Call of the Dragon (Return to Avalore Book 1) (15 page)

“Trust me,”
she pleaded.

“It was rumored you had been found and were being taken back to Avalore.” The beast bowed towards her before gesturing for a smaller, more curvaceous Erritrol to come stand with him. Although the creature was just as strong and formidable, its dark fur was peppered with lighter strands on its head, giving it a softer look. “This is Kendra, my mate. I would never bring her to battle with me. Please ask your warrior to stand down so we don’t end in a battle neither of us could hope to win.”

“Drake, you have to trust me. Their energies are calm.”

Her eyes pleaded with him to cooperate, but he knew what the savages were capable of. He’d seen them at their worst, and quite honestly had never seen their best.

Less than a month ago, he’d followed dark energies to a campsite in Yellowstone and found their carnage. When he’d gotten there, the beasts were gone, but they’d left one little girl alive. They could have ended her suffering, but instead had left her writhing in pain and crying for her parents. Try as he might, he hadn’t been able to save the child. The horrific memory would haunt him until his dying day.

“Had I wanted to harm her, I would have done so by now.” The beast addressed Drake this time. “I have men in the forest behind you and they’re ready to defend us if need be, yet they’ve not attacked either of you in any way.”

Every muscle in his body tensed. If things went sour, they’d have little chance of escaping unscathed, but he’d be damned if he’d go without a fight, or let them harm even one hair on her stubborn head.

“Say what you have to say, Wesken.” There was no point in dragging this out. He dropped his cloak and stepped in front of Rhia again.

“We’ve come to warn you. An ambush awaits you in the direction you plan to travel. The ancients have gathered there and will destroy you long before you reach your borders should you proceed.”

“And you’d have us believe you’re looking out for
our
best interests? How can we trust you aren’t sending us into their hands?” He didn’t try to hide the contempt in his voice.

“We’ve watched you cross our lands many times. We know your routes. If you continue toward the Hollows, you will encounter them before this day ends.”

Rhia stepped forward to stand next to Drake.

“Be warned, Queen of Avalore, there are some who cannot be trusted. The war was started at your own door, by
your
own people.”

For years, they’d suspected treachery had precipitated Angelique’s demise, but no proof had ever been found.

“What do you know of it?” Energy pulsed in his palms as rage swept through Drake.

“Someone helped them kill the Queen all those years ago. I was there when she came to the dark border to speak with our Alpha. I was but a pup, but I recall it clearly.” Wesken stepped in front of his mate, ready to protect her against the rising tension. “The same traitor also delivered the device which locates Queen Rhiannon now. You are not safe anywhere in these lands. There is nowhere they won’t find you.”

Drake’s hands clenched at his sides. “Tell me about her. What do you remember? And the device, where is it now?”

“I did not see her. She wore a heavy cape and hood. I only know it was a woman because of her voice. We couldn’t take the device without raising suspicion, but I took the crystal before leaving the camp. Consider it a token of good faith. They’ll be able to fix the artifact and use it against you soon, but it should provide you with some time to get to your borders.” Wesken tossed what appeared to be a rounded piece of glass into the air. It spun through the air to land at Drake’s feet.

It all made perfect sense. The scymin. What other device could they have used against their queen back then? The power of the gryphon artifact centered on a pink crystal in the shape of a teardrop, just like the one he now stuffed in his pocket. Paired with the right spell, the thing would all but deliver her to them on a platter. “I hope we can someday find the peaceful coexistence we once shared.” Before she could move away again, he pulled her into his arms and shot into the air.

He was ready to explode. He wanted to shake her. As it was, it took everything in him not to roar to the heavens. How could she put herself in such danger?

“Listen, Drake, I’ve relied on my own instincts my entire life. I know you’re angry but you have to understand-”

“I understand perfectly. You put yourself in terrible danger, with no thought to what was at stake. It could not be any clearer.”
His body shook as he fought for control.

“I was never in any real danger, Drake.”

“Of course you were. You just didn’t want to see it. I would have been able to keep you safe had you remained hidden, but you didn’t. Had they attacked, there would have been little I could have done to protect you.”
He was so angry he could scream and roar until his throat was raw.
“What do you think would happen if you died? What do you think would happen to your brothers, to me, to our people?”
When she didn’t answer, he continued.
“I’ll tell you what would happen. We would all perish with you. We’d have nothing left to fight for. Nothing.”

He didn’t dare look at her. The last thing he needed was to frighten her, and, being angry as he was, his eyes would be more dragon than man.
“You can’t take those kinds of risks, not here in the dark lands when our enemy breathes down our necks at every turn.”

His heart had stuttered to a stop when she’d revealed herself to the beast. Had anything happened to her, he would have never been able to forgive himself. The thought of never being able to see her again, never feeling her pressed up against him like she was now, had nearly been his undoing.

He stopped himself short. What was he thinking?

He needed to put some distance between them. The sooner he got it through his thick skull that she wasn’t his, the better off he’d be. He had no right to feel anything for this woman except the loyalty and reverence due their queen.

He was going to have to deliver her to another man, and he’d be damned if he was going to sit there and watch the joyous celebration. If they hadn’t recovered the scymin by then, he’d convince Evan to let him lead the men on the mission to find and destroy the damned thing once and for all. Get her to Avalore and then make himself scarce. What else could he do?

The beast inside him unfurled its tail and extended its claws, unhappy with this train of thought.
I don’t like it either, but she’s not ours to have.

Chapter 12

The silence between them was killing Rhia, but Drake had needed to cool down after the incident with the Erritrols, so she’d stayed quiet. Her eyes drifted closed as she rested her head against his chest, the strong, steady beat of his heart lulling her.

