by Rinelle Grey
Karla took a deep breath. “I don’t know,” she admitted. Surely she wasn’t really in love with Taurian? The pull she felt for him was strong, but she barely knew him. They had none of the shared understanding she’d come to expect with Bruce. They didn’t know each other well enough for this to be love. Did they?
Karla shook her head. “This whole healing thing creates some sort of magical bond between us. I don’t know what’s because of that, and what’s real, true feelings.”
Which wasn’t quite true. But she didn’t really feel like admitting that she wasn’t sure how much was lust, and how much was love.
“Would you say yes if he asked you to marry him?” her dad asked.
Karla tried to imagine that. To see the look in Taurian’s eyes, full of love, as he asked her to be his wife. Did dragons even have marriage ceremonies? Yes, Taurian had mentioned something about them lasting a week and involving many different costumes.
She swallowed. The thought was far too pleasant to think about. Her mind all too readily filled in images of Taurian in different costumes, many not fit to be seen in public. In human public anyway. Given how little Taurian had been wearing when she’d first found him, she wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that dragon shifter wedding clothes were more revealing than human ones. Not that he wouldn’t be taking them all off for the wedding night. She cleared her throat. She certainly wasn’t ready to discuss this topic with her dad. “Maybe,” she admitted. “But he needs to be in one piece first.”
What was she thinking? Did she really just say that? This whole thing was getting too serious, too fast. She wasn’t the sort to make a decision like that on a whim. And that’s all this was. The only thing she knew about this dragon shifter was that he attracted trouble. Not what she was looking for in a relationship, no matter how wild he made her feel.
No, she wasn’t going to give in to this crazy feeling, it would just pull her under, and she couldn’t risk that.
“I don’t think you’re going to have any problems with him healing.” Her father glanced over at Taurian. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully, the smear of blood on his cheek the only sign of having been injured recently.
Karla itched to lift the blanket and check on his wounds. How close was he to healed? If he was close enough, her touch could wake him, and then…
Heat flooded her body at the thought of the next step in the ritual. She wouldn’t be resisting it this time. Much as she may be trying to pretend this was something she was only doing to help him, she couldn’t deny the urge was already strong, before she’d even initiated the next step by touching him.
There was just one problem. How to get her father and Lisa to leave?
“He does seem to be healing quickly,” she agreed. “But it’s probably best if we keep things quiet and settled until he wakes. Have either of you eaten?”
Her stomach rumbled, and she realised that she hadn’t.
“I’ll go get something for all of us,” her father said quickly. “I brought lots of food, and a camping stove to cook on. Lisa, do you want to give me a hand?”
Lisa hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Karla sagged in relief that her dad had recognised her need to be alone and responded to it, and had taken Lisa with him. He was the best. Karla lowered herself to the floor beside Taurian, and hoped they stayed away for long enough.
Long enough for what she wasn’t sure.
Chapter 30
The sensation of waking from the Mesmer was different to a normal waking. More like swimming up through thick soup than just opening his eyes. But it was becoming intimately familiar to Taurian.
This awakening was different though. The hands on his chest were warm and familiar. Karla. Taurian eagerly pulled himself out of the Mesmer towards her. And it wasn’t just her energy he sought. He couldn’t wait to hear her voice, look into her eyes, and feel her touch. His body quickened at the thought of their coupling, anticipation mingling with the memory of last time.
He soaked up the feeling, letting it pervade every part of his body. Slowly, he became aware of a hard surface under his buttocks and a rough blanket rubbing against his naked body. He needed to get rid of that. To be closer to Karla. He only needed a little more energy and he’d be able to get up and sweep her off her feet. Then it wouldn’t matter that the ground was hard.
Opening his eyes, he didn’t even focus on his surroundings. Only her. She was the only thing that mattered. Her blonde hair hung around her face, freed from its usual ponytail. Her blue eyes were soft and a little misty.
“I thought I’d lost you.” Her voice was soft and husky, giving away far more than she realised. She cared about him, a little at least. She had feared that he might die, and was glad he didn’t. Taurian’s heart soared. Then felt immediately guilty for the pain he had caused her.
He reached out a hand to cup her cheek. “It’s not that easy to get rid of me.”
Even as he said the words, he wondered how close he had come. Left untreated, his wounds would have been fatal. He’d lost enough blood to black out even before they had reached their destination. And once he was unconscious, he couldn’t enter the Mesmer of his own volition.
If he’d died, he would never have had another chance to avenge his sister’s honour.
Or to bed Karla again.
He couldn’t decide which would be worse. Luckily, he didn’t have to. He would have the chance to do both, thanks to Karla.
“You saved me,” he said, realisation dawning. “How did you know what to do?”
Karla fiddled with one of her earrings, twisting it around in her ear. “I don’t know, I just did what seemed right. It almost felt like you were telling me somehow. But I wasn’t sure. I was worried I was doing the wrong thing though, and that I’d mess it up somehow.” A shadow fell across her face, and Taurian wished he could brush the cares and worries away.
Being a dragon’s mate wasn’t an easy life though. This would not be the only time she was tested thus. He had every expectation she would rise to the challenge though, just as she had today. Pride warmed his blood.
