206Chapter Two
Lucian woke up with the sun hitting his face and an arm draped across his chest. He rubbed his eyes before turning to face the owner of the arm. It was then he realized what he had done and what had happened.
"Oh shit!" he said. He jumped out of bed and threw on his robe. He ran his hands through his head and stared at the girl in his bed. Mateo would kill him if he found out that he had bedded his sister. He was dead. He had to leave right then. He had a mission to do and he could use that as an excuse. Now he just had to get out of there without waking Tamara. It shouldn't have been that hard… except someone knocked on the door.
"Lucian, I know you're in there," Mateo's voice rang out. Lucian stared in horror at the closed bedroom door. He ran over to Tamara and placed a hand over her mouth. She woke up and screamed into his hand. Luckily it blocked the sound. He motioned for her to be quiet.
"You're brother's here," he whispered. He was quiet enough so that Mateo wouldn't hear with his heightened senses. Tamara stared at the door as another knock came.
"Come on man! I know you're in there. Stop ignoring me and open the freaking door. This is getting old man. Do you have someone in there with you?" Mateo was starting to get annoyed. Usually the only reasons Lucian wouldn't open his door was if he had a woman with him, or if he was angry. It had to be the first one because he didn't seem to be mad. If anyone had a reason to be mad, it was Mateo. He had to freaking marry some stranger. It was messed up.
Lucian had to think. He had to get Tamara out of the room without Mateo knowing. He would have to get her to go to the window. He could fly her up to her room and be back in a few moments. He would do that. He grabbed Tamara and threw her over his shoulder. She didn't say a word, trusting Lucian for the moment. When he raced to the window he gasped. What was he planning?
Tamara closed her eyes and felt the wind rushing through her hair. She opened her eyes and found herself on the back of a black dragon. It was Lucian, only in his shifted form. He was such a beauty with his coal black scales and red eyes. He flew up to her room and motioned with his head for her to get off. She begrudgingly did so. She really wanted to fly around with him all day, but she was naked and needed to take a shower and get the scent of sex off her skin. She would have to avoid her brother for most of the next few weeks, at least until his mate got here and could distract him. If he smelt Lucian on her she was dead.
She watched as Lucian flew down to her window and was a little disappointed. She imagined the first time they had sex as romantic. Last night had been amazing, but she could tell his heart wasn't in it. She wanted him to love her… not just have sex with her. If anything she wanted him to make love to her, not treat her like every other girl he slept with. She wanted to feel special by maybe waking up to a tray with breakfast or a red rose on her pillow. Something… anything romantic, she just wanted that to happen with her and Lucian. She had to make sure he never found a mate. He was hers.
Lucian swooped back down into his room and changed into this human form. He was now naked, but again that was natural. He opened the door and smiled at his friend. Mateo stared at him a moment, a look of annoyance on his face.
"What took so long?" Mateo huffed. Then he took in a big breath of air and everything went sour. Mateo could smell sex on his friend's skin, but the worst part was that Mateo could smell Tamara on him. Lucian had bedded his sister. Now his blood was boiling. "How dare you!"
Mateo attacked Lucian. He swung his fist and connected with his jaw, causing a resounding crack to echo around the room. Lucian grabbed his jaw and stared at his friend before a look of anger passed over his eyes. He blocked the next punch Mateo threw, but didn't' see the leg that was coming toward him. Lucian fell backwards as his feet flew out from under him. Mateo was on him in a second.
"Why did you have to be so stupid?" Mateo yelled at Lucian while punching him every chance he got. Lucian had blood running from his mouth before he could get a hit back in. He punched Mateo right in the nose and sent him sprawling backwards.
He was stronger than his friend, but Mateo had surprised him, giving himself the upper hand. Lucian wouldn't let that happen again. He was not in the mood to take crap from his friend, no matter what happened.
"Dude, stop. I have a mission to complete and I don't want to leave on bad terms," Lucian said, trying to get Mateo to stop, but Mateo was too far gone in his fury. It wasn't moments later that Mateo started to shake as his change washed over him. Mateo's change took a little a little longer than normal because he was trying to rush it. If this was a real life and death fight, Lucian would have taken advantage of that elapsed time and would have already killed Mateo before he could complete the change. Since that was not the case, he let his fried change.
