Craved by the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons 8)

Chapter Eighteen

Ivy Passmore sat huddled on the soggy ground, hoping the summer rain would stop soon. She'd never been much of a rambler, and yet here she was, who the hell knew where in the Lake District, trying her best to reach the gates of Clan Stonefire.

Pulling the hood of her jacket further over her head, she remembered why she was lost in the wilderness, risking everything to reach a group of dragon-shifters.

For retribution.

Not against the dragon-shifters, but rather the human bastards who'd forced her into working for them. As soon as she'd learned that they'd killed her brother and his partner, she'd made her escape.

Her eyes watered thinking of her brother, Richard. He was her only sibling and she'd never hear his jokes again, let alone tease him about his dream of doing stand-up comedy one day at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

In retrospect, she should've supported him more and maybe he would've reached that dream before his death.

If that weren't enough to tear her heart in two, she'd loved her brother's partner, David, of ten years like a second brother.

She'd never see her brother or David ever again.

And it was all her fault.

No. She wasn't going down that road of thinking. The thumb drive in her pocket, protected in several plastic bags, was her only chance at getting back at the bastards for what they'd done. And to do that, she needed Stonefire's help.

If she could ever find their blasted gates. How could a fully enclosed settlement with nothing surrounding it but nature be so difficult to find?

Glancing at the sky, the amount of light peeking through the clouds told her it would be evening soon. Rain or no rain, Ivy needed to keep going because she wasn't sure if she could survive another night in the wilderness with no shelter and no food.

Standing up, she ignored the gnawing ache in her belly and her protesting muscles. Putting one foot in front of the other, she tried her best to use the mountains as a guide. Before her mobile phone's battery had died early in the morning, she'd had sat-nav and had been paying close attention to where the hills and mountains were in relation to her position. It was the only clue she had to ensure she wasn't traveling in circles. Not exactly precise, but she'd take it.

Ivy had no idea how long she'd trekked before she came to a clearing nestled between two large copses of trees. Not that she took in the landscape. Her eyes focused on the three dragons swooping and hovering in the sky. They had to be with Stonefire. She couldn't imagine other dragons venturing this close to another clan.

With her head pounding and how difficult it was to put one foot in front of the other, Ivy knew this could be her last chance at redemption. The last chance to make up for everything she'd done.

So gathering up the last of her energy, she yelled, "Help me!" several times before her vision swam and she fainted.

~~~

Brenna had spent most of her first few days back at work flying over every inch of Stonefire's land and had narrowed down her list of possible locations for the safe meeting place to three.

She'd saved the most promising area for last, and she currently hovered in place over the large clearing nestled between two copses of trees. While placing the building in the open might seem a poor choice, she thought the thick trees to either side would provide ample opportunities for escape routes and even hidden tunnels. Besides, the building in the open would act as a decoy of sorts, with the real meeting place hidden further inside the woods or possibly underground.

Just as she was about to signal the two Protectors with her that they should head back, she heard a female's voice shout, "Help me!"

Even with the wind and rain, Brenna easily pinpointed the source. She watched as the female promptly fell to the ground and didn't get up again.

The female could be a trick, so Brenna signaled to her compatriots to stay in the air and keep an eye out. She'd investigate the stranger alone.

Diving down, she landed gently next to the female. She listened for any unusual rumbling in the underbrush or talking nearby, but heard none. If the female were part of a trap that involved others, the danger from the stranger's companions wasn't immediate. Especially since Blake had rigged a safety zone near her three sites, to prevent any sort of drone from flying and attacking.

Brenna imagined her wings shrinking to her back, her snout shrinking back into her nose, and her arms and legs morphing into human ones. As soon as she finished, Brenna barely paid attention to the rain as she knelt next to the female.

Her red hair was matted, her face smudged with dirt, and her clothes were soaked with rain and mud. Brenna had no idea who the female was, although she could tell she was human from her scent and shorter stature.

Her dragon spoke up. We should take her back to the clan. If she dies, we'll never learn why she's here.

I'm not sure we can risk that, but I won't let her die. Brenna motioned for the red dragon to land and ordered, "Zain, bring one of the doctors to the abandoned cottage near the lake. I'll take the human there and wait for you."

The red dragon bobbed his head, jumped into the sky, and sped away.

After B