16. Lira

16

LIRA

M y body jerked as Tavish slung me behind him. I found myself with my chest plastered against his back, the jolt of our connection springing to life as his terror clawed inside me.

Alarm rang through me. Only one thing would put him on edge like that.

Dragons.

Needing to know what was going on, I flew an inch higher to see over his shoulder.

The world seemed to tilt. Of course, they'd arrive as soon as we reached the kingdom. We couldn't have even a few minutes to get settled before the next threat materialized.

"We need to hide Lira," Finnian said and turned in our direction. "There's no telling who is part of the party or what they're going to demand once they arrive."

Our group moved forward once more, Tavish keeping a firm grip on my wrist to keep me behind him.

"I'm not hiding." I'd sneak away from everyone if I had to. The dragons had Eiric, and I needed to know how she was doing. I wouldn't turn my back and let my sister suffer because she'd gotten into this whole mess by protecting me.

You're not going anywhere with them, Lira. Tavish's body coiled, bracing for attack. I'm not losing you again. I'll kill them all if that's what it takes.

I believed him, but even if he could follow through on that promise, that wouldn't fix the entire problem. My sister was being held by the enemy, and she'd already been there for several days, far longer than any of us intended.

Yet I understood that handing myself over wouldn't get her back. They'd have no reason to let her go. Dragons loved to hoard, and they were angry with my parents for the choices they'd made in sending me to Earth and not notifying the dragons upon my return, as well as from learning that I had a fated-mate bond with the Unseelie king.

They wanted retribution, and I had no doubt they would use Eiric to get it.

There were only two ways we could get her back safely—either by making an exchange where I was handed over at the same time she was given back or starting a war. Because, at the end of the day, the dragons were determined to solidify a union between their prince and me.

With the injuries we'd sustained and the chaos of the Unseelie rebellion, we hadn't gotten a chance to address the problem. And now we faced a decision we might not be prepared to make.

The five dragons drew closer, and I noticed their scales were black, iridescent, hunter green, royal blue, and silver. Not the crimson of the prince, the gold of the king, or the jade of the queen.

"I doubt that's the royals. They wouldn't come here with so few guards," Mom said before I could inform everyone.

"That means the dragons fear we might challenge them or fight to ensure that Lira remains here." Father rubbed a hand over his beard as our entire group continued to move.

Dad drew his sword, preparing to defend my parents and me, just as we reached the edge of the island where the Aelwen River flowed between the border of the Seelie and Unseelie kingdoms. The leader of the guards who'd been flying toward us finally stopped in front of Father and Mother. The moment I noted the auburn hair flying out of the helmet, I knew exactly who it was.

Sorcha.

The female guard who'd given me a hard time when Tavish had been captured. She hadn't trusted me not to do anything foolish.

"Your Majesties," she said, bowing her head and then narrowing eyes that reminded me of flames under a midnight sky. "We were concerned when we saw the large group flying toward us and then the dragons. I needed to check that you weren't under attack or being threatened."

"None of that. The Unseelie are here with my blessing, but not the dragons. Nonetheless, our group should stay on course." Father flapped his brown wings harder, picking up our pace. "Head to Dunscaith as we originally planned. They can follow us there if they have a message to deliver from their royals."

I expected some of the stress to ease from Tavish, but instead, his body coiled tighter. Our group flew over the trees in the direction of the Unseelie castle, located close to the center of the true Cuil Dorcha. We followed the river embankment, knowing it would lead directly there.

Sorcha flinched. "You're taking them back to Cuil Dorcha, not to Gleann Solas as prisoners?" She glared in my direction, and I had no doubt she thought that I'd caused all these problems.

I hadn't been the actual cause… just the catalyst for everything to come to fruition.

"Since Tavish needs to remain here with the Unseelie, should Finnian leave with Lira and take her someplace else?" Caelan's jaw clenched as he kept glancing in the direction of the dragons.

A strangled gasp left Sorcha, and Caelan finally looked at the newcomer. They both gaped at one another.

I had no clue what was going on, but that didn't matter. I moved to Tavish's side, refusing to remain hidden behind him. The dragons would overtake us so they would eventually see me. Trying to hide would only make me look like a coward. "Eldrin would rat us out as soon as the dragons asked questions, so we need to get him away from them." I had no doubt that Eldrin would do anything to gain favor with the dragons since our goodwill was exhausted.

"Rat us out?" Mother's forehead wrinkled. "What is a rat?"

