by Julia Mills
He laughed. The big oaf actually laughed right out loud. Turning on her heels, Charlie stomped towards the waterfall, grumbling about pigheaded dragons. She made it four whole steps before she was snatched up, thrown over Aaron’s shoulder, and traveling so fast the trees were just a blur. Huffing her disgust, she just hung on, waiting for him to stop. It wasn’t long before she was once again on her feet, but now by a spectacular waterfall that looked like it was straight off the pages of a Sierra Club calendar.
Aaron moved in behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed the spot right behind her ear. Leaning against him, she shivered. “Are you cold, mo ghra?” he whispered at her ear.
“No, not at all. You’re like a heater.”
“We do run a little hotter than humans,” he chuckled, teasing her earlobe for just a second. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, more serious, “Just so you know, there will never come a day that I’ll wake up and shout NEXT. The moment you entered my life all other women ceased to exist. You are all I see, all I think about, all I could ever want or need. I know none of this makes sense to you, but please believe me when I tell you that is the most real thing I have ever experienced in all of my hundred years.”
Turning in his arms, she saw his belief and total commitment to every word he’d just spoken. That same ‘something’ that had clicked into place earlier, vibrated with what she could only describe as pure joy. Everything she’d been feeling, more precisely everything she’d been trying not to feel, was only growing stronger. Her feelings were real. She knew it was time to stop denying them. Fate, Destiny, the Universe…God, whoever it was that decided she and Aaron were supposed to be together, had been right. Everything she knew about him said he was her perfect match. The man somehow knew how to deal with her crap and actually had the balls to laugh in her face. Something no other man, save her father, had ever dreamt of doing.
It was then that she remembered her mom telling her about the first time she’d met Charlie’s dad. “Ya know, what you’re saying sounds an awful lot like the story my mom told me about meeting my dad.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, mom’s a nurse. She’d only been out of school a few months and had drawn the nightshift in the Emergency room. It was like four am and she was dog-tired when they brought in a cop that had been shot. It was only a flesh wound, but still pretty deep. He was covered in blood, looking like he might pass out, but acted all tough and macho when she came to clean the wound.”
“The doctor came in and announced he needed stitches. Mom said dad almost tossed his cookies, and when she brought out the needle, he lost consciousness. She assisted, bandaged him up, and went on to her next patient. It wasn’t until a couple of days later when she was heading to her car that she saw him again.”
“He was sitting on a bench, holding a bunch of grocery store flowers…daisies. When he saw her, his whole face lit up. He asked her out for coffee and the rest, as they say, is history. Of course, she gave him a run for his money. Didn’t make it easy on him. Even told him, ‘no’, the first time he asked her to marry him, but he never gave up. Said he knew she was the one, the first time he laid eyes on her.”
She stopped and thought for just a moment, then added. “I don’t know that I’m in love you… but I’m damned close, and I have to know what this is between us. I’m not sure if this will make sense to you, but it feels important…like as in once in a lifetime important. Something I was meant to do. I have to see where it all goes.”
Aaron smiled, not his usual smirk, but a real smile. She could see in that one look how much he truly cared for her. Her heart beat just a bit harder as he kissed the tip if her nose and whispered, “Thank you, mo ghra’.”
He lowered his lips to her. The kiss was different than any other they’d shared so far. It was deep and complete, all encompassing. There were no demands, no expectations…just two souls sharing a perfect moment in time. It seemed to go on forever but also to happen in the blink of an eye. When they broke apart, Charlie knew the look of awe on his face mirrored her own. It just felt right. They spent several hours lounging by the waterfall before Aaron announced that he was hungry.
“How about tuna salad sandwiches and chips?”
“Sounds good to me,” he answered before picking her up and speeding through the woods.
Several minutes later, he sat her on the patio, turned her towards the door, and swatted her behind. Mock glaring over her shoulder, she winked. “Thanks for the ride.” Aaron barked with laughter behind her and had tears in his eyes when he appeared at her side in the kitchen.
Clearing his throat he asked, “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing at all. You ‘cooked’ breakfast. I got lunch.” She used air quotes just to give him a hard time and snorted when he stuck out his tongue.
They ate lunch, told each other embarrassing stories about growing up, and laughed until Charlie’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. While they were doing the dishes, she noticed Aaron had gotten fidgety and thought about asking him what was wrong, but somehow knew he would tell her when he was ready…which came sooner rather than later.
As soon as he’d dried the last glass and placed it in the cupboard, he said, “Can we sit and talk for a minute?”
“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” she joked.
“Yes, but this is important, something I need to tell you.”
“Okay,” she answered, following him into the living room.
He sat on the couch, patting the spot next to him. Charlie sat, but turned so she could see his face. His arm on the back of the couch touched her shoulder and his fingers drew circles at the nape of her neck.
“You heard my voice in your head last night, right?”
“Yes,” she answered, totally thrown off by his question but curious to see where he was going.
“And you can hear me now, right?”
