Chapter 6
Willow turned down a road, and Callie sighed in relief when she realized it was a long driveway.
“We’re almost there. The guys will know what to do…I hope.”
That wasn’t reassuring, though. She really couldn’t make things easier. She had no idea what it was like to be two parts of a whole. Because that’s what Willow had described. “I hope so, too.”
The SUV made its way slowly up the drive, which looked as though it had been recently plowed. She smiled, realizing they probably made it easier for her to come home. “They aren’t going to freak out about you having an unconscious dragon in the backseat, along with his human mate?”
Willow burst out laughing. “Oh, they are going to flip their shit, but what else was I supposed to do? Leave you guys to deal alone? Hell no. They’ll get over it. Besides, Aris is welcoming, although a bit leery of dragons from outside of the tribe.”
“Tribe?”
“Yeah, we’re all a tribe, with a king and queen. That’s the only hierarchy, though. I guess that could change in the future. We’re more than that, though. We’re all family, too. They accepted me pretty much without question.”
Callie wondered if it would work the same for Evander. Something told her that was unlikely.
She put the car in park and shoved the door open. Callie waited. As soon as Willow was out of the car, the front door of the house flew open, and a small boy ran out. She leaned forward, making sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Her brows rose.
He was blue!
He nearly tackled her to the ground as he wrapped his thin, blue arms around her. She hugged him back until she was pulled away by a tall, lanky man, who wrapped her up and kissed her.
The kiss was cut short, when he glanced up and noticed Callie in the car. He pulled back and pointed.
Well, now it was time to meet the dragons. She opened the door and stepped out, careful not to fall or move in a way that could be aggressive. She stepped away from the car and tried to smile, but failed.
“I’m Callie.”
Willow laughed and shoved the taller man. “She’s a mate, Zar. I’ve got a dragon in the backseat.”
The man frowned and strode over to the SUV without even slipping on the patches of ice that littered the ground. He yanked the door open and growled. “Who the fuck–”
Willow was next to him in a second laying her hand on his arm. “Careful, that’s her mate. He’s a transplant. Bev said his mind has been tampered with. Of course, she didn’t elaborate, but he’s pretty out of it.” She looked at Callie. “Right?”
“I don’t know much. I found him unconscious on the bench by the bus station. I was working across the street.”
The man scrubbed his hand over his head. “Just what we need. More fuckin’ sick dragons.”
“Dad!”
Callie’s attention was pulled back to the boy. That couldn’t be what dragons produced?
The boy’s eyes shot to hers, and his brows raised before he giggled. “You’re a funny human.”
Willow frowned at the boy. “Don’t read minds, Cai. It’s rude.”
“Sorry, Mom, but she might as well be screaming at me. Doesn’t know how you all could have made me.”
Then he bounded off, leaving Callie with a slack jaw. She must have looked hilarious because the man, who seemed utterly pissed smiled and shrugged.
“He’s kind of an adoptee.”
“I see. Not to be rude but–”
He held up his hand, stopping her question as if he knew what she was going to ask.
“First, I’m Zarin. Will’s mate. That was Cai. He’s a Halfling of a different type. But you don’t need to know anything else about me or my family until we make sure you weren’t sent from the Council. No offense, but you could be a ploy. They might have smartened up.”
“Council?”
“We can’t be too careful.”
“I understand. I’m sorry about being nosy. It’s just…well, you don’t see a boy like that every day.”
“Nah, it’s all good. But until we can trust you, don’t ask about personal shit.”
Callie nodded. She got that. “Okay, well, is there a way you can help him?” she asked, looking at Evander.
“I don’t know. Let’s get him inside.”
She didn’t argue as she moved to the other side of him, not fearing being close to him. He pulled Evander by the legs, and she helped guide him out, but instead of having to carry him the way she and Willow did, Zarin flipped him over his shoulder and laughed at her.
“What? It’s easier this way. No sense in taking the chance of you getting hurt when I’m more than capable of carrying him.”
