by Julia Mills
Hannah knew she was Liam’s mate. She felt the growing bond between them, recognized the place in her soul where part of his had taken hold, could feel the way he held her heart in his loving hands. She longed for nothing more than to spend eternity in his embrace. It had been obvious he was about to state his intentions earlier that day. Her mate was not the best at shielding his thoughts. Hannah had been so excited to finally have it all out in the open, but then the darkness had taken her consciousness and all had gone to shit.
It was the weirdest damn thing and only getting weirder. Hannah could always remember what she’d been doing right before when she reawakened, but had absolutely no knowledge what had transpired while she’d been adrift. She was sure had Liam not been there during breakfast, if he hadn’t touched her hand, that blackout would’ve been the longest so far. There was a power it left in its wake that hadn’t happened any of the other times. It was black and murky, leaving a heaviness in her spirit. As it was, the dark force only waited until she was alone to strike again and take her for its ill-gotten gains anyway.
Coming upon the house she and her family had been given to stay in, Hannah found her mother, Sarah Beth, and her sister, Alicia, wrangling the weeds in a long-forgotten garden. Their banter made her chuckle.
“You know if you just put a little effort into it, Alicia May, we can be done with this before the snow flies.”
“Mom, it’s spring. We’ve got forever before winter,” Alicia grumbled, obviously underwhelmed with her present task.
“My point exactly.” Their mother chuckled.
“Hey y’all. Find any gold?” Hannah hollered as she approached.
“As if,” Alicia huffed.
“Hello, dear,” Sarah Beth called, leaving the garden and meeting her daughter at the back door.
One hug later and they were in the kitchen, sitting around the table while Fiona, another of Hannah’s six sisters, made them all glasses of iced tea and a plate of her famous oatmeal cookies. Deciding to wait until she could speak to her mother alone, Hannah listened as her sisters giggled and gossiped about all the Guardsmen. They went on and on about their muscles, the way they trained day in and day out to keep the world safe, and most of all, how each sister wanted to see them transform into their dragons.
Growing impatient, Hannah caught her mother’s eye and motioned with her head towards the other room. Having six daughters, Sarah Beth had always been very quick to catch non-verbal cues and immediately stood. Quietly leaving the table, Hannah followed her mom into the living room. Before she could begin, her mom pulled her into a huge hug and whispered, “What’s wrong, baby girl?”
Surprised that her mom already knew there was a problem, Hannah pulled back and met Sarah Beth’s knowing gaze. A lump began to form in the young witch’s throat and she knew tears weren’t far behind. It wasn’t that she was a crier or even someone who went to her mom for help very often, it was that Hannah was out of her depth and worried she might hurt someone if she couldn’t figure out how to stop the ever-growing darkness.
“Mom, I know you’re gonna think I’ve lost my mind, but here goes…”
It took about fifteen minutes to get through her tale, during which Sarah Bath sat completely still, focusing on her every word. When Hannah finished, she held her breath as a myriad of emotions crossed her mother’s face. Time seemed to stand still and Hannah thought she might pass out before Sarah Beth finally asked her first question.
“How many times has this happened?”
“Five that I can remember, and one of those was the few minutes with Liam this morning.”
“And what does your mate have to say about all this?”
“My mate? How the hell…?” Hannah gasped.
“Give me some credit, Hannah Marie. I wasn’t born yesterday. Not to mention that when you two are within throwing distance of one another, you generate enough electricity to light LAX.” Sarah Beth chuckled.
Laughing despite herself, Hannah mumbled, “I should’ve known you’d figure it out.”
“You betcha, baby. I’ve had to keep up with seven of y’all for so long, not much gets past me…but enough of that. How long do these episodes last?”
“The longest one was today, just a little over three hours.”
“And you woke up on the cliffs, in a circle with all the makings of a spell, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” was all Hannah could squeeze past the tightening in her throat that was now threatening to choke her.
