Dragon Chains by Grace Goodwin

14

Monday, Island of Sørøya, Norway

Cursing the daylight, Ryker ground his teeth and shifted the car Vector had acquired for them into high gear, the tires squealing as he took a sharp curve. Half a day to heal, just over three hours in the jet to Hasvik, and then a half-hour drive. Erik certainly knew how to hide from humans. His estate was on the clifflike shores of Noregr, although the humans had renamed the land Norway. His castle had been built between two small villages on the island of Sørøya. The entire island was home to just over a thousand humans.

“Send us over the cliff into that fucking ice water and you’ll have to wait another day to heal before you can get to her.” Vector’s blasé protest of his driving had the desired effect, and Ryker slowed to a reasonable speed.

Well, reasonable for a dragon who would have much preferred flying directly to the castle in full view. Staying hidden from the humans was not something his dragon cared about at the moment.

Ryker snarled. “I am going to disembowel him. Tear out his throat. Slash him to pieces and bury him alive.”

“He’s a king, old friend.” Crammed into the back seat, knees nearly to his chin, Alrik’s amusement served to irritate.

“He took my mate.”

“Technically he did not. He escorted a female business associate from your estate,” Vector pointed out. “No one knows she is your true mate, not even the lady in question.”

Ryker’s dragon roared in fury at Vector’s truth. He winced, his head about to split in two with his dragon’s anger. “Do not speak of it. I am barely keeping him at bay.”

“Even with the dragon chains?” Alrik asked, and it was not lost on Ryker that he was not asking as a friend but in his role as executioner.

“Yes.”

Alrik sighed. “Well then, hurry the fuck up.”

Ryker clenched his fists around the wheel, increasing the vehicle’s speed once more. The car’s mapping system indicated they were still twenty minutes away on winding roads that passed nothing but seaside cliffs and empty countryside.

And it was cold. Wet. The air was soggy with a mix of rain and sea spray so thick Ryker’s face and neck were coated with it.

“Fuck this,” He slammed on the brakes and pulled the car to the side of the road.

“You can’t. It’s broad daylight,” Vector pointed out.

“You may not regain control of him.” Alrik’s statement about his dragon was more worrisome than breaking the rule about not revealing themselves to the humans. If someone wanted to punish Ryker for risking discovery, they could try, but he had won his place as king centuries ago and no one dared challenge him for leadership. He was the fastest, toughest, most dangerous dragon in the clan, and he was not spending another moment driving the slow human vehicle when he could be there in a quarter of the time by flying straight to King Erik’s estate.

Ryker opened the door and stood on the open road. There were no cars, no humans for miles. He had to applaud Erik; the king’s northern estate was remote, desolate, and built on the cliffs for easy defense. Perfect for a dragon. Ryker’s estate in Italy had once been the same, but that had been in ancient times, before modern cities, and humans invaded every bit of exposed earth.

The thought enraged his dragon even more. They were guardians of the planet, of nature, of all life, yet the billions of humans had overcome their best efforts. Now the dragons operated from the shadows, doing what little could be done to save humanity from itself.

Humans need to die, Dragon insisted.

Your mate is human, old one.

Katy can live. The rest need to die. Like Erik. I will destroy Erik.

Erik is a dragon.

He is a dead dragon.

Fuck. His dragon was in a bad mood. And Ryker was about to turn him loose.

Vector and Alrik both climbed out of the car on the passenger side and looked over the low rooftop. Vector crossed his arms and leaned over the top of the car. “You sure about this?”

“My dragon is very sure,” Ryker answered.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Alrik grinned and slapped Vector on the back. “You worry too much. Erik is an ancient, nearly as old as Ryker. He can take care of himself.”

With a growl, Ryker’s dragon took over and initiated the change. Seconds later a shimmering black dragon three times the size of the sports car stood on the road, testing his wings.

Vector sighed. “We’ll meet you there. In the car.”

Dragon answered, his telepathic voice a loud boom in both his companions’ minds. No. By the time you get there, we’ll be gone. She comes with me.

“This isn’t your territory. Where will you take her?”

Dragon would have laughed if he weren’t so eager to get to his mate. He’d been alive for centuries. Explored every part of the world. He knew the air and the mountains, the forests and the rivers. Earth, all of her, was his home. Airport. Tomorrow. Dawn.

“Fine. Don’t be late, Ryker. If you aren’t back in control and at that airport with Katy by sunrise, it won’t be a friend coming for you,” Alrik warned.

