by Minx Malone
“It’s your father’s journal. The official account of his research during the last year he was here.”
Her fingers shook as she opened the book and turned the pages. She stopped every few pages and traced the words with her hands, like it would bring her closer to the author of the words.
“He wasn’t always bad. I have to believe that.”
“The man I knew was a good doctor and loved you. I’m so sorry for whatever happened that stole that man from you.”
Kia scratched at the edge of the journal, pulling at the lining on the inner cover. It finally detached and she tugged it back. A piece of folded up paper fell into her hand.
“How did you know that was there?”
She put the book down on the shelf and carefully unfolded the square of paper.
“My father became incredibly paranoid in the later half of his life. He used to hide things, even from his own research partners. I just took a gamble that he might have done that when he was younger, too. The ironic thing is, once his dementia set in he couldn’t remember where he’d hidden a lot of things. He essentially hid his secrets from himself.”
“Dementia?”
“Yeah, he started showing signs last year. I had to put him in a special home that can handle his outbursts. He started getting violent.”
“Wait. You mean, your father is still alive?”
Ever since she’d told him about her childhood and how she’d been treated, he’d managed to control his rage because he assumed the man who’d hurt her had died. The thought that he was still out there and possibly a threat to his mate took him by surprise.
A rush of emotion surged through him and Gavin had to grip the back of the chair next to him to keep from falling. His scales came out and then retracted. It scared him, to have these reactions and not have any control over them.
“Gavin! What’s wrong?”
He shook his head and then groaned when it only made the dizziness worse. “I have to confess something, Kia. I didn’t want you to know what I did. I was ashamed.”
His legs buckled under him and she gasped. Suddenly his brother was at his side, one strong arm around his waist. He helped him to the couch. It was such a relief when he sank into the deep cushions that Gavin almost wept. That above else convinced him that something was seriously wrong. All of his bones and joints ached like he’d aged a decade since that morning. Dragons didn’t get these sorts of symptoms until they were much older.
“You said you had to confess something?” Kia sat on the couch next to him and placed a cool hand against his brow.
“For years I’ve been working on a serum designed to break the mate bond. I passed out that day because I tested it on myself.”
Nate cursed. “What the hell, Gavin? You could have killed yourself.”
“I know but I didn’t see any other choice. Those of us who’ve lost our mates suffer so much. I wanted to find a way to break the bond so we could have some peace.”
“What are you saying? Did something go wrong? Is that why you’re sick?” Kia asked.
“The formula I developed was based on your father’s notes. I think maybe it’s the same thing he used on you. That’s why I’m getting weaker.”
Kia squeezed his hand. “You accidentally made a dragon suppressant for yourself.”
“Yes. I thought it would just suppress the mate bond. But I think it’s suppressing everything.” He grimaced as another bolt of pain lanced through him. He looked at Nate helplessly. “I didn’t want to end up like Avan.”
“Who?” Kia looked at Nathan.
“Our cousin. The King. Because he’s so much older and been without a mate all this time, his mental state is … borderline. The dissolution risk is high at his age.
“What does that mean? Will he die without a mate?”
“No, but he might wish he did. Dragons that go so long without a mate start to lose control of their rational mind. The dragon takes over. Once a dragon is that far gone, there’s no way to bring them back.”
“That’s so sad.”
“It is. It’s also painful.” Gavin interrupted. “That’s why I’ve been working on this serum for so long.”
“I don’t like being here when Gavin is obviously sick. It makes us vulnerable and I don’t trust Avan not to take advantage of that.” Nathan looked around, his eyes narrowing on the guard standing at the door.
“What should we do?” Kia squeezed Gavin’s hand tighter.
“Get the hell out of here. If Gavin figured out how to make this drug then he can make an antidote. But he needs his lab for that. Right?”
“Yeah. I should be able to come up with something.” It was hard for him to even get the words out. His breathlessness didn’t escape his brother’s attention.
“Okay. Everybody be on your guard. Let’s get out of here while we still can.”
The mood was very different leaving the castle than it had been going in. Kia had been looking forward to exploring later and had tried to peer in each elegantly appointed room as they’d passed. Now, they were all silent.
Gavin walked with his arm slung around his brother’s shoulders, talking in a falsely animated voice. Kia could only hope it looked to outsiders like he was overly affectionate instead of using his brother as a makeshift crutch.
“Oh no! We forgot my father’s journal.”
Nathan glanced around uncertainly. “We aren’t supposed to take anything out of the library. Besides Gavin has digitized most of the files already.”
“We found a note hidden in the inner lining of my father’s journal. If Gavin is going to make an antidote, the information in that note could be relevant. And we’re already here.”
“I don’t like it. The longer Gavin’s in there, the more likely that someone will notice how weak he is.”
“It’s okay. I’ll go back for it. I’m hardly a threat to anybody so they won’t bother me. I’ll just say I forgot my purse or something.”
Gavin shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll get the information some other way.”
She shook her head and marched back to the guard standing at the door to the castle.
