by Rinelle Grey
Verrian opened his mouth to object, and then closed it again, his expression suddenly thoughtful.
“But why would Ultrima be doing this?” Taurian demanded. “It makes no sense.”
Nothing the Trima dragon did made sense, at least not from the way they were looking at it. But Calrian had suspected, many years ago, that the Trima leader didn’t do anything that wasn’t carefully calculated.
He looked around at his brothers and sister, wondering if they’d believe him if he told them.
“I think Ultrima is trying to make a point,” he said softly. “I think he wants us to realise being in love makes you do crazy things, things you might not normally do.”
“Things like try to force yourself on someone?” Taurian asked hotly. “There’s no excuse for that.”
“You’re right, there’s no excuse for that,” Calrian agreed. “But… are we sure that’s what happened? Did any of you actually see it?” He looked from one to the other.
“I wasn’t there,” Lyrian said softly.
“None of us were,” Taurian said impatiently. “But Warrian was. He saw Ultrima trying to force himself on Sarian. And then when he tried to stop them, Ultrima attacked him. We all saw that bit.”
“Was it possible our brother misinterpreted what was happening and gave Ultrima no time to explain?” Calrian challenged.
He could see understanding dawn in Taurian’s eyes. He could see the same doubts he’d felt himself from time to time.
“But if that was the case, why wouldn’t Sarian have told us?” Verrian asked, confused.
“I don’t know,” Calrian admitted. “But you have to agree, something is going on.”
“So what do we do then?” Taurian asked.
Calrian didn’t know. But he did know someone who might be able to help.
Rylee was the only person he knew who had dealt with a controlling relationship. She stood far more chance at knowing if that was what was going on, or if he was right and his sister was fighting her own feelings.
Calrian’s heart lifted at the thought of having an excuse to call his mate, an excuse to convince her to come to the lair.
And he couldn’t wait to see if she agreed with his guess about Ultrima.
Chapter 72
Rylee waited in the trees near the Rian clan lair, her heart beating fast in her chest. Calrian was supposed to meet her here, but to do so he had to sneak past the police officers ‘protecting’ the lair.
If he was caught…
But he wouldn’t be. Mora was helping, using a little of her life dragon magic to make sure the police were looking in the other direction while Calrian slipped out the newly made hidden tunnel.
He’d be fine. In a few moments, she’d see him again.
That thought made her heart beat faster, and at the same time, calmed some of the nerves being back in this part of the country caused.
Her apprehension wasn’t because of the police presence, though they were a little unnerving, but because it brought back a part of her life she’d rather forget.
She’d spent her childhood here in Mungaloo, never once dreaming a dragon lair was hiding nearby. If she had known, maybe she’d have more fond memories. As it was, she’d rather forget most of her childhood.
And even though her time here with Rowan had been much better, especially when Calrian had appeared, there had been some negatives as well. She gave a shudder as she remembered Eric showing up out of the blue. Even now, years later, it was hard not to look around in case he was somewhere nearby.
That was something she’d never had to do on Dragon Island and something she’d hoped to never have to do again.
Rylee added that to the never-ending list of why she really didn’t want to return to Mungaloo, even if Calrian’s clan was now here.
“I’ve missed you, my mate.” Calrian’s dragon voice was a welcome intrusion, and Rylee.
Rylee turned in his direction and couldn’t help a smile rising on her lips.
No matter how many reasons she had to dislike being back in Mungaloo, seeing Calrian again wasn’t one of them. She crossed the space between them, her arms going around his neck and her head lifting to press her lips to his.
“I’ve missed you too,” she replied, glad she had no need to take her lips from his to speak into his mind.
The surge of desire that flooded through her at his touch was stronger than she’d felt in a while, probably because they’d been apart for nearly a week.
Being back in Mungaloo for a while might not be as bad as she’d thought.
But though Calrian’s kiss held the same desire she felt, he pulled back far sooner than she would have. “We’d better get inside the lair. It will be safer there.” He spoke with his dragon voice again, glancing around as though he feared someone would hear them.
Rylee nodded and followed Calrian through the thick bush to the tunnel at the base of the cliffs, hoping Mora was still distracting the police. Then they walked up through the winding passageway into the Rian lair.
It looked very different from the last time they’d been here. Rylee couldn’t help feeling a little wistful that the main cavern, where she and Calrian had set up an air mattress and slept when her father had kicked them out, was now full of dragons.
Dragons she didn’t know at all.
Rylee battled the feeling of being overwhelmed and wanting to fade into the background. She reached for Calrian’s hand and was tempted to hide behind him. Not that it would have helped much. It felt like everyone in the room was staring at him. And at her.
“So this is the mate we’ve heard so much about.” A handsome, black haired young man stepped forwards with a wide smile on his face.
“This is my brother, Taurian,” Calrian said. He pointed to others behind Taurian. “And his mate, Karla. As well as Verrian and Lisa, and my sisters, Lyrian and Sarian. Oh, and that’s Brad and his brother, Nate. Nate’s mated to Kyrian.” He tugged Rylee forwards and beamed at his clan. “And this is my mate, Rylee.”
