Dragon Sacrifice Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  © 2018 by Rinelle Grey

  www.rinellegrey.com

  All rights reserved.

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  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  About the Author

  Blurb

  Brad should feel relieved he's found Lyrian's dragon prince brothers and returned her to her clan. She and their baby daughter will be safe now. But all he can think about is that it means their time together is over. That he has no more excuse to stay.

  Lyrian was sure she could have convinced Brad to stay, if it weren't for the fact he found out she lied to him about their meeting. She knows he's hurt, but she still can't bear to see him go. So when his brother asks him to stay for his mating, she jumps at the chance to have him around longer, even if things between them are strained.

  But when humans turn up outside the lair, searching for Brad and the dragons, everything is on the line, including their daughter's safety. How much are they prepared to sacrifice to keep her safe?

  Dragon Sacrifice is Part 3 in the Dragon Breeze serial.

  Sign up to my mailing list for a free copy of Jayrian, the story that started it all!

  Chapter 1

  “But you’re staying for the mating, right?”

  Nate’s hopeful expression as he stared at Brad couldn’t be denied. Brad heaved a sigh. “Sure. Of course I’m staying for the mating.”

  As reluctant as he was to stay any longer than necessary, Nate was his twin brother. He couldn’t miss what was essentially his wedding. Even if the way Lyrian stared at him when he agreed to stay, so hopeful and yet so hopeless, tore at his heart.

  He needed to stay for his brother, but it was the worst thing possible he could do for him and Lyrian. He knew that they both still cared for each other, but there was just too much keeping them apart. Even if it weren’t for the fact that he had to be back in America to resume his position as cardiac surgeon in less than a week, there were too many mistakes in their past that he just couldn’t ignore.

  If Lyrian hadn’t lied to him about needing to sleep with him to heal, if she’d been honest with him from the beginning…

  But they couldn’t erase the past. They could only move on and share parenting of their daughter without complicating it with their own problems. That was where their future together lay. Maybe if he kept his distance, didn’t seek her out or talk to her, then it might be possible. Maybe both of them could pretend he was already gone. Pretend they were going to be able to move on.

  Taurian watched him, his expression knowing. The woman with her hand on his arm looked thoughtful.

  “We don’t have time for a mating,” an elderly man said, striding into the circle of dragons, and staring around at all of them. “We need to wake the rest of the Rian princes and princesses as soon as possible, while Trima clan is divided and off guard.” He glanced at Kyrian, Nate’s future dragon mate, and scowled. “And someone take this woman away, she will repeat anything we say to Trima clan.”

  “Ostrian, we have a truce with Trima clan,” Taurian said quietly. “We have nothing to hide from them.”

  Brad looked from Taurian, to Ostrian, then over at Lyrian. She looked as confused as he felt.

  “Who is this man, and why is he speaking as though he thinks he is in charge?” Lyrian demanded, looking to her brothers.

  Verrian muffled a laugh, and Taurian frowned at him, then at Lyrian. “Ostrian is one of the elders. He has helped guide our clan while we were asleep. We owe him our respect.”

  The frown he gave Lyrian indicated exactly what he meant by that.

  Lyrian raised an eyebrow. “I give respect to those who earn it,” she said flatly. She turned to Ostrian. “What exactly are you talking about? Ultrima has waited for three hundred years to ask Sarian what she feels about him, I’m sure he can wait a few more days while we have a mating. Especially since he is apparently otherwise occupied right now.”

  That was an understatement. Brad hadn’t heard the full story yet, there were so many names he was having trouble taking it all in anyway, but from what he gathered, Ultrima, leader of the Trima clan, had allowed himself to be arrested by the police just last evening.

  Meaning, Ultrima had more than enough problems of his own to deal with right now.

  Ostrian looked haughtily at Lyrian. “I won’t speak while she is here.” He pointed at Kyrian, but it was unnecessary. Everyone in the room knew who he was referring to.

  His brother’s future mate looked embarrassed and rather like she wished she could find somewhere to hide. Or maybe she was regretting choosing to stay here with Rian clan instead of taking Latrima up on her offer to return to Trima clan.

  When Brad and Lyrian had arrived here, everything had seemed to be all happiness and love.

  He’d thought he and Lyrian would be the only ones having problems. Nate and Kyrian had seemed so sure, so in love. Like they could overcome any obstacle in their path.

  And wasn’t that what true love did? If you had that, you weren’t supposed to be daunted by anything. But Kyrian sure seemed daunted now.

  Lyrian wasn't. “Kyrian has chosen to give up Trima clan and return to Rian clan. She is one of us. Anything you can say in front of me, you can say in front of her. I have vouched for her. Are you saying you don’t trust me?” Lyrian’s voice was hard and fierce.

  Brad may have even been a little afraid of her if it weren’t for the fact that he agreed with everything she said.

  He had to give it to the elder, Ostrian. He had guts at least. The old dragon drew himself up and stared at Lyrian. “Perhaps you should leave too then.”

