“I need you to be safe,” he said.
I shrugged. “Who’s to say that the danger wouldn’t follow me wherever I go? For whatever reason, someone wants to take me out. You don’t drop your target just because they move locations.”
Wyvern wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his body. “If I made you go…”
“I think we both know what move I’d make.” I said as his button-up shirt caressed my cheek. “Even in my uncle’s power, I’d still be here and might be able to figure out what was going on.”
“I’m starting to really regret the compromise I made with you,” he said.
“Of course you do,” I whispered. “So Bobby is cursed?”
“There still could be another explanation, however…” he was silent for a minute, then said, “A curse is the only explanation I can think of for why an experienced dracon would continuously lose control of his aspect for days.”
I pulled away from him and looked up with an expression that I hoped showed how serious I was. “I’m going to save Bobby. There are solutions that dracons in the past didn’t know about. The dampener is working for Lorelei, and no one knew about that. I know that the dampener won’t work for Bobby as he’s not Mabiian, but… but there has to be another way to stop the curse. There has to be a way to cure it.”
The look Wyvern gave me showed no pity, but his gigantic soul coursed with such a huge amount of that emotion I had to look away.
Facing the long line of windows, I watched clouds pass by us like fish in an aquarium. I whispered, “I have at least a week, maybe more, Bobby is strong… he’ll stay awake.”
There was a knock at the door, and Wyvern squeezed my shoulder once before walking away from me to answer it.
I sat down and examined the table. Inlaid wood crisscrossed the table, forming a long symmetrical pattern. My fingers moved across the pattern, feeling for roughness at the joints, but it was smooth.
Someone took the seat across from me, and I looked up to see Harrison examining my face. “Are you okay?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
Consciously, I wiped all expression from my face. “I’m fine,” I said, sitting up in my chair.
Wyvern took the seat beside me, his arm going around my back. He brought Harrison up to speed about my uncle and other details they must have not discussed while I recovered. From what he said to him, it was obvious that Wyvern told Harrison all about the Mabiian Islands’ humans with human magical abilities, a choice I would never had made. While he talked, Wyvern rubbed my shoulder in what I was sure was supposed to be a comforting touch, but as his fingers sent little bolts of zinging sensation through my arm, it zoomed straight past the comfort mark.
Yet I had to admit, Wyvern’s hand rubbing my shoulder, felt like rays of sunshine hitting my skin after a long, hard rain. Though, I had to admit, it was a little awkward under the circumstances.
“I know very little about curses,” Wyvern said, again squeezing my shoulder. “I was hoping that as your sister was the one who defeated the Draqui dragon’s entire family line—”
“Defeated,” Harrison scoffed, “Most people just say massacred.”
“Most people were not victims of the Draqui patriarch’s curse,” Wyvern said.
“True, few were. The Albonian Rex was said to have a particular hatred for my sister. I believe the story goes that she scorned him, then betrayed him.” He glanced at me, then back to Wyvern. “Though, I heard that during the time at your court. It was law that no one spoke of my sister’s curse. She was cursed years before I was born. I know that she is nocturnal, just as a human-infected vampire is. I know that she must feed twice as much as the rest of us dracons.”
“It’s interesting…” I said.
“Interesting?” Harrison’s attention turned to me and his nostrils flared.
“No, sorry, I meant that it’s interesting that your family is connected to mine in the past. Your sister said that she had a contract with my father, which my grandfather point-blank lied about to me. And then, your sister has a history with the only known dracons to inherit the ability to curse. And now dracons from my family are getting cursed, and both your sister and my grandfather are targeted for a double assassination. Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong… maybe the answers are in the past.”
“They could all still be unrelated,” Wyvern said.
“They could be,” I said, leaning forward and out of Wyvern’s embrace, “But it could also be the link we’re missing. Do you know anything about the contract between your sister and my father?”
“The other night was the first I had heard her mention it,” Harrison said.
