by Zoe Chant
“Are you all right? Wound isn’t hurting you?”
Alanna swallowed. Josie, for all her no-nonsense demeanor, was clearly a kind and caring woman.
“N-no,” Alanna murmured, speaking for the first time since they had left the cabin. “It’s... I’m fine.”
Josie nodded, her eyes on the winding road. “I just want to tell you again: you’re not our prisoner,” she said after a moment’s pause. “You can leave anytime you want. Isaak is a member of the Novak Clan, and they have a treaty with the Loric Coven. You’re not our enemy.”
Alanna swallowed, staring at the trees as they zipped past.
“I know,” she said finally. It was true. She knew none of them would try to stop her if she tried to leave – not even Magnus, despite their newly discovered mated bond.
But where would I go?
The more she thought about it, the more she realized she needed to think before she charged back to the coven to tell everyone what Casper had done. The idea that he might not have been working alone after all haunted her.
I need to get word to my father.
That was the only thing she knew for sure. But contacting the Lord High Hunter wasn’t exactly an easy thing, even when he was your father.
That almost made it more difficult.
And besides which, accusing a member of the Hadley family of trying to kill you was not exactly an uncomplicated thing.
Alanna had no doubt that Casper would deny it – and his family would support him. The Hadleys were close-knit and enigmatic. It wasn’t exactly a secret that they thought themselves better than everyone around them. They’d hotly deny having an attempted murderer who had betrayed a fellow dragon hunter in their midst.
She couldn’t let Casper get away with what he’d done – but she’d have to be smart about how she did it.
And besides which, Magnus was right about something else, too: she really didn’t know what dangers she’d face if Casper and his family found out she was still alive. It might be better to let them keep thinking she was dead, at least for the moment.
That the dragon killed me.
Alanna shivered. There was no chance of that. There never had been.
For a dragon to harm his mate was unthinkable, no matter what.
But that wasn’t the only thing that made it impossible.
Magnus isn’t a killer.
She knew it in her soul.
He might be a dragon without a clan, but he was different from other rogue dragons.
Sure, he might be a little rough around the edges, but she’d watched him as he’d spoken to Isaak and Josie. There was no murderousness in him, the way she’d been told to expect in a rogue.
Instead, she sensed only...
Sadness.
A sadness so deep she wondered how he hadn’t drowned in it.
“We’re almost home now,” Josie said as she expertly turned another sharp corner.
Magnus and Isaak weren’t in the car with them – Alanna could only assume they’d decided to fly to their destination.
Must be nice, she thought a little wistfully. Imagine being able to just open your wings and soar through the open sky...
They’d hiked from the cabin back to civilization as soon as Josie had looked at her wound. Alanna had expected it to hurt more and more as they walked, but instead, the opposite had happened. It seemed that the healing bond between her and Magnus worked even when they weren’t in contact with each other.
Once back in town, Josie had rented a car, saying that she’d drive them to her and Isaak’s home – but that Alanna was welcome to leave now if she wanted to.
No, Alanna had said, only after a moment’s hesitation. No, I’ll come with you. I need... I need some time to think.
It seemed that Josie was willing to give it to her. The silence wasn’t unfriendly at all, with Josie glancing across with a smile when they were stopped at traffic lights.
Almost despite herself, Alanna had warmed to her very much in the short time she’d known her. It was so strange to meet someone who wasn’t immediately sizing her up, thinking about what they knew of her family line, and whether she’d be competition in their own rise up the ranks of the dragon hunter hierarchy.
That’s just how things were in the coven.
Especially when your last name was Carlyle, and your family history stretched back to the beginning of dragon hunter tradition.
“Here we are.”
Josie’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she turned her head as the car slowed to turn into a large driveway.
The property they pulled into was beautiful. Alanna couldn’t even see the house for the massive, lush gardens that grew all around it. It wasn’t the kind of garden that was clipped back and confined by human hands. It was clear that this garden had been left to do as it wished, the plants growing wherever they wanted, wild and free.
Stepping out of the car, Alanna breathed in the rich scent of flowers and leaves warmed under the summer sun. Staring around, she could see nothing but gently swaying branches, brilliantly green leaves, white blossoms, heavy blue lilac florets, bright yellow daffodils and brilliant red poppies. Bees buzzed lazily from bloom to bloom, and Alanna could see birds flitting between the branches, their song drifting on the breeze.
It was the most beautiful thing Alanna had ever seen.
“I always dreamed of having a garden like this,” Josie said as she walked around the car to stand by Alanna’s side. “My mother had a huge garden when I was young, but when my father lost his job we had to move away. I never forgot about it, but I didn’t think I’d ever have a garden of my own.”
“It’s lovely,” Alanna breathed. She meant it. The gardens at the dragon hunter compound she’d grown up in were nothing like this. They were functional only, designed for their training. She’d never considered a garden just for its beauty.
“I suppose I have Isaak to thank,” Alanna laughed. “This house, the land – it was an anniversary gift. He knew I wanted to develop a sanctuary for birds and animals, so he started looking for a suitable place. The forest area and this house were his gift to me.”
