Breath of Fire (3 page)

“Eventually,” I said.

The human killings I’d been tracking over the last two months wouldn’t have drawn Alasdair’s notice. Humans were like cattle to him—nothing more than a source for food. But he would hear about Jillian’s death. And soon. Finding an enemy clan member’s body in our territory could cause Alasdair problems from the other Council members if we didn’t act swiftly—the Council consisted of the Archos of each of the five Drakán clans.

The Drakán were banished to Earth after the Atlanteans destroyed our Realm eleven thousand years ago. There’d only been five Drakán survivors after the attack—the strongest warriors our people had ever known—and the gods had given them the chance to rebuild our world and reclaim the once awesome powers the Drakán had been feared for. All the warriors had to do was pick a king among them—someone to lead our people back to greatness. But the warriors fought bitterly—because it’s dragon nature to be selfish. The warriors were equals in strength, so the king couldn’t be chosen by a duel. It pissed the gods off in a major way that the warriors couldn’t decide on a king, so they banished them to the Earth Realm—where our powers have steadily been diluted with every human mating.

After the Banishment, the warriors continued to feud, and that’s when the five clans were created. And why my job as Enforcer isn’t what it once was. Enforcers of old were meant to serve the royal family and make sure Drakán were loyal and obeyed the law. The Earth had been no more than a fertile hunting ground where we came for food, and the Enforcers traveled with the hunting parties to control the human minds so we remained invisible. My job now is much the same, but it’s hard to be an Enforcer when you’re not allowed to go into enemy territory. I had my hands full just looking out for my own clan.

But with the death of an enemy Drakán in our own backyard, this was a problem that was now out of my hands. As much as I hated being in Alasdair’s presence, I was going to have to seek him out and let him know what had been happening. I had no other choice, though the scars on my back burned with remembrance at the thought of facing him.

Alasdair loathed what the Drakán had become. With every generation born we were less and less of what we’d once been—more human than dragon, more prey than predator. And Alasdair hated that he was forced to rule over what he considered to be no more than food. My clan was terrified of him, but they had no choice but to bow to his wishes or face death. He kept us all under his watch, taking what he wanted and hoarding it away. And deserters were not dealt with quickly. They were tortured, eventually begging for death. They got it if they were lucky. It was a way of life my clan had learned to tolerate because they had no other choice. It wouldn’t change until someone could challenge Alasdair for Archos and win.

I turned to leave Erik and head to my rooms, but a strange scent wafted across my path and caused me to stop. It was the scent of pain and torment, and the human in me shuddered in misery. Alasdair had taken captives since I’d been gone.

“Don’t do it, Rena.” Erik grabbed my arm from behind. “Alasdair is out hunting, but he’ll punish us both if they’re gone when he returns. He wants to try to breed with the female. She’s the last woman in our clan to have a successful Drakán birth, and Alasdair said her scent is that of one who is fertile.”

“Dammit, Erik, I’m not going to just sit by and let the innocent suffer. I can’t believe you can.”

His gaze shuddered, and I saw guilt in his eyes. “Think before you act, Rena. This could be a breakthrough for our people.”

“You want me to keep them prisoner so you can play scientist and gather information after Alasdair rapes her? What the hell is wrong with you? There are children in there,” I hissed between my teeth.

“They’re children in body only, not in mind. There because their father challenged Alasdair for his position as Archos. It was a fight to the death, and Alasdair only collected the man’s wife and children to make sure they understood where their loyalty should lie. I’m not saying it’s right, but we don’t have any choice in the matter.”

“Like hell I don’t.” I jerked out of his grasp. I ran for the door under the stairs, not bothering to flip on lights as I went. I had to set them free before Alasdair came back.

The hall to the dungeon area was dank and musty. The stone walls were covered with moss and cold to the touch. My dragon speed swirled dust through the air as I followed the U-shaped curve of the hallway. There was only one way into the dungeon and one way out. And gods help us all if Alasdair came back before we’d left.

My feet skidded to a stop, and I came face to face with a woman behind thick iron bars. Hatred blazed in her eyes as she stood in front of her children, shielding them with her body. Her face was a wreck, one eye completely swollen shut and her nose broken and bleeding. Bruises marked her skin in shades of black and purple. Her clothes were torn, and I wondered if Alasdair had already raped her to begin the breeding process. I took in another deep breath, but didn’t catch the distinct smell of semen. I only smelled blood, fear and hatred.

“I’m not here to hurt you.” I took another step toward the steel cage. My mouth curled in a smile at the snarl that came from her lips and the way she pushed her children further behind her. She’d been a worthy Drakán mate.

“Get away from us,” she spat. “I won’t let you have my children. Even if they are Drakán.”

I took the keys from the wall and made slow movements so she wouldn’t do anything rash. I rifled through her mind until I found her name. She’d been the wife of Marcos, one of the strongest Drakán in our clan, and I cursed Alasdair for taking the life of someone we could use in battle if our existence ever came to that.

“Be at peace, Sarah,” I whispered. “I won’t hurt you or your children.” The cool breeze of power rushed over my skin as I took momentary control of her mind. Just long enough to calm her heart and ease her fears. I needed her cooperation if she was going to escape.

The tension in her shoulders went slack as my orders relaxed her body. Slow tears ran down her cheeks, leaving trails through the dirt on her face.

“Will you help us?” she asked. “My husband—” She paused as the tears began to fall harder. “That bastard killed my husband. We were starving. Marcos lost his human job, and our house was taken from us. The children were so hungry. They have to eat so much to build their Drakán strength. We asked Alasdair for sanctuary, just until we could get back on our feet again, but he refused. He said real Drakán would go out and take what they wanted. Conquer the humans and feast on their flesh. Not try to be one.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something Alasdair would say,” I growled.

