Stefan
Holly!
Stefan bellowed her name through their mated bond as he circled above the dilapidated old manor below. Even from this height, he could see that the place was falling apart, and was far from the splendid house it had clearly once been. The massive gardens that surrounded it were wild and overgrown, the outbuildings in some cases completely destroyed and taken over by vines and creepers. It looked utterly uninhabited. And yet, this was where his instincts told him the Lukich had taken Holly.
She was here. He knew it.
But also…
There was some other dragon’s presence here too – someone other than the Lukich, of whom he could sense several. Stefan couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Every time he tried to lock onto the sense, to see it in more detail, it seemed to slide away from him, as if it was being shielded from him somehow.
It made him feel uneasy, but somehow he knew it wasn’t malevolent. Or at least, if it was, it was completely drowned out by the massive, terrifying presence of Erik Lukich.
He was definitely here. Stefan could remember the sense of him, even after all these years.
The dragon’s instincts battled within him – the instinct to tuck tail and run in the face of a dragon so much more powerful than himself, against the instinct to protect his mate at all costs.
There was no doubt in his mind as to which one he would obey. Holly had come to him. He had claimed her and crowned her. And then the Lukich had taken her. If he had only left like he’d planned to, none of this would have happened. She was his mate, and he had to save her.
Kill the ones who took our mate, his dragon seethed. They need to bleed for frightening her, for hurting her…
Letting out a deafening roar, Stefan swooped lower, circling down around the manor house before landing with a thud by the main driveway. The old stonework cracked and crumbled beneath his feet, his claws piercing it as if it was nothing more than tissue paper.
Erik!
He bellowed his fury into the night sky. He didn’t care that Erik Lukich was so powerful, or so much older and more senior than him in the dragon hierarchy. The only thing that mattered was Holly.
You have my mate! Come out here and face me!
Flames licked at the corners of his mouth, fuelled by his fury.
There was no movement from the house, and, after a moment, Stefan considered giving it a blast of dragonfire – and might have done, if it hadn’t been for the fact that it might have harmed Holly.
He was just about to call out again when at last the door opened, and a man stepped out.
Well – a dragon, in his human form.
Stefan growled deep in his chest. He recognized this dragon. It was the one who had attacked him earlier today; the one who had kept him distracted while some other Lukich had made off with his mate.
Burn him!
Stefan was sorely tempted to give in to the dragon’s goading, but he forced himself to be restrained. He had to make sure Holly was safe before he did anything.
Tell me where she is, he transmitted to the other dragon, his voice booming even inside his own head.
The man smirked – which Stefan thought was especially impudent, given that he still showed the signs of the fight he had lost on his face and in the way he carried himself.
“Transform,” the man called out, not bothering to communicate via their psychic ability. “I won’t tell you a thing until you transform. If you refuse… well. You know how fragile these humans can be.”
Stefan growled, feeling the flames of his dragonfire hot in his throat. He knew if he shifted then he would be far more vulnerable, but he just couldn’t risk Holly’s safety. He knew what the Lukich were capable of.
Reluctantly, he tucked his wings close to his body and began to shift.
“Where is she?” he growled when he stood fully human on the broken paving stones. “If you’ve hurt her…”
“Save the theatrics. I’m not my father,” the man sniffed. “I don’t care about that kind of thing.”
Stefan hesitated. This man was Erik Lukich’s son? Now that he stopped to observe him properly, he could see it – he had the same arrogance and haughty way of carrying himself. He’d seen Erik only briefly in his human form, but from what he could recall they looked alike, though this man was quite a bit smaller in stature. Digging into his memory, Stefan finally remembered him from all those years ago – a small, whiny, snobby boy named Castel.
“I’m asking you again to tell me where she is,” Stefan said. “I’m not leaving until you set her free. I’ll fight you if I have to, but I’m not going anywhere without Holly.”
Castel sniffed. “So much fuss over a human. Anyway, if you want her, you’ll have to talk to my father about it.” He smirked, his eyes flashing red. “You remember him, don’t you? Erik Lukich?”
“Of course I know who your father is,” Stefan said, his voice low and dangerous. “Stop wasting my time. Either give her to me or fight me. Either way, she won’t be staying here another moment.”
Castel paused, looking at him sideways for a long moment. Stefan tensed, thinking he was about to shift and initiate combat, but then, as if remembering their fight earlier in the day, he turned away.
“Wait here.”
“NO.” Stefan’s bellow stopped Castel dead in his tracks. “You will bring her to me. NOW.”
His voice rumbled, leaving his mouth with more power than he expected. Certainly, it seemed to surprise Castel: though he attempted to retain his cool demeanor, Stefan could see he was shaken. He stared at Stefan a moment, seeming to be trapped halfway between going and staying, his face an almost comical picture of indecision.
But in the next moment, the choice was taken out of his hands, as Erik Lukich himself, flanked by some four other dragons, appeared in the doorway before strolling out onto the wide front steps.
“Thank you, Castel,” Erik said. “Nice work. Give yourself a round of applause.”
