Twin Dragons: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 7 (31 page)

“It’s okay,” she replied, trying to shrug
off his hand.

“Stay,” he murmured. “They are not to be
trusted.”

“They…” Melina started to say before she
cried out in shock as Calo charged for her at the same time as Cree
shifted into his dragon. “Calo!”

“This would be an excellent place for your
home,” Creja was saying as he looked around. “It is high, dry, has
the right position for the morning and afternoon sun, and is close
enough that your Mother will love you both for it.”

Calo laughed as he gazed down the rise
toward the river. They would have a large deck and windows to
overlook it. The house they would build would have windows
everywhere, so Melina would never feel trapped again. They would
make it so that no matter which room she was in, there would be
plenty of natural sunlight to caress her skin.

“We will need to make room for the
younglings we will have,” Cree said, surprising both his father and
Calo.

“Younglings?” Calo choked out.

Cree grinned. “Not yet, but in the future.
We will fill our home with them.”

Creja chuckled and slapped Cree on the
shoulder. “While that might make your mother very happy, have you
discussed this with your mate?”

Cree shook his head, but a grin curved his
lips. “Not yet. In truth, Father, I am still amazed that she is
real,” he murmured, staring down at the river. “When I first saw
her, I thought she was a small male. I wasn’t sure what to do. I
still feel that way now. All I can think about is protecting her,
loving her, and continued to be amazed that she is ours.”

Creja grew quiet as he stood next to Cree.
Calo came to stand beside them, lost in his own thoughts of Melina.
Creja understood all too well the feelings his sons were feeling.
He also understood the fear inside them. As Twin Dragons, there was
a greater chance of them having twins as well.

“After you both were born, your mother and I
were thrilled,” Creja said.

“But?” Cree and Calo asked at the same
time.

A wry smile curved Creja’s lips. “We also
feared what would happen. Your mother… I could not stand to see the
worry and fear in her eyes as you grew older. When I heard her cry
yesterday, it almost shattered me to think of destroying what
little light remained,” he replied in a quiet voice. “I do not know
if I would have been able to kill you. I understand the pain Brogan
and Barrack’s parents felt when it came time to end their
pain.”

“How are Bane and Lesann doing?” Calo
asked.

“They left the village for a short time, but
returned after the birth of another son,” Creja replied heavily.
“No one blamed them. Their sons fought to protect the village and
gave their services to the Royal family. All expected them to die
in battle.”

“As they expected us to die,” Cree remarked
with a shrug. “We would have if it had not been for our promise to
serve the Royal family. For that, I am glad I gave it.”

“You were drunk,” Creja laughed, slapping
Cree on the shoulder.

“How did you know?” Cree asked in shock,
staring at his father.

“Who do you think begged the young Royal to
extract the promise from you? His father and I were friends in our
youth,” Creja said with a sigh. “To think Raffvin, Zlatan’s own
brother, would kill him.”

“Zlatan” Calo asked, confused.

Creja laughed and shook his head. “He hated
that name. The King’s real name was Zlatan Jalo Reykill. He said it
reminded him too much of his father, so he went by Jalo. It fit his
personality better. He was nothing like his father whilst Raffvin
followed after him.”

Calo and Cree looked grimly at each other,
thankful that Raffvin had finally been eliminated and the fear of
him taking control was removed. Zoran was a good and just ruler who
utilized the strengths of his brothers and warriors to better the
lives of his people.

Cree frown when he felt a flash of unease
sweep through him. Calo turned to look at him at the same time. A
fierce snarl escaped them both as they turned as one. Shifting as
they ran, they leaped into the air.

Creja’s own eyes filled with fury as he
recognized the direction his sons were flying. He quickly shifted
and lifted off. Reaching for his mate, he breathed easier when she
sent him a wave of reassuring warmth.

Perhaps his sons were just missing their
mate,
he thought as he pushed harder to catch up with them.

*.*.*

You take the left, I’ll take the
right,
Cree said in a steely cold voice.

My symbiot is there with her now,
Calo replied as he swerved to the left.

