by Khloe Wren
Hart's warning had him spinning just in time to see Huro dive down under the tree line. Dammit! Both of them were after Skye. He snarled as he dived after the bastard. He closed in on him and noticed the damage to his tail. Denver must have clipped him rescuing Carina. Desperation gave Calix speed beyond what he’d normally be able to muster. He had to find Skye. She must be petrified with so many dragons circling her. Would she know he and his brothers were the blue ones? That only the black ones meant her harm? He doubted it. Despite his distaste for taking out a dragon in such a way he rose above Huro and latched onto his back with his claws while he blew searing hot flames at the webbing of his right wing. As Huro screamed, Calix released the creature and watched as he crashed through the undergrowth to come to a stop in a rough heap. He swooped down to land near Huro.
For your crimes against females.
He swiped his claws across the unconscious dragon's throat and watched for a moment as his life drained away. As a warrior he'd been taught how to take life—didn't mean he liked it. Even dragons like Huro, he didn't relish killing, but it needed to be done to keep all the females safe.
Phelan and Hart joined him as he took to the air once again and wove between trees heading toward where he could sense his brothers were.
****
Keeping to the thick bush Skye hid as well as she could while a large black and grey dragon crashed through the trees. She tried to focus her panicked mind to remember what Calix’s dragon from last night had looked like. He’d been blue with magenta webbing. So this dragon chasing her was not one of her men, which meant he was one of the ones who'd taken her friends. Terror tore the breath from her lungs. The bastard was after her now.
Hearing him heading away from her hiding spot, she ran to another large tree nearby. She's lost track of the path a while ago and was now simply trying to put distance between her and the reptile chasing her. She managed to sneak to the next tree when she heard a roar that froze her. She peeked around the trunk and saw a blue dragon attacking the black one. A low growl filled the air, and she panicked. These things were so much bigger than a crocodile, and she didn't think poking one in the eye was going to help her escape this time. Consumed with fear she ran as fast as she could. She stumbled over logs in the stupid blue dress she was wearing and scraped the skin off her upper arm on a rough tree trunk, but she didn't stop.
Finally her burning chest forced her to halt, and she fell to the ground as she focused on forcing air into her lungs. She hung her head as she finally caught her breath. The ferns around her offered a little protection but not much, so she knew she couldn't rest for long. After a few minutes, she demanded her aching legs to work and pushed herself to keep moving. She needed to find the damn castle. The thing was huge. It shouldn't be that hard! Maybe she should climb a tree to see if she could locate it that way...
She walked up to a tall strong looking tree and started to climb. She’d been running for what felt like hours and was worn out, but she refused to give up. Eventually, she made her way high enough to see over most of the other trees. What she saw as she scanned the area left her whimpering. There were no castles but instead four dragons—two blue and two golden—coming straight for her. She turned to the face the tree trunk to shimmy her way down when she saw a black dragon flying in from the opposite direction. She screamed in horror and without thought jumped from the tree landing on her left side in the leaves and dirt below. With the wind knocked out of her and agony numbing her left side, she lay curled in a ball for a few minutes. The sound of wings flapping close by had her powering through the pain, and she managed to roll to her hands and knees before she pulled herself up against the tree. As she took her first step, pain in her left ankle speared up her leg. Dammit! Her knee wasn’t real happy with her either.
The adrenaline pumping though her system allowed her to push past the pain to keep moving away from all the dragons. She kept going until she saw the ground was about to run out. She scanned either way, but the cliff before her continued both ways for as far as she could see. She crept up to look over the lip and saw it was about an eight foot steep slope to the bottom. She might be able to skid down on her butt...
A noise had her spinning around and stumbling to the ground. The black dragon had landed about thirty feet away and was prowling toward her. She whimpered as she scooted away, closer to the edge. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to decide what to do. Not that she really had an option, as she couldn't physically fight off a dragon.
