by Kimber White
Loch and Xander hooked their arms beneath Avelina’s and took her to her fallen sons. Kian looked much worse. She went to him first and pressed her palm to the wound in his neck. She was still covered in enough of her own blood that it didn’t take long. She did the same to Finn and he too started to rally.
We were battered and a little beaten, but we were going to get out of those mountains miraculously alive.
“What about him?” Gideon asked. Loch had cornered the last of the wolf shifters. His Alpha dead, he appeared to be in shock. He sat with his back against a large boulder, trying not to draw Loch’s fire. But, his eyes were no longer red. I realized Xander had freed him the moment he torched the Alpha.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. He slowly rose, careful not to make any sudden movements. “He held us against our will.”
Avelina went to him. Her strength came back so fast. She stood tall and regal, like the true dragon queen she was. It was her power to choose vengeance or mercy.
“Where did your Alpha find the dragonstone?” she asked.
Gideon had busied himself collecting all the pieces of it he could find. Within a few minutes, he had a handful of arrow fragments.
“I don’t know. I swear to God,” the wolf shifter said. As I looked closer, I could see he was really just a kid. Maybe eighteen at the most. He was skinny and gawky. His skin was sallow and his eyes a dull brown.
“There’s something wrong with him,” I whispered to Xander.
Xander pursed his lips. “We’ve heard rumors for decades about some of the wolves in Kentucky. The Alpha who ruled there was trying genetic experiments or something. There’s a good chance this guy is a refugee.”
“I heard those rumors too,” I said. “Or Marvin did. But I thought the Kentucky Alpha was gone now.”
“He is,” Xander answered. “But there’s still a bit of a power vacuum down there. Every once in a while we come across packs like this. One power-hungry Alpha trying to take control of the others again.”
“And we snuff them out!” Kian growled and got in the kid’s face. I couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for him. I’d seen what his Alpha had done. The kid had been powerless against him. Still, his friends had shot arrows into Avelina and two of Xander’s brothers. Trust would be hard to come by.
“Bring him with us,” Avelina ordered. “We’ll sort out what to do with him later. In the meantime, I can’t have him running off back to Kentucky or some other pack with tall tales about dragons.”
Xander stepped away from the rest. He put an arm around me. Even after everything that happened, desire flared through me. It had been so long since I felt his touch. I was starved for it.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Xander!” Avelina shouted. “For a little while longer, I need you to trust me. Gideon, can you find someplace safe to take this one?” She gestured to the wolf shifter.
“Finn, Loch, Kian, head back to Knoydart. You’re healed, but it would do you good to spend a night or two there to make sure you’re at full strength.”
“What about you?” I asked. “Avelina, you were hurt more than anyone.”
She raised a platinum brow and looked me up and down. “About that. We have a few things to figure out. That’s why I need your trust. Will the two of you follow me?”
Xander looked down at me. His furrowed brow told me my guess was as good as his. But, he stepped away from me and shifted into his dragon. Then, he dipped his head so I could climb on his back.
I felt alive again. I felt free. As Xander lifted gracefully into the air, I knew that no matter what else happened, I would never let him go.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Shae
Of all the places I thought could hold the key to my future, southern Ohio wasn’t one of them. But, we said we’d trust Avelina, and we did. She said very little in the car on the way down. I think we were all a little shellshocked over what happened the day before.
For my part, I couldn’t stop touching Xander. Though we were timid with each other. So much had happened. I didn’t know what feelings to trust. I just knew I was better with him than without. I’d almost lost him. I’d almost lost them all.
So, I kept one hand in his, the other on the locket around my neck. The skin peeled between my breasts where it had singed me.
Avelina had Xander drive to the edge of Salt Fork National Forest. When there was no more road, we hiked up a remote trail. She wouldn’t say anything about where we were going or who she wanted to see. But the deeper we got into the woods, something changed inside of me. It felt...familiar. Tears stung my eyes as I realized why. Marvin’s coven lived near here. This was Circean witch territory. It was as if I could feel him tapping me on the shoulder telling me everything was going to be all right.
