Rogue Dragon (12 page)

Kirill gently tugged her toward the door. “Come on, Synda, we don’t have much time and Timur is going with you to make sure you’re safe.”

They filed out the warmth of the kitchen into the elements. Snow flurries formed little cyclones on the ground. Assan bumped his shoulder as he stepped out and Kirill growled. With an arm around Synda’s waist, he walked her to the first snow mobile. Tucker and Manx hung to the back, Tucker nodding furiously as Manx spoke.

Synda turned and wrapped her arms around Kirill. “Please keep my father safe,” she whispered.

Grabbing her coat, he jerked her up against him and pressed his lips to hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. The faint clapping he heard didn’t register. For a few minutes, he thought it was Timur being funny. The applause continued and he lifted his head. Timur was looking off into the horizon and Kirill followed his gaze.
Damn
.

Drago stood twenty or so feet away, a feral smile on his face. He stalked closer, and men moved from the darkness to line up behind him. His dark peacoat whipped in the wind and he stopped moving to stand statue still.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, cousin,” he yelled out.

Manx stepped in his line of vision. “This has nothing to do with her,
wurm
. Fight me.”

Drago scoffed, “You’re no challenge old man. You’re only good for one thing, and in order to get it I will take your daughter.”

“Anything happens to Synda, dumbass, and you’ll never get the gems,” Manx responded.

Kirill eased past Manx. “My mate stays with me. You want her then you will have to go through me.”

“I don’t think so, Kirill. You see, my cousin has a weakness I’ve found. No, she will come to me all on her own.” Drago waved his hand and a body was thrown out into the snow a few feet in front of them. The still form didn’t move, but Kirill could hear faint groans. He saw Synda lean forward and squint her eyes. She took off running before he could grab her.

Chaos erupted around him as Manx became a dragon, his girth pushing snow and vehicles out the way. He looked up and Drago was accepting the silent challenge by becoming his beast. The two mermen ran out of the way, and Timur glanced over at him.

“Protect my woman,” Kirill growled and embraced his beast.

His animal trudged forward to help Manx. Drago’s henchmen shifted and entered the fray. The older dragon dodged most of the hits Drago and his men attempted, until Drago caught him around the neck and flipped him. Briefly, Kirill wondered why Manx didn’t breathe fire. He increased his speed and gulped air to stoke his core. Kirill raised his head, opened his mouth and roared. A burst of flame erupted from his mouth hitting Drago in his face. The bastard backed up, giving Manx enough time to retreat. Instead, he ran forward, plowing his head into his nephew and pushing him toward the cliffs.

Kirill looked behind him. Timur stood above Synda as she sat in the snow with a woman’s head in her lap. Timur had released his wings and used them to shield Synda. Kirill moved toward Manx, who was battling Drago and another dragon, when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. One of Drago’s lackeys was running toward Synda. He saw the beast huff, preparing to breath fire, and he ran to intercept him. He loped forward and unfurled his wings, allowing the current to carry him. Kirill plowed into the dragon. He used his claws to scrap its scales as the animal let loose a stream of flames at his mate.

* * * *

Synda saw the flames heading toward her and bent over Ember’s prone form. Deep gouges cut into her arms and legs through her clothes, and her knuckles were bruised. Ember had put up a hell of a fight not to be taken, and now they would both be roasted. She saw Kirill flying toward the dragon, but she didn’t think he would get to the animal in time.

Synda glanced up. Timur’s bright eyes crinkled as he smiled down at her and winked. He repositioned himself to their sides, stretched his arms, and his wing span extended ten feet. Fire rolled off his back, and he grunted. Orange and yellow flames blew around them and high up, lighting the night sky.

The gargoyle chuckled. “Seems like dragons have been burning off my clothes all damn day.”

Synda swallowed. “Thank you, Timur.”