Alanna’s eyes widened. “That forest – you own it?”
“Part of it,” Josie said. “I—” She cut herself off as she noticed Alanna’s expression. “Is something wrong?”
Alanna’s amazement at what Josie had said wasn’t only due to the idea that anyone could own such a lovely – and vast – place as the forest. “I... Josie, we need to talk,” she said quickly, horror settling in the pit of her stomach. Something was very, very wrong here. Alanna was starting to see it more and more clearly.
Josie looked for a moment like she was going to press Alanna for more details, but then she simply nodded, leading her up the driveway toward a two-story stone cottage that looked like it hadn’t changed since the day it was built hundreds of years ago. Lush green vines coated half the walls – the only plants that Alanna could see that had ever been clipped back, to keep the windows and deep red shutters from being overgrown.
Isaak and Magnus were waiting inside the house when Josie pushed open the door. Alanna could tell by the expressions on their faces that they knew something was up.
“What’s wrong?” they asked simultaneously – and Alanna swallowed.
Is this what it’s like? she thought to herself as Josie urged her to sit down on the large white sofa. When you have a mated bond... will he always know what I’m thinking?
She shook her head. She couldn’t think about that right now.
“Isaak,” she blurted, raising her eyes to look him in the face. “Josie told me you and she own the land we were just on. The forest.”
Isaak nodded slowly. “That’s true.”
Alanna shook her head. “But... but that can’t be right!”
Josie and Isaak exchanged a glance, and Alanna wondered vaguely if they were reading each other’s minds, the way she’d read that mated pairs could.
“I assure you, it
’s the truth,” Josie said after a moment. “Magnus works for us there as a caretaker. It’s our land.”
Alanna shook her head. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it.
If that’s true, then... Casper can’t have been...
“But if you belong to the Novak Clan, then... we shouldn’t have been on that land,” Alanna said. “We have a treaty with the Novak Clan. To hunt a dragon on that land – we’d definitely be in breach of the treaty.”
Isaak nodded slowly. “That thought had crossed my mind.”
Alanna bit her lip. “I... I had no idea. We weren’t told the land belonged to the Novak Clan.”
“Do you mean we weren’t told, or you weren’t told?” Magnus’s voice was soft when he spoke, but it seemed that everyone clearly understood what he meant.
“Alanna, Magnus told me what he saw during our journey here,” Isaak said. “He said the other dragon hunter you were with was attacking you – trying to kill you. That if he hadn’t arrived when he did, you’d be dead by now.”
Alanna nodded. The pain of her wound might have faded, but the pain of the betrayal was still bright in her heart. “That’s right.” She took a deep breath. “Casper said that there could never be peace between dragons and humans. And he said that I needed to be a sacrifice.”
“I heard him.” Magnus’s voice was harsh. In her mind, Alanna felt a sudden flash of fury – but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. Magnus’s anger that anyone had dared to hurt her was clear – she felt it as if it was her own. But with the rage was a warm, comforting surge of protectiveness.
He’ll never hurt you again. If he tries, he will answer for it.
Alanna glanced up in surprise, just as Magnus dropped his eyes away from her face.
But it didn’t make his thoughts any less vivid in her mind.
“I don’t know what he meant by it,” she continued. “I thought... I don’t know what I thought. I was too busy trying to stay alive. But the more I think about it, the more worried I am.”
“Don’t dragon hunters usually take vows of loyalty to each other?” Josie asked.
Alanna nodded. “We all do. It’s something we’re supposed to take seriously.” She licked her lips. “But this is what’s worrying me. We were sent out to hunt a dragon on land owned by the Novak Clan. Then Casper attacks me. I think he meant for it to look like I had died in the fight with the dragon.”
“Or he thought that I... that I would...” Magnus trailed off, his bright blue eyes blazing.
He can’t even bring himself to say it, Alanna thought with a jolt. He can’t imagine hurting me at all.
She nodded. “Either way, he wanted to be able to go back and tell the coven that I was dead. He could make up any story he wanted. I wouldn’t be around to say otherwise.”
“Call me crazy, but I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” Josie said. “Someone’s trying to cause trouble.”
But why? Alanna scrunched her hands into fists. What is going on?
“What would have happened if Stefan found out dragon hunters had come after me on Novak Clan land?” Magnus asked softly. “Or that I was being accused of having killed a dragon hunter?”
Alanna blinked. Stefan? Who’s Stefan?
“He wouldn’t have been very happy,” Isaak said. “Which is, I guess, an understatement. As leader of the clan, he would have had to take action. Especially after a member of the Loric Coven had already attacked Josie and me.”
“What?!” Alanna burst out, standing straight up. “I don’t believe it!”
“It happened, believe me,” Josie said, laughing softly. “Two years ago. He came after us on Isaak’s private island off the Greek coast. He nearly killed us.”
Her head spinning, Alanna felt her knees giving way. She only realized she’d sat down again when she felt the sofa against her legs and backside.
“I... I... but...”
How can this be true? Is everything I believed... has it all been a lie?
“His name was Bain,” Josie continued softly. “Do you know him?”
