Dragon Revealed

Chapter One

The ringing in her ears drowned out everything. Gradually, it faded, and her harsh breaths replaced it. Sweat dripped into her eyes, stinging them, but she didn’t take her gaze off him. Her nightmare, the monster who had haunted her for years lay unmoving before her.

With legs still shaking from the monumental effort it took to capture him and pull him through the portal, Jeyra straightened to stand over him. For years she had feared everything to do with dragons, and especially Dragon Kings. She knew firsthand how formidable they were, how merciless and cruel.

How lethal.

Yet the Dragon King sprawled unconscious at her feet didn’t make her tremble with fear. He looked…harmless. But that was just one of the many ways they conquered.

Jeyra drew in a deep, satisfying breath. Everything she had trained for, worked for all these decades had led to this moment. There had been a point she wasn’t sure she would succeed, but she had done it. Now that she had the Dragon King, the ordeal felt surreal. The exhaustion of her body, mind, and soul, however, told her it was all very real.

She bent at the waist and clasped the heavy manacles around his wrists, noting the fine fabric of his clothes. His attire was much different than hers, but she was still able to discern they were of good quality. The white shirt had long sleeves that molded to his upper body as if it were a second skin. His pants were made of a thick, dark blue material. Both were in excellent condition, the fabrics soft. Even the leather boots, which appeared to have been well worn, were in amazing condition and quality.

Her eyes lifted to his face. He was stunning, with a visage that would cause anyone to stop and gape in awe at him. Handsome didn’t begin to describe the startling beauty mixed with raw male ruggedness. It made her sick to her stomach that someone so gorgeous could have such a black soul.

A lock of his blond hair had fallen across his forehead and lifted in the soft breeze. She swallowed as she recalled the moment his brown eyes had met hers. She saw a million different colors in his eyes. The word brown didn’t begin to define them. They were unique, sporting a mix of light and dark of leaves in autumn and summer soil after a torrential rain.

Fathomless. Mysterious.

Beguiling.

Jeyra looked away from the Dragon King’s exquisite face, but it wasn’t long before she was staring at him again. She wanted to know what kind of monster the Kings were to cause such chaos and death without so much as a blip in their conscience.

“Bloody hell. You did it!”

She jumped at the sound of Rankin’s deep, gravelly voice – half in surprise, half in guilt at staring at her prisoner. Jeyra straightened once more and faced the man who had raised her. Rankin was a tall, broad-shouldered man who was gruff and loud, but had a tender side he only showed her. He’d never married or had children of his own. He wasn’t much to look at, even without the scars of war on his face and body, but he was one of their best warriors. That in itself earned him the respect he was shown by the others of their village.

He wore various shades of brown and tan to better blend in with the thick forest they called home. He carried a double-bladed war axe that she still had trouble lifting. His pale brown hair was liberally laced with gray, the top half pulled away from his face and gathered at the back of his head while the rest hung free just past his shoulders. His beard was a darker brown and reached to his chest.

Before Jeyra could reply, she was enveloped in Rankin’s thick arms as he gave her a squeeze so tight, she wasn’t able to breath. He released her almost instantly and leaned back as he held her arms in his hands and smiled brightly down at her with his gray eyes.

“I’ve always known you could do this,” he said, blinking rapidly. “I know this was something you had to do, but I’m proud of you, girl.”

She beamed under his approval. “I couldn’t have done it without the training you’ve given me.”

He made a sound at the back of his throat and shot her a crooked smile. “We both know that’s a load of shite.” Rankin dropped his arms, his smile gone as he looked at the Dragon King unconscious at their feet. “We need to get him locked away quickly. We don’t know how long it’ll be before the other Kings realize he’s gone and come looking for him.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Rankin’s brows were drawn together as he swung his head around to her. His eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down. Then he looked beyond her, noting how close they were to the border of the land of the dragons.

When his eyes snapped back to her, Jeyra fought not to take a step back. Rankin had never lifted a hand against her. He had disciplined her with chores, words, and, like now, a look of anger and displeasure. She hated when she disappointed him. He had opened his home and his heart to her, and she had worked hard to make him proud of her. But this was one time she had to do something for herself – no matter what he might think.

“Jeyra,” he said with a frown.

“I wasn’t caught.”