Mateo stood up at 7 feet tall on his back legs. He was a huge tiger and he knew how to use his strength and speed to his advantage. He got down on his front paws and stuck his rear in the air, daring Lucian to make a move. He was on the defensive at the moment, but as soon as he went into the offensive, Lucian would be in trouble if he stayed in this human form. He was a large dragon and was continuing to grow, but he would be slow on the ground; his only weapon his fire. If he was in an open room that was big enough for him to fly around in, he would win; this room wasn't like that.
The ceiling barely came to the average 15 feet tall. It was about 14 and a half feet tall. The light made it even shorter in the middle. The dressers and bed also made it hard for his large size to move around. When he picked this room, he only did so for the colors, not for the room and space it had. He also chose it for its open balcony that you could walk on. That was where he took off into the sky with Tamara on his back. It provided an easy escape.
That was what Lucian was going to do now. He would fly out the window, stop at his base and get his assignment and picture of his target and be on his way. He only needed a few changes of clothes and he could get that down the road after he grabbed some money out of his stash at his base.
He took off running toward the balcony; the doors still open from earlier. Mateo, knowing what his friend was planning on doing took after him. It was a match of speed and soon Mateo was pulling ahead. Lucian pushed himself harder and jumped over the railing. Mateo slammed on the brakes, making his paws skid across the smooth surface and slam his body into the side of the railing. He had lost this time, but Lucian had to come back with his bride and he would deal with him then. He hadn't yet decided if he would tell his father or brothers yet. For now he would deal with it on his own.
Lucian was in his dragon form before his eyes had a chance to blink. He was flying through the air, his wings keeping him in the air. He turned to see Mateo now in his human form and his arms crossed over his chest. He looked pissed and ready to murder Lucian. He shook his head. How could he have been so stupid? Tamara was a tease and he knew it. He knew it would cause problems between him and Mateo, but last night he had been so caught up in the moment and in her delicious looking body that he had been distracted from reason. It was a mistake he might not live through. If Mateo told his parents, he was screwed and his very existence would be hanging on a limb.
He shook his head and landed in the courtyard near his base. The base was really just a building on the outskirts of the castle gardens. It was home to Sebastian, an old retired shifter that used to be the best of his kind. He was a fox and as cunning as they came. He probably knew everything about you before you even met him. He was that good and that sly. You had to watch what you did and said around him. He was a bounty hunter back in the day and mighty good at it. He retired after he lost his leg in a terrible accident. Now he trained young male shifters to be bounty hunters. Never in the history of hunters had there been a female bounty hunter.
It wasn't that the girls were too weak to be bounty hunters, it was just that the males mated with the females and they had kids. Then they stayed home to take care of the kids and the house. They weren't meant to go out and capture people and put their lives in risk. It just didn't happen. That was how everyone saw it at least. The women accepted it, but only begrudgingly since no one would side with them. They all agreed that the women would be safer at home. It became an unwritten rule and had been kept to this day.
"What's on your mind, Lucian?" Sebastian said, scratching his completely bald head and smiling his almost toothless grin. He had lost all his teeth as he grew older. He only had his front two middle ones and his canines.
"I need my stuff. I'm going on a mission and Nicodemus should have sent a message to you to get my stuff ready." He paced the ground, nervous to be on his way Mateo could be down there any second and he needed to get a move on.
Sebastian, seeing the man's nervousness and anxiousness to be on his way, went about gathering his stuff. He handed Lucian a map, a bag filled with provisions and a picture of a young girl and the man that he was normally supposed to capture.
"Thanks," he said, taking a quick glance at the man and ignoring the girl for the time being. His main priority was the man, not the bride. He would get her last. She shouldn't be that hard to get. Mateo better appreciate this. Lucian was one to be known for his patience and if this girl was as stubborn as Nicodemus had said, this could be an interesting trip.
He threw the pictures into his bad and threw it over his back. He leaped into the sky and was in his dragon form in moments. He nodded at Sebastian and took off. As he flew over the castle he could still see Mateo standing on his balcony, staring up at him. It was unnerving and it made Lucian nervous. He wasn't going to like the welcoming he got when he got back; of that he was sure.
