by S. E. Smith
No he not, her dragon chortled in delight. I feel my mate. If I feel my mate, your mate has to be alive.
Fine! Live what little life we have being delusional. See if I care, Morian retorted with a growl.
Okay, you not care but I not delusional, her dragon giggled. I have mate!
Morian felt a sliver of hope slip through her guard. She sat up and looked around. What if her dragon was right? She bit her lip and shook her head.
NO! It is impossible, she argued with herself. He couldn’t shift and there was no way he could have survived the wound he received.
Her hands clenched into tight fists. She knew she was going to die but she was going to take Raffvin’s miserable ass with her. Her eyes flew around the large tent looking for a weapon. Her eyes gleamed with determination when she saw a small knife resting on a table near some fruit.
His carelessness would be his downfall, she thought savagely. I’ll rip his blackened heart out. He’ll never touch another one of my loved ones again. I’ll bury it so deep in his chest it will go all the way through the miserable bastard, she swore passionately.
She rose on shaky legs and stumbled over to the table. Her fingers wrapped around the knife. She gritted her teeth as she felt the black bands around her wrists tighten, cutting into the tender flesh. She ignored the fresh wave of pain and rested against the table for a moment before she forced herself to straighten up with determination.
It was time that crazy son-of-a-bitch met the devil, as Carmen would say…. hell, what all the girls would say… well, except for maybe Abby who would say something a little less crude, Morian thought with a bittersweet smile. Yes, it was time to take him out permanently.
Morian stumbled toward the entrance of the tent just as the flaps blew open before closing again. She swayed as her heart settled back down only to squeak in surprise as she found herself pulled forward by invisible hands…. or claws. Her mouth dropped open as first the head, then the body of a huge golden dragon slowly appeared.
“Paul?” Morian whispered in wonder.
The huge golden head lowered and a soft purr escaped from its chest. Morian gaped as one eyelid slowly lowered in a wink even as the golden lip curled back in the semblance of a smile. She would recognize that smirk anywhere.
“Oh shit!” She muttered before her eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted.
*.*.*
Paul smiled down at the sweet, delicate face of his mate. It was bruised, dirty, and tear-stained and he had never, ever seen anything more beautiful. It had been easier than he expected to sneak through the camp. His dragon had been true to his word about being light on his feet – for the most part. Paul had brought only a small amount of Morian’s symbiot with him, not wanting to take a chance of it being injured if Raffvin had more of his twisted essence hanging around.
He had landed just inside the outer rim of the camp and wove his way through the maze of tents that were set up. He noticed a variety of species within the mix. Most were of the purple species that had attacked them earlier. There were a few Sarafin, and of course, a Valdier or two. He recognized most of the species from being on Kelan’s warship only none of these looked like they were of the same caliber of warrior. All of these warriors looked like they were born and bred mercenaries. These were hired killers who would betray Raffvin if they got a better offer.
He had to pull his dragon back a couple of times when he wanted to cause a touch of mischief. Paul had sternly warned him tripping the warriors, gobbling them up, or torching a tent or two would NOT be conducive to a stealth rescue mission. Havoc and destruction could come once their mate was safely tucked away somewhere. Until then, they would stick with their plan.
Your plan, his dragon had grumbled. It not much fun.
Paul chuckled even as he felt edgy. He was riding an adrenaline high right now. He would love nothing better than to slit every one of the bastards’ throats but that would have to wait. He grinned as he thought of Raffvin’s surprise and rage when he discovered that Morian had been whisked away right from under his nose. He was really looking forward to showing that bastard he wasn’t as easy to kill as Raffvin thought. The playing fields were even now.
Not even, his dragon snorted. I kill with my eyes closed.
Paul shook his head at his dragon. Well, it would not hurt my feelings if you wanted to do it with them open. Remember, the asshole doesn’t fight fair.
