Dragon's Claim

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Layla woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was dark and the stone beneath her was cool. Panic surged through her for a moment, but her monster rose and shoved it down. The monster allowed the tightness in her chest to ease, allowed her to breathe while she took in her surroundings. There were no doors, no windows to be seen.

She cursed, a whisper on her breath. Even if there had been a window with bars, she would have felt a bit better. She’d watched Wesley twist enough metal with his bare hands to know that it was possible for her, too. Instead, she was trapped in the dim space with only her monster to keep her company.

What had happened? Where had she gone wrong?

Her head throbbed. Was that the impact of his tail? Or was it the shame she felt for being so stupid? Either way, she hoped her dragon magic would make it go away soon.

Shakily, she pushed herself to her feet. Her body felt too large, kind of like when her hand fell asleep and she had to flex it to get the blood flowing again. She paused, waiting for the feeling to fade. It must have been the noxious gas.

If she was going to stay here, she had to do her homework on the world’s dragons. The community here was not defined by any single blood family, but, rather, a melting pot of dragons that came here from all over the world.

Poisonous gas was a new element for her, an element she’d only seen in one other dragon before. How common of an element was it here in the States? She knew so little about the types of dragons who lived here, but her gut told her that she was not wrong.

Drake had that element, too. It was too rare of a thing for this to be a chance encounter. There were ties between the One-Eyed Dragon and her mate that Drake didn’t see.

“You didn’t kill a single cow on that farm,” a voice said into the dark. “You burnt that old, rickety thing to the ground, but didn’t take a damned thing. Then, when you flew over the town, you made sure not to hurt a soul with your dragon fire.”

Layla let herself fall back against the cold, stone wall. It allowed her to steady her trembling limbs. Well, this was not how she’d wanted this to go, but the plan wasn’t completely shot.

“You did all this just to get my attention.”

“You bet,”’ Layla said, softly. The throbbing in her head was slowly receding. She didn’t know if that was her own dragon healing, or if it was a blessing leftover from the witch’s magic pulsing in her veins. Either way, she was thankful.

“Why is that?”

“I came to order a cease and desist on your services. Thanks for trying, but we don’t need your brand of vigilantism anymore”

“Tsk, tsk,” the voice demeaned her. “I do what I do to keep this country a safe place for my kind. It’s the ones with no morals, no honor that make old men in suits draft laws that bind us.”

“Are you sure it isn’t the other way around?” Layla brought her fire to her hands. A small flame sparked to life, lighting up the space around her. It revealed the stone masonry behind her back, the metal bars that locked her into the space, and the face beyond them.

He reminded her of Elgar, this One-Eyed Dragon. It was almost endearing. His face was lined with impossible wrinkles, but the longer she looked she realized they were scars. They marred his face with thick scar tissue, making him look ancient. He approached the bars, his one eye meeting her glare. But, there was no madness in his gaze. Not like she saw in Elgar’s. This dragon knew what he was doing. He was conscious of every step he made.

“Are you sure the system here doesn’t force refugee dragons to act the way they do? I’m sure there are a handful that enjoy this kind of life, but not all of them enjoy living on the run all the time.”

“You may have a point, Welsh child. But, it matters not. The dragons still act out of line and need to be punished. I let the one live to see if he could become a better man. I had hopes for him. I really did.” His brows were heavy over one sharp eye and one empty socket. She wondered, just to keep her humor up, if the dragon ever bothered with glass eyes while in his human form

Layla growled and surged toward the bars. Only metal separated them. She could channel her flame like Wesley and bend them to her will. This time she would be smart enough to cover her face with her shirt to keep the dragon’s fumes from making her slow.

The One-Eyed Dragon’s eyebrows rose and a smile curved his lips. “I see I’ve found his mate. You’re a bit young for him, eh?”

She was prepared for him to lash out, to grab her and hurt her. She was not prepared for what he did. The One-Eyed Dragon sat down on the stone floor, legs crossed beneath him, and looked up to her.

“Let me tell you a story, then,” he began. Layla stayed standing. She wouldn’t be fooled by him. He didn’t seem to care whether or not she did a handstand; he launched into his tale. “About a century ago now, I was flying over this land. It was just an expanse of wild forests and fields then, dotted with small homesteads and burgeoning towns.

“I happened across a dragon taking great pleasure in what he did, the townsfolk living in fear of his green scales. People in the towns gathered and spoke of the monster that terrorized their efforts to start families and farms. They lived in starvation because they could not raise a barn without it being torn down. They could not sow a field without it being razed. So, they gathered and shared stories that I collected, treating him like a myth.

