Bk 0 Dracones Primalthorn Prequel Page 4

  “My mate, my offspring, are they…” he could barely bring himself to ask how they were, it was so painful.

  But the other male understood. “They are well, safe and happy where they are.”

  Skulla nodded, and as he thought about the other male’s words, he came to a decision. “Fine.”

  “No, it is not fine. I know what you think, remember?” Zandrazial said angrily.

  Skulla stared at him. “I will bring my offspring to the Fallen, what more would you have of me?” he asked, getting angry himself now.

  Zandrazial’s eyes filled with compassion. “If you go down there after and let the Ilyium kill you, all of your young will follow. None will be able to stop them,” he said. Moisture filled Skulla’s eyes at the thought of his young sacrificing themselves.

  “Then will you end me, after I’ve left my young with the Fallen? I will speak with them, get them to understand,” he said.

  Zandrazial stared at him for a moment. “Even if you could, I am sorry, this I cannot do. Besides, if I did, you would not rejoin your family in the heavens.”

  Skulla turned away, knowing there was only one other option. To go somewhere very far away, for if he were to stick around, he’d eventually interfere and bring the end to all dragonkind.

  “I can open a portal to a realm very far away, an uninhibited realm, where no one will be able to find you,” the male beside him said, a shadow in his eyes, saying he knew what his words meant.

  Skulla nodded. He turned away and then took to the sky once more. That night, he explained to all his young that they would be seeking shelter and protection from the Fallen. Skulla let their outrage, their pleas, slide over and through him, knowing he’d never forget. Nor would he want to.

  The next day, with his remaining fifteen young following him, he led them into the largest Fallen village where Zandrazial, surrounded by Fallen, waited.

  “It might not seem it now, but believe me, they will find love, take mates and have children of their own,” Zandrazial said as he walked Skulla away from the village a little later.

  Skulla glanced at him and shook his head. “You are right, I find it hard to believe. But if you say it is so, I have to believe. For to not will drive me to insanity.”

  They walked until they were out of sight. “What of the curse?” he finally asked.

  Zandrazial shook his head. “It will be as the witch vowed. Your children will have children, but only their females will be able to procreate until the curse is broken.”

  Skulla shook his head, his heart heavy for his offspring. “I’ve often wondered, though it was Herasa’s grandchildren that the Irod took, why do you think that she only cursed my grandchildren? As vengeful as she is, I’d have thought she’d have cursed all of us to be unable to bear young.”

  A light lit Zandrazial’s eyes. “As powerful as Herasa is, not even she can stop the birth of a new race.”

  Skulla gaped at him as he realized the extent of leaving his young with the Fallen. “It’s always been an unwritten rule that dragonkind mate dragonkind.”

  Zandrazial stared at him and Skulla could almost hear his words. And there lies your downfall. Skulla wondered and worried for his young and all dragonkind, wishing he could stay and witness it, but knowing that was impossible.

  “Let me reassure you, my friend,” Zandrazial finally said and clasped Skulla’s arm.

  Skulla reeled at the images that flashed through his mind.

  Zandrazial was correct. Skulla saw his remaining young each fall in love and take mates within the Fallen. Before long, the first young was born, leading to the birth of the Dracones. Unlike full blooded dragons, which could change form at will, they were born in human form and stayed that way until their dragons were brutally awakened during their twenty-first year.

  “It is so painful for them,” he whispered, wishing he could spare his race that burden.

  “Together, they survive and grow closer than ever,” Zandrazial said.

  “So, dragonkind will survive,” Skulla said and though he knew not if she heard him, he sent his love to his mate.

  “She hears you, and sends her love in return,” Zandrazial said as he released him.

  Skulla stared at the other male in gratitude. “Thank you, my friend,” he said with meaning. Though he’d only known the other male a day and had never had a friend before, when Zandrazial touched him Skulla had felt the pure soul of the other man. Along with his well wishes for Skulla and his family.

