by Jasmine Walt
Since Drystan and Tariana had already been preparing to march on Elvenhame, it did not take long to gather a squadron of Dragon Force soldiers. Tariana ordered them to take some of the war wagons and head for the base of the mountain—Taldren, who had been briefed on the location, would lead them.
In the meantime, Drystan took flight with Lucyan and Catriona, while Tariana flew in the opposite direction. She would stop by Solara’s encampment to brief the others on what was happening, then go to meet Ryolas and Basilla at the border. Lucyan had told them how the royal elven siblings had helped Dareena and Alistair escape, and Drystan was more than happy to offer them refuge, especially after everything Ryolas had done for them. He strongly suspected that if he had refused, Tariana would have ripped his balls off and fed them to the dogs—she’d been hardly able to contain herself when Lucyan had informed her that her beloved was on his way here.
Drystan understood how she felt. His entire body hummed with excitement as he approached the Black Mountains. Even the thrill of soaring through the air with his siblings was not as exhilarating as the thought of being reunited with Dareena. It had been less than two weeks since she’d been taken, and yet somehow it felt like months, perhaps even years, since he’d last seen her. Would she still taste and feel the same when he embraced her again? Or had being exposed to elven magic changed her?
Slow down, Lucyan warned as Dareena and Alistair came into view. They were sitting at the base of the mountains next to a prone form Drystan assumed was their father. If we get too close, the bracelets will force us to change back.
Right. A chill went through Drystan at the thought of shifting back into human form while he was thousands of feet up in the sky. The three of them slowed, then gradually came in for a landing a good five hundred yards away. Dareena and Alistair jumped to their feet at the sight of them, and Drystan shifted back, eager to have his beloved in his arms again.
“Drystan!” Dareena cried, running toward him. He met her halfway and caught her in his arms, swinging her around. “Oh, I’ve missed you so terribly!”
“Not as much as I’ve missed you,” Drystan said roughly as he pulled her against him. He kissed her hard, one hand in her hair while the other clung to her shapely waist. He was naked as the day he was born, his cock growing hard as her curves pressed against him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care that the others were watching. He was just thrilled to have his mate back.
“If we were alone,” he panted against her lips, “I would tear your clothes off and take you right here in the grass.”
“Unfortunately, you are not alone, and I would prefer if you refrained for now,” Catriona said in an acid voice. She threw a set of clothes at Drystan—they’d each packed a bag and carried it around their necks as they flew—and he caught them with one hand while he continued to kiss Dareena. “You might want to put those on before the others get here.”
“That won’t be for a few hours,” Drystan pointed out, more to heckle Catriona than anything else. But he released Dareena and pulled on his clothes while his siblings dressed as well.
“Thank you for the clothes, brother,” Alistair said, clapping Drystan on the back. “I was getting a bit itchy, sitting nude in the grass.”
Drystan laughed as he embraced his youngest brother. “Itchiness is the least you’ve had to endure,” he said. “I nearly lost my mind when I received your arm in a box today.”
Alistair looked horrified. “I’d forgotten all about Arolas’s promise to send it on. That must have been terrible for you!”
Drystan snorted. “Typical of you to worry about how I would feel,” he said, shaking his head. “You are the one who had a limb severed and was forced to live with that horrible spell for so long. I can’t imagine how traumatic the experience was.”
“It was awful,” Alistair admitted, “but having Dareena with me made it bearable.” He put an arm around their mate and kissed the top of her forehead. “Without her power as the Dragon’s Gift, I might not have survived. Did you know she’s learned to heal, and fight, with her elven magic?”
“I heard,” Drystan said, grinning down at Dareena. “You’ve become quite formidable, haven’t you?”
“Not as formidable as my three dragons,” Dareena said, smiling.
Catriona glanced over Dareena’s shoulder, back to where their father was lying. “We should cover him up,” she said, pulling a cloak out of her bag. “It seems undignified to leave him there like that.”
