Chapter Sixteen
Shane
As soon as Shane realized that Gordon’s usual goons had been replaced, he knew something was up. Instead of the dragons that usually hung around him were humans. Seeing that, Shane had jumped on a desperate hope–that Gordon would accept the challenge as a means of regaining his sense of power. As the other dragon contemplated him and both Tyler and Kayla stared at him as though he was crazy, Shane kept his stance relaxed.
If this worked, then they would be free.
“That is… acceptable.” Gordon smirked as his gaze ran over Shane, lingering on the slight bruises still on his hands.
After all these weeks of being beaten up, Shane’s healing was almost as slow as if he had been human. He was severely weakened, and Gordon knew that.
“To the death,” Gordon murmured, his grin widening until there was a crazed look in his eye. “When you’re dead I’ll throw your body into the ocean and release all the videos. I’ll keep your mate and your brother will head my companies for me. How does that sound?”
Shane shrugged. “If I die.”
“When.”
“Shane, don’t do this,” Kayla breathed. “Shane, if he wins—”
“Your mate has no faith in you,” Gordon laughed. “Now let’s fight.”
Shane turned to Kayla. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a deep kiss to her mouth. As he did so, he tucked his cellphone into her waistband. Every time they came here, Gordon had made certain that his phone was taken. It was a testament to how he was slipping that he hadn’t done it now. Shane’s heart beat shallowly as they headed to the arena.
As soon as he entered, Gordon attacked. His fist flew and Shane was slow in blocking it; the punch landed on his jaw. It spun him around. Gordon kicked his knees out from under him, bringing him down again. Shane grunted in pain but was able to roll to avoid Gordon’s continued attacks. The other dragon had smoke roiling from his mouth and a thrill went down Shane’s spine. His enemy was unhinged with fury–and he could use that to his advantage.
Gordon charged him and Shane sprang to his feet, and he lightly sidestepped. Gordon moved right past him, though he twisted and tried to attack again. Shane jabbed two stiff fingers into Gordon’s throat, then hooked his foot around Gordon’s ankle and yanked. Gordon fell with a thud. More smoke belched into the air.
Shane danced out of reach as the other dragon rolled and swiped at him. Part of him wanted to bring it down on Gordon, to make him pay for what he had done. To tear him in half. And he knew that given the opportunity, Gordon would kill him.
But killing the other dragon wasn’t going to solve their problems. He had no doubt that the goons would kill his brother and mate if that happened. He needed to discredit Gordon, to break his empire. And, with any luck, Kayla would be able to record this… giving them the evidence they needed to get the law involved.
Shane’s distraction cost him. A streak of fire burst past his ear and he was too slow to avoid it. His clothing caught fire. Burning pain flashed through him. Gordon laughed from where he was, his skin gleaming with scales. Wings sprouted from his back and when he lunged again, his hands ended in deadly-looking claws.
Well. If that was how he wanted to play the game.
Shane charged at him, bringing his fires to the forefront. As they flickered in his mouth, his form changed. His clothing burst from his body as he became a mighty dragon. He spread his wings, catching his balance as he rammed into Gordon. The other dragon clawed at him, teeth gnashing. Scales sprayed into the air. Shane let loose a fireball, which exploded between their faces.
Gordon wheeled back, roaring. When Shane drove his advantage, the other dragon flipped onto his back, then grabbed Shane by the neck and flipped him over, kicking him in the stomach as he did. A long claw sunk deep into his abdomen. A cry of pain burst from Shane’s mouth. He landed hard on his back, one wing crumpled beneath him.
As Gordon made to jump on him, mouth wide open with flames bursting between his teeth, Shane drew in a deep breath. He twisted away from Gordon. A burst of fire came at him and he dropped, using a wing to shield himself. The searing fire rose blisters on the delicate membrane. White-hot pain blinded him. Something long and sharp pierced into his back.
Shane closed his eyes. He imagined Kayla’s face and threw himself backward. Gordon let out a surprised noise as Shane lifted into the air and came crashing down on him. Both dragons sprawled. Shane’s clawed hands reached out, groping for Gordon’s throat. They found their mark and he squeezed. Gordon thrashed and wheezed.
You are never going to harm her.
Gordon’s eyes were wide as he clawed at Shane’s body. Blood sprayed into the air but Shane didn’t stop. He tightened his grip, panting even as he did so. Gordon’s movements became jerky and then he stilled. His eyes rolled and the form beneath Shane began to shift.
Soon a human lay where the dragon had been. Shane released him, unwilling to kill the other dragon. Gordon wheezed and coughed, both hands on his throat. Shane slowly shifted back to his human form. His frame was slick with blood but he ignored the pain as he glared at Gordon.
“Either you release us all or I kill you. Here, tomorrow, the day after. You know that’s how it will end. So what is it, Hunt? Surrender or death?”
Gordon stared up at him with terrified, hateful eyes. “Surrender,” he growled out.
Shane nodded. “In that case, we will take our leave and never see you again.”
He headed for the door leaving the arena. It opened and several of Gordon’s goons entered. Gordon let out a barking laugh. “You’ll never see me again, that is for certain! Kill him!”
The goons glanced at each other. Shane tensed as he glared at the goons. They all held weapons but none lifted them. He walked through them and they parted for him. Behind him, Gordon spluttered and shouted but the goons continued to ignore him. Kayla and Tyler ran to him. Shane had to work hard not to collapse against his brother. He wrapped his arms around Kayla and held her tight.
