Chapter 8
T anis froze as she saw the amount being offered for Dash’s life. One million gold sovereigns. It hung there like a tangible, taunting beast.
Never had she seen a bounty so high. Not for even the worst criminals.
“Who’s offering that ?” she whispered
Dash handed her the poster. “Seven kingdoms are providing a portion of it. Doesn’t name which seven. But it’s to be paid to whomever delivers my head to my palace... so I would assume the ringleader is already sitting on my throne.”
Her jaw went slack.
Until she saw the drawing, then she almost laughed. Luckily, she caught herself before she did so. “Well... good news. It’s not an exact likeness.” She turned the picture toward him. “Your cheeks aren’t quite that sharp. Nor is the cleft in your chin so pronounced. You do have whiskers, but not that thick, and your ears aren’t freakishly small. You only have a slight widow’s peak, not that deep V thing they drew that makes you look like a vampire caricature. And while they did do a good job on your lips, they totally messed up your eyes. Thank the gods they didn’t get a better artist.”
He didn’t appear the least bit amused or flattered by her attempt to make him feel better.
Folding it up, she held it out toward him. “Look on the bright side, it’s not enchanted. Imagine if they’d hired an elf or wizard to draw it. Those are terrifyingly accurate and animated, to boot.”
He gave her droll stare.
“Well, they are. Besides, all you have to do is change back into a unicorn and who’ll be able to identify you, then? I mean, really. A solid black unicorn? No one would ever know it’s you.”
He smacked his lips at her and the black unicorn on the poster. “We don’t all look alike.”
“Don’t you?”
He glared at her as he snatched the poster from her hand. “No.”
She gestured at the horses around her to prove her point. “Really? You can tell them apart?”
“I promise you, another unicorn or centaur would know the difference immediately. Just as a dragon would know you in your dragon body.”
“Fair point.” Biting her lip, she glanced at the crowd that had yet to recognize him. “So, what do we do?”
“Get out of here as quickly as possible.”
That was a sound idea. Survival was normally a good thing. “You lead. I follow.”
Taking her arm, he gently pulled her through the crowd that thankfully wasn’t paying any attention to them. Yet. Even so, she kept waiting for them to realize who they were and pounce.
Then again, they were looking for a lone black unicorn. Or a handsome king. Not an inconspicuous traveler with a woman by his side.
Well, he wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.
Okay, he wasn’t inconspicuous at all. He was an ominously handsome traveler.
However, they were a couple. No one expected the hated High King of the Thirteen Kingdoms to be dragging a bumpkin like her around with him. And why would he, given his lethal reputation? He should have been traveling with an armed escort or a noble snobby lady.
“Should we ride out of town?” she asked.
“No. That could draw too much attention.” Dash said those words to her, but he really wanted a horse, or to use his magick to get them out of here as quickly as possible. He just couldn’t risk it.
Changing into a unicorn would definitely draw unwanted attention. Sadly, there was only one unicorn with a black horn in existence.
And he was it. They were already lucky no one had remembered seeing him come into town as a unicorn with Halla. That had been an act of utter stupidity, and he wouldn’t make it again.
Although... he could use his powers to disguise the horn or remove it while he was in equine form, but that would cost him in terms of his powers and physical strength, and if he had to fight his way out of here, he couldn’t afford to be weakened. If he bought two horses, that could raise questions from a nosy stable attendant who could become a witness later for someone to question.
Or a body they’d have to hide.
No, best to walk out of town nonchalantly with the crowd and pray no one noticed them.
But the real question was who had placed that bounty on his head? Only Ryper and two unicorns, Kronnel and Keryna, knew he’d left his palace to go after Renata. He hadn’t mentioned it to anyone else.
Which meant one of them must have betrayed him with that poster.
He knew for a fact it wasn’t Ryper. If Ryper had wanted the throne, he would have cut his throat long ago and taken it. For that matter, Ryper had his own throne he was entitled to that he could take.
But the man held no interest in power.
Not to mention, Ryper didn’t play games, and he had no ambition to rule anyone other than himself. In truth, he didn’t know what Ryper valued. It wasn’t money. Wasn’t power.
Ryper was a mystery to everyone.
Which left only two others. His second-in-command or Renata’s best friend. Or the two of them working together.
Why was he even surprised that they’d done this? Betrayal always came from within, otherwise it wouldn’t be betrayal.
Fucking, power hungry roaches, making a play for his throne the minute his back was turned. As if they could keep the peace he’d maintained this last decade. The only reason he could sustain it was because he was immortal and powerful.
Even so...
Look what happened the first time he left his throne room. One of his advisors or Renata’s had called out the dogs on him, thinking they could bring him down and take his place.
They might. If he didn’t get back to his army and quell this uprising, they could succeed.
But it wouldn’t last. The other kingdoms would go back to warring, and everything he’d accomplished could end.
Damn it all.
And where was Ryper in all this? He knew to stay behind and keep Dash’s absence from the others. Obviously, he was as reliable as Halla.
Never trust an assassin.
They had a nasty tendency to vanish when they were needed.
Dash sighed as he tried to figure all this out, and a bad feeling went through him.
The dragon patted him on his back.
