Dragon's Heart

by LaVerne Thompson

  Yes, so he wasn’t alone. I’m sorry too that we couldn’t be there for him. Another death that bastard has to answer for.

  Maya sighed, sadness still present in their small victory. Well, what are we going to do about Justin, or Arwan, or whatever his name is? We’ve got to find him.

  We have to go back to the Stones. I would also like your parents to come with us.

  My parents! I don’t know about that. Besides my mom still needs more time to recuperate.

  She’s fine, her dragon has awakened, and I think they will want to come.

  Maya stepped away from Draakar and he released her hand, silently watching her. “I’m not sure if I can return to Ireland with you just now,” Maya said. “My vacation is almost over and I have a business to run. I’ve already been gone for some time and I have people who are depending on me.”

  He smiled at her. “Those are not the reasons why you don’t wish to return with me. You forget, Maya, I am in your thoughts as you are in mine. I know what you fear.”

  She shook her head. “Do you? Well, explain it to me because I’m not sure I fear anything about you anymore.”

  Draakar laughed. “You never did.” He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. At the same time she raised her arms to wrap them around his neck. “Hmm…I’m beginning to find I don’t like having you out of my arms for very long.”

  She kissed his cheek and smile. “Me either. Will it always be this way?”

  He nodded. “I fear I will always have this need to constantly be near you.” He rubbed the top of her hair with his chin. “I promise we will work this out. But for right now, no one is safe, especially you, if I can’t figure out where the betrayer has gone. We severely wounded him but this is not the first time he’s escaped justice. I won’t be fooled into thinking we killed him or that he won’t be back.”

  She raised her head up to look at him. She knew she was being stupid, her fear, not of him, not even of going back to Ireland but returning with him to Akgon held her back. Yes she was brethren but she was human too. “I know you’re right, but…”

  “No buts. I need to get to the Stones as soon as possible then we will try to locate the betrayer. For now, he won’t be able to gain access to Earth’s realm through the mist. But wherever he’s gone, he may still be able to get back to Earth directly from there so we must try to find him. The other alternatives would be to try to block all the portals here on Earth.”

  Maya understood the betrayer had to be stopped but he didn’t really need her to find him. She frowned as another thought occurred to her. “How many portals are there?”

  He ran his hand through his hair, she’d come to realize he did that when he was frustrated. “I don’t believe there are many. I know of only one other, besides the one for Akgon and the mist and I suspect there are others, but the Stones will know of them all. And some portals may be used to enter more than one realm, such as the Stones. If that’s the case, they may be almost impossible to close off.”

  “You mean the portal at the Stones can take you to other worlds?” She had not considered that.

  “Yes. That was one of the dangers we faced when we used it the first time. The portal at the Stones is a true gateway to other worlds.”

  She stepped out of his embrace and placed her hands on her hips. “Wow! How many other worlds are we talking here?”

  “I do not know.” He began to pace. “We’ve only ever used it to access Akgon, and the main portal on Akgon only leads to Earth. The three others lead to lesser limited realms.”

  “So even though you can use the portal here on Earth to go almost anywhere, it doesn’t mean the ones in other realms work the same way.”

  He returned to stand in front of her and she lowered her arms to her sides. “Yes, that’s correct. It’s also why I’m positive the betrayer won’t be able to get back to here through the gate at the Stones. To use that entry the Stones must accept you. Just as the mist will be able to bar access to its realm, the Stones can bar access to Earth. And the betrayer has been banned long ago.”

  “Okay. Good to know, but since there may be other portals on this planet, he might still be able to return.”

  “That is why we have to try to find him first, or find all the other gateways and try to block the essence of the silver dragon from using a portal. Even then some of the gateways will have to be constantly monitored.” He raised his hand and caressed her cheek. “Come on, let’s go. As soon as we get everyone we’ll return to Ireland and begin our search for both.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “I don’t know. I suspect to close all the portals might take a few days, to find the betrayer may take as long.”

  He was right of course he had to go, but she still needed to make arrangements for her business since she could be gone for a while. “Not me. At least not yet. I’m going to need

  a few days to tie up some things here before I can leave. You go ahead and search for the betrayer, if you find him I’ll join you.”

  He took her hand and shook his head. “No. It is still too dangerous for you to be alone.”

  “But I thought the betrayer was hiding someplace…”

  “I will stay with you and send Talon and some of the others back to the safety the Stones will provide. Talon can generate the necessary power to get the information we require from the Stones.” From the strength in his voice she knew she couldn’t argue about this with him. In truth some of her reluctance stemmed from her fear and confusion about leaving Earth and all she knew behind. But she also wanted to take care of the people who depended on her business for a living. Because when it came right down to it, when Draakar returned to Akgon she would go with him.

  She nodded. “Ah, how are we going to get to my parents house? Are you going to call someone to come and pick us up?”

  He grinned then kissed her hand. “No need. My powers are at their peak. I can take us there.”

  Before Maya could question further what he meant. A soft green glow surrounded their bodies and he kissed the question right out of her mind. The sound of Cass’s voice finally got her attention.

