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“Get some rest, I’ll stay here until you wake.”
Aden sighed. “Sounds good.”
Before long Aden’s soft breathing filled the room. Gallen got up long enough to clean
them both, then he joined his beloved in slumber.
Chapter Six
Liang took another aerial sweep, but didn’t see anything except acres of snow. Nothing
popped out screaming psychotic emperor base here!
“Maybe Proteus was mistaken?” Liang sent telepathically to Zhou.
The older dragon swooped down beside him until they were both flying the same
pattern together. “I’m not going back there without news. Find something. I don’t care what it is
at this point. Even a psychotic bunny shifter will do.”
Liang snorted, sending a puff of mist into the air before him. He didn’t understand
Zhou’s fear of the king. Aden seemed like a reasonable sort, as long as you didn’t look too
long at his mate or threaten his child. He was a far cry from a mad emperor who tortured
and killed for the satisfaction it gave him to hear them scream.
Taking another leisurely aerial circle Liang tried to focus on the task at hand. He’d
rather go back home and cuddle with his mate. Proteus had said he’d be in the tank
while Liang was gone. The sea dragon apparently wasn’t comfortable yet with hanging
around the non-aquatic shifters. In time Proteus would become used to all the different
people, but now, with all the changes in his life, he needed time to adjust.
Liang had introduced Proteus to Kurtis, hoping the two would bond, but other than
exchanging wary looks they hadn’t clung to each other like long lost brothers. Maybe
being mated with dragons wasn’t enough to connect over.
“I see something.” Zhou’s voice in his head had Liang gliding closer his leader. He
scanned the snow, but nothing caught his attention. Snow, snow, ice and more snow.
“What did you see?”
“I don’t know. A flash of red. There!”
Liang followed Zhou down, flinching as his claws met the frozen earth. Too bad they
didn’t make wool socks for dragons. A still lump lay collapsed by the tree. It took him a
moment to recognize the shape as a dragon shifter. A fire dragon didn’t belong in this
cold. They were desert dwellers. Mexico and the southern parts of the United States used
to be heavily populated by red dragons. Liang wondered if red dragons had decreasing
numbers over the years like water dragons.
Zhou shifted to human and Liang followed suit, shivering from the cold before his
scales transformed into cold weather clothing and covered his feet. The fire dragon
shuddered in the cold. Liang could almost hear the beast’s teeth clanking together.
Liang crouched down to see the dragon better. “Hello, what are you doing out here?
We’re looking for the emperor.”
“Liang.” Zhou’s warning tone had Liang straightening and stepping back. Maybe he
shouldn’t have shared that information, but he doubted the cold, shivering dragon was a
plant from the emperor for them to share their story. The emperor was more
straightforward than that.
The dragon shifter transformed into a slim human with red hair and gold eyes. He
began trembling when his bare flesh touched the snow before his scales covered him
again.
“I-I kn-know where he is. Or at least wh-where the facility is.”
It didn’t look like the red dragon’s scales protected him from the cold as well as water
dragons’ scales did.
“Facility?” Liang’s heart sped up as the red dragon’s words sank in. They might
actually have found a lead. Success!
The redheaded dragon nodded his head. “He traps dragons there and tortures them for
information.”
“What kind of information?”
“I-I don’t know. That’s just what I heard. He’s never questioned me. He never seemed
to think I had anything worthwhile to say.”
Warning bells rang through Liang’s head. The strong sense of danger intensified until
he thought he’d choke on the instinct to run. He sent Zhou a warning through their link.
Zhou frowned, but didn’t comment.
“I’m Zhou and this is Liang. What’s your name?”
“Rye. I’m a fire dragon. I’m guessing you two are water ones. The emperor has a real
hard on for you water guys. He hasn’t let the two he captured free for more than an hour
at a time to shift.”
Liang grinned. Relief surged through him. “So they’re alive.”
Rye shrugged. “They were a few days ago. I haven’t seen them since.”
“How did you escape?” Liang asked.
The emperor wouldn’t just let a dragon free without having a reason behind it.
Rye frowned, his eyes flashing an apologetic message. “I’m bait.”
Liang’s claws came out, but not before they were surrounded. Soldiers appeared out of
the air and darts coated Liang with tiny pinpricks. “May your soul go to the Chamber of
Mirrors so you can see your true shape,” Liang cursed.
“I am already in a hell of my own making,” Rye whispered. “I’ll get word to your
people. Where are you from?”
“Seattle. Go to Seattle and seek the dragon king,” Liang managed to say as his body
slowly gave into paralysis and he toppled to the snow. Fuck he hated the cold.
Out of the corner of his eye Liang saw Rye slink away while the ambush soldiers
wrapped them in ropes. Maybe that had been the fire dragon’s entire intent, but Liang
knew if he saw him again he’d rip the bastard’s head off. Even if he managed to reach
Aden, who knew what the sick psychopath could do to Liang and Zhou before they were
rescued.
Fuck, he’d just told him where to find their people. If he weren’t already paralyzed he
would’ve thrown himself on a sword for his betrayal of the other shifters.
* * * *
Proteus floated around his tank thinking over his relationship with Liang. He and his
mate were beginning to bond but for the past few hours tension had been strumming
through him. Maybe knowing Liang had gone to scout out the emperor had him on edge.
He hoped it wasn’t anything more. He watched the babies flit around each other and
smiled.
His smile vanished when Kurtis ran into the room and tapped on the tank. “We need
you.”
“It’ll be okay,” Proteus muttered to himself. “It’ll be fine.”
But the fact they said they needed him and his mate wasn’t there sent alarm bells
ringing through his head. He made his way to the top of the tank and Kurtis scooped him
up and set him on the ground.
Proteus transformed then stood and accepted the towel Kurtis handed out.
“I brought you some clothes.” Kurtis pointed to the pile on the bench.
“What happened?”
“Liang and Zhou have been captured.”
Proteus quickly dressed. His emotions numb, Proteus followed Kurtis to where he
guessed the others were meeting. His stomach twisted and turned, looping over and over
like a slinky. He could no longer fool himself. It wouldn’t be okay.
He entered the living room to find a redheaded man kneeling before Aden. The dragon
king’s eyes glowed a bright gold, a sign of his agitation. His mate stood on one side of the
room, Aden’s son on the other. None of the men had happy expressions.
“Proteus. I—” Aden began.
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