With a roar a blue dragon swooped down and crashed into the black one. The shock of the impact made her jump backward, and she slipped over the edge and tumbled down the slope with a scream.
****
Axel's blood froze in his veins as he watched Skye slip over the cliff. Ignoring the fight between Owen and Gyasi he swooped down into the ravine. He saw her lying crumpled at the bottom of the slope. She wasn't moving, and fear gripped him hard. He landed and flashed to human before running to her side. He dropped down and pressed his fingers against her throat. His own heart didn't beat again until he felt the steady pulse of hers.
She lived. He reached out to their healer, who was waiting for them back at the castle.
Baxter, can you hear me?
Yes, Axel. Have you found Skye?
Yes, she's fallen down a ravine and is unconscious. Can I move her?
You’ll need to check some things before she’s moved. Firstly, is she bleeding badly from anywhere?
Without moving her he ran his gaze over her body. She was scraped up and it looked like she had a nasty gash on her shoulder, but nothing was pumping out blood.
No obviously serious wounds. Just a gash on her shoulder and a lot of scrapes.
Okay, now you need to follow my instructions to check her spine and head.
Axel fully focused on complying with Baxter's every instruction, so fixated on his task he didn't hear Owen or Calix approach until they shifted with a bright flash. He looked up from Skye’s limp body into his brothers' pained expressions.
"Where are Huro and Gyasi?"
Both Owen and Calix spoke at the same time.
"Dead. Where he should be."
Dead was good. That was two fewer things he had to worry about. He glanced around to see Phelan and Hart in dragon form guarding them.
"Baxter instructing you?"
"Yeah, nearly done."
Owen and Calix went quiet as Axel got back to his task. Once he confirmed with Baxter it was okay to move her he gathered her in his arms and just held her for a while. Her body was colder than usual and she obviously couldn’t reciprocate and touch him, but he didn’t care. He needed to have the contact, to know she was safe. Owen dropped to her other side while Calix kneeled behind her head. They both lightly stroked her dirty, tear streaked face.
"Let's get her back home. She needs to be in the clinic."
Axel knew Calix was right, but he couldn't release her just yet. Seeing her go over the edge screaming had ripped his heart in two. Even the thought of losing her was enough to cripple him. A flash brought his focus back to reality, and he gently handed his precious bundle over to Calix, who was now in his dragon form. Seconds later he and Owen joined him, and all five of them headed back to the castle.
He landed smoothly next to his brothers in front of Carina and Denver. He flashed to his human form along with everyone but Calix, who held the still unconscious Skye. Axel approached his brother and took her limp body into his arms. A bright flash brought Calix back to his side as Carina skidded up to them.
"What happened? Why isn't she awake?"
He turned his gaze toward Carina. She showed no sign of fear at being surrounded by men now. She was only scared for her friend. How far she'd come. He hoped Skye would follow her example.
"Skye got lost on her way back to the castle, and then Gyasi closed in on her. He must have scented her as she did her best to hide from him. We found her just as Huro joined his brother to capture her. She slippe
d and fell down a ravine. We're not sure exactly how bad her injuries are, Carina, but she hasn't woken since she fell."
Axel winced as Carina's face paled and she started to collapse. Fortunately, Phelan caught her before she hit the ground.
"She'll be fine, Carina. Baxter and Zane will find the cause and heal her."
As Axel began to make his way inside he overheard Carina question Phelan.
"Can I go with her? Can I stay with her until she wakes up? It's what she did for me, and I won't abandon her."
"Of course, baby doll."
Looked like the clinic was going to be damn crowded until Skye recovered.
He marched through the halls as fast as he could without jostling his precious Desired. Baxter stood in the clinic doorway waiting for him and ushered them in.
"Lay her on the mattress, please, Axel."
As he did what he was told, Baxter rattled around in a drawer before he came over with a pair of scissors.
"We need to get her undressed and cleaned up. I'll leave you three to the task of removing her clothing while I go chase up Zane with the tub of water he's retrieving. Place this sheet over her once you have her bare. Oh, and you might want to remove her Truth Band."
