by Donna Grant
V looked up at the sky, recalling a time when it had been filled with dragons. A time when none of the Kings had to wait until dark or for a storm to fly among the clouds. When they could look down upon their domain while feeling the sunlight or moonlight anytime they wished.
The rays of the sun filtered through the dense foliage to fall upon V’s face. It was nothing compared to the feel of the beams upon his scales. Of being free.
He lowered his head and let old memories come to the surface. Despite the passage of time, he still knew every peak and valley of his domain, the Carpathian Mountains. He knew where every cave was. And he knew the perfect summit to sit upon to watch the sunrise.
As good as those memories were, they were also dangerous. The Kings had worked tirelessly for countless millennia to remain hidden. If any of them—even just one—gave in to the memories and the need for the freedom they all dreamed of, it could unravel everything that had been put into place.
V tucked his memories away and opened his eyes. Only to find Constantine before him. The King of Kings stood as though he didn’t have a care in the world, but one look into Con’s black eyes showed his shrewdness, his intelligence, and the cunning many humans underestimated.
A soft breeze rushed by them, ruffling Con’s wavy, blond hair. A lock fell into his eyes, but he didn’t so much as move it away.
V gripped his sword tighter. “You were right earlier.”
“Oh?” Con asked softly.
“I didna want to run into any Kings. Particularly you.”
Con’s gaze briefly lowered to the sword. “What did you no’ want to tell me?”
“I can no’ use it,” V stated flatly.
There was a long stretch of silence. Then Con said, “Explain.”
“There isna much to tell. I can no’ see where our dragons are, which means, I couldna call them home even if I wanted.”
A muscle ticked in Con’s jaw, the only sign that he wasn’t pleased. “Did the Others do something to your weapon?”
“No’ that I can tell.”
“And none of us can use your sword, so we can no’ attempt to see if it’s you or the weapon.”
V twisted his lips. “Precisely.”
“You’ve been grappling with this since your return from Iceland? Alone?”
V gave a nod of his head.
“We’re here for each other. Did you no’ realize that?”
“Do you share your concerns or worries with us?”
“No’ all of them.”
“Then doona expect the rest of us to,” V snapped. He drew in a breath to gain control of his anger. “I doona know what the fuck is going on. I doona know if it’s me, the sword, or something the Others did. All I know is that Roman and Sabina risked their lives to help me retrieve my weapon. And for nothing.”
Con shook his head slowly. “It wasna for nothing. We discovered a lot of information about the Others.”
V thought about the cave in Iceland and how his friends had come to help. Eilish had been able to read part of the Druid script. Then there was Rhi. The Light Fae was a true friend to the Kings. Because of her, they had been able to determine some of the Fae markings they found.
“Maybe we did get some knowledge that could be of use,” V said. “I also reclaimed my sword, but was it worth it?”
A small frown furrowed Con’s brow. “Do you finally have peace now that you know how your sword was stolen and why?”
“Aye.”
“Then it was worth it. The Others knew how powerful your weapon was to us. Now that you have it in your possession again, you’ll figure it out.”
V looked down at the blade. He didn’t know how to get the next part out. Mostly because he couldn’t decipher the feelings within himself. All he knew was that he didn’t belong there.
“There’s more you want to say,” Con said.
V raised his gaze. “I’ve spent more of my life asleep in my mountain than awake. I know why you made me sleep. I doona hold that against you. Things happened to the humans when I went looking for my sword, and you didna want to bring attention to us.”
“I should have tried harder to help you find your blade.”
“I doona think we would have found it even had we tried. The only reason we did this time was because of Sabina and her brother. Without them, we would still be searching.”
Con put one hand in the pocket of his pants. “I took the easy road by forcing you to sleep.”
“Forcing?” V repeated with a quirked brow. “I slept because I wanted to, no’ because you told me to. Each time I woke, I truly believed it would be the time I found my sword. I thought having it returned would make everything better.”
“But it hasna.”
V swallowed and then shook his head. “I’ve been awake for months now. The longest since before we sent the dragons away. I doona like this world, Con. I doona belong here.”
“You just need time.”
“The ache within,” V said, touching his chest, “will only intensify. I thought it was the sword that was missing from my life. But I have it now, and the ache remains.”
Con looked away while taking a deep breath. “You’re going back to your mountain.”
“I am.”
“When?”
V wanted to head there immediately, but he couldn’t. Not yet. “I’ll wait until after Ulrik and Eilish’s mating ceremony.”
“Three weeks,” Con said, his gaze sliding back to V.
“I doona want anyone else to know yet. I’ll tell everyone when it’s time.”
Con bowed his head in agreement. “Of course. How many times have you tried to use the sword?”
“You think I lie?” V asked, affronted.
“No’ at all. I’m merely asking.”
Con never did anything without a reason. He always planned out every move. Well, except for one time in his life. Then Con had been reckless and uncontrolled—all because of love. The complete opposite of what he was now. But it hadn’t lasted.