She followed behind him and realized Willow was already gone. Probably preparing the rest of them that strangers were coming in. She wondered about this Council he spoke of with such distaste, but she’d follow his rules.
No questions.
At least not yet. She was good with that. Especially if they could help Evander. Maybe he’d find whatever it was he was searching for–not that he’d told her exactly what he was there for to begin with. And hopefully he wasn’t ‘sent from the Council.’ But there was an ache that shot between her eyes. She gasped and rubbed her forehead, easing the pain. A feeling of dread filled her gut. Something told her that things were going to go downhill, and fast.
***
Evander woke up to see several pairs of eyes staring at him. But there was one pair that stood out to him the most. They looked familiar, yet he couldn’t place it. The man frowned at him and narrowed white eyes. He was a Black Dragon and strong. He was the king.
“Aris, calm down,” a female said.
Evander tried to follow the sound, but all he could see was a very large stomach. She was with child. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent.
‘Our kin.’
Opening his eyes again, he looked up to see they were still watching him, each with different levels varying from curiosity to suspicion. When he tried to sit up, a cold hand shoved him back down.
“Don’t get up yet.”
Callie.
He cleared his throat to argue, but she pressed her hand harder and he relented. “Fine, I’ll stay down, but where are we, besides in a room full of dragons that don’t like me much?”
He didn’t care that they could all hear his conversation. There was no need to hide his nerves. A dragon didn’t go into another dragon’s territory without permission. And he learned the hard way how much a dominant dragon could make him hurt. But this is what he wanted. This was why the Council sent him here—to destroy the dragons in Stratham. It was his mission, but why did he feel like he belonged in this place, like he was safe for the first time in his life? It didn’t mesh well with what he’d learned through the years. He was a half-breed, after all. Wasn’t this where he belonged, instead of in a dank prison?
“Willow brought you,” a new male voice said, seeming to answer his unasked question.
“I see.”
He had no recollection of what happened. The only thing he knew was he was where he was supposed to be. Again, he went to sit up, slower this time, hoping to ease Callie’s mind. He raised up and looked around, realizing he was surrounded by eight dragons.
“Hello,” he said.
The big one–the one that radiated a power beacon–raised a brow. “Welcome to our home, Golden Dragon.”
His beast raised his head in acknowledgment, and Evander tilted his head to the side. It shocked him, but he didn’t stop the action.
The man raised and waved his hand. “Don’t bother. I don’t know you.”
His happiness faded. The king didn’t like him. He nodded and lowered his eyes, placing his hands in his lap, not sure what to do. He was in this strange place, and the only person he knew was his mate, whom he’d just met.
She seemed to sense his distress and laid her hand on his. He hadn’t even realized she was next to him, as he had been so focused on the reason why he’d been pulled to Stratham.
“So, what’s your story? Why are you here?” another asked.
The woman with red hair slapped him. “Be nice, Zarin. He’s going through the same thing you all have gone through.”
“Not me or Blane,” another dragon piped in.
Willow rolled her eyes. “I feel sorry for the woman, who gets saddled with you, Max,” she said with laughter.
He waved her off. “Psh, she’ll be the luckiest one yet.”
Max liked humor, Evander could tell. His hair was as black as night. He had that cocky look men got when they were overcompensating. That was a man that held many insecurities. It reminded him of himself. He was the same way, yet he didn’t show it.
The other one, Blane, had long, red braids and what looked like gray eyes that gave off a calmness about him. He looked at him in silence. He seemed to be listening. Evander wondered if he was gifted with mind reading, but then the other big guy smirked.
“Nope, that would be me,” he said.
There was too much for him to take in. Too many dragons. Too much power. His beasts paced and swirled around, trying to find solace but coming up empty. The other dragons didn’t like them–or trust him, rather.
“I think I need to leave.”
Callie patted his hand. “These are the people you’ve been looking for, right? Why do you want to leave now?”
She didn’t get it. He could feel all their distrust, suspicions, and aggression; they wouldn’t bother giving him a chance.
“Please….” He was starting to panic.
