Amber's Fire, Book 3 Of Blood In The Dragon

she can't be alone 11

Chapter 11

Randy POV

The guards moved quickly, dragging the bodies out of the room, their boots scraping against the stone floor as the smell of blood only seemed to get worse. I barely noticed them. My focus stayed on Drago. He hadn’t moved much. The blade was still in his hand, blood slowly dripping from the tip, hitting the ground in steady drops. His jaw was tight, his eyes distant, like his mind was already somewhere else. Thinking. Planning. Hunting.

“This isn’t over,” I said quietly, stepping closer to him.

His grip on the blade tightened slightly, but he didn’t look at me.

“No,” he finally said, his voice low, controlled. “It’s just beginning.”

That didn’t sit well with me, but I already knew he was right.

“Whoever sent them,” I continued, “he knew exactly what he was doing. He didn’t just send rogues. He sent them to test you. To test us.”

Drago finally turned his head slightly, his eyes dark.

“He wanted to see our strength,” I added. “Our numbers. Our response time. And most importantly…” I paused for a second, letting it sink in. “He wanted to see how close they could get to Levonna.” At her name, something in Drago shifted. Not louder… not explosive… just colder. Deadlier.

“No one gets close to her again,” he said. It wasn’t a promise. It was a vow. I nodded once.

“Then we need to move fast. Double patrols. No weak points. Rotate guards so no one gets predictable.”

He didn’t interrupt me, which meant he was listening.

“And Levonna…” I hesitated for half a second. “She can’t be alone. Not right now. Not until we know who’s behind this.”

Drago finally turned fully toward me, and I could see it clearly now, fear buried beneath all that rage. Not fear for himself… "Fear for her.

“For our child,” he added quietly. That made this even worse.

“They knew,” I said, my voice dropping. “Or at least they suspected. This wasn’t random, Drago. Someone out there is watching you… watching her.” Silence stretched between us again, heavier this time. Then Drago wiped the blade clean against the edge of the table and set it down with a controlled motion.,“Find out who he is,” he said. Simple. Cold. Final. I gave a small nod. “I will.” But as I turned to leave, one thought wouldn’t leave my mind, This man…" whoever he was… He wasn’t just testing the boundaries of the territory. He was testing how far he could go before Drago broke. And something told me, Next time… he wouldn’t send rogues.

Levonna POV

I was walking through the living room toward the kitchen, knowing Drago was down in the cells questioning the rogues. When he got home… this wasn’t going to be pretty. It never was when rogues attacked. The ones who survived were dragged into the cells, and Drago would come back covered in blood, his eyes too sharp, too wild, like he hadn’t fully come back to me yet. And this time… they were targeting me. I wouldn’t be left alone. Not now. Not ever again.

I only had two more weeks left in my pregnancy. Two weeks. One is already down. I should’ve felt safe. Instead… something felt off.

I pushed it aside as I made my way into the kitchen, grabbing what I needed and throwing together a sardine sandwich. Yeah, gross, but right now, it tasted like heaven. At least something still felt normal.

I had just finished eating and was heading back to the living room to prop my feet up when the front door opened. My heart jumped.

There he was. Just like I knew he would be his body covered in blood, clothes soaked through, the scent of iron hitting me instantly.

But it wasn’t the blood that made my chest tighten. It was his eyes.

Too dark. Too focused. Still hunting. “Drago…”

I didn’t think I just ran to him, wrapping my arms around him tightly, needing to feel him, needing to know he was still here. “Are you okay? Did anything happen? Did you find anything?” For a second… he didn’t answer. Then his arms came around me, tight, almost too tight. A low chuckle left him, but there was no humor in it.

“I’m fine.” I didn’t believe him. Not fully. He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands lingering on my arms like he was making sure I was real… like I could disappear if he let go. Then he took my hand and led me to our room without another word. Silence.

Heavy. Thick. Wrong. We stepped into the bathroom, and I turned the shower on, letting the water heat up. Neither of us spoke as we stripped out of our bloodstained clothes and stepped under the spray. The water hit us, washing the red away, but it didn’t wash the tension. He pulled me into him immediately, one hand pressing against my back, the other cradling my head against his chest like he needed me there. Like he needed to feel me breathing. Then, finally..

“They were sent for you.” His voice was low. Controlled. Too controlled. “They didn’t give a name… but that’s what they said. They were testing us. Testing me. Seeing how strong I am. How strong my warriors are.”,His grip tightened. “If anything had happened to you, Levonna…” His voice dropped into something darker, something dangerous. “I wouldn’t have stopped. I wouldn’t have cared who it was, how many there were, I would’ve burned everything to the ground until I found them.” A chill ran through me.

Not fear of him. Fear of what was coming. I lifted my hand, cupping his face, forcing him to look at me.

“Drago…" baby, look at me. I mean, really look at me.” His eyes locked onto mine, still wild, still searching. “I’m right here. I’m okay. They didn’t touch me.” I pressed closer to him, grounding him.

“You’re going to find him. You always do. You’ll figure out who’s behind this… and you’ll end it.” His jaw tightened, something dangerous flickering behind his eyes. But I wasn’t done.

“But right now?” I softened my voice, brushing my thumb across his cheek. “Right now, I need you here with me, not out there, not in your head. With me.” I guided his hand down to my stomach. “To feel this. To remember what you’re fighting for.” For a moment… everything stilled. His hand spread gently over my belly, his breathing finally slowing just a little. “We only have two more weeks,” I whispered. “Two weeks… and our baby is here.” I leaned my forehead against his. “And then everything will be okay.”

I wanted to believe that. I needed to believe that. Because deep down…,Something told me this wasn’t over. Whoever was out there, they weren’t just testing us. They were waiting. Waiting for the right moment… "When they thought we felt safe.