Chapter 2
Lyrian was too caught up in the feeling of loss that had pervaded her mind since Brad had left to really pay much attention to what all the other dragons were saying.
Their conversation was pointless anyway. The comments about how this was all Brad’s fault, the praises of his bravery in sacrificing himself for the clan’s greater good, none of them meant anything at all.
How could they, when Brad had left her?
Anger and helplessness welled up in her, the intensity of the emotions making it hard to breathe. Or maybe that was the tears that kept trying to fall, that she choked back. She wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t cry.
Because if she started, she wasn’t sure if she could stop.
She’d been so happy only a few hours ago, when Brad had agreed to mate with her. So amazed at the fact that he’d decided to spend the rest of his life with her and Anarian instead of returning to America.
Now he was gone anyway.
She knew he had done it because he thought it was the right thing to do, but she couldn’t believe that. Him not being here would never feel right to her.
Somehow, the hole in her heart felt even bigger than it would have if he’d left to return to his home. Maybe because then she could have at least imagined him being happy. Probably because she’d had a taste of how wonderful that life could be, then had it ripped away from her.
One voice finally broke through Lyrian’s misery.
“I’ll call my boss, he’s a lawyer and he’s already offered to represent the dragons if there’s anything he can do,” Lisa said firmly. “I’m sure he can get Brad out of there.”
“Do you think so?” Lyrian asked, hardly daring to hope.
She caught the look Verrian shot his mate, and Taurian’s frown, and her heart sank again.
Lisa though, didn’t look deterred. “If anyone can, Barry Hutchinson can,” she said firmly.
“I’m not sure it’s that simple,” Taurian said slowly.
Lyrian swung around and stared at her brother. “What do you mean, not that simple? Are you saying we should just give Brad up? Not even try to get him back? Weren’t you the one convincing me to mate with him just a few hours ago? Why would you do that if you didn’t want him to be part of our clan?”
A thought occurred to her, and she blurted it out before she even had time to consider it. “Did you encourage Brad to leave, or help distract me while he did?” Her voice shook, and a matching tremor ran through her arms and legs.
It was an effort to hold back the tears. To pretend to be cool, calm, and collected, as her clan expected her to be. Brad leaving had broken her trust in the world, and even in her brothers. And she couldn’t even find it in herself to care.
Taurian frowned. “Are you accusing me of lying? Of encouraging your mate to leave?” His voice thundered. “Why would I do that? Have I done anything but support you since you arrived?”
Lyrian stared at her brother. Of course he hadn’t. But if Brad could just walk out like that, how could she trust anyone?
Even her brother.
“If you didn’t help him leave, then why aren’t you suggesting we do all we can to help him now? That implies that you think we should just give up and let the police have him.” Her voice shook on the last words, the possibility too horrible to even consider.
Taurian’s voice softened. “I’m not saying that. I want to bring Brad back to our clan as much as you do. I’m just saying that this is bigger than your mate. Bigger than just helping one person.”
He looked around the clan, and Lyrian could see all of them hanging onto his words. “The fact of the matter is, our existence is no longer a secret. The humans know dragons exist. And while Brad and his brother have bought us some time, that’s all this is. Eventually, we’re going to have to find a way to deal with the humans, once and for all. And we need this time Brad has given us to do that.”
The finality in his voice sent a chill down Lyrian’s spine.
She didn’t want to hear it. Most certainly didn’t want it to be true.
Taurian looked at her as though he could hear the doubts in her mind, and said softly, “I know this is hard for you Lyrian, but you need to think of your clan, of your position as princess, not just of your mate. If we don’t use this time wisely, then Brad’s sacrifice will be in vain.”
Lyrian didn’t want to be a princess and put her clan first. She wanted to transform into a dragon, rush down to the police station, and demand that they return her mate. Immediately.
But despite her emotional turmoil, she couldn’t deny that Taurian was right. Too much was at stake. Too much had happened in the last few weeks, both before and after her return to the clan, for things to just go on as they had.
“What are we going to do?” she asked in a whisper, for once not caring that her clan was seeing her uncertainty.
She didn’t want to know that this was bigger than her. Bigger than Brad. Bigger than them being together. She had hoped to spend a few days, at least, with her mate, before having to face all this.
