Holly
When Holly first struggled back into consciousness, the first thing she was aware of was that it was cold.
The second was that she was still wearing the now-filthy bedsheet she’d wrapped around herself when she’d gotten out of bed this morning. Back when she’d first woken up and found herself alone, and thought that Stefan had gone.
Stefan. Stefan!
The memory jerked her into full consciousness once more. Sitting up, her head spinning, Holly looked around frantically.
Where is he? And where am I?!
Stefan was nowhere in sight. Holly’s heart hammered against her ribs as she remembered that the last she had seen of him was as he shot up through the canopy of the forest to continue his fight with the dragon that had attacked him.
Raising her hands, Holly pressed her fingers to her temples, willing herself to remember.
He had told her to hide, so she had found a deep space between a fallen log and a dip in the earth, and had eased herself into it, curling up amongst the shrubs and ferns. She hadn’t been able to see or hear anything from down there – at least, until she’d heard the thump! of a dragon descending to earth somewhere nearby.
At first, she’d thought it was Stefan. Who else could it have been? She had no fear that he would defeat the other dragon.
But just as she was about to crawl out of her hiding space, some sixth sense had told her to stay where she was. Creeping forward on her hands and knees, she’d instead peeped out of a gap between the fallen log and the ground, trying to see what was happening.
She hadn’t been able to hold back a gasp at what she’d seen. A large dragon was standing not too far away – but instead of Stefan’s shimmering red scales, this one had been golden and green, just like the one that had attacked them. It had been glancing around, its nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air. Suddenly, hysterically, Holly had been reminded of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.
She had stayed where she was, as still as any of the trees and plants that surrounded her, too frightened even to breathe.
Where is Stefan?
Closing her eyes, Holly remembered the feeling of fear that had clawed at her throat. Had this dragon come to help the first one, and together they had finished him off?
Her fragmented memories now came back to her in a rush. She had tried to stay hidden, but the dragon clearly knew she was there. It had put its nose to the ground, sniffing this way and that. Hunting. For her.
Fear had made her breath shaky, and she’d silently called out to Stefan through their bond.
Please! Please help me!
But it had done no good.
I know you’re there. The sound of the other dragon’s voice in her head had given her a shock. She had thought that perhaps this was something only mates could do – but no. Clearly, all dragons possessed this ability.
It had disgusted her to feel him there in her mind, and it had taken all of her willpower to stay still.
There’s no point in hiding. I’ll find you eventually. You can make this painless, if you choose to.
Holly had hugged herself, biting her lip. Where was Stefan?
Ahhh – Stefan. Stefan Novak.
Clearly, this other dragon had heard her thoughts, his voice sliding like oil over her mind. It made Holly want to vomit.
He’s been taken care of. You may as well not bother waiting for him. He won’t be back.
Holly had gasped then, unable to keep silent.
No. NO. It can’t be true.
She would have felt it if he were dead. She might have been completely new to dragons’ psychic abilities and the mated bond they shared, but she knew instinctively that she’d be able to tell if he had died.
But apparently, her burst of strong emotion had given the other dragon what he’d been waiting for. He turned his head on its long neck, his bright red eyes locking onto hers, as if there was nothing between them at all.
Ahh. Found you.
Holly had been too shocked to scream. All at once, the dragon had shifted, green scales melting away and becoming normal human skin. His build was muscular, though he wasn’t quite as large as Stefan, and his blond hair fell down to his shoulders. Now moving easily between the tree trunks, he’d vaulted over the log she was hiding behind and stood smiling down at her, a look of utter malevolence in his eyes.
“Did you really think you could hide from us?” he’d asked her, voice smug. “Did you really think we wouldn’t find you?”
Holly hadn’t known what to say. Fear had stopped her from being able to say or think anything at all.
As she’d stared up at him, the blond man had furrowed his brow as if in deep concentration – and then everything had gone black.
And now, I’m here, she thought, looking around her. Wherever here is.
