Diamond Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 4) (14 page)

Fire flashed in his eyes as they went back to rainbow and his hair back to white. He backed her into the wall and glared down. “My mate will never be unfaithful.”

“But you didn’t even want me as your mate.”

His eyes flashed again, hot and angry. “I’m still adjusting to this. I’m not letting you go until I figure it out.”

She pushed against his chest. “The other dragons just knew. If you had known, you’d know by now. I’m clearly not the right mate, but you’re stuck with me, and we might as well figure out how to work around it. Since you don’t want me.”

He didn’t let her escape, and he gentled his tone, despite the tension in his rigid body. “Look. It’s not that I don’t want you, Bridget. I didn’t want it like this.”

“But you never had a moment when you thought I was your mate.”

He closed his eyes, and the room was silent. “I have had moments where I wondered. But not before the ring.”

“So I’m just supposed to wait around until you figure it out?” she asked.

“Do you have a choice?” he asked. “We have to find Lana. And you’re wearing my ring. And no mate of mine is going to leave me.”

“I never agreed to this,” she said, tugging on the ring again out of pure reflex. She let out a cry of frustration. “Every other woman in this room went into this willingly.”

Red scratched his neck. “Um, not necessarily. Not all of us understood.”

“But you knew you wanted her, didn’t you?” Bridget asked.

Red nodded.

Alistair cursed. “I do want you. I’ve wanted you many times. But I was clear on the fact that I didn’t know about the future.”

“When you love a girl, you know about the future.” She glared up at him.

That seemed to sink in, and he pulled away, letting her go.

She ran from the room, tripping blindly over the carpets, trying not to stumble and fall. She just needed to get away from him. Go upstairs and think.

She ran to the room the women had said would be hers, went in, and slammed the door. She threw herself on the bed, burying her face in the covers. She’d been ready to give up her life to be with him. Why were her feelings so strong?

If she thought about it, she’d been falling for him from the moment she’d met him, but because she hadn’t trusted him, it had taken time to fall into his arms.

She’d been hoping even if it went slow, eventually he’d see what she did. That he did really care for her. Even if it had been hard to hope for.

But hearing him sound so freaking upset about them being mated was too much.

It wasn’t like she’d done it on purpose. But she hadn’t expected him to seem so trapped. Would a life with her be so bad?

There had been tender moments when she could swear he was in love with her. When he’d given her a look or a kiss that alleged forever. But he’d never said words to that effect. There were no promises.

Ugh, he’d been inside her, and she’d never get over that. How it felt. The trust and friendship between them destroyed by his ugly words about having to mate her.

I don’t want this.

Didn’t want her. At least not before the ring went on. What if the ring had been influencing him? Making him feel more romantic? What if nothing would have happened between them without it?

She had no idea, and they would never know now, because it was all done. She looked down at the diamond, wishing she could just cut it off. Because now, even if they found a way to be together, she would always know he hadn’t chosen it. Hadn’t wanted it.

He was settling and dealing with the fallout of their deal.

Ugh.
Stinging tears bit her eyes as she heard someone knock on her door.

She didn’t even have time to sit up before she saw the tall, dark-haired man from before walk in. Dom, was that his name?

“That’s my name,” he said in that low, quiet voice he always used. “Can I sit?” He shut the door and took a chair across from her without asking.

She nodded, wiping her face with the blanket and trying to compose herself as she sat up.

He stared at her blankly, as if he didn’t know what to say. He cocked his head, and his black and purple hair fell over one bright-blue eye.

“What do you want?” she asked, sounding harsher than she meant to.

“Your friend,” he said. “The one that’s missing. I need you to describe her to me. I can start looking for her.”

She swiped at her tears. “I think Alistair wants to just go back to the place he was being held and question them.”

“I don’t care what Alistair wants.” Dom crossed one leg over the other. “He can get his revenge anytime. Meanwhile, this person needs us. Was she being held there?”

“I know she was there at one point. Probably before I was. She just went missing, and I… sort of hired someone to hack into her Facebook.”

Dom grinned at that. “Wow.”

