Dragonmark (17 page)

As she started away, Cadegan stopped her. He pulled a medallion over his head and kissed it as a monk would a holy relic, before he placed it around her neck. “Never take it off and it will protect you always.”

“Thank you, sweetie.” She kissed his cheek and wished him luck.

Illarion choked back his own pain as their actions made him long for what he'd lost. As hard as it'd been all these centuries, their obvious affection for one another, made it even more difficult.

Damn. How he missed his wife.

If only he could have her back for one more day.…

Once Josette was out of the line of fire, literally, Cadegan touched the wing.

Illarion grimaced in pain as he debated barbecuing him for the affront.

“What did you do to break this?” Cadegan asked him.

Fell. Now are you fixing it, or am I having Welsh Rarebit for dinner?

“Ooo, you're a bit bold, aren't you?” Cadegan summoned his powers. “Brace yourself. This will burn.”

Do it
.

Finally, he felt the demon begin to repair his wing. But it was excruciating. And it didn't help his temperament at all.

Once Cadegan had finished, Illarion flapped his wing to test its movement. Something that forced Cadegan to brace himself against the stiff breeze it caused.

“Can I come out?” Josette called.

“Aye, love. He's all better now.”

Satisfied that he could suffer them to live, Illarion lifted himself up and sat back on his haunches to watch them.
Thank you.

Cadegan inclined his head to him. “No worries.”

Illarion started to remain in his real body, but there was no need to keep scaring them. Especially the woman, whose fear had yet to lessen. So he flashed himself into his hated human form.

Eyes wide, she jumped to stand behind Cadegan, who didn't react to it at all, except to put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“Why's he in color when nothing else here is?” she whispered to Cadegan.

“Not really sure,” he responded over his shoulder as he kept his eyes locked on Illarion.

Neither Morgen's nor Merlin's magick works on me.
For reasons Illarion still didn't understand, this zone negated all their magick, as well as Savitar's mating.

And that continued to burn like the mighty Phlegethon in his gut. It was so unfair that he was left here to live on without Edilyn.

Cadegan arched a brow. “Really?”

Illarion nodded as he tested his arm to make sure it was fully healed.

“I'm confused.” Jo kept herself behind Cadegan. “I thought mandrakes were the shapeshifters and not the real dragons?”

Cadegan shrugged.

Illarion offered her a patient smile.
In my true and natural form, I'm a dragon—born from an egg, as all my kith before me. But, because of the magick of a Greek king and his bastard god brother-in-law centuries ago, my kith have the ability to turn themselves into humans.

“Did you know that?” Jo asked Cadegan.

He shook his head before Illarion continued.
At one time, there were many races and species of dragons. We walked the human realm, and fought untold battles against each other. But between our wars, and the hatred of both your species, all dracokyn have been pushed to extinction, or the brink of it.

What few of us remain are either enslaved, such as the mandrakes, or, like me, they're in hiding.

Cadegan narrowed his gaze on Illarion. “What is your species?”

I'm a Katagari Drakos. As far as I know, I'm the last of my breed. At least I am here in this realm.

“And you can't speak, even in human form?” Jo asked.

He pointed to the vicious scar on his neck.
While I was enslaved as a hatchling, humans tried to remove my ability to make fire. But the flames don't come from my throat, only through it.

She cringed at the horrible scar. “I'm so sorry, Illarion.”

Placing his hand over his heart, he bowed kindly to her.
Now what is this about a dragon's claw that you need?

“It's needed for a sharoc potion.”

Illarion scowled at Cadegan.
Since when do they make potions?

“I'm hoping now.”

“Hang on,” Jo interrupted them. “If the magick here doesn't work on you, Illarion, can you leave this realm?”

His eyes dark with sadness, he shook his head.
As a dragon, I'm too large for the portals, and whenever I attempt to go through as a man, I'm transformed back to a dragon and am stuck. It's humiliating. I once spent two days with my ass hanging out while I tried to get my head back through the portal.
How he wished he'd thought of that
before
he killed Gale.

