Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne)

by Lynn, Denise

  She relaxed against him, her fear and worry slipping away. He reluctantly broke their kiss to ask, “Ready?”

  At her nod, he escorted her out of the chamber, through the corridor, pausing at the hidden door only long enough to switch her sweatshirt and jeans for her dress. Then they exited the shed, heading back to the castle.

  Walking alongside Cam, Ariel held up the pendant to ask, “Are you sure you want me to hang on to this?”

  “I need to test a theory or two, but after that, yes, it’s yours.”

  She let the pendant dangle. With a soft, seductive laugh, she briefly trailed a finger down the dragon’s back before letting it fall into her palm.

  Cam and his beast shivered in unison. “You just don’t know when to give up, do you?”

  “No, not when I know what the outcome will be.” She slipped the chain over her head, letting the pendant disappear behind the front of her dress. “There, I’ll save us both some embarrassment.”

  From the fire suddenly teasing his back, warming his blood, and making his dragon rumble once again with need, he feared embarrassment was the least of their concerns.

  “That’s her!” Danielle Drake screamed from a balcony.

  She pointed a finger toward Ariel. “She’s the one who should pay. Brightworthe’s death was her fault.”

  From the gathering of people beneath the balcony, Cam knew this had been planned. Determined to get rid of Ariel one way or another, Danielle had craftily staged this show.

  His aunt stared directly at him, stating loudly, “I demand that thieving murderess be punished.”

  Chapter 17

  Cam groaned at his aunt’s strident accusation. From the looks on the faces of those gathered, his aunt’s showdown could turn ugly fast.

  He couldn’t determine what the people of Mirabilus might do if they believed Ariel was at fault for the death of one of their own.

  The people of this isle were closemouthed out of necessity. They didn’t want strangers—outsiders—nosing around any more than he or his family did.

  But more threatening was their closeness. Each and every one of them heralded from tribes long thought extinct. And following the ways of their ancestors, they were clannish when it came to protecting or defending their own.

  Ariel was not one of them. As the Drakes’ enemy, she was theirs also. Worse, if they thought she threatened Braeden in any way, she’d be lucky to get off this island alive.

  Naturally, even though he had no idea the reasoning behind her drastic decision, Danielle would do everything—and anything—in her power to make certain that Ariel was seen as a threat. Once she made up her mind on something it was almost impossible to reason with her.

  Determined to protect Ariel, Cam draped his arm across Ariel’s trembling shoulders. “Don’t engage her. Let me and Braeden deal with this.”

  “I’m trembling with rage, not fear. I’m not afraid of her.”

  That’s what worried him. “You should be. Ariel, no one here will be shocked or surprised by any use of magic—good or bad. She could set you on fire with the flick of a finger and none of these people would come to your aid, or find fault with her action.”

  She looked up at him, frowning. “I haven’t done anything to them, why would all of them stand by idly while another person was killed?”

  “Simple. You aren’t one of them.” He nodded toward his aunt. “And because her word carries a lot of weight here.”

  “More than you or your brother carry?”

  “Depends.”

  “On?”

  “On whether Braeden sides with me or her.”

  Ariel pulled away. “This isn’t your fight.”

  Like hell it wasn’t. Did she really think that he was going to stand by while she put herself in danger? Did she truly believe his beast would allow another of its kind to be harmed? “I said, don’t—”

  Before he could finish his command, she rushed forward to stand beneath the balcony. “I’ve stolen nothing. And I was with your nephew when Brightworthe was killed.”

  Danielle leaned over the railing. “You may not have killed him with your own hands, but you are still responsible.”

  From the corner of her eye, Ariel saw the people closing ranks around her. She gritted her teeth. Why hadn’t she expected that?

  A flash of light was her only warning that something deadly was headed straight toward her. Ariel ducked, cringing as a jagged blade whizzed past her head.

  At almost the same heartbeat, a ring of fire surrounded her. Ariel closed her eyes against the heat of the dancing flames. She knew Danielle Drake disliked her intensely. But since she’d missed with the blade, did the woman hate her enough to actually burn her alive?

  It took more than a few minutes for Ariel to calm her pulse enough to breathe, and a few more to realize the fire wasn’t getting any closer to her. She opened her eyes.

  In fact, it seemed to act more as a protective ring than a threat. She turned her attention back to Cam’s aunt. From the surprise on Danielle’s face, the fiery protection was about the last thing she’d expected.

  Ariel knew that reasoning with the woman would prove useless. But without knowing how to use any magical powers she might possess, if any, words were the only thing she had to defend herself with, so she had to try. “Ms. Drake, you’re upset. That’s understandable. Everyone here has suffered a great loss. But I’ve taken nothing from you or your family and I did nothing to harm anyone.”

  “Oh, really?” Danielle reached behind her and held up the grimoire. “Then what was this doing in your room?”

