Dragon Mine

by Donna Grant

  “We didna exactly sleep.”

  She grinned. “That’s what I liked.”

  Vaughn laughed and rolled on top of her. “Come on. They’ll be waiting for us.”

  Eurwen remained as he jumped to his feet and turned to walk into the loch. He dove beneath the water and surfaced a few minutes later, shaking his head to spray droplets everywhere. She laughed as she sat up to watch.

  She wasn’t sure when she had stopped fighting the feelings within her, but she was glad that she had. Things with Vaughn had become much simpler. Almost too easy. She liked being with him. She enjoyed how she felt when she was with him.

  She liked how he made her feel.

  Yet, she still couldn’t answer if he was her mate or not. Was her Fae side blocking that? Or was she too afraid to look and discover the truth? Sadly, she wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was the latter option.

  Eurwen knew that love existed. She didn’t doubt that. What she questioned was if it was there for her. Not once in her long life had she ever had a relationship. She’d had lovers—all from Earth, obviously. Though there had been a few dragons on Zora who’d tried to woo her. If she had felt anything for the dragons, she would’ve pursued them, but there had been nothing there.

  Her lack of relationship experience likely factored into her hesitancy with Vaughn. He knew without a doubt what he wanted. She didn’t know which way was up when it came to love and relationships. And none of that even factored into her role on Zora.

  The happiness she’d felt upon waking quickly dissipated. Eurwen got to her feet and walked to the loch for a quick swim. Once in the water, large hands wrapped around her and dragged her against a hard body she knew well. His arousal pressed against her stomach. Vaughn’s mouth met hers beneath the waves for a kiss unlike anything she’d ever experienced. They surfaced with their lips still locked together.

  “Och, lass,” he murmured in a husky whisper that made her shiver with desire.

  Eurwen closed her eyes for a moment, wishing they could give in to the pleasure they both wanted. Instead, she pushed away from him. “You’re the one who said we had to go.”

  “Doona remind me,” he said grumpily.

  They swam back to shore. The minute they stepped out of the loch, their magic dried them. Eurwen chose black leather pants and a form-fitting black shirt, and topped it with black armor that looked like dragon scales that covered her upper body and forearms. Black knee-high boots completed her look. She smoothed her hands over her hair, transforming the blond locks into intricate braids like the styles she favored from the Norse.

  Vaughn let out a whistle.

  She turned to face him to see that he had also chosen dark clothing with a simple black tee, dark jeans, and boots.

  “You’re every inch a warrior,” he said as he walked to her.

  “I suppose we’ll see.”

  She took his hand, and with several small jumps, teleported them to Cairnkeep. Just as Vaughn had suspected, Con and V waited for them.

  “Ready?” Con asked.

  Vaughn nodded and looked at her. Eurwen bowed her head. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in a battle before, but nothing like what the Kings had been involved in. Eurwen couldn’t shake the feeling that her realm was in jeopardy. She hoped she was wrong, but given the way Con, V, and Vaughn acted, she didn’t think she was.

  “The doorway to Earth is closed,” Eurwen told them.

  V frowned and started to object.

  Vaughn quickly said, “In case whatever is happening here came from Earth.”

  “Good call,” Con said. “That way, we can isolate one variable.”

  V grunted. “It would be nice to have the other Kings here.”

  “That might be the verra thing that began all of this,” Vaughn stated.

  Brandr walked up and said, “We’ll know soon enough. My generals have been informed of the plan and are getting the army in place along our border with the humans.”

  “We should get in place, as well,” Con replied.

  V was the first to shift, then Con, Eurwen, Vaughn, and finally Brandr. The five of them took to the air. Eurwen noted that the nearby dragons watched, likely wondering what was going on. She looked from V’s copper scales, to Con’s gold ones as they flew on her left side. To her right was Vaughn and his vibrant teal scales and Brandr with his golden scales that faded to a beige color on his belly.

  Whatever was on Zora, be it an entity or magic, would be stopped. Eurwen didn’t doubt it for a second. She wouldn’t have questioned it even if it had only been her and Brandr facing off against the threat. But she certainly didn’t hesitate with three Dragon Kings aiding them.