Rankin ran a hand down his face and walked a few paces away. Then he halted and turned back to her. “Tell me what happened. All of it. In exacting detail.”

“It’s better if you don’t know,” she began.

He slashed a hand through the air, fury contorting his face. “I’m tryin’ to save your life. You know what they’ll do if they discover you’ve crossed the border.”

She wasn’t sure if he meant the Dragon Kings or their own council. Not that it mattered. She had done what had to be done. Whatever the consequences were, she’d deal with it.

Rankin growled and let out a string of cuss words. “I know that look. I know you’re tough enough to handle whatever punishment comes to you, or at least you think you will. You won’t if they take your life. Now tell me,” he barked.

“I’d rather not.”

“Jeyra,” he said, the word more snarl than anything.

She shifted from one foot to the other and glanced at the Dragon King. She hated that her gaze was drawn to him over and over again. She knew how heinous they were, how cruel and vicious. That should be enough to remind her that his looks were just a pretty shell to hide the horrors within. She drew in a deep breath and met Rankin’s hard stare.

“You’re not going to like what I have to say.”

He didn’t move, didn’t so much as flinch.

Jeyra licked her lips. “I crossed the border into their territory.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Rankin said and turned away. His fists were clenched, anger vibrating his body. It was several long moments before he faced her once more.

The last thing she wanted to do was finish the story. If her first sentence got him so riled, he certainly wasn’t going to like the rest of it. But she also knew that Rankin wouldn’t give up until he had every minute detail from her. It was going to be more painful if she dragged things out. So, she took a deep breath and let the words tumble hurriedly from her lips.

When she finished, Rankin’s face was no longer lined with anger. It was pale, and for the first time in her life, she saw panic in his gaze.

“Ah, girl,” he murmured sadly and slowly closed his eyes as his chin fell to his chest.

Jeyra had expected him to shout, to tell her how reckless and idiotic she’d been. She hadn’t anticipated his quiet words or the alarm on his face. That caused her heart to race and her chest feel as if someone were squeezing her – or a dragon stood on her.

She didn’t know how many minutes had passed. She was too lost in thought, too wrapped up in Rankin’s reaction to think about it. But the moment the Dragon King groaned, both she and Rankin stilled, their eyes darting to the prisoner. Rankin was the first to move. He strode to the Dragon King and punched him hard in the face, knocking him out once more.

Jeyra breathed a sigh of relief. There was no telling how long that emotion would stay with her, and she had a feeling that once it was gone, it would never return again. But no matter how many laws she had broken, no matter what the consequences of her actions was, she had to do this. Not just for herself, but for everyone living in fear of the Dragon Kings. It was time her people got justice for the numerous deaths caused by the dragons. It was time the Kings realized they couldn’t dominate everyone. Maybe then the killings would stop.

When Rankin’s gaze swung to her, she saw he had come to a decision. “I’m going to carry him. If anyone asks, you’re going to tell them that you found him on our side of the border. The two of you fought, and you got the upper hand before he could shift into his real form. I trained you, so that won’t seem too farfetched. And our people know of your skill, so that works to your advantage.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t,” he spit out. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for our people, because if it’s ever discovered what you’ve done, then whatever truce we have will be shattered and the killings will start up once more. I can’t live through that again. We’ve had peace for decades now, and you might very well have ruined all of that.”

Jeyra’s heart clutched, because she realized that whatever kinship she and Rankin had developed through the years had just been smashed, destroyed – shattered beyond any hope of reconciliation. She had seen Rankin react like this one other time. He never forgave his once best friend for the transgression.

And he wouldn’t forgive her.

Rankin had been the only family she had, and she had ripped that into a million pieces for the justice she needed. She ached for the loss, because she loved Rankin like a father. But her path had taken her to this point. She’d always known this was exactly where she had been headed. If Rankin couldn’t see and understand that, then he hadn’t known her at all.

She blinked back tears as Rankin grabbed the Dragon King by his hands to sit him up. Then Rankin squatted and let the King slump over his shoulder before Rankin straightened and adjusted the King. Without a word he started walking. Jeyra had no choice but to follow.

With one last look over her shoulder to the border she’d crossed, and the line she had ignored, she squared her shoulders and prepared for whatever was next.