Chapter Fourteen
Bryant
There were two things that Bryant clung to as he paced around the sparsely furnished room that was serving as his prison cell at the moment.
One was that no matter what happened from here on out, Esther was safe. There was no way that Dunn would be able to tear through all the Guard to get to her, especially since Virdi assured him that she was spending most of her time with Dominique. Since she and Thunder were the most heavily guarded, that meant that Esther was surrounded by dragons who would die to protect her.
The second was that Virdi, and the others, believed him when he said he hadn’t killed anybody. Esther had backed him up, and they were searching for Dunn to arrest him now. It was only a matter of time before he was brought to justice. The dragons that had been murdered weren’t any of Bryant’s friends, but they were colleagues and brothers-in-arms and he wanted nothing more than to tear Dunn apart for what he had done to them.
The day after being arrested, a couple of guards brought Bryant out of his cell and took him before Virdi. The Emperor’s Father was much calmer now than he had been when Bryant was first brought to him. Bryant himself was calmer, too, more willing to accept whatever punishment that was decided. At least he knew he wasn’t going to be convicted of something he hadn’t done.
“Dominique spoke with Esther,” he said as he gestured for Bryant to sit. “She says that you were planning to release your captives before they escaped. After some discussion with Dominique, I’ve decided that the continuation of this… event will be left up to your victims.”
Bryant winced at the term. It was accurate enough, he supposed, but calling them victims felt so wrong. Like he had done some unspeakable crime…. Again, which was true in a certain light. He had been immensely stupid and he wasn’t certain how he was going to make it up to them.
He nodded, though. “That’s only fair. Do I get the chance to explain myself to them?”
Virdi gestured at the guard, who stepped out. Moments later, Shane and Kayla entered. Bryant got to his feet, which was met with a snarl from Shane, but otherwise the other dragon looked calm enough. Kayla scowled at him, but the scowl quickly melted into a smirk as she looked him up and down. She poked Shane in the side and waggled her brows at him, which made the dragon scowl. Bryant glanced between the two of them, uncertain what was going on.
“Thank you for seeing me,” he started uncertainly. “I know that what I did was wrong and frightening. Please believe me when I say I honestly didn’t see another way at that time. I didn’t mean to hurt either of you, and I certainly didn’t want to cause you distress. I know that I did,” he quickly added. “And I am very sorry for that.”
“Okay, fine. So, you panicked and freaked out.” Kayla folded her arms, the scowl returning. “Does that mean that we should just forgive you?”
What was with this girl? Scowling then smirking then scowling again. She needed to make up her mind as to what she was feeling. Bryant tried to keep his thoughts off his face, knowing that further antagonizing her was a very poor idea. He contemplated the question for a moment before he shrugged. He had apologized and there wasn’t really anything else he could do about it.
“In all honesty, I wouldn’t have locked you up if you hadn’t learned about Thunder. Yes, I panicked but it was as much fear for the Emperor as anything else.”
Shane nodded at that. “I can understand that.”
Kayla whirled on him. “What?”
“He was acting in defense of his people. I can understand it. Especially considering that he had been attacked twice in such a short time.” Shane viewed him for a moment before smiling slightly. “You remind me of my younger brother. I accept your apology.”
“But he kidnapped us!”
Shane shrugged. “What would you do to protect the people you cared about? What would you do for your country? As misplaced as his actions were, he was defending his people. I can’t condemn a man for that, although Virdi, you might want to provide your Guard with more training.”
Bryant smirked as he nodded in agreement. Perhaps more training was needed.
“Well, I don’t accept it,” Kayla declared. She folded her arms and stuck her nose into the air. “Especially not after what he did to Esther. She’s been in tears, utterly desolate. I’m not going to forgive a man who’ll use a woman like that and just toss her aside like she’s an old, worn-out shoe.”
Use her? In tears? Bryant jumped to his feet as anxiety rushed through him. Every instinct told him to fight his way out of this room and find Esther, his mate, his love. Find her, comfort her, make sure that she wasn’t crying anymore. Blood pounded in his ears as he stepped for the door but he stopped himself.
Be smart, he scolded himself.
“Where is she? Is she hurt?”
“Only as far as you’ve hurt her.”
“I need to talk to her.” He stepped towards the door again. After their talk and the time they spent together in the forest, he thought that they were on the same page. That they were in love and that she was going to work at their marriage, just like he was going to. He took another step, heart pounding. His fires leaped and flickered, smoke tasting in his mouth. “I didn’t use her, I didn’t… I need to talk to her.”
To his surprise, Kayla suddenly laughed. She clapped her hands and bounced on the spot, a gleeful look on her face. He stared at her, once more completely befuddled with her. She looked… triumphant. His hands curled into fists and he sucked in a deep breath and breathed out a lungful of smoke as he attempted to calm his roaring fires.
“Okay, I’m convinced. And I’m glad, too. Because Esther deserves someone who loves her.”
“Wait…” Bryant’s brow creased. “You’re saying that you were, what, testing me?”
Kayla nodded, smiling in a self-satisfied way. “Yup. I needed to make sure that you really loved her the way she loves you. And that you didn’t just marry her while she was drunk and seduce her as a prisoner because you could.”
