He reached out to grab her, but she ran from him. Heading out to the place they had left from only two days ago. It was where she had dropped his heart stone, behind an old rowan tree. Dòmhnall followed, shouting at her to stop. She knew she had to do this now, because once the sadness took her she would hate him forever.
Maybe she was doing this for him, or perhaps for Tara. She didn’t know anything anymore. All she knew was that this cycle of pain had to end. Reaching down she searched amongst the old leaf litter until she found what she was looking for. It now seems so ridiculous that she had dropped something so precious in such an open exposed place.
“What are you doing?” he bellowed. “You will go to your room. Kier. Take her.”
“Wait,” she said. “I have something I should have given you before. It wasn’t mine to keep. I see that now.”
He bore down on her. “You have nothing I need or desire. Except for the child you carry in your belly. Once you give birth you will leave here and never return.”
“Dòmhnall. Here.” She reached for his hand, and slipped the heart stone into it.
For a moment, she thought he would faint. The great big man, so fierce and strong, staggered forward as if under a tremendous weight. He looked down at his hand. “What have you done?”
“Returned what is yours.”
Opening his hand, which shook so hard she worried he might drop the stone. He looked in astonishment at the small stone that now glowed red, bright and pulsing. Where it touched his skin, it marked him, as though filled with fire. Dòmhnall never flinched, the pain a rapture.
“Where?” he asked.
“It’s a long story. One that involves Tara.”
“The witch?”
“Yes,” she said, knowing it was important now not to play down the role of Tara in the recovery of the stone. That she was his mate remained something for him to discover himself. “And Connor’s father. He never let it rest, even when his mate died. He searched for this. In the hope it would persuade you to relent. He didn't want you to keep the secret of the heart stone to yourself.”
He looked at it again, from different angles, a look of fascination on his face. “I can feel it. It beats in time with my own heart.”
“Isn’t it part of your heart?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take it back?”
“I don’t know. It’s enough that it is here.”
“It has come to life.” Serena smiled despite her sadness.
“Yes. As have I.” He looked regretfully at Serena. “Thank you.”
He walked away, and the momentary feeling of joy left her. The loss hit her squarely in the chest. She supposed this was only a small measure of how Dòmhnall had felt for so many years. His heart shrivelled and cold.
Kier took her to her room, and she collapsed on the bed, and let oblivion take her.
Chapter Twenty Six - Connor
The sea was warm, the song so sweet. They swam, ducking down under the water, and then flipping out of it. Like dolphins chasing the bow of a boat. His dragon slept, a deep slumber, he was a man now, with only hands and feet, no wings.
Their voices took his mind, erasing all thought, all memories of his life before. They swam until his muscles ached, and then they took it in turns to drag him through the water. More than once, he was completely submerged and he erupted coughing and spluttering. In these moments, the sound of the mermaids’ song did not reach his ears. In these moments, he remembered all that he had lost.
He would cry out in anger and pain, only for the song to rob him once more of his senses. Each time he remembered, his thoughts rapidly went through how he could escape. But those moments were never long enough for him to take action.
The mermaids laughed, enjoying his pain and anguish. They were so beautiful, and so cruel, like the sea itself.
A land mass appeared ahead of them. He came up from beneath the waves, half-drowned and full of memories. Full of the realisation that once he was on the shore he would be lost to them forever. In one tremendous last attempt, he ducked down under the water. He yanked away, pulling himself free from the mermaid who held him. Exhausted he took too much time to gather his wits and call his dragon. The water all around him made it next to impossible to change, but he had to. As the breath left his body, he felt the mermaid’s hands on him. Her fingers digging into his flesh. Talons gripping him cruelly and dragging him to his doom.
Releasing his final breath, the water imploded around him. The burst of energy launched him into the air. He took his first gulp of free air, his wings unfurling. The water droplets shimmering in the sun had never looked as beautiful as he soared high in the air, battling his fatigue.
Down below him they sang, all four mermaids joining together to lure him back to them. He beat his wings hard. Holding the thought of Serena in his mind as he flew upwards higher and higher. Risking being seen in the daylight to escape his impending doom.
He was free.
His excitement was short lived. It was daylight. He was exposed. And he was too tired to fly far. Scanning the horizon, he saw several small islands, mere lumps of rock in the sea. They would have to do. It was a risk; the mermaids may see where he went. Nevertheless, he had to rest. Spiralling down, too fast, he reached the safety of the hard stone. As he closed his eyes, the dragon left him. Alone and exposed, he slept.
Chapter Twenty Seven - Serena
“Wake up, Serena.” A hand shook her, but she didn't want to go back to the lonely world that awaited her, not yet. “You have to eat.”
