by Julia Mills
She looked from one man to the other; sure the guy on the end had also been in the garage with them last night. He reminded her of a surfer with his sun-kissed blonde hair, eyes such a crystal blue they kind of twinkled, and one little dimple that seemed to wink at her from the corner of his cocky grin. He was the first to reach them, and even before she could raise her hand to shake his, he was scooping her up in a hug. “Put her down now, you asshole. She’s injured and my mate,” Aidan growled at her side.
Lance set her feet back on the ground and held her at arm’s length, looking her over. “Well, ya got quite a scratch there on your cheek, Princess. I wondered if you would have a black eye today. Glad to see you don’t,” he winked and chuckled as Aidan pulled her from his grasp and positioned her on his other side.
She looked up to catch all the men trying to keep from cracking up, and then she realized what he had called her, “What did you call me…?”
“Name’s Lance and I called you Princess,” he stood waiting for her answer, holding back the laugh threatening to burst out.
“Why would you call me Princess, you don’t even know me?” she snapped, unable to stop her temper from rising. She hated that name. Brent, the asshole, had called her that. It would be great if she was never reminded of that idiot ever again. It made the little hairs at the back of her neck stand on end to hear it used again after all these years.
“Darlin’, in case you have noticed, you’re a dead ringer for Snow White. You know the princess from the fairy tales? You look just like all the pictures I’ve seen in the books that the little vibrias read back at the lair.” He smiled a smile she was sure had charmed more than one lady out of her panties, “Or I could call you Hellcat after the way you fought those guys last night.” He winked and took a step back before Aidan could grab his arm.
“She has a name, jerk,” Aidan spat.
“I can speak for myself, Aidan.” She rubbed the hand he had resting on her waist to ease the sting of her statement, and noticed the wide eyes staring at her from the men he called brethren. She directed her next comment to Lance and decided to be as cheeky as he had been, “I prefer Hellcat.” Then she winked at him to show she could give as good as she got.
“Hellcat, it is then,” Lance chuckled, and all the rest followed suit. “We have decided that you girls need nicknames, kind of like warning labels.” She lifted her hand to smack his arm. He twisted a little and chuckled, “No, no, no…just kidding. Really, we just like to make sure you know how welcome you are to the Force and to the clan.” His smile said he had a heart of gold, but the twinkle in his eye said he caused more than his share of trouble.
“One more thing, what does vibria mean?” she asked while it was still fresh in her mind.
Lance smiled, “It means female dragon.”
“Thanks,” Grace smiled. She wondered if she would ever keep this new language straight in her mind.
“Well, now that Lance has caused trouble and picked a nickname for you, how are you, Grace? Kyndel is worried sick about you. She can’t wait for you to join her at our home. I had to promise to have you there as soon as possible to keep her from coming with us,” Rayne smiled, and Grace saw all the love he felt for her friend. She had never known that kind of love was possible. Now she had to face the fact that she was falling in love with the man standing at her side. She tucked that thought away for another time as the big red-haired man made his way to her.
“I’m so glad to see you are doing better today. I’m Royce by the way. Glad to formally meet you,” he smiled the most genuine, pure smile Grace had ever seen. This man truly was a gentle giant. His deep brown eyes shone with a kindness rarely seen in someone his size.
“Royce is our medic, cook, and basically mother to all of us when we are out on mission,” Aidan said right next to her ear. He had moved behind her and was hugging her from behind, with his chin on her shoulder.
“I am not their mother,” Royce shook his head. “If I was, I would’ve kicked all their butts long ago,” he smiled that warm caring smile again. “How are you feeling today, really? Anything that I should take a look at?” She was blown away by the genuine concern this man was showing for her.
Her cheeks hurt from the smile that crossed her face, “No, I’m fine, but thank you so very much for asking.”
It was Royce’s turn to smile big and wide, “Sure enough. Anytime. You are one of us now. We’ll all have your back,” and with that, he stepped back.