  Zandrazial nodded at Skulla, understanding what it meant to be called friend.

  Skulla drew in a deep breath and looked around one last time. “Where do you send me?”

  “To the far reaches of the universe.”

  Skulla nodded.

  “You travel a long, lonely journey. I don’t envy you, but you will not be forgotten, I can assure you,” Zandrazial said and Skulla frowned, thinking of his own father’s words.

  “Yes, he watches over you as well.” With that, Zandrazial drew upon his otherworldly power and opened a portal.

  “Take care of them,” Skulla said and when the other male nodded, he turned and stepped through the portal.

  Only the beginning…

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  Dracones Awakening

  (Below CLEAN version for Y/A or readers of any age coming)

  Fate is one twisted witch! TIERNEY LEANED CLOSE TO THE TANK of her shiny new Ducati and raced down the highway in rural Washington. Dark clouds above hummed with the promise of snow, though at the moment only a faint mist fell. Just enough to make the roads slick and perilous. Her mood volatile, she accelerated around the next curve, not caring about the danger as she sought escape from the fear threatening to overtake her.

  Mind in turmoil, she had hoped the chill wind and fast ride would ease her stress, but it failed. Tierney shuddered as nausea rolled through her at the memory of her recent vision of her dad, a Fallen Angel, surrounded by black robed figures—their enemy, the Ilyium.

  She should be used to the horrors of life. After all, her mother and little brother died when their village was attacked when she was seven. Now, fourteen-years later, they lived on Earth. A different dimension to the one she was born in, she now worked with her dad and two best friends as private investigators.

  It wasn’t that they needed the money, but rather their supernatural need to help others that led them to that line of work. Though their more mundane work was spent investigating cheating wives and husbands, they also tracked missing spouses, runaway teens and abducted children. The satisfaction of finding and bringing a missing child home to frantic parents helped balance all the cases that ate at them. The ones that drove sorrow into their souls and filled them with anger. The murderers and child molesters.

  After she exited the highway to a tree-lined, rutted track, Tierney spotted two sets of fresh tire tracks and grinned. Looks like my hunch might pay off. This case may be closed before it even gets started. If Shay’s here, that is. But her grin faded the further in she rode. A canopy of trees blocked the darkening sky and the eerie, dark forest made her dragon senses crawl with unease.

  An immortal Dracones from Tartaria, born of another Dracones and a Fallen, Tierney had so far lived in human form. But she had a dragon, another part of her that lived inside her as well, just itching to get out. Now that she had turned twenty-one, she was due to go through her Awakening within the next twelve months. It would allow her to shift into her dragon form at will. She so couldn’t wait. Then she’d be able to kick butt on a much larger scale.

  Dracones and Fallen were able to communicate telepathically and were also gifted with heightened s
enses. Stronger and swifter than humans, they healed extremely quickly. Most had other abilities as well, though some didn’t surface until closer to their twenty-first year. As far back as she could remember, Tierney possessed enhanced empathy and could calm or soothe others. When she entered her teen years, she began to read minds. She used to think her gifts were cool, but after the ability of foresight gave her a terrifying glimpse into the future, she didn’t feel so sure.

  Now, senses screaming that she wasn’t alone, Tierney slowed her Ducati and searched both sides of the dense forest. She gave herself a mental shake when no one popped out of the shadows. Okay, enough with the paranoia already! The thundering of the Ducati soothed her as the trees thinned out and she rumbled into a spacious clearing. Huh, go figure. My hunch paid off… A green Saab and a blue Chevy pickup sat in front of a faded, plank-board hunting shack.

  The door to the shack swung open as she stopped behind the two vehicles. Daniel, whom she recognized from the investigation files, stepped out onto the rickety porch. His eyes were wide with panic as he began waving a gun around like he was in a game looking for hidden enemies. Great, just what I need, a gun-toting dummy who has no clue how to use the thing! Tierney set the kickstand and climbed off the bike.

