Isaak
I believe in you.
Josie’s voice was clear in his head as Isaak stepped forward to confront Bain where he sat atop his dragon. He knew she hadn’t spoken the words aloud, but he knew it had been her who had sent them to him. His connection to her had only seemed to grow since last night, and he felt it now almost as if it were a tangible thing, stretching between them like a length of rope.
And I know it is unbreakable.
No matter what would happen here, his connection with Josie was forever. Somehow, instinctively, he knew it.
And he knew that he would protect her until his very last breath.
She is our mate, his dragon said, green eyes glowing. We will always defend her from anyone who might try to do her harm.
Isaak clenched his fists by his sides as he looked out to the jagged cliff edge.
The dragon, a massive black shape, clung to the boulders and rocks with its enormous, hooked claws. Isaak could see the ripples of heat in the air around its mouth, and realized the stories of fire-breathing dragons must be true.
He had learned that regular fire had no effect upon him. But could the same be said for a dragon’s fire?
“Bain,” Isaak called as he emerged from the villa’s wide doors and onto the terrace. He opened his arms, his hands laid out flat in a gesture of peace. “I don’t want to fight you.”
Bain’s sneer curled even more harshly across his face. “A dragon who doesn’t want to fight? You’ve got to be joking.”
Isaak didn’t move. He kept his hands where they were. “It’s true. I know what you said about being a dragon hunter. But I want you to know I’ve done no one any harm. In fact, I didn’t even know I was a dragon until last night.”
Doubt crept across Bain’s face, his smarmy smile faltering.
“What?”
Isaak nodded. “It’s true, I swear it.”
Bain’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you. Don’t lie to me – you’ll only make this worse for yourself.” He patted his dragon’s side. “Magnus here is a trained fighter. Come quietly, and I might even tell him to go easy on you.”
Sucking in a breath, Isaak wondered if there was even any point in talking to Bain. It certainly didn’t seem like he was willing to listen to anything he might have to say – but then again, what other choice did he have?
Let me free.
The beast – the dragon – within him suddenly spoke up, its voice full of rage. Let me free, and we will show him what happens to people who threaten our mates!
“But then again, maybe not,” Bain said, his tone musing. “You’ve hidden here long enough, dragon, but none of your kind can escape us. Perhaps it would be better if I made an example of you.”
Tension corded through Isaak. He could see in Bain’s eyes that he had never intended to be reasonable in the first place – he had always intended to attack him, right from the start.
The only option he had was to fight.
But... how can I fight a dragon? And more importantly, how can I keep Josie safe?
The first thing he had to do was to get her out of here, he realized. She had to get to the dock, signal one of the fishing boats, and have the pilot take her to the mainland... and he had to hope that Bain wouldn’t follow her.
In other words, he had to keep Bain focused on him.
Josie, he thought desperately, Josie, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I want you to get to the dock. There’s a signaling light there. You can call a boat to –
While he had hoped that his desperate attempt at telepathy was reaching Josie, it still came as a surprise to hear her answering voice.
No! No, I won’t leave you! How can you even think that I’d –
“Now, now, none of that.” Bain’s cruel voice cut her off. “Don’t think I can’t hear what you’re saying to each other.”
Isaak almost started in surprise. He’d assumed that his sudden ability to hear Josie’s thoughts was entirely to do with them being mates. How was it that Bain could apparently intercept them?
“There’ll be no running for either of you,” Bain snarled. “I will deal with you. Both of you.”
With that, he gave a sudden, vicious tug on the reins of his dragon, jerking its head around. The dragon let out a low, angry grunt, but it complied, swinging its heavy body up and bringing its tail sweeping up over the side of the cliff.
“Josie!”
Isaak spun around and began dashing back toward where Josie stood, eyes wide, motionless with fear. The dragon’s tail whipped through the air, before suddenly crashing down again, smashing the stone steps at the side of the villa that led down to the dock.
Powdered rock flew through the air, and Isaak could feel it raining down on his shoulders and the back of his neck as he threw his body over Josie’s, wrapping his arms around her, shielding her. He could feel the thick dust particles enter his mouth and throat as he breathed, and he coughed, his lungs burning.
“There’ll be no running that way,” Bain smirked, surveying the destruction he had wrought. Blinking the dust from his streaming eyes, Isaak could see he was right – the staircase was utterly destroyed. Without it, there was only a ragged drop down the side of the mountain.
Their only option now was to go through the side of the house, out into the garden, and into the forest that covered the rest of the island.
But, as Isaak knew well – and Josie had discovered – the forest was not exactly a safe haven. The trees were thick and it would be difficult for anything the size of a dragon to move freely amongst them, but it was filled with treacherous ravines and sudden drops, uneven ground and difficult terrain. A dragon would have difficulty moving in it, but so would a human. One false step could see either of them tumbling down onto the unforgiving rocks below.
But what other choice did they have?
You could let me free. The dragon within him spoke up again, practically rearing up on its hind legs in its rage. Let me out! Let me fight!
