Minach tensed at the words. He wanted to offer sympathy, to be kind as Amara would have done. He could almost hear her voice inside his mind, dictating his next move. Be nice. This is her Wolf talking, protecting her unborn child. Trying to make your protective Dragon take possession over her.
“Perhaps one day he’ll have a new daddy,” Minach said softly, though he had to fight every cynical instinct to force the words out.
“I hope so.” Caitlin reached across the table, taking his hand in hers and squeezing. “I hope that by the time he—or she—is born, a new daddy will be in place.”
“Oh—I didn’t mean…” Minach began, but he was interrupted by the tinkling of the café door’s bell as someone pushed it open behind him. A feeling of blissful warmth flooded his chest as his nose picked up a familiar scent. He turned to look, gratefully accepting any excuse to draw his eyes away from Caitlin’s.
“What have we here?” a booming male voice all but shouted. “Did I hear something about a new daddy? My, my, someone’s been hard at work.”
“Aegis!” Minach called out, spinning to draw himself to his feet. For the first time in his life, he wanted to give the big blond shifter a bear hug. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Sea Air
Amara sat on the cottage’s small front porch, staring out towards the end of the world in the distance, just as she’d been doing half an hour earlier when the Guild members had landed nearby. She’d tried to be friendly, to act happy to see them before directing them towards Perthewey to find Minach. The truth was that she could so easily have broken down in tears at the mere mention of his name. She wanted him to come back, to be with her. But it was no use wishing for what she couldn’t have.
Right now, Minach was probably chatting with the Wolf shifter who seemed to want so badly to make him her mate. Well, perhaps he should consider it. Maybe this place was where he belonged. This strange, secluded part of England where Wolf shifters roamed, leaderless and afraid. Minach could protect them as Duncan had done, and maybe he could even find a way to care for Caitlin. He could be a father to her unborn child. A father was the truest sort of protector, after all, and wasn’t that what his Dragon craved most? A companion to look after. A family.
A mate.
All Amara knew for sure was that she had no place in Minach’s life. She would fade into distant memory, and he would forget her. It was for the best, of course. The rough shores of Cornwall were no place for an Enlightened. No place for her or her kind. They didn’t belong anywhere in this world.
Perthewey was a lovely little town, a place for families to flourish and grow, and she was the furthest thing from a doting mother. She was a woman forced into solitude by bloodlust and weakness, rendered selfish by the very need to survive.
She let out a heavy sigh and turned to look up the hill that stretched beyond the cottage. Long grasses blew in yellow-green waves, beckoning her to wander among them. Well, she’d told the Guild members that she was planning to head off for a walk, and there was no time like the present to do so. A little sea air might help to clear her muddled head, to erase the memories of her near-disaster with Minach.
It was time to renew her resolve, to remind herself of the solitary life that she must continue to lead.
She began to walk along the cliff’s edge, up a long, sloping hill, towards the unknown. Her one desire was to get away from the cottage, to get some fresh air into her lungs. To remind herself that perhaps there was still some beauty in this world.
The majesty of Cornwall’s coast was undeniable, and after a few minutes Amara began to feel a little better. But it took only a bit of scrambling over rocky terrain to remember that she was due for another dose of animal blood. She quickly began to feel spent, as though the air she was inhaling was insufficient for her broken body’s needs.
“Damn it all,” she snarled under her breath as she patted her pockets. She’d forgotten her flask at the cottage.
What a thing it was to be a slave to the blood of innocent creatures, to be hooked for life on a drug that relied on death.
“Just a little more, then you can rest,” she promised herself, trying to take her mind off her plight. “You’re almost at the highest point.”
In the distance a set of stone ruins caught her eye, distracting her momentarily from her troubles. Amara made her way towards them, curious about their origin. Of course, Cornwall was famous for its decrepit old castles, its Arthurian legends. Fortifications and standing stones existed in all guises in this strange and magical place.
