by Rinelle Grey
“But Ultrima will be doing the same thing,” Verrian pointed out. “He’s not going to tell. There’s no risk of them ever finding out.”
“That’s true,” Calrian agreed. “But us taking a life dragon with us also means if Ultrima is manipulating the situation, we can’t tell them that. If we choose to remain above reproach, then we can expose him if he tries anything. And we earn points for not being manipulative ourselves.”
His brothers and sisters were silent, mulling over what he’d said.
“An excellent suggestion,” Taurian said finally, and Calrian let out an inaudible breath.
He’d managed it. He’d kept Mora safe while still making the best choice for his clan.
The angry and disappointed look his daughter shot him was only one reason he still felt guilty.
How long could he manage this? How long could he walk the fine line between protecting his family and his clan?
Chapter 69
Rylee hung up the video call and heaved a sigh. She loved talking to Calrian, hearing his voice and seeing his face, but each call reminded her how far away he was.
And that she wasn’t there with him.
And invariably, someone in the background, usually one of his brothers or sisters, but sometimes one of the clan elders, or just a dragon or human in general, would drag him away with something important he needed to do.
And every time she could feel him slipping a little further away from her.
It was hard to be okay with that but seeing how he was thriving under the pressure helped. Seeing how much everyone there respected him and leaned on him helped too.
Rylee couldn’t even claim she needed him in return, not practically anyway. With Rowan, Hayrian, and Damrian on the job, the resort was practically running itself. Her sons were giving her jobs, of course, insisting she was the only one who could do them, but she couldn’t help feeling like they were humouring her.
The reality was they could do this without her.
The running of the resort anyway. Rylee could justify her presence with the excuse that she needed to keep an eye on Damrian. His childhood best friend, the woman he’d had a crush on for years, had reappeared on Dragon Island yesterday, and Rylee could see the turmoil it was causing for him.
Watching her son’s pain and seeing him struggle through the throes of that desperate, soul crushing first love was only an excuse though. The reality was, Damrian would make his choice, with or without her.
And that was what she wanted. It might be the worst possible time for him to fall in love with a human, but if he decided Zara was the one, there was nothing Rylee could do to stop him.
So why was she still here? Why hadn’t she flown down to Mungaloo to join her mate when she knew in her heart that was where she belonged?
Rylee shied away from that idea. She had no idea how to fit in there. She had no idea how to be part of a ‘clan’.
Calrian might love them, he might lovingly declare them all his ‘family’, even the ones he barely knew, but Rylee didn’t understand it at all.
She’d never really understood family in the first place. She’d been ready to leave home as soon as she’d been old enough, and she’d only gone back to live with her father when she’d had literally no other options.
After she’d defied him when he’d told her to choose between him and Calrian, she hadn’t looked back. She hadn’t even spoken to him, and she didn’t miss it at all.
Maybe she was broken. Maybe she was missing the part of her personality that bonded with an extended family. When she thought of family, it was of her mate and children. It didn’t extend beyond that. Only her immediate family were so close they were a part of her, precious and to be treasured.
But she didn’t see how Calrian’s clan could ever feel the same, and the thought of sharing him, of only having a part of him, hurt deep in her heart. Every bit of her that didn’t belong to one of their children was his.
But there was a part of him that had never been hers. A part of him that had always belonged to his dragon family. She’d ignored it all these years because with his clan gone, it had remained dormant, buried.
But now it was back, and she didn’t know what to do.
Her youngest son walked in then, his slumped shoulders distracting her enough that she hid a smile. She said gently, “You look like you swallowed a whale. What’s wrong? Did you and Zara have another fight?”
Damrian sighed. “No, the day was perfect.”
Rylee raised an eyebrow. “Could have fooled me.”
Damrian threw himself onto the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table. “I can’t tell her, can I?”
There was so much hopelessness, so much pain behind those words. Rylee’s heart ached for his son, and the messy timing of Zara’s return. She came across the room and sat down next to him, patting his leg. “I’m sorry, Damrian. I know you want to. And under any other circumstances, I’d be encouraging you. I care about Zara, you know that. But right now, if even a whiff of this gets out, we’d have reporters swarming the island.”
Not to mention police. And maybe even Trima dragons.
She could see from the grimace on his face that he’d expected that answer.
Hoping to cheer him up, she said encouragingly, “Maybe in a few weeks, once Rian clan has met with the officials and we know more about what’s happening. Maybe you can tell her then.”
It didn’t work. “It could be too late by then,” Damrian said dully. “She’s not planning on staying long, she’s only here on holiday, then she’s going back to uni.”
He looked completely dejected, and Rylee wanted to hug his sadness away. But a hug from her wasn’t going to help. Not this time.
Her children were growing up, and they needed her less and less every day. Soon they’d all be mated, and then there would be just her and Calrian.
If Calrian were here…
She bit back another sigh. She didn’t know how to make things work with Calrian, but she could at least try to help her son. “Maybe you can find a reason for her to stay.”