And you think I do? His dragon snorted as it flicked its tail just enough to knock the leg out from under a table of food causing it to crash to the ground amid a chorus of loud curses. Oops, he grinned.
You are going to get us caught, Paul growled out.
No one see me, his dragon replied indignantly as he slid around the corner of another tent and straight into the path of a large purple warrior. Well, except for this one, he muttered right before he wrapped his front claws around the male’s head and twisted it quickly.
Paul cursed as he wondered what in the hell to do with the body. His dragon shrugged his huge golden shoulders, pulled back a flap on the closest tent, peeked in, and then tossed the body behind a pile of crates piled up in it. No one heard the loud thump over all the yelling and arguing over the spilt food.
They not know until he smell, his dragon said, backing out of the tent and continuing to move toward the center tent. We be gone by then.
For Pete’s sake, you are worse than any of the Seals or Marines I trained, Paul retorted in a gruff voice. We need to have a serious talk when we get the hell out of here about tactical attacks.
I not know this Pete or Seal or Marine, his dragon said as he sucked in his stomach as another warrior walked a little too close only to stick his tail out at the last minute. Paul rolled his eyes as the warrior passed by and promptly fell on his face in the dirt. The warrior jumped up and looked around suspiciously before stomping off in the opposite direction.
Later, Paul said with a sigh of resignation. Just get us to the damn tent.
We here, his dragon huffed and blew the flaps open enough so he could squeeze through unseen.
Morian, Paul whispered as he saw his mate swaying by a small table. His lips curled into a broad grin when he saw the small knife in her hand. That’s my girl, he thought proudly even as his dragon reached greedily for her.
He felt her jerk of surprise before her eyes widened in confusion. “Paul?” She whispered.
Paul and his dragon were both unable to resist her anguished cry. He thought afterwards that there might have been a less dramatic way of appearing before her, but truthfully, all rational thought disappeared from his mind when he saw her. He swept her up into his arms as he shifted back into his two-legged form. His dragon hissed a warning to not take too long.
He quickly lowered her down to the ground. Still cradling her with one arm, he pulled the ruby red crystal hanging around his neck out from under his shirt and brushed it over the black bands around her wrists. Almost immediately, the strands of black were pulled into the glowing crystal leaving the dull gold of Raffvin’s symbiot. The thin ropes of Morian’s symbiot dissolved from around his wrists and flowed over both Raffvin’s remnants and over the open wounds on her wrists. Paul watched as the deep cuts slowly sealed. She would need more than the little bit of healing he could provide now but it would help relieve some of her pain.
“Paul?” Morian moaned out softly.
Paul ran his hand tenderly over her battered face. “I’m here, baby,” he whispered. “I need to get you out of here.”
Morian’s eyelashes fluttered for a moment before the blazing gold of her eyes struck him. She stared at him for several long seconds before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She sniffed and pressed her face against his neck, her body trembling with the overwhelming emotions threatening to paralyze her.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” She whispered brokenly. “Don’t you ever die on me again!”
Paul buried his face in her shoulder
and bit back the chuckle threatening to escape. “It’s not like I planned it or anything,” he assured her. “Come on. I need to get you out of here and heal you properly.” He pulled back and looked down at her with a dark scowl. “You scared the hell out of me. Don’t you ever put yourself in danger again. You are mine, damn it. I need you,” he said gruffly before pressing a quick, hot kiss to her lips.
He didn’t wait for her to respond. He rose up with her in his arms. With a quick thought, he shifted back into the huge golden dragon as if he had been doing it for centuries. Morian released an awed sigh as she ran her hand over his broad chest. Shivers of need and rage shook the large figure holding her as if she was made of the finest spun glass that Abby could create.
“You are beautiful,” she breathed out, looking up at him again.
Paul turned his head down to gaze at the woman he held protectively in his claws. He puffed out a hot breath in answer before he wrapped his wings around her until she was completely enclosed within them. A second later, another hot breeze blew the flaps of the tent open again. Not one warrior, including Raffvin, saw a thing.
