by Julia Mills
Chapter Three
Stunned into silence, Brannoc let Annie’s words play over in his head three or four times before sitting up and turning to face his mate. Carefully, and as calmly as he could, the Guardsman asked, “What did you say?” He held up his index finger as his bear started to respond and added, “Speak very slowly and leave nothing out. I’m sure I’m hearing things, because I thought you just said the males of your sloth plan to take you by force.”
He saw the fire in her eyes, could feel her anger and disgust, so it wasn’t a total surprise when she deflected his question with one of her own, complete with a very put-on look of indignation. “Wait just a minute. What are you doing here?” Annie pulled the sheet tighter around her body. “I didn’t call for you.” She huffed. “It was Tabitha, wasn’t it?” She paced a few steps to either side and then stopped and glared, “And I bet it was Mom or Grandma or the combination of the two who sent her.”
He had to give her props for fully committing to avoiding his questions, but Brannoc wasn’t about to be deterred. Crossing his arms over his chest, the Guardsman narrowed his gaze, raised a single eyebrow, and with a low growl warned, “Annie…”
Her eyes opened wide, her jaw dropped, and his little bear stood staring. Sure that he had her complete attention, Brannoc spoke in a low, even tone as he asked, “Are the males of your sloth planning to take you by force? Will they be coming back in greater numbers anytime soon?” He cleared his throat, amazed his independent mate was still being silent and added, unable to keep the growl from his tone, “Yes, Tabitha came to get me and thank the Heavens that she did.”
His last comment lit the fuse on the powder keg of his explosive mate’s ire, just as he’d been sure it would. Annie’s expression changed to one of adamant disbelief. She huffed and mumbled under her breath about pain in the ass dragons and meddling family members before finally looking up at him and spitting, “What? You think I can’t take care of myself? You think I’m a damsel in distress and need a big bad dragon to come save the day? Is that it, Brannoc?” She stepped forward, planted one fist on her hip while the other continued to hold her sheet in place, and demanded, “Well, is it? Is it?”
She didn’t give him time to answer before spinning around and beginning to pace. “That’s the problem with men…they think because we have boobs, we can’t think. Like it takes extra brain power to carry these,” she motioned to her chest, “around. Or that their penis came with extra IQ points. Oh, you let us take care of our homes and your children. Cook your meals and wash your dirty underwear, but when it comes to protecting hearth and home, you think we somehow fall short.”
Stopping beside the bed, Annie blew her hair out of her face, glared at him and with a look of utter defiance, growled through gritted teeth, “Well, you are sorely mistaken and if that is the kind of woman you are looking for then I suggest you pull those fancy wings outta your ass and fly back where you came from because I’m Annalissa Olivia O’Bairne, the next Matriarch of the Golden Bear Sloth and Keeper of the Magic of the Ancients and I, Mr. Dragon Guardsman, can take care of myself.”
The flush on her cheeks, the conviction in her voice, and the unwavering strength he felt pouring off her was the sexiest thing Brannoc had ever seen. Gone was the poor, broken, timid shifter who’d been kidnapped and abused. His Annie was now a force to be reckoned with. She was formidable and unbending in her beliefs. A true match for him in every way.
Without even attempting to hold it back, Brannoc gave a huge, satisfied smile. The Universe did not make mistakes and She had given him an absolutely perfect mate, both inside and out. It took all his considerable power to keep not only himself, but also his dragon, from jumping off the bed and dragging their beautiful mate back to bed. They needed to show her exactly how much she meant to them; that there was nothing and no one who could keep them apart. But at present, there wasn’t time. They had serious issues to discuss and one of them was that under no circumstances would Annie ever have to deal with anything on her own again. He was her mate, and he would be by her side during the good, the bad, and the ugly. It was just something she was going to have to accept. There was absolutely nothing she could do to stop him.
