The Dragon Shifter’s Desire by Harmony Raines

Chapter Thirty-Two – Ivan

“Are you ready, Fiona?” Silas didn’t look his usual confident self, but he tried to disguise his nervousness as he approached the dragon shifter from the world beyond.

We don’t know what he’s seen,Ivan’s dragon said.

Silas is nervous because of the memories he hid from Fiona? Of course, that made perfect sense. If Fiona was the reason we grew up here safely then she must have...Ivan shook his head. What had she done for them?

I suspect she fought for us, and Silas was a witness. He’s known about us all these years and never said a word.His dragon huffed and smoke escaped from his nostrils. He’s been protecting us all this time and we had no idea.

Now I feel bad that I criticized him for extracting promises from our brothers and their mates.Ivan stiffened as he sensed Egan shift into his dragon.

We need to play our part and let Larisa play hers,his dragon stated as Ivan curled his hands into fists.

I know.He breathed out his anger and frustration at not being with his mate.

“Ivan.” Valerie placed her hand on his shoulder, and he jumped. “Are you sure about all of this?”

“We’ve come too far to walk away, Mom.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and watched Silas as he reached out to touch Fiona. “Do you know what memories Silas is unlocking in Fiona?”

“No.” Valerie shook her head. “All I know is that she protected you. Whatever she did meant you could live here with me. I’d never have been able to keep you safe and protect you without her.”

“Was she also the reason that you warned me not to go into the fae realm?” Ivan squeezed his mom as she shook her head.

“No, that was all me. I know enough about the fae to know they are not friends to shifters. Particularly dragon shifters,” Valerie replied.

“And yet two of your sons have fae mates and then there is Karros, who is almost a brother to me. You know he’s in the kitchen with Zara?” Ivan watched as Fiona closed her eyes.

“He is?” She put her hand to her mouth. “I’d forgotten about the hotel, to be honest. It’s like none of it matters except you boys.”

“When this is over, I’ll make it up to you,” he promised.

“You have nothing to make up,” she replied. “This is not your fault. You know I love you and will support whatever you need to do. I don’t care if I lose everything as long as you and your brothers are okay.”

“I love you, Mom.” He choked back tears as Silas worked his magic and then stood back, his eyes fixed on Fiona’s face.

“Well.” Fiona put her hand to her head as her eyes widened.

“You remember?” Silas grinned as he received an answering nod.

“I kicked his ass.”

“You did.” Silas glanced toward the window. “We should leave soon.”

“You plan to give Argothorn his memories back, too.” Fiona’s tone grew serious, and she glanced at Ivan with concern.

“What memories?” Valerie asked sharply.

“Mine weren’t the only memories Silas took,” Fiona explained.

“I did what I had to do to protect Ivan. And now it’s time that Argothorn pays for what he did.” Silas turned to Ivan. “To protect Ivan, Fiona accompanied me to Cairnnor. There she fought Argothorn and won. But since she had no interest in being the new dragon lord, we decided to make Argothorn believe that you were the son of a dragon shifter from the world beyond.”

“That he wasn’t a threat,” Fiona finished. “And it worked.”

“But to make sure no one ever learned about it, I hid Fiona’s memories of the whole encounter. Along with her knowledge of Wishing Moon Bay,” Silas added.

“Why not just remove Argothorn from power?” Valerie asked.

“It would have left a power vacuum. And we had no proof. No tangible proof of his crimes. If I’d gone to them and told them what I’d seen in Argothorn’s mind, they would have believed that I planted those thoughts. That I was trying to manipulate them.” Silas held out his hands as he tried to explain. “We... I did what I thought was best for the dragons and everyone else.”

“It doesn’t matter if what we did was right or wrong,” Fiona said sagely. “It’s done and now we have to deal with the consequences. It’s time to unravel the past to make a better future for us all.”

“Does Argothorn need to know who Ivan is?” Valerie stepped in front of her son as if trying to protect him even though she was a good foot and a half smaller than him.

“Eventually. But first, Argothorn needs to remember what he did,” Silas replied. “And then he needs to admit it. In front of the council.”

“And how do you intend to get him to do that?” Ivan asked.

“You are the image of your father,” Silas explained. “Just as Egan is the image of his father. Argothorn is about to get a visit from the ghosts of his past. The ghosts of the people he murdered.”

“It’s dangerous,” Valerie said.

“But it’s worth the risk,” Ivan told his mom.

“We should get ready.” Silas headed for the door leading out of the apartment. “You should get food and water. We’re going to fly to the pits tonight and be ready for the morning.”

“He’ll sense us coming.” Ivan followed Silas down the hallway. His excitement at finally seeing the dragon isle was tempered by the circumstances.

“Not if you use the spell Hannah gave you. Both you and Fiona need to take the potion.” He ducked his head and slid closer to Ivan. “You might have to talk Fiona into it.”

“Talk her into it? Are you trying to get me killed before we leave for the dragon isle?” Ivan glanced over his shoulder. Fiona had good hearing and probably already knew what they were talking about.

“It’s the only way this will work. Argothorn is paranoid, he will sense strange dragons approaching. There’s a reason he discourages visitors to the isle. He’s lived long enough in his tower to get a sense of every dragon shifter there. Probably every shifter for that matter. But it’s the dragons he keeps a careful watch over.” Silas pointed a pale finger in the direction of Fiona. “Go.”

