The Bear Shifter's Second Chance Page 14

  Eirrick glanced back to find none of his brothers had made it through. The young, green warriors fought with everything they had but many were already on the ground, screaming out as the priests surrounded them. There was no sign of the other clan. Rage burned hot, flaring his fires to white in his stomach. With a roar he dove forward, sending the full strength of his fires against the priests. It was repelled harmlessly by the shields but when his bulk smashed into them, they were forced this way and that.

  The ranks broke. Eirrick released another breath of fire, setting the priests aflame. His tail whipped, knocking them back. Both wings snapped out and he lunged forward, bowling them every which way. His claws cut through their armor and the scent of their blood rose in the air. Behind him, the young warriors took advantage of the opening he had made. A group of them flanked his left, tearing into the priests.

  The priests attempted to regroup but Eirrick and his warriors kept them scattered like chickens. Rage and bloodlust kept the adrenaline pumping through his body, leaving no time to think about the pain as spears and swords cut through scales, sending great spurts of blood into the air. He was a Dragon. He would heal quickly.

  A cry of anguish broke him from his single-minded determination. He twisted to see one of the young warriors motionless on the ground while another fought to hold off half a dozen of the priests. Claws swiped and spears jabbed. One of them pierced clean through the warrior’s shoulder.

  Another young warrior stood behind him, frantically working at a machine. Turning the transport back on. Eirrick dashed to their aid. He threw himself before the warriors, deflecting two spears meant for them and released another fireball. There was a cry of triumph and the floor of the cave disappeared. Priests and dragons fell alike. Eirrick wheeled about, diving to catch the dragons whose wings were shredded. His brothers caught the warriors as they fell and flew back to safety while the priests disappeared through a mist of cloud.

  The cave floor materialized again. Eirrick set down and glanced over his ranks. At least three were dead. Two more possibly dead. The wounded were too many to count. He shifted and turned to the warrior who had opened the transport.

  “Get us to the ship.”

  The young man nodded. Within a few moments, another portal had opened and they limped into their ship.

  As soon as they were back, he drove a fist into the wall. There was a traitor on board. His lips pulled back in a snarl as he sought out the command staff, the only ones who knew about this happening in time to tip off the Atlantican priests. When he saw him coming, Lorro dropped to a knee, face paling.

  Eirrick snarled. “What did you do?”

  “There was a harem girl. She wanted to know why I needed my bed kept so warm… I didn't see the harm—"

  Eirrick resisted the urge to drive his fist into Lorro’s face. Instead, he wheeled about and raced for the harem. As he got closer, it occurred to him that the women should have come to greet them. To heal them. Dread snuffed out his flames.

  When he got to the harem, nobody answered his calls. He rushed in to find the guards he had left on the ship dead. Mother lay in the center of them, a pool of blood surrounding her. Two of his brothers pulled up beside him. Eirrick directed them to check the guards, though he knew there was no hope for them and dropped to his knees beside Mother. She had a pulse, though it barely fluttered.

  There was no sign of any of the other women.

  “Get her to the healing rooms,” he barked at his brothers. “There is a chance to save her.”

  “The others are all dead,” one of them replied. “He knew—"

  “Healing rooms,” Eirrick snarled.

  He rushed to his chambers. His stomach cramped and he prayed he would not find what he most dreaded. But they were empty. He returned to the warriors and sent them to search the ship for anybody who might have been left behind.

  There were none.

  ***

  When the command staff was gathered, Lorro knelt before them and held out the sword Mother had gifted him when he graduated his training. Eirrick took his seat and glanced at the others. They were all ashen-faced. Mother would survive but barely. All eyes were on Lorro.

  “Our losses are my fault. I know the laws surrounding these matters and I let myself be blinded. The blood spilled today is on my head. Let my blood then answer for it.”