“Uh-oh.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Sunrise… Listen, no matter what, stay under the shelter of my win―” A slight crackling rent the air as his face took on a horrid expression with his mouth agape and his ears sharpening into horns. He became stone.

Ember groaned and Synda’s attention was pulled back to her friend. Growls, roars, and snarls formed a melody that surrounded them. She rubbed her friend’s cheek and rocked the woman in her lap, trying to rouse her. Ember’s eyes fluttered open and stared up at her.

“Ember. Stay here.” Synda kept her tone even.

Her partner’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. Synda shifted to her knees and gently lowered her friend’s head to the ground. She needed to find a way to get the woman help.

She crawled to the edge of Timur’s wings and looked around them. Kirill fought three dragons she didn’t know and assumed they belonged to Drago’s crew. Her dad battled two, a dark silver one and a burgundy one. And he was losing. She ran from the security Timur provided, sprinting across the snow laden field. Kirill trampled a beast from the sky and the ground shook when he fell. She stared up in awe of her mate. The span of his black wings blocked out the rising sun. A deep green dragon flew past her, talons extended. She ducked when he dipped, digging her toes into the snow to get traction to run for her father. She saw movement around the mouth of the cave that led to the landing on the beach. Caught sight of Tucker’s shirt and waved at him to move into the protection of the passageway.

A mournful wail ripped through the air and she swung around in time to see her father collapse into a snowdrift. She screamed and rushed toward him. The green dragon made another attempt to snatch her. Kirill appeared above her, wrapped his head around the neck of the other animal, and took a chunk out of his throat. Blood rained down on her, and the beast plummeted to the earth a few feet away. The ground swelled and she fell to her knees. She crawled to her feet and started to run, intent on getting to her father.

Manx’s body quavered with each blow Drago and his cohort dropped on the animal. From the corner of her eye, Synda saw Tucker and Assan moving toward the crags. She picked up speed and could feel wind buffet her back. The sun cast an eerie glow across the white landscape, and the battle Kirill fought in the sky cast shadows on the ground. She stopped short, screaming at the beasts attacking her father.

If a dragon could smile, she was sure Drago wore one. Disgust churned in her belly. Heat skittered up her spine and she yanked her coat open to cool off. It was getting harder to breath and her throat burned, making her eyes water. Drago flew high in the air and dropped out of the sky to land on her father. Manx’s body arced off the field before landing in place.

Tears flowed down her cheeks and she dashed to Manx, throwing herself on his chest. He lifted his head and dropped it. The other dragon attacking her dad huffed, and his chest puffed out. Synda inhaled quickly and tasted sulfur as it rose like bile up her throat. She opened her mouth to cool the surge of heat that came up from her belly.

The dragon opened his mouth and she saw glowing embers at the back of his throat. She retched and white fire exploded past her lips, engulfing the beast before her. The dragon dropped into a soldering heap of flesh where it stopped. She angled her head tocatch Drago as he fell from the sky. His wings lengthened and he caught an updraft, barely being singed. She closed her mouth as a wave of dizziness claimed her.

Her father curled his body around her, breaking her fall as she collapsed. Kirill appeared at her side. She raised her head and saw Drago with his last follower at the edge of the cliffs. She slumped against the cool body of Manx. Kirill unfurled his wings and puffed smoke above her. Suddenly an upsurge of water appeared, hundreds of feet above the precipice, and crashed on the dragons, tugging them into the sea.

Synda rose to a seated position and looked out toward the ocean. She caught sight of Tucker and Assan as they finished working the surf, their movements fluid as they called the water back into the sea. Her shoulders sagged in relief. She rubbed her chest, where the burning sensation resided, and tried to keep her eyes open. The two mermen walked in unison and stopped by Kirill’s side. Tucker placed a hand on Manx’s spine.

Tucker met her gaze and shook his head.

“Daddy.” She whispered.

A low grunt was all Manx could manage.

A splash and they all looked toward the bay. Drago flew up, his wet scales reflecting the light in an array of iridescent colors. Aghast that he still lived, she watched him fly away.