“Take a breath, darling. You look like you’re gonna pass out.” Once again, Hannah felt her mom’s loving hand squeeze her fingers. “We’ve made it through everything that’s ever been thrown at us. We’re the McKennons after all. There’s no way the darkness is gonna win. As long as we stick together, we can do anything.”
Hannah immediately felt better listening to her mom give the same pep talk she’d given so many times. Sarah Beth had taken over where Hannah’s dad left off, and there had never been a day that the seven McKennon sisters doubted their ability to conquer the world. Hannah knew her mother was right. There was nothing they couldn’t get through if they faced it together.
Just as she was about to speak, her mom added, “The one thing you need to do is get that man of yours over here. Our white magic combined with his dragon magic will be damn near unstoppable. You might want to get Melanie, too.”
“But, Mom, what if he thinks I’m crazy?”
Sarah Beth shook her head and chuckled. “Girl, that boy already knows about you and loves you all the more for it. I know you and Meli Rose have talked about what it means to be a dragon’s mate. In any other situation you wouldn’t be hiding from him but running into his arms.” Sarah Beth paused and looked right into Hannah’s eyes. The young witch felt the weight of her mom’s stare and the unconditional love Sarah Beth freely gave to all her children. It was the best feeling in all the world. Before Hannah could stop it, a single tear slid down her cheek.
Never one to miss anything, the young witch knew the minute Sarah Beth saw the tear and let herself once again be pulled into a hug. Her mother spoke without letting go. “You have to go to Liam and explain everything. Then come back here and we’ll figure out what to do from there.”
The last word was barely out of her mouth before Sarah Beth was pulling back and standing up. Hannah chuckled as her mom tugged on her hands until she was also standing. One kiss on the cheek later and Hannah was being ushered to the door.
“Now, get outta here and don’t come back without your man. I’ll tell your sisters what’s going on and we’ll give Melanie and Jace a call. You have enough to worry about.”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you,” was all Hannah could say as she made her way onto the front porch.
“I love you too, Darlin’.”
Walking as fast as she could without running to draw attention, Hannah thought about what Melanie had told her about the non-verbal communication between mates. She knew there were times she could feel what Liam was feeling or hear what he was thinking, but they’d never communicated through the bond she felt growing between them. Figuring it was now or never, Hannah reached through their link, surprised to find it dark and abandoned, so different than the other times she’d used it. Those times she’d been able to feel the warmth of Liam’s feelings, the light from his beautiful soul, and the strength of his unbreakable spirit, but none of that was there this time.
Where could he be? Can he shut this mating thing off?
The longer she searched the mating bond for her mate, the more frantic Hannah became, until she realized somewhere along the way she’d started to run. Stopping in her tracks and taking several deep breaths, the young witch worked hard to get her emotions under control. Deciding she needed answers and sure she’d find her mate with his best friend, she headed to Melanie and Jace’s.
No sooner had she changed directions than the scent of sulfur and brimstone caused her eyes to water. Searching for the origin of the offending smells,
Hannah was once again lost to the darkness.
CHAPTER THREE
Liam had been dreaming of Hannah when he was hit right in the face with what he could only imagine was a tidal wave. Spitting and sputtering, he opened his eyes to then be confronted with total darkness. Not even his enhanced sight could cut through the inky blackness surrounding him.
Trying to sit up to escape any further deluge, his efforts were stopped short as he found his wrists bound and pulled above his head. A little more inspection and he wasn’t surprised to find his ankles also tied together. He felt cement at his back and could feel that he was several feet off the floor. As if all of that wasn’t enough, from the burn in his wrists and ankles, the young Guardsman knew his bindings contained silver.
Okay, so whoever is doing this knows I’m a dragon and knows how to subdue us. Great! Just freaking great!
Holding his breath, Liam listened for any clue of his location or who was holding him hostage. More frustrated than he’d ever been, with a headache sure to make him cross-eyed growing from the lump he could feel on the back of his head, the young Guardsman and his dragon wanted to roar until the walls around him shook. The thought of letting his beast out to take care of whatever and whoever was threatening them both was close to becoming a reality. One he knew was against all his training, but still a viable option as far as he was concerned. His dragon growled his approval, blowing smoke for emphasis.
