by Mills, Julia
“We have a couple of hours before heading out, Doc. Got any ideas what we can do while we wait?” He wiggled his eyes brows, and she couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out.
“Well, there’s a certain little girl that needs a bath and her pj’s.”
She watched as his smiled turned more sweet than salacious, and they both laughed as Sydney moaned, “Oh man, Dr. Sam. Can’t I play with Baby Jay just a little while longer?”
Kyndel saved the day, already one of the best moms Sam had ever seen. “Jay has to have his bath and jammies too, Sydney. But maybe, if you’re a good girl and do what Dr. Sam said without a fuss, you can come and have a bedtime story with us. Sound good, Kiddo?”
“Can I? Can I, Dr. Sam?” Sydney flew off the couch and danced around.
Lance let Sam slide down his body, and she had to work really hard to keep her focus on the child, and not on his amazing body, or his obvious happiness at having her in his arms. She turned towards the still bouncing and twirling little girl, and extended her hand, “Of course, Sweetheart.”
Sydney grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the stairs, and yelling over her shoulder, “See ya when we’re done, Lance. Hurry, Baby Jay, so we can have a story. Night, everyone else.” And then she blew kisses as they ascended the stairs.
Everyone downstairs laughed, and said their ‘Goodnights’. They may not all be blood, but they were definitely a family, and she was happy to have them for however long they were a part of her life. She had learned early in life that nothing was forever, but in the deep recesses of her mind, she really wished this could be.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lance watched as the door to their bathroom opened, and Sydney ran towards him, a cloud of steam in her wake. She jumped on the bed, and pounced on his chest, hugging him around the neck for all she was worth. “Can you come too, Lance? I want you to come to Baby Jay’s room with us. Please?”
There was no way he could say no to that sweet little face, and then he looked up as Sam was walking towards the bed. The steam from Sydney’s bath had made her hair even curlier, and the heat from the bath flushed her cheeks, making her look even younger, and definitely more desirable. If Syd had not been sitting on his chest, he would have already had her against the wall, naked and panting. He might have lived one hundred and twelve years, and experienced more things than ordinary human men, but he’d not truly started to live until the day Samantha Malone entered his life. He’d been the idiot Royce had called him for all those years to have ever imagined being anywhere but with her. With her by his side, he was a better person. She was his strength. Hell, she was his everything. There was no way Andrew, ‘The Auctioneer’, or any other idiot that sought to hurt them would get anywhere near his mate. She was his, and he would fight to his dying breath to keep her happy and healthy. Oh yeah…and naked as much as possible, but that came later.
“So are you coming with us, Lance,” Sydney impatiently asked again.
“Absolutely, Syd,” he set her on the floor, and stood beside her. “Let’s hit it, Kiddo.”
She giggled, and grabbed his hand, “You called me Syd. I like it.”
“Well, then I will call you Syd all the time.”
She laughed, and grabbed Sam’s hand too, “Let’s go, you guys. Baby Jay’s waiting for me. I just know it.” They all chuckled, and headed into the hallway.
Wanting to make sure Rayne and Kyndel were ready for the intrusion, he called directly into Rayne’s mind, knowing Kyndel could hear him too. Her mind speaking skills were becoming damn near as good as any of theirs and it hadn’t even been two years since she and Rayne had mated. No matter, he never called directly to any of the mates. It just seemed like way too much of an invasion even for him. “Hey, Bro, we’re on the way. Is the coast clear?”
“Get your ass over here. I love my son, but I really want some alone time with his mom before we head out.”
“I hear ya, man,” he chuckled. “Be there in a sec.”
Sydney pulled on his hand, and when he looked down, she crooked her finger in a ‘come here’ move. When his face was close to hers, she put her chubby little hands on his face, and her mouth to his ears. What she whispered had him almost falling on his ass. “You were talking to Mr. Rayne in your head just now, weren’t you?”
