Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (27 page)

Garrek strolled into my office with his usual
arrogant swagger and seated himself across from where I sat behind
my desk. "Malachi has accepted your challenge, but I have to tell
you, we're all dying of curiosity. From the way he tells it, he
only wanted to have a little fun with one of your dancers. Perhaps
he should have asked her nicely to join him instead of planting the
idea in her head, but no harm was done. He even claims he had every
intention of drinking the vile of Oblivion himself and never
planned to feed it to her. I know he's an untrustworthy fiend but I
don't see why you would risk war over this incident, especially now
when the Oblivion debate is already threatening to destroy the
council."

I snorted in disgust. "We expected as much,
even though we know he's full of shit. Rook saw what his intentions
were, and had to reset time to prevent him from going through with
them." Garrek started to speak but I interrupted him with a shake
of my head. "I know, I know. We can't get him for a crime he didn't
commit in this timeline, but it doesn't matter what his intentions
were. He chose the wrong dancer to have fun. Entering her mind was
enough to earn him a death sentence. Hell, gently laying one finger
on that particular dancer would be enough for me to annihilate
him."

Garrek's brows drew together and he asked,
"What could possibly make a human dancer so special?"

"She's my mate Garrek," I growled, unable to
contain the anger I felt when I thought of what Malachi would have
done to her if not for Rook.

Utter shock registered on Garrek's face
before he smoothed out his expression. "How can you possibly know
that? Is the curse still intact?"

"Travali's spell was very strong, but it was
not strong enough to keep the dragon from sensing his mate. He's
been trying to break free since she arrived here at the resort and
last night he finally succeeded."

"The curse no longer binds you? The other
nightshifters?" Garrek inquired eagerly.

"The dragon is free, and looking forward to
making an appearance tonight in The Pit." I held my arm out and
watched as scales spread over my skin and claws replaced my
fingers, then I reversed the process as I said with a vicious
smile, "But that is something I'd like to keep a lid on for now, if
you don't mind. Serafina's mating mark was hidden when Malachi
assaulted her and the resort has been locked down since the
incident to prevent anyone from leaving the grounds while not
completely in control of themselves. Only the human guests have
been allowed to come and go or contact the outside world. Tonight
when the dragon comes out to play I want to look in Travali's eyes
and see his shock and his fear when he realizes he's lost the upper
hand."

Garrek smirked and inclined his head. "You
have my word. Once you're finished with the theatrics tonight we
should consider how this changes everything, politically speaking I
mean." Garrek's expression turned predatory and I did not like
where I thought he was going with this.

"Finding Serafina has changed everything for
me, but politically, nothing will change." Telling Garrek no was
never a good idea, but on this I could not bend.

"You know as well as I do that many shifter
groups have wanted to join The United Clans for some time. Their
fear of the curse was the only thing standing in their way. Once
word gets around that the spell is broken every shapeshifter in the
country and some from overseas will vow loyalty to you in return
for the safety and security The United Clans can provide. With an
army that size we could finally make Travali pay for his heinous
crimes." Garrek's eyes burned with his hatred for Travali, who was
responsible for the deaths of his parents and most of the royal
family from his home world Solaria.

"I will not go to war with Travali without
provocation. I want him dead as much as you, but open warfare could
get all of us killed. We cannot afford to draw that kind of
attention to ourselves. "I gave Garrek a hard look, letting him
know I meant what I said.

Garrek was less than pleased with my
response. I watched as he struggled to gain control of his anger.
His eyes glowed bright enough to burn, bright enough to turn me to
ash in a second. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few
moments. When he opened them again the storm had passed.

In a gravelly voice he said, "Perhaps Travali
will take care of the problem for us. After all, you're going to
slaughter his favorite boy toy tonight. That might be enough to
push him over the edge."

"Perhaps, but I'm showing Malachi far more
mercy than he deserves by ending his miserable life in The Pit
tonight. It would be much more satisfying to chain him up and spend
the next few centuries burning him to a crisp every time he
heals."

Garrek chuckled, "With thoughts like that
I'll get my war in no time." Garrek stood to leave. "I'll see you
tonight at The Pit. I'm looking forward to the show, and to meeting
your mate."

Garrek left and I remained in my chair to
contemplate my options. I would have to proceed carefully. What
Garrek said was true, after tonight, shapeshifters would be lining
up at our doors. Some of them would be seeking protection, strength
in numbers and all that. But some of them would be thinking along
the same lines as Garrek. Travali has many enemies and with the
return of the dragon, they would push for his demise. As much as I
agreed with them, I couldn't let my hatred blind me. If we made a
move on Travali he would have no problem drawing the humans into
the battle and that was something I could not allow to happen.
Unfortunately, I'm one of the few supernaturals who consider humans
a threat. I needed to be careful not to alienate my allies with my
refusal to strike against Travali.

Trying to focus on better things I swiveled
my chair to face the security monitors. Claire had insisted that I
not spy on Serafina while she's preparing for our wedding, but the
temptation to do so was too much for me withstand. I needed to see
her, if only for a moment. I grabbed the remote and pulled up the
cameras located in the backstage area of The Gateway. Instead of
seeing Serafina, I was presented with a note, written in my
Mother's elegant script that read, "She is as beautiful as you can
imagine, but that is all you will be doing until she walks onstage
to meet you at the altar."

I sighed. Sometimes having a psychic for a
mother could be very frustrating. Ignoring the dragon's urge to
stalk down to The Gateway and show Claire who's in charge, I
finished up the license paperwork then headed back to my apartment
to get ready for the night's events.

