"Maybe it will work," his brother said. "I don't know. I suspect it's not Lily he wants so much as revenge on her mother, but Vortigen hates to be beaten. You know that. Even if he lets this go and we return to Ankesh, do you think you'll ever be safe?"
Mal smiled. "One thing at a time, brother. Let's get everyone home and then worry about the future."
"Mal, can you trust him?" Lily asked.
He could see the worry beneath the bravado, and he stroked a strand of her hair. "A dragon's word is sacred. If he swears on the Goddess, he'll keep his promise." He turned to Killian. "So you'll arrange the meeting?"
He nodded. "I'll try for tonight."
"Not tonight. You need time to talk to the others. Tomorrow will be soon enough."
"Okay, but I grow impatient now that the scent of Ankesh is in my nostrils." He glanced across at Lily then back to Mal. "Don't fail us in this."
"We won't. Tomorrow night, you'll be home. Come on, I'll see you out."
He stood up, pulled free of Lily's hand, and followed Killian to the door. Once it closed behind them, Killian turned to him.
"Is she worth it?" he asked. "Give her to Vortigen and we can all go home. Maybe once there we can do something to control him. She'll be safe; even Vortigen wouldn't dare harm the last Dragon Princess."
"Maybe not physically, but he wants revenge on her mother. Lily would be the means of that revenge. He'd make her life a living hell. And you've met Lily. Do you think she'll submit to Vortigen? No fucking way. She'd fight to her last breath and probably beyond."
Killian sighed. "So be it. I knew that would be your answer after seeing the two of you together, but I had to try. I'll pray to the Goddess. Perhaps she'll listen, but I doubt it." He embraced Mal, and then drew back. "Whoever else stands beside you tomorrow night, I'll be there."
"I know. Now go. Do what has to be done and let me know when the meeting is arranged."
The call came later in the day.
"The King has accepted your conditions. He'll meet you tomorrow night. He's also sent out a call to the others. They'll all be there."
"Do we meet at the stones?"
"No, it's too dangerous. There's a house close by, about ten miles from where you are now. I'll send directions." He was silent for a moment. "Mal, I have a bad feeling about this. Vortigen gave in too easily. I'm not sure he's entirely sane anymore."
"I've thought that for a long time. Did he swear on the Goddess?"
Mal could hear his brother sigh. "He did. He's promised he won't harm you or the Princess."
"Then we can do nothing more. I'll see you tomorrow night."
He put down the phone and turned to Lily. "Tomorrow night."
"I heard." She came up close and laid her head against his chest. "Mal, I'm scared."
He pulled her to him, knowing how much it had cost her to admit that. "So am I."
She punched him on the chest. "Liar. You're not scared of anything."
Once he would have agreed. Not anymore. Fear gnawed at his guts, sending him reeling off-balance. For the first time, he had something other than his life to lose.
He held Lily close, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"Come on, let's go to bed. We have a day before we have to leave. I want to make the most of it."
In case it was their last.
Chapter 16
"Let's go through this one more time," Mal said.
Lily snapped her seat belt shut and frowned into the darkness. "I've got it, okay."
"Humor me." He switched on the engine and they headed down the drive.
"You drop me off at the stones." She glanced sideways at him. "You know, I'd really rather we stuck together. Isn't there some other-"
"No. I must talk to Vortigen and the rest of my people. But I don't trust him."
"I thought he'd given this sacred vow thing."
"It should be enough, but still I'd rather keep you away from him. Once he has you in his power, there's little I can do. And if he has us both, he can use one against the other."
That didn't sound good. What would she do if they threatened Mal? They hadn't been apart since that night at the stones and she dreaded the coming separation. But he was right. This way Mal would have a chance to gauge his people's feelings before she came into contact with them.
"Okay, so you drop me off at the stones and I wait to hear from you. If everything is okay, you'll bring a few of your guys over there as witnesses. We'll prove we can open the portal, they'll see that Vortigen has been lying, and they'll dump his sorry ass."
His lips twisted into a smile. "Something like that."
She rested her head back against the smooth leather of the seat. "You know, I'd rather face any number of sorcerers than your lot."
"We're not so bad."
"No? It's not that, but I know you'd fight to kill sorcerers. I'm not sure what you'd do if your dragons turn against us."
"I'll protect you."
"Good." It had to be enough. "Let's get this over with."
They drove out through the gates and turned onto the narrow road. She tried to empty her mind of her worries, but couldn't shift the sense of unease.
"Everything will be fine," Mal murmured. "We'll get through this."
She nodded then caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. A vehicle, no lights, driving fast out of the one of the narrow side roads to the left. Seconds later, it rammed into them, pushing their car off the road and into the ditch.
Lily was thrown forward, her seatbelt ramming into her as the airbags exploded with a roar. The car filled with dense white dust and she choked, and then coughed trying to clear her throat. The vehicle lay on its side, so Mal was somewhere beneath her but she was blinded and could only hear his muttered curses. She struggled, desperate to be free as someone yanked the door open from outside.
Light glinted on a blade as it stabbed into the inflated airbag and she was suddenly free and could breathe again. The knife sliced through her seatbelt, then fingers dug into the soft flesh of her upper arms, dragging her from the car.
Collapsing to her knees by the side of the road, she retched then scrubbed her hand over her eyes to clear her vision. When she looked up, two men were pulling Mal out. He was conscious but dazed, his eyes unfocused. Other men stood around. A lot of other men.
So much for the plan.
Mal spat, clearing his throat then shook his head. His gaze sharpened on the man to his left. "What the fuck's going on, Kyle?
"I'm acting under the King's orders." His gaze brushed over her, then he looked at Mal coldly. "He awaits you."
"Where's Killian?"
"Killian hasn't been seen since he went to meet you with the King's message. So maybe I should ask you where Killian is."
A shiver ran through her at the words. She could sense the same unease radiating from Mal.
"Listen, Kyle," Mal said. "Killian was fine when he left me yesterday. He came back here. I spoke to him on the phone later, and he was with Vortigen."
"I know nothing of that. What I do know is that you've had the Dragon Princess in your possession for two weeks, yet you've not brought her to us."
"We were on our way to meet him now. There was no need for this."
"The King will decide what there is ‘need' of." He turned to the men holding Mal. "Put him in the van. I'll take the girl with me."
Mal caught her gaze as they led him away, she could sense him willing her to be calm. But she wasn't calm. Not even vaguely. A scream welled up in her throat as they shoved Mal into the back of a black van, leaving her standing staring at the closed door.
As she took a step toward it, her arm was taken in a hard grip.
"Let go of me," she snarled, glaring at the man holding her.
His eyes widened, but he released his grip and waved her toward a dark car parked behind the van. Wrapping her arms around her stomach to stop the trembling, she dragged her feet, her mind scrambling for a way out.
Could she use magic? But she felt shaky from the crash, unable to concentrate. Besides, ahead of her the van pulled away, taking Mal. She had no choice but to see this through.
She huddled in the back of the car, as far away from the man beside her as she could get. A sour taste filled her mouth and her throat ached. She had to be strong. Maybe this wasn't the end. Mal had said some of the dragons would be on their side.
But back then, they'd been in a position of strength.
Dragons liked strength.
Now they were both prisoners.
She wished she had a gun, but Mal had advised against it and her only weapon was a knife shoved down the back of her jeans.
After about half an hour, they pulled up in front of a huge sprawling, ancient-looking building. Lily kept her gaze fixed on the back of the van, desperate for a glimpse of Mal, her breath hitching as he appeared, a guard on either side of him. They were taking no risks.