Tucking the bedsheet a little tighter between her breasts, Holly looked shakily around her. She was surrounded by complete darkness. Her hand as she reached out to grope blindly in front of her was only faintly visible.
Feeling panic rising up inside her, Holly willed herself to calm down and just breathe.
Think, Holly. Stay sharp. You’re not going to achieve anything by panicking.
She just wished it was as easy as that.
Her knees shook as she tried to stand up. To her surprise, she realized she wasn’t chained to anything, or restrained in any way. But then again, when your captors could turn into dragons, she supposed things like that simply weren’t necessary.
I’m going to have to have a long talk with Stefan about all this, she thought to herself as she felt blindly along the floor, searching for some clue as to where she was.
If he’s still alive.
The thought sent a cold shiver down her spine. But when she looked inside herself, she found her connection to him still beating steadily with her heart. Fainter than it had been, but still there.
He can’t be dead. I just don’t believe it.
And if he wasn’t dead, then she knew he would come for her.
But just now, Holly couldn’t tell if she found that thought more hopeful or horrifying. It was clear to her that she was being used as bait of some kind to lure him here, for some reason. Maybe she had been Plan B if their attack hadn’t worked. Stefan had been beating the dragon that had attacked them handily when he’d dropped her off, so that seemed likely.
If he came for her, would he have to fight? She had no doubt about it. But what if the other dragons – the Lukich Clan, Stefan had called them – refused to give her up? What if they insisted that he exchange himself for her?
Holly had no doubt he’d sacrifice himself for her in a heartbeat. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. The way Stefan had spoken of the Lukich Clan had chilled her – they were clearly evil. And determined to see this blood feud through to the bitter end.
“You’re awake!”
A muffled voice to her left nearly made Holly jump out of her skin.
Blinking in the darkness and turning her head wildly first one way and then the other did nothing. She still couldn’t see a thing.
“Oh – I forgot. Humans can’t see in the dark. Here, let me help.”
Holly waited, scarcely daring to breathe, until she heard the soft snap! of clicking fingers. Just like before when she’d been with Stefan in the cave, a flare of bright fire cast a sudden glow, before settling into a low, steady flame.
“Can you see me now? I’m over here!”
Licking her lips, Holly nervously moved toward the source of the light. She wasn’t sure what to think: on the one hand, she didn’t think she should necessarily be making friends right now. On the other, the voice was warm, kindly – and clearly that of a fairly young girl.
But still…
She didn’t know anything about dragons. Maybe this was some kind of weird trick.
Cautiously, Holly leaned forward… and found herself peering through a small hole in a wall, straight at a pair of large, gray-green eyes, half-obscured by a tousle of bedraggled black hair. Sucking in a quick breath, she sat back on her ass in surprise.
“Don’t be frightened – I promise I’m not going to hurt you! I’m stuck here too.”
Holly waited for her heart to stop thumping before she moved again, crawling slowly toward the hole. The orange light flickered as the person on the other side of the wall moved slightly.
“Are… are you a dragon too?” Holly asked, though she realized as soon as she said it that it was a stupid question. Of course the girl was – she’d done the same trick with the flame as Stefan had, after all.
“Yes. But I’m not a Lukich. That I can promise you.” The girl’s voice was vehement. Holly could hear the hatred in it. “I’m a Novak.”
For a moment, Holly wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. “A… a Novak? But…” Stefan had told her that there were no more Novaks – that he was the last one. The only one. Was it possible that he’d been mistaken? That some others in his clan – or even his family – could have survived? “I thought there weren’t any more Novaks left,” she said when her mind stopped reeling. “I thought… well, someone told me –”
“That we’d all been killed?” The girl’s voice was excited now. “That’s what I thought too. I thought so right until the moment they brought you here.”
Holly felt a chill run down her spine. “How long have I been here, exactly?”
“Oh – not more than an hour,” the girl assured her, though Holly wasn’t really sure if that was a good thing or not. “But when they brought you in, I could sense him on you. And that’s when I knew.” The green eyes were practically glowing now. “He’s alive, isn’t he? Stefan – my brother? He’s… he’s really alive?”
