Her Dragon's Fire

by Julia Mills

  “Yes, let me know when you’re in place. Everyone else needs to hold their positions until we get him out in the open.”

  “I’m on the move.” Aidan felt Rayne disconnect. He took a deep breath and counted to five, knowing that Rayne was just about in place, he yelled towards the tree he knew concealed the traitor. “I know you’re there, Andrew. You might as well come out and show yourself, you coward!”

  He waited another count of five. He was picking up more and more from Andrew, none of it was good. “What are you afraid of little brother? Afraid to stand up to someone your own size? Is hurting women your new game? First, Rayne’s mate, and now mine?” He continued his taunts until he knew everyone was in place, ready for his signal, and then he threw out the one insult he knew would get a reaction.

  “I know what it is. You’re so used to having people cover your ass that you don’t know what to do now that you’re on your own. Let’s face it, Aaron and I had your back all of your life. Then you hid behind the hunters, never really getting your hands dirty, just pulling the strings, cavorting with the enemy; always for your own purposes. Let’s face it, you don’t have the balls to come out and face me. YOU ARE THE COWARD!”

  Aidan felt his brother losing control, his anger burning hot and his aggression rising, right before he heard the crackle of fallen leaves. Andrew was coming in hard and fast, just the way Aidan wanted him. If he could keep him angry and fighting, his younger brother would make mistakes, mistakes that would help Aidan capture him and more importantly, let him finally get to Grace.

  Aidan turned just as Andrew launched himself at him with his short dagger drawn. He drew his broadsword just in time to block the strike that was headed for his chest, throwing his brother’s momentum off, causing him to land on his ass. Aidan advanced and Andrew leapt to his feet in his fighting stance. They stood staring at one another, waiting for the other to make a move. Aidan could feel the others closing in. Out of the corner his eye, he saw the body of a giant cat slinking through the treetops. He recognized Max and knew that although they did not share a mind speak connection, he was incredibly attuned to the dragon shifters. Aidan knew the Panther King would know what to do when the time came for action.

  He focused again on his brother; the last seven years had not been good to him, he looked weathered and beaten. The wildness in his eyes definitely attested to all they had learned about him in the last six months. Black magic was deadly shit and Andrew had been immersed in it for a long time. No matter how he searched, Aidan could find no shred of the brother he had raised and cared for all those years. All he saw was the man who had held a knife to Kyndel’s neck and ran off with his beautiful Grace. A man he would try to capture and take to the Elders for a Tribunal, but would kill without remorse in the blink of an eye. No one, brother or not, could hurt his mate and get away with it.

  Andrew lunged at him. Aidan spun to the left, kicking out and connecting with his brother’s lower back. Andrew stumbled forward but spun, striking out with his free hand, connecting with Aidan’s shoulder. Aidan used the momentum to swing his broadsword at his brother’s neck. Andrew ducked, but not before Aidan’s sword left its mark on his upper arm. Andrew advanced just as an explosion sounded at his back. Both men stopped, Aidan afraid to take his eyes off his brother but getting a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as an evil grin appeared on Andrew’s face.

  “Wonder which one of your precious Guardsmen got caught in my trap?” He paused as if he had all the time in the world.

  Aidan would have given anything to knock that shit eating grin right off his smug face, but he had to keep his cool. Whoever had tripped one of the traitor’s traps was sure to be stunned, but would recover. Aidan needed to end this little game and get to Grace. “What the hell do you think you could do that would hurt one of my brethren? You are out of black magic and completely out of touch with your own dragon magic. Hell, you even suck at fighting with your short dagger. Been living the high life, have you little brother?” Again he used the taunt he knew his brother hated the most.

