Dragon's Mercy
14.

Maria's blood boils as she glares at Vanessa, then turns to Ryker, who looks at her as if she's a stranger.

Aelon stands behind them with a bewildered look on his face. "Vanessa showed up this morning claiming she's our new dragoness."

"Ryker, what's going on?" She takes a step toward him.

Vanessa leans in and whispers to Ryker. "Maria's your enemy. She manipulated you into making her your dragoness."

"Yes. Maria's my enemy."

"Vanessa, this is pathetic, even for you. Ryker's my husband."

"Not anymore, he hates you. Don't you, baby?"

"Yes, I hate Maria."

"We need to kill her immediately." Vanessa coos.

"You can't just kill her! She's our official dragoness, there are laws." Aelon butts in.

"Ryker is the law."

"No, he's our dragon lord and our leader, but we don't execute anyone without a trial."

"Take Maria to the dungeon. We need to torture her and find out what she knows." Ryker orders.

"No!"

"Great idea, Lord Ryker. I'll happily torture Maria."

"Vanessa, I'll tear your arm off before you lay a hand on me."

Vanessa stills for a moment and Maria can see fear move over her, before recovering and letting out a cruel laugh. "No, you won't. Ryker will kill you first."

Mason and Simone enter along with the rest of the flight. "What the hell?"

"Vanessa drugged Ryker." She tells them.

"He does seem.....different." Aelon nods.

"How dare you! I would never hurt Ryker."

"Vanessa's been an ally for years. I don't think she'd hurt Ryker."

"Ryker trusts me, don't you?"

He turns to Vanessa with a blank stare. "Yes, I trust you, Vanessa."

She leans up and kisses him on the cheek. Rage flows through Maria's veins. "Y'know, he only trusts you because you drugged him. How terrible of a person are you that you need to drug someone so they'll be with you?"

"Maria killed your sister and your father, Ryker! And now she's here to kill you."

Ryker lunges at her with a snarl, his hands wrapping around her throat as he pushes her against the wall.

"Ryker, stop!"

His eyes are cold and distant as he squeezes harder. Vanessa just smiles. "Yes, kill her, Ryker."

Maria goes limp in his arms. As soon as his grip on her neck loosens, she swings her arm and elbows him in the cheek. He lets go of her neck and steps back. "It's to the dungeon for you."

"Wait, Ryker-" Aelon tries to grab his arm, but Ryker knocks him to the ground.

"Get off, old man. You let this happen."

"Aelon, you defending Maria means you can't be trusted either."

Aelon looks at her and steps back. "You're on your own, Dragoness Maria."

"Don't you dare call her that! I will be your dragoness. Maria is an imposter!"

Maria racks her brain, scrambling for a way out of this mess. She grabs Ryker's hands for the connection as she mindlinks him. "It's me, your dragon mate. We're on the same side, our hearts beat as one."

Suddenly, the dazed look in Ryker's eyes goes away. He shakes his head as he stares at her. "What happened?"

"Vanessa drugged you. She tried to get you to kill me so she could marry you and be your dragoness."

Ryker turns to Vanessa with murder in his eyes, who backs up and away from him. "No, she's lying!"

"Maria is my true dragon mate. I know she's not lying because I can feel her honesty in my bones."

The whole flight gasps with shock. "That's impossible. Dragon mates are extinct." Simone says.

"It's not impossible because Maria is my mate."

"Is this a joke, Ryker? You don't have to marry Vanessa, but claiming to be mates makes me think you're crazy."

"It's not a joke." Ryker lifts up his shirt and shows the ancient dragon mate symbol from where she marked him. Maria also lifts her shirt and shows her matching mark. "Now, let's get you to the dungeon, Vanessa. I have lots of questions for you."

"We can't kill her, Ryker. Her father and his dragon flies are allies."

Vanessa takes out a gun and points it at Maria. "Dragon mates went extinct for a reason. You need to die." She fires the gun, but Maria dives to the ground, dodging the bullet.

