Dragon's Claim

Chapter 5-2

LAYLA FELT THE WORLD shift beneath her feet at the dragon’s words. The unfamiliar dragon looked between Drake and her. Layla felt the blood rush form her face. Where it went, she couldn’t tell, because her whole body felt shaky.

A dragon had gone missing because she acted like a brat.

Those hadn’t been the words used, but those were the ones Layla told herself. Marc was gone. During the flight from the airport to the Territory, the dragons had encountered a storm and had been separated. While the storm hadn’t bothered Isaac too much, the twins had gotten separated.

Luc easily found Isaac, but they hadn’t been able to find Marc. Instead of scouring the Territory alone, Isaac had convinced Luc to return to the center of the Territory to ask for help. Greater numbers meant more eyes.

Two dragons held on to the torrent that was Luc in that moment, neither of which she recognized, of course. One was a small woman with sharp eyes and an equally sharp hair cut that sized Layla up. The female dragon’s eyes flicked between Layla and Drake. Whatever she saw made her lips twist downward and her stance grow rigid.

Layla gave the glare right back to the female dragon, not quite understanding the hostility behind it. There were other matters at hand.

She didn’t know what she was doing, only that her body moved on instinct alone. Her arms enveloped the trembling leader of the American dragons. She could see the devastation that hit him like a truck, the indecision as he struggled between what was right and what he’d done.

None of this was his fault.

It was hers. She tried to say that without words as she leaned her forehead against his and waited for the fury to calm. His hands gripped at her sides, fingers clenched in her shirt as he clung to her. She tried to remain calm. She kept the fearful tremble from her hands as she reached up and threated her fingers through his dark, silky hair to pull his head back.

Her fingers twisted in his hair, he was forced to look her in the eye. There was still a pain and an anger burning in his gaze. Layla saw something else in them, too. A darkness that he seldom revealed. Was that the thing that kept him up with her on long nights? Did he have his own reason to avoid sleep?

“We don’t throw fits,” she said, her voice soft so that only he could hear her. She would not let her words make him seem weak before his people. He was not weak. Drake felt the full brunt of his emotions. He loved his people and feared for his dragon. He carried the guilt of what had happened like Atlas carried the world. “We will find your dragon.”

The monster inside her stirred. It wondered if the dragon had been kidnapped, if there might be blood to shed. She took an imaginary hand and shoved the monster’s head down to quiet it. Now was not about blood. It was about returning Marc to his home.

“Are you ready?”

All around her, Layla could hear whispers beginning to stir the dragons and mates that encircled them. She didn’t look up, but she heard some of their gossip. They were wrong. She was not his mate. She was only an ambassador. Maybe a friend.

Drake nodded, pulling against her grip in his hair. They unfolded from one another, Layla brushing the drywall dust from her shoulders. The house had nearly caved in from the force of the beast inside Drake, from the sheer power that poured out with his anger. Her mind should have tried to focus on Marc and where he might be, but it had other ideas.

Instead, her mind was on the darkness she’d seen in the depths of his eyes. It was a familiar shadow, one she’d seen in the mirror every night she couldn’t sleep. It was the shadow of deeds done, of dark things passed. What had Drake done to get those shadows?

She stood up, not bothering to pull Drake to his feet. He could do that on his own. He could show his people that he could find strength even amidst crisis. And, he did. Drake rose from the ground in one smooth motion, determination painted across his calm face. She watched him turn away and begin to bark orders, sending dragons in every direction. Layla wanted to reach out and hold his hand, to squeeze it and share the pride that rose through her.

But, she kept her hands to herself.

Drake led the way out. Layla shared a glance with Luc. Could he restrain himself enough to search for his brother with a level mind? Could he remain calm if anything happened to his other half? Luc’s gaze was burning, his anger pointed at her for a moment before he swallowed it back down like bad medicine.

“I didn’t ask to come here,” she reminded him. “I didn’t ask Drake to drive me to your Territory. I didn’t summon the storm that separated you. None of this has anything to do with me.”

Her voice was level and cold, as if she could separate herself from the guilt that she felt despite what she’d said. It did feel as though all of this were her fault, but she couldn’t tell anyone. She couldn’t risk the dragons here seeing her as weak, as something to lay all the blame on, or her role at the Embassy would never work. No one would defer to her for answers, for help. Because, that was the only reason she was here, she told herself. She’d only come to the States to build this Embassy. There was no other reason for her to be here.

Luc staggered to his feet and lurched out the door. He would return to his normal self once they found Marc. She hoped that the silent and reserved half of the duo was okay. She couldn’t imagine how they would lose a whole dragon, especially one like Marc with their feathers and bright scales, unless he was taken or hurt.

She hoped it was not the first because she’d had enough of that. She’d had enough of wars and uprisings in her life. If anyone thought they would try to overthrow the largest American family, they had another thing coming. She would find them and squash them before anything could happen.

At least, that’s what she told herself as she followed Drake and Luc. They backtracked to the entrance of the Territory, a place she’d driven through only minutes ago. Somewhere, she scanned the forest with fresh eyes, Marc was hiding.

This wasn’t a game. The spark of mischief in Luc’s eyes had been burned away. She knew that kind of fierce love. She was half of another person, one she’d left back home. This time, she reached out and gripped Luc’s hand. It was comfort. It was solidarity.

They would find his brother.

“Luc. You will take to the skies with me.” Drake’s gaze slipped over to Layla. She stood straighter. They both knew she would not fly. Yet, she was fast. “You can see more if you stay ground bound. Send up a firebolt if you find anything.”

“Ground bound.” Layla couldn’t help but laugh at the phrase. It rolled off the tongue far too easily, like a bouncy ball escaping the small hands of a child.

In turn, both Drake and Luc cracked a small smile.

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