His Dragon Warrior

by Jill Haven

  “Cousin? What are you doing here?”

  Evan stepped around me and stood with his arms tightly crossed over his stomach, a frown destroying the sweet desire I’d seen there only seconds ago. Damn them all, did they have to interrupt so soon? Not that I could do anything about this infatuation without causing a new feud with the Redcaps.

  “Evan? Evan is out here? Vince is going to lose his marbles over this,” the woman said as she came to stand near us. She had an axe about half the size of the one her clan leader usually carried, but it gleamed in the moonlight, and it occurred to me that maybe I should watch myself against more than just the Cloud Dragons. I turned toward the fallen dragon, however, because I hadn’t gotten around to confirming my kill yet.

  “What are you doing here, Evan?” Yet someone else emerged from the shadows to interrogate him, and I held in a growl. Evan darted a look at me, his mouth twisted down into a frown. I’d seen him sneaking out, and now, watching his clan slowly circle in on him, I had a better idea of why that might have been a sound tactic. He had wanted to get away but had walked right into a Cloud Dragon.

  “Vince will do more than lose marbles. He’ll probably shackle you to a pole somewhere. What were you thinking leaving at night?” Yet another Redcap crowded around us, and even I was starting to feel hemmed in. I shrugged my shoulders and took a step back. Being well-known for my bad temper had its advantages because everyone mirrored me and moved as well.

  “It was my fault. I asked him to come out here. If any of you were alphas you’d know why.” Shifting toward Evan, I sent him a stern warning look that had his eyebrows flying high. “He makes the perfect lure. He’s the sweetest smelling omega I’ve ever encountered, sweeter even than a dragon born. Always bait a trap with honey.”

  Evan let out a noise and smacked his hand over his mouth. His shoulders shook. Was he laughing?

  “Really? He smells nice to us too.” The male closest to us shrugged. “But I’m no alpha. Well, you can tell that to Vince then because I want to keep my head attached to my body.”

  Evan heaved out a sigh and lower his hand to gift me with a coy smile, though he still seemed upset.

  The woman walked over to me, and I wasn’t prepared when she clocked me square on the jaw. I stumbled and came back growling, my vision clearer and my body seething with dragon strength. I hadn’t needed my dragon for the fight, but with Evan so close and smelling so good, I was surprisingly fast to slip toward the shift.

  “You put him in danger. Do you know how long and hard we’ve worked to keep him safe? You slayed the enemy, and Evan survived, but if he’d died? The cost was too great.” She spat in my direction and grabbed Evan by the hand. He didn’t fight her as she carefully led the way back through the woods toward the stronghold, but Evan’s shoulders slumped. My chest tightened as I followed behind them.

  “I’m only allowing you that insult because there’s an omega present,” I called to her back. She raised her middle finger and didn’t turn around. Evan wiggled his hand free from her with a few sharp words that had her scowling and rushing on ahead. He slowed his pace and I strode to his side. A pout sat firmly on his lips. I reached over and took his bag from him. He swiped to get it back, but I already had it on my own shoulder.

  “I can carry that. I’m not a weakling.”

  “But you shouldn’t have to. Where were you going?”

  He shrugged and tilted his head back to stare up at the night sky. Some nuances got lost in the dark, but I could tell by his covert glances he was calculating what he should say with so many ears around. “Nowhere. Anywhere. I’m tired of being left out.”

  That I understood. My entire life had been a series of attempts to join in dragon society, and while I’d made headway—I was the Blood Dragon Sentinel commander, after all—I never really felt that I belonged. Without a family of my own, there were only so many privileges the Blood Dragons would allow me. I’d never been welcomed to pursue an omega, for one.

  My past pain ate at me and I tried to keep it where it should stay—locked away, but I couldn’t help but think about the omega I’d never been allowed to court, so long ago, and Evan reminded me of him in small ways. He glided rather than walked, graceful even in the dark, and his smell was so potent. But where my chest usually ached with emptiness at the memory, a spark glittered behind my breastbone as I walked beside Evan. Being around him seemed to soothe old wounds. I wanted to take his hand and make sure he wouldn’t fall, but one nasty stare from a Redcap that fell into pace near us reminded me that would be a foolish move.