“I know, but I couldn’t just let her be missing. She did so much for me. Anyway, I looked into one of the guys she’d been talking to. A weird one. And had someone trace his IP. It came from that building. That’s how I found it. But by the time I got there, there was no sign of Lana. I think she was moved. And when I got there, I realized I’d just jumped into a situation full of people who weren’t human.”

“So you didn’t know about shifters until then. Odd that they didn’t kill you.”

“They needed human labor,” she said. “For less important tasks.”

“You think that’s why they captured Lana?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I was trying to stay undercover and just hear things. But no one seemed to know. I was hoping to work my way up the ranks, but it was slow going, and I was being harassed.”

“It’s never the kind of thing you can do alone,” Dom said. “It’s too bad Lana didn’t have any shifter friends. Shifters have enforcers to deal with this. Modern dragons, as I understand.” His expression grew darker. “I wonder how many other humans are slipping through the cracks.”

“That’s a horrible thought,” she said. “I guess that’s why people like you are here to help.”

He swallowed. “Right…” Then he stood. “Anyway, I’m going up to my room. See what I can see about her. I just need you to say her name, into my mind, and picture her face. Right now. Can you do that?”

She nodded and did.

He closed his eyes, his body tightening, and then sighed.

“Got it,” he said. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“Sure.”

He got to the door and then turned around, leaning on it. It creaked under his massive weight. “He loves you. He’s just coming to terms with it.”

She shrugged. “That’s not enough. And now he’ll never know if he truly wanted me or not.”

“I think he will,” Dom said. “It just takes the right circumstances. Sometimes even a diamond can be cracked with just the right pressure.”

She cocked her head, confused by that, but Dom was already gone.

Still, it looked like they were going to actually find Lana. That would have to be enough for now.

T
hat night
at dinner was awkward.

Bridget and Alistair were seated at opposite sides of the table, and the other dragons and their mates were trying to either make pleasant conversation or stay in complete silence so as not to set anyone off.

Bridget couldn’t even look at Alistair right now. Didn’t want to see his beautiful face and remember what he’d said. She still felt betrayed. She knew it wasn’t totally fair, but she was stuck in this, too, and she hadn’t said mean things to him. She hadn’t told him she didn’t want him.

Because that would be a lie.

She stabbed into her steak, wishing it was Alistair’s face, and then berated herself for her violent thoughts. Wanting to hurt him like he’d hurt her wouldn’t accomplish anything.

“So you two gonna work it out so Alistair can have his powers back?” Red asked, apparently the dense one of the group. His mate glared at him, but he didn’t notice. “I mean, if we’re going to rescue your friend, we could certainly use his powers.”

She shook her head. “Alistair hasn’t asked me. But if he does, he’ll have to accept my terms. A mating in name only.”

“A dragon can’t do that,” Luc said. “Seeing his mate with another man would kill him. Or make him kill someone.”

She shrugged. “He should have thought of that before he put the ring on me.”

“I didn’t know!” Alistair grated out.

She ignored him, tears biting at her eyes. No, she wouldn’t cry for him again. It wasn’t worth it. But it was just so humiliating being put in this situation.

“If you would just let me explain,” he said. “Instead of jumping to all the worst conclusions.”

“I didn’t jump to conclusions,” she said. “I heard you.”

“You didn’t hear my
thoughts
,” he retorted tersely.

“Well, excuse me for not being a
dragon
,” she hissed. They glared at each other until Hallie, Luc’s mate, cleared her throat.

“Um, it’s been a long day for both of you. And you’ve been in stressful situations since you escaped. Maybe it’s best if we all get some rest.”

But just then, Dom thundered into the room, hair askew, breathing as if he’d been running. He was leaning on the door. “I’ve found your friend. We have to hurry.”

Silverware clinked as it was dropped on plates.

Zach looked up. “What are you talking about?”

“While you guys were talking, I got the info on Lana—that’s her friend—from Bridget,” he said, gasping. “And I saw her. It happened so fast. Like lightning.”

“Where is she?” Alistair asked, the first to stand, tearing off his napkin.

“A castle north of here. We have to start flying.”

“Why?” Bridget asked, trembling. “What’s happening to her?”