  Brad may not have agreed with the old man, but he must believe in what he said, if he were prepared to stand up in front of Lyrian to say it.

  Then again, she didn’t look particularly fierce. She was tall, for a human, but a little shorter than her two brothers. Her blue hair didn’t look particularly fierce, and neither did her pale skin or her delicate features.

  Brad knew that those were all a lie. Underneath that gentle, kind exterior was the heart of a dragon. One prepared to defend her baby, or her clan, no matter what the cost. She considered Kyrian, his brother’s intended mate, as part of that clan. Meaning anyone who threatened her would feel the full brunt of Lyrian’s ire.

  Lyrian opened her mouth, and Brad wasn’t sure if she intended to blast the old dragon with words, or her dragon wind. And he didn’t get to find out.

  Taurian held up a hand. “Let us not forget that we are all on the same side,” he said firmly. “Ostrian, if you wish your opinion to be considered, then present it without further argument.”

  Ostrian clearly wasn’t happy with Taurian’s announcement, but though he shot Lyrian’s brother a frown, he didn’t argue further. Instead, he turned away from Lyrian, away from Kyrian, and addressed the rest of the assembled dragons.

  “This is our chance. The chance we have been waiting for. The Trima dragons are preoccupied with Ultrima’s arrest and lulled into a false sense of security by the truce we have agreed to. Wh
ile they are distracted, we can wake the rest of our princes and princesses, and finally be in a position to deal with Trima clan for good.”

  There was a stunned silence in the assembled dragons.

  Ostrian smiled, obviously thinking he had convinced them with his argument.

  But Brad saw the lines draw together on Taurian’s forehead, and the hand his mate put on his arm to calm him. Verrian’s fists clenched, and his mate beside him echoed his posture. Both of them glared at Ostrian.

  Lyrian didn’t even bother to try to hide her disgust. “You are a disgrace to Rian clan,” she spat. “What you are suggesting not only puts our whole clan at risk when Trima clan retaliates, but also destroys any chance we have of having a true, lasting peace.”

  Ostrian spun around and glared at her. “What are you suggesting then? We just wait around and hope Ultrima agrees with his life dragon’s truce? What if he doesn’t? Or worse, what if he pretends to, waits until we relax, then betrays us at the first opportunity?

  Lyrian opened her mouth, no doubt to voice an immediate denial, but Taurian put up a hand.

  “Ostrian has voiced valid concerns,” he said calmly.

  Lisa, Verrian’s mate, started forwards, “He’s full of sh…”

  Taurian held up a hand towards her too, before she could finish her eloquent statement.

  “While I may not agree with him, I’m sure there are some here who do,” Taurian said softly.

  As Brad looked around the room, he could see it too. The shifting of feet, the uncertain looks exchanged.

  Prince Taurian knew his clan well. He would make a skilled manager, able to see both sides of an argument, allowing both to be heard before making his decision.

  “While it is tempting to take this chance to wake my brothers and sister, I don’t believe it is in our best interests at this point. While it is possible that Latrima is tricking us, or Ultrima will not uphold the bargain she made, I believe it is worth the risk.”

  “Sure, it’s easy for you to say that,” Ostrian said flatly. “You haven’t been hiding and starving for generations while Ultrima killed any of us he could find. I don’t trust that dragon, or any of his clan, and I never will. There is nothing he can do that will make up for the damage he’s caused to our clan.”

  “So you’d rather see that hiding and starving continue?” Lyrian said flatly. “You’re so set on revenge you won’t consider what is best for the clan?”

  “What makes you think this is what’s best?” Ostrian demanded.

  Brad felt a little like an outsider, peeking through the window of a meeting he shouldn’t be part of. He agreed with everything Lyrian had said, but who was he to express that? As soon as Nate’s mating ceremony was over, he’d be going home.

  So he stayed silent, and watched the dragons continue to argue.

  “What makes you think you know what’s best?” Verrian demanded.

  Ostrian turned on him. “You’ve been asleep for three hundred years, you know nothing.”

  “We may not be completely conversant with what is happening in the human world, or everything that has happened in the clan while we were asleep, but we do know one thing,” Lyrian said firmly. She paused, and looked around the room, her eyes alighting on Brad for just a moment, before flashing on by. “Rian dragons believe in honour. In love. And in family. Those three values help us make our choices, not fear.”

  “You think I’m doing this because I’m afraid?” Ostrian demanded.

  “What other reason do you have?” Lyrian demanded. “Where is the love? Where is the honour in what you are suggesting?”

  “How can we be honourable when we’re dead?” Ostrian demanded. He stared at Taurian and Verrian, his expression beseeching. “I know neither of you agree with me about the risks of mating with humans, so I haven’t even mentioned that, or the fact that we now have a half human princess.” He glanced over at Brad, the disdain on his face obvious. “But surely you can’t be so far gone as to not see that we need to do whatever it takes to make our clan strong again, before Trima wipes us out.”

  “You’re forgetting something,” Taurian’s mate said, stepping forwards and speaking for the first time. “Rian clan is already strong. We’ve proved that Trima clan cannot beat us, that they are no longer a threat to us, on more than one occasion. We have no need to act dishonourably to prove something we’ve already demonstrated.”

