Dragon's Claim

Chapter 10-2

DRAKE’S HEART WAS LIGHT. He could barely believe it.

Layla was his.

At least, that’s what his beast told him. She’d let him in, in more ways than one, the night before. He hadn’t been expecting it after the wrath she’d shown him that afternoon. She must have worked through her thoughts and emotions, coming to a different conclusion than the one she’d first harbored.

He tried to tell the twins that the feast he was making was not a celebration of their union, a bond that he knew was tenuous at best in this early stage, but they would not listen. Luc jabbed him in the ribs while casting gaudy winks. Isaac was impressed that their leader had tamed such a wild beast, as if she were a storm that needed to be reined in or weathered.

Drake pulled open the walk-in freezer he’d had installed a few years back and grabbed a side of beef from the hook it hung on. With a bit of dragon fire and male ingenuity, it would be thawed and roasting in no time. There was a pit in the center of town that they often used for that. He could run and ask Noelle to help them start a fire.

Layla could do the same, but he’d heard her retreat upstairs when they returned. His mate was probably sitting with the orphan they’d taken in. What did that mean for them, he wondered? Had they unintentionally become parents? His heart jumped into his throat when he realized they hadn’t used protection the night before. Their budding relationship was not stable enough yet for that kind of commitment.

Drake’s heart made his throat tight as he carried the side of beef out to the pit and went to knock on Noelle’s door. She lived by herself in one of those tiny homes that were meant to mimic much larger Victorian homes. The tension only got worse when he remembered her subtle advances over the years. Maybe visiting Noelle while he smelled of Layla was not the best idea, but before he could retreat and find his mate, the door swung open.

Noelle avoided his gaze, a sign of respect in most dragons. With Noelle, it was a sign of distrust. Drake stifled his sigh. Managing this many dragons at once was more work than he remembered. The trip to Wales had been a welcome vacation, one that let him forget the work waiting for him at home. Drake did not know if Noelle truly had feelings for him, or if she wanted the power his mate would have.

She was not a tall woman, but her presence made up for it. Her black hair was cut into a severe angle that flowed over her shoulders in tousled waves. Her deep, brown eyes pinned him to the spot as she leaned against the door frame, one hand gripping it like a barrier.

“No attitude today, Noelle. I can already tell you’re angry with me for some reason and I do not feel like catering to your wrath at the moment.”

“What would give you that idea?”

This time, he did sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s your posture. Maybe it’s the way you’re looking at me like you might set me on fire where I stand. Either get yourself in working order or go back inside until you can. Neither of us want to have a contest of wills today.”

Her eyes narrowed. The doll-like upturn of her nose didn’t make up for the cunning in her eyes. Drake wondered if Noelle would find a mate within the family he’d created, or if she would have to find someone who hadn’t had to live with her for the past years.

Finally, she let her arm fall by her side, defeated not by him, but by her expectations in life. “What do you need?”

He led her to the open pit and asked her to do her thing, a task she’d done a number of times before. No one batted an eye at the long, Chinese dragon curled around the giant fire pit as she sparked flame into it.

Drake was about to go back inside the cabin and start in on other projects when Marc ran up to him, breathless. Drake’s heart gave a heavy thud at the sight of the dragon man. Marc was supposed to be scouting the perimeter of the Territory, not standing before his leader, breathless.

Drake approached him, laying a comforting hand on the dragon’s shoulder even as his heart pounded away inside the cage of his chest. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to do as Marc tried to get his breath back. The dragon man’s face was pale and Drake feared the worst.

Finally, Marc managed to straighten, the look in his eyes lined with fear and worry. “More raiding dragons were attacked outside the Territory.”

Drake felt his heart plummet into his stomach. It had been so naive of him to think that Miri’s parents would be the only ones hurt. He let his affections for his mate blind him from the problem at hand. The One-Eyed Dragon was still out there.

The dangerous dragon man was still circling Drake’s Territory, demanding he make everyone bend to his will as leader, including those not under his power. He was one man, stretched too thin. He’d been away, helping the red dragons, and now that he’d returned he was thrust into this mess.

Could Drake not have a single day of celebration? Could he not have a day of respite? He ran his fingers through his hair as he turned toward the cabin. His stomach was doing flips and his mind would not work to let him figure this out.

He was afraid. And, he was afraid to admit that.

Layla appeared in the doorway of the cabin, a question written on her face. She didn’t run to him or try to comfort him. Instead, her eyes scanned the dragons around them as if she were ready to punish someone for upsetting him.

When her eyes returned to him, she seemed to recognize the look on his face. She’d seen it not too long ago.

“More are dead,” she said. “Aren’t they?”

How could he be celebrating right now? It’s been such a foolish notion to think he deserved such a thing. He should have been on the border of his Territory, standing between the One-Eyed Dragon and the raiding families. He should have been doing something.

Drake didn’t so much fear for himself, but for the world he’d built. He’d promised these people safety and a chance to live. He’d brought them all here, to one place and now he feared that he would let them all down.

He feared he would lose everything he’d built.

Layla stepped forward. She gripped his hand in her own, like he’d done with her several times before. She met his gaze, defiantly strong.

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