“Nothing yet,” he said. “But it’s about to if we don’t save her.”

“What is it?” She walked over to him and grabbed the collar of his jacket, trying to shake him, unsuccessfully. Alistair pulled her back, but she jerked out of his hold. “What are they doing to my friend? Is she hurt?” She drew her nails over her face. Was she too late?

Why did she let herself get trapped at that castle for so long without getting information?

“You did what you could,” Alistair said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She left it there, too upset to fight him. He turned to Dom. “She’s okay for now, right? So what do we do?”

“We need to fly.”

The other dragons got up dutifully, hugging their mates, and then walked forward. When they’d all gathered, Dom looked at Bridget. “Her, too.”

Alistair let out a snarl. “No. No way in hell.”

“She needs to come, or Lana won’t trust us,” Dom explained. “She hates shifters after what she’s been through.”

“What has she been through?” Bridget asked, halfway hysterical.

“I just mean being captured and imprisoned. And pressured to mate. Though nothing has happened yet.”

“Of course I’m coming with you,” Bridget said. “Anything to help.”

“We’ll keep her safe.” Zach promised.

“I’ll keep her safe.” Alistair snarled, walking past them to head to the door. “She’s still mine after all. Don’t anyone forget it!” he shouted.

Zach looked over at the rest of the group in amusement. “He’s just full of mixed messages, isn’t he?”

Bridget pinched the bridge of her nose, praying for patience. Focusing in on Lana. “You have no idea.”

“Send the location to our thoughts,” Alistair called out to Dom. “You can lead the way.” He waited for Bridget to catch up and put his arm around her waist. “You’ll fly with me.”

“You don’t have your wings back,” Dom said flatly.

Alistair’s face went dark. “Right.”

Bridget stared at him. “All you have to do is agree to my conditions.”

“Never,” he said. “I’ll never say it’s okay for my mate to cheat on me.”

“It’s not cheating if it’s in name only,” she said, earning another scowl from him.

“We’ll work this out later,” he said. “Demoralizing as it may be, you can fly with Dom. I’ll go with Luc.”

She nodded, but Luc hesitated. “Are you sure you want to go? Without your powers…”

“I can still protect Bridget,” Alistair said. “That’s all that matters for now.”

“You know you’re sounding an awful lot like a mate,” Zach quipped.

“Shut up,” Alistair snapped. “I’m done talking about this. All I do is get myself in trouble. Let’s head out and help Lana.”

Bridget looked at him, unable to help feeling a tiny bit of hope. Maybe she shouldn’t take his words as hard as she had. Maybe there was more there and he just needed time. But no, she shouldn’t keep hoping for things like that. She shouldn’t live in a fantasy world, even if she were surrounded by dragons.

Right now, she would just focus on how excited she was to see Lana again.

* * *

W
hen they landed
on the lawn outside the castle where Lana was being held, Alistair was still pissed about how everything had gone with Bridget, but he forced himself to put those thoughts away and focus on their rescue mission.

After all, it was the promise he’d made to Bridget at the very beginning of all of this, when he’d given her the ring. And even if he hated how this had all happened, he still cared for her. He wanted to see her smile again, and hopefully, getting Lana back for her would do it.

Heck, maybe he was truly going soft, because he actually wanted Lana to be safe, just for Lana’s sake.

They were on the edge of the grounds, just inside the tree line where they could look at the castle and formulate a plan of attack without being seen.

He still hated that Bridget was here. She wasn’t a dragon, and who knew what they’d be facing inside? But she was looking brave, her hair pulled back, her face tight with determination, her cheeks rosy from the flight with Dom.

That was another thing he hated.
He
should be the only one flying with her.

He’d fix that as soon as he figured out how to win her over and get his powers back. Because as much as he was unsure about the whole mating situation and how it had happened, he was absolutely certain he would turn into a psychopath if forced to see Bridget with other men.

Regardless of how it happened, she was his mate. She belonged to him. That was that.

Dom focused, touching his temples with his middle fingers. Then he pointed to the top right tower. “She’s up there. There’s an entrance right at the base. We just have to take the stairs up to the second floor, cross to the other side, and find the stairs to her tower.”