I don’t know how, Isaak said to it, as he clenched his arm around Josie’s shoulder, urging her forward. The dust cloud created by the destruction of the stairs was still heavy in the air, but he knew his way through the house by heart.
We have to get to the forest, he sent to her. You can hide there, but you’ll need to be careful.
Okay, Josie responded. But you’re coming with me.
Isaak pressed his lips together, unsure of how to respond. For Josie to be safe, Bain had to be concentrating on him.
“It’s pointless to run!” Bain’s mocking voice sounded, and suddenly Isaak felt a surge of pressure from behind him, like a sudden gust of wind pressing against his back.
He knew what had happened without having to turn his head to look – but he couldn’t stop himself all the same.
Sure enough, Bain had urged his dragon to flight, and now it lifted into the sky above the villa, its wings beating rhythmically as it rose into the air.
Gritting his teeth, Isaak grabbed Josie’s hand, pulling her along with him as he ran for the forest. They were so close, the trees were just there, and then she would have at least a small amount of shelter and places to hide while he –
Whoomp.
Isaak felt the ground shudder as the dragon landed only a short distance away from them, its front legs on the ground, back legs gripping the marble of the terrace, which crumbled as if it were nothing more than pastry.
The dragon snapped its jaws, teeth shining in the morning sunlight, as Bain began to urge it forward.
“Josie, Josie, you have to go –” Isaak muttered, glancing down at her. She was pale, her dark eyes filled with fear – but he could still recognize the determined set of her mouth.
“Isaak, I –”
“We don’t have time to argue,” Isaak said, gripping her hand. “Just, quickly – !”
Before Josie had time to respond, he pulled her forward, lifting her over the low garden wall and into the edge of the forest. She ran into the trees, at last reaching their shelter, before suddenly realizing that he was not following after her.
Isaak!
Her scared voice was like a bell in his mind, but he had to ignore it. It tore at his heart to do it, but there was no other way. He turned, clenching his fists by his sides.
“It’s me you want, Bain,” he called out, staring up at where the other man sat on the dragon’s back. “Leave her be.”
“No, Isaak, please don’t do this –” Josie’s anguished cry tore through his chest like a knife.
I’m sorry, Josie.
What else could he do? He couldn’t fight the massive beast before him. They had both seen what short work its claws and tail had made of the solid stone and marble of the stairs and terrace. It was obvious they would tear through flesh as if it were nothing more than tissue paper.
“Ha!” Bain’s laugh was loud. “Are you really willing to throw your life away for the woman, without putting up so much as a fight? Pathetic.”
Isaak set his jaw. He would not let Bain goad him. He only wanted his agreement to let Josie go.
Bain tugged at the reins, and the dragon lowered its head, slowly swinging it down until it was almost level with Isaak. From this distance, Isaak could feel the heat that rose from the dragon’s mouth – feel it crackling against his skin, the hairs on his arms shriveling beneath it, where the fire of the night before had left it totally undamaged.
Clearly, a dragon’s fire was the only kind that could burn him.
But still, he kept his eyes focused on Bain’s face.
I will come quietly, if you let her go.
He watched as Bain’s face clouded in confusion. He clearly did not quite trust what he was hearing. He looked almost as if he was waiting for a trick of some kind.
“Why won’t you transform?” he asked, eyes narrowing. “Are you afraid to fight me?”
Isaak’s breath caught in his throat.
Transform?
Obviously, it was possible. He had worked out the second he had seen the dragon on the cliffside that it was the man Bain had called Magnus. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but to him, it seemed obvious.
Magnus could shift between his forms, from man to dragon and back again – and it seemed that Bain had been expecting Isaak to do the same.
“I can’t,” he said, deciding that the only thing to do would be to tell the truth. What was the point of doing otherwise? “It’s like I told you, Bain – I only found out I was a dragon last night. I don’t know how to transform, as you put it.”
“And I told you, I don’t buy your bullshit,” Bain sneered. “How could you not have known? You have your mate – and she’s wearing part of your hoard. You mean to tell me that’s all some kind of coincidence?”
My... my hoard?
Realization hit him suddenly.
The ring.
The ring Josie said her grandmother had given her.
But... that’s her ring. I had nothing to do with it.
True, Josie hadn’t known its true value until he had told her, but the fact remained that he hadn’t given it to her. The ring belonged to her, and it always had.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Isaak said. “The ring is hers – it’s not part of my hoard. I don’t have a hoard.”
Bain frowned. It was clear that something Isaak had said was making him think.
“You really can’t transform?”
Isaak shook his head. “No. I swear it. I’m no danger to you.”
A look of deep concentration settled over Bain’s face.
Isaak felt unease growing within his chest as he watched him. He was clearly thinking about something, and Isaak hoped against hope Bain would realize that what he had said was true. Somehow, he doubted it.
“Well, well, well,” Bain said, a smile slowly creeping across his lips. “A dragon who can’t shift. This must be my lucky day.”
Isaak felt his blood run cold.