“I’m so sorry but I forgot something. Can I just run in and get it?” The guard opened the door and she walked in, ignoring Nate calling her name.
The library had been down the second hallway and she counted the doorways as she passed. The door was slightly ajar so she pushed it open. Her father’s journal was still on the table where she’d dropped it when Gavin collapsed. She opened it and palmed the folded piece of paper, pressing the lining of the book down so no one else would know something had been back there. She tucked the note in the front pocket of her jeans and then put the book back on the shelf.
Then she stepped back and bumped into someone. She whirled around and gulped when she saw the man standing directly behind her. He blinked at her with steady, gold-slitted eyes.
“Who are you?”
“Avan, King of Dragons. Who are you?”
Oh God. Kia’s breath left her in a rush of air. She opened her mouth to respond and all that came out was a wheeze. He didn’t seem bothered by her staring though, just tilted his head and watched her with those strange eyes.
“Forgot something?” he asked silkily, his voice as hypnotic as his gaze. He was tall and his dark hair waved around his face in a way that looked too perfect to be real. Aesthetically, he was flawless. But there was a coldness about him that made her skin crawl. Like she wasn’t sure he was entirely sane.
She edged around him. “Just had to put things back. Wouldn’t want to leave a mess, you know?”
He leaned closer and took a deep inhale. When his eyes popped open the pupils widened and then narrowed. She had the incredibly odd sensation that he’d just smelled her. Deliberately.
This was so weird. She needed to get the hell out of here.
“By the gods, you look just like her. Beautiful.”
Just like that, she paused. She knew he was just bait
ing her. The energy in the room was so strange but she could tell he was toying with her, hoping to get a reaction. She didn’t want to give it to him but curiosity had always been her downfall.
“Who?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“Your mother. Iyaana.”
If there had been any doubt in her mind, it disappeared when he said her name. “You knew my mother?”
“I did. She was engaged at one time to one of the nobles of this clan. It wasn’t a true mate match. He was much older and just wanted companionship. Your mother’s parents came from humble means and wanted their daughter to be well taken care of so they agreed to the match. However, he ended up finding his true mate a few months before your mother came of age. To compensate your mother’s family for the trouble, the king allowed her to foster here and serve as part of the queen’s court.”
Her common sense was screaming in the back of her mind to get out of there. Nathan and Gavin were waiting for her. They were going to be worried if she didn’t come back soon. But the lure of finding out more about her mother was more than she could resist. It was more than she’d ever thought to discover. It was probably more than even what her father knew.
“So she lived here after that.”
“Yes, for years. This was over fifty years ago though so the details are a little hazy. I had a bit of a crush on her then. But she’d already met your father. We were all quite fond of her.”
“If you were all so fond of her, why didn’t anyone protect her during the war? How could the same dragons who loved her kill her?”
He blinked. “Your mother wasn’t killed during the dragon wars. She left with your father voluntarily. You were injured as I recall and they were quite distressed.”
“No. That can’t be right. My father said the dragons killed her.”
“I saw them leave. Your mother was alive when your parents left Rivenell. She never came back. They were draakoten. Forbidden. My father didn’t trust anyone who was part of the prior regime. Your father was very close to King Nataanik. Gavin’s father.”
Avan crossed his arms behind his back and walked over to the section of books where she’d placed her father’s journal. He traced a finger along the binding. Kia held her breath until he moved on, touching each of the books on the row absently. She wasn’t going to contradict him on the timing of her mother’s death. He admitted himself that his memory was hazy and Nathan had warned her that he was unstable. If she told him he was wrong, there was no way to tell how he’d react.
“Have things changed in the last decade or so? Maybe some of my father’s things were moved somewhere else? I would love to find out more about his research.”
Avan turned them and gifted her with a wide smile. “I promise to find out if that’s true. Now run along. Your mate will be wondering why you haven’t brought back whatever you were sent in here to steal.”
“Oh no. No, I wasn’t stealing.”
Kia gulped when he stalked forward and placed a finger in the front pocket of her jeans. He must have seen her tuck the note in there before she’d known he was there.
Up close, he was just as strangely attractive, all sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes. He traced a single finger down her cheek, stopping right at the curve of her mouth.
“Such a beautiful little liar. But don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret.”
chapter eight
Gavin stalked down the hallway leading to the library. After Kia had broken away and gone inside, Nathan had talked him down from going after her immediately. He’d argued that charging after her would likely rouse more suspicion and it was better to give her a few minutes.
After five minutes had passed, his brother hadn’t been able to hold him back any more. There were any number of reasonable explanations for what was taking her so long but there was a drum beat in his blood telling him she needed him. That he needed to find her. Immediately.
When he crossed the threshold into the library and saw his cousin touching her face, all rational thought was lost. A haze of red descended, blotting out his view of the scene. Not that he needed to see anything else. Another male was touching his mate. The die had already been cast. He was going for blood.
“Get away from her!” He ran across the room and tackled Avan, their bodies crashing into the wood table behind him. The room erupted into a mess of screams, grunts and crashes as they pummeled each other. A guard yanked him back by the arms and he threw off the hold.