  When they finally reached the border with the humans near where Nundro had been attacked, the five of them met up with the four generals. The army flew high above them, watching for any movement below. The plan was for the generals, Kings, Brandr, and Eurwen to hopefully draw out whatever had come to Zora.

  Eurwen and Brandr returned to human form as soon as they landed, each with armor infused with their magic. They had never gone up against enemies like the Dragon Kings had, but she and Brandr were prepared, nonetheless.

  She drew in a deep breath as she lowered herself to hide in the tall grass. The generals and Vaughn would stay in the air as Con, V, Brandr, and Eurwen moved about in human form. She glanced to her left to see her father in the distance. To her right, she almost made out Vaughn’s shape.

  Eurwen scanned the area. They were there as a group, but each of them was also isolated. She was scared as well as anxious to start the battle. “All right. Where are you?” she whispered.

  As she waited for someone to strike, she wondered who might have come to their realm. Not knowing who and what brought the infants to their realm opened the possibility that anyone and anything could potentially find them. It was a sobering thought. For so very long, she had assumed that Zora was safe from outside threats. That she and Brandr had things under control. After all, no beings like the Fae or a group like the Others had found them.

  That wasn’t only foolish, it was also naïve and reckless not to be prepared for anything. Had they merely been lucky all these eons? Eurwen had been so preoccupied with everything the Kings had done wrong on Earth that she hadn’t stopped to think about Zora and its vulnerabilities—one of the things the Kings had done correctly on their realm.

  But she knew real fear now. The kind that wouldn’t ever completely go away. The fact was that the dragons were under attack. It could be humans. They’d been resourceful in the past in capturing and imprisoning dragons to torture. It could also be the crone. Brandr thought it was her, and while Eurwen hadn’t ruled her out, she wanted facts.

  It could also be another entity they hadn’t thought of yet. In fact, it could be several things. And even if they contained it this time, who was to say something else wouldn’t get through later?

  Eurwen flexed her hands, feeling her magic coursing through her. She scanned the area again, sensing nothing. Not even the tingling on her neck like the day before. That didn’t alleviate her worry, though. It was only Brandr and her on Zora. Earth had the Dragon Kings, fighting together whenever something attacked. They needed more than the generals for help here. They needed Kings.

  All of them.

  Her mind immediately went to Vaughn. She wanted him in Zora. She wanted him with her. He liked it here. But did he like it enough to give up Dreagan and his brethren when she refused to give up her life? She couldn’t ask that of him, especially when she wouldn’t entertain the notion of him asking it of her.

  The wind suddenly shifted. Eurwen was instantly on alert as her senses prickled. But no matter how hard she looked, she didn’t see anything or feel anything else.

  “Check-in,” Brandr called to everyone through the mental link.

  One by one, everyone gave the all-clear. Until it was her turn. “Nothing here,” she answered.

  Thirty minutes went by, still with nothing. Until th
e wind shifted again. Once more, her nerve endings tingled, alerting her that something was out there. This time, Eurwen felt that same sensation from when she’d walked through the doorway. She frantically scanned the area.

  “The wind,” she told the others. “I just felt…something.”

  She waited to hear Vaughn’s response. When he didn’t immediately reply, she glanced in his direction. That’s when she saw a shimmer out of the corner of her eye. She jerked back around, but whatever she’d seen was gone. Yet she knew that something had been there.

  “It’s here! It’s invisible. I saw a flicker out of the corner of my eye,” she alerted the others.

  Eurwen’s heart pounded wildly. She knew that something was coming right for her. She might not be able to see it, but she could sense it. She stood and spread her hands, palms out, ready for battle. Before she could determine where to send a volley of magic, something slammed into her abdomen. She tried to look down to see what it was, but she couldn’t move. It was like something had frozen her in place. She tried to call out, to warn the others, but her voice wouldn’t work. Eurwen attempted to access the mental link, but words wouldn’t form in her head either.