Dash scowled at her. What was she doing?
“You look like you could use a hug. But since I’m not sure you’d appreciate a hug, I thought a friendly pat might be welcomed.”
She was such an odd creature. “You’re trying to comfort me?”
“Of course. It’s what you do when someone’s upset. And you definitely look upset.”
Not in his experience. If he’d ever cried over anything, he’d been beaten until he stopped. You want to cry? I’ll give you something to cry over.
She duplicated his scowl. “You know, Dash. The old there, there .”
He bit back a smile at her conciliatory words. “I’m fine, Dragon.”
“If you say so. But really, you need to tell that to your face, because your expression says that you’re about to gut whatever or whoever comes into your path... or you ate something that didn’t agree with you. Either way, you’re starting to scare small children and one dragon in human form.”
He snorted at her peculiar humor that somehow made him feel better. It didn’t make sense. And he had no idea how it worked, but she had cheered him. “Really, I’m fine.”
He offered her a smile.
“That is even more terrifying, beast. You should go back to brooding.” She held her hands up like claws to her chest and screwed her face up. “You know, errr! Errr!”
Shaking his head, he laughed. She was... he had no words. He’d never met anyone else like her.
Without thinking, he pulled her close and gave her a light squeeze. “Thank you, Dragon.”
Tanis couldn’t breathe as she felt his arms around her. No one had given her a hug like this. It was sweet and heartfelt.
Most of all, it was warm. And it pulled her against a body that was rock hard and incredible. One that sent an unexpected wave of desire through her that was so strong, it left her breathless. Shaking.
The scent of leather and unicorn was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. Worse? She wanted to bury her nose against him and just inhale it until she was drunk from it.
Oh my God...
What was wrong with her? He’d be horrified if he had any idea what she was thinking.
She was horrified by what she was thinking. Swallowing hard, she put a little more distance between them. Because right then, the thoughts in her mind brought a heated blush to her cheeks. And this wasn’t like her. She never had these thoughts.
He’s a unicorn, Tanis!
More than that, he was the unicorn High King. But her body didn’t care. It suddenly had a mind of its own. And a hunger unlike anything she’d ever known.
One that was getting worse and not better.
What am I going to do?
She knew what she wanted to do. But that was even worse. He was being hunted and they didn’t have time to even think about that .
Why did he have to look so damn masculine and handsome in those clothes?
Which made her wonder how much more masculine and handsome he’d be without them.
Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!
He’s a unicorn!
Tanis wanted to plug her ears. But it was the images in her mind that were betraying her. Over and over, she saw herself peeling that armor off him, piece by piece like a present she savored unwrapping.
Look to your right, Tanis! To the right!
There was an older man over there, riding a white horse. Average looking. Yes. That was what she needed. Normal.
Average.
But her gaze really wanted to travel to the mountainous beast on her left who was all masculine grace and beauty. She could feel his presence there even though she wasn’t looking at him. He was feral and unpredictable.
“Are you all right, Dragon?”
Don’t look at him.
“Fine.”
He scoffed. “That’s never true.”
“What?”
“Whenever a woman says she’s fine in that tone of voice... it’s never true and it never bodes well.”
She scowled at him. “Excuse me?”
“And there it is. That underlying anger that says I’m right and you’re not fine.”
He wasn’t right. “I wasn’t angry until you said that. It’s the same thing as when you ask a man what he’s thinking about, and he says nothing . It’s never nothing.”
“Exactly.”
She stopped walking at his unexpected honesty. “What?”
“I’m admitting you’re right. Men say nothing to avoid a fight the same way a woman says fine to avoid fighting. So, why are you so flushed?”
She’d walked right into that one. “Let’s stay with this current discussion.”
That caused one of his eyebrows to lift. “What? Why? Were you thinking of me naked?”
Aside from the fact it was true, it irritated her that he was able to guess what had caused her discomfort. “Excuse me?”
The grin he gave her only increased her heart rate. “You were, weren’t you? I know that look. Those dilated pupils. Those flushed cheeks.”
Now her face was flushing for a whole new reason. “Ugh. You are so arrogant! Why would I ever think of you naked, beast?”
“Am I wrong?” He let out a deep, rumbling laugh. Why did he have to be so adorable?
Dash leaned down toward her, causing her breath to catch. His green eyes glowed with mischief and gave him a boyish appearance. “You still haven’t answered my question, Lady Dragon. Was it my arrogance or were you picturing me naked?”
Folding her arms over her chest, she continued forward. “I will not feed your gargantuan ego, beast. I’m sure you have courtiers enough for that.”
Dash grinned as he watched her head through the town’s gate. He had no idea why he was teasing her so. Never in his life had he acted like this or teased about this particular topic. Ryper and Halla would have died of shock if they’d witnessed it.
He was always a surly, brooding asshole who thought of teasing playfulness as something to be left to children and drunken fools. Something he hadn’t done even as a child. His life had been too brutal for such.
But he loved to watch the way her cheeks darkened from embarrassment. To match wits with her.
She was funny and quick.
Delightful.
What the hell was wrong with him? His entire world was on fire, and he was teasing a dragon about sex. It made no sense.
