by Lili Zander
E. Valder.
Erik?
My head spins. I don’t understand. Why would he do something so wonderful and so generous when it’s clear that he doesn’t like me?
21
Erik
“She was attacked? Again?” I stare at Mateo’s text message, pure, deep rage flushing through my body. “What the fucking hell, Jaeger? I thought your men were going to keep her safe.”
That’s a low blow, and I know it. If there’s anyone to be blamed, it’s Casius and Mateo, who let her out of their sight. But I can’t help myself. My anger comes from a place of heavy, intense, crippling fear.
This is Gisele all over again. Another mate that I can’t protect. I can’t do this.
Bastian stares out at the park, his hands in his pockets. “All morning, I’ve been reliving the moment when Raedwulf held his claws to Aria’s throat,” he says, his voice low. “If he’d attacked her then, I could have done nothing. I wouldn’t have been fast enough to save her.”
Aria needs all five dragons. Each and every one of you.
Those were Silas Archer’s words. The wolf-shifter is wise beyond his years. Maybe that’s what happens when everyone dear to you is slaughtered in front of your eyes. I trace the outline of the mark on my wrist with a fingertip. A five-pointed Celtic knot, and a circle that runs through all five points.
Then I close my eyes, and I see Gisele’s dead, mutilated body. Zyrian had left it for me to find. Why just hurt your enemy when you can cripple him? And I’d been crippled by the enormity of my loss. I’d retreated into my fortress and spent many years alone.
And now what? Do things change, or do they remain the same?
“We can’t do this,” Bastian says aloud. “From the start, Rhys was right. She’s in danger because of us, because of who we are. Look at the damage Raedwulf has caused. We can barely protect Aria from a wolf. Can we guard her against Zyrian?”
We need to let her go.
“What about the curse, the prophecy, the Bloodstone?”
He looks grim. “I hoped for an end to our drought,” he says. “But my hope muffled my conscience. Aria is an innocent. She didn’t ask for any of this. So many times, the Council of Thirteen should have acted against the Dark Dragon, but they didn’t. We created this problem, Erik. We need to fix it on our own. Without Aria.”
My chest is tight. I dig my fingers into my palm, the pain providing sharp focus against the numbness spreading through me. Bastian is right.
We can’t keep risking Aria’s life.
22
Aria
Bastian can’t meet my eyes when I get back to the penthouse. “What’s wrong?” I demand. “Is Silas okay? Bea?”
“Yes. Sit down, Aria.”
My stomach swoops. Everyone is far too serious. Rhys, who always has a smile playing about his lips, is expressionless. Erik has a scowl on his face.
“Okay.” I flop on the couch and smile brightly at the men, ignoring the unease that’s building in my gut. My dragons. Funny how I’ve started thinking of them as mine. Twenty-four hours ago, I was planning to steal from them. Twelve-hours ago, I didn’t trust them at all.
But today’s events have changed the way I see them. I have a lot to learn about the dragon princes—and they have a lot to learn about me—but I’m open to the idea now, and not because of a mark on my wrist.
“Are you going to tell me about the prophecy?”
“No,” Erik says harshly. “That isn’t your business anymore.”
Instinctive hurt coils through me, but I don’t let it show. Erik Valder protected Silas last night without being asked. He paid Silas’ hospital bills without saying a single word to me. I don’t know what’s going on with him, and I don’t know why he’s so stern all the time, but there’s more to him than meets the eye.
“What Erik’s trying to say, Aria,” Rhys says, giving his fellow-dragon an irritated look, “is that we’ve decided that we can’t keep endangering you like this. We shouldn’t have pulled you into our lives.”
“You’re free to leave.” Bastian doesn’t look at me. “I’ll keep my guards on you for as long as it’s necessary. It shouldn’t take too long for our enemies to get the message that you’re not important.”
I can’t suppress my reflexive flinch. “I’m not important?” I want to sound angry, but my voice comes out small and wounded.
Bastian grimaces. “That came out wrong.”
Hell yes. That’s the fucking understatement of the year.
