Twin Dragons: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 7 (33 page)

“Cree and Calo are not Brogan and Barrack,”
Creja argued.

“No, they are not,” Bane replied, not
turning around. “They will die before they kill other
innocents.”

*.*.*

Melina woke slowly. She was stiff from lying
on the hard floor. Uncurling her legs, she blinked in the dim
shadows of the cavern. Cree’s golden symbiot turned to look at her
from its position by the entrance before turning to look back
outside.

Rising to her feet, she stretched before
turning in a circle. The cavern was enormous. Glittering lights lit
the ceiling, making it look like the stars on a cloudless night.
Stepping toward a small pool of water, she knelt and cupped the
clear liquid in her hands.

“I wonder if it is safe to drink?” She
whispered.

“It is,” a silky voice replied behind
her.

Melina twisted so fast in surprise that she
lost her balance and started to fall backwards into the pool.
Instead, a gasp escaped her as she floated upwards until she was
standing. She blinked several times as she stared in amazement at
the figure in front of her. Rubbing her eyes, she looked again.

“Your mouth is hanging open,” the female
chuckled.

“You’re real,” Melina whispered. “I saw you.
You were holding the three dragons that were like my pendant. You
told me that I was made for them.”

The golden figure floated down from where
she had been hovering off the ground. The form solidified as she
stepped on the stone floor of the cavern. Melina remained frozen in
wonder at the beauty of the ethereal creature.

“Yes.”

“Who… Who are you?” Melina asked
curiously.

“I am called many things, on many worlds. On
this one, I am called Aikaterina,” the golden Goddess replied.

“Oh,” Melina murmured before she blushed.
“Am I supposed to know that?”

Laughter echoed through the cave and the
glowing lights brightened as it rolled over them. Aikaterina waved
her hand and numerous galaxies, filled with thousands of stars,
planets, moons and other celestial forms appeared. She walked
through them, gazing at some and running her fingers over
others.

Melina’s eyes followed her and she gasped
when she recognized the blue and white sphere of the Earth.
Glancing at the woman staring at the shape, she took a step closer.
It was beautiful.

“Yes, it is. And filled with so much hope
for the future if they are not destroyed,” Aikaterina
whispered.

“What do you mean destroyed?” Melina asked
with a frown.

“Your species is very strong and resilient,”
Aikaterina replied with a sigh. “But so are other species. Some who
use the resources they are given as a gift without regard to who
they hurt.”

“Humans do that as well,” Melina responded
with a sad smile. “We are learning. Or at least I hope we are.”

“Humans will,” Aikaterina stated before she
waved her hand and everything disappeared. “But, that is for the
future. The present requires you to be strong. Your mates need
you.”

“What happened? Why did they take them?”
Melina asked.

“Even a ‘Goddess’ can make mistakes,”
Aikaterina replied sadly.

“Are you?”

“A Goddess?” Aikaterina asked with a laugh.
“I’ve been called many things. I am but a wanderer through space
and time. I have made this world my home. In return, I give to them
my children as their companions.”

Melina’s mouth dropped open again as Cree’s
symbiot flowed through Aikaterina as she became translucent. A part
of her blending in with the symbiot’s body before she solidified
again.

“The Goddess’ blood,” Melina breathed as she
remembered Cree or Calo telling her about it.

“Yes,” Aikaterina agreed in a soft voice.
“The Valdier give their essence, so they may live and grow. In
return, my children watch over and protect them.”

“What did you mean by even a Goddess can
make a mistake?” Melina asked hesitantly.

“When I gave the power of my blood, I also
gave them the power of the dragon. I hoped that the three parts
would balance each other and guide them. It takes a very special
mate to calm the man and the dragon. They are both extremely
powerful and… stubborn. It was not until it was too late that I
realized it would impossible to find a mate strong enough to handle
two such creatures,” Aikaterina explained calmly.

“But, why not just let them find their own
mate? I mean, twins on Earth don’t marry the same person,” Melina
asked.

