by Katie French
Nebulous
The Dragon’s Creed Series Book 2
Ingrid Seymour
Katie French
Contents
Untitled
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
BOOK THREE AVAILABLE IN PRE-ORDER NOW!
About the Author - Ingrid Seymour
Also by Ingrid Seymour
About the Author - Katie French
Also by Katie French
“Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen all at once.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Winner Stands Alone
“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”
― Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven
Chapter One
No matter how many times I rode on a dragon’s back, it would never feel normal. Yet, there I sat, centered between two wings that captured the warm lake air like giant sails. The last rays of sun reflected off Santiago’s golden hide in brilliant sparkles like he was a pirate’s treasure trove. I could just see the top of his head beyond his serpent-like neck until he turned to glance back, his golden eye winking, jowls flapping in the breeze.
Beneath my thighs, his cool, sleek scales flexed as he banked right, slipping closer to Tom’s dragon form. Tom flapped his wings in time to avoid a crash, something Santiago was always instigating no matter how many times I said it terrified me. The big blue dragon angled his long neck to shoot a glare in Santiago’s direction. Tom’s eye had the vertical pupil and though it was an otherworldly blue, it was still him in there. I could almost picture his dark brows raised in a look that said, Are you kidding me with this?
I smiled at him, showing my teeth, though that was a risky venture at this speed. More than once, I’d been forced to swallow bugs whole as they slammed into my mouth like little projectiles. Mmm, protein.
Mouth shut, Tom reminded me through telepathy.
Having his words in my brain was the definition of strange. What would Mercedes say if I could tell her?
The thought of my friend spiked a feeling of loneliness through my chest. After she’d been kidnapped and almost killed, her parents had waited until after graduation, packed everyone up, and moved out of Summers Lake just like that. We’d cried the day she left, but we promised to text. She planned to go forward with her enrollment at Ohio State. I told her I was studying for my GED since I’d conveniently managed to miss exams and graduation while chasing dead ends trying to find Dad—something he would be most unhappy about. Whoopsie.
Mercedes was moving on, and I was stuck. Our text conversations so far had been short. Stilted. She didn’t remember what happened with Tara Palmer, and I couldn’t tell her.
Ki flew up on Santiago’s other side. His black dragon hide wasn’t as sparkly as Santiago’s, nor as iridescent as Tom’s, but he was solid with obsidian scales and warm chocolate eyes that somehow conveyed compassion even from within his lizard’s face. The eye closest to me locked with mine for a moment, and I could almost hear him telling me everything was going to be okay. I was about to try a quick burst of telepathy, but Mirror Island drew near. No time to flock around.
I shivered as we prepared. No matter how many times I slipped through the membrane into another world, I’d never get used to that, either. Weird wasn’t even the word for it. Star-Trekian, maybe. It was like if Narnia’s wardrobe, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and the TARDIS had a baby. So, yeah, weird.
I focused on the shimmer that appeared in the distance, now able to spot the waver that marked the illusion protecting Mirror Island. That and my ring got hot as hell as we approached. With the sword strapped to my back, I was ready for today’s training session. There was still a lot I needed to learn if I was going to take on Tara Palmer again.
Dad, I’m coming. Hang in there.
There had been word through the dragon community that Tara Palmer was on the move, making backdoor alliances and bargains with many different dragon species around the world. No one knew where she was—or where Dad was, for that matter. All I knew was she claimed he was still alive. It was my only hope, my thread of salvation. The only thing that let me fall into a hasty sleep at night.
Santiago angled his body down, slipping under an air current, the other two following suit. Below us, the waves sharpened into distinct points. The damp lake scent flooded my senses. The wind intensified, fluttering my clothes and hair. I gripped Santiago’s body tighter with my thighs as my hands sought his scales. I’d suggested saddles, but the boys had vehemently disagreed. No f-ing way, was Santiago’s specific statement.
As we plunged toward the surf, my stomach rose into my throat. Every time, I was convinced we’d hit the lake and I’d drown. I cursed myself for riding Santiago instead of Tom or Ki, who were less risky choices.
Santiago leveled off, skimming the water, the air from his wings churning the surface. His neck seemed to stretch as if I were suddenly looking at him through a funhouse mirror. The ripple of current shivered around our bodies, and then we were on the other side.
Santiago landed on the rocky beach, followed by Tom and Ki. Their giant wings sent sprays of sand toward the grassy embankment as they settled themselves. I waited until Santiago dipped his shoulder to slip down. As soon as my boots hit the ground, I was off, walking forward to avoid the moment when three of the hottest guys—the ones I’d spent every waking minute with this summer—turned human… and naked.
Awkward, much?
I heard the whoosh of at least two bodies transforming behind me.
“Hey, Lila,” Santiago called. “Look over here. I’ve got something really interesting to show you.”
