by Julia Mills
“Aye, yer time’s a comin’,” Fury assured, having seen Kayne’s fate many times over the years, with the same mate always capturing the demi-god’s heart.
“Yeah that’s what you and dad keep saying, but if I have my druthers, I’d rather just keep things status quo. Having a mate can wait. I’ve still got lots of wild oats to sow.”
“I have a feeling Fate and Destiny have other ideas.”
“Since I know you’ve already seen what’s in store for me, I’m gonna quickly change the subject,” the demi-god laughed aloud. “I know you didn’t call me to have a chat. Your impatience is like an angry gnat buzzin’ in my ear. So, I’ll shut up and let you say what you need to say.”
Smiling despite the severity of the situation, the Seer hurried on, “As ye know, my own future and that of my mate are a blank slate to me, but I have a feelin’ in the pit of me stomach, that burnin’, churnin’ kind of feelin’, that I’ll be requirin’ yer special talents, to ensure Pippa’s safety.”
Kayne’s surprise at Fury’s request was immediate and overwhelming, so much so that the demi-god was actually at a loss for words. Something that had never happened in their years as friends. Finally, after several long seconds, Kayne answered, his sentiment that of a true brother, his tone unusually serious.
“I am honored to once again fight by your side and that you trust me to help in keeping your mate from harm.”
“Thank you, mo dheartháir. The honor is all mine.”
“Now, I’m gonna get my mangy golden hide into the sky. See ya on the flipside. Holler if things change.”
And just like that, Kayne was back to normal, joking and talking like he was a kid hanging out with his friends. Fury could only smile as he repeated the saying of the Ancients to his old friend. “May ye fly true and straight with the blessing of the Universe leading the way and the wind at yer back.”
“Thanks, old man. Right back atcha,” the demi-god responded before closing their connection. Because of his insight, Fury could still see Kayne, but had learned to never interfere unless his friend was in danger.
Looking ahead, opening his preternatural senses wide, Fury saw the snow caps of the Canadian Blue Mountain and zeroed in on where the land gave way to the shores of Lake Huron. Pulling on the strong magic of his dragon, the Seer doubled his speed, trying to beat the first rays of the morning sun. Although hidden from human eyes with his magic, the safety of his Pippa was paramount and he would take no chances in being delayed.
Transforming back to a man, fully dressed in hiking boots and a parka, the Guardsman jogged the mile or so to the base of the mountain, taking shelter in a small cave at the water’s edge. Using his senses, he searched for any people or boats in the area, making sure he could get into the water and call forth his sea dragon without being seen.
Sure the coast was clear, Fury made a beeline across the dense, wet sand, straight into the lake, diving head first into the icy waters when they lapped at his thighs. Arms stretched forward, fingers straight, he dove towards the murky bottom as brilliant purple, blue and teal scales replaced the fabric of his clothing, and his body began the transformation.
Growing to nearly thirty-five feet long, half of that length being his powerful, horizontally flat tail, Fury felt invigorated by once again taking a form he had kept locked away for way too many years. The huge, barbed spade that had donned his tail on land became a mass of flowing muscle and cartilage encased in beautiful iridescent scales, forming one massive fin that acted as a rudder. Flipping it back and forth several times, his body immediately remembered how to navigate underwater with lightning speed and split-second turns.
The gills along his regal neck opened and closed, providing the precious oxygen both man and dragon needed to complete the transformation, as his powerful forty-foot wings that had pushed him through the sky evolved for flight-like propulsion through the deep, dark lake. His two hind legs were shorter, more compact, and much more muscular. His long claws, nearly the length of Fury’s human legs that he used for defense, jutted from the tips of his webbed toes, warning every creature nearby that this dragon was not to be trifled with, while his front legs became nonexistent in this embodiment.
Moving his head from side-to-side, the water making the weight of the massively thick, sharp battle horns that sprung from his brow and adorned the crown of his skull nearly nonexistent and gave further warning to all inhabitants of the fresh water of his arrival. Opening his enormous jaws, he first fired a blast of flames, smiling as it cut through a large piece of debris in front of him. Then, careening through the waters, Fury gave himself a moment to play. Alternating between fire, freezing water at nearly negative forty degrees Fahrenheit, and a blast of boiling hot water, he did barrel rolls, leaving a swirling trail of steam in his wake.
