Double Dragons(33)

“Oh,” she said. She looked at Ran. “So could I get healing?”

Draven’s eyes were somber. “Yes.”

Her heart sank slightly. “So you’re hoping I’d get blue power and be able to save Ran?”

“It’d be nice, but neither of us would ask you to do that because of the next part.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“There’s an extra risk when you mix blood with a black dragon. There’s a chance the poison can kill you.”

She sat very still as shock flooded her. She’d been promised immortality. Now she was being told she had a chance at death. Her eyes widened as she stared at Ran. Did she really understand them at all?

Draven looked at her apologetically. “Now you know why I was so hesitant. Why I didn’t want Ran to rush in.” He held his partner, gently moving his hand over Ran’s hair. “Now you’ve heard everything. You can decide on your own. Obviously, we’d love to have you. And not just for what you can do. Everything has been different since you’ve been in our lives. I was wrong to keep you out. But yeah, it’s your decision now.”

“You haven’t told her everything,” Ran said. “With the last mate, when she realized what I looked like, what my dragon was, she was disgusted. When she realized she would have to risk death, she left us. It was devastating, but I realized my mistake. Back then, I was so desperate to stay with Draven that I would have tried everything. But I was going about it all wrong.”

“Ran,” Draven warned in a low, angry voice.

Ran waved a hand and turned to Melissa. “I know you probably think I’m a monster. For bringing you here and not telling you about the risks. But the truth is I never planned to give you the option of taking my blood. I just wanted someone to share Draven’s immortality. Someone he can protect. It’s in his nature.” Ran sighed deeply, pushing hair off his sweat-sheened forehead. “You don’t have to share blood with both dragons.”

Her mouth gaped open. “What?”

Draven shook his head, looking at Ran. “I knew that’s what you were thinking all along. But it’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair all around,” Ran said. “I was selfish. I know that now. And I’ve lived the way I want. And this is what I want.” He grinned. “I like her. Maybe even love her. It works.”

Draven stood abruptly, pushing Ran off. He paced angrily and then pinned his gaze on Melissa. “I can’t tell you what to do. If I were you, I’d probably just run away. I probably wouldn’t want to spend an eternity with me without Ran either.”

She grinned, but her heart was sore inside. She didn’t know what to do. She was relieved to see Ran was sitting up, getting some of his strength back.

He sat forward, rubbing his head. Just as he opened his mouth to say something to her, they heard a loud flapping noise, and in the distance, she saw a large red object landing just outside the tree line.

She raised a hand to shield her eyes. The red dragon was easy to make out against the rich, verdant green all around her. It was peaceful here, the sky overcast, nothing around for miles.

The dragon shifted to a tall blond man with an extremely red face as he ran toward them. As he approached, he seemed to be nearly erupting with anger. It was Drake.

He looked at them, opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, and then let out a harsh breath and turned back as if he was going to leave. Then he seemed to think better of it and strode over to them. He was wearing a red jacket with a zipper over casual jeans. Once again, she was impressed by his height and breadth, as Draven stood to meet him and they stood shoulder to shoulder.

They started to talk in low voices, and then he caught sight of her.

“Damn, she looks freaked out…” He put a hand to his chin and his eyes widened, an astonishing blue-green. “You told her.” His gaze flicked to Ran. “Damn. She’s gonna run.”

She let out a growl as she strode to face him. “I’m not going to run. And what are you doing here?”

He raised a surprised eyebrow and stared down at her angrily, and then Draven turned him to face him. “Drake, what’s going on?”

Drake threw a hand through his hair, pulling it and dropping his hand down to his side in exasperation. She could feel the frustration in waves.

“Is it Quill?” Ran asked, brushing off his knees and standing unsteadily. His face still hadn’t returned to normal color, but at least he was up. She walked over to him and put her arm around his waist, earning a surprised glance from Drake.

Then Drake’s expression darkened again. “The wolves have him. The relatives of the ones you killed in that trafficking case. They knew stupid Quill couldn’t resist a disaster, so they hurt a bunch of humans, knowing he’d show up with his healing fire. He loves going invisible for that shit. But…” Drake pulled at his hair again. “He’s not supposed to go out alone.” He looked at Ran. “I’m worried I need you for this one. There are a lot of them.” He looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve had a lot lately, but I had to ask. He’s my partner. Stupid as he is.”