He looked straight ahead and pushed on. He would have to forget about Mateo. He would reconcile with him later. He had a job to do and he was going to do it.
"Why can't I do this?" Shayla screamed into the empty forest. No one was around, but she felt like everyone knew of her failure. She was a water elemental and so far she only had control of the water in streams. That meant that she had to see the water in order to control it. She couldn't draw the water out of the ground, or out of the air. She wasn't powerful enough yet. She was 45 years old in her people's age, but only 17 in human years. She should have been pulling water out of the air, making it rain and all kinds of stuff, yet she was barely in control. It had been like this for the past year. She used to be a master at her element, but since that accident, she had lost control of it.
Madeline had said it was because she hit her head, but Shayla was worried she would never get her powers back. She wanted to feel that warmth that flooded her every time she called upon her special powers; gifts according to some. She wanted to believe Madeline, but she just wasn't sure she could.
Madeline was like a mother to Shayla. She was an orphan and needed a place to stay, so Madeline had taken her in. She had already been housing two other kids around her age, but she had still taken her in when she needed a place to go. Madeline had long white hair that was always braided. She had white eyes, having gone blind a long time ago. She was 500 years old, and one of the oldest in their clan. The only one that was older than her was the Leader of the faeries. This brought respect from the people around her and many came to ask her advice on things. Madeline was well loved.
The two kids that stayed with Shayla under the care of Madeline were Brittney and Lance. They were brother and sister, though total opposites in personalities. Lance had long brown hair while Brittney had red hair like her element fire. She was a fire elemental and always wanted to battle with Shayla. That was before the accident of course. She hadn't asked her to battle in a long time. Shayla often wondered if Madeline had commanded her not to.
Brittney was exactly Shayla's age, but Lance was a year older. He was an earth elemental. He was what his sister burned. She burned trees and he nurtured them to life. They were both very powerful; as powerful as Shayla used to be. Shayla needed to get her spark back so she could use her powers again. It was killing Shayla to not be able to compete in the tournaments that were hosted every year.
That accident was rarely spoken of. It had caused Madeline to go blind, and Shayla's water power to dry up. Brittney and Lance were out that night, both having gone to hang with some friends. Shayla stayed home to help Madeline because she wasn't feeling well. The alarm had sounded, letting everyone know that a dragon was approaching. These weren't dragon shifters, they were real dragons that had no human half and therefore only wanted to kill. Shayla had tried to get Madeline into their safe room, but before they made it, the house was on fire. Shayla tried to use her water power to put it out, but she couldn't find any water in the dry air. The fire was spreading and already one of the walls had collapsed. Soon the ceiling would be on them. She caught sight of the house next to theirs and saw it was on fire also.
Shayla helped Madeline toward the door, trying to escape the fire that was burning her and killing them. Fire was Shayla's worst enemy because it could dry her out. Shayla needed to get somewhere where there was moisture. She needed water. Shayla was almost to the door when the ceiling collapsed. Shayla had screamed and Madeline and she fell to the ground.
The next thing Shayla remembered was waking up in the infirmary that was in the center of their clan. Madeline was in the bed next to her and was barely breathing. The doctor had come in at that moment and saw Shayla awake. She quickly brought Shayla a glass of water and set a bucket of water at her side. She tried to get the water to come and let her body absorb it, but it wouldn't move. She started panicking. What if she had lost her power completely? Shayla knew fire would be her downfall. Shayla needed to have her powers. Shayla started crying and all the noise woke Madeline up.
She looked over at her and Shayla just cried harder. Madeline was blind now and it was her fault. She should have been able to save her. Shayla should have been able to get some moisture out of her body, or out of the air. Shayla had made Madeline blind and she had lost her powers because of it. Soon her body, being exhausted shut itself down and she drifted off into sleep.
That had all happened over a year ago and now she had limited access to her powers. She could still do little things, but that was only if water was present and Shayla could see it. That sucked, but it was gradually growing. Shayla should have all her powers back soon; at least she hoped.
No one blamed Shayla for what happened, but no one spoke of it. Two people had been killed a few houses down. The house that was next to Madeline's had spread the flame to the house next to it where two kids were sleeping. They didn't make it out. It was a terrible evening for everyone, especially since they didn't get a chance to kill the dragon that had caused everyone such pain.
