Although he now knew it had been Aiden that had killed the elder McCord, he remembered when it had happened. Everyone was full of questions about what clan had done such a thing and why. There had been rumors of jealous husbands and bad debts, but none of them had made much sense. McCord had been a good man, and no one had ever quite accepted the answers they were given by Aiden. No one had ever been brought to justice to answer for the crime. So, while there were rumors, only a few now knew the truth.
Aiden had poisoned and baited McCord, tiring him out above the ocean and driving him down into it. His corpse had been found washed up on a beach below a nearby cliff with no answers for what had happened other than the obvious wounds that had been inflicted in the battle. The thought of a leader trusted to lead them having achieved his position by killing his own uncle – a good man – only angered Aaron further. That only added to the anger at his family being driven from his home, and Aaron felt ready. He was finally prepared to face this fight wholeheartedly.
Just before first light, he walked out into the backyard and shifted, taking flight across the village above the heads of the people who lived there. He could see them point as he passed by, and a few of the braver ones cheered him on, knowing that to be seen could lead to exile or death if Aiden were the victor of this challenge. He circled over, making his presence very well known before landing in the center of the circle without shifting back into human form. He stood there, calling out for Aiden to take his place as the sun rose above him, bringing about first light and time for them to begin.
Aiden stalled, presenting himself amid a throng of guards as they strolled casually into The Circle toward him. He squared off in front of Aaron, a show of dominance, letting him know that he wasn’t afraid of him, not even in his weaker human form. He addressed him directly, demanding obedience.
“Resume your form and speak to me as a gentleman before this ridiculous challenge begins,” Aiden snarled.
Rather than obey, Aaron snorted at him, pawing at bit at the dirt beneath him to let him know he had no intention of doing as asked and was ready to get on with this. His head lowered, moving only inches from Aiden’s face. Aiden refused to budge. Aaron breathed hot breath against his skin, reminding him that for every inch of frost he carried within, he was full of fire and was not afraid to use it to torch him the moment he shifted.
Seeming unruffled, Aiden turned to face the people that had gathered to witness the epic event unfolding here today. No one had ever challenged Aiden since he had taken power, and the outcome would change their lives drastically. If he lost, they were in for much more freedom. But if he won, they could suffer even more oppression at his hands. The words of the McCord brothers stuck in his mind, reminding him of what he would have to do to win, and he was ready to get on with things.
“My good people, those of you who have known me for years should know that this is an absurd attempt at revenge. Aaron Donnelly’s father was a traitor, a scourge that ran away like a coward before he could be punished for his crimes. Now, his son has returned to challenge me as if it is somehow my fault that his father was a sewer rat that scurried away in the night,” Aiden said to the masses.
Aaron’s blood was boiling, but he stood his ground. Aiden was baiting him, attempting to get him to attack before he shifted so that the Dragon Guard could step in and take him down for attempted murder for attacking a dragon shifter still in human form. If he shifted into human form and charged him, then he would only be giving him the upper hand, so he had to maintain his focus and wait for the pompous ass to finish his pathetic speech as he attempted to bring the masses into his corner.
“Stop putting off your death and shift!” a voice cried out from within the crowd.
“Who said that?” Aiden demanded, turning toward the Dragon Guard angrily. “Find that man and bring him before me!”
Suddenly, the crowd erupted. It was not one voice, but many, all chanting toward the center of The Circle in an ever-increasing volume. “Shift! Shift! Shift!”
Aiden put up his hand toward the Dragon Guard, stopping them from their trek toward the crowd and motioning for them to return to position. He glared out at the bystanders as he spoke evenly to them from between clenched teeth.
“I will deal with each of the offenders once I’m done with this nonsense,” he growled, turning and, without another word, shifting into a dragon considerably larger than the one that stood before him.