There he went again, thinking of her as his mate. She wasn’t. He didn’t think… A tingle of excitement and fear shot through him and he rapidly counted again in his head, clearer now on what had happened. Disappointment warred with relief. Yes, they had only slept together once. This would make the second time. It was unusual to mate with the same person for a second Mesmer ritual, but not unheard of. So long as there was no third time.
“This will only be our second time mating, won’t it?” he asked her, just to be sure.
Karla blushed, and Taurian’s own face warmed. He was jumping to conclusions. She might not wish to bed him again.
The thought was like dragon claws raking across his back, in ways he hadn’t expected.
Perhaps humans liked different things in bed? Perhaps he had rushed too much last time, and disappointed her?
He refused to believe she simply wasn’t attracted to him. That just wasn’t possible. Not with the way she had reacted last time. His body quickened at the thought.
He searched Karla’s face, hunting for an answer. She ducked her head, but before she broke eye contact, he could see the anticipation flickering in her eyes. Relief washed away the last of his doubts.
“We can’t,” she said breathlessly, her words rushed. “Not with my dad, and Lisa, and…”
She broke off, but Taurian guessed she was about to mention her lifemate’s name. Jealousy surged through him like a bushfire. That man was still here? He would burn him to a crisp.
Karla continued, “They’ll be back any minute, and I don’t want… I can’t explain to them. We need to wait until we can have some privacy.”
The pleading tone to her words stilled some of the impatience raging in Taurian’s chest. She wasn’t saying no, just wanting to wait. He could manage that. For a while. “Not too long,” he cautioned, “Ultrima will be looking for us.”
Karla’s face paled. “Hopefully not too soon. He was injured too, remember?”
Taurian did remember. And it hadn’t been by him. The shame of needing to be rescued filled his heart, threatening to crush it. Karla’s help, he could accept, but not the help of her lifemate. That smacked too much of pity. He growled, deep in his throat.
Karla’s eyes flew to his, and he was half afraid the strong connection between them would somehow help her guess his fears. He wasn’t ready to share that with her. He rushed to give another explanation for his anger. “Not for long. He has a whole clan of dragons around him. He will complete the Mesmer ritual in no time.”
“But he doesn’t know where we are.” Karla rocked back on her heals, and Taurian mourned the loss of the physical contact, even as he enjoyed looking at her fully. “It will take him a while to find us. That gives us some time.”
Nodding, Taurian put out a hand to rest on her knee, savouring the feel of her skin under his. “It will buy us some time, but not long.”
Karla’s brow creased. “What are we going to do then? Because obviously fighting him isn’t the answer.”
Adrenalin surged through Taurian. He wanted to say that fighting the other dragon was the only answer. It was certainly the one his honour craved. But even though his wounds were healed, the memory of how quickly Ultrima had injured him was still fresh in his mind, as though it had only happened an hour ago. If he went up against the lightning dragon again, the outcome would be the same, or worse. He couldn’t risk another fight, at least, not an honest one.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Even though it was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to say, it was easier to say it to Karla than it would have been to anyone else. Despite that, he winced, waiting for the derision he half expected to come.
Instead, he felt Karla’s hand cover his. “There’s no shame in admitting that you’re not as strong as he is,” she said quietly. “We’ll figure something out.”
Her willingness to stand with him and accept his shortcomings warmed his heart. But he couldn’t just accept it and move on. He still had a responsibility to his sister and clan, even if they were all dead. And he didn’t see how that could be achieved, with or without Karla’s help. “What can we possibly do?” he asked. “There’s no way I can defeat Ultrima on my own. I should have known that. Even when my whole clan was together we were unable to beat him. It’s hopeless.”
Even if he gave up on avenging his sister’s honour, Ultrima clearly wasn’t going to. Taurian was fighting for his own life as well.
“What do you think happened to them?” Karla asked curiously.
He didn’t want to think about that. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t. “Ultrima must have found their Mesmer chambers,” he said quietly, trying to ignore the ache in his heart at the words. “There’s no other explanation. If they were alive, they would have woken me many years ago.”
His family would never have deserted him, never have let him sleep this long if they had been around to prevent it.
“What if they just didn’t wake up? What if they’re still out there, sleeping, like you were?”
Taurian’s heart skipped a beat, and he stared at her. He shook his head. It wasn’t possible.
Was it?
Could all six princes and princess still be caught in the Mesmer ritual? Caught in time as he had been?
Of course it was possible. If it had happened to him, there was a distinct chance that at least one of his brothers or sisters was still alive.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” he admitted. His heart beat a little faster with barely suppressed hope at the thought. If he wasn’t the only prince left, maybe, just maybe, there was a chance.
A chance not only of avenging his sister and upholding his clan’s honour, but also the possibility of living a long and peaceful life with a loving mate of his own.
“Do you know where their chambers are?”
“Of course.”
“Then that’s what we have to do,” Karla said firmly. “We need to go find out if they’re alive.”
