by Julia Mills
Drago reached between their bodies, barely touching her clit with his thumb before Alicia’s orgasm overtook them both. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her brilliant blue eyes holding all the promise of their future locked on his and he was helpless but to follow her over the edge. The Guardsman knew he would follow his little witch anywhere, even to the end of the earth.
Hours later they lay completely satiated, her head on his chest, their legs intertwined, while their bodies cooled from their hours of lovemaking. Drago reached under his pillow and pulled out a red, silk pouch. He placed it in the hand she had laying on his chest.
Alicia sat up, furrowed her brow, and asked, “What’s this?”
“Open it and see.”
Tipping the pouch, Alicia gasped when the ring that had been his mother’s fell into her hand.
“What the... no way. This is too much.”
“It is not too much. It is yours and I will not rest until it is on your finger.”
“But, Drago…
“But nothing. It was my mother’s and Rayne had kept it all these years after Alexander told him it was meant to be my mate’s.”
“But it is just…”
“It is just yours. Now, let me put it on your finger.”
Not waiting for Alicia’s response, Drago took her left hand in his and slid the ring on her ring finger. After a moment of admiring what had been in his family for generations, he explained its significance. “This ring has been worn by the mate of the eldest son of the Clan MacLendon since our beginning. The ruby in the center signifies the blood we shed for our own. The diamonds surrounding it stand for the original eight clans that came together to form Clan MacLendon even before we were dragon shifters. The black sapphire at the top is for the wisdom of our people and the protection of body and soul we offer our mates.”
When he looked up, Alicia was crying, but this time he understood they were happy tears and only smiled when she cuddled against his chest. It took a few minutes for his little witch to regain control but when she did, she sat back and looked him in the eyes. “Thank you so much, Drago. I love you more than all the stars in the sky.”
“What did you say?” he asked, sure he’d misunderstood.
“I said I love more than all the stars in the sky. To be honest, I’ve never said it before. It just popped into my mind and it seemed to fit, so I said it.”
Throwing his head back and laughing aloud, it took Drago a minute before he could explain, and when he did, his little witch laughed right along with him.
“So you see, mo ghra’, that is what my mother used to say to my father every time he went into battle. As a little boy I used to sit by the window and watch him ride out of our lair, waiting for the day my mate would say the same thing to me.”
He paused as his love for his incredible mate overflowed. Unable to finish out loud, Drago spoke into Alicia’s mind. “You, mo maite, have made all my dreams come true.”
“Drago?”
“Yes, mo ghra’?”
“I still want to meet your dragon in person.”
Chuckling at his amazing mate, Drago simply answered, “You wish is my command…later.”
Epilogue
Tomas has been summoned by none other than Rayne MacLendon, the Commander of his Force, and the one man in all the world the young Guardsman thought of as a role model. Tomas had been training with Rory, the Commander of the Blue Thunder Force, when Rayne had called to him through their unique link. As always, the Commander was a man of few words, only saying, “Tomas, come to my home. See you in ten.”
The whole way there Tomas replayed the last week in his mind. He knew everything had been quiet since Rayne’s uncle, Drago, had mated Alicia McKennon. The weeks leading up to their mating had been nuts but since then nothing, nada, zip, zilch. The young guardsman had even done extra training sessions and missed out on the party one of his brethren had thrown in the woods. So when he knocked on Rayne’s door, he was clueless as to why he’d been called.
Kyndel, the Commander’s mate, answered the door with smile on her face and their son on her hip. “Come on, Rayne is out back. Grab something to drink on your way through the kitchen. I have to put Jay down for his nap.”
Tomas walked out onto the patio and waited for Rayne to acknowledge his presence, just as his training dictated. His wait was short as the Commander spoke over his shoulder, “This is an informal request, Tomas. Come on up here and let’s talk.”
Unsure how to act, the young guardsman did as he had been instructed. Several tense minutes passed before Rayne turned to him with a furrowed brow and began speaking. “I have a favor to ask. Not as your Commander but as a fellow Guardsman. It is a big one and please feel free to say no if you don’t feel comfortable with my request.”
Tomas nodded.
Rayne went on, “You know that we found a focus stone along with my uncle, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir? What’s with the formalities?” Royce teased as he walked out onto patio.