Damrian moved restlessly on the couch. “I can’t do that. I don’t want her to stay here if she really wants to be somewhere else. That’s not fair. You and Dad never tried to make each other stay somewhere you didn’t want to be.”
Rylee’s heart ached. If only he knew.
She’d been so happy when Calrian had found this place and insisted he wanted to come here with her. She hadn’t been able to believe he’d really been prepared to give up on the idea of finding his family. And she couldn’t help feeling she’d discouraged him from looking for them all these years.
She’d been so fearful of this day. So afraid that if he found his clan, she’d lose a part of him. “Sometimes I wonder about that,” she said softly. “Coming here was my idea, not your father’s. I think if I hadn’t pushed him, he would never have left the area near the lair. And if he hadn’t, maybe he would have found his clan long ago.”
It was Damrian’s turn to look sympathetic. He reached out and squeezed her hand. “And he could have spent this whole time searching for them and never finding them,” he reminded her. “You and Dad have had a wonderful life here, and we all have too. I bet he wouldn’t change any of it.”
Rylee wished she could believe that. She wanted it to be true, but she couldn’t help the doubt in her heart.
But that was her problem. And worrying about her was the last thing Damrian needed right now. “I hope so.” She patted his knee. “Anyway, what are you going to do about Zara?”
Damrian looked hopeless again for a few moments, then he perked up. “I want to make things up to Zara, to show her that I really do understand that her degree is important to her.”
Rylee nodded. He sounded like he had a plan.
Of course he did. He was her son.
“Well, the other day, when Zara arrived, I told her she could use one of the huts, but she’d have to work to earn the place,” Damrian began. “
At the time, I just thought it might make her feel more at home, and that it’d give me a chance to spend more time with her. But I’ve been thinking that she’d be perfect as a tour guide on one of the glass bottom boats. I mean, who better? She’ll know more about the environment and the creatures on the reef than anyone else.”
Rylee grinned. Of course he had a plan, and one she not only suspected Zara would appreciate, but one that would be good for the resort too.
“That’s actually a very good idea. Our current guide has been hoping for time off for weeks, but we haven’t had anyone to replace her, and she hasn’t wanted to leave us in the lurch. She’ll be thrilled. And I agree, I think Zara would enjoy it.”
Damrian smiled, his hopelessness and worry suddenly gone. And as he chatted on about his plans and what he needed help with, Rylee couldn’t help wishing her own problems could be solved so easily.
Chapter 70
Calrian breathed deeply, trying to calm his nerves. They were just going to talk to the humans, nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d had plenty of time to prepare after the humans had taken nearly five days to organise the meeting instead of the two days they’d originally planned.
But that didn’t really make him feel any better. Not when the weight of his entire clan was on his shoulders.
When his family had chosen him to accompany Sarian to the meeting at the town hall, he’d wanted to cry off, but he’d already talked them out of taking Mora. The least he could do was take her place.
And they did have a point. Due to his early awakening, he was now the oldest, and certainly the one with the most experience of human ways. He was the logical choice.
Luckily, he’d kept a low profile during his time in the human world. He was known around the resort as Rylee’s partner, but because he had no human identification, his name was on none of the resort documentation, and he’d been careful no one ever took a picture of him.
This meeting wasn’t being televised either, so no one who’d met him on the island could see and identify him. No one should have any idea he’d spent the last twenty-six years as a human or, more importantly, that he had a family back on Dragon Island.
And it had better stay that way. Because no matter how much Calrian wanted to help his clan, he wouldn’t risk his family’s safety to do so.
He thought longingly of Rylee, thousands of miles away, and he wished she were here. She could have taken a place with Karla, Lisa, Brad, and all the other humans who were part of the Rian clan delegation. He was sure she would have been able to offer invaluable advice.
And Calrian would feel far better with her here. He had his clan, true, but despite loving them dearly, none of them could replace Rylee in his heart.
“Thank you all for coming,” a woman said smoothly. She did remarkably well at hiding her fear, but Calrian could smell it nonetheless. “I’m sorry this meeting took a little longer to organise than we’d originally planned. If you’d like to come through, we can begin.”
This was it. Calrian took a deep breath, and followed the woman into the main hall.
Even though he knew what he would find, he couldn’t prevent his heart from speeding up when Ultrima gave him a wolfish grin. Although Calrian would never be able to completely silence his fears of the enemy dragon, the icy stare of the life dragon at his side was the one that really sent his blood cold.
Calrian was relieved he’d found an excuse for Mora not to be here. She might be equal to the Trima life dragon in power, but his daughter was warmth and light, so different to the Trima life dragon’s cold steely demeanour. Calrian had no wish for Mora to have anything to do with anyone from Trima clan. Ever.
“Please, take a seat,” the human woman said, waving to the plush seats on the opposite side of the table to Ultrima and his delegation.
Calrian was surprised to see quite a human contingent on Ultrima’s side as well. The Rian delegation did outnumber them, but not by much. He shouldn’t be surprised though, since the grumpy old elder, Ostrian, had filled him in on the fact that life dragons were almost exclusively the result of human/dragon pairings.
