The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Eighteen – Ivan

“How are you feeling?” Hannah stared at Ivan as if he were her most prized specimen.

“Okay.” He nodded as he moved his head from side to side.

“Not so intense?” Hannah asked.

“No. It’s still there but it’s nowhere near as intense. Like a dull headache rather than a raging migraine.” He sighed and rolled his shoulders. Trying to control the urge to shift and fly off to find his treasure had been mentally exhausting. It was good to be able to relax again.

“Okay.” Hannah handed a couple of vials of the red swirling liquid to Larisa. “Take these. You’ll have to figure out the dose as you go. But a couple of drops in a cup of water seems to be enough to keep things under control.”

“Thanks, Hannah.” Larisa’s concern didn’t fade.

“And here’s one for you, Ivan. Keep it close at hand in case you need it.” Hannah took a couple of steps back. “I wish I had time to make more but I need to go out and gather some more ludlim. It’s the main ingredient for the spell but I’ve used all that I have.”

“You’ve done so much for us already.” Karros hugged his grandma and kissed her cheek. “Look after yourself.”

Their eyes met and Hannah nodded. “You are more than welcome. Now, safe trip.”

They were being dismissed. Hannah wanted them to leave.

“Thank you, Hannah. Perhaps one day, you’ll visit Wishing Moon Bay, and I can cook you something special.” Ivan hugged the fae wise woman, grateful that she accepted his embrace rather than pushing him away.

“I’ll hold you to that. Since you are the one who tempted my granddaughter to leave the fae realm.” Hannah patted him on the back. “Take care of each other. If you need to stop by on your return trip for another spell, I’ll have more of the spell waiting for you. Say hello to Gilliam from me.”

“We will.” Karros hugged his grandmother and then they quickly got in the truck. Zara inserted the key in the ignition and switched on the engine while Karros waved to his grandma. His concern for her safety was obvious and a wave of guilt washed over Ivan.

We should have left alone,his dragon said. Then Karros could stay here and protect Hannah.

No one knows we’ve been here,Ivan reminded him. The spell concealed us.

What if it didn’t fool everyone? His dragon puffed smoke out of his nostrils.

You’re overthinking things,Ivan replied. I also think that Hannah is probably capable of looking after herself. I doubt she’s lived out here all her life without coming up with a few ideas on how to defend herself from danger.

You’re right.His dragon settled down to sleep. He was exhausted. The call of their treasure had been hard on them both, and they welcomed the relative silence Hannah’s spell brought them.

“We’re going to drive to the location Hannah gave us,” Zara glanced in the rearview mirror at Ivan. “It’s due west, in the same direction as you sensed your treasure.”

“That’s a good plan,” Larisa agreed. “As we get closer, Ivan can tell us if we need to change direction.” She glanced at him warily.

“It’s okay. I’m feeling a lot better,” he assured her.

“Good, because you scared me. It was as if something was taking over you.”

In a way, she was right. As the spell wore off, the call of his treasure had gripped him so tight it was as if he’d never be rid of it. The sound in his head had obliterated everything else. Only Larisa’s touch had given him enough relief for him to regain control.

“That won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t.” She put her hand over her pocket where she’d put the vials from Hannah. In the opposite pocket was the pendant which she’d insisted on taking back. For Hannah’s safety as much as anything else.

Ivan reached into his pack and pulled out the map. “The other dragon doesn’t seem to have moved.”

“How long does this location spell work?” Larisa looked over his arm at the map.

“Hannah said it would take weeks for it to wear off. Enough time for us to find my treasure, speak to the fae and then get to the dragon isle.” Ivan rolled the map up and put it back in his pack.

“What are you going to do if you find your treasure?” Larisa asked.

“I hadn’t really thought about it.” Ivan had never expected to find more of his treasure, he’d assumed it was lost to him.

“Well, you might need to give it some thought,” Karros advised. “Depending on how things go with this fae we’re meeting, you might have to deal with it sooner rather than later.”

