Stefan
The first thing Stefan saw when he came to was Holly’s beautiful sky-blue eyes.
Dazed, he looked up into them, wondering if this could be real – if, after everything that had just happened to him, he could still be alive.
I must be in Heaven, he thought vaguely. There was no way a woman like Holly could be real – and be his.
“Oh, Stefan, thank goodness,” Holly breathed, before she threw her arms around him, encircling him and placing her lips on his.
It should have hurt – he could feel that he was still grievously wounded from his fight. But instead, he felt only warmth where their bodies made contact. It was the healing touch of a mate – the effect that only they could produce.
“Holly,” he said when they finally broke apart, reaching up to tuck a tendril of golden hair behind her ear. “I should never have done this to you. I put you in such danger – I should never have –”
“Stefan,” Holly said, taking his face firmly in her hands and kissing him fiercely, “shut up.”
Stefan tried to struggle away at first, before surrendering to the kiss. There was nothing he could do. She was irresistible, and the heat that flowed from her was undeniable. He could feel himself healing – her strength giving him strength, closing his wounds and knitting his battered and broken bones.
My mate, he thought, feeling dazed when she finally pulled away. My strong, beautiful mate.
He knew he could never have won the fight against Erik without her quick thinking, her perseverance, and her unwavering strength.
But speaking of Erik… where is he?
Grimacing, Stefan sat up, and for the first time began to pay attention to his surroundings. He was lying on a sofa in what was clearly one of the rooms of the old manor house – a low fire burned on a dirty stone hearth, and the room was filled with moldering old furniture.
“Don’t rush yourself,” Holly said, stroking her thumb over his cheek, leaving a trail of warmth in its wake. “Erik is… well, he’s not a threat right now. I don’t think, anyway. The Lukich dragons… well, let’s just say, they didn’t seem too pleased when it turned out his daughter was alive after all.”
Threads of memory started to pull themselves together in Stefan’s mind.
Of course… the red dragon and the green dragon.
“She called him father,” Stefan rasped out, shock running through him anew as he remembered how the fight had ended. “And… and that was my cousin, it was Marko…”
His head still felt like it was filled with cotton. Nothing seemed to make sense.
Holly swallowed, licking her lips. “I don’t understand everything that’s going on,” she said. “After they arrived, things went pretty quickly, and all I cared about was making sure you were taken inside to rest. I’ve been here with you ever since, waiting for you to wake up.”
Stefan glanced at her, alarmed. “How long have I been unconscious?”
“Not long,” she assured him. “Maybe twenty minutes. But everyone’s still here. I’ve been listening to them argue through the wall. They sound… angry.”
Stefan nodded. “If Erik lied – if he started the blood feud because of a lie…” The enormity of the crime overwhelmed him and he trailed off. Despite what he had seen with his own eyes, and despite what he knew about Erik Lukich, he still had trouble imagining any dragon could break such an important law. To call a blood feud and force his clan to carry it out when his daughter was still alive…
To say the Lukich dragons would be angry about it was an understatement.
Not to mention his own anger.
Now that he had recovered a little, Stefan could feel it, hot and pulsing, in the pit of his stomach. His dragon, still weak from the fight, was beginning to awaken inside him – and it wanted blood.
But first, Stefan told it, they needed answers.
Groaning as he pushed himself upright, Stefan stood with Holly’s help, and made his limping way toward the door. It opened onto a scene that made him grit his teeth with shock – and his dragon writhe with fury.
His cousin, Marko, and Erik Lukich’s daughter, Landra, stood at the front of the room, their hands entwined. Darklis sat, looking pale and furious, on a chair on their right. Castel was slumped in a chair, his face buried in his hands, his shoulders heaving as if he was sobbing, though he made no sound. Erik’s men, grim-faced, loomed in the background, their fists clenched by their sides.
And Erik himself, still battered from the fight, sat in the middle, head bowed, his expression invisible in the low light of the room.
He’s the one, Stefan’s dragon hissed, head rearing back. He’s the one who lied… who killed our clan… our family…
Clearly sensing his rising fury, Holly placed a gentle hand on his forearm. Stefan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He reined his dragon in with some difficulty.
Answers first. We need answers.
“Stefan! You’re awake!” Standing, Darklis rushed across the room to him, throwing her arms around him.
Stefan lowered his head, resting his cheek against the top of her head. She truly was his little sister – there was no doubt about it.
