She laughed. “You know I mean more than that. Don’t you think it’s like a miracle that we were born worlds apart, in different times, from different species, and somehow we found each other, like… soul mates?”
Finding her hand, he threaded his fingers into hers until the metal bands of their rings clinked together. “Maybe not. I did pray to the goddess of the mountain to send you to me.”
“You did?” She rose on one elbow and looked down at him inquisitively.
He gave a crooked smile. “I’d been in that dungeon for so long. I thought I might lose my mind, so I got down on my knees and prayed for a way to escape or for death. I thought I’d improve my chances with the goddess if I gave her a choice, ye ken? I was never a vera religious dragon, even when I lived in the mountain. It’s a hard thing to have faith in something ye canna see when yer world is full of trickery, magic, and illusion. But when I prayed to her, I did so earnestly.” He sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. “And then ye were standing there, just as if the goddess had opened heaven and sent ye herself. Ye were a sight. That beautiful ebony hair, yer eyes the color of the loch on a rare sunny day. Ye are beautiful, Avery. I thought ye were a goddess when ye opened the gate.” He turned his head to look at her. “I was right. Ye are a goddess.” He placed a firm kiss on her forehead.
“My sister told me we are descended from the goddess Circe.”
“Truly? By the Mountain, I guess the goddess did send ye then.”
She snorted. “I came of my own free will. I didn’t believe Raven until now, but when I wielded Fairy Killer against Lachlan, I felt like a different person. I could feel energy inside that was never there before. I felt like a goddess.”
He kissed her gently. “Aye. Ye are, and a blessing to me, Avery mine.”
“Tell me you’re mine as well.”
He shifted on top of her, ready again and wanting her desperately. She wrapped her arms and legs around him.
“I am yours, Avery Tanglewood, until my dragon scales and jeweled heart turn to dust.”
He took her again then, showing her with his body everything he couldn’t say with his words.
Chapter Thirty-Three
After a short honeymoon, Avery agreed to give Xavier time to begin the process of healing his clan from Lachlan’s rule. But eventually they could put off going back to the modern world no longer.
Xavier appointed an old friend named Bernard to lead the clan in his absence. Avery thought of Bernard as a kind old grizzly bear of a man, big and cuddly but capable of tearing his enemies apart if provoked. The Scot took the position seriously, and it was clear to Avery that Xavier trusted him completely.
They left for the ward on foot, considering they couldn’t take Tàirn with them where they were going. When Avery grew tired, Xavier scooped her into his arms and flew her the rest of the way. They passed through the door out of the builgean, and Xavier flew her to safety at the base of the mountain.
Avery assumed they’d need to hike to the nearest cottage to call Nathaniel for a ride, but his vehicle was waiting on the side of the road, Emory in the driver’s seat. When Nathaniel saw them, he sprang from the car and bolted across the distance where he embraced first Avery and then Xavier with unrestrained relief.
“Thank the Mountain!” Nathaniel said.
Avery shook her head. “How did you know we’d be here? It’s been weeks.”
“Five and a half.” Nathaniel took her by the shoulders and shook gently. “We’ve all been worried sick. Nick offered to go in after you, but without any information about what happened to you, it was too dangerous. For all we knew, you were killed instantly by something inside the builgean. We couldn’t allow him to risk his life too, although it took Rowan to stop him. Raven has been beside herself with worry.” He tugged at the cuff of his shirt. “All we could do was wait. I’m only here because my tarot cards suggested you’d return soon. Of course, divination is an often-inaccurate discipline. We’ve been waiting here daily all week.”
An icy wind sheared off the side of the mountain and Avery instinctively pressed herself into Xavier’s side. Nathaniel’s penetrating gaze scanned both of them before locking on the ring on her finger. One of his eyebrows arched, and he gave his brother a curious look.
“What exactly kept you so long, Avery?” he asked through a growing grin.
“I’ll thank ye to get my wife out of the cold,” Xavier demanded.
