Link instinctively pushed Kiera behind him, but to his surprise, she darted out from around him. Kiera was halfway up the stairs before he could catch up. Zara had been nice to Kiera and treated her like an equal since the beginning. Link understood his mate’s fear.
Then, he staggered. The word echoed in his skull again. It sank into his bones like an unavoidable truth. When his eyes rolled up to the woman mounting the top of the stairs, a sharp blade of ice cut him in half.
Kiera was his mate. His dragon had claimed her. If the mark on his neck was any indication, Kiera’s dragon had claimed him, too. His heart skipped several beats. It thumped wildly. He launched himself over the last few steps and landed on the floor above. He scanned the room for Kiera. She was nowhere to be found.
The great beast in him screamed with rage It flung itself towards the surface and nearly forced Link to shift right then and there. He slapped a leash on it before it could ruin Asher’s home. Perhaps it was too late for that, though.
Water drifted over the floor and around Link’s feet. Zara was still screaming, but it was a rage filled howl.
“Not again, damn it!”
Link ran toward the source of the sound. He would find his mate protecting the little fox shifter. Kiera might not be the biggest dragon, but she had the biggest heart of them all. She had survived so much and the guilt she bore was too great for her sins. It was because she cared too much.
Just as he thought, Kiera had her arms around Zara. They stood on the grass outside the castle and watched it get pummeled by the lake water. The little fox shifter clutched Kiera’s arms so hard he could see the red pinpricks forming on Kiera’s skin. His mate didn’t flinch. She held her ground even as another wave came rushing toward the castle.
“You can’t keep taking my house, Zane!”
Zane wasn’t mad at Zara or Kiera. This wasn’t about them. It was about the other shifter in the house. Him.
Zane still thought Link was his father. That was the only explanation Link could come up with. He took three tentative steps toward the lake. Kiera called out for him, but he held out a reassuring hand. Or, at least, what he hoped was reassuring.
Kiera cared about him. That thought bolstered him as he stepped forward. The waves ahead grew larger and larger, lapping around his ankles and threatening to drag him into the deep. This wasn’t the ocean. It was just a lake with a particularly ornery monster.
Link couldn’t use his words below the water’s surface, though. He needed to hold his ground if he was going to convince Zane that he wasn’t Alistair. The problem that drifted around the back of Link’s mind was that even though some of the clan knew Link wasn’t his father, they still hated him. There was a chance that Zane would see the truth and then rebel anyway. He could strike Link down with a single wave, drag him under, and throttle the air from his lungs.
But he couldn’t think of what could happen. Link needed to stay in the moment. He needed to survive this and help Kiera discover her dream. He would fly her to the moon, build her a home, or shower her with gifts. Whatever she wanted.
“Alright, you big water snake,” Link began. Someone behind him smothered a laugh. “It’s about time you and I talk. I know I might look a lot like my old man, but I can promise you that I am nothing like him. Alistair tried to make me in his image. I won’t lie. It didn’t work, though. I am my own man.”
Link waited, his breath held. Any moment, a great wave would strike him down. Or the eerie voice would slithered into his mind and hiss in rejection. Link knew something was coming. He tried to keep his eyes wide and his feet apart.
Yet, the minutes ticked by and made Link weary.
“Maybe it wasn’t him,” Kiera suggested. “It could have been the wind or an earthquake.”
Link didn’t know much about natural sciences. Still, he didn’t think the waves slapping the side of the castle had been caused by wind or an earthquake. The ground did shake beneath his feet, though. It was like Zane was inspired by Kiera’s words.
The water around Link’s ankles broke the earth to pieces. Link’s footing fell out from beneath him as the ground slid away. He cried out, but the sound ended in a snarl as he prepared for battle.
This family was too good. They didn’t deserve the things Zane did to harass them. Clouded by his own anger, Zane was hurting the very people who wanted the best for him. Link would stand in his way. He would keep Zane from hindering himself. It no longer mattered that Link had something to prove. He didn’t need to lay anything at anyone’s feet. All he wanted to do was make sure these people stayed safe.
His sister. Asher and his mate.
Kiera.
Link would use the great power his father passed on to keep everyone safe.
14
Kiera watched, helpless as the next wave came and swept Link away. She fumbled away from Zara and screamed. The water reached for her, too. It felt like hands around her ankles. She swiped at the water, but there was no Link to be found.
Her heart clenched. She could barely breathe.
“Kiera! Are you okay?” Charlie called out from behind her.
Kiera’s chest was heaving. Panic was crackling through her and stiffening her limbs. When she spun toward Charlie, she was sure she looked like a wild thing. Her friend took her in and gave a solemn nod.
There was trust in that small gesture. Charlie didn’t come and whisk Kiera away. She didn’t tell Kiera to back away from the lake. Kiera couldn’t be broken. Not if Norman couldn’t do it. Her friends were starting to see that.
Charlie cupped her hands around her mouth. “Give our friend back right this instant! His name is Link. Not Alistair.”
Kiera waited with bated breath for the lake to surge and spit Link out. When nothing happened, Kiera grew tired of waiting. She summoned her beast and shifted mid dive. The white creature shook free of its human form and cut through the water like it was always meant to swim.
