Dragon Desire

by Juniper Hart

  “Lennox,” she called him again, glancing nervously over her shoulder. “Lennox, wake up!”

  Castor came into the room, grabbing her arm. “We can’t stay long! If we’re caught here—”

  “Please!” she cried, wrenching her arm away. The desperation in her voice sounded too real to be a dream. With a startled, choked-off gasp, Lennox suddenly realized that he was not dreaming. Gia was really standing on the other side of his cage.

  “Gia!” he yelled, leaping to his feet. “How—how did you find me?”

  Gia glanced at Castor, who was glancing around the room, his expression panicked.

  “Castor brought me down here,” she told him. Lennox moved to press his own palms to her impressions on the glass. “Lennox, something is happening. I can feel it.”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “You have to tell my brothers to get over themselves and work together, because another uprising is brewing while they fight.”

  Gia’s blue eyes widened. Next to her, Castor gasped.

  “What?” she choked. “How do you know?”

  “It’s too long a story to explain right now!” Lennox said. “You need to find a pixie named Mira and bring her to the palace. I think she’s playing a major role in what’s happening.”

  “Mira?” Gia whispered. “Ginger-haired pixie, black eyes?”

  “You… you know her?” Lennox growled. “What did she promise you? Please tell me you didn’t accept any wishes from her!”

  “No,” Gia answered, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Are you sure that’s what this is?” Castor interrupted. “The last uprising left so many dead. It took centuries to recover from—”

  “We’re wasting time discussing this!” Lennox snapped. “You need to make my brothers listen! Find Mira and bring her to me under their guard. If she reverses the wish she granted me, this can all be avoided.”

  Gia studied his face uncomprehendingly. “What wish did she grant you?”

  “Gia, it has nothing to do with how I feel about you,” he assured her. “Now we must act quickly. Castor, you deal with my brothers. Gia, you find Mira.”

  For a moment, all Gia and Castor did was stare at him dumbly, like they weren’t sure Lennox should be taken seriously. He didn’t blame them. He probably sounded like a madman trying to redeem himself, but he knew he was right. Wilder was much too formidable to overthrow when he was in the throne, and Mira had found a weaker target to attack.

  Lennox couldn’t believe he had allowed his ego to interfere with his common sense. But there was still time to make things right, and he was determined to put an end to this before it began.

  “Please,” he begged them. “You can look at me funny later. You need to do what I’m telling you before a civil war breaks out and the Hollows suffer.”

  To his relief, Castor nodded his head and headed out of the room. Gia stayed behind.

  “Are you sure about this, Lennox?” she asked him.

  “Gia,” he said. “If we catch them in time, you and I will never have to worry about being together again,” he vowed. “I made a grave mistake accepting that wish from Mira, but it can be undone. You need to hurry!”

  She nodded and reluctantly turned away, leaving him to pace the room again, his pulse racing.

  He hoped his brothers would listen to reason, because if they did not get over themselves and unite, they would lose control of the kingdom they had worked so hard to maintain.

  And it would all be Lennox’s fault.

  15

  “I need to find Mira.”

  Allegra gasped and whirled at the sound of Gia’s voice, her hand over her heart.

  “Gia! You scared me,” she laughed nervously. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to find Mira. Now.” There was a flatness in her own tone that Gia didn’t recognize. Allegra must’ve heard it, too, because she stared closely at Gia.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Tell me where to find Mira,” Gia said, her tone growing aggravated. “It’s important.”

  Allegra’s eyes narrowed. “Gia, what’s going on?”

  “You tell me,” Gia answered. “Was I somehow part of this plan? Is that why you befriended me?” Allegra’s face paled, and Gia saw a shadow of worry cross her eyes before she had a chance to hide it.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Allegra insisted. “Why don’t you come and sit down?” She gestured at a nearby stool close to the display counter.