  As I trailed Evan, a plan formed itself in my head, one to help him escape. Maybe I would always be on the outside looking in, but there was no reason someone as beautiful as Evan should suffer the same fate, trapped forever out here in the wilds, especially with his short human life. If he never mated a dragon, he wouldn’t have many years left. Maybe Vince wasn’t aware of that? He’d never listen to me now. I held in a sigh.

  We were barely through the gates when Vince came into view. He paced on the front lawn, wearing a circle next to a row of what I thought might be apple trees.

  “They noticed me missing faster than I thought they would,” Evan grumbled. “I’d assumed he would take an hour or so with my aunties.” He twisted his lips in a bitter half-smile that seemed out of place on him.

  “I’m surprised you made it out the front door,” I said, and he startled guiltily in my direction. He brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and shrugged a shoulder.

  “Yes, well, if you hadn’t been around, maybe I would have gotten farther. You did interrupt my escape.”

  “If I hadn’t been around, you’d be—” I bit off the rest of my very crass remark about what that alpha dragon would have happily done to him. It was possible he didn’t know. He was a strange mixture of innocence and knowledge. “—in a very unpleasant predicament.”

  He huffed, and I moved to slide his bag back onto his shoulder. My fingers brushed his clothed arm, but even that allowed sparks to tremble between us, bursts of delight on my skin. He let out a small sigh that had me wishing I’d given in and tasted his lips when I had the chance.

  “What is going on here?” Vince didn’t shout, exactly, but everyone outside could probably hear him. His shirt was half untucked and his belt was missing. Had someone alerted him of Evan’s disappearance mid-dance? I had a lot of practice at keeping my emotions to myself, but I was deeply amused on the inside.

  Clearing my throat, after a moment I said, “Evan was gracious enough to help me to lure out the last Cloud Dragon.” All eyes turned my way. Vince’s face flushed puce. Not even a pin would have dared to drop in the thick, tense silence that followed my statement.

  Carefully, I stepped in front of Evan so that Vince hopefully wouldn’t see the lie on his face, because I’d caught the flicker of surprise run across it when I spoke. If he had thought I would cave and allow him to be punished for some healthy curiosity and initiative, he didn’t know me well. He’d learn, though. All in all, it hadn’t been a bad stealth job to wade through a busy room, smelling the way he does, unnoticed.

  Tennyson came out the front door, had probably heard Vince, and Ace followed him, walking with a limp. I was surprised to see him up and around already, but thanks to whatever healing the dragonesses had performed, he was quick enough to smile my way. He had on pants and a shirt that must have come from one of the Redcaps because it was flannel and he wouldn’t have been seen dead in it otherwise.

  “You took my nephew to what?” Vince sputtered and clenched his fists. Scales sprouted along his cheeks and a hard, bony ridge bubbled up and solidified over his brow. His eyes shifted to a glittering gold. I wasn’t surprised to see his fingernails lengthen, or his fangs shift out of his mouth to sink into his bottom lip.

  “The Cloud Dragon is dead,” the she-dragon who had already given me her thoughts with her fist said. She gave me a friendly smile. “This is what happens when you allow mercenaries to meddle in cl
an business.” Had I thought she was helpful? She was a viper.

  “It wasn’t Redcaps who killed that last Cloud Dragon,” I reminded her, and the smile melted from her face.

  Vince snapped into action and grabbed Evan’s arm, hauling him physically toward the house. Evan let out a cry that had my body tense to… what? Protect him from his own clan leader? Evan jerked himself away from Vince and marched inside on his own steam. I thought maybe that would be the end of things, but Vince spun on the threshold and pointed at me, still partially transformed. Sparks escaped his nose and the strong tang of smoke hung in the air.

  “If you hadn’t fulfilled your promise to help us and you’d done something so fucking stupid, I would have gutted you here and now for daring to not only put Evan in danger, knowing who and what he is, but taking him anywhere alone.”

  “He’s unharmed.” Internally, I seethed. He thought very little of me, but that wasn’t new. Many people wanted my sword on their side but seemed to think I lacked common decency. I crossed my arms and did my best not to react to the unspoken offense—that I wasn’t good enough for his nephew and that I was untrustworthy.