Dragon didn’t bother to respond before he launched into the skies. If his mate refused him, he would welcome the executioner’s blade.

Deep within, the human part of him agreed. One way or another, the chains must come off. Their torment would end.

* * *

Katy: it’s me, katy. new number. long story. where are you?

Katy: why aren’t you answering me? Whatever you do, don’t go to the palazzo. call me.

Katy sipped at her breakfast tea and tried to ignore the awkward silence at the large table. Erik and the twelve Guardians—which he’d told her were other dragon shape-shifters in his clan—sat around the table packing away food like starving giants. Erik had eaten little and continued to study her with a pensive expression on his face.

What was he thinking? She’d asked him hundreds of questions, and he’d answered them all. She wasn’t quite sure she believed him, wouldn’t think twice about dismissing his claims if she hadn’t seen those dragons fighting over the water with her own eyes.

She glanced at each person at the table in turn. The Guardians on the private jet knew everything, had overheard her discussion with Erik. Her confession.

When she told Erik about the plan to switch places with Emily, he had actually thrown back his head and laughed. “You think you can fool a dragon so easily?”

Even now, she stared at him, irritated. “Well, your kingship, we didn’t know about dragons.”

What a freaking mess.

“I want to see it,” Katy blurted before she could change her mind.

“See what, my dear?”

“Your dragon. I want to watch you shift, or whatever you called it, into your dragon.”

All movement at the table ceased as if by magic, every single one of them looked like they’d turned into stone with her words.

Erik turned his head to look out one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over a large stone courtyard, took so long in answering that Katy started to squirm. It was the only movement at the table.

“Very well. Come with me.” Erik walked away from the table and out onto the courtyard through a large set of enormous double doors. Knowing what she knew now, she wondered if the doors were wide enough to accommodate a dragon.

Outside, the cold wind coming off the water cut through her borrowed jeans and sweater. One of Erik’s many servants had brought her a selection of nightgowns, clothing, and shoes upon their arrival at the estate late last night. Katy had pulled on the warmest pair of flannel pajamas she could find in the stack of offerings and crawled into bed.

Erik’s castle was far north. As in, the-air-smelled-like-ice far. The ocean waves below crashed against the rocks menacingly, completely opposite the warm waters outside Ryker’s estate in Italy. The air itself was damp and cold and made her bones ache.

She missed Ryker. Which was stupid, because he’d been lying to her the entire time. He was, technically, still engaged to marry Emily. And he was a shape-shifting beast who wanted to impregnate her sister via IVF and then kill himself. Or, have someone called The Executioner kill him. That’s what Erik called the man.

No, not man. Elf. Not only was she supposed to believe dragons were real, but dark elves, light elves, werewolves. She’d stopped Erik there, her brain refusing to compute.

“I’ve totally lost it; that’s the only explanation for all of this,” Katy mumbled under her breath as she walked behind Erik. Finally, he stopped in the center of the stone courtyard.

“Please, step back. Once I have shifted, you may approach. Slowly. My dragon knows and has agreed to allow you to see him.”

Was she supposed to thank the dragon? She had no idea. Backing away, her heart racing like a rabbit’s, she kept going until Erik nodded that she was at a safe distance.

“Do not run, Katy. My dragon loves to hunt.”

Was that supposed to be funny? “Not funny.”

Erik chuckled and then closed his eyes.

For a few seconds nothing happened. Then everything happened at once. The man she knew as Erik, in his much more casual pants and turtleneck sweater, shimmered like a phantom before a strange light blocked her view of him. Almost like fog, only made of light instead of mist. She couldn’t see anything for the space of a heartbeat. And then?

Katy gasped. Standing before her was a dragon made of silver, his scales sparkling like small, interlocking pieces of chrome on his back, darkening to a more matte stainless-steel color under his chest and the bottom sides of his wings. Only Erik’s warning kept her feet planted on the ground, every instinct she had screaming at her to run.

Eric’s claws were black and longer than her arms, the tips sharp as knife blades. His eyes were bright blue sapphires that sparkled like brilliantly cut gemstones with a dark, slanted pupil in the center.

Not human. Nothing even close to human.

Dragon eyes.

“You’re beautiful.” The words were honest, but Katy’s shock was real. She hadn’t been imagining those flying creatures out over the water, like she’d half convinced herself at least a dozen times on the way here. They were real.

Dragons were real.

I am dragon.

