This is the last place any of us wanted to be, but it’s a necessary evil. If we can get rid of the block on opening portals on the location Draven and Jazmyn found, we might also be able to locate Kiarra quicker.
The sooner I have her in my arms, the better. I am never letting her go again. I meant it when I told her to get ready for five crazy possessive alphas. She isn’t leaving my sight after this.
There is a strange shift in the atmosphere around me. Something bigger is happening. My hounds can sense it, but what it is, I didn’t know. At least, not yet.
Either way, time is not on our side. We need to move fast.
A cold chill washes over me as we step through the portal. Rion and Axel are on each side of me as we walk through.
I glance at Axel. His body is stiff, his eyes narrowed on everything around him.
I’ll have to keep an eye on Axel. He won’t do well being back here. Not after everything they put him through.
Arriving on the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, a group of Tarrent’s guards meet us on the boundary line. No portals are allowed once you reach the border, so this is as close as we can get.
Boulder homes most of the powerful dragons in the US, with Tarrent ruling over them with an iron fist and an even meaner temper.
The mountains and natural wide-open space and parks are perfect for the colossal dragons wanting to spread their wings while also giving them the privacy they want.
Other species of supernaturals are shunned from living here with the dragons, but humans are welcomed, working alongside them.
Another community of supes that need a damn wake up call.
Checking us for any concealed weapons, the guards move on to spell concealments. Once they’re happy we haven’t come here with ulterior motives, they direct us into the Jeeps, each manned with more guards.
We speed down the road, lush greenery as far as the eye can see on one side and huge mountains on the other.
Before we reach the valley, a ten-foot wall stands before it with guards lining the length of it.
Tarrent is known for his diligence. There’s a reason he’s stayed in his position the last sixty years, and although he looks no older than his mid-thirties, he has the skill and knowledge of a scrupulous leader. His wife, Amaris, is just as bad as him. He, at least, has some morals, whereas she has none.
Passing through the armed wall and gates, we pass small homes and shops before reaching Tarrent’s home and base. A large gray stone mansion that rests near the edge of the mountains.
Overlooking a wide lake, it sits higher than the rest of the valley, the entire expanse one long view from where it’s positioned.
Axel was only a child when he was here, but I doubt anyone would forget his presence, considering what they put him through before they sent him away to live with his aunt.
But she ended up being just as bad as the rest of them, not giving Axel a moment of peace or love.
Once we park, there’s another search by more guards before we make our way inside.
We walk into the foyer, a large open area decorated in white and gray marble. Everything looks over the top and expensive.
Glancing over at Axel, I see the anger and pain slashed across his face. His hands are clenched by his side as he stares down the guards, waiting for them to say something so he can start a fight.
I share a look with Rion. He nods, telling me he’ll keep an eye out for him as well.
Rion glances ahead and tenses up. I look in the direction and spot the person coming to greet us: Amaris, Tarrent’s wife and one of Axel’s main tormentors when he was here.
The shrewd woman’s icy blue eyes bear down on us. Her dark hair is pulled back against her sharp features, making her look pissed as hell as she moves closer. Even after all these years, she’s still pissed that her own son hadn’t received Tarrent’s ability.
While most dragons can wield poison, only true heirs, like Tarrent’s offspring, are immune to it.
Axel and his half-brother were both born in the same month, with Rhory being a week older.
It was no surprise that Tarrent had affairs. Amaris was well aware of her husband’s extracurricular activities, having plenty of her own. What did surprise her was the affair resulting in Axel being born.
Not only is it hard for a dragon to get pregnant, but it’s extremely rare for one outside a bonded pair to occur. And although Amaris isn’t Tarrent’s true mate, the bond forged by a political alliance should have prevented any other offspring from occurring.
To add insult to it, Axel, instead of Rhory, ended up receiving the ability of immunity from Tarrent.
She thinks Axel took something from her, something she was owed, and spent the first few years of Axel’s life trying everything to take it back. Even if it involved beating it out of him or trying dark spells to remove it.
It didn’t work, instead only inflicting more pain on Axel, leaving deep rooted scars of the mental kind behind.
I glance over at Axel, watching his eyes flash gold. A deep growl rumbles from his chest as he stares straight at her.
Placing my hand on his shoulder, I give him a look, reminding him why we’re here.
“This is for Kiarra.”
Axel clenches his fist, releasing a harsh breath. He nods a reply, but I know he’s on the edge right now. One small push and he’ll explode, leaving the entire valley in ruins.
Amaris places a smug smirk on her lips, waving us into the lounge. A half dozen guards follow us as we make our way in.