CHAPTER 17
Aaron took a deep breath and lunged toward him without hesitation, catching his massive neck between his powerful jaws. Blood flowed down Aiden’s neck, glistening dark red against the pale gold color of his bronze tipped scales. He had an unnatural appearance as a dragon, looking more like a steampunk sculpture with his almost industrial metallic coloring. Pulling himself free of Aaron’s large, jagged teeth, he faltered a bit before turning and lunging back toward Aaron. This was his cue. He took flight, shooting upward like a rocket, hell bent on open space.
The crowd cheered as Aaron continued to sail straight up into the air, his dark frame filling the sky above them as he twirled dynamically, spiraling perfectly toward the clouds above. He continued straight up until he was sure Aiden was in pursuit behind him. Craning his long neck to look downward, he saw nothing but ice coming toward him, an impossibly long and wide stream that looked much like a long, thin cloud.
At the last possible moment, he turned and headed out over the water, the shooting stream of ice narrowly missing his massive tail and continuing upward for a bit before stopping and falling back down to The Circle. The people below scattered to avoid the shards as they hit the ground and sprang out in all directions.
Aaron heard a loud cheer rise from the crowd as he soared out toward the ocean. It would take another ten minutes for Aiden to work up another ice stream according to the McCord brothers, and he intended to use that time wisely, leading Aiden out toward a portion of the water where there was nowhere to land but the ocean. It was the same tactic Aiden had employed with the McCords’ father, exhausting him until he couldn’t fight. The only difference is that Aiden hadn’t been poisoned, so it would take much longer to wear him down.
A loud hiss sounded from behind him, Aiden’s attempt at intimidation. It was a warning to turn back to The Circle, to take this fight back down to the ground, but Aaron had no intentions of doing that. There were no rules that said he couldn’t take the fight to the skies or that he couldn’t take it out of the village. Aiden just didn’t like having his own tactics used against him. He knew exactly what Aaron was doing but couldn’t stop him. If he turned back, he would be labeled a coward and stripped of his powers before being left to languish in the same cells he had placed Aaron in previously.
Without warning, Aaron turned and dove into Aiden, knocking him sideways. His larger frame lumbered haphazardly into an oncoming band of birds, who squawked and nipped at his scales in reaction to his unexpected invasion of their formation. One came dangerously close to his eyes, tearing a jagged hole in one corner but missing his pupil. Blood poured down into it, no doubt hindering his sight. It was an unexpected bonus for Aaron. The earlier wound he had inflicted and now this would aid in slowing Aiden down.
Right now, he seemed to have the upper hand, but Aiden was still very much a threat. He was getting dangerously close to forming ice again. It was the only reason Aaron was holding back on lighting him aflame. If he was quick enough, he could melt the ice well before it hit him, so he couldn’t afford to waste fire. At this altitude, the ice would be slower and not nearly as massive in size. Even at that, getting hit with such a large spear of ice would be the equivalent of being impaled by a spiked metal telephone pole. That was something even a dragon couldn’t come back from.
His heart beat wildly in his chest, his anticipation of Aiden’s next move sending him into a frenzy as he glided dangerously close to the dragon leader in an effort to catch him off guard and stir a panic that would force another icy breath to be waste
d. The air was thinner, he could see Aiden struggle to breath. As a fire breather, it wasn’t a problem he had. The natural heat that radiated throughout his body kept the chillier air they were entering from inhibiting him in any way. However, Aiden was already naturally cold, and the colder air only made him more so, causing his breathing to become labored.
All his life, Aaron had believed that an ice dragon would only grow stronger in the cold, what he deemed their natural environment, but the McCords had assured him this was a fallacy in thought. He was now seeing that they were very accurate, but it made sense that their father would have known this first hand. Once this was over, if he survived it, he would be eternally in their debt for helping him with just the little bit of information they had imparted in the last few days. It had already proven immensely useful.
Once again, he spread his massive wings and pushed his immense frame upward, going higher into the air. In an effort to stop him, Aiden attempted to grab him by the tail, but narrowly missed catching the tip with his sharp teeth. Instead, he shot another long shard of ice into the air toward him. It was exactly what Aaron had been waiting on as he heaved himself sideways and dropped quickly below, shooting a bellowing flame of red hot fire back upward to melt the ice and heavily singe Aiden’s scales.
