Dragon Lords Books 1 - 4 Box Set: Anniversary Edition

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Yusef moaned in agony, sure he was dying. The vision of Olena, beautiful and defiant, worked its way into his head. The sick feeling that he would never see her again overwhelmed him.

  “Olena,” he whispered, wishing to tell someone that he’d left her tied to the bed. They needed to free her. Surely, his brothers would go to her and free her.

  He fought the darkness that threatened. Agro’s feet were suddenly before him and the man was calling for help from passing guards. The guards shifted to Draig, jumping down from their high post above the castle gate. They landed unharmed.

  “What are you saying?” Agro demanded loudly. “Who did this? Yusef? Who did this?”

  Yusef felt like he was talking, but the sounds he made were not registering on Agro’s expression.

  At Agro’s command, the Draig warriors helped to haul the fallen prince to his feet. Yusef howled in pain, automatically fighting the soldiers’ hands as they dragged him toward the medical ward. Agro ran ahead to warn a doctor, who in turn jumped to instant attention, sending his wife to fetch him more help. Agro took off down the hall to inform the king about what had happened, leaving Yusef in the doctor’s care.

  Yusef struggled, becoming mindless as he fought the hands that would subdue him. He vaguely heard the doctor’s voice as the man tried to seal the knife wounds with a laser. Agro came back followed by his brothers. Yusef fought them all, desperate to get up, desperate to get his wife to safety. Why weren’t they listening to him?

  “What is he saying?” Olek demanded. He helped Ualan hold Yusef down.

  Yusef’s eyes opened wide, and his body lost some of its fight.

  Ualan murmured something to him, but he couldn’t hear.

  Using the last of his strength, Yusef called desperately, “My wife.”

  Ualan and Olek nodded in instant understanding of the plea. Yusef barely saw the gesture as his world went completely black.

  Chapter 23

  A diffused soft green haze settled over the dense forest, which blended eerily with the fog coming off the nearby marshes. Moss hung from treetops, unmoving in their windless isolation. The air was damp and oppressive in this part of the woods, unlike the outside by Yusef’s home. There was a strange smell that never lifted, and even the insects had deserted the area.

  Olena glanced around through the slit of her lowered eyelids. Her captors, who she was silently referring to as ‘the fur-ball gang’, were camped around a nearby fire. The soft orange glow reflected light off her hanging body to showcase any movement she might make toward escape, but unfortunately provided little heat. The fur-balls thought it amusing to leave her topless, and the chill was getting to her tender flesh.

  As they’d gathered around her on Yusef’s bed, she knew they weren’t going to kill her right away. The way they constantly dropped Yusef’s name, King Attor made her suspect it was supposed to mean something to her. It didn’t. He was more than likely the local ruffian who controlled these hairy annoyances.

  Before cutting her loose with their sharp claws, they’d said Attor wanted her for himself. So until this King of the Fur- Balls received shipment of her, she assumed she had nothing to worry about. She’d been right so far. Aside from a few awkward pawings meant to intimidate her, they hadn’t tried anything.

  Attor, whoever he was, was a foolish, foolish man if he thought four hairy minions were going to subdue her for long. Olena knew she only had to play the meek, trembling female for a little while before these men would lower their guard and make a mistake. So far they hadn’t given her an opening, but she stayed confident they would slip up.

  She couldn’t be sure of how long she’d been with the furry foursome, only that they had traveled through most of what looked like night. However, as the hours stretched on, she guessed the shadowy marshes always made it look like it was nighttime.

  Her hands were bound above her head, tied to a tree branch. She decided the position was rather uninventive of them. Her feet stayed firmly planted on the ground, giving her knees little room to bend. She refused to let fear overcome her. Jack had taught her fear was never an option. Those who felt it were instantly defeated. Those who were brave and had a plan met with victory.

  Olena always had a plan. She just wasn’t done formulating it yet.