A huge crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of the room, with a large ostentatious beige chair at its base. Plush rugs and large oil paintings decorate the room, making it look more like an art gallery than a lounge.
Taking a seat on the hard beige chair, I focus on the threat in front of me just as she opens her mouth to speak.
“As you are the alpha leaders of Manhattan, we are obligated to go through with this meet, but know that anything you ask will be rejected. We want nothing to do with you and your kind.”
Amaris sharp tone claws at my ears. Her demands and refusal to treat us with any type of respect is nothing new.
But it’s something that will be swiftly dealt with if her blatant disrespect continues. It wouldn’t take much to raze their valley to the ground before whipping it out completely. They have no idea who or what they are up against.
Axel scoffs. “Our kind? I’m a fucking dragon, if you haven’t noticed.”
“You’re an abomination, just like the rest of your little group.” She snarls, looking down on us with disgust.
My hound pushes forward, begging to be released, to teach this bitch some manners, but that isn’t what we came for. At least not today.
Amaris notices the change in me and flinches back. Clearing her throat, she attempts to cover it by sitting up straighter.
But the stench of her fear permits the air around me. My hounds see her as nothing but insignificant prey that can be easily removed.
I’m about to tell her as much when Axel speaks up.
“Well, we can’t all be jealous dicks that don’t get their way, can we?”
Amaris’s eyes pulse a dull gold, her face contorting in anger as she stands up attempting to look intimidating. “You little—”
“Ah, I see little brother has returned.” Rhory steps into the room, a smirk on his face. It drops the minute he sees me.
He tilts his head in respect. “Kai.” The smell of fear in the room grows.
I smile to myself, my hounds spotting another spineless prey.
Rhory makes his way over to us. He stands at least four inches shorter than Axel, and although built, the dragon looks slim next to his little brother.
Apart from height, the difference between the two was like night and day. Whereas Axel was gruff and prickly around the edges, he had a heart of gold and always looked out for our family. This dick was the complete opposite.
Rhory is all smooth and suave on the outside, but I can tell from the look in his eyes and the air about him that his soul is as dark as the night itself.
Rhory takes a seat beside his mother just as her faux confidence returns.
“He is not your brother.” Amaris growls, giving Axel a look of disgust. It makes me want to rip her face off for even looking at him.
“Apologies, half-brother.” Rhory’s eyes flicker to me before glancing at Axel.
“Where is Father dearest?” Axel asks Amaris. “Out seeding more of his oats?”
Amaris snarls at him, about to spit out a reply when Rhory cuts in. “He’s away on business, so whatever you want will have to go through us.”
Amaris turns smug, thinking she’s got one up on us, but she’s dead wrong if she thinks any of us are leaving without what we came for.
“What is it you want?” Rhory raises a brow.
“We need your assistance.” I tell him.
A loud bark is followed by chuckles. “Of course, you do.” But I can see the spark of interest in his eyes. He’s not stupid enough to think we’d come all this way to just ask for their help. We knew he’d never blindly give it. Not without some form of payment involved.
“We need your assistance with a spell. If you do this, we’ll—”
“No. As I said before. We will not be helping you. Now leave before we have you moved by force.” Amaris cuts me off.
My hound pushes forward again and even the guards shift nervously around us as I send a warning pulse into the room.
Rhory’s eyes move from Axel to me, sensing the change. I catch the slight tremor in his hand before he fists it.
None of them stand a chance if they try anything, and from the look Rhory gives his mother and guards, they know it.
“You’re more than welcome to try. I doubt you’ll get far,” I tell them both.
Amaris opens her mouth to speak, but Rhory gives her a sharp look, stopping her.
I lean forward, clasping my hands together, feeling completely as ease. “Let’s just put it this way… Either you assist us or every dragon here is going to find out how weak their alphas are when I burn the entire valley down. I meant it when I said, we’re not leaving until you give us what we came for. Even if I have to start picking you off one by one to get it.”
Rhory turns white.
Axel
Kai’s demand ripples through the room, taking the intense atmosphere up a notch.
“How dare—”
“Let’s hear them out.”
Amaris’s head whips to Rhory, a look of betrayal slashed across her face at having her beloved son cut her off. “Rhory!”
But he knows he doesn’t stand a chance against us. He may be a dick, but he’s not stupid.
He gives her one look, and she seethes, raising her head like she’s above us all, and stares us down with so much hate, I could almost taste it in the air.
Rhory and I never had any type of close relationship. Being my half-brother meant nothing to me and sure as hell meant even less to him.
