Her Dragon's Fire

by Julia Mills

  The buzzing in her head started again and she could have cried just to know Aidan was at least well enough to communicate. “What is going on?” she asked.

  “They have no idea what happened. The trucks had entered the tunnels; the wizards were going through one of the loading bay doors with Andrew bringing up the rear when the top of the damn building blew off.” She hated the fact that he wasn’t even breathing heavily when she was in serious need of an oxygen tank. Out of sheer necessity, she slowed her pace while Lance continued explaining, “Rayne, ‘A’, and the others are trying to get eyes on Andrew. Only a few of the wizards made it back out, and since their vehicles were blown up along with the part of the warehouse, they have taken cover in one of the outbuildings on the west side. ‘A’ is screaming his damn head off, telling me to grab you and haul ass the other way.” Lesser men had withered at the look she shot him. It was her best ‘I am gonna take you down’ look and had been honed over years of mock trials. “But I have too much respect for you to do that, even if it means he’s gonna kick my ass.” Good man she thought, as she continued to head to Aidan.

  They both stopped running and stood behind a small maintenance shed, a lot like the one they had been behind earlier. “Now all I ask, Hellcat, is that you stay close and do whatever I tell you. I have to make sure nothing happens to you. I’ve heard enough stories in my lifetime to know you are being driven by forces you just can’t fight, so stay close and do as I say.” She saw the shit eating grin and twinkle in his eye and swore nothing rattled this man. “I’m not going to mind speak with ‘A’ until we are closer, but I’m listening to what’s going on.” He paused and she guessed he was listening to the action inside the building. All she could see was an abandoned warehouse with fire and smoke pouring out the top and most of one side.

  “Oh fuck! There were girls in the trucks we saw go into the tunnels and now they’re trapped. I really need to get down there and help,” the fun-loving jokester Grace had grown accustomed to was gone, just that quickly. Standing beside her was a fierce member of the Dragon Guard.

  “All right, Grace, we’re gonna move closer to the warehouse. Aidan is coming out with the paperwork he was able to save from the flames. He needs to see you just as badly as you need to see him, even though I know I’m going to get an ear full when this is all over for not getting you as far away from here as I could. We’ll meet him right over by that group of trees,” he pointed to the left, and she saw a bench surrounded by trees that must have been a place for the former employees to take a break.

  “Stay close.” She gasped as he pulled her closer with the arm he laid across her shoulders. “Don’t worry, Grace; I got permission from your mate to put my arm around you.”

  Her eyes shot up to his face and she saw that same goofy twinkle she would forever associate with her mate’s best friend. At least he had the decency to act like the elbow she shoved into his ribs hurt. “Oomph, damn you have some boney elbows.”

  “Just remember that the next time you think about messing with me.”

  She knew he was trying to keep her mind off of all the mayhem they were standing mere yards from, but the longer it took to see Aidan with her own eyes, the louder her spidey senses screamed at her. Something was just not right about all of this, it just did not add up. Besides the obviously half destroyed warehouse with fire and smoke billowing in every direction, something else just did not feel right. There was more at play than they were seeing. Nothing she had learned about the wizards explained why they would blow up the building they had gone to all the trouble of getting ready to use, and definitely not with their own people in it. It seemed to Grace that they were a bunch of cowards that hid behind their power. The story Lance had shared earlier only proved to solidify her opinion of the black magic yielding douche bags. She was still upset with Aidan for not telling her himself sooner, but her heart broke for the pain and torment he had suffered thinking he had played a part in the death of his younger brother. She absolutely could not imagine what it felt like to find out after all those years that the brother he had mourned for so long was actually alive, and from the sounds of it, more than a little unstable. It made it really hard for her to stay mad at the incredibly handsome man she had come to care so deeply for, but it did not negate the fact that she was still going to give him a rash of shit as soon as she saw for herself that he was ok and kissed him within an inch of his already very long life.

  “OK, here we go. I’m gonna lift you a little off the ground and get us over there as quickly as possible,” he shifted his arm from her shoulders to her waist. “No wiggling. If I drop you, ‘A’ will chop off my head and throw me in a fire.”

  Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, she nodded. She knew he was kidding, but right now her focus was the ‘tone’ her intuition had taken in the last few seconds. It felt totally different than any time before; sharper, darker, and scarier. She felt her feet leave the ground and in the next breath, everything around her was a blur. Damn! It would probably always amaze her how fast dragon shifters could move. In less than a minute, she was standing by the bench, watching Aidan emerge from the smoldering rubble. It didn’t matter that he was covered head to toe with soot and ash, he looked amazing to her.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Aidan felt the weight of Grace’s gaze. The moment his eyes met hers, everything that a few moments ago had felt scrambled and confused, clicked into place. There was his mate, the one person in all the world that completed him. The Universe did not make mistakes; she was perfect and she was his. Although he would prefer it if she was about ten thousand miles from the danger, he could not stop the relief that soothed his soul as her gaze remained locked with his. As soon as this shit was over he was taking her far away from everyone and everything. A place for just the two of them, no distractions, no wizards or criminals or hunters or deranged little brothers, just them, so he could spend countless days and nights showing her exactly how much she meant to him. Unfortunately, there were other pressing matters to be dealt with, but as soon they were done with this shit, he was getting them out of here; it was a promise he made to himself. He returned his focus to the present and the paperwork he carried that she needed to help put the human criminals behind bars. At least he hoped it had information she could use, only she would know. “Rayne, I’m headed out to Grace and Lance is headed in to help with the girls,” he sent through their link.

