The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Twenty-Four – Ivan

“Who is the red dragon?” Ivan rested his hands on the table and leaned closer as if there was a window in the map through which he could climb and finally confront the dragon shifter who had killed his parents.

When Gilliam didn’t reply, Larisa said, “There’s a tapestry in the room on the right. Gilliam said the red dragon is the same dragon who banished your father from the dragon isle.”

“It is,” Gilliam croaked. “His name is Argothorn. He has ruled Cairnnor for as long as anyone can remember. Your father was banished for questioning his laws.”

“Why didn’t he stay and fight?” Ivan asked. “If he thought the laws were wrong, why did he go away instead of accepting his banishment?”

“He had only just met your mother. He knew he put her in danger with his outspoken views and so he kept her a secret from everyone.” Gilliam buried his face in his hands. “She supported him. But then she got pregnant, and everything changed. Your father accepted his banishment and moved his treasure here.”

“He ran away,” Ivan ground out. “And that’s why he was murdered.”

“No.” Gilliam shook his head. “It’s not black and white. By raising concerns, he effected change. The council grabbed power from Argothorn Dragon Lord. Enough power to keep your people safe.”

“My people?” Ivan asked. “My people are my family. Valerie and my brothers, along with their mates. The people of Wishing Moon Bay are my people.”

“They are,” Gilliam agreed. “But that doesn’t mean that the dragon shifters of Cairnnor are not your people.”

“You’re arguing over the past,” Larisa told them sharply. “But we need to figure out what we do about the future.” She jabbed her finger at the mark on the map. “Argothorn has brought nothing but misery to each of us here.”

Karros stared down at the map. He was the only one who hadn’t been directly affected by Argothorn. But his mate had.

And that’s enough for him to be involved.Ivan’s dragon swished his tail angrily.

“What are you going to do, fly over there and kill him?” Gilliam asked bitterly. “Will that make things, right?”

“No.” Ivan turned to face the fae. “Is he still in power?”

“I believe so,” Gilliam replied.

“And that’s okay with you?” Ivan asked. “It’s okay that the people of Cairnnor live under the rule of a tyrant?”

“They are not my people.” Gilliam raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed as he studied Ivan. “I didn’t know he murdered your parents until Larisa told me.”

“This is not just about my parents,” Ivan replied. “I came here because of Larisa. Her father was framed for a murder Argothorn committed. I came here to help prove his innocence. The pendant is our proof and now we have linked it to the dragon shifter who banished my father. I think the facts speak for themselves. We don’t have to spill blood, we just need to bring him to the authorities. Then the dragons of Cairnnor will be free. Change will come.”

Gilliam laughed but there was no humor in it. “And how do you propose to do that?”

“With your help and knowledge of the dragons,” Ivan said calmly. “You said you’ve been there. Do you know how to get into there?” He pointed to where the mark remained still.

“I do.” Gilliam nodded. “But you won’t get close enough to penetrate the outer defenses let alone that room. They’ll sense you coming from a mile away.”

Ivan took the vial out of his pocket and placed it on the table. “Not if I use this.”

“The apartment Argothorn lives in can only be reached by a set of steep well-guarded stairs or by a dragon on the wing.” Gilliam rubbed his hand over his chin. “You need to ask yourself if this is worth it. If it’s worth the risk.”

“It is,” Ivan replied. “Not just for Larisa and her family. But for mine, too.”

Gilliam raised his eyes and looked at Ivan. “You’ll do it for revenge?”

“For justice,” Ivan replied. “There is a difference between the two.”

“We’ll help in whatever way we can,” Zara assured him, and Karros nodded, although he didn’t look too certain.

“I need to do this alone,” Ivan replied.

“No,” Larisa corrected. “We need to do this together. You and me.”

“It’s too dangerous.” Ivan closed the distance between them.

“And it’s not too dangerous for you?” Larisa’s cheeks flushed pink, and she put her hand on her hips in defiance.

“I’m a dragon shifter,” he reminded her and immediately wished he hadn’t.

“A dragon shifter who is going to use a spell to conceal that very fact,” she replied hotly. “If you shift, the spell will be broken and they’ll know you’re there.”

“Larisa is right,” Gilliam agreed unhelpfully.

“Let’s calm down and think this through.” Karros got up from his chair and went to the stove. “I think this is burning.”

Gilliam jumped out of his chair and hurried over to the pan. “Karros is right. We should eat and then discuss it when we’re calmer.”

“There is nothing to discuss.” Larisa jutted her chin out in defiance. “I am going with you.”

We should let her come,Ivan’s dragon told him. We are in this together and this affects Larisa as much as us.

You’re right. I know you are, but I can’t stand the thought of Larisa getting hurt.

And she can’t stand the thought of us getting hurt. Which is why we should go together.His dragon grumbled as he took himself to a corner of Ivan’s mind and settled down. Neither of them liked this at all. The situation was impossible. But doing nothing was impossible, too.

“Could you wash the plates?” Gilliam instructed Karros. “I can’t recall the last time they were used.”

“Sure.” Karros seemed relieved to have something to do while Ivan and Larisa sat mutely at the table. They didn’t make eye contact, there was no point in arguing in front of everyone. This was something they needed to figure out for themselves.

“This smells good,” Zara sniffed the plate of food Karros set down in front of her.

“I grow tomatoes in the small kitchen garden. I usually grow enough fruit and vegetables to feed myself with the other foods I gather in the forest.” Gilliam sat down and plucked up his fork. “It’s good to have company.”