“I thought you were dead,” he said, his throat tight. “I spent so long thinking you had been killed…”
“Me too.” When Darklis pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes were sparkling with tears. “I thought I was alone. I didn’t know what to do – I didn’t know how to –”
“You were only a child,” Stefan told her. “We both were. We had no way of understanding what was happening.” His voice hardened as he looked over Darklis’s head to where Erik sat. The man didn’t raise his head to meet Stefan’s gaze. “I need answers. Now.”
Even he was startled by the growling fury in his voice. It seemed to fill the room, reverberating through it like a wave. Every head in the room suddenly turned to look at him, as if they too had felt its power.
The Voice, Stefan realized with a jolt. He’d never used a dragon Voice before – he’d never learned how. Magic was something that was only taught once a dragon had reached a suitable age to wield it responsibly, and thirteen had still been considered far too young.
He didn’t know how he had accessed the power now, but it was obvious he had. Every dragon in the room was staring at him, eyes alert, ready to tell him what he wanted to know.
“You don’t need to do that.” It was Landra who spoke up. “I’m ready to explain everything – in fact, I’ve been doing that. I promise you, I have no interest in concealing anything. I’ll tell you the truth.”
Stefan hesitated, his instinctive distrust of any Lukich rising to the fore.
“Listen to her, Stefan.” Darklis’s voice was soft. “She’s explained what happened.”
Stefan’s eyes drifted to where Landra and Marko’s hands were clasped together.
“Marko?” he asked, still not quite able to believe he’d found not only his younger sister, but also his cousin after so many years of believing them all to be dead.
“It’s me, Stefan,” he said. “I know it’s hard to believe. And please believe me, if we’d known, we would have… I promise you we would have…”
Marko’s voice caught in his throat, and he suddenly seemed to sag, as if his ability to stand had left him. Landra’s hand pressed against his arm, helping him to remain upright, whispering strengthening words in his ear.
They’re mates. It came to Stefan with a sudden clarity – as if it hadn’t been obvious before. He’d been too caught up in his own storm of emotions to realize. But watching them now, it was as clear as day.
And with it, came another realization – one far more grim and awful.
“When Erik said a Novak took his daughter,” he said, speaking slowly, his voice low in his throat. “He never meant that a Novak killed her… he meant that… ”
“Yes.” Landra confirmed with a nod. “Believe me, I had no idea that he’d…” She pulled in a deep breath. “Maybe you’d better sit down and let me start at the beginning.”
Reluctantly, Stefan let himself be pulled to a free chair by Holly and Darklis. Only once he was sitting did Landra begin to speak.
“This is… going to be hard to explain. And hard for you to hear. But please – just let me get it out in the open. It needs to be said, and I need for you to listen.” She paused, waiting for Stefan to nod before she continued. “This was twelve years ago now, but I can still remember it as if it was yesterday. I’d come with my father for the meeting of all the leaders of the dragon clans – I had come of age that year, and it was my duty as his heir to attend.” She paused, glancing across at Marko. “And Marko, of course, as his father’s heir, was there too. We’d never met before, because we were too young to accompany them earlier, but when we did…”
Stefan swallowed. He could feel Holly’s hand stroking down his arm, her fingers warm.
They realized they were mates.
Stefan could already tell where Landra’s story was going. Raising his hand, he wrapped his fingers around Holly’s own, suddenly wanting to hold her.
A mated bond can’t be denied. It’s there, whether you want it or not, whether it’s wise or not. A mated bond doesn’t see sense or reason – or any obstacles that might stand in its way. The mated bond simply is.
He recalled his father’s words to him when he’d been young. He hadn’t quite understood at the time, but he did now. Despite all the promises he had made to leave Holly, to simply slip away before she could become involved in the blood feud, he hadn’t been able to make himself do it.
And now Holly was staying with him, believing in him – believing in them – despite the fact that she really should be running for the hills.
The mated bond was strong enough to see them through anything – even this.
She is precious. She is my mate.
He squeezed her fingers gently, and felt her returning squeeze.
Landra shook her head. “I didn’t want it to be true – I tried to ignore it. I honestly did. But… most of you here have found your mates in life. You know it can’t be ignored.”
She stared around the room, as if challenging anyone to deny what she had said. But no one raised a voice to oppose her – not even Erik’s men. They stood together, staring down at the floor.
“Marko and I met to discuss the situation. We knew it couldn’t go on like this. Being separated from your mate… it takes a toll on you. You start to decline. It taxes a dragon’s strength, and not even the hoard can renew it. We knew the only thing we could do was try to talk to our fathers about it, and try to make them see that…” Landra trailed off, her voice catching in her throat. “You already know that the Novaks and Lukiches weren’t on the best of terms. So when I told my father about… about us, you can imagine what he did.”
