“Excellent.” Dareena beamed as she strolled back to them. “I don’t think there is an easy way for us to transport your father and the treasure back ourselves, so one of us needs to go back to Dragon’s Keep and get help. Lucyan, why don’t you go? I’ll wait here with Alistair.” She slipped her hand in Alistair’s after he placed the amulet back around hisneck.
“Are you sure?” Lucyan asked. “You wouldn’t rather come back to the Keep withme?”
Dareena dropped the bracelets onto the ground, then came over to Lucyan and wrapped her arms around his neck. “As much as I love spending time with you, I’d hate to leave Alistair here all alone,” she said, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss Lucyan. She brushed her lips against his, and Lucyan tightened his arms, pressing her against his naked body. Alistair didn’t miss the way his brother’s cock had hardened, and his own twitched in response, as if it were feeling left out and wanted to join the party. “Hurry back,” she murmured against his mouth. “Don’t keep mewaiting.”
“I don’t plan to.” Lucyan grinned, then turned around and walked away. Alistair snorted, noting the way Dareena’s gaze was glued to his brother’s arse. He wrapped his arms around Dareena from behind as Lucyan shifted into a dragon and propelled himself into thesky.
“If my father weren’t here, I would suggest all kinds of ways to keep ourselves entertained,” he said, nibbling herearlobe.
Dareena giggled and turned in his arms. “I don’t think we can afford to drop our guard while we’re out in the open,” she said with a mischievous smile. “But,” she added as she pressed her lips against his, “there is no reason we can’t kiss and cuddle while wewait.”
33
As Drystan stoodover the map in the war room, going over strategy, the urge to tear his hair out struck him. The war wagons were being readied, the troops rallied…and yet, Drystan knew it wouldn’t be enough. Not if those elven bastards were wielding those infernal bracelets, and not once they crossed into the heartland of Elvenhame and ran headlong into the anti-dragonwards.
“We’ve managed to gather twenty warding amulets,” Shadley said, placing a wooden box the size of a medium dog on the table. “That will be enough to protect you and your lieutenants,” he said toTariana.
“And me,” Drystan added. He was not going to cower behind the battlements while his sisters went off to war again. He was a dragon now, and he would use every ounce of strength and power available to get his mate and brothersback.
“That still leaves the rest of the Dragon Force unprotected,” Tariana said tersely. Her jaw was clenched tight, her eyes burning with frustration. “The moment we come up against the anti-dragon wards, they’ll be reduced to the same fighting capacity ashumans.”
“Which is still better than nothing,” Drystan pointed out. “And even if the Dragon Force must fight like humans, they will still have us to back them up. We will just have to fight harder to make up forit.”
“It would be nice if we hadallthe dragons at our disposal,” Tariana said, folding her arms. “Where the bloody hell is Lucyan? Have you heard from him since he set off forEnethar?”
“No,” Drystan admitted. He scrubbed a hand over his beard, briefly glancing out the window. Outside, soldiers and servants ran about, loading up the war wagons, saddling horses, packing supplies, and so on. “You were the last one to speak tohim.”
A troubled look crossed Tariana’s face. “It’s possible he tried to infiltrate the castle and failed. He could be held prisoner evennow.”
“My spies have reported no such thing,” Shadley said, “but it has been impossible to plant anyone in the castle itself since they found my last informant, so my information could be out ofdate.”
“Your Highness!” The door banged open, and a page rushed in. His face was flushed, his wide eyes bright with excitement. “There is a dragon approaching theKeep!”
Drystan jumped out of his chair. “Is it my father?” he demanded, though he didn’t know why the page would be so happy about that. It wasn’t as if anyone missed Dragomir. Or could itbe…?
“I don’t think so,” the page said. “He’s smaller, though still bigger than your sisters, and has red scales. Come quick—I think he’s headed for thecourtyard!”
Drystan, Shadley, and Tariana sprinted from the war room, following the page to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Sure enough, a dragon was coming in, his brilliant red hide glinting in the afternoon light. He let out a roar that shook the battlements as he landed, frightening the servants half to death. The soldiers gripped their weapons, an instinctive reaction to the predator before them even though they had to know the dragon was on theirside.
Or washe?
The dragon landed in the middle of the courtyard, crushing a wooden cart that had not been moved aside fast enough. He furled his wings in, then lowered his head as his formblurred.
“Lucyan!” Tariana gasped, her eyes shining with joy and relief. Before Drystan could so much as blink, she vaulted over the balcony. His sister landed the thirty feet below in a crouch, then sprang up and engulfed their brother in what looked to be a bone-crushinghug.
“If you don’t mind,” Shadley said, an amused look on his face, “I think I’ll take the long waydown.”
Drystan grinned, then followed after Tariana, jumping the railing. “I was beginning to worry about you!” he said, coming in for a hug of his own. On his way, he snagged a cloak from one of the guards to wrap around Lucyan’s body. “What the bloody hell happened? Did you ever reachEnethar?”
“I did,” Lucyan said, grinning from ear to ear. “And Dareena and Alistair are bothsafe.”
“They are?” Drystan exclaimed, exchanging surprised glances withTariana.
“We received a box this morning with Alistair’s severed arm in it,” Tariana explained when Lucyan gave him a quizzical look. “Anda threat to send more pieces if we did not pay theransom.”
A dark look crossed Lucyan’s face. “Yes, that was a horrific ordeal. Alistair was on death’s door when I arrived, but with the help of the amulet, he recovered. Thankfully,” he said, a grin banishing the shadows from his face, “the both of us have learned how to shift, and Alistair regrew hisarm.”
“That is excellent news!” Drystan cried, feeling incredibly relieved. All the weight seemed to sluice off his shoulders, making him so light he felt as if a stiff wind might topple him. “I assume this means Alistair was able to fly back with you?” Where is he now? AndDareena?”
