The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance

by Harmony Raines

  “I have controlled Cairnnor with an iron fist and with burning flame.” He sneered. “No one stands against me.”

  “And will you carry me to the fire pits of Tolarth before dawn tomorrow and prove this?” She held her breath, waiting for an answer.

  “I will.” He grabbed his glass and the contents sloshed around as he tilted his head back and drank the liquor in one shot.

  It would be too easy to grab the knife and slit his throat.

  But when Argothorn leaned down to place the empty glass on the table next to the bottle, his eyes rolled up into their sockets and he fell down onto the floor with a thud.

  “You can stay right there,” she told him. “I’ll wake you up in the morning when it’s time to leave.”

  Her hands shook as she went to the table and poured herself a small glass of liquor. “Cheers.” She raised her glass. “May you finally get what you deserve, Argothorn.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight – Ivan

  “How do we get around this?” Ivan focused on the blocked trail up ahead, aware that they were running out of time.

  “When was the last time anyone used this trail?” Elise puffed to a stop beside him.

  “I have no idea,” Silas admitted. His usual calm expression slipped as he glanced at the sky.

  “Dawn is only an hour away. We’re not going to make it.” Ivan raked a hand through his hair. If they didn’t make it, Larisa would be in danger.

  “Not unless we shift.” Fiona voiced his thoughts.

  His dragon fought for freedom, but Ivan stopped him from bursting out and flying the rest of the way. They had to keep their presence secret. Unless there was no alternative.

  Silas sighed, turned around, and paced back and forth along the trail. “Check the map.”

  Ivan pulled the map out of his pack and unrolled it just enough to see that the dot had not moved. “If the spell is working, then Argothorn is still in his tower.”

  Elise and Caleb exchanged wary glances but didn’t speak. They didn’t have to. They were all thinking the same thing. What if Larisa had failed?

  What if she hadn’t managed to convince Argothorn to come to the pits? Or worse. What if he’d seen through her pretense and captured her?

  “Someone’s coming.” Fiona’s eyes flashed a deep amber as she stared into the distance, her view blocked by the fallen rocks.

  “A dragon shifter.” Ivan turned his head from side to side. “Two dragon shifters.”

  “Do you think they know we’re here?” Caleb stepped closer to Elise.

  “What if this is a trap and Egan told them we were coming?” Elise gazed over her shoulder toward the ocean. But there was no use running, they would never escape dragons.

  “Perhaps it is time for you to shift.” Silas looked up at the sky. “If we make a run for it, I doubt the dragons will follow us to Wishing Moon Bay.”

  “No!” Ivan ground out. “I’m not leaving Larisa here.”

  “You’re no good to her dead,” Silas replied.

  “It’s Egan.” Fiona suddenly jerked her head back. “Egan is one of the dragons approaching.”

  “He’s looking for us.” Ivan’s heart hammered as relief flooded him. “He must have been getting worried that we were not going to show up.”

  “Or it could be a trap.” Caleb didn’t like Cairnnor, he’d been uneasy since the boat dropped them off on the beach.

  “We have to trust Egan. If not, we could blow this whole plan.” Ivan locked his senses onto the dragon shifter. “He’s sensed us, too. They’re coming this way.”

  “Okay.” Caleb pointed at Ivan. “But at the first sign of trouble, you need to shift. We’ll figure out how to get Larisa back after.”

  “Agreed,” Fiona replied.

  “No,” Ivan replied. “If we have to shift then Fiona can carry you all back to Wishing Moon Bay and I’ll stay here.” He pointed at the ground.

  “I’ll stay with you,” Caleb told his brother.

  “No, you need to go with Elise,” Ivan said firmly.

  “Ivan...”

  Ivan cut Caleb off. “I know you want to help. But I’m better on my own. I can shift and fly without having to wait for you to get on my back.”

  “They’re close,” Fiona warned, and the small group clustered together as they waited for the dragons to arrive.

  Ivan watched in awe as they appeared in the sky. Small at first, the dragons grew bigger and bigger before they disappeared from view as the rockfall obscured them.

