Here There be Dragons (Book 4 in the Twilight Court Series)

by Amy Sumida

  “But Iku said it would... be... miraculous,” I ended the sentence on a sigh. “And now that I think on it, when I mentioned Danu to the dragons, they were furious but Zhayu calmed them by telling them to think of the possibilities of my visit. He meant how they could possibly use my death, didn't he?”

  Chad gave me a sympathetic look.

  “More proof of my idiocy,” I cussed again.

  “Stop saying that. You're just ignorant of the dragon culture,” Raza took my hand. “I'm afraid you sealed your fate when you told them of Danu.”

  “So they don't believe in her anymore?”

  “No, they believe in her,” Chad huffed. “But they also believe she favored the land fey and abandoned the underwater folk. They're a little bitter about it.”

  “Still, they know her strength,” Raza went on, “and if you told them she's spoken to you after all her years of silence, then they'd know she'd avenge you.”

  “But don't they realize that Danu would also know exactly who killed me?” I huffed. “She's a goddess.”

  “No, that wouldn't occur to them,” Raza said sadly.

  “They believe she scorns the sea,” Chad agreed.

  “But if they're trying to set Twilight against Unseelie and the Court of the Dragon Kings, how will they keep mining Alaska?” I asked.

  “With the unseelie out of the way, they could send their own people onto land to do the mining,” Chad said.

  “And if this is the path they've chosen, they may even take the opportunity to kill Uisdean themselves,” Raza said grimly. “Then no one would be alive to dispute their claims.”

  “Well damn,” I huffed. “What do we do now?”

  “I believe we must save King Uisdean,” Raza gave me an annoyed look.

  “Oh the irony just keeps piling up,” I rolled my eyes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Tiernan!” I sat up straight in my chair.

  “Where?” Chad searched the room as Raza made a disgusted expression.

  “He's at Unseelie Castle or possibly on his way back to the Básmhor Sea,” I said urgently. “He went with my Guard to get their spells recast and then they were to meet their ride at the shore and try to journey to the Court of the Nine Sons again. We have to stop them.”

  “Relax, Princess,” Raza grimaced. “Remember the rath is just there,” he waved towards the back wall. “Do you recall when your Guard was to be met?”

  “Yes, Iku-Turso told me they'd send someone for him in two days,” I considered. “And that was this morning.”

  “Good, then we still have another day,” Raza nodded. “We'll meet them in the forest and stop them before they reach the shore. And that will provide us with more recruits.”

  “Recruits for what?” I relaxed. “How are we supposed to sneak into the dragon court and save Uisdean?”

  “With our wits,” Chad smiled.

  “And something even sharper than that,” Raza smiled too, showcasing his lethal looking canines.

  “Uh-huh,” I scoffed. “You guys haven't got a clue.”

  “Which is precisely why we need your Guard,” Raza nodded. “More heads to offer more solutions. We will come up with something.”

  “How did the dragons mess with my Guard's breathing spells, by the way?”

  “Everyone can be bribed,” Raza shrugged.

  “And the court has its spies,” Chad added.

  “If the casters were paid off,” I mused. “They're not going to set the spells properly this time either.”

  “Most likely not,” Raza scowled.

  “So it'll just be us going into the undersea court,” I sighed.

  “And my friends,” Chad smiled wide.

  “Your friends?” I lifted a brow.

  “The water fey who live on this side of the rath,” Chad nodded. “They have no love for the dragons. Except for me of course, but I'm different.”

  “Quite,” Raza smiled.

  “Thank you,” Chad smiled back.

  “Your friends?” I asked again. “How many are there?”

  “Oh quite a few but we won't need them all,” Chad said. “We're trying to sneak into the court not storm it.”

  “True,” Raza nodded.

  “And there's always the grindylows,” Chad added in the voice of epiphany. “Perhaps that will be all the help we'll need.”

  “Grindylows?” I gaped at him. “The little water fey that snatch children from the shore?”

  “They don't do that anymore,” Chad gave a chiding puff through his nose. “And they're really great at sneaking into places. They have their own system of tunnels going through the coral court.”

