Tempting the Dragon

by Karen Whiddon

  “I still don’t understand.” Jade looked from Rance to Libby and back again. “How are you related?”

  He waited to see if Libby would elaborate. When she did not, he tried. “We are both the same species of shape-shifter. Our kind is extremely rare, so it’s easy to understand how Libby could think she was the last of her kind. She nearly is.”

  Slowly, Jade shook her head, as if trying to negate his words. “That’s not possible. Libby is a lake creature. While you... Are you telling me you’re a lake creature, too?”

  “The proper name is Drakkor,” Rance said. “And there are so few of us left, most other shifters have no idea we exist.”

  “Drakkor is a word I’d thought I’d never hear again.” Tears shone in Libby’s eyes. “My people, they’re all gone. I need you to tell me your story, your truth. How many survived the illness?”

  “That’s a long story.” He glanced at Libby. “Is there someplace we can sit and talk?”

  “Of course.” Libby’s voice still rang with joy. “Let me get some lemonade and we can sit on the deck. Jade, why don’t you show him where. I’ll join you both in just a minute.”

  “Follow me.” Back uncharacteristically stiff, Jade led the way through the house to a back door. She opened it and they stepped outside onto a beautiful wooden deck that overlooked the lake.

  “Rance.” Her determined tone told him she had something serious to say. “I don’t know what it is you’re trying to pull, but I won’t let you hurt Libby. As her Guardian, I take her well-being very seriously.”

  Again, he fought the urge to kiss her, to loosen the tight line of her lips with his passion. Instead, he swallowed hard and forced his unruly libido under control. Maybe all of that could come later, once he’d found Eve and made sure she was all right.

  “Jade, I’m telling the truth. I didn’t get a good enough look at Libby the one time I saw her in the lake, but once you started describing her to me, I knew.”

  “You’re telling me you’re a...dragon?”

  “Yes. As is Libby. We’re called the Drakkor.”

  “What about Eve, your stepdaughter? You said she’s a halfling. Is she half-Drakkor?”

  “Yes. Her mother, Violet, was killed by the illness, too.”

  “So recently? Libby lost her family decades ago. I would think by now someone would have come up with a cure.”

  “I wish. But this sickness, this plague, it’s like cancer. One moment, a woman can be whole and healthy, and the next...”

  Jade turned to stare out over the sparkling expanse of lake. When she turned back to face him, the sorrow darkening her eyes made his insides clench.

  “What are you so afraid of?” he asked, reaching out to wrap a tendril of her hair around his finger.

  She sighed, but didn’t move away. “That Libby won’t need me anymore. Truth be told, she hasn’t needed me to be anything more than a friend, and I could do better at that. But she’s always been the Lake Creature of Forestwood Lake. I don’t begrudge her happiness, not for one second, but now that she has a family, she’ll leave Forestwood and go to them. I’ll never see her again.” Her voice caught on that last statement.

  “That will never happen.” Libby appeared in the doorway, holding a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses. “This is my home. I also consider you my family. Please, Jade, sit down and let me tell you my story. When I’ve finished, I’d like to let Rance tell his.”

  Again, Rance felt the constraints of time. He struggled not to panic, even though part of him wanted to ask Libby to find Eve before she shared her history with Jade.

  He met Jade’s gaze and knew she was aware of his thoughts. “Patience,” she whispered. In that instant, drowning in her eyes, he thought he might do anything she asked. Anything but put his stepdaughter in more danger.

  “She’s with her father,” Jade said, stroking his arm. “Surely he will do what’s best for her. He loves her, too.”

  Oh, how much he wanted to believe this. He thought this tiny sliver of truth might have been all that kept him sane through the worry of his fruitless search.

  Finally Rance nodded. “Okay.”

  “Thank you.” Jade kissed his cheek. “Come on.” She followed Libby to a round, teak wood table and took a seat. After a moment, Rance did the same. Libby set down the pitcher and the glasses and poured the lemonade.