He closes his eyes and rubs his face. “It would wreck me if something were to happen to you, mausezähnchen. It would destroy all of us.”
He still called me mausezähnchen. He still cares.
Hope flares in my heart. “You promised me you’d tell me about the prophecy,” I say stubbornly. “I’m holding you to it.”
“She’s right,” Casius says quietly. “Tell her, Bastian.”
“Fine.” He steps into the adjoining kitchen and returns with a bottle of beer. It’s not quite five yet, but I’m not going to judge. It’s been a crazy day, and I kinda want one myself. “Once upon a time, a woman called Maija Essen was betrothed to a dragon prince called Gideon Zyrian.”
“The guy who cast the curse?” I ask them. With a flash, I realize where I know the name. That dream I had. I’d been in a castle, searching for Silas. Someone called Gideon Zyrian had abducted him. I remember walking through long, dark corridors. I’d been wearing Bastian’s sword. Endellion.
My head starts to spin. It had just been a dream. A figment of my imagination. Right?
But the sword is real. I sliced my finger on it last night.
Now, it seems that Gideon Zyrian is real too.
And so is the Bloodstone. Drakkar Raedwulf hired me to steal it. Bastian had mentioned it this morning. Mateo had interrogated the wolf-shifter in the hospital about it.
“What’s the matter?” Mateo asks sharply.
“I had a dream about a man called Gideon Zyrian,” I whisper. “He killed Silas. I was wearing a stone on a chain around my neck.” I cover my mouth with my hand. “The Bloodstone.”
Mateo exchanges a look with Casius. “Show her,” he says.
Rhys lifts a thick gold chain from under his shirt. A ruby-red pendant dangles from it, with a ferocious golden dragon coiled around the gemstone, snarling with rage. The moment I see it, a bone-deep sense of recognition fills me. I feel like I know it. Not just from my dreams. This gem feels like a part of me.
“This stone?” Mateo asks me. “This is the stone you dreamed of.”
Shock waves pound through me. “Yes.” I’m suddenly very afraid. “Guys, what the hell is going on?”
“The prophecy?” Casius sounds uncertain, and that freaks me out even more. I’ve never heard him sound anything other than confident. The one who knows everything about everything.
“One step at a time,” Erik growls. “Let’s finish the story.” He looks at me. “Though they were betrothed, Zyrian wasn’t Maija Essen’s true mate. Johannes Jaeger was.”
Jaeger? I look at Bastian, and he nods. “Maija and Johannes were my parents. When Maija broke off the engagement, Zyrian took it poorly. He went to the Council of Thirteen, our highest governing body, and demanded that Johannes return Maija to him.”
“And?”
“The Council turned him down. They reminded him that Maija wasn’t a possession. She had found her true mate, and no dragon would interfere with such a bond. To do so would be to go against the very core of all things magic, and no one was that reckless.”
I rub the mark on my wrist. The mating bond is magic. Of course it is. I’ve felt the pull, the compulsion toward all five men. Even Erik, who doesn’t want to give me the time of day.
In the back of my mind, I’m aware that I should be angry that the magic is overriding my will.
“No,” Casius says, reading my thoughts with ease. “Nothing can subvert your will. If you truly do not wish to be with us, you wouldn’t be
our mate. Magic can unmask your truest desires, but it cannot change them.”
My truest desire is to be with five dragon princes? Going to file that away for later examination, thankyouverymuch. Maybe a therapist can make some sense of my subconscious because I sure as hell can’t.
“Zyrian didn’t like that answer. He retreated from public life, and for ten years, no one saw or heard from him. He spent all his time inside his fortress in Alaska.” Bastian scowls. “We know now that Zyrian spent those years studying the dark arts. He dabbled with dark magic. He slaughtered innocents and harnessed their life-force to amplify his power.”
I wrap my arms around my waist, trying to warm the chill in my bones. The wraiths in my dreams. The spirits that had spoken to me, warning me away. Were they Zyrian’s victims?
