The Dragon's Gem (12 page)

“I have to go,” she said softly
, rising on her tiptoes to brush her lips against mine. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

“I won’t be able to stay away,” I promised. Now that I had claimed her, I wanted to spend every second I could in her presence. “Sleep well,” I whispered, kissing her once more before opening the door, and handing her off to the housekeeper, who smiled warmly at me.

“Goodnight,” she said just before the door closed
, separating us.

“Goodnight,” I
answered, laying my hand upon the closed door, feeling her presence inside of the building like a beacon. It took everything I had to turn away and walk towards home, but I knew many guards were in place to protect her while night ruled the land.

*****

The next morning I rose bright and early, ready to begin my courtship with Aurora. I had eaten breakfast and was preparing to leave the house when my father walked into the foyer stopping me before I could go.

“Draco, we need to talk,” h
e said, looking worried.

“I was on my way to see Aurora
, can’t it wait?” I asked, wanting nothing more than to be with her.

“You will have to put your plans on hold
, we have a problem.”

If he was keeping me from Aurora there had to be a very good reason. “What’s going on?” I asked, immediately on alert.

“So
ran never came home last night after his date with Aurora. His father called all of the Dragon Lords this morning and we are sending everyone we can to look for him.”

“He was fine when I saw h
im at the restaurant last night,” I told him.

His gaze met mine and he frowned. “You saw him at a restaurant?”

“He was taking
Aurora out. I kind of burst in on their date,” I explained.

He passed
his hand over his face looking worried. “Great, you were the last one to see him. I can’t wait for his father to find that out.”

Given the
long-standing feud between our families that would be incriminating and I knew it might well start a war if Soran wasn’t found. “Let’s go and look for Soran before we talk to him; if we find him, it might save a lot of trouble.”

“You’re right
, let’s go,” he said moving swiftly through the front door to the large garden where he transformed into a gigantic Gold dragon, his scales reflecting rays of rainbow color across the stark white gazebo nearby. His opalescent eyes locked with mine and I nodded, calling forward my own dragon even as his large head lifted and his massive body moved gracefully from the ground to the sky in one powerful swoop of his wings. He circled above, waiting for me to join him and as soon as my own body had morphed into its large, sleek golden form, I flew up towards the heavens to join him. Using the magic only dragons possessed, we cloaked ourselves so we wouldn’t freak out any humans below and began our search.

We began in
the small town where the restaurant Soran was last seen was located. Flying over the place itself and the surrounding areas there was no sign of Soran’s car or any disturbance that would make us suspicious enough to check it out further. Determined to find some clue, we headed out of town, each taking a different route that would lead to the large home Soran shared with his parents and many siblings. Mentally we communicated, searching high and low, for any sign of him or his car. I was about to give up when a slight indentation in the forest’s greenery below alerted me to a recent disruption. I flew just over the tips of the towering evergreens, searching for any sign of Soran, when I caught a flash of metal through the dense tree-laden woods below. I communicated to my father what I saw and dropped lower to inspect the area. Just below the canopy of trees, I spotted the twisted wreckage of what looked suspiciously like Soran’s red convertible BMW. With practiced ease, I morphed as I landed on the ground using my dragon power to clothe myself before moving closer to the pile of twisted metal. The car lay upside down on its roof surrounded by shattered glass and pieces of metal. The doors were bent back like the lid of a tin can and I saw no sign of movement from within.

“What have you found?” m
y father asked, walking from the tree line behind me.

“So far
, not much,” I walked to the door and hunched down, looking inside the driver’s side window and was met with the sickening sweet smell of a floral perfume that I knew was not Aurora’s, which puzzled me. No one was inside, but the seat was soaked with blood. I swiped some with my finger, sniffed, then got to my feet and walked to the passenger’s side where the door hung precariously from its hinges and swiped a spot of blood there, sniffing it too. The coppery, earthy scent was very different from the first and I knew immediately Soran’s disappearance had nothing to do with any “accident.” I turned to my father to voice my suspicions when the area around us filled with the tingle of dragon magic letting me know Soran’s father and his family were coming.

Renault
, Soran’s father, hit the ground first, his long dragon’s torso covered in shimmering blue scales that stood out vividly against the lush green backdrop of the forest behind him. He transitioned smoothly from dragon to human form, walking towards the car without saying a word to either of us. The rest of his family dropped from the sky and transformed until six men and one small blonde-haired woman joined him by the car. The woman cried out at the sight of the vehicle and Renault placed his arm around her, whispering reassurances as the others walked around the area looking for any sign of Soran.

My father mentally ordered me to his side and I walked away, irked that the Blue dragons were acting as if we were not even there. After what seemed like a long time, the woman turned and looked our way as if seeing us for the first time and Renault followed her gaze. “We will take it from here,” he said stiffly.

My father nodded and we walked away into a small clearing where we both transformed
, then took the sky once more. As we flew towards home, my thoughts turned to the fact that it was just a little too coincidental that on the very night of his date with Aurora, Soran had an accident and disappeared. I was pretty sure whoever had caused the accident was after Aurora and had not been aware that I had intercepted them at the restaurant, unfortunately for Soran.

As I landed and transformed my only thoughts were of getting to Aurora, but my father pointed out that she was safe and the first thing we had to do was call the council to tell then what we had found. As much as I hated the delay in seeing Aurora, I knew he was right. Our responsibility was to keep the council informed, and as his heir, I needed to be by his side when he spoke to them.