Despite their presence being predicted by the existence of the Trima life dragon, he still found it hard to believe anyone would willingly align themselves with Trima clan. Then again, Ultrima always had been persuasive. Otherwise he would never have convinced all of the lightning dragons to leave Rian clan with him in the first place.
“If you are both ready, we can begin,” said a middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table.
The humans had brought many people as well. At least a dozen police officers with guns stood around the walls, hands behind their backs, watching the dragons and their humans closely. On either side of the man at the head of the table were several more men in suits.
Calrian knew the type. Government officials and lawyers. The kind of person who would object to any suggestion that had a whiff of being risky or that might come back to bite them later. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Then again, he’d never expected it would be.
Calrian nodded his head. “Rian clan is ready,” he announced.
Ultrima inclined his head as well. “As is Trima clan.” He spoke to the man at the head of the table, but his eyes didn’t leave Sarian. The intensity of his stare made Calrian uncomfortable.
Sarian ignored him completely, focusing on the man at the head of the table. “I am Sarian, future queen of Rian clan. And you are?”
Brad’s twin brother, Nate, leaned in and whispered something to her, even as the man looked taken aback. “I’m the Prime Minister of Australia. Don’t you recognise me?”
Calrian hid a smile. Did the man really think dragons cared about things like that? He’d stopped trying to keep track of the human leaders long ago, they changed so frequently. And in reality, they all pretty much blended into one another.
Sarian inclined her head regally. “I am pleased to meet you, Prime Minister. And as one leader to another, I hope we can come to an arrangement that suits both our people.”
“All our people,” Ultrima interjected, giving Sarian a pointed look. He turned to the Prime Minister. “Trima clan does not recognise the authority of the Rian leader. We split from Rian clan and decided to rule ourselves many years ago. As your country did.”
Lisa muttered something quietly under her breath. Calrian suspected it was very impolite. He didn’t blame his brother’s mate for her personal grudge against Ultrima, but he hoped she didn’t let it interfere with this process.
Calrian wasn’t too impressed with Ultima either. The Trima leader’s statement was rather churlish, and not entirely correct, but it did seem to find favour with the humans, some of whom laughed in amusement.
“We recognise both clans,” the Prime Minister said firmly. “That is why we are negotiating with both of you.”
Calrian had to concede a point to Trima clan. By gaining recognition from this delegation, they gained legitimacy for their clan, even if just in the eyes of the humans.
Ultrima always had been a crafty one. And apparently he was playing the long game, although Calrian wasn’t quite sure what his goal was. His siblings had caught him up on the story, and whatever Sarian’s feelings had been three hundred years ago, she’d made it quite clear she wanted nothing to do with Ultrima now.
What was the Trima leader hoping to gain?
The Prime Minister looked from Ultrima to Sarian then back again. “Is this going to be an issue?”
“Not for me.” Ultrima grinned. “In fact, I’m quite looking forward to working with the Rian queen.” The look he gave Sarian could only be called predatory.
The humans among the Rian delegation looked at one another, and Calrian could almost tell what they were thinking. None of them trusted the Trima clan, but they didn’t immediately speak up. They looked to him and Sarian for guidance.
Calrian grimaced.
It was probably good they’d chosen him and not Taurian or even Verrian. His younger, mo
re impulsive brothers might have been inspired to defend their sister. But Calrian was pretty sure she could hold her own.
And it wasn’t wise to throw away their chance to broker a treaty with the humans over Ultrima’s bad behaviour.
However…
“Rian clan is quite willing to discuss the situation with Trima clan present, but I hope we won’t be held responsible for their actions or penalised if they don’t uphold any agreements that are made. As they’ve publicly stated, they don’t recognise our authority.”
His statement brought frowns from the human delegation. “You expect this to be a problem?” Calrian recognised the man speaking, James Nyles, the director-general of security, who had been present at the lair and set the meeting.
Calrian shrugged. “We haven’t even had the pretence of an agreement with them in three hundred years so I couldn’t tell you.”
The director-general looked at Sarian, obviously seeking her input.
Sarian glanced across at Ultrima for a moment then back at the human. “I cannot speak for this dragon’s honour. In fact, I’m reasonably certain he has none.”
“You wound me, Sarian,” Ultrima said mournfully, holding one hand to his heart in a deliberately melodramatic fashion. To the humans, he said, “My issue with Rian clan has nothing to do with the humans. You can trust me to uphold any bargains I make with you, so long as you keep your end.”
None of the human delegation really looked comfortable with his answer.
This wasn’t off to a good start. The dragons, all the dragons, needed the humans to trust them if they were going to continue to remain in this country. And with their presence known to the world now, there wasn’t really anywhere else they could go. While they’d been asleep, humans had explored and colonised almost the entire planet.
Ultrima seemed unaware of the precarious position they were in, if his needling was anything to go by. It was as if the Trima dragon thought this was a game. As if the outcome was irrelevant to him.
