Love of the Dragon (Her Dragon's Bane 4) (6 page)

Every time she came home to Spellholm, she expected him to be there. Every time he wasn’t, she felt the fear that he would never come for her growing stronger. Over the last couple of years, she had eased her worry by telling herself that he hadn’t returned because of her age. Now she was eighteen, a woman to the modern world, so why did he stay away?

Walking through the forest to Serena’s house, she half-hoped he would come out to meet her. However, she knew he wasn’t there. There was no familiar raising of the hair on the back of her neck. When he was close, she could feel him so acutely it sent shivers through her body. The more she had grown and matured, the stronger the sensation had become.

She had grown used to ignoring it, pushing it out of her mind, during the times he came to watch over her. When she had first felt him close by she had turned to glimpse him, and he had melted into the crowd. It didn’t take her long to know that she would never set her eyes on him unless he wanted her to. So she became content to feel him with all her other senses. If she listened carefully and tuned out everything else, she could swear she could hear the beating of his heart.

“Lotte.” She lifted her head to see her young nephew toddling towards her.

“Hello, Brandan,” she called and rushed forward, gathering him up in her arms. He threw his arms around her neck and kissed her cheek with his sticky lips. “What have you been doing?”

“Bee.” He smacked his lips together.

“You’ve been after the wild honey again. Does your mommy know where you are?”

They weren’t far from the house Serena and Connor had moved into when they came to Spellholm two years ago. Despite her reservations, Charlotte had come here to live with them too. She understood that her sister wanted to have her baby here. For him to grow up in a place where he would be safe and accepted. When the change took over him at puberty, it wouldn’t matter if he shimmered into a dragon by mistake. Connor had told them that it was a hard thing to control at first. Think of teenage hormones out of control and then throw in a dragon. Someone could get burned.

Brandan wriggled out of her arms. Once his feet were firmly planted on the ground, he took off towards the house. She watched as he ran on his short, sturdy legs, which didn’t always go in the same direction. Charlotte followed, laughing at how much he had grown since she had seen him last.

“There you are, Brandan,” Serena said. “How many times have I told you not to go off on your own like that?”

“He’s a boy. He has to have freedom,” Connor said, scooping his son up into his arms.

“Lotte,” Brandan said, pointing.

“Charlotte,” Serena cried. “You’re early.”

“I got a lift from Tom.” Tom was the law around Spellholm; he was also a wolf shifter. Tom patrolled the forest looking for ordinary people who had wandered into Spellholm. Most “mundane” people, those without magic, were put off coming too deep into the forest.

The spell cast by witches centuries ago made mundane people feel sick. Usually, feeling so bad, they were compelled to leave. Charlotte remembered the feeling all too well, she had thought she would pass out. Then Tara, a witch, cast a spell, which made her immune to the sickness. Thankfully, the feeling of nausea had never returned. Apparently, some mundanes were naturally immune to it. So part of Tom’s job was to patrol the inner roads and persuade them to leave.

“That was kind of him. He came over a couple of days ago and we told him you were coming. He said he’d look out for you. He also bought you a gift.”

“A gift. Now I feel bad. I would have thanked him if I'd known.”

“You can, when you see him next. In fact, we had planned a surprise party.”

“Serena, you know I don’t like surprises.”

“That’s why we're telling you. We would like to have a few people over. Well, Dòmhnall has offered us the use of the Dragon Stronghold. It seems he is trying to be sociable. I don’t think he realises that the whole of Spellholm is likely to turn up. Just to get a glimpse inside that place.”

“It was my idea,” said a voice.

“Tara,” Charlotte cried, going to the witch and hugging her.

“I thought I’d come and say hello. See how you are?” she asked brusquely.

Charlotte smiled. “You never change, Tara. It’s good to see you too.” With that, she pulled Tara into a hug, knowing the witch would pretend to hate it. But really, she loved this part of her extended family. Tara wasn’t always the nicest person, but everyone here had plenty to thank her for. “How are the dragons up at the big house?”