Pushing his enhanced senses out as far as they could go, the only thing he could be sure of was that he was dealing with black magic and demons. The scent of sulfur was slight and probably undetectable to human senses, but the brimstone was unmistakable. Brimstone on its own didn’t always mean a piece of hell or one of its inhabitants had made their way to the surface, but when coupled with the stench of burnt Mandrake root and Wild Yam, it was damn near a sure thing.
“Fuck!” Liam spat under his breath.
A chuckle from the corner alerted him to the fact that he was no longer alone and reminded him to stay focused. It wouldn’t do to get caught unawares again. Seemed like these people meant business.
The chuckle was followed by slow, measured boot strikes against a cement floor. Every other footstep was followed by an additional click that Liam soon recognized as a cane.
I just saw someone with a cane. Who the hell was it?
Answering the question out loud he’d only asked in his head, he whispered, “Cleland.”
A high-pitched cackle Liam was sure could break glass came from the same direction as the footsteps and preceded the gravelly voice of the much older man, who until now Liam had only seen from a distance.
It was as if the darkness receded as the Grand Draoi spoke. “Well, well, young Guardsman, it seems as if you have been caught in my trap.”
Circling to Liam’s left, the leader of the Dorcha continued. “You see, it was you dragons who took everything from me…my power, my coven, my birthright. Seems only fair that I do the same to you. I must admit, I never imagined our little Hannah to be the mate of one of the mighty Dragon Guard. This is working out so much better than I could’ve ever hoped for. I’ve always known the McKennon family was the source of great power and because of that destined for great things, but never in my wildest dreams could I have guessed the little witch would be useful beyond her own power.”
Just the mention of Hannah’s name by the man Liam knew to be capable of heinous acts of evil had the dragon shifter pulling against his restraints and seething with a fury he hadn’t known he was capable of. His dragon thrashed against the constraints of his mind, pushing with all his beastly strength to come forth. Liam was just about to speak when Cleland once again spewed his venom.
“I originally planted the spell within Hannah so that I might keep tabs on my dear Meli Rose. My plans for my traitor of a granddaughter have not been forgotten, only put on hold, and I didn’t want her to get too far away, but then we had this unforeseen windfall. You see, my followers, the ones you and your kin were unable to abduct and turn against me, have been working very hard since you and your cohorts disrupted our plans. They have summoned and trapped a low level demon. Something that until now has eluded us. The only downside is that he has to have a permanent host to remain topside. I have repeatedly tried shoving him into your little mate, but that only works for short periods of time before she’s able to throw off the effects and push the demon out. I fear if I keep at it much longer Hannah may burn out, and I still need her to monitor my wayward kin.
So you see, Fate has once again afforded me an unprecedented opportunity…you. I happened to be listening to dear Hannah’s thoughts and was thrilled to find out you were her mate. It was then I decided there could be no better vessel than the strong mind and body of a Dragon Guardsman. The demon can lie dormant within you and be called forth only when I need him, hence stretching his time topside to as long as I find him useful. I’ve even solved the problem of your dragon. I can put the beast to ‘sleep’, thus keeping him out of the way for as long as I have need of your body and soul. Of course, I have no idea what shape you and your dragon will be in when we’re done, but then again, I honestly do not care.”
Liam shook with anger and disbelief. His mind raced from all the Grand Draoi had revealed. He had to get loose and save his beautiful Hannah from Cleland’s heinous plans. Shouting to each of his brethren through their unique mindspeak and the common ones alike, the young dragon prayed for at least one of his kin to hear his distress call. Yelling in his own mind until he thought it might explode, only silence was returned. Ready to double his efforts no matter the cost to him physically or mentally, the sound of metal scraping against concrete silenced his pleas.