“It’s a sign of respect. Something you should also be showing me,” Rayne joked before adding, “I was just about to ask him. You’re early.”
Tomas’ intuition said whatever was happening was important and not something he should take lightly. His suspicions were confirmed when Rayne turned back to him. “Okay, where were we? Oh yes, the focus stone. Anyway, no one here, not even Calysta or Kyra know what this thing is. We all know it holds power but other than that, it’s a total mystery, and no matter what anyone tries, they can’t purify. The worst part is it seems to be gaining strength and we have no clue if its magic is white or black. It appears to flip flop, depending on who’s around it. Needless to say, it needs to be studied. There is an Elder, the oldest of our kin, who has the power and knowledge to study it. His name is Maddox and he lives in the North Country.”
The Commander paused, looked at Royce, shook his head, and went on, “I hate to ask this of you, but I need you to take the stone to Maddox. I would do it but I have to get Kyndel and Jay back to our lair for Christmas. Lance and Devon have already left so that Siobhan can be in her own home for the holiday and they can be with their mates. Royce has to stay with Kyra while Calysta is convalescing and to be honest, I want it to be one of my clan that delivers it to the Elder, not a blue dragon. I just have a feeling it’s our responsibility. I know it’s a lot to ask but if you leave today, you should be able to be back at our lair in time for Christmas dinner. Whatcha say, Tomas, will you do this for me?”
There was never a question in the young Guardsman’s mind. Of course, he would do whatever Rayne MacLendon asked of him. Without hesitation, Tomas nodded. “Absolutely, sir.”
Royce chuckled behind him. “Again with the sir. Boy, you’re gonna give the Commander here a big head.”
“Shut up, Royce,” Rayne growled over Tomas’ head before looking him in the eyes. “Thank you very much. I owe you, big time. Now go in the house and Kyra will give you the instructions on handling the stone. She also has the coordinates of Maddox’s lair. He’s sort of a lone dragon, one of a kind.”
Tomas got his instructions from Royce’s tiny mate, packed his duffle, called forth his dragon, and took to the sky, remembering what his Commander had said…
“…if you leave today, you should be able to be back at our lair in time for Christmas dinner.”
Sounds good. What could go wrong?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Calysta was tired of lying in bed, tired of feeling like an invalid, and really tired of her sister, Della, and Kyra fussing over her every minute of every day. The Grand Priestess knew she’d been through a serious ordeal. Hell, she was the one that had gone through it. And after all she’d endured they treated her like a china doll. No one would talk about it in front of her. They all acted like she might break apart if they mentioned Cleland or the Dorcha or Goddess forbid, Thanatos.
Sighing to herself, she slowly got out bed, thanking the Universe for her e
nhanced healing but cursing that even a week and half of lying around she still ached from the iron that had yet to leave her system. One thing was for sure, Cleland knew how to inflict pain on a witch. He was one son of a bitch she’d been glad to hear made his way to Hell before he died. Unfortunately, if the dreams she was having were any indication of what he’d done before his demise, they were all in serious trouble.
The Grand Priestess thought about her last nightmare, trying to see something, anything she’d missed before. The images played back in her mind. She saw the young girl, Mara, who had slipped Cleland’s mind control and was actually trying to help Calysta before the girl just disappeared.
In her dream, the young witch was walking through the forest. The ground beneath her feet turned brown with each step. Every plant and tree withered as she passed. The birds and animals, even the insects scurried out of her path, literally running for their lives.
Reaching a clearing Calysta didn’t remembering ever seeing in her waking hours, but that somehow felt familiar, Mara walked around the perimeter, leaving a scorched circle in her path. As she returned to the spot where she began, the young witch, uttered, “Se’alaithe,” closing the circle she’d created.
Sitting on the ground at what Calysta could see was the top of her circle, Mara looked up, as if she somehow knew the Grand Priestess was watching, and in a low, otherworldly voice whispered, “All hail, Thanatos, Death incarnate. We wait your arrival.”
Mara eyes turned from their once sparkling cornflower blue to a smoky gray right before she smiled an evil smile and began to chant. What Calysta heard made her blood run cold and sweat roll down her back. The young witch was reciting the words to the spell that would bring Thanatos to the earth. It simply wasn’t possible. The spell was hidden at the coven and only one other person other than the Grand Priestess knew where it was and she was without reproach…or was she?
