The Mating Destiny: Werewolves of Montana Book 7 (17 page)

“Unless I give it to you, willingly, and release the magick inside, you’ll get burned. But even without the magick, it will fetch a very good price on the black market.”

Dragons never gave up their eggs. Ever. Emma’s stomach recoiled. Giving up her mother’s egg felt like sacrificing a part of her spirit. But it was all she had to bargain with.

“A real dragon’s egg,” he murmured, staring at it as if mesmerized. “I’ll bring the girls outside. You have ten minutes to shift, and if you don’t get them out by then, the deal is off.”

He went to snatch the egg, but she shook her head. “When we get outside with the girls.”

Ignoring his pout, she headed for the door, tugging at Alex’s hand. They raced down the steps to the large field ringed by the brothel’s fence. Alex paced, his hands laced behind his back. Moonlight shone on the thick muscles of his broad shoulders, and picked out strands of blue in his black hair.

Waves of anxiety washed through her. He had a disapproving look about him, as if her actions truly bothered him. She could take disapproval from anyone, had done it since her mother had died, but not him.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked softly.

He turned, his expression fierce, his gaze glittering with anger. “Not at you, but this horrid caste system your clan embraces. Judging dragons for their birth bloodlines and not their character. What is the wisdom in that? You deserve to be my queen, Em. Your heart is bigger than the whole damn kingdom.”

Alex strode toward her and pulled her into his arms. “This is for what you did, damnit.”

He kissed her hard, a kiss both punishing and pleasuring. Her mouth opened beneath his assault as a willing captive, and she closed her eyes as his tongue thrust inside. Alex tasted like brandy and raspberries and chocolate, and the most exquisite fire. He nibbled at her mouth as his hands cupped her bottom, squeezing and kneading it. Arousal swirled around her like tendrils of rich scent, making her dizzy with longing. Alex in her bed, for a lifetime. Alex touching her in all her secret places, Alex soaring with her to the skies, Alex making little baby dragons with her, and then rocking them to sleep at night.

All a dream, but she allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy as he kept kissing her as if giving her the very air she breathed, and the life inside her. Her knees threatened to buckle, but she clung to him, needing this precious moment alone with him.

And then her skin prickled and she heard noises. No longer alone. Emma pushed at his chest. He released her, panting, staring down at her. He cupped her face with a hand that quivered.

“Emma, it’s you. I’ve denied myself, denied the truth. You are my soul mate.”

A weak smile touched her swollen mouth. He must be mistaken. “I’m crazy about you as well, Alex.”

But they had no time to talk, for the girls rushed toward them. Emma counted and with a sigh of relief, realized they were all there.

The troll stood by, looking uncertain. He held out his hand. Emma stared down at the egg.

She remembered the day her mother had given it to her well—when she was five and they moved to Clan Ciamoth. Memory was vague before then, recollections of a pretty cottage in the woods, and a handsome man who kissed her mother, but argued with her as well. Soon after one heated discussion, her mother came into her bedroom, crying. She spoke the words that created the magick egg, and then fashioned it into a necklace to place around Emma’s neck.

“With this, my precious dragon’s egg, you can be accepted by my people,” her mother had whispered. “Never remove it, child.”

Lost in thought, she stared at the only possession she had left of her mother’s.

“The egg,” Simon prodded.

Choking back a sob, Emma murmured the words her mother taught her, releasing the magick in the dragon’s egg. The egg glowed bright blue and then white, and then an ethereal scent of lilies filled the air. Her mother’s scent. Tears filled Emma’s eyes as tendrils of misty blue-white magick floated upward, into the air and then sped off toward the stars.

“Good-bye Mama,” she whispered.

Her mother was gone for good. She dropped the egg into the troll’s outstretched palm.

But he stood there, looking uncertain. “The magick shield is a bubble encasing the property. It rises 100 feet into the air. I can drop the shield, but only for ten minutes.”

As they started for the middle of the field, he called out. “Wait a minute!”