The mood of their party sobered instantly. The three of them approached their father’s prone form, and as they got closer, a tightness squeezed inside Drystan’s chest. Unpleasant tingles spread across his skin, and he could only imagine this was the influence of those horrible bracelets.
“It seems cruel to subject him to these,” Alistair said softly as Catriona draped the cloak across their father. “And yet, if we do not, he will simply shift back and try to kill us all.”
Drystan sighed. “Perhaps we should do some research and see if anything can be done about his mental state,” he said. “Has anyone ever heard of dragon sickness being cured?”
“No,” Catriona said sorrowfully. “But perhaps there might be some bit of magic that can help.”
“The elves specialize in healing,” Dareena said thoughtfully. “I didn’t think to look and see if there were any books on treating dragons, though, and when Alistair grew ill, the elves didn’t seem to know what to do. I can ask Basilla about it when she arrives.”
“The warlocks have the largest library of the three kingdoms,” Lucyan pointed out. “If we can conquer them, we might be able to find answers there.”
Drystan laughed harshly. “That is no mean feat,” he said. “The warlocks are the strongest kingdom right now—they have not suffered casualties from the war like we have, or the elves.”
“Perhaps the elves will be willing to band together with us,” Dareena suggested. “Basilla seems to think the warlock envoy—who is lying unconscious outside Dragomir’s lair, by the way—was using some kind of spell to addle the elven king and make him more susceptible to suggestion. Now that he is free, and his children have made their position clear, he may be open to considering an alliance.”
“Either way, we must do something about those bastards,” Lucyan growled, “including finding a way to shield ourselves from their magical spying.”
Drystan and Lucyan shifted back into dragon form and took Dareena back up the mountain while Catriona stayed behind to guard their father. As promised, the warlock still lay there, unconscious, surrounded by several bags of treasure. The brothers shifted back to human form, and the three of them entered the cave to take stock of their recovered wealth.
“By the gods,” Lucyan said, his eyes shining with awe as they beheld the mountains of gold and valuables. “This is far more than we anticipated. We could have easily paid the elves their ransom and had five years’ worth of taxes left over.”
“I have a feeling this hoard has been around a lot longer than Father,” Drystan said as he hefted a giant ruby in the palm of his hand. “Our predecessors must have been hiding gold here for years, and Father decided to bring the rest over here.” He shook his head. “With these funds, we could hire a mercenary army from across the sea to wipe out our enemies.”
“If the people find out about all this gold, they will be furious about the tax increases,” Dareena pointed out.
Lucyan snorted. “We are not going to tell them about this,” he said. “Hell, they don’t even know that the treasure has gone missing in the first place. If they had, Drystan might have lost his head, dragon or not. There would have been an uprising.”
“It’s going to be very difficult to hide the truth about this now,” Dareena countered. “People are bound to notice when they see a group of soldiers carting back sacks full of gold, and the soldiers won’t keep silent. I think we ought to give something back to the people of Dragonfell, especially since there is still so much unrest,” Dareena
said. “I think a two-year tax holiday should do the trick.”
Drystan winced. “The council will have an apoplexy if I suggest it,” he said. “They nearly mutinied against me when I gave a tax break to the soldiers.”
Dareena shrugged. “If we truly have as much gold as you say we do, you should be able to give them a token of your appreciation to mollify them.”
Lucyan nodded. “She’s right. A sack or two of gold for each council member will barely put a dent in our coffers.”
“It is a good idea,” Drystan said. Hooves approached in the distance, and he knew the squadron of soldiers he’d sent out were not far off. “Let’s get this treasure back to the Keep,” he said, picking up one of the empty sacks the warlocks had left behind. “The sooner we finish up here, the sooner we can get back.”
“And celebrate,” Dareena said, winking at him. She bent to pick up a sack of her own, giving Drystan a fantastic view of her luscious rear. Drystan’s blood heated, and he and Alistair turned to one of the piles of gold and began shoveling it into the bags. If that wasn’t a good enough motivator for them to get this done as fast as possible, he didn’t know what was.
