Following Luke Mendez’s Orders
Special Note for the Reader from the author:
Quest for the Valkyries bridges the gap between the Royal Council miniseries and the Valkyrie Riders miniseries. This tale sets the stage for the grey dragons’ arrival to the Druid pack.
Please be aware the scenes recorded in this and other tales in the Valkyrie Riders’ stories occur concurrently with scenes from both Vampire Panther and Angry King. As part of the greater Draoithe Saga, characters from pervious tales make cameo appearances and scenes previously told from one character’s perspective are often told from another’s perspective, offering additional insights as the story advances through a new couple’s experience.
This miniseries begins with the Lord of Dragons’ arrival to Draoithe, and this first scene originally appeared in the story Vampire Panther volume 3 in the Royal Council miniseries. It’s from that point the grey dragons stories revealed themselves and a segue into the third miniseries appeared even before the second miniseries finished.
The author encourages readers to read Kingdom Rising and Royal Council before embarking on Valkyrie Riders, as the stories aren’t exactly standalone tales, and while reading them out of order is perfectly acceptable as they were written out of order, one may find they have many unanswered questions about the peripheral characters.
Thank you for reading in the dream, OK
*****
Ryker, June 25/26, 2016
The doorbell rang. Eli frowned at Luke. The comfortable moment evaporated. Ryker glanced at the clock. It neared midnight. Luke moved to the door, with Ryker behind him.
When the door opened, a man stood on the porch. He had striking white hair, even though he looked to be about thirty years old. He was six feet five inches tall. His grey eyes stood out brightly on a well-tanned face. He smelled of excellent brandy and expensive tobacco. It was a bit late for a door-to-door sales agent and the man was too well-dressed to be that.
“Can I help you?” Luke asked.
“I’m sorry to arrive so late, Ri ruirech. I serve your cause and beg for your help.”
The man bowed, and Luke raised a brow. Who did that?
“Who are you, and how do you know me?” Luke asked.
Ryker stood behind his alpha as a backup. The stranger wasn’t what he seemed. Ryker didn’t like the feel of the scene any more than Luke did.
“Forgive me, my king. I’m Emrick Driscoll. Please, call me Ash. I’m your dragon. I’m answering your call. The magic in the dream alerted me.”
Ash apologized, offering a slight bow.
“What call? What are you talking about?” Luke asked.
Frustrated with what seemed like riddles for answers after suffering magic overload earlier, Luke scowled.
Something felt wrong about Ash, the way death felt in a mausoleum. Luke’s agitation wasn’t a good thing, either.
“Will you invite me in? I’ll explain it,” Ash asked.
Ryker realized the man had a wheeled luggage case with DFW baggage claim tags behind him. Ash had a lot of confidence he would stay.
“Fine, come in,” Luke said.
“Um, would you mind asking your zduhaci unbound to stop blocking me?”
Luke turned to let the man enter. He and Ryker looked at each other. Luke raised an eyebrow. Ryker wasn’t actively blocking Ash.
The situation seemed dangerous. Leaving him on the front porch didn’t seem like a good option, either. Neighbors didn’t need to be alerted to anything unusual.
“How is he blocking you?” Luke asked.
“You’re young. Think ’enter’ zduhaci. Stop thinking to bar me from entering. The magic begins with thoughts.“
Ash looked at Ryker and waited.
Ryker thought Ash was a lot like Fox, old and knowledgeable. Ryker shrugged and thought about the word ’enter’ as he looked at Ash.
The man lifted his luggage in his hand and followed them into the house to the living room, where Lily and Eli were waiting. Ryker guessed the thought worked. Ash bowed low before Eli, who was sitting on the couch with her feet beneath her.
“Ri bannach, you’re more lovely than your reflection. Emrick Driscoll, at your service, my lady.”
Ash introduced himself as Luke growled a low warning at him. The direwolf wasn’t appreciating the attention the stranger paid to his mate.
“Eli, meet our dragon,” Luke said.
There was no small amount of sarcasm in his voice.
“Dragon?”
Eli eyed the white-haired man rather critically. Damn it. She was all cat at the moment. Emrick Driscoll piqued her interest. If Luke had to die saving her, it would be because of her feline curiosity.
“At your service, my queen.”
Ash bowed again. The bowing and scraping could become an irritation.
“Young dragon man, I’m not a threat. I assure you, I serve your alpha and his mate. Please, stop pressing me.”
“Ryker, would you take Lily with you and have Fox and Javier come join me?” Luke asked.
The quiet night with friends abruptly ended.
Ryker nodded and helped Lily to her feet. They ambled from the room. On the porch, he picked up Lily, and whisked her to relative safety, away from the strange character of Emrick Driscoll. He never once questioned his commanding officer. Following Luke Mendez’s orders remained ingrained, and it had never failed him.
