Dragon Unbroken_A Reverse Harem Dragon Fantasy Romance

by Keira Blackwood

  Victor took the phone from her, his hand brushing slightly against hers. She visibly flinched, but her cheeks grew pink.

  Maybe, without her preoccupation with Quentin in the way, she wouldn’t be blind to Victor’s feelings for her anymore. Maybe she’d even feel the same way about him. The thought warmed me, making my heart feel full, and I snuggled into Quentin’s lap.

  “Why don’t you tell me the number,” Victor suggested.

  Heather rattled it off, and Victor passed the phone back to her. We listened as it rang, and then a beep sounded.

  “It’s me,” she said. “I’m safe, Mom, but we need to come back. Or meet somewhere. Give me a call at—” She looked to me.

  I listed the number loudly, so Heather wouldn’t have to repeat it. Then she pressed the button to end the call.

  “Okay,” she said. “Now we wait, I guess.”

  The six of us were quiet for a moment, until Heather broke the silence. “So really,” she said. “Four of you.” She gave me an appraising look. “I mean, three guys, three holes…”

  “Please let’s stop talking about this,” Victor said.

  “I’m curious,” she said.

  “Inappropriately curious,” Victor said.

  Heather shrugged. “Fine. But did you fall in love with all three at once, like boom?” She spread her hands out like a giant explosion. “Or was it one at a time, like, bang, bang, bang?” She mimicked three smaller explosions.

  I opened my mouth to answer, even though I had no idea what I was going to say. Luckily, the phone rang.

  Heather stared at it in her hands. “That’s not my mom’s private number.”

  I clambered out of Quentin’s lap and looked at the phone. “Shit, that’s Koenig.”

  “Don’t answer,” Victor said.

  Heather went white and dropped the phone. It clattered to the ground, bouncing against a stone.

  Heather stared blankly at the phone. Voice laced with panic, she said, “No. No, no, no.”

  She really was terrified of the man. My heart went out to her. We would do everything in our power to keep her from him.

  I went to pick up the phone, but Koenig’s voice came from the receiver. “Why, that sounds remarkably like my bride.”

  In dropping the phone, Heather had inadvertently answered Koenig’s call. I lurched to the device and hit the power button, but it was too late.

  Heather hugged her arms across her chest and shook her head. Her face went pale as she retreated backward.

  Victor’s jaw clenched before he spoke. “He’s coming.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ariana

  Silence reigned.

  I stared at the phone in my palm, the time bomb that had just gone off.

  There was no more waiting. The time to act was now.

  Victor was by Heather’s side, there to pick up the pieces, there to give her the reassurance she clearly needed.

  “Koenig doesn’t know where we are,” I said, offering what I could.

  I looked to Taylor, my heart. I looked to Slade, my rock. I looked to Quentin, my strategist. We needed a plan. I hoped someone had a plan.

  No one spoke.

  “This cave has kept you safe so far.” It was hard to believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. We all wanted to leave the cave. We all wanted to leave this damned forest and be done with this mission. But going out there in a panic was not smart. If we were leaving, it should be a calculated move that would see us safely away from the Allencloth pack. It needed to be a safe path to returning Heather to the Braunbar clan.

  “We’re going,” Victor said. He took Heather’s hand.

  Her face remained pale, but she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes. She nodded.

  Slade’s brow was furrowed. He looked to me, questioning. We didn’t come this far to give up. We didn’t travel halfway around the world to let Richard Koenig kill Slade’s father. No, we needed to stay together, all of us until the end.

  “We stay together,” I said. “If that means going, we all go.”

  “But it would be smart to at least have some kind of plan,” Taylor said.

  “I have a plan,” Victor replied.

  “Don’t tell me,” Quentin said. “Leave the cave?”

  Victor ignored him and instead looked to me. “I’ve got a Land Rover stashed. We can get there in two days by foot. It’s our best chance.”

  “Why didn’t you mention this sooner?” Quentin asked.

  “It wasn’t time,” Victor said.

  “And why not just fly away?” Quentin asked. “We’re dragons after all. Koenig’s not.”

  “Heather’s not either,” Victor said. “Even if I carried her, we’d be exposed above the tree line.”

  “So what if we are?” Quentin’s mouth formed a straight line. His posture was rigid. I understood where he was coming from. Wandering the woods left us exposed. The density of the trees would make it impossible to shift if we ventured out. Here maybe we could, but out there? There was also no way to know what Koenig was thinking. Had he heard something that would give away our position? Was he still focused on the west end of the forest, or was he headed this way right now?

  “So,” Victor said, “I don’t want to risk anyone getting taken down with a rocket launcher.”

  Taylor nudged Slade’s arm with his elbow. “That’s a solid point.”

  “We use stealth while we can. We fly only if we have to,” Victor said.

  I pictured Taylor on the ground after he’d been hit in the head with the rock, Quentin with his shoulder twisted and pulled. Those had been only at the hands of Victor. Koenig was so much worse. He’d have no reservations about killing any one of us. My stomach turned. No, flying wasn’t worth the risk.