  The crowd gasped as one before turning their hard stares on Ariel.

  “Enough!” Braeden pushed his way through the gathering. He waved a hand toward the fire, dousing the flames, then did nothing more than glance up at his aunt and hold out his hand. When the book ripped itself from Danielle’s grasp to come to Braeden, he held it up, claiming, “I gave her this book to study.”

  Ariel tried not to show her surprise at his easy control of the crowd and outright lie.

  Cam joined Braeden. “We’ve all looked for a way to defeat the Learneds. The answer might be in these pages.”

  A man in the crowd stepped forward, asking, “Then why not let one of us look for the answer?”

  Cam shook his head. “Why don’t you come up here and read a page or two. Then you’ll have your answer.”

  The man boldly strode to the brothers. When he shot Ariel an angry glare, Cam pushed her safely behind him.

  Braeden handed the man the grimoire. “Go ahead. Pick a page. Any page.”

  With a grunt of disdain directed toward Ariel, the man opened the book. He stared hard at the blank pages before him, then flipped to another set of blank pages, then another and another, before saying, “It’s a trick.”

  “Oh, really?” Alexia walked out of the castle to stand at her husband’s side. “I entreat any, or all, of you to give it a shot. See for yourself if it’s a trick, or if it’s more Mirabilus magic at work.”

  Ariel watched in mute surprise as one by one about half the crowd lined up to see for themselves. Visions of men and boys taking turns to try pulling a sword from a boulder flitted through her mind. The problem with that fanciful image was that she was not a young King Arthur.

  And one by one the people of Mirabilus were disappointed to discover nothing but blank pages in the grimoire.

  After the last person flipped through the book
, Alexia took it from Braeden. “Ariel, come here.”

  Startled by Alexia’s commanding tone, Ariel edged around Cam to do as the woman bid.

  “When I read the pages, I needed to have Braeden in the room.” She handed the book off to Ariel, asking, “Do you need anyone present?”

  Ariel shook her head. “No, not for the pages to appear.” She separated the cover, letting the grimoire flip to the page it wanted. “They just fill in by themselves.”

  As it had done before, images and symbols painted themselves on the page.

  Alexia suggested, “Hold it up so they can see.”

  With the open book held up over her head, Ariel took a step back from the gasps rippling through the crowd.

  “What does it say?” a woman from the back asked.

  Ariel lowered the book. “I don’t know the history or lore of Mirabilus, so it’s hard for me to decipher.”

  She glanced at Cam. Even though his expression remained placid, she could nearly feel his anger. He hesitated long enough to set her heart racing. Finally, he stood beside her and said, “That’s why I’ve been helping.”

  Relief that he hadn’t decided to feed her to the wolves made her sway. He slipped his arm behind her, whispering, “Not now.” Then turned back to the gathering to explain, “Ariel turns the pages so they fill in and I try to figure out what’s written.”

  “Does that satisfy everyone?” Braeden’s voice boomed over the crowd. “Are there any complaints? If so, voice them now.”

  Other than some mutters and whispers, nobody stepped forward with a challenge.

  Braeden stated, “The existence of this grimoire is a threat to all of us at Mirabilus. If the outside world knew it was real, we would be hounded night and day. Thieves who merely suspect the grimoire exists already haunt our land seeking to steal it from us. They have caused damage to our island and brought death to our people.”

  Ariel heard Alexia’s soft groan of dismay and wondered if anything was wrong. She looked up at Cam, but he only said, “Later.”

  Continuing, Braeden pulled his sword from the scabbard hanging at his side. “Do you swear to keep this secret safe? To protect our lives and the lives of our children?”

  Everyone answered in the positive.

  “Do you believe it is imperative this incident, and this grimoire, remain sacred and hidden?”

  Once again, they all agreed. Ariel suspected magic was in play.

  He lifted his sword, ordering, “Then so swear it.”

  As one the crowd swore to protect the secret. Then, without another word, they dispersed to either go back inside the castle or take their leave.

  When there was no one except her and the Drakes in the yard, Ariel asked, “It’s just that easy? You order, they swear and nobody says a word?”

  Both men looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. Braeden asked, “What else would you suggest doing?”

  “I don’t know, but this doesn’t seem right.”

  Cam added, “They won’t remember any of this ever happened.”

  “So, you manipulate them whenever you see fit?” Somehow, that felt…wrong to her. “Isn’t that the same as lying to them?”

  “Had you listened to me, it wouldn’t have been necessary.” She flinched at Cam’s harsh tone.

  “Perhaps to you it does seem wrong.” Alexia touched her arm. “But innocent people have died because rumors of that book’s existence reached the general public.”

  “How would anyone have known?”

  Braeden drew Alexia to his side. “Because in a fit of spite, my wife saw fit to write a paper about it.”

  “Estranged wife.” Alexia corrected.

  “True, you were strange at the time.”

  Alexia rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you the clever fellow.”