  The color rose in Andrew’s face as he nearly shook with fury. Aidan could feel that he wanted to attack but was holding back. Aidan threw his senses wide open, but could find nothing but his brethren and the werepanthers. Andrew had to have something planned, but Aidan was running out of time. He had to force his brother’s hand. He needed to get to Grace. He decided the only way to get the bullshit over with was to attack. One way or another, Andrew would be out of the way and he could go to his mate.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Andrew watched as his brother plotted and planned, hoping to come up with a way to get past him and get to his mate. Somewhere along the line he figured the great and honorable Aidan had decided it was perfectly acceptable for him to be collateral damage. As he thought about it, he really couldn’t blame him. After all, he had tried to kill the Commander’s mate, and was definitely responsible for the state Grace was in. But none of that compared to what he had been through, all because of Aidan. One of his traps had already been tripped; he knew that they were surrounded, even though his rusty dragon senses could not pick up anyone but the brother that stood in front of him, and it was obvious that Aidan was planning something. It was written right there in his eyes.

  He tried to listen for anyone else approaching. All he needed was the smallest head start in order for the domino effect of magical traps he had set throughout the woods to take out as many of the Dragon Guardsmen as possible, and allow him to get away. There was no way he was going back to the Elders to be tried as a traitor, he still had work to do, revenge to dole out. He needed to get Aidan in the right spot, at the center of the blast. It was time for his brother to die for all that he had caused, all that Andrew had endured. He was debating the best way to get Aidan farther into the woods when his brother raised his broadsword and advanced. Andrew threw his dagger up to block a direct hit to his solar plexus, as he pulled the katana he kept strapped on his back from its sheath and moved to the left. Aidan continued his assault and Andrew worked hard to keep his injuries to a minimum. The continued movement opened the wound on his shoulder, until his arm was coated in blood. His brother was not fighting like he wanted to capture him; Aidan was fighting like he wanted to him dead. He hated to admit it, but his brother had always been the superior swordsman, and with the fear for his mate driving him, he was a force to be reckoned with. Andrew decided to use Aidan’s own force to drive him to the spot less than fifty yards away that would trigger his getaway plan.

  As Aidan bombarded him with every move in his repertoire, Andrew attempted to split his concentration between protecting his body and moving them both to the spot that would ensure the success of his plan. Just a few more steps and they would be there. He raised his katana to block a killing blow, just as all hell broke loose. Explosions sounded all around. Dragon Guardsmen and werepanthers, already shifted into their powerful animals, were all running towards him and his brother. Someone had tripped his intricately designed trap, but no one was even near the spot where the key amulet was buried. Considering how the situation was completely stacked against him, he turned tail to run. He threw his dagger at Aidan in the hopes it would slow him down, and took off for a patch of thick brambles that he knew hid a stream he could use to hide his scent while escaping. As he ran as fast as he could, pulling on his long forgotten enhanced dragon abilities, he pulled one of the two remaining amulets from around his neck. He was counting on the fact that Aidan wanted to get to his mate and that he could stay at least one step ahead of the others until he activated the amulet. If the Commander was anywhere nearby, he only had a 50/50 shot at making it out of this cluster fuck.

  He saw the hedge of brambles and heard the roar of the stream. Pouring every ounce of energy and rusty dragon magic he could muster into his stride, he pushed himself towards his goal. He could feel someone at his back and was sure if he turned around, he would see all the men he had grown up with trying as hard as they could to c
atch him, but looking over his shoulder would only slow him down. He was a mere ten feet from the brambles when he felt what he believed to be his brother grab for his injured shoulder. Andrew pulled his shoulder forward, causing excruciating pain to radiate down his arm and across his back. He stumbled and another hand grabbed at the hem of his shirt. Jerking from his would-be captor’s hold, he heard his shirt rip, as he dove over the hedge of brambles. He slid down the mud covered bank, landed in the stream, and was immediately carried downstream by the rapid current. He lifted his head above the water to speak the incantation that would active his talisman and saw the Commander standing on the bank, sword drawn, with a piece of his shirt in his hand. Andrew should have been ecstatic that he had gotten away, especially from Rayne, who was known for his abilities, but the look on the Commander’s face spoke of vengeance, pain, and suffering. In all the years that he had known Rayne, he had never witnessed such pure hate. With a healthy dose of fear running through his veins, he uttered the words that would activate the amulet and get him to safety. How safe it would be after all that had happened he wasn’t sure, but he had a plan, and one way or another, he would have his revenge.

