Blood of the Dragon (Her Dragon's Bane 2) (8 page)

Connor picked up the witch, and ran from the blaze, Zoah by his side. He hated the deal he had made, and the idea of lying to Serena. But it would be worth it if it meant Serena would be always there for their child. And for him.

Seeing Connor carrying the witch Tara had a peculiar effect on Serena, she experienced an emotion she had never thought she would feel where a man was concerned. She was jealous. Jealous of the way Tara had her arm draped possessively around Connor’s neck, jealous of the way she rested her head on his broad chest, and most of all jealous of the concerned look Connor had on his face.

Had the witch cast one of her spells on him? Would she lose her dragon to Tara?

He must have sensed her watching him, because he looked up and smiled at her, and the tight grip on her heart relaxed a little. He was hers, yet there was definitely something bothering him. A wave of sadness consumed her. This was not over. Samuel might be dead, his plans in ruins, but their lives were not going to be a fairy tale ending.

As they ran down dark alley ways, heading towards the mansion and safety, she tried to find the strength to face whatever was to come. They had come this far, worked together to rescue Charlotte, and they would face the future together and conquer any danger that might come their way.

Dear Charlotte. She had no idea what she was getting herself into. But if the witch was right, she really was up to her neck in this. Or perhaps Serena should send her away, remove all temptation away from Zoah. But that would wait for another day. Right now she simply longed to rest and feel safe in Connor’s arms.

“Can’t you change and just fly us all out of here,” she heard Tara ask.

“Nope. To many people will be awake and watching the flames light up the sky. We are going to have to do this on foot.”

“It’s a good job you have such strong arms,” Tara said, stroking his muscles with her fingertips.

Serena dragged her eyes away, knowing this was all for her benefit. And her dislike of the witch grew. She was manipulative, and self centred, everything she had done, all the ways she had orchestrated events leading up to this night were for her own gain. Serena only hoped she could uncover what that was before Tara did too much damage to the people she loved.

By the time the mansion appeared in the distance, sounds of sirens could be heard behind them. In the sky helicopters circled, and Serena could only imagine the amount of cameras trained on this part of town.

“We should walk, look natural. If anyone sees a group of people running away suspicion will fall on us, and once we’re on the road close to your home it wouldn’t take much for them to come knocking on your door,” Serena said.

“You’re right,” Connor agreed, and then stopped and lowered Tara to the ground. “You’re going to have to walk.”

“But my ankle,” she protested.

“You can lean on me, but it’s going to raise questions if I’m carrying you. This way you can just say you twisted your ankle.”

“Really. I much preferred been in your arms.”

He looked at her, his eyes piercing. “Stop it.”

“Stop what?” she smiled. “Ahh, I’m making your little sacrifice jealous.”

“She knows you are nothing to me. But I’m fed up of listening to your remarks. If you want us to help you, then be nice.”

Her face hardened. “You have a short memory.”

His body stiffened, and Tara must have felt his anger palpable in the air, because she cowered away from him. “I guess dragons don’t have a sense of humour.”

“Not where interfering witches are concerned.”

“OK. I’ll play nice. You forget I’ve had to hide my true self for so long. It’s nice to be free.”

“You went to him by choice,” Serena said, finding her voice at last. Her anger towards Tara ebbing away for now.

“None of us are here by choice.”

“Oh, really? Because I figured you’ve done all this for yourself, there’s something you want.”

“Oh, so the little whore has a back bone after all.”

Serena wanted to launch herself at Tara and rip her eyes out. Connor moved first though, he took a step away from Tara, and went to Serena, pulling her into his arms. “Let it go,” he whispered. “She’s really not worth it.”

Tara wobbled, her weight on one foot. “Hey. I need a hand.”

“You might need one, but you don’t deserve one,” Connor said. “I’ve known many witches throughout the ages, and you have to be one of the rudest. If you insult Serena, or Charlotte once more, you will not be welcome in my home. Do you understand?”

Tara sighed. “Yes. Now will one of you help me?”