  “Tunnels which I can fit through?” Raza asked skeptically.

  Chad considered him and then gave Raza an apologetic grimace.

  “You may have to sit this one out,” I said gently.

  “No,” Raza declared. “I went through a lot to save you and I'm going to make sure you survive.”

  “I will be there to protect her,” Chad said with a little frown.

  “I was pretty shocked to see you underwater, Mr. Fire Dragon,” I remembered that he still hadn't answered the very first question I had posed to him.

  “You have fire magic too,” he shrugged.

  “Don't let him fool you,” Chad interjected. “He risked a lot to rescue you, Princess. If the water dragons had caught Lord Raza within their territory, they wouldn't have simply killed him. They'd have taken him apart, piece by piece.”

  “Raza,” I whispered with horror.

  “He's exaggerating,” Raza sent Chad a quelling look but Chad didn't see it.

  “Not at all,” Chad protested. “They'd probably have started with his wings because you know how us water dragons envy wings. They may have even cut him apart and roasted the bits to eat in front-”

  “Chad please!” I snapped.

  “Oh, I do apologize,” he settled back. “I get carried away. You know, I think I'll go make another pot of tea.”

  He made a hasty retreat and when I looked back at Raza, I saw that he'd been giving Chad get-lost eyes. I lifted a brow and Raza leaned forward in his seat. His clawed hand slipped around mine carefully and he pondered the contrast of my pale skin against the inky darkness of his for a moment. When he looked up, his golden eyes were serious and sincere.

  “Seren I-”

  “Oh no,” I pulled my hand away. “Don't do that, Raza.”

  “You don't know what I was about to say,” he gaped at me.

  “I can guess,” I softened my expression. “You saved my life today. Whatever risks you may have taken or not, the fact remains that you saved me and I want you to know how much that means to me. Thank you, Raza.”

  “You're welcome,” he whispered.

  “And I'm sure you already have an idea of how I feel about you. You're a terrible temptation for me and if I wasn't with Tiernan, I'd probably already be with you. But I am with Tiernan and I love him. He wants monogamy from me and I want it from him. Would you even offer me that, much less make it a requirement?”

  “You're asking if I would commit to being with just you?” He lifted a black brow and the gesture made him look sinister. I nodded. “That's your human side speaking,” he shook his head.

  “And that would be a no,” I chuckled.

  “We're fairies, Seren,” he huffed. “Sex is... natural. Multiple partners is natural. Restricting yourself to one lover is a ridiculous human concept designed to control the paternity of the offspring. And even then, fathers often stray. Because it's not natural. You have to fight your instincts to be faithful and instincts are Nature's way of telling us what we should be doing. Normal fey don't behave this way and it's both annoying and confusing that Lord Tiernan has chosen to do so with you.”

  “That's not true and you know it,” I shook my head. “Several fairies choose to commit to a faithful relationship with one person. Love is a powerful thing.”

  “And a possessive one evidently,” he
rolled his eyes. “Love has nothing to do with sex.”

  “Are you done?” I smiled at him.

  “No,” he growled. “Despite all that I've just said, I can't think of any other woman but you. I've tried to bed others and there's no spark, neither literally or figuratively,” he grimaced. “I can't,” he waved his hand vaguely.

  “Get a rise from yourself?” I offered diplomatically and he nodded.

  “Danu is drawing us together. This is her call. We are meant to be, Seren.”

  “Because you can't stop thinking about me?” I gave a little laugh. “Raza, that's not Danu, it's your ego. Your head is screwing with you.”

  “What?” He frowned.

  “I said no to you,” I laid my hand on his shoulder gently. “How many women have done that?”

  “None,” he declared angrily. “You're the first, you baffling, bull-headed woman.”

  “Exactly,” I let my hand fall away. “Look at you, your pride is wounded and that lovely male tendency to want what you can't have, has been triggered. You don't care about me, you care about winning.”

