for her at least.
She felt guilty for even thinking that. This was Calrian’s family. He loved them. She should be happy for him.
But no matter how hard she tried, all she was aware of was a feeling of dread.
She couldn’t help remembering the distance Calrian had kept between them when he’d still hoped his clan was alive. He’d cared for her right from the start, but he hadn’t let himself show it. He’d only felt he could mate with her once Ultrima had convinced him his clan was dead, and his brothers and sisters were unreachable.
If they were back, even some of them, then he would feel torn again. He’d have to choose between staying here with her and going to their aid. And Rylee couldn’t see any way he wouldn’t choose his family over her.
Oh, she didn’t doubt he loved her. Didn’t even doubt a part of him would want to choose her.
But he was a dragon prince. He had responsibilities she couldn’t even begin to imagine.
She wouldn’t blame him, but that wouldn’t stop her from feeling like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. It wouldn’t stop her from feeling like her whole life was crumbling around her.
She looked around the table, taking a few shaky breaths, aware that Rowan’s face wore a worried frown, and even Damrian was staring at her in concern now.
“Is everything okay, Mum?” Damrian asked, but Rylee couldn’t find the words to answer him.
She wanted to believe she’d at least have her family and she wouldn’t be completely alone.
But they were dragons too. As children, and even now as adults, they all listened with wide, starry eyes whenever Calrian spoke of his family and his clan. They’d be as excited to find them as he would.
She could very well lose everything.
She glanced up at the hallway where she could still hear Calrian’s voice chatting easily about business at the Fins and Ships, Dragon Island’s fish and chip restaurant. He sounded so normal. He had no idea.
For a moment she was tempted not to tell him. Rowan would keep it quiet if she asked, and Calrian might never know. He hadn’t checked the news in years now.
But even if there wasn’t a risk of someone mentioning it to him, she knew she couldn’t do that. Her heart ached even as it pounded.
This would mean so much to him.
Despite their love, despite their mating bond, and even despite their dragon children, she knew he still mourned the loss of his clan and missed his brothers and sisters. Calrian valued family above all else, and though he’d lavished all that love on his small family here, she knew he always felt like something was missing, even if he never admitted it.
She couldn’t stand in his way despite knowing that finding his clan could mean she lost him.
“All sorted.” Calrian returned to the kitchen with a smile on his face. “We can get back to breakfast.”
She could see the moment he realised something was wrong. His eyes narrowed—not into slits, not yet, but Rylee suspected they would soon. He looked from her, to Rowan and Damrian, then at the others. “What is it?”
Rylee took a deep breath. She had to tell him, even though it terrified her.
That was what you did when you loved someone.
Chapter 56
Calrian could see the worry in Rylee’s furrowed forehead and the creases around her eyes as she silently held out the phone to him. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
But what could it possibly be? Surely not the shipment, that was minor. The look on her face indicated a serious problem, but his family was all here, sitting around this table, safe.
Or his current family was anyway.
He took the phone, his heart beginning to thud painfully in his chest. It couldn’t be…
He stared at the screen, not daring to hope. The reality was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
The most he’d hoped for was some clue about his clan, and even then he’d berated himself for hoping. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to see an actual photo of two dragons fighting for their lives.
His heart skipped a beat, then began to hammer as though he’d flown all the way around the island. Twice.
“My goodness.” Calrian was barely aware he’d said the words out loud. His whole body trembled with shock and disbelief. “That’s Verrian.”
“It is?” Rylee demanded.
“Verrian? Your brother?” Hayrian rose from the table and came around to look. When he saw the photo, he whistled. “Wow.”
Calrian had made sure all his children knew the names of his brothers and sisters. He’d
told them many stories about their exploits over the years. When he talked about their lives together, he could almost believe he would see them again one day. That they weren’t lost to him forever.
His children all felt like they almost knew his siblings.
But none of them had ever expected to meet their aunts and uncles. Calrian himself had accepted that he wouldn’t see them again. Verrian, like his other four brothers and sisters, had been trapped in his Mesmer chamber, asleep, guarded by Ultrima’s strongest dragons.
How had he escaped?
Everyone crowded around the phone, reading over Calrian’s shoulder, but he barely noticed.
He was too busy scanning the article for any scrap of information. Unfortunately, the piece was painfully lacking in anything useful at all. The headline, ‘Mungaloo’s Own Loch Ness Monster’, told him the location of the dragon-on-dragon encounter, but the article itself was little more than hype and speculation.
But the article confirmed one thing Calrian’s heart ached to know. By the time the police had arrived, the scene was empty. Both dragons had left, meaning both had been alive.
Aside from that, the only other thing of interest was another photo, a man and a woman standing together in the middle of the outback looking shell-shocked. Calrian stared at the human woman standing next to his brother with interest.
She had a shock of red, curly hair, freckles, and a definite scowl on her face, as though she didn’t like whoever was taking the photo. He scanned the article again for her name—Lisa.
Who was she, and what was she doing with his brother? Had she been the one to help him escape? Calrian stared at the image until his vision blurred, but it didn’t help.
He put the phone down and sighed in frustration. “This woman, Lisa, must have woken him somehow, but how did she get past Ultrima’s guards?”
“The same way I did,” Rowan suggested. “Maybe they were asleep, and she snuck past.”
“Maybe,” Calrian agreed, guiltily wondering if he should have tried harder to wake his siblings over the years. If this woman had bypassed Ultrima’s guards so easily …
Calrian tried to imagine her sneaking in, but even the thought made him shiver. If the guard had woken…