“Then Maija Jaeger became pregnant.” Bastian swallows hard and turns away. “She didn’t survive childbirth.”
Oh God. Poor, poor Bastian.
“When Zyrian heard, his fury shook the stars in the sky. The Council of Thirteen had prevented him from being with Maija, and he would kill each and every one of them in vengeance. But that wasn’t enough. In his rage and his grief, he invoked an old blood curse. Zyrian was denied happiness, and because of that, no dragon would ever find happiness again.”
“What does that mean?”
“Think of magic as a tree, old and powerful,” Mateo says. “Zyrian poisoned the roots. Magic is dying, Aria.”
“Because of the curse, no dragon has been able to find his or her true mate,” Rhys says. “For five hundred years, the dragon race has been denied the other half of their soul.”
“This is going to sound like a cheesy romantic comedy,” Erik says, making a face, “But magic is created from that deep bond. When the curse took away our ability to form that bond, it diminished our powers.”
Erik watches rom-coms? That’s a sight I have to see.
Not now, Aria. Focus.
“Not just us,” Casius adds. “You heard the wolf-shifter Rhett Berringer. It’s not just in Raedwulf’s pack that pups are being born without magic. It’s happening all around the world. The last three births in Lukus Hyde’s pack were Norm.”
Holy fuck. No wonder Bastian looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is. “The prophecy?” I ask through dry lips.
“It is said that on her deathbed, my mother made a prophecy. When the Dragon Princes find their true mate, the curse will be broken, and the dragons will be restored to their former glory.”
There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach. I have a mark on my wrist; the dragon princes have identical marks on theirs. I dreamed about Zyrian. Endellion. The Bloodstone.
This prophecy is talking about me.
“But the curse hadn’t even happened,” I argue. “How could your mother have known?”
“When she was alive, Maija Essen was the most powerful dragon mage in the world, love,” Rhys says. “That’s part of why Zyrian wanted her so much. Alone, he could be vanquished, but with Maija at his side, he would have been able to take over the world.”
There’s only one more thing I need to know. “You mentioned a diary back in the hospital.” I look at Mateo and Casius. “What diary?”
Erik answers. “You seem Norm,” he says. “But your abilities are far beyond those without magic. As he trained you, Silas began to wonder. He tried to research your lineage, tried to find out who your parents were. He kept his findings in a diary.” His eyes rest on my stricken expression, and his face softens. “Your father loves you with every fiber of his being, Aria. Never doubt that. You felt like an outsider in both the shifter and the Norm worlds. Archer kept his search a secret from you because he wanted you to fit in.”
There’s a pang in my chest. Not because Silas tried to find my real parents, but because this is the reason Pete died.
I have a decision to make, but let’s be honest, I’ve already decided. Bastian, Rhys, Casius, Mateo, and Erik have been there for me. They’ve protected Silas. They’re keeping Bea safe.
We’re a team, damn it. I’m not going to let them chase me away. If I’m the woman the prophecy is talking about—and all signs point to ‘Yes’—then they need me.
And I need them. In the background of my mind, there’s a niggling doubt about my identity. I can sense people. I’d been able to touch Mateo’s magic in the hospital, to use it against Dr. Brown. Silas was curious enough that he’d tried to find out who my parents were.
I’m Norm. I’ve always told myself that. I’ve always tried to fit into that world. What if I never belonged there?
One thing’s for certain. We’re better off together.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily.” I lift my wrist and show them my mark. “I’m a big girl. You’ve told me the dangers. I’m going in with my eyes open.”
“No, tesoro,” Mateo says. “Bastian is right.”
“No, he isn’t.” I glare at the mage. “I’m not helpless. I used your magic to attack that woman, remember? So teach me to protect myself.” I take a deep breath and brace myself. If they reject me now, I’m going to be pretty damn broken. “Please don’t send me away.”
“Fuck.” The curse is torn out of Bastian’s throat. “I’m trying to do the right thing, Aria.”
“The right thing for me is to be with all of you. Please, Bastian?”