  “I do care about you, Seren,” he snarled. “Don't ever say that again. That's the problem, don't you see? Normally, I don't care. Beautiful women abound in Fairy. If one of them had refused me, I'd have simply moved on to another. But you; you see me. You see Raza, not just the dragon, and more importantly, you accept us both. You even seem to be aligned to me, sensing how to connect with me, even when I'm past the point of words. You know me and isn't that the heart of love? Knowing someone; truly knowing them and being known by them? We know each other, Seren, and that's special to me. You're special to me.”

  “Thank you,” I smiled gently. “You're special to me too. I feel it, I do. I know you. But this has to remain a friendship.”

  “If that's what you want, then I will accept your decision, Princess. You'll have only my friendship for now. But heed me when I say that I intend to give you more, much more, and although I know when to retreat, I'm incapable of surrender,” Raza sat back, glanced to the side, and nodded.

  I followed his gaze to where Chad stood, eyes wide and focused on us. In his hands was a tea tray. He lifted it, “Tea and biscuits?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  We still had another day to wait for my Star's Guard and Chad's friends would be coming in from all over Alaska, which would also take some time. So we decided to go out to dinner. I hadn't eaten since my seafood lunch in the coral court, so a meal didn't just sound good, it was getting to the point of necessity. Still, I didn't have any human currency on me. Chad and Raza both rolled their eyes when I brought this up and assured me that money was not an issue for either of them.

  Well la dee da. I guess dragons, the notorious hoarders, were rich in both realms.

  Raza changed into his human form; basically he had the same linebacker build and rock star hair but his skin was a tawny beige, his extreme features were softened into an acceptable human range, his wings and talons were gone, and his eyes were toned down to topaz. In short; he was one of the most attractive and striking human males I've ever seen. He looked like a super hero under cover.

  Chad lent me some clothes. My undersea hunting outfit was a bit much for a Juneau evening out. Raza had evidently brought a suitcase (or maybe a trunk... who knows what dragon-djinn packed their belongings in) so he changed into something he'd brought with him. I came out of the bathroom to find the guys lounging in their coats, waiting for me. Except they were shoe-less. Chad, in Asian fashion, required his guests to remove their shoes before they walked into his home. But even sitting there in socks, Raza looked perfect.

  The dragon-djinn was dressed as casually as Chad and I but somehow he managed to look like he was ready to walk down a runway. He could have made socks without shoes into the next fashion fad. His flannel shirt was layered over a white undershirt, which brought out the gold in his glamoured skin, and his padded, beige, trucker's jacket made him look even more muscled than he was. Thank the Goddess he was wearing loose khakis beneath all that. I don't think my heart could have handled seeing Raza's ass in jeans.

  I looked down at my baggy clothing self-consciously. Thankfully, Chad was on the slim side so I was able to wear a pair of his jogging pants without looking like I was swimming in them but I had topped the gray fleece with a couple of T-shirts. It was summer so Alaska wasn't freezing but it was still pretty chilly and I needed the extra layer. The end result was a bit schlumpy. Okay, more than a bit. The salmon on my top shirt stared up at me mournfully from under the slogan; Sockeye Strong.

  Normally, I wouldn't care what I was wearing but going out into public dressed like a homeless person while being escorted by two beautiful men was giving me a sour stomach. I hated being stared at, especially when the stares were ones of pity. I swear it had nothing to do with what Raza might think. Mostly nothing.

  “Princess,” Chad held out a large, brown leather jacket for me. “If you'll allow me?”

  “Thanks, Chad,” I slipped into the jacket. “I appreciate the clothes.”

  Especially the big jacket that hid the other clothes.

  “I'm sorry I don't have any shoes for you,” he frowned at my rubbery footwear.

  “No one will care about my footwear. Least of all me,” I assured him as I went to the door and slipped them on. “Where are we going for dinner?”

  “Oh, it's my favorite restaurant,” Chad herded us outside and I began to worry. If it was too fancy, I'd really feel out of place.