She wandered over, her eyes scanning the crumbling stone walls. No doubt the shell of what had once been a nobleman’s home. Something about it set her mind racing with a feeling that she’d heard about or seen this place in a far off dream. She walked through empty, topless doorways and around dark corners, the stone marred by flame and long-ago wars. The building’s foundation had turned into a labyrinth of hallways that led nowhere.
“Looking for someone?” a deep voice asked, making the Enlightened all but leap out of her skin. She turned quickly, wondering if she needed to grab the knife that was tucked into a sheath at her waist.
A large man stood at the far end of the hallway of eroded rock, his hand pressed confidently against the wall beside him as though he knew the place well enough to be certain it wouldn’t fall under his weight.
“Not someone,” Amara replied, studying the man’s face. He was handsome, square-jawed and rugged. His hair was sandy-brown, his eyes dark, but glimmering under the sunlight with a strange, preternatural glow. “Just looking.”
“It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?” the man asked, taking a few steps forward but not threatening her with his proximity. Amara sniffed the air surreptitiously. The man was a shifter of some sort—possibly another Wolf, though he was awfully tall and broad for that species.
“It is,” she said. “What is this place? It’s not in the guide books I’ve looked at.”
“These are the ruins of Dundurn Castle,” the man replied, caressing a hand lovingly over the wall next to him. “Once home to a long line of shifters.”
“Dundurn,” Amara exclaimed. “I’ve heard of it. Shifters with astonishing powers lived here many years back. Well, that is, unless it’s all a myth.”
“Well, I’m not sure it’s a pure myth. Some of those who lived here were my ancestors, so they must have existed in some form.”
He was closer now, and Amara could see the brightness in his eyes. Whoever this man was, his déor was very near the surface, no doubt curious about what she was.
“Forgive me,” she said, “but you don’t seem particularly worried about my presence.”
“Should I be?”
She shook her head. “No, of course not. It’s just that some of the Wolves have had an odd reaction to me. I thought perhaps you were one of them, but there’s something different about you.”
“That’s because I’m not a Wolf, not exactly,” he replied. “I’m a Dire Wolf.”
Amara’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know…” she began.
“That such creatures still exist?” he said, coming closer and leaning in, his own eyes opening wide. “We do.”
“Clearly.” She smiled. He seemed to have a sense of play, this one. Powerful, but not frightening. “Do you live around here?”
The man nodded back in the direction he’d come from. “Over in the village of Trekilling. A few of us reside there; the townsfolk have always been friendly to shifters.”
“I see. I suppose you’ve heard what happened in Perthewey,” said Amara, studying his face in an attempt to assess him.
The man grimaced. “Yes. Awful thing, that. I’ve been biding my time before I approach the pack.”
“Oh? What about?”
“They’ve got no Alpha, and they’ve lost their protector. Wolves with no Alpha are lost, but worse than that, they’re unprotected from the threat that killed their leader.”
“Did you see what hap
pened to Duncan?”
The man shook his head. “No. Only heard that he’d had his throat cut by a blade.”
“Yes, that’s right. Most likely a hired assassin, from the looks of things. The question is, who did the hiring?”
“A shame. So what’s become of your companion?”
“My companion?”
“You flew in on a Dragon’s back,” he said. “I saw you yesterday.”
“Keen eyes,” Amara observed.
“It’s in my blood to be vigilant. These are my lands; I protect them.”
“Well, you don’t need to protect anything from me.”
“No, I don’t suppose I do. Yet you’re a half-breed.” The man said the words so matter of factly that he managed not to be offensive.
“I am.”
“Part Wolf, I think. I can tell our own; I picked up the scent the moment you walked up the hill.”
Amara smiled. “I wish I could own up to being part Wolf, but she’s far away now, and unlikely ever to return.”
“Never say never,” the man replied, his eyes flashing an oddly light orange colour. “Wolves are resilient. She will come back to you. I feel it on the air.”
“If you’re so good at assessing me then tell me, what’s my other half?”