V lifted the tip of the sword until it was pointed at the sky. His dragon magic warmed his palm and heated the hilt of the weapon. To his surprise, there was a tingle of something that he hadn’t felt in ages. It was so fleeting, he wondered if he’d imagined it.
He tried again, urging the sword to find the dragons. But whatever he’d felt or imagined, the sword didn’t respond this time.
“Nothing,” he said and lowered the weapon.
Con looked at the ground a moment. “You realize this may have nothing to do with you. Your sword may no’ work because the dragons are no’ there for you to find, much less call home.”
“Nay,” V stated vehemently. “I refuse to believe that.”
“You know it, though. You’ve thought it. It’s part of what troubles you.”
Damn Con for being so perceptive. V hadn’t allowed himself to think about that, but it was a driving force in him wanting to return to his mountain.
“We sent our clans away to save them from the humans.” V shoved the blade of his sword into the ground. “We all hoped that they would find a place to live and thrive. The thought that.…”
“Do you know why I doona sleep?”
V’s brows snapped together at the interruption. Con never volunteered information freely. “Why?”
“There are three things I relive each time I do. Watching the dragons cross the bridge to another realm, and banishing Ulrik.”
V didn’t need to ask what the third thing was. He knew who it involved and why. The fact that Con had even mentioned it was such a rarity that V decided it was best not to act as if he’d heard it.
“Ulrik is back now,” V said.
Con lifted one shoulder. “My decision changed us and Ulrik. Aye, he’s back, but I doona want to test my dreams to see if I’ll be relieved of one torment. What I’m trying to tell you is that we all dream about the time before the humans came. We all have nightmares of sending the dragons away. And we all wish we could chang
e the decisions we made. But looking to the past willna do us any good.”
“The Others came at me sideways, Con.”
“You can no’ hold yourself responsible for any of that. You didna even know of them. None of us did.” Con’s eyes narrowed, and his lips lifted slightly at the corners as he took a step toward V. “But we do now.”
V snorted. “Because they want us to.”
“That’s their mistake. They think to frighten us, but they doona know who they’re messing with. We’re Dragon Kings, V. We might have allowed the mortals their victory, but we willna do the same with the Others.”
“I have no doubt we will win.”
“It’s going to take all of us.”
V looked out over the forest. “You know I’ll always fight with you against any enemy.” He swung his eyes back to Con. “But you’ll have to wake me to do it.”
“There is nothing I can say to change your mind?”
V shook his head then pulled his sword from the earth and started back to the manor.
* * *
“Well, damn,” Ulrik said as he walked into the clearing toward Con.
Con looked askance at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was strolling through the forest.”
“You don’t stroll,” Con said with an eye roll.
Ulrik continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Walking the Dragonwood was something I dreamt about when I was banished. I didna mean to eavesdrop.”
Con snorted. “Aye, you did.”
Ulrik chuckled softly. “You know me so well, old friend.” But the smile died quickly. “I started to leave when I heard V say he wanted to return to his mountain.”
“He’s another mistake I made. If I hadna sent him to his mountain to sleep all those eons, he might no’ feel as he does now.”
“You did that because every time V woke, a catastrophe struck the humans. The Great Fire of Rome and the Black Plague, just to name a few. He gave you no choice.”
Con sighed loudly. “I believed, just as he did, that all he needed was his sword to heal whatever was missing in his life.”
Ulrik shrugged. “It made sense to believe the weapon was the answer. It was stolen from him, and his memories wiped. I was in that cave in Iceland. The Others wanted to ensure the weapon could never be claimed by him again.”
“He has it back. We won. It was simply a skirmish, but it’s something.”
Ulrik looked in the direction that V had taken to the house. “He’s floundering. V needs something to focus on.”
“He has his sword. He has us.”
“You can be dense at times,” Ulrik stated dryly.
Con raised a brow, staring at him silently for a few moments. “You want to throw a woman at him?”
“He’s lonely. I know no’ even you could fucking miss that when he was talking.”
There was a beat of silence. Then Con said, “We’re all lonely.”
“You can change that anytime.”
“The hell I can. And you know that.”
Ulrik watched as Con spun on his heel and strode away, then he whispered, “Keep running from it, old friend. It’s going to find you soon. Verra soon.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Claire unlocked the back door of the clinic and walked inside, her eyes feeling as if sandpaper had been used on them. She made sure to lock up behind herself as she walked with one eye closed to her desk.
She sank onto her chair and dropped her head into her hands. The cup of coffee she’d drunk at her house had been enough to get her eyes open and her body moving, but it was going to take gallons of the caffeinated beverage to get her through the day.
Her fingers wrapped around the largest cup she could get at the café and brought it to her lips. She wasn’t looking forward to the day for many reasons, most of all because she knew exactly how the conversation with Sophie would go.
