by Skye Jones
“These scars are the marks of centuries of penance. I have loathed what I did, loathed myself, for the longest time. I lived in my own special hell. This, I promise you. I lived a thousand deaths every single fucking year. I was treated like a dog, worse than. By both humans and dragons and I let them. I never once fought back.”
He continued to show off his marred body, and the sight broke her heart. “I only hoped to find one strong enough to kill me, but none was. This body carries my regret, my punishment. You want to kill me, you can. But you don’t harm a hair on my female’s head. You touch her again, and I will fight you. Trust me, she isn’t Celine. The moment I see that fucking bitch, I am going to kill her myself. For what she did to you and what she did to me. She took my life, too.” Rhyndor thumped his chest, and there were tears in his eyes. “I still hate myself for what I did. I can never make amends. But I can help you get your real vengeance. On the person who truly deserves it. Then, if you still believe I deserve it, you may have my life.”
“No.” Callum moved forward, but Rhyndor held his hand up.
“This has to end. Centuries of hatred and vengeance. It has to end.” His sad gaze moved from Callum back to Steffan. “I swear to you, on my honor. You and I will find Celine and we will kill her, and then once we have done so, you can kill me if you still believe I deserve it.”
Lilly shook so hard at the idea of Rhyndor getting killed, her teeth chattered. She brushed at the tears flowing down her cheeks. An arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she turned to see Mia holding her. Her sister spoke, her voice choked.
“Steffan, my love. I swore to myself if you found Rhyndor, I’d help you kill him. I wanted him dead. I saw the anguish he’d put you through. But now, I’m asking you, begging you, don’t do this. Not for my sister, much as I love her already. Not for Rhyndor, despite Claire being right and him not deserving this. But for you. You will regret it deeply in time to come, and I know this for a fact, because I know you. You are nothing if not honorable, and if you kill someone who ultimately doesn’t deserve it, the knowledge will eat away at you. I don’t want you to go through such a thing.”
Steffan’s shoulders sagged, and he walked toward Rhyndor. He looked over the man’s myriad scars and marks and winced at one particularly nasty one on his side. When he turned back to Mia, his gaze wasn’t stone-cold silver anymore but a molten mix of warm and cool. “For you, I will let Rhyndor live. Only for you. And because he didn’t kill my family while under control of his actions. If he had, no amount of pleading from anyone could save him.”
He addressed Rhyndor directly. “I am holding you to your promise, though. One day, one day soon, we are going to find Celine and make her pay. She took too many lives and ruined others.”
“I want her dead as much as you do.” Rhyndor held his hand out.
Steffan eyed it warily, then grasped it tight and pumped it once. They didn’t hug or smile at one another, but Lilly felt only relief. It was a start.
Chapter Seven
After the dramatics of the morning, the group ended up having a long breakfast. But Rhyndor and Callum didn’t join them. Rhyndor took Lilly to one side and told her it would take him and Steffan a long time to get to the chatting to one another phase, and he thought it best if he and Callum headed back to their cottage. He told her to stay with her sisters and get acquainted with Mia.
She’d enjoyed the meal and the chance to get to learn about Mia. But every now and then, a shard of panic burst in on her, taking her by surprise, slicing into her and disturbing her equilibrium. She didn’t understand it, but she thought a bit of time alone might help her get her head around everything. Once they’d finally finished the meal, she’d made her excuses and returned to her room.
The events of the morning kept playing over and over in her mind. The whole thing terrified her, but it seemed resolved. So why did she keep getting these horrible flashes of anxiety?
Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the pillow, and Callum’s face came to mind. Him looking so relieved, so…vindicated as he’d talked openly about how he’d believed all along she’d be the one to bring Rhyndor’s warrior out. She sat up. Son of a bitch! He didn’t want her. He only wanted her to use as some sort of pawn in his game to bring his male lover truly back to him. She’d been…what? The helpless female he’d hoped would be attacked at some point? He’d said something else, hadn’t he? Before. Something about how she’d be good for Rhyndor, bring out his dragon…or reawaken his dragon, something along those lines. Oh God. She’d been used. Maybe now that Rhyndor had his fighting mojo back, Callum wouldn’t want her around.
