Drakhana's Claim Read online

  Drakhana’s Claim

  Anne Hale

  Tara Starr

  Copyright © 2020 by Hale and Hearty Press

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

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  Contents

  Description

  1. Ivy

  2. Logan

  3. Ivy

  4. Logan

  5. Ivy

  6. Logan

  7. Ivy

  8. Logan

  9. Ivy

  10. Logan

  11. Ivy

  12. Logan

  13. Ivy

  14. Logan

  15. Ivy

  16. Logan

  17. Ivy

  18. Logan

  19. Ivy

  20. Logan

  21. Ivy

  22. Logan

  23. Ivy

  24. Logan

  25. Ivy

  26. Logan

  27. Ivy

  28. Logan

  29. Ivy

  30. Logan

  31. Ivy

  32. Logan

  33. Ivy

  34. Logan

  35. Ivy

  Description

  With our nation on the brink of war, my rival becomes my lover.

  * * *

  Ever since I’ve known Ivy, we’ve been at odds.

  When she just joined the ranks of the Ice dragons, she did so as a fighter.

  She was much younger than me, but she fought her way to the top.

  We sparred.

  And with every hit and every jab…

  * * *

  I fell in love with her.

  * * *

  But she was a princess. And I was a soldier.

  My duty was to my nation.

  Not to my heart.

  I had to forget my love.

  So I put away my spear. And went into the city.

  * * *

  Now I make billions of dollars.

  I’ve become a conqueror of the business world.

  All in the service of the Ice Drakhana.

  So that my mind may stay clear of her.

  * * *

  Until one day…when she crashes into my world.

  * * *

  Our nation is heading to war.

  The only way our nation will survive is if Ivy and I can show the way back to the old, forgotten powers.

  And there’s only one way to unlock that power…

  * * *

  With our love.

  One

  Ivy

  The night is the darkest just before the dawn. This never meant more to me than this moment. It’s the middle of the night and we’re flying through the canopy of a thick forest away from the dessert of Las Vegas to evade detection.

  I curse myself at every moment. The intel given to me has proven to be false. The fire clan should have been at their weakest. They are no longer in touch with their dragons like we are. It should have been the perfect time for an ambush.

  I thought, once and for all, they should be eradicated. The plan was perfect. Swoop in and kill them all. They looked unsuspecting enough.

  I assembled my strike force of elite ice clan dragon fighters. It should have been an easy mission. One that would push back the fire clan and show them not to mess with us.

  Little did I know that I would be walking my men into an ambush. I should never have underestimated their power. That bitch fire dragon called up the flames from the earth and practically scorched us all. Not only that, her powers seemed to make the other fire dragons stronger. That one beast was massive after touching her flame.

  Where the hell did that power come from? None of our spies told us about such a great ability. One that tipped the balance in their direction.

  The attack decimated my team, leaving many of my men dead and the rest of us forced to retreat. There was nothing we could do but run. Much to my shame.

  General, Basil, my right-hand man, communicates through telepathy while we are in dragon form, I believe we have lost them. Might I suggest that we fly higher?

  No, I snap at him. It’s still too risky. The injured will not be able to maneuver properly if we go higher up. We continue to hug the canopy. Relay that order.

  Basil grunts, but does what he’s told. He’s a good soldier. Someone I feel worthy to fight alongside with.

  Each and every dragon in my team was hand-selected by me. All of them have shown abilities that make them lethal in battle. I believe, had we been better prepared, the casualties would not have been what they are.

  My chest weighs me down. I will have a lot of explaining to do to my parents and to the families who have lost sons and daughters in this fight.

  The wind whipping over my scales often brought great comfort when I fly. Tonight, it only serves as a reminder that I’m injured on my side. It’s a negligible wound, but it still hurts like a motherfucker.

  The fire clan will pay for what they have done. I will slaughter ten of them for each of the dragons I’ve lost tonight. I will not stop until each and every one of my men is avenged.

  I’ll hunt them down and destroy everything they have till they’re pushed back to Crystal Peak.

  I make that vow as we continue on a path of least resistance. The fire clan has tasted our blood. They are stubborn bastards who don’t quit until every last one of their enemies is dead.

  I’ve already gone into this fight complacent. We barely escaped by the skin of our teeth. I cannot allow those who are left to fall prey to another ambush.

  We scrambled as best we could and turned to run. The fire clan is in hot pursuit. Since ice dragons are sleeker, we were able to gain speed against them. But that doesn’t mean we’re home free.

  Fear courses through my veins like acid. It’s a foreign emotion for me as I’ve always fought on an even playing field before. Now the scales have tipped and it’s not in our favor.