“
There’s a cave ahead. It’s not ideal, but we can rest there.”
He’d been quiet for so long, she jumped when his voice slid into her mind.

He could have suggested just about anything and she’d have gone for it.

It didn’t take long before they began their descent. On three sides, sheer rock walls surrounded a clearing, which led to a cave. It wasn’t perfect, but it was their safest bet. Without rock-climbing equipment, it would be near impossible to access the cave. She wasn’t about to complain. Although Drake was still quiet, he wasn’t emitting so much anger, and she wasn’t going to risk darkening his mood with whining about accommodations. She ducked to avoid hitting her head on the cavern’s rocky ceiling as she entered.

He came in behind her.
“You’re not afraid of confined spaces, are you?”

Small didn’t even begin to describe the cavern. She squeezed in as far as she could, giving Drake just enough space to fit in next to her.
“Not at all. This is fine.”
She couldn’t help but smile. At least he was speaking to her again.

“
They can’t surprise us here.”
He paused before adding,
“Make no mistake though, if anything does manage to climb to this altitude, I expect you to remain cloaked and out of trouble.”
He teased, but the underlying tone said he expected compliance.

“Get some rest, hotshot. I promise I’ll behave.”
She smiled and snuggled into his heat, closing her eyes to try to get some sleep.

“Considering the chill in the air, I assume you refer to my stunning good looks and exemplary physique and will take it as the high compliment I’m certain it was intended to be.”

“Oh, be quiet and go to sleep already.”
Hell yeah, he was hot, but she didn’t need to keep reminding him of it. Snuggling closer, she drifted off to sleep.

With the sun warming her skin, and the gentle breeze blowing, Rhia smiled. She’d never imagined being so blissfully content in all her life, yet here she was.

The arms of the man she loved surrounded her as they danced to the soft music, too engrossed in one another to notice anything or anyone around them. His dark grey suit fit just right. She wanted to tear it off him, but that would have to wait. She couldn’t very well do that in front of everyone.

Bright flowers grew in wild disarray, making the meadow the perfect spot for their celebration. Her white gown shimmered in the sunlight as they swayed to the music. Grinning at her with a mischievous glint in his eye, Drake brought his head down to whisper something in her ear.

She fought against waking, wanting to know what Drake had been about to tell her, but a persistent little buzz in her mind pulled her from sleep.

Drake became aware of the intruder’s presence moments before a small, cool hand closed on his forearm.

“Wake up, warrior. The enemy approaches.”

Energy sizzled around him for an instant as he threw the intruder away from him with a strong burst of power. He heard a feminine grunt as she landed several yards away. His body filled the mouth of the cave, blocking Rhia in and keeping the intruder out.

“Do not do it again. I swear you’ll live to regret it if you do.”
The voice in his mind was a woman’s voice, and she was furious.

“Who are you? Why are you in these forsaken lands?”
He didn’t trust anyone in the dark lands, not even their own people. Until they found the traitor, no one was above scrutiny. He couldn’t change the past, but he’d be damned if he’d let Rhia suffer the same fate her mother had.

“Can I come out now?”
Rhia’s voice slid into his mind as she nudged his back.

“
No.”
He wasn’t budging until he knew it was safe, and if she didn’t like it, she’d just have to get over it.

“My name is Brienne.” The woman glared at him. “Why I’m here is none of your concern.”

He didn’t release the energy he’d collected. “I don’t recall ever having had the pleasure of meeting you.”

“We haven’t, and after this, we won’t meet again.” She tried to peer around him. “You can’t remain. We’ve kept your location safe at a great cost to us. The enemy is at the base of the mountain already. We’ve held them off as long as we could to afford you some rest, but you must move on now.”

Drake’s eyebrows rose at the hostility in her voice. “We’ll take it under advisement. I must insist you accompany us back to-”

“I won’t, and you don’t have time to argue.” Already she was backing away from him. “Watch your back, warrior. Word has spread
she
is with you, and the beasts have come out in full force to prevent her return.”

Though he didn’t trust her, the dark lands were no place for an Avalorian woman. “Now, more than ever, we need all the women of Avalore to return to our lands. With the Quee-”

She shook her head, taking another step closer to the cliff’s edge. “There’s nothing left for me there, with or without Rhiannon’s arrival. Guard her well, soldier. There are no second chances in this wasteland.”

Just as he was about to make another plea, she turned and stepped off the side of the mountain, going back in the direction they’d come from earlier.

He shook his head at the retreating figure disappearing into the darkness. He’d have to send a team back to retrieve the woman once they reached Avalore and Rhia was safe.

“
Where are my brothers and the other men? Shouldn’t they have caught up by now?”
She rubbed at her arms as though warding off a chill.

“Evan, how much more time do you need to catch up? Your sister is worried for your safety.”
He included Rhia in the conversation. Opening his arms, he wrapped them around her and took off again.

“
We’re on our way.”
Evan paused, making her shoulders tense again.
“The men are tired and have sustained some injuries. None are life threatening at this point. We’re coming to you from the north and should be with you within the next half hour.”

“What about Ricky and Markus? Are they hurt?”
It still stung that they hadn’t told her the truth.

“Minor scrapes and bruises for the most part. Markus will need some healing once it is safe to stop.”

Her eyes closed as she read between the lines. He wasn’t lying to her, but he didn’t give her the whole truth.
“What happened to Markus? Did an Ikabrol wound him? Does he have one of those worms eating at him?”
Her stomach turned.