Page 15 of My Dragon Lovers

“Then who killed her?” she asked, her eyes shining with sorrow. My heart raged inside my chest. All I wanted to do was protect Kyra. I wanted to keep her safe. I looked into the darkness, wondering where the killer lurked.

“I don’t know,” I said in a choking breath. I wish I had better answers for her. I wish I knew something. Instead all I could do was put my arms around her and pull her into my chest. Brock went around the other side of her and did the same thing. We cocooned her against our bodies. I felt the trembling shudders of her breath as she cried. I hated to think of her being all alone for the entire day as she waited for us to return.

I kissed her head. “I’m sorry that we didn’t come here sooner,” I said after a time, adding my words to the sounds of her mournful sobs. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

“I’ve been trying to think about what could have happened here,” she said, pushing away from our arms. She walked down into the yard and never stopped moving or twitching. Perhaps it was the only way she could think to remind herself that she was alive. “Someone killed Mom, and it had to have been a dragon. Nobody has returned yet. It happened last night, when we were together.” She bowed her head. “I should have been here,” she said softly. I glanced at Brock. I almost asked her if this meant she was reconsidering everything we had spoken about last night, but I knew she was already dealing with so much. I didn’t want to burden her anymore than she already was.

“It’s not your fault,” I offered. It didn’t seem to make a difference. In fact, given her non reaction it was difficult to say if she had heard my words at all.

“If I had been here then maybe I could have stopped it,” she said.

“Or maybe you would have been killed as well,” I said. She glared at me.

“At least with you being alive we can find out what happened to Jade,” Brock said. “We can figure out who killed her and bring them to justice.”

“How?” she croaked, looking forlorn. She finally stopped moving.

“We need to go home. We need to tell my parents.”

Kyra rolled her eyes and gave a dry, mocking laugh. “What are they going to do?”

“They can help us. And if there is someone killing dragons then they need to be told. We can put all the dragons on watch. Someone might know something,” I said.

“Unless they have something to do with it,” she muttered. I didn’t try to dissuade her of the notion. She was hurting, grieving. She was filled with anger and would lash out in every direction, and it was perfectly understandable for her to do so.I just needed time, time to figure out what we were going to do next. I looked up at the stars and wondered what twisted mind had killed Jade. Was she the only one, or were the others? Did we all have to worry for our safety?

My heart had been pricked with grief, and all the elation had been drained out. I was deflated, and I was concerned for Kyra. Her relationship with Jade had always been tempestuous, but they had shared an important bond. It wasn’t something that was going to be easy to recover from. But at least she wasn’t alone.

Brock and I went to her. We held her again. Tears stained her cheeks once more. I reassured her that everything was going to be alright in the end, and that we would find whoever did this. She stayed on the porch by herself as Brock and I went back inside. We gathered some bed sheets and wrapped Jade’s body up. I winced at the nasty gash in her back. Whoever had done this had been vicious about the attack, and had shown no mercy at all. This was no accident. They had gone for the kill, and they had succeeded.

When we carried Jade’s body out, Kyra whimpered. She placed her hand upon her mother’s shrouded body. She deserved a proper burial at least. She deserved to be with her people. Brock and I shifted into dragons. He carried Jade’s body back, while Kyra rode upon me again. It was a slow, mournful journey that was tinged with danger as well. I kept peering into the darkness and I made sure that my senses were alive just in case anyone dared to strike.

But it was all quiet. For now, the killer remained a mystery.

Chapter Twelve

Kyra

I had hoped that my emotions would have grown less volatile as the day continued, but that was not to be the case. They were a turbulent storm within me, and it showed no sign of abating. I had been praying for the killer to return so that I could look into their eyes and make them pay for what they had done, but so far they remained distant from me. Brock and Aidan had come to me, saved me, and now they were joining me in my quest to take vengeance.

For all I knew, the killer was waiting for us in the ruins they called home.

It was quiet when we arrived. We landed and Brock had my mother’s body in his arms. Aidan rushed away to get his parents. I folded my arms around my body, as if to protect me from the harsh reality of what had happened. It still hadn’t quite sunk in yet. I knew that Mom was dead, that I would never see her again, and yet there was still a part of me that believed it was just a matter of time before we were reunited.

Brock told me that he was going to set about making a pyre, as was the traditional way of mourning dragons. I sniffed and nodded, waiting in the darkness, alone.

It wasn’t long before Aidan returned with his parents. I looked at them with envy and spite. His mother, Kadie, strode up to me with a sympathetic smile that looked like she was wearing a mask. Brett, Buck, and Mason were by her side. I knew them well from the stories that Mom and Aidan had told me, and at this moment I couldn’t help but wonder if they were responsible for Mom’s death.

“Kyra, we’re so sorry for your loss. I promise you that we will go to every length to ensure that we discover what happened here,” Kadie began. I stared at her for a long time. The tension built as the silence deepened, and then I asked her the question that had been burning in my mind.

“Did you have anything to do with it?” I asked.

The features on Kadie’s face hardened. Her lovers looked defensive, but she did not seem offended.

“I can assure you we didn’t,” she said.

Then Mason stepped forward. “I know you think that we hated Jade, but that wasn’t true. I always hoped that she would find her way back here. This was her home and when she left she was misguided. It didn’t have to end like this. I’m sorry that we couldn’t prevent it,” he said.

“But you’re safe with us. You can stay here,” Kadie continued, glancing towards Aidan, “and you will have all the hospitality that we can offer. I know this must be a terrible time for you, but I hope that you know you are among your people and you are safe here.”

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