  Eirrick was tempted. And he was certain the others were too. He waited to see if anyone else would speak but since this his mission, he knew it was ultimately his decision to make. He studied Lorro for a moment. The dragon had always had a weak spot for women but no one had ever thought it was this much of a weak spot. He trusted his brothers’ loyalty. In some cases, though, their wisdom was left questionable.

  In the end, however, there was a choice to be made. Revenge would be sweet but Mother had raised him, had raised them all, to know there were far more important things to be aware of. He let his fires die down and nodded slowly.

  “Many men have been beguiled by a pretty woman. It is as much our fault for not seeing what weaknesses you were falling for as it is your fault for letting a girl blind you.”

  Lorro stood, sword still naked. “If not my death, what is my punishment?”

  “I will decide that once our women have been returned to us.” Eirrick stood. “Can we trust you not to tell our secrets until then?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  One of the others stood. “I inspected the harem. There were signs of dead men that had been removed. Our women are strong, they killed priests as they came to steal them. They will survive what the priests want from them.”

  Eirrick smiled wryly and shook his head. “This was not any random priests. They were Jyah’s men. And he does not want our women. He wants me.” His eyes burned as his smile grew. “So let’s give him me.”

  Chapter Nine

  Brighid

  Her hands were tied tightly in front of her. No rough leather or energy shackles for her. She was bound by a silk rope. A dainty restraint. One that sounded like it should be easy to rip off. And yet she was utterly unable to make her hands budge an inch. Brighid’s heart pounded as bile crept up her throat. It wasn't just the rope holding her still. Jyah’s arm latched around her, tucking her into his side. If she had a knife, or any weapon, he wouldn't be smiling like he was.

  She had no weapon, though, nothing to fight back with.

  Before them, all the women of the harem were bound in place by bands of energy wrapping around their shoulders and waists. Each one was lashed to a pole while dry kindling stacked around them. The wood was soaked with a pungent-smelling liquid.

  “Even a Viles will burn when the fire is hot enough.” Jyah glanced at her. “Aren't you happy you are being avenged, little Brighid? They will have the sin burnt from their flesh and you will witness their screams. Certainly, this pleases you.”

  “Please,” she begged. “Please don't harm them. They were all good to me. They protected me. What will you gain by killing them? You will only earn the ire of the dragons.”

  Jyah whispered in her ear. “He steals my woman, I steal all of his. It’s just a shame I can't give them the safe treatment he gave you. But then again, why would I want a Viles’ seconds?”

  His eyes glittered and her heart sunk. If she hadn't slept with Eirrick would she be able to bargain away her virginity for their lives? Or was his mind made up so completely that not even evidence would change it?

  “As for you,” he continued. “As an Atlantican virgin who broke her vows, you will be drowned. If you are innocent, the goddess will spare you so that you can be my wife.”

  Brighid's nostrils flared and she jerked away. His grip tightened. “I hope she kills me if you are the reward for living!”

  Jyah’s eyes glittered. He released her, then backhanded her across the face. The pain of his knuckles cracking into her teeth made her cry out as her head twisted around. She fell to the ground, unable to catch herself. Her face throbbed,
lip already swelling. And she knew it was only the start of the torment he would unleash on her for daring to have desires of her own–especially when they didn't include him.

  “Light the fire,” he ordered and the red-robed priests started forward with their torches as the harem girls fought and spat against their bonds.

  Suddenly, a dragon fell from the sky. The sun flashed off his black scales as he swooped in at the priests with their torches. Using tooth and claw, he seized them all and flung them back into a wall while their torches clattered harmlessly to the ground.

  “Eirrick!” one of the women cried and the rest began to chant his name. He landed before the pyres, cat-like eyes focused on Jyah.

  The priest smiled as he was handed his spear, a mighty thing named Dragonslayer. Brighid managed to inch a few feet away. She struggled against the rope. If she could give herself half an inch to get one hand free...

  Eirrick shifted to his human form. “Only a coward would go after women instead of his true quarry.”

  “And only a fool would come alone.” Jyah sneered. “Do you think you can save them by yourself? I don't think I have ever met such an arrogant Viles.”