  “No, you’ve proved that humans can defeat dragons. That’s something we already knew. Hiding behind humans doesn’t earn us any honour at all.”

  Lisa stepped forwards, her hands in fists. “Are you saying that we’re not part of the clan? Just because we’re humans? Well, I’m mated to a dragon, and I’m just as ready to defend Rian clan as you are.”

  Ostrian turned and glared at her. “You are the one who brought this trouble to us,” the old dragon bellowed. “You were the one who led Latrima into our clan, and then,” he pointed at Lyrian and Brad, “they invited a Trima dragon to be part of our clan.”

  Brad’s jaw dropped.

  He’d been looking in from the outside, then suddenly the ornery old dragon had pulled him right into the middle of the fight.

  He had no idea what to do or say. Karla and Lisa were both mated to dragon princes. They had a part to play in this situation. They had a right to speak for the dragons.

  He wasn’t even mated to Lyrian.

  But he was the father of a dragon princess.

  That thought filled his heart with determination. He would not let this man jeopardise his daughter’s future, and the peace and happiness she deserved.

  He stepped forwards into the ring without hesitation. “Kyrian intends to mate my brother. That will make her my daughter’s aunt. A princess’s aunt. Are you saying that she isn’t worthy of the same respect as anyone else in this clan?”

  Taurian nodded approvingly.

  “You have no part in this argument, human,” Ostrian spat. “Stay out of what you cannot possibly understand.”

  “I can understand that you think you know more than anyone else here, and that for some reason, you think that fighting is better than the possibility of peace. Maybe because that’s all you’ve ever known.”

  Brad stared around the room, at many dragon faces he didn’t know.

  He might not know them, but he’d known many humans like them. “I’ve seen the results of fighting. I’ve healed the wounded and informed the families of the dead. Fighting is never the right choice while peace is an option. Dragons may be able to heal physical wounds, but the mental wounds are not so easily healed.”

  Verrian nodded, and Lisa reached for his hand. Brad wondered what their story was.

  He looked around the room, seeing nearly as many dragon children as adults. That was the way to convince them.

  “As a parent,” he said softly, “I know many of you will understand. You want the best for your children, as I do for mine. And right now, your best chance of giving your children the future they deserve is if we can make peace with Trima clan.”

  This time, there were murmurs of agreement. A parent hugged a child against her, another nodded approvingly.

  “Our sister’s chosen mate is wise,” Taurian said firmly. “He and his brother and brother’s mate will be an asset to our clan.”

  Any satisfaction Brad had felt in his victory was eroded by Taurian’s words. His stomach churned and his face heated. Taurian thought he and Lyrian were together. That they intended to mate. Probably all the dragons did. Was that why they listened to him?

  He felt like a fraud. He was not Lyrian’s chosen mate. He had no place in this argument. Someone should correct Taurian before this got out of hand. He glanced over at Lyrian, but she avoided looking at him. She obviously wasn’t going to deny it.

  And Brad didn’t feel like putting her on the spot or derailing the conversation. He’d just helped them win the argument. Now wasn’t the time to add further confusion. The outcome was too important for that.

>   Taurian turned back to Ostrian. “Do you have anything further to add?”

  The old man knew when he was beaten. He stared around at the crowd, then without a word he pushed his way through it and out of sight.

  Brad bit back a sigh of relief. Somehow, he suspected that wasn’t the last of the old dragon they’d see.

  “Come, we must discuss this more,” Taurian said, looking at his brother and Lyrian.

  In private. His meaning was clear, even though he didn’t say it. Brad was excluded, along with all the other dragons. It didn’t matter that he’d helped them out. Then again, it seemed like the other humans, those actually mated to dragons, weren’t invited either, so he probably shouldn’t be too upset. They didn’t look bothered.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” Lyrian said softly. This time she glanced at Brad, her eyes haunted.

  He must not have been the only one who saw her glance, because the dragon princes inclined their heads and departed immediately, and somehow, everyone else melted away at the same time.

  Leaving Brad and Lyrian alone.

  Once everyone else had gone, Lyrian looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Brad.”

  Her words confused him. They weren’t the ones he’d expected at all. “Sorry for what?”

  She shrugged one shoulder, trying not to disturb Anarian, who was sleeping in her arms. “Sorry that you’ll be here longer than you expected. I hadn’t even thought about your brother wanting you to stay for the mating. I know… you want to get back to the hospital.”

  It wasn’t that he wanted to get back to the hospital, and she knew it.

  He still had at least a week before they expected him.

  What he needed to do was get away from her. To get some distance, before the way he felt about her consumed him.

  When they had been hunting for Lisa, expecting an enemy dragon to interrupt them at any moment, back when the most difficult thing he had to process was that if he slept with her again, they’d be mated for life, he’d wanted to tell her that walking away and just forgetting about her was impossible. That she was now as much a part of his life as his twin brother. Maybe more.