“I will,” Charlotte said, stepping forward. “But only because you were nice to me when I was with Samuel. If you can’t behave better, then this will be the last time.”

“Thank you, Charlotte. At least one of you has a little class.”

“One more word, Tara. One more word,” Charlotte warned.

Tara settled her weight against Charlotte, and kept her mouth shut. They walked slowly along the road to the house, none of them speaking. More than once Serena took a sideways glance at Zoah, who was very quiet, gazing stoically ahead. She smiled. Out of all the things that could have happened to him, all the horrible ways this day could have ended, she figured that seeing his mate for the first time was probably the worst. Later she would speak to him. Charlotte was only fifteen. He needed to keep his hands off her, or Serena would be clipping his dragon wings severely, not to mention castrating him with a blunt knife.

“What are you smiling at?” Connor asked as the reached the gate.

“I don’t know. It’s just funny how things turn out, that’s all.”

“Funny isn’t always the way I’d describe things.” He entered the code, and the gates opened to let them in. One by one they trailed in, all exhausted and dirty from the smoke and the dust.

“Can you lock the witch in the cellar?” Serena asked. “I think it’s the only place for her. I don’t trust her.”

“Neither do I. But if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have got out of there alive.”

“Or been in there in the first place.”

“It’s done. She had her reasons. She said if she’d told us things wouldn’t have turned out like they have.” For the first time she noticed how tired Connor looked, and sad when he added, “I might never have found you.”

“True.” Serena tried to shake off her bad mood. “She’d better not expect me to be grateful though. That is never going to happen.”

“I think she knows that.” He let them into the house.

The other three were walking a little way behind, Charlotte looking even younger than her fifteen years, her face pale and drawn. Hating having to go anywhere near Tara, Serena went back and helped her sister. Wordlessly she looped Tara’s arm over her shoulder and supported her as they reached the house and went inside the sanctuary of the dragon's home.

“Wow,” Charlotte breathed as they reached the great staircase.

“Serena said you’d like it,” Connor said.

“It’s amazing.”

“Perhaps ... when you're feeling rested, of course, I could give you a guided tour.” Serena had never expected to hear nervousness in Zoah’s voice. His brashness seemed to have faded in the presence of Charlotte.

“I’d like that,” Charlotte said, smiling at Zoah.

Serena kept silent, she would speak to Zoah later, remind him of Charlotte’s age. They no longer lived in the middle ages when teenage brides were given to men. There was no way Charlotte was going to be a virgin sacrifice until she was eighteen. No scratch that, thirty at least...

“Come on, let’s get you washed and into bed,” she said to Charlotte. “Zoah, perhaps you can take Tara to wherever it is you’re going to put her.” She slipped away from the witch, who collapsed down onto the stairs.

“Can you find her a room?” Connor said to his brother. “Serena, why don't we take Charlotte to your room.”

“Great. That’s what I was thinking.” Serena wrapped her arms around Charlotte again, and held her close. “I can’t believe you're here, and safe.”

“Neither can I. It’s been forever since I’ve had a proper bath. There was nowhere to shower properly at the church, and I hated having to take my clothes off to wash. There always seems to be some old man or other watching. Disgusting.”

“You’re not keen on old men then?” Serena asked, making sure she caught Zoah’s eye as she spoke.

“No. They’re weird, and crusty.” She shuddered.

Despite herself Serena smiled. “I’m glad you're here Charlotte.”

“Me too. Is there anything to eat.”

“Do you think you can find your way to your room?” Connor asked.

“Yes, I think so.”

“Then I’ll go make something for Charlotte. And you, you must be starving.”

“I think we all are. It’s been a long day.”

Serena took Charlotte along the hallways to her room. Her sister’s attention was continually grabbed by some antique or other. She stopped to look at old portraits, and to reverently touch old tapestries. “This place is amazing.”

“They’ve been collecting stuff for years.”

“It must be worth a fortune.”

“To them it holds memories of times gone by. I don’t think either of them are too big on the modern age.”

“I can see why when they’ve lived through such interesting times. I can’t wait for my private tour.”