I was the infidelity my father couldn’t hide, and none of them let me forget it.
Once they found out I couldn’t give them what they wanted; the ability they thought was owed to them, they sent me on my merry way into another hell hole.
Just one not as over-the-top extravagant and full of useless rich people stuff.
Instead of any normality or a safe and loving home, I got a junkie aunt who let her revolving boyfriends take their tempers out on me and a shitty upbringing with no care.
I raised myself, stole food to get by, and eventually figured out how to survive. But barely.
If it wasn’t for the guys and Kiarra—my real fucking family—I don’t know where I’d be right now.
Rhory turns to me. “What is it you want?”
I wish I could say ‘fucking nothing,’ but this is about Kiarra, and I will do whatever it takes to get her back. Even if that meant bargaining with the Devil… or two of the three sitting in front of me.
“Dragons. As we mentioned, we need a spell removed and enough dragons to do it.”
Rhory tilts his head to the side, his complete focus on me as he tries to avoid looking at Kai.
The weak fuck is scared shitless of him. I’d find it funny if I weren’t so pissed at being here with them.
“And why should we help you? What could we possibly gain from this?” Rhory knows he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
We could destroy this whole place and burn it to the ground, just like Kai said, but if we want to keep any type of peaceful agreement among the dragons, we need to try the official way first.
We could always destroy their little valley another time. The thought makes me smile to myself.
“We’d never offer an alliance, if that’s where you’re thinking we’re going with this,” I tell him.
As if we’d want to align ourselves with a group of weak fuckers who hide behind their so-called political status and power.
Rhory gives me a hard smile, forcing out a laugh. “But as you can see, we don’t need your help.”
He moves to get up, probably trying to get the fuck out of here before shit blows up, but Kai speaks, stopping him.
“No, but you like power.”
Rhory pauses, slowly sitting back into his chair and giving Kai his full attention. “I’m listening.”
I scoff. Of course, he’d help for power. Even the bitch is frothing at the mouth for the chance to gain more.
That’s all this fucked up family wants, more power. The old man wouldn’t be around forever, and since I inherited his little immunity, that leaves his true heir, and any other from his line, vulnerable.
“The spell we’re hoping to break is extremely powerful. We need enough dragons to absorb the energy from it to destroy it. Once it’s done, you and your dragons can keep it,” Kai tells them.
Normally, the power would have to be transferred back to the source, but no way are we letting that twisted psycho, King, get any more power than he already has.
We still don’t know how he was able to get it in the first place.
Rhory’s eyes light up like a fucking kid in a candy shop. Something finally piquing his interest.
“We need at least a dozen of your most powerful dragons as soon as possible,” Kai says.
Rhory’s eyes narrow, quickly glancing from Kai to me and then to Rion. “If this is any kind of setup—”
“It’s not.” I stare him down.
If we wanted to fuck with them, we wouldn’t go to the trouble of offering them something and then turning around and betraying them. I’d watch him, wearing a fucking smile while I did it.
Rhory stares at me a minute longer before nodding his head. A smug smirk gracing the fucker’s face as he realizes what we’re handing him.
“Then we agree to help our fellow alphas.”
My chest burns at the thought of working alongside them. I rub the spot, focusing on Kiarra.
She needs this, and it’s one hell of a step closer to getting her back. They would be out of our hair soon enough.
Amaris stays quiet, but keeps a look of disgust on her face, like the old hag she is.
Rhory gets up, holding his hand out to Kai, knowing he’s the one to deal with. I’d rather punch the fucker in the face, so maybe he’s not so fucking stupid after all.
“I’ll have my best dragons ready to go within the hour.”
Kai and Rhory shake on it. I smile when I see the grimace on the fucker’s face when Kai grips him a bit too hard. Rhory tries to pull back, but Kai stares him down.
“If anything doesn’t go the way we plan, I will make it my personal mission to destroy you and everyone you hold dear.”
Rhory winces, his hand turning a nice shade of red and purple.
“Do I make myself clear?”
Rhory nods. “Yes, of course.”
“Good.” Kai releases him, giving him a feral smile. Rhory immediately calls for his guards to get who he needs, glancing back at Kai with wide eyes.
We head out of the stuffy room to an open area outside. We wait until we’re far enough out that they can’t hear us before speaking.
“That went as well as can be expected,” Rion says, looking back at Rhory. The wide smile on Rhory’s face makes the fire in my chest grow.
Kai looks to Rion. “Contact the others and update them. It’s time to get our mate back where she belongs.”
Yeah, by our fucking sides.
