“I agree with William. Something that’s written rather than just said, will live in perpetuity as a testament to the goodwill between dragon shifters and Wizards and Witches,” Blaze agreed.
Nicholas nodded his head. “I will take that to the Council. They’ll no doubt enlist the help of our leading negotiator to draft up a magically binding legal document. It looks as if we’ll be shaking on this sometime in the near future.”
“I can’t stay here on Earth forever. I must away back to Dragonia before the crisis takes on a frigid stance. If we need to start locking off the doorways to Earth, they will need my help.”
“I will meet you back in Dragonia, at the Royal Palace once I bring your terms to our Council. I am rather familiar with the lay of the land.” Nicholas smiled.
“I don’t think I like the sound of that.” Blaze shared a troubled look with Grania. “Do you know to what he refers?”
Grania cleared her throat. “I think…I think Nicholas is one of the operatives stationed in Dragonia.”
“Under another guise, no doubt,” Blaze stated dryly.
“Well, I was still a man, but you are right, you might know me better if I do this.” Nicholas snapped his fingers.
Light illuminated the television screen. When it faded away, Nicholas was a changed man.
“Oh, boy,” Grania groaned.
“What the hell? You and your kind must be really proud of your super intelligence, why your spooks have really gotten it done, haven’t they?!” Anger flared in Blaze’s usually tightly controlled voice.
“We aren’t the ones that always brag about being so smart. You dragon shifters play that role really well,” Nicholas taunted.
“Why don’t you come out of that telly and say that to me in person?” Blaze challenged.
“Not going to happen. I have to return to relay your concerns to my superiors. We have a hierarchy, a chain of command if you will, and while I sometimes feel like skipping a few steps, for this I have to do everything by the book. You will just have to wait patiently for me to come back to you in Dragonia. Be a good chap and don’t let on who I really am. If you let the proverbial cat out of the bag it could all be downriver from there on out, for both of us.”
“I understand. Now, I’ll eye everyone that I haven’t known since childhood with a suspicious eye.”
“Not really a good idea, Blaze.” Grania attempted to keep her voice civil. She’d just picked up on a fleeting thought emanating from William. She didn’t like what she had heard, but she had a duty to tell Blaze.
William reached for her hand. She drew away. “Not this time, William. I refuse to keep my mouth shut!”
“Well, then, you should get whatever you have on your mind off your chest.” Blaze gave her a steady gaze.
“Some of the people you knew from childhood died, or were strategically moved so that the magic kind could move in,” Grania explained, sighing heavily.
“Died? Don’t tell me they died at the hands of a witch or wizard!” He sounded absolutely livid. She shivered against the threatening tone of his voice. If Nicholas were in the room with them, Blaze would have already let him have it in the worst way.
“Of course we wouldn’t have used those unsavory tactics—we do have honour, sir.” Nicholas sounded like he was going to spit out fire at the accusation. “We either put dragon shifters into magical protection—or we gave them a proper service when we found them dead. It looks as if Draco has had his enforcers, enforcing. Any one that he deemed a threat to his takeover of the Capital, he had eliminated.”
“No…that would mean…”
“You’ve been working with imposters for quite a long time. Now granted, there’s still a few hundred left that Draco hasn’t been able to off or intimidate with his power plays.”
“I want a list. I will not be dissuaded.” Blaze’s eyes darkened. “I want a list of the ones that fell in the line of duty—I want to tell their families.”
“Their families have been living with the imposter for quite some time. And, they’ve been none the worse for wear. That tells me my agents are doing their jobs to a degree of excellence. I should be proud.”
“That would mean that you are impersonating Doral O’Malley. I’d like to know what happened to him,” Grania kept her voice low, and unlike Blaze, she kept her emotions in check.
“I never knew Doral before he came to the Palace.” Blaze gazed over at Grania. “Did you know him?”
“Of course, I did. He was one of my father’s protégés. When Nicholas transformed, I was a little surprised to hear that he was working within the Palace. He was always a little paranoid of the Royal Family. He said you were not the true heirs of the Dragon Shifter Throne, that you were only the pretenders.”
“Indeed.” A muscle danced in Blaze’s cheeks. “Had I known this before—you have stayed away from the Palace for far too long Cousin.”
“I stayed away because it was the wish of your parents. Apparently, they view me as a security risk. What a laughable thought that is—you’ve been invaded, and you didn’t even know. Here I am living in a self-imposed exile here on Earth while worse sorts than me invade the palace. I feel so loved.” She looked at Nicholas. “So, tell me, are you working as a double agent?”
“Oh, you are good, my dear. William, hang onto this one…she’s a thinker. You’re right…we have the real O’Malley in custody—he’s quickly seeing the error of his ways, I assure you. He wishes us to release him so he can right the wrongs of his past. I think he might just be telling us a sweet story since it’s what we want to hear, but I could be mistaken. I have been wrong once or twice before in my life. Now, I warrant you it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I own it like a man.”
