by Rinelle Grey
He was painfully aware that all this had already been recorded on tape or logged on a computer somewhere. Even if the police left, this area would forever be down on record as a possible place to find dragons.
And it was becoming more and more clear that dragons couldn’t completely hide their existence for much longer.
The only option was for them to convince the police that they had it wrong. That they were on a wild goose chase, and there were no dragons here.
Brad glanced over at his brother, wondering if this dragon speech thing worked on anyone but his mate. And if he could talk to someone else without her hearing. He had no idea how it all worked, and very little time to find out.
“Nate?” he thought at his brother. “How’d your mating go?”
If Lyrian overheard that, she would think nothing of it, but she didn’t even turn in his direction. She was talking to Taurian about how long he thought it would take the Trima dragon to arrive.
“Like nothing else I’ve ever experienced.” Nate’s dragon voice sounded amused, but his eyes were narrowed and fixed on Brad’s.
Brad took a deep breath. Either this was going to work, or it wasn’t. “You up for an adventure?”
“Anytime, you know that,” Nate said promptly. “What did you have in mind?”
Brad hesitated, but Lyrian was intent on her conversation. She was distracted for now, but they wouldn’t have long. “The dragon’s plan isn’t going to work and they can’t see that. We need to get out of here and talk those police into leaving.”
“I agree,” Nate said swiftly. “If we can get to that tunnel, we should be able to walk back around to the cars. We can tell them… tell them we got lost or something.”
Brad was relieved Nate was on the same page. He watched as his brother turned to his mate and communicated with her silently.
For a moment, Brad felt a spike of jealousy, that he could share what he was doing with his mate and have her accept it. But he reminded himself that the only reason Lyrian was objecting was that she was afraid of losing him. Unlike Nate and Kyrian, they’d had a very rocky start to their relationship. He shouldn’t blame her.
“Let’s go,” Nate said. Then he paused. “Do you have any idea how to find that tunnel?”
“No, but I have a good idea who does.”
Lyrian was so intent on her discussion with Taurian that she didn’t notice him and Nate slipping away. Once they were out of the main cavern, Brad and Nate hurried down one of the side tunnels where Brad had seen Ostrian disappear.
Trouble was, the area was a maze of tunnels, with rooms coming off each one. Dragons slept in these rooms, and Brad didn’t want to risk waking them. How was he supposed to find the old dragon?
What was the distance on this dragon voice anyway? Was there any way he could contact Ostrian with it?
Worth a try.
Brad focused on the old dragon, picturing him in his mind, then he thought the words. “Ostrian?”
There was a long silence. Just as Brad was beginning to think it hadn’t worked, a grumpy voice filled his mind. “What do you want?”
Brad thought he caught an echo of a voice, something about humans not understanding proper etiquette, but it was gone before he could catch hold of it. It didn’t matter anyway. He didn’t need the old dragon to like him, just to help him. And he was pretty sure he would.
“I need you to tell me where the tunnel is.”
Another long silence. “Why?” Ostrian asked eventually. “You wouldn’t be planning on disobeying the princes and princess, would you?”
Brad hesitated. Had he made a mistake in coming to the grumpy elder? He’d been sure he would be willing to help them. He hadn’t counted on him being a rule follower.
“I won’t be disobeying them,” Brad said firmly. “I’m one of them. Mating with Lyrian made me a prince.” His certainty wavered a little. “Didn’t it?”
Ostrian appeared in the hallway ahead of them, scrutinising them for a few moments. Brad had the uncomfortable feeling he was being judged and hoped he hadn’t made the wrong call. But he’d work it out somehow, he always did.
That thought gave him the confidence to say, “Are you going to help us or not?”
He spoke out loud without thinking, his voice echoing in the rocky hallway. Brad winced, and glanced at the doorways nearby, but nothing moved.
Ostrian strode down the passageway until he was close to them. “You are planning on giving yourself up to the humans?” he demanded, though he kept his voice low.
Brad nodded. “You’re right,” he said, hoping to play to the old man’s vanity. “The life dragon will never get here in time. This is the only way to keep the clan safe.”
Ostrian’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
His question surprised Brad. He would have thought the answer was obvious. “Because it’s the only way to keep Lyrian and Anarian safe.”
“You love them enough that you are prepared to sacrifice your freedom for them?” Ostrian demanded, his voice disbelieving.
“Of course,” Brad said simply.
Ostrian looked to Nate. “You as well?”
Nate nodded, his expression determined. “Kyrian has already gone through so much, she doesn’t need more to deal with. I want her to be happy, no matter what it takes.”
Ostrian stared at them both for a long moment, while Brad held his breath. Finally, he nodded. “I’ll help you then. The tunnel is this way.”
Brad and Nate followed him through the maze of tunnels, having to walk quickly to keep up. He was quite spry for an old man.
“It’s just down here,” Ostrian said, turning one last corner.
“And just what do you think you’re doing?” a voice said, as they turned the corner to come face to face with Aunt Mary.