Jo pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the image in her head.

“Then how did you get here?” Cadegan asked.

I was brought here by a Greek sorceress who'd been bribed by Morgen.
He jerked his head to a stack of bones that he'd pinned to the side of his cave in an artistic display that at least helped to lighten his mood whenever he looked at them and remembered that while he was trapped here, he'd at least had the satisfaction of taking Gale's life.
Needless to say, I wasn't very happy about it. Neither was she, in the end.

“I'm surprised you didn't befriend the mandrakes.”

He snorted at Jo's innocent comment.
Dracokyn are very territorial, my lady. We don't play well with others. 'Tis why there are so few of us left. I'd rather die alone than den down with my enemies.

“You remind me of someone else I know.” She glanced pointedly to Cadegan, then, impulsively, she hugged Illarion. “Again, I'm very sorry for what they did to you.”

He passed an uncomfortable glance toward Cadegan, who didn't appear pleased that she was hugging another male. Not that he blamed him. He would have skewered anyone who touched his Edilyn.

Seeing that look, Jo moved to kiss Cadegan's cheek. “Don't look like that, sweetie. We don't need to find out if dragon meat tastes like chicken.”

Illarion scowled at her.
What?

Cadegan snorted. “She does that a lot. I only understand about half of what she says. It's part of her charm.” He looked up at the sky. “And we be needing a claw quick. We're almost out of time.”

You trust the sharoc?

“Not really.”

Smart man. And when they said
claw
, what exact words did they use?

Cadegan paused to think. “A dragon's claw. A stone from Emrys Merlin. The lion's heart. A bit of hair from the White Stag. Arthur's blood, and the blood and sweat of a waremerlin.”

Illarion let out a silent whistle.
Quite a list you have there.

“Aye, believe me, I know.”

And it's not a list so much as it is a riddle.

Cadegan arched his brow. “How so?”

A stone from Emrys Merlin would be a goylestone, not a rock. Arthur's blood is a flower that blooms on the other side of the Tor, and a dragon's claw isn't a fingernail.

Cadegan growled low in his throat. “That dodgy bastard. I should have known it was a trick.”

Aye. I'm sure the others are every bit the riddle. But I don't know them. I only know those three because the goylestones are what the mandrakes feed on. It's easy to set a trap for them when they go to eat. The Adoni use Arthur's blood for healing, and I know exactly what my claw is.

“And that is?”

One of the most sacred of objects to a dragon. It's almost the same as asking you for a testicle.

Cadegan actually blushed. “Watch your language before me lady!”

Unabashed, Illarion smiled at her.
Forgive me, my lady.
He turned toward Cadegan.
Why do you need this potion?

“
Me lady can't get through the portal without a key. Gwyn ap Nudd says he can make one for her.”

At what cost?

“It's for me to pay. Later.”

Illarion winced as he understood exactly how harsh the payment would be. As a fey king, Gwyn was indeed a dodgy bastard who screwed everyone over in the end.
For what you've done for me this day, I will loan my claw to you, but you have to take me with you and return it once this is done. Understood?

“You have me word.”

Word of a demon
. Illarion shook his head. He was being a complete and utter dumbass. Again. And he knew it. But what choice did he have?

In all these centuries, this was the closest thing to a way out of this hell realm that he'd found.

“He's good for it,” Jo said without hesitation. “You won't regret trusting him.”

Not so sure about all that, Illarion hesitated before he unlaced the leather cuff from his arm. There was only one person he'd ever entrusted with his claw before.

That thought brought another painful lump to his chest and tears to his eyes. There wasn't a day that went by where he didn't feel her loss like a stab in his heart. He'd give anything to have one more hour with her.

And if she were here, Edilyn would be the first to tell him to help Cadegan and Josette. It was what the romantic in her would demand. Even now, he could hear her voice and see her beautiful face as she ordered him to do something for them.

