Maddock paced the living quarters, ready to tear someone’s face off. No one had managed to bring Lana back to him. He didn’t give a damn what some king said or did. He was ready to claim what was promised to him.
The daughter of two powerful dragons of separate elements. The secret in claiming the parents was the daughter. Only through blood could that kind of binding be broken. He could claim all three.
Lana’s blood was strong. So much stronger than the weak asshole who had taken her in. Not that he had much choice. Maddock had formed a deal with Henroyld, granting him more trading rights and squashing much of Divad’s, who had defected from Henroyld’s rule, going to Earth to escape persecution for marrying a human woman.
So he gained so much. Divad was forced to turn to him, keeping his business, allowing him to work himself out of debt. Divad hadn’t fought hard before giving in Maddock’s demand that Lana be his payment for help.
But then Reance ripped apart all chance at an arranged marriage. The stubborn bitch wouldn’t give him a chance to romance her. He’d wanted to win her trust, seduce her, give her everything she desired for helping him secure his legacy.
But no, she refused time and time again. Maddock had run out of patience ages ago. The time was now. He was going to have her regardless of what she wanted.
If it weren’t for the last damned Hyter Sprite being there to stop Dormin from capturing her, it would have been fine. But then someone froze the bastard. At first, he thought perhaps it had been Lana herself, coming into her powers, but there had been another dragon hiding in the bar.
And later, Callera had bit the dust, thanks to her flames when the shot rang out. The dart narrowly missed her. And once again, his chance had been shot to hell.
Now, he had Balchek following Lana, who was in a car on the freeway with Elondril. Damned sprite. The trickster could get out of damn near anything.
However, Balchek had a few tricks up his sleeve and had so far gone unnoticed. He watched through a spell that gave him access to his bounty hunter’s eyes. Same as he did with the two before.
* * * *
Balchek drove, wishing he had a way to ditch the assignment, but he knew for a fact that his child would be the next pulled into the Delnias plans if he didn’t succeed.
If only his request to speak with Aeryana had gone through. The Queen of Air would have been able to help him save his daughter, whom he left with a friend in the Air Kingdom.
Finally his phone rang. “This is Balchek.”
“Yes, is it too late to sweep you and Belandra to safety?”
He sighed. “I don’t think there is anything you can do for me. I’m on Elondril and Lana’s tail, and unless you can pull my car out of thin air, I don’t see how that will work. My girl you can save, and I’ll give my life to protect hers.”
“No need for that. Just find an empty lane. You will be sent to a place Maddock Delnias cannot find you or Belandra.”
“I’ll find an empty road.” He hung up and pulled to the empty lane next to the HOV lane. A dark spot filled the area of the car and he drove through, finding himself in a bright and sunny part of Faery. He came to a stop, squeezing his eyes shut.
Someone opened his driver’s door. A hand covered his face. Words were spoken that broke the spell.
“You’re safe and Maddock won’t find you here.”
“Where am I?”
“You’re with your wife’s people now. Harpies won’t let anyone harm Belandra or you.”
His wife had died, ensuring he lived when she gave birth to their daughter, far from him. Balchek climbed out of the car and spotted the Queen of Air. He took another look at who had cast the spell. The King of Fire.
“You have my gratitude. But if there is anything I can do to help Elondril or Laniela, please, let me know. As long as my girl is safe, I want to do what I can to help an old friend.”
Reance smiled. “If I think of anything, I will let you know. But I have a feeling Lana and her friends will have no problem keeping her safe.”
Balchek nodded, but he didn’t understand. As far as he could tell, she was a half human Earth Fae with little to no magic.
“Go to your daughter,” Reance said.
He hurried to Aeryana, who held his two-year-old. “Thank you, Aeryana.”
She smiled and ruffled Belandra’s hair. “They won’t find you here. You will be surrounded by harpies who would be happy to teach your daughter what she needs to know about what she is.”
“You don’t know what this means to me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner, but we don’t want to tip Maddock off that we’re onto him. He has his fingers in too many pots and we need to sever all his ties without letting someone else come in and take over.”
“Understood. If you need me, you have my help.”
“I’m sure you’ll hear from us.”
* * * *
Maddock’s vision went black and he slammed his fist into the mattress. He climbed out of bed and marched downstairs, trying to come up with a new solution.
