Sapphire Dragon (Awakened Dragons Book 2) (9 page)

She fell asleep before he did, snoring lightly and muttering in her sleep.

“Sleep well, sweetheart. I’ll make everything right in the morning,” he said.

But as a shiver of nervousness moved through him, he wondered… Could he really?

T
he next morning
, Luc looked with wonder at his ring on his mate’s hand.

He couldn’t believe it had really happened. And so fast. But it had felt like the perfect timing, so why wait a moment longer?

The world was fickle and dangerous, so all the more reason not to wait when you met the one for you.

Not to mention, his ring could help her stay safe. He wasn’t sure exactly what powers were contained there, but he knew it was the safest she could be.

Now there was just one thing left to do. Call the oracle and tell her to deactivate the collar. He was ready to be himself again and to align with humankind. Hallie had made him want to. Had brought back that kind part of himself, the part that thought it was possible to fight for what was right and succeed.

He tucked the covers around her and smiled at her soft snores as he left the room. He saw keys hanging up and took them so he could lock the door behind him.

When he was out on the sidewalk, the blinding morning sun beating down on him, he pulled out his phone and dialed the oracle’s number.

“Hello? Luc?”

“Yes,” he said, keeping his voice down so he didn’t wake Hallie. Even though she was inside, he knew she was a light sleeper. He intended to tell her everything soon, but he had a specific way he wanted to go about it.

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

“I found my mate,” he said. “I want the collar off.”

She was dead silent, and his heart pounded heavily as he waited. “Okay.”

“That’s it? You trust me? Do you even know—”

She cut him off. “I know you’ve been wanting to be asleep ever since you made that terrible mistake. I know I’ve been waiting for you to forgive yourself and live again.”

“I don’t know about forgiving myself, but I’m ready to start making amends. I’m willing to start trying.”

“I was never worried about restraining your power because I thought you would hurt humans,” she said. “I restrained it because I thought you would harm yourself. Put yourself back to sleep.”

He pressed his lips together. He had been fatalistic. Gloomy. Nothing to live for. Just wanting to return to oblivion. Amazing a mate could change all of that.

“How do you deactivate it?” he asked.

“Normally, I would have to touch it, but I can do it remotely. Give me a second.”

He heard her set the phone down, rustling in the background, and then felt the necklace slip down his front. He caught it with one hand and stared down at it.

In a way, he was grateful for it. It had kept him safe until he could trust himself.

“So what are you going to do next?” she asked. “I’m glad to have you on our side. We can use your powers. All of them.”

“You need rain?” he asked, laughing. “I mean, I don’t think there are as many crops around here begging for it.”

“Right, I forgot about your effect on weather. Maybe we won’t need that as much, but we definitely will need your mass healing. Your freezing.”

“Got it,” he said. “Well, I’m at your disposal, like Zach, unless my mate is in danger.”

“You gave her the ring, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “Not sure what it’ll do for her.”

“You’ll find out at some point,” she said. “All that matters is you’re with us. You’re a very crucial dragon. I’m glad you came around.”

“Thanks for waking me up and giving me a chance,” he said. “It’s been better than I could have hoped.”

“Now just don’t screw it up,” she said with a laugh, and he hung up the phone.

He had somewhere to go. He looked down the empty street and then got into his car to head over to the shelter. With the necklace off and the adrenaline of talking to the oracle over, he could feel power flooding through him again. A warm trickle that morphed into a deluge.

He was more keenly aware of his body, of the energy around him. And the water in the air.

Making it rain. With all the other powers he’d been thinking about, like healing and attacking, he’d totally forgotten how useful that used to be for humans. Sadness fell over him as he remembered how overjoyed those in his village had been whenever it fell for their crops.

Crops that had been burned to nothing.

But no, this wasn’t going to be like that again. He wasn’t going to let everything he loved be razed to the ground. He wasn’t just watching humans, just checking in here and there. He was living among them, and he’d be there if shit went down.

When he arrived at the shelter, it was still early and everything was locked.

He took Hallie’s keys that he’d used to lock her door out of his pocket and let himself in, locking it behind him.

It was eerily quiet and dark, and he went through, flipping on lights.

He didn’t know how to explain exactly to Hallie about himself, but he figured it couldn’t hurt to start with one of his best qualities: his ability to heal.

And rather than explain it, he wanted to show her.

He walked over to Bastien’s cage. He seemed to know something was different today, and he mewed slightly as Luc approached.

“Shh,” Luc said. “I’m going to make everything better for you, buddy.” He undid the cage and pulled Bastien out, loving the way the cat always snuggled in. He was really looking forward to being able to bring him home. The interesting little guy deserved a home like all the other cats, not to be cooped up in a cage.

Bastien stared up at Luc curiously, relaxing in his arms. Luc touched the lump on the cat’s leg. He wasn’t used to healing just one being or one area, but he was rusty, and it was a good place to start.

The only thing he couldn’t do was raise the dead.

He touched Bastien’s leg gently, and the cat jerked. He moved his hand over until he covered the lump completely, and then he closed his eyes and let soothing power wash through him. Felt warmth under his hand. Heard Bastien mew and then purr.

And then he felt clarity, as if a sort of darkness was gone, and he knew whatever was inside Bastien was no longer there.

Bastien hopped out of his hands and walked over the floor, shaking his leg behind him in a comical way. But there was no lump.

He mewed and jumped onto the bench, striding around like he owned the place, almost as if he were celebrating how good he felt.

He looked over at Luc and let out a long meow, like Bo did when he wanted attention. Luc grinned and sat down, and Bastien crept into his lap. “Want to come home with me now, buddy?”

