Dragonmark (24 page)

He was the most hated among his people.

No, not
his
people.

They were Greeks and Apollites.

He wasn't. He'd never really been one of them. Forever a hated outsider. An interloper who'd been mistaken for them since the day Dagon had captured them and mixed them in with their ancestors.

“Enough!” Fang shouted, holding his hands up to get the others to settle down. “We'll deal with the Dragonbane issue after this is over. Right now, we need to focus on getting Max's kids away from the gallu demons before they convert them into zombies. Regardless of anything else, they're innocent in this.”

His eyes haunted, Max held his hand out toward Seraphina.

“I trust you, Lord Dragon. Lead me to your lair.”

Illarion and Blaise followed Max and Seraphina to the huge attic where Maxis made his home. His brother used his powers to light four huge iron candle stands. The light flickered and merged with the rays of the dawning sun to cast their shadows against the wall.

Blaise closed the door.

Sighing, Sera met Blaise's blank stare. “Illarion doesn't think much of me, does he?”

“I'm trying to remain impartial, but if one-quarter of what Illy is saying right now to Max about you is true … Do your people really make jewelry from the tusks, scales, and bones of dragons?”

Heat crept over her face. “We don't hunt mandrakes.”

“From what I'm hearing, you don't know. Your people don't exactly bother to find out if they're hunting Katagaria or not. You basically kill indiscriminately and go after any large serpent that isn't Arcadian.”

“Stop, Blaise,” Maxis said in a gentle tone. “She's not to blame in this.”

No. We are, you and I. I curse the day I ever let you talk me into saving their kind.
Illarion raked her with a chilling stare.
We should have let the gods have them all.

“Enough, Illarion. I have to focus.”

Illarion threw his hands up.
Fine. Let's see how she handles this. After all, she never bothered to ask you anything about what you really are. Where you came from. How you were dragged into her world to become part of it. The three years you lived with her, she never once cared enough to learn.

Maxis growled at his brother. “Stay out of my head and thoughts.… I swear, I should have eaten your egg instead of nesting it.”

Seraphina arched her brow at that. “You nested him?”

“Sadly, yes, and I did a piss-poor job of it, too. As you can see.”

Illarion rolled his eyes.

Blaise laughed. “Max attempted to nest all of his siblings. At least those of us he could find. Once a year while she lived, he'd journey to where our mother placed her eggs and collect them so that they wouldn't have to hatch alone, and flounder for survival.”

Max taught us the Bane-Cry to clear our lungs and so that no matter how far apart we were, we could always call out to each other for help, should we need it. And while the rest of our siblings might not respond, Max would always come to us if he was physically able to do so.

“Neither here nor there,” Max said, passing an annoyed grimace at each brother in turn. He led her toward a large area of the attic that was curtained off.

Illarion shook his head as he caught the look of reservation on Sera's face.
This is a bad idea.

Sighing heavily, Maxis passed an aggravated stare at his brother before he took her hand and pulled her inside the curtained-off area. “I know that you've never seen me as anything more than an animal, and I'm well aware of what you think of my species. Just remember this is for your children and hold that thought tight. Don't worry. We both know the grisly truth. I am an animal. Hatched and spawned.” He stepped back. “Blaise? Can you hold her for a minute? I'm not sure how she'll react to this.”

When Max shifted, she all but screamed. Not that Illarion blamed her.

Even as spacious as the attic was, Maxis had to crouch low and could barely move about. He completely filled the area. For that matter, he couldn't turn around. Rather, he had to back himself against the wall where she assumed he slept.

Like him, his brother was a huge bastard.

“You okay?” Blaise rubbed her arm for comfort.

Swallowing hard, she nodded. “It's just been a long time since I was this close to a living dragon. And never one that wasn't trying to kill me.”

Maxis's iridescent scales glimmered like jewels in the dim light. And as he moved, Illarion saw on his wings the vicious scarring Nala and her Amazon tribe had left behind. How he could still love Sera, he had no idea.