A small head popped out from behind Sarah’s leg. A towheaded boy who looked to be about four or five, but Drakán aging worked differently than it did for humans, and I knew he had to be at least twenty. His pudgy face was covered with dirt, and his amber eyes were filled with rage, the diamond pupils only pinpricks of black.

Another child held on to his hand, trying to pull him back out of the way. This one a girl and a few years older—maybe twenty-five. I remembered from our last gathering that I’d felt a sense of power from her. It hadn’t manifested itself yet into something specific, but it would someday. Probably around the time she hit puberty. She’d be powerful like her father. The same rage that filled her brother’s eyes filled her own, and I felt a stirring of pride at how strong-willed these newlings were. It was no secret that our clan was short on numbers and seemed to have issues with fertility, but these young Drakán were our future and should be treasured. Not turned out like garbage, which is what Alasdair had done. They had even less hope than before if they stayed trapped here. Alasdair would rape their mother and kill her if she didn’t conceive, and the children would be turned out to fend for themselves.

“We must go quickly.” I opened the cage and ushered them into the hall. I ran at full speed, the boy and girl sharing the weight of their mother as they used their dragon speed to follow me. I slowed down as we reached the door to Erik’s lab. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I felt the flutter of Erik’s pulse, beating furiously as he tried to control his rage. There was no sign of Alasdair.

“He’ll find us,” the little girl said wisely. “There’s no place we can run that he can’t hunt us down.”

She was right, and there was only one way they would be able to survive once they left here. I just didn’t know if they would agree to it, especially the children. We slipped through the door to Erik’s lab, and I didn’t bother to make eye contact with him as I brought the trio through. I was still too angry at his passivity to do nothing. At his ability to treat our people as lab rats instead of showing a little compassion.

I grabbed three clear vials from Erik’s medicinal shelf and led Sarah and her children to freedom. Sleet prickled against the skin and the wind had picked up so the cold pierced through layers straight to the bone. Sarah and her children were dressed in no more than rags, and they shivered violently as I herded them inside the garage.

The garage that held our cars was the size of a large house, and each slot was filled with some mode of transportation—fast cars, rough terrain SUVs, motorcycles and a sleek black helicopter that Cal had been begging me to fly. Every one of the toys in there was mine. I hoarded cars like other Drakán hoarded diamonds (though I had plenty of those too).

Most Ancients didn’t like technology of any kind, and Alasdair was no different. He always flew in dragon form whenever he needed to go somewhere, but I didn’t really have that option since I’d never acquired the ability. So I compensated with the high-powered rumble of an engine beneath the hood.

Sarah stumbled and leaned hard against the wall to get her balance. She could barely stand, and her breath came in shallow pants. From the way she was hunched it looked as if she might have a couple of broken ribs.

“Drink this, Sarah,” I said, holding out one of the vials.

“What is it?”

“Dragon tears. They have healing powers. You’re barely conscious and you have a long way to go.”

She unstopped the vial and drank it back, shuddering at the bitter taste, while I took a set of car keys off the wall and an emergency bag I’d stashed under the wheel well of an old Buick sedan. It was navy blue and rusted in places, but it ran like a top. I’d been able to hide the money from Alasdair because the smell of the rust overpowered the scent of the money.

“Thank you for helping us,” she said.

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not going to like what I have to tell you.”

Sarah straightened slightly as her bruises started to fade. “What is it?” she asked. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get out of here.”

“You only have one option for survival,” I said. “Alasdair can track you for as long as you belong to the clan. He’ll be able to track your scents. It’s one of the reasons for the yearly gathering. The only way you’ll be able to escape him completely is if you let me erase your memories and give you new ones. You need to forget the Drakán, and we need to forget you. The dragon tears will cleanse you in every way, including your scent.”

I was this family’s only hope of survival. Only an Enforcer had the ability to take over another’s mind so completely. I held the vials out to the two children, but the little boy shook his head no.

“I am Drakán,” he said proudly. “I will not forget.”

“I am Drakán,” the little girl repeated.

Sarah’s face was almost completely healed, but she was crying again. She would never separate herself from her children. If they chose not to have their memories wiped then she would make the same choice. And they would all likely die because of it.

I knelt down in front of the little boy and used his name, making his eyes grow round in his head with my knowledge. He was still too young to have developed the power of reading minds or blocking his own from intruders.

“Jacob, you will always be Drakán,” I said. “No matter how many memories I replace, you’ll still have dragon magic inside of you. Your body won’t forget even if your mind does. You’ll always be special. I’ll make you a promise though if you’ll let me help you escape.”

“How can you make promises? You are not Archos.”

“No, but one day someone will defeat Alasdair, and we will all be free. When that day comes I will find you and your sister and rejoin you with the clan. I give you my solemn oath.”

Jacob grabbed his mother’s hand and gave me a brisk nod. “If you do not, I will somehow remember my Drakán strength and hunt you down for revenge. I give
you
my solemn oath.”

“I would expect no less,” I said.

I wiped their minds quickly and gave them new ones—memories of a human life most Drakán never experienced. They wouldn’t remember the powerful father they’d once known or the horrors they’d seen in their young lives. It was for the best.

I implanted directions to a safe house I’d bought in Pennsylvania and gave them the bag of money. They had new names, and I took away the aggressive natures of both children so they could fit into human society easier. I’d have to follow up with them in a few days, find Sarah a job and a way to support her family, and get the children set up in schools. All Drakán children were homeschooled because of the violent tendencies that came with being Drakán and how slowly they aged. It was especially hard for the very young to control such strong emotions.

But these children and their mother would be normal. And they would live. I’d make sure of it.