  * * *

  Yusef wrenched open his eyes, fighting the never-ending nightmares that plagued him. Frowning in confusion, he tried to move. His body ached with a liquid fire. The light was dim, or was it his eyes? Blinking, he felt a poke on his arm, a slight sting, and then heat moving up to his shoulder. A familiar brown-haired woman sat beside him. Her lips moved but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.

  He looked at his arm and then the syringe she held. Whatever she gave him was working. The intense pain in his back eased and he felt better. He closed his eyes and instantly thought of Olena. Hopelessness and despair surrounded her beautiful face. He knew she was hurt, and no matter how he willed his legs to move, he couldn’t get up to save her.

  * * *

  Yusef!

  Olena jerked awake. She shook violently, her back throbbing with sharp jabs of pain like someone was stabbing her. As she took a deep breath and then another, the pain slowly subsided. Her hands were numb from her position and she straightened her legs to take the pressure off her wrists. She looked around, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the crisp marsh air.

  Yusef.

  She didn’t know how, but she had the overwhelming feeling that he needed her. Before she was fully awake and pain free, a new, faster plan formed in her brain. “Hey, fur-ball!”

  Brouse awoke with a start. He instantly shifted into full cougar form, falling down on all fours. He crouched, sniffing the air. Olena smiled prettily at the hairy creature, pouting her lips and batting her eyelashes.

  “Hey, you, come here,” she purred softly. The man-cat’s blue eyes blinked in question. Olena shyly bit her lip. “Please. I want to talk to you.”

  Brouse shifted back into human form. A lazy smile curled on his lips.

  “I won’t bite.” She beckoned him with a come-hither fire to her eyes that could scorch any man. “Please, I just want to talk. I’m ready to be a good girl—a very good girl.”

  * * *

  Zoran lifted his hand and motioned Ualan, Olek, and the king to stop their progress. It had been hard, but they’d found Yusef’s wife and her Var kidnappers. The cat-shifters hid in the shadowed marshes. He sniffed the air. The rotting smell of molding plant life and animal carcasses masked even the barest traces of scent from most of their kind—from all but the trackers, an elite bunch of Draig who were chosen for their highly developed sense of smell.

  Zoran’s vision penetrated the darkness to study the Var campsite. Pointing two fingers, he motioned for his father to follow him and for his brothers to go around the far side of the Var camp. The men nodded in understanding, readying their swords. They all shifted to dragon form, their skin hardening for battle.

  Seeing a woman with flaming red hair tied to a tree, Zoran suddenly stopped. Her back was to them, her upper torso completely naked. King Llyr made a movement as if to say, that’s her. To his surprise, she spoke.

  “I won’t bite.” Her tone was husky with a thick promise any male would pick up.

  The king’s jaw tensed. Zoran put a hand on his father’s arm. He wouldn’t give the order to move until he could ensure his brothers were ready.

  “Please, I just want to talk,” Yusef’s wife said. Her leg lifted in the air, falling open to the side. Zoran’s hand on his father tightened in shock. “I’m ready to be a good girl—a very good girl.”

  Chapter 24

  Olena looked at the cat-shifter in front of her, seeing Brouse’s gaze drift down over her body, which moved in restless offering. He licked his lips, focusing on her naked breasts.

  This is too easy, she thought. Typical though, considering I may be one of the first women this kitty-cat has ever seen.

  “Oh,” she pout
ed, with the ‘save me big strong man’ look. She bit her bottom lip, sucking it lightly before letting it go into a full pout. “My arms hurt so badly.”

  The man’s eyes shot up to her, narrowing in suspicion.

  She tilted her head to the side. “I know you can’t let me down, but do you think I could wrap my legs around your waist and let you hold me up for a while? I just want to give my shoulders a rest.”

  The man licked his lips, glancing back to his sleeping comrades.

  “Oh, they don’t have to know. I promise to be good. I can be very, very quiet. Please.” Olena gave him a wanton look. “I’m so cold. Can’t you come and warm me? I’d bet a big man like you would be real strong and real hot.”

  She looked at his obvious arousal. The man-cat smiled. It was a dark and lecherous expression, as he decided to take her invitation.