  “You really do think I’m gullible and stupid, don’t you?” Gia hissed, folding her arms defiantly. “Is that why you picked me to be a pawn in your plan? All that talk about me sticking up for myself and being stronger… I bet you and Mira had a good laugh at my expense.”

  “Gia, I don’t know—”

  “Stop it!” she screamed, her voice ricocheting through the boutique like gunfire. “I’m onto you, Allegra! I know why you and Mira met in secret! I know about the uprising!”

  This time, Allegra couldn’t hide her shock. She stepped back from Gia, and when she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “Who told you? Do the dragons know?”

  Pain and betrayal surged through Gia like a hot knife.

  “Where is Mira?” she demanded through clenched teeth. “I need to know where she is so she can stop this before it’s too late.”

  Allegra moved around the side of the counter, her arms extended as if she wanted to embrace Gia. Gia was having none of it.

  “Don’t touch me!” she spat. “Don’t pretend to be my friend! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’ve trapped an innocent man and caused a war in your own home, and for what? What benefit could this be to you?”

  “Gia, you don’t understand,” Allegra said softly. “You weren’t around when the dragons were different, when we all lived in fear every day. We know what they’re capable of, and some of us worry that they will fall back into their old ways.”

  “Some of you like Mira?” Gia scowled. “Where is she? She needs to undo what she’s done.”

  Allegra shook her head sadly. “I don’t know where she is, Gia. I swear I don’t!”

  Like she would tell her even if she did know. It was clear where Allegra’s loyalties lay, and they weren’t with Gia.

  The fairy scoffed and spun away, her heart swollen with disappointment. She had trusted Allegra so much, and that had been a mistake she was decided not to repeat. If Gia survived the upcoming war, she would never let her guard down again.

  “Gia, wait!” Allegra begged. “I really don’t know where she is! When word got out that Lennox had been dethroned, the attack plan went into action. Without a ruler in the palace, no decisions can be made. The dragons have always harbored a sick brotherly rivalry amongst themselves, one that blinds them to anything else going on around them. It’s their weakness: the envy of one another.”

  “Lennox is not envious of anyone!” Gia cried, tears burning behind her lids. “He just wanted to be free to love me!” The second the words left her mouth, she was struck by a sudden realization that made her gasp. “You knew this would happen! That’s why you set me up to work in the palace! You knew this stupid clause would be grounds to overthrow him! You set me up, too!”

  “It was a plan we fashioned before I got to know you!” Allegra sobbed, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. “I didn’t realize how much I would grow to love you. I meant what I said about you. You’re special and—”

  “You’re the devil!” Gia hissed, spinning to storm away. “And now you can live with the fact that you’ve double-crossed a woman who would have done anything for you. I hope you can say the same about Mira.”

  She ran from the store before her own tears could begin to flow, shaking with shame and devastation. Her best friend had set her up with her fated mate, knowing that she was going to wedge them apart.

  Gia knew she couldn’t waste time wallowing in self-pity. Mira had to be found and stopped. She had a job to do. She just had no id
ea how to do it.

  “Castor, if this is some sort of trick, I promise you’ll spend the rest of eternity in limbo,” Reef growled, following the servant through the bowels of the palace, toward the glass room that held Lennox.

  “It’s not a trick,” Castor quickly assured him. “I am just repeating what His Highness—”

  “He’s not ‘His Highness’ anymore,” Wilder chirped. His brothers chuckled.

  “This is not a matter to be taken lightly,” Castor said sharply. “Moreover, I believe what he is saying is true.”

  “Why do you think so?” Keppler asked curiously. “Have you heard rumors?”

  “Whiffs and innuendos,” Castor answered. “But I have been under your employ for so long; a rebellion is not apt to come looking to me for assistance. I am as good as the enemy to the rest of the Hollows.”

  “You’re making it sound like they have been planning this for eons, waiting to lock us away.” Castor remained silent as he led the way to the glass cage. “Castor?” Keppler urged. “Is that what you’re saying?”