  When Rance reached for his glass, he saw his fingers were shaking. Jade apparently noticed, too, because she covered her hand with his, squeezing to let him know everything was going to be all right.

  “Libby, I know you’ve got a lot on your mind and I’m dying to hear your story,” Jade said. “But Rance is really worried about his little girl. Maybe you should go ahead and try again to locate her first.”

  Stunned and grateful, he sat up straight and met Libby’s curious gaze.

  “What happened?” she asked, her soft voice full of sympathy.

  Trying to stick to the facts, Rance told her everything that had happened.

  “She’s with her father, whom you were friends with until she disappeared, and now he won’t take your calls?”

  He supposed her calm tone should make him feel better, but it didn’t. “Yes.” He felt his expression slip, revealing some of the starkness of his worry and pain. Though he instantly composed himself, he knew both women had seen.

  “Of course I’ll help you,” Libby told him, leaning forward and patting his arm reassuringly. “But I need time to process this. Do you mind if Jade and I talk for a bit first? I promise not to take too much time.”

  Swallowing, he jerked his head in a nod. He didn’t actually have a choice. Though everyone kept advising him to have patience, that wasn’t possible when he wasn’t sure if Eve might be in danger.

  “She has to be in a certain state of mind to use her gift,” Jade told him, almost as if she was aware of his thoughts. “I promise, she’s not trying to delay. But if you’ll just give us ten more minutes—let her tell me her story—it would give her a much higher chance of success.”

  “Of course.” His smooth answer didn’t fool her, but he saw from her sympathetic expression that she understood.

  “All right.” Libby sounded relieved. “I promise not to take too long.”

  “And this should be interesting.” Jade glanced at Rance. “Though I’ve always wondered, you should know this is something I would never have dared to ask before you showed up in town.”

  “You already know part of it,” Libby said. “Not the personal details, but the general history.”

  “No. No, I don’t.”

  Libby stared, one perfectly arched brow raised. “I know your family kept some kind of written history of me. Have you never bothered to read it?”

  “I never knew about it. I just now learned there were books,” Jade answered. “When Mother passed the Guardianship on to me, she never said anything about them. She only told me when Di got sick and she needed our help.”

  “Of course she didn’t,” Libby muttered. “Not that there was anything in them but history.” She took a deep breath. “All right, then. What would you like to know?”

  “Everything. Start at the beginning.”

  Again Libby glanced at Rance. “I’m going to tell my version of it, based on my history. You may know more or something different, so if you do, please feel free to jump in.”

  Rance nodded.

  “Once, my kind were as numerous as your Pack. These days we’d be considered an endangered species. The few females who survived were sent to live in remote locations, all near lakes. Something about the cold, deep water keeping the disease at bay.”

  Jade reached for Rance. He took her hand and captured it in between his. “What happened? What caused your numbers to shrink?”

  “First we were stru
ck by an illness. It killed off many. Those who didn’t die were left sterile. Since no new babies were born...” Lifting one slender shoulder in a shrug, Libby sighed. “Some of us—myself, Nessie and a few others—managed to survive. We stayed in our homes near the lakes, aware the water was the one place we could retreat where the illness couldn’t follow.”

  Hearing the starkness of the pain in Libby’s gentle voice made Rance’s throat ache.

  “We will always have our history.” Libby continued, “Centuries ago, we took to the skies in numbers. Humans both feared us and revered us. If you ever get a chance to see the books your mother has, you’ll marvel at the medieval artwork.”

  “I imagine it was quite a beautiful sight. Were they your books?” Jade asked.

  “Yes. I always entrust them to the Guardian. Amber was supposed to pass them down to you.”

  “But she didn’t.” Now Jade turned to study Rance. “What about you? Do you have something to add to her story? You said there are more of your kind.”

  He nodded. “There are. But only a few. And that illness still shows up at will and without warning. My wife died from it. And my stepdaughter is battling it now.”