Coming December 1, 2015 as part of the Alphas Unwrapped Anthology
And as a Stand Alone Novel on December 18, 2015
“Her Dragon’s No Angel”
Take one snowbound dragon, combine with one Christmas Angel, throw in a healthy dose of an attraction only the Universe could have conjured and top with the largest blizzard in a hundred years.
Now sit back and enjoy the show! This one's gonna be a bumpy ride!
Fate Will Not Be Denied but Heaven’s Got a Plan of Its Own!
Here’s also an excerpt from
Vidalia: A ‘Not-Quite’ Vampire Love Story
From Julia’s ‘Not-Quite’ Love Story Series
“Morning, Vi.”
“Hey Reggie. What we got?”
“Same as the others. Only looks like this one might’ve gotten a piece of her attacker.”
My assistant, Reggie, pointed to what appeared to be a swatch of fabric still clutched in the victim’s hand. Hopefully, she’d also scratched the scumbag who’d thrown her off the balcony of her thirtieth floor penthouse. With any luck, we’d be able to get some DNA and put the person who was doing this behind bars. I know it was a long shot. Up until now, there hasn’t even been a speck of dust outta place at any of the crimes scenes, let alone any usable evidence. Finding something was a shot in the dark, but it was the only shot we had.
Dealing with the sixth homicide in as many days, all with the same MO., (jugular and carotid cut, drained of all blood then thrown off a high rise building into a busy intersection) was frustrating to say the least. The part both my office and the Police Department were keeping to ourselves was the fact that each vic also sported the letter ‘V’ carved into a very intimate part of their body. This marking was undetectable by anyone but their mother, their lover, their gynecologist, or in this case, the Medical Examiner. And… that would be me, Vidalia Fitzsimmons.
There are three things you need to know about me before we go any farther. I’m the heiress to the Fitzsimmons’ Vidalia onion empire and as southern as the day is long. (Now, you get the name, right?) I’ll be thirty in less than two months, my curves have curves, I’m in love with the man of my dreams, and I have great hair (not conceited, just honest. Put away the claws). And… I’m a vampire. (Not the biting kind. The cursed kind.) Any questions?
Before you go thinking too hard, let me answer the number one question I’ve been asked my whole life. Why did one of the richest men in Georgia with a pedigree that rivaled British royalty and a wife that was not only a trophy, but also the love of his life, name his only child, Vidalia? It’s simple. My daddy only ever truly loved three things: me, Momma, and his onions…Vidalia, Viviana, and Vidalia. It’s a Southern thing, just go with it.
Number two question: why is a pretty socialite like me a Medical Examiner? Well, you see, this is easier for y’all to grasp than those that don’t really know me. Suffice it to say I don’t go around flashing my “V Card” to everyone (vampire, not virgin…keep up). I may not be the ‘bite first, ask questions later’ type of vamp, but I am still a vamp, and that means blood is food. But here’s the kicker…it’s gotta be ‘live’ blood. So in the morgue, with my patients, I’m good. I became a vampire after I became a doctor and wasn’t willing to give up my passion, hence Medical Examiner.
This leads me to another important fact you need to know about me. I have no fangs. I know you’re thinking that isn’t possible, fangs are essential to a vamp. You might even be thinking, ‘she’s just bat-shit crazy’, and let me tell you there are days I think you might be right, but today isn’t one of them.
About Julia
Julia Mills is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Dragon Guard Series. She admits to being a sarcastic, southern woman that would rather spend all day laughing than a minute crying. She has two of the most amazing daughters ever created, a menagerie of animals and a voracious appetite for reading. She decided to write the stories running through her brain and is having an absolute blast!! She read her first book, Dr Suess' Cat in The Hat and has been hooked ever since.
She believes a good book along with shoes, makeup and purses will never let a girl down. She knows for a fact that all heroes in all the books she has ever read or will ever write pale in comparison to her hero, her dad! She's a sucker for a happy ending and loves some hot sweaty sex with a healthy dose of romance.
She's still working on her story but can guarantee you that it'll contain as love and laughter as she can cram into it!!!!! Dare to Dream! Have the Strength to Try EVERYTHING! Never Look Back!
Julia absolutely adores stalkers so look her up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JLakeMills?ref=hl and sign up for her newsletter at JuliaMillsAuthor.com.