34
In the end, Catriona came up with a solution to handle Dragomir. While Taldren returned to Dragon’s Keep with the soldiers, the warlock prisoner, and the treasure, Dareena and the other dragons flew to Blackmore Manor, a small estate in the countryside the royal family sometimes used as a retreat.
Dareena and Lucyan flew ahead, while the others stayed well back, away from the warlock bracelets. Lucyan’s amulet allowed him to keep his dragon form as he carried Dragomir in his claws and Dareena on his back.
She leaned over and stared at the former king as he lay limp in Lucyan’s grip. She’d used a spell she’d found in the primer to keep him unconscious while she and Alistair had waited, and now for this journey. If he had been awake, he would be screaming in agony right now.
Even though the sight of Dragomir still gave Dareena the shivers, she couldn’t help but pity him. Once, he had been a great dragon king, ruler of a vast kingdom that was powerful despite the curse that had crippled its royal line. Now, he seemed a frail, broken man, a slave to his avarices, his will no longer his own.
Unless they somehow found a cure for him, Dragomir would never see his sons sit on the throne. He would never meet the babe growing in Dareena’s belly, or see the return of the dragons once the curse was broken. Smiling, Dareena placed a hand on her belly. Her pregnancy was just starting to show, though no one who did not know her intimately would be able to tell. She couldn’t wait to see her mates’ reaction when she showed them tonight.
The servants were surprised when they arrived, but once the four of them introduced themselves, they were delighted. Apparently, none of the royals had visited since the war had started. They were especially pleased to finally meet the Dragon’s Gift and assured Dareena they had never believed the nasty rumors about her.
The housekeeper immediately readied a bed for Dragomir, and Dareena took the bracelets away for an hour to give him a chance to heal a bit. They’d found two additional sets amongst the dead warlocks and had spread them about the manor, putting one in the bedroom drawer, one in the dining area, one in the kitchen, and so on. As long as Dragomir was within a hundred yards of any of the bracelets, he would not be able to shift or use his abilities. Even with the hour reprieve they’d given him, it would take many months for Dragomir to heal from his extensive injuries—Tariana promised she would bring a healer to see him and also check on him weekly to make sure he remained under control.
By the time the five of them finally returned to Dragon’s Keep, it was well past sunset. “I’m starving,” Alistair complained as they walked up the steps. “I don’t think we’ve eaten since this morning, Lucyan.”
“I admit to feeling a bit faint,” Dareena said, passing a hand over her forehead. “I’m not used to going without food for so long anymore.”
“Damn,” Drystan swore, putting his arm around Dareena’s waist. He searched her face, his gaze round with concern. “Of course, you need to be eating more—the babe needs nourishment!”
The brothers all gathered around Dareena like mother hens, practically carrying her to the dining room despite her protests that she was fine, just hungry and tired. Catriona ordered dinner brought up to them, and soon enough, they sat around the table, stuffing themselves with roasted duck, spiced rice, and vegetables. Dareena’s strength quickly returned, and though she was a bit envious that the others were enjoying their wine, overall she was just happy they were all together again.
Halfway through their meal, the door opened, and the steward brought Tariana in, along with the elven siblings.
“Ryolas! Basilla!” Dareena cried, jumping out of her chair. She hurried around the table to hug all three of them. “I’m so glad you’ve arrived. Did you run into trouble on the way?”
“Only this one,” Ryolas said, his eyes twinkling. Smiling broadly, he wrapped his arm around Tariana’s waist and drew her close. “As soon as she stopped scolding me for scaring her half to death, she demanded I marry her.”
“Is that right?” Drystan lifted a brow. “Without consulting me first?”
Tariana tossed her bright red hair over her shoulder. “Especially without consulting you first,” she said, and everyone laughed.
“I am very much looking forward to planning your wedding,” Dareena said, grinning so hard that her cheeks hurt. There was so much happiness in the room, she felt as though she overflowed with it.