I nodded. “Sorry, continue with what you know about curses, Harrison.”
“I know almost nothing about curses,” Harrison said. “When I was a small child I heard rumors about dracons coming to heal my sister, but now if any peer even mentions the possibility of a cure, they are immediately imprisoned. I’d assume Wyvern’s tutors taught him more than I was allowed to know.”
“It was mostly considered irrelevant knowledge by my tutors, as the Draqui’s offspring were wiped out and the Draqui himself was imprisoned by the Vrykolakas dragon for eternity. The curse aspect was considered extinct.”
“Earlier, you said there were only two dracons ever known to have the ability to curse,” I said.
“The Albonian Rex Agon, and his son Clirim,” Wyvern said.
“How do you know all their descendants are dead?” I asked.
Wyvern looked over at Harrison, when Harrison nodded Wyvern turned back to me. “Imogen had soldiers and vampires surround the Albonian High Court during a Yule party before she and the Vrykolakas dragon, her father, killed everyone inside. All their descendants were confirmed dead afterward. The world leaders at the time almost unanimously supported her attack. Many were her allies and approved that it was a just revenge, others believed that the ability to curse needed to be eradicated.”
A sour taste filled my mouth and my stomach churned. “That’s disgusting,” I whispered.
Both guys were silent for a minute before Harrison said, “It is.”
“Perhaps it is,” Wyvern said, in a louder voice. “But, I understand why the curse aspect made the dracon leaders of the time choose that decision. Just look at the massacre on Mailua.”
“Sounds like a lot of innocent people died in both situations, and obviously the curse aspect isn’t extinct.” I leaned back in my chair, finding Wyvern’s arm still waiting for me there. “Was anyone else cursed back then?”
“Yes, years before Agon had cursed his younger brother, who died soon after. His son also cursed a dracon. They held the threat of the curse over every leader’s head for years until Agon cursed Regina Imogen.”
“Makes sense why Agon didn’t have many friends in the end. Could he curse people from a distance?” I asked.
Wyvern shook his head. “I didn’t learn any of the mechanics of cursing—as I said, it was considered an extinct aspect. It’s said to only work on dracons and to be permanent, that’s all I know.”
“Well, we need to learn the mechanics, whether it’s a human doing this or some long lost ancestor of the former Rex of Albonia, someone likely is cursing dracons,” I said.
“There is no current Rex of Albonia, it’s part of the Oceania Empire now,” Harrison said.
“Who controls the area?” I asked.
“My brother, Benjamin, when he’s not here. The rest of the time it is controlled by his family,” Harrison said.
“Your brother Benjamin is the one who owns the vampire cruise lines?” I asked.
Harrison nodded.
“We’ve landed,” Wyvern said, standing up.
Glancing out the window, I saw that we had landed on Mailua. I had not even noticed.
Though wet drops obscured most of the view, smears of green with patches of red volcanic dirt dotted jagged peaks on the horizon line.
“It looks even wetter here,” Harrison
said, looking over my shoulder.
“No surprise, if it’s raining in Mabi, then it’s pouring in Mailua. It’s called the rainforest island, even though all the islands have rainforests.”
“I love the rain,” Harrison said, meeting my gaze.
“Me too…and the mud.” I looked back to the rain soaked window. “When it was pouring like this, I’d always get a call from my grandfather, and we’d rush off to this paintball arena he had made for me. I rarely beat him at paintball, but when it was raining like this and neither of us could see very far, I had the advantage. We’d both get soaked and covered with mud, but when I won, he’d give me this miniscule smile. Just a slight lift at the corner of his lips, and then he’d say, ‘I would rather lose to you, Granddaughter, than anyone else.’” I swallowed down the emotion that wanted to come up, and I met Harrison’s gaze. “I want him back, Harrison. When are you going to help me?”
Wyvern’s hand came to rest on my shoulder, but I did not acknowledge it. I continued to stare into Harrison’s eyes.
