A DRAGON’S CURSE

  The Hidden Realm Book Two

  HEATHER RENEE

  A Dragon’s Curse, The Hidden Realm, Book Two © Copyright 2023 by Heather Renee and HRB Publishing LLC

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.

  For more information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book, email heatherreneeauthor@yahoo.com.

  ISBN: 979-8392311439

  Line Editing and Proofing: Jamie from Holmes Edits

  Cover: JoY Cover Designs

  Illustrations: Art by Kalynne and Samaiya Art

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Mystics and Mayhem

  Stay in Touch

  Also by Heather Renee

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  CILLIAN

  My chest was burning from the inside out, crippling my body and forcing me to slam on the brakes. This was the furthest I’d been from Dawsyn since finding her, and while I’d been feeling a tug back toward her this entire time, nothing had ever come close to this sort of agony.

  If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn that someone was stabbing my heart with a branding iron. Sweat pooled around my forehead and neck, and my eyes squeezed closed as I tried to breathe through whatever the fuck this was.

  Without looking, I reached over to the center console and grabbed my phone from the cupholder. I had to call Dawsyn. I had to hear her voice, but even as I thought the words, my dragon’s essence thrashed around inside me.

  He didn’t agree, and his panic was what had me turning around before, wasting time. I wouldn’t do that again. Not when I was only thirty minutes from the entry point to Drago.

  Forcing my eyes open again, I called Dawsyn on the number she’d called me from earlier. Each ring was like another dagger to my heart, and when her voicemail picked up, I stopped breathing entirely.

  Fuck! Where was my mate?

  I opened the school app, knowing some of the students listed their phone numbers in the directory. As I began scrolling for River’s, the fiery pain suddenly ceased, replaced by a hollowness I didn’t understand.

  My fingers grasped at my chest as if I could tangibly touch what was missing. Then I realized it wasn’t just the pain that had disappeared.

  The connection to Dawsyn. It was gone. The tether that constantly pulled me toward my mate was no longer inside me.

  Emotions burned at my eyes and throat. Something had happened to her. She wouldn’t have told me all those things earlier and then found a way to break our bond. I might not have known Dawsyn well, but she wasn’t that cruel.

  I found River’s number and called him next. Again, no answer. I called Dawsyn a second time. Same thing.

  “What the fuck is happening?” I snarled into the empty cab of the truck.

  I tried each of them once more before deciding to turn around. Every breath burned through my lungs as I prayed and hoped with everything I had in me that Dawsyn would answer the damn phone.

  It was a six-hour drive at minimum back to the school, and that was if I drove much faster than I was supposed to. I couldn’t not know if she was okay for that long. I couldn’t wait to know why the fuck I no longer sensed the bond to her pulsing inside me.

  “Cillian?” another woman answered Dawsyn’s phone after I’d already been on the road for a good fifteen minutes and called at least ten times.

  “Who the fuck is this?” I snarled.

  “It’s Justine.”

  “Where is Dawsyn?” I demanded, my teeth clenched and fingers wrapped tightly around the phone.

  She hesitated in answering, and as I started to growl into the speaker, she finally replied, “I don’t know. Her door was busted, and the window is open. There’s blood on the ground, and her phone is here. I can’t get a hold of her or River. I came by to check on them when River didn’t show up for class.”

  I took one ragged breath, but that did nothing for my pissed-the-fuck-off tone. “Listen to me carefully, Justine. I need you to scent the room and tell me what you smell. What doesn’t belong?”

  “The blood isn’t just Dawsyn’s,” she answered right away. “I can’t tell what it’s from, though. It could be an animal, maybe?”

  Or it could be another fucking dragon shifter.

  “What else?” I asked.

  “Just hints of her, River, you, and someone else,” she replied. “A powerful witch. Do you think a witch took her?”

  No, but I didn’t tell her that. Given what Beatrix was researching, I didn’t think she’d appreciate me telling anyone that she was at the academy with us earlier that day.

  “Track River,” I said. “If he didn’t show up for class, maybe something happened to him and Dawsyn took off after him. She never would have willingly let someone else take her.”

  At least I hoped to fuck not. Not after the warnings Beatrix gave us to stay in the dorm.

  “Besides the tiny drops of blood and open window, there doesn’t appear to have been a struggle like I’d expect if Dawsyn was taken against her will,” she said. “Maybe you’re right. She’s probably just with River.”

  She better fucking be, I thought. Not because I wanted to control her, but the thought of someone else having her… I couldn’t even let the thought finish without scales pushing through my skin.