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Aidan was just about to deliver a killing blow to his brother. He didn’t care that they were blood, he didn’t care that he had been his closest confidant for most of his life, he didn’t care that the Elders wanted him brought back to the clan for the Tribunal. He wanted him dead. Somewhere in the barrage of blows he leveled at Andrew, he had decided that his younger brother was no longer worth saving, no longer worth worrying about. He knew deep down inside that Andrew would never stop hurting the ones he loved in his ill fated attempts to get at him. Plain and simple, he was sick and tired of his brother’s bullshit. He decided the world would be a better place without him, and he intended to make it so. Then the world around them exploded. That little son of a bitch had set some kind of magical explosives all around them. As the traitor turned to run, he threw his dagger at his chest. Aidan ducked, but all he could think about was Grace lying in that cabin and the chance that Andrew had blown her up just for spite.

  “Rayne, get that asshole, I have to get to Grace,” he called through his connection to the Commander.

  “Get to your mate. I’ll handle the traitor,” Rayne answered, and Aidan could hear the pure hatred seething from one of his oldest friends. If anyone besides him could stop Andrew, it would be Rayne.

  With his only thoughts of getting to his mate, he ran all out through the destruction his brother had caused. There were fallen trees and eroded earth; Andrew had indeed meant to maim or kill as many of them as possible. Aidan had a sneaking suspicion he was the one that was supposed to die, but apparently things had not gone as his brother had planned.

  He jumped over another especially large crater created by the explosion, and reached the top of a hill he knew was close to the cabin where Andrew had stashed Grace. He had been so caught up in the battle he hadn’t realized how far away from the cabin Andrew had pushed him. Apparently Grace was unconscious. He had been trying the entire time he ran to connect with her through their ever growing link, but there was nothing. No other reason was acceptable, she was just unconscious. As he reached the crest, he looked out over even more devastation caused by Andrew and saw the cabin, off to the left, completely untouched. His relief was a living, breathing entity. He practically flew as he ran, his dragon pushing him even faster, to get to their mate. He focused on the small structure that housed the one person in the world that meant more to him than his own life, as everything around him blurred.

  He burst through the door, leaving it hanging by a hinge, and ran to the bed where his mate lay motionless. He winced as he took on all of her injuries. Andrew had at least bandaged her shoulder, and from the scent, either the bullet had gone straight through or had been removed. He could smell topical antibiotics, so for the moment, infection wasn’t a worry. He suffered a few seconds of pure panic that she lay there in nothing but pink lace bra and jeans, but as he continued to scent her, he could tell that Andrew had only removed her shirt and cut the strap of her bra to dress her wound. He wanted to grab her up and run as far from the site of her captivity as possible, but first he needed to know that moving her would not harm her any farther. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently laid his hand on her cheek. She was warmer to the touch than usual, but he prayed that it was because her body was working hard to heal all her wounds. He felt tears fill his eyes as he got an up close and personal look at the damage done to her beautiful face. Make no mistake about it, she would always be the most magnificent woman in the world, but his poor Grace had so many bruises, cuts, and scrapes, that he could not find an inch without injury.

  Her torso was just as bad. He was sure her ribs were at least cracked, if not broken. He knew if he was able to see her back, he would see more of the same. His heart ached at the pain she must have been in and the knowledge that he had not been there to comfort her, to care for her. She was a strong, independent woman and he knew that she had fought hard, but she was no match for his brother. His fingers continued to gently wander over her face and down her neck. “Mo chroi, I’m here. Please open your eyes. I need to see those beautiful eyes. I love you, Grace. Please… please be all right.” He cooed and cajoled for what seemed like forever, saying whatever nonsense came to mind. He told her how much he needed her, that he was so glad to have her back, but she didn’t move a muscle. The only sign that she still lived was the slow, even, rise and fall of her chest. When he had reached the end of his rope, he called out to Devon through their mind speak, “Dev, bring your mother to the cabin. Grace is alive but I cannot wake her. Hurry!”