  “Thanks, ‘A’. It’s a fucking mess down here.”

  Just as he was about to answer, a sound he had hoped to never hear again made him look up. A large military helicopter, a Comanche Stealth like he had flown for two tours in Afghanistan, was preparing to touch down in the clearing to the left of the building. It was the only helicopter any of them had ever known that could get this close without being detected, even to their enhanced dragon senses. All his senses went on alert. What the hell was that doing here, and who involved in this unholy mess had the power and clout to commission something so covert and absolutely reserved for military only operations to fly into what they thought was a secret hideout for a two-bit criminal and the asshole wizards their Force had been fighting his whole life? Yep. There was a whole lot more at play here than any of them had originally thought, and his mate was right in the fucking middle of it.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Andrew knew the wizard leader was an idiot, but now he had become the Grand Poo-bah of all idiots everywhere. How the hell had that idiot, with all his supposed power, led them straight into a trap? If he had not had to hide his returning dragon senses from the witless wizards, he could have escaped and left them to die but as it was he’d had to save them too. He simply could not risk having them find out who and more importantly, what he was. And if that wasn’t the worst part of it, the damn Dragon Guard was here. Without that ritual there was no way he could sneak up on the ones that had betrayed him and exact his revenge. Here he was, cowering in the bushes with a bunch of cowardly wizards and their moron leader,
trying to figure a way out of this colossal fuck up instead of doing what needed to be done. If it wasn’t for the smell from the explosives and the cloaking spell the wizards were weaving, the Dragon Guard would surely have found them by now. He had figured out the people he used to call brethren had been lying in wait when he saw them rush to help whoever was trapped in the lower level after the blast. As soon as he was out of this fucking mess, he was going to find out exactly what the hell the wizard leader had planned and who it was the Dragon Guard were working so hard to save, and this time he was not taking no for an answer.

  It was obvious the wizard leader needed the planned ritual for power as much as Andrew, maybe more since he had to keep up appearances. His agitation was cracking his finely constructed veneer as they continued to search for an escape route that would keep them all from being captured by the men Andrew had known his whole life. For the first time since those long months wasting away in the dungeon of the wizards that had captured and tortured him, he tried to reach out with the mind speak of the Dragon Guard. If he could listen in on what the Dragon Guardsmen were doing, he could at least get himself out of this hell hole. His bruised ego had had about all of this hiding in the shadows shit that he could stand. There had been a time, very long ago, that he had been one of the few with the ability to listen to every conversation within their Force without detection. What he would not give to have that ability again. He felt a slight buzz deep in his subconscious, but it refused to be drawn out. Just as he had suspected, his dragon shifter abilities had been masked by black magic for so long that they had all but ceased to exist. It was the price he paid to have the revenge he so richly deserved against the men he had pledged his blood, kinship and fealty to; the men that had left him for dead. He would pay with his very life if it meant that each of them felt the pain he had felt every day since they had betrayed him. As he sat there debating the best way to save his own ass, he saw the one sure way to get out of this mess and torture his dear brother Aidan, at the same time. There, standing across the parking lot being guarded by Lance, another useless member of their Force, was Grace, his brother’s mate; the one ultimately responsible for all he had suffered these six long years. Once again luck was on his side and he knew exactly what he had to do.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “Rayne, we have some serious company landing a military bird out here. The windows are completely blacked out so I have no idea who or how many are inside.”

  “What the fuck is going on? Get Grace and get the hell out of here, we’ll handle the rest. It shouldn’t be long until local fire and rescue arrive.”

  “Already on the move.”

  Aidan raced across the parking lot, barely slowing down as he scooped up his mate and threw her over his shoulder. “Rayne is waiting for you in the lower level,” he shot at Lance as he continued towards the woods and the cover he hoped it would provide for his mate.

  “On my way. Take care of yours.” Lance rushed off towards the burning warehouse.

  “Aidan, what the hell are you doing? Put me down now!” He knew she was pissed that he’d had Lance take her into the woods, and even more pissed that there were secrets he and Kyndel had kept from her. He had seen how relieved she was that he was ok after the explosion, but from the feelings coming off of her right now, he was going to lucky if she ever spoke to him again.

  “Just hold on, mo ghra.” He swatted her ass because he couldn’t help it, even though he knew it only pissed her off more. “I have no clue who is in that helicopter and I have no intention of finding out with you nearby.”

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  “Dammit Aidan, you have got to stop the Alpha male bullshit!” She pounded her fists against the back of his thighs to emphasize her words. If she wasn’t so mad, she was sure she would laugh at the sight they made but right now all she wanted to do was punch her overbearing mate right in the nose.