Shayla swore that day that she would kill any dragons she met. She wanted so badly to find the dragon that had killed those kids and made her lose her powers and Madeline lose her sight. Though she never complained about it, Shayla knew Madeline hated not having her sight. She felt helpless, but knew that the people were there for her, especially Shayla. The only time Shayla left her side was when she went to the woods to practice.
It had been about two months since the last dragon incident. It wasn't the same dragon as a year ago; that one had been black. The one that attacked them two months ago was red. The village people hadn't seen that dragon since that day and they had no clue what had happened to it. It could be dead, but they wouldn't know.
Shayla was walking back the way she had come when she heard the alarm. Shayla heard screams and picked up her speed. One thing she could do was run, and run quickly. Shayla was in the village before the next alarm bell went off. They went off every thirty seconds until the danger passed. She was about a fourth of a mile away and had run that quickly. It was impressive, even for Shayla.
Shayla looked up into the air and her heart seemed to stop. A black dragon was trying to land but her people were doing their very best to stop it. It was growing angry and Shayla could see its red eyes looking around. When its eyes flickered over to her for a moment, Shayla glared and willed her power to come back. She wanted to teach this dragon a lesson.
Shayla turned to find some water, but the closest water was directly below the dragon in the small pond. She took off running toward it. "Shayla!" She heard Brittney scream and heard someone running after her. At the sound of Shayla's name, the dragon turned toward her once more and his eyes seemed to glow even redder. Shayla stopped dead in her tracks. She was about ten feet from the dragon and he was now on the ground.
The earth elementals were throwing rocks and boulders at him with all they had, but they just bounced off his hard scales and spiky back. He moved his tail and Shayla saw he was a club-tailed dragon. He was dangerous. Shayla felt someone grab her arm and turned to find Brittney standing on one side of her and Lance grabbed her hand on the other side.
They both stood there for a moment before turning to Shayla. They stared at her and then back at the dragon. Finally Brittney broke the silence that was lapsing between them.
"What were you thinking?" Brittney snapped, dragging her backwards. The dragon didn't seem to like that and kept approaching them. Shayla was now scared for her life. This dragon could kill them. The dragon opened its mouth and they all braced themselves. It was about to blow fire and no one knew where it was going.
Instead of it blowing fire at one of the houses, it blew fire into the sky, lighting up the sky. Shayla screamed as some of the heat from the flames hit her. Brittney was absorbing the heat while Lance and Shayla were trying to get away from it. Sensing her brothers and friend's need to get away from the heat, Brittney made the heat disappear by pulling it into her body and absorbing it. It made her stronger and she threw a fire ball at the dragon's exposed throat. The dragon coughed and then roared it's fury. It turned on Brittney and breathed fire straight at her.
Shayla screamed and watched in horror as the flames surrounded Brittney. "Brittney, no!" Lance screamed. That was his sister in there. He motioned with his hands and soon a huge clump of dirt stood in front of Shayla. It continued to grow bigger until it blocked her sight of the dragon. Then the dirt clump, now as hard as a rock and as big as a wheel was flying through the air and hit the dragon right in the mouth, stopping his flow of fire.
The dragon's eyes seemed to water and then he was spitting out dirt. Shayla looked for her friend and found her lying on the ground. The heat had been too much for her body and she had passed out. Luckily there were no burns on her skin. Shayla ran to her side and knelt on the ground. She picked her friend's head up and pulled some water out of the pond, cleaned it, and slid it past Brittney's parched lips and into her mouth. Brittney did the rest by swallowing it. Shayla did this until her friend opened her eyes.
They both looked back up at the dragon to see him standing right in front of them. Shayla, tired of everyone getting hurt, stood up and put her arms out, making herself look like a cross. She stared at the dragon and shouted, "Take me!"
A/N
I want to give a big thanks to Jennyt82 for editing this chapter for me! I really appreciate it and owe her big time. She is amazing and i highly recommend her to you. I also suggest you check out her werewolf series and her Elemental Passions series! They are both amazing and deserve a look!
Soo sorry i havne't been able to upload a new chapter and instead have uploaded this one, but i have been super busy and can't find the time. I barely found time to send this to Jenny to fix! I'll be uploading a new chapter as soon as possible!