Frustration welled up in Brad. So close.
“Get out of my way, I’m on important, dragon business,” Ostrian said brusquely.
Brad winced. From what he’d seen of Aunt Mary (whose aunt was she anyway?), he didn’t think that was going to work.
He was right.
She put her hands on her hips and glared at all of them. “Since neither Taurian nor Verrian are here, I’m going to guess that whatever you’re doing doesn’t have their approval. Meaning it isn’t important, dragon business, it’s unsanctioned, probably troublesome business.”
Brad hid a grin. Normally, he would have agreed with Aunt Mary’s assumption. Just not right now.
“I asked for Ostrian’s help,” he said firmly. “While I have the utmost respect for Taurian and Verrian and their decisions, in this case, they’re wrong. The police have brought in sniffer dogs, and they’re going to find our scent in no time at all. If Nate and I don’t get out there and put them off the trail, there’s going to be no hiding the dragon lair. And I don’t need to tell you what a disaster that will be.”
Aunt Mary stared at him, her lips pursed.
Brad held his breath, trying not to shift impatiently. Every minute she delayed him, the police were one step closer to finding the lair. This whole thing could be in vain if they didn’t get a move on.
“And just what do your mates think of that?” she asked eventually, one eyebrow raised.
“Kyrian has no problem with it,” Nate said promptly. “She understands sacrifice for the clan.”
Brad said nothing, hoping she would take Nate’s answer.
Of course, she didn’t. “And what about Lyrian?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Sometimes these princes and princesses don’t know what’s good for them,” Ostrian interrupted. “That’s why the elders need to step in.”
Aunt Mary held up a hand in Ostrian’s direction and looked at Brad. “I was asking you.”
Brad heaved a sigh. “Lyrian is afraid of losing me,” he said softly. “She can’t see past that. I don’t want to hurt her, but I have to protect her and Anarian. If anything were to happen to them, if they are discovered by humans, I’d never forgive myself.”
Aunt Mary stared at all of them for a few moments, then gave one, sharp nod. “I’ll help you then.”
There was no time to spare. Brad hurried down the tunnel with the others, hoping there were no more roadblocks, or tunnelblocks in this case, to their exit. A guard waited at the end of the tunnel, of course, but he was only a minor warrior. Ostrian’s authority, combined with Brad’s, were enough to make him step aside, even if he did look uncertain.
Brad stared out at the bushland, trying to get his bearings.
“Turn right and follow the cliff face along until you get to the clearing,” Ostrian instructed him. The grumpy elder paused for a moment, then added gruffly, “And be careful.”
Brad stared at him in disbelief. It was the nicest thing he’d ever seen the old dragon say to anyone.
“That princess will be unbearable to be around if anything happens to you,” Ostrian added defensively. “She might even eat me.”
Brad stared at him for a moment, wondering if he’d just made a joke. It seemed unlikely, and yet…
He nodded. “Thank you.” He turned to Nate. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 13
“We need to be ready to evacuate,” Lyrian insisted. Taurian just wasn’t listening. Her fire dragon brother was as impulsive as she was, except once he made up his mind on something, he refused to budge.
“Lyrian’s right,” Verrian tried. “If the humans try to force their way into the lair, we’ll have no other option.”
“We can fight them,” Taurian said stubbornly. “They won’t be prepared for us, and they can’t see as well as we can in the dark. I’m sure we can hold them off.”
“Sure, until they return with bigger weapons,” Karla said sarcastically. “Come on, Taurian, you know this isn’t an option.”
Taurian folded his arms and glared at them. “I won’t give up our home. It’s ours, and we have a right to defend it.”
“That right is useless if we’re all dead,” Lyrian said firmly. “I’m not putting my daughter at risk for your pride.”
The argument was going round and round in circles, and had been for the last ten minutes. Anarian had finished feeding and was fussing now. She needed a clean nappy, but Lyrian couldn’t do it right now.
She looked around for Brad, hoping he could take care of it.
But he was gone.
A nervous feeling rose in the pit of her stomach. How long had he been gone? She searched her mind, realising that he had said nothing for almost the whole argument.
Her dragon sense told her he was some distance away. What was he doing?
It hit her with a suddenness that left her reeling. “Brad’s going out to the police,” she blurted out.
Everyone stopped to stare at her, then around the room, noting Brad’s absence. They all came to the same conclusion she did.
“Quick, we can get to the tunnel exit before he does,” Verrian said, heading for the doorway.
“It’s too late,” Lyrian said, her voice hollow. “He’s already outside.”
“How on earth did he find the exit so quickly?” Taurian asked, answering his own question before she could. “Ostrian. It had to be. When I get my hands on that old dragon…”
Lyrian wasn’t listening. If the police hadn’t seen Brad yet, there was still time to change his mind.
“Brad?” she said into his mind.
There was silence for a long moment, and Lyrian held her breath. She knew he’d heard her, she could feel the connection between them, as strong as ever.