“Okay,” Zach said. “Should be easy.”

“Just one problem,” Dom said. “About a hundred wyverns in there. They’re in the room for some kind of ritual. And there’s someone in there. Really powerful. Familiar somehow.”

Red sighed. “Okay, Dom, you’re going to go for the tower and Lana with Alistair and Bridget. Keep them safe. Think you can do that?”

Dom raised a dark eyebrow. “
I’m
not collared.”

“Right,” Red said. “Zach, you want to figure out who this mysterious person is, while Luc and I deal with the wyverns?”

“Fire and ice,” Zach teased. “Sounds good.”

“We all set?” Alistair asked. “Because Bridget is getting nervous.”

“We’re going to get her,” Dom said. “I’ve seen it. For some reason, she comes in so clear to me. And the visions are rapid. Something is different about her.”

All the dragons stared at him, but he just shook his head. “Let’s go.”

* * *

T
hey crossed quietly
over the grass and entered the castle, Red melting the lock on the ancient-looking door so they could get in.

They could hear the hissing of the wyverns and some cheering from the floor above them.

Someone was chanting.

Alistair felt a chill run over him as he followed the others up the staircase. When they got to the second floor, Red and Luc would head out to hold off wyverns, and he and Dom would have to try to get safely to Lana without Bridget getting hurt.

Alistair wouldn’t let anything happen to his mate. Now that he knew it was a fact, it didn’t bother his brain to say it. In fact, the more he got used to the idea, the more he liked it.

“Stay close,” Dom said. “We’re about to hit the second floor. The staircase was made of stone, musty and winding, and they peeked up as light from the doorway to the second floor reached them.

They felt eyes turn their way, and Red and Luc lunged out into the room, blocking the doorway. “Go! Now!” Red called out, and Alistair felt Bridget wince as a roar of flame lit up the room, accompanied by the shattering of ice crystals.

Alistair caught Bridget by the arm and pulled her with him, not wanting her to see the violence it was necessary for the dragons to unleash.

“They… were burning things, freezing things,” she mumbled.

“Shh,” he said. “We’re here for Lana, right? Focus on that.”

“What
is
a wyvern?” she asked.

“That’s what they were doing with Alistair’s blood,” Dom explained, slowing as they approached a door at the top of the tower. “Ugly creatures, inside and out.” Light shone through the crack at the bottom of the stone door above them, and they could hear voices.

A female one, which made Bridget rush forward. “Lana,” she hissed. “That’s her!”

And then another voice. A male one. Deep and threatening. Dom’s body tightened. “Stand back.”

“Who is it?” Alistair asked.

“I don’t know,” Dom said. “I suspect alpha wolf. Enhanced with something. But you two need to stay a safe distance away. I don’t like the sound of this.”

An angry, feminine scream pierced the air, even over the din of the shouts and the crackle of flame on the floor beneath them, and Dom rushed forward, ignoring them as he rammed the door with his giant shoulder, breaking it open.

“That’s Dom for you,” Alistair said, pinning Bridget against the wall, using his body as a shield against anything that could be coming.

“Get your hands off her,” Dom’s voice thundered, and Alistair wished he could see what was going on.

He heard crashing as someone was thrown across the room, a loud snarl, and then a gasp, presumably from Lana.

“Go help him,” Bridget said, biting her nails.

“I can’t,” he said. “I need to stay here with you.”

“There’s no one here,” she said. “I’ll hide in the corner.”

There was another scream, more crashing. “Dom?” Alistair called out. No answer. More scuffling. “Shit.”

“Should I come with you?” she asked.

“No,” he said. “I don’t know what’s in there.”

“You have to go help,” she said. “You have to.”

“I can’t,” he said. “You’re my first priority.”

“Because I’m your mate,” she said.

Because I love you,
he thought, his heart pounding out the truth of it as he watched her standing against the wall, feeling his intrinsic need to protect her. “Because I promised you.”

Her face fell, and he hated himself for the coward he was, still unable to admit he had feelings for someone. That he
needed
them.

More crashing upstairs. He looked over his shoulder. “You really want me to go?”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”