“I’ve managed just fine without my treasure so far.” Ivan sounded like a petulant child even to his own ears.

Child.His dragon snorted. This treasure is supposed to be passed from parent to child. We might not need it. We might not want it. But what about our children?

“We will figure something out if we need to,” Larisa assured him. “Even if that means you shifting into your dragon and us piling it all on your back. You could make a run for the portal and get through it before anyone even notices you were here.”

“If it’s not protected.” Karros turned in his seat. “We have to think this through. Your treasure could have been stolen and placed here.”

“And there was me thinking I was the paranoid one,” Larisa said.

“There’s a chance that your father was killed for his treasure and that the spell Hannah gave Gilliam was to conceal the murderer. They could have moved your treasure here where it would probably never have been discovered since dragons are not welcome here.” Karros had given this a good deal of thought.

“What are the chances that you would one day find yourself here?” Larisa asked. “The one person who could sense the treasure.”

“What will happen if we get caught, Karros?” Ivan asked.

“That’s a good question and one I’m not sure I know the answer to.” Karros glanced at Zara, who returned a worried look.

“Your best guess?” Ivan hated the idea of his friends and family suffering repercussions for his actions.

“My best guess?” Karros stared out of the window.

“Banishment?” Ivan prompted.

Karros frowned and pressed his lips together. “It’s a possibility.”

“Because you brought a dragon to your realm or only if that dragon attacks a fae?” Ivan wasn’t about to shy away from the difficult questions. They all had to be aware of the possible consequences of their actions.

“They would banish you forever?” Larisa asked.

“I don’t know. But it is possible,” Karros acknowledged.

“This is your home, Karros. I can’t ask you to be part of this.” Ivan allowed himself to focus fully on the call of his treasure for a moment before he shut it out. “We could turn the truck around now and go back to Wishing Moon Bay.”

“Is that what you want?” Zara studied Ivan in the rearview mirror. “You could go and forget about your treasure?”

“I could never sense it from Wishing Moon Bay. I could live with the knowledge it was here.” Ivan looked out of the window at the trees as they passed by. He needed to quieten his mind once more to shut out the heartbreaking song of his treasure. The closer they got to their destination, the louder it became. He should drink from the vial and dull the sound, but he didn’t want to block it out. Not yet.

“Why don’t we see how things play out, first?” Karros suggested. “What if your father brought the treasure here and put it under the fae’s protection in the hope that fate would bring you to it?”

“He has a point,” Larisa said. “You put so much faith in fate. You waited your whole life for your mate to come along. Why not trust in fate one more time?”

“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of dragons,” Ivan admitted.

“What if you’ve got it the wrong way around?” Larisa threaded her fingers through his and instantly the song in his head faded. He was no longer being called to his doom.

Do you think that is what is happening?His dragon shook his head firmly. Our treasure is a part of us. It’s not calling us to our doom. It’s calling to us because it’s a part of us.

How do you know that? Ivan sucked in a deep breath and relaxed as Larisa’s calming effect flooded through him.

Because I do.His dragon gnashed his teeth and paced around in Ivan’s head. I can’t explain it but the song in our heads is like a lullaby, it’s just that someone has turned the volume up too loud.

Ivan gave a short laugh. That’s one way to describe it.

“Ivan.” Larisa’s voice drew him back to the people in the car.

“The wrong way around?” He vaguely recalled her question.

“Yes. What if you need to find your treasure so you can help people?” Larisa didn’t make any sense. How could his treasure help people? So far, all Ivan knew about dragons was death and betrayal.

“Yes. That the treasure, your treasure, is the start of putting things right. That the treasure led you here so that you could meet this fae. That you are supposed to learn something from him that will help you solve the mystery of your parents’ death and that will shed light on what really happened to Murray,” Zara said. “Don’t forget how many people are caught up in this. It’s not just Larisa’s family, it’s Belle’s family, too. And Caleb and Aiden.”

