by Jan Dockter
Chapter Eleven
As Tori was in the between place, Aldain was still sitting at Tori’s bedside. He hadn’t eaten or slept since she had been there. A week had gone by and everyone including the medical staff had been begging Aldain to eat something, but food just didn’t appeal to him. He was getting extremely weak and his face was starting to look gaunt. One of the doctors that came in to check on Tori threatened him with I.V. feedings. It was heart wrenching to watch such a large man wasting away.
Aldain brought Tori’s hand to his lips. He kissed it then ran a finger down her face. He started to repeat what he had repeated every day since the accident. “Tori love, please come back to me. I don’t want to live without you. I want you back and I want us to have a long life together. I want to love you again.” He lay his head down on the bed as he continued to hold her hand. Suddenly, he jumped. He felt a spark come from Tori’s hand. He held onto her hand tighter, suddenly a rush of love coursed through his body. He could feel her love, comforting him. She was here! She was trying to find her way back to him. His heart and soul reached for the love Tori was sending them. His dragon roared. She was back.
Aldain started yelling, “Tori love. Follow the sound of my voice. I don’t know where you are but follow my voice. Come back. Fight. I am right here waiting for you.”
Tori could hear someone yelling from the light. She just knew it was Dain. Her heart leapt with joy. He must have felt the love she was sending him. She felt a burst of energy course through her body as she was running towards the light, it was getting closer. Oh God, she was going to make it. Suddenly she was at the light and she could hear Dain yelling. She vaulted into it.
Aldain saw Tori’s eyes flutter. She moaned as she looked at him. She knew she was in the real world again. There wasn’t a part of her body that didn’t ache. She saw the tears streaming down Dain’s face as she squeezed his hand. She tried to talk to him but found she couldn’t speak. The only thing that came out was a squeak. She needed something to drink, her throat was parched. Aldain grabbed some water that was on a stand. He put a straw in it and gently lifted her head so she could drink from it without choking.
When she was done, he slowly lowered her head back down. She smiled up at him. In a whisper she said, “I felt your love Dain. It helped me find you. I felt the pain in your heart. I felt you dying. I didn’t know how to let you know I was trying to come back to you until Athena came to me and told me how to make my journey back to you. She told me you are a dragon shifter.”
Aldain listened to her, a look of shock appearing on his face when she told him Athena had come to her. As far as he knew, after Paragon was turned, no one had ever heard from or seen her again. He said, “I thought you were lost to me. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without you. I have been begging you to come back to me since you have been here. But I never felt anything from you. Now you are back and I will never let you out of my sight again.” He gently kissed her on her lips. He then ran out of the room yelling to anyone within shouting distance that Tori was awake.
He went back in to sit by Tori’s side because he knew once the doctors got there they would shoo him out. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her until that happened. It wasn’t long before the nurses and doctor arrived at her room. She could see her sister, parents, Cade and some other people she didn’t know standing outside her room. A lot of them were crying and hugging each other. She felt bad that she had put these people she loved through so much. But she was glad she was alive. She was starting to have doubts that she would ever find her way out of the dark place she was in.
As the doctor was examining Tori, Heather was busy hugging Aldain. She was crying but these tears were tears of happiness. She was watching her son waste away. He was losing his will to live as each day went by without Tori waking up. She had never seen her son cry as much as he cried for Tori. Many nights she would quietly go check on him and would find him sobbing, begging Tori to come back to him. It ripped her heart out. She had never ever felt so helpless as a mother as during those times. Now she could see that twinkle in his eyes again. She could see and feel the happiness emanating from him. He was going to be alright.
As the days passed Tori got stronger. Aldain started gaining weight and was starting to look like his old self. The first-time Tori got out of bed, she almost collapsed because her legs were weak from lack of use but Aldain was there to catch her. He quickly picked her up and sat her in his lap. He knew she should be trying to walk but he craved the feel of her body against his. Surely a few more minutes, or hours wouldn’t hurt.