The cat just pressed his face against him in answer, and Luc grinned. Then he looked at the rest of the pets in the cages along the wall. None were as sick as Bastien, but while he was here, he might as well help them, too.

Or maybe he was still nervous about going back and facing Hallie. What if she didn’t accept him?

He walked over to the wall and held out a hand toward the animals, taking a deep breath. “Don’t worry,” he told Bastien. “This will just take a second.”

* * *

H
allie couldn’t believe
how beautiful the ring was that Luc had given her. How things had changed in just one day.

He’d taken off again, but it was so different after he’d told her he loved her the night before and held her as they slept.

This time, she knew he’d be back and he wasn’t just there for a moment. He was there to stay.

He’d said he’d hopefully explain everything today, and she was nervous but ready at the prospect. She got up, showered, and got ready all while keeping the ring on. It made her warm and happy, and she never wanted to take it off.

A part of her knew she should feel this was too good to be true. That it was some kind of obvious fantasy. But she also knew Luc was flesh and blood. She’d felt him inside her. He was as real as the air around her, and she couldn’t wait to see him again.

She was just changing into some comfy clothes, a gray hoodie and black yoga pants, when the doorbell rang. Her back was a little achy, and she grabbed meds before heading down to the door. She was sure it was Luc.

Of course he’d be back soon. Maybe he was even bringing breakfast. Maybe they could eat while he updated her on everything.

She opened the door and gasped when she saw who was standing there, shadowed by the bright sunlight.

She couldn’t make them out exactly, but none of them was Luc. None had his soothing presence. A prickle of trepidation moved up her back, and she tried to close the door again, but the man in front stopped it with his hand.

“Not so fast,” he quipped, stepping forward into the house as she stumbled back. She turned to make a run for it, but he caught her around the waist. “Guys?” he prompted, and the two men with him stepped forward, each catching her by the arm.

She looked desperately out the door to see if Luc was back by chance, but she didn’t see him.

“Calm down,” the lead man said, shutting the door behind him. “We have no interest in hurting you. We just need to know where the sapphire dragon is.”

The men holding her shoved her onto her couch and sat on either side of her, making sure she didn’t run.

Their leader sat gingerly in her usual chair, his posture arrogant, as if he were literally looking down on her, his legs crossed, hands resting on his knee. He had white-blond hair, shockingly light, and penetratingly green, almond-shaped eyes that tilted up at the sides. He could have been called handsome if there wasn’t a distasteful cruelty to his features.

“Tsk-tsk,” he said casually. “Unlike Sapphire, I rather like reading minds. And if you’re going to say mean things about me, I might just do something mean as well.”

“Who are you?” she asked, pulling free from the men who still had ahold of her arms.

“Let her go,” the blond man snapped, and his cronies obeyed. They were both tall and incredibly muscled, with dark-blond hair that reached their shoulders. But they looked nothing like the man across from her. He had an elegance, a thinly veiled power that sort of made you want to run.

He studied his nails. “Where is Sapphire?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said honestly.

His eyes dipped to her ring, and he grinned in amusement. “You mean he mated you and you don’t even know what he is? Oh, that’s rich.”

She didn’t know why he seemed amused, but she didn’t like it. “What do you mean mated?”

He nodded at her hand. “The ring, darling.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Blond dude cocked his head, a slight smile curving his lips meanly. “Isn’t that tragic.”

“Get out of my house,” she said. “Whatever this
sapphire
is, he’s not here. And what did you mean dragon?”

He looked at her sardonically. “What do you think I meant? I meant dragon. Fire-breathing, human-killing, powerful dragon. And I want him on my side.”

“Are you talking about Luc?” she asked, agape.

He folded his arms and leaned back. “Is that what he’s going by these days? I don’t understand these modern names. Lucien was one name he used, I suppose. But given his powers, I think most just knew him as Sapphire.”

She looked at her ring. “Like this?”

He nodded.

“So what are you? Emerald?” she asked.

His eyes glittered. “How did you know?” He stared at her, unnerving her. “But you can call me Aegis.” His eyelashes were long. He really could almost be called beautiful if it weren’t for his terrible personality.

“Tch. Almost a compliment, and then you had to go and insult me again,” Emerald said. “Final warning. If you do it again, you’ll see my powers. And unlike Sapphire, I’m not collared.”

“That thing around his neck…?”

“Restrains his power, yes. Though, he probably has them back now. We have a mole in the oracle’s place who said he was mated and would have his powers, so we came to see if we could get him on our side. Makes sense, right, given his nasty past?”

“I don’t want you to tell me anything about him,” she said, folding her arms. “He’s coming back to talk to me, and we’ll sort things out then.”

“Right,” Aegis said. “Because that’s the proper order of things. Mating a woman and locking her to you forever and
then
telling her you’re a ruthless monster. Makes sense.”

“He’s not a monster.”

“Murderer, then,” Aegis said.

She narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t imagine Luc killing anyone. He was so
good
. But then just a bit of doubt crept it. She remembered how angry he got in fights. How violent.

“Luc wouldn’t kill people,” she said with certainty. She’d seen him use self-control. Sure, he might get scary mad, but someone always deserved it. And he hadn’t gone too far. Much.

“You don’t look like you believe that,” Aegis said. “Anyway, what would be my reason for telling you? I wasn’t here to have anything to do with you. I just thought he might want a chance to join our side simply because, with his past, he might be suited for it.”

“Which side is that?” she asked skeptically.

“The opposite side of all the do-gooder dragons who want to help humans. Humans are hopeless. We’re better off ruling them than trying to protect them.”

“Luc doesn’t think so,” she said.