  His dragon thrashed his tail, wanting to meet the dragons head-on. Not because he wanted to fight them but because he longed to feel the freedom of flight. To experience their homeland for himself.

  The first dragon to land was the smaller of the two and he instantly shifted. “We’ve been waiting for you at the fire pits,” was Egan’s only greeting.

  “The trail is not good for two feet,” Fiona complained. “It’s taken us hours to get here.”

  “I don’t know if anyone ever uses the trail anymore,” Egan confessed. “The fire pits are unused. A few dragons come here to reminisce about the old times, but they fly in.”

  Silas stepped forward. “I had no idea. Last time I was here, this trail was well used.”

  “When was the last time you were here?” Egan asked.

  “Do we have time for small talk?” Elise asked. “You can have a whole history lesson once this is over.”

  “Who is the other dragon?” Silas asked.

  “Lorelis, he’s the first member of the council I contacted. I trust him completely.”

  “He was a friend of my father’s.” Ivan stared up at the sky, his senses fixed on the elder dragon.

  “I thought you didn’t know any of the dragons from Cairnnor?” Egan gave Ivan a suspicious glance. He’d risked a lot for them, and he must be afraid he’d been betrayed.

  “I was told they were friends,” Ivan replied quickly. “I was also told Lorelis was searching for my father’s treasure.”

  “I expect he was trying to find out if Argothorn had confiscated it,” Egan explained.

  “Confiscated it?” Ivan’s eyes narrowed.

  “Yes. Argothorn passed a law that stated he could confiscate the treasure that belonged to those he deemed traitors. People like my father.” Egan’s eyes glittered with tears but beneath the tears was an amber glow, a sign of his anger toward the dragon lord.

  “So Lorelis wasn’t trying to steal my treasure?” Ivan asked, needing to be sure before he put his trust and the lives of his friends in his hands.

  “No. Lorelis would never do that. He helped me and my mom when we were left with nothing…” Egan glanced around nervously but said no more.

  “Again with the talking. We don’t have the luxury of time.” Elise grabbed the map from Ivan’s pack and unrolled it. She stared at it and then lowered her head closer.

  “He’s finally on the move?” Ivan asked.

  She locked eyes with him and nodded. “We really need to get to the pits before he arrives.”

  Egan nodded and then looked up, beckoning to the other dragon while Elise stuffed the map back into Ivan’s pack. “Two of you need to go with Lorelis. The rest of you are with me.”

  The older dragon, the biggest dragon Ivan had ever seen, flew over their heads and then hovered for a moment. Slowly, he descended toward the ground, and they all stepped back to give him room.

  “I don’t usually ride on the back of a dragon.” Fiona wrinkled her nose.

  “I’ve never ridden on the back of another dragon,” Ivan admitted. “I suppose we’re both going to get a taste of what it’s like.”

  “If we weren’t under pressure, I’d refuse.” Fiona held out her hand to Ivan. “Let’s do this together.”

  They waited for Lorelis to land and tuck in his wings. As he lowered his leg, they ran forward and scrambled onto his back. Throwing his leg over the dragon’s wide back, Ivan adjusted his position, and gripped Lorelis’s dragon’s horn before he extende
d his arm to Fiona.

  She carefully climbed onto the dragon’s back as if she were afraid he might explode beneath her. Was this how other people felt when they climbed onto the back of a dragon for the first time?

  As Fiona sat down and wrapped her arms around Ivan’s waist, the dragon sprang into the air and flew away from the others, keeping low over the ground. His senses told him Egan had shifted and the others were getting on his back.

  However, his attention was soon yanked away from them. Instead, he focused on a group of ten or more people huddled together about a mile away. This must be the rest of the council members.

  He took comfort in Fiona’s presence. If this went wrong, then they would find a way out of it together. She would fly the others back to Wishing Moon Bay while he found his mate.

  What then? That was one question he didn’t have the answer to.

  Lorelis flew swift and true toward the group of people in front of them, while behind them the younger dragon took off and followed close behind.