That did not, however, mean that he was going to blurt out his thoughts without careful consideration and using the negotiating skills he’d acquired after a hundred years of refereeing arguments between his pigheaded brethren. Causing a fight would serve no purpose. No, he had to choose his words carefully and get the answers he needed to keep not only Annie, but also her family, safe from whatever fresh hell was bound to descend upon them. First, he had to calm her down, which he was quickly finding out might take some fancy footwork.
“What are you smiling about?” she challenged. “Did I say something funny?” She took an aggressive step forward. “Or are you just mocking me in your mind?”
Holding his hands up in surrender, Brannoc shook his head. “Nothing of the sort.” He leaned forward and touched her arm. “I was just thinking how beautiful you are when you’re angry.”
Taking advantage of her moment of shock at his answer, the Guardsman powered on. “But to your earlier accusations, I do not see you as a damsel in distress, nor do I think you need saving.” He got to his knees, ignoring his nakedness, and crept forward. “I do, however, think that you could use my help and as your mate it is my right to fight by your side. Not in front of you, not behind you, but beside you, as we will be in all things, partners for eternity – in love, in life, in everything.”
He placed his free hand on her other arm and pulled her forward until her knees touched the mattress and there were mere inches separating their bodies, then he leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose before whispering, “We’re in this together, mo chroi, always together.”
Nodding, Annie smiled as he felt the tension leave her body and with a quick kiss to his lips agreed, “I like the sound of that.”
“Good.” He smiled. “Now, let’s get dressed so that I can think about something other than your amazing body while we talk.
Laughing out loud as Annie blushed and swatted his arm, Brannoc climbed off the bed, threw on his boxers and jeans, and began looking for his T-shirt, turning just as the remnants of what had been his favorite “If All Else Fails, Read the Instructions” shirt hit him in the chest. Holding up the shredded material, he whined, “I loved this shirt.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another wad of cotton smacked him in the chest just before his now clothed mate appeared before him with a sly grin and asked with a purr, “More than you love me?”
Wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her tightly to his chest, Brannoc kissed her breathless before setting her an arm’s length away and chuckling, “Never.” He slid the plain white tee she’d given him over his head before adding, “But it was one of my favorites.”
Shaking her head, Annie snickered. “Then we’ll be sure to get you another.” She winked. “But I must admit, I like the way that one fits just fine.”
Rolling his eyes, the Guardsman pretended to be offended and scoffed, “Oh, I see how it is. I’m just a nice chest in a tight shirt to you.”
Laughing out loud, Annie grabbed his hand and pulled him along as she waggled her eyebrows, “Oh, no, my love, you are a whole lot more than that,” and headed out of her grotto.
Following her toward the center of the maze of caves the Golden Bear Sloth females called home, Brannoc was amazed at how much like a modern house the cavern looked as he listened to her chaotic inner monologue. Annie wanted to tell him everything that was going on in the bear community but was afraid he might cut and run. She had wanted to be the one to call him for help but hadn’t wanted to appear weak; hadn’t even mentioned it to her family. He saw her memories of the months during her recuperation and could feel how disappointed in herself she still was that it had taken her so long to heal. He had seen many of her memories from the time she spent with the O’Baoills, but there were still
those that Annie kept locked away. Ones he was sure not even she was ready to tackle.
Stopping midstride and holding tight to Annie’s hand until she turned around, Brannoc headed off the tirade he saw brewing by gently saying, “You have nothing to feel bad about.”
His mate’s expression went from irritated to questioning as he continued, “You are one of the strongest, most intelligent, most capable people I have ever met. You were kidnapped and tortured and only the Heavens knows what else, but you survived. You are healed. You are alive.” He stepped up to her and leaned forward until their foreheads touched, thanking the Universe for her five-foot-ten-inch height that perfectly complemented his six-foot-three stature, then murmured, “And you are mine. Thank the Universe, you are all mine. I promise to do everything in my power to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”
The trembling of her hand and the unshed tears in her eyes nearly brought the Guardsman to his knees. Opening his mouth to tell her how much he loved her, Brannoc instead found himself turning toward the sounds of Annie’s family just as a woman shouted, “Enough of the lovey dovey crap! We’ve got things to discuss.”
