Dragon Blood 3: Surety (3 page)

The next afternoon, after school, Amber cautiously walked towards her grandmother’s house, dressed in dragon-leather pants and jacket. The two-storey brick building had to be the ugliest house imaginable and the two balconies looked like they’d been randomly added at the last minute. She stopped at the front door, searching inside with her mind. Only her grandmother was home and she was upstairs in the armoury. She paused, wondering if she should have brought Kade with her instead of convincing him to give her an hour with her grandmother before he collected her.

Telling herself not to be stupid and that it was her grandmother, not an assassin, she entered the house. Closing the door behind herself, she quietly crossed the lounge room, passed through the kitchen and hurried up the stairs, pausing in the doorway to stare at her grandmother.

Helen looked up from the large book she slowly turned the pages of, rising from the small table she was seated at when she saw Amber. “What do you want?” She almost snarled the words.

“Who are you?” Had she ever know the woman who stood in front of her? Really known her?

“So now you’re going to start asking stupid questions.”

“Oh I know you’re my grandmother.” Unless her grandmother was right and she really had brought home the wrong baby from the hospital when she’d had Donna. Amber doubted she’d be that lucky. “What I need to know is who you are in your dragon killing group.”

“Knights. We’re Knights. Our family have always been amongst the Knight Protectors. Your great-grandfather was a High Protector, as was your grandfather before he was taken.”

“High Protector?” Surely that title wasn’t as important as it sounded. Her luck couldn’t be that bad.

“He was in charge of all of Queensland. Each state has a High Protector and every year they gather and discuss what’s on the agenda for the next year. And every five years they meet up in a different international location with foreign High Protectors. Charles was one of the best strategic planners in our country.”

Yep. Her luck was that bad. She almost didn’t ask her next question, not sure she wanted to know the answer. “Strategic planner?”

“He’d killed more dragons by the time he’d been captured than his father had in nearly a lifetime. Charles would be disgusted to learn a granddaughter of his had become a Dragon Mage. They did it deliberately, didn’t they? To punish him for all the dragons he killed.”

It was worse than she’d thought. How had this happened? “It wasn’t deliberate.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Helen jabbed a finger in her direction. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“I was thinking I might be able to find out where my grandfather is being held, but-” she couldn’t bring herself to say the words she was thinking. She didn’t know if she wanted to set a killer free, even one who was related to her.

“This is a trick, isn’t it?”

“No. But if he’s killed a heap of dragons, I don’t think any of them would help me find him.”

“Of course he’s killed dragons. Look at this.” Helen turned the book around so it faced Amber. “This is full of details about dragons who’ve killed our people. Ones we’ve agreed should be killed on sight.” She turned the pages. “This one killed your great-great grandmother. And her, she killed one of your great aunts.”

The same sick feeling she’d experienced last night hit her again. She wanted to stop the pages from turning. Wanted to grab the book and flick back until she found the drawing that had looked exactly like Ronan. The dragon who’d killed her great-great grandmother. What had she done? What would he think when he arrived to find his image on a Knight hit list? He was her only ally she could completely trust. Which, whenever she let herself think about it, terrified her senseless. She fumbled for her phone, dialling his number. His phone rang twice then she heard it in the hallway, Ronan obviously having just stepped out of the Void.

“No. You have to go.”
Her thoughts were accompanied by urgency as she hung up her phone, hurrying into the hallway.
“Go. Please. It isn’t safe here.”

“Who’s here?”

Amber searched the area with her mind, finding only the three of them.
“I’ll meet you somewhere else. Just not here. Please go.”

“What’s going on out there?” Helen grabbed a sword as she walked towards the doorway.

Amber looked between Helen headed for her and Ronan standing in the hallway.
“Go. Please. Before she sees you.”

“You better have a good excuse for chasing me away.”
Ronan returned to the Void.

Amber put a hand out to grab the doorframe as her grandmother pushed past, stepping into the hallway. “Nothing is happening. I thought I saw something, but I must have been imagining things.”

