Dragon's Lover, Part 2 Page 5

  Heartbreak

  “Aegis, you know how this works. She isn’t meant for you.” Lumen’s tone was harsh, almost angry as he reprimanded his friend for his negligent secrecy. The two Dragon shifters were sitting in the flat’s living room while Neko worked in the kitchen. Ashlyn was still sleeping comfortably, oblivious to the altercation that had erupted a few rooms away.

  The Guild’s Alpha was Aegis’s long time friend, but he took his role as leader seriously. There were rules and traditions to uphold, and the rules wouldn’t be bent for the sake of one horny Dragon shifter. Aegis’s needs and wants couldn’t overrule the greater good of the Guild.

  “Yes, I know perfectly well how things work,” Aegis growled. “I’ve struggled with the pain of it since I realized this morning what Ashlyn might be.”

  “But you chose not to tell me that she’s a fucking Seeker, even though you obviously had a theory.”

  Aegis shook his head. “Of course I didn’t tell you. I thought she might die. I couldn’t have you commanding me to leave her in that state. I couldn’t listen to you tell me how she wasn’t my intended mate.” His voice was tight again, his emotion struggling to remain contained inside his chest. “I couldn’t leave her like that. Rules or no rules, I have formed a deep attachment to her. I have feelings for her.”

  “It’s been one whole day since you met her. Don’t you think you’re being a little over the top with the whole deep-emotions thing?”

  Aegis shot his Alpha a look of quiet rage. “Tell me, Lumen, how would you have felt after your first night with Neko, if I’d told you that you couldn’t be with her anymore?”

  His Alpha ground his jaw for a moment. “I would have obeyed the laws of our kind, if that was for the best.”

  “Damn it, that’s not what I asked. I asked how you would have felt.”

  Lumen moved his gaze to a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room, avoiding his friend’s eyes. “I would have felt as though my soul had been torn out and fed to wild dogs.”

  “Then you understand why this is difficult for me.”

  “Yes, I suppose I do. And you have my sympathy. But it seems that Ashlyn is meant for the shifter of Fire, if she is indeed the Seeker of the Relic. From what you’ve revealed and from what I’ve seen of her, it would seem that she is.”

  “So you think she’s to be with Kabal,” Aegis said.

  Lumen nodded. “Yes, unfortunate though it may be. He’s the only Fire Dragon in the Guild. Of course, he’s a dullard, not to mention an overly serious tosser. I can’t imagine that Ashlyn and he…”

  “Neither can I,” winced Aegis, rising to his feet and clenching his fists at the thought of his blond goddess winding up with the copper-haired shifter. For fuck’s sake, Kabal spoke in a tedious monotone that could put a crackhead to sleep. No doubt he ate plain oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, too. “I hate saying it with a passion, but if they’re meant to be together, who the hell am I to stand in their way? The Guild’s needs are more important than my own. I know it all rationally, but I don’t have to like it.”

  “Of course not,” Lumen said, offering Aegis a sympathetic look. “Listen, there’s something else we need to talk about, now that Ashlyn’s recuperating.”

  “Great. More fantastic news, no doubt.”

  Lumen grimaced. “You read me like a book. Yeah, it seems that there was a series of attacks last night.” His tone was grim as he turned his gaze to the glass ceiling, the undulating waves casting a rippling play of light over the room.

  “Attacks?” said Aegis. “You mean Ashlyn wasn’t the only…” He stopped himself before delving into talk of the strange hybrid they’d encountered. “Tell me, what happened?”

  “Well, it seems that the enemy has begun to get their shite together. The acts seemed orchestrated, with Forsaken moving in from every corner of the city, targeting humans. Kliev and Tryst informed me of it around three a.m.”

  “Massive bollocks. Do you know what motivated this?”

  Lumen shook his head. “Only that it seems that the aim was for the Forsaken to reveal themselves brazenly to London’s human population. They attacked anyone in sight, especially if there was a crowd about. It’s clear that they had no fear of getting caught or of repercussions, and we suspect that they were ordered to do so by whatever bastard is in charge. This was a power play of some sort, and very dangerous for the Dragons. It’s made it into the papers this morning, and you know what that means.”