“Go away Tara.”
“No. As much as I don’t particularly care if you live or die, Dòmhnall has decided he wants to speak to you.”
“And you do his bidding now?” she asked, covering her head up with the pillow, still wet from her tears.
“It seems that the heart stone you gave him has made him a changed man.”
Serena pulled the pillow off her head. “I’m sorry I gave it to him, and not you.”
Tara smiled knowingly. “It would have been too easy if you had given it to me. I guess this way I have to earn it.”
“Does he know?”
“That I’m his mate?” Tara dragged the covers from Serena’s body and made her sit up to eat. “No. I’m sure he’ll work it out. Eventually.”
“I never took you to be a patient woman.”
“Are you joking? Do you know how many years I’ve spent trying to get here?”
Serena shook her head. “No. You’ve always been economical with the details of your past.”
“Oh well, it doesn’t matter now. The past is the past.”
“Yes,” Serena repeated sadly, “The past is the past.”
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“What do you care?” Serena said, lying back down.
“I have been waiting for this day for a long time. Now get yourself out of that bed and get cleaned up. Or I will ask Raal to fetch a bucket of cold water and I’ll simply throw it over you.”
“Go away, Tara.”
“No. Either you can get up, or I’ll tell Dòmhnall he’ll have to come and see you in bed. I'll tell him you’re too lazy to get up.”
“If I go and see him will you then leave me in peace? Please.”
“Deal,” Tara agreed.
Reluctantly, Serena placed her feet on the cold stone and padded across the floor. Tara had placed a bowl of warm water on the wooden table by the window. Dipping her hands in it, Serena began to wash. While she dried her face, she glanced out of the window at the beautiful day.
“How long have I been back?”
“Two days. You needed some time to recover.”
“And you think that two days is enough to get over the loss of your mate.”
“Yes.”
“You are a heartless creature, Tara.”
“I know.”
She placed the towel down, and went to her bags; ignoring Connor’s which were next to them. She wanted to collapse, to drow
n in her sorrow, but not in front of Tara. Instead, she put clean clothes on, and brushed her hair. Feeling a little better, she turned to Tara.
“Ready. Let’s get this over with.”
“Great,” Tara said cheerfully.
“Empathy is not your strong suit is it Tara?”
“Oh, I don’t know about that...”
They left the room, and Tara took the lead, taking Serena in the direction of the great hall. “You certainly seem to have got on the good side of Dòmhnall. I thought he had you locked up because you’re too dangerous to be set free.”
Tara stopped and turned to Serena, her face serious. “I think I have you and Connor to thank for that. It appears he believes I have a gift.”
“Does he know it doesn’t work on him?”
“We haven't got that far yet. And you told him about the heart stone. That helped him to trust me.”
“I am pleased for you. No matter what has happened." Her breath shuddered with sadness, but she swallowed her tears. "If you are true mates, I hope you experience the same happiness that I did with Connor.”
Tara smiled again, her face lighting up, and she looked beautiful. Different in a way Serena couldn’t narrow down to one thing. Lighter. That was it, as if the burden she had been carrying for so long had gone.
“In we go,” Tara said, pushing the doors open.
In the hall stood Dòmhnall. For some reason Serena’s heart sank. She had imagined that by some miracle Connor would be there. She paused, gathering her emotions together before continuing towards Dòmhnall.
“Serena. I hope you are rested.”
“Thank you. What can I do for you, Dòmhnall?”
“Nothing. But I can do something for you.”
“Will you send help to Connor? Will you bring him back?”
“No.”
“Then there is nothing you can do for me.”
“I can give you this.” He held out his hand, and on it was a heart stone.
“It’s yours. I don’t want it.”
“It’s not mine, Serena.”
She didn’t need to be told whose it was. If it wasn’t Dòmhnall’s, it had to be Connors. She covered her mouth with her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. He was dead. That was why Dòmhnall wouldn't send any of his men to rescue him.
“I thought you would be at least a little pleased. We’ve endured so much.”
She turned to the voice behind her. “Connor.”
Serena ran to him, her arms going around his neck. “I am so very pleased to see you, Serena,” he said. Burying his face in her neck, he breathed in her scent. “I thought I had lost you.”
“You thought you’d lost me? You disappeared with mermaids.”
“I’m sorry about that. I had no control over my mind.”
She pulled back and hit him playfully on the chest. “That is no excuse.” Collapsing into his arms, she sobbed so hard she thought she would burst. “I thought I would have to live the rest of my life without you.”
