Dragon Blood 2: Wyvern Read online

  Another visual search of the area showed nothing. Where was he? Was he coming? She looked at the time again and then put her phone away. That was it. She’d given him more than enough time. Amber started to stride towards the school gate.

  A rush of movement caused Amber to spin and block the man who leapt out of the shadows at her. A flurry of punches followed the initial attack and she ducked as many as she could, blocking the rest. Another shadow flew at the man, pushing him into the wall of the school building with a grunt and a thud. Heart in her throat, Amber drew a steady breath as she recognised Ronan.

  “What was that?” Ronan demanded, his hand holding the man pinned to the building by his throat. “Do you call that an attack? You put no effort into it.”

  “I have no excuse.”

  Hearing his words, Amber looked him over carefully. He had sandy blond hair pulled back from his face and when Ronan let him go, she saw it was tied at the nape of his neck. He was a similar size and build to Ronan. That put him at a little over six foot with far too many muscles for Amber to have beaten if he’d really been trying to kill her.

  “Who are you?” Amber’s eyes travelled over the bare chest, which made her wonder how he tolerated the cold and then stared at the tattoo that covered the muscles of his upper left arm. It was a Celtic trinity knot with three dragons bursting out of the edges. When the man didn’t answer her, she met his eyes in query. Her mouth dropped open when she saw pale blue eyes the same as Ronan’s. Without thinking, she threw her fist towards Ronan and fleetingly wondered how she managed to get pushed face first against the building Ronan had held the man against.

  “Not a smart move. Did you really think I’d let you hit me?” Ronan let her go.

  Amber turned to face him, supporting herself against the wall, her heart racing a million kilometres an hour. “Who is he? Another one of your sons?”

  “Rian. The one that managed to get his arse kicked by your dragons. He was laid up for a month. He’ll teach you to fight if he wants to make up for that mess.”

  Amber looked between the two men. “I don’t need his help.”

  Ronan pulled a gun out and pressed it at Rian’s forehead. “In that case, he’s of no use to anyone.”

  “What!” Amber went from scared to angry in a second. “What do you think you’re doing, Ronan? Are you trying to manipulate me?” She couldn’t believe Rian stood there, his expression still neutral, his eyes meeting those of his father.

  “I don’t bluff.”

  “You can’t do this.” Amber’s mouth dried and she desperately tried to think of a way to stop this nightmare.

  “Then you do want him?” Ronan turned his gaze on Amber.

  She could only nod. Her eyes were still on Rian and she could have sworn she saw a moment of relief in his gaze.

  “You’ll fight him like you mean it. Or I’ll shoot him.” Ronan’s expression was harsh. “Even to aiming for the wings if you’re throwing fire at him. If he can’t get out of the way he doesn’t deserve to live.”

  “That’s harsh.” Amber couldn’t believe Rian still stood there, expressionless. She’d have made several comments by now if it had been one of her parents talking about her like this. And none of them would have been complementary.

  “Only the strong survive. I wouldn’t be doing him any favours if I didn’t teach him that. Eventually you’ll learn too.” Ronan tucked his gun into the back of his leather pants.

  “Not likely.”

  “Then you’ll die, but not until I’m finished with you.” Ronan gestured towards his son. “And he’ll make sure you live long enough to help me or I’ll tear his heart out with my own hands.”

  “Bastard,” Amber muttered.

  Ronan smiled as if he’d been complimented. “Don’t forget it.” He glanced around. “Let’s get out of this depressing place.”

  “You were the one who wanted to come here.”

  “If you hadn’t been so impatient it might have been worthwhile.”

  “Why’d you want to come here anyway?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it does.” Amber crossed her arms over her chest. “Why here?”

  “To give the assassins a chance to find you.”

  It took a couple of seconds for Ronan’s words to sink in. “What!”

  “Oh stop with all the drama.” Ronan turned from her and began to move away from the building.