I blushed, not daring to turn. Santiago thought my embarrassment at his nakedness was a constant source of amusement. I’d seen his… manhood more times than I could count.
“Shut up,” I yelled over my shoulder, still hiking off the slope to the shaggy grass between beach and forest.
Another whoosh marked the transformation of the last dragon.
“It’s safe to look now,” Ki called.
I glanced back. All three were now clad in shorts they kept in a waterproof tote on the shore. Ki’s board shorts were red and yellow, hanging to his knees. Santiago’s were a short European cut in an emerald blue, while Tom’s were gray and hung loosely on his hips like he’d lost weight.
For a moment, I wondered who was taking care of Tom since his mother vanished. Like me, he was alone, though where his father was I had no idea, and every time I asked him, he changed the subject. The Palmers had always had an abundance of wealth, but counting his ribs, I wondered if Tom was as poor as I was now. Did he even have money for groceries?
For me, poor was kind of an understatement. Dad had been on disability, and those checks were still coming, b
ut I couldn’t exactly cash them with it being identity fraud and all. And since he wasn’t dead, there was no life insurance payout or social security. There was no family I wanted to call. Both sets of grandparents were dead, and the one aunt I had was not a pleasant woman. Plus, she lived in Alaska and I hadn’t seen her in eight years. I’d started a college fund in seventh grade with birthday money and babysitting pay. Right now, it had exactly $4534.23. Without another source of income, I wouldn’t make it much past the end of summer, even living on generic peanut butter and the cereal off the bottom shelf. Fruity Cocoa Puffs, anyone?
But by then, I’d have Dad back. I was sure of it.
Ki sauntered up, pulling a shirt over his tan body, his hair messy in that perfectly displaced way it had. His skin had tanned to a deep brown that accentuated the perfectly sculpted muscles of his chest and arms. “What’ll it be this time, Warden? Sword drills? Cliff scaling?”
Santiago walked up, running a hand through his windswept curls. He was tan, too, which looked fantastic on him as he flashed his pearl-white smile. “I prefer a good game of chicken off the back cliff myself. Ten euros says Kiki here pulls up first.”
Ki kicked sand at Santiago’s shins. Santiago returned the gesture. And, just like that, they were wrestling on the beach, grunting and scrambling like a couple of brothers ready to give each other noogies.
“Guys!” I cried out, dodging as their scrum rolled my way.
I darted my eyes to Tom. Before the incident with his mother, Tom would’ve been right there with them, laughing and horsing around, but since, he’d been morose, quiet. I couldn’t blame him. I hadn’t laughed much lately, either.
“Knock it off,” he yelled, dark brows like storm clouds over his blue eyes. He wasn’t tan like the others. He was thin, pale, and looking like he hadn’t slept much in two weeks.
The boys rolled to a stop, spitting sand out of their mouths. Ki had Santiago in a headlock and was smiling triumphantly, but when he noticed Tom’s expression, he let go. The two of them scrambled up, then wiped their bodies clean.
“This is serious,” I scolded. “Dad has been gone for two weeks. Who knows what Tara is doing to him. I have to learn to control my powers, and I have to do it now.” God, I sounded like their mother. I tried to soften my tone. “Please help me.”
“Sure, Lila,” Ki said, “but we don’t exactly know how. We’ve kind of exhausted all our knowledge.”
“I think even our parents have run through everything they know how to do,” Santiago said, shaking sand out of his ear. “There’s nothing left. I suggested dropping you off the cliff, but Ki said you’d ‘die.’” He smirked as he used air quotes to let me know he was kidding.
“Can we ask your dad again?” I said, turning to Ki.
He took a step back from me, shaking his head. “No way. He said not to bug him anymore, and I’m already grounded. Besides, they have some big meeting on the other side of the island. Only Fang is here.”
“Your babysitter,” Santiago said, elbowing him in the ribs.
Ki rubbed at the spot, glowering, but didn’t disagree.
“So, everyone has just given up?” I asked, scanning around the semi-circle of boys.
Sad faces greeted me. Tom didn’t even meet my eyes.
I kicked at the sand. “God! Why doesn’t anyone care?”
“They care,” Ki said quietly. “I think that’s what the meeting is about, even though they won’t fill us in.”
“But they left us to guard you,” Santiago said, getting serious.
“And Fang,” Ki offered.
Raising his head, Tom met my gaze. “They could be meeting about me,” he offered, his tone dark.
Ki and Santiago exchanged a look. “I’m sure it’s not that,” Ki offered.
My heart ached for Tom, shunned by his own people. I’d promised myself I’d help him somehow the minute I figured out how to use my powers and saved my father. Dad was my priority.
“Then I need to learn to become warden without help,” I said, turning to stalk up the embankment.