The loud wail of dismay that emanated from the dragon leader’s core seemed to shake the clouds around them as he once again turned and attempted to catch Aaron between his mighty jaws. Aiden’s long neck swung heavily into Aaron’s side, pushing him downward toward The Circle, but they were still well above the horizon and Aaron wasn’t about to let that happen. Whirling around, he swung his tail forcefully, sending it thudding into Aiden’s side before jetting forward further out over the water.
Aiden’s growl filled the sky behind him as he continued in pursuit, chasing him across the water as Aaron climbed ever so gradually higher into the air again. As they continued to climb, Aaron became aware of other dragons in the air. He could see the emblems that were routinely stamped into their scales, a rite of passage for anyone who joined their ranks. He hadn’t anticipated Aiden playing dirty if he brought him out here alone.
Still, he continued higher. It was his only hope to defeat Aiden, and he was going to do what he could do make sure that happened. As he pushed upward, both Aiden and the Dragon Guard came up in pursuit, but it wasn’t the last of the surprises. From what seemed like nowhere, three dragons appeared without emblems. There were two large ones – one orange and one red. Then, there was a smaller one – bright blue and silver. They blocked the Dragon Guard with heavy warning shots of fire, letting them know Aaron was not alone and they would not be interfering.
For a moment, they backed off, but they quickly resumed pursuit, only to be cut off by at least a dozen more dragons that Aaron did not recognize. He could only hope that whoever they were, they would make sure that no one came near him and Aiden. Rather than sticking around to see, he shot out further, edging his way just slightly higher in the air as he went. In only moments, he could feel the much cooler air that was beginning to surround them and Aiden was slowing, no longer on his tail as he had been moments ago. Still, he climbed higher. From behind him, he could hear the sound of ice cracking the morning sky.
Dropping his wings against his body, he let himself free fall, diving low in the sky. They were well out over the water now, and Aiden was in a dive to catch him. Waiting until he was almost on him, Aaron spread his wings and took flight again, only inches above the water. Too late to stop the momentum of his massive body, Aiden went head first into the water with his wings still partly open. There was no doubt that the speed upon his entry would do damage, but how much, Aaron wasn’t sure. This was his chance.
Aaron turned and made a swan dive into the water, catching Aiden by surprise as he struggled to reverse his direction and shoot back up from the depths. Quickly, his mouth was around Aiden’s neck once again, pulling him sideways and dragging him violently through the water. Aiden flailed about, obviously injured from the dive and Aaron’s second attack on his long neck. He couldn’t hold out like this much longer. Of that, Aaron was certain. Pulling upward, Aaron shot back up out of the water, his mouth still clamped down on Aiden’s neck.
They were back near the shore again, and that was all Aaron needed to see. Pushing Aiden back beneath the water, the two dragons struggled in an underwater dance as Aaron whirled Aiden around in a twirl designed to disorient, much like an alligator would immobilize its prey before going in for the kill. Out of the corner of one eye, Aaron could see a shark swim closer to get a better look then swim quickly away, content not to meddle in this particular battle. It was this momentary shift of attention that Aiden took advantage of, dislodging himself and shooting upward toward the surface.
CHAPTER 18
The sky was filled with dragons, waiting and watching. They scattered as Aiden suddenly came barreling from the water and struggled to maintain flight with his injuries. His labored breathing filled the air around him as he attempted to fly toward land. The onlookers parted, all but three who remained in his path until the last possible moment. It was the same three dragons that had appeared to thwart the Dragon Guard’s interference. They slowly dropped below him, forcing him to fly higher and over their heads before turning to follow alongside him.
Aaron was in close pursuit, his broad wingspan expanding as he exited the water and soared just above the surface, gaining on Aiden’s slower pace toward the beach. If he continued to fly away, he was in jeopardy of being charged for cowardice. Aaron let out a loud hiss that resounded against the waves below him and upward toward the skies, reminding his opponent that the fight was not over. When Aiden refused to turn back, Aaron quickly darted, jumping ahead of the three dragons that seemed intent upon following the dragon leader.