  Aegis nodded solemnly. “No doubt they want to bring us into the open too, to make sure that we’re demonized by the human population,” he said “but Lumen, I never told you what the details of what happened last night when I went after Ashlyn. There’s something you don’t yet know.”

  “Oh?”

  “I wasn’t the only one who was after her. There was a Forsaken, too, stalking her like a mad fool. He attacked before I got to them, dragged her into an alley.” Aegis rose from his seat and walked to the far side of the room before pivoting back to Lumen. “He was…bloody hell, I can’t even believe I’m saying this.”

  “Well? What is it, man?”

  “He was half Dragon.”

  “What?” In a flash the colour of Lumen’s eyes darkened, his Dragon rising up against the dire news. Raging, no doubt, just as Aegis’s déor had done the previous night. “Half Dragon? I’ve never heard of such a thing. The bonds among our kind are tight; we mate with humans and with other Dragon shifters on the rare occasion that one of us can find a female of our species. For a Dragon to have mated with a blood seeker to produce such a hybrid is so far beyond betrayal that I don’t think there’s even a word for it.”

  “I know,” Aegis replied. “I was as shocked as you are, believe me.”

  “So what happened? I assume that you did away with him, since you’re here to tell of it.”

  “No. Ashlyn asked me not to, so I let him go.”

  “A woman you’d just met asked you not to kill a Forsaken, and you abided by her wishes? Crikey, you really are smitten, aren’t you?” Lumen couldn’t help but grin, even if he wasn’t supposed to support his friend’s romance.

  In response, a shallow smile crept over Aegis’s lips. “Yes, I am. But in case you think I’ve gone too soft, there’s something else. Before I sent the bastard on his way, I grabbed him and slipped a GPS device into the breast pocket of his coat. I suspect that he will lead us to his coven’s meeting place, possibly even their leader, whoever he is.”

  “So you think he returned to them after you released him?”

  Aegis nodded solemnly. “He was a right coward, that one. I suspect he went back to his home base to grovel. If he’d fled they would have tracked him down and killed him.”

  “You’re likely right. Well, the news just gets more and more disturbing, doesn’t it?” Lumen scratched his chin. “According to Lyre and Trix, one of the Forsaken under Glastonbury Tor implied that their leader was a Dragon shifter, and an old one at that. It’s possible that he was the one who sent the half-breed after Ashlyn. Though it’s strange that they should have known to go after her.”

  “I agree. But the really disturbing bit is that the Forsaken knew her name, Lumen. He knew where she was staying. His hunt was quite calculated, and it would seem that he was after the Relic. If she’s the Seeker…”

  “If she’s the Seeker, then the Forsaken somehow knew it before we did. But how is that even possible?” Lumen walked over to a wooden sideboard coated in glasses and bottles of various sizes and colours. He drummed his fingers in a rapid-fire sequence on the hard surface as he contemplated Aegis’s information.

  “Do you think this Dragon leader could be one of our own?” Aegis asked. “Kliev is very old…I suppose it’s possible…” His voice was tight, the mere words feeling like a betrayal of his own kind. He and Kliev had been friends for a long time, and never could he have envisioned the man going against his own.

  “I’ve had my fears that it’s someone close to us,” sa
id Lumen. “Kliev is one of the oldest known Dragon shifters in existence, but like you, I can’t allow myself to think such things about him. He’s been a member of the Guild from the start, and he’s loyal to a fault. He’s a good man, and for God’s sake, I trust him so much that I assigned him the job of locking the Relics in the Guild’s vault. If he wanted them, he could simply steal them.” Lumen tensed. “But we do have to be vigilant. I’m going to have to call a meeting under the Heath for the entire Guild. I’m afraid you’re going to need to come and join in on the discussion; we don’t have much time to spare, and we’ll need your input. Last night’s attacks may only be the first of many, unless we can figure out who’s leading their small army.”

