Page 9 of Ancient Promises
Eivross knew his brother was posturing and also most likely pissed that he was leaving rather than toeing the line and helping him take out the other dragon king. But he also knew his brother was crazy times ten, and would definitely carry out his threat if Eivross came into town.
He’d had more than enough of living under the shadow of the threat of death and ruin from his unhinged brother.
Plus, his dragon was supremely happy to be leaving too.
He could feel something coming, better things on the horizon.
“I understand,” he said, both to his brother and the witch.
He didn’t watch her press the brand into his skin; he kept solid eye contact with his brother to show him he had no regrets. While the brand hurt like a bitch and felt like she was pressing a hot poker right against the bones in his wrist, he didn’t flinch. She eased the brand from his skin and moved away, disappearing around the corner of the house, taking her lavender scent with her.
“You have one hour,” Zihndyr said. He paused for a moment, and Eivross thought he might say something else, but instead he simply turned and walked into the house.
Eivross looked at the males who he’d considered friends once upon a time. “I don’t need the hour.” He stripped, tucked his clothes into the crossbody bag with the last of the treasures he’d kept in his room, and strapped it across his chest. Looking to the sky, he let out a sharp call from his dragon and changed forms.
His dragon was dark jade green and his wings were a deep forest green that allowed him to blend into the woods, if you could overlook the fact he was the size of a city bus.
The males around him hustled for cover as he flapped his wings and took to the air. He turned in a lazy circle over the king’s house, which he’d called home his entire life, and then with a sharp cry, he cut an arc in the sky, blasted out his fire, and headed toward Cider Falls.
* * *
The trip took several hours because he’d had to first detour to the other nest to warn the king that he was a target. But King Lindra hadn’t believed him, had said that their people lived in harmony sharing the mountain, each nest in its own territory, and while Zihndyr was a male not to be trifled with, no king in his right mind would take over a territory just to take a second mate. Eivross had assured Lindra that he’d seen the map with their territory marked and that his brother was coming for him, for his daughter, but he’d been dismissed and sent off. It bothered him on several levels, but he couldn’t force the male to believe him. Hopefully, no one died in the coming scuffle, but he wasn’t sure the male would be that lucky.
He hadn’t been in a hurry to get to Cider Falls after that trip. He’d been disappointed that Lindra hadn’t taken up arms and prepared his people to defend themselves. But the closer he got to Cider Falls, the more his dragon pushed him to move faster. It was as if his dragon, who’d been sullen at leaving the nest, was very much interested in where they were headed.
Shrugging off the curious chirps from his beast, he flew forward, watching below as the scenery zipped by. He’d seen an aerial view of Cider Falls and knew what to look for, circling over a bar co-owned by the alpha. He wasn’t supposed to go there, but instead was meant to check in at the guard station and be escorted into town.
He swooped low and looked for the guards, finding a small building with wooden gates closing off the entrance and exit to town through one of two main roads. The other road was blocked off, which forced people to go into town through one road for safety purposes.
Eivross had reached out to Alpha Rehlik ahead of coming to town and was assured he’d be welcomed and allowed to join after a short getting-to-know-him period of twenty-four hours. He was sure they had already run a background check on him through the FSA to find out if he was a criminal, but all they’d see was that he was a dragon in good standing in his nest and was now an exile.
He landed on a stretch of road within eyesight of the guard shack, shifting as he went so he didn’t take out any of the nearby buildings. He grabbed jeans from his crossbody bag and pulled them on before the males in the guard shack reached him.
Once his lower half was covered, he took out the rest of his clothes and dressed.
“I’m Eivross Danforth,” he said, buttoning his shirt and mentally hissing when the sleeve caught the edge of the brand. “Rehlik is expecting me.”
“Nice to meet you,” one of the two males said, extending his hand. Eivross shook it, and then the other male’s. “I’m Weston, head of the security team. This is Novak.”
“Welcome,” Novak said. “Rehlik’s waiting for you in his office in the bar. I’ll take you.”
“Thanks,” Eivross said.
“So you’re a dragon, huh?” Weston said. “That’s pretty cool. I’ve never met one of your people before.”
“We tend to stick to our nest,” he said.
“But you chose exile, so you must have had a good reason for it. The good thing about Cider Falls is there’s a mix of purebreds, hybrids, and humans, and Rehlik’s a great alpha. You won’t find any people hating on purebredsorhybrids, or caring if someone is mated to a different shifter type,” Weston said.
“That’s good news,” Eivross said. “But I’m not looking for a mate. I just want to live my life in peace and quiet.”Without worrying about war breaking out or being killed in my sleep.
“I get that,” Novak said.
“What are you both, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I’m a gorilla-hound,” Novak said.
“I’m a black bear,” Weston answered. “We’ve both been in Cider Falls for a while. It’s a great place.”