Dragonswan.doc by Unknown Page A

those wounds or protect you."
    But in her case, that hadn't been true. M'Adoc had stayed by her side, trying to protect her family. That
    was how he'd been captured and then tortured. He would have been able to escape and save himself.
    Instead, he'd chosen to come warn her and to stand with her when Dolor and his minions had attacked.
    They'd almost killed him too.
    "And if I wasn't alone?" she asked, her voice only a whisper.
    "Then imagine them taking the one who stood with you. Imagine your defender's blood on your hands as
    they stab him through his heart."
    It was enough to make her want to scream and it gave her the rage he spoke of.
    Aidan was right. If he could, Dolor would kill M'Adoc in an instant.
    "I don't know how to defeat Dolor," she confessed. "The best I could do last time we fought was to
    freeze him and make him the slave to a human's summons. I thought by doing so no one would be so
    stupid as to release him. Now that they have… I don't know how to return him to stasis until after he
    completes his task."
    "And that is?"
    "To kill you—and I won't let that happen."
    Aidan was glad this was a dream. Otherwise he might think himself insane. But as the purple surf crashed
    against a crystal beach he knew he was safe. There was no reality here. There was just Leta and him.
    Still, he was curious about why his subconscious would create all of this. "You said my brother conjured
    him to kill me."
    She nodded.
    "He did this from prison?" It made as much sense as anything else.
    "He must have. Can you think of anyone else who'd want you dead to the point they'd give up their soul
    for it?"
    Aidan gave a bitter laugh. "The list of those who hate me is lengthy, but those who want it to that extreme
    is much shorter. You're right. Donnie stands out among the really big haters."
    She nodded.
    Aidan sat quietly thinking about the tragedy of his past. After the death of their parents, he and Donnie
    had ended up being raised by their alcoholic uncle. As a single parent, the man had left much to be
    desired and basically Aidan and Donnie had always joked that they'd been raised by wolves.
    All they'd had was each other. He still couldn't believe what something as petty as jealousy had done to
    his brother. How it could take a guy who'd once taken punches for him and turned him into a
    cold-blooded user who was willing to do anything to hurt him. It didn't make sense.
    And now this…
    No wonder his dreams were so whacked out. He was still reeling from the betrayal and obviously his
    subconscious continued to try and reconcile all of it.
    Those thoughts reminded him of his early years in Hollywood. "One of the first movies I appeared in was
    a zombie flick. I remember that in the film, if you killed whoever was controlling the zombie, you took out
    the zombie too. Would this work the same way?"
    Leta scowled at him. "Are you willing to kill your own brother?"
    He didn't even hesitate with his answer. "Blood stopped binding us the instant he came at my throat. If
    this thing is stalking me because of him, then I'm more than ready to slash his throat and laugh while he
    bleeds to death at my feet. Give me the knife and stand back."
    Leta let out a slow breath at the hostility in his tone. She should be appalled by his brutality, and yet she
    understood the sentiment.
    "Unfortunately, that doesn't work in this case. Dolor isn't a zombie. He's an ancient god who is only held
    in check by a curse I put on him."
    "Can't you put him back in stasis?"
    She shook her head. "Not so long as you're standing. The strongest curse I could find would only work
    so long as the summons wasn't in place."
    He narrowed his gaze on her. "Who the hell came up with this brilliant curse?"
    "It was the best I could manage in a hurry," she said defensively.
    He rolled his eyes. "With those kinds of critical assessment skills you should consider running for political
    office."
    Before she could respond, a loud growl rent the air. Leta ground her