Baxter left, and Axel handed the scissors over to Calix as his own hands weren't all that steady. Calix cut down the laces that ran up the front of the dress Skye had put on this morning. He'd just about swallowed his tongue at how good she looked dressed in their colors. Next he sliced up each sleeve, and Axel and Owen slid the material from her skin. Each inch of her they revealed exposed more scrapes and bruises. His heart twisted at the thought that at least some of these wounds were caused by her running from them. All three of them spread a hand over the metal band surrounding her bicep making sure their fingers touched. He heard a small snick, and the device fell free of her arm.
Baxter pushed back into the room holding a large tub of steaming soapy water.
"I know you won't want me here for this, but I need to be able to see all her injuries. You know Binda is my Desired, so there's nothing for you to get worried about."
"We know, Baxter. Just please, heal her."
Calix's voice sounded hoarse with emotion, and Axel could fully relate as he fought back the urge to weep for their Desired.
****
Owen rubbed his hand over the back of his neck as he stretched from where he'd been sitting on a chair in the clinic. He walked over to Skye's beside as she woke once again. In obvious pain she groaned and rolled onto her side. Carina was quick with the bucket and caught her vomit. Owen took it from her and set it aside as she wrung out a cloth that rested in a tub of water by her side. Resting the cool material against Skye's forehead earned them a small moan of pleasure.
Calix gently rolled her over onto her back to take the pressure off her broken arm that she was lying on. She whimpered, and tears leaked from her closed eyes. His poor angel was in so much pain. Killing Huro had brought him some measure of satisfaction. Knowing the bastard couldn't ever come after any of their females again had felt good—until he turned to look for Skye. Realizing his precious Desired had gone over the ledge had torn his heart open.
"Can't you give her something?"
Owen's attention came back to Skye as she turned her face toward Carina with a small frown as Carina had spoken. But she didn't open her eyes before Baxter gave her a shot of painkillers that returned her to a peaceful sleep.
"How long do you think it will take for her to wake up properly?"
"Not sure, Calix. She's woken up a couple times, which is a good sign, but she's clearly oblivious to who is with her. Give her some more time. It's been less than a full day."
A light knock at the door and Denver, Phelan, and Hart came in.
"How about we take you for some food, sweetness?"
Owen looked to Baxter. You asked them to come?
Yes. We all need to eat. I figured they can eat first then come back and stay with Skye while you three go and get something.
Carina didn't want to leave and was arguing with Denver when Calix cut in.
"Carina, we're all going to need to leave to eat at some point. You go first with your men, and we'll send word if she wakes up while you're gone. Then you can stay with her while we go grab some food. That way she's never alone."
Owen watched her shoulders slump in acceptance. She stroked her hand through Skye's hair before she rose from her seat and was promptly ushered out by her men.
"Well, I'm going to go grab something to eat, too, and check in on Binda. I suspect she's feeling neglected with all the time Zane and I are having to spend away from her."
Owen winced as Baxter spoke. Poor Binda. The past few days had been drama plus with everything that happened needing some kind of medical attention. She was no doubt feeling more than a little abandoned.
"We'll let you know if anything changes with Skye. Go be with your Desired."
Baxter left the room with a frown and looking more than a little distracted.
"Finally. Alone with our Desired," Axel said as he moved to take Carina's seat. He rested his head on the pillow and rubbed his face into her neck with a sigh. Calix shifted his seat in closer on the other side and began stroking his fingers through her hair and down her face. Owen sat on the end of her bed and ran his hand up her lower leg. Damn, it felt good to touch her again. Carina had gone into full out mother-hen mode since they’d arrived back at the clinic and not allowed any of them near her.