But that wasn't any of his business.

Max rolled slightly so that she could settle comfortably in the shelter of his arms. One talon was almost the size of her entire body.

“How did you ever get captured by Dagon?”

Max came to help me, when Dagon had me trapped.
Fury darkened Illarion's eyes.
My powers bound so that I couldn't fight or protect myself.

It wasn't your fault I flew in blindly, Illy.

Because I called in a panic and you were too worried to be cautious.

Max sighed.
It doesn't matter. I don't really need a reason to be stupid. Can find plenty of reasons to partake of that particular vice on my own.

Illarion snorted as he and Blaise moved forward to help settle Sera against him.

Blaise stepped back. “I'll keep guard at the door to make sure no one disturbs you.”

“Thank you.” Sera was rigid in his arms.

Illarion moved to the curtains.
I'll wait to join you.

“What do you mean, join us?”

He smiled, but didn't answer before he closed the curtains and left them alone.

She turned her face toward Max. “What did he mean?”

Nothing. Close your eyes and think of our little ones. Imagine being with them and let your thoughts stay with them. Whatever happens, don't let anything or anyone distract you.

“Maxis?”

Illarion froze at the strange sound of Sera's voice. Rushing back toward Max's sleeping area, a bad feeling went through him. He flung the curtain wide to see his brother gone and Sera scowling.
What happened?

“I don't know.” Looking sick and weak, she wiped at her neck to find the smallest trace of blood there. “He drank from me?”

Illarion felt the color drain from his features.
What?

She showed him her bloodstained hand. “He bit me …
bit me!
” she emphasized, gesturing toward her neck, “and then I woke up here. Why?”

Blaise came rushing up behind Illarion. “What's going on?”

Disgusted and pissed, Illarion let out a deep, guttural growl.
Max just took her blood so that he could track their dragonets on his own, then sent her back here without him.

Cursing, Blaise ground his teeth. “Why would he do that? We had a plan! A fairly, almost decent one … That could have almost worked. Maybe, in the right light and with good timing. Why would he alter it?”

Because this was
his
plan, all along. To face them without putting any of us in danger. The stupid bastard plans to battle them alone. 'Cause he's an effing idiot! I knew better than to trust him. I knew it!
He shook his head.
Why did I ever trust him?

Horrified, Seraphina pushed herself to her feet. “We can't let him do that! One bite. One scratch and he'll become a gallu!”

Illarion laughed bitterly at her concern.
That's not our worst fear.

“How in the name of the gods is that not our worst fear? Barring his death, that is.”

Illarion sobered as he faced her with a dry, cutting glare.
You really, truly don't know
anything
about my brother, do you?

 

24

Illarion turned at the bright flash, expecting to find Maxis there. Instead, it was two dragonets.

Shrieking in relief, Seraphina ran to them and grabbed them into a tight embrace. The boy immediately let out a verbal protest that she was hurting him.

“It's all right, Mama,” he breathed as he rested his chin against the top of her head. Like Max, he towered over her. “We're fine. It's all good.”

Illarion wasn't sure about that. The boy was covered in blood and bruises. His homespun clothes torn and filthy.

Her breathing ragged, Seraphina pulled back to examine the girl. Like her brother's, her tunic and breeches were torn and covered with filth and blood.

“Hadyn kept them from me,” the girl assured her quickly, as if she could read her mother's thoughts.

“Barely.” He staggered back and collapsed to sit cross-legged on the floor. Hard. Raking a hand through his short auburn hair, he let out an exhausted breath, then winced as he grazed his knuckles against his bruised cheek. He glanced up at her with an adorable frown that was identical to one Max had used. “Where are we?”

Seraphina didn't answer his raspy question as she stepped over his legs and glanced around, looking for Maxis to join them. He should have been here by now. “Where's your father?”

“I knew that was him!” The girl smacked at her brother, who grimaced and shoved lightly at her so that she wouldn't hit his shoulder again. “Told you!”

“No you didn't.”