“O’Malley should be given a second chance. I can’t see any other way—maybe keep him under constant watch. Please, try to give him the benefit of the doubt. When he was going to the palace he might have been intending to defect from Draco. You never know. If you don’t give him a second chance…”
“Grania is right. Try to give him the chance to redeem himself. If he’s so fervently talking out against Draco, I have no reason to not believe him. One of us could return with you to your lockup facility and we could search his mind.” She nodded her head at Blaze’s suggestion.
“We’ve already had a witch well skilled in telepathy search his mind.”
“Not good enough!” She hadn’t meant to sound so enraged, she couldn’t help it. Her passions were riled. “What you don’t understand is that our telepathy is far stronger than any you magic kind possess. We are keen mind infiltrators. If O’Malley wants to keep his secrets hidden from you, he will. It’s as easy as that—in fact, he’s probably getting off on it thinking it a jolly good game.”
Nicholas furrowed his brow. “William can sense and read your mind.”
“William is my intended mate. The Dragon Shifter Mating Fire bonds our hearts together in an unbreakable unity. A channel has been forged between the two of us. He will always be able to hear my thoughts, and I will be able to hear his. However, if I truly wanted to keep deep dark hidden truths from William, I would be able to erect the necessary mind shields.”
“You couldn’t…you wouldn’t.” William seemed horrifically shocked.
“The two of us are barely even bonded. We hardly know each other at this stage of the courtship, I could keep just as many secrets from you as you’ve been hiding from me.”
William wrenched his eyes away from hers. Fury boiled within the blue depths, making her heart ache. She couldn’t take back what she’d just said. It was true…he had to know what he was dealing with when it came to the many talents her kind possessed.
“That’s the way it is, then.” His voice turned sad.
“I could go in your place, Blaze.” Her offer struck a chord inside of him. She saw something flicker in William’s eyes, then, fade.
“You could at that Cousin. I think you should go. If O’Malley is telling the truth,
we need every able bodied dragon shifter on our side. If he’s not telling the truth, you know what to do.”
“She knows what to do? What the hell do you mean? She can’t kill him, my kind want him to stay alive until we’ve learned all we can from him. We are learning quite a bit about the genetic makeup of dragon shifters with him in our charge.”
“By the Fates, if you are doing experiments on him, the deal of a brokered alliance between us, is over. This I vow.” Blaze’s eyes burned with fury. He looked ready to lash out at William. They didn’t have the time to have that sort of a battle on their hands—not now.
“We aren’t doing experiments on him in the way that the humans would if they had him. We’re only observing his habits, his temperament and the way that he shifts. This has helped us to perfect our ways within your community.” Nicholas seemed proud of himself—tickled pink was the way she would describe it.
“Mimics and copycats. It’s so nice to know that your kind has become perfect in that area of expertise,” she murmured, a sour taste infiltrating her mouth.
At her words, Nicholas’s eyes darkened. “Listen, we do what we have to do to be a formidable enemy. We still haven’t lost this war. Your kind can’t say the same, as you are getting the shit knocked out of you last time I checked.”
She looked over at Blaze just in time to see his jaw clench, his Adams Apple bob with his irritation, then, his eyes sparked with flames. Before she could react and stop him, he’d activated his heat vision. A laser line of fire emitted from his eyes, burning her screen to bits.
“Hey! That was new! I can't believe you just did that!”
“I’ll reimburse you.” Blaze’s voice was stern and tightly clipped.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” William sounded stern, even reproving. “My kind won’t take kindly to that display of arrogance. You need help, we are offering it. Stop casting blind judgment on us, and give us a bloody break. You said yourself that you had no reason to doubt Nicholas in his guise of O’Malley. Obviously, that tells me that none of our operatives have ever done anything to incur your wrath, or even your suspicion.”
“My mother’s personal maid…she’s one of them, isn’t she?” Blaze asked, his face dawning with cresting realization. He looked over at Grania, terror etched on his features.
“Now, don’t go and jump the wand, Blaze old boy. You don’t need to worry, even if she is, she’s not going to hurt the queen. Our operatives know that in order to really win this war, the monarchs must stay alive. If the sovereigns fall, and you get killed in the line of fire, there won’t be an heir to fill the seat of the dragon shifter Royalty.”
“That is where you are wrong. There is Grania.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no…not in bloody million years, Blaze, I’m never going to sing to that tune. I’m quite happy as a non-royal, thank you. I'll take my noble status to that of royal status any day.”
William looked over at her. “I thought you were related by blood to the queen…”
“Aye, I am,” Grania said.
Blaze sighed. “My mother is of the ancestral ruling class of Dragonia. She only named my father king in the interest of uniting his clan with her clan. But in every sense of the word, she is the ruling sovereign, my father’s title is just that, it has no real power. Most within our Court realize that. As the only child of my mother’s sister, Grania can inherit the throne, if my sisters and I fall in the War.”
“Man, you all have so many bloody sides I’m getting an ass ache.” William touched his temple wearily.