Grace watched Royce pick up a huge duffle and move towards the house. Aidan’s almost identical twin caught her eye. “You’re Aaron, right?” He nodded at her comment.
“Aidan said you guys weren’t identical,” Grace held a little tighter to Aidan’s hand. “But there’s no denying you’re brothers.” She watched for any signs of the storm that had been brewing in his eyes earlier and saw nothing. Neither did her spidey senses give any indication that he was anything but ready to get the business at hand settled.
“Yea, he’s my younger brother, but I’m the good looking one,” he winked, and she realized he was trying to make her more comfortable.
Aidan snorted beside her, “Older by two minutes and that’s all I’ve heard for the last hundred years…shit!”
Grace spun around in Aidan’s arms and grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket, “A hundred years?” She knew her voice was rising, but she had just received the shock of her life, and that was saying something with all that she had learned in the last few hours.
“Yes, mo ghra’, Aaron and I had our one hundredth birthday this year. I told you we are infused with the magic of our dragon. One of the many advantages is a much longer lifespan. We age at an incredibly slow rate.”
“Are you two the oldest?” she asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Her comment earned laughs from all the men standing around her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aidan loosened her hands from the death grip they still had on his jacket and rubbed her palms with his thumbs while he spoke, looking directly into her eyes, “No, mo chroi, we are the youngest of our Force.”
Grace’s eyes widened, “The youngest?”
“Yes, the youngest. The oldest of our Force is Royce. He’s 156 years old.” He waited while he watched her process this new information.
He nodded over her head to Rayne, picked her up, and moved to the swing at the corner of the yard. He sat with her on his lap and gently rocked the swing, hoping the movement would help calm the emotions he felt swirling within her. “Grace, I’m sorry I blurted that out. I didn’t even think to bring up our long lifespan or my age when we were talking before. There’s so much we have to learn about one another,” he paused and watched as she nodded her head. At least she was still with him. “And I never want you to learn anything about me the way you just did. I’m so sorry.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He hadn’t realized how shaken he was until just the touch of his lips on her skin lifted an unseen weight from his shoulders. The way she had looked at him when he had blurted out that they were a hundred years old had chilled him to the bone. He needed her to tell him everything was alright between them.
He lifted his head and found her eyes closed. “Mo ghra’?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Grace heard Aidan, but wasn’t ready to open her eyes and face him just yet. She was still trying to comprehend that the man she had shared the hottest, most intimate sexual experience of her life with was a hundred years old, and he was the youngest of the group of men she had just met. She opened her eyes and looked into the beautiful amber eyes she had come to depend on over the last few hours. Unconditional love was all she saw. No recrimination for her reaction at the revelation of his age. No rage that she had stood up for herself in front of his brothers. Just love for her. It was all right there in his eyes. He was opening himself up completely to her, hiding nothing at all. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt her. He would give
his very life to keep her from harm.
Humbled and overwhelmed by the feelings this man so openly shared with her, Grace had to admit that she felt the same emotions quickly growing within her for the amazing man that held her so tenderly in his arms. She placed her hand on his cheek, “It’s ok, Aidan. I was shocked, but I’m fine now. I know you would never keep anything from me,” she smiled. “You’re pretty sexy for an old man,” she waggled her eyebrows at him. Aidan was so relieved to see her playful attitude that he decided now was the time to explore his mate a little further.
“You think you’re funny, do you Hellcat?”
Just a second too late Grace saw the mischief in his eyes. He had his hands on her sides and started tickling her like her grandpa had done when she was a little girl. She wiggled and twisted, trying anything she could to get out of his grasp, but the man was too damn fast.
“Aidan, stop!” she gasped.
“Oh no, mo chroi, you made fun of me and this is your punishment.”