Tiny footsteps filled the silence. The light lemony scent of Angel’s trumpets filled the cavern and his dragon whimpered. Liam’s heart dropped like a stone as Hannah’s light red tresses came into view, immediately followed by her beautiful face. The same face that had haunted his dreams since their first meeting. Her ivory skin glowed with an absolute purity he knew could have only come from the Universe Herself. He remembered the feeling of silk as her long, curly tresses ran through his fingers and the brilliance of her blue eyes that enhanced her every expression. Liam felt as if he was drowning every time he looked into them.
A lethal combination of sadness and fury swamped the young Guardsman as he doubled his determination to save the one the Universe had made for him. The dragon he’d shared his soul with for over sixty years blew smoke and pawed at the ground like a bull ready to charge. There was no way either man or beast was going to let the Draoi continue to take advantage of their mate.
The sounds of other footsteps echoed off what he was sure were stone walls. By his count, three more Dorcha entered the room. Liam could hear Cleland issuing orders, leaving the young Guardsman free to focus all his attention on his mate. He knew the only way they were going to make it out alive was if they worked together. And the only way that was going to happen was if Hannah woke from the trance she was under. He thought of calling for his brethren once again but decided against it. The Grand Draoi had to have placed some kind of dampening spell around the structure they were in and it was keeping him from communicating with his brethren. It was the only explanation for their continued silence. Sadly, he and Hannah were on their own.
Time to put up or shut up.
Going into warrior mode, Liam immediately came up with a plan. One he was sure was going to fail, but one he at least had to try. Focusing all his energy and that of his dragon on their nonresponsive mate, he began to probe their mating bond. Just like he’d experienced earlier in the day, the link was dark and dank, teaming with an evil Liam now knew was Cleland’s low level demon squatting inside his mate. As he pushed through the darkness, careful to avoid detection from the evil entity, Liam remembered a little of the magic his mother had taught him as a boy.
Thankfully, Kara Drennan had been a white witch and loved sharing her knowledge with her only son. Although her focus
had been on Healing magic, she still knew a lot about Defensive magic and an attack spell or two, which she’d taught Liam before small pox claimed her life shortly before his first transformation. One incantation in particular he recalled was to wake a person from a coma. He had no idea if it would wake a person being possessed, but he was willing to try damn near anything to have his Hannah back.
Reciting the spell he remembered just as if Kara had said it to him yesterday, Liam chanted, “Mu’scail,” over and over in his head, pushing it into the mating bond, reinforcing it with dragon magic. Splitting his attention between his mate and Cleland, Liam also worked at his bindings. The more the silver-covered jute bit into his skin and blood flowed down his arms, the more determined he became to free both his mate and himself.
Looking deeply into Hannah’s eyes, Liam prayed he wasn’t imagining the focus he saw slowly surfacing. The dark clouds were being pushed back and the spark that made Hannah the incredibly special woman he loved was returning. He had to be careful that Cleland didn’t sense his use of magic or the Draoi was sure to figure out what he was trying to do.
As if the Dorcha leader had heard his thoughts, the room was suddenly awash in bright candlelight and the smell of burning herbs combined with a smoky, almost bitter stench. It was then Liam heard chanting filling the room behind him. The Dorcha were beginning the spell that would draw the demon out of Hannah and deposit it within his soul. He knew it was perverse, but one thought continued to circle his mind as he tried with all his might to break the dark hold the demon had on his mate and send the bastard back to hell.
Even if I fail, at least the demon will be out of Hannah.
She was, after all, the most important person in all of this. He had to protect her, no matter what, and had been cursing himself since waking up for not knowing right away what was wrong with his mate and putting an end to the hold the Draoi had on her. The son of a bitch had admitted to putting her under his influence the night they’d rescued Melanie and the others. How could Liam have missed the black magic within his own mate? How had he failed her in such a huge way? If…no, when he got them out of this mess, he was going to spend every day of their very long lives together making it up to her. All he had to do was get them out of there.