Simon vanished into the brothel. Alex frowned. “We haven’t the time.”

Emma’s senses tingled. “Wait, Alex.”

Alex drummed his fingers against his leg. She reached out, caught his wrist. “Just…wait. Hold that famous temper of yours.”

He scowled. “I have no temper.”

Emma gave him a pointed look. “Right.”

They didn’t have to wait long, for the troll scurried outside again, this time holding the hand of a little girl. Emma’s heart beat faster. The girl had the same terrified look Emma had seen in the mirror after her own mother had brought her to live at Clan Ciamoth’s castle when she was only five years old.

“Here. Take her.” Simon thrust her at Emma.

“Who is she?” Alex demanded.

The troll hesitated. And then his hand shook as he handed Emma back her dragon’s egg. “Here. I don’t need this if you take her. Her name is Alice. She’s my daughter. I’ve been trying to save money to buy her freedom…ever since Jaeden told me she will go on the auction block next year. She’s only 10.”

Alex recoiled, but recovered smoothly, bending down to take the girl’s hand. “Hello Alice. We’re dragons, but we’re going to take very good care of you. Are you afraid of flying?”

Alice shook her head.

“Good. You’ll go on my back. Emma will help you.”

Alex stood and folded his arms, looking at the troll.

“Hurry,” Simon urged. “I have an hour before Jaeden returns. I have to get the hell out of here or he’ll kill me. For you to fly out of here, I have to drop the shield. You’ll have ten minutes. It’s all I can spare or Jaeden will know. He keeps a monitor on his cell phone.”

He bent down, kissed the girls’ forehead. “Remember, do as they say and when you are far away, go to your Aunt Jane’s in the Elder Forest.”

The troll hurried away as the little girl called out, “Papa!”

Emma took her hand. “You’ll see your papa again.”

They ran to the middle of the field. Alex would need the space to shift into his full form, and Emma knew he would never allow himself to be anything but a full silver dragon of Clan Drakon, not with this much danger surrounding them.

As the girls stretched out their arms and prepared to shift, Alex looked at her. “And you have your egg. You can return to your clan.”

Emma fastened the egg around her neck. Now a dull blue, it was simply a piece of jewelry. “The magick is gone, I’m afraid. My clan won’t accept me without the egg’s magick. But it’s all right.”

He frowned. “I’ll make them accept you, Em. But there’s something I don’t understand. That troll was the greediest Other I’ve ever encountered. And yet he loves his daughter.

“People aren’t black and white, Alex. There are those who do the wrong things for the right reason.”

Alex nodded. “I’m going to shift, test the magick shield and then return. Once I do, get her and climb on my back quickly as possible.”

He walked off a little ways and then stretched out his arms. Iridescent blue, green and silver sparkles swirled around him, a brilliant dance of light and magick. Emma clutched Alice’s hand as the girl gasped.

She didn’t blame her. Alex’s shifting into his true form always impressed her.

And then a silver dragon, with cobalt horns and a forked tail, stood in the place of Alex. The dragon was large as a 747. He turned, blue gaze centered on her, moonlight glinting off his scaled body.

Magnificent. The dragon flew upwards, soaring into the sky, as her hair rippled back with the wind created by his enormous wings. Relief filled her. The troll had dropped the magick shield, as promised.

Alex dove downward, and landed. The other girls had shifted into their much smaller dragon forms. Emma ran toward Alex.

She lifted Alice onto Alex. The girl clung to one of the enormous spikes lining his silvered back. Emma climbed on as well behind Alice, wrapping her arms around her.

“Hang on tight,” she told her. “It gets pretty windy when he lifts off.”

Alex was a pureblood with powerful muscles. He could easily execute a vertical takeoff, but she wasn’t certain about the others. He seemed to question this as well as he looked at the other dragons.

They tried to lift off, but fell back to earth after five feet. Emma’s stomach tightened. They were running out of time.