  “You keep quiet.” His tone filled with the sound of rolling gravel. “Or I’ll break your neck.”

  Olena pretend to shiver, letting an excited smile come to her. With feigned passion, she said, “Oh, yes, master.”

  A low growl sounded in the man’s throat. Olena pretended to shiver. Her eyes rounded as the man’s hairy fingers reached for her breast. Pulling with all her strength, she jumped off the ground. Just as she wrapped her legs around the unsuspecting man’s head, she saw a movement from the corner of her eye.

  Handling one attack at a time, she twisted her body and gave a violent jerk. Brouse growled in surprise, waking the others. He shifted mid-twist and a fanged tooth dug into Olena’s thigh. She screeched at the pain but did not stop. A loud snap resounded as the cat-shifter’s neck broke. Her body swung back as she released him. The man’s fang dragged down her thigh, slicing her as he fell lifeless to the ground.

  The other three captors lunged to their feet, partially shifted and ready for battle. She swung to see who else moved into the encampment. Dragon-shifters surged past her.

  Olena trembled as three dragons met the three cats. There was a slashing of swords and claws, a gruesome melody of roars and growls. Ignoring her bloody leg, Olena tried to swing up to grab the branch. If she could just get her feet over the edge, she might be able to crawl off the end. The branch was angled upward and she couldn’t get enough leverage. That was why she’d needed Brouse. If the Draig hadn’t interrupted her, she would’ve used the dead man’s shoulders, pushing up as he fell. Instead, they broke her concentration and she’d ended up being bitten.

  She kicked wildly at the tree, swinging high only to have her back crash into the trunk with a bruising thud. The pain didn’t stop her from trying again. After Olena’s body collided a third time, she hit her head and was too dazed to find an appropriate foothold to keep going. Looking over, she saw one of the Draig standing by her side, watching her in curiosity. She would have sworn he smiled at her with his rough, dragon face. Olena glared back. “Are you done staring? Get me down already, dragon!”

  Instantly, his sword sung through the air, slashing through her binds. The breeze of the blade flew past her hands. If his aim had been off, she’d have lost her fingers. She dropped to the ground, falling to her knees. Without flinching, she nodded her thanks and shook her wrists free, scraping her skin as she did so.

  Olena lifted her hand out to him. “Your sword.”

  The Draig only smiled at her, lifting the tip of the weapon to the ending battle. The Draigs had conquered the Var, slaughtering them in a most honorable display of fury. Barely out of breath, the victorious dragons turned to her. They were covered with blood.

  She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. “What do you think you are doing? I had this under control. If I wanted a rescue I would have screamed for one.”

  The dragon-shifters looked at each other and then back at the outraged woman standing half-naked before them.

  “Why isn’t Yusef with you?” Olena demanded, studying their shifted faces. Though the words were hard, her bravery wavered. She tried not to let the vulnerability show. Fear gripped her. “Where is Yusef? He’s hurt, isn’t he?”

  One by one the dragons shifted to their human form. Olena didn’t recognize them. Hands still on hips, she stared each one of them down, unafraid.

  “Do you think one of you could at least give me a shirt?” she asked, dryly. “Maybe then you could stop staring at my breasts long enough to answer me.”

  “How is that for gratitude?” one of them mumbled.

  The largest warrior took off his overtunic and tossed it to her. She slipped it over her head, not caring that it was splattered with the blood of battle.

  “Who are you?” she asked, as her head poked out of the top. It was still warm from the man’s body and the sleeves fell past her hands.

  “I am Zoran,” the shirtless man answered, the words clipped. He nodded to the next man to speak. “My brothers.”

  “Olek.”

  “Ualan.”

  “You knew we were not Yusef?” Zoran questioned with a small show of admiration.

  “Of course I knew. I know what my husband looks like.” Olena shook her head, eyeing him as if he were daft. “I only have one of them, you know.”

  “Many wives complain that their husbands all look alike when they’ve shifted—at least for the first seventy five years until they’ve grown used to it,” Olek said.