He pulled back, and looked into her angelic face. For the first time since meeting her, he saw a knowledge in her bright blue eyes that was so much older than her years. He placed his lips to her ears, and answered, “Yes, darlin’. Can we talk more about this when it’s just you and me?”
She whispered back, and he held back his laughter at the seriousness of her tone, “Yep, I don’t think Dr. Sam knows. She might freak out, huh?”
“Yeah, she might.”
“Okay,” she nodded her head, and turned, running the last few steps to Jay’s room. Sam came up to his side, and he grabbed her hand. Right as he raised his other hand to knock on the door, she spoke, “What was that back there about?”
Schooling his expression, he answered as he knocked, “Now Dr. Malone, would you want me to betray Syd’s confidence?” He winked, hoping his humor would distract her. Thankfully, Kyndel opened the door, and any other conversation was drowned out as Sydney yelled ‘Hello’ to everyone, and began asking Jay what story he wanted to hear.
One hour and four stories later, Jay was crashed, and Sydney could barely keep her eyes open. He had spent a large portion of story time wondering exactly how the little girl he’d only known for little more than a day was able to tap into their mind speak. Somehow, he didn’t think she knew what they were saying just that they were talking directly into each other’s minds. Grace could do the same thing as a side effect of her spidey senses and he wondered if that was the case with Syd but she hadn’t mentioned any other special talents. He would definitely have to talk to the old man after their excursion, and see what he might know about it, but for now it was bedtime. Scooping her off the loveseat, he said ‘Night’ to all as he, Sam and the sweet bundle in his arms headed to child’s room.
She barely got through her prayers without yawning, and was sleeping as soon as her head hit the pillow. The complete adoration he saw in Sam’s eyes was just one of the hundreds of things he had come to love about her. He paused, waiting for the internal groan at his continued sappiness about his mate, but it didn’t come. Only the feeling that all the pieces of his life were finally in order, filled him. He wondered how many years of teasing he would have to take from his brethren, and then smiled, because for the first time, it really didn’t matter; Sam was worth all the shit he would have to take from them.
He looked back at the one the Universe had made for him, and she was grinning like a little girl with a secret. She turned and headed for the door, and he was helpless to do anything but follow. As soon as the door closed, she started to laugh. He pulled her to him, giving her the most intimidating look he could muster, which made her laugh even harder. Lifting her feet off the ground, he walked towards their room. She squealed, and he asked, “What exactly is so funny, Doc?”
“Put me down, and I’ll tell you.”
“Tell me, and I’ll put you down,” he countered, and laughed out loud as she glared at him.
“All right, you win.” He set her feet on the floor, sure to keep her close. “Now, tell me what’s so funny?”
She bit her bottom lip, and he almost forgot what he’d asked. All he wanted to do was nibble on her luscious mouth himself, and then she spoke restoring a bit of his focus, “You were looking at Sydney with such tenderness, then in the blink of an eye, your look changed to one of almost confusion, and then you looked relieved. It just tickled me to watch all the thoughts and emotions cross your face.”
“Tickled you, huh?” And with that, he opened the door, and walked her backwards, thinking of all the ways he would like to tickle her.
“Don’t get too cozy in there, Romeo,” Royce yelled on his way by. “You’ve got less than thirty minutes before
Rayne wants us downstairs and ready to go.”
“Whatever, Old Man. You worry about your shit, I got this covered.”
“Yeah, right, whatever you say, Pain in the Ass,” he heard Royce chuckle, and knew there was more to come. “Feel free to kick his ass, Sam, and holler if you need any help.”
“Get lost, Gramps,” he yelled into the hall, and heard his long time friend’s cackle. Had Sam not been in his arms, he would have kept their banter fest going, but with only thirty minutes to enjoy his mate, there was no way in hell he was going to waste it on Royce.