Holly’s stomach churned. Was this girl Stefan’s younger sister? The one he said had left with his mother all those years ago, and whom he’d never seen again?
Could she really be who she says she is? Stefan seemed so sure she was dead…
“My name’s Darklis,” the girl said, as if sensing her doubt. “My mother hid me years ago, when the Lukich were first coming for us.” She swallowed, her voice shaking a little. “But I didn’t stay hidden long. They found me, along with the little bit of the Novak hoard my mother hid with me. I’ve been trapped here ever since. They told me… they told me everyone else was dead. But that they’d show me mercy because I was so young.” Her voice was bitter. “Some mercy.”
Holly felt a sharp, piercing pain in her chest, similar to what she’d felt when Stefan had told her of his clan’s fate, though not nearly so strong.
“Stefan thought you were dead,” she said softly, when the pain had subsided a little. “He really thought that…”
“But he is alive?” Darklis pressed her faced against the hole in the wall, voice urgent. “He must be. I can sense him on you. You’re his mate.”
Holly blinked, slightly taken aback. But then, she supposed if dragons had as much psychic ability as it seemed they did, then it wasn’t really so surprising that Darklis could feel their bond.
“He’s alive,” she quickly reassured Darklis, then bit her lip. “But… we got separated when one of the Lukich dragons attacked us. I know I’d be able to feel it if he were dead, though. I’d just… know. Somehow.”
Darklis nodded enthusiastically. “You would. The mated bond would tell you, even though you’re human. So he must be alive.”
“If you can sense him though me, how come you couldn’t sense that he was alive earlier?” Holly asked.
“I’m not sure,” Darklis said slowly. “I should have been able to. I wanted to – I suppose when I couldn’t, it made me truly believe the Lukich when they told me everyone was dead. I wouldn’t have believed it otherwise.” She pulled in a deep breath. “And, I suppose, when no one came looking for me…”
Holly nodded. Stefan had said the same thing. But it still seemed strange to her. Something didn’t quite seem to add up.
“Stefan will come to rescue us,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. “I know he will. He might not know you’re here, but he knows where I am. And he’ll come for me.”
“Oh, I certainly hope he will.”
A deep male voice from the far side of the room made Holly jump, her heart thumping. She still couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but a moment later she heard the flick of a switch and then the low hum of flowing electricity as the dim light bulbs on the ceiling sputtered to life.
Blinking at the sudden flood of light, Holly found herself sitting in a large room in what looked like a run-down manor house: faded and worn wallpaper hung on dilapidated walls, while the sparse furniture, which had once obviously been grand, was now looking very the worse for wear. The hole she’d been speaking to Darklis through looked as if it had been kicked in – the plaster was jagged, with bits of wood sticking out of it.
But what really caught her attention was the tall, heavily-muscled man standing across the room from her, dressed in a dark suit. His dark blond hair was neatly cut, and he was extremely handsome by anyone’s standards – but it was his eyes that caught Holly’s attention. Heavy-lidded and deep-set, they nonetheless glowed with a malevolence that made her shudder. And just as Stefan’s eyes were a bright, unearthly green, Holly could see that this man’s were an unusual shade of brown…
No, not brown, Holly thought as he moved across the room toward her. They’re red. He has red eyes…
Holly swallowed heavily. She had a feeling she knew who this man was, even before Darklis hissed out his name.
“Erik.” Her voice was low in her throat.
Watching the evil smirk that worked its way across his lips, Holly could see that Stefan was right to be frightened of this man. No – this dragon. Everything about him exuded evil. If he had approached her at a bar, she felt sure she would have gotten the hell away from him as quickly as possible, despite his good looks. There was just something about him that screamed ‘creepy as fuck’.
But it wasn’t just that he was creepy – it was also clear that he was powerful. Holly could tell that he was muscular beneath his well-tailored suit, and he was almost as tall and broad as Stefan. She would have no hope of getting away if he chose to overpower her.