For a long moment, Landra stared down at her father, her eyes blazing like coals. Erik had said nothing before this, and he said nothing now. He simply continued to stare at the floor, his shoulders sagging.
He looked utterly defeated.
“I tried to tell him – tried to reason with him. I said I’d give up my inheritance as the future leader of the Lukich Clan, and I’d take none of my share of the hoard. I told him that Marko was prepared to do the same – that he’d leave the Novaks and join us instead, if that’s what he preferred. But he wouldn’t listen.”
Landra paused to draw in a shaky breath.
“I’d never been frightened of my father before. I knew he was feared, but he’d always loved me. He’d never... I thought he’d put my happiness above clan rivalries. Or at least put it aside for a short time, and let us be together. But he went crazy. He threatened to kill me – to kill Marko. I pleaded with him, but I thought he wouldn’t really do it. But in the end, he did something that turned out to be far worse: banishment.”
A cold shiver ran down Stefan’s spine at the word. Banishment was the cruelest punishment that could be inflicted upon a dragon. It meant that a dragon was cut off completely from their lands, their family, their clan, their hoard.
Over time, being away from these things – from the things dragons needed to renew themselves – would sap their strength, making them weaker and weaker. Stefan had even heard of dragons who had lost their ability to shift after being banished. It was a story that was used to scare youngsters into minding their manners and doing what they were told – and to impress the importance of always obeying the clan leader, who was the only one who could banish a dragon.
“We had no choice but to leave – Marko came with me.” Landra’s voice sounded cracked and broken. “Once the banishment was pronounced, I couldn’t stay – I don’t know how to describe it. But all of you must know what it’s like to have a Voice used on you. You can’t go against it, even if you want to. And being cut off from everyone I loved… it was like being plunged into darkness. Suddenly I couldn’t hear anyone’s thoughts, couldn’t sense our hoard. It was like losing a limb – worse than that. I had no choice. We left that night.”
There was silence in the room.
Stefan didn’t know what he felt. Anger rose in him as he looked at Landra and Marko – alive, together as mates – and he struggled to push it away. It wasn’t their fault, and he knew that. But still, the image of his mother came to him, her face strained with fear as she had hidden him in the cave, and his grief felt as bright as if it had been yesterday.
And it had all been for nothing.
Closing his eyes, Stefan tried to stay focused. There would be time for mourning. Now, even though his chest was tight with horror, there were still things he needed to know.
“Why didn’t you come back?” he asked, his voice rasping. “The blood feud… if you knew it wasn’t true… why did you wait until we were all dead?”
Landra shook her head, but it was Marko who answered.
“Stefan, we didn’t know.” His voice broke. “If I’d known, I would have… oh God, do you think we would have left you to die if we’d known?”
Anger rose in him. “How could you not have known? We were under attack, and you didn’t know?”
“I asked my father to banish me too,” Marko said, raising his hands in appeal. “Not because he wanted to, but because I knew if he didn’t, I’d always be torn between my clan and my mate – and I couldn’t have that. We were worried Erik might come after us if I brought Landra to Novak lands, but I couldn’t be away from them. It was the only way we could be together. So I asked him to do it – and he did. But from then on, I couldn’t sense any of you anymore. I didn’t know what was happening. I had no way of knowing. And the thought that a dragon would lie in order to start a blood feud…”
Marko’s eyes flashed bright green as he looked down at Erik.
“If I’d thought for one second… you know I wouldn’t have… I’d never have imagined someone could be so evil.”
“Why did you come back now, then?” It was Holly who spoke up next, her voice low and strong. “If you couldn’t… sense your clans anymore, how did you know to come back now?”
Marko turned back to Landra, placing his hand over her belly. “Because of this.” He drew in a deep breath. “Landra is pregnant. A baby that belongs to both Novak and Lukich. I wanted my father to know – and since my banishment was voluntary, I wanted to travel back to the edge of Novak lands, and hope that he could still sense me – or that he could sense his grandchild. But when I got there, I realized something wasn’t right. It took me a long time to track down someone who could tell me the truth. And when I knew…”
He closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. After a moment, tears began to stream down his face.
“To know that your clan, you whole clan has been wiped out because of something you did…”
“Not your whole clan.” Darklis stood up, going to him and wrapping her arms around her cousin as he sobbed. “We’re still here. Me and Stefan. We know it wasn’t your fault. Erik lied. He’s the one to blame here.”