“They are not made up of three beings into
one either,” Aikaterina pointed out. “It is also different for the
twins here. They bond in a way that is stronger than any other
species I have seen.”

“What did you mean when you said I would
need to be strong?” Melina asked, turning as the figure floated
around her.

“They are to be put to death,” Aikaterina
responded.

“No!” Melina cried out in shock. “No!
Why?”

“Because none believe there is a mate strong
enough to handle the Twin Dragons,” Aikaterina whispered as she
began to float upward off the floor.

“Wait! Where are you going? What should I
do?” Melina asked, stumbling on the uneven floor as she tried to
follow the golden figure. “What should I do?”

Aikaterina smiled down at Melina. “Show them
that they are mistaken.”

Melina stared upwards as the figure slowly
disappeared. Her fingers moved to the pendent around her neck. She
slowly pulled it up to stare at the three dragons. As she looked at
it, she noticed that the dragon in the middle was holding onto one
dragon with her forearms while her tail was wrapped around the
other. All this time, she thought it was the males holding her, but
in reality, it had been her holding them. She was the one. She was
the balance that held them together.

Glancing up at the millions of glittering
lights on the ceiling, a plan came to her. She refused to let her
men die. They were a family. Her family.

What we do?
Her dragon asked
softly.

“We go kick some ass?” Melina said with a
smile as she turned toward the entrance. “I’m going to need a very
big shovel.”

Calo stood stiffly as Bane read the finding
of the Village Council. Cree had already been sentenced to death.
His father would be spared. No crimes had been lodged against him.
He would be held until after the executions of his sons. Only then
would he be released.

Melina,
Calo whispered to Cree.

Nothing, she is not responding,
Cree
replied as he glared at the Council.

Perhaps it is for the best,
Calo
said.
I do not want her to feel this.

She will die with us,
Cree mumbled,
working on the chains holding his arms.
My symbiot is with her,
yet I feel nothing.

Calo glanced at his symbiot which hissed
from the area it was contained. Only the threat of his immediate
death had prevented it from attacking all those around it. He had
tried to send it to Melina, but it couldn’t leave with the threat
of his death.

“Do you understand the verdict?” Bane asked
quietly after he finished.

“That I am going to rip Merck’s balls off
and make him wish he could join his brothers in death? Yes, I
understand that,” Calo replied with a nasty grin at Merck. “You
should have just stepped away, boy. You would have lived
longer.”

“Enough!” Bane said with a swipe of his
hand. “Bring me the sword.”

“Bane, do not do this!” Creja roared,
straining to break the chains holding him.

“You did what I could not, Creja,” Bane
replied in a tired voice. “I do for you what I asked of you. I now
understand the weight I asked you to bear.”

“It is not the same,” Creja choked as Cree
was forced forward. “Brogan and Barrack had lost control of their
dragons. Cree and Calo have not. They are not mad.”

“Accept this, Creja,” Bane said with a nod
to the four warriors holding Cree. “May the Goddess have mercy on
you, Cree Aryeh.”

Bane raised the sword above his head. For a
moment, the accusing eyes of his sons stared back at him. Grief
rose inside him, but he pushed it back.

His head jerked up when a brilliant flash of
gold ripped the sword from his hand and spun him around. The gold
reformed in the shape of Cree’s symbiot. The sword clutched between
its massive jaws.

“You dare use the Goddess’ blood against
us?” Bane demanded hoarsely. “Kill…”

“No! I do!” A soft voice said. “Let my mates
go!”

*.*.*

Melina refused to think about anything, but
releasing Cree and Calo. She had flown as fast as she could and
when it wasn’t fast enough, she had begged Cree’s symbiot to get
her to the village as fast as it could go. Her head was still
spinning from the terrifying speed. She was thankful for it when
she saw how close she had been to losing Cree.

With a snap of her finger, a portion of
Cree’s symbiot dissolved and reformed in her hand in the shape of a
shovel. A small smile lit her eyes at the familiar shape. She
winked at Calo as she stepped forward.

“You do not have to be afraid,” Bane said,
staring at the delicate female as she stepped closer. “You are safe
now.”