  “Mo chroi, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Helicopters like the one landing back there mean one of two things, either someone very high up in the government is in it, or someone with a lot of money and the need to get away fast has commandeered it. Either way, I’m not taking a chance with your safety.” As he stopped talking he also stopped running, and set Grace down in front of him. She could tell from the look in his eyes and the way he stood absolutely still that he was well aware she was absolutely fit to be tied. If she could, she would kick his ass right here, just on principle alone.

  She stood with her fists on her hips and shook with fury. Before she could even think of what to say, Aidan slammed his mouth to hers. It was a kiss of raw passion and possession, all teeth and tongue and aggression. He pulled her so tight to his chest she could barely breathe. She recognized it for what it was. He was branding her, making sure she would never again doubt who she belonged to and who belonged to her.

  It took only a few seconds before she decided to give as good as she got. Her hands slid under his tight black t-shirt, the need to feel his skin under her finger tips overwhelming her. The more he tried to possess her, the more she wanted to be possessed. She had no explanation for why this man affected her like he did. Everything about their relationship defied all logic. He had explained it as Fate and the way it was for his people, but this bordered on insanity. She knew what she felt when he was near, and even when he wasn’t, and there was no denying the connection. She wanted this man, every demanding, Alpha, pain in the ass inch of him. Her body definitely wanted him and even her spidey senses were on board. She wished she could chalk it all up to sex, but it was so much more than that, so much deeper. She lost all train of thought as he nipped and sucked his way across her jaw and down her neck.

  Aidan’s assault on her body was so intense she almost forgot she was standing in the middle of the woods, only a few hundred yards from where a building had just exploded. His hands slid under the cheeks of her ass. He lifted her as he backed her against a nearby tree. She heard the folders of paperwork he had carried out of the warehouse hit the ground, but she just could not be bothered with worrying about anything but the wonderful man in front of her, working her into a sexual frenzy. She felt the cool breeze on her skin and the bark of the tree against her back and realized she hadn’t even noticed him removing her blouse. When he sucked her already pebbled lace covered nipple into his mouth, she could not stop the moan that left her lips. He sucked and bit until she thought she would lose her mind, and then he moved to the other. She ground her crotch against his denim covered erection, seeking the release only he could give her.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Aidan let Grace set the rhythm as he continued to taste every part of her body he could reach, well aware that it was not the time or the place, but he could not deny the drive of the mating call or his dragon. The man and the beast needed to reconnect with the woman that held their heart. With no other thought but feeling her warm wet pussy wrapped around his painfully hard cock, he slid his hand between their bodies and from one breath to the next, had her naked from the waist down. He took one second to appreciate the amazing sight of his mate lost to their passion, her tightly erect nipples straining against the lace of her light pink bra. She was the most beautiful woman in all the universe and she was his. In the next minute, he had his pants around his ankles and his straining erection poised to enter her waiting channel. He looked deep into her mesmerizing blue eyes and slammed his hips into hers, burying himself to the hilt. Nothing in all his years had ever felt so right. He held them completely still as her inner walls adjusted to his intrusion. The feel of her muscles contracting all around him almost drove him over the edge. After a few deep breaths, he began sliding in and out. He wanted to take it slow, but their location and the feel of Grace’s juices flowing between them made any thoughts of restraint fly from his head. He pounded into her faster and harder, keeping one hand under her ass and the other across her back to protect her silken skin. As he drove them higher and higher, Grace’s nails dug into his shoulders. Her moans gr
ew louder and louder as she met him stroke for stroke. She contracted harder and faster around his cock. She was close, just needed a little more stimulation. He tilted his hips increasing the pressure on her clit and causing the tip of his penis to rub her special bundle of nerves every time he slid in and out. He watched as her eyes began to lose focus, leaned forward and latched onto the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder. Her heels dug into his waist until he was sure there would be marks and then he bit down. Grace came with such force that in the next stroke he was coming with her. As he milked the last of waves of her orgasm from her with long steady strokes of his cock, he licked the spot he had bitten on her neck. He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face as he looked at his mark upon his mate’s neck. Grace was going to give him hell for it but he just could not care.

  He raised his head from her neck and looked upon his mate, replete from their lovemaking, his half erect cock still buried deep inside her, and thanked the Universe again for bringing her into his life. He gave her a quick peck on the lips as he slid from her warm, wet channel. Her beautiful baby blues popped open and he was momentarily awestruck once again by her incredible beauty. “What is that look for?” She asked, her voice scratchy from her moaning.

  “Just looking at the most beautiful woman in the Universe,” he winked as he held her until she was steady on her feet.

  She swatted his arm as he bent down to gather her clothing. “You seriously need glasses, Mr. O’Brien.”

  No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Aidan had her backed against the tree again with her chin between his thumb and forefinger, “Do not ever talk bad about yourself, Grace. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me. The day I met you, all others ceased to exist. My sun, moon, and stars revolve around you. I will not stand for you putting yourself down now or ever again.”