Axel moaned a little as Skye turned toward him in her sleep. He kissed the tip of her nose before resting their foreheads together. She had a large bruised lump above her eye and a scrape that ran up her cheek and over her ear. Her neck remained unscathed, but the shoulder that was visible above the blanket sported a white bandage. Owen shuddered a little. The gash it covered had taken six stitches, which they'd all watched Baxter administer. His gaze trailed down her blanketed form. The cast on her wrist was obvious. Her left leg looked normal beneath the cloth, but it wasn't in a good way. Her ankle had swollen up, and although Baxter was certain nothing was broken, it was badly sprained. Her knee didn't look any better. It was nearly black with bruising, and Baxter had informed them her knee cap had been knocked loose. She'd have to be taped up for some time while everything healed and she wouldn't be moving around much.
Not that he minded that part. Keeping her in their bed where they could all dote over her and shower her with affection sounded pretty good to him. But before they could move her to their chambers, she needed to wake up and be given the doctor's permission to leave the clinic.
Chapter Four
Skye woke to a level of pain that left her moaning. She ached everywhere. A cool cloth passed over her face, and she sighed. That felt good. She blinked open her eyes and saw Carina frowning down at her. Looking over her friend’s shoulder she saw men. Three huge men with amazing blue hair and stunning warm magenta eyes. They looked familiar, but she couldn't quite get her mind to place them. As she looked into their gazes she felt the tension ease from her body as her muscles loosened. Somehow their presence made her body hurt less. Her eyes slid shut at the break in pain.
"Hmmm."
"Skye? How are you feeling?"
"I hurt. But less now. Magenta eyes helped."
She heard a masculine chuckle before Carina spoke again.
"Can you open your eyes again, sweetie? You need to drink some water at least."
She ran her tongue around her dry mouth. Yeah, some water would be nice.
She forced her lids open and tried to sit up. She groaned as her side let her know it wasn't on board with the plan. One of the blue haired men rushed to her and slid an arm behind her shoulders. The moment his hand came into contact with her naked skin she gasped as memories flooded her mind.
These men were her men, and they'd spent the previous night loving her body better than any man ever had before. Then the next morning she'd gone walking with Carina. She'd gotten lost while going for help
after Carina was caught in a trap. Dragons. She shuddered. So many dragons. Black and grey beasts chasing her. Then blue ones attacking them. The cliff. Did she fall? She began to blink rapidly as she continued to struggle for breath. Calix had moved to sit behind her, his strong arms around her, holding her against his warm solid chest giving her something solid to help ground herself.
"Skye? Are you all right, love?"
He laid a soft kiss on her cheek, and she turned her face, needing to feel more of him. She pressed her lips to his and moaned as he gently took possession of her mouth. He ended the kiss before she was ready.
"Better?"
"Hmm. Much better, Calix."
He chuckled, "Ah, so you remember me now? I'm not magenta eyes anymore?"
She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment. "Sorry, I woke up a little out of it."
"That would be because you earned yourself a concussion tumbling down that slope, Skye."
She looked up at the new voice to see the doctor, Baxter was it? Carina got back in her face with a cup of water.
"You need to drink something."
She allowed Carina to hold the cup for her to take a few sips of the cool liquid. Her parched throat soaked it up. She pulled back when she'd drunk about half the cup.
"So how bad am I?"
Baxter came closer to the end of her bed.
"Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. You've badly twisted your left ankle, and your left knee cap has been knocked hard enough to make it loose. Both those injuries will need to remain strapped for some time. Your right leg escaped with only some bruises and scrapes. Your ribs are bruised, not broken, so it's going to hurt to breathe for a while but they'll heal up fine. Your right wrist is fractured. I've set it, and we'll have to keep an eye on it as it heals. Your left shoulder has a nasty cut, which required stitches. You'll need those out in another couple of days. Thankfully, your spine is fine. You've got a nasty bump on your forehead, which is the cause of your memory lapses. Due to your concussion you're going to have to be closely watched for the next day or so. You've been unconscious for just over a full day, and we need to be sure your condition doesn’t worsen. The scans didn't show any internal bleeding or brain swelling, but we can't be too careful."