  “Take your men and leave.” Vince pointed at Ace, who had the temerity to appear affronted. “You’re not welcome back.” Vince blew a small stream of fire my direction, showing me, I suppose, that he thought he was strong enough to best me.

  My heart thumped hard and my belly scalded with heat. Ten allowed Ace to use him as a support and they made their way toward me. Someone threw our bags out onto the lawn after them, and they stopped to pick them up. Ace’s mouth thinned until his lips were so tight they were almost a white line, no doubt ready to burst with questions. Ten was calmer, at least on the surface. Evan peeked around Vince, who wasn’t paying him the slightest bit of attention, and locked his gaze onto me. The sadness of his expression fired an unfamiliar panic through me, one I hadn’t felt in a long while.

  “Vince, what would I have to do?” I called after him as he began to turn away.

  He stopped and stared back at me. “What do you mean?”

  “To be allowed to… well, there are no courtships anymore. To date Evan. What favor would I need to do for the clan, or what amount of wealth makes me valuable enough to pursue him?” Ten must have lost his grip on Ace because they stumbled together and the looks my men gave me were about the same as the time I accidentally blew up one of our vehicles while we were in the field.

  “You?” Vince laughed, but the sound was brutal and low, the dragon clear in his voice. “There’s nothing you can do. You’re not a clan leader. You may be capable of protecting him, but you’re not the type of alpha who could provide for him the way he should be. He deserves someone with territory, and he’ll have it. You’re a glorified assassin, all wrong for him. Tonight, you’re under my protection to the border of my lands, but if I ever see you here again, I’ll kill you myself.” He spun on his heel and stormed inside. The door slammed and some of the dragons left outside stared uncertainly at each other.

  My jaw hurt, I gritted my teeth so hard.

  “That went well,” Ace said and hobbled his way to me. “By the way, I’m fine. Near death experiences are great. I got close enough that I actually saw the rainbow bridge. It was beautiful. And you’re not listening to me at all.” He smirked at me. “I can’t believe you just fucking did that.”

  “Why did you think it was a good idea to take their Divine Omega into the field?” Ten asked when they were both standing at my side.

  “I didn’t. I lied to Vince to keep Evan out of trouble.” Ten huffed out a laugh, and Ace groaned. “You pissed off one of the most dangerous dragons I’ve ever met to keep his nephew from getting his hand slapped?”

  “Wrong. I’m the most dangerous dragon you’ve ever met,” I countered, and Ace laughed as we slowly and painfully made our way back toward my Jeep. I’d return, whether or not Vince wanted me to, and the next time I left, I’d be taking Evan with me. He’d made it very clear he didn’t want to stay here, and I intended to at least give him the gift of his freedom.

  We all deserved that much from life.

  4

  Evan

  Aunt Avens gave me a hug and I sighed. Her waist-length blond hair tickled my nose when I buried my face against it, and I inhaled the gentle smell of lavender that followed her everywhere. She was running around the stronghold in her nightclothes, precisely the way Uncle Vince hated, in her own little act of defiance. The hour was late, and all I wanted was to be left alone.

  “I’m fine. This is unnecessary.”

  She tightened her hug on me, and I let out a little “oomph” that had her laughing.

  “Come play cards with us. Eve beats me every time.” She leaned back to smile, and she patted my cheek.

  “No, really, I’m tired.” I shook my head. “Aunt Eve always plays a reserved game. Just throw out some wild cards until she’s frustrated, and you’ll have her beat. Uncle Vince cheats, so make sure to check his shirt sleeves. I’m ready for sleep.” I didn’t bother attempting to disguise my irritation as I all but shoved her toward my bedroom door.

  “We’ve been smothering you since the incident.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement in the low light from the candle that flickered on my bedside table.

  “That’s one way of putting things. If I were a newborn, everyone would spend less time hovering.”

  She leaned forward and brushed back a few strands of my hair that had escaped the hasty braid I’d wrestled it into earlier. “We care about you. We’ve all been worried. You haven’t been yourself since the ordeal. You were such a happy child, Evan. I’ve seen less of your smile recently.”