Too stunned to speak at first, Alanna shook her head. “N-no. But that doesn’t mean anything. The Loric Coven is huge.”
“You didn’t hear anything about it?” Isaak asked. “Stefan, our clan leader, was furious.”
Again, Alanna shook her head. “I didn’t. But I was still just an apprentice then. We don’t hear much about what goes on, especially not with the higher-level hunters. If he was out on his own, he must have been elite. The higher up in the hierarchy you are, the more freedom you have.”
“Isaak,” Josie said urgently, “do you remember what Bain said after you defeated him?”
Alanna looked up in alarm as Isaak’s brow crinkled.
“He said the treaty with the Novak Clan was a betrayal by the coven leaders,” Isaak said, his voice quiet and low. “He said that it should never have been signed.”
Alanna gasped. Can this be true?
“That treaty goes back decades!” she said, feeling breathless. “Since long before... it can’t be...”
But in the next second, she realized that it made a sick kind of sense. If there were hunters in the coven who thought their leaders had betrayed them by signing a treaty with a dragon clan, then why wouldn’t they want to stir up trouble? Why wouldn’t they want to cause conflict between dragons and hunters?
And, she thought, a spike of anger sharp in her chest, why wouldn’t they want to kill the Lord High Hunter’s daughter, and blame it on a dragon?
The more she thought about it, the clearer things became.
She was being used in a plot to get to her father.
She and Magnus both.
“I have to get back to the coven,” she said wildly. “I have to—”
“Alanna, wait.” Magnus’ voice was low.
With effort, she forced herself to focus. He was right, after all. Hadn’t she just been thinking she needed to consider what to do before charging back to the coven?
Swallowing, she turned to look at him, wondering what expression she would see on his face.
Does he hate me? Does he think I hate him? How can he possibly be prepared to accept our bond? And for that matter... am I?
But she was unprepared for what she would feel when their eyes locked. Alanna gasped aloud as she stared at him, a sudden, powerful feeling of... of...
Fear.
There was anger there too, but it was buried below an almost wild terror – and a pain so deep she wasn’t sure she could fathom it.
This is what I saw in his eyes, she thought vaguely. I could see it even in the photograph. This pain. This fear. This loneliness.
“These people are dangerous, Alanna,” Magnus said after a moment. “I know first-hand just how ruthless they can be. They have no regard for anyone’s life at all, human or shifter. They’ll do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.”
Alanna blinked, the pain in her chest still threatening to break her in two. What had happened to Magnus to make him feel this way? Who had done this to him?
But then, with a sudden, gut-churning horror, she realized she knew.
Dragon hunters.
Dragon hunters had done this to him.
“What – what happened to you?” she whispered, feeling her hands reach out to him as if by their own accord.
She couldn’t stop herself. At this moment, nothing mattered except that he was her mate, and he needed her comfort. Everything else fell away.
Chapter Eight
Magnus
Vaguely, Magnus was aware of Josie and Isaak standing to leave the room. He and Alanna were alone together – and perhaps that was how it should be.
Tell our mate what happened, his dragon urged him. Only she can heal us. Only she can make us whole again.
But was that true? Magnus wasn’t even sure. But whatever else happened between them, Alanna had to know the truth – the whole truth.
Or as much of it as he knew, anyway.
“I was taken prisoner,” Magnus said, watching as Alanna’s beautiful gray eyes widened. “By a dragon hunter named Bain – the one who tried to kill Josie and Isaak. He put a collar on me to control my movements – to force me to fight. I almost killed them both. I couldn’t stop myself.”
Alanna shook her head. “The Loric Coven doesn’t do that anymore,” she whispered eventually. “The coven hasn’t collared dragons for decades.”
“Don’t you believe me?” Magnus’s heart sank, but Alanna quickly shook her head again.
“Of course I believe you,” she said, reaching her hand out – only to stop just before she touched him. “Even if I couldn’t... sense that you were telling the truth, after everything else that’s happened today...” She dropped her eyes, drawing in a quick, pained breath. “Please – tell me everything that happened.”
Magnus frowned, staring down at his hands. How can I tell her when I don’t remember myself?
“I can’t,” he told her finally. “All my memories, everything in my life before the collar was put on me. It’s all gone. I don’t even know if my name really is Magnus. I don’t know who my clan is, or where they might be. I have no hoard, no lands... nothing. I don’t even know how many more times I’ll be able to shift.”
Alanna’s shock was quick and palpable, streaming to him through their mated bond.
This time, she didn’t hold back – her hands were on his in an instant, sending electric shocks tingling down his arms and into his chest.
“Magnus... Magnus, oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
“Without contact with the clan’s hoard, dragons slowly lose their ability to shift,” Magnus said. “I don’t know how long I’ve been away from my clan – I have no idea how long I was in Bain’s hands. Maybe for years before the Novak dragons rescued me. Maybe it was only weeks. I have no way of knowing.”
“You can’t shift anymore?” Alanna asked, her fingers tightening on his. “Then... ”
Magnus closed his eyes. He knew that he would do whatever he had to do to keep her safe, but without shifting, he would be at a disadvantage.