His mate nodded and stood up. “I guess we’ll be leaving.”
“How are you going to get to wherever it is you’re going?”
Callie shrugged. “He’s uncomfortable here, so I don’t care how, just that we are.”
He was shocked by how easy it was for her to take the lead. He liked that about her. It meant he didn’t always have to be strong. He could allow his mate to help. That’s what a partnership was about. Having her be strong, where he was weak and him strong, where she was weak.
The king held out his hands. “Wait a minute, now. It’s storming out there, and it’s not good to be out in this. You must understand, we haven’t had luck with random dragons showing up, and you’re Golden. That’s been our worst luck yet.”
“I understand, I didn’t come here to cause harm.” Liar.
“But we can’t know that for certain, can we? Your mind has been tampered with. Are you under someone’s spell?” Aris asked.
He sighed, unhappy with how close to correct the big man was. It made him even more uneasy. A part of him wanted to spill everything, but the black magic choked back the truth. “I guess not. But wouldn’t you be able to tell if I had bad intentions?” He needed to know just how powerful these dragons were before he decided how to proceed.
“We don’t know what happened to you. We don’t know anything besides what you tell us, and that is the problem. I will not endanger my family for a stranger. However, I don’t feel you have bad intentions.” He looked back at the one called Blane. “What are you getting?”
The man stood up from his slouched position and almost slithered toward him. It was so slow and perfect–like a snake–that Evander leaned back.
This one, he feared.
But the man kept closing in on him and laid his hand on his cheek. He would have jerked back, but then his eyes changed to the color of amethyst.
Evander gasped. “You’re a Purple Dragon?” He couldn’t keep the awe from his voice. He’d heard of them through the years, but he’d never met one. And then it hit him: this man would find the truth.
Blane caressed his cheek, but it wasn’t in a way that was romantic. It was a way to read him. Evander closed his eyes and tried to ensure no one saw the demon magic. They couldn’t know yet.
“You have been hurt a lot in your life. The magic is eating you up. But I don’t sense anything that shows you’re here for any kind of retribution. It’s like there is a block withholding your life from you.” He looked at his king, and Evander sighed. The Purple Dragon should have no problems sifting through and finding anything hidden–unless the one who caused the problem was stronger.
Evander’s fear skyrocketed. A bubble of energy moved through his veins faster than even the speed of light. Bursts of magic sparked at his fingers, and the next thing he knew, Blane flew across the room, knocking one of the others over before he fell to the ground with a loud thud. The room broke out in an uproar. Rage was the essence he sensed. They were a family, and he was an outsider on their territory. He was shoved down, and the others circled him. Tears fell from his eyes.
“I’m sorry. So sorry! I didn’t mean to.”
Callie shoved hands off him. “He didn’t touch him. He didn’t do anything purposely. Back the hell off.” She stood up in front of him, guarding him.
“He used his power–”
“No, he didn’t,” Blane said, cutting them off. “Telekinesis isn’t his power, but his emotions changed. Something he thought about increased his fear tenfold. That is what tossed me across the room like a rag doll. Whatever it is, he didn’t do it on purpose.”
He sighed in relief when Blane defended him, but the fear hadn’t dissipated. Callie still hovered over him. She was already acting like they’d completed the bond and as though she held a beast. It was amazing to see a human act so much like a dragon.
“It’s okay, love. They should protect themselves. I get it.”
She glared at them and brought her eyes to him. “Still, they shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I thought they were accepting, but they aren’t all that nice.”
He agreed, but he didn’t say it out loud. He felt worse here than he should have. He wondered if he was wrong about this tribe. Maybe it wasn’t home, after all. Maybe he only came to find his mate. “We can leave now. I think we have overstayed our welcome.” He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together before standing.
Two united.
He didn’t need a tribe. He had the only person in his life that would matter…until he had a child. That thought should have shocked him. He’d never thought of being a father before.
She smiled up at him, and he led the way out of the den. No one stopped them, and no one spoke to them. He shook his head, disappointed at how this whole thing turned out. But maybe it was better that way.