14
Monday, Island of Sørøya, Norway
Cursing the daylight, Ryker ground his teeth and shifted the car Vector had acquired for them into high gear, the tires squealing as he took a sharp curve. Half a day to heal, just over three hours in the jet to Hasvik, and then a half-hour drive. Erik certainly knew how to hide from humans. His estate was on the clifflike shores of Noregr, although the humans had renamed the land Norway. His castle had been built between two small villages on the island of Sørøya. The entire island was home to just over a thousand humans.
“Send us over the cliff into that fucking ice water and you’ll have to wait another day to heal before you can get to her.” Vector’s blasé protest of his driving had the desired effect, and Ryker slowed to a reasonable speed.
Well, reasonable for a dragon who would have much preferred flying directly to the castle in full view. Staying hidden from the humans was not something his dragon cared about at the moment.
Ryker snarled. “I am going to disembowel him. Tear out his throat. Slash him to pieces and bury him alive.”
“He’s a king, old friend.” Crammed into the back seat, knees nearly to his chin, Alrik’s amusement served to irritate.
“He took my mate.”
“Technically he did not. He escorted a female business associate from your estate,” Vector pointed out. “No one knows she is your true mate, not even the lady in question.”
Ryker’s dragon roared in fury at Vector’s truth. He winced, his head about to split in two with his dragon’s anger. “Do not speak of it. I am barely keeping him at bay.”
“Even with the dragon chains?” Alrik asked, and it was not lost on Ryker that he was not asking as a friend but in his role as executioner.
“Yes.”
Alrik sighed. “Well then, hurry the fuck up.”
Ryker clenched his fists around the wheel, increasing the vehicle’s speed once more. The car’s mapping system indicated they were still twenty minutes away on winding roads that passed nothing but seaside cliffs and empty countryside.
And it was cold. Wet. The air was soggy with a mix of rain and sea spray so thick Ryker’s face and neck were coated with it.
“Fuck this,” He slammed on the brakes and pulled the car to the side of the road.
“You can’t. It’s broad daylight,” Vector pointed out.
“You may not regain control of him.” Alrik’s statement about his dragon was more worrisome than breaking the rule about not revealing themselves to the humans. If someone wanted to punish Ryker for risking discovery, they could try, but he had won his place as king centuries ago and no one dared challenge him for leadership. He was the fastest, toughest, most dangerous dragon in the clan, and he was not spending another moment driving the slow human vehicle when he could be there in a quarter of the time by flying straight to King Erik’s estate.
Ryker opened the door and stood on the open road. There were no cars, no humans for miles. He had to applaud Erik; the king’s northern estate was remote, desolate, and built on the cliffs for easy defense. Perfect for a dragon. Ryker’s estate in Italy had once been the same, but that had been in ancient times, before modern cities, and humans invaded every bit of exposed earth.
The thought enraged his dragon even more. They were guardians of the planet, of nature, of all life, yet the billions of humans had overcome their best efforts. Now the dragons operated from the shadows, doing what little could be done to save humanity from itself.
Humans need to die, Dragon insisted.
Your mate is human, old one.
Katy can live. The rest need to die. Like Erik. I will destroy Erik.
Erik is a dragon.
He is a dead dragon.
Fuck. His dragon was in a bad mood. And Ryker was about to turn him loose.
Vector and Alrik both climbed out of the car on the passenger side and looked over the low rooftop. Vector crossed his arms and leaned over the top of the car. “You sure about this?”
“My dragon is very sure,” Ryker answered.
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Alrik grinned and slapped Vector on the back. “You worry too much. Erik is an ancient, nearly as old as Ryker. He can take care of himself.”