  “There you all are! Thank God! Are you all right?”

  Maya turned out of Draakar’s embrace and found herself being hugged by Cass. They were no longer in the cave but stood in the middle of her mother’s living room with the rest of the Firsts surrounding them.

  Her parents stepped through the circle of brethren to hug both Maya and Draakar.

  “Thank you, Draakar,” Maya’s mother cried as she hugged them both. Reaching only up to Draakar’s chest, she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. “Thank you for returning our baby to us.”

  “She will always be safe with me,” Draakar stated.

  “Mom, how are you?” Maya asked, hugging both of her parents. “Should you be on your feet so soon? Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

  “Oh, shush. I’m fine,” her mother replied. She removed the arm she used to hug Draakar with and gently patted his check. “Thanks to this one here.” Then she glanced over her shoulder until her gaze found Sherri. “And Sherri, who arrived only a few hours ago and well, here I am. The doctors are calling it a miracle. And so it is. You’re all miracles.” She included everyone in the room.

  Maya hadn’t noticed Sherri before but she noticed her now. “Thank you,” she said. Paul stood next to her and when Maya glanced down she saw he held Sherri’s hand. She stepped away from her mother and moved toward them. Draakar moved beside her. Maya hugged Sherri first, then Paul. “How are you feeling?” she asked as he hugged her back.

  Paul briefly glanced at Sherri before meeting Maya’s eyes, then looking at Draakar. “Better,” he said. Sounding like the Paul she remembered.

  Maya could see his skin looked healthier than the last time she’d seen him, but his eyes. They told a different story. Still a beautiful shade of ocean blue, but while before they always seemed to sparkle with laughter, no laughter
lurked there now. The eyes staring back at her were old, drained. The spark missing. “I’m sorry Paul, so sorry.” Maya decided to address what happened directly to Paul, but for everyone to hear. Draakar had already communicated to the group the betrayer had escaped but Maya told them of the sentient being, the mist, and of the fight.

  “He’s wounded, Paul. Draakar doesn’t believe he killed him, but he sure as hell hurt him.”

  “We hurt him. And Maya took out his eye,” Draakar supplied, pride in his voice.

  “What!” her parents gasped in unison.

  “I got lucky.”

  “Well, if it bleeds it can die.” Talon stepped into the circle in the living room.

  Maya swung her head around at the sound of a familiar voice. “Talon!” She rushed over to him and hugged him. “Am I glad to see you. It was you who led Draakar to me.”

  “Yeah. So see, the link I formed between us did some good,” he smiled sheepishly.

  “I’m still not sure I’m ready to forgive you for that,” Maya said in a serious voice, but winked to let him know she wasn’t angry with him.

  “Tell ya what. Forgive me or I’ll start calling you Step-Momma.”

  “Oh no you don’t!”

  “Talon,” Draakar warned.

  “Step-Momma?” Maya’s mother said, followed by her father’s, “What!”

  “Do you have something to tell us, honey?” her mother asked.

  “Yes. Do you?” her father agreed sternly.

  Draakar stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Actually, yes we do.”

  He dropped to both knees before Maya, who gasped as she watched him.

  I only do this once, beloved.

  He took her left hand in both of his. The air left her lungs and she placed her free hand on her cheek as her parents stood on either side of her. Talon stood beside his father. The rest of the brethren looked on.

  “Maya, in the life that came before this one, in this and in the next, I have loved you, will always love you. You have always held my heart. I am here to claim yours now until a time that has no end. Will you walk besides me to the end of our days and beyond? In the manner of your culture, will you marry me?”

  I only do this once, beloved, Maya responded to her mate.

  As brethren they were already mated, husband and wife. Now he would honor her using earth’s custom. Maya dropped to her knees before Draakar, releasing his hands and placing her own at the sides of his face. “Yes. In this life and the next, yes. Under brethren law or human, under any law, yes. I love you so very much.”

  They sealed their promise this time with a kiss. But Draakar pulled away once their lips had done nothing more than touched. “Wait. One last thing.” He placed his hand in his pants pocket, withdrew a small square black velvet box, and opened it. A marquis cut onyx stone surrounded by diamonds lay nestled inside. Draakar took it out and raised Maya’s left hand, placing his ring on her finger

  “I belong to you as you belong to me. Now all will know this.”

  He pulled her face toward his own and this time when his lips touched hers, they stayed a little longer. But not long enough to suit either of them. The sound of a cork popping out of a bottle drew their attention. Hand in hand, they stood and looked around the room as everyone smiled and raised a glass to them.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Another cab pulled up in front of the passenger departure section of Reagan International Airport, and a single traveler got out. He didn’t need help with his luggage nor was help offered. He only had a carryon strapped across his shoulder and a weekend bag in his hand, not at all a remarkable occurrence.

  He barely got a second glance from the security people as he made his way through the airport. The guy, while about average height, stood bulky with muscle and emitted an aura of menace. Yet no one bothered to really notice.