Even Stefan had to flinch a little at the drawled sarcasm in Erik’s voice. But then, he had no reason to think that he would treat his own children with any more respect than he treated anyone else.
Castel licked his lips, looking at his father plaintively. “But Father, I –”
“Don’t you think you’ve failed me enough times already today? Go inside and wait. Let me deal with this.”
Castel swallowed, before moving behind his father and disappearing into the darkness of the old manor.
Stefan clenched his fists, all his attention trained on Erik. The sheer presence of such a powerful dragon made his stomach tighten, but he ignored it. Even the leader of the Lukich Clan couldn’t keep him from Holly.
“Where is she?” he asked, his voice low.
Erik cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, as if thinking. “She?” he asked, as if he had no idea what Stefan was talking about. “Exactly which she do you mean?”
Stefan glared at him. He could feel fire boiling in his belly. “You know who I mean. My mate. You took her.”
“Oh, her.” Erik laughed, low and sinister. “I was only wondering, because I believe we have two women I assume you’d like to see in one piece…”
Stefan blinked, surprise rippling through him. “What the hell are you talking about?”
In answer, Erik only laughed again, before jerking his head as if to signal to someone still inside the house. In the next moment, two more large Lukich Clan members emerged onto the front steps – their hands clamped around the upper arms of two women.
“Holly!” Stefan called. Relief flooded him – she was alive, and she looked unharmed, just shaken and pale. The expression on her face wasn’t one of horror and revulsion as she looked at him. Instead, her eyes were full of hope, and he could feel her own relief at seeing him through their mated bond.
I can’t let her down. I have to save her…
At this, Stefan’s dragon reared up inside him, fire pouring from its jaws.
Free me! it demanded. Make them pay for hurting her! Let me hurt them…
With effort, Stefan subdued it. He couldn’t do anything until she was safely away from Erik. Castel was right: humans were fragile. Any move from him, and Erik’s men wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her.
“Are you all right?” he called to her, his eyes never leaving Erik. “Did they hurt you?”
Holly shook her head. “No. Stefan, I’m fine. But… there’s someone here you know.”
Stefan scarcely dared to take his eyes off Erik even for a moment, but he shifted them to glance at the other woman standing beside her. Now that he looked at her face properly, he realized she wasn’t really a woman at all – more of a young girl, tall for her age, with long black hair that tumbled down over her shoulders. She stared at him with wide, gray-green eyes, her mouth open in shock.
And suddenly, it hit him.
“Darklis?” he whispered, scarcely able to believe his eyes. The last time he had seen his younger sister she had only been a small child, just an awkward jumble of wings and claws tucked under his mother’s forearm. He hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to her before his mother had launched herself away from the mouth of the cave, telling Stefan to stay where he was no matter what.
“S-Stefan?” Darklis’ voice was trembling. “Is it really you? I thought… I thought you were dead.”
Stefan felt some unnamable emotion welling up inside him. After so many years of thinking he was the only one left, that he was the last of the Novaks, it turned out that he wasn’t alone after all.
Reaching out with his mind, he tried to communicate with her, only to find he couldn’t. Whenever he tried to find her, her presence slipped away, and he couldn’t make contact. He realized with a jolt that she was the strange, elusive dragon he had detected as he circled the manor – that it was Darklis he had been trying, and failing, to sense.
Rage quickly replaced his relief at seeing her.
“Why can’t I sense her?” he growled, turning to look at Erik once more. “What kind of magic have you used?”
“Me?” Erik shook his head, his smile like a knife. “I haven’t done anything. That was your dear mother, I’m afraid, running short of time and options. I have to say, I admire her forethought, even though I suppose it has this rather unfortunate side effect. She knew that if we ever found one of you, we’d soon find the other through your psychic link. Using her magic to shield you from each other certainly made that impossible, however.” Erik shook his head in mock regret. “Ahhh, but when you found your mate…”
Stefan’s heart clenched in his chest. So he’d been right. Being his mate had put Holly in the path of danger after all. If not for him, she’d be wrapped up safe and warm in her cabin, and would never have had any reason to even hear the name Erik Lukich.
He swallowed, feeling nauseated. He had done this to her. And now, he had to save her. No matter what the cost.
“How did you know?” he growled, clenching his fists so hard he could feel his short, blunt nails cutting crescents into his skin. “How did you find us?”
Erik shook his head. “You Novaks – so ignorant. It’d be laughable if it weren’t so pathetic. It’s almost like you’re not dragons at all.”
Stefan bristled, but he forced himself to stay silent. He wanted to hear how Erik had been able to find them. If he didn’t know, then he couldn’t guard against it in future.
At least, assuming that he managed to walk away from here at all.
If I have to trade my life for Holly and Darklis, then so be it, he thought. Whatever I have to do to protect them, I’ll do it.
“An interesting woman, your mother,” Erik continued, musing. “She did what she could. She hid her children from me – as well as whatever parts of the Novak hoard she could escape with. We found some of it hidden with your sister here. I added it to my own, of course. But the hoard still remains connected to itself, even when it’s separated into pieces. It wants to be whole. It calls to itself. And so, when you claimed your mate, as dragon ritual dictates…”
Stefan’s heart dropped.