She didn’t want to believe that Taurian was right.
Even though she knew he was.
Brad had bought them time. Time to figure out what they needed to do next. But that didn’t mean they had to ignore him while they figured it out.
Taurian stepped forwards, a ready answer on his lips. “Our best chance of a favourable outcome for the dragons is if we present a unified front. If the humans see us at war with the Trima dragons, then they are going to assume we are a warlike people. If we can make peace, and approach them together, then I think both clans stand a better chance of finding a solution with the humans.”
His words made so much sense. Even if they did seem impossible right now.
Two days ago, Lyrian had thought their war with the Trima dragons was the biggest challenge her clan had to face. Now that seemed insignificant compared to finding a way to convince the humans to accept the existence of dragons.
Then again, perhaps this was just the thing to bring the warring clans together?
Lyrian couldn’t help a grudging admiration that her brother, her youngest brother, was taking over with so much confidence. And he was doing an excellent job of it.
Then again, it wasn’t his mate that had been taken by the police.
She felt lost and alone. Even in the midst of her family.
Her mate’s absence hurt even more than her family’s absence had.
Which was why she needed to do something about getting him back. “Calling Lisa’s boss and asking him to see if he can help Brad does not prevent us making peace with the Trima clan. In fact…” an idea hit her as she spoke, an idea so surprising she had to pause to consider it for a few moments before continuing, “Perhaps Lisa’s boss can help Ultrima too? Surely that would improve relations between our clans?”
Taurian stared at her. In fact, everyone was staring at her.
Lyrian stared back defiantly. “What? It seems like the perfect opportunity to put him in our debt.”
“You could be onto something,” Taurian said musingly.
Lyrian looked around for Ostrian, sure he would be the one to object, but the elder was strangely absent. Where was he, and what was he up to? Probably no good, if she knew Ostrian.
But right now, his absence helped her. No one else voiced any objection to her suggestion, so Lisa reached into her pocket, then grimaced. “I don’t have my phone. Can I borrow yours?” She turned to Karla.
Taurian’s mate nodded and handed a phone over. “Yours probably wouldn’t have worked out here anyway. I bought a satellite adapter for mine.”
Lisa nodded, and dialled. “I’ll call Barry. Lucky I have his home number.”
Still, Lyrian was on edge as she listened to the one sided conversation that started out with Lisa sounding apologetic. She breathed a sigh of relief when Lisa said, “Thanks, Barry, and keep us informed.”
Lisa hung up and turned back to the others with a smile. “Well, now that that’s taken care of, what next?”
“Next we continue making plans to wake Sarian,” Taurian said firmly. “That’s what we were going before the human police showed up, and it’s our best plan now. Without knowing Sarian’s wishes, we can’t possibly know how to approach Ultrima, or whether it is, in fact, possible to make peace with the Trima clan.”
He was right, of course. Waking Sarian was the best course of action.
Lyrian reluctantly let go of the urge to rush to the police station and rescue Brad, though she did keep it in the back of her mind in case Lisa’s boss couldn’t help Brad, and turned her focus to a problem she could solve. “Right, we need a team. I’ll go of course, and I suggest we keep numbers small. Another two dragons should be enough to come with me.”
Taurian put a hand on her shoulder. “First, you need a rest,” he said firmly.
“There’s no time to rest,” Lyrian said immediately. “You said yourself, waking Sarian is best done under the cover of darkness.”
“There are plenty more hours of darkness,” Taurian insisted. “And you don’t just have yourself to care for, you need to consider Anarian too. If you collapse from exhaustion, what happens to your baby?”
Lyrian didn’t want to hear it. Didn’t want to admit that his words made sense.
She was sure there was no way she could sleep. She was too keyed up.
And she missed Brad far too much.
They should be falling asleep in each other’s arms after a night of thorough mating. Not separated. Definitely not worried for each other.
And yet, this was the reality she had to face.
She was about to acquiesce when a voice echoed through the tunnel leading to the main room, “Don’t tell me I came all this way for nothing.”
Latrima strode into the room, her white hair streaming down her back. Her blue eyes flashed far darker than their pale colour suggested they could.
She didn’t look happy.