We came to a tiny little log cabin in the woods. In the winter, I knew it would look straight off a Christmas card with a crooked chimney.
“Hallo!”
Xander startled and pushed me behind him. The door of the cabin opened and a small, round woman with wiry gray hair came out.
“It’s all right,” Avelina said. “This is Ellen. She’s an old friend.”
“She’s a witch,” Xander hissed. “I can smell the magic coming off of her.”
“It’s not like it’s B.O., sonny,” Ellen said. I liked her immediately. She gestured for us to join her inside the cabin. Avelina shot Xander a look and went right in.
Xander’s grip tightened on my arm. I could feel his dragon stirring. I shot him a look to try and calm him. He took an exasperated breath and we followed Avelina inside.
“Well, come here. Let me have a look atcha!” Ellen said. It took me a beat to realize she was talking to me. When Xander growled, Avelina turned back and gave him a very motherly glare.
“It’s okay,” I said, hoping. And yet, something deep inside told me it was. Again, I felt Marvin everywhere.
Ellen peered into my face. She wore a pair of reading glasses on a chain around her neck. She put them on and squinted hard.
I stood frozen as Ellen walked around me. The woman actually sniffed me. She touched my hair and ran her hand over my arm. Then, she got in front of me again.
“May I?” she asked, pointing to my locket.
I looked down and nodded.
She didn’t take it from my neck, but she held it right up to her nose. She tested the weight of it in her hands then slowly opened it. My mother’s faded picture was still there, though a little charred around the edges. Ellen pushed a fingernail into the opposite side of the locket. She cracked it open.
“Hey!” I said. I thought she’d broken it in half.
My breath left me as she held her hand up and showed me a small, smooth white stone. For a moment, I thought it was an opal. Then, I realized in awe what it was.
“Dragonstone,” Xander said. He stood behind me, tall as a mountain with his hands on my shoulders. “My God. She’s been wearing dragonstone. Is that what protected her from my mother’s fire? How…?”
Ellen smiled. She popped the dragonstone back into the locket and let it go. It hung even heavier around my neck. I was almost afraid to touch it.
“I didn’t know that was there,” I said. Tears sprung to my eyes. “This whole time?”
Ellen shrugged. “Probably not. You ever take that off?”
“Sure,” I said. “I had a hook beside my bed when I lived with Marvin. I hung it there every night.”
Ellen’s face broke into a knowing smile. “And you were with him when he died?”
I blinked back tears. “He died in my lap.”
“That’s probably when he did it,” she said. “It has to be when he did it, actually.”
“He didn’t,” I said. “He didn’t have time to put a stone in there. I would have noticed.”
“Nah,” Ellen said. “Look, I can’t say for sure. Avelina, you know that. My magic is rooted in the earth. You’d really need a fire mage to unders
tand the ins and outs of this spell. I could have my son-in-law or grandaughter come out. You can trust them. Marvin’s even got a distant cousin left in town. They could…”
“No!” Avelina shouted. “No. Just you. I don’t need to know the ins and outs of this magic. Just the basics will do. I can fill in the blanks myself.”
Ellen shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“You wanna tell me what the hell’s going on!” Xander’s voice rattled the windows. His eyes danced with green fire.
Ellen’s jaw dropped. I realized with cold clarity that she didn’t know what he was. Whatever bond she and Avelina had, she still didn’t know she was dealing with actual living dragons.
“Tell me what he said to you before he died,” Ellen said, her voice dropping to almost a whisper.
She came to me and gently took my hand in hers.
“It was so fast,” I said. “There was so much blood. So much violence.”
“But he seemed at peace, didn’t he?” she said.
I nodded. “He did. He said something like I’d be safe now.”
