Alister gave a howl of pain. “That can’t be true! It was the Devereuxs that gave in to greed and they killed my parents for some treasure found there.”
“Who has spread these lies to you?” I tried to step forward and reason with Alister but his pain and rage made it impossible to reach him. “Some enemy has tried to turn you against your family and destroy us all. Please, brother, have mercy!”
Balor grabbed my arm. “Too late. Once gone, black dragons are never able to regain their compassion.”
A small, unsteady voice spoke up behind Alister. “His compassion is not entirely gone. He could have killed me in an instant but I’m still alive.”
Cora. Just barely still breathing and she was trying to help the tortured soul in front of her. My insides felt pressed against a cleaver that would soon tear me in half. I had to stop this nonsensical conversation and reach her. We had to heal before it was too late.
Alister again stepped in between us. “My parents were left with those savage humans and when they needed help, the Devereuxs arrived only to kill them instead.”
“It wasn’t the Devereuxs. It was me.” Balor marched forward and stood toe to toe with Alister.
The walls of the rickety cabin began to shake and bend as the two dragons faced each other. Both were still in human form, but I feared they would turn at any moment. The small structure would never hold their true forms and the timber would break away like twigs. Cora would be crushed underneath their battle before it even began.
“Is this true, Balor? I demand to know the truth!” I could barely keep myself from turning as I realized my intuition had failed to find the answers that had been right in front of Alister and I our entire lives.
“The Devereuxs discovered what his family was doing and they sent me to find proof. It wasn’t hard, as half the village had already died from starvation. The humans that remained made one last attempt to throw off their oppressors and the black dragons killed each and every one of them while I watched,” Balor confessed.
“You didn’t try to save them?” Cora asked as her pain doubled for those that had died.
“I was under orders not to intervene and risk discovery, but it was too much for me to witness. I turned and confronted Alister’s parents. They were unrepentant and chose to fight me instead,” Balor said.
“No!” Alister and I cried together. Even two against one, the decision to fight a red dragon was akin to suicide and it proved Alister’s parents were guilty of the accusations.
Balor hung his head and spoke directly to Alister. “The Devereuxs also intuited my reaction and the outcome. They arrived just in time to save you from me.”
I stepped between them and faced my loyal advisor. All our lives, Balor had been our protector and our disciplinarian. He had heard me comfort Alister time and again for the loss of his loving parents. I had always trusted Balor, Alister had too, and it was beyond shocking to hear how he had destroyed the lives of others so close to our hearts.
It took me too long to push aside the pain I felt from Cora, and the anguish I felt on behalf of Alister, in order to use my intuition. “He’s telling the truth, brother. I am so sorry.”
But it was too late. Alister, in his rage and grief, had grabbed Cora and was hauling her out into the dark forest. “You are not to follow, Balor. He is my brother and I will not let you harm him!” I commanded.
I spun around to follow him but was weakened by Cora’s sickness. She had been out of my presence for too long and she needed my touch. I could feel her dying and, for the first time, I realized that if my mate died then I would no longer be able to live without her.
I stumbled for the door and dragged myself into the dark forest, desperate to find her. Ahead, I could see a black shadow as dark as a void and I knew Alister was turning. If he took to the air with Cora again, she would never survive.
“I’m sorry, Maalik.” Balor moved past me in the dark and charged towards the void.
The red dragon turned with such ferocity that the earth around us, around all of Argo Heights, shook. A red blaze lit up the trees and I was able to see Cora ahead. Alister dropped her to the side just before Balor reached him. She fell hard and struggled to get on her feet while above her the dragons clashed.
It was impossible to see her as Balor and Alister crashed through the tree tops and uprooted the dark forest. Despite my fear and pain, I had to stop and center myself, and concentrate on sharing her vision. Seeing what Cora saw, I was able to scramble through the leaves and find her.
She raised her head as the silver light of my turning illuminated the broken branches around her. Cora held up her arms and let my talons lift her. Together we flew to the safety of the mansion.
Chapter Thirteen – Cora
The crack and groan as branches break and trees fall; Maalik’s roar reverberating in my bones; his talons closing gently around my waist; shadows and red-hot flames clashing far below; the fear and pain of the memories chased me from sleep. When I finally dared to open my eyes, I found myself lying in a large, four-poster bed. I blinked at the tall, Gothic windows and realized slowly that I was in Maalik’s bedroom. Safely tucked into his warm bed.
My body ached all over and I could still feel the sickness gnawing at me, but everything was receding. The traumatic kidnapping still flashed behind my eyelids but, now that I was awake, I knew I was safe and I would soon be on the mend. My head was swimming but I knew that Maalik had saved me, saved both of us, and that was all that mattered.
Then the silken covers shifted and I realized he was sleeping next to me. Suddenly all that mattered was getting as close to him as possible. How could I still feel shy?
I could no longer remember a time when I didn’t know that dragons were real or that they lived among us humans. Now it made perfect sense that we shared similar cultures and they could switch shapes at will. I had seen it with my own eyes.
And I had felt the mating call of the dragon.