“It’s not me that I’d be worrying about if I
was you,” Melina informed him, her voice filled with the Southern
accent that she thought she had lost.

“Who should I be worrying about?” Bane asked
in confusion.

“That sorry-ass-piece-of-shit that I’m
fixin’ to throw out,” Melina said, pointing the shovel at Merck.
“You have pissed off the wrong mate, buster. You should have done
what Cree told you to, then none of this would have happened.”

“You are not thinking correctly,” Bane
protested, glancing back at Merck with a frown. “Merck saw Calo
take you and hold you.”

Melina looked at Bane before she turned and
walked over to Calo. Raising up on her tiptoes, she pressed a hot,
lingering kiss to his lips. A low rumble escaped him as she slowly
pulled back with a smile. She ran her fingers down the front of his
shirt before she turned and walked over to where Cree was
kneeling.

“I missed you,” she whispered, threading her
fingers through his hair. “Thank you for sending your symbiot to
me.”

“You shouldn’t have come,” Cree replied
softly. “I fear for you.”

“You don’t have to,” Melina told him,
leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’ve got my
shovel.”

Cree’s eyes softened and a reluctant smile
pulled at the corner of his mouth. She looked so damn beautiful and
determined. His eyes flickered to the golden shovel.

“What are you going to do with a shovel?” He
couldn’t resist asking.

“Throw out the shit who started all of
this,” she replied. “I know how to do that pretty well.”

Cree couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.
The more he thought of it, the funnier it seemed. The image of her
standing in the repair bay, floppy hat, oversized clothes, dancing
green eyes, and a pile of Pactor dung aimed for him whenever he
walked through the door appeared as if they were standing there
now.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Not as much as I love you,” she replied,
standing up and turning to look at Bane and the Village Council.
“I’ll give you to the count of three to release my mates. After
that, I’m going to start whipping some ass.”

“Now see here,” one of the council members
started to say.

“One.”

“Bane, perhaps there…”

“Two.”

“Just take her,” Merck demanded, stepping
forward. “It is obvious they have done something to her. I offer my
protection, Father. I will claim her.”

Melina saw Merck glance at her with a look
of determination on his young face. He really believed that Cree
and Calo had done something to brainwash her. What was even worse,
he really believed that he could just claim her! Melina was
surprised when her dragon rose up at the last thought.

He no claim me!
Her dragon snarled,
taking control.

“Three,” Melina growled in a husky voice
that was barely recognizable.

Her dragon reacted the moment Merck stepped
forward. Melina felt her dragon’s power wash through her limbs as
she twirled the shovel in her hand until she held the handle like a
baseball bat. The flat side was facing outward. She wanted to
protest, but her dragon was having none of it. The other male had
threatened her mates and threatened her. She was fighting mad about
both. Her feet instinctively widened into a batter’s stance and she
found herself swinging with the strength of her dragon behind the
blow as he reached for her.

Merck’s head snapped back as the end of the
shovel connected with his jaw. The force spun him around. As he
started to fall, she nailed him again in the ass - hard. Growling
menacingly when several warriors started forward, her dragon took
complete control over her and blew a long line of fire in front of
them.

Melina grimaced when she realized her dragon
was not finished with Merck. Swinging her tail out, she grasped
Merck’s unconscious form around the leg and began pulling him
toward a pen of livestock off to the side. Her dragon grasped him
firmly around the ankle before tossing him into the middle of the
muck. With one last snort of disgust, she turned back to glare at
the others watching her in shock.

Bane stood staring at the dark green dragon
before he looked at his youngest son. Remorse washed through him as
he realized that he had almost committed a truly horrendous crime
based on the word of a son he had spoiled. He took a step forward,
pausing when the green dragon lifted the golden shovel lying on the
ground with her tail and waved it at him.

“My apologies, my Lady,” Bane said hoarsely
before he bowed. “My apologies.”

Bane started when he looked up into the
vivid green eyes of the slender female. She was still holding the
shovel, only this time in between her hands. She looked at him with
determination.