Chapter 15
Paul’s dragon moved silently through the camp. He was not about to take any chances with his injured mate securely enclosed against his body. Once he reached the outer rim, he glanced over his shoulder. A dark look glittered in his eyes as he saw Raffvin conversing with several warriors. It took every bit of his self-control not to roar out a challenge.
Soon, Paul promised. Soon, we will kill him.
Paul decided it was more the small, soft hand that caressed his chest reminding him of his priorities instead of his promise that motivated his dragon to turn and vanish into the dark forest. As soon as he felt he was far enough away, he unwound his wings from around Morian and lifted off. He sent a silent call to her symbiot to catch up with them. He would take her to one of the areas he spied during his time here. He thought it would be better to camp for the night and heal her.
Morian sighed in his arms, relaxing back as she turned her face to the waning sunlight. She wrapped one slender hand over his thick forearm and gently stroked his scales. Another deep sigh escaped her as she turned her head to rub her uninjured cheek against his chest before closing her eyes.
Paul couldn’t contain the deep purr that vibrated through him at her touch. Hell, he was going to be showing the world how horny he was if he didn’t stop thinking about how good her tender touch felt. He needed to focus on something else but between her scent, her touch, and the adrenaline coursing through his body it was damn near impossible.
Focus on her needs, Paul repeated over and over. Focus on her needs.
What do you think I doing? His dragon snarled out. Her dragon need me. She want me as much as your mate want you.
Yes, but MY mate needs to be healed first, damn it! Paul snapped back impatiently before he bit back a chuckle at his dragon's response.
His dragon was muttering darkly under its breath about he needed to hurry the hell up then because he was getting tired of waiting. They traveled north before turning east. His first thought was to return immediately to the palace but he was not sure how badly Morian was hurt and didn't want to take a chance of leaving any injury unattended for long. He glided low along a narrow canyon that cut through a series of mountains. He had been through this way once before with Mandra when they were out exploring one day several weeks before. He vaguely remembered that there had been what he suspected was a cave not far from a series of lower falls. He descended until he was only a few dozen feet or so above the rapidly moving water. He used his ability to reflect the surrounding environment on his back and wings while the front of him was visible. Anyone coming from above him would not see anything but water. The tips of his wings touched the water at times creating dewy drops on the ends that glittered like diamonds. As he approached the second set of falls he saw what he was looking for, a low overhanging ledge and the darkened interior of a cave. A group of large boulders lay in the rushing water at the entrance to it. Paul swung upward, flapping his wings strongly as he navigated between the strong wind blowing through the canyon and the pull of the water. He landed lightly on the largest of the three boulders. Gingerly, he hopped from one to the other until he was in front of the cave. He would have to jump and shift at the same time to be able to fit. It would be tricky but not impossible.
“Show off,” Morian whispered huskily as she found herself held by a pair of strong, deeply tanned arms.
“So you were impressed, huh?” Paul asked teasingly as he moved further into the darkened area.
“I have been from the first moment I heard about you,” she admitted shyly.
Paul glanced down and saw the tears glistening on her eyelashes. “You aren’t the only one, sweetheart,” he murmured.
Paul didn’t have to ask his dragon for assistance. Almost immediately, his dragon surfaced far enough that his vision sharpened. He glanced around the cave. It wasn’t real large, more of a bowl-shaped carved over centuries by the rise and flow of the river. Tree branches were swept up along one wall from previous floods. He was about to bemoan the fact there was nothing soft to lay Morian on when the golden symbiot that had landed behind him and shifted into a Were Cat shifted again into a bed.
“Shit, I could get used to that,” he murmured as he gently laid her down on it.
Morian giggled even as her symbiot sent waves of healing warmth and long narrow bands running up and over her body. She closed her eyes as it healed the bruising and small cuts on her face, chin and lips. She released a relieved sigh as it moved over her still aching wrists. Her eyes opened when she felt a different warmth touching her. This one had rough calluses on it but was tender as it caressed her, soothing the ache in her heart.