  Eirrick’s jaw clenched. “I am not here to fight. I am here to give you an offer. Let the women go and I will let you live, as well as give you their weight in gold from my personal stores.”

  Brighid let out a slow breath, forcing herself to calm as she glanced at her wrists. The ropes weren't budging. Maybe if she chewed through them? He began to gnaw at the knot. Strings of fiber got caught between her teeth.

  “You insult me,” Jyah said, hefting up his spear. “As a priest, I took a vow of poverty. And had I not, I would never sully myself with your blood money.”

  Eirrick snarled. Before he could shift, though, a streak flew from behind him. Brighid and several other girls screamed but it was too late. An arrow blossomed into Eirrick's shoulder. It sunk deep into his muscle but did not penetrate the other side. Brighid recognized the green feathers that fletched it. She and the other College girls would spend hours upon hours making such arrows and dipping them in a deadly poison. Once a girl had cut herself on the arrowhead and had been dead in five minutes.

  But Eirrick was a dragon. He was strong. It wouldn't…

  He gripped his shoulder and fell to his knees. Sweat popped out over his brow and he made a keening, moaning sound. Her heart stopped as Jyah began to laugh.

  “Take him to Altantica’s fall. Drown him in her.”

  “No!”

  Several priests came forward. They kept their weapons ready as two of their number grasped Eirrick by the shoulders. He moaned again as they dragged him towards the falls on the other side of the courtroom, where she would no doubt meet her fate as well. Brighid threw herself at Jyah’s feet. She grasped at his knees.

  “Please, no. Don't kill him. Please. I will do whatever you wish of me. Just please—"

  “You have already made yourself a whore. No need to pile more humiliations on yourself.” Jyah stepped back from her. “Put him under!”

  Brighid screamed again. Before the priests could toss Eirrick to his death, though, the dragon had one last burst of strength. His muscles bulged as he tossed one of the priests into another. He let loose a fireball into the waterfall. A great plume of steam rose into the air, misting around him and blocking him from view. A roar shattered the air, causing even Jyah to flinch back. Great wings beat away the mist and Eirrick in his beast's form emerged with a feral scream.

  More dragons dropped from the sky, materializing like raindrops. Many of them dropped into the midst of the priests while others fell among the women and tore at the bonds holding them in place. Eirrick snapped the arrow off in his shoulder and lunged for Jyah. Dragons closed in on priests, priests dodged and wove between them. As they were freed, the women grabbed sticks, discarded spears, whatever they could get their hands on and charged at the priests. Brighid scrambled backward, chewing harder on the ropes that held her bound.

  Once all the women were free from the pyres, a dragon let loose a breath of fire, lighting it in a giant blaze. Smoke billowed black and thick from it, obscuring everything.

  A woman jumped from the black cloud and landed lightly near her and sliced the ropes off in one quick motion before thrusting the knife into her hand. Brighid didn't see who it was, she was gone so quickly.

  The smoke cleared slightly. Jyah and Eirrick faced off with one another. Eirrick dodged the spear as Jyah danced around. He brought the heavy back end of the spear down on Eirrick's shoulder and the dragon cried out with pain. His movement was jerky, his steps stumbling. Confused, dazed. The poison was taking a heavy toll on him.

  Brighid didn't stop to think about consequences. A fire ignited inside of her. Her fingers curled tight against the hilt of the knife and she charged forward, her eyes on Jyah's back. Neither he nor Eirrick saw her coming. Not until she was there, standing behind the priest that had made her life a living hell for so long. She brought the knife down as hard as she could against him. The blade skittered over bone before finding a spot between the ribs to sink in. It twisted and Jyah wrenched away, howling. The blade snapped.

  He whirled on her, the butt of the spear coming at her face. Brighid threw up her arms to deflect her blow it hit hard, sending her flying back. Her head cracked against stone and everything went black. Nausea swirled in her stomach as the sounds of battle wove in and out of the pulsing of her blood. She rolled over, the motion almost making her vomit and looked up.

