Firestorm Forever: A Dragonfire Novel (62 page)

“No surprise that he was staying at Yulara,” Liz said under her breath. “It’s pretty much the only place to stay that’s close.”

“But it is a surprise that he stayed high-end,” Brandon said, landing outside the private cottage that was the terminus of Marco’s trail. He didn’t know Marco well but thought him a
Pyr
disinterested in physical comforts. It was his firestorm, but he couldn’t have known of it enough in advance to book this place for this night.

Or had Marco known? Brandon wasn’t sure how much the darkfire twisted things around. He felt alert, aware of the mate’s presence as well as the lingering heat of their firestorm. His body was remembering his own firestorm.

“Nice,” Chandra said and took the stairs two at a time. The door was unlocked and they stopped as one in the small foyer. The cottage was luxuriously appointed and the view of Uluru was amazing.

“Wow, firestorm satisfaction in style,” Liz murmured, but Brandon was scanning the cottage for details. Marco and the woman had been intimate, he could smell that, but he could still feel the firestorm’s heat. They must have been together
before
it had sparked.

Interesting. Did the darkfire give Marco foresight?

Liz was in the closet. “There’s one piece of luggage, and it’s tagged for Jacelyn Wilcox.” She rummaged through the clothes. “Nothing special here.”

“Nor here,” Chandra said from the bathroom.

Brandon followed his nose to the far side of the bed. He reached under the mattress and withdrew a notebook. It was redolent of the scent of a human, and he filled his nostrils with her smell as he cracked open the book. The scent was that of Jacelyn, Marco’s mate.

Dragon hunter.

The interior pages were filled with pictures of
Pyr
and
Slayers
, printed out from a computer. They were organized with images of any given dragon shifter on the left hand page and notes about him on the right. The book was divided into three sections, although Brandon didn’t understand how any
Pyr
ended up where he did. Brandon’s scalp prickled when he found his father’s image, from the time Brandt had closed the Thames Barrier with Erik and Sloane.

The page for Rafferty noted that he had a bond with Melissa Smith, that he appeared in her broadcasts, that he might live in London or Washington D.C. There was a big red X through the main picture of Rafferty along with a date.

October 20, 2014.

Liz came to look over his shoulder, his silence having drawn her attention. “The day he was shot down,” she murmured and Brandon nodded. “Wasn’t Marco there?”

Brandon nodded again.

“Melissa said he was shot by a woman,” Chandra said, coming to their side.

This woman?

Marco’s mate? That didn’t ally with anything Brandon knew to be right. He fanned through the book, finding more images of Erik, his father, Lorenzo, Sloane, Thorolf and Jorge. His anger rose that this woman dared to compile this data on them, to hunt them, to target them, then he turned the last page.

Liz tilted her head to read the verse. “It’s a prophecy, like the ones the
Pyr
usually have for firestorms.”

“But why does
she
have it?” Chandra asked. “It wouldn’t have been given to her.”

Brandon had a terrible feeling he knew. “What if it was given to Marco?”

Liz frowned. “Wouldn’t he have given it to Erik?”

Chandra inhaled sharply. “Not if Erik’s right and Marco is changing sides.”

“What if he knew about his firestorm?” Brandon asked softly, then confided what he’d learned. “He was here with her before the firestorm sparked, before the eclipse. It hasn’t been satisfied.”

“You think she’s the one who shot Rafferty?” Chandra asked.

“I’m wondering if they were together even then,” Brandon said.

“But Marco brought Rafferty to Sloane,” Liz protested.

“Maybe things didn’t go exactly as he’d planned,” Brandon suggested. “Maybe Rafferty’s appearance was a surprise. He is probably closest to Rafferty of all of us.” He looked up. “Maybe if it had been another one of us, he wouldn’t have intervened.”

“You think he’s changing sides, too,” Liz whispered, looking as dismayed as Brandon felt.

“He told Jorge he wanted the Elixir.”