“Of course, our government didn’t know of our existence then. If I’d let the green scaled dragon continue with his ways, our existence would have been outed to the world. I took measures to stop that, only to have your own family ruin that some years later. I could not fix that, but I could end the terror these people lived in. I hunted this dragon, took him by surprise because he was a strong man and I might not have won otherwise.

“I did not realize, at the time, that this dragon had a family. The boy, a sullen man who looked as though his life had leeched everything from his spirit, was frozen. Then, the wife came out. There was no way of knowing if she was a dragon in that moment, but I took no chances with her. I killed the green dragon and his wife to make sure our secret was safe.”

Layla paused. “Yet, you spared the boy.”

The old man on the floor nodded. “He was young. At least, in the years of a dragon. There was a chance that my actions had spurred some kind of inspiration in his soul. That, or fear. I was okay with either one as long as it kept him on the straight and narrow. I don’t blame him for attacking me in that moment. It was his right, it was the heat of the moment. But, I let him live with only one request, that he become a good man. Not the man his father was, but someone that the world needed.

“If he did not, then I would return to finish the job. It seems that he was doing an okay job, trying his best to be a good man by starting that family of his, but, if he fancies himself a leader, he hasn’t been keeping a good reign on the goings on around his Territory.”

Layla growled, stalking toward the bars. One man was not enough to accomplish everything the One-Eyed Dragon wanted from Drake. Her mate was not his father. He was not a man who took pleasure in the destruction of others. She knew him as a loyal and protective leader. He did what they could not do in Wales, bringing all sorts together.

But, the One-Eyed Dragon waved her off. “You’re only so worked up because he’s your mate. Do you even have the ability to see him as he is? The bond between the two of you has clouded your mind.”

She sank to her haunches so that she was face to face with him. Her monster rose to the surface. This was a man who would understand the creature beneath her skin because he’d forged such monsters in his life. He must have had his own, she guessed.

“You are not God,” she began. “You are not the final voice in this world. We are not infallible creatures meant to live up to your perfect standards. You do not stand beside Drake King and watch what he does, you don’t see the good man that he is. He rescued two starving boys and raised them to be his family. He created something from nothing, making a home in the States for unwelcome dragons. It is not his fault that some fail to reach out to him, that some are evil.”

The One-Eyed Dragon watched her with wariness. He was beginning to see who she really was.

“Drake has stood alone for too long, unable to handle everything you think he should be doing. That time has ended. Where he is the king that his people will love and respect, I will be the force that keeps the outside world in line.”

“You? You think you’re willing to do what I do?” His voice was incredulous.

She smiled and his face faltered. While the monster in her still lurked near the surface, she sat back and made herself comfortable. “I can and I will. But, I will not do it the same way you do. We are working on setting up an Embassy here in the States. It will allow better interaction between the humans and dragons. My role in the Embassy will be to help those seeking refuge find a home in the Territory, or start their own Territory.”

His face darkened. He, apparently, didn’t like her answer.

“Working within the system is your plan? These are dragons we’re talking about. I’ve seen your scales and heard the news from Wales. I know what you’ve been through. Yet, you still think working within the system will make any difference?” His lips pulled away in a snarl as he talked down to her.

She might have been locked behind bars, but she leaned forward and wrapped her fingers around them. Careful to look out for the smoke that could trickle from his mouth, she almost didn’t notice that the bars of the door swung beneath her grip.

Layla startled back. The door had been unlocked the entire time. Curious, she looked to the One-Eyed Dragon. What was his plan? Was this about to end the same way Drystan had? Who would come out on the winning end of this fight? Layla had her monster, but the dragon was old and cunning.

Plus, he had that nifty gas trick up his sleeve.

The old man rolled his eyes before picking himself up from the ground. He turned toward the stairs that wound up toward a source of glowing light. At the foot of the stairs, he stopped. He turned toward her.

“I never planned on hurting you,” he confessed. “The cage was just to make sure you didn’t want to attack me on sight. You’re welcome to come upstairs whenever you’re ready.”

He left her standing alone in the dark basement. She was a little confused as to what was happening. Maybe, she was going to have to take notes from him while she still had the chance. He’d managed to get her to a controlled space, where he had the upper hand purely by sleight of hand.

After a long moment of contemplation, she followed him upstairs. He was busy puttering around a kitchen that reminded her of the one in Wesley’s tower. In fact, much of the décor and architecture reminded her of Wesley’s tower. Had he flown her back to Wales to make Drake weak?