“I understand,” Ivan murmured.

“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.” Larisa gently stroked his cheek and he turned to face her.

“Do I look that bad?” He wiped his hand over his forehead which was clammy to the touch.

“You keep zoning out.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. “But you’re here now.”

He breathed deeply. “You keep me here.” He looked down at his lap and then raised his head. “Thank you. All of you. I don’t think I’d have gotten this far alone.”

“You’re not alone,” Larisa reminded him. “You have us and you have your brothers and Valerie. Whatever happens, we will always be there for you. And with you.”

“Okay, we’re close.” Zara slowed the truck and pulled over to the side of the road. “Do we have a plan or are we going to go in and see what happens?”

“We go in and play it by ear,” Ivan said. “We have Hannah’s note. We don’t have to mention the treasure.”

Larisa pursed her lips together and turned her gaze from him as she pulled one of the vials from her pocket. “Then maybe you should take more of this?”

Ivan shook his head. “I want to be alert. And anyway, if this fae is one of the good guys, if he is guarding my father’s treasure, I’m going to need to prove to him that it’s rightfully mine.”

“And drooling like a crazy person is going to prove that?” Karros asked drily.

“That’s the plan.” Ivan grinned. “Either that or I’ll shift and show him who I really am.”

“Let’s save that plan as a last resort.” Zara put her foot down on the gas and drove back onto the road.

Ivan stared out of the window focusing on their surroundings as they drew closer to the treasure. The forests surrounding them were similar to the wildwoods where Hannah lived. The trees grew tall and strong, and the undergrowth was thick in places, almost impenetrable, yet there were also glimpses of woodland glades filled with dappled sunlight and pretty blue flowers.

“I haven’t been this way for years,” Karros said. “When I was a child, Grandma Hannah used to read us stories about elves. In the stories, this was one of the last strongholds of the elves.”

“What happened to them?” Larisa asked.

“The stories go that centuries ago the fae encroached on their territory and we fought, often. A long, bitter peace lasted for a century or more before the elves left.”

“Left?” Larisa asked. “Where did they go?”

“No one really knows, or if they did, no one ever said. The fae took over the realms and made their courts. The elves became nothing more than a myth. Or maybe they were a myth all along.”

“Like King Arthur and Merlin. We have similar myths.” Larisa stared out of the window at the tall trees. It was as if something was lurking just out of sight. As if something truly was stirring.

Ivan blinked and tried to keep a focus on the people in the truck. He needed to stay grounded. He needed to keep it together for all their sakes.

Karros half-turned in his seat and studied Larisa for a moment. “You remind me of them. At least the ones in fairy tales. They had white hair and pale blue eyes. And they rode on the backs of dragons in the storybooks Grandma Hannah used to read to us.”

“We’re here.” Zara’s tense tone abruptly ended the conversation and Karros turned around to stare out of the windshield.

“Wow, Grandma Hannah failed to mention Gilliam lived in one of the palaces.” Karros sucked in a breath. “This just got more interesting. Maybe we should mention that your brother is the mate of Flora Delavere of the Starlight Realm. It might help boost our lowly status.”

Zara stopped outside of a pair of tall iron gates that looked as if they hadn’t been opened for decades. “Did we find the rear entrance?”

“No, this is it.” Karros leaned forward and stared at the gates, then he opened the door and got out. “Stay here.” He put his hand out to them and then took a run at the gates and vaulted over.

“Karros!” Zara got out of the truck and went to the gates, gripping them with both hands as if she planned to pull them down.

“Stay there. I’ll be safe.” He jogged out of sight and Zara stared after him.

“He might be safe,” Larisa murmured. “But two shifters and an elf look-alike might run into problems.”

“Especially if one of those shifters is a dragon.” Ivan leaned back in his seat. “We should sit tight and wait for Karros.”

Sitting tight is not my thing,his dragon puffed but neither of them wanted to make trouble.

At least not yet.