“I’m sorry, Lyrian. I know you didn’t want me to leave, but I had to do it. You and Anarian mean everything to me. You understand that, don’t you?”
Tears pricked at the back of Lyrian’s eyes. She understood it only too well. She’d do the same thing in a heartbeat if Anarian were in danger.
“But Taurian’s plan could have worked,” she insisted. But it was a weak protest.
She knew, deep in her heart, that Brad was right. She just didn’t want to admit it.
“It wasn’t fast enough,” Brad said gently. “By the time the Trima life dragon arrived, it would be too late. Once the police know where you are, they’re not going to let it go. You’re powerful and dangerous, and the fact that you’re different scares them. They’re going to react by lashing out, and I can’t bear that.”
“But…” Lyrian knew protesting was useless, she did it anyway. “It’s not even your problem. You’re a human, not even Australian. Why do you have to be the one to fix it?”
“Because I love you. Because you and Anarian are my life. Because this is the one thing I can do to keep you safe. Please let me.”
Lyrian was crying now, big gulping sobs, tears running down her face. Brad’s words made her heart ache. They made her love him even more.
They made this even harder.
Luckily, her dragon voice wasn’t affected by her physical tears. “I love you too, Brad,” she said, her voice only shaking a little. “And I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, this included. Thank you.”
Taurian held her in his arms, and Karla patted her back awkwardly. Lyrian was glad she had her family to support her, although she couldn’t help thinking that she’d give it all up if it meant she could have her mate back.
*****
Brad knew it was hard on Lyrian. He could hear the tears in her voice, even though she tried to hide them. He tried to comfort himself with the fact that she had her family to comfort her.
It didn’t really help.
The only thing that did help was knowing that this was the only option.
That was what enabled him to step out of the bush, and wave to the police standing around in the clearing.
His heart was thumping in his chest, and he was glad that his brother stood by his side.
Dogs barked frantically and rushed over to the pair, the police following.
“Are you the owners of these cars?” Brad didn’t recognise the police officer. He wasn’t one of the ones he’d already had dealings with. That would probably come in handy.
Brad nodded and waved to the blackened ute. “Yes, this one’s mine, and that one’s my brother’s.”
“What were you doing out here, and what happened to your car?” the man demanded.
Brad took a deep breath. This was it. The moment of truth. Could he convince the police that this was a wild goose chase? Could he get them to leave and return to Mungaloo?
“That’s a long story, and one I’m not sure you’re going to believe,” he said slowly.
“Try me.”
“Well, there was this… dragon, you see…” Brad forced a wince, faking the fear that the police officer wouldn’t believe him.
He really wasn’t in the last bit surprised when the man just frowned. “Go on.”
“Well, we were chasing it, see. It flew out here, and we were sure its lair must be nearby somewhere. But it just lifted up, over those cliffs, and flew off into the distance. I think it brought us here deliberately, knowing we wouldn’t be able to drive up there.”
“What happened to your car.”
“It… well, you’re probably not going to believe it, but the damn thing breathed lightning on me. Really strange. I thought dragons were supposed to breathe fire. Then again, I didn’t think they existed until yesterday.”
That elicited a barking laugh from the police officer. “What were you doing wandering around? The cars have been here since the middle of the day. Where have you been?”
“Lost,” Nate said promptly.
Brad nodded. “We were looking for a way around, seeing if we could chase after the dragon, but we got hopelessly lost. We only just found our way back to the cars.”
Brad held his breath. Was it going to work? Would their story convince the police to abandon their chase?
“And you haven’t seen any more dragons around here?” the officer asked eventually.
Brad shook his head. “Not a one. That one was heading back to the mountain, you know, where all the police are. I think it only lured us here to lose us. Devious dragon.”
The man frowned. “I’m going to need to ask you to come down to the station, to answer some questions.”
Brad nodded. He’d expected that.
He watched as the man waved his hand around and barked a few orders. Two other officers drove Brad and Nate’s cars, and they were escorted to a waiting police car. As they drove off, he could hear the helicopter lifting into the sky.
He’d done it. He’d saved Lyrian.
Pity he’d had to leave to do it.
The End
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She may not be a dragon, but it was her humanity they needed right now.
With time running out before his clan’s prince is discovered by mining or killed by enemy dragons, dragon shifter Jayrian needs to convince the elders to accept help from the humans. He hopes that the clever librarian, Gretchen, might be able to help him with that. He didn’t count on falling for her—that wasn’t part of his plan at all.
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About the Author
If you read a Rinelle Grey story, you can trust in a happy ending. Love will always triumph, even if it seems impossible… Rinelle Grey writes feel-good romance usually in science fiction or fantasy settings. Her heroines are independent and headstrong, and her stories are hard to put down.
She grew up in a remote area of Australia, without power, hot water, or a phone, but now lives with all of those and her (happily ever after) husband, daughter, chooks, ducks and veggie garden.