“You were right, my brother does plan to return my sister home and burn her body. He can’t leave until I find the culprit of the attack on you and prove our family’s innocence in that matter. Yet, there are difficulties in bringing the two bodies together, more than her distance from your grandfather, but also, Imogen can only be moved at night. If your uncle was not afflicted, his ability to teleport is the only method I can think of to bring the two bodies together. Is he the only one of your uncles to inherit that aspect?”
“The only living one,” I said, with a grimace. “But you are willing to try, if we find another way?”
“I promise to try, if there is another way I think would work,” he said, never taking his gaze from mine.
I exhaled heavily. “I needed to hear that,” I whispered.
“We have landed in Kapa, Mailua, sir,” a male voice said from a speaker above the door. Wyvern’s hand on my shoulder turned into an offered hand, and I ended up taking it and letting Wyvern help me up.
Even just touching his hand felt incredible. But when his fingers tried to lace through mine, I pulled away.
The moment after Harrison left the room, I grabbed the door and closed it before Wyvern could walk out.
The look Wyvern turned on me was full of heat and interest, as if I’d shut the door hoping for a make-out session. I needed to squash that right now.
“Wyvern,” I snapped. “No more kissing, hand holding, or holding me for more than like a minute, okay? This is getting out of hand. We’re friends.”
“But a minute is okay?” he asked, with a mischievous smile. In an instant he had his arms wrapped tightly around me, and I was pressed to his chest. “Because a minute is a pretty long time to hold you, let me show you: one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand…” His arms moved up and down my back as he spoke.
“Ugh, ten seconds, you can hold me for no longer than ten seconds,” I said.
He leaned back, looking down at me, “What if it was ten second kisses instead?”
I swallowed hard. “No kissing.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, leaning in so close I could smell his sweet, spicy breath.
I nodded, glancing between his eyes and his lips.
“Not even for this long?” he asked as his lips came down and brushed gently against mine for one second.
When he pulled back, I nodded again, then remembering what he asked, and I shook my head instead.
“How about for this long?” His lips met mine with a sudden hungry intensity that I wasn’t expecting. His hands buried in my hair while his lips pushed against mine, sucking on my lower lip before his tongue entered my mouth.
I lifted to my toes, unable to stop myself from kissing back. I grabbed onto his jacket and opened my mouth to his kiss. My lips were as hungry on his as his were on mine.
My breaths were coming hard and fast when he broke away. “You play so dirty,” I whispered.
“I always will.” He grabbed me, holding me tightly against him. “I’ve missed you so much, Dakota,” he whispered into my hair.
It was like I could literally feel him reeling me back in. And it wasn’t with one of those cheap plastic fishing lines either, he was reeling me in with a giant net. It didn’t matter how much I struggled, the net would always win.
I broke away, huffing under my breath, which just made him laugh. With a grumble, I opened the room’s door to see several people just waiting for us, Harrison and the remainder of my security team amongst them. The others were a group of dracons I didn’t know, all looking expectantly at Wyvern as he exited.
Wyvern’s hand rested on my back. “Sophie, why don’t you start?”
“A couple of Dakota’s uncles met us at the plane. Michael can brief you, if Dakota wants to step outside to talk to them.”
“Dakota and I will be staying together from now on until the problem is resolved; I’d prefer we receive the information from you before stepping outside.”
Sophie turned to me. “I am so sorry to tell you this Dakota, one of your cousins was killed.”
“Who?” I stepped toward her.
“Jeffery Peters,” she said.
I closed my eyes, feeling a strong wave of relief, then immediately an equally strong surge of guilt. “He was an enforcer on this island, I met him once. He was nice. He has—had a family, two grown kids, I think.”
“What do you know about his death?” Wyvern asked.
“He was found this afternoon, exsanguinated. His body was floating in the harbor. There were several wounds on his body that were recognizable as bite marks. He was assigned to have a meeting with one of the remaining local covens last night.”