She drew in a long breath. “Either way, you’re going to have to get back into contact with Nicholas, William. We need his help. We can’t afford to royally piss him off, and alienate him. Already, I feel something stirring in the air. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it does not bode well for us. Something of immense change is coming, something we will not like, but must find the strength to rise above.”
“Speaking of which, I must get back to Dragonia. Who knows what has happened in my absence,” Blaze sighed, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Be safe, Blaze. May the flame of your life force never grow dim,” Grania's voice trembled and almost broke.
“And yours. Relay my sincere apologies to that Nicholas fellow. No doubt I’ll be seeing him again within the day since he will not be relinquishing his place within the Palace. When the hour grows dark for us, at least we’ll know that Magic Kind spies surround us. They might come in handy believe it or not.”
“Trust me on this one, they just might be your saving grace,” William said expressively.
Blaze gave him a hard look. “You mustn’t dilly dally. Grania, I am giving you full authority to act on behalf of the Royal Family in the diplomatic matters between William’s government and ours. Maintain a level head, and a full heart. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Not a chance.” She smiled. He embraced her quickly. Moving away from her, he recited the necessary incantation to open the fiery portal back to Dragonia.
“May the Gods and Goddesses bless you and keep you safe.” With that, he was gone.
“Now, the fight finally comes to Earth.” She heard dread and foreboding enter her voice. She didn’t like the sound of it one bit.
“I don’t see any invading army.”
“That’s just it. This is the calm before the very fiery storm.”
Chapter Eight
“I can feel it coming,” Grania whispered.
“What do you feel coming? Are we talking about the invading force of Draco’s or something else?”
“Something else is one way to put it.” She struggled to maintain her breathing. “Give me your hand.” Without asking her any further questions, he gave her his hand. She flipped it over so the palm faced her. “This is just what I was afraid of. Damnation.”
“Damn, what? Damn the whole bloody war your father started or damn me?”
“Not you…not right now anyway.” She moved his hand so his palm faced hers, with the fingertips pointing to the ceiling. Without a word, she moved her hand so they each touched each other. Flames of fire rushed through her body, as they touched, the resulting rush made both of them gasp. The cottage lit up, and if Blaze hadn’t already destroyed the television, their flames of pent up desire might have done that.
“I don’t understand…” His voice turned husky, almost gruff.
“I think you do. You only need to recall what I told you yesterday. This is the effect of the mating fire. If we don’t do something to sate its intensity, we will both burn up in the after effects. The mating ritual has officially begun—bad timing, aye, but it’s not something we can ignore.”
“Burn up with passion or actually combust?” His voice went hoarse.
“Yes.”
“That’s not something I’d like to do.” He caressed her cheek gently, and then placed his hand on her forehead, frowning, when his fingers touched her skin. She heaved another shuddering breath. “You are so hot. Are you certain that Blaze healed you completely?”
“Positive.”
He looked unconvinced. “I hope so.”
“I’m telling you this is not a poison doing this to me, this is the mating fire. If we connect with each other it will diminish…a bit.”
“Connect? Well, aren’t you putting me into a romantic mood.”
“This will be a telepathic connection. We need to join our minds and our spirits… not our bodies—at least not right now—in the very near future, yes. But right now we just need to bring our minds together!”
“It is good to know that we’ll be having a definite lovemaking session soon. Could we try to be a bit more romantic about it, I’m not as shallow about this kind of thing like you might think. I like the proper ambiance, some sensual music, a nice meal beforehand. You know, not all slam bam, thank you, my lady.”
“Stop it! You are lessening something quite beautiful. You are making it sound like something you’d find in a
seedy district of town.”
“Well, you’ll have to admit that our relationship up to this point in time has moved by at lightning speed. I’ve barely had time to stop and catch my breath. We both continually fear for our lives. Now, I fear more for you than I do for myself.”
“You shouldn’t. I am more expendable than you.”
“You are telling me that this incredible bond has been forged between us, and yet, you contradict yourself by telling me that you are more dispensable than me. That makes no sense in my mind. I should be the one protecting you.” William caressed her cheek gently.
“Just because you are the man, doesn’t mean that gives you the holier than thou attitude to go all caveman on me. I’m perfectly capable of handling myself and before you point out my unfortunate incident last night, I will admit that I was distracted and at my wits end. Now, that I know you won’t pull off a stupid stunt like that again, I will be able to hone all of my focus into making sure you are kept safe.”
“That’s great. You’re focused, and now I’m the one driven to distraction. I can’t seem to think straight. My mind is a jumble of thoughts all straying off into different directions. This is no way to live—no way to conduct ourselves. Why can’t anything ever be simple for us? I feel so confused, not to mention disoriented.”
“I can help with that. We can touch minds…explore our consciousness and see what happens.”
“What if you get in there and come to the conclusion that I’m too stupid to be your mate? I know how you dragon shifters prize intelligence, and being wise. I don’t want us to have a competition when it comes to cleverness. I have heard how many geniuses your kind produces.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about that. How stupid can you be if you’re developing this extra special spell?”
Dragon's Heart Page 8