Smiling a toothy grin with his massive jaws and threatening double row of sword-like fangs, he snickered, “All is well, my friend,” confidently to the dragon of his soul. “In a few short hours, we shall be with our Pippa.”
Overwhelmed by the thought of his mate, Fury reached through their mating bond. Following the bright light glowing in his soul, the Seer was immediately pulled into Pippa’s consciousness, able to see and feel everything his mate saw and felt. He watched her delicate hands as they gripped the steering wheel, and grinned as she sang along with the blaring radio in her vehicle, her long red ponytail whipping against the headrest of her seat as the cool, autumn air blew in the window.
Smiling along as she read the passing road sign aloud, “Serenity, IL, 182 Miles. Wonder what fun I’ll find here?” Fury could hear her anticipation mixed with apprehension as she pushed harder on the accelerator.
“Never fear, mo ghrá. I will be there to keep the bogeyman at bay.” The Guardsman pushed confidence and reassurance into his mate as he cut through the water like a knife through warm butter.
Speeding past a school of brown trout, their golden underbellies glittering in the dark water, Fury took a moment to enjoy the passing scenery that most would never see. His dragon nudged to the right, thoughts of gulping up a few of the steelhead trout, the red strip adorning the length of their meaty bodies teasing his huge, elliptical-pupiled eyes like a matador’s cape taunted a bull, rivaling the thoughts of their One True Mate.
“Na, old boy. We’ll not be eatin’ right now.” Fury exerted his will over that of his dragon, chuckling when the beast refused to give up, opening his jaws and turning his head towards a passing school of chinook salmon.
“Aye, I know you’ve been pent up for way too long. I promise we’ll be back as soon as our Pippa is safe.” At the mention of their mate, the sea dragon pushed, tearing through the water at top speed.
Turning his focus back to his Beloved, Fury listened as the song on the radio came to an end, replaced by commercials about a sale on refrigerators. He watched his own image, both as a dragon and as a man, flow through Pippa’s mind. as she sighed, “If only you were real.”
Unable to resist the temptation of his mate, the Guardsman whispered, “Aye, but I am real, mo stór, just as alive and breathin’ as ye are.”
A full moment of silence ticked by, Pippa’s thoughts whirring like fruit in a blender, before she finally scoffed, “Okay, so I’ve officially lost my mind. Not only am I talking to a mythological creature, but I’m actually considering the fact that he can change into a man.”
“And a sea dragon and a few other forms.” Fury snickered at her gasp, before asking, “Cannae you control fire? Does it no bend to your will?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Do you no feel me in yer mind? Feel the magic of our connection?” He pushed more magic into their bond, watching it bloom in a miraculous kaleidoscope of color within her. Still feeling her resistance to the truth, Fury molded the pure white magic that only two mates can create into the shape of his hand, gently brushing the back of his fingers across her cheek.
Pippa gently laid her hand over the whispered image of his, as she murm
ured in awe, “Is that really you?” Her eyes opened wide, a beautiful blush coloring the apples of her cheeks.
“Aye, mo chroí, tis,” he sighed. His joy at her receptiveness filling his enormous heart with more love than he knew possible and strengthening the bond between them.
“I have lost my damn mind.” His mate slapped her hand onto the steering wheel, gripping it until her knuckles turned white. “This just can’t be.”
“But tis, mo stór, and ye shall see with yer own eyes and touch with yer own hands, sooner rather than later.”
Pulling back, giving his mate the time she needed to come to terms with the destiny they shared, Fury kept his mind completely open to Pippa as he listened to her trying to make sense of his existence. He loved her mind as much as her heart and soul. She was intelligent, both in a scholarly manner and with a worldly cunning that allowed her to make quick decisions. Although his Beloved found it difficult to trust, the Guardsman could feel her capacity to love and had no doubt that once she accepted someone into her world, she gave all that she was to be there for those few she called friends.