  “This is what all the scouting has been for,” Taylor said. “We know the area. We’re dragons. We have the advantage. I say we go for the Land Rover and get the hell out of the forest.”

  I looked to Quentin.

  “I’ve been ready to leave since we arrived,” he said.

  Slade’s eyes were downcast.

  “Slade?” I asked.

  He looked up and met my gaze. There was something there—concern. “We should go,” he said.

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s pack.”

  There wasn’t much to gather. The space was too small to spread out, and we hadn’t brought much along. Only so much could fit in a backpack.

  I wanted to talk to Slade, but with six of us in the small space, it didn’t feel like the right time.

  Heather stayed close to Victor’s side. She followed as he rolled up his sleeping bag, as he collected all of his belongings.

  “My bag’s already packed,” she whispered.

  When Victor finished, he stopped by the entrance of the cave. “We’ll be outside when you’re ready.”

  Heather clasped his hand between hers and followed him out without another word. I felt for her. As uncomfortable as all of this was for the rest of us, it must have been significantly worse for her. I couldn’t imagine being in her place, being kidnapped and trapped in a cave for a month, only to have her worst fear realized. It had all been for nothing. Koenig hadn’t been coming while we were out there searching, but now that he knew the truth, he’d come for her full-force.

  I rolled up my sleeping bag and attached it to my pack.

  When it was just the four of us, I turned to Slade. He was waiting by the opening to the cave while Taylor and Quentin finished packing.

  “Hey,” I said, and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Are you okay?”

  He kissed the top of my head and held me to his chest. He was so big, so strong. It felt right to be there, in his arms.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  I looked up into his soft brown eyes. It was still hard to believe that such a gentle soul could be housed inside someone who looked anything but.

  “I’m ready for this to be done,” he said. “Ready to go home.”

  S
lade let go, and Taylor touched my arm. Quentin came over to stand across from me, forming a little circle. It was just us. I wanted that back. I wanted to go home, too.

  Even though it was brief, it felt good to be just the four of us again. The air in the cave was different, warmer, with an electric charge. Soon all of this would be over. Soon we’d be home.

  “I know we’re all here, but I miss you. I miss us.” Taylor said, as if reading my mind. He looked from Slade to Quentin to me.

  “Me, too,” I said.

  Quentin breathed in as if taking in my scent. “Soon,” he said. “We’ll be home soon.”

  Taylor and Quentin left the cave, and I knew Slade and I needed to follow.

  “Do you think we can protect them?” Slade asked.

  I took his hand in mine, and I gave him the only answer I could. “Yes.”

  We left the safety of the small cave. There was only one option—move forward and do what we could to survive. All of us, together.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Slade

  I followed close behind my dad, the gear heavy on my back. The cave wasn’t more than an hour or two behind us. I was glad to get away from it.

  Dad stopped at the edge of one of the trails we’d unintentionally formed while scouting the area around the cave. He looked one way, then the other, and started walking east.

  “We need a plan,” I said, catching up to him. “Where are we going after we reach the car? What do we do if something goes wrong? We don’t have a meetup place. We haven’t accounted for contingencies. This isn’t a trained military unit. Heather—”

  “I have a plan.”

  “No, you don’t. You know as well as I do that you’re operating on blind panic right now.”

  “I’m not panicked,” he said.

  “You’re worried about Heather, and you don’t want Koenig to get her. None of us do.” I lowered my voice. “I can tell how you feel about her. And I’m mad about that. I wish it was Mom you had those feelings for.”

  “But she’s happy with James.”

  “I know. Doesn’t change how I wish things had been different. I was a kid who didn’t have a dad for a long time. A kid who had a sad mom.”

  He didn’t say anything, just kept walking. Then, quietly, “I know. I’m sorry. I wish things had been different then, too.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Heather picking her way through the dense brush not too far behind us. I was surprised she’d allowed space between her and my dad. It hadn’t started that way when we first left the cave. Maybe she was feeling a little better. I hoped so.

  “Just don’t screw this one up,” I said, keeping my voice low so she wouldn’t hear.

  His voice was gruff. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Ha. I did, too. But he wasn’t ready to discuss it, so that was fine by me.

  “The Land Rover you mentioned, where is it?” I asked.

  “Like I said, two days’ hike.”

  “It’s secure?”

  “As secure as it can be in the middle of the fucking mountains.”

  I sighed. “You never talked like that when I was a kid.”

  He stopped walking and turned to look at me. “You’re not a boy anymore, Slade.”

  “I guess I just thought that was how you were.” I straightened up and started walking again.

  “Maybe…” he said slowly, “maybe that’s how I can be. For you. But I hope, son, that you’re not going to be disappointed with everything you learn about me.”

  My chest felt heavy, and it was hard to breathe. Everyone else was fairly close behind us, trying not to trip over fallen trees and gnarled roots. “Knowing what you went through, Dad—knowing all that I know now—it makes me think the world of you. And you’re still doing the right thing, behind the scenes. You took a job for Koenig and when you learned he played for the wrong side, you went rogue. You’ve sacrificed so much—for your country, for your family, and now for all of us.” My throat felt too full. I hated the feeling, so I coughed, trying to clear it away.