Dad pressed his lips together for a moment. "She means Eldrin would inform the dragons of what happened to Lira. It's an Earth saying."

"Another one." Finnian tapped his forehead. "Locked and loaded." He raised both hands, mimicking guns. "See! I'm learning."

When Eiric and I escaped Caisteal Solais with Finnian and Tavish, Eiric had given Finnian a crash course in Earth vernacular and symbols, which he had clearly taken to heart. I smiled, but I could feel the frustration in Tavish.

"That's not helping right now," Tavish bit out, glaring at his friend. "But Lira is right. Eldrin won't hesitate to inform the dragons that we're hiding her from them."

"And they're already upset about me being hidden on Earth; the last thing we need to do is upset them more by hiding me in this realm." I took Tavish's hand and squeezed, needing him to see reason. "The best thing we can do is face them as a united fae front with me beside both my parents."

Hurt snapped through our connection, and Tavish's nostrils flared. "And me," he rasped, making it clear he wasn't happy with what I'd said.

Finnian rolled his eyes. "Yes, because Lira standing by her fated mate—the very man who threatens any who so much as touches her—would improve matters. We might as well invite Pyralis to stay with you two for a couple of days so he can see how you hover over each other."

"She is my mate." Tavish pounded his chest.

"We all are quite aware." Caelan finally pulled his focus away from Sorcha and sighed. "But we don't need to antagonize the dragons more than they already are."

Father nodded. "Everyone here agrees, so that's how it should be. If she is standing between her mother and me, rather than beside Tavish, it'll help the dragons feel more comfortable with her remaining in Gleann Solas, which will permit all of us more time to get answers from the nightfiend who claims he has information that will void the vow. So that's what we're going to do."

Hot anger and cold fear blended together in Tavish, and I flew closer to him, letting our wings brush.

Thorn, it has nothing to do with me not being proud of you. I just need to make sure we don't make things worse, in case they take it out on E. I hated making him feel this way, but at the same time, I needed to protect my sister the best way I knew how.

He started. I know. I just despise how much influence these dragons have on our relationship. I want to kill the ashbreath, so this whole ruse can be done. I'm tired of someone else believing they have any sort of claim on you.

I feel the same way. Love isn't enough to describe what I feel for you. In fact, I wasn't sure what came close. Nothing seemed adequate.

The trees thickened on both sides of the river as we traveled deeper into Cuil Dorcha. Soon, we turned another bend, and in the distance, I could see the top of the Unseelie castle. The sun shone down on the land, and grass, trees, and flowers grew thick. This place was the opposite of the ruined dragon land.

The river ran toward the castle, curving around one side before vanishing. The castle wasn't as dark as the one in the ruined land, but it looked gray from a distance. Murmurs from the Unseelie above and behind us grew louder, most probably unaware that dragons were approaching.

"Sorcha, return to Gleann Solas and retrieve more guards in case the dragons attempt to cause problems," Mother commanded. I suspected that the directive came from her so that Father could deny that he called for reinforcements.

Finnian's brows rose as if he were surprised by Mother's sternness. "Now I see where Lira gets it."

I smirked, enjoying the fact that so many people underestimated her. Mother ruled just as strongly as Father, but she had a quieter way and worked more behind the scenes. When called for, her fierceness showed without hesitation.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sorcha bowed and stole one last glance at Caelan before turning and flying back toward the Seelie kingdom.

The Seelie guards in the front directed people toward the villages they used to live in while the group of prisoners, the guards monitoring them, and our group headed to the grassy fields between the river and Dunscaith. The others spread out, making room for us to land at the double wooden doors that led inside.

The eight of us turned—our backs to the castle—as Eldrin and the other prisoners landed in front of us. Eldrin released Nightbane, whose fur seemed to be more of a matted mess than ever, and he ran straight to my side, squeezing between me and Tavish.

As soon as the guards landed, the Seelie surrounded the prisoners, and the Unseelie guards locked up the prisoners' wings again. The entire time, Eldrin's arms hung limply at his sides. Sweat had soaked through his gray tunic and covered his brow, but the vile man wore a humongous smile.

Acid burned my throat. I couldn't wait for this man to die, and I could only hope that it happened at my hands.

He was thrilled about the dragons because he knew they threatened Tavish's and my happiness. The very issue he proclaimed to know how to get me free of… for a price. His eternal freedom was potentially too huge of a price to pay.

I won't let the dragons take you, sprite, Tavish reassured me as he reached behind me, brushing his fingers along my wing.