Changing back into a man, as the water gave way to the shore, Fury stood to his full height of six-foot-ten and strode through the tall grass at the lake’s edge directly into a heavily wooded forest. Jogging at first, then running as fast as he could, when he glimpsed another road sign through Pippa’s eyes stating she was only fifty miles from Serenity, Fury followed a route that ensured he would remain unseen. Using the trees and foliage of the area as natural cover, he traveled the seventy or so miles to Serenity at neck-breaking speed.
It had been nearly an hour of silence when Pippa clapped her hand on the wheel of her vehicle and happily shouted, “Woohoo, I’m here,” as she passed a green and white sign that read ‘Welcome to Serenity’ sitting next to a large stone statue of a bear.
Fury could feel how close he was to his mate, both man and dragon pushing the large muscles in his legs to a fiery burn, the need to be by her side a living, breathing entity within them. He thanked the Heavens as she slowed her vehicle to a crawl and pulled off the road. The Guardsman watched as Pippa grabbed her camera from the bag sitting on the passenger seat and stepped out of her car. He couldn’t help but smile as she talked to the incredibly life-like statue, looking through the lens, coaxing, “Now, smile pretty, Bear.”
“Oh, I will.”
A booming voice, so evil and eerie that Fury immediately felt dirty, shattered the sweet solace of the moment, clawing its way into their minds like the screech of a steel fork scraping across a plate. The acrid scent of rotten eggs mixed with the ash of burnt plastic filled the air, as Fury raced to save Pippa from the one he immediately recognized as Khain.
“Stay where ye are, Pippa!” Fury bellowed his command both telepathically and aloud, the leaves on the trees shaking overhead as he sprinted to save his mate, jumping over the roots and rocks in his path.
Watching his mate spin around and face the demon seeking to destroy her, the Guardsman burst through the trees, launching his body into the air, landing dead center, between Pippa and Khain, his eyes staring at the demon known as Matchitew. Holding his hands, the brilliant purple scales of his dragon quickly replacing his skin, Fury’s dragon roared as the demon’s iris’ flashed from blue to a putrid yellow. Fire shot from the Guardsman’s mouth as well as his fingertips, seeking the heart of the one known as the Great Destroyer.
With a maniacal cackle, Khain threw back his head, his long, dark hair swirling like black clouds of doom as he taunted, “Give me all you got, dragon. There’s no way the likes of you can defeat me.”
Grabbing the magic his dragon readily supplied, the trembling beat of his mate’s heart echoing in his mind, her fear fueling his actions, Fury took a threatening step forward, preparing to exterminate the abomination before him. Opening his mouth wider, his body now covered in the scales of his dragon, the Guardsman instantaneously changed the flames flying across his lips to icy shards of water as his dragon rattled the confines of his mind with roars of righteous indignation.
Strengthening his assault, lowering the temperature of the water even farther, reveling in the steam rising from the demon as his visage of a human male melted away, Fury stepped closer still. He felt the thrill of a small victory within his grasp as Khain, his shredded black ‘Wolves Sniff Big Butts’ T-shirt hanging off his shoulders as the demon tried desperately to stop the dragon’s deluge of water with blasts of Hellfire he shot from his fingertips.
Taking another staggering step backward, the cloven toes on his feet visible through the thick cloud of steam, Khain’s shrieking yowl shook the ground as he refused to backdown. Pounding footsteps of wolves racing through the forest rang in Fury’s ears. The distinct flap of dragon’s wings entering the fray which he prayed were Kayne’s as the Seer continued his assault, stalking closer to the demon. Then, in the blink of an eye, Khain was gone, had gutlessly taken refuge under whatever rock he called home.
Turning towards Pippa, Fury held out his arms, catching her as she tumbled forward, like a leaf falling from a branch. Holding his mate close to his heart, thankful she’d only fainted from shock, Fury fought to control the rage racing through him as two male wolves and a shifter in human form burst through the trees, the man shouting, “Where is he? Where is Khain?”
