“Perhaps I am being weak,” he said slowly. “Perhaps I am not acting as the kings in the past. But I swore from the first day I held my son in my arms that I would take care of him. Yes, Warmund betrayed me. But he is my son. I love him, more than I love my own life. I lost my daughter, my Wildref. I lost my mate. My brothers, my uncles, they were never treated with the respect they deserved, and they were never family to me. But my son, Volcant. My boy. Am I supposed to give up on him?”
Volcant glanced away. He didn’t have children of his own, he didn’t know this pain.
“I need to take every chance I can to get him back. I have regrets. I made mistakes. And perhaps this will kill me yet, but I need my boy back.”
Volcant looked wary for a moment before giving him a pained smile. “Is it really about Warmund?”
Indulf frowned. Who else would it be about?
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you have been moping and sighing since she’s been gone. The little human wormed her way into your heart and head, didn’t she?”
Anna. Indulf narrowed his eyes.
“Indulf...” Volcant stepped a little closer. “I know that you are my king. I will support you and fight for you. Know that. I will not let my doubts be seen by others. But you are the king and you need to remember that. Your duty is first to the kingdom. You need to stop letting emotions cloud your judgment.”
Emotion. Indulf ran a hand through his hair, tugging a couple of the curls loose. “You think I’m being an idiot.”
“I would not say that.”
Indulf gripped his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Volcant, we have been friends for as long as I can remember. I can take whatever it is you have to say to me. And I know that I am not always the best at following advice, but believe me when I say that I value your opinion.”
“Do you?”
“Of course, I do.” Indulf narrowed his eyes, upset that Volcant would question him in such a way. He opened his mouth to say just that, but Volcant spoke before he could.
“If you value my opinion, then I will give it. Just take Anna as your mate already. Fill her belly with dozens of little dragons, so that when you are both too old and worn to make love anymore, you can at least tell your grandchildren of the epic passion that burned between you.”
Indulf laughed at that. “I should marry her, should I?”
“Then perhaps you’d allow the portals to stay closed and not continue this fool’s mission.”
His laughter was cut short. “It’s only been two months. It’s not a fool’s mission yet.”
Volcant sighed but didn’t speak. Indulf took that as answer enough and continued on. His heart was heavy as he walked, mind consumed with all the reasons why he should simply stop these experiments and all the reasons why he couldn’t.
He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he entered the throne room with Volcant at his side. The mages all stood ready. They looked exhausted, the strain of the portals clearly taking a toll on them. He frowned—he’d tell Thonis to expect to hear from them every week rather than every two days at this meeting.
“Are you ready?” he asked, eyes on the head mage.
She nodded wearily. “Yes, my lord.”
The mages turned to one another and started using their magic to open the portals. It was a difficult task, and all their concentration focused on opening and keeping them open. It was so intensive, they said they were not even aware of what was going on around them.
Indulf stood back as the portal spun into existence. It was becoming more stable with every opening, and this time he saw Thonis’ weary face on the other end. They were able to communicate by speaking rather than passing notes now. It made for much more efficient communication.
“My lord,” Thonis started.
Before he could say another word, windows shattered. Indulf flinched as he jumped away from the portal, looking around. Men and women shifted in the air, clothes bursting from their bodies. Fire poured down at him. Volcant shoved him back and shifted himself, wings wrapped around them both to shield the king from dragon fire.
The heat made sweat break out on his brow, and he smelled burning flesh. Indulf threw himself out of the protection of Volcant wings and shifted, silver scales bursting from his skin. He leapt over his adviser and into the face of the dragon breathing fire. The flames choked out as Indulf’s jaws clamped around the dragon’s neck. He crushed through scales and tasted blood.
Another dragon came at him from underneath, and Indulf released the first, then grabbed it by the wings and threw it over the other one. He tucked his own wings tight against his back. The throne room wasn’t so large as to be able to use them.
