by Amelia Jade
He shifted as fast as he could while still maintaining control, so that the forces of his change didn’t spew out all across the circle. Then, without looking back, he launched himself into the sky and got the hell out of dodge.
For one reason or another, Rhynne had abandoned her plans to meet him tonight, and he needed to find out why.
Chapter Twelve
Rhynne
She walked out of the Cadian Administration building with a sigh of relief. One of the worst parts of being a Guardian was the paperwork that came with it. Although Rhynne flew fewer border patrol missions now that she was enlisted as an instructor at Top Scale, she was still required—like all Guardians—to commit to at least one per week. So that morning, after departing Dominick’s company, she’d flown a six-hour route.
Normally such things were uneventful. This time, however, a small party of humans had gotten lost. She’d seen them send up a flare for help, and had then escorted them back over the border and into human territory. Most of the time they were smart enough to stay on their side of the mountains—the sun made it real easy to tell which side that was—but every now and then a party got badly turned around.
But with such an encounter came forms.
Rhynne hated forms. Especially ones she had to fill out in double, because a copy went to the human government as well. Done with that, however, she was free to go.
Not that walking out of paperwork and into dinner with her parents where she told them not only had she fallen for Dominick, but that she was carrying his child, was any more comforting. In fact, her stomach was already twisting itself into knots at the prospect. She was committed to it now, and there was no going back.
Her parents might freak out, but Rhynne was comforted to know that things were working out between her and Dom now. This way she could hopefully stop denying her dragon’s frantic efforts to convince her that he was her mate.
Mate.
It wasn’t a word she’d truly expected to be hers to use. Although she was still practically an infant when it came to the lifespans of dragons, as a human she was nearing the end of the child-producing years. The fact that she could healthily produce children for another three or so centuries was a weird dichotomy with her human brain, which was screaming at her that she needed to reproduce, and she needed to do it now.
Without a man in her life she’d been fairly successful at ignoring those urges. Now though, as she walked down the streets of Cadia, her hand straying across her still mostly-flat stomach, it was kicking into overdrive.
Considering the fact that I’m carrying a child, you’d think it would realize that I’m working on it! Unexpectedly, true, but hey, it all seems to be working out.
Her lips tugged upward in a smile at that thought. It was true. Things were working out. She had two jobs in life that she enjoyed thoroughly, and now there was a man who—despite some hiccups—she got along with extremely well. She was looking forward to the times ahead now, where they could truly open up to each other and become a better pairing.
Not that her dragon felt it was necessary. It knew Dominick, and it recognized what it needed within him. That, in essence, was that. There had been no fighting it from when she first saw him, not from her dragon. When two shifters found their mates, that was it. They knew it. It was a little different with a human in the mix, like Dominick’s friends had found out. A human had no inner animal to guide them. So they had to go through more stages of acceptance.
But with her and Dominick, she knew he was her mate. And vice versa, even if they’d never voiced it out loud. It was simply fact.
Not that she didn’t still yearn to spend more time with him. Every minute away from him was lonely. But when he was near, even though they had yet to bond, she felt happier and more complete.
And after tonight, her parents would know about everything. They might not be happy, but Rhynne was determined that no matter what they said, she wasn’t going to let it affect her any longer.
A figure suddenly eclipsed the street in front of her as she rebounded off their chest.
“Holy shit!” she exclaimed, stumbling backward. “I am so, so sorry!”
Her eyes looked up, fixating on the person she’d walked into in her daydream.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Garviel said with a false smile.
Rhynne spun, intending to just walk the other way. But there behind her, lounging against the outer wall of the building down the street, were two more men. One of them had a dark mark under his eye, while the other was wearing a red fleece jacket.
“You’re the jerks from Morrte’s,” she said, though they were too far away to hear her.
“What was that?” Garviel said as he grabbed her arm and began to walk with her.
“Nothing,” she snapped, wrenching her arm to free it.
His grip was strong though, and this time she knew he wouldn’t be surprised by her strength or abilities. Garviel had planned this through.
“What do you want?” she asked, trying a different tactic instead.
Perhaps all he wanted was to get back at her for knocking him out or something. If that was his plan, she was positive she could foil it.
“Why so angry?” he asked with a frown. “Didn’t you get all that out when you punched me?” he said, his voice still filled with false happiness.
“No, I think I’d need a few more of those,” she said dryly. “Care to take a few more to the chin? If you think you can handle it, of course,” she added wickedly, reminding him she’d knocked him down with one punch.
“That’s all in the past,” he said. “I have bigger plans now. Much bigger plans for you.”
Her blood ran cold as she heard real happiness enter his voice. Whatever it was he had planned, it was not going to be good, and he was really looking forward to it. Rhynne looked around as surreptitiously as she could, trying to spot anyone who might be able to come and rescue her without causing a scene. If she tried to fight him, he might just kill her for all she knew. Until that became a foregone conclusion, Rhynne would try to stay away from that outcome.
She didn’t have just herself to worry about. There was the child within her, and Dominick, both of whom she wished to live to see. So yes, avoiding death was rather understandably at the top of her priority list.