Just as he reached him, Aiden suddenly dove into him, knocking him downward toward the rapidly approaching cliffs at the edge of their village. Aaron tried to dodge the oncoming attack, but he wasn’t fast enough and found himself struggling to maintain flight as the wind was suddenly knocked from him. Aiden took the opportunity to hit him with an icy cold blast.
For a moment, Aaron thought it was over. His entire body felt frozen. It probably was frozen. He could feel himself losing airspeed and altitude, dropping down toward the sea like a giant stone. It had all been going so well and one hit of ice was going to end it for him? In an attempt to recover, he shot out a wave of fire, hoping the warmth would melt the chill that had swamped him so suddenly. He should consider himself lucky that it was a very weakened blast, unlike the massive shards of ice Aiden would have been capable of producing if he had been at one hundred percent. All he had received was an arctic blast of air and look what that had done to him.
The heat warmed him enough that he was able to pull in his wings, bringing them close to his body so that his re-entry into the water was more of a swan dive than the body shattering flop it could have been. Still, he sank like a stone, approaching the depths of the shallow waters near the beach far too closely for his taste before managing to pull himself up. Aiden was right behind him, and he had wasted his fire trying to save himself. Fortunately, Aiden couldn’t blast him again either.
It occurred to Aaron that despite his injuries, Aiden had been faking the extent to which they had affected him. He had only pretended to be weakened to put Aaron off his game, to buy himself time until he could catch him off guard. Aaron couldn’t believe it had worked, that he had fallen for it and was now on the defensive. Anger surged through him, and he found himself suddenly lunging forward, twisting around 360 degrees. Aiden hadn’t expected it and was in just the right position for Aaron to come around and drive his tail – still hardened from the icy blast – directly into Aiden’s center.
The shrill sound of pain reverberated throughout the water around them, sending sea creatures scattering far away as the two dragons rolled around beneath the waves. Aaron struggled to pull his tail free as Aiden writhed in pain, h
is blood pouring out into the water around them. With as much power as he could muster, he swam upward, pulling Aiden along with him until he broke free of the water. They were near the shore of the beach just below the cliffs. Struggling to make it to land, he pulled the moaning, flailing dragon leader behind him as he swam slowly toward the beach.
He could see two of the dragons, the orange one and the red one, flying slowly overhead. The others had backed off, either keeping their distance or gathering overhead on the cliffs to watch. Waterlogged, Aaron struggled to make it to shore. He was relieved when the water became shallow enough for him to pull himself up onto the rocky beach ahead, though it made it harder to drag Aiden’s labored body out with him. Once there, he managed to pull himself free, collapsing on the beach for a moment before coming back to his senses and realizing how in jeopardy he was putting himself.
He lumbered upward, ready to resume the fight, but quickly found that he wasn’t in as much trouble as anticipated. Aiden lay on the ground beside him. One wing was clearly broken and folded beneath him, though Aaron was unclear how it had happened. Perhaps a fracture from dropping onto it when he pulled free of him. His breathing was extremely labored, and blood poured from his abdomen in a gushing red torrent.
Aaron stood over him, waiting and watching. His own breathing was pretty ragged. He was exhausted, and the ice had left him feeling as if he were in some sort of lazy haze. It would be a wonder if he didn’t collapse on the beach beside Aiden at any moment. Much to his surprise, he began to see Aiden shifting back to his human form. He waited, unwilling to shift, unless it was somehow another of his tricks. Much to his surprise, the two dragons that had been circling overhead dropped down behind him, followed by several more.
As the other dragons began to shift, he saw that they were the McCord brothers and several members of the Dragon Guard, including Josh. Looking back at Aiden, he could see that he was fading fast, losing a lot of blood and gasping for breath. He was caught off guard as he attempted to speak, asking him to come closer. Aaron did so, remaining in dragon form.
Loved by a Dragon: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (Exiled Dragons Book 2) Page 8