“Will you visit us in Wishing Moon Bay?” Karros waved his fork at Ivan. “Once Ivan has figured out what to do with his treasure.”

“I’d like that.” Gilliam nodded. “I can’t recall the last time I left the walls of this place for more than a couple of hours.”

“Don’t you get lonely?” Zara picked up a forkful of food and sniffed it before she took a bite. “It tastes even better than it smells.”

“You sound surprised,” Gilliam said.

“I’m not good with foreign food. I like things plain and simple, it’s the way I was raised.” She grinned as she caught Ivan’s eye. “But Ivan and Elise have been coaxing me to try more dishes since the food at the hotel restaurant is so yummy.”

“You should come stay at the hotel.” Ivan would love to get to know Gilliam better. He’d come around to the idea of hearing all the stories about his parents and their lives together.

And our father’s life before he left the dragon isle. Ivan’s dragon sighed mournfully. How different our lives would have been if he was never banished.

“I’d like to visit,” Gilliam said. “Although, I’m not used to having anything done for me. I’d probably be in the kitchen with you.”

“You could help Elise with the fae flavors menu she’s been creating. It’s been very popular. But looking at the contents of this dish, I can see she’s only just scraped the surface of fae cuisine.” Ivan chewed appreciatively. It sure was nice to enjoy good food prepared by someone else.

“That would be my gift to you.” Gilliam smiled and relaxed, although he pushed his food thoughtfully around his plate.

He has something on his mind,Ivan’s dragon said.

He does. I get the feeling we’re not going to like what he has to say. Ivan forced himself to chew his food while he ran through various scenarios of how they could get into the apartment where Argothorn lived.

They ate dinner while the sun set outside, casting the kitchen in shadow. Gilliam cleared the plates off the table and lit several lanterns. There was no electricity in the palace, it was like they’d been transported back in time.

“Are you going to share your idea with us?” Ivan asked as they sat around the table drinking a bottle of homemade mead. Gilliam kept bees for their honey and wax. He made mead from the surplus honey while the wax was used for candles. Gilliam was self-sufficient in most ways. He was a man who lived a simple life.

“You are not going to like it.” Gilliam gulped a mouthful of mead and set his glass down on the table.

“Tell us anyway,” Karros urged gently. “We might be able to use your plan with a workaround.”

“I told you the stories about the elves. I told you how they were often the mates of dragons. In the stories, a dragon with an elf mate as his rider were almost invincible.” He glanced at Larisa before he looked down at his glass.

“I’ve heard the stories.” Ivan instantly had misgivings about the plan even though Gilliam hadn’t revealed the details. “What does this have to do with us taking down this red dragon?”

“Larisa should go to Argothorn’s lair and ask to speak with him.” Gilliam avoided Ivan’s angry stare.

“You want Larisa to walk right up to the front door and ask to see him?” Ivan asked.

“I’d prefer it if she climbed in through his window unseen, but I don’t see a way of that happening unless you show yourself.” Gilliam was absolutely serious. “The tower where Argothorn lives in is hard to reach.”

“Why? Why would you put Larisa in danger like that?” Karros asked.

“She won’t be in danger. Not if she dresses for the part.” Gilliam was out of his seat and prowling the room, the years seemed to disappear, and he looked fifteen years younger as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“And what do you want me to do when I get there?” Larisa asked calmly.

Ivan straightened in his seat. Did Gilliam expect Larisa to kill the dragon shifter? He wouldn’t allow her to do that. He wouldn’t allow her to put herself in such a vulnerable position. If she walked in the front door as Gilliam suggested and killed Argothorn, she would never get out of there alive.

“You are just going to talk to him. Persuade him to leave his sanctuary. Persuade him to tell the truth about what happened to Ivan’s parents.” Gilliam’s plan sounded so simple. Ridiculously simple.

Aside from the glaringly obvious defects in the plan.

“Larisa is going to ask him to spill the beans on how he murdered my parents and then murdered Murray and framed someone else?” Ivan put his hand out to Gilliam. “I just want to make sure I have this clear.”

“Yes.” Gilliam nodded. “If she looks the part, it might work.”

“If she looks the part...” Karros stared at Larisa for a long moment.

“What?” Ivan barked. “What are we missing?”

“Larisa looks like an elf. There’s a chance Argothorn might think she’s a spirit. In the folktales that Grandma Hannah used to tell us, the dragons revered the elves above all else. They would open their heart to them.”

“Like a confessional?” Zara asked.

“Yes. The elves could be trusted above anyone. At least that’s what the dragon shifters thought. Having an elf as a mate or as your rider in battle was a great honor. Argothorn would see it as an honor that Larisa visited him.” Karros nodded thoughtfully. “It might just be enough to make him open up about what happened.”

“You would need to frame your narrative as a sympathetic ear. One Argothorn can rely on. You’d have to persuade him you have his back...”

“No!” Ivan thumped the table. Everyone jumped.

“You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t do,” Larisa told him hotly, her cheeks flushed pink as her temper flared.

“It’s too dangerous. And even if you could get him to talk to you, how are you going to get him to talk to the authorities? If he’s stayed in power so long and doesn’t leave his room, I expect he’s beyond paranoid. This could backfire spectacularly.” Ivan’s expression softened as he looked at his mate. “There must be another way.”

“Can you think of one?” Larisa asked.

“No.” Ivan shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Then until you or someone else comes up with another plan then this is the one we go with.” Larisa’s lips were a thin line as she stared down at Ivan.

She is a force to be reckoned with,his dragon said proudly.

Not if she ends up dead.