Paul's Pursuit: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 6 by S. E. Smith
Morian looked at Abby’s pale complexion and knew she had been right to inform the women of what was going on. Despite the obvious fear, there was a look of determination that nothing would harm her child. Morian sipped her tea and contemplated what could be done.
“What if we give him what he wants?” Trisha suggested, discreetly shifting Bálint to her other breast.
“Are you crazy?” Cara asked grabbing Amber up as she tried to crawl up Abby’s leg to get to Zohar who was grinning down at her. “Jade, don’t eat Tigger, sweetheart,” she admonished as Jade laid on her back with her gold symbiot in her mouth.
Morian looked at Trisha for several moments before she slowly nodded. “Why don’t we?” She murmured. “Trisha, you and Carmen have the most experience with situations like this. Tell us what you are thinking.”
Trisha grinned. “Probably the same thing as my dad. Raffvin is insane but that doesn’t mean he isn’t smart. So, do the unexpected. Draw him out away from here and take him exactly where he wants to go. Only when he gets there, we capture him,” she explains.
Carmen nodded in agreement. “That would work. It would also draw him away from any larger population that he might use against us like he did yesterday to steal Morian away,” she said looking at Morian. “Is it possible to do it?”
Morian looked at her symbiot who was curled up near the windows. It rose and came to her. She gently laid her hand along its head, closed her eyes and opened her mind. The answer she sought was quick. She opened her eyes in surprise as the Hive Queen gave her one last instruction.
“The answer is yes,” Morian replied looking at all the women who were waiting for her to respond. “But, it must be only Paul and myself that lead him. I will not risk any of you or the children.”
Carmen shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I guess that leaves the rest of his miserable followers for us to beat the crap out of,” she said with a devilish grin. “I was needing to work some of this baby fat off.”
Ariel looked at the body of her slender sister and rolled her eyes. “Whatever!” She grumbled.
*.*.*
Morian ignored the glaring looks and deep snarls later that night. Trisha was right about her idea, Paul had already presented one almost identical to the men. They were not happy about using their Dola as bait but they conceded that it was better than using one of the babies.
Morian would sneak out of the palace and pretend that she wanted to make a deal with Raffvin. She would take him to the location of the Hive if he promised to let her family live. Paul would be by her side the entire time in the shape of his dragon. Her symbiot would be waiting for them at the entrance to the Hive. None of the men liked the idea of allowing Morian to be in danger but Paul was confident she could handle herself after he spent the rest of the afternoon showing her defensive moves. The exercises she did when she was younger, and still practiced when she was alone, took him by surprise. She admitted to having studied the younger warriors as they trained when she was a child and often watched Zoran and her other sons, even now.
“I liked being able to do the same moves that they did,” she admitted as they moved to sit down at the long table. “I wanted to be a warrior, remember?”
“You are a warrior, darling,” Paul said as he rubbed the bruise on his forearm. “You knocked the crap out of me more than once today.”
Morian giggled and blushed at the compliment. Paul had not been easy on her. He had pushed her beyond anything she had ever expected. He told her it didn’t matter if she was a woman or a man, if her life was in danger she was the one who needed to know how to not only defend herself but defeat her opponent.
“Always study his weakness,” Paul had told her as he knocked her off her feet for the tenth time. “You always lead in with your right foot. Change it up. Don’t let your opponent know which side is your weakest one. Make both of them just as strong,” he growled out over and over.
Morian climbed to her feet and moved swiftly at him, striking with one arm then switching to the other. Rotating on her heel and approaching from a different side over and over again until she was finally able to knock Paul on his ass. He had jumped up and attacked her again and again. Each time he would give her instructions on how to improve a blow or to escape one. Her muscles had been sore and she had been bruised but her symbiot quickly healed her so she could continue.
Paul looked along the table. He had to admit he had come to feel at home among the large warriors. Next to most of them were the smaller forms of their mates. He took his time observing each of the human women who had been brought back to Valdier. He had a feeling that his “they must say yes first” rule had been stretched more than a few times looking at some of the defiant faces that were scowling back at the huge males who were doing everything they could to make the women happy. There were three women in particular that he was concerned about. One was a small, dark haired girl sitting between the twin brothers he had met earlier. What concerned him was the wrist cuffs and gold chains attached to each of her wrists. Identical chains were attached to each brothers’ wrist. The only thing holding him back was the fact that the woman seemed to be holding her own. Every time one of the brothers went to take a drink or eat with the hand chained to her, she would jerk it making them drop or spill what they had in their hand, then shrug as if she didn’t realize she was doing it.
His gaze moved to the other two women. They sat side by side. One of the women had long blond hair that reached almost to her waist while the other had shorter blonde hair that reached past her shoulder blades. The one sitting next to the warrior called Jaguin was looking down at her plate with a tense expression on her face. She shook her head when he tried to place food on it. The other one sat with a blank expression on her face. Her complexion was pale, almost translucent. He could tell she had beautiful blue eyes but there was nothing in them to show she was aware of her location. She ignored everything going on around her.
“What is wrong with those two women?” Paul asked Morian in a low, husky voice.