Groaning and rolling her eyes, Annie answered, “Thanks, Mom.” She threaded her fingers through Brannoc’s and headed toward the noise, adding under her breath, “And you wonder why I can’t wait to leave home.”
“I heard that,” her mother chuckled, making the dragon laugh along.
Entering the large cavern at the center of the mountain, Brannoc was surprised to see seven women of all ages gathered around a small fire. Admittedly, his abrupt entrance into their cave had not lent to him meeting anyone, but it was still a shock that he’d missed so many people, especially that resembled his mate, in his zeal to save her. He immediately recognized Annie’s mother, an older, more stately version of his mate, smiling and pointing to the two empty seats on her left.
As they made their way around the room, he picked the names of each woman and their relationship to her from Annie’s mind. Sisters, cousins, an aunt, and finally her grandmother who, even with the grey streaks woven throughout her long thick braid, his mate more closely resembled than any of the others.
When they were seated, Annie’s grandmother began, “Welcome Brannoc Deóireach of the Blue Thunder Clan. We, the Elders of the Golden Bear Sloth, welcome you into our Inner Circle and acknowledge you as mate of our next Matriarch, Annalissa. My name is Niamh, Annalissa’s grandmother and current Matriarch.” She pointed to Annie’s mother on her left. “This is Tara, my daughter and our Healer.”
The dragon wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or say, so he opted for a single nod as Niamh pointed to each woman around the circle introducing them, as well as giving their designation within the Circle of Elders. “On your left is Tabitha, whom you already know. She is our Tracker and Sentinel. Next to her is the last and youngest of your mate’s sisters, Leanne, also a Sentinel and Keeper of the Ancient Texts. Then we have Maeve, my oldest daughter and our Spiritual Elder and then her daughters, Aimee and Lorna. They serve as our Hunters and Keepers of the Golden Flame. As twins, they are the only royal blood with enough mystical energy to contain the fire that keeps our sloth alive.”
It was a lot to take in and quite an eye-opener. Coming from a predominantly male dominated species, it wasn’t that he’d never been around strong woman. The Heavens knew his mother and sisters had been the steel that kept his father and his brothers in line. Not to mention, the mates of his fellow Guardsman, who were nothing less than spectacular in their own rights. But being in the presence of such powerful female magic was life-affirming and exhilarating. It made clear why the Universe and the Goddess of All appeared as feminine deities. Brannoc was once again humbled at the future he saw unraveling before him.
Niamh’s voice once again echoed throughout the chamber. “The Golden Paw Sloth has always been and shall remain a matriarchal clan. That is not to say we are a dictatorship. We are not Amazonian in our beliefs. The males have voting powers, are part of the Sloth Council, and have a say in all matters, but it’s the females who bear the responsibility of keeping our magic, secrets, and life-force viable.”
“We, the Elders, live separately from the other females and our males except during mating season. It is important that they be left to hunt and gather and live in the comradery that we as bears need to remain healthy and vibrant. The Mother Ursa gives us, the Circle of Elders, the strength we need to remain separate from the others of our kind and the wisdom we need to lead our sloth.”
She smiled and he could see a twinkle in the depths of her whiskey-colored eyes. “I believe She has had a hand in picking you, Brannoc, for our next Matriarch. Not only do we need new blood and strength, but it will also be imperative in the coming days that our leader have her mate by her side. She must have complete trust and faith in his loyalty and I can think of no species more loyal than that of the dragons. ”
Niamh looked around the circle, stopping at each woman, smiling and nodding before looking at the Guardsman and continuing. “I was one of the only Matriarchs to share her seat of power with her mate. Dónal was a true partner in every sense of the word. We led our sloth side-by-side until he was taken from me by a pack of hunters when my girls were still cubs. It was devastating. Had it not been for the strength of my commitment to the sloth and my girls, I would’ve followed him into the Heavens. But Mother Ursa had another plan. One I gladly followed.”