The world was darkness.
Link couldn’t tell which way was up or down. Everything drifted. He was weightless. All he knew was the churn of the current, wrapped around him like a smothering blanket. The beast in him wanted to snark and thrash, but brute force wasn’t going to save him. It would only expend more energy than necessary.
He needed to reserve his strength. Already, his lungs were straining. His beast demanded too much. Its strength would drain Link too early. He wasn’t made for battles like this. Had this fight taken place in the air, he would have dominated.
The water was a strange place for him.
The current tightened around him. It was a crushing hand trying to squeeze the last bits of air from his lungs. Any longer and it would destroy him. The problem was that he didn’t want to hurt Zane.
Link was able to break the current, but when Zane came for him, how would he know if this was his true form? If Link hurt the beast that attacked, would the clan above cast him out again? He didn’t want a repeat of the night before.
Blinking, Link took in his surroundings. The water tried to coil around him again, but he refused to let it get ahold of him. He dropped to the bottom and kicked off the stones there. Dirt bloomed in the water around him. This was the perfect time for Zane to attack, but no blow ever came.
Something was amiss. Link couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He found an orb of light glowing above, the sun, and swam for it. He would grab another mouthful of air as he shifted. That way his beast’s lungs would be full. He couldn’t break free of the water, not while it weighed down his form. It was like an ever-grasping hand holding him back.
Link’s lips nearly met the surface of the water before he was yanked back. Murk filled his mouth and tried to slip into his lungs. He kicked to break free of whatever held him, but it was more solid than the water-beasts. The claws digging into his flesh were real, real as the snarling visage in his face when he turned around.
This would not be his last stand. Link had inherited his father’s strength. It was the only thing he
would gladly lay claim to. He brought his fist down and heard the muffled crack of bones in the dragon’s face. Zane let go of him in order to clutch at his face.
If Link had a voice, he would have shouted at Zane. This clan only wanted happiness for Zane. They bore their guilt the same way Kiera did. It weighed on them to the point where it cut into their souls, their happiness. This clan didn’t hate Link, but what they felt when they saw his father in him.
They hated how Link reminded them of the friend that was trapped because of Alistair.
Link’s beast had claimed them. Instead of a territory, his beast claimed a family. They were his to protect, whether or not they loved him. This was what he’d been searching for all along. Not just a place where he could be a dragon, but a group that made him want to be a stronger man.
And they loved Kiera. That much was clear from the way they tried to breathe life back into her. From Charlie’s protective streak to Zara’s understanding, they had already folded Kiera into their lives. Link didn’t care if he had to be on the outside of it all. He would stay to protect them.
Unable to stop it, the beast erupted from within Link. The water rolled away from his massive form, a form that now dwarfed the lake monster known as Zane. The lake monster wasn’t perturbed, though. If anything, it looked up at Link and glowed with flames, like the ghost of its former self.
Link shoved Zane away. He snapped out his wings, intending to push to the surface for air, when he caught a pale form rushing toward them.
His heart stuttered and failed.
Kiera.
Zane followed his gaze. A rumble started in Link’s chest. If Zane so much as set a finger on Kiera, this clan would never get their friend back. But Zane didn’t have to attack Kiera. She was distraction enough. Zane moved faster than the current. He zipped past Link and left him momentarily stunned.
It was then that a tendril of blood stained the water. Pain stung him seconds later. Link twisted, but Zane was out of sight. The blood in the water and murk that they were stirring up made everything hazy. Link couldn’t see Zane as he struck again.
This time, Zane slammed into his spine. Link felt bones move in ways they never should. The impact sent him hurtling forward. Once more, the world was topsy-turvy. Link’s only thought was of Kiera. She was too close.
Why had she come down here? She should have been on land with Zara. They should have held her back.
Link’s beast felt larger than ever. Power made his heart beast harder. It made his claws sharper. As much as he wanted to strike down Zane, though, Link’s priority had to be Kiera. So long as she lingered under the water, she wouldn’t be safe.
The beast agreed. It searched the watery landscape for Kiera’s pale form. Anger made a growl rumble over his tongue. He couldn’t find her anywhere. Immediately, Link assumed the worst.
Zane was gone. He wasn’t attacking. Which could only mean that Zane had gone after Kiera. Link wanted to empty the damn lake. If only there was a plug he could pull that would whisk away all the water and reveal his mate. Then he could pluck her out of danger’s way.
But there wasn’t. Link had to get ahold of himself. He had to focus the new energy coursing through him and use it to find Kiera. There was no future without her. There was nothing but fear and sadness.
15
Kiera found herself face to face with an unfamiliar monster. There was so much ire in its eyes. The creature practically burned with a green fire, like a ghost that had waited a thousand years to exact its revenge.
Perhaps that was over dramatic. No, this one had only waited ten years.
She should have shied away from him. She should have found the surface of the water and struggled until she could break free of it. Instead, Kiera kept perfectly still.
Zane watched her, moving slowly like a prowling cat. She thought he would pounce on her, but he only circled her. She was trapped, she realized. Zane’s interest was not in her, but in how she could be used.