Popping up, Maria does a roundhouse kick, knocking the girl in the jaw, then jumps on her and makes a grab for the gun. "Get off, you devious slut!" Despite the words, Maria slams the girl's head on the ground, forcing the gun free, then picks it up and shoots her in the leg.

Vanessa cries out as she pathetically crawls away. "Ah, no!"

"I'm the dragoness here and I will destroy anyone who dares to challenge me again." She moves to stand next to Ryker and takes his hand.

"Here's to Maria, our strong dragoness who protects our dragon lord and our flight."

The pack cheers as Ryker kisses her on the lips. "You were amazing. Thank you for fighting for me." He grabs Vanessa to take her down to the dungeon when Aelon stops him.

"Ryker, we should talk to Vanessa's father first. Torturing her will be considered an act of war. And between the dragon hunters and Maria's ex-fiance, we can't afford to have more enemies right now."

"I agree with Aelon. Vanessa's a troubled girl who just loved you too much and couldn't handle the rejection." Simone tries to downplay what happened.

Ryker takes a deep breath and looks at Maria. "I agree. We should avert war with Vanessa's flight, but there has to be a consequence."

"We'll look weak if we let Vanessa walk into our flight and drug me. She tried to execute my mate, for fucks sake! Lock her in the dungeon for now. I'll speak with her father about what's to be done." The guards take Vanessa down to the dungeon.

Ryker takes Maria's hand and walks her into his study. Simone, Mason and Aelon follow.

"Why didn't you tell me you were mates?" His mother asks.

"Because it doesn't change anything."

"Yes, it does! Do you know the target you just put on our back?"

"Everyone will be hunting to kill the precious dragon mates. We're going to be attacked from all sides."

"Dragon mates are rumored to have certain.... powers. Have you felt anything different?" Aelon asks, curious about the new findings.

Maria immediately mindlinks to Ryker. "Are you going to tell them we can mindlink and hear each other's thoughts?"

"No. This is between us only." He ends the mindlink and turns back to Aelon. "We only just found out about our mate bond. And as of now, all we feel is a very deep connection. Now, please leave me. I need to call Vanessa's father." She stays while the others leave. As soon as they're gone, Ryker pulls her into his arms. He gently kisses her neck where his hands had previously squeezed, looking at her with pained eyes. "Maria, I'm sorry. I would never put my hands on you in anger. It all feels like a weird, blurred dream now. But I have to take responsibility."

"Ryker, there is nothing to forgive. I know you weren't yourself and our dragon bond was strong enough to save us both."

"You really are my perfect counterpart." Ryker picks up the phone and calls Vanessa's dragon lord. They talk for a few minutes before he hangs up with a smile. "Her father is embarrassed and upset about her behavior. He's angry I didn't go through with the marriage, but he's more concerned with keeping our alliance."

"That's great news. So, what does he want us to do with Vanessa?"

"He agrees she deserves a harsh punishment, so he wants me to keep her in our dungeon for a week. She'll be treated well, but she needs to know she went too far." He kisses her, takes her hand and walks her to the door. "Come on. I need to get out of this house." Ten minutes later, he leads her into a private bathhouse. "My parents built this place. Mason and I would come here with them when we were kids. My father used to think the water would give us strength."

"I love it."

"As my mate, I knew I needed to share it with you. The chances of true dragon mates are one in a billion." Ryker kisses her as he removes his clothes. She kisses him back, ripping his shirt and pants off him. "I need to feel you, Maria. I need to erase Vanessa from my mind completely." He lifts her into his arms and leads her into the steaming water.

As soon as she's in the water, her body feels lighter and stronger at the same time. "Ryker, this feels so amazing. The water feels like it's an actual part of me."

"That's because it is." He sits against the wall and pulls her to straddle him. She rubs her tits against his chest, reveling in the new, euphoric feeling. Ryker's lips move down to her neck, gently kissing where his hands were earlier. "I wish I could take my actions back."