  “Who are you? This is private property, you’re trespassing,” Daniel said, but when he pointed the gun at her, she had to resist the urge to rip his hand off. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to point a gun at someone unless you plan to use it? She shoved her annoyance away. His short blond hair and sweet baby-face, made his attempt to appear menacing fail big time.

  Though she had been itching for a fight, now really wasn’t the time. With an eye on the 9mm Beretta in his hand, she pulled off her helmet and pushed her long black hair out of her face as she strode forward and stopped in front of the shack. “The safety’s on.”

  “Wha…?” Daniel glanced at the gun with dismay before looking back at her with clueless brown eyes.

  “Shay,” Tierney called, ignoring baby-face as she stared at the door.

  “Leave her alone, go away,” Daniel said, panic tingeing his voice.

  Tierney sighed. I’m really not in the mood for this crap. “Chill, I just want to talk to her.”

  Although she usually kept her mental shields up around humans, a precaution to stop herself from going crazy from their haphazard thoughts, she now lowered them. How did this woman find us? I love Shay, I can’t lose her. Daniel’s thoughts screamed in her head while Shay’s worries came to her from inside the shack. Why can’t my parents leave me alone?

  “Shay, you need to come out and talk, or I’ll tell your parents where you are,” Tierney called to her.

  A moment later the door creaked open and Shay stepped out beside Daniel. Tierney bit back a smile. The recent photo Shay’s parents had given Tierney, depicted a stylish but shy, slender young woman with long brown hair and brown doe eyes.

  The young woman in front of her now looked anything but stylish or shy. She wore a tight pink t-shirt, crisp new blue jeans and rubber mud boots a couple sizes too large. Her long hair had been cut into a shoulder-length bob with blond highlights and there was an air of stubbornness to her.

  “Go back inside.” Daniel hissed at Shay.

  Shay ignored him. “W-who are you? What do you want?” she asked. Her gaze darted around the clearing before focusing back on Tierney. Is she alone? Are my parents here, too? How did she find me? Gah, this bra itches…

  Tierney wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t. “Yes, I’m alone. My name is Tierney. Your parents hired me to find you.”

  Anger lit Shays face momentarily before a blank mask slid into place.

  Daniel glared at Tierney. Why can’t anyone leave us alone? I won’t let her take Shay! “She’s not going anywhere,” he said, his voice rising.

  Shay shook her head. “No, I-I won’t go back.” I always obey my parents. I do everything they want, but for once I want something… I’m not doing it, not this time. Again, Tierney bit back a grin at the thought that Shay had likely never defied her parents’ wishes in her life until now. “Shay, you need to talk to them.”

  “They arranged a marriage for me,” Shay said. I refuse to marry the arrogant jerk that they picked out. Geez, the guy thinks he’s God’s gift to women. Besides, I love Daniel.

  Tierney sighed. She really needed to get going. “Not my business, but, you’re twenty, right?”

  Shay nodded.

  “Aren’t you old enough to decide who you marry?” Tierney asked. Shay nodded again.

  “So stand up to them, or not, but I’ll give you until noon tomorrow to contact them before I do.”

  “Ah, o-okay.” Shay blinked in surprise.

  Tierney narrowed her eyes. “If you run again, I’ll find you, and I won’t be happy,” she said, careful of her wording. Certain words tended to bind her to them.

  “I won’t,” Shay promised, and though Daniel pursed his lips, he nodded as well.

  “Treat her well, Daniel.” Tierney shot the guy a last warning look before walking back to her bike.

  “Thank you,” Shay said. I can do this.

  Tierney grinned to herself as she heard Shay’s resolve to fight for what she wanted. It may be her job to find people, but she couldn’t stand overbearing parents that ran their children’s lives for no other reason than to be controlling.

  Tierney climbed on her bike and checked her phone. After finding no new calls or texts, she started the Ducati and turning around, headed back the way she had come. Darn, where are you Dad, it’s been seven days. Zander was supposed to be gone only two. Worried sick, she absently scanned the sparse trees and brush until a sudden eerie cold claimed her and everything blurred. Frowning, she braked hard, stopped and looked around.