Ellen looked perplexed. “Well, it sure wasn’t fancy, but that would have been enough. Honey, Marvin cast a spell when he died. He used blood magic. Pretty damn powerful one if you survived a fire like Avelina said. Now, it doesn’t make you immortal, so don’t get careless. But, he used a death wish, his own blood, and you were wearing a dragonstone. I can’t think of any ingredients more powerful than that. He must have loved you hard, honey. Take it with you.”
When I turned to look at Avelina, my mouth dropped open. She was crying. A single tear fell down her cheek.
“Thank you,” she said. “I know what it cost you to meet with me. We’ll get out of your hair.”
“You take care, Avelina. You’re a strange witch, my friend. One of these days I’m going to get you drinking enough and you’re going to tell me what the hell kind of magic you’re tapped into.”
She looked up at Xander and shot him a wink. “You take care of her. Your mama and me go way back. It’s nice to finally meet one of her sons. She sure talks you up enough.”
“Thank you, my friend,” Avelina said. She and Ellen embraced. We left her waving from the cabin doorway as we left the way we came.
I couldn’t stop fingering my locket. I only understood half of what Ellen said.
“How could you?” Xander asked his mother as we got in the car and drove away. “How could you trust our secrets to a witch?”
“I’ve only trusted her with some of them. And it’s good to have allies in lots of places, Xander. You never know when you might need one. Ellen Torre has been a valuable informant over the years. She’s helped broker peace between her coven and shifters most recently. That granddaughter she talked about is mated to a bear, of all things. That’s a good thing for all of us.”
“But what does it mean?” I finally said. I already knew the answer. I needed to hear it out loud.
Avelina reached for me. She closed her hand over mine. “It means you’re one of a kind, Shae. It means fate knew what it was doing. It just had a little help from your Professor Marvin.”
Xander spun the wheels. The car swung wildly and we skidded to the side of the road. He turned to his mother. She was crying again. She took her free hand and closed it over Xander’s. Then, she brought our hands together.
“Blood magic and dragonstone,” she said. “Let’s hope it’s enough. I can’t make you any promises. But Shae, you survived my fire. My fire. And I can promise you, I wasn’t holding back. You lived through a fire strong enough to kill an entire wolf pack. It means there’s hope.”
“Hope for what?” Xander’s voice shook with emotion.
“For you to be together, silly,” Avelina said. “Marvin Marvin, that crazy old fire mage. God bless him! He found a way. Maybe he was a seer all along. We’ll never know. But he used his last breath to cast a protection spell on Shae. You heard Ellen. He used blood magic and a death wish. That kind of spell can never be broken. Xander, she’s yours. If she can survive a direct blast of my fire, it means yours can’t burn her either. Your child’s fire can’t burn her.”
She let us go and stepped out of the car. Tears of joy streamed down her face. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move.
“Where are you going?” Xander asked, incredulous. Avelina spread her arms wide, her wings started to unfurl.
“It’s time, Xander. You’ve waited long enough. But, I’m still your mother. I don’t necessarily need the details. Take your mate, my son. It’s going to be all right.”
With that, Avelina shifted into her glorious blue and silver dragon and disappeared into the sky.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Xander
It was right that it should happen in the place where I was born. The fire below fueled me, gave me strength. I hadn’t even touched Shae yet, but already everything was different. My dragon knew. It was time.
“Are you sure?” I asked for the hundredth time. We stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the thin veins of lava. A mist rose all around.
The heat rose, lifting Shae’s hair from her shoulders, its color perfectly matching the flames. She looked like she belonged here as much as I did. My fire girl. I marveled at her as much as she must have marveled at my dragon for the very first time. More.
Shae turned; reaching, she put a hand to my cheek. “Yes,” she said, smiling. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. It’s been three days since we found out about the protection spell. It works, Xander. I don’t know how, but Marvin must have known.”
“Fate,” I smiled.
