Shared By The Dragon Clan Complete (9 page)

CHAPTER TEN

The revelation left Conrad now
standing in front of the desk, in deep bewilderment. Stacey was lost to the
meaning of what Zane and his brother was talking about, yet she hung on their
every word.

“Do you
really think that I would have been able to cut the head off a Hurux? In one
clean blow?”

“Well, if he
wasn’t the king then I have two questions,” Conrad said. “One, who the fuck was
that? And two, where is the real Horatio?”

“Unfortunately,
I don’t know the answer to either of those questions. I can say that, the
imposter was under someone’s spell. Perhaps the Mage’s. He did believe he was
Horatio Hurux. But as to who he really was …”

“No. This is
garbage. It doesn’t make sense,” Conrad argued. “What proof do you have other
than your belief that you wouldn’t be able to kill him?”

“I don’t have
proof. I’d suspected for some time now… But until we find the real Horatio
Hurux, then…”

“What if he’s
already dead? If someone had put an imposter there, and kidnapped Horatio,
wouldn’t they just kill him while they had the chance?”

“I don’t
know,” Zane said. “I was going to go about this investigation at some point …
when I had further evidence … but …”

“But what?”

“He crossed
the line. He wanted to mate with a woman I’d claimed.”

“So? He’s the
King.”

“The true
Horatio Hurux would not have done such a thing.”

Conrad shook
his head. “Maybe the King was under the Mage’s spell. Which explains his odd
behavior. Maybe it even explains why he was able to be killed by you – I don’t
know. But what if he was still the real king? Haven’t you thought about that?”

“He didn’t
shift…” Zane said somberly.

“What?”

“I never saw
him shift. Not once. And when I challenged him to a duel in front of everyone
–”

“You what?”

“I gave him
the choice of by sword or by fire. He chose sword.”

“So what?
He’s the King.”

Zane rose
from his place. “What Dragon would choose a sword over fire?”

Conrad shook
his head. “I don’t know. What if you’re wrong?”

“What if I’m
right?”

Conrad
shrugged. “I’ll run a few errands in town for you. See if I can find someone
who knows where the next portal is going to appear.”

“I would
appreciate that.”

Zane extended
his hand.

Conrad
reluctantly shook it.

“Should we come
with you into town?”

“No,” Conrad
said. “You’ve had a long journey here. You must be tired. I’ve have the
servants prepare you some lunch. And then I’ll be back in a couple of hours.
How does that sound?”

“Perfect,”
Zane said.

The two men
then proceeded to move towards the hallway. Stacey stood up to join them. But
then all of a sudden Zane turned back.

“What is
that?” he asked.

“What is
what?” Conrad replied.

“That smell…”

He moved past
Stacey towards her chair. He sniffed the air a moment, and then Stacey saw
Zane’s eyes go green with rage.

“He was
here,” Zane cursed.

“Who?” Conrad
said innocently.

“The Mage.”

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Zane grabbed hold of Conrad and
shoved him so hard the study’s door snapped right off its hinges. He slammed
back into wall outside, and slumped a little. Zane picked him up again for more
confrontation, and Conrad wrestled against him.

“Stop it!”
Stacey cried shrilly.

But there was
little for her to do other than spectate.

Somehow,
Conrad had gotten the upper hand and they were plowing into the opposite wall,
again and again and again. Zane then shook himself free and for a moment there
was space between them.

Stacey seized
the opportunity and stepped between them.

“Come on
guys,” she said. “Let’s just work this out.”

“Did you set
me up?” Zane shouted at Conrad.

“What?”
Conrad mumbled.

“Did you set
me up? Answer the question.”

“He was just
here to see if you were here. Then when I said you weren’t he left.”

“Then why
didn’t you mention it?”

“It never
came up.”

Zane shook
his head. “Come on, Blossom. Let’s get out of here before the others are here.”

He grabbed
Stacey’s hand and led her back in the direction of the stairs.

“Wait a
second,” Conrad said, following. “You’re being ridiculous. I’m your brother!
Don’t you trust me?”

“Nope,” Zane
called back.

“Why would I
betray you? For what reason would I do that?”

“I don’t
know. You were either blackmailed or bribed.”

“I can … Put
you in a room with him.”

Zane slowed
down. Then stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

He and Stacey
waited for Conrad to catch up.

“Just the two
of you, alone,” Conrad added.

“The Human
Mage?” Zane scoffed. “Why should I trust you now?”

“All I did
was not mention that he was here,” Conrad said. “Was it that big of a deal?”

“I don’t
know. You tell me.”

“It wasn’t.”

Zane shook
his head. “No. No – while that’s tempting. No. He might as well know where we
are now, and there’s no reason to risk anymore time here.”