“Let’s walk,” he said, keeping a tight grip on her arm as he strolled down the street. “Play nice with them. Don’t act like a scared puppy dog,” he said viciously.
Rhynne tried to relax, to smile at those few she knew well enough as they passed by. Although she was a Guardian, she was just as reclusive as most dragons, and didn’t know much of the population personally.
“Where are we going?” she said as he took her down a side street, and then another.
She noticed they were leaving the more populated areas of town behind.
“Out,” he said with a teasing smile, clearly inviting her to ask more.
Rhynne sighed. “Out where?” she asked, angrily playing along with his little game.
“Out of Cadia!” he crowed.
“What about the big bash at the end of the week? You’re going to miss your own going-away party?” she asked, truthfully surprised by that revelation.
“Well, yes, that part does sadden me,” he admitted. “But you see, the truth is knowing I won’t be leaving alone makes it all worthwhile!”
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his words.
“Not leaving alone? But—”
Her eyes went wide as realization hit.
“Yes!” he said with a snap of his fingers. “Exactly, you see it now, don’t you? It’s perfect, right?”
Shaking her head, Rhynne looked up at him in disbelief. “You can’t actually think this will work, can you? There’s no way you can get me out of Cadia without someone noticing.”
“By the time they notice you’re gone,” he boasted, “We’ll all be back in Fenris. Do you really think they’ll risk war with Fenris over this?” He practic
ally cackled at the thought. “Seriously, Cadia has become so pacifistic it hurts. Just because you are above the old ways, thinking you’re so high and mighty, doesn’t mean the rest of us prescribe to your ridiculous thoughts. Fenris is a rapier ready to be wielded. Cadia is like a straw man. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Rhynne thought he was exaggerating a little bit, but he had a point. Cadia had become a peaceful state over the past century or two. Much more so than anywhere else, including a warrior haunt like Fenris. Still, war? That seemed a bit much, in her opinion.
Okay, so all you have to do is get away before he leaves. No problem, right?
Right. Except for the part where she was outnumbered at least three to one. She wasn’t sure where the other three members of the Fenris delegation had gotten off to, but she hadn’t seen a sign of them yet.
“Yes,” Garviel said as they continued to walk, his fingers like a vise on her arm as he guided her along. “It will be nice to get you where nobody else will ever lay a claim on you again.” He growled. “I don’t like it when others eye my girl.”
“What? What the hell are you talking about? Eying your girl?”
“Must I explain everything?” he sighed. “The sandwich man. The little trainee. The ones here in town you’ve got wrapped around your finger. We’re going to teach them a lesson before we leave, aren’t we boys?”
The other Wards of Fenris chuckled evilly.
Morrte. Dominick!
“What have you done to them?” she snarled, shaking free of his grip at last, but not moving to escape.
“Oh relax,” he said with a wave of his hand. “We just burnt down the man’s shop to teach him a lesson. He didn’t lay a hand on you. Your little cadet puppy guard dog, however, he needs to be taught a little more painful lesson. Which is why we’re going to go find him after this, aren’t we boys?”
There were more evil laughs and Rhynne knew she had to do something. If he’d burnt down Morrte’s shop just for talking to her, what was he going to do to Dominick?!
“Don’t even think it,” Garviel said, dropping all pretense of his cheeriness and nonchalance.
Rhynne stiffened as the true Ward of Fenris appeared. His easygoing demeanor vanished and he stepped into a combat stance, feet spread apart, one slightly in front of the other, hands hanging at his sides, ready to bring them up in an instant if she tried anything. To either side of her his lackeys straightened up as well, obviously having sensed something in her body language to indicate she was going to try something.
“Think what?” she frowned, looking to her left at the one with the birthmark.
“Don’t try it,” that one warned, stepping closer.
“Try what?” She looked to her right at the man in red. “This?” she asked innocently.
And she lashed out with her left hand, catching Garviel in the throat with her slash. She’d known he would be less suspicious of her off hand, and had hoped he’d relax just enough for her blow to land. She was right, and thanked her lucky stars not for the first time that she’d been born left-handed. All the difficulty of learning her craft paid off just then as she followed it up with a right jab to his nose. It didn’t connect hard, but enough to send him reeling, tears appearing in his eyes automatically.
“Come on boys,” she said, taunting the other two Wards, who hesitated as their boss tried to recover.
When neither of them made a move that might give her an opening, she swore and charged at Garviel, hitting him twice more, one in the solar plexus. With cupped hands over his ears she further disoriented him. Then she grabbed him, planting her rear foot to spin and hurl him at one of the others.
She got as far as spinning with Garviel in hand. Then something hard hit her in the back of the head and the world went dark.
Chapter Thirteen
Dominick
Dominick walked out of the Administration building wearing a frown. After leaving the Novas’ place, he’d come to town and gone to the Guardian Headquarters. There they’d told him about Rhynne’s encounter at the border and that she’d headed over to the Admin center to fill out some paperwork. Several people inside had confirmed seeing her approximately two hours ago, which was half an hour before she was supposed to have been at her parents place.