“What?” Virdi’s roar let loose a deep cloud of smoke, and his mouth glowed with a red light.
Shane instantly seized Kayla and shoved her behind him protectively. He rolled to the balls of his feet and eyed Virdi warily. Bryant, for his part, stayed where he was but his fires flickered higher in response to the threat. Virdi leaned on his desk eyes closed, smoke leaking through the corners of his mouth. Eventually, he straightened again and pointed at the door.
“Get out. All of you. I have to talk to Bryant Chandler alone.” His eyes were narrowed to furious slits as he glared at Bryant.
Virdi waited until the others were gone and the door was closed before he strode around the desk. “Is that true? Did you marry Esther?”
Hadn’t he already known? From Virdi’s anger, it was clear that he hadn’t, but that itself was surprising to Bryant. It was clear that Esther had told Dominique and Kayla. So what reason did Dominique have for holding back that bit of information from her mate? Maybe she was giving him time to tell Virdi himself. A gesture that he appreciated if that was the case.
“Yes.”
Virdi lowered his head for a moment. “Why?”
“Honestly?” Bryant shrugged. “I was drunk and I don’t really remember what I was thinking.”
“Drunk.”
Bryant nodded. “I know that my actions have been less than well-thought-out. I’ve been acting irrationally and not thinking things through. With that in mind, it’s best that I be removed from the Guard. Or has the paperwork already gone through?”
Virdi shook his head and threw his hands in the air. “I was waiting. To see if there was a way that I could keep you on. I thought that you were one of the best men I had. I thought… but if you go and marry women that you’ve just met while your drunk, you’re not the man I thought you were.”
There was heavy disappointment in Virdi’s eyes, but Bryant said nothing. Maybe it was a drunken choice but he wasn’t going to say that Esther was a mistake. Nothing with her was a mistake. Except for locking her up, that was. Everything else was perfect.
“Why didn’t you come to me when you first married her? We could have annulled the marriage and found a way for you to keep your position.”
“At the time I thought it was better for me to figure it out on my own. But now I realize it’s because I didn’t want it annulled. I love her.”
Virdi’s eyes widened.
“I never thought that I could find another mate. I thought that there was only one for us. That I had my chance and I was never going to find happiness or love again. But Esther… she makes me want to continue. To be a better man, a better dragon.” Bryant smiled slightly, thinking of his beautiful human with her dorky glasses and charming smile. “The Guard was my life. I had nothing else. I was drifting until I found her. But now… Now I see all the possibilities the world has to offer. I want to follow her to the ends of the Earth and dig in dirt and mud and find things that I can’t understand but that will make her happy.”
A soft smile spread over Virdi’s face as the anger melted away. “I’ve always said that we dragons are too caught up in tradition.”
Did that mean he was going to still be part of the Guard? Bryant didn’t dare voice his sudden hopes. Yes, he would gladly follow Esther anywhere she went and he wanted to be with her more than anything else. But if there was a way he could have her and still be in the Guard, then that would be the best.
Virdi circled his desk again and sank into the chair behind it. “If it was just the kidnappings, I might have been able to justify it. But considering this new information, I have no choice but to remove you from the Guard.”
“Of course.” He tried not to let the bitter disappointment fill him. “I understand that, but Dunn is still a danger and—"
“A danger I will take care of.”
The two men stared at each other. Bryant couldn’t make himself back down. A clock ticked off the seconds as they passed. The smell of smoke was still heavy in the air, but his own fires were back under control. Perhaps a little , but there was no danger in his accidentally releasing them. Which was a good thing, since this study was full of paper and wood and other flammable materials.
“With due respect,” Bryant started slowly, “Dunn went after me. He targeted you and Esther and the others because of me. He wants to kill me and—”
Virdi lifted his hand. The silent order rankled Bryant, but he closed his mouth.
“I understand,” Virdi said. “Now I need you to understand. You have been compromised. You’re too close to the issue. Dunn knows about Thunder but it’s no longer your job to protect him.”
“Virdi—”
“There is nothing more to discuss.” Virdi glanced at a few papers on his desk and shook his head. “I’ll put through the paperwork for you to voluntarily withdraw from the Guard. Then you are still eligible for your severance package. I will discuss with Kayla and Shane what punishments they want for you kidnapping and imprisoning them, but I’m certain that I can talk them into a light sentence as long as you keep your head down.”
“Right.” Bryant slumped back in his chair. So that was it. He was no longer part of the guard and now he wasn’t permitted to be a part of protecting his people from Dunn anymore. Even though he knew the dragon better than anybody else on the Guard did.
Virdi paused a moment. He looked so exhausted that Bryant felt sorry for him. “Dominique and I have been discussing making Thunder’s identity known soon. We don’t want to, but given these events, it might be best for his protection. Let the clans offer their support.”
Bryant lowered his eyes. If they did do that, it would erase any chances the boy had at a normal childhood. And it would be his fault. He ran a hand through his hair. “Tell me how to make this right.”
“I don’t think you can. Now go on. I’m certain your mate will want to see you.”