Bound in Ashes

by Milly Taiden

  “When have you known her to be wrong,” Clacher asked with a scoff.

  That answer was easy. Never.

  Still, Tor’s stomach tightened. Tension made his muscles ache. This wouldn’t be good. This rescue mission wouldn’t be like any other. Sayeh had to know they’d come for Ker. The man wasn’t an idiot. A nut case, maybe, but not stupid. Then he wondered, could Sayeh’s witch have cast a cloaking spell over the hideaway? Was that the reason no one could find the place?

  “I’m not seeing much on this side of the mountain,” Jae relayed. “Let’s try the other side.” The group lifted and topped the scraggly-rocked peak. At this height, they descended below the clouds to see most of the area.

  “Well,” Tor began, “would you look at that.” In a valley between towering points rested a compound large enough to house hundreds if not thousands. Dozens of the smaller dragons sat on roofs like immobile stone statues. Early weapons detection system, more than likely. Tor pushed above the clouds before they set off any warnings.

  Tor linked to Jae located several miles away on the other side of the range. Now the two needed to find a place to sit and wait.

  After Clacher had joined the two, strategies were laid out and plans created. Tor hoped this worked. If not, the women would be on their own. He thought of his son as adorable as a green baby puppy. A surge of anger, determination, and justice zipped through him, filling him with power only the alphas carried.

  “Let’s do this.” He pushed off his perch, quickly diving for the ground. Pulling up just above the tree line, they skimmed the treetops along the mountain side as long as they could before the woods gave way to flat land. “You ready back there?” he asked Jae.

  “Almost. Give me thirty seconds.”

  Noise came from the compound. “Damn,” Tor said, “they know we’re here already.” He settled onto the ground and shifted into his human form. Clacher and Jae followed suit. With the forest to their backs, the three men watched as the black dragons assembled a line and marched out the front gate. The man of the hour, front and center.

  “Welcome, Drachen, to my humble town,” Sayeh said.

  Tor rolled his eyes. “Cut the bullshit and dramatics, Sayeh. Hand over Ker and his mate and we’ll let you live a little longer.” He waited for the asshole’s reply. But nothing came for several moments. Did Tor say something to catch him off guard?

  “No, Ker and his mate will remain with me. If you want to see him, I’ll take you to him.”

  “If we come in, we’re bringing friends,” Tor hollered.

  “That would be great. Let me introduce you to mine.” He raised his arms and a black cloud lifted into the sky. Tor felt minor trepidation. He nodded to Jae. Behind him hidden in the trees, hundreds from the clans at the castle rose into view. Tor would’ve loved to have seen Sayeh’s face up close at that moment.

  Scuffling at the compound gate drew everyone’s attention. The line divided to show a woman and Ker.

  Tor couldn’t wait to connect his mind to his youngest brother. “Are you all right?”

  “Not bad considering,” he replied. “Let me get back to you. I’ve got a crazy mate on my hands.” Tor snorted. Didn’t they all?

  * * *

  Tiana watched the interaction outside the compound’s front gate. In the distance behind the men, another cloud ascended. From the trees, hundreds of red dragons rose, forming a huge blood stain in the sky.

  Tiana gasped at the amazing sight. “Why are they red?” she asked.

  “For the clans, red signifies anger and fighting. They are ready to battle for what is right,” Ker said.

  “Battle?” Tiana repeated. “No, they can’t do that. So many will die on each side.” In her mind, she saw the field out front littered with black and red bodies. Blood from both sides flooding the ground. She couldn’t let that happen. “We have to stop this.”

  With a burst of speed, she sprinted through the open gate and stopped behind the line of dragons protecting Sayeh. “Hey,” she yelled as Ker grabbed her from behind.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered, trying to drag her backward. The line of black sentries turned and split in the middle to reveal the psychopath in front.

  Tiana pushed Ker’s hands from around her as she addressed the leader. “We need to have a little chat, Dad.” The word didn’t feel good coming off her tongue. It left behind a greasy taste.