She jumped at the sound of his voice in her head, but nodded.
“Think your answer to me. Let’s see if it’s working both ways.”
Not sure how it all worked, she did exactly what he said and thought at him, “Can you hear me?”
His smile was the only answer she needed, but his voice in her head still sounded good, “Yes, I can, mo chroi.” He switched back to speaking aloud, “Now, I want you to look inside yourself and look for the link between us, the one we just used to communicate.”
Charlie felt somewhat weird, but did as he asked and was surprised to find it almost immediately. “Okay I see it,” she said aloud.
“Now, I want you to follow it into my mind.”
She opened her eyes to make sure she’d understood him correctly. When he nodded, she again closed her eyes, located the link, and followed it to him. At first, it was like she was floating, but almost immediately she was grounded and could feel Aaron everywhere. It was absolutely extraordinary, so different from being in her own head. It sounded trite, but inside his head was really masculine.
The first thing she saw was a vision of herself, the way he saw her. She had to admit, he made her look like a million bucks. Attached to that mental picture were thoughts and feelings all centered on what she meant to him. Every emotion reinforced what he’d already said to her. Aaron completely believed they were meant to be together. There was not a doubt to be found. Most shockingly, he’d already begun to fall in love with her.
She also felt his dragon and thought of the huge tattoo that covered most of his torso. When she looked closer, she could actually see the beast, but in this case, he sat quietly, studying her just as she studied him. For a moment, she felt the dragon’s presence in her head along with Aaron’s. He was powerful and regal; truly befitting every story she’d been told. She could feel the affection he had for her mixed with a healthy dose of admiration and more than a little possessiveness. The dragon had already claimed her as his own and was making sure she understood he took his responsibility seriously. Smiling in her mind, she laughed when he ch
uffed at her. Now, more than ever, she wanted to see him in person.
Charlie was humbled and more than a little freaked out, but knew it was something they would be dealing with soon. Following the link out of his head, she opened her eyes and found him observing her every move.
“That was the craziest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I would imagine so, but it’s one of the many things mates can do. I will admit, mindspeak and looking inside one another doesn’t usually happen until after the official mating, but you seem to be somewhat of a quick study. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
She nodded for him to continue.
“Last night after we made love, your back started bothering you. You moaned and wiggled like it itched, so I gave you a little massage until it settled.”
She figured he’d seen her marks and was just about to explain when he started again. “When I stopped, you got really agitated, and since touching you has become my favorite pastime, I kept doing it.” He winked and she rolled her eyes.
Have to keep this one on his toes.
“It wasn’t long until I felt them move…and my dragon felt them, too. You were finally resting comfortably and I didn’t want to wake you, so I took a look at them. They really are quite beautiful.”
She went to thank him and tell him her story, but he shook his head and kept talking. “Your mind was already open to mine, so I looked to make sure you were okay. I’m sorry I was in your mind without asking. It happened because I was worried. I promise it’s not something I’m in the habit of doing. We work really hard to stay out of each other’s mind, but I just had to know that you were all right.”
As he hurried on, she could see he had her best interests at heart. There was nothing malicious about his actions and the anger that had been building melted away as she continued to listen. The weirdest thing was that the longer he talked about them, the more her birthmark tingled.
“I saw that you’d had them since birth and all your visits to all the different doctors. I also saw how you came to live with your parents. They seem like really cool people. Can’t wait to meet them. Anyway, while I was in there making sure everything was okay, I stumbled across…well I found…oh hell, I’m just gonna say it. Charlie you have magic inside you… pure, white, very positive magic. It’s just a spark, but it’s there and it’s strong. I believe, and mind you this is not my area of expertise, but from what I’ve learned, I believe it’s still small because you haven’t used it. It’s simply living within you.”
He stopped speaking, watching her very closely. Charlie felt his hand holding hers while his other still rubbed her neck. All she could do was let everything he’d just told her sink in. It was as if she was standing outside herself watching it all take place. Her voice even sounded foreign when she spoke.
“So let me get this straight. Just a few hours ago, you told me that we were destined to spend our lives together. Then you spoke directly into my mind. You taught me how to look inside your mind and now you’re telling me that I have magic inside me? Oh! And my marks moved against your fingers while I was sleeping? Is that about right? Did I leave anything out?”
Unable to sit still any longer, Charlie jumped up and paced.
Hang out with this dude any longer and I’m gonna wear out my favorite Converse.
He hadn’t answered by her second pass and had a faraway look in his eye. Thinking she might’ve taken it too far, she plopped down in front of him, made eye contact, and waited. Aaron held up his index finger and mouthed, “One second.”
Nodding in agreement but still needing to move, Charlie headed to the kitchen. It wasn’t long before Aaron joined her.
“Sorry about that. Aidan was telling me that Rian has a lead on the little asshole.” He tapped his temple.
“Guess you gotta go?”
“In a bit, I told him we were in the middle of something and he said he’d let me know when they needed me. It’s more important that I stay with you right now, don’t ya think?”