Serena paused, they were nearly at her room. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“In what way?”

“Zoah. He’s a ladies man, you know. And you're so young.”

“And he’s so handsome.”

“Charlotte, I’m serious. You’re still a child.”

“Listen, Sis. After all of this, I have no interest in men, or boys, or anything other than going back to school and getting on with my life. I’d love to explore the house, but there is no way I’m stupid enough to fall for a dragon ... Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know. But never say never. Right?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Serena shook her head, digging herself deeper into a hole. “Nothing. Forget it. You’re sensible enough to work it out.”

Connor left Serena, and headed back towards the staircase, but not straight to the kitchen. Instead he went to find Zoah, and that trouble maker Tara.

“I think we need more of an explanation,” he stated curtly.

“Oh, do you? Well, I’d love to, but my leg is agony, and I really need to sleep.”

Connor leapt at her, his body towering above hers. Zoah, seeing how this was going to go, for once stepped back to enjoy the show. Tara cowered from him, her hard façade slipping, and in the presence of Connor she couldn’t pull it back together.

“Look. We need to travel to Spellholm to the dragons there. Only they know the secret.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“I have business there. And seems as how Zoah failed to get the one thing that might give me leverage, you and your mate are it.”

“What’s this Zoah? She asked you to do something for her?”

“Yes. It’s the reason I was so delayed getting to Charlotte. The trade off for Tara’s help was to get her something Samuel possessed.”

“What?” Connor demanded, his face flushed with anger at the betrayal he felt. All of this was going on without his knowledge, it only confirmed his opinion of Tara. She was trouble, and the last thing he needed was to go into another dragon’s lair with a trouble maker. Not when he had Serena with him.

“It doesn’t matter. It was a mere trinket, but now it’s gone in the fire.”

Connor let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t trust you. Why don’t I simply lock you up and go to Spellholm with Serena alone.”

“Because if you do, you'll fail.”

“What difference can you make to the outcome?”

“I’m a seer. The dragon there will grant you an audience if you take me with you. Otherwise he will turn you away. He is old and jaded, corrupt you might say. But offer him the gift of foresight and he will take it.”

“And you are going to do this out of the kindness of your shrivelled up heart?”

“Now, I didn’t say that did I?”

He growled the last words, his voice terrifying. “Again I ask you. What is in it for you?”

She shrunk from him, but still answered, “You could ask nicely.”

Connor lashed out, his fist hitting the stone wall, making the room shudder. “Tell me. And less riddles.”

“I have my reasons for going, they do not have anything to do with you. If I go alone he will think it’s a trick.”

“And you give me your word it’s not?”

“I’ll do better than that.” She stood up, and went to the window, pulling back the drapes. Mumbling words he could not make out, she waved her hand across the glass, and there appeared an image of Serena, with a young dragon. Well young by human years, to Connor he must have been about fifty or sixty years old. Serena did not look a day older than she did now.

“Mind games and tricks,” he said, his voice choked with emotion at the sight of his son.

“The child she carries is real, the picture before you is real. As things stand, if you take me to Spellholm with you this will come to pass. Your mate will gain immortality.”

“I’m so glad Hope is here with you, Serena.”

“I couldn’t leave her in the apartment. We both know what Samuel would have done to her.”

“He was such a terrible man. I don’t understand how he could take such pleasure in hurting other people. We did nothing to him to make him hate us.”

“He didn’t hate us. He simply used us to get his own way. That’s what people do.”

“That doesn’t sound like you, Serena.”

“I know. I’ve changed. I suppose it’s knowing I have a child growing inside me that will be hunted down if anyone ever finds out what he really is.”

Charlotte came and sat by the side of her, placing a hand on her sister’s belly. “You really are pregnant?”

“I think so, Tara said so. Not that I don’t trust her to make it up. But ... and I know this sounds silly ... I feel it. I feel different in a way I can’t explain.”

Charlotte put her arms around her sister and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you.”

A knock at the door, and they parted, Serena getting up to let Connor in. “That smells wonderful.”