  Sayeh snarled and fisted his hands. In the blink of an eye, he had his hands around her neck. “You mated with the enemy? Now I can smell him all over you. In you,” he grinded out between clenched teeth. “You whore.”

  Tiana wanted his attention and got it. Ker stepped forward, within reach of her father. She put her hand up, stopping him. “No,” she whispered. Crossing her wrists in front of her chest, she grabbed his arms and pushed his hands to the side off her throat.

  Sayeh looked surprised. “How did you do that so easily?”

  “Self-defense 101,” she said. “Don’t get excited over it. Now, let’s discuss this battle. What’s your end game? What do you want bad enough to kill hundreds of people?”

  His eyes turned hard. “I will have what should be mine. Should be yours.”

  “You mentioned birthright before,” she said. “What makes you think you have the right to rule? You’re not Drachen.”

  “Oh, but I am. So are you.” A smile split his face.

  A moment of horror hit her. If her father was telling the truth, did that mean she was related to Ker? Did she just have sex with her cousin…or worse? Her stomach pitched at the thought, but she squashed the feeling. She’d deal with that later. Right now, she had a killer focused on her.

  “How’d that come about?” she sneered, pretending not to believe him. “What proof do you have?”

  “I am the proof. Drachen blood flows through my veins. A millennium ago, a Drachen king seduced my young mother, and then shipped her to the other side of the planet when she got pregnant.

  “He was too much of a coward to claim his bastard son. So instead, he hid us from the world in a place no being should be forced to live. My mother worked herself to death in the scorching heat to bring home what little food she could. I swore I’d have my revenge on my father.

  “But as fate would have it, I didn’t have to touch the man. He was killed on his own selfish accord along with his heir. I stepped forward to claim the throne and was imprisoned by the Drachen brother who took it instead.

  “I escaped and gathered my own people who hated the Drachen rule. They knew who the true ruler was. We have waged war against the family to get what’s rightfully mine.”

  “That’s pretty funny considering you walked away from me when my mother got pregnant. Like father, like son.”

  He growled loudly and his eyes blazed red at her comment, but she wouldn’t take it back. “If you were anything but a weak human, I’d have you beside me. Fighting.”

  Tiana raised a brow. “I don’t think so.” She glanced at Ker and his face showed as much shock as hers did when she learned who her father was. Thankfully, they were distant cousins and barely that.

  Before she could reply, Ker stepped closer and pushed her father away. “I challenge you to a blood fight.”

  “You what?” she said. “What are you doing, Ker? That sounds dangerous.”

  Sayeh laughed. “You’re pretty smart for being part of a pathetic group of dragons.”

  “Yeah, I’m not feeling it. A blood fight sounds like a stupid idea,” she countered. Ker stepped in front of her, blocking her from Sayeh. When she tried to shove around him, he refused to let her. “Ker, get out of my way.”

  “No,” he said, “this is the only way. For you. For us.”

  She sighed and gave up the fight. “How is killing each other the only way for anyone?”

  “There is so much you don’t understand, girl.” Sayeh’s eyes never left Ker’s. “I’m surprised your Nana hasn’t told you the truth, boy. She knows the story. She was there when
I challenged and was taken prisoner.”

  Ker didn’t rise to the bait. “I offered a challenge, Sayeh. Do you accept or not? The crown belongs to my family, and I will defend it with my life as I do my mate. If I win, you leave, never putting forth a claim again.”

  Sayeh’s brows pushed up. “And if I win, all of your family will submit to me. You are a fool, Ker Drachen. I accept your challenge.”

  In a whirl of electricity and confusion, her father shifted in a heartbeat. Ker grabbed Tiana and shoved her away as the black dragon’s claws sliced the air where she stood.

  “Tiana!” Ker yelled, eyes locked on the enemy, “run to my brothers. They are waiting for you beyond the trees.”

  “No. I won’t leave you,” she shouted back. The dragon roared and the sky moved. The minions were sent to battle. The red on the other side flew to meet them. Ker took that second to morph into his dragon and swiped at the black. Sayeh was ready for him and sidestepped.

