The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Thirty – Ivan

Larisa was gone.

How had he missed her leaving?

“She’s probably just going out for some fresh air or time alone to think,” Valerie assured him.

“I can’t sense her.” He turned around on the spot, pushing his senses out to their limit. Had the concealment spell left a residual effect? It should have completely worn off when he shifted.

“Maybe she’s gone to the beach,” Zara suggested.

Ivan stopped still and lifted his head before turning from side to side as if trying to tune in a radio. “Got her.”

He rushed out of the apartment and sprinted through the hotel reception before coming to a halt in the parking lot.

She’s coming this way,his dragon said.

She is.Ivan’s brow creased in confusion. She’s not alone.

No. She’s not alone,his dragon confirmed. She’s with another shifter. The scales along his spine bristled like a dog with raised hackles. A dragon shifter.

Do you think... She has the pendant!Ivan ran down the street and shifted mid-stride. As soon as his dragon came into the world, he leaped in the air and flew toward the beach.

They had made plans on how to coax the dragon from the tower, but they hadn’t prepared for Argothorn bringing the fight to them. Now it was too late, he had Ivan’s mate.

We should have kept a close watch on the map,his dragon ground out.

There is no point beating ourselves up over it,Ivan replied.

No, I’m going to beat Argothorn up instead.His dragon flew faster, they were closing in on their target.

But how would Argothorn react? What if he simply killed Larisa in front of Ivan knowing it would break the dragon shifter?

It was too late to take the potion to conceal their true identity. Their fate was out of their hands. For now, at least.

There!Ivan’s dragon swooped down, landing heavily on the road, his talons raking across the asphalt.

“Ivan!” Larisa broke away from the stranger beside her and ran toward him. “It’s okay. This is Egan. He’s come to help us.”

Ivan’s dragon reeled back, the fire building in his throat as he sensed a threat toward their mate.

“Please. His father was also murdered by Argothorn.” She held out her hands and approached the dragon, talking in a soothing tone. “He can help us. He wants justice, too.”

We should listen to what he has to say,Ivan told his dragon.

I would rather burn him where he stands.But the dragon bowed his head and rubbed his face on Larisa’s thigh.

Then he let go of the world and Ivan returned in his human form. “Are you okay? Where did you go?”

“I was trying to find a way to reach the dragon isle when I ran into Egan,” Larisa explained.

Ivan sniffed her clothing and bristled. She smelled strongly of another dragon, and it took all his control to contain his dragon. “You ran into him.”

“He sensed the pendant and wanted to know where I got it from,” she explained but kept her eyes averted. There was more to the story than she wanted to tell. And Ivan sorely wanted to know the details, but they were not important right now.

“He sensed it. So it’s his.” Ivan grasped Larisa’s hand and put himself between her and Egan. “The pendant belongs to Argothorn. If he sensed it then how do we know he’s not Argothorn?”

“If he was, he’d have been in diapers when he murdered your parents and Murray,” Larisa pointed out.

“It’s complicated,” Egan stated. “The pendant was part of my father’s treasure. When my father died, Argothorn took control of the treasure and added it to his own. He said he was guarding it until I came of age.”

“But he never returned it to you.” Ivan studied Egan, there was no sign he was lying. But that did not mean he wasn’t.

“No. He came up with some law that said that traitors would have their treasure confiscated. And so the treasure technically belongs to him, according to his laws. Yet it belongs to me. I am the one who hears its song...” His voice broke and he palmed the pendant with his hand, making a protective fist around it.

“According to the spell, Argothorn is still in his tower.” Larisa dumped the pack on the ground and pulled out the map. “See.”

“He hardly ever leaves the tower.” Egan approached cautiously. “He’s too paranoid to trust anyone.”

“We should stick to the plan,” Larisa told Ivan quietly. “Egan could carry me there and I could persuade Argothorn to confess.”

Ivan shook his head. “I believe we should hear Silas’s plan first.”

“We’re wasting time. If Argothorn senses the pendant, then we might lose the element of surprise.” Larisa seemed so certain that Gilliam’s plan would work.

“Silas has gone to a lot of trouble over this. He might have some more information that we could use to our advantage.” Ivan didn’t completely trust the vampire. But neither did he like the idea of his mate flying off across the ocean on the back of a strange dragon.

“Or he’s using you all to gain an advantage of his own.” Larisa shook her silvery-white hair back from her face. “But I trust you. And if you think we should trust Silas, I’m okay with that. But if not, Egan will carry me to the tower, and we follow Gilliam’s plan.”

“Agreed,” Ivan replied.

“Okay.” Larisa looked tired as she rubbed her hands over her face. “Shall we go back to the hotel? I need to eat.”

“Eat!” Ivan turned to face the direction of the hotel. “I need to get back to the kitchen since Elise isn’t here either.”

“Shall we fly?” Larisa asked hopefully. “I don’t think I could walk another step.”

Ivan shifted into his dragon and lowered himself toward the ground so his mate could scramble up his back. Behind him, he sensed the air shimmering around Egan as he too shifted into his dragon.

Ivan’s dragon swung his head around, the fire in his throat building, ready to spew out if there was any sign of an attack. However, Egan’s dragon stood calmly and waited for Larisa to find a secure seat.

He seems friendly,Ivan’s dragon said.

Are you ready to trust him?Ivan wasn’t sure about the dragon shifter.

Trust might be a little too far. But we need to give him a chance. He could be the way that we need. His dragon snorted and the fire disappeared before he leaped into the air and flew toward home.

I don’t like the idea of Larisa going anywhere foreign with him,Ivan admitted.