There was no doubt now Maalik was my mate and I was his, so why did I hesitate to touch him?
He’d been through so much. I sensed the pain he felt over his brother’s accusations and the helpless sadness that came over him as he realized Alister had lost his grip on reality. Revenge was all his brother knew now and that fact had torn a hole in Maalik’s heart. He would need time to recover.
“You’re awake.” Maalik stirred, sensing that I was watching him.
“I’m sorry. Everything’s fine. You should rest,” I told him. I was content just to lay my head on the pillow next to his.
He smiled. “You’re trying to nurse me back to health? Then I must be doing a miserable job helping you.”
“I feel better as soon as you are near. You know that,” I said.
He nodded but wrapped an arm around and pulled me closer anyway. To be pressed against his warm chest and hear his heartbeat was the best medicine I could imagine.
“We’ll heal together,” he whispered and pressed a lingering kiss to the top of my head.
“I’m sorry about your brother,” I told him and brushed my lips over his bare chest.
“So, you remember everything that happened with Alister?” Maalik sat up, pulling me with him and looked me in the eyes. “I never meant for you to get hurt. This isn’t how life usually is for me, Cora. I’m sorry you had to see all of that.”
I gently pressed one palm to the side of his face. “We survived it together. But, what about Alister?”
I remembered the terrifying realization both Alister and Maalik had come to at the same time: Alister’s parents had chosen to fight a red dragon and that choice was akin to suicide. Had their only child made the same mistake?
Maalik shook his head and took both my hands. He gave them a reassuring squeeze. “Balor learned from his first mistake and he will have shown Alister mercy.”
Our mutual relief flowed back and forth between us and strengthened us both.
After a time, my stomach growled and broke the quiet. Ma
alik laughed and said, “I’ll run downstairs and grab us breakfast. You stay right here. The separation will not feel good but I will be back quickly.”
He left the room at an incredible pace and I braced myself. The wave of nausea hit and I was about to lay back down when my phone rang. “Oh, Liz! Are you okay?”
“Okay? There was an earthquake in Argo Heights for the first time in all recorded history. Then I couldn’t find you, you wouldn’t answer your phone, and you’re not home!”
I almost laughed at Liz’s panicked tone but it hurt too much. “I’m sorry. I’m fine. I’m still a little under the weather but I’m staying with a, um, friend, and he’s making me feel much better.”
Liz didn’t miss a thing. “A friend? He? Are you telling me you’ve hooked up with that white-haired hunk?”
Now I laughed out loud. “It’s a little more serious than a hook-up but I can explain everything.” I caught myself and then told her, “after I’m all better. Is it okay if I take a few days off work?”
“Sure. Fine. But you better answer your phone next time the ground shakes here in Argo Heights!”
I promised my friend I would and was still smiling when Maalik returned to his bedroom. It still wasn’t clear to me how it worked but I knew that Maalik had used his distinctive traits as a silver dragon to check in on his advisor. Somehow, despite the distance and the unknowns, Maalik was able to intuit what had happened to the older man after he disappeared.
“Is Balor alright?” I asked.
Maalik nodded as he balanced a heaping tray of fruit and muffins on the bed. “He engaged in battle only long enough to distract Alister and let us escape. And only hard enough to prove a point. Both are now back in the dragon world where Alister will be delivered to my parents.”
“Should you be there too?” I asked.
“No,” Maalik said, taking my hand. “My place is here with you.”
“Will Balor be back soon?”
I felt the pang of worry before Maalik said, “I don’t know. First, he has gone god knows where in order to pay the penance he feels he owes.”
“Penance?”
“Balor has always fought to control his anger and he thinks his hot-headedness is to blame for what happened to Alister’s parents. He is most likely volunteering for a foreign campaign, the one that offers the most danger.”
We ate in silence for a while but my stomach persisted in growling until Maalik burst out laughing. “Perhaps you want me to make pancakes?”
I pressed a hand to my stomach, remembering the terrible binge in my apartment. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to enjoy another pancake ever!”
His bright green eyes grew serious. “It will get better, Cora, I promise. We will never again be able to separate without the sickness returning, but as long as we are together you will get back to feeling normal.”
“How?” I asked and then I blushed crimson. It was termed the mating call for a reason.
Maalik grinned, knowing the reason for my embarrassment. “Yes, Cora. We must bond. But I have a better idea first.”
Better than sex with the most attractive man I had ever encountered? I was mystified and let him lift me off the bed. Maalik carried me across his bedroom and into a large, mosaic-tiled bathroom. There he set me gently on the edge of a gargantuan bathtub and began running the water. Together we selected bottles by scent from a tray of exotic oils and soon the whole bathroom was filled with the soothing smells of lavender and the invigorating tang of grapefruit.
Though the tub was big enough to fit half a pee-wee football team, Maalik let me stretch out under the thick suds by myself. “I bathed last night while you were sleeping,” he explained.