“And what about you?” Ivan stalled, not wanting to face his dragon shifter friend and ask her to do something she wouldn’t like.

“I’m going to organize transport. If we can’t fly, we’re going to have to cross the ocean in a boat.” He backed away. “I’ll be back in an hour. Be ready.”

The vampire turned around and stalked off down the corridor, heading outside.

Into the sunlight.His dragon still couldn’t get his head around that.

Yes. At least if we’re going by boat, he’ll be able to stand on deck and make the most of the day. Ivan watched until Silas pushed open the door and left the building. The vampire paused outside and stared up at the sun for a few moments before he strode away out of sight.

It’s time we told Fiona she needs to hide who she is.His dragon didn’t want to hide away either and Ivan hated the thought of not being completely aware of his surroundings while under the influence of the spell.

This is what we have to do to put things right.Ivan grunted and went back to the living room where Fiona was waiting for him.

“A spell?” Fiona folded her arms across her body and tapped her fingers on her lower arm.

“I used it when I went to the fae realm. It hides the fact that you’re a dragon shifter.” His mouth twitched up at the corners. “I’m not going to tell you it doesn’t have side effects. But Silas is right. This is the only way we’ll get to the pits without being seen.”

“Why don’t I just lure Argothorn out and fight him again?” Her eyes blazed with fire as she looked into the distance.

“How are you doing with those new memories?” Ivan sidestepped the issue of the spell of concealment.

“I kicked his ass.” Fiona’s eyes flamed and a strange look crossed her face. “I really kicked his ass.”

“Do you think you could do it again?” Ivan asked.

The fire died down and she looked directly at Ivan. “I could. But I believe this is your fight.”

“My fight?” Ivan asked.

“Yes. You’re young and strong and you have something to prove. Something to gain from all of this.” She reached up and placed her hand on his upper arm. “This dragon stole everything from you.”

“Not everything.” Ivan stared down at the familiar rug covering the living room floor.

“You mean your mate?” She sniffed. “You kept that from me.”

“It all happened so fast. I went back to visit Davy and she was there...” He stared at the wall, but Larisa had already passed out of the reach of his senses.

“She’s Davy’s daughter.” Fiona nodded her head. “This has come full circle, hasn’t it?”

“We’re all linked, Fiona. All of my brothers are bonded together in one way or another.” He met her gaze. “But I wasn’t talking about Larisa.”

“What were you talking about?” Her nostrils flared as she leaned closer and sniffed him. “Treasure.”

His brows knitted together as he raised his arm and sniffed his sleeve. “You can smell it?”

Of course she can,his dragon answered. Fiona is old and wise and can probably sniff out that much gold from a hundred miles.

If it wasn’t in another realm,Ivan answered.

“So? Where is it?” Fiona’s eyes narrowed. She looked like a bear shifter on the scent of honey.

“In the fae realm. My father hid it there when he was banished from the dragon isle.” Ivan pushed out his senses searching for his treasure but all he could sense was the tiara that he’d left in his apartment before they went to the fae realm.

“You found it.” Her eyes lit up. “How did it feel?”

“Like a part of me.” He shook his head as she leaned closer and gripped his arm.

“Did it sing to you? Did it call you? Can I see it?” Fiona’s feverish stare was quickly tempered. “I’m sorry, I got carried away.”

“That’s okay. And yes, of course, you can see it. You, Harlan, and the rest of your family have been so kind and generous to me. You’ve taught me so much.”

“But possibly not enough.” Her eyes darkened. “We should have spent more time practicing sparring over the mountains.”

“You think Argothorn will defeat me?” Ivan asked, unsure why she didn’t choose to fight Argothorn herself.

“I think you are strong enough and fast enough, but old dragons have experience. Add to that the fact that he’s a murderer, he might be unpredictable. He might not fight fair.” Concern crossed her face, but she quickly masked it.

“I have grown up with five brothers. I have fought with them and played with them. I think I’m ready to take on Argothorn. And if not, you’ll have to deal with him.” Ivan hooked his hand under her elbow. “We need to get food and water. Silas will be back in less than an hour and then we’re going on a boat ride.”

“I haven’t said whether or not I’m going to take the potion yet,” she replied.

“If you don’t, you can’t come.” He stopped and turned to face her. “I hoped you’d have my back, Fiona. I hoped you might be able to talk me through the fight you had with Argothorn and tell me any weaknesses he might have.”

“Now you are trying to use emotional blackmail,” she replied. “Which will work. This one time.”

“Thanks.” A weight shifted on his shoulders. “For everything.”

“You’re like a son to me, Ivan. And I’m proud that I had a part in making sure Valerie got to raise you here in Wishing Moon Bay.” She opened her eyes wide as she leaned in close and said, “I thought I was too old to ever see anything new. But today I met my first vampire.” She straightened up and looked a little confused. “Even though I actually met him for the second time.”

“I never knew he’d helped me,” Ivan confessed.

“We don’t always see the people that help us. But they’re there behind the scenes. This is why we should try to help others in any way we can. We never know what words or gestures might change someone’s life without ever knowing it.”

“Wise words,” Ivan said.

“From a very old dragon.” She inclined her head. “So, what do I have to do?”

“Drink a potion. It’s simple.” He shrugged. “And all you have to do to break the spell is shift.”

“Now that I will never forget how to do.”