“I said kill him!” Gordon shouted again.
“His empire is broken,” Shane murmured. “He’s proven to be a weak coward. It’s over.”
***
Kayla had filmed the fight. She had even gotten Gordon shouting for his goons to kill Shane. That, combined with the testimony of Gordon’s former clan, was enough to shut him down for good. His power had broken and his former allies, including the cops that took a cut of his proceedings, were all too eager to turn on him. Every cop in the town was under investigation in the meantime and Shane was certain that things were going to proceed well from here.
The dig was another concern. Kayla admitted that she hadn’t been taking Esther’s calls for a few days. Telling her what had happened ended up taking longer than Shane anticipated. He dozed while Kayla and Esther talked, and was only woken up when Kayla entered the tent and laid down next to him.
She kissed him gently. “So I guess that Esther’s coming back to take care of the dig. Well, Dominique is going to come, too, so Bryant has an excuse to stay with Esther. That’s a pretty cozy job, being part of the queen’s guard.”
Shane made a noise of agreement, then frowned. “She’s coming back? What about the baby?”
Kayla’s eyes brightened. “The baby is fine. More than fine, apparently. The weird stuff happening with her pregnancy? It’s because she’s having twins. And it took this long for them to figure out because they kept playing hide and seek or something like that. All that worry for nothing!”
“Not nothing.” Shane shifted a little to allow Kayla more room on the sleeping bag. “Dragons rarely have twins. In fact, most cases you don’t know that they’re going to be twins until they’re born. I don’t know why but when dragons have twins it messes up all the equipment and that…”
He trailed off. During everything that had happened, he hadn’t been able to spare any thoughts to Bryant and Esther. Now, he was just grateful that their baby was going to be okay. It also made him think about when he and Kayla were going to start a family. He absently stroked her stomach. It’d be a good idea to wait a few months at least, to help them get over the trauma that Gordon had put them through…
“I noticed Tyler didn’t stick around.” Kayla’s voice broke him from his reverie.
“Yeah. He went home.”
“I hope he at least said goodbye to Bernie this time. She was devastated when she thought he left the last time… oh God!” Kayla suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes growing huge. “I’m going to have to tell her everything that happened. Oh, shitty, shit, shit! This is the worse thing to ever happen to me. She’s going to demand to know why I didn’t tell her and why I was lying to her and… she’s going to kill me.”
Shane put an arm around her and tugged her back down next to him. He shook his head. A fond smile grew over his face as he rolled over her, caging her with his body. “She’s not going to kill you.”
“Yes, she is. Or maybe she’ll just kill you. I don’t know.” For a moment real panic shone on Kayla’s face. Her fingers tightened in his shirt as she stared into his eyes. “We’re free, right? For real?”
He stroked her hair from her face and nodded. “We’re free for real.”
“And you’ll stay with me forever?”
“Of course.”
Shane brushed his mouth against hers and smiled as she relaxed. She released a shaky breath and he moved to her neck, being gentle and slow with her. Gordon was in jail. His cohorts were all being rounded up. He wasn’t going to be able to come after them again.
Even though the videos of Shane participating in the fight ring had been released, the feedback had been mostly positive. While there were the idiots who pointed at them and claimed that it was proof he was lying about everything, the backlash wasn’t focused on him. Nor was it focused on Gordon being a dragon that had an illegal fighting ring. No, most of the public response was actually praising him for taking such good care of his mate.
And now as he looked into her eyes while her fingers twisted into the hair on the back of his neck, he couldn’t help but be filled with relief. He had done it. He had protected her and now she was safe. Forever. She was here, in his arms, and he never had to fear for her safety again. At least, if he did he’d be right there to protect her. From anything that came their way.
“I love you,” he breathed.
“I love you, too.”
He stroked the hair from her face, a silly grin crossing his face as he considered their position. She began to rock her hips upwards, a sure sign that she was thinking along the same line. When she knew what she wanted, she went for it. And he loved that about her. He delved into her neck, loving her scent, loving her taste. Loving everything about her.
Screw it. He had meant to wait for some romantic interlude but they both knew what they wanted. Why should they wait? He rolled off of her, eliciting a disappointed groan from her, and rummaged through the purchases he’d brought back from the city. When he finally found what he was looking for, he turned back with a grin on his face.
Kayla’s eyes widened when he held the small velvet box out to her. With a practiced swish, he opened it, revealing the diamond ring nestled inside. She sprang up to her knees and gasped as both hands flew to her mouth.
“Kayla Tucker. You are the love of my life. You’re my mate and I want to spend the rest of my life funding your digs and sleeping with you in my arms. I want to give you everything you want and more. Will you accept this ring and this dragon?”
Tears filled her eyes as both her hands dropped. A huge grin spread across her face even as she shook her head. Shane waited, uncertain exactly how to take these mixed signals.
“You’re crazy,” she breathed. “Absolutely crazy.”
Shane’s brows knit. “Um… why?”
“Because you love me. Despite everything that’s wrong with me, you love me. And so you have to be crazy, right? My crazy, crazy dragon.” Kayla threw her arms around him. “Yes! I will be your wife. I’ll be everything you want me to be. I’m yours forever. I love you so much.”
She kissed him again, wild and passionate this time. As she straddled him and he wrapped his arms around her, he closed the velvet box. He laid her down on her sleeping bag and she laughed as he began to make love to her–the first time as an engaged couple but certainly not the last.
*****
THE END