  Everything appeared darker than it had a second ago. She glanced around and scowled. A faint light circled the ground in front of her. What? How? She watched the light for a moment before raising her eyes to the even darker sky which now appeared different than it had just moments before.

  Tierney blinked as everything turned wavy. Like one picture superimposed over another, the sky lightened. She frowned. Another set of lighter, fluffier clouds appeared along with the faint silhouette of a bird. The more she focused on the bird the clearer it became.

  The large black ghost-like raven circled above her head. Tierney blinked again and the sky returned to normal—no sign of the bird. And she was no longer cold. Fabulous, now I’m seeing things. Still scowling, she gave the bike some gas and refocused on the dirt track.

  A moment later Sami’s voice filled her head. ‘Tierney. Where the heck are you?’ he asked telepathically. Sami was one of her best friends and like a beloved brother to her. ‘Sorry, I’m on my way home. You hear anything from Dad or Jax?’ She looked both ways before turning onto the highway.

  ‘Nothing on Dad, and Jax texted. He’s running late.’ Sami said.

  Huh, no surprise. Wonder if he’ll even show? ‘All right, thanks, Sami.’

  Tierney swore impatiently when she ended up behind a slow old man driving a rusty pickup truck. A steady stream of oncoming cars were in the other lane preventing her from passing. Finally, when the last car went by, she sucked in a breath, exhaled and gunned the Ducati. She blew past the truck and kept going while acid churned in her gut as she worried over her dad, Sami, and his brother, Jax.

  After a thousand years of war with their vicious enemy the Ilyium, the number of Dracones and Fallen on Tierney’s home world had substantially dwindled. Some, like them, even fled to other planets. While the existence of all the different supernatural beings was well known on Tartaria, on Earth they kept their presence secret in fear of human reaction. They didn’t need any more enemies.

  Until last month, when two well-hidden Fallen males were murdered, they had seventy-five Fallen and fifty-three Dracones on Earth. At least that Tierney’s dad knew about. They were stunned and angered to find evidence at the scene which led them to believe either a
Fallen or Dracones was helping the Ilyium.

  When her dad told her he had to head to Olympia for two days, she didn’t think anything of it. He often went on business trips. But when he mentioned he planned to meet with someone claiming to have information about the traitor, his words filled her with dread. A moment later everything went black.

  Zander knelt in a shiny dark pool of blood, surrounded by black robed figures wielding swords. The figures danced, chanted and swayed before one swung a sword at her dad’s head.

  When the vision cleared, Tierney opened her eyes to find herself on the floor in her dad’s arms, shaking. “Holy Demons.” She stared at him in horror as she pushed to her feet. “You can’t go!”

  Zander sighed and stood with a fluid grace that defied his size before pulling her into a hug. Tierney felt his regret. “I love you, but until this traitor’s caught, you’re not safe.”

  She pulled away, her spine stiffening in resolve. “Well, I’ll come with you—”

  Zander shook his head.

  “At least take one of us,” she insisted.

  “No,” he said and Tierney knew that meant end of discussion.

  Tierney’s dread continued to worsen. She couldn’t eat, and a recurring nightmare of her vision kept her from sleeping. When she did sleep, she awoke with tears on her face, her whole body trembling after seeing that sword swing.

  Her attempt to keep her worry at bay by diving into all their current cases didn’t work. Finally, two days after he left, Tierney called the hotel in Olympia where Zander was supposed to be staying. They said he never checked in. Sami tried to track his car but the Lo-Jack was disabled, and his cell went straight to voice mail.

  They filed a Missing Person’s Report with the Olympia PD, who they sometimes worked with. The police put out a BOLO and said they’d keep an eye out for him. Tierney wasn’t holding her breath. She knew the Ilyium had her dad, and it wasn’t like she could tell the police that bit of info.