“You’ve been out of Drake’s life for the past century,” she began. A peek out the window at the foliage outside told her they had not gone back to Wales. They were still in the wilds of the States. “Yet, all of a sudden, you show up demanding more of him.”

The old man looked up at her, one eye a slumped and empty socket, but the other was sharp and cunning. The knife in his hand from chopping carrots hovered in the air. She noted it and kept the kitchen island between them.

“You haven’t cared for the past century. Why show up and start enacting justice now?”

The tip of the knife was embedded in the butcher block counter in an instant. The old man turned a wild grin up at her. She’d found what he was hiding. Instead of attacking, he leaned against the counter. There was a glint of madness that reminded her of Elgar. Or, perhaps that was ambition.

Layla knew what he wanted. The One-Eyed Dragon had come, not to dispense justice, but to steal what Drake had built. He was going to use fear and deception to do it.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to work for me instead of that flimsy Embassy you dream of? I’m sure together you and I could make an empire out of the States.”

She snorted. “You set up someone else to build the base of that empire for you. Do you really think you’re fit to run his family? Because that’s what it is. It’s a family and they won’t be too willing to bend to your will.”

Layla could only hope. She’d seen the dedication that the twins and Isaac had for their leader. She knew that the Territory ran smoothly beneath Drake’s rule, even while he’d been away.

“I highly doubt that, my dear. You’ve helped me, even if you thought you were doing the right thing. Your attempts to gain my attention did you no favors among Drake’s supposed family. They turned on him in heartbeat.”

Layla couldn’t breathe. Panic flared through her, electrical jolts that surged through her body. She’d done that. She’d caused the beginning of his downfall. Hunting the One-Eyed Dragon should have been the right thing to do.

It still was.

She couldn’t let her emotions rule her. Sure, she could use them for strength, but they would not rule her. Her love for Drake, her affection for the child that entered their lives because of the man before her, made her stronger. It did not protect her, but made her willing to protect them.

“Drake’s family doesn’t have to love me,” Layla informed the dragon on the other side of the kitchen island. “They will love him and I will stand by him. You aren’t going to get away with your plan. You can’t swoop in and steal Drake’s family to build your own empire.”

Everything happened so fast. Tendrils of purple gas curled through the air while she struck. The One-Eyed Dragon was old, but he still landed his hit. He yanked the knife from the block and brought it down. She feinted to the side, but the blade still pierced her forearm.

That was okay. She didn’t need it to kill a dragon.

Black scales and claws unfolded over her own hand. Heat wafted over her. Her right hand swiped at him while he was distracted with the blade in her arm. The blade tore downward, slicing through her flesh, but her hand hit home. Claws sliced through skin and veins until they grazed bone.

Layla caught the movement of his arm, dropping from where he’d blocked her hit. She’d struck the bone of his arm and not his neck. She was no closer to a killing blow than he was in that moment.

Her head swam with the purple smoke still floating in the air. It made her stagger when she moved to pull the blade from her forearm. It clattered to the floor, just another part of the mess while she fumbled toward the front door.

She had to trust that Drake was already looking for her, because she knew she couldn’t keep this up forever. Her body needed to heal the damage the dragon had done to her arm. She kept pressure on it to keep the veins from pumping faster than she could handle.

The One-Eyed Dragon was old, his steps just a fraction too slow. Layla danced away from his strikes, trying to draw the fight out until Drake came. The monster inside of her pressed against the surface. It promised her a victory before Drake arrived.

She hesitated.

I will win this fight. You don’t need to worry, it whispered to her.

The One-Eyed Dragon lunged for her and she barely fumbled back from his razor sharp claws. She should have used her dragon shape to topple the house down around her. She shouldn’t have come alone.

But, she would have to rely on what strengths she had in that moment. Losing this fight wasn’t an option. There was too much at stake.

Do what you have to, she whispered to the monster inside of her. It rose with joyous glee, flashing pointed teeth in expectation.

While the monster fought for her, she debated whether or not she was going to tell Drake the One-Eyed Dragon was a relative of his. She suspected he was most likely his grandfather. He was about the right age, putting him in the same bracket as Owain or Elgar. It made sense to her that the older dragon had been upset with his son’s lifestyle, but had chosen to spare the grandson. That was why Drake lived.

That was why he’d given him a second chance.

It just so happened that his grandson had built a so-called empire in the grandfather’s absence. One that looked good enough to take over.

Too bad Layla would never let that happen.

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