Ignoring the wolf’s demands, Fury held Pippa closer still, the jealousy of other males being anywhere near her, especially after fighting to save her life, rising within him. Opening his mouth to order them back, his words were cutoff as a small red dragon, just a bit taller than the Seer, landed to his right, immediately changing back to his human form.
Taking a step backward as the one he knew by scent was the dragen Maddox and Zachary had spoken of, Fury opened his mind, ecstatic by the immense control he now possessed over his foresight with Pippa in his arms and stated, “I mean no harm or trespass. I have only come to protect my mate.”
Waiting for an answer, shielding Pippa from the tension filling the air as the male in human form and his wolves searched the area where Khain had been standing, desperately looking for clues to the demon’s whereabouts, Fury waited as patiently as possible. He took in the dragen’s appearance, his physical strength, strong magic, and age, considering it a badge of honor.
The Guardsman grinned at the bits of gray hair peeking through at the dragen’s temples, giving his otherwise short, dark hair a bit of sophistication. But, what most impressed Fury were the dragen’s red and yellow eyes and indelible black tattoos on his wrists.
Feeling the shiften searching his thoughts, Fury did not return the favor and pry into the dragen’s mind. He instead waited until the other man stepped forward. The immense power of this male matched the Guardsman’s in every way as he spoke directly into Fury’s mind, “I dinnae…” He paused, holding onto his emotions with an iron grip. “I never dreamt…You are nothing like the others.” Another pause, the dragen taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out as he continued, “I kin see your past, the good and the bad.” His Scottish brogue drew thicker. “Ye’ve not had an easy life, Fury MacTavish. Of that, we have in common.” He nodded. “Had I known you lot existed. Had I even had an inklin’…”
Scratching the stubble on his chin, the dragen gave Fury a half-grin as he added, “Mah name’s Graeme, Graeme Kynock.” The grin dropped away as quickly as it had appeared, his tone now edged with steel, “Your Beloved is a One True Mate. I see the prophecy of your ancestors in your thoughts. You’ll need to be talkin’ to Wade. He’ll need to know that you’re here and of your battle with Khain.”
Fury could hear the question and speculation in the dragen’s voice knew from his scent and mannerisms he was mated with a young one and understood Graeme’s apprehension. Then the dragen added, “You can read me if you like, but I do not want to know what the future holds for me and mine.”
“I assure ya’ there’s no fortune tellin’ happenin’ today.” Fury looked down at Pippa, resting in his arms,
“She’s made all the difference in the world.”
“Aye.” The dragen’s grin returned. “Of that, we kin agree.” Looking at the wolven, as Fury remembered to think of them, Graeme stated matter-of-factly, completely contradicting the myriad of emotions still flowing through him, “This male is a dragon. Not of my Clan or species, but most definitely dragon and I believe he can help in the fight to protect our mates.”
Chapter Nine
Pretending to be asleep, Pippa listened intently as male voices rose and fell in an intense discussion of the impact that the existence of other shifters would have on the shiften of Serenity. A mature voice, belonging to a man with masterful control, put great emphasis on the difference of the words shiften and shifter, the importance reiterated by thoughts and words of the dragen and wolven in the room. It was obvious they were used to ruling the roost and were not about to let anyone upset the balance they worked so tirelessly to maintain.
The word ‘demon’ entered their conversation, like a stink bomb being thrown in a girl’s locker room. Unfortunately, it conjured the image of the guy with dark hair, weird eyes and a voice that set her nerves on edge in Pippa’s mind, as well.
Look at that, my very own stink bomb. This day just keeps getting better and better…
Her blood boiled and the palms of her hands heated as flames threatened to fly from her fingertips from the visions of the day Jason died replaying in her mind. Pippa saw the same asshole, his eyes flashing from blue to yellow as he incinerated her best friend and an innocent child with no more than the snap of his fingers.
Refusing to be dragged down her very own version of Memory Lane, Pippa instead focused on the fight at the Serenity city limits. The friggin’ jerk had appeared out of nowhere when she was trying to take a picture of the amazing bear statue, acting like he owned the world and she was trespassing.