  Ivan stared into the distance, he had no idea what the fire pits of Tolarth were. But his first sight of the four spires rising in the distance took his breath away. They were like sentinels watching over a huge circular pit.

  “Dragons used to come here to fight,” Fiona yelled.

  Ivan adjusted his position and half-turned to face her. “Is this where you fought Argothorn?”

  She nodded. “I should have spilled his blood here, but Silas warned me not to.”

  Ivan didn’t ask her if she thought that was a mistake. The past was done, and they had to focus on the future.

  Lorelis flapped his wings hard and raced toward the pits. He tucked in his wings and headed for the farthest side of the pits. As he landed near the edge, he dipped his legs so that they could scramble down. Then he shifted.

  Lorelis was elderly, he looked like a man in his late sixties, but Ivan suspected he was significantly older and wiser than that. “No time for greetings.” His eyes rested on Ivan. “We need to join the others.”

  Ivan hurried after Lorelis but kept casting a look over his shoulder scouring the skyline for Egan’s dragon. His relief when the smaller dragon skimmed the edge of the pits and landed was immense.

  Elise, Caleb, and Silas dismounted and ran after Ivan before Egan had a chance to shift. They were running out of time.

  Ivan didn’t need the map to tell him where Argothorn was. The dragon shifter was approaching. He was less than a mile away.

  And Larisa was with him.

  He should be relieved that the plan was working but he hated sensing his mate so close to Argothorn. She must be riding on his back.

  It’s wrong, his dragon hissed.

  “This way.” Lorelis ran toward a small open doorway in the rock wall. The stout wooden door was held open by a young man who was in his thirties, his features matched those of Lorelis. “This is my son, Matheus. You can trust him.”

  “Does that mean we can’t trust everyone else?” Ivan asked.

  Lorelis didn’t answer as he led them into the dark corridor. But perhaps that was an answer in itself.

  “Won’t Argothorn be able to sense us all here?” Fiona paused in the doorway.

  “He’s not as...astute as he used to be,” Lorelis answered.

  “He drinks too much,” Matheus added. He rolled his eyes at his father’s expression. “It’s the truth. And everyone knows it.”

  The others joined them in the corridor and Lorelis stopped as soon as there was enough room for them all to fit. “Egan told me the plan. You should wait here, and I’ll go get the rest of the council. When Argothorn lands, it’s up to you to get him to admit his crimes. The council will hear but they will not act unless they hear it from his own mouth.”

  “Are they all with you?” Ivan asked.

  “They will be. If Argothorn admits his crimes as Egan has described them to me then they will have no choice but to act. Killing another dragon is forbidden unless it is in self-defense.” Lorelis held out his hand to Ivan. “Good luck.”

  “And to you.” Ivan shook his hand and Lorelis’s eyes misted with tears before he turned abruptly away.

  “I’ll bring the others.” Lorelis hurried down the corridor, leaving Matheus behind.

  “My father has worked tirelessly to help the people of Cairnnor. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure he finally gets his dream of seeing them free of Argothorn.” Matheus looked toward the open door. “He’s here.”

  “We should go.” Egan nodded at Ivan, who nodded. He wanted to go out and face Argothorn. He wanted to make sure his mate was safe and stop Argothorn from ever touching her again.

  “Be careful,” Silas warned. “His senses might not work as they should but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. If anything, the liquor he drinks makes him more dangerous because he’s unpredictable.”

  “We’ll be careful.” Ivan inched past his friends, aware of the other council members approaching. Each piece of the puzzle was falling into place.

  The end was close.

  So too was his mate.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine – Larisa

  Her skin crawled where she touched the dragon’s scales, but she forced herself to remain seated on Argothorn’s back as he landed in the center of the fire pit.

  This was the place most revered by dragons. This was where the dragons of old would come and fight to prove their worth. To prove their strength and cunning. Argothorn had told her about the fire pits as he ate his breakfast this morning.

  He’d emphasized his own strength and how he would beat any challenger in the pits. The old dragon was delusional.