  “I’ll come, of course. But Ashlyn will need tending. Whether she’s my mate or not, I can’t leave her until I’m quite sure she’s on the road to recovery.”

  “Of course,” Lumen nodded. “Whatever she needs. She’s important to the Guild as well as to you, and we need to keep her safe. But remember, she’s not yours to keep. She belongs to...” He stopped himself. “I’m sorry. You already know it all too well, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. But it’s not your fault; sometimes the truth is cruel.” Aegis returned to the couch and threw himself down, his fist slowly beating a pulse on his rock-hard thigh.

  “If I could think of a work-around, some exception to the rule,” Lumen said, “I’d do whatever I could to help. You realize that, don’t you? I’m not trying to be cruel.”

  Aegis nodded. “I know. You’re only doing your duty to the Guild, as will I. But just know that it may break me in the process.” He let out a sigh as he slouched down in his seat. “She’s amazing, and I wish I could have her in my life. I never want her to go back to the United States. Hell, I never want her to do anything without me by her side. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do feel as though I need her, Lumen. Even if saying so makes me sound weak.”

  Lumen smiled in spite of sense of duty telling him not to encourage his friend. “You feel that you need her in your life just as I need Neko. As Lyre needs Trix. It’s not a bad thing to need, Aegis. What’s bad is to isolate yourself from the world in the hopes that the feeling of solitude will disappear.”

  “So tell me, what do I do? Because if she ends up with Kabal, solitude will be like a disease to me. It will hurt more than any injury I’ve ever sustained.”

  “Dragon shifters need more intensely than humans, and we love deeply. If by some miracle Ashlyn is meant to be with you, you will find a way, and I will not stop you. And then you will know something greater than need. You two will affect each other like the moon affects the earth’s tides. That’s not something to take lightly. It’s the best thing in the world to feel so linked to another being.”

  “Yes, I’m sure it is. But it becomes not such a wonderful thing when the moon is stolen away from the earth and given to a red-haired Dragon shifter who’s as boring as a pair of dirty socks. It’s never good when the earth loses his ability to breathe because his heart is crushed under the weight of his grief.”

  Lumen closed his eyes, exhaling hard. “The grief will be greater if you fall harder for her, I’m afrad. Listen, Ashlyn is still in our room, and she’s welcome to stay there as long as she needs. Meanwhile I suggest that you say your good-byes. It will be for the best.”

  “You’re right,” said Aegis, rising from his seat. “As much as I hate your words, I know you’re right.”

  Parting

  Aegis trudged slowly towards Ashlyn’s temporary bedroom. He wanted to see her, needed to see her, even if it was only to be for a moment. But the sooner he did, the sooner he would have to say good-bye. The sooner his heart would shatter.

  The door was open when he arrived. Ashlyn was sitting upright with her back against a large pillow, a hot cup of tea clenched between her hands. Freshly showered, her hair wet and pulled back into a tight ponytail.

  When Aegis had slipped through the door he shut it behind him and approached the bed. “Well, you look wonderful,” he said, attempting a genuine-looking smile to conceal his agony. “Tell me, how are you feeling?”

  “Better,” she said, grinning back at him with the most beautiful look of relief on her face. Fuck, Aegis wanted to dash over and grab her. To reacquaint his lips with her own and to explore her entire body with his mouth.

  Well, this was going to be even harder than he’d imagined.

  “Better, you say?” he croaked out.

  She nodded. “A little weak, but also…” Her eyes lost their focus for a moment, a thought forging itself inside her mind.

  Aegis laid his palms on the edge of the mattress and leaned towards her. Shit, big mistake. Her scent was heaven, twining about him like ivy. He jerked upright and took a quick step back, pulling himself away from danger. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Dunkirk. “But what?” he asked, trying to mask his struggle.

  “I…I feel strong, too,” she said, watching him with a bemused expression. “I can’t quite explain it. Stronger than I’ve ever felt. Well, except for when I was in that alley and got the better of the Forsaken.”

  “So you’re saying you’re about ready to beat the living shite out of me, then.” He shot her a proper grin, unable to deny how happy he was to see her looking so healthy.