Grace was laughing so hard it was hard to catch her breath. The more she struggled, the more he tickled. Tears were running down her face, and she could tell from the look on his face he was nowhere near stopping. So she did the only thing she could think of; she slammed her mouth to his and when he gasped his surprise, she thrust her tongue into his mouth. The switch was flipped. One minute they were laughing and playing, the next the electricity sizzled between them stronger than before.
The intensity of the kiss was off the charts, like gasoline had been poured on a fire. They were branding each other for all time. Grace slid her tongue from his mouth and Aidan took the opportunity to take control. He palmed the back of her head, positioning her so his tongue could penetrate every part of her heavenly mouth, thrusting in and out. She wished they had time to go back in the house where they could strip each other bare and start right where they had left off before.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He moved to her jaw, nibbling and tasting until her reached her ear. He could not resist the little sweet spot hidden just there. He kissed and sucked, spurred on by her hands buried in his hair and the moans coming from deep in her throat. He kissed down her neck, savoring every delectable inch. He reached up to move the collar of her blouse when she pulled his hair with such force, that he lifted his head to make sure she was ok.
Her eyes were hooded with passion; lips swollen from their amazing kiss. He leaned in, already missing her taste on his lips but Grace placed her hand in the middle of his chest and shook her head. They sat looking at one another, breathing like they had run a marathon, while the seconds ticked by.
Grace moved first, leaning forward and laying her lips on his. She placed soft kisses along his bottom lip, then nibbled his pouty upper lip, begging entrance. Aidan opened slowly, allowing just the very tip of her tongue to breach the entrance. This was different than anything they had shared so far. She wanted control and he could deny her nothing.
He wanted to shout his joy to the heavens! Here was the most beautiful woman in the world, his mate, sitting on his lap, kissing him. He opened his mouth wider allowing her complete access. She kissed him long and slow, deepening the kiss, touching every inch of his mouth exploring, finding out what he liked, what made him burn. He was humbled that she wanted to know everything about him.
Grace was building a fire that he was sure would cause him to spontaneously combust. The exquisite sensations he was experiencing at his mate’s mouth made his mind awash with heat and passion. She kept the kiss slow and deep. He had to fight not to take charge and speed things along. He used all his considerable control to hold both he and his dragon at bay. This was about Grace and her need to show him what she was feeling. He knew from the little time they had spent together that she needed to have some control, to know she was walking into this with him on her terms. His mate was intelligent and feisty, incredibly beautiful, and breathtakingly sensual, the perfect combination. He loved that she wanted this control and had taken what she wanted. She was turning his brain to mush with her sensual assault, but still he could not help tuning in to their growing mating bond. What he felt from her made his heart beat faster and his dragon want to soar. She was falling in love with him. Feelings of a growing love, friendship, trust, pride in who he was as a man, and belief he would always be there for her, were filling their link. His restraint broke. He lifted his hands to her hair, tilted her head to the side, and began deepening the kiss, so lost in his amazing mate that he missed the scent of the man standing to the side of the swing, until that man cleared his throat.
Aidan jumped to his feet, placing Grace behind him in the process, facing off with the person who gotten past his defenses. Max stood perfectly still with his hands at his sides while Aidan got himself under control. In all of his hundred years, no one had ever gotten near without him knowing, and now, when he should have been protecting Grace but he was so caught up in their kiss he had completely forgotten about the rest of the world. She played hell with his concentration. He had to get his head out of his ass until he had her safe with his clan.
Max smiled a knowing smile, “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time.”
“No problem, sorry to have jumped at you,” Aidan tried not to sound as pissed as he was. “I should’ve been paying attention.” He felt Grace peek around his arm. He stepped to the side, grasping her hand as he went, “This is Grace Kensington, my mate.” Max’s eyebrows shot up at the introduction, but Aidan decided to ignore the king’s playful attitude. “Grace, this is Maximillian Prentice.” He gave Max a pointed look, telling him she was unaware of his furry side.