A flash of golden scales caught his eye. He turned to see Warmund weaving among the guards, inching closer to the portal. Indulf didn’t allow himself to wonder how he had gotten here; he threw himself in his son’s path to stop him.
He didn’t make it in time. Warmund shifted back to human form and leapt at the portal. Indulf saw Thonis’ face on the other side, and then it went black. His mind blanked out. As the portal began to shrink, he threw himself through it. There was a roar behind him, something sharp on his ankle as he shifted back to human form.
A myriad of sound and color assaulted him. Fire and ice burst over his skin, a plethora of scents made him claw at his own nose, and the taste of soot, dirt, and fire rolled over his tongue. And then it was gone. He fell to his knees, shaking hard. Volcant fell next to him, a hand wrapped tightly around his ankle.
Shouting made him look up to see Warmund drive his elbow into Thonis’ neck. He ran off, leaving them there. Thonis stumbled after him, then turned back with a torn expression on his face.
Indulf tried to get to his feet, but swayed and collapsed again. Thonis hurried to him and lifted him up. Indulf leaned heavily on him as the other dragon helped him to a low, narrow bed. After Indulf was sitting, Thonis retrieved Volcant and then left the room. He came back with a glass of cold water, which Indulf gulped down eagerly. It helped him feel a bit better. His head stopped spinning, at least.
“My lord, if I had known you were coming I would have cleaned up a bit,” Thonis said with a wry smile.
Indulf lowered the glass and glanced around the room. Clothes lay strewn everywhere, and strange-looking boxes made of a thick papery material sat on every available surface. As he continued to look around, Indulf became aware of several distinct pitches of humming. Where was that coming from? He glanced around but didn’t know what the source was. He rubbed his ears.
“You’ll get used to that,” Thonis said, nodding. “This world is very noisy.”
Volcant finally found his voice. He glared at Indulf. “You idiot.”
Indulf growled a warning, which Volcant ignored.
“You dunderhead! What were you thinking? Now there is no king, and nobody to defend the throne while you are here. What the hell were you thinking?” Volcant’s hands clenched. “You’ve left the kingdom vulnerable. The mages aren’t going to be able to open the portals again for at least two days—and that’s if those rebels don’t kill them! I told you to start thinking and so you decide that the best thing to do is just dive headfirst into a world you know nothing about? God, Indulf! You really are an idiot.”
If it wasn’t for the truth in his words, Indulf would have taken great issue with what Volcant was saying. But, he had to admit that this decision to follow his son through the portal was a very stupid one. It hadn’t even been a decision. It was a reaction, one that would leave his kingdom and his place as king vulnerable.
Indulf rested his elbows on his knees, then hid his face in his hands. How could he respond to that? “I had to,” he said softly.
“Had to.” Volcant snorted. “And what are we meant to do now?”
He had no idea. Well… maybe not no idea. He glanced up at Thonis. “Do you know where Anna is?”
Chapter Fifteen
Anna
Anna woke to Misty bangin
g on her door. She frowned, glanced at the clock, and yawned. Noon. She had been up until five working on an essay. After she had come back, Anna found that the things she used to take great pleasure in were paled. She realized she wasn’t happy with her life. She was complacent. And so she decided that she was going to go back to school. She was going to get a degree and start creating content, rather than just soaking it up.
The schools she wanted to go to, though, all had deadlines coming up quick, and she had to write an essay for each application.
“Hey, lazybones,” Misty called. “Get your fat ass out of bed. You’ve got company.”
“My ass isn’t any fatter than yours,” Anna shot back.
“Never said it was.”
Anna yawned as she rolled out of bed. A glance in the mirror made her groan. Who could be here to see her, and were they worth putting on makeup? Um… no. Anybody who would just drop in unannounced like this wasn’t worth looking pretty for. She managed to drag on some clean clothes and comb her fingers through her hair, and then, yawning, left her room.