Coeur de Noir was an epitaph given to him because he was morose personified. Humorless.
Brutal.
Single minded about war and determined to keep order.
You should learn to smile, big brother. It won’t break your face, and who knows? It might even let others see the wonderful unicorn I know you to be. I promise it won’t hurt you. You might even find that you like it.
How many times had Renata said those words to him?
God, how he missed her. Yes, she was aggravating as hell. Almost as challenging as his dragon.
But she’d been his little sister. Pissing him off was just part of her role. At times, he’d been convinced it was her raison d'être.
They were supposed to clash from time to time. And they had, in that way that only siblings could.
Dash sighed as he remembered their last night together. The harsh words they’d exchanged.
Why did their last encounter have to be a fight? Until Keryna had come into Renata’s life, they’d seldom ever clashed over anything. And then, only over the fact that he’d been overprotective. Which he admitted freely. He was an overprotective asshole where his sister was concerned. He had stifled her. That was very much true.
Because he’d been so afraid of something happening to her. Of having to live out the rest of his life knowing that he’d failed to keep her safe.
And as they walked, Dash kept seeing his sister’s body in his mind. The way Renata had been left by the old ruins from the Unicorn-Dragon Wars as if she was nothing when she’d been everything to him.
How could anyone destroy such a beautiful soul?
“Was this why she died?”
“What?”
He hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud. He started to ignore the dragon, but he was too upset. “The wand I’m after belonged to my sister. She ran away to join Lorencian rebels against Queen Meara after I refused to allow her any troops to donate to their cause. She wanted to be a commander and I didn’t want her to see the ugliness of battle. I just wanted to protect her.”
Tanis sucked her breath in sharply as she realized who he was talking about. “Princess Renata.”
He inclined his head to her.
“I’m so sorry.” While everyone called him a monster, Renata was said to be the noblest of creatures. Kind - hearted and generous, she was celebrated for her beauty and charity. “She was planning to fight with rebels?”
He let out a bitter laugh. “Exactly. It wasn’t like her. But she’d been talked into it by her puerile advisor who convinced her what a great idea suicide would be.” Then he screwed up his face as he mimicked Keryna’s words and voice. “ Your brother won’t let you have any fun... You’re grown... You can do what you want... I wouldn’t let him dictate my life. Fucking idiot bitch.”
His eyes flared. “Why couldn’t my sister see through her? I will never understand it. She was a jealous dart donkey, who wanted what Renata had. All she did was insult Renata and try to move in on her life. She was always wearing her dresses and jewelry. Trying to be Renata. It was nauseating.”
Tanis understood that a lot better than she wanted to. There were plenty of courtiers in her father’s court who’d done similar things. Or worse, if they couldn’t have what they wanted, then they sought to tear it all down.
Anything to destroy the life of the person they envied and wanted to be.
It was terrible, and it was why she’d happily withdrawn from court life.
But the one thing that didn’t make sense...“Why did either of them want you to fight with centaurian rebels?”
He shrugged. “No idea. I had no intention of getting involved in centaur politics. ”
She couldn’t blame him for that. The Thassalians and Licordians had been at war for even longer than her race and his. Had Dash not forged a treaty with Queen Meara when he took the throne, they’d probably still be fighting it.
The only other time in their history that she knew of a truce had been years ago, when Dash’s father had sent hostages to Meara as a guarantee his army would stop fighting hers.
Tanis had been a hatchling at the time. But she remembered the horror stories of the battles and wars. Several kingdoms, including her own, had sent noble hostages, mostly children to Meara as an assurance that there would be no more attacks on Thassalia. In turn, Meara had sent her own children and other hostages to them as a guarantee that she’d abide by the ceasefire.
What they hadn’t counted on was that Meara would use the hostages sent to her as a way to thin the heirs and nobles of her enemies. She hadn’t cared what they’d done to her own children or relatives. All that mattered was her ego and ambition.
Meara had abused, then slaughtered her hostages. And after she’d done her damage and lulled the kingdoms into a false sense of peace, she’d attacked, intending to destroy them and become High Queen.
Only a tiny handful of hostages had survived to make it home. No one knew how they’d done it, either.
Tanis didn’t even know who those hostages were or if any were still alive today.
Whatever had happened to them had been so brutal that no one spoke of it, except to remind each other never to trust the centaur queen.
To never trust another kingdom with what they loved. It was terrible.
And it made her think of Renata and Dash. “Do you know how your sister died?”
Profound grief darkened his green eyes. “They took her horn. After she ran away, I found her body in a meadow, with her horn missing. I was on my way to find her killer when a certain dragon slowed me down.”
She placed her hand over her face as guilt consumed her. “Again, I am so sorry, Dash. I had no idea you were after her killer when I captured you.”
“We’re all sorry for something, princess. I let my temper get the better of me, and now my sister’s dead because of it. Your brother’s dead for reasons unknown, and our kingdoms are on the verge of war again.”
Tanis walked by his side as they left the main road to head off into the forest. “So, what’s our strategy, then?”