Tara patted Charlotte on the back in a wooden, automatic motion. Then pushed her away, brushing her clothes as if trying to brush the contact away. “As miserable as ever. Dòmhnall rules over them. I expect a coup at any moment.”

“Can’t you see if that’s what they have planned?” Charlotte asked, surprised. Tara had the gift of being a seer. It was how she had known about Serena being Connor's mate. She had engineered their lives to suit her own. At first, it seemed an unforgivable act, considering the life Serena had been forced to lead at the hands of Samuel. However, she had explained her actions. Telling them it was the only way things could have worked out as they did. Somewhat reluctantly, they had forgiven her.

Tara looked uncomfortable. “It’s fading.”

“Fading? Why, what happened?”

“She’s in love,” Serena answered.

“Dòmhnall?”

“Yes. I never could see my own fate, nor his. That’s how I knew he was my mate. You knew that. Not that he does, or at least he never shows any sign of it. But the longer I spend near him, the more it affects me.”

“So you’re not as powerful?”

Tara snorted indignantly. “I’m more powerful than ever, just not in the same way. There is a witch in Spellholm who has given me a book of ancient spells. Spells I never knew were possible.”

“That’s good to know.” Charlotte thought about it for a moment. “You don’t miss it, do you? I mean, surely it’s much better to have no idea of the future.” She thought of her own situation and wished she didn’t know about Zoah and what he was to her.

“It had its uses. But, not really. At least it stops people around here asking me the lottery numbers.”

Charlotte laughed. “So, a party? Does this mean I can’t ask you if I’ll enjoy it or not?”

“You can ask me and I’ll lie and tell you yes, you will. Because the party is going ahead whether you like it or not. Our Dragon Lord and master is looking forward to it. And you will not spoil it for him.”

“I wouldn’t dare. But he’s not my lord and master.”

Tara’s eyes flicked to Serena’s; they exchanged glances, which Charlotte easily read. “He might not ever return. So until he does I am not his mate and so Dòmhnall is not my master.”

“Believe that if you want. But I am as much Dòmhnall’s mate, despite his determination to ignore it, as you are Zoah’s mate. You can’t escape your fate.”

“I’m not trying to. My fate, it seems, is trying to escape me. Or rather, my fated mate is.”

“He’ll come back, Charlotte,” Connor said quietly.

“Are you sure?” she asked him, her eyes filled with sadness. “Sometimes I wonder.”

“Connor, why don’t you take Charlotte up to her room while I make tea? I’m sure Tara will help me.”

She looked pointedly at Connor, who frowned and then said, “Yes. Come on, Charlotte. I’ll carry your luggage.”

“It’s not heavy, and I know the way.”

“Let him do it,” Serena said and winked at her.

Intrigued, she followed Connor upstairs.

Charlotte was about to turn eighteen. He had taken a gift to Connor’s house and left it there on her bed. They had been out, probably at the castle where the supposed Dragon Lord lived. What a pretentious title to give yourself.

He had entered the house and found her room. For a long while, he had sat on her bed, taking in the scent of her. It hadn’t changed, but it was faint. She didn’t stay here too much. He knew she boarded close to the university she was attending. Studying history, of course.

Fighting the urge to stay, he got up and went downstairs. There were photographs of his nephew everywhere. He had come to visit after the birth, when he knew Charlotte was away. It would have caused too much offence to not welcome the little dragon. After all, they were blood relatives.

He was growing so fast now, and a deep yearning filled Zoah. What was it about his biological clock? Until Charlotte had entered his life, he had never thought having a mate would give him any satisfaction. Now he not only longed for his woman, but also for everything that went with it. A son to call his own and to teach all his ways to.

“One day,” he said. He trailed his fingers over the frame holding a precious picture of Brandan taking his first steps.

A sound. Someone was here. How had he missed it? He swung round to see a figure in a dark cloak watching him.

“Hello, Zoah. We need to talk.”

“What do you want, meddlesome witch?”

“I don’t want anything. However, there is something that Connor wishes you to know.”

“What? If he wanted to speak to me, he could have come himself.”