Only to stop dead when she saw who it was standing in her living room. Tall, dark and handsome. Skin like velvet midnight, eyes like coals, the most beautiful face, carved by angels, and the most tender of souls. She let out a squeal of happiness as she launched herself across the room into Indulf’s arms. He caught her and kissed her, and she kissed back, unreservedly. Heat swirled through her body and for the first time in three months, she was utterly happy.
Indulf pulled back and rested his forehead on hers, a smile on his face as he looked into her eyes. “I love you,” he breathed. “I love you.”
Her heart did somersaults and a chorus of angels broke out singing. Anna was speechless for a moment as tears swamped her eyes. Indulf ran a thumb over her cheekbone, giving her a half-smile, and she grinned.
“I love you, too,” she gasped out. She swatted his arm. “Damn you for making me cry!”
Indulf laughed and kissed her again. “Come back with me. Please.”
There was no doubt in her mind. “Yes. I will. Oh, I most certainly will.”
They kissed again and again, the room disappearing around them. Anna let herself get carried away by the sensation and she wouldn’t have minded if he had put her on the floor and taken her then and there. Except for the clearing of several throats. She broke from Indulf’s lips to see Volcant and Thonis both standing there, staring at them.
Heat rushed to Anna’s face as she stepped back. “Uh… hi…” She glanced at Indulf. “Did you bring them with you just to ask me to come back?”
He winced, ducked his head, and shrugged. “Um… Well, you see, I didn’t actually… I mean, I wasn’t going to. I was just going to leave it… cause you made your choice and--”
“Hold on here.” Misty suddenly interjected from the other side of the room. She marched in and grabbed Anna’s arm and physically dragged her away from Indulf. “Is this the guy you said was a mistake that you hooked up with?”
Indulf’s eyes widened.
Anna hissed at her roommate. “I never said that! I said that leaving him was a mistake.”
“But you weren’t coming back for her?” This was directed at Indulf.
“No, I—”
Misty’s hand flew out, smacking hard across Indulf’s face. Anna jumped and shouted, but before any of them could do anything, Volcant had Misty’s wrist. He twisted it behind her back and pushed her into the wall, a choke hold on her. Misty screeched like a cat and stomped her feet, fighting against him. Volcant snarled.
“How dare you attack the king?”
“King?” Misty twisted her head to stare at Indulf, then narrowed her eyes at Anna. “You never told me you were boinking a king!”
Anna groaned and hid her face in her hands. Of all the—! “Misty, stop that. Let her go, she’s harmless.”
Indulf rubbed his face and jerked his chin. Volcant, nostrils flared, reluctantly released Misty, who turned and gave him the middle finger. Surprise flitted across his face briefly before it darkened again. He returned to stand next to Thonis, who leaned in.
“That gesture is a crude insult,” he muttered.
Volcant glared at him.
Anna inserted herself between the dragons and Misty, then turned to her roommate. “I think you’d better go and let us talk.”
Misty narrowed her eyes. “If you think that I’m going to leave my roommate alone here with three guys, one you apparently slept with but who couldn’t be bothered to come back until now—”
“You are going to because your roommate is a grown woman who knows how to take care of herself and doesn’t need to you be the Mom friend of the group. We’ve already got one of those. I’m fine, Misty.” Anna gestured to the door. “Please. Just go? I need to talk with Indulf.”
Misty frowned a moment longer before she brought two fingers up and made the “I’ll be watching you” gesture at Indulf. She snorted at Volcant and pushed between him and Thonis to head outside. Anna watched her go, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Misty could be damn stubborn when she wanted to be, and her going quietly was better than Anna had hoped for.
She turned to Indulf, suddenly feeling shy. Her hand was still in his and she squeezed, hardly daring to believe he was really there.
“So… so what happened? I mean, you’re here for a reason, right?”
Indulf’s face darkened. “Yes. As much as I wish I could say that I came here for you and only you… Warmund attacked the castle and came through the portal. Volcant and I followed. We have to find him and return to Thonis’ apartment, so that we can take him back to our world to face justice.”