Morian glanced down the table where the two women were sitting. Her eyes softened with concern as she observed them. Both women had been rescued from the man responsible for killing Carmen’s husband and unborn child. The man had been taking his revenge out on them since he could not find Carmen. Each had sustained serious physical and mental torture before they were rescued. Morian knew the one sitting next to Jaguin was his true mate. He refused to leave her for long. Her heart broke for the young warrior because she knew he would do whatever it took to help the young woman if she would let him.
Morian explained this to Paul knowing he was deeply upset about what happened. “No one knows much about the other female. She has not spoken to anyone since she woke up. She eats, she sleeps, and except for Sara, she won’t let anyone else near her. Even Abby hasn’t been able to break through her silence,” Morian said looking back at the small female. “Oh my,” she whispered.
Paul looked back down the table and noticed that Ha’ven had taken a seat next to the woman. His jaw was tense as he placed food on her plate for her before filling his own. He held up a piece of meat to her lips but the woman turned her head away in rejection of it. Paul watched as Ha’ven tried several different items to entice the female to eat before he picked up a piece of fruit and held it in front of her lips. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear. For the first time, Paul saw a glimpse of fire in her eyes before it disappeared. She pushed back her chair and rose. The female sitting next to her started to rise as well but the smaller one laid her hand on her shoulder and shook her head before walking out of the room. A moment later, Ha’ven excused himself and left the room.
Paul could tell the female identified as Jaguin’s mate had been surprised at the response. She watched the other girl leave before turning to look back at her plate, a small smile forming on her lips. Jaguin’s hand disappeared under the table and he saw the blond start in surprise before she relaxed and used her free hand to pi
Chapter 18
“You will protect her with your life,” Trelon bit out harshly to Paul. “Do not let her out of your sight.”
“Do you have the knives I gave you?” Kelan asked anxiously to his mother. “Abby sewed special sleeves for them so they should be easy to access but impossible to see.”
“Do you remember the moves that Paul showed you in case you get in trouble?” Mandra asked biting his lower lip like he did when he was a boy and worried about something.
“Just get the hell out of there as soon as you can if there is trouble,” Zoran stated bluntly looking with worried eyes at both Paul and his mother. “Are you sure you can do this?” He asked Paul under his breath.
Paul gave Zoran a grin that made him swallow back a muttered oath. Yes, Paul could handle it, Zoran thought as he saw the man who had ‘tagged’ him and his brothers on more than one occasion during their trainings. Zoran didn’t insult the man who was as deadly an opponent as he had ever encountered by asking again. Instead, he turned to look at Vox who was leaning against the wall near the door.
“Your man is sure that Raffvin will be coming?” Zoran asked the Sarafin leader and one of Creon’s closest friends.
“He says he’ll be there, then he’ll be there,” Vox said confidently. “I know the man personally. He is trustworthy.”
“How can you be sure?” Zoran asked skeptically. “Raffvin has bought a lot of loyalty.”
“He can’t buy Blaze,” Creon said as he watched his mother check the weapons she had hidden on her one last time.
“How do you know?” Zoran insisted. “I don’t like trusting Dola’s safety to an unknown warrior that has been in the service of Raffvin for the last ten years.”
Creon looked at his older brother before he looked at Vox who gave a brief nod. “Blaze is Vox’s brother. He has been working on finding the traitors involved on the Sarafin side. He and Vox decided he needed to join with Raffvin to locate who tried to kill his adoptive parents,” Creon said reluctantly.
“Won’t he be recognized?” Mandra asked looking at Vox who had moved to stand next to Creon.
“No,” Vox said bluntly.
“Why?” Kelan and Trelon asked at the same time.
Vox turned to look at the men in the room with a dark look. “Because everyone believes he died when he was a youngling. Including my parents,” Vox replied. “I can tell you no more than that and the information should not leave this room.”
Zoran stared at the Sarafin King before he bowed his head in acknowledgement. “Very well,” he responded quietly. “I will trust your judgement.”
Vox grinned. “Hell, I wish I could get Riley to trust me as easily. She is still cursing my ass for getting her pregnant. She swears she is having a litter of wild cats. I keep telling her there is just the one in her belly,” he said.
“You will have to bring her to visit after the babe is born,” Morian said with a smile. “He might enjoy playing with the others and I would love to meet your mate.”
Vox sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “She wanted to come but I feared placing her in danger with her being so far along. Her sister and Grandma Pearl….” Vox shuddered as he said the last name. “That female can be scary….. anyway both are with her as well.”
“It’s time to go,” Paul said sliding his hand along Morian’s back. “Are you ready?”
Morian turned and looked at her mate. “Let’s go kick some ass,” she responded with a determined grin.
“Aw shit,” Kelan muttered with a groan. “She’s been hanging around the girls way too much.”
All the men chuckled knowing they were just trying to cover up their own reservations about letting Morian participate in a fight that could end tragically for any one of them. The men had to threaten to tie up all the other women and place them in the dungeon if they so much as left the hidden cavern under the palace. They were to stay there with the children until the men returned.