Where in the abyss was Elondril taking Lana? He needed her in Faery, in his home. Not wandering around Earth. Patience had never been his virtue, and he had waited over twenty years.
He needed a new recruit. Luther, one of the few people who worked for him without threats and blackmail had refused the job. And if he wasn’t so damned good at what he did, he would have forced him in some way.
His father had earned a reputation of being a drunk and disloyal. Now few would work for Maddock unless desperate. There had to be someone he could coerce into searching for Lana.
He’d heard the Fire King’s voice before the spell was broken. Wherever they were, he was unreachable. And he was willing to bet the king had covered all the details, including the young daughter who had been hidden away.
And the way Laniela had warmed to Elondril made him believe she would wind up mating him. Something he had tried to avoid as long as possible, because he wanted to be the one to bring her through the awakening.
Once, he’d thought to capture the sprite and enslave him. As it turns out, Reance stepped in and kept him away from the estate when it burned to the ground.
And even if Elondril stuck it to Lana and mated, then he could hold one over the other and get both their help. So not all was lost if they managed to escape for now.
Though an unawakened dragon would be far easier to bind to his will than an awakened one. Granted, he wanted to take the honor of bringing her into her power, but that could easily backfire.
Laniela had the potential to be as strong as some of the ancients.
His mother entered the room. “Have you found her yet?”
She constantly undermined him. His father simply wrote him off far too often. Perhaps he should add killing them to his list of things to do. First, he needed Lana on his side.
He sighed. “Yes, but the fools I’ve sent keep losing her. Two are dead, the other has fallen off the face of the Earth.”
“You’re running out of time. Our seer says she will mate tonight. If she mates, you will lose your chance. Honestly, boy, I don’t see why you insist on taking her. She doesn’t want you. She will never aid you.”
“I’ll bind her to me just the same. I’ll not only gain her assistance, but his.”
“Or your death. You know, I used to wish you were a better man than your father. But the longer I watch you, the more I realize you’re far worse.”
“Because I’ll keep her by my side? I need a powerful woman. You’ve said so yourself.”
“Yes, a woman who wants you. Not one who already despises you and has found the man she loves.”
“If I must, I’ll kill him. It won’t be an issue,” Maddock snarled.
“Do you realize how far she would go to protect him if they seal that bond? Killing him may not be an easy task.”
Maddock paced away. He spun back. “Do you happen to have a suggestion for a mercenary who can get the job done?”
“You won’t like my answer.”
“Why is that?” he snapped.
“Vanya. The woman you threw away because of this inane plan to capture a girl who doesn’t want you. She loved you. She would have made a formidable ally.”
“She’s merely an assassin. She can’t control the most powerful players on the field. I will take the earth kingdom and make it great. Or do you really believe Xander can manage that?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think. You haven’t even given him a chance to lead.”
“He’s a fool. He doesn’t know what our kingdom needs. He’s always been a king’s lackey.”
“General, Maddock. He was the general to the Queen of Air and Earth. If you ever believed Henroyld was stronger than Aeryana, then you’re a fool. You may have bested Xander a time or two, but I recall far more fights you lost when you were children.”
“I’m not a child anymore. And he’s too honorable to resort to my tactics. I’m not worried about Xander, or any of the other royalty.”
“You don’t know them like I do. Every last one of them are playing the long game. You have your sights on the short game. I told you many times you need to start thinking further ahead.”
“And if I’m impulsive and think on the fly, they can’t predict it.”
“Oh, but they can. At least one of them. You aim too high, Maddock. Reance can see everything centuries ahead of time. Why do you think he went along with his mate marrying another man?”
He shook his head. “That is impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible, child. Don’t you know that?”
He took three steps forward and raised his hand, planning to slap his mother.
He went flying back with the flick of her fingers. “Don’t test me, Maddock. The girl you want so badly is out of your reach, and if you keep pushing you will find yourself dead.”
“Won’t you be happy then?”
“You’re a fool if you believe that.” She turned and walked away, throwing up a barrier as he moved forward. He ran into it and slammed his hand against the invisible wall.
“You’ll see. I’ll have her yet,” he sneered.
She glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. “I hope you’re right, but I fear the worst.” She disappeared behind the door.