Avan stood, wiping the blood at the edge of his mouth with his thumb. He grinned at Gavin.
“I needed that. Let him go,” he barked at the guards. “Calm yourself, cousin. I wasn’t hurting your mate. Simply introducing myself.”
Too far gone for explanations, Gavin growled and moved forward, ready to knock that smug look off his cousin’s face. Kia stepped between them and placed a hand on Gavin’s chest. He stopped immediately at her touch, his entire being attuned to her presence.
“He wasn’t doing anything, Gavin. I’m fine. Let’s just go.”
She took his hand and led him from the room. The guards moved out of the way and he noticed Nathan in the hall.
“What the hell just happened? They wouldn’t let me in.”
“I’ll tell you later,” he grumbled. The initial rage had passed but he was still amped, all the adrenaline of the fight needing an outlet.
Outside on the lawn, he shifted and knelt so Kia could climb on. Nathan helped her with the harness and then as soon as his brother stepped back, he took off. His mind was tuned to one purpose, getting his mate home where she’d be protected. Kia’s slight weight was no burden but halfway through the trip, he found himself struggling to stay in the air. It was difficult to extend his wings all the way and he listed to the side suddenly.
Kia’s scream echoed through the trees.
The sound of her terror jolted him and he tried to correct course. He clipped a tree but managed to land atop some bushes on the side of a hill. Gavin gasped as his shift receded and he was left writhing on the ground in his human skin as Kia collapsed next to him.
“No, Gavin. Stay with me.” She slapped his cheeks lightly. “Don’t go to sleep.”
“I should have told you what I’d done. Maybe things would be different now.”
“Ssh, Gavin it’s not your fault. You were trying to do a good thing. There was no way you could have known the formula would harm you like this.”
Shame rode him hard. If she only knew how reckless he’d been, how little he’d cared whether he lived or died. “That’s not the part I’m ashamed of. That’s not even close to being the worst part.”
His head dropped forward again as his vision went temporarily black. “You have to get us home, Kia. I can’t. You have to shift, baby. Right now.”
“Oh god. I’ve never flown that far and I’m not even sure where I’m going.”
“If you fly high enough, Nathan will see you. He’ll lead you home. But we need to hurry.” He didn’t want to alarm her but he could feel himself losing consciousness. If they didn’t get him secured soon…
She stood and took off her clothes, storing them in the bag strapped to his back. Then she carefully disentangled him from the cords of the harness. She squeezed her eyes shut and her scales came out. Then in a blur of motion, her dragon emerged. Gavin felt a surge of pride looking at her. His mate was so extraordinary.
He stood shakily and helped arrange the harness around her. She knelt so he could climb on her back. He secured himself with the harness straps and then patted her back.
“Let’s go.”
Kia didn’t believe in any particular deity but she’d prayed to all of them on that shaky flight home. Even following Nathan, she’d been terrified of getting lost and distracted by thoughts of how Gavin was doing.
For the next twenty-four hours, Kia kept a constant watch on Gavin. He was in and out of consciousness but when he was awake, he was remarkably lucid. Jonas took notes while he was awake and used his ins
tructions to concoct a counter-drug that they hoped would wake him up. But after taking the antidote, he slipped into unconsciousness and hadn’t woken since.
Nathan and Ian took turns sitting with her, distracting her with stories about growing up in Rivenell. As an only child, Kia had never missed having siblings. Being alone was what she knew. But seeing the way the brothers interacted and observing their unfailing devotion to Gavin made her wish she had someone who loved her like that.
Gavin does, a little voice taunted. Gavin loves you like that.
Realizing that it was true only made it harder to watch him as he slept, struggling to breathe. Early Sunday morning, she was examining the note she’d taken from her father’s journal for the hundredth time when it occurred to her that she could go straight to the source for more information. She’d initially visited her father every Friday but she’d stopped when her visits seemed to agitate him. Lori kept her updated with weekly email reports and he seemed to have adjusted to his new environment well enough.
But this was an emergency. Gavin needed help and her father probably had the answers. It wasn’t a guarantee, after all she had no evidence that he’d used his early formula at all in the drugs he’d developed for her. He might have scrapped that formula completely and started over. But what if he hadn’t? Maybe he’d discovered how to counterattack the effects that Gavin was experiencing?
As she’d expected, Nathan tried to talk her out of it. “My brother wouldn’t want you going anywhere near your father, knowing that he kept you locked up your whole childhood. He’d rather die than see you subjected to that.”
He sobered at that and looked over at Gavin’s prone form on the bed. Every hour his color got worse. Now he looked almost gray. It was like watching the life drain from him right before their eyes.
“Die is exactly what’s happening. Look at him? I have to do something.”
Nathan sighed. “I wish you’d let me drive you.”
“I would rather you stay here with Gavin. Just in case he wakes up.”
She smiled faintly. Neither of them really believed Gavin was going to wake back up which just made her will to do this stronger.