  “On our way,” his brethren answered immediately.

  He continued to touch her as carefully as possible, taking note of her most serious injuries, while talking to her the whole time. He had heard that if someone was in a coma, they could hear everything going on around them. He wanted to make sure that his Grace knew he was there with her, and would never be apart from her again. Needing the contact, but also hoping that the special connection they shared would somehow bring her back to him with the right stimulation, he laid his lips to hers. Just as he was about to give in to his ever growing grief, he felt the others closing in on the cabin. Devon was the first to call to him, “We’re almost there, less than a minute out, ‘A’.”

  “Hurry, Dev, I really need her to wake up,” Aidan answered back.

  “Keep it together, ‘A’, she’s gonna need you strong and ready to nurse her back to health when she wakes up,” Rayne answered. He knew his Commander was doing whatever it took to keep his head in the game. They could all feel his complete agony at Grace’s condition through their long time connection.

  “I know. I just need her to wake up.” Before he could sink any lower into his despair, Devon rushed in with Siobhan in his arms, followed by his other brethren, along with Max and Sophia. Devon put his mother gently on her feet next to where Aiden sat on the bed, still touching Grace as gently as possible. He looked up at the elder Healer and searched her eyes for comfort. She smiled and touched his shoulder. Her warmth and a peace that helped him hold back the anxiety over his mate’s condition filled him. He had stared down hordes, defended his homeland and his clan against every enemy imaginable, even picked up his fallen comrades and carried their bodies to the lair for burial, but the thought of living without Grace was something he just could not bear. “I need you to at least move to the end of the bed, Aidan, so that I can examine your mate.” Siobhan’s soothing voice filtered through his anguished mind and he heard the chuckle in her voice as he moved past her and sat at the end of the cot that held his Grace. He wasn’t sure who had moved the chair there for him, but he would be sure to thank them later.

  His hands on her legs, the need to touch her an overwhelming force within him, he moved his thumbs up and down, rubbing the inside of her calves lightly as Siobhan ran her fingers through Grace’s th
ink ebony hair, feeling for any head injuries. Then he watched as she worked her way down her neck, gently prodding and poking to find anything that may need her healing powers. He cringed as she removed the bandage from Grace’s left shoulder and the true extent of the damage done to her precious skin became evident. The Healer examined the wound and got a tub of liniment he knew to be Kyndel’s Granny’s recipe. He had to smile at the number of times that very ointment had touched Grace’s skin in a matter of just a few days. Siobhan covered the laceration and the surrounding area and then applied a new bandage. He prayed through the entire examination that Grace would wince in pain or show some signs that she was in there, fighting to come back to him. He now knew what Rayne had gone through when Kyndel had been hurt. He had felt bad for both of them at the time, but now he was experiencing the same torment and wondered how Rayne had survived those four days.

  He was awakened from his musings when Grace’s legs moved under his hands, just about to jump for joy, he realized it was Siobhan moving her onto her side so that she could get a look at her back. The Healer leaned over and stood right back up with a perfectly round amulet dangling from a leather strap she held in her hands. The shiny object was deeply inscribed with runes completely covering the front and back. “This is what keeps your mate from waking, Aidan. From all I can tell she is healing very nicely. It seems as though your bond is growing very quickly and having you near is definitely speeding the process, but this talisman is what keeps her in a state of unconsciousness. Without having the one that created it here to break the spell, we either need another magic practitioner with greater power, or we need to get her to the healing caves of our clan where all the healers can perform the Cleansing Ritual. She walked to the end of the battered bed that held Grace, sat on the very edge facing him, and placed her hand on his arm. “It is your choice, son, but you need to make your decision quickly. I have no idea how this was created or what its ultimate intent is, but the sooner the magic has left her body the better. I will tell you that I find no taint of black magic in or around your mate. I understand your brother has been in collusion with dark wizards and that he is responsible for Grace’s present physical state, so it is definitely a positive that I find no sign of it on her.” She rubbed slowly up and down his arm and he could feel her healing powers sinking into him, comforting him. “We will all leave you alone to make your decision.”