And what if he still did? None of this could end in a happily ever after for her. Her sister was mated to her matched male’s mortal enemy. Okay, so they’d kind of buried the hatchet…for now. But family dinners would be awkward. And despite having a ball chatting it up with her sisters, her time here mostly proved to be stressful or downright frightening. Back home, the worst anxiety she experienced came whenever Zach dumped her. And it was horrible, truly. It would simmer away for weeks or even months on end until he came back to her. But she’d gotten used to it. She understood it, could cope with it. This? This roller coaster ride of crazy exhausted her. Her future might not lie with Zach, but it didn’t lie with dragons either. She needed to forge her own path in life.
Her phone beeped, and she checked it to see it Missy’s photo pop up on her text page. Talk about perfect timing.
Missy: Are you coming back or not? Zach is pining. I think this time he realizes what a total dick he’s been.
Her heart sped up. It had been all she’d ever wanted. But now?
She sent a halfhearted text back: Yeah, until next time.
A wait of a minute, then a buzz: No, I swear, bestie. He’s changed. I think this might be it. If you come home!
She let her fingers hover over the keys then began to type: I’ve met someone here. I like him a lot. Not sure what to think about Zach now.
She told a half-truth and waited for her friend’s response.
What? Who? What’s he like? OMG. Do you have a pic? But, babe, think about it carefully. If he’s worth it, he’ll wait. You need to have closure one way or another with Zach. Come home, come to the party. It’s going to be epic. Fly back out there when you’ve had time to sort things out properly with Zach. You’ve wanted the guy all your life. You’ll never forgive yourself if you let it go. You two are like Romeo and Juliet.
Lilly didn’t want to point out to her friend how the story of the star-crossed lovers ended. Should she go home? The idea of the comforting familiarity stole into her soul. Not because of Zach. Not anymore. But because her head was spinning from everything she’d learned these last few days, and she needed a break. A break from this place, from the strangeness and the drama and the intense feelings the two men she’d met stirred within her. She might be running away from her troubles, but sometimes running was all you could do. And she needed time to get her head together. But how to get home? A loud knock on her door made her jump.
“Come in.”
Mia and Claire rushed into her room. “So…it’s all been a bit horrible today,” Claire said with massive understatement. “How about we girls go for a day shopping in town? Nathan says he’ll drive us into town with Steffan, and they’ll go for a drink while we do our stuff. Then we can meet them later, and they’ll bring us home. I think he’s a bit concerned about us going alone in case of this Celine bitch sniffing around. Which I doubt, but you appreciate our males. Protective.”
“It also gives them a chance to try to build some bridges, repair some of the damage done to their friendship,” Mia added. “And it means I can buy some decent makeup. There’s a department store to die for in the town. What do you say?”
As they’d been talking, a plan formed in Lilly’s mind. She couldn’t leave this place without asking someone to drive her out because it was warded by powerful magic, and she’d get lost. But the town had a train station.
One with regular services to Glasgow and Edinburgh. She only needed to make sure she packed her passport in her purse, and she’d lose her sisters and get a flight home. They’d be worried sick, of course, but as soon as she got on the plane, she’d text to let them know. And it must be fate, the way they’d offered to take her into town. It told her she ought to go home. Sort things out with Zach, because whatever their future held, she owed it to herself to get closure on that relationship. She also knew she needed to have some time to sort through everything that had happened to her since she’d arrived here.
She smiled brightly at her sisters, hating herself for deceiving them. “A day in town sounds lovely.”
The pair started to chatter about what they’d do there, and she only half listened as she planned her getaway.
She proceeded to spend a sleepless night tossing and turning as she ran the plan over in her mind. Part of her felt so bad deceiving her only real kin in this world, but she also felt on the edge of cracking up with all that happened and needed some normality. Some time back in her own world where everything seemed normal and she could think.
