Page 51 of Guardian's Dilemma

“I already know where the blood is. I found it almost six months ago.”

“Why didn’t you destroy it?” I asked. Beside me, Glimmer growled.

Douglas ignored him, but I noticed that his protections became stronger. He was taking no chances, being in a room with a dragon.

“Because if I destroyed it, then what? They would know. And then I would have placed myself on opposing sides to the Council. They would have free reign to do what they liked, using dragons’ blood to slaughter.”

I shuddered. “There has to be a way.”

I didn’t like the keen look Douglas gave me then. I knew before he spoke that it would change everything.

And I was right.

Chapter 19: Glimmer

Icould smell the desperation pouring off my mate as he looked to Douglas for help. The trouble was, I didn’t think he’d get it from the older man. Not in the way he wanted, anyway.

Sure enough, Douglas gave Kingsley a pitying look and said, “You know you can’t stay here, Kingsley.”

“I’m aridire,” he said. I heard the mingled pride and desperation in his voice. My mate had earned his title and I admired the skill and dedication he had shown to become one of them. I just didn’t like the idea of him using those skills to hunt dragons. At least, not dragons who’d done no harm.

We’d all killed a few dragons here and there.

Well,Ihad.

Only because they’d threatened my family, though. My treasure.

Douglas said, “If you killed that dragon beside you right now, I would testify to the Council that you were dedicated to the extinction of all dragons.”

I knew that, a day ago, Kingsley would have done exactly that.

He’d certainly have tried.

But that was because, yesterday, he hadn’t met me. There was no way he could bring himself to do it. Even when we’d first faced each other, and he hadn’t had the slightest awareness of who I was, he hadn’t wanted to kill me. Perhaps it was pride on my part, but I was sure that my mate was an incredible fighter and, if he’dreallywanted me dead, I’d be dead. He’d been pulling his punches, even if he hadn’t known why.

Kingsley swallowed. I waited.

It took almost a minute for him to say, “He’s not evil.”

That was about the best compromise I was going to get. He still wasn’t admitting that he felt drawn to me, that his soul was certain it had found its match. Still, admitting that he believed I had a soul at all was an improvement, and I’d take it.

A smile twitched at my lips and Douglas spotted it. I was sure there was amusement lurking under the serious façade.

“Do you think the Council will believe that? Are you prepared to put your life on the line to stand before them and defend a dragon?”

I stood silently beside my mate, calm as anything, because I was absolutely certain that I wouldn’t let him do that. No way would he stand before theridireCouncil and defend me. They’d kill him and then me and then hunt my treasure and I wasn’t going to have any of it. Kingsley didn’t need to know that, though. I wasn’t looking for a fight.

Not yet, anyway.

I nearly smiled to myself at the thought of all the fire inside my mate. The passion. He was practically a dragon, what with all those protective instincts wound tightly around his heart.

He said, “They won’t believe me. I’m a dragon-sympathiser now.”

Douglas sent him another of those pitying looks. “Yes, you are. The question is: what are you going to do?”

Kingsley drew himself up. He was taller than me and he stood proud. I admired his profile in a distracted way and Kingsley said, “I’m going to destroy that blood. I can’t allow anyone else to use it.”

When Douglas smiled, I could see his fey ancestry in him. His whole face lit up.

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