Nathaniel sputtered. “Wife?” When Xavier glared at him sternly, Nathaniel shook his head and pointed toward the car. “Please. There will be plenty of time to speak on the way to Mistwood.”
Avery hurried to the vehicle, but Xavier seemed perplexed. He ran his hand along the shiny black exterior, frowning. She was halfway into the back seat when she noticed him scowling at the sedan.
“You’ve never ridden in a car?” Of course, she should have guessed he hadn’t, but it was still hard to believe. She held out her hand. “I promise you, the ride is smoother than Tàirn’s.”
He hesitated for only a second, put his hand in hers, and crawled in beside her.
“You’re married?” Raven took Avery’s hand in her own and shifted the ring back and forth under the light. She widened her eyes at Clarissa, who looked just as flabbergasted at the revelation.
Avery had tried to explain everything to Nathaniel on the long ride to Mistwood, but there weren’t words for what she’d experienced. She felt like an entirely new person. She’d changed so much over the past five weeks. How did she even begin to explain how different she was, how she’d experienced love and done things she never thought she could in order to save an entire clan from an evil supernatural being? It sounded so over the top, so unrealistic.
“Do you love him?” Raven had stopped inspecting the ring and was staring, expression quite serious, into her eyes.
Avery blinked. “Like I’ve never loved anyone aside from you and Mom. I love him like he’s the thing that has kept my heart beating my whole life without my realizing it. I love him like I’d walk through fire to be with him.”
“Wow.” Clarissa rubbed the side of her jaw. “She’s not just married; she’s mated.”
Avery stared down at her ring, feeling herself glow as bright as the stone. “Yes, I’m mated.”
Raven pulled her into a hug, and Clarissa wrapped her arms around both of them and squeezed. But Avery hadn’t even told them the best part. She pulled back and took her sisters’ hands in her own. “I’m also a witch.”
“What?” Clarissa shook her head.
“But you can’t be. You passed through the ward,” Raven said.
“As it turns out, I’m immune to magic. I can pass through any ward, Raven. The reason I could always hold Charlie is because I was entirely immune to his or her defenses in the beginning and then, by the time we all lost our powers, my little niece or nephew was used to me.”
“No shit!” Clarissa blurted.
Raven simply shook her head.
“Go ahead. Attack me with your magic. Try it out,” Avery offered, smiling.
“I’m not going to attack—” Raven began, but Clarissa’s voice already filled the kitchen.
A fork flew from the table and raced toward Avery’s eye. She lifted her skirt and kicked in a rounded swipe that knocked the fork harmlessly aside.
“Not that way,” Avery said. “Although now you’ve seen another of my newfound abilities. I can fight like a freaking ninja!”
“That’s badass.” Clarissa spread her hands. “Okay. What kind of magic did you have in mind?”
“Try to poison me or put me to sleep.”
Raven raised her hands. “This isn’t a good idea.”
But Clarissa was already singing. Avery quirked her eyebrow, waiting for something to happen. She remained unscathed.
She shrugged. “See?”
“I was trying to set you on fire,” Clarissa said. “I’ve used that one before. I know it works.”
Avery shrugged. “Nothin
g magical works on me.”
Raven drew her into a hug and squealed. “My God, Avery, you really are a witch!”
“Really and truly.” She pulled away, offering Raven an apologetic look. “Now, I’ve got to get out of these clothes. You have no idea how heavy these skirts are or how much I’ve missed makeup.” She headed for the stairs and the room where she’d stayed before this all began.
Raven called after her. “Avery, I hope you know how happy I am for you. You’re positively glowing.”
She was about to say thank you when the word glowing sparked a thought. “How is Charlie?”
Raven glanced at Clarissa before answering. “Before you take that shower, let me show you.”
She led the way toward Nathaniel’s office. “We moved Charlie in here so that Gabriel could work at Nathaniel’s desk and be nearby. We’re afraid to leave him or her anymore, even for a second.”