  “I’m not near the academy,” I said. “I was supposed to be gone for a few days, but I’m going to head back now. Call me the second you find anything else and text me from your phone. If you take Dawsyn’s and she returns, she won’t be able to call any of us.”

  “Good idea,” she replied. “I’ll get back to you soon.”

  I ended the call and let out a guttural roar into the cab of the truck while squeezing the steering wheel.

  “Damn it,” I snarled. “If this is the universe telling me that I need to choose between Dawsyn and saving my realm, I fucking choose her. I’ll choose her every damned time. Now, give her back to me!”

  Several deep breaths later, I didn’t feel even the slightest bit better, but that didn’t mean I could sit there and stew.

  I pulled the truck back onto the highway and cut across the grassy center divider to turn back around.

  I’d find my mate, figure out what the fuck happened to our bond, and burn anyone to ash that was responsible.

  There was no fucking doubt about that. Not anymore. Dawsyn was my life now. Everything else meant nothing to me without her.

  Chapter Two

  DAWSYN

  I couldn’t stop pawing at my chest. The emptiness there was slowly killing me, taking away all my rage and replacing it with a soul-deep sorrow. Not feeling Cillian inside me was unnatural, even if we’d only had the connection for two weeks.

  He’d been mine. I never should have thought I’d be better off without him. This had to be the Moon Goddess punishing me for trying to reject the mate bond she’d gifted me with.

  Your reluctance wouldn’t have changed our scenario, my wolf said compassionately. Even if you’d accepted him right away, without having completed the bond, something you shouldn’t have felt rushed to do, we’d still have ended up right here.

  While I knew she was right—technically—it was hard to relieve myself of the guilt coursing through me. Though, just because I thought I deserved this sort of heart-shattering pain didn’t mean I was giving up.

  I still had hope that Cillian would find me in Drago. He’d figure out I was there and wouldn’t give up on getting me back. Once we were back together, I had faith that we could stop Knox from doing whatever he thought he was going to do.

  Yet…Cillian didn’t even know his brother existed. Though that was a problem, I had to worry about it later. Right then, I needed to focus on River. I’d traded everything for my best friend’s life, and it was time to make sure Knox kept up with his end of our deal.

  The sinister dragon shifter drove us to an empty house in the first town south of the academy. It was a single-story, grey, nondescript home. No flowers, no grass. Essentially, no life anywhere.

  Except for inside.

  I could scent River as soon as Knox pulled up in front of the house, but I had a feeling that was because my best friend had been bleeding for some
time, which had my own blood boiling.

  I was out of the car first and storming toward the front. Just as I lifted my foot to kick the door in, Knox clicked his tongue at me.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned.

  “And why the fuck not?” I countered without turning back toward him.

  “You certainly have a mouth on you.”

  My body shuddered just hearing the smirk in his words.

  He continued, “There’s a warlock inside that house, and if I don’t enter first, he’s going to hurt you to the point you wish you were dead. Only, you won’t die. I won’t let that happen. At least, not until you’ve served your purpose.”

  I clenched my hands at my sides and stepped back to wait for the psychotic dragon to go through the door first.

  My desperation to get eyes on River and make sure he was going to be okay would not be the thing that got him killed. Not after all I’d sacrificed.

  The mere thought of what I’d done had my heart splintering, feeling as if tiny shards were coursing through my veins, slicing me a million times over.

  Cillian.

  I hoped he wasn’t hurting like I was and that he knew I’d had no other choice. Most importantly, I hoped he could find a way to forgive me once I got out of this mess.

  Knox brushed past me, his shoulder brushing against mine and making the forced connection between us flutter. Vomit rose up my throat, and I spit it out behind me with a gag.

  There were no forced feelings of want with a chosen mate. There was no greater force at play that increased my attraction to this man. No, when a bond was created instead of being fated, any feelings shared prior to the bond between the chosen mates remained. A blessing for which I was currently thankful.

  If tying myself to him had changed my instant hatred for this man, I had no clue what I would have done.

  Knox opened the front door slowly, blocking my view. It took everything in me not to punch his spine and barrel through, but I’d made the choice to obey this dragon shifter for River. I wouldn’t fuck things up when I was so close to making sure he was okay.

  What felt like several minutes later, but was probably only a handful of seconds, Knox moved out of my way. In the center of the barren living room sat an unconscious River, bound to a chair with chains that appeared to be burning his skin.

  “Riv,” I whispered, nearly dropping to my knees before I swirled my head around to glare at Knox. “I agreed to your asinine request. Why isn’t he healed yet?”

  “Because I don’t trust you,” he replied casually.