He stares at me for a long time, his blue-grey eyes troubled. Finally, he breaks the silence. “There are rules,” he says. “You let us train you. You do not run off without us. You do everything in your power to stay safe.”
They’re not sending me away. They’re letting me in. They’re letting me help.
Gladness spreads through my entire body. “Okay,” I say. I’ve no problems with Bastian’s conditions; I’m not dumb. I’d have been kibble this morning had it not been for the dragon prince. I jump to my feet, overflowing with enthusiasm. “Now that you found me, how do we break this curse?”
Casius clears his throat. “We don’t know. We’ve never been able to find out.”
That is going to be one hell of a problem to solve.
To be continued…
Dragon’s Hope - part 3 of the Blood Prophecy series, will be released February 15, 2018. Click here to pre-order it today!
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The Blood Prophecy Series
Don’t miss any of the books.
Dragon’s Thief
Dragon’s Curse
Dragon’s Hope - releasing Feb 15
Dragon’s Ruin
Dragon’s Treasure
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About the Authors
Lili Zander is the sci-fi romance loving alter-ego of Tara Crescent. She lives in Toronto. She enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy, and thinks a great romance makes every book better.
Find Lili/Tara at:
www.lilizander.com | www.taracrescent.com
www.facebook.com/authorlilizander | www.facebook.com/tara.crescent
Email her at [email protected] or [email protected]
Mailing list: http://lilizander.com/draekon-mate-bonus/
Rory Reynolds is a stay-at-home mom of two little monsters. She’s a ravenous reader of romance and firmly believes that you can never have too many book boyfriends.
She writes feisty heroines, alpha heroes, and panty drenching smut with happily ever afters.
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2ePjbgL
Twitter: @RoryReynoldsBks
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/clcRNv
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2eq5PHW
Books by Lili Zander
Exiled to the Prison Planet (Sci-fi dragon-shifter menage romance)
Draekon Mate - Viola’s story
Draekon Fire - Harper’s story
Draekon Heart - Ryanna’s story
Draekon Abduction - Olivia’s story
Draekon Destiny - Felicity’s story - coming soon!
Adventures of Suzie and the Alien (smutty alien goodness!)
Adventures of Suzie and the Alien (Episodes 1-5)
Which includes:
Episode 1: The Alien, the Doctor and the Virgin
Episode 2: The Alien Trains the Virgin
Episode 3: The Alien, the Virgin and the Warrior Queen
Episode 4: Tentacle Monsters and the Virgin
Episode 5: The Virgin Returns Home
BOOKS BY TARA CRESCENT
MÉNAGE ROMANCE
The Playing for Love Series (Ménage MFM Romance)
Betting on Bailey | Gambling with Gabriella | Playing with Piper | Wagering on Wendy | Messing with Miki
The Dirty Series (Ménage MFM Romance)
Dirty Therapy | Dirty Talk | Dirty Games | Dirty Words
The Cocky Series (Ménage MFM Romance)
Her Cocky Doctors | Her Cocky Firefighters
Standalone Books
Dirty X6 (A Reverse Harem Romance)
BDSM ROMANCE
Standalone Books
Mr. Banks (A British Billionaire Romance)
Teaching Maya
The House of Pain
The Professor’s Pet
The Audition
The Watcher
Dominant - A Boxed Set containing The House of Pain, The Professor’s Pet, The Audition and The Watcher
Nights in Venice Series
A Thief in Venice
An Heiress in Venice
A Starlet in Venice
The Assassin’s Revenge Series (Romantic Suspense)
Assassin’s Revenge - The Complete Series
Found (Book 1)
Bought (Book 2)
Freed (Book 3)
Claimed (Book 4)
The Doctor Dom Series (BDSM & Medical Play)
Triage (Doctor Dom Volume 1)
Observation (Doctor Dom Volume 2)
Diagnosis (Doctor Dom Volume 3)
Relapse (Doctor Dom Volume 4)
Recovery (Doctor Dom Volume 5)
Or, buy the collections for a discount…
Doctor Dom Series Sequence One (Triage | Observation | Diagnosis)
