Page 14 of Dragon Blood (Dragon Island #3)
F ew words were exchanged between Kai and Astred the entire journey.
Even now, as Astred drove their rental along winding roads through the mountains leading north and west from the coastline, crossing rivers, streams and borders. His gaze lingered on her profile, the desire to touch her pressed on his restraint. So many times, he wanted to say something , but there were no words that were right. Kai knew she’d loved him once, otherwise he’d have never uttered words of commitment.
Acid flared through his chest, eating away any words of what might have been.
It wasn’t meant to be.
He was wrong to have thought that fate had brought them together. More than once, as Kai followed Astred out of Aeleftherian territory, he considered simply leaving and heading home, but each time, he’d been compelled to stay with Astred, following wherever she was leading him.
I should get back to work. Kolina meant for me to return home.
None of this is my business.
Bayn’s words floated back to him from the night before the wedding. ‘This affects all of us.’
The need to protect her hadn’t dimmed the further from Aeleftheria they went, it had only grown more persistent. He wouldn’t abandon her in whatever it was she needed to do. She was alone now. No crew, no royal guardians.
Especially not since she had him smuggled out of her mother’s citadel, and out of their people’s territory, sending her crew off on a diversion mission.
Then she’d pointed out the odd scratch marks on the bureau that hit him right in the pit of his stomach. Yes, the marks had meant something. They looked far too much like the eastern clan’s shared territory boundary, the dots resembling key locations. But he wouldn’t tell her that until she was ready to tell him what she was up to. Until then, he had her back, while shit was hitting the fan back in Aeleftheria.
He had to know why those scratches pointed to both the Dùn Zhǎo - Shield Claw location, his father’s tiger clan, and the Shǒuwàng Zhě–Watchmen’s palace, Bayn’s clan. The fostering clan that had seen him through his own dragon growing pains and beyond when no one else would. He knew the rumblings of power dynamics when he saw them, and he had no doubt Astred did, too. But in dragon society, there was nothing higher than the position of the monarch.
She couldn’t be displaced, no matter that her mother was removed from the board at the moment. And there’d been no indication there was another heir.
No, those grasping to hold on to the power they had, or wanted, would jockey to curry Astred’s favor.
To guide Astred.
To control her.
And if there was anything that he knew about Astred, was that she would never be controlled.
They drove through the tidy little town of Black River without stopping, though she pointed out the Brandt-owned club that Odson Blackridge worked at, with a “you should go some time. It has a great vibe.”
He lifted a brow. “I’m surprised you know the vibe of any place this far inland from the sea.”
She rolled her eyes. “I do leave my ship now and then.” A smile tugged at her lips as she cast him a sideways glance. “Besides, the waterways into the great lakes make a perfect interior ocean for her to stretch her sails.”
His gaze swept her profile, eased with talk of her ship. The silence returned with the gentle breezes through the open windows, carrying her uniquely embedded scent of wildflowers and hot sandy beaches swirling around him. The recollection of how perfectly she fit in his arms slammed him.
Perfect.
He’d foolishly thought so at one time. Until she’d made it clear how wrong he was. So why hadn’t she left him at the coast or dumped him at the nearest airport?
The cool way she looked at him, and the distance she constantly placed between them, made it glaringly obvious she held her reservations about him.
Keep the enemy close—or some such thing?
Why else drag him along?
The scratch marks?
She’d mumbled something about her mother and changed the subject as though that was all there was to say on the matter. Clearly it must have been enough, because here he was, having made zero effort to wash his hands of her and the Aeleftherian bullshit.
Clearly all Astred.
And the damned little locket Kolina had given him that weighed against his chest beneath his shirt.
Didn’t curiosity kill the cat, Kai?
The face was etched with the Aeleftherian crest. The back with the images of a tiger and a dragon prowling around one another. His father and his mother.
And the tiny clipping of his hair and claw.
Finally, he broke the silence with something less mundane than assisted travel navigation or snack choices.
“What will happen to Kolina?”
Astred’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
There would be repercussions following his disappearance. And Astred’s.
“They’re going to think she helped me escape, and that I kidnapped you, or something stupid like that, aren’t they?”
“Probably.” She glanced at him, then back to the road. “If they arrest her, she’ll be detained while Council hashes out what to do with her. Then a trial. But as a member of my mother’s Honor Guard, she will be afforded respect for her position and a stay on any final actions until a royal judgment has been made.”
“Which your mother can’t do while unconscious.”
“And I’m not there to be pressured into one as her regent.”
Kai nodded, the grip on his chest easing. “Continental road trip it is, then.”
Astred eased off the gas, turning into the entrance to a narrow dirt road marked by a pristine hand-painted mailbox labeled ‘Brandt’.
They’d barely rolled to a stop outside of the vast farmhouse with its surrounding porch when Heidi emerged through the screened front door, scrubbing her hands with a dish towel. The scent of bear surrounded the property.
“Astred? Kai?” Concern chased away her delighted surprise, as she watched them approach the steps, studying their faces. “Coffee? I’m working on muffins if you’re hungry.”