  The man should have been stopped at the security checkpoint before boarding the plane. He also had a one-way ticket, enough to warrant closer scrutiny, and was a convicted felon wanted for questioning in two states as a person of interest in a murder investigation. The one guard, who checked his ID, stared at him hard but turned away once he met his eyes and allowed him to pass. No one even bothered to glance at the monitor as his bags went through. If someone had, they would have seen the five hundred-year-old sheathed ceremonial blade in his bag. A blade still as sharp as the day it was forged by dragon fire.

  He made it to his gate without once being questioned just as his flight to New Orleans boarded. But the land of jazz was not his ultimate goal. From New Orleans he would rent a car and drive to his final destination, Window Rock, Arizona. If all went as planned, he would meet someone there. He was not sure how long he’d have to wait, but wait he would. For as long as it took.

  Maya shouldn’t have been surprised to find herself walking down the aisle some forty-eight hours later in a little chapel not far from her parent’s house. After everything that had happened in her life, nothing should surprise her. But this did.

  Her mother held her arm on one side with her father on the other while the brethren stood before them. Cass stood up as her bridesmaid and Talon was Draakar’s best man. There were no other friends or family present, mainly because they’d rushed everything. Also Maya didn’t want to bend the minds of her friends and family to help explain Draakar and her new family. They sent everyone announcement cards instead. Besides, they didn’t need anyone else to witness their marriage; their bond was already stronger than any marriage ceremony. At least she didn’t have to shop for a dress; she wore her grandmother’s. Cass and Sherri helped her make alterations so it fit perfectly, and Sherri wove a garland of dark purple and green flowers to crown her hair.

  In one day Draakar had helped her turn over her business to the general manager. Robert would remain behind to keep an eye on Talon and things. Draakar, along with her parents’ help, arranged the wedding. Amazing what money and brethren will power could accomplish.

  Draakar.

  He stood above everyone else in the room, and strength radiated from him—literally capable of moving mountains. Draakar wore a black fitted suit with a gold-colored silk shirt underneath and a bronze tie. His hair lay pulled back away from his face and fell in a long braid. His beauty brought tears to her eyes. This time when she looked into those emerald eyes from her dreams, she found endless love within their depths.

  You are my heart, Maya, and now you know you always were and always will be.

  As you are mine, beloved.

  Their wedding may have seemed rushed, but she had waited lifetimes for this day, a wait finally at an end. As soon as the ceremony concluded, the entire wedding party would head for the airport to return to Ireland. Maya took several deep breaths, unsure how she felt about leaving, and not just the country. Soon, she’d have to leave her world too, but she couldn’t allow herself to think about it right now. This was a happy day. The music began and she walked into the living room. She placed her small hand in Draakar’s larger one. Together, they turned to face the minister. They had already been mated under brethren law. Now they would be married under human.

  As the limo drove up the mountainside, Maya neared the end of her long journey, the last leg home. Funny the way things happen. The first time she’d hiked the trail to the Stones in ignorance. The first time she traveled the road beside Draakar, she was in denial of herself and her relationship to him. Not anymore. She wondered how many more times she’d travel this road.

  She nestled against his side. His arm lay across her shoulder and her head rested on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. She’d left this place, unsure of her destiny but returned as Draakar’s truemate, Lady of Castle Akgon and Queen of the brethren.

  As they got closer to the Stones she could feel their call welcoming her, them both, home. She tilted her head to stare at Draakar.

  Yes, I feel it too, he sent. The Stones are pleased.

  I know, but there also seems to be a sense o
f desperation in the currents.

  Yes. The silver dragon. We’ll be at the castle soon. Hopefully, we will be able to find him by combining our powers with the power of the Stones.

  I have a strange feeling, Draakar. Like we missed something and are now working on his time.

  The sun dipped beneath the horizon when the car silently came to a stop at the bottom of the stone steps. Another car carrying the rest of the brethren and Maya’s parents pulled up behind them. Ian opened the door to their car and Draakar stepped out. He turned to help Maya out of the car but never gave her a chance to stand on her own two feet. Bending down, he placed his arms under her thighs and lifted her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

  Together they watched her parents climb out of the limo.

  “Welcome to our home, Vincent and Carrie,” Draakar said. “Ian will show you to your room. Please excuse us. We’ll see you at dinner.” Their audience smiled at his command. Without another word, Draakar turned with Maya cradled in his arms and effortlessly climbed the dozen or so steps.

  The heavy front door opened before they reached it, and he carried his bride across the threshold of the brethren stronghold, the place of power. Never releasing his hold on Maya, he didn’t head for the stairs leading to the bedrooms. Instead he headed for what lay beneath the castle, the Circle of Stones.

  As soon as they stepped into the circle, the Stones began to glow and softly hum. Draakar put Maya down in the center of them. They stood face-to-face, fingers entwined and their foreheads touching, while the Stones bathed them in their light and rejoiced in their union. Draakar raised his head and looked down at his wife, his truemate. “I love you,” he said aloud, but the sound vibrated tenfold throughout the cavern and burrowed its way into her soul. Before Maya could respond in kind, she found herself standing in a shadow-filled room, lit only by moonlight shining through the opened window.

  “What…where?” she began. She turned her head to see where she was. Draakar had sent them to his room.