“There’s no our , little dragon. You know where your brother’s skull is located. Go to the castle in Pagos and claim your vengeance. Then you can go home and live out your life with all the hatchlings you want. I wish I could return your dragon’s body to you sooner, but sadly we made terms, so I can’t. Maybe if they succeed in killing me, your body will revert before you kill your dragon slayer.”
That was it?
“Seriously?”
“Yes.” He placed a leather band on her wrist. Cupping his hands around it, he whispered something that caused it to glow. Then, he met her gaze. “I release you from my service. You will never be a servant to me, now or in the future. The band will help protect you in Pagos. Tell the king there that you’re a friend of mine, and he should help you regain your brother’s skull from the one who took it.”
Her heart fluttered at those words. She couldn’t believe he was releasing her. The kindness was as overwhelming as it was unexpected. Other than her brother, no one had ever shown her such.
And in that moment, she knew she couldn’t leave him. Not alone like this to face the nightmare that was coming.
“What about you?”
He shrugged. “I have an enemy to deal with. If I don’t stop this...” He didn’t finish that thought.
Tanis was still dumbfounded. “You’re really going to let me go?”
He stepped away from her. “Of course, I am. Besides, I have much larger problems at the moment.”
Yes, he did. And they were armed for unicorn and intent on mounting his head to their wall.
Worse? He had no one at his side or at his back. Not even Halla. While their people might be enemies, she couldn’t abandon him. “Then you know I can’t leave you.”
Dash wasn’t sure he heard those words correctly. “What?”
“You are out here alone, Dash. I don’t know where you sent Halla or when she’ll be back. We both know you’re not the most well liked monarch. I mean, face it, no one is going to nominate you for a popularity contest... If you get to your army, they may or may not follow you right now. I don’t know how many enemies you have, but I know it’s enough that you can’t fight them all by yourself. They will slaughter you if they find you. For a million gold sovereigns, you’re lucky I’m not taking aim at you, beast.”
All of that was true. But it didn’t explain one basic thing. “Why do you care?”
She smiled at him. “Because I was once left alone with my enemies to fight by myself. And I won’t do that to someone who was willing to help me save my brother’s memory. I know how awful it feels to fight alone, and no one should ever feel that way. Besides, I am one of your sovereign subjects. Consider me loyal to the bitter end.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and that sight touched a part of his soul that he’d closed off from everyone except his sister.
A place so vulnerable that he didn’t want it exposed.
Yet it was undeniably there, and it suddenly softened even more where she was concerned.
And he hated that she’d ever experienced such pain in her past. She was right. No one should feel like this. No one should be betrayed and left alone.
Before he could stop himself, he pulled her close and held her. She was so small against him. So frail.
He could crush her, and yet he was the one who trembled. The one who felt weak in this moment. She had a power over him that he hated.
But in this moment, he needed to feel her against him. As she said, to know that he wasn’t alone.
Because she was right. He didn’t want to be by himself through this. He was so fucking tired of fighting by himself. Of looking around and seeing nothing more than his shadow. In the past, the only thing that had kept him going was the knowledge that Renata had needed him. That if he failed, she’d have no one to protect her. He was her strength and her guardian.
With her gone...
He had absolutely no reason to keep fighting.
Let the world burn. It wasn’t as if it had ever done him any favors. Hell, most of the time he didn’t even want to be here. Didn’t want another day of drudgery.
No one cared if he lived or died, and most wanted him dead. No one mattered.
Except one little dragon who made him crazy.
Closing his eyes, he felt her hand in his hair as she held him and comforted him. No one had ever held him like this. Like he mattered. And definitely not when he felt so vulnerable. Not when he needed strength.
She had no idea how much he needed this, and he could never let her know that, either. His world was brutal. It devoured creatures like her. It had shattered him and forged a monster so feral that even he was scared of the demon inside him.
Because even he wasn’t sure what he was capable of. All he knew was how much horror he’d done in his past.
Why his horn had turned as black as his soul. Renata hadn’t been wrong in her accusation that last night when they’d fought.
He was the very thing that made the darkness weep. His mistress had been brutality, and he’d claimed her fully, without regret. And he would do it all again to get here.
His enemies had no idea what they were facing.
But they would learn why he was called Coeur de Noir. Why Meara had signed an ataswere truce with him and abided by it when no one else had ever been able to cow that bitch.
Suddenly, a bright flash went off several feet away from them.
Dash stepped around to protect her.
Tanis wasn’t sure what to expect as a herd of unicorns appeared in front of them.
Well, maybe herd was ambitious. It was seven total. A brown unicorn, two grays, two white, and two that were a bluish sort of color. All of them had red horns that were covered by silver armored face plates. Which made her wonder if the color of the horns was some kind of uniform or family designation.
Were they? It would explain why they were all one color.
Again, she wished she’d bothered to learn something about unicorns.
Dash immediately shifted into his unicorn form that was larger and more muscled than theirs. He was at least two hands taller.
“Who’s the human?” the brown unicorn asked. He was slightly larger than the others with him.
Dash didn’t hesitate with his answer. “A girl I was asking for directions.”
“Town’s that way,” Tanis said, pointing toward Auderley with both her hands. “Thinking I should be heading back to it before anyone misses me.”
“Yes, you should.” One of the grays moved aside for her to pass.