  The last thing I can show my men is weakness. I am their general. If I show them the turmoil I’m going through, then all is truly lost.

  Thank the dragon gods that being in my alternate form affords me a placid expression. I can easily hide behind a scowl and a snarl. If I were in my human form, I don’t think I’d be as successful in keeping a stoic mask.

  General, we need to stop and rest, Basil says. Think of the injured.

  I rear my head and snap at his neck. Basil barely manages to avoid the unexpected attack. I bare my teeth at him.

  It’s because I’m thinking of the injured that we have to keep going, I tell him, adding a mental push to my words to ensure that he feels my power. We will not survive this night if we stop. The fire clan has our scent. They know we have injured.

  Then we can’t return to Verglas.

  The ice clan dragons have called Verglas Mountain their home for centuries. It is our stronghold wrapped in the thickest sheet of ice and snow all year round. The extreme cold makes for a natural deterrent to our enemies. Only those with ice in their blood could withstand the approach into the Floe Fortress.

  I shake my massive head. We cannot risk bringing the enemy home, not when the drakhana have whelps to worry about. We might not make it that far anyway.

  The mother dragons have just hatched their eggs. There are too many vulnerable young within Verglas at the moment. I can’t have the fire clan discovering that and bringing reinforcements with them.

  You know where we have to go, Basil says, wor
ry in his tone.

  I curse under my breath. Considering our location, he’s right. There’s really only one place where we can land and tend to the wounded.

  Surely, we have another option, I reply, even if I know there is none.

  You need to set aside your beef with him, Ivy. Basil using my name means we’ve switched to a more secure channel that’s only between us. No one else can hear what we’re talking about unless they are invited.

  Don’t go there, I warn him. He has made his choice long ago. I’m over that betrayal.

  Then why aren’t you giving the order to head to LA?

  Can’t I have a moment to think of another solution?

  I don’t need to be indebted to that traitor. It will mean I will have to acknowledge what he’s done as something right. And I refuse to do that. I refuse to hear the lecture I know he will have for me when we see each other.

  I don’t say these things to Basil. He’s been witness to so much of my follies already. To add one more might be the straw that breaks the dragon’s back. I refuse to have him see me as anything less than a respected general.

  Come on, Ivy. We will not see you as less because you asked for help.

  I snap at him again, but this time, Basil expected it. He swerves to the right then hovers right back. I hate that he’s right. I hate this night all together.

  This is a clusterfuck of epic proportions. I snort and an ice plume curls out from my nostrils.

  You have to think of the men.

  I am! I might have put a little too much force into my words because Basil actually drops out of the sky for a moment.

  I dive after him and place a wing underneath his belly, helping him keep steady until he can return to our previous altitude.

  I apologize, I say when he finally regains his composure.

  You know what you have to do, is his reply.

  Gritting my teeth, I concede. Give the order. We’re heading to LA.

  The image of sandy brown hair and pale green eyes resurfaces in my memories. I thought I’d buried him deep in my mind, but the moment he’s mentioned, I remember him like I just saw him yesterday. Yet, the truth of it is that I haven’t seen him in quite a while. Not since he left the strike force and moved to LA.

  The thing you need to know about dragons? Especially those of the ice variety? We can hold grudges like nobody else among our species. I think it has to do with the ice in our veins. We are cold to the bone when we want to be.

  If I weren’t so desperate, and if I weren’t already feeling guilty about what happened tonight, never in a million years will I ask for his help. But Basil is right, I have to think of what’s good for my team. I can’t have them suffer just because I’m being petty.

  Two

  Logan

  The world of business is my battlefield. The art of the deal is what brings adrenaline coursing through my veins. When I’m on the hunt, I’m relentless until I capture my prey.

  I honed these warrior’s instincts on an actual battlefield. Where actual blood is shed. But, after years and years of training and seeing my comrades at arms fall one by one, I’ve come to realize that there are better fights to wage than the one at the tip of a sword.

  My weapon of choice? Money and strategy. All that I do is for the good of the ice clan. I envision a future without the need for another dragon to die at the hands of a rival clan. My form of domination comes from what riches I can bring back to my clan.

  I have to admit that my choice is an unconventional one. Especially since I come from a clan that values how many dragons you’ve slain over your lifetime. Killing is a badge of honor. At some point, I refuse to see it that way.

  Making the decision to leave Verglas Mountain for LA burned a lot of bridges for me. I have to live with that every day. I make up for it by ensuring that my clan is successful in many other aspects in this world, including business.