The man sniffed the air. “You have blood-seeker in you, I think.”
“And still, you’re not fazed?”
The man shook his head. “There’s nothing foul about you,” he said, reminding Amara of Minach’s insistence that she was perfect. “You haven’t succumbed to your darkest desire.”
“You know about the Enlightened? You know what we are?”
“I know many things. I know that someone like you struggles through life for the greater good. It’s noble. You are a protector.”
“Hardly,” said Amara, recalling how badly she wanted to bite into Minach’s flesh the previous day. She could so easily have killed him. “I’m a threat.”
Another shake of his head. “No, you’re not. Because you refuse to be. And so tell me half-Wolf, what is your name?”
“Amara. And yours?”
“Doric,” he replied even as he turned to walk away. “Good-bye, Amara. Take care, and be safe. There are threats in this world, but you’re not one of them.”
She turned to look behind her, reminding herself that she needed to get back to the cottage and find her flask. When she turned back, all she saw was an enormous black Wolf, sprinting away from the ruins.
Friends
“What am I doing here, you ask?” Aegis said, flashing Minach a bright, good-humoured smile. “Seeing to it that you get the job done, of course.” He turned his gaze to the young woman still seated at the café’s table. Her large eyes were all but bugging out of her head as she stared up at him in an expression of utter disbelief.
“Your lack of faith in me is nothing short of hilarious,” grumbled Minach. He grabbed Aegis’s arm, dragging him towards the café entrance several feet away. “Now perhaps you can tell me why you’re really here,” he whispered.
“Bertie asked me—us, rather—to come. Amara reported to her at some point last night, told her what’s happened to the Dragon shifter. We thought you could use some backup in case the killer was still close by.”
Minach swallowed hard at the mention of Amara’s name. So, it seemed that after his strange altercation with her the previous afternoon, she’d calmed down enough to give her new boss a head’s up. Well, that was a good sign, he supposed. Perhaps one day she’d even calm down enough to look him in the eye again. “I see,” he said. “Did Ashlyn come with you from London, then?”
Aegis nodded. “As did Lyre, and Trix as well.” A surge of relief and joy shot through Minach to realize that his brother had come. Perhaps Amara had been right, and he would one day have a happy, healthy relationship with his twin. “They’re just checking into the inn,” Aegis continued, “they should be along any minute now.” He looked towards Caitlin, a mischievous smile returning to his lips as he whispered, “So tell me, who’s your little friend there?”
“That’s Caitlin,” Minach said. No doubt his fellow Dragon shifter had already figured out three things: the young woman was pregnant, she was a shifter, and she was far too excited by the presence of Dragon men. “She is—was—Duncan’s mate.”
“Ah,” replied Aegis, his expression immediately changing as he realized how inappropriate it had been to throw out jokes at her expense, even if they were directed mostly at Minach. He stepped over the Wolf shifter’s table and looked her in the eye. “I’m very sorry to hear what happened, Caitlin. I hope you know that the Guild will do whatever we can to help.”
“Thank you,” she said, laying a hand on her belly, her bright eyes still assessing both Dragon shifters. Minach got the distinct impression that she was trying to determine which of them would make a better father for her young.
Aegis turned to him and raised his eyebrows as if to say, “So, what the fuck is going on with this talk about new daddies?”
“I’ll fill you in later,” Minach replied, raking frustrated fingers over his dark stubble. “Meanwhile, how did you know where to find me?”
“Bertie gave us directions to the cottage, and we stopped by. Amara told us you’d come into town.”
Minach did his best to maintain his composure despite his heart thumping hard inside his chest. “So you actually saw her? How’s she doing?”
The other man narrowed his eyes, looking as though he were attempting to work out what was going on in his friend’s head. Minach couldn’t very well blame Aegis for his shock; after all, he’d spent years convincing the world that he never thought of anyone but himself.
“She’s fine, I think,” Aegis replied. “She seemed a little tired. Said she was going to head out for a walk to get some fresh air. Is everything okay between you two?”
