Claimed by the Dragons (Alma Venus Shifter Brides 3)

“Sure, but let’s not forget they were mostly speculations,” added Viggo quickly. “Harington’s research was in its early stages and no one could actually come to any clear conclusions. Too many unknowns.”

“Let’s talk about these details later, shall we?” Eric was showing signs of impatience. “Right now, I don’t care about the advantages, disadvantages and who was right back then. Viggo, just tell me the basic facts.”

The Annarr knew why his Fyrstur was so eager to get the conversation back on track. All he really cared about was if Arthur Harington could give Delyse the gift of a long, very long, awfully long life. He wanted to know if there was any real chance they could grow old together without having to turn her into a dragon-shifter, a solution which was out of the question. A solution which had always been out of the question, even when that meant Eric had to watch his beloved brides die of illness or old age one after the other.

“Right. The Council refused to help Harington. In fact, they did more than that: they shut him down. His research facilities were searched, and everything pertaining to the antidote was confiscated. The human councilor had no choice but to swallow his pride, give up his research, and follow the orders. He couldn’t risk his position, after all.”

“But he didn’t actually stop, did he?” asked Eric. It was more of a rhetorical question. This man… this Arthur Harington… intrigued him. If his daughter was as smart and fearless as he was, then yes, Eric could do anything for her. Anything to keep her forever.

“He did. For a while.” Viggo smiled. “I must admit I was disappointed at first. I thought he would fight for his cause, plead for the necessity of a cure until he either convinced his colleagues or he was thrown out of the Council. But Harington was smarter than that, and I think I knew it, deep down. I had a gut feeling that told me I should keep an eye on him and Harington Pharmaceuticals, so that was exactly what I did. A couple of years later, after the waters had calmed down and the shifter councilors had almost forgotten about his proposal, Harington reopened one of his research facilities and poured some serious money into what had become an illegal project. His son, James Harington, helped him by supervising everything while his father was busy playing the role of the good, obedient politician. Because they had previously made decent progress with the antidote for werewolf venom, they picked up from where they had left and they soon created a real cure. It took months of trial and error, of course, as well as some very questionable methods of testing it, but they eventually succeeded. Then, as if on cue, the Blackmanes from the Black Forest Mountains screwed up monumentally and needed Arthur Harington’s help to sort out their mess.”

Eric’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “The Blackmanes?” He was pretty sure he hadn’t met any of the wolf clan’s members, but the name did sound familiar to him.

“Currently, Clan Blackmane is the second most powerful wolf clan in the world,” explained Viggo.

Eric nodded. “After Clan Voinom.”

“Yes. Maxwell Blackmane is the main Alpha, and three years ago he bought an Alma Venus bride. Avelyn. One of Delyse’s best friends from the boarding school.” Viggo paused for a moment, trying to find a way to tell him the most important parts of Max’s and Avelyn’s story. If he told him the entire epic, they would probably be stuck in this office at least until morning. “As good as he is at leading his three packs, Max is terrible at keeping secrets. Especially when it comes to his bride.” He smiled remembering Avelyn and her feisty and demanding personality. “It turned out his ex-bride hadn’t exactly ended well…”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… he had turned her during the war, then she went insane and he was forced to lock her up in the dungeons under his castle. Avelyn found her, the she-wolf lied to her and told her Max was a monster, and when Avelyn tried to release her, the ex-bride turned into a werewolf, bit her, and left her for dead.”

“Wow!”

“Yeah. And he couldn’t exactly ask for the Council’s help given that he and his brother, Karl, are Voinom’s advisers. The Council would have never forgiven the attack on a human bride, and the Blackmane brothers would have certainly lost their positions. So, because Avelyn was friends with Delyse and Delyse has a brother who would do anything to see her happy, Avelyn got her hands on the cure for the werewolf venom. It was risky, especially since she was pregnant with her first child at the time, and no one knew what the venom would do to the baby. The biggest question was if the child would be born a wolf, a human, or a hybrid.” He paused and thought for a second, then added: “Actually, no one was conce

rned that the baby could be one hundred per cent human. The chances were too slim, almost laughable. But there was a fair chance he could be a hybrid, and we know from stories and legends that hybrids don’t have the ability to shift.”

“And this happened three years ago,” said Eric, his brows furrowed in concentration. “What was the result?”

“The result was that Avelyn didn’t shift on the first full moon. She’s a hybrid now, and her children are all wolf-shifters. She has the enhanced senses, strength and speed of a wolf, and also the long lifespan, but that’s it. Harington’s cure worked like magic.”

“And you were there to witness everything…”

Viggo shrugged. “Well, yeah… I almost got into deep trouble myself, what with the battle at Alma Venus and the trial that followed, but it was worth it. I got what I needed: the certainty that Arthur Harington succeeded in creating a perfect antidote for werewolf venom. Now I know he can do the same with the other four types of venom, if he has enough funds to continue his research and pay his people.”

“Wait! Just wait a second!” Eric leaned forward and placed his hands firmly on the desk. He looked right into Viggo’s eyes. “A battle? There was a battle? And a trial?!”

Viggo sighed. “That’s a story for another time. It’s long and rather boring, believe me. Right now, what’s important is that the Blackmanes are our friends, the Council still doesn’t know about Harington’s illegal activities, and Avelyn is the living proof that there is a way, a perfectly safe way, to turn a human bride into a hybrid so that she can live as long as a shape-shifter and still be able to have children.”

When Viggo had started spying on the Blackmanes after Avelyn had taken the cure, that was one of the biggest questions to which he needed an answer: could a hybrid have children? Shifter females were infertile, and that was why shifter males had to take human brides. They were the only ones who could ensure the continuation of their species, and the peace treaty between the factions had established that humans would offer shifters human brides as long as they all worked together to create a better world. These brides, however, were first raised and educated in special boarding schools that prepared them to become good wives for the five types of shape-shifters: wolves, bears, dragons, foxes, and eagles. Mostly, the girls who ended up in these boarding schools were orphans and wouldn’t have had a better life otherwise. It was rare that a family donated a daughter in the idea that she would be bought by an influential Alpha and reinforce the friendship between the species. Delyse was one of these exceptions.

Eric thought about it for a couple of long minutes. He didn’t have all the details, and he hated it, but what Viggo had told him so far sounded good. It seemed like there really was a chance for things to work out differently this time. They would have to go back and go through the advantages and disadvantages of a cure for the dragon venom later, but he knew Astrid and Finn were waiting for the conversation to be over so they could talk about clan business. They had probably heard this story, and analyzed everything with Viggo one too many times. There were other things which concerned them now.

“All right,” Eric said. “All right. Thank you, Viggo. I…” He hesitated. It had always been difficult for him to express his appreciation for what his Annarr did for him and the entire clan.

Viggo understood and waved his hand dismissively. He had never expected Eric to thank him or even acknowledge his efforts. That was never why he did everything he did.

Eric took a deep breath and insisted: “I really appreciate it…” He cleared his throat. “You’ll give me all the other details later.” He turned to Astrid and Finn. “Now, let’s hear it: how many of our dragons are still awake?”

Astrid smiled bitterly. “Oh, you’re not gonna like this.”

Eric waited, his patience wearing thin. He had never liked Astrid’s penchant for dramatic moments.

“It’s only the three of us,” said Astrid, motioning to Viggo and Finn. “It’s only been us for a long, long time. The archipelago is full of sleeping dragons.”

Eric closed his eyes for a moment and cursed under his breath. It was worse than he had expected.