“Did he hurt you anywhere else?” Paul asked in a low, husky voice. His eyes scanned hers carefully as he waited for her reply. “I need to know,” he added gently.
Morian raised her hand and placed it over his in comfort. “No, just what you saw. I have to admit I was a bit of what Cara would call a ‘wuss’. I remember very little after he took me,” she said, her voice breaking as her eyes filled again. “Damn it! I’m still being one.”
Paul leaned over her and brushed a kiss against her soft lips. “You can be as big a wuss as you want,” he assured her. “I won’t think any less of you.”
Morian’s lips trembled as a single tear escaped to run down the side of her face. “I bet you have never been a wuss in your life,” she responded with a sniff.
“Are you kidding?” Paul asked with a surprised tone. “Hell, I can tell you a dozen times when I have been the world’s biggest wuss! I bet I even have a certificate or two to prove it.”
“Oh right,” Morian sniffed again in disbelief. “Give me an example,” she retorted.
“Okay,” Paul thought for a moment before he grinned. “One time was the night that Trisha was born. Hell no, that was the second time. The first time was when Evelyn told me she was pregnant. I was shaking like a leaf. I was thinking I didn’t know a damn thing about babies. What was I supposed to do with one?”
Morian tilted her head as her symbiot ran down along her neck to heal the bruises from where Raffvin had grabbed her. “What did you do?” She asked, needing to hear the sound of his voice as much as being curious about what he was saying.
Paul grinned as his eyes followed and documented each mark on her delicate skin. He was taking notes because he fully intended to exact retribution for each one. His eyes darkened as her symbiot slipped down under the bodice of her torn blouse.
His head jerked up when Morian squeezed his hand that he still held against her cheek. “Oh, I found out she wasn’t as breakable as I thought. Trisha was a beautiful baby. She had a head full of curly hair and the most beautiful brown eyes that followed me everywhere,” he said softly as he remembered the first time he held his baby girl.
“Tell me another time,” Morian said as she drew his hand down to rest on he
r stomach.
Paul bit back a silent curse as his hand brushed over her breast. His jeans were suddenly feeling very tight. He tried to think of another time he had been a wuss. He figured it was probably Trisha’s first real birthday party-slash-slumber party after Evelyn had died. He told Morian about what it was like to have a half-dozen little four and five year old girls running squealing through the house. Everything had been fine until about one in the morning when the tears started because they all wanted their mommies and daddies. It had taken several huge bowls of popcorn and three consecutive showings of the Little Mermaid before they fell asleep. He couldn’t stomach listening to that damn crab sing ever again. He could barely stomach eating crab after that night because all he could think about was that it might suddenly jump up and start into a version of Under the Sea.
They both chuckled over his ‘wuss’ moments until he felt the warmth coming from the symbiot that Morian was completely healed. “Let me get a fire going. I’ll also see if I can catch us something to eat. How do you feel about fresh fish?” Paul asked watching Morian’s eyes droop in exhaustion.
“Wonderful,” she murmured sleepily. “Would you mind if I rested for a little bit?”
“No,” he replied knowing that she didn’t hear his quietly spoken words as she had already drifted off.
*.*.*
Paul spent the next hour and a half making their temporary shelter more secure and habitable. He was able to catch several large fish similar to river trout back home. He quickly filetted them out and had them roasting over the small fire he had built from the dried driftwood. He had to admit, being able to shift into a dragon made life a lot easier. He didn’t need to make a spear or work at building a fire.
Great, his dragon snorted with a dry humor. You use me as fishing pole and match.
Hell, Paul chuckled. You have to admit you do a great job as both.
Anything for my mate, his dragon replied as Paul’s eyes shifted back to where Morian was still sleeping. She be alright? His dragon asked in a hesitant voice.