Holding her hands up over her head as if she were surrendering, she moved slowly through the group of unicorns. The tension in the air was so thick she felt as if she were moving through a sea of heavy foam.
No one else moved. It was very creepy and unnerving. Not even a tail swished or jerked.
She was about halfway through the herd when Dash finally spoke. “You’re the Unicorn Head Guild I signed an order for.”
The brown one nodded. “We are.”
Dash seemed pleased by that. “Veterans of my army. You fought by my side.”
“We did,” a blue one said.
She paused at that as relief swept through her. They weren’t enemies. They were his soldiers who’d come to help him.
Thank the gods.
Smiling, she turned toward him.
Until the brown leader spoke again. “And we hate you, you worthless fuck. Kill him!”
Tanis gasped as they rushed in unison toward Dash. Wait. What? Why? What was wrong with them?
Fury consumed her as she did the only thing she could think of, she unsheathed her sword and ran back to join the fray.
“Here, horsey, horsey.” She used the sword to spank the flanks of the first one she reached.
She probably should have stabbed him, she realized, as the smaller blue unicorn turned on her with fury in his dark eyes. Growling, he tried to pierce her heart with his horn.
Tanis quickly parried the horn.
But what she didn’t expect was for him to turn human and swing a sword at her throat. She barely caught that stroke before it decapitated her.
Stunned, she realized that unicorns didn’t fight the way anyone else did.
Oh, I’m in serious trouble.
They had unique fighting skills. No wonder other species had fallen so easily to their ranks. They fought with magick fire and ice balls and shifted constantly between their unicorn and human bodies.
Whoa...
Impressive and terrifying. You never knew what was going to be thrown at you or which form you’d be engaging.
Cursing, she jumped at the gray’s back and would have landed on him had he not vanished and left her to sprawl on the ground. Very undignified.
Dash ran over to her side to give her cover. “I regret taking your powers right now.”
“Not as much as I do.” She pushed herself up and grabbed the sword. “Any advice?”
“Run.”
“Not happening. How do I kill them?”
“If they’re human, same as any man or woman. If they’re unicorns... best to wait until they’re human.”
Beautiful.
A shield appeared on her arm.
“That will keep their magick from harming you. It will also shield you from their magick weapons.”
Nice.
Dash grabbed her with his arms and threw her in the air as he turned into a unicorn. She landed in a saddle on his back. They ran at three of the unicorns. Thankfully, this time he’d given her a bridle to hold onto.
Tanis’s heart pounded in time to his hoof beats, especially when her sword changed to a lance and the tip began to glow.
“Aim for the horn. Slice it off and they’re dead.”
Good to know. And that explained why they wore the armored face plates as unicorns to guard them.
“If you can find their horn on them when they’re human and claim it, you have total power over them and can kill them or control them.”
Really good to know.
“Your shield will draw their magick attacks to it. You don’t have to catch the blasts.”
In that case... she threw the shield over her back. “I need you to return my sword to me.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. Elfin short sword. Extra sharp.”
The lance shrank down to her exact specification. Tanis drew her legs up until she was squatting on the saddle.
Dash wanted to ask her what she was doing, but he was too close to the others now. All he could do was grind his teeth against the bit and do the hardest thing he could in battle.
Trust her.
He rammed his shoulder against the bastard on his left and drove his horn into his rear flank. Tanis grabbed the mane of the horse on his right and rolled over his back, using her sword to slice at the horn before landing on her feet to meet Dash behind them while Dash flipped, turned human and stabbed the third unicorn with his sword, making a clean cut through his torso. He dropped the sword, sent three blasts at two more unicorns before he returned to his equine form.
The dragon gracefully swung herself into the saddle and laid low across his back. It was strange to him to have her there. While it wasn’t unheard of for unicorns to have riders in battle, he’d never had a partner before.
In his youth, they’d tried to break him for it... hence the first time Outlaw had been applied to him and his temperament. But he’d refused a bridle. As he’d told her when they met, he would not be controlled. Not by anyone. And especially not when his life depended on it.
But someone else had trained her for war. This wasn’t just a result of the powers he’d given her when he made her human. She knew how to fight in a human body as if she’d spent time doing so.
Aye, she had been trained in this form and had a lot of experience. She instinctively knew how to protect her battle partner.
He ran fast toward the last four who were rushing at them.
“Use my fire.”
Dash scowled at her words. “What?”
“My dragon fire. Unleash it on them.”
Surely, she wasn’t serious. “We’re in the middle of a forest.”
“I know. Scorch them.”
“It’ll scorch us, too.” And burn down the forest.
Tanis growled at him. “No. It won’t.”
“Yes. It will.”
“Trust me, beast. I know what I’m doing.”
Was she insane?
He literally had one split second to decide.
“I’m a dragon, Dash. Trust me.”
I’m going to regret this. In spite of his doubts, he opened his mouth and let fly the powers he’d taken from her.
One moment the unicorns were on top of them, and the next, they were screaming, then silent. He watched as her dragon fire instantly vaporized them into ash.
The fire also destroyed his bridle. Dash spat it out as his rig dissolved. Coming to a halt, he turned around to survey the landscape behind them. The only trace of the four remaining unicorns were tiny bits of smoldering ash that floated in the breeze.