Using her tail, she lashed out. Her tail slapped him in the top of his head. He cried out in pain, far too shrill. Zane clutched his head and continued to screech. She took the opportunity to swim toward the surface.
She found the open air and took a deep breath. A moment passed. She waited for Zane to yank her back below, but his anger had never been directed toward her. It was reserved for Link. Her presence would do nothing to convince Zane that Link was a good man. Zane didn’t know her. He couldn’t trust her judgement.
But he could trust the others. His old clan. His friends.
They still loved him so completely, despite all the trouble he caused. Link hadn’t been here long, but she hoped they could find it in themselves to love Link the same way. He deserved their affection, for if they could love the creature that kept wrecking their homes, they could love the man trying to protect one.
Zara seemed particularly bothered that Zane was attacking her home. She recalled the decrepit lake house up the shore from the cabins. Had that been Zara and Asher’s home not too long ago? The water had ruined it, rendering the wood wet and bloated. The stone castle would withstand the water a bit better, but if Zane defeated Link and then turned that anger on the clan then the stone castle would come crumbling down. Zane must have hated Alistair so much. He would never forgive his friends for welcoming Alistair back. They needed to show Zane that Link was his own man or else that wrath would come down on all their heads.
She stretched her wings over the water and frantically beat at the air. The water made her feel heavy. It took everything she had to lift herself from the lake. It was almost harder to find purchase in the air. She was wobbly, at first. It was probably her small size that allowed her to escape the lake at all.
A larger beast would have been sucked in and trapped.
She managed to gain height as she flew back to the castle. The clan was already there. Some landed already in their beast forms. A burnished gold dragon prowled alongside a scarred black dragon, Jude and Cole. They were using their wings to push water back down the shore. Every bucket that was thrown out the door of the castle was ushered back into the lake.
Their wings left great ruts in the earth. Their claws sank into the resulting mud.
Kiera shouldn’t have shifted, but she needed her human voice. She landed right into a rut of mud and dropped to her knees. Charlie rushed from the castle and knelt at Kiera’s side.
“Where is Link? Is he okay?”
Kiera had to catch her breath. She hadn’t realized just how much her panic had taken out of her. Her beast was angry and tearing at her from the inside, but her body felt sluggish. There was no way she could shift again so soon. In the past two days, she’d shifted more times than she had in the past months.
Her words were slow. She couldn’t quite form them fast enough, even though the pressing fear for Link’s life was gripping her.
“You—all of you. Link needs your help,” she wheezed. Her chest burned. She hadn’t been in the water that long. Had she? Either way, she made herself say, “Save him. Show Zane that he’s not—”
She was overcome by body-wracking coughs. She refused to be this weak. She had not survived so much only to be brought low by holding her breath for too long. Kiera sat up straight, uncaring that she was nude to the world, and forced herself to take a deep breath. Her lungs stretched and complained, but they began to feel better.
Charlie tried to help Kiera up, but Kiera shoved her off. This wasn’t about Kiera. It was about saving Link. It was about keeping Zane from blaming them all for something that just wasn’t true. Link wasn’t Alistair. He wasn’t their nightmare returned from the dead.
Link was just a man who wanted a home. Just like her.
Her dream had been on the tip of her tongue earlier. She’d found it through him. If he died before she could share it with him, then there was nothing else in this world that mattered.
“Help Link. Show Zane that he’s not Alistair. I think you all know that by now. He hasn’t hur
t anyone the whole time he’s been here. Least of all me, the person most likely to be hurt again.”
Charlie jerked back like she touched a stove. She started to argue that it wasn’t true, that no one would be able to hurt Kiera again, but Kiera knew the statistics. People who have survived traumatic abuse are much more likely to be abused again.
Link could have used her weakness against her. He could have bent her to his will, but he didn’t. Everything they did together had been of her own choosing. She loved him because he gave her the chance to dream. He encouraged it.
And now, this clan was going to help him. They had to.
She beseeched them with her eyes, silently pleading. Two dragons and six people stared her down for a moment that stretched on to infinity. Kiera thought she would fail. These people didn’t care as deeply as Link wanted to believe.
Then, Jude nudged her mate’s shoulder. He blew out small plumes of fire in argument, but she nudged again. The black dragon stamped his feet. Jude cocked her head and gave him a reproaching look.
“Shove it up your ass, Cole.” Asher was already tearing his shirt over his head. “I’m going to help our newest dragon. You can stay here if you want. I don’t need you.”
Asher clapped his hands together and shifted. A great, white dragon appeared beside her. Kiera was in awe of his form, and only a little bit jealous that he was so much larger than she was.
Cole tossed his head and followed with an earth-shaking gallop. The two of them plunged into the water.
All eyes turned on Alec and Heath. They eyes were downcast, unreadable from where Kiera sat. She held her breath, afraid they would walk away. Two dragons might be enough, but Zane was likely to listen to the whole clan. The clan that had faced Alistair alongside him.
Charlie leapt from where she was kneeling, ran over to her mate, and grabbed the front of his shirt. “I trust Kiera. If she loves this guy, then he’s worth it. Let’s go.”
Link (Keepers Of The Lake Book 5) Page 12