  I’m riding high, having just closed a deal over dinner, when I get a call. I tap on my Aston Martin’s touchscreen and answer, keeping my hands on the wheel.

  “Logan,” my assistant’s voice comes on the line, “Strike Force Alpha is requesting immediate aid. They were injured and believe to be pursued by fire clan dragons. I need instructions.”

  Cold sweat runs down my spine. It’s been a while since I heard that particular strike force’s call sign. I almost drive myself off the road as memories come flooding back to me.

  “Logan? Are you there?”

  I make quick calculations in my mind. They must be in dragon form, flying into LA. That means they need a big enough space to land safely. At the same time, they will need medical attention and supplies.

  “Direct them toward the Bakersfield Factory. Have the night custodian there open the roof deck so that they can land on the clear factory floor,” I say, giving instructions in rapid succession. “I’m on my way there. Have one of our medics come as well. Do we know the extent of the injuries?”

  “No, sir, but from the stress on Basil’s voice, it must not be good.”

  “Then ask two medics to come right now.”

  “Noted, sir. I will relay your instructions to all pertinent recipients.”

  As soon as the call ends, I yank the steering wheel sharply to the right, making a dangerous U-turn. It will take more than a car crash to kill me. Good thing the roads are clear at this time of the night.

  Having fought by Basil’s side for years, not once have I heard him get stressed. He’s an even-keeled sort that doesn’t rattle at all. That’s why Ivy prefers him to be her right hand. He balances out her temper with common sense.

  If he’s stressed, that can only mean that it’s bad. My assistant, Cade, is also an ice dragon. Since he’s smaller than most, he opted to join me in my crazy scheme to go into business instead of battle. What has Ivy gotten herself into now?

  My heart beats in my throat at the memory of her. It was because of her that I joined Strike Force Alpha in the first place. She has the sort of charisma that anyone will go into battle for. She’s a deadly combination of beauty and brains and brawn. She can beat my dragon ass any time of the day.

  I have many not so fond memories of her pinning me down on the mat during a sparring session. She liked making an example of me to the fledglings. I never minded.

  Having Ivy’s attention was a coveted thing among the ice dragons. I saw it as a privilege. That’s until she branded me a traitor for leaving. For choosing a different life that didn’t involve collecting scars.

  I arrive at the factory in time to see the dragons on the horizon. They are flying low, which is protocol when a chase is afoot. To fly high makes one more vulnerable since if you fell out of the sky, you’d surely injure yourself to the brink of death. That kind of injury is hard to recover from in the middle of a fight to the death.

  Some of the dragons were barely holding their position within the formation. The wobbled and swerved. Even from a distance, just based on the way they were flying, what kinds of injuries they have sustained. And based on their low number, I can also tell that they have lost much of the squad.

  I park the car and open the trunk. Right as I’m pulling out my medical grade first aid kit, the two medics I’ve asked for also arrive. We rush inside the factory’s main floor.

  The custodian, who is a lesser ice dragon, meets us and says, “Sir, I’ve already opened the roof deck as per your instructions. I’ve also prepared the beds and made sure that there is water in all the facilities.”

  “Very good, Cabal,” I tell him. “Why don’t you stay? We might need your help.”

  “It’s an honor to serve Strike Force Alpha, sir.”

  I nod right as the first dragon lands. Well, more like flops to the ground. I recognize the almost translucent white scales to be one of Ivy’s senior squad members. The moment he’s lost consciousness, he transforms back into a man.

  Cabal and one of the medics rush to pull him out of the way as more dragons land. The others are able to remain consc
ious long enough to make room for their comrades. Each one of them looks worse than the next. There’s blood everywhere. And burn wounds too.

  It’s pretty clear which clan they tangled with tonight. The fire clan and the ice clan have been at each other’s throats since before he and Ivy were born. Each year, the bloodshed seems to be getting worse and worse.

  I lost a best friend to a skirmish. It’s what prompted me to leave when I did. I no longer had the stomach to watch more of the dragons I care about sacrifice their lives for needless fights to gain or protect territory.

  Basil lands. His blue green scales are striking to the naked eye. He transforms and gives me a nod before he goes to help the medics. I see that he’s injured too, but not as badly as the rest.

  The last to land is Ivy. She makes no sound when she does. I have to suck in a breath because even in dragon form, Ivy is a sight to behold.

  She bears the white scales of royalty, but what sets her apart is the striking blue hue that outlines the edges, while her underside resembles fresh snow. Her vivid blue eyes blink at me once before she transforms back into her human form. She’s clad in the fighting leathers of our clan.