  There was no need for my concern. Chad's favorite restaurant ended up being a shack on the wharf. It was literally a shack, in fact it was called Tracy's King Crab Shack. They greeted Chad by name and welcomed us like lost relatives. But I was even more delighted when I was handed a bowl of thick bisque and a crab meat slathered hoagie. I'm an extinguisher at heart, not exactly the classy type, and I felt right at home sitting at the wood picnic table in the fresh air while eating off disposable dishes. The surprising thing was, Raza looked pretty damn comfortable too.

  It was a rustic restaurant but geared a little towards tourists, with big crab traps hanging from pipes which ran the length of the deck. The pipes also served as a support for a string of lights and a short wood fence ran beneath them, separating the deck from the sidewalk. The shack sat on a lot which pressed up against a larger building painted in the same rust red with white trimming as the shack was. On this two-story back wall, the shack's name was also painted but the building housed a separate business entirely. The shack (well technically it was two shacks, side by side) served its numerous customers out of its tiny kitchen. But it seemed to be doing just fine.

  We all settled into stuffing our faces, occasionally coming up for air to admire the beautiful night view of Juneau's port, glistening beneath the moon before us. When I was more than sufficiently stuffed, I leaned my chin on my fist and took a good look around. The shack had its own little dining area full of picnic tables and packed with diners. A lot of these diners were men and the men of Alaska were buff and attractive on the whole; strong and hardworking. The kind of guys I'd normally be attracted to. If I wasn't sitting at a table with Mr Dragon-Sex-on-a-Stick. I'm sorry to say that Alaska's finest paled in comparison to Raza.

  The women diners seemed to share my opinion, as evidenced by the lusty stares Raza was getting. Even women strolling by the shack would pause and sometimes stumble when they spotted him. I just shook my head and smiled.

  “What has you so amused?” Raza asked.

  “I can't tell you,” I said in complete seriousness.

  “Why not?” He frowned and looked around us suspiciously.

  “It would make your already massive ego inflate to kraken-sized proportions,” I grimaced.

  “What's that?” Chad looked around and then chuckled. “Oh, I see.”

  “See what?” Raza looked around him and several women blushed when his gaze skimmed over them. “What am I missing?”

  “You really don't know?” I g
aped at him.

  “Know what?”

  “Nothing, never mind.”

  “You're attracting a lot of feminine attention, my friend,” Chad laughed and gave Raza's shoulder a smack. “And in Alaska, feminine attention is a top commodity.”

  “Oh, that,” Raza rolled his eyes.

  “Oh that?” I huffed. “They look like they're about to stampede any second.”

  “Stampede?” Raza lifted his brows. “Seren, do I detect a note of jealousy?”

  “Over women ogling you?” I laughed. “Yes, I'm so jealous; I wish women would ogle me like that.”

  Chad giggled and I gave Raza a wink.

  “You know what I mean,” Raza's eyes gleamed gold for a second. “I have no interest in human women.”

  “I'm half human and you seem to be interested in me,” I pointed out.

  “Half being the key word,” he said with deep sincerity. “And that human half is of the exceptional extinguisher variety.”

  “Oh thank you so much, great one, for making an exception to lust after me,” I rolled my eyes. “I shall be able to carry on now that I know I'm not just a lowly human in your opinion.”

  “Good,” Raza nodded with approval.

  “I shall have so much fun watching your love triangle unfold, Princess Seren,” Chad grinned.

  “There's no love triangle, Chad,” I corrected. “I'm in a relationship with Lord Tiernan and we're monogamous.”

  “Oh yes, of course. My mistake,” Chad said like he was humoring me.

  “Look, Raza,” I sighed. “Can you do me a favor and just tone down your...”

  “Appeal?” Raza offered.

  “No, your pursuit,” I huffed. “Tone it down around Tiernan please. I can't be saving my idiot uncle while refereeing a fight between the two of you.”

  “I thought he was your evil uncle?” Raza asked instead of giving me an answer.

  “Well he's behaving like a stupid criminal at the moment so I thought I'd mix it up,” I grimaced and then I blinked. “Oh sweet Danu, I have to scry my father. If he hears I've disappeared from the Court of the Nine Sons, he'll burst a blood vessel. He'll probably go down there himself and start searching the sea for me.”