All of the dragons and humans gathered around Rylee, and there was nowhere she could retreat. They all shook her hand or smiled and said hello as though they already knew her. She was never going to be able to keep who was who straight much less who was a dragon and who was a human.
She was relieved beyond measure when Mora pushed her way through the crowd and threw her arms around her neck. “Hi, Mum,” she said softly.
Her daughter must have sensed Rylee was feeling overwhelmed because in dragon speech, she added, “Don’t worry. They’re all really nice once you get to know them.” Rylee could even feel a flicker of Mora’s life dragon magic calm her nerves.
That should have been enough to make her feel not only comfortable, but at home.
And it did help.
But it wasn’t really the crowd or even what they thought of her that bothered her.
It was the way Calrian smiled at all of them and the way they smiled back. It was the thumps his brothers gave on his shoulder, and even the kindness in his sister, Lyrian’s, smile.
Calrian belonged here. He might not have grown up with these exact dragons, but they all knew him. He was a part of this clan in a way she didn’t think she could ever be.
She wasn’t really sure why he’d called her here. He’d said he needed her, and she was the only one who could help him, but she wasn’t convinced.
But she couldn’t say no to Calrian, not when he’d asked for her specifically. So here she was.
What was it he wanted her help with?
Was it dealing with the humans? She knew the initial meeting hadn’t gone well, mostly due to Ultrima’s sabotage. She didn’t know how she could help with that. More importantly, there was little she could do without revealing the truth about Dragon Island.
She hoped he wasn’t going to risk that.
But even as she hoped, she knew if he needed her to take the chance, she wouldn’t hesitate. She’d take any chance she had to help Calrian.
&
nbsp; The reality, when he finally got her alone in his sleeping cavern, was both far simpler and far more difficult.
“I’m worried about Sarian,” Calrian said without preamble.
“Sarian?” Rylee wrinkled her nose, trying to picture his oldest sister. Sarian would be queen. She was a lightning dragon, one of the few left in the lair. That made it easier to remember her, the young dragon who had been on the edge of the crowd, her expression mostly blank even when she’d smiled a welcome at Rylee.
She could understand why he was worried. The princess seemed reserved, separate from the other dragons, as though she felt she didn’t belong either. “What’s wrong?” Rylee asked.
“She feels she must mate with Ultrima to bring peace to the clan and give us the chance to make peace with the humans.”
Rylee’s immediate reaction was a surge of discomfort. That the beautiful, if aloof, dragon princess was even considering mating with the cruel, manipulative Trima leader turned her stomach. It hit far too close to home and reminded her too much of her own experiences married to Eric.
She could see far too many similarities between Ultrima and her ex-husband, and the thought of any of Calrian’s sister suffering the same experience she’d had was enough to make her forget all her own problems and insecurities.
“What can I do to help?” she asked simply.
Calrian smiled warmly. “I was hoping you’d say that. And hoping you’d talk to her.”
That wasn’t what Rylee had expected. “Me?” she squeaked. “You want me to talk to her? Why not you? Or one of your other siblings?”
“We’ve all already tried,” Calrian explained. “And my sibling’s mates too. But though she listens and nods her head, at the end of it all she will say is she has no other option. No one knows what else to do.”
Rylee stared at him, privately wondering what he thought she could say that hadn’t already been said. Surely Sarian would be more likely to listen to her own brothers and sister than to a stranger.
But Calrian was staring at her with such hope and trust in his eyes that she couldn’t say no.
“You’re the only one of us who has had an experience that might come close to what she might endure if she mates Ultrima,” Calrian said softly. “I hoped you might be able to make her see what that choice would really mean and realise the sacrifice isn’t worth it.” He looked at Rylee pleadingly. “I don’t know what else to do.”
Rylee could hardly say no, not when Calrian asked her like that. She nodded. “I’ll talk to her, but I can’t promise anything.”
Calrian pulled her close for a hug. “That’s all I ask.
*****
The long suffering look Sarian gave Rylee indicated she had a pretty good guess why Calrian had lured her into the bathing room and then made an excuse to leave immediately.
Rylee couldn’t help feeling nervous and not just because she had no idea what to say. Calrian’s eldest sister was by far the iciest of the dragons. She clearly took her position as future queen seriously, and beside her, Rylee felt completely insignificant.
The tinkling water was loud in the silence as Rylee tried desperately to think of some way to initiate a discussion without seeming obvious.
She needn’t have bothered.
“Say what you have to say,” Sarian said impatiently. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can all move on to doing what needs to be done.”
Well, at least the ice was broken. Rylee took a deep breath and dived in. “You mean you mating Ultrima?” she asked, just to be sure they were on the same page.
“What else could I possibly mean?” Sarian asked irritably. “That is what Calrian wants you to talk to me about, isn’t it?”
Rylee could hardly deny that. Sarian’s comment gave her the opening she’d been looking for, although she wasn’t too sure Calrian would be impressed by her first question. “Do you want to mate with him?”
Sarian stared at her, eyes wide, then turned away to run her hands through the warm water of the bathing pool. “I have no wish to mate with that cad, but he’s left me with no choice.”