They followed her past an entire floor-to-ceiling wall of framed photographs, into the oven-warmed kitchen. The aroma of bliss filled his nostrils and lungs as he breathed deeply of Heidi’s baking efforts. Kai had never seen anything so… domestic—both expansive and comforting all at once.
“Thank you, Heidi. We won’t be staying long.”
Heidi glanced up from the coffeepot with a nod, gaze darting between Astred and Kai. She hit the button on the grinder, the sound filling the kitchen for several breaths. “More dragon politics?”
Astred’s laugh was short as she slid onto a stool at the island counter, brushing her wind-tousled hair from her forehead. She linked her fingers, resting her hands on the counter as she leaned forward. “I need to visit the nexus.”
The scoop carrying fresh coffee grinds clattered against the top of the machine as Heidi’s eyes widened. Catching herself, she finished her task and set the machine to brew. “I can arrange that. You’ll tell me what’s going on?”
“Mother’s fallen ill, and I was hit with a vision.” Astred’s gaze flicked to Kai. “No one knows we’re here.”
Heidi’s face paled as she gripped the countertop, gaze flicking between Astred and Kai. “Go on.”
Vision?
Kai turned, studying Red’s drawn features again.
His thoughts bounced right back to Regina’s scratched map hidden beneath Aeleftherian buds.
Astred recounted the main events since the wedding with clipped efficiency.
“Kymri & Jori?”
“I’m keeping them out of this for as long as I can. This is internal.”
“Not the Consortium?” Heidi poured the coffee, handing them each a mug.
“Maybe? But we haven’t caught the traitor that’s been conspiring with them yet, to know for sure.” Red brought the mug to her lips. “I need to see Odson, too.”
“And the vision?”
“I can’t make sense of it, other than that the Nexus was very clear.” Her gaze slid toward Kai, but she didn’t meet his eyes. “And that Kai’s clan—or Kai himself—is somehow connected.”
What the fuck did that mean?
Kai stiffened as his pulse upticked, “I assure you, we have nothing to do with the queen’s current state.”
Though the reality was that he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure why Bayn was at the wedding. Maybe the air dragons were moving on something.
They wouldn’t, would they? The Watchmen were neutral—and why would they?
Astred nodded, slid her warm fingers over his hand, whispering. “I know.”
The unexpected contact sent conflicting emotions tumbling through him after so much time. They hadn’t touched since that encounter on the beach the night before the wedding.
Kai slammed that memory back into the vault of his mind and spun the lock.
Removing his hand from her reach, he grasped the coffee mug and brought it to his lips.
Heidi blew out a breath. “Okay. I’ll reach out to Charmaine, and she’ll gather the Wardens.” She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and slid it across the counter toward Astred. “Leave me your number. It may take some time. And Odson is out at the camp, helping clean up after a recent storm. Cell service is a luxury out there, so you’ll have to go in person.”
“The refugee camp Marli & Kolina mentioned?”
Heidi nodded, turning to collect a blank recipe card and pen, scribbling directions before handing it to Astred.
Taking the card, Astred slumped on her stool, suddenly looking tired as she rubbed her face, murmuring. “A place like that should never need to exist.”
“It’s not ideal, but they do alright. Especially with the locals helping out when they can. Speaking of, would you mind dropping off some supplies? I have extras that wouldn’t fit in Odson’s car when he came by.”
“Of course.” Astred said absently, fingering the card. She glanced up, straightening. “Of course. Whatever I can do to help. This is Aeleftheria’s responsibility, though I suspect they may not see it that way.”
“You’re not wrong,” Heidi sipped her coffee.
“How so?” Kai asked.
“The camp was formed from Aeleftherians that didn’t want to be subjected to Aeleftherian laws and chose to leave. Others have since joined them. Dragon shifter wanderers, looking for something different from what their tribe offers. A different way of life.” Astred slid from her stool.
Kai stood, preparing to leave.
“Not just dragon shifters. You lot aren’t the only ones with problems,” Heidi added, rounding the counter to face Astred. She placed her hands on Red’s shoulders, meeting her eyes. “Whatever happens… your mother… we’re here. No matter what. I hope your shamans can figure out how to bring her back to us.”
Seeing the emotion in Heidi’s eyes, Astred nodded, allowing the bear shifter matriarch to pull her into her arms. She swallowed, voice tight. “Me, too.”
When they parted, Heidi turned to Kai, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. “I’m so, so glad Kolina found you. You’ve always been a significant part of her that was missing.”
Kai nodded, at a loss for words as he drew a deep breath to alleviate the flare of heartache.
“You’ll bring Odson back from the camp afterward? My husband and the boys are up north helping his grandmother move to a new apartment, so I’m alone here with plenty of room. Whatever the Wardens’ answer, nothing will happen today.”
They loaded Heidi’s boxes into the trunk of the rental and headed for the refugee camp while Heidi reached out to the Black River Wardens on Astred’s behalf.