Ignoring his ire, she met Seraphina's gaze with sadness in her eyes. “They attacked him and he sent us here while he fought them. I don't think he was able to follow.”

Blaise cursed and so did Illarion.

I'm going to kill him!

It was only then that her children realized there were others in the room with them. The girl pulled back as Hadyn rose to his feet to put himself between them and his uncles.

Though to be honest, there wasn't much the poor boy could do right now in his wounded condition, except fall down and trip them on their way to attack her, had that been their intent.

Sera let go of Edena to gently take Hadyn by the waist and scoot his teen body aside. Rubbing his back, she smiled proudly at him to let him know how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness. “Edena, Hadyn … meet your uncles. Blaise and Illarion.”

“Hi.” Blaise gestured toward the wall.

Bemused by that, Hadyn scowled at her and Edena.

Illarion ignored them all.
Screw the pleasantries. We need to get to Max. Where is he?

Hadyn's frown melted to a mask of shock. “Anyone else think it odd that one uncle can't see and the other can't speak? Is there a reason for that?”

Blaise shot a jolt at him that left him yelping. “Careful, whelp. I don't need my sight in this form to spank your ass. As for the voice, Illarion had his vocal cords cut by moronic humans trying to stop him from breathing fire when he was a kid. Be glad they didn't get their hands on you.”

He immediately hung his head. “Sorry. I didn't mean to offend either of you. I'm an insensitive idiot who doesn't always check with my brain before I engage my mouth, especially when I'm hurting. If it makes you feel any better, in the last twenty-four hours, I had three demons try to eat me for dinner, a dozen Arcadians kick the crap out of me, and my sister scream my eardrums to bleeding. Pretty sure I lost some testosterone along the way. Definitely a shit-ton of pride and dignity.”

“Hadyn! Watch your mouth!”

“Sorry, Ma.”

Shaking her head, Seraphina went and grabbed Maxis's battle sword from the hanger that secured it to his wall near the door.

As she started to leave, Illarion caught her.
What are
you
doing?

“You and Blaise watch the kids. I'm headed after Maxis.”

“That would be a profoundly
bad
idea.”

Seraphina glanced over her shoulder to see Fang standing in the now open doorway. “Excuse me?”

He stepped aside to show her the tall, dark-haired Arcadian Sentinel behind him. One Illarion hadn't seen in an exceptionally long time.

Dressed in medieval chainmail and a yellow surcoat, and with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, he had an aura of regal refinement and fierce, arrogant warrior that made Illarion want to punch him. While most Sentinels chose to hide their facial markings with their magick, his were more than apparent.

Fang gestured between them. “Seraphina Drago, meet Sebastian Kattalakis, Prince of Arcadia.”

Illarion snorted disdainfully.
So fucking what, Fang? You're a Kattalakis, too.
For that matter, Illarion qualified as an official Kattalakis. More so, in fact, than either of them.

Sebastian arched an arrogant brow at his rude dismissal. “Yes, but my grandfather was the king's son. The original Apollite heir born from his queen, Mysene.”

Well la-di-da, Mr. Fancy Pants. Aren't you special? You want a hero cookie to go with that title?

Blaise feigned a coughing fit. “Excuse me. I'm having a weird Kerrigan flashback. Should I leave now before lethal things start flying?”

No, I'm the one leaving. My brother needs me and the air in here is suddenly stale.

“Wait!” Sebastian ordered in a tone that left Illarion with a soured expression on his handsome face. One that said Sebastian was about to be in serious pain. Or in a burn ward. “I came here to warn Fang about what was happening. A few minutes ago, I received a summons from my cousin to attend a harrowing for the Dragonbane he's captured.”

Seraphina gasped at his words.

Why did you come here?

Sebastian shrugged at Illarion's belligerent question. “I thought you might want to get word to Savitar to stop it. As a limani, Fang has the ability to contact him. I don't. And having been harrowed, myself, I don't condone this against another. Ever. I find the whole practice of it distasteful and beneath both our species.”