*****
The next morning, she got dressed with a heavy heart, but she feared if she didn’t do this now, she’d never get away. By the time they were ready to go to town, she’d worked herself up into a real state of anxiety and spent the whole journey nibbling her nails.
Lilly’s stomach churned when she and her sisters said goodbye to the guys and entered the department store. And she’d begun to seriously second-guess herself and her hastily composed plan. The idea of walking away and not seeing the guys anymore upset her more than it should. After all, she’d only been acquainted with them for a few days. But they’d shared a hot and heavy afternoon together, and Lilly didn’t do such things lightly. They’d wormed their way into her psyche somehow, and she wanted more time with them. Which just went to show she ought to leave and get her head on straight, even if a big part of her didn’t want to.
In five minutes, she’d say she needed the loo. If one of her sisters wanted to go with her, it would be awkward, but she’d simply walk into the stall and then straight back out again. Then she’d head out of the store and go to the train station to catch the 1:15 to Edinburgh. By evening, she’d be on a plane back to the States, and her sisters would get a text to stop them from worrying. She felt like shit about it because she knew they’d freak out at first and think something awful happened to her, but she could see no way around it. If she told them, they’d either try to talk her out of leaving or maybe attempt to stop her.
Of course, she’d also get to see Zach, which made her feel sick to her stomach. Deep down, she knew they were over. For them to stay together, he’d need to be told what she was. She no longer believed he could be trusted with the information. The sad truth was, she didn’t trust Zach with her life. But Rhyndor…he’d broken his vow of peace for her. To protect her. She honestly believed he’d lie down and die for her right now, if he had to. It exhilarated her, and it scared the ever-loving crap out of her.
Then there was Callum. He confused her. She found him hot as hell. Beautiful and sexy, with a real charm to him. But she wasn’t convinced he felt the same way about her as Rhyndor did. From all she’d heard, dragon males wanted to protect and cherish their female mate, but Callum seemed more concerned for Rhyndor. She worried she’d been nothing more than a means to an end for him. A way to bring Rhyndor back to the living.
She glanced at her watch, and her stomach flipped. Now or never. “I need to pop to the ladies’.” She smiled at her sisters, who were arguing over whether revisiting the nineties was cool or not. They glanced at her and nodded.
“We’ll be here, by the horrible nineties section.” Claire rolled her eyes.
“It’s great. Reminds me of being a kid.” Mia laughed.
Lilly laughed along, then turned and headed for the escalator. Once on the next floor, she rushed for the elevator and took it all the way back down to ground level, where she slipped out of a side door. She put on the hat she’d bought earlier while her sisters were trying on makeup swatches and pulled it down low. Head down, she half walked, half jogged in the direction of the train station. God help her, she’d better be doing the right thing.
*****
“What do you mean, she’s missing?” Rhyndor looked green around the edges, and Callum understood only too well how he felt. His own lunch threatened to come back up.
“She disappeared in the middle of our shopping trip.” Claire wiped at red eyes. “What if someone has taken her?”
Steffan paced and blew out a long breath. The tension between him and Rhyndor still existed, but things were cordial at least. “What if it is to do with Celine? Maybe she’s somehow followed what you’re doing. She won’t be happy if we’ve made peace…of sorts.”
Rhyndor stabbed his pointer finger at Nathan. “You were supposed to watch them.”
Nathan bristled, and his jaw clenched. Callum braced himself in case of more fighting, but a loud beep had them all glancing at Claire’s phone dancing on the work surface.
“It’s Lilly!” She read the message, and her face fell. “She’s heading back home. Says she’s sorry to have worried us, but she needs space and time to think. It’s all too much for her.”
Callum’s heart sank. That little shit Zach that she’d allowed herself to become obsessed with would be there. Fuck. He slammed his hand down on the counter and winced. Suddenly it hit him. Deep distress. It roiled in his gut, and his heart ached and tore apart. Shit.