Max held out his hand, grinning like the cat that ate the canary, which Aidan was sure he had more than once, “Pleasure to meet you, Grace. I apologize for the intrusion, but I have some information that I’m sure both of you will find very interesting.”
“Pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Prentice.”
“No need for all the formality. My friends call me Max.” He winked and smiled that damn smile that made Aidan want to punch him in the mouth.
Aidan knew Max was messing with him. He was never anything but a grumpy old alley cat when they talked, but now he was fawning all over Grace just to piss him off. If the mangy cat was not careful, Aidan was going to follow through with his violent thoughts whether he was the King or not. “Why don’t we head over with the others? I’m sure they all need to hear whatever it is you have to say also.” Aidan pulled Grace closer to his side and headed in the direction of his Force, letting Max follow.
His brethren were all chuckling as he and Grace walked up, but it was his twin that just had to say something. “Sorry bro, Max got to you before we knew what he was doing.” Aaron was working so hard to keep from laughing that his shoulders were bouncing up and down and Aidan could just barely make out what he was saying.
“Yea, bro, we completely missed him until you were already on your feet,” Lance chimed in with a wicked glint in his eyes and that damn dimple topping off the evil grin on his face. Aidan knew they were both as full of shit as the pig pens they used to clean as children.
Aidan shook his head. He couldn’t be mad at them, hell, he would have done the same if the roles had been reversed. “Paybacks are a bitch, assholes,” he chuckled, and the whole group erupted into laughter.
“All right, enough screwing around. Max has information we need, so shut up and listen,” Rayne growled in a low, controlled tone, his feral smile letting them all know he meant business.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Andrew had not been able to think about anything but figuring out what the wizards’ plans for increasing the power of their black magic was. The wizard leader had been so secretive, not giving away any details, except that they were working with a well known crime boss who would be able to deliver exactly what they needed to perform the ritual. That fucking idiot had cackled like a loon when he told Andrew how strong they would be once the ritual was complete. He rambled on and
on about the wizard army he was building and how they would be unstoppable. He had plans to use the hunters to destroy anyone who stood against them, including the dragon shifters. Andrew could not let that happen; they were his to destroy, it was his revenge that mattered, not the stupid plans of some half-wit wizard.
He had immediately left their compound and began researching all the ways someone as powerful as the wizard leader could increase his powerbase, but he came up with nothing. He called on every contact he had, and was sure he had found the answer when he uncovered some of the old texts from Merlin’s counterparts, but again he came away empty-handed. He had to find out what they were doing so he could be prepared to kill them all as soon as it was finished. He wanted his power back, had to have it to follow through with his well laid out plans for revenge on all those that had wronged him, but the wizards also had to die as soon as the ritual was complete. If they didn’t, he knew they would just turn on him whenever they decided he was no longer valuable to them. He had suffered at the hands of their kind before, knew what they were capable of, and had vowed it would never happen again. There were other covens filled with stupid wizards that he could use in the future, but sooner or later, they all had to die; sins of the brother and all that shit.
If even half the shit the wizard leader had spewed was the truth, the power they would harvest from this one ritual would be enough for a lifetime. That maniacal idiot had called it the infinita potestate or, unending power. As soon as the words had left the wizard’s mouth, the hair at the back of Andrew’s neck had stood on end and he was filled with a feeling of dread. There was just too much he did not know and the asshole was not willing to share. He had gone off half-cocked once in his life, and look where that had gotten him. There was no way in hell he was going to be caught unaware again.
He threw another book into the growing pile on the floor and started pacing around his rented lair. He just had to figure out what was going on and how all the pieces fit together. He thought about the men that had attacked Aidan’s mate. The stink of black magic on them was undeniable, but when he had asked the wizard leader about them, he had shrugged it off and said they were expendable muscle that had to be used. How did all the pieces fit together? What were they planning? Just as he was making his umpteenth pass across the living room his cell phone rang. He grabbed it up and answered, never missing a step, “Yea.”