  Amber grabbed him by the arm and wasn’t surprised when Ronan shook her off with a look of annoyance. “Talk to me. I’m not one of your sons who’ll stand around while you get them killed.”

  “If they followed orders better they wouldn’t get killed.”

  “Ronan!”

  “We only have rumours. I need to find out who and why. And you can’t retaliate until an attempt has been made.”

  “Attempt?” Amber hated how Ronan had the ability to make her voice sound like that of a scared little girl.

  Ronan laughed. “Don’t you like that? Too bad. You’re a part of our world, you have to live by its laws.” He looked over to Rian. “Guard her and train her.” He leapt into the air and, turning into a blue and silver dragon, disappeared into the night.

  Amber growled in frustration. She had more questions. How dare he take off like that? She heard movement behind her and turned to face Rian. What was she going to do with him? And why did he just stand there watching her? “What?”

  “I have no idea what you are asking.”

  “Why are you standing there?”

  “Guarding you.”

  Amber started to tell him he could leave, then recalled she was alone, at school, after midnight and there were assassins after her. She nodded her head. When she got home she’d tell him to leave. Without talking, she turned into a hawk and flew towards the balcony of her second storey room. If she hurried, she could make it back home before Kade knew she was gone.

  She could see her balcony only metres away when a bellow echoed in her mind. “Amber! Where are you?”

  She sighed as she landed on her balcony and turned human. Rian dropped down beside her, changing in mid air from a large blue dragon, with bronze and silver flecked wings, to a human. The balcony door swung open before she could answer.

  Kade filled the doorway, his hands holding the doors open, his expression fierce. “Where were you? And who’s that?”

  Amber met Kade’s golden brown eyes, the same colour as the sun-streaked strands of his brown hair. “He’s one of Ronan’s sons.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t you attack us last month?”

  Rian nodded.

  “Then what are you doing here? What’s Ronan up to?”

  Amber pressed her hand against Kade’s chest, pushing her way into the room. “It’s too cold to stand out on the balcony all night.” She heard Rian follow her in and close the door. Her gaze never left Kade’s. What should she tell him? And how should she? He was going to be livid.

  “Just get it over with. If Ronan’s involved I doubt I’m going to like a single word you have to say. And why is he still hanging around?” Kade gestured towards Rian who took up a post in the corner closest to the French doors.

  Amber strode towards her bed, discarding her jacket along the way to reveal a black, dragon-leather vest. “Apparently I need an extra bodyguard.” She decided to avoid mentioning Rian was also meant to train her to fight. And from what Ronan had said, Rian was to be the practice dummy.

  “Why do you need an extra guard?” Kade’s voice held more than a hint of impatience.

  “What would my weight in gold be worth in real dollars?”

  Kade frowned. “What?”

  “Between two and three million depending on your exact weight and the current dollar value of gold.”

  Amber dropped onto her bed at Rian’s words. “Two million?” She closed her eyes a moment then met Rian’s pale blue eyes that were unnervingly like his father’s. “Dollars?”

  Rian nodded. “If
you give me your weight I can find an exact figure for you. But the market value does fluctuate.”

  Amber shook her head, words beyond her. She lay back on her bed and stared at the pattern her bedside lamp made on the ceiling.

  Kade sat beside her. “What have you done now?” The impatience was replaced by weariness.

  “I didn’t do anything. Apparently someone thinks my death is worth my weight in gold.”

  “Since when?” Kade grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up to face him. “What were you doing running around town at this hour if you have assassins after you? Are you insane?”

  “Obviously. I talk with dragons, think I can turn into a panther or hawk at will and throw balls of fire from my hands. No one sane does that.” She avoided mentioning her ability to heal since Rian was standing in the corner and Ronan still didn’t know she could do that.

  “Tell me everything. From the start. And you better not leave anything out.”

  Amber sighed and recounted her day, warily watching as Kade tried to control his anger when she mentioned meeting Ronan after she’d been told of the assassins. “What I can’t understand is why anyone would be willing to pay two million dollars for my death. Or even why I’d be first on their list.”