“Don’t give me that rubbish. There was a dragon out here, wasn’t there? I heard a phone ring.”

“Mum said she’d meet me here.”

“What for?”

Amber nearly laughed as she watched her grandmother flounder as she tried to keep up with the discussion. “What did you tell her to make her think you need to be committed?”

“Things I should have told her decades ago.”

“If I can help my grandfather and uncle escape, do you think they’d promise not to attack another dragon ever again?”

Helen laughed. A humourless, mocking laugh. “Unless he’s changed dramatically, I doubt it. Charles would rather die. He wouldn’t have been weak enough to give into the demands and let some dragon tell him what he could do if it had been me taken instead of him.”

“He’d have let you and his son die?”

“It’s our responsibility to prevent dragons from killing humans. It’s our sacred duty.”

Amber stared at Helen whose eyes seemed to be lit with an unnatural light. She’d always known her grandmother was a bitter old woman, but she hadn’t known she was also a vicious murderer. Was her grandfather the same? “Can I look at the book? Maybe take it to my room and read it while I wait for Mum?”

“And have you destroy it?”

“I don’t want to destroy it, only look through it. Please, Grandma. I’m trying to learn more about all of this.” She took a deep breath, determined to convince her grandmother. She needed to know who else was in that book. Were any of Kade’s family and allies? She thought of all the dragons she’d met when she’d stayed at his family’s castle. “I only have the dragon’s side of things. I want to know your side too.”

“You aren’t to take it from the house.” Helen picked up the book, holding it against her chest.

“I won’t.”

“This isn’t the only one in existence, but I can’t go to the other Knights without risking Charles and Roger.” Helen held out the book.

Amber took it from her grandmother and slowly retreated to the door, not taking her eyes from her. “I’ll bring it back after Mum gets here.” And after she’d checked for any familiar faces.

“You better.”

With a nod, Amber headed for her room, closing her door and leaning against it. She sensed Ronan’s presence the moment he stepped out of the Void.

“What’s going on?”

It seemed like that was all anyone wanted to know lately. And she’d love the answer to that question too. “If I show you something will you promise not to break it, harm it, ruin it or in any way damage it?”

“Are you talking about the book you’re holding onto like it’s a life raft?”

“Come on Ronan. Your word that while it’s in my care today, you can’t damage it in any way or cause someone else to damage it.”

“Why would I even want to look in that book?”

“Because it has something written about you in it.” She held the book behind her back when Ronan crossed the room to stand in front of her. “It’s not a long term promise. Just for this afternoon.” She knew how little he liked to give promises.

“For this afternoon only. After that I can do what I want with it?”

Amber nodded. “But you can’t take it from me, I have to return it to my grandma.”

“I accept.” Ronan held out a hand.

She reluctantly handed the book to him, open to the page about him.

“What about it? I’m sure I’m in a lot of books on dragons.”

“The dragons in here are ones that the book says to kill on sight.”

Ronan flicked though some pages. “Paili’s in here. They need to update this book. I wonder how many of the dragons in it are dead.”

Her fear for him turned to annoyance. “Get yourself killed. See if I care.”

Ronan tossed the book onto Amber’s bed. “I’ve been on people’s wish lists for centuries. If I worried about every single one, I’d have a miserable existence.” He stared at her for a moment. “Surely you weren’t worried for me.”

“I’ll know better in future not to bother wasting my time.” He wasn’t invincible. And he should know that after being captured by Paili. He’d nearly died.

“What details did you find out that can help me track down the relatives you want found?”

Ignoring his question, she gestured towards the book. She couldn’t stop thinking about the information she’d read. “It said you killed my great-great grandmother.”

Ronan shrugged. “It’s always a possibility. If a Knight comes after me I’m not about to play nice. Now do you want my help or not?”

She bit back the words she wanted to speak. Wanting to demand if he ever felt remorse. Asking him if he ever regretted a death probably wasn’t a good idea either. “I don’t know if I should be looking for them. My grandfather is a murderer.” She hesitated. “I think my family is filled with murderers.” Is that why she’d been able to kill Paili? It was in her blood? No, she couldn’t accept that.