  “Always.” Braeden sighed. “What I am right now though is remiss in my duties. I need to get back to work, so to speak. Not to mention deal with Danielle.” He stared at Cam. “Meanwhile, you need to get her out of here.”

  “Agreed.”

  Braeden started to turn away, then stopped to ask, “Do you want me to call the pilot?”

  “No.” Cam looked down at Ariel. “I’ll deal with it myself.”

  Ariel grasped his meaning. Her heart and stomach hit her feet. Once Braeden and Alexia were out of earshot, she said, “You can’t possibly be serious. Just because you can fly doesn’t mean I can.”

  * * *

  Aelthed swallowed his shock at what had just happened. The idea that the elder Drake female would threaten or kill the one person who could help the changeling decipher the grimoire and break the curse was outlandish.

  He’d been able to throw a ring of protection around the changeling’s woman only because he’d been aware of the danger threatening her. What if he hadn’t been aware?

  The Drakes’, and his, enemy was the Learneds. They needed to direct their energy into defeating Nathan and his spawn. It was a terrible waste to focus their powers on one of their own.

  He needed to find a way to communicate with the Drake woman. She was telepathic, maybe she could hear him.

  In the meantime, since he wasn’t certain he could levitate himself across the ocean, he needed to make certain his cube was safely hidden in the luggage that would be headed back to Dragon’s Lair.

  He could deal with this Danielle Drake soon enough.

  * * *

  Cam lowered his arm from Ariel’s shoulder and stepped away. “I told you not to engage her.”

  “I was supposed to just stand there and say nothing in my defense?”

  “Since she was right, there was nothing to defend.”

  “Nothing to defend?” She didn’t disagree with being responsible. However, her participation hadn’t been direct, nor had it been willing. As far as she was concerned, her defense had been justified.

  “What part of this don’t you suddenly understand?” He swung around to glare at her. “Have you forgotten that Brightworthe is dead because of you? Granted, your hands didn’t deal the blow that killed him, but you did something to push the Learneds to this extreme.”

  “No, I didn’t forget anything.” How could she? Her guilty conscience ate at her. Only the desperate need to gain Carl’s freedom and save his life kept her walking straight through the guilt.

  “I’m not shifting the blame to anyone else. But how could I not defend myself when she made it sound like I killed Brightworthe with my own hands?”

  “What difference would it have made? Neither Braeden, nor I would have let anything happen to you. We would have gotten you off the island before anyone could harm you.”

  “So, I should just let the entire island think I’m a murderess?”

  “It’s not like they’re your family. Since you won’t be coming back here, why would you care what they might think?”

  She couldn’t refute anything he’d said, because it was true. So, why did it sting? Ariel glanced at the castle, then she gazed out toward the shoreline.

  She hadn’t wanted to come back here to begin with. She shouldn’t want to ever return. But the idea of never seeing this island again felt like a loss. A loss of what?

  Before she completely lost her mind, she agreed with him. “You’re right. I don’t have any family here.” She couldn’t agree with the rest of his comment though. “But I don’t want anyone—not even strangers—to think I’m a murderess.”

  “It would have hurt no one.”
r />   “And correcting the assumption hurt no one, either.”

  “No?”

  “Not from what I could see, no.” But Ariel had the feeling she was missing something. “Your brother seemed to have the crowd under complete control.”

  “If that was true, he wouldn’t have suggested getting you off the island so fast.”

  “Are you saying your magic doesn’t always work?”

  “Of course not. But it didn’t do anything to sway Danielle.”

  “Nothing would change her opinion.”

  “Your death would.”

  Ariel shivered as Cam’s meaning sunk in. Warranted or not, now Danielle Drake would be even more determined to hand out her own brand of justice—this time without any warning.

  Everything she’d already done could be for nothing—she could end up dead before saving her brother. Ariel swallowed a curse, then whispered, “What have I done?”

  Cam threaded his fingers through hers and tugged her away from the castle. “You can’t take her on, Ariel. You have nothing in your arsenal that comes close to what’s in hers.”

  Numb from her own lack of forethought, she followed, knowing that Braeden had been right, she had to get off this island. While leaving here was the best, and the only sane, option, Cam’s intended method of departure gave her cause for concern.

  Ariel tugged on his hand, slowing his stride. “Is something wrong with your jet?”

  Stopping, he turned to look at her. “Scared?”

  That would be putting it mildly. These dreams and feelings inside her claimed her to be like Cam. She prayed that wasn’t true, but even if it was, she had no experience at flying. How was she supposed to cross an entire ocean under her own power?

  And even if he carried her part of the way, what was to stop him from dropping her into the water? While she doubted his dragon would do so willingly, she had no idea how much control Cam had over the beast. Dropping her would solve all his troubles. She wasn’t about to voice that fear, it might give him ideas. “No. Not really. I just think it’s a waste of a—”