When I was nine, I learned to ride my two-wheel bike myself. It took two hours of falling over and over, but the feeling of triumph when I pushed off the curb and finally righted the wobbling bike was amazingly satisfying, especially since I’d managed it all on my own.
When I was twelve, I scaled the lighthouse steps alone, lit the lamp, and cleaned the windows. Dad was shocked when he woke up and found the job done. And then mad since I could’ve hurt myself on the catwalk outside.
I was a kid who never stopped until I mastered something important to me. This would be no different.
The thatch of grass ahead rippled in the breeze as twilight hunkered around us. We only had a slice of daylight left, and I was determined to use it. I strode to a broad, flat boulder, unsheathed my sword, and lay it on the smooth surface. Walking backward, I moved away from it, then used all my will to picture the blade in my grip. It had worked in the cavern two weeks ago. It would work now.
Extending my hand, I closed my eyes and felt for the blade. I pictured Thor with his mighty hammer while casting my energy outward. My ring hand tingled, the metal band on my finger burning bright. Around me, the wind seemed to fall silent as if even the birds had lost their voice.
Still, no sword.
Gritting my teeth, I concentrated harder. “Come on.”
Nothing happened.
“Lila, what are you trying to do?” Tom said, his voice close to my ear.
Growling, I whirled on him. “I was trying to call my sword to me until you interrupted,” I said. “But I’m useless at it. I can’t even do the most insignificant skill.” I thrust my hand in frustration. “I can’t do anything!”
At the last word, a scraping sound was followed by the swish of an object flying through the air. In the dim light, I didn’t see the blade until it was close. Too close.
It was about to slice me in half.
A body collided with mine. Arms dragged me sideways as the sword parted the air just inches from my face.
We hit the grass hard. My elbow jabbed into a body, and an oomph sounded beneath me. When I glanced down, Tom was staring up. Annoyed.
“You almost killed yourself,” he snapped.
I sat up, taking my weight off his body as a blush traveled up my cheeks. Was I embarrassed about Tom’s body pressed against mine? Or the fact I totally botched that skill?
Both? Definitely both.
“I’m sorry,” I answered. “But it worked. The blade came to me. Maybe if I try—”
“No,” he said, his angry tone making my gaze snap his way. Veins popped on his neck, and his hands were fisted. “You keep trying like that and you’re not only going to kill yourself, you’re also going to get us killed in the process.”
“Tom, I’m sorry, but I’m onto something.”
He glared in my direction. “You’re always sorry. And you never learn.”
“C’mon, Tom.” I reached for him, but he turned and stalked off toward the forest. In a few moments, his shape was lost to the shadows.
“What’s got his panties in a bunch?” Santiago said, sliding up beside me as we both stared at the spot where Tom had disappeared.
Ki took the other side of me. “He’s hurting because many of the other dragon dens are blaming him for what his mother did. In her absence, some are calling for him to be put to trial. Or worse, used as bait in a trap.” The last part Ki whispered, his eyes on the shadows.
“They wouldn’t dare,” I said. When I turned to Ki, I realized he was serious. “Your dads would never allow that to happen. Right?”
“They aren’t allowing it,” Ki said. “But things are getting pretty bad. There’s word Tara’s forming alliances with some of the less desirable dens.”
“All the shitheads unite,” Santiago said wryly. He put his hand on my shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Li. The good guys always prevail against the shitheads.”
“Not if the good guys can’t
even control their own powers.” I stared at my sword, the tip buried a foot deep in the dirt. Jogging over, I yanked at the blade until it came free. I glared at it, hoping it could sense my disappointment. Useless, I thought. You’re grounded.
The whomp, whomp of wings beating at the wind drew our attention to the beach. I lifted my sword only to see Fang’s big brown dragon settle onto the sand, his body barely discernible now because of the dark.
“Babysitter’s here,” Santiago groaned. “Ki’s bedtime.”
“Shut up, bèn dàn.” But Ki seemed concerned. He started to jog toward his brother as the dragon shifted.
We ran to the beach, skidding to a stop as Fang pulled on jean shorts from the waterproof bin.
“Zěn me le, gēge?” Ki asked his brother as he drew up his drawers.
Fang’s worried eyes traced around the circle. “It’s the lighthouse,” he said. He sounded out of breath, but he grabbed my arm to command my whole attention.
“I think someone’s trying to break into the Dragon Warden’s lair.”
Chapter Two
I ran up the wooden steps that led from the beach to the lighthouse, Santiago, Ki, and Fang right behind me. Before we’d left, we had called for Tom, but we’d come without him in the end. There hadn’t been time to wait.
Riding the motor boat from Mirror Island had felt like an eternity, but the dragons couldn’t risk being seen—not if someone was snooping around my house. As much as I didn’t want to see him, I hoped it was just Mr. Webb and not a thief… or worse.