  My chest buzzed, overflowing with too much of some bizarre, restless energy, and my heart squeezed. She was right. I’d been irritable, to say the least, since that night. It seemed like my entire being wanted to burst free of this place when normally the urge to leave was more of a low-grade irritation, like a fly buzzing in the room. My dreams were plagued by Bishop, his harsh, serious face, his strong arms, the way he moved while fighting. He was magnificent. Aunt Avens tilted her head, her brow furrowing. Damn, I’d been silent too long.

  “Ordeal,” I grumbled. “What ordeal? That big brute Bishop asked me to go into the woods, and I did. It was less than nothing. No trouble. He kept me safe. I told you all about it, and how less than harrowing the event was.” That was the lie I’d gone with, shoring up the original one Bishop had told, and I’d stuck to it like mold on bread for two weeks. Uncle Vince narrowed his eyes and his nostrils flared in an obnoxious way every time I told the story, like he knew I was full of hot air, but he didn’t want to call me on it.

  “Hmm… Yes, so you did.” Aunt Aven’s smile slipped toward a knowing smirk that I knew was about to lead to yet another uncomfortable conversation I didn’t want to have about Bishop, so I stood, crossed the room, and opened my bedroom door for her. She rose from the bed and tittered on her way out into the corridor. “If you’re bored later, come play cards. The offer stands.”

  “Oh, yes, so I can walk in on Uncle Vince with his pants around his—”

  “Enough,” she said, still laughing, and closed the door behind herself.

  My room shrank and grew stuffier after she left, however. Now that the threat, whatever its true magnitude had originally been, was resolved, the rest of the clan was moving on with their lives. Everyone else in the Redcap clan got to go about their business, heading free of these walls to their houses and jobs in the outside world. I was happier without as many people around, mostly because Uncle Vince had relaxed with fewer dragons underfoot, but I couldn’t help the simmering jealousy I felt toward everyone who waved goodbye and stepped out of the gates. They were going to live their lives, and I was stuck here standing still. Uncle Vince hadn’t mentioned the party for Seth and Mason, either, and I didn’t expect him to. I wasn’t going anywhere. Ever.

  The buzzing in my chest started up and began to burn, almost like a pulled rib I on
ce got during archery practice, only less tangible. I couldn’t point to any one spot that hurt. I paced my room and stared at the walls decorated with drawings and paintings I’d done over the years, but the longer I looked, the more I hated it all. Nothing was right here. Something was missing. The portraits on my walls were representative of things I’d seen in this stronghold with my own eyes. The most imaginative portrait I’d ever painted was of dancers I’d read about who performed ballet. I’d never seen a stage production, and I had no way of knowing if what I drew matched reality.

  On a circuit of the room I ripped one square of paper from the wall, crumpling it and tossing it to the floor before I went over and flopped onto my bed. My chest tingled and felt wickedly uncomfortable. The feeling had pulsed alive in me the night the Cloud Dragons had been finished off. For a few days it had faded to an uncomfortable ache. Tonight, my chest tingled and jumped again in a way that was nearly exciting, but awful at the same time. The need to escape and leave gripped me worse than ever before. My breath came in short pants that I couldn’t control.

  Instead of getting ready for bed, I crawled up and lay down on top of the blanket, staring at the ceiling and plotting ways to escape the stronghold. There weren’t many easy paths to leave without being seen. I rubbed at the odd sensations in my chest, of being too full and brimming with energy. Every plan I made, I discarded as quickly as it entered my head. Who knew when I’d have another night with the entire stronghold disorganized like it was when Bishop was here?

  My eyes snapped open and I was groggy. The candle beside my bed guttered and cast strange shadows. I’d fallen asleep at some point in my plotting for freedom, but I wasn’t sure what had woken me. I closed my eyes again quickly and strained my ears. The most mouthwatering, smoky bouquet was on the air. For about a minute, I tried to place that delightful scent that had my belly heating and my chest jumping worse than ever, but then froze. The perfume that had my hips shifting and my skin warming was the scent of an alpha, and it smelled absolutely excellent. I moaned and slid my hand down my stomach to rest on my belt buckle.