Curis nodded. “Then go. Save Jules. I could help. I never wanted him dead. You have to believe me!”
“No. I won’t pit you against your father.”
Color drained from Curtis’s face. “Please don’t hurt my dad.”
“I won’t unless I have to. Now go! Seek out Sakaris.” Elouan charged out the door, donning his jacket and helmet. His instincts screamed at him to stay and protect Curtis—but the need to protect Jules won the battle. If he could, he’d shift and fly. Please let him not be too late. Please….
Elouan couldn’t get there fast enough. He hopped on his Harley and roared off into the night.
Jules left the hoard hidden in the basement. He’d come back later if he could. Right now, he must get away. Would Elouan bring the truck or bike? Either way, Jules would be ready. He didn’t take time to change out of his bloody clothes, throwing on a jacket and hat.
He paused at the front door and kneeled. “Goddess of Fire, take Radomir and Moira of the Sandy Shoals court to yourself. Guide them safely to join the loved ones they lost.”
Jules backtracked, placing a kiss on Radomir’s brow, anointing the old dragon’s face with his tears. He returned to the kitchen, kissing Moira as well. “Goodbye, Mother and Father.”
Should he take a knife? No, his claws worked better than any blade, especially when combined with the element of surprise. If their enemies knew him to be an omega dragon, they’d never believe him capable of a partial shift. Or of the fighting skills Radomir instilled in him.
A scent caught his attention. He crouched by Moira once more, catching a whiff of something familiar and comforting. Beta dragons. Moira and Radomir. Over those were layered other scents. Other betas, if he had to guess. The murderers. Two of them, with undertones that twisted his guts. Was this what she’d meant by sensing other courts? He committed the odor to memory, so he’d know who killed his mentors if he found them.
Jules charged out the back door. Memories of the night Elouan walked him home came to mind. Memories he couldn’t dwell on now. He ran, keeping to the shadows. Anger slammed into him a few blocks from the coffee shop. What? The internal sense Moira often spoke of crept through his insides. Anger. Confusion. Sadness. Elouan?
Bracing a hand against a convenient wall kept Jules on his feet. The emotions faded, replaced by urgency. Urgency. Yes. Time to meet Elouan.
He made his way cautiously along, his dragons alerting him to the presence of other dragons. The two betas from the house, plus another. Two more dragons approached that brought himself to mind. Omegas?
They knew he would come here. Had Elouan told them? No, he wouldn’t. Elouan had honor. Jules watched and waited, hoping to hear a truck or motorcycle. What he’d do then, he didn’t know, but at least he wouldn’t be alone.
Chapter Nineteen
Two pickup trucks pulled to a stop right as Elouan roared down the street to the coffee shop. Leon got out of one, hanging back while four other men Elouan didn’t know—all dragons— approached the shop.
Three betas and two omegas, counting Leon. None capable of taking on a pissed-off alpha dragon, at least not alone. While dragon law prohibited alphas from flaming lesser dragon ranks, he wanted to. How could Leon betray him this way? Leon. His friend. The man he’d depended on so many times. The betrayal ached worse than dragon fire.
No sign of Jules. Was that a good thing or bad?
“This is none of your concern, full-blood,” one man growled.
Why? He appeared full-blooded, too. But what if, by full-blood, he meant someone raised in the dragon world instead of the human one?
Blood marred the man’s hands and his scent. Had he harmed Jules? The forming bond in Elouan’s mind said no. He couldn’t spare a moment for relief.
“This is between us, Mountain Meadows, and Sandy Shoals.” A sniff of the breeze carried faint traces of the Northern Crags court, too.
Another beta gave a cruel laugh. “What’s left of them.”
“I might be from High Reaches, but yes, it is my concern. Why are you here?” Elouan wouldn’t use his title of prince. Leon knew, so the other dragons likely did too. Calling himself “prince” would only fan the flames of their anger.
“What have you done with my son?” Leon demanded. “He was to keep you there. If you’ve hurt him….”
“I wouldn’t hurt him.” He also wouldn't give away Curtis’s change of heart. “I don’t know what kind of plan you think you have. You’ll never take over the dragon world. You lack the knowledge, skill, and backing. Where is Gwythyr?” Elouan didn’t feel the mage’s presence, thank the Goddess. “You know you can’t trust him, don’t you? The moment you do his dirty work, you’ll be expendable.”
Another omega stepped up. “What would you know about trust, living in your lofty heights, never waiting for remnants of whatever kill the alphas allowed us to share, even when we made the kill?”
“That isn’t the way of my court.”
Leon laughed. “It is now. We no longer have to wonder about Adrakus. Gwythyr updated us on everything.”
Something Elouan sincerely doubted. Gwythyr wouldn’t share knowledge, not when knowledge gave power over others. “You’re here to find an omega I’ve taken under my protection.”