  “Yeah? Right the fuck back at you.” I sneered. “Can I touch him?”

  The dragon shifter waved his hand flippantly, then said, “Remove the restraints.”

  I’d thought he was talking to me, but then the masked man I’d seen in the picture of River that Knox had showed me back at the dorm stepped into the room from the hallway on the left. He kept his eyes averted and had some sort of shield over himself.

  Stupidly smart warlock. If I couldn’t scent him with my wolf, then I couldn’t track him later to rip his head off. Not that I wouldn’t still try. Someone would know something, and I’d fucking find out. Nobody touched my family and got away with it.

  Even if River and I weren’t blood or pack family, he was just as important to me. These men were fools to believe they’d get away with this, but I’d let them think what they wanted for the time being.

  Suddenly, I was able to smell something different in the room. It appeared the warlock’s shield couldn’t block his magic from me when he was forced to use it.

  I won’t forget that scent, my wolf growled with a promise I knew she’d keep.

  She’d been quiet since the bond to Cillian was shattered, but I knew she was just as furious as I was. Together, we’d find our vengeance, just as soon as we made sure everyone we loved was safe.

  We need to find out what Knox has planned, my wolf added. We’re in it this far. Might as well play the game.

  She had a point. I didn’t like it, but I agreed. As long as I didn’t have to let Knox put his hands on me.

  Fuck. What if the bond triggered a heat? Even though I hated him, I wouldn’t be able to deny allowing him to ease the pain of a heat. If that happened, I had no doubt that I would wish I was dead and that Cillian would never forgive me.

  Moon Goddess, please don’t be that cruel, I begged.

  The warlock stepped away from River, but before he could get too far, I said, “Heal him.”

  Knox chuckled. “You’re in no place to make demands, Little Wolf.”

  I swirled around, and a rumble echoed from my chest and around the room. “That’s where you’re wrong, Knox. You might hold River’s life over my head, but that can only last for so long. Either he’ll be safe, or he’ll be dead and you’ll lose all your leverage. I’ve played nice, but don’t fucking push me right now if you want my compliance to continue.”

  His eyes widened briefly, but he wiped the surprise quickly from his face. “An alpha female. I didn’t expect that.” His eyes cut to the warlock. “Very well. Heal the boy.”

  River wasn’t a boy, but Knox could have the insult. All I cared about was that he knew I was right. Of course I wanted to keep River alive, but holding his life over me couldn’t be Knox’s endgame. It wouldn’t work forever. There had to be something more. Just like my wolf had said, we needed to find out what that something was.

  River groaned in the chair as the chains fell to the floor. Dried blood still covered him, and there was bruising around his face, but he was waking up. I had to find a way to ignore everything else.

  “River?” I pleaded, gently touching his face and pushing my alpha energy to him. “Wake up.”

  A moan sounded from between his busted lips, and his eyes finally blinked open, but they weren’t able to focus on me before closing again.

  “I said to heal him,” I demanded without tearing my gaze away from my best friend.

  “He’s healed enough to prove he’ll live,” Knox answered. “His wolf will do the rest. Now, say your goodbyes. It’s time for us to go.”

  “Where?” I asked, still silently pleading with River to wake fully before I was forced to leave his side.

  “To Drago,” he replied. “There is still much to do before our big reveal. Claiming you was only a small part of the plan.”

  My shoulders shuddered when he mentioned claiming me. The disgust inside my heart only continued to grow with every passing second, but at least River was okay.

  His heartbeat was growing stronger, which at least relieved some of my worries.

  “How will I know the warlock won’t kill him once we leave?” I asked, this time turning to look up and face the dragon shifter.

  He stared directly into my eyes. “You’re my mate now, Dawsyn. If I make you a promise, I intend to keep it.”

  I was tempted to vomit on his feet but refrained. If he was going to hand me an olive branch, I’d accept it. For now.

  My attention went back to River. He was still unconscious, but the color in his face was getting back to normal and his breathing was even. I got up from my knees and kissed his forehead. “I love you, Riv. Please don’t blame yourself, and tell…them I’m sorry.”

  Knox grabbed my wrist and jerked me against my chest. “We’re done here.” He snapped his fingers at the warlock. “Get us to the portal.”

  Cillian could be there, my wolf said. He was close enough. The timing could be right.

  Something told me we weren’t getting that lucky, but I’d stay alert regardless.

  The faceless warlock used more of his magic this time, and he put his hands in front of him to open the portal. His black sleeve separated from the gloves he was wearing, revealing a star of sorts. Almost like there were several stars overlapping each other, but the points never lined up.