Her blood ran cold. Warmund, here? She stared into Indulf’s eyes, uncertain of what to say to that. Surely it would be best to just leave him to his search, wouldn’t it? Rather than having to pull him back, and put him in jail. Wouldn’t it be better to just let him continue his search?
But then, this was far more complicated than she understood. She twisted her hands, trying to think of what she could possibly say to make it better. In the end, she knew there was nothing to say. So, she put her arms around her dragon king again and nodded.
“When I go back with you… will I still be able to visit? So I don’t just drop off the face of the planet?”
Indulf looked hesitant. “I don’t know.”
Did it really make a difference? She knew where she belonged, and it wasn’t here. It wasn’t dreaming of dragons. She nodded once to show she understood, then stepped back toward her room. “I’ll need to pack—”
A scream rang out from outside. Misty’s scream. Anna’s heart jumped into her throat and she rushed out, ready to attack whoever had her roommate. She came up short when she saw it was Warmund. His skin was golden, glittering in the sun, and long claws wrapped around Misty’s neck.
When he saw her, his eyes widened. “What the hell are you—”
Whatever else he was going to say died off when Indulf, Volcant, and Thonis appeared behind her. Warmund’s chest heaved as he looked between them, and he moved Misty so she stood before him. Her eyes were huge, mouth hanging slack. Anna had never seen her afraid before, let alone this terrified. Her own heart started to pound as she tried to make words come out of her mouth.
Indulf’s deep, rumbling voice washed over them. “Release her, Warmund.”
Warmund growled.
“Release her. You know that there is no going back without us. Release her, and you and I can settle this, as we ought to have done.”
Uncertainty flickered over Warmund’s face. “Are you challenging me to a duel, Father?”
“I am.”
Anna shook her head. She reached for Indulf’s hand, but he pulled away from her. Desperately, she turned to Volcant, eyes wide and horrified. “Do something!”
He merely took a step forward, putting his hand out. “Hand over the girl. We will not intervene.”
Warmund stared at him hard for a long moment before he nodded. The
n he pushed Misty away, toward Volcant. The dragon caught her and pulled her back, then took Anna’s arm and pulled her away from the two who were now circling each other. She shook her head and tried to shrug him off, but his grip was too tight.
“This is between father and son,” he told her grimly. “They must resolve this themselves.”
Anna thought about everything that could go wrong. People here didn’t know about dragons. If Indulf and Warmund started to fight, then the neighbors would certainly call the police. Her mind raced from one thought to another, but her mouth refused to open. Refused to tell them to stop.
Warmund snarled, fire flickering in his mouth, as he started to circle Indulf. The king followed the movement, his whole body seemingly relaxed. When Warmund darted in, swinging, Indulf did not move to defend himself. Anna cried out as the blow sent him flying back into a tree. Warmund followed up, kicking him in the chest. Anna tried to rush forward, but Thonis grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
“No! Stop! Stop,” she begged. “Please!”
“Why aren’t you fighting?” Warmund screamed, kicking him again. He backed away, panting. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. “Fight!”
Indulf stumbled to his feet. He stepped toward Warmund and the prince tensed—but Indulf did not attack. Instead, he opened his arms, as if inviting Warmund to continue his assault.
“I’m sorry,” Indulf whispered. “Warmund, I am so very sorry, but I will not fight you now. I will not hurt you more than I already have. You are my son and I love you.”
Warmund screamed. Fire burst from his mouth, flickering around his face. Indulf didn’t even flinch. And then it was over. Warmund collapsed to the ground, his whole body shaking with the force of his sobs. Anna held her breath. Was it over? Or would he strike out again? She couldn’t breathe as Indulf knelt beside his son and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“I miss her, too,” Indulf whispered. “I miss her every damn day. But I am not going to lose you, too. Do you understand me? I won’t lose you.”
“Father,” Warmund choked out. “Father, you don’t understand. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t run...”
The Dragon King's Prisoner_A Paranormal Romance Page 9