  “Only if you get lippy,” she said, a mock-threatening snarl in her voice. “Seriously, I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s like there’s a whole other being inside me—the fevers, the new strength…and something else, too.”

  “Hmm? Tell me.”

  Ashlyn rolled the corner seam of the bedding between the fingertips of her left hand. She always did this when he made her nervous, always reached for something to occupy her hands, like she wanted to distract him from her actual words. Somehow, it only served to make him want her more. His beautiful, fidgety goddess.

  “You’ll probably think I’m nuts,” she said, “but ever since I arrived in London I’ve felt like there was a voice somewhere deep inside me telling me what to do, how to survive. Guiding me, I suppose. It became so strong this morning that I thought I’d lost my mind. After the fever I thought it would pass, like it was a hallucination or something. But it’s still there, even louder now.”

  “What does it say to you?”

  “Nothing specific, not really,” she replied. “It’s more a like confirmation that I know what I need to do. An encouraging voice, telling me to get beyond my fear and to act.”

  Aegis grimaced. Perhaps this disembodied voice was a symptom of being a Seeker, a guide for those who were meant to find the Relics. He hadn’t spoken enough to Neko or Trix about the inner workings of their minds to know if it was normal or not. “That’s good, I suppose,” he said. Except it’s not good in the slightest. It’s very bad.

  Each step that she took towards her destiny as Seeker would be a step away from him, towards another shifter. The thought of it forged a tangle of emotions that he fought back, telling himself that it would be all right; he’d soon leave and extricate himself from this pain. Soon he could stop concealing his suffering and slam his fist through a wall in his faraway house.

  But for now he had to stay strong. He had to help her to gain strength, too. It wouldn’t help her to know how much he was suffering.

  “Neko and Lumen have kindly offered to let you stay in their room until you’ve recuperated,” he added. “God knows that this flat is big enough for them to choose from any number of other bedrooms, so they’ve opted to stash themselves in one far down the hall. You won’t be disturbed.”

  “Well, that was very generous of them. They’ve been amazing, Aegis. You have excellent friends.”

  “Dragon shifters look after their own,” he replied. “And that includes Seekers of magical Relics. So tell me more about how you’re feeling. Any dizziness?”

  “I feel fine now.” She was fondling the bedsheets again. “But when I was so out of it, I had visions, just like I did when I was littl
e. They were almost like vivid dreams, like I was in the middle of a strange, fantastical film. At one point I was flying, just as you and I did last night and this morning. Though I can’t say I remember this morning’s flight.”

  “I should think not. You were in another world, you poor thing.”

  “Well, I must have been riding your Dragon in the dream, because God knows I can’t fly myself around, but there I was, soaring through the air. Protecting the world from a great big threat in the form of a very nasty Dragon.” She stopped talking and lay the tea cup on the night stand before levelling Aegis with her gaze. “It seems you were protecting me, even in my hallucinations.”

  “I would protect you from anything and everything if I could, Ashlyn Raleigh,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I would be the shield that you’re looking for.”

  “Shield? How do you know about that?” she gasped, her cheeks blushing a deep crimson.

  “You were muttering the word in your half-sleep,” he replied. “I mentioned to Neko that my name means shield. Did you know that?”

  She shook her head. “I had no idea. But that’s so strange.”

  “I suppose it is an odd coincidence.”

  “No, I mean because it’s part of the verse. It says I’m supposed to find my shield. It goes: Seek it when you’ve found your Shield, And remember who you are. Only then will the hidden stone be revealed.”

  Deep inside his chest Aegis’s heart briefly contemplated exploding with hope. Could it be that the verse had told her to find him?

  No, it couldn’t. It had to mean something else. Surely it was just a metaphor for finding her inner strength, something that every Seeker went through when bonding with their mate. No matter how Aegis considered the options, he was still the wrong man for the job. He still wasn’t a Dragon of Fire, and never would be.

  “Well, I have every faith that you will find it,” he said. “In the meantime, always remember that I will help you in any way that I can.”