  Tiana’s eyes widened and she sucked in a breath at the sheer size of Sayeh’s dragon. He was almost as large as Ker’s. Maybe his story about being half Drachen was true. He was the proof.

  The two sprang into the air, trading punches and swinging tails. Fire streaked from their mouths, lighting up the sky.

  In the field, black and red fought, teeth and claws rending, tails lashing as it rained blood. Dozens fell to the earth. Most took a moment to recover and then were back in the fight. But many others didn’t move after they hit ground.

  THIRTY

  Each death killed Tiana inside. Why was she so attached to these people she didn’t know? They were the enemy. Or where they?

  She recalled her time in the prison. The spell put on them made them fight whether they wanted to or not. Sylvana lay inside one of the buildings, dead. The witch couldn’t reverse what she did.

  More dragons crashed to the ground as she watched, helpless. Her heart pounded harder than it had ever before. She was near hyperventilating. Her body itched to do something. Anything to stop this senseless killing.

  High above, she saw her father thrash his tail against Ker’s head. Her mate tumbled through the air, losing altitude each second. A stone falling through water. He righted himself and his wings caught wind to swoop him up.

  In the instant his eyes met hers, and she saw the fatigue in his features. Only moments early, he was near death from being beaten and electrocuted. And now he was fighting a dragon his size. There was no way Ker could win.

  No! No! Sayeh was going to kill him. She had to do something. She ran to the gate and shaded her eyes with her hand, looking for the brothers. Where were they? Why weren’t they helping Ker?

  She found them. Each of their huge dragons was covered in black spots like the creatures were clothing. No, they wouldn’t be able to help her. A roar overhead snapped her head up. Her father whipped his clawed feet forward and slammed them into Ker’s chest, sending the dragon reeling.

  Her mate didn’t catch himself this time. He crashed into the trees not far from the compound.

  “KER!” She rocketed through the woods faster than she’d ever moved before. Blood zinged through her limbs, empowering them. Her breaths expanded her lungs, fueling her heart to pump harder, faster.

  Sayeh flew overhead, searching for his enemy to finish him off.

  Ahead she saw her mate. He lay among shattered trees; his eyes closed. Her heart broke knowing he was dead. Ker wouldn’t give up until he gave his last breath.

  A shadow covered Ker. Her father was in a dive to send a final blow to ensure her love’s death. Anger and grief exploded in her body, propelling her forward faster. She’d give her life to save the one man she loved.

  Just as Sayeh passed the treetops on his way to Ker’s lifeless body, Tiana lunged forward, instincts clicking. She slammed into her father’s dragon, sending him spinning through the forest to his own crash landing. From her high vantage point, she saw where he came to rest.

  How the hell? Something strange was going on. She was above the trees. She looked down at her royal blue and black body. Holy fuck! She was a dragon, too. There wasn’t time to figure out how or why. She had to save her mate. Helping Ker live and ensuring her father never hurt another person again were her only goals at that moment. She’d worry about the damage to her psyche later, after she took care of her father. He would put a stop to the killing. Right now.

  The black beast blasted from the trees, shooting straight up. If he could do it, so could she. She sensed the dragon inside her. Hoping speaking to it would help her out, she thought about what she wanted to do and it somehow happened. She had no clue how, but there was some link between her and the beast. A slight pressure pushed against her brain. Her dragon urged her to relax. To let their bond grow.

  “I see I was wrong about you,” Sayeh said into her mind, much too intimately.

  She tensed. She wanted to freak out over the voice in her head, but she didn’t have time. It would have to wait along with the other psycho crap until she could pass out.

  “You never knew a thing about me or my mother,” she replied. “You were a dead-beat piece of shit that didn’t deserve a family. You got what you had coming— a lifetime of hate and anger in your heart. You are not fit to be ruler over anyone. Now order this war over. Call back your men. No more killing.”

  Could dragons smile? It looked like her father’s animal was. “Why would I do that? I’m winning this war. As I knew I would.”