Brannoc could feel the Matriarch’s sadness along with the pain of loss her family felt for her, but underneath he felt their forte, the raw supremacy and willpower they shared to continue leading their kin. He could only bow his head at the reverence of the moment.
“And that was almost two hundred years ago,” Niamh’s whisper floated on the smoke of the fire. “Since then, I have ruled as my ancestors ruled, alone with the counsel of those I trust. But a new day is upon us. Your union with Annalissa has been blessed by not only the Universe and the Mother Ursa. but the Goddess of All and the Heavens. This is the first time in the history of our kind that a bear will mate a dragon and that they will lead together.”
All eyes were suddenly on him. Annie’s grip on his hand increased. The cavern filled with magic and hope and a sense of purpose. which made Brannoc proud to be part of such a rich and vital tradition. At the same time, both man and dragon waited for the other shoe to drop. He tried to reason the feeling away but in the next breath, Niamh confirmed his reservations.
“There is only one obstacle to your happiness and that of our Matriarch. A splinter faction of our male population has decided they want a chance to mate with our Annalissa and thus takeover the rule of the sloth. You witnessed the first of what I predict to be many attacks until your mate’s heat is over and the official mating in both our culture and yours is complete. I would…”
Unfortunately, the scent of gasoline followed by the roar of a fire and the sounds of stampeding footsteps interrupted what the Matriarch was about to say. Jumping to his feet and racing to the mouth of the grotto, Brannoc caught sight of at least twenty men bursting through a wall of flames, carrying huge wooden clubs and long, sharp-ended staffs with murderous looks upon their faces.
Turning back to the women, he pointed to the back corner of the cavern where a small opening sat hidden behind the pool of water and bellowed, “Get the hell out of here! I’ll hold them off!”
Chapter Four
Annie knew Brannoc was only acting out of love and concern for her and her family. She could feel his fierce need to protect them all, even if it meant his
own death, through their mating bond and she loved him all the more for it. But there was no way in heaven or hell she was letting him fight an angry mob of bears on her account. Running to the opposite side of the grotto, the bear moved what looked like a plain four-foot by two-foot rock to the side, revealing a hidden weapons stash. Grabbing a sword for her dragon and a dagger for herself, along with a few extra knives for good measure, she pushed
the rock back before returning to her mate’s side.
She could hear Tabitha’s mental request to come and help, to fight alongside them and quickly answered, “No, stay with the others. You and Leanne get the crossbows and circle around to the ledge just above the mouth of the cave. Brannoc and I will push them your way.”
“But…”
“But nothing, Tabby, do as I say.”
Brannoc’s low baritone chuckle invaded her mind, “Ain’t family wonderful?”
“Think you’re funny, do ya? They’re about to be your family, too.”
“Bring it on,” her dragon snickered, then in a serious tone added, “I guess I would be wasting my breath if I told you to go with the others.”
“You would and we really don’t have time to argue,” Annie answered as she handed him the long sword. “You can tell me how wrong I was later.”
“You read my mind,” were the last words she heard as her dragon raced to meet the advancing horde.
Watching in awe as Brannoc ran head on toward the male bears, being careful not to mortally wound them but having no problem putting them down so that they would stay where they had fallen, Annie was filled with pride. Following several paces behind, she was surprised when she only had to deal with a few of the male bears before they were risking life and limb to run back through the flames to avoid fighting with her mate.
“Stop! Fire!” she screamed.
“Dragon, darlin’, dragon,” came his smug reply as he reached back, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to him. “Wrap your arms around my waist and stay as close as you can,” he ordered as Annie plastered herself to his back after quickly tucking her blade into the back pocket of her jeans.