Page 4 of Dragon Eternal (Dragon Kings 4)
Shaw walked alongside Merrill toward the others as Cullen joined them. Dragons had always been solid colors on Earth because they’d kept to their clans. They hadn’t stayed in those clans after finding Zora. They intermingled, which Shaw liked. That meant that Brandr and Eurwen weren’t the only dual-toned dragons now, though their coloring came from the fact that they were half-Fae.
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Eurwen said as she smiled first at Merrill and then at Shaw. She had Rhi’s silver eyes and Con’s blond hair. Her fair coloring set her apart from her twin with his black eyes and black hair.
Brandr crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance. “We realize that you two were asked to come to Zora to help us search for our new enemy, but there has been a development.”
Shaw’s gaze moved to Cullen.
“What might that be?” Merrill asked.
Cullen blew out a breath before his pale brown eyes looked between the two of them. “In my region, I saved a woman and a young lad. That woman, Tamlyn, is my mate.”
“We heard,” Merrill replied.
Shaw nodded when Cullen looked at him.
“What you might no’ have heard yet is that Tamlyn’s Banshee ability allows her to save children with magic from being killed.” Cullen glanced behind him, his gaze focused in the distance as if he couldn’t wait to get back to his mate. “The city, Stonemore, has a law that states that anyone with magic is to be killed. When they discover children with magic, they take them to the priests and then execute them.”
Merrill looked aghast. “Bloody hell. Bairns? Who would do that?”
Fury ripped through Shaw. Just one more reason to loathe mortals.
And another reason for why he and the other Kings should have wiped them out when they had the chance.
“They do that so they doona have to fight adults later, those who have the audacity to stand against them,” Con replied.
Shaw realized what the group wanted of him and Merrill. “You want us to go into the city and find these bastards.”
“Yes, and no,” Vaughn said.
Rhi suddenly appeared. All Fae could teleport. Even the twins were able to do it for short distances. Rhi pulled her long, black hair away from her face and put it in a ponytail. “Everything is fine with Tamlyn and the others.”
Relief filled Cullen’s face. Shaw watched him curiously. There was no doubt in his mind that love existed. Too many of his brethren had found their mates to say otherwise. Yet some were meant to love. And some weren’t.
He was in the latter camp. Shaw became a Dragon King to keep his clan safe and rule justly. Once the dragons left, his purpose had shifted to ensuring that the Kings survived and remained together. And he couldn’t do that if he was weak—and falling in love would make him vulnerable.
A muscle worked in Brandr’s jaw. “Cullen is known in Stonemore now. In order to save Tamlyn and a group of kids, he shifted and gained the attention of everyone in the city. No’ a smart move.”
“What kind of Dragon King would I be if I’d allowed them to die, simply to stay hidden?” Cullen demanded, his anger palpable.
“Suffice it to say that everyone is on high alert,” Rhi added.
Merrill ran a hand over his jaw. “What is it you want us to do?”
“Infiltrate the city,” Eurwen continued. “Separately. Have no contact with each other that anyone can see. They’ll be searching for magic, which means you’ll have to make sure not to use any that anyone might see.”
Cullen nodded in agreement. “You should be able to communicate using our telepathic link. The only time I wasna able to do so was when our new foe was close by.”
“They were there?” Shaw asked, suddenly anxious to get to Stonemore.
Cullen’s nostrils flared. “You can no’ see them. No’ straight on. Out of the corner of your eye, it’s almost like seeing a wave in the air. A shimmer. That’s it, or them, or whatever or whoever the bloody hell it is. It took me down in dragon form. Be warned, when struck with its magic, I couldna move.”
“Whatever magic they use freezes you,” Eurwen added. She stepped closer to her mate, Vaughn.
Brandr dropped his arms to his sides. “I’ve never encountered anything like it before. I didna see it coming.”
“None of us did,” Cullen said.
Shaw filed that information away.
“What’s our objective?” Merrill asked.
Cullen snorted, a muscle jumping in his jaw. “If it were up to me, I’d tell you to kill any priests you come across. Then find the Divine, whoever the bastard is that’s ruling Stonemore, and put an end to them. Immediately.”
“But it isna up to you,” Brandr snapped. He glared at Cullen.
Eurwen lifted her chin. “We need more information on the city. Its inhabitants, who the Divine is, the priests, who might help free the children. Anything and everything. The more you can get, the better.”
In other words, they were spies. Shaw could think of a million different ways to use a Dragon King—including what Cullen wanted—but that would have to wait for another day. For now, he would get all the intel they wanted.
“The sooner we get there, the sooner we find what’s needed,” Merrill said.
Con stepped forward. “Make sure we doona start a war.”
“Seems like that has already happened, starting with the killing of children,” Merrill added, a spark of anger in his eyes.
Con shrugged. “Be that as it may, this isna our realm. We’re guests. Eurwen and Brandr are in charge.”
Shaw had only ever taken orders from Con. He almost asked what Con would do if he were in charge, but that probably wasn’t the best question to pose at the moment.
“Watch yourselves. Doona underestimate the mortals at Stonemore,” Cullen cautioned.