  Then she was falling backward. She blinked up at the blue sky before everything went dark.

  “Now, you’re mine,” whispered an eerie voice in her ear.

  Chapter Thirty

  “Eurwen?” Vaughn called as worry filled him.

  She kept talking, but her words weren’t clear. It was as if something distorted her voice.

  “Eurwen!”

  Soon, the others were calling for her, as well, but she wouldn’t answer them either.

  “I’m going to her,” Vaughn said as he dipped a wing and turned in her direction.

  The instant he did, he saw Eurwen stand. Suddenly, she jerked as if something had struck her. In the next instant, she fell backward.

  “Nay!” Vaughn bellowed and flew faster.

  He dove from the sky, tucking into a ball and shifting to his human form so he could land on his feet and run the last few yards to her. As he did, he looked around for an opponent but saw nothing. He slid to his knees and bent over Eurwen as the others rushed to them.

  Vaughn stared in shock at the hole through her abdomen, wide enough that he could put his arm through it. Blood coated Eurwen’s front and continued pouring out.

  “Con!” Vaughn shouted.

  The King of Kings was immediately at Eurwen’s other side. “I’m here.”

  Vaughn’s heart thumped in his chest as he stared helplessly at his mate. Even though he knew that Con could heal Eurwen, Vaughn couldn’t shake the unease rolling violently through him. Someone or something had attacked his mate, and no one had seen anything. Just as with Nundro the day before.

  It felt like an eternity before the wound finally mended, and Con dropped his arm to his side. Vaughn looked at him and saw the worry on his friend’s face.

  “That was different than Nundro’s wound,” Con said.

  Brandr sat at Eurwen’s feet, panic and concern etched across his face. “Why hasn’t she woken? She’s healed.”

  “Open your eyes, lass,” Vaughn urged Eurwen. “We’re waiting for you to tell us what you saw.”

  But she didn’t move. Vaughn glanced at Con, Brandr, and V, hoping one of them would have a solution. The three of them looked as helpless as he felt.

  “Eurwen,” Vaughn called louder. “Open your eyes. Look at me.”

  V shook his head. “This isna good. None of this is. No’ the location, the attack, and no’ her lying as if in a coma.”

  “Whoever did this has to be around here,” Brandr declared as he got to his feet. He yelled to his generals, and the dragons took to the sky.

  Vaughn smoothed Eurwen’s hair from her face. Her beautiful armor was ruined. Dragon scales were difficult to pierce, but whatever had struck Nundro had managed it then as well as whatever or whoever had done this today. Vaughn looked at his friends. “Did you hear what she said before she fell?”

  “It was jumbled,” Con answered.

  V shook his head. “It was like a radio station that didna come in clearly.”

  “I couldn’t make out anything,” Brandr said.

  “She felt something yesterday,” Con reminded them.

  Vaughn stood and backed away as he glanced around. “We need to get her out of here. Now.”

  “I’ll stay with my generals and the army. We’ll scour the area. And we’ll find who is responsible,” Brandr replied.

  Vaughn nodded before shifting and gently lifting Eurwen in one of his hands. V and Con flew on either side of him on the way back to Cairnkeep. Halfway there, Vaughn expected her to wake and demand to be put down. He kept hoping he’d hear her voice, but it didn’t happen.

  Once they reached Cairnkeep, they landed. Vaughn returned to human form and carried her to Brandr’s cottage. Con followed close behind. Not much later, Rhi teleported into the house with them.

  “What happened?” she demanded.

  Con wrapped an arm around his mate as he explained the situation. Vaughn gently lay Eurwen on the bed, still waiting for her to wake.

  “Why hasn’t she opened her eyes?” Rhi asked frantically.

  Con shrugged and shook his head. “None of us knows.”

  “The general from yesterday? He didn’t lose consciousness,” Rhi stated.

  Vaughn sat on the edge of the bed and took Eurwen’s hand in his. “Everything about today felt different.”

  “Like a trap,” Con said.

  Vaughn nodded slowly as he looked at Con. “Exactly.”