The sensation caused a shiver to race through me. That's not what I'm worried about. It's Eldrin gloating. He looks as if the dragons coming here are an answer to his prayers.

It probably is because, if giving him his freedom keeps you by my side, I will gladly make the sacrifice. His irises darkened as he stared into my soul. Because not having you as my mate, my wife, and by my side can't ever happen.

My heart skipped a beat, seeing how much he loved me.

The sound of flapping wings had me looking straight ahead. The dragons would be here momentarily.

Eldrin doesn't need to listen to our conversation with the dragons. None of the prisoners do. Tavish pointed to the right around the castle. "Someone fly ahead and check the prison cells while the rest of the guards follow and watch the prisoners until they're secured once more."

Finola, Lorne, and Struan tensed, but Tavish bit out, "Now. I need you three to handle this." He didn't have to tell them why; they knew he trusted only them.

Obliging, the three of them commanded the guards, and the prisoners began moving just as the five dragons landed.

The ashbreaths were at least eight times my size and were careful to land at the edge of the water, but not so much that they touched the liquid.

Water was their one weakness, which was why I was puzzled that they wanted me so desperately.

The black dragon stepped forward, its body shrinking right in front of my eyes. My jaw dropped. I'd never seen a dragon shift into human form. Its legs grew shorter and thinner, and its wings disappeared into its middle, which then elongated into a human form. The black scales faded, and long dark hair sprouted from its head. The body slowly transitioned into a breathtaking woman whose skin reminded me of the night sky and whose eyes were the color of stars. Thankfully, she wasn't naked when she took nonbeast form.

Finnian inhaled sharply as the woman scanned us, pausing a little longer on Finnian, then Nightbane, and lastly, me before sliding over to Father. "King Erdan," she said, bowing her head slightly. The four dragons behind her remained in beast form as they watched us.

"I'd greet you, but I'm not sure of your name and rank." Father puffed out his chest despite being two inches shorter than the woman.

"Zyndara." She straightened, oozing confidence in her flowy golden dress.

Mother clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Lovely name. Sorry for not already being here to greet you, but we weren't notified you intended to visit."

"Just as we weren't aware that the Unseelie were being allowed to return to their homeland when our peoples made the decision to banish them together."

I already hated the bitch. "This is a fae matter, so I'm sure your royals will understand." I placed a hand on my hip, refusing to play with words. I wanted to get to the heart of the matter. "And I doubt they're the reason you're here."

She smirked. "You're right. They're not. We came to inform the king and queen that you were in the former Tìr na Dràgon, but clearly, they already knew and decided to bring back not just you but the Unseelie as well."

"Their food source was ruined. Had we not brought them here, the Unseelie would face extinction, which would hinder our magic." Father spread out his wings. "We didn't have time to travel to Tìr na Dràgon and have a discussion."

"Always an excuse, which my king and queen grow tired of."

Tavish arched a brow. "Your prince came to my kingdom and tried to kidnap Lira. I doubt he informed King Ignathor and Queen Sintara of that information."

"The Seelie princess is betrothed to Pyralis. It's his right to spend time with her before they marry. He was merely exercising that right after he learned of a fated-mate connection formed between her and another. The vow bound by the realm takes precedence over everything, including fated-mate connections, as we're all aware. But I didn't come here to have this discussion. I came for another reason altogether."

Mom and Dad tensed, and Nightbane stepped closer to my legs. The Seelie guards remained around us, each one alert.

"Well, forgive us if we aren't available right now." Mother smiled, putting on her Seelie charm. "We've had a long journey, and we would like to rest before discussing anything."

"Don't fret. It's not a conversation. It's a simple request." Zyndara looked right at me. "I came here to retrieve the princess and bring her back home with me."

"Not even if my existence ends," Tavish snarled, retrieving his sword from the sheath. "Lira isn't going anywhere with you or near Pyralis."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Don't be foolish enough to believe that you are part of this." She turned back to my parents. "There's no decision for any of you to make. You excluded the dragon royals from all your recent decisions about Pyralis's betrothed. They aren't requesting anything unreasonable. She's old enough to wed, but they're still willing to wait until she's twenty-five, provided she leaves with me."

"We do not agree." Father lifted both hands, his fingertips brown with his own magic. "So you should leave."

"That won't be happening," Zyndara scoffed. "Don't make us use force."

Smoke trickled from the four dragons' noses as they prepared to drench us in flames.

Oh, hell no. I wouldn't stand for that.

I yanked on my water magic, ready to unleash it.