"But you can't. All you can do is show me how much I mean to you."

His eyes lock with hers as he moves his hand down her collarbone to gently caress her breasts. "There is nothing more important to me than you."

She passionately kisses Ryker as her hips grind down on his cock. He moves his hand lower, gently massaging her clit. "Oh, yes!" Her pleasure multiplies as his fingers move lower to tease her slit, then reaches down to grasp his hard cock.

He pushes into her, desperate for more. "I can't wait anymore, Maria. I need to be inside you."

"I don't think I'm really in the mood right now, despite how tempting it does sound. I'm gonna get dressed."

"Sure. We can get dressed."

They step out of the water and put their clothes back on. His face looks serious and she hopes he's not feeling rejected.

"Ryker, look at me. I'm not rejecting you. I'm just still a little shaken up from earlier."

"I don't feel rejected. I just want you to know that you're important."

"Maybe we can come back again when I feel more comfortable?"

"Of course. We can come here anytime. You can even come here without me if you want."

"Oh, but I'd rather come here together. It can be our special place." Ryker kisses her, then pulls back with a sigh. "What? I can tell you're still upset about something."

"I'm angry I even allowed Vanessa the chance to drug me. She showed up acting crazy. I went to call her dragon lord when I felt something prick my skin. It was so small, I didn't think anything of it."

"Vanessa had to have known she'd be caught."

"Vanessa doesn't care. She feels like you took what's rightfully hers." Suddenly, his eyes widen and he pulls away with a start. "Do you smell that?"

She sniffs and smells smoke. "Fire!"

Ryker runs toward the back of the bathhouse where the fire rages. "Come on, we have to save it!" Just as he runs out the door, a burning beam from above falls on his leg. "Ah!"

She helps him push the beam off. "I've got you, Ryker!" Then helps him stand as he limps out of the burning building. Ryker runs for the hose around the side of the hose to put out the fire. She panics and freezes up. Ryker uses the hose, but it's not strong enough to stop the fire and the bathhouse burns down. "Damn it, I couldn't help you save it!"

"Someone followed us here." He snarls.

"But why a fire? They knew it wouldn't kill us."

"Because it's a game. They wanted to toy with us."

"They must have known they didn't have the power to kill us."

"But lighting a fire is a way to let me know they could have." Ryker walks around the bathhouse, looking for clues.

In the ash, Maria picks up a large black button. "Do you recognize this?"

"No, but I'm sure it's from whoever set the fire. Our first clue."

She looks down at the large cut on Ryker's calf. "That looks bad."

"It's fine."

"Ryker, I'm your mate. I can feel your pain."

"But I'd prefer the pack not to know I'm hurt. We're already vulnerable. I don't want to give anyone else a reason to think we're an easy target."

"Ryker, no one could ever think you're an easy target."

He limps a little, but as they get towards the training area, he straightens up. "I'll walk the rest of the way on my own."

"Ryker, we can always go in another door so no one sees you."

"No, I'm not going to hide away."

Mason quickly approaches Ryker. "Did you speak with Vanessa's dragon lord?"

"I did. There will be no war."

The pack cheers. Ryker nods, then slowly walks toward the house, trying not to show how much pain he's in. He takes another step and stumbles. Instinctively, he reaches his hand out to her, grasping for her support, but he loses his footing and falls to the ground, but not before catching himself before the rest of the flight notices.

"Ryker, what's going on?" Mason asks.

"There was a fire at the bathhouse, but I'm fine."

Maria takes Ryker to the bedroom to tend to his wound. Agnes knocks on the door before entering. "Ryker, I saw your wound as you entered the house. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Maria is taking care of me."

"The whole flight knows that you're dragon mates."

"Oh. Are they scared?" Maria cocks a brow.