“You’ve brought a human into dragon affairs!” Darklis’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “You know that’s against the rules!”
Erik Lukich sneered. “Human? She’s a dragon’s mate. That makes her fair game.” He yawned boredly, buffing his nails against his suit. “If I cared about such things, in any case.”
Holly licked her lips, not daring to drag her eyes away from Erik even for a second. She felt like a mouse being slowly stalked by a cat.
“I’ve been looking for Stefan for a long, long time,” he drawled as he finally came to a stop, leaning back against the wall to Holly’s right. “At first, I thought it would be enough that we had his younger sister. The Novak Clan always did place far too much importance on family, after all. But as the years went by and he never showed up to rescue her…” Erik shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t care so much after all.”
Holly glanced over at where Darklis’s face was still visible through the hole in the wall. She could see her lip trembling.
It’s not true, she tried to tell her. Stefan truly thought you were dead. He would have come for you if he’d known. I know he would have. You don’t know how painful it’s been for him, to think you were dead…
Perhaps Darklis picked up on her message, because her large eyes darted to Holly’s face and she gave her the barest hint of a nod.
Erik laughed, low in his throat. “It seems that their mother’s magic was stronger than I had anticipated. She shielded them from me – and from each other, it seems, if what you say is true. That showed some particularly clever foresight, I have to admit.”
Holly swallowed, following him with her eyes as he moved across the room, circling her like a lion moving in on its prey.
Or a dragon.
“If it helps, dragging you here certainly wasn’t my first choice.” Erik glanced toward her, and Holly caught a glimpse of white teeth as he flashed a predatory smile. “I sent a dragon I thought could do the job of killing him, or at least capturing him, but again, it seems the Novaks have surprised me. Stefan was such a weedy little thing when he was young – so shy, so small. Clearly, he’s grown into quite a formidable dragon after all.” He shook his head. “And despite the fact the dragons of the Lukich Clan are superior in every way to the Novaks, it seems the old adage is right after all: if you want something done properly, you have to do it yourself.”
“He’ll defeat you.” It was Darklis’s voice, but Holly could have said the words herself. “Now that you’ve taken his mate, he’ll come for you. I know it.”
Erik’s smile was amused. “As I said – I certainly hope he does. Having his sister here didn’t work. But his mate…” His eyes blazed with cruelty as he looked at Holly. “Well, if that won’t draw him here, then nothing will. And if he won’t come for his mate, then he’s a coward, and doesn’t deserve to call himself a dragon.”
Holly drew in a shaking breath. “You already said your best dragon couldn’t take him. So what makes you think you’ll do any better?”
Erik shook his head, laughing. “Who, Castel? My best dragon? He’s not even in my top ten dragons. But he is my son, and as such I was forced to give him precedence. These things still have to be done according to certain rules. And as it was his sister the Novaks killed, starting this blood feud…”
“What?” Darklis burst out. “His… his sister? What are you talking about?”
Holly felt her head reeling in confusion.
The Novak Clan killed Erik’s daughter?
Stefan had told her he didn’t know the reason why the blood feud had started. But if what Erik said was true…
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you?” Erik’s smile had turned into a vicious snarl. “Well, I suppose you were very young. And Novaks are very self-righteous. But perhaps it’s time you learned the truth. Yes – that’s what started the blood feud. Do you think I could leave my daughter unavenged?”
“You could have spoken to my uncle.” Darklis’s voice was shaky. “You could have negotiated. I’m sure he would have punished whoever did it –”
“Negotiate with a clan who harbored a killer? Never!” Erik’s eyes flashed red.
“But you didn’t need to kill all of them,” Holly spoke up, hearing the quiver in her own voice. “You could have –”
Erik moved so fast that Holly couldn’t follow the movement. In a flash, he had appeared at her side, his hand clamped under her chin, forcing her to look up into his malevolent red eyes glaring down into hers.
“And that, my dear,” he snarled, “is where you’re completely wrong.”