Once in the library he placed the call to
the head of the Dragon Council, a four-thousand-year-old dragon named Tegrid, who was well known throughout dragon-kind for his calm reasoning, and levelheaded leadership. Under his rule as head of the Dragon Council, we as a species had prospered and grown into more than just a bunch of hotheaded reptilians who sought war and riches. He had singlehandedly formed us into one united species that worked together to keep our secrets from the world and our families protected from the threat of the Wyverns, something no other dragon had ever attempted before him.

The phone hummed over the speaker before a low click sounded and Tegrid’s gravelly voice
answered. “Max, I assume by my conversation with Renault earlier this morning that this is not a social call. Have you found his Soran yet?”

“We found his car in the woods
, but no sign of him so far,” my father explained.

“Young Pendragon
, what is your take on all of this?”

I was surprised Tegrid
asked my opinion, but since he did, I was more than happy to relay it. “He was on a date with Aurora. I think he was just an unfortunate victim of the Wyverns, who sought to kidnap her.”

“Did you say he was out on a date with
Aurora,” he asked pointedly.

“Yes,” I replied
, biting my tongue and clenching my fists.

“You do mean Aurora, as in, your intended mate?” he asked, sounding more amused than shocked.

“It’s complicated
, but yes,” I answered, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“I see,” h
e replied, but I knew he didn’t. Mates were revered among dragons and with the increase of Wyvern kidnappings; it was becoming harder to find them and ensure our future. The council had not understood my hesitance to embrace my mate and claim her immediately and I knew they were going to use my reluctance against me in the future. “Maybe it would be best if you explained what happened last night so I might better understand.”

My father took his seat behind the desk and motioned for me to t
ake a chair in front, which I did regretfully knowing it would delay my going to Aurora longer. “There isn’t much to explain. Soran had taken Aurora to a local restaurant. I found them there and he graciously bowed out, leaving me to work things out with her.”

“That doesn’t much sound like Soran,” he answered. “What time did you last see him?”

“I was a little preoccupied, but I think it was somewhere around eight when he left the restaurant.”

“Eight-ten, to be exact,” he confirmed. “Thankfully the restaurant had security cameras and we were able to see him get into his car, alone, and leave.”

I
wasn’t shocked in the least he possessed such information; the council had far-reaching tentacles and if they wanted to know something, they would find it out using every means at their disposal.

“You know
, Renault is not going to take it well when he finds out you were the last one to see his son alive. In fact, I have the feeling this could stir up more trouble between your families.”

“What possible reason would I have to want him harmed?” I asked.

“For some dragons just his taking an interest in their mate could be enough, but in this case I’m afraid the war goes way back to before you were even born.” I looked to my father, who was studying his hands a little closely for my liking. “Max, it might be best if you explain the history between Renault and yourself before he finds out from someone else.”

Again
, I looked to my father, but this time he met my gaze and I saw the regret in his expression. “I will tell him after we hang up,” he said.

“Good, now if that’s all you have for me
we are done, but I warn you now, the Wyvern are close and they will stop at nothing to gain Aurora. She is the key to the downfall of your family, the council, and possibly all of dragon-kind.”

“
I will keep her safe,” I vowed.

“See that you do,”
he said before a low click filled the room letting us know he had hung up.

I sat back and eyed my father
, who had yet to meet my eyes, and knew the time had come for him to clear the air. “Dad, just get it over with.”

My father
sighed and sat back in his chair looking resigned. “When I was young, like you are now, I met a young woman at a friend’s castle while celebrating the winter solstice. She was so beautiful, and the moment our eyes met, I knew she was the one I was meant to spend my life with and to my surprise, she too seemed to feel the attraction. We spent the entire week getting to know each other, falling more in love with every minute that passed. I vowed to ask for her hand in marriage, but before I could arrange a meeting with her father, someone else claimed his permission. She came to me in tears telling me her father had arranged for her to be married to the son of our host, a man she barely knew, a man I had been friends with since I was a child.”

“Renault,” I said
, earning a nod.

“
Your grandfather was not exactly a doting father, and your mother knew he would not change his mind about her engagement. Renault’s family were richer than most and highly favored by the king, while my family, although also favored by the king, were not as prosperous, so I knew I could offer no argument to change his mind. Your mother, though, was determined to have me, she was willing to risk her father’s wrath to be mine, so we left in the dead of night and made our way to my father’s castle, a few days travel from Renault’s family home. My father, although overjoyed that I had found my mate, was concerned about the ramifications of our actions. He sent a messenger to explain the situation to her father, and of course, Renault’s family, but his words fell on deaf ears. Her father and Renault stormed our castle demanding her return but we were well known for our abilities in battle and managed to keep them at bay until we were married and your mother was with child.”

“What happened next?” I asked completely engrossed in the story he wove.

“Your maternal grandfather finally realized that all was lost and he cut your mother out of his life. Renault went back home, but our friendship was over and he has never forgiven me for taking what he what he wanted,” he said tiredly. “I realize now she might have been better off as his mate than mine. At least then, she would still be alive.”

His revelation stunned me. “Mom is gone because of the Wyverns, she would not want you to blame yourself,” I told him, seeing clearly the pain he had hidden for so long.