  “I’m saying that some of the oldest souls and immortals have been waiting for a chance to get back at you for stealing the peace of the Hollows.”

  “It was you and the vampires who eradicated the peace of the Hollows, if it ever really existed,” Reef spat. “They can’t blame us.”

  “Well,” Castor mumbled. “They do.”

  None of them spoke another word, making their way toward Lennox in silence.

  Lennox stopped his pacing inside his glass cage when he heard the door to the room open. He sighed in relief at the sight of Castor, followed by his four brothers.

  “Oh, thank the gods, you all came!” he exhaled. “You have to let me out!”

  In unison, all four dragons outside the case burst into laughter.

  “I told you this was bullshit,” Owen muttered, turning away. “Come on.”

  “It’s not bullshit!” Lennox exclaimed. “I am only in power because I was granted a wish by a pixie.”

  Wilder’s face contorted with rage. “That’s forbidden!” he howled. “Which pixie? I’ll have her head stuffed and mounted in the game room!”

  “Her name is Mira,” Lennox said, “and Gia is looking for her. But you can’t kill her until she reverses the spell!”

  Reef scoffed. “You sent a meek little fairy to find a mischievous pixie? If she has any idea you’re looking for her, she could be anywhere in Sunside or the Hollows!”

  “Not if she’s leading the rebellion,” Lennox replied. “You didn’t ask me what my wish was.”

  “What rebellion?” Keppler asked. At least he seemed willing to hear Lennox out. “What did you wish for, Lennox?”

  “I wished to take over power from Wilder.”

  His brothers were silent for a long moment, their gazes turning toward the most static of them all. They were probably trying to envision a world with Wilder in charge, having forgotten how it had been like before Lennox’s wish was granted.

  “Lennox,” Wilder began, the anger in his voice barely restrained. “If this is true—”

  “We don’t have time to bicker about this!” Lennox exploded, shaking his head in disbelief. “Mira is not here to reverse what she’s done, and we have a battle coming to our walls! We have to prepare!”

  “So let them come,” Owen said. “We’ll blow them out of the water like we have before. What the hell do we need you for? Unless you’re distracting us as a part of their rebellion.”

  His brother’s eyes turned to Lennox, staring at him with suspicion.

  “Let me out!” Lennox yelled, holding back an exasperated groan. “The Hollows are twice as populated as they were in the last uprising! You can’t be down a dragon if you hope to win! It took every ounce of energy to make it through the last one. Be reasonable!”

  “We’ll survive,” Wilder said coldly, and Lennox could see he was still furious about the news he had learned. “You better pray that your girlfriend finds that pixie and that she reverses the spell.”

  “My lords, I highly suggest you listen to him,” Castor offered tentatively. “As I said, I don’t believe he’s—”

  “For all we know, you’re in on it, too!” Owen shouted. “And what about that scared little fairy? What is she hiding?”

  “You leave Gia the hell out of this!” Lennox roared, slamming his fists against the glass so hard that everyone jumped back. “She is trying to save your oblivious asses!”

  “You do seem awfully defensive,” Reef muttered.

  Lennox felt his blood rushing into his head as he realized that he was not getting through to his brothers. A war was at their doorsteps, and they were too busy having a pissing contest to notice.

  Oh, Gia, he thought. Please tell me you’ve found Mira. She’s our only hope right now. I can feel them closing in.

  “Guys, you need to listen to me,” Lennox begged, knowing that his words were falling on deaf ears. “We’re probably already too late!”

  “I thought your girlfriend was coming back?” Wilder mocked him. “I’ve heard enough. If there’s any truth to this, we can’t be down here distracted by our self-serving brother. We need to be ready. Let’s go.”

  Lennox could do nothing except stare helplessly after his brothers as they turned toward the door. He had hoped that Gia would have better luck locating Mira, but Mira was not the only pixie with the power to grant a wish.

  “Find another pixie and have her reverse the spell!” Lennox yelled out to them. “Any pixie! Just go into the palace and pick one!”