“I still think it could have been a ruse,” Liz insisted, though she was less confident than before.

“Either way, we need to get this to Erik,” Brandon said and they nodded in agreement.

“Let’s scan it and email it to him,” Liz said briskly.

Chandra nodded. “We need to stick together and there are too many of us for you to carry.” She met Brandon’s gaze, anticipating his suggestion. “We should be with the boys, and wait for Thorolf there.”

“Erik might want us to stay put,” Brandon said, but Liz shook her head.

“The next eclipse will be seen best from North and South America,” she said briskly. “Chandra and I found these eggs, but not quickly enough. Maybe we can find the next batch sooner.”

“Are you sure there will be another batch?” Brandon asked, suspecting he knew the answer but hoping to be wrong.

Chandra tapped the verse in the book. “Thirteen monsters,” she read, then met his gaze. “So far, I’ve only counted seven.”

“And there’s another blood moon in October,” Liz said. “The last eclipse of the Dragon’s Tail.”

She was right. This battle wasn’t finished yet.

* * *

Veronica was tired, both from her pregnancy and her illness, but Drake was content to simply be in her presence. She seemed to be glad to have him beside her as well, and he savored the opportunity to help her bathe that afternoon. They shared a light meal and then her eyelids drooped again. She refused to go to bed, which Drake took to be either a sign of stubbornness or of improvement—both of which he respected—and laid down on a settee at the far end of the garden. Drake sat opposite her and breathed dragonsmoke, piling it higher and deeper around the greenhouse, around Sloane’s home, around the property itself.

Evening fell and the lights in the greenhouse garden came on. There were dozens of them tucked in between the plants, all powered by solar batteries, and they created an intimate golden light. Sloane rapped on the glass barrier and Drake went to speak to him, the pair deciding that Veronica would probably awaken soon and be ready to eat. Sloane was much encouraged by the progress in her condition and gave Drake a thumbs-up.

Drake returned to find Veronica stirring from sleep.

She smiled as he placed a hand upon her forehead. “Cooler yet,” he said with a smile, and she stretched luxuriously.

“I feel much better.” She glanced around the greenhouse, her eyes shining with pleasure. “It looks like a fairyland.”

Drake shrugged, not really understanding the reference. “I find it romantic,” he admitted, hoping that was similar, and was relieved when she smiled again.

“So do I.” They walked around the gardens again and she used the washroom. Drake went through the airlock to the halfway point to get their meal then lit candles on the table while he waited for Veronica. She had twisted up her hair when she appeared again, and looked so beautiful that his throat tightened.

Drake had to press on with his confessions. He had to ensure that the Great Wyvern’s pleasure was won. There was pasta with vegetables and grilled chicken, as well as a salad and sparkling water. Veronica ate with an enthusiasm that reassured Drake.

She pointed at him with her fork. “Don’t I get another story?” she teased and he smiled before leaning closer to begin. He knew just the one.

“The first of my men to be freed from the spell was Nikolas of Thebes, a valiant warrior of great honor. I cannot share his tale and the lesson it granted to me without telling you more of our kind. We
Pyr
are all male and we bear sons, always.”

“That’s how you knew the baby would be a boy,” Veronica said. “I learned that in my research.”

“But at any given moment, there is one female in our kind. She is called the Wyvern and has the power of prophecy, among other gifts. In our time, she was elusive. We knew of her, but it was considered miraculous indeed to ever see her. I don’t know that I ever knew a
Pyr
who had seen the Wyvern, not until I awakened in this era.” He gestured broadly. “The Wyvern when the spell upon us was broken was a beauty named Sophie, and she engaged actively in the affairs of the
Pyr
.”

Veronica looked up with curiosity. “Why the change?”

“We are engaged in a war, a battle called the Dragon’s Tail Wars, a war that will end this October.”

“Six months from now?” she demanded. “What kind of war?”

“A war that only we or the
Slayers
will survive.”

Veronica put down her fork. “You could all be dead?”

