Page 6 of Dragon’s Revenge (Irresistible Dragons #7)

Chapter Five

D uff Bás was a strange man.

Rhene had now spent a week as a prisoner with the guy, and he still didn’t understand jack shit about him. Usually, he was good at sizing folks up, and while his skills at figuring out people’s motivations weren’t as stellar as his brother Palani’s, he wasn’t often wrong. But with this dude, he had no fucking clue. Seven days with the man, and he knew little more than what he had on that first day.

“Here,” Duff said, handing Rhene a steaming bowl of soup. “It’s no haute cuisine, but it’s pretty edible if I do say so myself.”

Rhene looked at the meat floating in the clear liquid. “What’s the meat?”

“Reindeer.”

Reindeer? He was eating Rudolph and his buddies? That would take some getting used to, but since beggars couldn’t be choosers and all that, he’d give it a try. So far, Duff hadn’t served anything inedible. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to treat Rhene well, which had been surprising. Not that Rhene had expected to be killed on the first day of being captured, but he sure as fuck hadn’t counted on good food and a warm, comfortable bed either. Not just that, but he’d even gotten hot showers, clean clothes, and access to books.

Not to his phone, of course. Everything he’d had on him had been confiscated by Duff, kept somewhere Rhene couldn’t see it. In his bedroom, probably, which was the only room Rhene couldn’t enter. Not for lack of trying. He’d made an attempt when Duff had been out hunting, and he’d run straight into some kind of magic shield, much like the one that had been around the Doyle castle. Only this time, invoking Lidon’s name hadn’t been enough to get through it.

That same magic kept Rhene in the cabin, even when Duff wasn’t there to keep an eye on him. Invisible but powerful barriers blocked all the doors and windows. Yes, he’d tried each and every one. Nothing had worked.

He took a tentative sip of the soup, then raised his eyebrows in surprise. “This is good. Really good.”

Duff chuckled. “Your surprise is almost offensive.”

“Sorry, but my expectations of reindeer weren’t that great. But it’s pretty tasty.”

“It can be if you know how to prepare it.”

“Which, apparently, you do. Are you from this area originally?”

“Ireland is my home, but I haven’t lived there in a while now.”

He didn’t have an Irish accent either. “But you were born there?”

He quirked an eyebrow, clearly amused by Rhene’s not-so-subtle questions. “What’s up with the interrogation? Why the sudden interest in me?”

Rhene shrugged as he chewed on a piece of reindeer meat. “It struck me that I’ve spent a week with you and still know next to nothing about you.”

“Ah, I see. Perhaps you were hoping for some villainy confession, like in the movies, right before the hero saves the day?”

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

Duff sighed as he tore off a piece of bread—the man baked it himself and it was delicious—and handed it to Rhene. “Alas, I fear there will be no hero to save you.”

“Maybe not, but you could still do the confession? I’m baffled by what your plan is here. You said you wanted to use me to bring down the dragons, but we’ve been here a week, and nothing has happened.”

“Nothing you know of or can see,” Duff corrected him sharply.

“Fair enough, but can you blame me for my curiosity?”

Duff was quiet for a long time, then let out a sigh that seemed to come from somewhere deep inside him. “When the dragons came to power back in the old country, my ancestors swore a sacred oath to kill them all. I descend from the great Duff Bás, the most legendary dragon slayer of them all. When he died, he had sixty-four kills to his name, more than anyone before or since.”

Rhene put down his bowl of soup, suddenly queasy. “Sixty-four dragons?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think that’s something to be proud of.”

“That’s where we differ in opinion, Mr. Hightower.”

Rhene sighed. “Call me Rhene. Mr. Hightower seems ridiculously formal under the circumstances.”

“As you wish, Rhene.”

“So what do your people have against the dragons anyway?”

His eyes flashed. “They’re evil. Pure evil. From the beginning of time, they have used their powers, their black magic, to hurt others. They abuse their own omegas, who have fewer rights than their pets do, and they harm or kill anyone who dares to stand against them.”

Rhene opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again, which did not go unnoticed by Duff. “I see you’ve experienced this firsthand,” he said smugly.

As much as he wanted to deny it, Rhene couldn’t. Not after what he’d seen at the Council. “There are certainly plenty of bad apples among them, I’ll give you that. And yes, I have seen evidence of that myself. My pack took in several Murphy omegas who were horribly abused by their alphas.”

Surprise flickered across Duff’s face. “You took in omegas from another clan?”

“Yes. Once we found out what was happening in the Murphy clan, we extended an invitation to all omegas who wanted to join us and let them know they’d all be welcome.”

“That’s…unusual. I didn’t think omegas were allowed to switch clans.”

“The Code permits it.”

“The Code.” Duff let out a huff. “As if that means anything.”

“It does to some.”

“They must be a minute minority. Every single dragon I’ve met has shown utter contempt for the Code and, with it, concepts like honor and justice.”