It might be the only way for the plan to work. And if Egan’s story is true, it means he has as much of a reason to want Argothorn brought to justice as the rest of us. What other crimes is he responsible for? The dragon flew straight back to the hotel where he landed inside the parking lot.

Egan’s dragon landed smoothly on the street, his massive head swinging from side to side as he looked around.

“Have you ever been here before?” Ivan asked after Larisa dismounted and both dragons shifted.

“No. Argothorn passed a law saying no dragon shifter should ever come here. He likes passing new laws. It gives him a sense of power.” Egan chewed the inside of his cheek. “When he finds out I’ve come here, I’ll be punished.”

“Are you looking for sympathy?” Ivan asked coolly.

“No, I wanted you to know the risk I took coming here. It might help us get along better.” Egan strode toward them but as he did Ivan stiffened.

There’s another dragon shifter close by. Ivan pushed his senses out then turned toward the hotel. “Fiona is here.”

“Your brother is back?” Larisa hugged herself as they walked toward the hotel.

“We should go around the back.” Ivan threaded his fingers through hers and led her to the side of the hotel. A glance over his shoulder told him Egan was following behind while staring at the buildings surrounding them.

“Is your home different from this?” Larisa asked.

Ivan experienced a wave of jealousy at his mate speaking to Egan, but he inhaled deeply and let it go. He wanted them to be friends.

If he’s telling the truth, his dragon said.

“Some of the buildings are similar. But most of the homes on Cairnnor are older. Most of them need work but with little trade between Cairnnor and the outside world, materials are scarce.” Egan hurried to catch up when Ivan pulled open the door and went inside the building.

“Why have you never risen against Argothorn and taken control?” Ivan asked.

Egan stopped dead and tilted his head to one side. “Don’t you know what happened to your father?”

Ivan shook his head as his heart thumped in his chest. “No. I had no idea who he was until a couple of weeks ago. Until a few months before that, I had never met another dragon shifter.”

Egan jerked his head back. “You have no idea who you are and where you come from?”

“Nope. And I kind of liked it that way.” Ivan sniffed the air. Someone was cooking in his kitchen. “Karros?”

He forgot about their mission as he hurried along the corridor to the kitchen. Pushing open the door, he found Karros and Zara working side by side while a couple of the kitchen staff helped prepare the food.

“You’re back.” Karros stirred a pan on the stove and then dipped a spoon in the sauce. “Give this a taste and let me know what you think.”

“You’re cooking?” Ivan asked.

“Someone has to. And I figured I’d watched Elise enough to give it a go. She tested out so many recipes on me when she was trying to impress you. The food might not be as good as yours and the menu might be a little more rustic, but it’s better than nothing.” Karros offered him the spoon.

Ivan wrinkled his nose before he tasted the sauce. “Not bad.”

“That’s good coming from Ivan.” Elise stood in the doorway.

“You’re back, too.” Ivan forgot about the sauce as he went to her and hugged her. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. Are you and Caleb okay?”

“We’re good.” She clung to him for a moment and then pushed him aside. “Grandma Hannah said she’d seen you. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes.” Ivan glanced down at the floor. “Did you get what Silas wanted?”

“We did.” She inhaled deeply. “You’d better come to see since you might not believe me if I tell you what he wanted.”

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hotel reception. Jeremy had abandoned his desk and was standing in the doorway looking out at the parking lot.

“What’s going on?” Ivan asked Elise as they reached the doorway. Jeremy looked as if he’d seen a ghost as he half-turned to look at Elise and Ivan and sidestepped out of the way.

“That’s what is going on.” Elise pointed to a figure in the parking lot. One who looked vaguely familiar. One he’d only ever seen in the dark.

“Silas?” Ivan stopped dead as the vampire slowly turned around to face him.

“Ivan. You’re back.” Silas held his hands up to the sun and stared at them before he grinned and ran toward the hotel. The vampire was too damn handsome for his own good as the sun shone on his pale face.

“How are you outside in the sun?” Ivan pointed to the sky as if needing to reassure himself the sun was still there.

“Elise’s grandma was kind enough to cast a spell for me. But we need to hurry. I only have twenty-four hours and then the sun will turn me to dust, and we have a lot to do.” Silas flashed a smile, his handsome face alight with happiness.

“What do you mean we have a lot to do?” Ivan followed Silas back inside the hotel where Egan and Larisa were waiting.

“I thought you were going to take down Argothorn.” Silas held out his hand to Larisa. “Good to finally meet you. And Egan...” He flashed his smile at the dragon shifter. “I knew your father. You look just like him.”

Larisa slipped her hand into Silas’s and then stared down at their joined hands. “You’re so cold.”

“One of the many drawbacks of being a vampire. Alas, the daylight spell doesn’t help with that, too,” Silas told her. “But there are many perks. Which is why you need my help.”

“We need your help for what?” Larisa asked.

“Bringing down a tyrant.” Silas’s smile faded. “I have waited decades for the time to be right.”

“Decades?” Ivan asked. “You always knew he was responsible for the death of my father?”

“Yes. It’s why I did what I did to keep you safe, Ivan. And now it’s time to undo what I did.” He let go of Larisa’s hand. “Fiona’s here, isn’t she?”

Ivan nodded. “What’s she got to do with any of this?”

“She is the reason you are still alive, Ivan. She is the reason Argothorn never killed you when you first came to Wishing Moon Bay.” Silas headed out of reception toward Valerie’s apartment.

“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?” Egan asked.

“No.” Ivan blinked a couple of times as if waking from a dream. “But it’s time we all knew the truth and Silas is the one with the answers.”