“What will happen to him now?” It was Holly again, speaking up where Stefan knew he wasn’t yet strong enough to do so. “He has to face some kind of justice. I know I’m new to dragons, but you can’t let this stand. I don’t care who he is, or what he’s the leader of.”
“He’ll face justice.” One of Erik’s men came forward, his fists clenched, his face grim. “He didn’t just lie to you – he lied to us. He initiated this blood feud by telling us it was justified – that a Novak had killed Landra, and the leader of their clan was refusing to hand over the murderer. Do you think we would have fought the blood feud if we’d known the truth? He’s made us all guilty. There’s innocent blood on our hands, now. This isn’t something we take lightly.”
He glanced toward his fallen leader, pure hatred and contempt on his face.
“The Lukich have always been proud of doing things the old way – the traditional way. And that includes making sure that wrongdoers are punished. Even if they are our leader.”
Stefan glanced toward Landra, to see if she might object. She looked pale and her lips were pressed together, tears in her eyes, but she said nothing. Pity swelled within him, almost despite himself – he knew it must be hard to discover that your father was a monster. He didn’t know if he was ready to forgive yet, but he knew that, at least, he could understand.
“We have your assurance he’ll face justice for the crimes he’s committed?” Stefan asked, knowing his voice was trembling, but by now too exhausted to care. The revelations of the past few minutes had slowly chipped away at him, and he had fought two hard battles. He didn’t know how much longer he could stand to be here. All he wanted to do was sweep Holly up in his arms, to kiss her, to know that she, at least, was still here with him…
“You have my assurance. I, as the new leader of the Lukich, will personally see that justice is done.” Despite the tears in her eyes, Landra’s voice was strong. “Crimes must be punished.”
At that, Erik at last looked up, a vicious snarl on his face. “You, the leader of the Lukich, after you betrayed me with a Novak? Ha. And as for lying – you were dead to me. You were stolen from me, jus the same as if you had been killed. There was no difference.” Erik’s laugh was manic. “I’d do the same thing again, if I had to, do you hear me? I’d do it again –”
Stefan at last felt the frayed edges of his temper completely snap. Fury welled up in him, as well as some dark power that he’d never truly felt within him before…
“Enough.”
Erik instantly fell silent, though his expression remained utterly enraged. His mouth worked but no words emerged.
The Voice.
Stefan realized that the power to silence Erik had come from him – that once again, he’d used a Voice without really meaning to.
He’d never imagined that he would hold any power whatsoever over a dragon like Erik Lukich – but now, it seemed, he did. Stefan didn’t understand how or why, but clearly, it was effective. Erik Lukich, even with all his power and strength, could not disobey the command.
Stefan didn’t know if it was his anger that gave his power strength, and he wasn’t sure at this moment that he cared. But perhaps as well, Erik’s own power had been diminished with the revelation of his treachery. Whatever the case, Erik was silenced. He had no choice but to obey Stefan’s command.
“Come on.” The Lukich Clan member who had spoken up before now grabbed Erik’s arm, pulling him to his feet. Landra made no move to stop him, and when Stefan glanced across at where Castel sat, he saw that he too was still. He seemed resigned – too shocked, perhaps, to protest. Or maybe he was relieved. From what Stefan had seen, Castel hadn’t been treated kindly by his father.
“It won’t be easy to tell the rest of the clan what’s happened here,” the Lukich who had grabbed Erik said. “But I promise you we will.”
Stefan said nothing. He felt utterly drained – and in any case, there was nothing to say. He only had the Lukich Clan’s word that they would do something about it, and he had to believe that that was enough.
He closed his eyes as exhaustion overtook him. He didn’t even open them as he heard the Lukich Clan members making their way from the room. All he wanted to do was sleep – preferably curled up around his hoard, but he didn’t know if he could manage to fly far enough to make it back there.
Then he felt Holly’s hand on his arm again, and heard her sweet voice in his ear.
“Come on – there’s beds upstairs, and you look like you need one.”
Stefan could only nod as he allowed his mate to lead him up to one of the bedrooms. It wasn’t until he was lying down, his arms around her and feeling her warmth against his skin, that he let himself relax.
You’re my mate.
Her voice drifted into his head, as steady and comforting as always.
No matter what. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve lost – but I can help you rebuild your future. I promise. I’ll always be by your side.
Stefan closed his eyes, pulling her even closer to his chest.
I love you, was the last thought he had, before he finally slipped into sleep.