  His brothers paused. Keppler, Owen, and Reef half-turned back to him while Wilder kept his back to Lennox. Lennox could see, though, that they were all considering the idea. Unfortunately, he knew that only Wilder would be willing to do such a thing.

  After all, there was no benefit to the others if they were not in power.

  “We can sit down after things go back to the way they were meant to be!” Lennox cried, losing what little patience he had left. “We can work something out so that none of us is in absolute control, but for now, we need to undo what’s been done! Please!”

  A long silence followed his plea, and Lennox held his breath, waiting for at least one of his brothers to oblige, to listen to his request.

  After a moment, Keppler breathed deeply. “All right,” he said. “We’ll go find a pixie—”

  An explosion rocked the foundation they stood upon, causing debris to fall and crumble around them.

  “What the hell was that?” Owen yelled.

  Lennox closed his eyes as a second explosion followed shortly after, and he heard the screams overhead as the palace ran for cover.

  “We’re too late,” he moaned quietly. “The attack has begun.”

  16

  Gia screamed, covering her head as more rocks fell over her head, but her frail arms did little to block the sharp, crumbling structure from pelting at her skin.

  “What are they doing?” she cried. “Are they blowing up the palace?”

  Her fellow traveler didn’t answer her. Gia continued her way through the rubble, back toward where she had last seen Lennox. She wondered what she would find, and her stomach churned with the possibilities. Would he be buried in his glass cage beneath a pile of dirt and debris?

  Each step through the smoke-filled maze of corridors filled Gia with more anxiety. She couldn’t help feeling like they were already too late.

  Gia cast her companion a wary look, wondering if she hadn’t made things worse by letting her come with her. Then again, what other choice had she had?

  Allegra had found her standing outside the palace walls, shaking and terrified as she tried to think of her next move. She had no idea where to look for a rogue pixie. Her gut told her that Mira was close, plotting every step in the war, but where? And even if she did find Mira, how could she expect her to just go with her? Gia couldn’t force her, much less when Mira clearly wanted the dragons to fall. Nothing Gia said would convince her to r
everse the spell. What had Gia been thinking?

  “I can help you,” Allegra had told her. “Take me to Lennox.”

  Gia had snorted in disgust. “You’ve helped enough,” she’d retorted. “Thanks.”

  “What do you have to lose? I assure you, you’ll never find Mira in time. I’m the best you’ve got.”

  In her desperation, Gia had accepted Allegra’s offer to help, even though she was certain it was another ploy somehow. She would let Lennox deal with her.

  Another explosion rocked the palace, forcing them to duck for cover. As they did, a flurry of movement on the far side of the hall caught Gia’s eye.

  She watched in awe as a beast swept through the tunnel, his green wings scraping the edge of the walls as he darted past. His tail whipped past the fallen figures of various inhabitants of the Hollows, and another dragon quickly followed the first one, a flash of gleaming silver teeth and shining yellow eyes.

  Gia opened her mouth to call out, wondering if one of the dragons was Lennox, but Allegra’s hand clasped her shoulder.

  “Don’t say a word,” she hissed, and Gia shrank back obediently.

  There were no more explosions nor dragons flying through the hall. Gia and Allegra tentatively rose from their spot, half-covered by the wreckage around them.

  “It’s just up there,” Gia said, gesturing with her hand. Allegra nodded, closely following her.

  After a few more steps, they found themselves standing before the room that contained Lennox’s glass cage. It thankfully seemed to be intact, though that didn’t mean its insides would be undisturbed.

  Gia threw the door open, and her hand flew to her mouth when she saw Lennox still trapped inside the glass box.

  “Lennox!” she cried. “Did they not listen to you?”

  “You didn’t find Mira?” Lennox turned to her and pressed his hands against the glass wall. Gia shook her head, which made Lennox sigh in resignation. “It’s too late. We’re going to be defeated.”

  “No,” Allegra said. “You’re not. I can undo this.”