Three males, two outside, one inside,
Cree breathed as he swooped through the branches of the thick
forest.

Turning sideways, he folded his wings close
to his body as he flashed through it. He did not worry about Calo
or his father. His focus was on reaching Melina. He had felt her
wave of unease. The slight spear of fear.

He broke through the thick woods and soared
near the ground. The long grass brushed along his belly as he came
in low and fast. He pulled up right, landing at a run as he touched
down behind his parent’s home. Calo was right beside him heading
around to the other side. Both held the knives they always carried
in their hands.

Fury exploded through Cree as he stepped
around the corner of the house. One male stood off to the side with
a bored look on his face, but the other was not only too close to
Melina, he was touching her.

“Stand back, boy,” Cree’s voice growled
menacingly.

“Twins!” The male said, stepping closer to
Melina instead of away like he had been ordered. “I thought you
were dead.”

“You thought wrong,” Calo snarled as he
strode quickly around the house and to the end of the row of vines.
“Melina, come to me.” He held his hand out to her.

Cree’s eyes narrowed on the male. He didn’t
care that he was young, he was treading on a path that would get
him killed if he wasn’t careful. The boy was large for his age, but
he lacked the experience of a centuries-old, battle-hardened
warrior.

“It’s okay,” Melina said, trying to shrug
off the hand holding her.

“Stay,” the boy commanded in a low voice.
“They are not to be trusted.”

Cree’s control snapped at the challenge in
the younger male’s voice. Sliding his knife into its sheath at his
side, he shifted at the same time as Calo moved to gather Melina to
him. He charged the younger male who shifted in reaction to Melina
being torn from him and the threat of the older male.

Cree’s symbiot tackled the other male’s and
they circled each other, hissing and snarling at each other. Calo’s
moved around and attacked it from the back. The creature dissolved
and reformed trying to protect itself as the two symbiots attacked
again and again.

Cree struck the burnt orange colored dragon
low in the chest before turning and wrapping his long tail around
it and tossing it over his shoulder. Spinning, he growled low and
long. A howl of rage ran through him when the other male that had
been standing nearby hit him on the side.

He rolled, taking the other male with him as
he did. Sliding his feet under the stomach, he pushed out with his
powerful legs while slapping the smaller dragon across the snout
with his tail. The male flew backwards, skidding along the ground
where he lay still.

Cree grunted when the male he originally
attacked, hit him hard while he was still down. He swung his wing
up and raked deep cuts along the male’s tender nose with his wing
claw. When the male jerked back, he reached up under him with his
tail and yanked his feet out from under him.

Rolling, he used his tail and wings to trap
the male, while he grasped him by the throat with his sharp teeth.
Blood filled his mouth as he bit down in a suffocating choke hold.
The male, while large, was no match for Cree’s muscular body and
experience. He struggled briefly before his movement became
sluggish as he fought for oxygen.

“Cree,” Creja yelled as he ran up to where
the huge males lay in the dirt. “Cree, let him go, son. He is just
a youngling.”

Cree held on for an additional few seconds
before releasing the nearly unconscious male’s throat. Standing
over him, he raised his head and released a loud roar. Blood from
the other male coated his mouth, chin and ran down his chest as he
turned his head to the other two males. One he had not seen before
was helping the one he had knocked out, now in his two-legged form,
up.

His eyes flashed to the golden symbiot that
he and Calo’s had pinned to the ground. The creature continued to
hiss and snarl, but lowered his head when he roared again. His
warning clear, attack and he would kill the male.

“Cree,” Creja said again, feeling the
tension radiating from his oldest son’s body.

Cree turned his head back toward where
Melina stood frozen in Calo’s arms. Her pale face filled with shock
as she stared back at him. He stepped over the body below him and
walked slowly toward her, refusing to let her break the contact
between them.

Lowering his head to her, he swished his
tail back and forth in warning for anyone to come near them. His
gold eyes blazed with triumph and possessiveness as he stood over
her.