Drake held her gaze, knowing she would not like this part of his truth. “It is prophesied that only
Pyr
or
Slayers
will survive when the moon’s node changes to the Dragon’s Head. We will triumph or we will die. The Wyvern, I believe, revealed herself in the hope that her influence would turn the tide.”

Veronica was clearly dismayed. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Nor do I,” Drake said. “I assure you, Veronica, that I do not mean to die so soon as this.”

“I wonder what the Wyvern saw in the future,” she murmured. “Maybe the view was enough to convince her to become involved.”

“It might be so. I have to think that her choices made a difference.”

“Why?”

“First a bit more about Nikolas of Thebes.” Drake smiled a little and saw that she was encouraged. “Nikolas took one look at Sophie and lost his heart forever. Sophie, I believe, felt the same way, but an amorous bond between the Wyvern and a
Pyr
is unthinkable.” He met her gaze. “We mate with humans, not each other. Such a love was not only forbidden, but a violation of everything we know to be true.”

“And they knew it?”

“Of course. That is why I believe they chose to sacrifice themselves to save our kind.” He swallowed, remembering the sight in Magnus’ hidden Academy all too well. “I was there when they chose to die in order to save others. It did not have to be that way.”

“But they chose for the greater good.” Veronica was guessing, her gaze fixed on Drake.

“They did. I was there when they clutched talons for the last time. I saw the spell that they wove with their devotion and their passion, and I saw them die.”

“Did their choice save others?”

“With their sacrifice, they destroyed the Academy, a place of great wickedness where
Pyr
dead and alive were enslaved.”

“Another viper,” she said and Drake was startled.

“You are right. Magnus was called a
Slayer
, but he had much in common with the vipers and worms I knew.”

“And you saw it because you were hunting again.” She smiled.

Drake nodded. “It is what I do.”

Veronica put down her fork again. “You’re using the past tense. Is that part of your life over?”

Drake raised a finger to continue his tale. “Their deaths were tragic, but the remarkable thing to me was that they loved with such vigor that they could not imagine life without each other. I had never seen such a commitment between two beings, and I wished then to feel such passion once in my life.” He met her gaze steadily. “When I met you, Veronica, I knew that I could love you with such power that my own survival would an easy price to pay to ensure your own.”

She looked to be astonished, then spoke with quiet heat. “You gave your blood for the antidote,” she said, her voice husky. “And you nearly died twice defending me from
Slayers
.” She shook her head. “That means you’ve almost died for me three times, Drake,” she whispered then smiled tremulously. “I think you can stop now.”

“I will never stop defending you,” he vowed and meant it. “I do intend, though, to stop hunting vipers.”

Veronica shook her head, her vehemence surprising him. “No, not yet. Spend the next six months exterminating every
Slayer
and viper you can find and make the world a place where there are
Pyr
not
Slayers
.” She arched a brow, her mischievous smile making his heart pound. “Then you’re all mine.”

It was an offer Drake could not refuse.

“There is an agreement to seal with a kiss,” he murmured, rising from his place at the table.

Veronica stood to step into his arms, lifting her face for his kiss. “I’m hoping we can do a little better than one kiss,” she whispered with a smile that heated his blood, then he kissed her and forgot all in the world but the allure of his mate.

* * *

Marco knew from the change in Jac’s tone that he’d made a mistake.

There was more than the firestorm between them. In fact, he wondered if it burned hotter because of the attraction that already existed between them. The darkfire’s spark was at work, as well. Jac had changed her mind at least a little bit about dragon shifters, because she’d chosen to save him. He’d thought that put him and the firestorm on safe ground, but clearly things weren’t resolved yet.

The remarkable thing was how much he cared. Marco didn’t remember the first centuries of his life because he’d been enchanted and had slept through most of them. Since being awakened by Rafferty, he felt apart from the world around him. He participated in the battles and he tried to help the
Pyr
, but none of it really touched him.