“Get names and photos to me. Opening negotiations doesn’t mean we have to go ahead with them.”

“Why?”

“Be more specific, Amber.”

“Why go ahead with this? Maybe my uncle is worth getting back, he was only six when he was taken, but my grandfather…” her voice trailed off and her eyes were drawn to the book on her bed.

“Do I need to rip the rest of that sentence from your mind or are you going to tell me instead of wasting my time?”

Her eyes met his gaze, anger flaring at the thought of him invading her mind. “What if he wants to kill me?”

“You fight and you win.”

“Easy for you to say,” Amber muttered.

Ronan closed the distance between them. “Do you want to die, kitten?”

She shook her head. Of course she didn’t.

“Then fight. It’s that simple. Fight and win.” He stared at her a moment longer before he spoke again. “Get the information to me tonight. We need to move on this immediately.”

“Why?”

“Before someone else realises they have hostages that have gained in importance.” Ronan stepped back from her, entering the Void.

Amber swore, wanting to demand that he return. She had more questions and no one to ask them of. Shoulders slumping, she crossed the room to her bed and dropped down beside the book. What was she going to do now?

Not having a clue, Amber picked up the book and leafed through it. She didn’t have long to see if there was anyone familiar. Other than Ronan. Her mother would be here soon.

Each page had a drawing or picture on one side and a list of crimes on the back of the page. Only a couple of dragons had an extra page to fit their list of crimes and Ronan was one of them. Most of his crimes were murdering Knights. Why didn’t that surprise her? Had they come after him or had he gone after them? And did it matter? He was her ally regardless of what he’d done in the past. The only ally she could completely trust. She couldn’t afford to ruin that. Not with how precarious life was amongst dragons.

The sound of the front door opening caught Amber’s attention and she tensed, relaxing slightly as she realised it was her mother. There was someone else with her, someone that seemed familiar. She frowned as she tried to figure it out. Then it hit her, he was the man her mother was seeing. The one none of them had met. The shrink.

Amber rose to her feet, taking the book with her. About time she got to meet him. She reached her bedroom door, but instead of leaving her room, she faced the French doors as she felt Kade step out of the Void and onto her balcony.

Kade opened the doors. “Are you ready to go?”

Amber shook her head.

Kade tilted his head, frowning. “I hear a man downstairs.”

“Mum’s boyfriend. It looks like I’m finally going to meet him.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

Amber wanted to say yes and drag him downstairs. Instead she shook her head. “I don’t think you should be around my grandma for a bit.” Especially since she had an armoury full of weapons.

“It’s probably a good thing she can’t tell anyone about me or I’d have failed my test by disappearing in front of her last night.”

“Oh.” It took her a moment before she could say anything else. “Why did you?”

“I’ve never been so angry before.” Kade entered the room, closing the doors behind him. “You might not like it, but you’re mine.”

Amber sighed. “We’re not going through this again, are we?”

Kade grinned, crossing the room and taking the book from her. He tossed it on the bed. “You can’t argue it.”

Amber looked towards her bed. “I wish people would stop doing that.”

“Amber.”

“What?”

“Focus.”

She thought back over the conversation. “I am. I’m not a possession.”

“Then if you’re not mine, I’m not yours and I can take Jessica up on her proposition.”

“Fine.”

“Fine, what?”

Amber glared at him, not wanting to say the words he expected. Her glare faded and she smiled. “You’re mine.”

Kade laughed, reaching out to pull her against him. “Yeah, you are too.”

“Amber!” Donna’s voice came from downstairs.

Kade groaned. “Don’t answer her.”

“I have to.” She reached up, sliding her hands across his shoulders to link them at the back of his neck. “Eventually.” She kissed him, ignoring her mother calling out another three times before she drew away from him. “I’ll be back soon.” She reached for the door.

“What about your book?”

Amber faced the bed, staring at it for a moment. “Look after it for me. I promised Grandma no harm would come to it while it was in my care.”