  Tiana swirled around to survey the field at the edge of the forest. So many down. So much blood. The pain in her chest increased with each breath she drew.

  Turning her back to her father was her first mistake. His tail slammed into her, throwing her to the side. Her breath was knocked out and she crashed onto the field with the others. She lay on her back, trying to force air in.

  As Sayeh did with Ker, he was in a dive to deliver a death blow. Another pressure pushed against her head. She immediately let it in. She expected her father’s voice, but it wasn’t. It was Ker.

  “Tiana…go for the…neck. Bite down…as hard as you…can, baby. I love you…” Her dragon agreed with what her mate said.

  Just before her father’s claws reached her she rolled to the side. He skimmed off the ground and crashed into several clan dragons fighting, scattering them. Tiana raced toward him. Get his neck. Her eyes focused on the spot as he came to a stop on the ground. He pushed up to all fours and shook his head as if to clear it. He could clear it as much as he wanted. It wouldn’t do him any good. First, she blew a long fiery dagger at him, catching him off guard.

  Holy crap! She’d breathed fire. This was surreal. She did it again, the action making Sayeh look for cover, giving her time to dive for him.

  Tiana chomped down on the back of his neck. Her mouth wasn’t big enough to go around his throat, but she didn’t need that. The only thing necessary was for her teeth to sever his backbone. Sayeh tensed, but she’d been fast. Her bite had been quick and the pressure deadly. The bones crushed between her jaws. Sayeh fell flat to the ground.

  Tiana flung herself backward, watching the light leave her father’s eyes as lay motionless. Another slash of heart ache hit her. Not because of his dying. But over what could have been.

  Several of the black dragons stopped fighting and looked around. She realized now, she was their leader. They had to obey their ruler.

  Imagining a megaphone attached to her brain, she said, “Everyone stop fighting and retreat to the compound.” Hundreds of eyes turned to her. That was an eerie feeling. “Now!” she added and sent clouds of fire to the blacks closest to her, scaring them into action. The skirmish became a mass rush back to their homes.

  Relief rushed through her when many of those on the ground either shifted to walk or lifted into the air to retreat. “Those who can, help the injured on the battlefield.” A mass of black descended onto the field and immediately shifted, going to those not moving. “Not just Noir. All of them.”

  She watched
as a black dragon carefully approached a red stretched out on its side. The black poked a wing against the prone animal’s body. Red wings moved. Black bent its head toward red’s neck. Tiana was sure her man would kill the other like she had her father. But instead, he took a deep breath. That was strange.

  The red dragon’s chest expanded as if it, too, were breathing deeply. Both shifted. To Tiana’s surprise, the red dragon was a female. The male lifted the woman into his arms and kissed her.

  Whoa, there. That wasn’t expected. But since the woman returned the kiss, she’d allow it to continue.

  “They are mates, love.”

  Tiana turned to the side to see Ker walking out of the woods with a torn shirt in his hands. He was very naked and very scrumptious. She wanted to lick her lips, but the dragon form was confused. What were lips? He smiled at her, his eyes glowing brightly from his dragon and held the shirt open.

  “Come on, sweetheart. Shift and I’ll take you home.”

  That had to be the best thing she’d heard all day.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Tiana stood with Morgan, Nana, and the other women for their turn to take an armload of sheets and pillows from the delivery truck. Others lined up behind trucks with bath items, clothes, homewares, bicycles, and other things needed for living.

  At Morgan’s apartment building, the recent Drachen and other clan arrivals were busy helping put living spaces together. Morgan had been excited to leave her mother to handle setting that group with new places to live.

  Meanwhile, at Sayeh’s old compound, Ker and his brothers, along with Noir and Drachen townsfolk, assembled--or tried to assemble--shelves, bed frames, and other furniture. The grunts and curse words about Allen wrenches and sucky directions coming from that area had her wondering on the progress.

  Morgan leaned toward her. “Sounds like they need a female over there to read instructions and direct.”

  Lexi laughed. “Like the men would listen to what we said, instructions or not.”