  Rhi’s eyes widened. “Then we get back out there and find who did this.”

  “That’s where Brandr and his generals are,” Vaughn said.

  Rhi’s face went slack. “Alone? Are you kidding? After what happened with all of you there, why wouldn’t someone remain with Brandr?”

  Con kissed her cheek. “I’m heading there now, sweetheart. I wanted to get our daughter here first.”

  Rhi threw her arms around him. They exchanged soft words before moving apart.

  “I’ll update you and V often regarding my location,” Con told him.

  Vaughn bowed his head. “Be careful.”

  “There’s a reason Eurwen was attacked, and we’re going to find out what that is,” Con promised before he strode out of the cottage.

  Vaughn watched his friend go before his gaze slid to Rhi. Unease stamped her face. The last time Vaughn had seen such an expression was when his human lover had been giving birth. He had cared for the mortal, but he hadn’t loved her. Not as he did Eurwen. Vaughn returned his attention to his mate.

  He couldn’t shake the apprehension, the worry that the Kings were somehow responsible for what was taking place on Zora. Whether it’d begun because Varek had been brought here, or whether it’d manifested once Varek arrived was trivial. Something malicious was in the realm. Was it after the dragons? Was it targeting Eurwen and Brandr? Or were the Kings the objective?

  “We need to know if the mortals have also experienced such attacks,” Vaughn said.

  Rhi started to pace. “I need to do something. I can’t stand just sitting still. I’ll go.”

  “No,” Vaughn stopped her before she left.

  Her head whipped to him. “And why not?”

  “You’re too upset.”

  She paused for a second. “Perhaps you’re right. But if they knew what Varek was, they’ll know you, as well.”

  “That’s true.”

  “There’s Claire.”

  Vaughn snorted. “V willna let her out of his sight, and I doona blame him.”

  “That leaves only one who can navigate the humans effectively.”

  “Jeyra.”

  Rhi nodded. “I’ll get her.”

  “I had Eurwen remove the doorway in case whatever was here came from Earth.”

  “I’ll be quick,” Rhi replied. She glanced at her daughter. “Don’t let her out of your sigh
t.”

  Vaughn bowed his head. “I willna.”

  Once Rhi was gone, he rubbed Eurwen’s hand between his. “Wake up, lass. You’re healed. There should be nothing keeping you unconscious.”

  Vaughn let his magic surround her, searching for anything that might stand out. No matter how hard he focused, he was unable to discern anything. He had hoped something would stand out, something they could remove so she would open her eyes and smile at him again.

  “I got her,” Rhi said as she appeared in the cottage.

  Vaughn looked to find Rhi, Jeyra, and Varek.

  “What the bloody hell happened?” Varek demanded as he looked at Eurwen on the bed. “Rhi wouldna tell us anything. Just said Jeyra was needed.”

  Vaughn didn’t release Eurwen’s hand as he faced the trio. “To summarize, one of the generals was attached yesterday. Con was able to heal him, and we searched the open field but saw no one.”

  “No one?” Varek asked with a frown.

  Vaughn shook his head. “Con offered our help, and Eurwen and Brandr accepted. We came up with a plan and implemented it this morning. Eurwen, Brandr, Con, and V stayed on the ground in human form while the four generals and I stayed in the air, drawing attention to ourselves.”

  “You were on the border with my people, weren’t you?” Jeyra asked.

  “The attack yesterday was done far enough from there that we would’ve seen anyone running away. But, yes, this morning, we were near the border,” Vaughn explained.

  Rhi pulled her hair back and twisted it into a knot off her neck. “Someone or something attacked Eurwen. Con healed her wound, but she hasn’t woken since.”

  “You know what this reminds me of?” Varek asked.

  Vaughn nodded as he looked at Rhi. “That time Ulrik’s uncle attacked, and you wouldna wake.”

  Rhi briefly closed her eyes. “That was Mikkel. This is on another realm. How could one have to do with the other?”

  “It might have something to do with Eurwen’s Fae blood,” Varek pointed out.

  Vaughn rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. “Rhi eventually woke.”