So he exposed Falcyn's gift—a weapon fashioned to appear as a metal baby dragon sitting over the cuff. It was the very image of what Illarion had looked like as a dragonet—a loving homage from his brother who claimed to care for no one.

He handed it reverently to Cadegan.

“How's that a claw?” Jo asked.

Illarion pulled the bar the dragon was holding on to, until it locked into place. When it did, two sharp spikes shot out and a third shot from the dragon's head.

“Holy crap! What is
that
?”

Illarion smiled at her shocked question.
A dragon's claw. They are given to each Katagari Drakos once he or she comes of age, to protect us should we ever be locked by magick into a human's form.

“Your weaker state.”

He inclined his head to Cadegan. A custom started by Falcyn and one Maxis taught to the rest of the Were-Hunters.
As I said, my people were hunted to the brink of extinction.

Respecting its sacredness, Cadegan held it with the same reverence. “I shall guard it with me life, and make sure it's returned to you as pristine as it's been received.”

Jo frowned while Cadegan wrapped it in a cloth to protect it. “I have a weird question. Why would the sharoc need that? What purpose could it serve for a potion?”

She's right. They had no way of knowing I would simply give it to you when normally I'd kill before allowing another to take custody of it.

Cadegan sighed as he stored the claw. “Believe me, I've already thought of that. The purpose, obviously, was to get one of us killed. Maybe both.”

And to have you fail your quest.

“Aye, to be sure. There is no other reason for this assignment.” Cadegan winked at them. “Now, what say we go and ruin Gwyn's day?”

 

15

Not that Cadegan had any doubt that Gwyn had wanted him dead, but the look of shock on his face as they walked through the portcullis of the king's floating castle, Galar, confirmed it for sure.

The fey king stared at him in utter disbelief. “You barely made it back here in time.”

“I would say that I'm sorry to disappoint. But I'm not.”

Ignoring the sarcasm, the king narrowed his eyes on Cadegan. “So where's the claw?”

Cadegan pulled it out and carefully unwrapped it. When Gwyn reached to take it, he moved back and shook his head. “This be only a loan.” He indicated Illarion, who was in human form, with a jerk of his head. “The dragon wants it back when you're finished, and I promised him we would do so.”

Gwyn paled as he realized who and what Illarion was. “How is this possible?”

Cadegan passed a grin to Josette. “It's amazing what a dragon whisperer can do.” He handed the claw back to Illarion. “Now if you don't be minding, we're all a bit wanged out from our adventure, and we wouldn't mind seeing those rooms you promised us.”

“Very well.” Gwyn snapped his fingers.

A servant peeled itself off the stone wall. Without a word, it showed them to rooms. But Cadegan refused his.

“I'll sleep on the floor outside your room, lass. Just to make sure no one bothers you.”

Jo smiled. “You could just sleep in the room with me. Be easier to protect me that way.”

His cheeks mottled with color in a way that seriously amused Illarion. The two of them must not have been together for very long. “Are you sure about that?”

Nodding, she pulled him into the room with her.

Cadegan paused to look back at Illarion with an arched brow.

Well, Illarion didn't know what that expression meant or what kinky things they were into—but he wanted
no
part of it
. Uh, yeah, I'll be back in the morning. Not sure I want to be sleeping in this place, anyway.

“I feel your sentiments, brother. Had I a choice, I'd go with you. And be bringing Jo behind me.”

I'll see you two in the morning.

Cadegan held his arm out to Illarion. “Thank you.”

Illarion hesitated, not quite sure if this was sincere.

Or a trick.

In this place, the latter was far more likely. But so far, they'd given him no reason to doubt them and they seemed to have been as innocently sucked in here as he and Edilyn. So for now, he'd do what he hadn't done in a long time.

He'd trust them.

And if they stabbed him in the back …