“Okay.”

She reached for the door again, hesitating. “Uhm, it’s a hit list. I only know two of the dragons in it, but you might know some of them.” She hoped that none of the dragons in there were his friends.

“Really?” Kade picked up the book, opening it. “Which ones do you know?”

“Ronan,” she muttered. “And Paili.”

Kade looked up at her, laughing. “I guess I should have expected Ronan to be in it.”

“Just don’t trash it no matter what you find.”

Kade dropped onto the bed, leaning against the pillows and drawing his knees up to rest the book against them. “It’s okay. I won’t damage it. Now go and see your mother and her lover so we can get out of here.”

“Oh great, did you have to say that?” She wrinkled her nose. “How am I going to meet him now. That’s got to be the worst thought in the world.”

Laughing again, and waving her away, Kade said, “Go.”

Still shaking her head, Amber slowly headed down the stairs, finding her mother at the base of them. She discarded several comments, making do with giving her mother a hug when she reached the foot of the stairs.

“Are you okay, honey?”

Still holding her mother tightly, Amber nodded. “Yeah.” She forced herself to let her go.

“Are you sure?” Donna’s eyes were filled with worry.

“Yeah.”

Donna stared at her for several minutes before she nodded. “I have someone I want you to meet. Come into the lounge room.”

Amber followed her mother through the kitchen and paused in the doorway of the lounge room, her way blocked by her grandmother. She couldn’t clearly see the man her mother wanted to introduce her to, but his presence seemed familiar. More familiar than it should have for someone she’d only noticed from a distance.

“Out of the way, Mum,” Donna said.

Helen didn’t move.

“Please Helen, Donna didn’t invite me here to-”

Helen interrupted the soothing voice. “I don’t know what she told you-”

Amber pushed past both Donna and Helen to stare at the overweight, balding man with faded brown eyes and wire-rimmed glasses. “You!” It was the doctor who’d treated her when she and Ronan had escaped from Paili.

“Rude. No manners, that’s what wrong with you.” Helen glared at Amber.

“I didn’t know.” The man’s words were soft, his expression worried.

“You’ve met my daughter before?” Donna asked.

“Not exactly. I didn’t know who she was.” He stepped forward, holding out a hand to Amber. “Gary Russ.”

Amber ignored his hand. “I thought you were a doctor.”

“A psychiatrist.”

“There was nothing wrong with my head.” She stared defiantly at him.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Donna demanded.

“You have to study general medicine for six years to become a psychiatrist.”

“How much did he pay you?” Amber demanded, ignoring the argument that started between her mother and grandmother.

“He always pays well for out of hours house calls.”

Amber shook her head. “No. To date my mum.”

“Nothing. I didn’t even know,” Gary protested.

At the same time, Donna abruptly stopped arguing with Helen to turn to Amber. “What are you going on about?”

“Bloody interfering dragons.” Amber pulled her phone from her pocket.

Helen pointed at Gary. “Don’t tell me he’s a dragon too.”

“Mum! Will you please stop. Dragon’s aren’t real.”

Amber dialled Ronan’s number, desperately trying to keep the panther from escaping. She didn’t know what would happen if she let it escape, but she doubted it’d be good with how she currently felt. “Stop interfering in my life and leave my mum out of this.”

“You were the one who asked me to interfere. I’ve already told you we can’t leave valuable hostages with our enemies. Although I have no idea what that has to do with your mother.”

“Gary.”

Ronan chuckled. “I know. It surprised me too. I thought she’d have gone for one of the others.”

“What? You paid a heap of men to date her.”

“Who are you talking to, Amber?” Donna demanded.

“It wasn’t like that,” Gary protested.

Amber turned her back on them, trying to focus on staying human. “Well?”

“I didn’t pay anyone. I organised to meet some of my employees at places I knew your mother would be and then I cancelled on them or told them to entertain themselves because I’d be late. Gary was a long shot.”

“Are you sure?” Amber found it hard to believe he was telling her the truth.