“We don’t
have to stay here,” Conrad countered. “I know a place the Mage won’t find you.”

“No,” Zane said.
“Here’s what will happen. We’re going to leave now, and if you still want to
find out where the portal is for me, then I’ll phone you and you can tell me
where it is. So do you want to help me or not?”

“Alright
then,” Conrad nodded. “Whatever you need.”

They started
towards the front door, and Stacey briefly looked back a moment before they set
foot outside. For some peculiar reason, Conrad was looking at her funny. She
could only imagine the thoughts running through his head…

CHAPTER
TWELVE

As Stacey and Zane walked back to the
front gates she asked him: “So do you believe him or not?”

“I’m not a
hundred percent sure either way,” Zane confessed.

“But if you
had to guess?”

“He’s not
telling the truth. The Mage offered him something in return for my capture.
Which means we have a very small window to get out of here.”

“
If
he
wasn’t telling the truth.”

“If.”

The servant
was already ahead of them, opening the gates once more. They departed and began
down the sweeping slopes along to town.

“Where are we
going?” Stacey asked.

“It doesn’t
matter. We’ll just find somewhere in the middle of nowhere to hide for today.
But then tonight I’ll come back here and find out what Conrad has for me.”

“You’ll come
back? I thought you said you’ll phone him.”

“It may not be
as simple as that.”

“But how will
you know it’s safe?”

“I’ll be
careful.”

“And where
will I be when this is going on?”

“Far away.
Hopefully.”

They stopped
in the middle of the road to cross it, waiting for a car to drive past.

“This isn’t
going to be easy,” Zane said. “On you. Or on me.”

“What isn’t?”

“I’ve decided
I want to look further into clearing your name. How do you feel about that
prospect?”

Stacey
couldn’t believe her ears. She moved in front of Zane’s path and wrapped her
arms around him. He held her stiffly, caught off guard a little. Then she felt
him getting aroused. Stacey didn’t mind.

“Thank you,
Zane,” she said.

“Master,”
Zane said, pushing her away. “Thank you, Master.”

Stacey rolled
her eyes. “Okay. Thank you,
Master
.”

While he
didn’t seem pleased with her sarcasm, he decided to let it go. “So where did
this all happen?”

“Where did
what happen?”

“Where did
this so called murder take place?”

“It was back
at my apartment. The one Teresa and I shared.”

“Well, I
guess that’s where we’re going now then.”

While Stacey
was immensely excited by this news, she couldn’t help but feel nervous at the
same time.

“Someone
might recognize me though,” she mumbled. “They might call the cops.”

“If anyone
comes near you,” Zane said, “I’ll kill them.”

He meant
business.

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

The approach of Stacey’s home city
sent an array of emotions through her body so varied, she didn’t know whether
to smile with joy, push her head over the side of her dragon, about to be sick.
They’d made it out of the town without incident which seemed to strengthen
Zane’s trust in his brother, and then shortly taken to the skies soon after.
Given the distance they had between them and their destination, Zane worked
harder than before to travel them as quickly as possible. This still resulted
in a journey that took nearly two hours off the day, but for Stacey, she barely
noticed it at all. As difficult it was to accept that Zane and her were going
to have anticipated problems when it came to making love, she was able to achieve
the next best thing with him in these soft winded skies – a connection. As her
legs wrapped firmly around his forever beautiful back, and her hands were given
to touch his warm and impenetrable neck, she couldn’t help but imagine the two
of them lying together. Naked in each other’s arms.

She didn’t
know exactly where Zane was going to take them. Stacey had doubts about
returning to their apartment, as though there would be some missing piece of
the puzzle there. The more she thought about what they were doing, the less
sense it made. But at the same time, to know that Zane was fighting for her –
that he was willing to stand up for her when no one else had… It gave her hope.

Zane knew
more about Stacey and her background than she would ever have thought was
possible. When they landed on the roof of a tall building, Stacey looked below
them, and didn’t immediately recognize where she was. It was only after she had
properly dismounted and Zane had shifted back into his original form, that the
plan was announced.

“So are you
going to show me where this all took place?” he asked.

Stacey’s
mouth fell open, amidst her surprise.

“Hey,” Zane
said. “Are you alright?”

Stacey felt
the tears in her eyes, which made her even more embarrassed.

Zane put his
arms round her for comfort. He pulled her into his chest.

“What is it?”

“No one’s
ever been so nice to me,” she gushed. “I’ve had other boyfriends, but they
would never –”

“You’re worth
it though, right?”

He stepped
back from her. Looked into her eyes.

“I don’t
know,” Stacey mumbled. “No.”

Zane
proceeded to kiss her. Long, hard, deep. She didn’t know what he was doing.

Then she
realized.