When I walked into the dressing room for The
Gateway I almost fainted. Standing next to Claire was my mother. So
much had happened in the short time we'd been apart but she still
looked the same, an older slightly grayed version of myself. I
hurried over and gave her a big hug not believing she was real
until I felt her in my arms. We were both crying and hugging each
other until she pulled away to give me the most authentic
disapproving scowl she could muster, which was ruined by the sheer
delight in her eyes. "How could you even consider getting married
without me?"

"I'm so sorry Mom; we only made the decision
today. I wanted you to be here but I didn't think there was any way
you could make it."

My mother looked confused. "But Claire called
me yesterday to tell me about the flight information."

We both looked at Claire who just shrugged
with a serene smile and said, "Call it a hunch."

We talked some more and Claire gave me a copy
of the vows I needed to learn before the ceremony. While I studied
the vows committing them to memory, Claire and my mother worked on
my hair, makeup and nails. When Claire and I had a moment alone I
asked her how we were going to explain all of the strange things I
was sure my mother would see. Claire told me that a little
strangeness was to be expected in a supernaturally themed resort
and anything that went beyond that explanation could be easily
erased with vampire mind control. I voiced my concerns about
tampering with my mother's brain but Claire assured me there would
be no ill effects as long as the manipulation was not ongoing or
long term.

After nearly two hours of preparing I stood
in front of a mirror examining myself. Claire had chosen an elegant
floor length, backless sheath gown with a deep V-neck, spaghetti
straps and diamond embellishments. The garnet satin hugged my
curves and when I removed Solomon's ring, an act that necessitated
my mother's first mind alteration, the open back framed the mating
mark nicely. My mother had not understood why the dress was red
instead of white, but I knew that the banners for the dragon clan
were garnet, gold and black. My hair was piled on my head in a
messy style with artfully arranged curls hanging down. On top of my
head a thick braid formed a circle and once Claire added garnets
and diamonds it resembled a crown. I wore the very old prophecy
bracelet and my mother provided me with a blue satin garter. My
dress was new and Claire let me borrow a stunning pair of garnet
earrings.

"You are so beautiful Serafina," my mother
gushed. "The red dress actually compliments your new tattoos. I was
skeptical at first, but now I can see you've made the right choice.
A white dress would have looked awful surrounding all that red and
black, especially with the way the tattoos seem to glow."

I was thinking that was probably why dragon
clan brides traditionally wore garnet instead of white when Claire
walked up behind me and said, "Everything is all set. We need to
get you in place so you can walk out onstage when Donovan calls for
you." She gave me an affectionate smile and I turned around to hug
her.

"Thank you for everything Claire. You have
made me feel very welcome here, just like part of the family." I
was on the verge of tears and didn't want to ruin my makeup.

"That's because you are part of the family
dear, you always have been. Now let's get moving before you miss
your cue." She smiled a brilliant smile that reminded me of her son
and we headed for backstage.

We arrived backstage just after Dragon strode
out to center stage. He was wearing a tailored tuxedo with a black
coat and pants, a white shirt and pocket silk, and a garnet vest
and tie. The crowd cheered his arrival for several minutes. When
they settled down Dragon waited for just a moment, then threw his
head back and roared with fire spouting out of his human mouth. He
was truly a magnificent sight to behold as he and his dragon
exulted in their freedom.

The crowd erupted again, only this time it
was the voices of their beasts joining their king in his
exclamation of triumph. Wolves howled, cats roared and hyenas
cackled. Wild energy vibrated around me. It crawled over my skin
like a low level of electricity making the hairs on my arms stand
on end. I'd never felt anything like it and could only guess it had
something to do with the magic the shapeshifters had unleashed.

When the pandemonium died down Dragon
bellowed, "That is the sound of freedom!"

The next time the noise quieted Dragon
addressed his clansmen in a calm clear voice but I could feel the
emotions swirling around inside of him - triumph, loss, love,
betrayal, hope. It felt like he was reliving every emotion he'd
felt since the first vampire attack that set all of this in
motion.

"Obviously we are all thrilled to have the
curse broken and feel the magic of our beasts burning in our souls
once again. Yet most of you are unaware of how this miracle
occurred. I would like to share that story with you now before the
festivities begin.

Centuries ago on the very night we were
cursed, a vision was sent through the ether to our Dragon Queen,
Claire. In this vision, known to us as the Phoenix Prophecy, Claire
saw the end of the curse and gave us hope that we would one day be
whole again. Over the many years between then and now, most of us
lost faith in her vision and gave up all hope of our beasts
awakening. But unlike me and scores of you, Claire never lost hope
and never stopped believing in her vision. And so she watched and
waited until the time was right for the prophecy to be
fulfilled.

Some of you have heard the rumors that I've
been spending quite a bit of time with a human woman who joined our
staff a short time ago. When that woman initially arrived here at
Myths and Legends, my first thought was to send her away. Then I
learned that Claire had invited her here and believed she was the
Phoenix we had been waiting for. I refused to accept this false
hope and asked Claire not to share her fairy tales with anyone
else."

The crowd was murmuring with people asking
each other where he was going with this story. Dragon's emotions
had started leaking into his voice and as he finished his speech it
was a deep growl that vibrated with triumph, pride, and joy.

"Yet I knew something was different about the
woman, something that my human half would have never known.
Thankfully, my dragon was strong enough to sense her even in his
sleep. The first time I met her eyes, my dragon recognized her. The
first time I made love to her, my dragon marked her. And the first
time I tasted her blood, my dragon broke free of his chains. There
can be no doubt who this woman is to me, or who this woman is to
all of us. She is my mate, she is the Phoenix the prophecy spoke
of, and she is the one who has saved us all."

When he finished speaking there were gasps
and sounds of shock followed by another round of thunderous
applause when what he said finally sank in.