She went up on her tiptoes and kissed me. Lightly at first. A final affirmation of what we’d come here to do. When her tongue darted out, it all changed. Fire rumbled and my dragon roared. He would no longer be denied. Neither would I.
I had planned to take her into the cavern where it was cool and quiet. Later, we’d watch the stars come out. We never made it that far and later I realized that was part of our fate too. We should both be reborn beside the flames.
“Please,” Shae whispered, begging me. God. I’d never get tired of hearing that. A wicked laugh came from deep inside. Oh, yes. I had so many plans for her. For us.
Shae stepped back. She wore a thin, white silk shirt dress. The breeze lifted the hem, showing off her shapely legs. I licked my lips as she started to unbutton it. When she got to the last button, the wind rose as if it were in on it. Shae gasped as the dress whipped wildly around her, then tore off of her.
My dragon blazed hot. I shifted, rising tall above her. Shae looked up and up. Her hair flew around her. Her flame. She slipped out of her panties and stood before me, naked. Beautiful. She wore only the gold medallion locket. It swayed between her breasts. Avelina didn’t think she needed to wear it all the time for the spell to hold. The magic was already in her, bound with Marvin’s last breath and blood magic. Still, there was no reason to test that theory.
I lifted my head and let out a blast of flame. It hovered over Shae. She turned her face toward it, basking in the heat. It fueled her too.
She came to me, rising on her tiptoes. I lowered my head to her, letting her run her fingers over the scales along my neck. My tail whipped around, shaking loose a few rocks at the edge of the cliff. Finally, Shae stepped back. Her eyes danced with desire as she lowered herself to the ground and spread her legs.
A tremor went through me. I let out one last blast of flame before shifting back. Then, I went to her. As I went to my knees in front of her, Shae spread her knees even wider. She was already so wet, so ready, so swollen. Her need fueled mine. She quivered when I slid my hands up her thighs then spread her knees flat.
I wanted to taste her. I licked my way up, tickling her folds. Shae shivered and arched her back. I teased her clit. She rewarded me with a fresh gush of sweet nectar. Later, we might take things slow. I would do all the things I’d fantasized about. Delicious torture. I’d make her beg. I’d taste her rise and fall
. And she would taste mine. But now, this, I couldn’t be gentle.
“Xander, please,” she whispered. “I don’t think I can wait another second.”
Neither could I. Shae reached for me, stroking my dick. She had me so hard. I would take her so deeply.
I positioned myself between her legs. Our eyes locked. I could see my fire reflected in hers. She thrust her hips forward in offering.
I took her.
Guiding myself to her slick opening, I pressed against her. Shae gave me one quick nod. She was ready. Then, I plunged into her deep.
Light exploded behind my eyes. She was so tight. So hot. So wet. She had a fire of her own as intense as anything I could make. It enveloped me and stoked the deepest magic I’d ever felt.
Shae rose up, wrapping her legs around my waist. Instinct fueled her too. She knew to hold on. Hold tight.
Pressure built inside me. A dam burst. Flames coiled tight in my core, then funneled out. I fucked Shae hard and deep.
This. Mine. Now!
“Xander!” she cried. I felt her pleasure building along with my own. Even before I marked her. Even before I finally claimed her as my own, we were one. We always had been. How could I have ever doubted fate would find a way?
I threw my head back and let out a roar. A column of fire rose above us then circled down. Shae spurred me on, reaching for me. She found my balls and stroked me with light fingers. It was enough to push me over the edge.
I came. Hard. Strong. Filling her.
Lightning cracked and the flames spread out. Shae wrapped her arms around my neck, holding on for the ride.
Flames in every color of the rainbow swirled around us. It was as if we were inside the volcano at the center of the world.
My fire went into her, turning her eyes golden, then green like mine. She moaned with pleasure as I felt her walls twitch.
As I poured my seed inside of her, something broke, then reknit in my soul. I was different. I was stronger. She was mine.