Rylee hesitated. She and Calrian had often speculated that Sarian felt more for the Trima leader than she let on, but even if she did, it was unlikely she was going to admit as much to Rylee when she hadn’t to her siblings.
But Rylee kept the possibility in the back of her mind as she spoke. “There’s always a choice. Sometimes the choice isn’t ideal or has its disadvantages, but it’s there.”
Sarian turned back to her, giving Rylee a glimpse of wretchedness before she covered it with a frown. “As a princess and future queen, my loyalty is to my clan. I must make the choice that is right for them, regardless of my personal feelings.”
Rylee nodded. “So Calrian said. He’s often felt the same way about his own choices. It was only when he thought his clan was gone that he allowed himself to make a personal choice.”
She hadn’t meant to say that, it had just slipped out. That was her own issue, it wouldn’t help Sarian any.
But to her surprise, the princess’s icy demeanour slipped a little. She gave Rylee a gentle smile and said, “I’m glad my brother managed to find happiness in our absence. It gives me hope the rest of my siblings can achieve the same thing.”
Her answer surprised Rylee. “So you can grant your brother happiness even if it means escaping from his responsibilities, but not yourself?”
“I’m the queen,” Sarian said, as though the distinction was obvious. “Or I will be.”
But she wasn’t yet. Rylee filed that bit of info away to think about later. If she couldn’t convince Sarian, perhaps it might be the answer Calrian was looking for.
But she wasn’t ready to give up on Sarian yet. Her answer had shown that underneath that stiff exterior, she had a heart. One that was probably looking for love, just like everyone else’s. Maybe with Ultrima or maybe with someone else. But the only way she was going to find out was if she realised sacrificing herself was a mistake.
“You may think the sacrifice is worth it,” Rylee told her, “and maybe it is now, but dragon mating is forever. Mating Ultrima might solve the immediate problem, but in the long run it could cause even more issues. As queen, you’ll have to make a thousand of these decisions on what is best for your clan. Will having Ultrima at your side help you to do that?”
Sarian’s eyes widened slightly, and she tilted her head to one side, considering Rylee’s words. For a moment, Rylee thought she might just have gotten through to her.
She should have known it wasn’t going to be that simple. “The dragon mating bond will ensure Ultrima and I love one another. I fail to see how my mating will affect my ability to rule my clan.”
She really had no idea.
Rylee couldn’t help feeling sorry for her, and she couldn’t help realising the princess was very young.
When had thirty begun to be young?
It was clear the dragon had little idea of what a relationship was really like and what effects it could have besides the intimate ones.
“I doubt mating is going to change Ultrima’s personality,” she said dryly. “No matter how much he loves you, and I do believe he thinks he loves you, he’s always going to be…” she hesitated, but there was no sugar coating it, “he’s always going to be a bastard. Do you think having him at your side is going to make you a better queen?”
Sarian shrugged. “His clan seems loyal. So he must have some good qualities as a ruler.”
There it was again. Rylee caught just a glimpse of something, some hint the princess wasn’t as immune to Ultrima as she appeared to be.
That maybe she wanted this.
If so, who was Rylee or Calrian or any of the other dragons to stand in her way?
Was there any chance Ultrima could be redeemed by love?
Rylee searched Sarian’s face. “Do you think he has good qualities?” she asked carefully.
Any hint of softness on the dragon princess’s face was i
mmediately shuttered. She turned away. “Ultrima tried to kill my entire clan. My family. Do you really think there is any chance I could possibly care for him as anything but a means to an end?”
Her voice was as definite as her words. A little too definite. “Not now, perhaps, but did you once? He certainly seems to think you did.”
She couldn’t see Sarian’s face, so she had no idea if that had struck a chord or not. The princess didn’t say anything for a moment. Then she sighed and turned back towards Rylee.
“My feelings in the matter are irrelevant. If I don’t do this, I’m not going to have a clan to be queen of.”
Her words tugged at Rylee’s heartstrings. She’d felt like that once. She’d stayed with Eric for years because she’d thought she’d have nothing if she left.
Suddenly, she couldn’t help feeling protective towards the princess. Not like a sister, as Calrian and his siblings must feel, but more like a mother. So she gave Sarian the same advice she would have given any of her children in the same situation.
“I think you’re selling your clan short,” Rylee said softly. “They’ve survived up against Ultrima for three hundred years while you and the rest of your siblings were asleep. I don’t think that’s suddenly going to change. You have time, time to find another solution, time to choose the mate you want.”
“Perhaps my clan could have continued to survive against Ultrima,” Sarian agreed. “But things changed when I woke. While I’d been asleep, Ultrima would never have wiped out my entire clan because he knew he could never wake me without their cooperation. Even if that were not the case, we’re not just facing Ultrima anymore. Your people could be an even greater danger to us than he has ever been.”
There was no rancour in her words. They were a matter of fact statement. One Rylee couldn’t object to, and so she didn’t even try.
“I know it seems impossible now and that this is the only solution you can think of, but I don’t think a permanent option like mating is ever the solution to a temporary problem. In a week or a month or a year this problem will be long gone, but if you go down that path, you’ll still be mated to Ultrima.”