Caitlin stared up at the two shifters, a confused, inquiring expression creasing her brow.
“Fine,” said Minach, remembering that he’d told the Wolf shifter the previous day that he and Amara weren’t an item. “But there’s no us two, as you know. I’m only concerned because she seemed a little…agitated…last night.” To say the least. “Anyhow,” he added, “I appreciate that you came all this way, but it was unnecessary. Caitlin here is the Seeker, and she’s going to help me find the Relic.” He turned to her, raising his eyebrows. “Aren’t you, Caitlin?”
“I…yes, I suppose I…” she stammered, apparently too confused to speak in complete sentences. “But there’s so much to consider. So much to do before…”
Minach withheld a sigh of frustration. She was resisting again, trying to find a way to delay the hunt for the stone. Looking for any excuse to avoid helping them.
Aegis shot Minach a quick look that said Let me look after this before stepping around him to get closer to the young woman. As Minach watched, he pressed his palms flat into the table, leaning forward to speak softly to the Wolf shifter. The fucker always had been more charming than him; maybe he’d have better luck getting her on board with their plan to retrieve the Relic.
“We’d be really grateful if you could help us,” Aegis said, flexing his triceps as Caitlin’s eyes took in his physique. Damn, the muscular bastard was doing it on purpose. Somehow, he knew exactly how to manipulate her, and he was far more skilled at it than Minach. Probably because he was kinder and less prone to bouts of irritated impatience. “You’re the Seeker,” Aegis said. “You know that, yes?”
Caitlin nodded, her eyes fixed on Aegis’s massive arms.
“You know what that means, don’t you?”
“It means I alone can find the Relic,” she replied in an oddly robotic drawl.
“That’s right,” Aegis replied. “It’s your destiny, Caitlin. You’re in a position to help all of Dragonkind. You want to do that, don’t you?”
She nodded again. “Yes, of course I do.”
Another tinkle of the door’s bell pulled Minach’s mind away from
the strange interaction. Within a few seconds he’d picked up another familiar scent and pivoted his body to face the latest arrival.
“Oh my God,” Caitlin blurted out, her eyes momentarily turning away from Aegis as she noticed the man who’d just walked into the café. “What the hell is going on here?”
Lyre was now striding towards Minach, only to throw his arms around him in a quick hug before pulling away. “How are things, Brother?” he signed, hands moving at lightning speed
“F-U-B-A-R,” Minach signed back, the letters forming in rapid succession. “You don’t even want to know.” He laid a hand on Lyre’s shoulder and looked him in the eye, silently catching up his twin on the latest mayhem. This is Caitlin. Her mate was Duncan, the Dragon shifter who was killed a few days back. Her Wolf seems to have latched onto me, or at least to the idea of me. In a nutshell, it’s all one enormous clusterfuck and I want to get out of here as soon as possible.
“Interesting.” Lyre’s voice projected the word into Minach’s mind as he turned to smile at Caitlin.
“This is my twin, Lyre,” said Minach out loud, watching Caitlin for her reaction. “But then, you’ve probably figured that out by now.”
“There are two of you,” she stammered, her eyes shining so bright as to almost glow white. The scent of her Wolf’s excitement wafted through the air, a lupine aroma greeting Minach’s nostrils. It wasn’t unpleasant; if anything, it was actually quite appealing, though it had nothing on Amara’s sweet, enticing scent. “Two Dragon brothers,” she said, her tone turning childlike, almost innocent. “Then there’s the other one, the blond man.” She turned to face Aegis once again, cocking her head to one side as she studied him.
“That’s Aegis,” said Minach. “He’s our resident nerd.”
“He doesn’t look much like a nerd,” said Caitlin, who was all but drooling now as her Wolf took the men in, no doubt assessing their slew of physical attributes.
Dragon's Curse: A Dragon Shifter Romance (Dragon Guild Chronicles Book 4) Page 12