  “The only difference I can see between you, Jay and Crystal is you spend time with Ronan.” Kade turned towards Rian. “What do you know about it?”

  “More now than I did earlier.”

  “Your father’s such a bastard,” Amber said to Rian.

  Rian nodded, not seeming to be the least offended.

  “Then why do you help him?” Amber frowned. “I’d be miles in the opposite direction from him if I was you.”

  “He’d rip my heart out.”

  Amber was made speechless again. She couldn’t understand how Rian could be so calm about the prospect. Or even how Ronan could be so hard on his sons. She shook her head, unable to think of anything to say.

  Rian smiled fleetingly, his serious expression lightening considerably. “It is the way it has always been for me. Ronan will accept nothing other than unquestioning loyalty. He expects no more from us than he expects from himself. And as his youngest son, I am of least value.”

  “Oh, your mother was that dragon with the Gold in her lineage he captured a couple of decades ago. People still talk about that,” Maira said as her and Brann came through the French doors. “Apparently Ronan was so mad he nearly killed you and your mother when you were born with no Gold in you. How many other kids did he end up having with her?”

  “Six girls. No Golds.”

  “What’s wrong with you people?” Amber leapt to her feet. “He kidnapped a woman and had her long enough to have seven kids to him. Why didn’t anyone rescue her?”

  Only Rian bothered to answer. “She escaped once she was pregnant with me, but chose to go back when I was born with bronze in my wings. They both thought it might mean they were getting close to Gold.”

  “But why? I mean, he’d kidnapped her.”

  “Because it’s the Gold Dragons who rule.” Maira strode across the room and knelt at Kade’s feet then sat back on her legs. “I’m sorry I left Amber unprotected.” Chunky silver and black bracelets glinted as she pressed her arms against the floor. Green eyes were lowered and her head was bowed till it touched the polished timber of the floor. Her black hair, which was cut level with her mouth, swung forward and her skin seemed even darker against the golden timber of the floor.

  “Oh, get up. It was my fault, Maira.” Amber tried to tug her up. Brann stepped forward to prevent her. He was around six foot, with curly brown hair touching his shoulders, deep blue eyes and for a change his friendly grin was replaced with a serious expression. “Let me go, Brann.” Amber tried to pull away from him. Seeing Rian move for the first time, she sent a glare towards him. “And you stay out of this.”

  “Leave her,” Kade said to Brann who immediately let Amber go. “I’ll deal with this later, Maira. Get up.”

  “There’s nothing to deal with.” Amber’s hands went to her hips and her expression dared Kade to argue.

  Kade ignored her and turned to Maira.

  Amber guessed they were communicating in their minds and she worried her actions had caused problems for Maira. Kade was her last chance to serve a Gold Dragon. “If you get rid of Maira I’ll never talk to you again.”

  “Right this moment I’m beginning to think that’d be a good thing,” Kade glared back at Amber.

  “Footsteps.”

  All eyes turned towards Rian before they stared at the door leading into the hallway. Amber silently rushed to the door to check it was locked. A sigh of relief escaped when she found it was. The door handle rattled and Amber held her breath.

  “Are you awake in there, Amber? Why’s your light on?”

  Maira lightly ran into the bathroom and flushed the toilet, grinning at Amber who nodded in understanding.

  She moved away from the door before she spoke. “Can’t I even go to the toilet in peace?”

  There was a moment of silence. “How long do you need to leave your light on?”

  “I was waiting until you finished talking to me.” Amber glanced towards Kade who was closest to her lamp. He reached out and turned it off. “Happy?”

  “Goodnight, Amber.”

  “Night, Mum.” Amber stood in the darkness, listening to her mother return to her own room. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light and she was glad of the panther’s ability to see at night. “You all have to go. I can’t afford to be grounded.”

  “No one’s going anywhere. Do you have any idea what that amount of money will do?” Kade demanded.

  “Hire an assassin. Obviously.” Amber made sure her tone made it clear she didn’t appreciate him talking to her like she was an idiot.