  “Where is Yusef?” Olena was unmoved by their smiles of admiration. She didn’t think she would feel completely safe until she saw him again. Not that she cared, she told herself. He’d saved her life and she owed him one was all. She would never admit it, but her heart was stuck in her throat, refusing to beat until she heard that her husband was safe. “Who are you to him?”

  “We are his brothers,” Olek answered.

  “Brothers,” she repeated, vaguely remembering someone saying he had them. She eyed them, not readily seeing her husband’s darker looks in their lighter features.

  “And I am his father,” the Draig behind her said. He had been so quiet Olena had forgotten he was there. Spinning around, she eyed the man.

  “Wait.” She paled. “Is this some kind of a joke?”

  The men looked at each other confused.

  Olena pointed at Ualan. She wobbled slightly on her feet, her leg throbbing where Brouse’s fang had cut her. “You’re a prince. You punched Agro at the Breeding Festival. He told me.”

  Ualan narrowed his eyes and curtly nodded.

  “And you,” she said turning an accusatory eye to Yusef’s father, “are the king.”

  The man nodded to confirm. He too dared to smile at her.

  “That would mean.” Olena swayed. “I married a prince?”

  Feeling lightheaded, Olena looked down and lifted her borrowed tunic to see her bleeding leg. Her lashes fluttered. “Blast the stars. Not again.”

  * * *

  Olena collapsed on the ground, unconscious. She had shown great bravery in fighting the Var and hadn’t even flinched at their shifting. But the second she discovered she was a princess, she suddenly looked like she was going to be violently ill.

  Zoran grinned, chuckling as he hit Olek in the chest with the back of his hand. “You get her, Olek. I don’t want to be the one holding her when she wakes up.”

  Olek flinched, looking at the red-headed wood sprite lying on the ground. Cursing under his breath, he went to pick her up. Ualan and the king laughed, moving to follow Zoran.

  “And see to her wound,” the king said.

  Chapter 25

  “Hold, woman!”

  Olena flinched, coming fully awake ready for a fight. It took her a moment to realize she was on the back of a mount, riding before Prince Olek. She relaxed her arm.

  Zoran and Ualan broke into laughter. King Llyr watched, amused. Olek held his side where Olena had tried to elbow him off his ceffyl. Gripping the center horn of his mount, Olek pulled himself back up behind the beast’s bare shoulders, only this time he was careful not to touch the woman in front of him.

  “Don’t call me woma
n,” Olena said under her breath, shooting all of them a dark glare. “My name is Olena.”

  The ceffyl’s wide back shifted. Its fanged mouth darted open with a hiss of its long tongue.

  “These mounts are sorry looking things,” she mumbled, looking at the reptilian-horse hybrid they rode. Louder, as if nothing had happened, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Good morning to you too, princess.” Olek rubbed his stomach.

  Olena grimaced at the name and Olek looked somewhat vindicated.

  “Home,” Ualan stated in answer to her question.

  “But?” Olena saw the large mountain palace looming before them. Twisting around, she pointed behind them. “I live down there.”

  “Not anymore,” the king decreed. “The Var smashed all the windows. Besides, the Outpost is no place for a lady right now. It’s not safe. You will be better off in the protection of the castle.”

  “First of all, I’m not a lady. Second, I can protect myself,” Olena said.

  The king looked shocked by her statement.

  “Third,” she continued, “I’ve slept in worse places, and a little broken glass is nothing. And last, by Var, do you mean the, it’s going to take a lot more than the fur-ball gang back there to scare me.”

  Olek chuckled.

  She ignored him, expectantly watching the king. “If Yusef hadn’t left me tied to the bed, I never would have been taken.”

  The men exchanged looks.

  “I had time to study them. They would be easy to defeat.” Olena gave a confident nod. “So, take me back to the Outpost. I’ll take my chances there with Yusef.”

  “Those Var you faced were hardly a true showing of our enemy’s best warriors,” the king said.