  “How many are left? You say a few. What does that mean? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?”

  “I wish I had better news.” Swallowing hard, he met her gaze. “There are four females left that we know of. The illness has rendered our males sterile...” Now he quickly glanced at Jade. “Or so our doctors believe. No new children have been born in years. Until recently. Three of the four remaining Drakkor women are with child. We hope for successful births.”

  “Four?” Incredulous, Libby repeated the number. “Are you certain there aren’t more females tucked away in hiding somewhere, like me?”

  “I would love it if that were the case.”

  “What about halflings?” Jade asked. “You say Eve is one. Are there many Drakkor halflings out there? Maybe their constitution is better able to fight off this plague?”

  “I don’t know.” Though Rance hated to admit it, he’d been kind of focused on his own, immediate reality until Violet became ill. “Eve was doing better, getting better. But then, according to Jim, something happened and she took a turn for the worse.”

  “And you don’t know if Jim was telling the truth,” Jade finished.

  “One last question, though I fear I already know the answer.” Libby glanced from Rance to Jade and then back again. “After all these years, no one has managed to find a cure for that plague? With all the brilliant scientists and doctors this world has to offer, and still nothing has been done?”

  Grimly, he nodded. “It’s like cancer in humans, though far more deadly. They haven’t found a cure for that, either.”

  One silver tear rolled down Libby’s cheek. She brushed it away. “I feared as much. Now, let me see what I can do about locating your little girl.” She pushed to her feet. “Jade, will you help me get ready?”

  “Of course.” Pulling her hand from his, Jade stood also. “She has to go into a trance. It takes a lot out of her.”

  Heart rate increasing, he followed the two women inside. In a few minutes, he might finally learn where Jim and Eve had gone, and if his stepdaughter was all right.

  * * *

  Though happy for Libby now that she was no longer so utterly, totally alone, something about the dark circles under her eyes and the fine lines at the edge of her mouth worried Jade. Especially with all this talk of a fatal illness destroying the females of her kind.

  Family had always been everything to Jade. She considered Libby part of her family. She’d always known she could count on any of the Burnetts, no matter what. Except now Jade felt betrayed by her own mother. Amber had known. All along. She’d mentioned reading the books when she’d asked Jade to get help for Di. And yet she hadn’t bothered to fill Jade in. She’d let Jade be Libby’s Guardian without having full knowledge of all the risks.

  Inside the living room, Libby took her usual place on the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace. She waved toward the couch. “You two make yourself comfortable,” she said, smiling. “Jade knows this can take me a minute or two.”

  Restless, Rance began to pace. Striding the length of the room in front of the wall of full-length windows, he clearly didn’t see the look Libby gave him.

  Jade jumped back up and took his arm. “Come on, let’s sit.”

  He grimaced. “I need a minute.”

  “Then let’s go back outside. Libby can’t relax if she’s surrounded by negative energy.”

  His bright gray eyes darkened. “I’m worried. Libby’s my last hope of finding Eve.”

  “I know.” Instead of squeezing his arm, she slipped her own arm around his waist. She liked touching him, loved the solid muscular feel of his body and the way his height made her feel protected.

  He was the first man she’d ever felt this way about. Oh, she’d once thought she loved her fiancé, Ross. But that emotion had been shallow compared to the way she felt about Rance. She wanted to take every minute with him she could, hold it close to her heart and savor it. Because once he found out where Eve had been taken, she’d likely never see him again.

  To her surprise, he put his arm around her, too. They stood side by side, with the dazzling lake spread out below them, framed by the brightly colored leafy display.

  This. Jade knew this moment would be one of those memories she’d take out and keep close once he’d gone.

  Gone.

  “Do you think she’s ready yet?” Rance asked, making her jump.

  She smiled at his questioning look. “Sorry, I was deep in thought. Let’s go inside and see. If she is in a trance, don’t speak to her or make noise. If you do, you run the risk of pulling her out of the trance.”