He had originally planned to tickle her into submission, but his only thoughts in that moment revolved around kissing as much of her body as he could in the time he had remaining. After all, somebody has to do it, he thought to himself as he lowered his lips to hers.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Finally, luck had been on his side, and just when it counted the most. As soon as the idiot, Lance, had driven away and the werepanthers were busy cleaning up the mess from the ritual, he had been able to truly search for Kyra. Thankfully, the little witch had made a fatal mistake, and gone out in the light of day, sure that she was safe. She had led him right to the front door of her hiding place. He had just stood staring for the longest time, not believing that something had actually worked in his favor. Then the sound of crashing and rather creative cursing came from inside the tiny, dilapidated structure. He guessed it could have been called a cabin several hundred years ago, but all he saw was rotten wood held together by the vines that had grown in and around every available hole and crevice in the structure. It reminded him of the stories his mother and brothers used to read to him about fairies when he had been a very young drake. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he shut it down. Memories like that were for losers. His parents were dead, and his brothers were the very assholes that had left him to be tortured and die at the hands of their greatest enemies. He hated the fact that since his dragon senses had started to return, so had the memories he’d worked diligently for years to lock away. If there was time, he decided he would ask Kyra for a spell or potion to make them permanently disappear.
The look on her face when she had opened the door to find him standing there had been priceless, and he had to give her credit for her moxie. She hadn’t tried to run, and didn’t even scream, only hung her head, and muttered, “Oh, shit!” He had pushed her back into her hole, secured the door, and proceeded to tell her what he needed. Of course, she’d been resistant. The tiny witch could cuss like a drunk, and had an arm like a prize fighter. It’d taken several hours for the mark on his forehead, where a particularly large piece of quartz had nicked him, to heal. In any other circumstance, he would have laughed until he cried at some of the names she called him, but he couldn’t take the chance she would think he had gone soft. ‘Son of a fuckin’ fairy’s fat-assed cousin’ had a particularly memorable ring.
After constant reassurances that he was not going to harm her did not work, he tied her to a chair to lower her resistance and through gritted teeth (hers), they had reached a compromise. She would make the amulets he needed, and allow herself to be detained until after he had the Dragon Guard subdued, and he would let her go on her merry way with the promise never to contact her again. There was no way in hell the last part was going to happen, but she didn’t have to know that. He did whatever it took to get her to wield her special brand of magic.
Kyra had bitched and moaned the entire time they worked. Reminding him that she was a white witch and her magic was not to be used to hurt others. So he had done what he did best, he lied. Knowing she doubted every word he uttered, he poured on his long forgotten charm along with the persuasive manner he had mastered over the years, and she had finally given in. Although he was sure she had just done whatever it took to get rid of him, that didn’t matter, he’d gotten what he wanted.
Helping with the ingredients had at least given him a look into the construction of her talismans, even though he knew their true power came from the witch herself. She worked with complete confidence, and a true love of her craft. He opened his long unused senses, still clouded with black magic, and focused on the tiny violet-eyed sorceress. It only took a few moments, and he had confirmation of what he had suspected since meeting Kyra. She was an intended mate of a Dragon Guardsman. Had he not muddied his senses with tainted magic for so many years, he would have been able to pinpoint which one, but as it was, just the knowledge that she had been created for one of the men that had left him for dead was enough. Trying to think of all the ways he could use the newfound knowledge to his benefit, and coming up with nothing, he moved on to what was important, his revenge. They would all be dead by his hand, and she would be his to use as he saw fit, without their interference.
As he sat perched in a particularly large crevice with a spectacular vantage point, he waited for the Force he had once belonged to and their allies to arrive. He kept trying to feel bad for leaving Kyra chained in her hideout while he, John, and the others tainted her magic and set traps throughout the woods and along the base of the mountain, but he couldn’t allow her to see how he was using her magic. He was certain she would do everything in her considerable power to warn the useless Dragon Guard, and there was absolutely no way he could let that happen.