“He could. But when I told him you were going to come skulking in the dark, he figured that you didn’t want to see anyone. And that is your choice.”

So they had known he was coming. “I should have known you would see me. That gift of yours is a curse to us all.”

She frowned. “That is why I’m here. My gift, or curse, is failing. I only get faint glimpses of the future and now it is more concentrated on the near future.”

“What has that to do with me and Connor?” Zoah asked.

“Charlotte is away at university.”

“You think I don’t know exactly where she is?”

“At the moment, but what if something happens to her?”

“It won’t.”

Tara came towards him and took her hood off. She leaned in very close to him, “I think Samuel is still alive.”

“He can’t be. We burned him.”

“Oh, he’s still horribly burned. He’s just not dead.”

Zoah’s blood turned ice cold, his dragon blood refusing to warm his cold soul. “Where is he?”

She shook her head. “Like I said, it comes and goes. Up until now I’ve always watched over Charlotte from afar, but my grip on her is failing.”

“Then I’ll go and fetch her, make her safe.”

“There is another way. She can still lead a normal life, and we will always be able to find her.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“Then you take her and make her a prisoner? A damsel in distress hidden in her ivory tower. Isn’t that what you’ve been trying to avoid?”

“No. She’s happy. I’ve seen her...”

“Then there is a spell I can use. It’s as ancient as the heart-stone spell. But for it, I need your blood.”

“Is this one of your tricks to get my blood? What are you going to do, sell it to Samuel so he can heal the damage I did to him with my dragon fire?”

“No. I can use it so we will always know where your true mate is, Zoah. Isn’t that what you want? Connor believes it is. And that is why I am here.”

“You swear?”

“I swear that I want nothing more than to keep her safe. Because if anything ever happened to her, it won't just be you and Connor going to war. The dragons here will fight too. And I have no intention of anything happening to Dòmhnall.”

“Take what you need,” he said dismissively. She had given him a purpose. If he couldn’t keep Charlotte safe by giving her his protection, he could instead hunt down Samuel – if he really was alive – and make sure he put an end to him. This time he would be sure. This time it would be permanent.

Connor set her bags down on her bed. Then he went over to her dresser and lifted off a long package, which he held out to her. She took it from him, not even having to ask what it was or unwrap it.

“He brought it here?”

Connor nodded. “I guessed it had some meaning.”

“Yes. In a way. It was the night before you came home. The night I realised what he was to me. We had this stupid argument. I often wonder if that’s why he left, because I was too immature for him.”

“You know that’s not why he left. He only wants you to be happy and he thinks that, at the moment, that is without him.”

“Sometimes I get so angry with him. It’s as if he thinks this is just about him, that this is his decision alone. But it’s not. I’m stuck on my own. In limbo.”

“Zoah is nothing if not self-centred. Although, in this case, he really does believe he is doing the right thing.”

“Do you think that, Connor?” she asked, hoping he would say no, then go and drag his pig-headed brother home.

“It’s not up to me to judge him.”

“That’s a diplomatic answer.”

He smiled, and she could see why Serena found him so attractive. He was similar to Zoah in so many ways, but his features were now softened by his love for Serena and Brandan. There was depth to him. As if all the years he had been alive had carved deep craters into his soul and his new-found love had filled them with empathy. Would Zoah ever be like this?

“You have both changed. The time you’ve spent apart with the knowledge of your bond has made you into different people. But he can’t see that. Even in himself.”

“I’m going to grow old and die before he changes his mind.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. Anyway. Are you going to show me what he’s given you?”

She took off the packaging and the cloth wrapped around it. Holding it by the handle, she lifted the sword up and let the light catch it. “He’s had it sharpened and polished.”

“He gave you a sword. I thought that was what it was, but it seemed to make no sense. Now it does. May I?” Connor picked it up and held it in his hand, making it look small, like a dagger. “I remember this sword. Zoah picked it up with some armour. He couldn’t believe anyone would send someone so young into battle. He took it to the cave we were living in then. We built it into a fortress so that only he and I could enter. The only way in was by air. But many men died trying to climb the cliff face to reach us.”