  “Do you know how many landless Gold Dragons there are? Two million dollars will gather a large enough army with which to capture lands. And once a Gold Dragon is old enough and has captured a Pliethin, they can eventually walk through the Void,” Kade said softly. “You won’t notice them until they’re right there next to you, about to attack.”

  Amber could have sworn she heard the ocean roaring in her ears and she knew her heart must have stopped for at least half a minute. Her breathing certainly did because suddenly she was light headed and had to take a deep breath. She remembered how it had felt when Ronan had come out of the Void with a knife at her throat and his arm wrapping around her chest so it had been impossible to escape.

  “Do you understand now, Amber?” Kade crossed the few paces that were between them.

  Amber tilted her head up, straightening her shoulders. No one, absolutely no one, was going to make her go running scared. Not Ronan, not Kade’s warrior brother Flinn and certainly not some faceless assassin. “Let them try.”

  The silence was broken by Rian’s sharp laugh. “No wonder Ronan adores you.”

  “Yeah, well, I can live without his adoration.” Amber felt tired all of a sudden. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was after three and she had to get up at seven. “I’m going to bed. I don’t care what the rest of you do.” She grabbed the clothes she’d tossed on the bed earlier and retreated to the bathroom to change out of her leather. She forced herself to quietly close the door when she’d have much preferred to slam it.

  Chapter Three

  A banging on her bedroom door woke Amber much sooner than she would have preferred. “Yeah. I’m awake.” She didn’t open her eyes. It was the last thing she wanted to do. Beside her on the bed, she felt Kade change from dragon back to human. A pity he couldn’t stay in human form while he slept since as a dragon he didn’t leave much space in the queen-sized bed for her. But since dragon was their base form, in sleep and in death that was what they turned into.

  “Then sound like you’re awake or I’ll come in there and drag you out of bed. This is the third time you’ve told me you’re awake this morning.”

  Amber quickly sat up at her mother
’s words. Third? Surely she was kidding. This was the first call she remembered hearing. Her eyes squinted as she tried to make out the numbers on her alarm clock. Nearly eight. Amber jumped out of bed and almost stepped on Rian who hurriedly rolled out of her way. She frowned at him. What was he doing sleeping on her floor? But then again, she guessed he wasn’t sleeping since he was still human.

  “Amber? You haven’t gone back to sleep, have you?”

  “I’m up. I’ll be down as soon as I shower.”

  “If I don’t hear the water start within the next five minutes I’ll be back with a key to open this door,” Donna warned.

  Amber swore under her breath as she hurriedly grabbed her uniform as well as dragon-leather shorts and vest to wear underneath in case she needed to change into a panther or hawk. Just before she shut the door to her ensuite, Amber turned back to Kade who was sitting on the edge of her bed, stretching. “Where are Maira and Brann?”

  “Getting the car to give you a lift to school.”

  Amber nodded and then shut the door on him. She leaned against the closed door, trying not to think of all she’d learned yesterday. Assassins. It didn’t seem real. Certainly not with a two million dollar price on her head. And three million was completely unbelievable. She couldn’t even imagine it. She bit back a sigh, knowing the two dragons in her bedroom would hear it, stripping off her clothes as she turned on the water. And to think she’d started to believe life wasn’t quite so bad here. Now it just totally sucked.

  * * *

  After what had probably been the longest school day in the history of man, Amber found herself seated at the kitchen table at Kade’s house he shared with Maira and Brann. The room was crowded. Seated at the table with her was her brother Jasper, her best friend Crystal, Kade, Flinn, Maira and Brann. Flinn had protested Maira and Brann at the table when his warriors had left the kitchen to do guard duty, which was expected of them. Several steps behind Amber’s chair, Rian stood guard over her, an acceptable place according to Flinn. They’d been discussing the situation for the past hour, if yelling could be considered discussion. But if the look on Flinn’s face was anything to go by, it had been one hour too many.