They entered the large room with its bookshelf-lined walls, and Raven pointed toward the fire. Avery’s throat caught at what she saw there. The egg was huge. It had at least doubled in size since Avery had last seen it, and the shell had smoothed, its formerly pearl-like exterior now silky.
“Oh my God,” Avery murmured.
“Gabriel thinks Charlie will be born any day now. He says this happens right before. I’ve never seen anything grow this fast, Avery. This past week… I was worried you’d miss it.”
Avery found her hand and squeezed. “I’m so glad I made it in time. Oh my God, Raven, you’re going to have a baby. An actual living and breathing baby. Any day now.”
Raven smiled, but Avery could see the worry lines form around her mouth. Her worry was warranted. No one knew what would come out of that egg. It could look like a dragon or like a human child. No one in the history of dragons and witches, as far as any of the dragon siblings were aware, had ever birthed a dragon/witch hybrid. The folklore though was clear. The citizens of Paragon were taught this offspring would be a monster, a nightmare, a soulless killing machine with unlimited power that never tired in its thirst for destruction.
“Raven?” Her sister turned to her, and Clarissa rubbed her shoulder supportively. “Whatever comes out of that egg, I can handle it. I’ll be immune to it. Do you understand? I’ll help you.”
Tears formed in Raven’s eyes and she hugged Avery, hard enough to make it count. “Go. Change. You must be dying for a hot shower,” Raven said. “I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you in that… bubble all this time.”
Avery sighed. “Honestly, I had the time of my life.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Xavier opened the refrigerator door, closed it again. Opened it. Closed it. A tiny light in a glass bulb illuminated all the food, a small cellar’s worth stored on glass shelves. The inside stayed cold all the time without the benefit of ice or the outdoors.
He raised an eyebrow, opened the door again, and grabbed a container of chicken in a yellowish sauce. He sniffed it skeptically.
“I can get you a plate,” Avery said.
He turned to find her standing behind him in the same style of clothing the other women wore here, a pair of formfitting blue breeches and a navy-blue shirt that clung to her like a second skin. He quashed the urge to cover her with his own body as if she were naked. This was the way in this place, although how men functioned here without a permanent stauner, he had no idea.
“Are ye cold? Might ye be more comfortable in a sweater?” He stared at her breasts, the texture of lace visible through the stretchy fabric of her shirt.
She shook her head, her lips spreading into a lazy smile as if she saw right through him. “No. It’s a comfortable seventy-two degrees in here. Besides, how could you stare at my tits through a sweater?”
He grunted and jerked his gaze from her chest to her face. “Well, ye have them there for all to see, Avery, in all their glory. Whit do ye expect?”
She laughed. “The same thing you expected from me the first time I saw your bare knees.” She glanced salaciously at the hem of his kilt and bobbed her eyebrows.
“That’s not the same and ye know it.”
She made a low, lecherous sound. “That’s what you think. One flash of a well-muscled calf and I’m wet between the legs.”
“Avery!”
“You’ll get used to it,” she promised, her eyes glinting with laughter. She took the container from him. “This is Laurel’s famous curried chicken salad. I’ll make you a sandwich. Have a seat.”
With a jab of her chin, she indicated a stool next to the counter and he reluctantly sat. His kilt rode up and he was tempted to straighten it. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at her and left his knee bare.
She narrowed her eyes. “Playing with fire?”
“Come warm yer hands.”
She rolled her eyes at him and smirked at the sandwich she was making. “How did things go with your siblings?”
He scratched the back of his head. “Gabriel is still an arse, but I suppose anyone would be in his position. He’s the heir, ye ken. The rest of us are spares as far as the Mountain is concerned. Expendable. But it’s Gabriel should be on the throne. What Mother is doing is liable to get people killed. The goddess won’t tolerate it forever.”
A plate clanked down in front of him with bread slathered in a thick layer of the chicken. Avery wiped off the knife she was using on the top slice, and Xavier couldn’t help but be reminded of a warrior wiping blood from his blade. She carried a sort of intensity now that she hadn’t had before. It was right damn sexy. He picked up the sandwich and took a giant bite, never breaking eye contact.