The dragon sat up in the saddle, then slid to the ground. “Aren’t you glad you never fought in the Unicorn-Dragon Wars?”
Yes, he was.
“Did you?” he asked her.
“Nope. Wasn’t born. But I heard the stories of how awful it was.”
Now, he understood better why his father had been insistent on those treaties with her people. Why Cratus had never wanted to go to war against the dragons.
Holy shit...
Because of the power of his black horn, he’d never known what dragon fire could do to the average red horn. He’d been extremely careless with the lives of his people.
No, he’d been as reckless as his sister. A lot more so than he’d ever known.
But then he’d come into his black horn young. Too young in retrospect. Not to mention the powers he’d inherited from his mother. Dragon fire would burn him, but not like this. He could withstand it. Granted it would leave him mangled and blistered. Still, he would survive. Just not happily.
His stomach tight, he headed back toward the first three they’d attacked.
While they weren’t barbecued into oblivion, they were just as dead.
Damn. He’d hoped they could interrogate one of them.
They?
Dash paused as he realized what he’d just thought. When had he started thinking of them as a team?
What was even more terrifying? The idea of being part of a team wasn’t as scary to him as it should be.
The dragon knelt beside their leader so she could examine him.
Sighing, Dash returned to his human form. He took a moment to his conceal his wand so that she wouldn’t see it before he searched the others for theirs.
Tanis watched as Dash cut the horns, that had since turned white, from the bodies of their attackers. Weird given how vibrant and red they’d been before. “Is there a significance to the color?”
“Yes. These are warriors.”
“Black for a king?”
“No.”
She waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, she cleared her throat to get his attention. “Then what is black?”
“The color of mine.”
“Wow...” She was astonished at his tone. “You’re really not going there?”
When he spoke, his voice was flat and crisp. “Really not going there.”
Now, she had to know what he was hiding. “Is it embarrassing?”
“No.”
“Then why not tell me?”
“It’s personal.”
What in the world could be personal about the color of their horns?
Oh...
Yeah, that made sense.
“So, what? Black horns are the unicorn equivalent of a small penis?”
His jaw went slack as he stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what she’d just said. “What?”
She snorted. “Well, why else wouldn’t you tell me?”
He was aghast. “What in the name of the Thirteen Kingdoms would make you think that?”
Did he really have to ask? “Why else won’t you tell me?” she repeated.
“Because it’s personal.”
“So you said. But what else could be more personal than that , that you wouldn’t tell me?”
Dash sputtered indignantly. They had dead bodies to contend with. Probably more bounty hunters coming for them. A death warrant and she wanted to distract him with this ?
Really?
Frustrated, he did what he rarely did... he explained himself. “It lets unicorns know how much power we hold.”
“Why not just say that, then?” She scowled at him. “What about that could possibly embarrass you? Unless... you have, what? Baby unicorn powers?”
“No! Wait. What? Have you not seen how much power I have, dragon?”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t know how much they,” she gestured at the bodies, “have in comparison. How would I know? I’m a dragon. So, on the grand unicorn power scale what does black mean?”
He glared at her. “I have no soul.”
Tanis froze at that unexpected, growled comment. “Huh?”
“You wanted an answer. There you go. A black horn means I have no soul.”
She scoffed at his words. “Well, that’s just ridiculous. Everyone has a soul. Who told you that?”
Shaking his head, he closed the distance between them so she could see the evil in his eyes. Evil she was sure that had quelled so many and made them flinch. Even well-seasoned warriors. “No, Lady Dragon. Truth. You want to know why everyone fears me. That’s why. When I was a youth, I killed my own father in a fit of rage. The moment I did, it turned my horn black to show the world that I have no soul or remorse. That my power is absolute, and that I am capable of anything. It is my mark of shame, and my greatest badge of honor.”
Tanis swallowed hard at his ominous tone. Well, that explained a lot. She should probably be terrified of him, too, and yet she wasn’t.
But she did have one burning question. “Why’d you kill him?”
A tic started in his jaw. “For talking too much and asking intrusive questions.”
She snorted at his sarcasm.
“Look, we need to get out of here. The tracking spell those unicorns used isn’t unique. If they found us, someone else can, too.”
He handed the bloody horns to her. “Put those in your bag.”
She looked at them in distaste. Did he really want her to touch them? They looked so disgusting. “Ew. This is so revolting. Unicorn cooties.”
He actually chuckled. “Why do I find that funny?”
“I’m adorable.”
“No,” he said, dryly, “you’re not.”
“Sure, I am. It’s what my brother always told me. Besides, I wouldn’t worry about the others. You have Tanis dragon fire.”
“What’s Tanis dragon fire?”
“I’m Tanis and you have my fire. Pretty powerful stuff as you saw. It stops evil unicorns dead in their tracks.”
Dash paused then cursed as he realized what was happening. She was becoming real to him. Worse, she was charming him in a dangerous way.
He was starting to care about her. The last thing he wanted to do.
Liabilities were a danger to him. Because when he put one life above others, he made mistakes.
Like with Renata.
But he owed this particular dragon his life. She’d stayed with him when she should have run.
