Page 19 of My Dragon Lovers

“And now because of that another dragon has died. And it could have been Kyra if I hadn’t gone to see her,” I said, my entire body trembling as I said this. The thought had been pressing against my skull. I had come close to losing her. If that had happened I didn’t know how I would have lived with myself. Mom glanced towards the others.

“I know this is difficult-”

“Difficult?!” I squealed. “How long has this been going on for? How many dragons have died?”

By the way they shared an uneasy glance I knew it was more than they would have liked to admit. I shook my head and paced around. “This can’t be happening. Are we really being hunted?”

“I think hunted is being a bit dramatic,” Buck said.

“Oh yeah? What would you call it when a dragon is killed in her own home. We don’t even know if she had a chance to shift and fight back. If there is a killer out there then how are we supposed to find them?”

“We don’t know,” Brett said bluntly. I was taken aback by the honest assessment of the situation. The others sighed and threw up their hands. “There’s no point lying to the boy. You all know that we should have been more open about this from the beginning. Hiding the truth only makes it worse,” he added, and then turned back to face me. “The fact is Aidan that we have no idea who is doing this, and the only lead we have is that all of the dragons that have been killed so far are from Ilvar’s thunder. We have informed that thunder about the situation and we did suggest they should come and live with us because it’s safer, but they do not want to leave their home.”

“So proud… some things never change,” Buck murmured. I think he was attempting to make a joke, but it wasn’t the time or the place.

“Since we realized the pattern we haven’t heard of any further killings, until Jade,” Mom said. “We don’t know who is doing this, but now that Kyra is here we believe she is safe. There have been no attacks against our people.”

“So what are we going to do about the others?” I asked.

They shrugged. “There’s only so much we can do. We’ve offered to help, but they don’t want it,” Buck said.

“We can’t just let them suffer alone like this, surely? We’re all dragons. We should be helping them,” I protested.

“We are helping them,” Mom stressed the word and widened her eyes. “We’re making every effort to track down this killer, and we are doing all we can to protect our thunder. But you don’t have to worry. You are safe here, and I hope that now you have Kyra with you, you will be less inclined to leave onthese little adventures, at least until the killer has been brought to justice,” she said.

I nodded, although already thoughts were beginning to spin in my mind. I put my hands on my hips and agreed that I would stay in the ruins, although it was a promise that I had no intention of keeping.

*

I walked outside and followed the scent to where Kyra and Brock were located. I knew their scents better than anything, and it was a joy to smell them twining together in the air. I walked towards the gentle quiet area where I found them nestled together in a cocoon of love. It warmed my heart to see them sharing such affection and growing closer together. A lesser man would have felt jealous that the woman he loved was in another man’s arms, clearly basking in the pleasure they had shared, but things were different for dragons. I had no doubt that the feelings she and I shared were deep, and what could have been better than knowing that my best friend now understood the way we felt about each other? It was also a relief to know that when I couldn’t be with her, Kyra had someone to rely on.

When they saw me they started pulling on their clothes. I kissed Kyra and stroked her head.

“Are you okay?” I asked gently.

She nodded. “Brock helped,” she said with a sheepish grin. I smiled at both of them and then joined them.

“Brock told me about your idea to go back to the island. I’m not sure it’s going to work in the way you think it is, but I’m up for it,” Kyra said.

“There’s only one problem; are we going to be allowed to leave? I don’t think Kadie and the others are going to be enthused about us going out into the world while there’s a killer on the loose. To be honest, I don’t think they were going to be in favor of us heading towards the island anyway,” Brock said.

“No, they wouldn’t, but that wasn’t going to stop us before, and it’s not going to stop us now. However, there’s somewhere else I think we should visit first, because there’s something more important that we have to do,” I said, pausing as they stared, intrigued, inquiring glances. “I think we need to go to the other thunder.”

“The other thunder?” Brock asked.

“You mean Ilvar’s thunder?” Kyra said, her voice catching in her throat.

“I know that it may come as a shock, but the other dragons who were murdered all came from that thunder. The only common link they have is Ilvar. That is the pattern, and if we’re going to track the killer down then we need to start with the people he killed. They’ve refused help from my parents, but maybe they’ll be more likely to help us, or rather… you,” my gaze drifted towards Kyra, who wore an uncertain look and seemed to shrink within herself.

“I don’t know…” she said.

“This could be the only way to find the person who killed your Mom, and if he is targeting people who knew Ilvar then he might have his sights set on you as well. We need to stop him before he has a chance to strike against you. Even if not, there are still plenty of dragons who are in danger, and I’m not going to let some ancient rivalry get in the way of helping people. It was stupid anyway. So, some dragons wanted to make a home on Earth, and some wanted to keep trying to get back to Drakon. I hardly think that’s a reason for so much hostility between the two thunders, is it?” I asked. The question was rhetorical. Kyra and Brock both had doubting looks on their faces.

“I can’t imagine they’re going to be very happy to see us. I know things are better since…” Brock trailed away, not wishing to reference aloud Ilvar’s death in front of Kyra, “but there’s still plenty of discord between us.”

“But they will not turn away Ilvar’s daughter.” My gaze fell upon Kyra. “I know that you have always tried to distance yourself from your father, but this could be the fastest way to bring justice to your mother. I think we at least have to try, otherwise we’re either going to be stuck here without any freedom to fly around the world, or we’re going to have to scour every acre of this land until we get lucky. I’d rather be proactive about the whole thing, wouldn’t you?”

I knew they wouldn’t be able to resist my offer. Kyra was like her mother, never content to sit around and wait for life to happen to her. And Brock, well, he was always ready and willing to meet a challenge.

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