It had been two days since Claire had made the decision to end it with Calvin. Partly because of everything Sophie had said, but also because she knew it was the right decision. Claire liked him, but not enough to continue on the roller coaster ride of emotions he put her through.
Actually, she knew it was her fault. She just wanted so much to find someone to spend her life with, that when she finally ran across someone who wasn’t a total tosser, she gravitated toward them. Which is what she’d done with Calvin.
Two days ago, Calvin had texted her repeatedly. And he was the one making the conversation instead of the other way around. It was almost as if he knew she was about to end it. And just like usual, she’d let that sway her decision.
Then, yesterday she woke up to his morning text. Claire happily replied back, and they exchanged another few emails. It wasn’t until she returned home and faced the silence of her house that she found herself reaching for her phone. She didn’t want to spend the weekend alone. Before she could overthink it, she’d sent him a text, offering to come to the city for an extra-long weekend.
Claire kept herself busy with takeaway for dinner and some online shopping as she waited for his reply. The hours ticked by with no response.
To her chagrin, she ended up in tears again, wondering what it was about her that made it so she couldn’t find a decent guy. She must have messed up really badly in a past life to get screwed in such a royal fashion in this one.
The tears, along with no sleep, had her barely able to keep her eyes open this morning. She probably should have taken the day off, but the thought of spending another minute alone in her house was too much. She would rather face whatever comments Sophie gave.
After several sips of coffee, Claire was able to sit back in her chair. She even cracked open her eyes. That’s when she saw the note stuck to her monitor.
Don’t forget I have the meeting in Inverness today.
Claire dropped her head back on her chair. She’d completely forgotten about the appointment. Sophie had even told her to take the day off. Claire had actually considered it for all of two seconds, but she’d decided she would rather be at the clinic catching up on the never-ending paperwork than at home.
At least she wouldn’t have to put on a fake smile and pretend that everything was all right around patients. Claire didn’t move from her reclining position as she finished her coffee.
Only after she’d drained the last drop did she sit up and turn on some music. She opted for something a little upbeat since she was still depressed. Love songs or anything slow would have her crying again, and she wanted to avoid that.
Claire searched through the large music library on her phone and decided on “When Will I Be Loved.” The Linda Ronstadt song was just what she needed.
As soon as the first strings sounded, Claire started moving. She turned up the volume so it blared over the office speakers and began singing along. The song was the anthem of her love life.
She danced her way to the stack of files and picked up a handful before spinning over to the correct cabinet and pulling open a drawer.
Music had always been a way for Claire to express what she was feeling in the moment. Songs could pull her out of a bad mood or drop her into old memories. Today, she was counting on the playlist she’d selected making her forget all about Calvin and her wasted tears.
She was singing “Queen of Hearts” by Juice Newton at the top of her lungs when she turned and spotted V standing in the doorway, watching her. Claire froze as her eyes locked with ice blue ones. She didn’t have a particularly good voice, so she didn’t sing in front of others. Or dance.
And yet, the enigmatic man with the searing eyes had caught her doing both. There was no laughter upon his lips, making fun of her. If there had been, she might have sunk to the floor.
“I didna mean to interrupt,” V said over the music.
Claire turned down the volume from her watch, her eyes sweeping over his mouthwatering form as she did. “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
“You were enjoying the music. There is something
beautiful about getting lost in a song, regardless of what it is. And you were utterly lost in it.”
Claire didn’t have a response to that. Others enjoyed music, but no one seemed to understand her connection to it. She loved all music genres, preferring to take it all in instead of focusing on one kind.
V’s brows drew together as he pushed from the wall and walked toward her. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Fine,” she hastily replied.
“The redness of your eyes says otherwise.”
She looked away, embarrassed that he saw the evidence of her bad night. A lie came to her. One that would explain away the redness, but that’s not what she told him. Instead, she found herself speaking the truth.
“I didn’t sleep last night.”
He studied her a moment longer. “You were crying. Did someone hurt you?”
She actually found her lips softening at the anger in his voice. The knowledge that he was upset on her behalf did wonders to soothe her wounded pride. “It’s nothing, really. Just a guy I’ve been casually seeing.”
“Did he hurt you?” V asked again.
“Only by not returning my text. It’s not the first time, and Sophie has told me to end it. I should’ve taken her advice a few days ago.”
V raised a dark brow in confusion. “You decided to remain with him?”
“I don’t even know if I am with him.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “It’s just so damn complicated. Finding someone to spend the rest of your life with shouldn’t be so hard.”
“Nay,” he said softly.
Claire cleared her throat as an idea came to her. “You know what? I’m going to do it now.”
She felt his gaze on her as she went to her desk, found her purse, and dug out her mobile. When she looked up, V still watched her.
Claire opened the text string with Calvin. She spoke aloud as she typed. “I’ve enjoyed our time.… No. Delete that.” She bit her lip and lifted her gaze to V.
“What do you really want to say to him?” he asked.