No, she’d stayed with him when anyone else would have run.
“Thank you, Tanis.”
“For what?”
“Standing by me.”
“It’s all good, Dash.” She took the white horns gingerly and put them in the bag, trying her best not to get the blood or tissue on her hand. “Why are we keeping these, anyway?”
“So that trophy hunters can’t sell them, or a sorcerer use them for nefarious purposes.”
That made sense, until she thought of something. “You know, you can use my flames to completely incinerate their bodies and the horns, right?”
Dash winced as she reminded him of something he should have thought of himself. Damn it. But then, those weren’t his powers, so he wasn’t used to thinking about them.
You just incinerated them. How could you forget?
’Cause his mind was on other things. Now, he looked like a complete, fucking idiot to her. So much for being the intelligent, suave leader of the Thirteen Kingdoms.
Smiling, Tanis leaned into him. “This is the part where you say, ‘Oh crap. I didn’t think of that.’ Then you apologize for making me handle unicorn cooties. Yeah?”
He didn’t want to laugh. He really didn’t want to and yet found himself bursting out into laughter at her playfulness. Thank God, Halla or Ryper wasn’t here. They’d never believe he could laugh like this.
“Sorry I made you handle unicorn cooties.”
The look on her face was so adorable that he snickered again.
What is wrong with me?
He never behaved like this. Not even when he’d been a colt.
She handed him the bag. “You can pull them out yourself. I’ve handled enough unicorn for one day, beast.” She shivered in an exaggerated manner.
Trying his best to not let her charm him anymore, he took the horns to the bodies and then incinerated them.
Then, he turned back to her. “We do need to get going.”
“Waiting on you, beast.” She pulled her sack over her shoulders. “And can I let you in on a secret?”
“Sure.”
“Get my brother’s skull back to my sister-in-law, and she’ll help solidify your kingdom.”
Now that was interesting. “How so?”
“Her father rules the Pyrigian Lands... our northern borders. My father may be king, but her father holds the most territory and commands the largest part of our army. He will do whatever Marla wants. As his youngest, she is his heart and soul. And while my father may not think much of me, Marla likes me, and she loved and adored my brother more than her life. Her gratitude at having her husband’s remains restored for proper burial cannot be understated.”
Her words impressed him. “You know politics?”
“I listen to things.”
Dash didn’t miss the note of sadness in her voice that reminded him of something else. “How did you learn to fight so well?”
Shame filled her eyes. “Which way is that castle, again? Don’t we need to get going?”
So, he wasn’t the only one who changed subjects when it struck a bitter memory. “Now you’re the one who’s avoiding a subject.”
She drew a ragged breath as she avoided his gaze. “Remember those kids playing in the street that you spoke of? I was one of them. Taken from home by a unicorn bastard and sold for bitter entertainment.” Her eyes held the shadows of her past horrors. “Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?”
Those unexpected words struck him like a fist to his gullet. It was a blow so staggering that Dash couldn’t catch his breath.
He knew her pain so much deeper than he wanted to, and it broke his heart that he hadn’t been able to spare her the past that haunted him.
“Tanis...”
“Don’t, Dash.” She held her hands up and moved away from him. “I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry or anything. You don’t get it. No one does. And I don’t want empty sympathy. The past is the past, and there’s nothing to be done about it.”
He caught her arm as she started away from him and pulled her to a stop. His anger, pain and grief churned inside him. When he spoke, his voice was a full octave deeper. “My father traded me for peace to the Thassalians when I was a colt and barely able to defend myself.”
Recognition hit her dark eyes as she understood instantly what he was saying. Centaurs and unicorns were natural enemies. Since the dawn of history, they’d fought for dominance. Because they were half-human, centaurs had always believed themselves to be the superior equine species.
And once unicorns developed the ability to shape shift, it’d only fueled their hatred of each other. Because the unicorns no longer tolerated centaur arrogance, they set out to destroy it and the entire centaur species. And because unicorns could turn fully human, the centaurs hated them all the more and became determined to wipe them out.
“I know your pain, Dragon. And I am sorry no one was there to protect you.”
Tanis’s heart pounded as she realized that he was one of the mysterious handful of survivors who’d returned home against all odds. Those who’d been given up for dead.
No, one of those who’d been turned over to his father’s enemies and left for dead.
“You were one of the hostages sent to Queen Meara’s court to maintain peace?”
His gaze hollow, he nodded.
She sucked her breath in sharply as she felt for him. “How old were you when you were sent?”
“Seven.”
Tanis couldn’t imagine the horror of her father sending her out to die. At least she’d been a teenager when she’d been captured. Mostly grown.
And she’d been the fool who’d refused to listen to her father and others who’d warned her about venturing off on her own. She’d always thought they were being stupid and paranoid. What did they know?
Back then, her father would have done anything to protect her.
She couldn’t imagine him offering her up to their enemies. “I’m?—”
He placed a finger over her lips. “No apologies. I do understand exactly how you feel.”
Yes, he did. For the first time in her life, she was standing in front of someone who knew her nightmare. Who’d walked through the same hell ... no, a worse hell ... and who bore scars she could relate to.