That all added up to her day going according to plan. But after that, something had gone awry, because nobody seemed to have seen or heard from her since, including her parents.
“Where are you?” he asked softly as he paused at the bottom of the steps, looking up and down the street as if hoping she might appear out of nowhere.
Nothing happened however, and he was forced to move out into the streets, unsure of where to continue his search. Wandering along the street, he came to the main square at the heart of Cadia itself. A magnificent representation of everything that Cadia stood for, it was filled with statues, giant Vallenwood trees towering two hundred feet in the air, and all sorts of open grass areas and benches and chairs for people to enjoy their day on.
A crowd was growing near one end, and he wandered over.
“Dom?”
He turned at the familiar voice. “Asher!” he exclaimed suddenly as the other two cadets appeared out of the park.
“I thought you had plans tonight? Rhynne’s parents and all?” Zeke said, coming up alongside them.
Dom hurriedly filled them in on what had happened, including his increasing suspicion that something had happened to Rhynne. Something bad. His dragon was restless, and had been since Klara had told him Rhynne never arrived.
“And after she left the Admin building, nothing?” Asher asked.
“Nothing,” he confirmed as a pair of people went by, muttering about how it sucked that something was cancelled.
“What is going on?” Zeke asked, stopping them.
“You haven’t heard yet?” asked one, a diminutive feline shifter of some sort, leopard perhaps, Dom wasn’t sure.
“No,” he said. “Could you tell us?”
“The big party for the Fenris dragons has been cancelled. They’re leaving early I guess.”
Dom rocked back on his heels. “What the hell? Why would they suddenly leave early?”
Zeke just shrugged.
“That just doesn’t make sense,” Asher said, lips pursed in thought.
Dom wasn’t sure either, and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all linked together somehow.
“What’s Garviel planning?” he asked aloud.
He looked at the other two.
“Didn’t you say that he had eyes for Rhynne?” Asher asked slowly, looking suspicious.
Dom immediately felt a terrible sinking sensation. Yes, he had mentioned that as part of filling them in earlier that day. But would Garviel really be that stupid? To try and abduct a shifter was no small task. But Rhynne was a dragon shifter. She would not go easily.
Yet even if Garviel had managed to do that, this was Rhynne Nova for freaking sake! Daughter to quite possibly the most influential couple within all of Cadia. Could he really be that insane to think they wouldn’t come after him, track him down, and rip him to pieces to get their daughter back?
Unless of course he leaves early from Cadia, unsuspectingly so, and is back in Fenris before anyone realizes Rhynne is actually missing.
Fuck. He would do that, the crazy sonofabitch.
“You don’t think…?” Zeke began, catching on.
“I do,” Dom said and took off at a run, his two friends right behind him.
They darted from the park, feet clattering on the cobblestoned roadway as they headed for the Fenris Consulate. Not all shifter territories maintained ambassadors among each other, but with Cadia and Fenris being the two biggest, and visits coming once or twice a year from dignitaries and groups, it had only seemed logical after a time to build them a dedicated house.
They came upon it from the rear.
“I’m not going around,” he said to his friends.
“We’re with you.”<
br />
The six-foot stone walls, topped with foot-long metal spikes, were mere road bumps to the three dragon shifters as their supernatural strength hurled them up and over. They landed in almost perfect unison on one knee, fists leaving dents in the soft grass grounds.
Several members of the household staff looked up in surprise and shouted at them, but the Academy cadets ignored them, rushing up to the rear door and shouldering the door aside as they entered.
“Garviel!” Dom roared, bursting into a spacious area clearly dedicated to eating.
A tall, dour-looking man with porcelain skin and black hair that hung to his waist appeared.
“Where’s Garviel?” Dom snarled at the man.
“Master Garviel and his friends left several hours ago,” he said. “Now, may I ask who you are, and why you are in here? All visitors are to come through the front door only after receiving permission from the guard at the gate.”
Asher growled at the man and took a step forward.
“I’ll see to, ah, something else,” the man said in response, vanishing almost as swiftly as he had appeared.
“We need to get airborne,” Dom said, thinking quickly. “If he’s not here, he’s likely already left town.”
He grabbed his friends and headed back outside as he kept talking. “Fenris is west of here. We’ll move quickly, and stop in at the Academy to let Daxxton know what’s going on. Then we’ll continue after them while he rustles up some more support.” He paused, looking at his friends. “This could get dangerous. You don’t have to come with me.”
Zeke shrugged and smiled. “You know I’m with you.”
Asher just snorted and moved away from the others, white ice-filled mists already rising up from his feet.
Dom smiled wickedly and began his own change as Zeke jogged away.
Garviel doesn’t know who he’s messing with.
***
The trio of dragons, Frost, Fire and his own blue Electro raced through the skies. Dom was glad just then for all the drills they had been put through at the Academy, for the endless laps around Forlorn Peak that had strained his endurance, and the races through the obstacle course that had tested his speed.