  “I understand.”

  Quietly they entered the house. One glance at Libby sitting motionless in her favorite chair and Jade knew she’d gone into a trance.

  Rance touched her shoulder. She nodded, indicating they should take seats on the couch. She’d never left Libby alone to come out of a trance and she wouldn’t now.

  They sat down, knees touching. For a brief second, Jade considered giving in to impulse and scooting over so that their entire bodies were touching.

  Libby made a sound, which chased that notion right out of Jade’s head. Sounds meant the trance would soon be ending. Judging from the way Rance had stiffened, he’d figured this out.

  The main question—had Libby located Eve and her father?

  Jade held her breath as Libby began to stir. When she opened her eyes, her unfocused gaze drifted around the room, finally settling on Rance.

  “I know where Jim has taken his daughter,” she said immediately, her voice weak, but certain. “He believes he’s doing this for her protection. Someone...” Her voice cracked before she took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Prince Cai has learned what she is. He has convinced Jim to travel with her to the land of the Fae.”

  Chapter 16

  Incredulous, Jade swallowed. Whatever she’d been expecting to hear, it hadn’t been this. Judging from the stunned look on Rance’s face, he felt the same way.

  “How?” he asked, his voice hard and brittle. “How in the hell would a Fae prince learn about my daughter?”

  Libby glanced at him before meeting Jade’s eyes. “I’m afraid when the two of you went to Fae, he grew curious when Jade was able to resist his charms. He began to do research into you. When he learned you had a young daughter, he saw a weak spot.”

  Rance shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he take Eve?”

  “Because she’s half-Drakkor. He has been searching for one for a long time. He plans to heal her and keep her there until he can use her.”

  Glowering, Rance’s thunderous expression ma
de a chill snake down Jade’s back. “Use her how?”

  “That I couldn’t see.” Libby spread her hands. “I’m sorry. But she’s not in danger. Cai won’t allow any harm to happen to her. Jim finds this reassuring. He’s hoping Fae magic will cure her.”

  “But Jim’s human. He doesn’t know about the Fae, or Drakkor, or any shape-shifter, for that matter. He has no idea what Eve is.”

  “Cai has enchanted him with Fae magic. Right now, Jim isn’t asking too many questions. When Cai said he could heal Eve, Jim believed him.”

  Rance made a strangled sound.

  “Cai considers her valuable,” Libby continued. “Again, he won’t hurt her.”

  While this should have made Rance feel slightly better, he continued to stand frozen, making Jade wonder if Libby’s words even registered.

  “Rance, she’s all right.” Jade tried to comfort him. “Maybe Breena will know what’s going on. Remember, she said something about needing your help, too,” Jade pointed out. “In the battle against her brother, Cai.”

  Rance had gone gray. She slipped her arm around his waist and held on, because she was afraid he might shatter.

  When he looked down at her, a muscle working in his jaw, something twisted in her chest at the tormented look on his face. “We’ve got to go back to Fae,” he said. “Now.”

  “I agree.” Jade eyed Libby. She’d remained seated, and had curled her legs under her. Jade could tell she tried to hold her usual exhaustion at bay. “Will you be okay here without me?”

  “Of course,” Libby answered immediately. “But please, don’t do anything foolish. You don’t need to go rushing in there without a plan. Eve is not in danger. And Cai can be a formidable enemy.”

  “So we’ve heard. We’ve met Breena, his sister. Apparently, he’s trying to steal the throne from her.”

  “I don’t care about political intrigue,” Rance growled. “I just want to make sure Eve is safe.”

  “She is.” The certainty in Libby’s voice appeared to calm him somewhat. “As a matter of fact, between Fae magic and her halfling genes, she’s made significant progress toward vanquishing her illness.” Sadness flitted across her expressive face. “If only that were all we needed to eradicate that illness once and for all.”