Charlie shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant when she was anything but.
Aaron shook his head and snorted. “I wanna play poker with you. You can’t bluff to save your hide.”
Laughing because she knew it was true, Charlie swatted him on the arm. She’d tried to stay mad at him, tried to be upset that he’d invaded her privacy on an unbelievable level, but she just couldn’t. She knew in her heart of hearts that Aaron had only done what he thought was best…for her.
Waving the proverbial olive branch, she said, “Sorry I lost my cool. It’s just so much to take in. There’s a whole other world I knew nothing about, filled with all the things I read about as a kid, going on all around me. If that wasn’t enough, I’m connected to it through you and some magic inside me. Talk about crazy…if my name was Alice I would be looking for a white rabbit about now.”
Aaron chuckled, which for some reason made her feel better, and she laughed too.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
“You want something to drink?” she asked, grabbing glasses out of the cabinet.
“Sure. Whatever you’re having is fine,” he answered, waiting until she returned with the iced tea to hold out her chair for her before taking a seat next to her.
“There’s something else I want to talk to you about. No more surprises, scout’s honor.” He held up the boy scouts’ hand signal and grinned.
“Hit me. Might as well get it all out of the way up front.”
“I want you to come to the lair with me. Siobhan and Kyra know much more than I do about magic. They’ll be able to tell you the origin of the magic inside you as well as the meaning of the symbol on your necklace and your birthmark. You’ve met them both, right? Siobhan is Devon’s mom and our Healer, and Kyra…well; I know you’ve met her. Who could miss her?”
He paused for a second and she braced herself for what was to come. Charlie was quickly learning nothing was out of bounds for her dragon man.
“I know this is hard for you. I remember what it was like for Sam. You ladies come from a world of science and logic. Everything has cause and effect. Things are rational, problems to be solved. I have to say you are simply amazing! No matter what I’ve thrown at you today, you’ve dealt with it and not looked at me like I was a total loon.”
He leaned over and gave her quick kiss before continuing. “But here’s the part that might make you throw me out on my ass. I believe your magic and that symbol,” he pointed to her necklace, “are part of your birthright. I just know they will tell us who the woman that gave birth to you is and if she was magical.”
I’ll be damned! Of all the things I thought he was gonna say, that never entered my mind.
CHAPTER NINE
Charlie hadn’t thrown him out on his ass, she hadn’t even raised her voice or had to pace. As a matter of fact, she was on the back of his Harley, comfortably wrapped around him, riding towards the lair to see Siobhan and Kyra.
Aaron had called the healer to make sure she had time to see them. As soon as he explained, she’d told him to come on over and said she would call Kyra. He’d then spoken to Aidan through their unique link to let him know what was going on. His twin told him he and Grace would meet them there and that he would call Sam and Lance.
“I’m sure your mate will feel more comfortable with her best friend there and I know that Sydney is dying to see her Aunt Charlie.”
“Yeah, that’ll be good. She’s handling everything really well; I just don’t want her to get overwhelmed.”
“So you told her everything?” Aidan asked and Aaron could hear his skepticism.
“Yes. I told her everything.” He tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice, but knew he’d failed when his brother snickered.
“Good. Dude, I know it sucks, but it’s for the best in the long run, especially since she tends to run off to think.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…the wise, old, married man. I get it, but I’m the older twin.”
“Older doesn’t make you wiser.”
“No shit.” They both busted out laughing.
“See ya when you get here.”
“Yep.”
Charlie put her lips next this ear and whispered, “Where you just talking to your brother in your head?”
He sent his answer directly into her mind, “Yes, why?”
Picking up his hint, she answered in kind. “I kinda heard you guys. It sounded like a radio station that wasn’t quite tuned in, all fuzzy, lots of static. I only picked up a word here or there, but recognized it was Aidan.”
“That’s weird. I was talking to him on our private connection, the one we’ve had since birth, kind of a twin thing. No one, not even our parents or brother, has ever been able to hear us.”
“Is that a bad thing? Promise I wasn’t eavesdropping. ”
Patting her clasped hands that were resting at his waist, he snickered, “I know you weren’t. I don’t care if you do. It’s definitely not a bad thing. It means our bond is already really strong. We’re sharing everything and in my book, that’s very cool.”
Her conflicted feelings flowed through their mating bond. He really couldn’t blame her and meant what he said to Aidan; Charlie was handling all of their craziness way better than he could’ve ever hoped.
“If you say so. By the way, I’ve been looking at that little glowing ball of magic on and off since you showed me, and I think you were right. The more I poke at it, for lack of a better word; it seems to be getting bigger. I really wish I had an x-ray machine or ultrasound so I could study it.”
He laughed aloud, “You’re one of a kind, mo chroi. I knew your physician’s instincts would kick in soon. I’m not sure that any of those devices will show your magic, but I’m sure Siobhan and Kyra will be able to see it.”
“I’ve heard Sam talk about them. If both of you believe in them, then I’m on board.”