“If any of you guys so much as twitch, we’ll kill you on the spot,” Nick said, sounding fierce.
Seeing the battle field as they exited the cave was a shock to everyone. Two of the lion shifters had been killed, as well as one bear, and one wolf. However, considering the damage done to the dragon shifters, it wasn’t surprising.
Nick looked around. Several of the warriors had been injured, either by fire or the talons of the dragons, but they didn’t look too wounded.
Lana was the worst off with her injuries, but she had recuperated some as well. She would be okay, much to Nick’s relief. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if he had lost her.
Shaking his head again, he reminded himself that this was neither the time nor the place to be thinking about Lana or their possible future.
The group took a moment of silence to honor their fallen. Then, Clarence said, “We will send a group back immediately to bring our brothers and sister home, to give them a proper funeral. For now, let’s get home.”
Slowly, the group made their way back to the pride land. Shifters who had not been a part of the battle but had been affected by Dizag’s reign of terror soon joined them, looking for news of their family members and news of the battle.
Some of Dizag’s hostages left with other members of their shifter family during the march, so they were a much smaller group when they arrived back at the castle.
Lana and Nick were amazed at the transformation. All of the plants that could be replanted were. Broken statues, bird baths, and other ornaments had been thrown away and replaced. The inside of the castle had been cleaned and put back in order.
The king and queen of the pride land were waiting for the group. They had heard about the attack, and in spite of the potential danger to themselves, had decided to visit to see the damage and to determine what they could do to help.
After hearing the story, the king sent several members of his personal army to fetch the dead and bring them home, so they could be honored.
Then, their attention was turned toward Nick, Lana, and the others who had helped defeat the rest of Vardok’s army of monsters. Each was honored individually and asked what the king and queen could do for them.
“Dizag and his crew had been causing chaos throughout our entire world for some time. At first, because only one or two people were disappearing, it wasn’t as noticeable. However, then we noticed that a lot of our women, girls, and some of our men were disappearing. The leaders from different kingdoms came together to discuss the problem, but we couldn’t find a solution. You saved our world,” the King said, and bowed to the group.
The group had not even thought of the accolades they might receive for their actions. Their only thought was to fight for their people and keep them safe. That was their job, after all.
Nick spoke up.
“Thank you for your kind words, Sire. However, we were only doing our duty. We need no special reward for that,” Nick said.
Everyone nodded their agreement with Nick’s statement. All they really wanted was to go home and sleep. For a week.
The queen and king nodded. They made arrangements for the rest of the hostages who had not been claimed along the way to be escorted home.
Then, everyone’s attention turned toward the prisoners, who had been dumped unceremoniously in the middle of the courtyard. Their hands and feet had been bound, and they had chains around their neck, anchoring them to steel posts to keep them from escaping.
“They can stay there until morning,” Clarence said. “They will be fed and given water, which is more than what they did for us. However, we are not like them and we will not stoop to their level. There will be at least five guards posted for each shifter all night long.”
He turned toward his head guard. “Paul, will you choose the guards and work out a shift schedule for them?”
Paul bowed to Clarence. “Of course, Sir. I will take care of that right away.”
Lana didn’t ask and didn’t make any explanations to anyone. She brought Nick into her room. As soon as they were snuggled into her bed, Lana fell asleep quickly.
Nick watched her sleep for a while. He thought that he could almost see the cuts on her face and sides heal. They would have healed even faster, but the dragon’s talons were poisonous. One slice of them to a mundane human, and the human would be dead from the poison within hours, if the attack itself didn’t kill the person.
He watched her chest heave up and down as she breathed evenly. Nick marveled at her bravery. There were other female shifters who had fought, but they were soldiers. Lana had not been. She was the genteel daughter of royalty, who cared for the sick members of her society, congratulated every family when there was a mating, a new cub born, or there were other celebrations to be had. She comforted those who lost members of their family. She was a caretaker, not a destroyer or fighter. Yet, she stood her ground, hard and fast, without flinching. She took a beating and then went back for more. Nick thought that Lana was most definitely a one of a kind woman. He knew, now, why he had never settled down with anyone else.
I will have to find time to talk to her about my feelings.
With that thought, Nick, too, weary from the battles and the traveling, fell into a deep sleep, holding the one he loved most close to him.
That night in the rest of the castle, everyone was on edge, wondering if there were any other dragons in the area and if they were going to be attacked. However,