Alex held out his tail straight.
Get them to climb onto my tail.

Startled, she nearly dropped her arms around Alice. Did he just speak into her head? Or did she imagine this?

Hurry Em!

She turned to the other dragons. “Climb onto his tail.”

They did not move.

“Now! He’s strong enough to lift all of you! Hurry unless you wish to stay here and be sold as slaves.”

The dragons lumbered over to Alex, and clutched his thick tail with their forepaws. Alex beat his wings, making the grass rustle and the tree limbs bend. Em’s hair flew backwards and her gauzy gown rippled in the ensuing breeze.

We’re going to make it. They would be home free in a few minutes.

Hugging Alice, she told her, “We’ll be safe soon, honey!”

They cleared the barrier and then below, the door to the brothel burst open. A tall man dressed in a dark tunic and trousers, his long white hair rippling in the wind created by Alex’s wings, rushed outside, his arm around Simon.

Emma’s blood iced as her Fae senses tingled. Jaeden.

“Prince Alex,” the Fae sang in a voice that scraped against her skin like razors. It was ice and steel, and so very dark.

“Prince Alex, I have your ring. I claim your kingdom! Return Emma and you will get it back.”

Hovering above the building, Alex roared and shook his head.

“Very well,” Jaeden sang out. “Consider what I will do to you, as I do now to this betrayer.”

Jaeden removed the silver sword hanging on his belt. He held it up to the terrified troll’s neck. The scorched scent of terror filled Emma’s nostrils.

“No,” she whispered.

“Papa,” the little girl screamed, reaching out for him.

Emma clutched her tight against her chest. “Don’t look, sweetie.”

But she did, staring helplessly down as Jaeden sliced off the troll’s head. He held it upward, and shook the bloodied head. “Your kingdom for a ring, Prince!” Laughing, the Fae tossed the head into the field.

Alex opened his mouth and poured flames down upon the brothel. But the flames spread out across the magick shield and died.

Jaeden wiped the sword against the troll’s dead, collapsed body. “I’ll see you again, Prince Alexander, and you too, Emma of Clan Ciamoth.”

Alex lifted his front left leg and extended his middle claw in a clear “fuck you” gesture to the Fae.

As Alex soared off, and the girls let go of his tail to fly on their own, Emma had a terrible feeling the Fae wasn’t lying.

She would see him again. And next time, Jaeden would not let her go.

Chapter 7

You could tell a lot about a dragon from the way he flew with other dragons.

Two hours after they had fled Jaeden’s brothel, soaring through the night sky, Alice fell asleep in her arms. Emma stared at the distant stars, glittering overhead like a promise.

The girl dragons flew in timid formation, slow as an old propeller plane on its last gasp.

As Crown Prince, one might expect Alex to take the lead, to zip ahead in an impatient rush, much like drivers she’d seen on the busy interstate. Instead, he hovered behind, deliberately flying slower, even though she sensed his impatience. When they had flown together in tandem, Alex had always urged her to fly faster.

Not now. He made no attempt to nudge the slower dragons with the tip of one broad wing, nor did he pass them. In the back of the pack, he kept a watchful eye.

Alice, clinging to Emma, had kept crying and did so until she fell asleep. It would take some time for her to recover from this trauma.

Two hours later, he took the lead, directing them to descend. They landed in the front yard of a large, two-story house. She slid off Alex’s back, still clutching Alice.

When she turned, Alex had shapeshifted back into Skin, conjuring jeans and a black polo shirt and loafers. The girls shifted back to Skin and conjured simple dresses.

Emma held Alice as they trudged to the front door. “What is this place? Is it safe?”

“Safe enough. It’s my cousin Sebastian’s vacation home. We’re in Utah, near the mountains.”

On the wood front porch, he crouched down by a clay flower pot. “I would have liked to go further, but not with this little one. She needs sleep, and the girls need rest. They can’t fly as far.”

He lifted the flower pot and removed a gold key from underneath.