Thinking of all the ways he was finally going to have what he had worked for since his escape and murder of the wizards all those years ago, he planned the next steps in his grand scheme. It monopolized his every thought. Making everyone responsible for the hardships he had endured pay. When he was done, he may actually let John live, at least for a little while. The rogue wizard had been instrumental in building their group to over forty members in an incredibly short time, and he was always available. His attention to detail had been invaluable when planning the impromptu attack, and he had absolutely no conscience which had proved essential. It was just another feather in the evil practitioner’s cap that he had intimate knowledge of Master Eaton’s methods and was willing to act as spy and go-between, but all that was to be considered after the Guardsmen were sent to the heavens.
He thought back over their plans one more time. Pictured where all the traps were placed along with the ‘special surprises’ he had left. Waiting sucked, but it would all be worth it. John sat down beside him looking around as if he was also running through their plans. When the rogue wizard spoke, it was in hushed tones, “Everything is set and ready to go. Everyone is in position. I can’t think of anything we missed. How are you feeling, sir?”
He hated when John spoke like they were spies in some stupid James Bond movie, but he knew it was left over from the many years he’d spent serving Master Eaton. The wizard leader had an over exaggerated sense of importance, and liked to play the part more than actually doing any of the work. He answered, still looking out over the woods behind Dr. Malone’s home, “I will let you know when the Dragon Guardsmen are bleeding out at our feet.”
The rogue wizard hummed his agreement. “You’re going to accomplish what no one else could do…destroy the Force of the Golden Fire Clan. The stories of their Guardsmen are legendary. The wizards and hunters have sought to exterminate them for centuries. You’ll be the most feared and sought after wizard in the country.”
Hearing the awe in John’s voice reinforced his decision to let the man live while he was still useful. Sooner or later, he would have to be eliminated, because no one could ever know that Andrew was one of the mighty dragon kin. No until all had been made to pay and he was ready to return to the clan that had betrayed him, and destroy them as well. Forgetting the rogue wizard was waiting for his reply until he cleared his throat, Andrew merely grunted in his direction. He wanted to be feared. It would make recruiting other wizards, and those with less than respectable personalities, much easier. When all was said and done, it was going to take an army to spread his vengeance, and an army was what he would have.
Smiling at the sounds of approaching vehicles, anticipating the chaos he was
about to cause, his heart raced. Those assholes had absolutely no idea what was waiting for them. All the better for him. John tensed next to him. Just a few more minutes, and he would finally feel the relief that came from exacting revenge on those that deserved it. His brothers would die by his hand. How could this night get any better?
CHAPTER EIGHT
She wondered how many more times she could pace before she lost her mind, or wore a path in Grace’s expensive carpet. Sydney and Jay were playing their hundredth game of stack the blocks and knock them down. Watching how well the little girl played with the baby made her both happy and sad. Sydney was an incredible child, and Sam had no doubt she would grow up to do amazing things, but she’d already suffered so much. She would’ve made a wonderful big sister, and hopefully that could still happen for her. When she thought of the child not being a part of her life, it made Sam even sadder. Not wanting to spend the entire week they’d given her off from the hospital brooding and worrying, she tried to think of other, happier subjects, and of course her sexy obsession popped into her mind, creating a delicious distraction from her worries.
Remembering the way he had kissed her until she thought she might lose her sanity, and his promise to come back safely after kicking Andrew’s ass for scaring her, made her sigh. He’d almost lost his mind when she’d suggested going along with them, and had even enlisted the help of his brothers. Each of them had given her countless reasons why she and the other women had to stay put. They were right. She knew it, but she’d never been someone that let others fight her battles. Lance and Royce had explained the fight with their lost brother was a fight that had been going on long before she’d entered the picture. All of it pissed her off, and added to her need to pace and fret. Then she looked at her watch, and realized they’d been gone almost eight hours. It was still early in the morning. Sydney had wanted waffles for breakfast. The smell of them cooking had brought Grace, Kyndel, and Jay to the kitchen, where they all ate and talked until just a few moments ago.