“He’s crazy,” the young warrior choked out.
“He should be put down.”

Cree turned his head and pulled back his
lips to reveal his sharp teeth. A low rumble shook the ground as he
thrashed his tail back and forth. He started to turn, but a soft
hand running up his chest pulled his head back around.

“It’s alright,” Melina whispered as she
caressed Cree. “He doesn’t know what he is talking about. You’re
hurt.”

A shiver went through the huge body as her
fingers touched the cut on his side. The golden wrist cuff on her
dissolved and ran over the cut, healing it, before reforming on
her. A trembling smile curved her lips as she looked up at him.

“All better,” she whispered.

Strong arms circled her as Cree shifted into
his two-legged form and wrapped them around her. Lifting her up
into his arms, he didn’t turn to look at anyone else as he walked
away from the house. He just knew he had to get her away from the
other males.

“She is safe,” Calo murmured as he walked
beside him.

“I will kill him if he comes near her
again,” Cree said in a rough voice.

“No one is killing anyone,” Melina retorted
with a sigh. “That was the first time I’ve ever had a guy fight
over me and I hope it is the last. I hate violence.”

“This coming from the woman who throws
Pactor dung,” Calo teased.

Melina’s giggles relaxed the adrenaline
pumping through Cree. He knew something else that would help him as
well. Melina’s loud groan pulled a chuckle from him as she caught
his thoughts. Calo’s rumble of desire turned the groan into a
grumble, pulling more laughter from them.

“I swear you guys are the horniest men I
have ever seen,” Melina laughed as she wrapped her arms around
Cree’s neck and sank her teeth into him.

“Goddess, yes!” He swore as he turned to a
small clearing in the woods.

“Merck, they’ll kill you,” Heron muttered,
looking at where the men of the village had gathered. “You saw him
with the female. He has claimed her.”

“You saw her. She is not a Valdieran. She
cannot be their true mate. Twin Dragons cannot have a true mate. No
female can handle them. He is crazy. Just like Brogan and Barrack
were. You heard the stories of how Brogan tried to claim a female
that wasn’t really their mate. He went crazy. Just like Cree
Aryeh.”

“Let the warriors of the village take care
of him. Then you can take the female,” Heron insisted.

“If you want to hide like your brother did,
do so. I want the woman. She is different from the others. There
was something about her that stirred my blood. Even my dragon was
drawn to her. Perhaps she is my true mate,” Merck said, glancing
over as several of the men yelled at each other. “They will attack
the Twin Dragons and bring them down. I will volunteer to protect
the female.”

“I don’t know if we should have told the men
about the fight,” Heron mumbled.

“He attacked me,” Merck reminded him,
staring at the group of men as they began to disperse. “I did
nothing to provoke him.”

“I know. It’s just, if the female really is
his true mate, then he is more likely to be protective. He did tell
you to move away from her,” Heron grumbled before he winced and
rubbed his arm when Merck hit him. “I’m just saying he is more
likely to over-react when you touched her.”

“Father,” Merck called out.

Merck’s father turned. His face was grave as
he nodded to Heron before he turned his attention to Merck. A frown
creased his brow as he studied his son.

Merck was barely sixteen summers old and
should have already started his warrior’s training. Both he and
Lesann, his mate, had been reluctant to send their youngest and now
only son away. Instead, Bane admitted with a sigh, they had spoiled
him.

“You are sure that the attack was
unprovoked?” Bane asked, studying Merck’s face intensely. “What you
have claimed is very serious, Merck. I need to be sure. If what you
say is true, it is very dangerous for the village.”

“Yes,” Merck replied with a worried frown.
“I was standing near the unusual female talking to her. The next
thing I know, the twin known as Cree shifted and attacked me. When
Heron tried to help me, the warrior knocked him out.”

“What happened to the female?” Bane asked
grimly.

“The other twin rushed for her and took her.
He held her and refused to release her,” Merck said. “Cree almost
killed me, but Creja stopped him.”

“What were you doing there?” Bane asked,
glancing at Heron, who shifted from one foot to the other.