“Then you know why I can’t leave you, beast.”
“And you know how grateful I am.”
Yes, she did. Because nothing sucked more than being left alone to face a nightmare. To have no one to rely on.
Nodding, she held her arm out to him. “Friends?”
Dash hesitated. In all his life, he’d only had one friend he could truly rely on. And even that had been out of necessity. Mostly because he’d seen too many people betrayed by those they’d called friends and family.
Trust for creatures like them was very hard won.
Tanis smiled at him as she wiggled her fingers of her outstretched hand. “It won’t bite you, beast. My arm has no teeth.”
Laughing, he shook her arm. Then, he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head as he used to do his sister. “You are certainly a unique creature, Dragon.”
“It’s okay to call me a major burr in your arse. It’s what Davin always did.”
“More like a barnacle. You’re growing on me.” Dash returned to his unicorn body.
Tanis gasped as she saw that he had wings on his side. “You can fly?”
“When it suits me.”
She sputtered. “Why weren’t you flying when I captured you?”
“You didn’t capture me, and I was trying not to draw attention to myself. I didn’t want anyone in my kingdom to know I was leaving. Again, I’m the only unicorn with a black horn. I tend to stick out among my kind.”
Made sense.
She swung up into the saddle and saw that, once more, he wore a bridle for her. Without a word, she gently held it, taking care not to tighten it. Instead, she held mostly to the saddle horn so as not to trip on that scar. “Ready when you are, beast.”
He shot off at a gallop, then leapt into the air.
Tanis actually gasped as they left the ground. Until now, she hadn’t realized how scary it was to fly when she wasn’t the one in control of it. She clung to Dash’s back, terrified she was going to fall.
“Are you all right, Lady Dragon?”
“Not really. I think I might be afraid of heights.”
He laughed. “I’ll catch you if you fall.”
“Please do.” Because it was a long, long way down to the ground. Funny how it’d never seemed so when she was a dragon. Perhaps because she was so much larger?
She wasn’t sure. But this was absolutely terrifying. It required a level of trust she wasn’t comfortable with giving someone else. Not even her adorable beast.
Closing her eyes, she tried to think of other things.
Happy things. Like not falling to her death.
Normally, it would be images of her as a girl, learning to fly with her brother. For some reason that had always been her most comforting memory.
Today, it was an image of her unicorn laughing as she teased him. Of those bright green eyes shining with humor.
Weird. Even stranger? She wanted to lay herself over his back for comfort. And before she could think better of it, she did exactly that.
Instead of holding on to the saddle or reins, she held on to his mane and let the heat of his body soothe her fear.
This close to him, she could feel his calm heartbeat, and it quieted the frantic beating of hers. With every ripple of his muscles as he flapped his wings to keep them in the air, she felt calmer. It was just the two of them with the winds sweeping over their bodies.
And for the first time in a very long time, she felt peace. It made no sense at all. She didn’t really know him. They were being hunted, and she could fall to her death at any second.
Yet she was at peace here.
More than that, she felt secure.
I am not right.
But there was no denying this. If she could stay here with him forever, she would. She hadn’t felt like this since she was a little hatchling, tucked in her nest. That feeling that nothing could reach her. That all was right in the world.
Then the ugly had come and shown her the hidden, horrible side of things. She had seen the bitter truth of others who only sought to use and abuse those they had power over. Those who wanted to profit from the misery they caused others.
This moment wasn’t reality, and she hated the demons that gave her no peace. No calm.
And she wondered about the beast inside Dash that had caused his horn to turn black. She knew exactly how hungry it must be. She had her own to contend with. That frightful need to lash out whenever she felt threatened or cornered. Those who had never been abused didn’t understand.
They couldn’t.
It was a rage so fierce that words didn’t do it justice. If there was a way to calm it, she’d never found it. All she could do was avoid things that caused it to boil over. Certain places... words.
Sometimes it could be something as simple as a smell.
Then all those memories would come rushing back, and the rage would escape with a fury so raw that she’d want blood vengeance against those who’d harmed her.
That was when she’d retreat. When she’d find her comfort in solitude and scrolls. Anything to avoid thinking about the past or the pain. She’d become good at hiding.
Smiling and even jesting through the pain that was ever present or just lurking under her carefully crafted fa?ade.
Like Dash.
I should be scared.
Yet he comforted her. Because she understood him and knew his pain.
And right now, she needed him and his comfort more than she wanted to admit.
How odd that in the midst of her nightmare, she’d found him.
But how long could this last? He was being hunted and by now, her father would have discovered her absence. He would know that she’d defied him. While he might not have searched for her after she’d been kidnapped, he would send out trackers to hunt her for disregarding his orders.
One thing about her father, he never suffered insubordination. He would have her hauled back in chains for punishment.
Another reason why she’d wanted to be human to do this. It was the only way to complete her quest before her father’s spies or trackers found her.
What are you thinking, Tanis? Given everything that had happened over the last few days, there was no way this would end well.
You know better than to believe in happy endings.
Those were for fools and children. This was the real world and here everyone suffered.
Their enemies were going to find them. That was a given. The only question was if she’d avenge Davin before they killed her.
Or Dash.