Josie, he sent to her. Josie, you’ve got to run, got to get out of here –
He didn’t have time to finish the thought. In the next moment, the dragon’s massive, clawed forepaw had slammed into him, knocking the breath from his body.
“Isaak!” he heard Josie scream, before he felt a cruel pain around his chest.
He realized that far from knocking him down, the dragon had curled its talons around him, squeezing him tightly, and forcing the oxygen from his body.
Pain lanced through him and he tried to struggle, but he was no match for the dragon’s strength.
Let me free! The dragon within him was wild, twisting and turning, its eyes glowing, smoke rising in coils from its mouth. Let me free!
Isaak gasped for breath, trying desperately to reach for the dragon within him. It demanded to be let free, frantically scrabbling against the walls of his mind, but he had no idea how to turn it loose.
Tell me what you want me to do, he told it desperately. How can I free you?
Focus on me, the dragon said, its tail whipping through the air. Find me. Become me.
“A dragon who can’t fight back,” Bane mused, as he swung his leg over his mount’s back, before making his sauntering way down its shoulder. He came to stand on the dragon’s forearm, only feet away from where its clawed foot held Isaak in its grasp. “This is a very... unusual situation. Usually capturing a dragon takes years of training, years of honing a very specific set of skills... and even then, most people who try end up dead. Collaring a dragon is only for the best of the best, after all.”
Collaring?
As Isaak’s chest burned with the need to breathe, he recalled the black metallic band that had run around Magnus’s throat the night before. There had been something strange about the way he had moved, too, as if he wasn’t moving under his own power, but rather, was being forced to do it by something other than himself...
“Having two collared dragons would put me in an unrivalled position,” Bain said, his smile growing crueler as he approached. “I would be twice as powerful as every other hunter in my coven.”
Isaak grimaced as the dragon’s claws seemed to draw even tighter around his chest. Even struggling was hard – and breaking free was impossible.
Bain’s eyes ranged over him assessingly. “A decent specimen. If what you say about never having transformed before is true, it’s possible you’ll need some extra training in flying and fighting. But that would be a small price to pay.”
Bain’s hand went to a pocket at his hip, and Isaak watched as he withdrew a long, black coil of metal, iridescent in the sun. He recognized it at once as the same type of collar he’d seen around Magnus’s neck the night before – and he knew immediately what Bain intended to do with it.
He’d been right that there was something odd about the way Magnus moved, then: the strange jerk of his limbs, the unwilling way he had seemed to carry out Bain’s orders.
He wasn’t here by choice – he was here because the collar around his neck held some kind of power over him. A power that was controlled by Bain.
No – no –
Isaak struggled against the dragon’s iron grip, his lungs heaving for air. He wouldn’t allow himself to be captured by Bain. Who knew what he would make him do, once he was under his power?
But Bain came closer, the metal collar shining in his hands, a terrible smile on his face.
“Hey! Hey, asshole!”
Bain’s head whipped around at the sound of the voice from the ground, a moment before a piece of rock smacked into the side of his face.
“Ugh!”
He stumbled, fumbling with the collar as he raised a hand to his cheekbone. When he removed it, his finger shone with blood.
His face contorting with fury, he looked down to the ground. Isaak followed his gaze, and felt an ice-cold shiver run down his spine as he saw Josie standing defiantly below, chunks of the wrecked terrace in her hands.
As he watched, she wound her arm back before hurling another sizeable piece up at Bain.
“OW!”
Josie had amazing aim and a surprisingly good throwing arm, because this piece hit Bain square on the neck, followed by another piece that grazed his forehead.
“Shit,” Bain muttered as he raised a hand to defend himself from Josie’s onslaught. “Enough of this!”
His lifted his hand, clicking his fingers.
At once, Magnus’s head moved. Isaak felt a sudden increase in heat, and then a stream of flame suddenly spewed forth from Magnus’s mouth, streaming down onto the ground below.
“Josie! Josie – no – !”
Isaak wasn’t sure if he’d shouted the words aloud or had simply called out to her with his mind.
Either way, he could feel Josie’s sudden fear, the juddering of her heart as she leaped out of the way of the flames.
Anger surged through Isaak, like a wild, out of control flame.
He tried to kill her. He tried to kill our mate.
The anger seemed to explode through his chest, rage tearing at him, growing by the moment.
Kill him – kill the one who harmed our mate!
Isaak found suddenly that breathing was coming a lot more easily to him. It was as if his chest had expanded, unable in his small human form to contain all the rage he felt that someone had dared to lift a finger to hurt Josie.
Power whipped through his veins, throbbing in his chest, his limbs feeling as if nothing on earth could constrain them...
A strange sensation overtook Isaak’s body, as if he was expanding, growing more powerful, shedding the limitations of his human form. He felt wings unfurling from his back, claws sprouting from his fingers, his teeth becoming long, sharp and deadly.
The next time he opened his mouth, it wasn’t to shout, but to let out the roar of an enraged dragon.