  Suddenly, my dad’s big arms were wrapped around my shoulders. Automatically, I hugged him back.

  For the first time since I was a kid, I hugged my father.

  After a minute he stepped back. “I know you’re not looking for my approval or advice or anything,” he said.

  “I’d welcome it just the same.”

  “Well,” he said, “I think you found an amazing mate in Ariana.”

  The thought warmed me. “Thanks. It’s not a traditional relationship.”

  “Doesn’t matter to me,” he said. “As long as you’re happy.”

  “I am. Very.”

  We didn’t talk much more for the rest of the day. The hours passed without incident, but we were still all on edge. The Allencloth pack was out there hunting us. Silence was an ally. We walked up and down hills. We snaked through brush, over fallen trees. There was no more sign of Koenig’s men than there had been on our scouting missions. The path was safe. For now.

  Eventually I fell back to walk with Ariana, Taylor, and Quentin.

  “Things cool with your dad?” Taylor asked.

  “Yes, Romeo, the love is still alive between us,” I said, rolling my eyes but giving him a smile.

  “Good,” he said.

  We watched while Heather caught up to my dad. She offered him some water from her canteen, then walked at his side.

  “Didn’t they hate each other when we first met them?” Quentin asked.

  I doubted Heather and my dad ever really hated each other.

  “It’s not always easy to see the possibilities, even when they’re right in front of us,” Taylor said. “Love is a fickle mistress.”

  “I’m happy for them,” Ariana said, a smile playing on her lips. “Remember how things were so unsure when we were first starting out?”

  I nodded. In a lot of ways our story was still beginning, just like theirs was. We all loved Ariana. She loved us. But what came next? Were we mates, the four of us?

  When the air cooled with twilight, we stopped to make camp. We chose a spot between big rocks. It would be hard to spot from far away. We needed to be careful. No fire. The wolves could be anywhere.

  After sharing around the few packs of dried elk meat that we had left, I said, “I’ll take first watch. Who’s with me?”

  “I am,” Ariana said.

  I sent her a fond look.

  “Heather, you can have my tent if you want,” Ariana said. “I can bunk with one of the guys.”

  Heather looked around. In a quiet voice, she said, “I’d—I’d feel safer if I was close to Victor.”

  I carefully looked anywhere but at my dad. “Do you have a tent?” I asked him.

  “Yeah, I had something in the Land Rover when I made a run for it with Heather,” he said gruffly. “We didn’t need it in the cave.”

  We put up the tents. It would be dark soon, and Heather seemed nervous again. She’d been scared after that call from Koenig. Now there was a guy I wouldn’t mind pummeling. He was some kind of poison, getting into everything. If he touched one hair on Ariana’s head, I’d take him down. And I’d smile while I did it.

  “You look fucking scary right now,” Taylor said to me as he stowed a sleeping bag in one of the tents.

  “Just thinking about Koenig,” I said.

  He nodded, a grim look on his face.

  My dad waited awkwardly outside his tent while Heather rustled around inside, probably changing and getting comfortable. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he held out his hands in a gesture to say, “I don’t know about this.”

  Honestly, I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

  “Wake Heather and me up for second watch,” he said. “Two hours.”

  I looked at the sport watch on my wrist. “Got it.”

  Quentin and Taylor climbed into their tents. “Night, Ari. Night, Slade,” they called.

  “Night, Brains. Night, Romeo,” I said
.

  Quentin flipped me off, so I gave him my scary grin.

  He shuddered. “I’m going to have night terrors now.”

  Ariana and I looked at each other as darkness fell.

  “You gonna be warm enough?” I asked.

  She patted her coat pockets and then reached in for mittens. Already she had on a soft-looking beanie hat that went down over her ears. “Yeah, I’m good.”

  “You look adorable,” I said.

  We sat next to each other, legs pressed together on the log we’d pulled around for a makeshift bench. The night was quiet, and after a while, everyone went still in the tents. Asleep.

  “Things are all right with you and your dad?” she whispered.

  “Yeah. It’s weird getting to know him again. I’m an adult now so he’s treating me like one. But I keep expecting him to treat me like a kid.”

  She reached over and took my hand in her mittened one.

  “And I miss your skin,” I said.

  She laughed softly. “I miss yours, too. And showers. And that feeling of settling down into my bed and knowing everything is going to be okay.”

  She looked down at the cold embers where the fire had been.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I said.

  Her smile was tight.

  “The forest is big,” I said. “We’ve been careful. Koenig has no idea where to look.”

  We both knew that was true. We also both knew that it didn’t mean he was far away.

  “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you in a hat, by the way,” I said, trying to change the subject.

  “No?”

  “Nope. Just this morning, I had a weird dream. I’ve had a lot of those lately. In this one, we were camping kind of like we are now. Only we were somewhere else. You had on a light blue hat instead.”

  “That’s bizarre. I used to have a light blue hat like this one. Marc bought it for me before we went camping.”

  “I dream about you a lot,” I said. “I don’t mind it, though. Dreams about you help me feel like I know you more. And sometimes they’re sexy.”

  “Really?” She raised her eyebrows and fought a smile.