"Probably, but no one is admitting to being scared. They all feel special to have mates as their leaders. They've also heard about the bounty on your head, Maria."

"Do they want to sell me out?"

"No one has said that. They are more worried people will come here to kill us all."

Simone knocks on the door and enters. Her eyes narrow with anger when she sees Agnes. "You should be in the kitchen preparing for dinner."

"She was checking on me, Mom. Give Agnes a break."

Simone rolls her eyes with a sigh as Agnes rushes out of the room. "Ryker, it's time to settle the disputes."

The duo walk into his study, where there's a line of people waiting to speak to Ryker.

"So you settle all disputes?" Maria asks, curious to his customs.

"Yes. I also dole out punishments when a dragon misbehaves."

"My father used to do the same. I would sit with him as a little girl and listen to his rulings."

"Aelon and my mother are here incase I ask for advice."

"Oh, I can give you some advice."

"I'd love to hear your advice." Ryker sits in the dragon lord's chair with her right next to him. "As my dragoness, Maria will settle the first dispute."

The old man who helped hide the children during the attack approaches. "Lord Ryker, Dragoness Maria, I thank you for hearing my grievance today. My issue is with your brother, Mason."

A few gasps move over the room as Mason steps forward. "You're ridiculous. You're making something out of nothing."

"We'll let Lord Ryker and Dragoness Maria decide that. I've been tending our flight's farm for the past 45 years. In return, I've been allowed to take a cow home for myself each year."

"Yes, I remember that deal you had with my father." Ryker nods.

"Well, Mason has decided that the deal is no more. And he's taken back my other cows that have been gifted."

"Mason, did you have permission to do this?"

"No, I didn't think I needed to. I'm the dragon lord's second in command. I wouldn't have done it if he were eating the cows, but he keeps them as pets. It's a waste of good food."

"A gift is a gift! It doesn't matter what I do with it."

Maria turns to Ryker and whispers low. "Are we having a meat shortage? Do you need these cows to feed the flight?"

"No, we have plenty of livestock."

"Then I find in favor of the flight elder." She grins. The rest of the flight gasps as the elder smiles with happiness. "A deal is a deal. When your father made the deal, there were no stipulations about what the elder did with his cows. If there was a food shortage, I may feel differently. But as of now, the cows must be returned to the elder."

"Thank you, Dragoness."

Mason takes an aggressive step toward her. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm the dragoness here. I have more authority than you. And I'm glad you aren't making the decisions because you don't fight fair."

"You know nothing about how I fight."

"I know you broke a deal your father made without cause."

"Enough! I agree with Maria's ruling. Given the facts, it's the same decision I would've made." Mason storms off after Ryker finalizes the decision and takes Maria's hand. "Don't worry about him. He likes to flex his power, but he'll get over it."

~W~

A few hours later, Maria and Ryker take a group of guards into the woods to check the east border.

"I hate asking you to come, but I don't want to leave you alone."

"Oh, I love doing security checks."

"So do I. And setting traps for the enemy."

Suddenly, she gets a bad feeling in her stomach. She looks at Ryker, who knows exactly what she's feeling. "I feel it too." They both stop and look around, then they see the danger. "Dragon hunters." But these hunters wear hoods over their faces so their identities cannot be uncovered. Maria and Ryker shift into their dragons, shooting fire at the hunters. "Nice hit!"

Diving down through the trees, she shoots more fire at the hunters when a net captures her. She falls hard on the ground and is soon swarmed by hunters. Shifting back into her human form, she fights her way out of the net and runs back into the woods. "Yeah, keep running." The hunter shouts.

"I'm coming, Maria." Ryker flies toward her but is bombarded by fire from the hunters. She dives behind a tree and is grabbed by a hunter.

Reaching up, she snatches his mask off, coming face to face with Mason, Ryker's brother disguised as a dragon hunter. "It's time for you to die."

A hood is put over her face, then something hits her hard on the head and she passes out.

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