Oh, if only it was that simple. “Ultrima knows where they are too,” Taurian said. “He will be there waiting, just like he was waiting when I awoke.” The hope he’d felt for a moment faded away. “And if our clan was not there to protect the chamber, then he probably took the chance to kill them.”
“Why didn’t he kill you then?” Karla demanded. She put her hands on her hips and her eyes challenged him. “He must have had plenty of chances.”
Taurian hesitated. He hadn’t explained his theory to her. Now that he knew her so well, it seemed crazy that he had once wondered if she might be working for the Trima clan. But it was the only explanation. “The chambers are protected by powerful spells,” he explained. “Only dragons from our clan could enter, dragons from the Trima clan would be killed instantly.”
“Then why do you doubt that your family are still alive? If they are protected by spells that powerful, then how could the Trima clan get to them?”
“By using humans,” Taurian said softly.
“A human can pass through the spells,” Karla guessed. “That’s how I was able to come in and wake you.”
Taurian nodded. “We didn’t bother to protect against humans. We didn’t see them as a threat.” It wasn’t surprising the Trima clan had used that fact. It had been a stupid oversight on their behalf. Though in all fairness, the world had changed a lot while they had been asleep.
“Do you really think they would do that?” Karla asked. “Use humans to lure you out and then, what, attack both of you?”
“Do you have to ask?” Taurian said. “Isn’t that what they did with you?”
Karla’s face registered confusion for a minute, then her eyes widened. “You think I was trying to lure you out? You think I was a pawn for Ultrima?”
“Not knowingly,” Taurian rushed to assure her. “But someone sent you to me.”
A frown crossed Karla’s face. “I suppose it’s possible, but I didn’t feel that the man who asked me to come to you was one of Ultrima’s dragons. In fact, he reminded me of you a little. His eyes were the same.”
“He had golden eyes?” Taurian demanded. A flicker of hope stirred in him.
Karla nodded.
Taurian tried to keep a tight hold on his excitement. The Trima clan had been almost exclusively lightning dragons, formed when Ultrima had left Rian clan in a rage at the princess’s refusal. His kind had followed him.
Given that cross paring was common, it wasn’t impossible a fire dragon had been born in the Trima clan after they had left. Throwbacks did happen, even with two parents of the same type. But it wasn’t likely.
“If only we could find him again. If some of my clan are still alive…” If they were, then there was hope.
Karla put a hand on his arm. She seemed to understand his reluctance. “Maybe we could find the man who sent me to wake you. He might be able to help protect us from Ultrima, and even help us find your family,” she said softly.
Did he dare get his hopes up? There were so many places the plan could fall apart. His clan and family could all be dead. Ultrima could find them while they were searching and vulnerable.
But he didn’t have anything better to try. Taking Ultrima head on had been a complete failure.
“It’s better than nothing,” he agreed. “But I need to be at full strength before we undertake the journey. It’s likely Ultrima will anticipate our plan and be lying in wait for us.”
He waited for Karla to say it didn’t seem to matter if he was at full strength or not, he had little chance of defeating Ultrima. But to his relief, she just nodded. “As soon as we can get some time alone when no one is going to walk in on us.”
How they were going to achieve that, Taurian wasn’t sure, but already his body tingled in anticipation.
If only they weren’t going to have to rush. Again.
Chapter 31
With Taurian awake an
d a plan of sorts in place, Karla felt a little more optimistic about a positive outcome to this situation.
What she wasn’t so optimistic about was finding some time alone with Taurian to complete the Mesmer ritual. Even though her nerves tingled every time she imagined it, there was nowhere in the falling down house where they could find privacy. Even the doors that were still on their hinges barely closed. Nothing would spoil the mood more thoroughly than Lisa, Bruce or her dad walking in on them, or even just calling out from another part of the house.
After making such a big deal about how important it was to stay inside and out of sight, she could hardly take Taurian for a walk around the countryside, even ignoring the fact that being chased by a dragon was a very real risk.
At least her father had brought Taurian’s clothes and he was dressed now. His nakedness was more than a little distracting. There was no way she could make any sort of plan past completing the Mesmer ritual while she knew he wasn’t wearing anything under that blanket.
Who was she kidding? He was just as distracting wearing the tight jeans and leather boots. And it would probably help if he actually buttoned up the silver shirt.
Karla shook her head. She needed to focus on how they were going to complete the Mesmer ritual. Where would she find a space where they wouldn’t’ be interrupted?
Then it hit her. Karla’s lips curved up in a smile. Perfect.
“Wait here,” Karla told Taurian. She ducked into the next room, where the food was stored, and stared around. She could hear her father and Lisa cooking and talking in the next room. Even Bruce was chatting in a relatively normal voice.
Hopefully what she sought was here, and not in the other room in someone’s pocket. It seemed like everything out of the ute had been stacked here, surely they had to be here somewhere? Her eyes lit on her prize, and she smiled and snatched them up, then headed back into the other room. Grabbing Taurian’s hand, she tugged him towards the back door.
Before she’d managed even a couple of steps, her father appeared in the doorway of the second room. “You’re awake, Taurian. That’s great. I’ve got some lunch ready for both of you.”