The voice came from inside her mind, and she held her breath, listening for more.

You may approach, human.

So, it wasn’t her imagination then. This creature was actually speaking to her with some kind of… what? Telepathic power? Telepathy? How was that possible? And in her native language?

She answered her own question. Because he was a dragon. Magic. Right?

Moving forward slowly, Katy completely forgot about the cold, her half-broken heart, Ryker, marriage contracts, and her sister. The world faded away as she approached the most beautiful creature she’d ever seen or even imagined. Hand outstretched, she was shocked when the mighty beast, at least four times her height, bent down low and rested his head on the stones so she could reach his face.

The teeth and jaw were a bit too much for her to handle, so she walked a few steps closer and reached for the spot below the dragon’s ear where she knew her neighbor’s cat liked to be scratched. Her fingertips came to rest on the dragon’s cheek, and she grinned as heat flowed into her from the contact.

“Do you breathe fire?” she whispered, unsure of her voice. Erik was, after all, a creature of pure fantasy. Magical. Legendary.

In response, the dragon made a huffing sound, and small flames shot from the dragon’s snout as if she had asked a stupid question.

“I’ve never met a dragon before. I didn’t mean to offend.”

The dragon leaned toward her again, bumping her hand just like a demanding cat wanting attention.

Proceed, human.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Katy couldn’t keep the nervous giggle out of her voice as she rubbed the dragon’s cheek, right below his ear. For about a minute he held perfectly still. A low rumble began, moving through the stones and up into the soles of Katy’s feet.

Was he purring? Or maybe rumbling like the elephants did, the tone so low human ears couldn’t pick up the sound?

After several minutes the dragon lifted its head and stretched to his full height. Not mate.

Katy had to agree. “No, I’m not.”

Erik wants to make a bargain.

Uh-oh. What was she supposed to say to that? “He does.”

I do not. I feel dragon magic in you. You belong to another.

“Dragon magic?”

Dragon looked down at her, his blue eyes hypnotically beautiful.

You are true mate. He will come.

She wanted to pretend she didn’t know who Erik’s dragon was talking about, but she knew. Ryker. Ryker would come for her. She’d known, deep in her bones, that he would come for her, and the truth of that had kept her from panicking when Erik kidnapped her. She’d known. That didn’t mean she wasn’t mad as hell and hurting and feeling stupid and betrayed.

They stared at one another for long seconds, and Katy felt like she had made a new friend, or friends, in both Erik and his dragon.

“You really are beautiful.”

The dragon nodded its head as if to say thank you and reached forward with one wing.

Fly with me.

What? Fly? On a dragon? She wanted to, kind of, but the fear of freezing to death warred with the fear of falling off. Still, how many people had the chance to ride a freaking dragon? With a grin, she reached out to touch the soft edge of the dragon’s wing. It was softer than his face, like warm, smooth silk.

A roar thundered through the sky, and Erik’s dragon looked up at the same time Katy did to see a dark shadow coming at them like an arrow out of the sky.

Get back!

Erik’s dragon used his wing to lift her and throw her toward the building. She was flailing, flying backward through the air, bracing for a very painful landing when a pair of strong arms plucked her from thin air and settled her gently on her feet. One of Erik’s Guardians stood next to her, scowling at his king.

Erik‘s dragon launched himself into the air with an answering roar that rattled Katy’s rib cage.

A huge black dragon reached out with sharp talons and struck at the silver, their bodies tangling above the courtyard before both beasts crashed to the ground, ripping and thrashing at one another.

She looked at the Guardian standing next to her. “Why aren’t you doing something?”

“My king forbids interference. He wants the fight.”

Katy clenched her fists. She wanted to strangle the Guardian. Strangle Erik. Strangle the black beast that she somehow knew was Ryker. “You’re all idiots.”

The Guardian crossed his arms and moved to block her body from the fight but said nothing.

“Get out of my way,” she fumed.

“No. You are to be protected.” He turned to her with flames dancing inside his eyes like candles. “Stand back. Do not challenge me.”

That was the last straw. She was seething mad. “Take your fire eyes and shove them where the sun don’t shine, Mr. Guardian Man. Get out of my way.”

The Guardian looked down at her for a few seconds. Katy glared right back.

He laughed and the transformation was shocking. He was…gorgeous. Every single one of these damn dragon-clan people were too damn good-looking to be real. “You are a true mate. Go then. Take your dragon with you before my king decides to do something stupid.”

“Like what?”