“Daddy, please don’t die,” she begged as hot tears fell, landing on his scales.

Kirill wrapped an arm around her and she hadn’t realized he’d shifted. She pulled away and lay on her father, rocking against him. Kirill knelt down on the other side of the old dragon’s body and placed his face next to hers.

“He is gone, Synda.” Kirill placed his hands over hers.

“I won’t leave him here. I can’t.” She sobbed and the tears pooled under her cheek.

“Then neither will I,” Kirill declared.

Epilogue

The day was clear and crisp and for the moment, snow wasn’t on anybody’s radar. Locks of her hair lifted in the light breeze that caressed her face, and she played with the little mound of ice she’d created in front of her. Synda sat on the spot where her father was cremated. Manx would have liked the way she said goodbye. Under Kirill’s tutelage she learned to control her fire, and a few days after her father’s death, both she and Kirill created a flame so hot he was dust in the wind within minutes. She watched the sky and smiled at what she witnessed in the horizon. As if her dad was answering her thoughts, two shapes broke away from the other clouds and it looked like a dancing couple.

I bet you and mom are having the best of times, Daddy
, she thought.

She continued to stare out and studied the clear blue water as ideas chased themselves in her head. Learning the history Kirill was teaching her about dragons was mind boggling enough. She still needed to deal with the threat of her cousin. With Drago alive, she couldn’t truly be free, and Kirill kept talking about some challenge to the death. Synda wasn’t above a little retribution, but going at that crazy fuck head-on didn’t seem like the wisest option. Plus, she had a feeling she’d be seeing her cousin again sooner rather than later. Not only was she trying to get a grasp on what she’d become caught up in, but now she had to explain it all to her best friend.

Ember was in shock, not because of the beating she’d taken at the hands of Drago, but for all she’d witnessed in the process. Synda was still trying to explain all the different beings to her and considered herself lucky that Ember hadn’t run from the cabin screaming for the authorities. She did take care of that issue and called her office to resign her position immediately, while Ember had reported she’d been in an accident and was unfit for duty. The loss of her job angered her, but she knew she really hadn’t had any other option.

She rested her elbows on her knees and plopped her chin in her palm. Timur was paying very close attention to Ember, and she didn’t want to imagine what was going through that gargoyle’s mind. But what worried her the most was Tucker. He’d called to tell her he needed to talk, and she had no clue where Assan had disappeared to.

The crunch of ice under foot told her she was no longer alone. Synda sighed and didn’t bother to look over when Kirill dropped down next to her. He sat in silence with her for a while.

“Why are you out here in the cold?” He asked.

“I’m not chilly anymore.” She lifted her lips in a smile.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“Yeah, what?”

“You must come with me to find out.”

She snorted. “Yeah, I’ve heard that line before.”

Kirill’s laugh made her blood run hot.

“I’m not that easy.”

“I didn’t think you were, but what I have to show you is in the shed.” He rose and held out a hand to help her up.

She grabbed his fingers and stood. In the distance, she heard the roar of an engine, and she could see a dark spot moving toward the cabin. Holding hands, they walked across the field to meet the visitor.

Tucker pulled up next to them, his lean face red from the wind. “Good afternoon.”

“Hi, Tucker,” she greeted.

He pressed his lips together in a grim line and glance at the spot where Manx had lain. A quick shake of his head and he glanced back at them. “Manx asked me to relay a few things to you, in the event of his death.”

“Okay. What’s that?” Synda narrowed her eyes.

Tucker turned to face Kirill. “Manx specifically asked me to tell you that the gems are hidden in different places. You can find the information as to where on his maps, and the clues to their exact location on Synda’s body. They’re hidden in the tattoos inked on her skin. Once you have the jewels, Manx wanted you to issue a Malice Challenge to Drago. He believed that with Synda at your side, you could bring the dragon nation back to its lost glory.”