Ronan laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, kitten. It was deliberate, but I never paid any of them or let them in on my plan.”

“What is your plan?”

“Think about it. You have to work this one out for yourself.”

Amber growled when Ronan hung up. The sound was far too much like a panther for her liking. She had to get a grip on her anger. Although how she could do that, she had no idea. She faced the other three occupants in the room who all seemed to be talking at once. Rubbing her temples, she considered leaving them to it. “Shut up!”

Donna rounded on her. “Amber!”

She ignored her mother. “This is madness.”

Gary chuckled. “I’ve always thought so.”

“How did you get mixed up with Ronan?” Amber still couldn’t believe her mother was dating this man. He was nothing like her father.

“I was struggling to put myself through university.”

“Who is Ronan?” Donna asked.

“Probably another dragon,” Helen muttered.

“Mum! Stop it. No more talk about dragons,” Donna said.

Amber took a deep breath, pushing the panther back down. Letting it out might solve some problems, but with the mood she was in, it’d probably cause a lot more than it solved. “Okay, I believe you, Gary. Ronan didn’t pay you to date Mum. He was just deliberately, indirectly, responsible.”

“Amber honey, I think it’s time we left. Grab some things. We’re staying at the motel until I can find somewhere else to stay for the year. I thought about going back to Brisbane, but you’ve already shifted schools enough this year.”

Amber shook her head, her gaze going from Gary to Helen, completely ignoring her mother’s words. “I need names and photos. We’re starting negotiations to get our family back.” As soon as she had that information she was going. Before she lost control. Hopefully.

“What’s the catch?” Helen asked.

Amber was tempted to say there was none, but didn’t think her grandmother would believe her. She was also sick of all the lies and shortly she was about to bring a lot of them to an end. “I can’t afford to have them used against me. As far as I know, there are only three Dragon Mages and everyone wants us to work for them. Although a few would prefer us dead.”

Helen nodded. “Whose side are you on?”

“Mine.”

Helen stared at her for a moment, before she nodded slowly. “Maybe you’re not a complete loss after all. At least you’re not as weak as your mother.”

“Mum!” Donna glared at her mother and Gary put an arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t need your approval. I never have.” Amber raised her chin, refusing to look away from her grandmother’s hard look, barely bitting back the words to defend her mother. She didn’t need to get into another argument.

“That’s good, because you’re not about to get it while you’re associating with dragons.”

“If I hear that word one more time…” Donna let her warning hang in the air.

“Donna,” Gary said hesitantly.

“We’re going,” Donna said firmly. “Get your things, Amber.”

Amber finally turned her attention to her mother. “I’m staying with Kade. He can protect me, you can’t.”

“If there’s something wrong we’ll go to the police. They’ll-”

“No!” Amber, Helen and Gary all spoke at the same time.

Donna looked at each of them. “Will someone please tell me what is going on and don’t any of you dare mention the word dragon again or I will call the police.”

Amber reached out for Kade.
“Come and keep them safe. I’m going to become a panther and I’m not sure how well I can control it right now.”

“Are you certain this is what you want?”

“I really don’t think you should be the one turning.”

“That wasn’t what I was thinking. What about the goshawk? It might be safer for them.”

She could sense him coming closer to her.
“The panther isn’t going to take a backseat tonight. Not with how pissed off I am.”

“Then maybe you should leave it for tonight.”

“No. Mum’s threatening to call the police.”

Kade stepped into the room, giving a general nod of greeting.

Helen’s eyes narrowed at the sight of him and Gary returned his nod.

Donna pointed at Kade. “Is he the reason you really wanted to see your grandmother today?”

Amber shook her head. “No. I’ll see him all night. I don’t need to sneak him into my room to see him.”

“I’ve had enough. You can make do with what you’ve got on you. We’re going.” Donna reached out, grabbing hold of Amber’s wrist.

She pulled away from her mother, taking several steps back. “Kade won’t let me hurt you. Everything that’s crazy is far too real.” Letting the panther escape, she changed in front of everyone, her anger forcing a roar from her.