“Now perhaps you know how I feel about losing you. It’s why I want you to have my heart stone and keep it safe.”
He held her hand and they went back to Dòmhnall. The Dragon Lord smiled, and true happiness seemed to light up his face.
“Keep it safe,” Dòmhnall said, handing it to Serena.
“How do I do that?” Serena asked. “What if I lose it?”
“I can help you with that,” said Tara.
***
“How does it feel?”
“I don’t know how to describe it. When I’m close to you it feels as if I have two hearts.”
He placed his hand on her chest. “I can feel it. One beats in time with mine, the other is yours.” He kissed her lips. “I would recognise your heart beat anywhere.”
“Oh really? Because when I stood on that beach with it shattering into a million little pieces, I wasn’t so sure.”
“Will you ever forgive me?”
“I already have.” She kissed him back. “You do know I have to keep my word and return to the Minotaur?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a shame Tara is Dòmhnall’s mate, or else we could have taken her too. And left her there.”
“Don’t be wicked. We would not have achieved our dream if it were not for her. She took my heart stone from me. I did not want you to know I was alive until she had. In case it went ... wrong.”
"I guess I should be grateful to her," she said. “And your father. I wish I could thank him.”
“I believe he got his reward. When I look up at the stars, I imagine him up there in the heavens with my mother. Together for eternity.”
“That is a good thought, Connor.”
“As we will be together for eternity.”
She lay back, looking at the stars. They were in the forest, a blanket on the ground, enjoying the warm evening. Tara had used her magic to fuse the dragon stone with Serena’s heart. After talking it over, they had decided to stay in Spellholm for a few weeks to recover. It would also give them time to try to form an alliance with the dragons there. It wasn’t hard. Dòmhnall wanted them to live in the forest. They had insisted it would not be under his roof, or his rule, and he had agreed.
“I hope Charlotte will agree to move here.”
“So do I. I also hope Zoah will decide to come here too. He could live apart from us.”
“He was set on leaving.”
“I know. But I hope to talk him around.”
“It will be good for our son to grow up here. It’s the closest to freedom he will ever get in this crowded world.”
Connor breathed in. “Yes. It is a special place. But it will be strange, not having to hide who we are.”
“It’s a new start, Connor. Let’s leave all the bad memories behind. Shut up the house and come here for a few years at least.”
“Whatever you say.”
She giggled. “I say we should forget about the world. And concentrate on each other.”
“What a splendid idea.” His fingers traced along the swell of her breast, but she collapsed into giggles. “What is so funny?”
“Splendid.”
“What’s wrong with splendid?”
“Nothing. It’s just so ... you.”
“Don’t you know it’s rude to mock your elders?” He shifted his weight, moving to straddle her. Then he took hold of her wrists and pinned them above her head. “I might have to teach you to respect your elders.”
“Please do, Oh Ancient One”.
He lowered his head, and kissed her breasts through her clothes. His teeth grazing her nipple, making her squirm beneath him. With one hand, he lifted her shirt, and pulled the cup of her bra down, capturing her taut bud between his teeth. Her breath hissed as she arched her back to offer herself to him.
His warm mouth nursed on her breast until she was sore, her body aching to be satisfied by him. Against her stomach, she could feel the press of his cock. But with her hands pinned above her head, she could do nothing to ease his hardness.
Connor rolled off her to lie by her side. He turned her body to face him, lifting her leg to allow it to drape over his thigh. His hand went to the hem of her skirt and he pulled it up, his fingers drawing her panties aside. “Here?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
He unzipped his pants and swiftly entered her. She gasped against him, and clung to him. It felt like a lifetime ago that they had been like this, joined together. And in a way, it was. She was different now, one with him. His mate, forever.
Connor thrust hard into her. His hand going to press against her bottom, preventing her from escaping his powerful lunges. Not that she would ever want to escape Connor. They understood each other now; they understood what it was to lose each other. They had also learned how to fight together to win back their future.
She kissed his neck, and nipped his collarbone while he slid his hand between their bodies and stroked her clit. Her teeth sank into him harder, and then she crie
d out as she came. Her sex throbbing and pulsing around his hardness.
Connor followed, their love renewed once more in this joining. When he was spent, he stayed inside her. Waiting for his arousal to return so he could make love to her again. Serena kissed him, her body at once sated, and yet ready for him again. She closed her eyes and imagined all the years that lay ahead of them, of all the love they would make, and the babies too.
“Splendid,” she murmured against his ear, and she felt him smile, and tighten his grip around her. He would never let her go, and she would never want to leave him. Together they were invincible, bound together through fate for all time.
The End
Out Now!
Zoah and Charlotte’s story
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