  If Argothorn had to fight for his right to lead, he’d fail utterly. He might still have strength, but he had no cunning.

  Unless he was bluffing her.

  She looked around the empty pit wishing, not for the first time, that she had shifter senses. Was Ivan here? Or was she trapped in the pits alone with a malevolent dragon?

  Argothorn prowled around the edge of the pit, sniffing the ground like a dog on a scent.

  “Oh, Argothorn,” she called out.

  Argothorn stopped moving and tilted his head toward her, his eyes unblinking as he watched her.

  Larisa swung her leg over his back and slid down his shoulder. Argothorn dipped his leg and lowered himself to the ground so that she could dismount without injury.

  So far, he had done everything to keep her safe. He’d even insisted his guards stayed behind when she’d told him this was a journey they needed to make alone.

  Would her luck last long enough for her to make him admit his crimes?

  “Here in the fire pits of Tolarth, you must prove you are worthy.” She held out her arms as the first rays of sunlight crested the distant mountains. “Here where the sun will wash you of your sins.”

  The dragon stared at her unblinking and she shivered. She was vulnerable as she stood before him. All he had to do was breathe in and ignite his fiery breath and she would be burned to a crisp. She could never move fast enough to outrun the flames.

  “Speak!” Larisa tried to capture the gravitas of the moment, but it felt too unnatural. Surely, he’d see that she was playing a part. Not a very believable part.

  But the air shimmered and popped, and the dragon vanished from sight in a moment that stretched on and on. Then the man appeared. A man who sneered at her as he approached.

  “Speak?” Argothorn put his hands on his hips and studied her. “I don’t need to speak. It’s obvious that I am worthy. If not, give me an opponent and I’ll crush them to dust.”

  “Strength is not only about physical prowess.” Larisa walked around him slowly. “But the strength to admit your deepest darkest sins.”

  Argothorn stared at her as unblinking as his dragon. Had she pushed him too far, too fast?

  “The sun is rising, Argothorn, Dragon Lord of Cairnnor.” She stepped away, seeking the sun’s rays. “When it has fully risen, I will fade away. Forever. And wit
h me goes your only chance of joining with the elves.”

  Larisa closed her eyes, the warmth of the sun on her back. Would the dragon lord take the bait?

  “And if I confess?” Argothorn stalked toward her.

  “Then you will be the first dragon to be honored by the elves. And you will be unstoppable.” She cringed at the words. Would this dragon shifter believe her?

  His eyes glowed a deep orange and a smile crossed his lips. Bile rose in her throat, his malevolent nature was in his very essence, looking into his eyes was like looking into a dark abyss. Had this man ever felt anything except malice for another person?

  “Unstoppable?” He leaned closer to her, and she held her ground, not giving an inch to the man. “I already am unstoppable.”

  This wasn’t going well. “The sun is rising.” She turned her back to him and took a step toward the sun. As she did, a flicker of movement along the side of the pit caught her eye. Was that Ivan? Were they here?

  If they were, she’d need to get Argothorn closer so that they could hear. She mentally smacked herself on the forehead. They were shifters, they could probably hear everything she was saying.

  Great. They would think she was as delusional as Argothorn with her talk about elves. She closed her eyes and composed herself. It didn’t matter what they thought as long as Argothorn believed her.

  “What do you want to hear?” Argothorn asked.

  “The truth,” Larisa replied. “Only the truth is worthy of an elf rider.”

  She slowly moved away from him, placing one foot deliberately in front of the other as if she were being drawn toward some invisible force.

  “I have killed,” Argothorn whispered.

  She didn’t answer. She needed him to say it louder and if he thought she hadn’t heard him that was exactly what he would do. Hopefully.

  Time was running out. If the sun rose too high, he would realize she wasn’t going to spontaneously disappear and that would give her away.

  “I murdered two dragon shifters,” Argothorn called out.

  “Name them,” Larisa replied even though the lump of emotion in her throat threatened to steal her voice. Surely, he wouldn’t be fool enough to do as she asked.