“Let’s go,” Zoran said with a nod to Vox. “Your ships are ready for those in orbit?”
“Of course,” Vox responded as he turned to Kelan. “The V’ager is ready?”
“As is the D’stroyer,” Mandra said moving to stand next to his brother. “We will give you the coverage you need to destroy the Marastin Dow ships that the radars picked up entering our Star System. They will think we are just completing maintenance at the Space docks and an easy target.”
“Viper has the Shifter in position with several other of our warships,” Vox assured him. “Creon, where is Ha’ven?”
“I’m here,” Ha’ven scowled coming in. “I have the shields in place. Nothing can get into the palace without us knowing. I designed the damn thing myself. Just do me a favor?” He asked looking specifically at Trelon.
“What’s that?” Trelon asked even as his lips twitched as he knew the answer.
“Keep your damn mate away from it!” Ha’ven said with a sigh. “She has already been driving me nuts trying to get to it.”
Trelon grinned as he thought of Cara’s endless questions. “I’ll do the best I can but you know what she is like,” he replied as he imagined coming back to see the shield turned into a big disco ball or some other such device.
“Zoran, we’ll meet you inside the Hive,” Paul said quietly. “Good luck, men.”
Each man bowed their head and placed their fist over their heart. “Fight well, live for another day,” Ha’ven said quietly.
“Live for our mates,” Kelan added.
*.*.*
Paul watched as Morian moved with her elegant grace toward the edge of the terrace where a small wall separated it from the cliff. Vox’s brother, Blaze, had contacted Vox to let him know that Raffvin was about to make his move. It was a bold and daring one.
Raffvin was going to use his knowledge of the palace to use seldom used passages to sneak in and take Zohar. He knew the areas of weakness of the palace. What he would not expect was that Paul had also reviewed the layout and marked them.
Paul was able to view the palace from a fresh viewpoint. There were thick woods along one edge of the huge terrace area with plants providing coverage along the other side. The original blueprint of the palace showed there was a hidden door along the wall leading down to the ocean far below. A narrow path on the other side of the door led down to a cave entrance just above the breaking waves of the ocean far below.
It was too narrow for a skimmer or other spacecraft to land but it was large enough for a dragon to get close to and a man in his two-legged form to jump to, much like he did on the boulders on the river. It would be tricky and far more dangerous but it was possible. Paul had practiced it several times to see if it could be done.
It was decided that Morian would be in his way, presenting him with the perfect opportunity to take her instead. She would offer a small resistance before offering him a plea deal. To make her appear less threatening, she had insisted on wearing one of the gowns she normally reserved for her Prietess ceremonies. She not only looked beautiful, but fragile and ethereal. It would be hard for Raffvin to see her as a threat, at least that was what Paul was hoping as he felt his stomach tighten at the thought of all that could go wrong.
Be safe, my love, Paul thought silently as he shifted into his dragon and flew to the top of one of the trees overlooking the terrace.
Morian stopped at the small wall and stared out at the brilliant ocean laid out before her. Her thoughts turning to everything that had happened since Paul came into her life. He had given her the strength to believe in herself as an individual again. She felt young, strong, and brave. She smiled as she thought of how she felt when she was a young girl. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the waning sun as it started to settle on the horizon. She felt like she could fly up and touch the stars. Maybe she would ask Kelan to take her to them. She had never left Valdier before. She would like to see what the other worlds were like.
I will ta
Morian had to force herself to remain still as she felt Paul’s voice in her mind. She was wearing teardrop earrings of gold and the traditional gold necklace and headband. While he was in his dragon form, her symbiot had refused to leave him defenseless. It had created the normal body armor around his head, chest, and legs. The brilliant ruby necklace was blended into the chest plate. A shiver went through her as she remembered seeing what he looked like earlier.
“So beautiful,” a harsh voice rasped out from behind her drawing a startled gasp from her.
Morian turned so quickly that she lost her balance and fell against the wall. Raffvin reached out and snared her arm in a hard grasp. He shook his head. His lank, dirty hair swinging back and forth.
“I would hate to see such beauty wasted on the rocks below,” he murmured letting his hand move up her arm to her throat. “But then, you could always shift into your dragon,” he muttered.
“I haven’t shifted in so long I can no longer feel my dragon,” Morian lied in a trembling voice as his fingers tightened around her throat. “I sometimes believe I dreamed I could shift.”
“But you have a true mate,” Raffvin spit out. “You have felt the Dragon’s Fire. You have been given the power to transform.”
“No…. o, I told you, I cannot shift,” she whispered as his fingers began to squeeze. “My mate is human. He does not have the Dragon’s Fire to give me.”
“But he lives,” Raffvin said more than asked. “He should have died. How did he live?”
“Ple…ple…please,” she whispered as her vision began to grow dark as he began to cut off her oxygen. “I can’t breathe,” she stuttered as she swayed.
Raffvin loosened his hold enough for her to draw in a swift breath. “Don’t try to scream. I’ll slice your throat before you get a sound out,” he said letting one of his fingers shift until a sharp, dark claw pressed against her skin. “Your mate lives?”