“They killed him?” Wyvern asked.
“It looks that way. Dakota’s uncles definitely believe that the coven is to blame,” she said.
“Is her family taking action against the coven?” he asked.
“They are. They asked that you and Dakota wait to examine the hotel until the threat is eliminated. I get the distinct feeling that they’re not telling me something,” she said.
“I need to speak to my uncles. Possibly alone,” I said, but when I looked back to Wyvern, I amended, “Or with just you.”
“They asked to speak to you in private, sir,” she said to Wyvern.
“Send them in here. Then clear the plane and secure it from the outside.” He turned. “Harrison, you are welcome to go or stay.”
“I’ll stay,” he said.
Wyvern nodded.
The group dispersed, except Wyvern, Harrison and me. We sat in the airplane cabin waiting for my uncles.
“I really hope that my uncle isn’t stupid enough to go into open conflict with an entire coven,” I whispered to Wyvern.
“How large are the covens on this island?” he asked.
“This island has the highest vampire population of any in the chain; it’s also the most popular vampire destination. It has—had four covens, all connected to each other, one in each of the largest towns. I’m not sure which one was wiped out by the Dracs, but likely the one which was closest to the Mailua Volcano Resort. I think they’re called the Lily Coven, they were the largest of the four covens, but I don’t know if things have changed since I was last here. When I was last here, they were the coven that worked with us the most; they’d even policed the other covens in certain matters on our behalf.”
“Let’s hope that it was another coven that was wiped out,” Harrison said.
“I’m getting a bad feeling that we’re not going to be that lucky,” I said.
Sophie stepped back into the plane, stone-faced. She bowed low after approaching us, and then said, “I apologize. They have strict orders to not say anything in front of the Princep or Dakota.”
“That’s bull,” I said, standing.
Wyvern rested his chin on his hand, pursing his lips. “Dakota will—” He paused whatever he was saying, and then his gaze met mine. “I think I should hear them out, wha
t do you think?”
My lips parted as I stared at him. “Wow.”
“I’m trying,” he said.
“I can see that. You should. I could go back into the soundproof room. Just try to find out what coven it is, what evidence they have against them, what they’re going to do to them, and why they want me out of it. Oh, and try to impress upon them that the vampires were told a lie and that someone is playing us against each other. But don’t be obvious about it, you know?”
Wyvern gave me a wide grin.
“With your permission, I will go in and guard her,” Harrison said.
“Thank you. That was what I hoped,” Wyvern said.
“Or Sophie could do it,” I said, glancing over at Sophie.
“They’re not going to speak with me out here, and they might take me being outside of the plane without Vern as hostility. This whole situation looks too much like a takeover from my family,” Harrison said, standing.
“I also need Sophie out here to listen in. She’s my expert on your family’s inter-politics,” he said.
My teeth ground together. It was not like I didn’t know Sophie spied on my family, it just bothered me when it was laid out like that with no shame. “Fine,” I said, walking back into the soundproof room.
A moment later, Harrison followed me in and closed the door behind him. He immediately set to leaning against the wall.
Finding sitting entirely unappealing, I walked to the windows and looked out. The downpour had paused, though the sky looked to only be taking a break. The greens and reds of the landscape shone out more vibrant after the rain.
I pulled out my phone and checked the call log and messages, but there was nothing. I had texted Glacier the moment I got on the plane that I had information on Bobby and it was bad, but he hadn’t responded or called.
“You don’t want to be alone with me? Are you afraid I’m going to bite you?” Harrison asked from behind me.
Turning, I met his bright blue gaze. “Maybe you should be afraid that I’ll bite you.” I gave him a maniacal grin.
He didn’t smile, but I thought I could see a hint of a smile in his eyes.
“So what’s with all the leaning?” I asked.
Rex (Dakota Kekoa Book 2) Page 21