“I agree most dragons seemed to have veered far away from the very principles their ancestors once wrote down. But some seek a return to the old ways.”

“Some.” Duff cocked his head. “And by that, you mean your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my mate .” It came out sharper than might have been wise, but Rhene couldn’t help himself.

“What’s the difference?”

“The difference is that our connection goes far deeper than mere boyfriends. We were destined to be together. Fated mates.”

“Fated mates? An alpha dragon and an alpha wolf? I find that hard to believe.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because you’re both alphas and two different species, that’s why.”

Why the fuck did Duff keep repeating what Rhene was saying before answering? It was so damn annoying. “Why would it matter? We love each other. Isn’t that all that matters?”

“Don’t you want kids at some point?”

Oh, so Duff hadn’t heard about that little update. Should Rhene tell him? Duff had made it clear he wasn’t interested in the wolves, so why not? Maybe it would help him gain more sympathy and understanding. “I am a dad, actually. Through a surrogate, one of the omegas in my pack.”

Again, Duff showed his surprise, quickly followed by annoyance. “I see I need to get better sources.”

Better sources? Oh right. He’d said he was the last one left, so he must have help from others. But who? “Who’s your source?”

“Like I would tell you.”

Rhene shrugged. “I told you the truth. You didn’t know I had a son, and I told you.”

“That you did.” Duff seemed to think for a moment. “I’m not proud of it, but I’ve received intel from King Cladhaire of the Doyle clan.”

That lying, traitorous son of a bitch. Rhene’s vision went red for a moment, and he balled his fists to get a grip on his temper. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“He’s an opportunist, that one.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Rhene said bitterly. “And if they give out awards for the world’s worst dad, he should get one. What man sends killers after his own son?”

“The worst father indeed, though for us, it only confirmed his moral failures.”

“Yet you went after Erwan and not him.”

“Your boyfriend—” Rhene shot him a dark look. “Excuse me, mate is rumored to be a white dragon. That made him our primary target. Taking him out would have been a huge win.”

Fuck, how could the man sit there so calmly and say that? “You do realize you’re talking about the man I love, right? That primary target, as you label him, is an amazing man, a wonderful mate, and the best brother, friend, and king you can imagine.”

“King?” Duff sat up straighter. “King of what?”

Shit, he didn’t know that either. Was Rhene overplaying his hand by sharing this much information? He was flying blind here. Duff had to have associates, even if they weren’t official dragon slayers, so was Rhene helping them get to the dragons? Strangely enough, his gut said to be open and honest with Duff. His wolf didn’t trust the man, but he also didn’t signal immediate danger, which was interesting considering Duff held Rhene prisoner.

“King of the Doyles.”

“King Cladhaire is dead?”

“Sadly, no, but he violated the Code, so Erwan started the True Doyle clan. That was made permanent at the Council last week, and his father and uncle were removed from power. So were the Murphys, by the way. King Ennis disbanded the Murphy clan.”

“ What ?” Duff dragged a shaky hand through his red hair. “What the hell happened?”

“King Ennis decided he’d had enough of the abuse the Murphy alphas were inflicting upon their poor omegas. And on everyone else, for that matter.” At the memory of what he’d seen there, Rhene’s blood started to boil all over again. “They had a fucking brothel at the Council. A brothel! And those poor omegas were forced to service anyone there.”

Duff clicked his tongue. “And that’s why I said they’re all evil. No honorable man would ever do that.”

“On that, we agree. No honorable dragon would do that, and I’ve met my fair share of dragons with no honor. But that doesn’t mean all dragons are evil. Those Murphy alphas? Absolutely. But not my mate or his brothers, and I’ve met some incredible dragon omegas as well.”

Duff harrumphed. “I bet you couldn’t even find ten honorable men among the lot.”

“Ten? How about twenty? At least.”

“Twenty?” Duff looked at him incredulously. “You really think you can find twenty dragons who haven’t violated the Code?”

An idea popped into Rhene’s head. “What if I can? Will you abandon your plans to destroy them all?”

“Not bloody likely,” Duff spat out.

“Why not? You said you wanted to destroy the dragons ‘cause they’re all evil, so if I prove to you some aren’t, why would you want to kill them anyway?”

Duff stared at him, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. How old was he anyway? Rhene estimated they had to be about the same age, with Duff maybe being a few years older. But he was still young—too young to harbor this kind of bitterness and hate.

“There was a man in South Africa a few years ago,” Duff finally spoke. “He found a hippo that had been abandoned by its mother, so he raised it. He fed it, had a lake dug where it could swim, and he’d go for swims with it. For many years, the hippo was his pet, his best friend. Until one day, it dragged him into the river and killed him.”

Rhene winced. What a horrible way to die. “What’s your point?”

“You can’t change the nature of a beast. Dragons may act civilized or even honorable for a little while, but at the core, they’re evil. They’re monsters, born to slay. That will never change. Sooner or later, their real nature will surface…and those who love them and thought they were loved in return will get hurt.”