  Eirrick dropped Jyah's body. The priest lay utterly still as the dragon stumbled over him, towards Brighid. She couldn't get past her knees and crawled towards her dragon. When they met each other they collapsed together. Eirrick was still in his beast's form and Brighid draped herself over his head, holding him tightly. He felt cold. His eyes were starting to glaze over.

  "Stay with me," she whispered. "We're free now. You and me." She kissed his scaly head. "I love you. I love, stay with me."

  He shifted in her arms, slowly melting back into a man's form. Cold sweat covered his body but he gingerly wrapped himself into her arms and pressed a shaky kiss to her. "I love you, too."

  Chapter Ten

  Eirrick

  Laughter filled the feasting hall. All around, his brothers and the women paired off, chatting and playing and in many cases slipping away. The aroma of meat and spice enticed him to continue eating, even though his stomach felt overly stretched out already. He still wasn't fully recovered from the poison arrow he had been shot with and it was best not to push it until he was.

  It was the first feast that Mother had been able to rejoin them. Though they had been terrifyingly close to losing her, she was well on the path to recovery. Her natural healing abilities as a dragon combined with their technology meant that they didn't have to worry about her any longer. Everybody was happy about it and none more so than Lorro. Mother had forgiven him for his stupidity and the girl who had betrayed them was found to have a sister in the College that Jyah had threatened. She had been removed from the harem, just as Lorro was removed from the command staff. Both of them were working to be reinstated in their positions but it wasn't going to be easy.

  Mother now sat among the new women that had joined them after they had been freed from the College. They were nervous and shy just like Brighid had been at first but Mother had welcomed them into the fold and they were starting to understand their freedoms. There were even a few priests that had come on board. All of them had been men who begged to be allowed to stay with their wives and their wives begging for their husbands to join them. It was an odd situation for all of them but they were slowly adjusting.

  Eirrick glanced at Brighid and smiled at her. She beamed back at him as she bit into a roasted wing, the grease dripping down her chin. He wanted to let it run all the way to her chest before licking it off but for now, public displays were being discouraged. At least, displays as charged as licking her chest would be.

  He leaned i
n and licked at her neck, which made her giggle and wipe her chin. Things were going to have to get back to normal soon. How were their new members meant to get comfortable with the openly sexual natures of dragons if they hid it from them? Although, it seemed as though some of the girls were getting quite comfortable with it.

  "It seems we will have a population boom soon," he whispered in Brighid's ear, nodding as half a dozen of the College girls slipped off with the younger warriors. He smiled proudly. Their small clan needed to grow. "We'll have to start looking for a bigger ship soon."

  "A new ship," Brighid murmured. "That might be very nice. Especially since this one is so old and outdated."

  She tossed her meat back to her plate and stood, holding her hand to him. He took it and she tugged him from the room. As soon as they stepped into the hall she pressed herself against him, kissing him fiercely. Eirrick grasped her ass and pulled her tight, grinding at her through their clothes. Brighid gasped and gave a little shudder that had him stiffening. Without wasting a moment of time, he picked her up over his shoulder and raced for their rooms. Brighid giggled wildly.

  As soon as they were alone, Eirrick pressed her against the wall and began to work at the ties on her dress. Brighid ripped at his pants, moaning.

  "I love you," she gasped out.

  "I love you, too."

  Eirrick slowed himself, turning his touch to be gentle rather than demanding. His beautiful wife always needed the tenderness he gave her. After a lifetime of thinking that he was going to be handed off to someone who could do what he wanted with impunity, it was an adjustment for her to speak to her own desires, even now.

  "I belong to you." He cupped her face in his hands. "You know that, right? I am yours and I love you."

  She kissed his palm. "I know."

  "You're so beautiful. So brave." He brushed his mouth against hers again. "I am so lucky that you came into my life."