All I could do was hum a response. Maalik was scooping handfuls of warm water over my head to soak my hair and then he massaged my scalp with frothy shampoo. His strong fingers kneaded down my neck and I felt every ache melt away. And he didn’t stop even after he’d rinsed my hair clean.
First the back of my neck, then the tops of my shoulders, and then his thumbs dug softly into the knots in my shoulders and I came undone. The warm suds lapped at my nipples and I realized by their tightening that Maalik’s eyes watched the water jealously. Each relaxing sweep of his hands dipped lower and I felt him rub under my shoulders and down my sides. As his hands traveled back up, they drifted to my front and cupped my breasts gently. There his thumbs swept back and forth over my sensitive nubs until I moaned with pleasure.
“Would you like to stay and soak?” he asked.
I shook my head and found myself lifted effortlessly out of the bath and set on a thick, soft rug. Maalik took his time toweling me off until I was weak in the knees and then he swept me into his arms again. He strode back across his bedroom and laid me gently on the bed.
“Are you certain, Cora?” he asked, looking down at me.
I unwrapped the towel and flung it aside. “Yes, Maalik, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He shed his clothes quickly and lowered himself onto the silken cover next to me. Without touching me, he leaned forward until our lips met. The world around fled as our lips rubbed and explored and our breath mingle in excited gasps. When our tongues touched a growl of barely controlled passion escaped but it was impossible to tell if it came from him or me.
When he would have pulled back and tried to regain some control, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed our bodies closer. His kiss became hungry, diving deeper as I opened for him. Between our heated bodies, I felt his hand skim up my thigh and then tickle across my lower stomach until I couldn’t stand it any longer. My legs parted and I arched up to offer myself to him.
Maalik stroked me once, then again, and then let his finger slip inside to find me wet with molten desire. I felt his breath hitch between our kisses and then he shifted his weight over me. Eager and wanting, I brought my knees up to his hips and rocked up to meet his weighty shaft. He pressed into me, slowly so I could feel each pulsing inch until we were joined together.
All traces of our troubles and my illness were gone and I was filled with the most glorious certainty in the world: we had found each other and would be mated for life.
Chapter Fourteen – Maalik
I answered the door, wondering why Balor was being so ridiculous as to knock, and was shocked to see the human woman standing on my doorstep. No one in Argo Heights had wanted to come near the mansion after it was reported as the epi-center of the strange earthquake, but I quickly realized she was there for Cora.
“Hello, Liz, is it?” I held the door open for her and she stepped tentatively inside.
“Mr. Devereux,” Liz said with a polite nod as a greeting.
“Please, call me Maalik. And, Liz, you are welcome here any time and there is no need to knock. Any friend of Cora’s is welcome to walk straight in,” I told her.
She smiled but was still shy to the point of silence until Cora came into the foyer. “Oh, you look wonderful! I’m so glad you are fully recovered!”
Cora hugged her friend and gave me a glowing smile. “See? I told you people would start to visit.”
Liz finally took a moment to look around the lofty foyer. “I can’t believe you went from that little one-bedroom to this!”
It had been about a month since Cora had moved in with me. Her sickness had faded but if we went more than five or six hours without touching, it came back. There had hardly been a discussion, except with her landlord, because by now it was obvious that Cora and I would spend the rest of our lives together.
Cora kissed me and I watched the two friends head off on the grand tour. Then I nearly jumped a foot in the air when a surly voice sounded from the still-open door. “Glad to see you’re finally welcoming people in, Maalik,” Balor said.
I wanted to return his civil greeting but all I could manage was, “You look worn, my old friend. Where have you been?”
Balor shook his head and my intuition caught flashes of a war zone and frightened refu
gees. I felt his months of fear and hunger; the bone-rattling of mortars and the desperate rush to stop innocent blood from being spilled. His penance had been hell on earth, but I knew he felt better for helping.
“I’ve been overseas,” was all he said.
“Come have a drink in front of the fire.” I took his arm and wouldn’t listen to his protests. “I’m so glad to have you back.”
Balor never had much small talk in him but the remainder must have been burned away during his time abroad. He accepted a large glass of bourbon and then said, “Alister was placed in confinement shortly after we arrived at your parents. They tried talking to him but the memories of his parents’ death along with the years of not knowing has warped his mind. I’m afraid he will never be free.”
I nodded. It was painful to hear about the man I considered a brother, but I knew that my parents loved him too and everything would be done to help him. “Father said he tried to get you to stay as well. Your actions were never condemned, Balor.”
He ignored that and changed the subject. “They are not pleased with your living arrangements. They want you and Cora protected.”
I snorted. “Have they stopped referring to her as my mate and started using her name yet?”
Balor finally smiled. “No, but I believe that will change as soon as they arrive.”
“Arrive?” I yelped. “You mean they’re coming for a visit. Here? When?”
“Soon,” Balor chuckled. “Don’t worry. I told them how at the darkest moment Cora spoke of Alister with compassion. They are impressed with her bravery and know that she is a credit to the human race.”
I got up and strode to the window where I could see Cora showing Liz the gardens. She was truly an extraordinary woman and I was still surprised by her every day.
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