She sat across from him and folded her arms on the table. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem more accepting than I would be if I found out my mother was a killer.”
He swallowed before answering. “I was ne’er the favorite, ye ken? I’m not surprised Mother is a killer because I never cared much for the woman. To be honest, it was Killian who raised me—that was her consort, my biological father—and I mourned him centuries ago. This new revelation, it does not surprise me as much as ye might think it should.” He shrugged as he placed his food on the plate. Thoughts of his mother’s coldness and the evil done to Marius turned his stomach. “It’s different for Nathaniel. He was always close to our mother. Never fought in the pits with the rest of us. And Gabriel, he’s the one that’s got to oust the madwoman without getting himself, his wife, or his whelp killed. It hasna as much to do with me, really. I’m here for you before them.”
“Me?” She chuckled. “I’ve little to do with it aside from helping my sister.”
He frowned. “Haven’t they explained to you that you’re one of the Three Sisters?”
She scoffed. “I know. Raven, Clarissa, and I are sister witches. Our magic binds us together. The Three Sisters. It’s actually the name of my mom’s bar. Apparently there’s a history of magic in the Tanglewood family.”
He shook his head. “Aye, all that, but more as well. The Three Sister Witches was a story told to us when we were young. We thought it was folklore, ye ken, not anything real. Something to keep us up at night. Make us do our chores.”
“There’s a story from Paragon that makes us out to be boogeymen? Great.”
“No exactly. As the story goes, centuries ago there was a dragon who fell in love with a witch, the queen of Darnuith—that’s the witch kingdom of Paragon—and he came under her thrall. She used him to attack Paragon and try to overthrow the kingdom. My uncle Brynhoff was credited with thwarting the attack and killing both the dragon and the witch. It was the type of political story that all of us in the palace knew was probably load of dung, somethin’ invented at the time to lead people to idolize the king. In truth, Brynhoff was ne’er much of a fighter. If he hadna used the element of surprise to kill Marius, he’d have ne’er gotten ’way with it. Marius was a damn good swordsman.”
Avery circled her hand impatiently. “So what does this have to do with the three sisters?”
H
e lowered his voice, digging into the tale. “Right. Right. Legend has it that the witch queen of Darnuith was one of three sisters herself, and the other two were enraged when they heard their sister was murdered. They cursed the kingdom of Paragon and vowed that one day three sisters—their direct descendants—would enact their revenge and topple the kingdom of Paragon. ’Twas said that when they returned, lava would flow and the mountain would shake. One of these three will have enthralled a dragon, and their offspring will be a monster with the power to bring about the end of the kingdom as we know it.” He leaned in. “It’s why all dragons are forbidden from mating with witches. It seems my brothers and I have been naughty dragons, eh?” He grinned and took another bite of sandwich.
Avery drummed her fingers on the table. “So Charlie is presumably the aforementioned monster?”
“Aye.”
“And we are the foretold sisters destined to destroy the kingdom?”
“Aye.”
“Great.”
“About that, it seems now, in context, the others believe the legend isna about destroying Paragon itself but the kingdom of Paragon. ’Tis about overthrowing our evil mother and reclaiming the throne for the goddess. That’s what I want to help wi’. Ye and I, I ken once we succeed in gettin’ Gabriel and Raven on the throne, can go on wi’ our lives.”
“Right.” Her face fell.
“Are ye worried about doing it? Ye’re a good fighter. And Gabriel says his wife and Clarissa are powerful witches. Ye’re foretold to survive.”
She blinked and looked up at him. “I was just thinking, what does going on with our lives look like to you? I mean, after this is all over?”
Lines formed around her lips again and Xavier noted the tension in her shoulders. “You’re wondering if I’ll want to stay in Paragon?”
“Yes.”
“Nae.”
“You don’t miss home?”
He grinned at her and gave her a wink. “I thought ye understood. Home is where you are, mo ghaol. With the exception of taking care of my clan, I will go where you go.”
Highland Dragon Page 23