He was making
her feel worth it.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

To be lost in his arms. To feel as
though there was nothing in the world that could stand between them. Stacey had
ridden Zane to and through the clouds, but as they stood upon this building
now, she knew they’d never been higher before.

Still
interlocked, she laughed, and then watched her laughter light up his eyes. He
then grabbed a hold of her hand and led her towards exit door.

“You have a
very nice laugh,” Zane said solemnly. “But out of respect for your friend –”

“Right,”
Stacey said. Except they weren’t exactly friends.

Zane opened
the door and the two of them entered the top floor and proceeded through
another door which led them to stairs leading downward.

“So you
mentioned that your friend might have killed herself…”

“Yes,” Stacey
answered. “That’s my suspicion.”

“Why do you
think that?”

“Right before
she died she left this horrible Facebook message saying she was afraid I was
going to kill her. We’d just got into this fight a day or so before about her
borrowing my clothes and … taking my food without asking.”

“She was
stealing?”

“I don’t
know. I had food there in the pantry and it went missing. Nothing big, just a
few tins. And of course she was the only one who could have taken them. But she
denied it and … it got a bit ugly.”

“That doesn’t
sound that ugly. Not something one would kill herself over.”

“Look, I … I
don’t know if she did, or why she did or … I just know I didn’t do it.”

They reached
the next floor and moved through the passageway. “Which floor are you on?”

“The one
below this one.”

They found
the next set of stairs and continued downward.

“We’re not
going to find anything,” Stacey said. “Whatever would be there, the police
would have found it. I don’t really…”

“Hush,” Zane
cut her off. “Let me be the judge of that.”

“Okay.”

Soon they
reached Stacey’s floor and she led Zane to her apartment. The door was shut and
locked. Before she had a chance to speak and offer more words of caution, Zane
pounded his fist loudly on the door.

When there
was no answer, he called out, “Hello? Someone in there?”

Stacey’s eyes
drifted to either side of the hall, afraid someone would come out to confront
them.

“Hello?”
Zane’s voice rang out.

Still no
answer. He looked to Stacey.

“It’s
probably empty,” she said. “They might not have found a new tenant.”

“Or the new
tenant is at work,” Zane countered.

“Yeah,
there’s that.”

He gave her a
quick smile and then proceeded to ram his shoulder into the door. Stacey’s
shriek of surprise was drowned out by the sound of the door ripping off its
hinges and slamming into the ground. Zane confidently stepped over the wreckage
and into the apartment. Despite the butterflies in her stomach causing a
momentary paralysis, Stacey quickly joined his side.

“Hello?” Zane
called out again.

“There’s no
use in calling out to them now,” Stacey hissed. She could already hear the
sounds of apartment doors being unlocked around them.

Zane walked
through the living room and to the far wall where a glass sliding door led out
to the balcony.

“She fell
from here?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Zane opened
the door and stepped out to the balcony. He put her hands on the railing.

“Is everything
alright?”

Stacey turned
to see one of her elderly neighbors peering in.

“I … I…”
Stacey stammered.

“You’re not
supposed to be here,” the woman exclaimed. She then spotted Zane behind her.
“Who’s that?”

“A
policeman,” Stacey said thinking quickly. “He’s making me review the crime
scene again.”

“Oh…”

The old woman
squinted, trying to get a better look at Zane. He returned to the living room.

“Can I help
you, Madame?” he asked, daringly.

“No,” the
woman replied. “No, I’m perfectly fine.” She slunk away from the door.

Stacey looked
up to Zane.

“Don’t worry
about her,” he said casually. He moved round to the right side of the room.
“Can you show me the bedrooms?”

Stacey went
to his aid and opened up both rooms. Their stuff was all cleared out. There was
little more than a desk, chair and bed in each room.

“Where were
you when it happened?”

“I was in
bed,” Stacey said. “Reading a book.”

“Did you hear
anything suspicious?”

“No.”

“Well, did
you hear
any
thing?”

“I didn’t
hear the fall if that’s what you’re asking. There’s quite a distance between
here and the ground.”

“Hmmm.”

“What is it?”

“Something
about this … Doesn’t feel right to me.”

“Well, which
part?”

“I feel … a
presence here. In this apartment.”

“What does
that mean?”

“Did you ever
…?” Zane trailed off.

“Did I ever
what?”

“Did you ever
meet any of our dragons before?”

“What?”
Stacey shook her head. “No.”

“Because one
of us has been here before. I don’t know who. It’s … I …”

Suddenly
there were a series of thuds from the living room. Zane looked up in horror,
and Stacey stepped back in alarm.

“Attention!”
a man shouted from the living room. “You are surrounded. Put down any weapons
you might be carrying and come out from where you are with your hands behind
your head…”