If only I hadn’t had to claim her, he thought wretchedly. I should have known that claiming her and crowning her was too good to be true…
A dragon was connected to its hoard. Erik had been able to sense where they were because part of his hoard had once belonged to the Novaks, and it had responded when he had claimed Holly.
Somehow, Erik had been able to sense their location. He had no doubt, however, that there would be very few limits to the abilities of a dragon as powerful as Erik Lukich. And Erik was right in one sense: that Stefan was ignorant about many things to do with dragons. He’d simply been too young to have learned everything he needed to know when his mother had been forced to hide him.
But he knew that no matter what, he had to make things right.
“Let them free,” he said. “You’ve found me – and I’m the most senior dragon of the Novak Clan now. Darklis was only a child when this started, and Holly has nothing to do with it. Let them go. I’ll willingly submit to you, if you promise not to harm them.”
“Stefan, no!”
From the corner of his eye, he could see Holly struggling against the man who held her, but he knew it was useless. There was no way a human could overcome the strength of a fully-grown dragon.
But he knew what he had to do. If he had any chance of saving them, he had to take it.
“You know it’s reasonable, Erik,” Stefan continued. “You have no argument with them. It’s me you want.”
For a long moment, Erik seemed to be thinking it over. “Well, I can’t say I’m not charmed by your offer of heroic self-sacrifice. But I’m afraid it’s just not good enough. No – not nearly good enough. Not for the ones who took my daughter from me.”
Stefan sucked in a shocked breath, his eyes widening.
Took his daughter? Is that what the blood feud has been about, all these years?
He shook his head. He could scarcely believe that someone from the Novak Clan could have harmed another dragon without a reason. But the pain and fury in Erik’s voice couldn’t be denied.
“I’m sorry for your daughter, Erik,” Stefan said, sincerely meaning it. He had always imagined that Erik Lukich was a monster, who had started the blood feud on some flimsy pretext or other – he had never known its true cause. But now he realized that perhaps he had been wrong. He was a grieving father.
It didn’t excuse what he had done to Stefan’s family – to his clan – but Stefan was surprised to find the smallest seed of sympathy had wormed its way into his heart.
“Truly, I’m sorry,” he said. “But please – this doesn’t need to go on any longer. There’s only me and Darklis left. Let her go. And let Holly go – she’s a human, and she has no part in this.”
Stefan, please. Please. I’m not going anywhere without you.
Holly’s voice in his head was clear. The strength of her emotion lent it a clarity and force it hadn’t had before. Stefan had to close his eyes as the feeling of her pain and fear swirled in his chest.
Holly, please understand. This is my fault. I never should have dragged you into this. I’m the one who has to make it right.
But if Stefan had held out even a small amount of hope that Erik would agree to exchange their lives for his, it was dashed as soon as he looked into Erik’s snarling face.
“Didn’t you hear me?” he growled, his eyes glowing red. “I said no. None of you are walking away from here alive, as long as I’m the leader of the Lukich Clan. Do you hear me?”
In the fearful silence that followed, the man holding Darklis’s arms shifted uneasily. “But Erik,” he said, his voice soft. “You told us we wouldn’t hurt the girl – she’s just a kid. She didn’t know anything about –”
Hissing, Erik turned on him. “A blood feud is a blood feud! I promised I would wipe every last Novak from the face of the earth! And I intend to keep my word.”
“No. You won’t.”
Stefan’s voice was barely more than a low growl, but it caught everyone’s attention. His dragon had risen up inside his chest, breathing fire, filled with fury.
Any fleeting sympathy he had had for Erik was now gone, swallowed up by the rage he felt. He had threatened his mate – and the only family he had left.
He cannot be allowed to do this.
“Erik, I will fight you if I have to, but you will not harm them.”
Erik stared at him a moment, his eyes flaring red, before he laughed. “So be it, then. You’ll die first. And your sister and your mate after you.”
Stefan gasped as a roar erupted from Erik’s mouth as he began to shift. Skin became green scales, his fingers lengthening into massive claws, as sharp and curved as sabers. His wings unfurled, stretching across the sky, and his teeth…
Stefan! Stefan, you have to shift! Now!
Holly’s desperate voice shook him out of the instinctive paralyzing fear he had slipped into when facing a dragon so much more powerful than himself.
Gritting his teeth, he executed the fastest shift he had ever made in his life – and even then, he was still only just in time to leap back from the deadly snap of Erik’s jaws. Just an extra moment’s hesitation, and Erik’s teeth would have been sinking into his relatively fragile human form – and he would have been no more.
Now, as a dragon, he reared back, roaring his rage and determination to protect what was his into the night sky.
Erik Lukich, I challenge you – if you harm them, it will be over my dead body!
Erik lowered himself onto his powerful forelegs, dragonfire licking up from between his teeth.
Then so be it, he said, before lunging forward, eyes blazing.