“Their wedding?” Basilla asked, sounding amused. “What about your wedding?”
Dareena and the brothers shared a glance. “I suppose we haven’t quite figured out how to have a wedding amongst the four of us,” Alistair confessed.
Tariana snorted. “It’s just a matter of rewriting the vows a bit,” she said. “As the dragon god has truly blessed your union, he won’t mind.”
“Half the nation will be scandalized,” Lucyan said wryly, “but we’d best get it done soon, so they can get used to it. The dragon god said that the four of us are needed to break the curse. I have no intention of disappointing him.”
“Neither do I,” Drystan said with a smile. He came up behind Dareena and put his arms around her. “But we can worry about the wedding later. Right now, you need to take it easy. You’ve been through quite an ordeal, and you’re pregnant.”
Tariana and the elves joined the rest of them at the table, and they finished their meal in peace, trading stories, making jokes, and enjoying the easy camaraderie between them. Ryolas and Tariana were glowing, and Taldren and Basilla looked like they were getting on quite well together. He looked quite smitten with the princess already, and Dareena wondered if Basilla already had another suitor on her hands.
“We heard that the delegation my father sent had arrived ahead of us, and we spoke with them before coming here,” Basilla said as they worked on polishing off the chocolate torte the cook had brought out.
“Oh?” Lucyan asked. “Were they shocked to see you?”
“Very,” Ryolas said with a wry smile.
“We had a bit of a talk with them, and they’ve agreed to return home and speak to father personally on your behalf,” Basilla said. “With any luck, this next set of negotiations will go well, and we will finally be at peace.”
“Good,” Drystan said. “It’s about time we put aside this silly feud and deal with the real threat.”
Dareena smiled at Basilla and Ryolas. “I am so glad you two came with us,” she said. “There is real hope for our future, now that we are all working together.”
Ryolas lifted his glass to her. “That is something I can drink to.”
After the meal, Dareena expected to return to her quarters, but the brothers led her in the opposite direction, up a flight of stairs and toward a tower at the end of the west wing.
“What is this place?” Dareena asked as Drystan unlocked the heavy wooden door.
/> “The royal suite.” He opened the door to reveal a tastefully decorated salon in shades of red, gold, and white—the house colors. There was a seating area in front of the fireplace, a fully stocked bar, and a large dining table. Several other rooms branched off from this one, though with the doors closed, Dareena couldn’t tell what they were. “Father lived here, of course, but we’ve had it redone to suit our collective tastes. We’ll be living here together.”
“Together?” Dareena asked as Alistair led her across the room. Lucyan opened one of the doors, and she gasped—there was a giant bed, big enough to sleep six people comfortably, and the room was done in shades of green, her favorite color.
“Yes, together,” Lucyan said, a smile in his voice as he nudged her toward the bed.
“We’ve converted two of the other rooms into bedrooms for nights we may not all want to sleep together,” Drystan added, “and the third into a nursery.”
“A nursery?” Dareena gasped, her hand flying to her belly. She hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “I can’t believe you had time to do this!” She threw her arms around Drystan and hugged him fiercely. I am the luckiest woman in the world, she thought as she buried her face in his chest, inhaling his sexy, masculine scent.
“I didn’t, but that’s what servants are for,” Drystan said, laughing. He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Dareena’s blood heated as he stripped off her clothes, and she reached for the brothers as they climbed into bed with her in nothing but their underclothes. She stroked Drystan’s chest, then ran her hand down Alistair’s arm, but the feel of the soft bed beneath her made her sleepy…
“Don’t worry,” Lucyan said, pulling her back against his chest. His hard cock pressed against her rear, but he merely draped a hand over her belly while Drystan stroked her face, lying on his side so he was facing her. “There will be plenty of time for love play later. For now, we’ll rest.”
Dareena smiled, then put her arm around Drystan. Alistair, who was on Drystan’s other side, laced his fingers in hers, and together, they slipped off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