He had not until this moment realized what she meant to him. Oh, he’d wanted her. But he’d been so focused on Rhyndor and getting his male back to his normal self, he’d viewed Lilly as not much more than a weapon in his arsenal. He wanted her with them, wanted to take her, to fuck her, and for her to give Rhyn his fire back, but beyond those things, he hadn’t allowed himself to think.
He ran a finger around the rim of his collar. Fuck, he couldn’t breathe too well.
“Callum, you okay?” Rhyn’s concerned face swam in his line of vision.
Callum had completely underestimated this mating bond. Utterly. He might be about to throw up. Not wanting to humiliate himself in front of the whole room, he pushed Rhyn to one side and staggered out of the kitchen and down the hallway, Rhyn thudding after him.
He made it to the small toilet in time to bring up his lunch. He heaved and heaved until there was nothing left. When he was done, he wiped his mouth on some toilet paper and turned to look at Rhyndor. “I didn’t think it would hurt this bad.”
His bonded male gave him a kindly smile and passed him a washcloth. He ran it under the cool water tap and wiped his face and mouth properly.
“Shit. I had no idea. We’ve not fully bonded with her yet, and it just hit me. She might not come back. She might end up with that piece of crap, Zach, and we both know he’s not worthy. I want to go in there and kill him myself.”
Rhyndor’s brow furrowed. “Who, Zach?”
“No.” He leaned against the wall, gathering his strength. “Steffan. I had no clue until this moment what you truly took from him. Christ, add in the poison you injected into his leg… I mean, he says he’s letting the past go, but what if he doesn’t.”
Too late, he realized the import of his words. Saw the wince of pain slash across Rhyndor’s face as if he’d struck him physically. “Shit, Rhyn. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… Fuck, I always put my mouth in it.”
“It’s your foot. You put your foot in it. And I need some air myself.”
Rhyn turned and stalked down the hallway to the front door.
Callum hung his head. Fuck it all. He’d made things awkward between him and his bonded male, and he’d also treated Lilly badly. He understood as much now. He’d used her to try to bring his male back to him, without realizing what she meant to him and without letting her know. And he’d sneered at her for her feelings for Zach, too. Add in the shitshow when Steffan turned up, and no wonder t
he poor girl turned tail and ran away. He needed to make it right. But how?
With a heavy heart, he headed back toward the kitchen, where they seemed to be spending most of their time these days whenever they were in the big house. Nathan gave him a concerned glance.
Callum passed a hand over his face. “I’m okay now.”
Nathan nodded. “You should go after her.”
“What?”
“Yeah. You should go after her and bring her back. We left Claire out there, and it proved dangerous. Rhyndor is still going to be on Celine’s shitlist if I know anything about that witch. Steffan too. Lilly’s not safe.”
“Seems we have an enemy in common.” Steffan scratched at his heavy scruff. “Maybe when you sort things out with your girl, Rhyn and I ought to put our heads together.”
“You’d work with him?” Call him suspicious, but Callum didn’t buy it.
“I’d work with the devil himself to keep Mia safe.”
Callum bit back his growl at those words. His male wasn’t the devil, not remotely.
“So, we what? Hop on a plane to New York and drag her back here?”
“Whoa, Cavemen-R-Us.” Claire waved her hands in the air. “You do something along those lines, and you’ll piss her off for good. I agree she needs watching, so go and watch her. Make sure she’s safe, but don’t drag her back here. Watch her, and if a good opportunity presents itself, then try to talk to her. But don’t get all up in her face and go all macho on her ass. She’ll resent you for it. I would. You need to take this slow, use some finesse.”
Finesse? They were dragon males, for the sake of the gods. They didn’t do finesse. Still, Callum ought to try if it meant getting their Lilly back. Right then, he needed to go after Rhyndor. He’d said something terrible, albeit unintentionally.
Steffan went to sit down and winced as he did so. “What’s wrong?” Callum nodded at the leg Steffan favored.