“End his torment. There are only two ways a dragon can die. The executioner’s blade, or in battle with another dragon.”

Katy looked up to see the silver and black dragons breathing fire at one another as they plummeted toward the water, neither letting go. The ultimate game of chicken.

“Can they drown?”

“No. They are of the earth itself. Your dragon is a king, Katy. The oldest among us.”

“He’s not my dragon.” Katy denied the truth, but she knew it was a lie. Even now she could somehow feel the black dragon’s heartbeat, his rage, his fire. The sensation of warmth spread through her entire body, made her breasts heavy and her core ignite with desire. Memories of their time together filled her mind as the familiar heat surged in her veins.

Was that what she’d felt that night in his arms? The heated, orgasmic, mind-numbing pleasure she’d had in Ryker’s bed? Dragon magic? Was that what Erik’s dragon had sensed in her? Had Ryker marked her somehow? Made her off-limits to other dragons?

The thought should upset her, but somehow the idea that a magical bond existed between her and Ryker was reassuring. Ryker had known the whole time who she was. Knew he was making love to her that first time, not Emily. He’d said as much at the ball.

And he belonged to her. What that meant, she had no idea, but was overcome with the need to find out.

She moved to push past the Guardian.

“Stay back!” He lifted her from her feet and shoved her several steps behind him just as Ryker and Erik, still battling in their dragon forms, crashed to the courtyard on their sides, claws and tails thrashing and ripping one another to pieces. Blood sprayed in every direction, soaking the cobblestones and turning the courtyard from a beautiful, serene oasis to a nightmare scene from the worst kind of horror movie.

Ryker had his jaws locked around Eric’s throat just as Eric had a talon pressed to Ryker’s long dragon neck. They remained locked together, unmoving. Bleeding. Each a hair's breadth from death.

Katy ran around the Guardian and walked straight toward both dragons, her heart about to jump out of her throat as two pairs of eyes locked onto her movements. One blue sapphire, the other black diamond. Neither dragon moved an inch, unrelenting in their death grip on the other.

“Ryker, let him go. Right now. He didn’t hurt me.”

The ground under her feet rumbled again.

Took you. Kill him.

The voice in her head this time was distinctly different from that of Erik’s dragon, and she knew she was speaking, for the very first time, to Ryker’s dragon. Her dragon. The one who thought she was his true mate, whatever that meant. “Let. Him. Go. Now.”

Inside her mind, the silver dragon issued a warning. Stand back, human. He is in a killing rage. I will kill him. Protect you.

“No!” Unable to bear the thought of Ryker’s death, Katy ran toward the two dragons. Locked together as they were, she didn’t have far to climb to reach the place where the Ryker’s teeth were locked around Eric’s silver throat. With shaking hands, she reached toward Ryker’s jaw and pulled with every ounce of force she possessed. “Let. Him. Go.”

Foolish, Eric rumbled.

Dangerous, growled Ryker.

“Stop fighting!” she shouted furiously at both of them.

Eric’s dragon slowly, deliberately lifted his claw from Ryker’s bleeding neck. Once the pressure was gone, Ryker opened his maw to allow Eric to break free.

Katy rolled to the ground as the two dragons stepped back from one another, dripping blood, eyes locked on each other’s movements. They circled her like warring tigers separated by a referee.

“Enough. Ryker, I want to talk to you. Now. You have some explaining to do.”

Right in front of her eyes the black dragon disappeared in the magical fog of light she’d first seen with Erik, replaced by the man she knew, the man whose touch made her forget her own name. The man who treated her like a queen. The man she’d fallen in love with despite of the lies, the deception. She had even betrayed her own sister for him.

Ryker watched her, his chest heaving. Behind her she felt the magic of Erik’s change, but her focus was on only one man. “Ryker.”

He walked toward her, lifting the golden necklace, the Elven dragon chains he always wore, over his head, tossed the chain to the side and scooped her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. “Are you hurt?”

“No.”

Ryker lifted his head to where Erik stood behind her. “For that, I will let you live.”

Erik growled. “My dragon senses that you have marked her but not yet claimed her. She is vulnerable to attack. Take care of your mate, Ryker. She will spark hope among our people. We cannot afford to lose her.”

Ryker lowered his chin to acknowledge Erik’s words, then turned and walked to the edge of the courtyard. Far below them, white-capped water churned against the cliff.

“Ryker? That’s a long—”

Ryker leaped off the balcony.

Katy screamed.