As she was sitting in his lap one day, she brought up the subject of him being a dragon shifter. She asked him all the questions she needed answers to. When she asked him about the part of him eating her or turning her to dust he soon put her at ease. “Tori my love; I would never ever hurt you. It goes against my very nature. You were made for me and hurting you would be like hurting me. I will never get tired of you. Each day I fall more in love with you than the day before; I will live each day cherishing you. “Tori loved him and trusted him enough to know she would always be safe and cherished by him.
Tori met Heather and they got along great. Heather could see why Tori was her son’s soul mate. She might be small but she wasn’t afraid to stand her ground when she wanted something. She was just the person her son needed to keep him in line.
When Tori started to get up and move around, she was insisting she wanted to go home to the castle. Her parents were there and Heather and her sister were there. More importantly Dain was there. She wanted to spend some quality time with him which was impossible to do in a hospital room. After a few more days passed she was able to wear the doctor down. He knew there were plenty of people with her that would ensure she wouldn’t overdo it.
Aldain was at the hospital bright and early to pick her up and bring her home. The hospital wanted to wheel her out to the car but Aldain insisted on carrying her. Just her body being close to his gave him a calming feeling. He gently sat her in the seat and buckled her up before thanking the medical staff for the excellent care they took of her.
Chapter Twelve
As they were driving down the road, Aldain reached over and with his free hand and grabbed hers. It was as if he had to have constant physical touch with her to reassure himself she was alive and still with him. He had experienced being in a dismal soul sucking abyss when she was unconscious, and he knew if anything ever happened to her again he wouldn’t survive it. If he could have attached her to him in some way he would have.
He hoped he would be able to lighten up on those feelings; he didn’t want to overpower her with his protective feelings. He knew it would suffocate her eventually and it isn’t the way he wanted their relationship to grow in the days to come.
When they arrived at the castle there was a small party waiting for her, all her family was there. She was surprised to see her best friend Carrie there and squealed with delight when she saw her; Aldain had flown her in to surprise Tori. Robert McEwan and some of his clan were also there. He came by the hospital every day inquiring about Tori’s condition because he felt partly responsible for what happened. He left her alone against his better judgement and it almost cost her life.
While Aldain was getting Tori out of the car; Becca took the softest most comfortable recliner they had and put it in the middle of the living room, then she put chairs and some couches in a circle around the recliner. The room was huge so moving the furniture around the recliner still left plenty of room for everyone to be comfortable.
Aldain carried Tori over to the recliner after receiving hugs from everyone. Her mother had fixed huge trays of raw vegetables that Tori loved. Becca and Carrie spent hours in the kitchen the night before cooking various kinds of food, American and Scottish. There was enough food to feed an army. Tori’s mom brought her several plates of food with a little food on each one; there was just so much from which to choose. Her mother set them on t.v. trays
beside her and everybody else had their plates and sat around her. She felt the love and warmth of her family and friends surrounding her but there was one person she kept waiting on. Finally, she saw Dain heading her way. He laid his heaping plate down on one of the trays and scooped Tori into his lap.
Her arms automatically went around his neck as he lifted her up as he sat down in the chair holding her in his lap. He made sure she was comfortable, covered her with a light blanket and handed her a plate. He made it apparent to her and everyone else that this is where she was going to be for the remainder of this gathering.
Tori was enjoying herself when Robert cleared his throat. Everyone stopped talking as they looked at him; there was clearly something he wanted to ask. “Tori lass, I can’t tell you how happy I am you are still among the living, but I have to know. Why were you running and screaming towards the horses? What happened that had you so frightened?”
A frown crossed Tori’s face. She couldn’t remember what happened. Try as she might the memory just wasn’t there. “I-I can’t remember. The only memory I have is seeing these horses running towards me. I don’t know how I ended up there or why.”
Aldain put his arms around her. He could tell she was upset at not being able to remember what happened. “It’s alright love; the doctor said you suffered memory loss. He said you would eventually get it back but there are small cases that don’t. He asked you soon after you woke up if you remembered what happened. You didn’t.” Tori frowned. She didn’t remember the doctor asking her a question like that. Aldain hugged her close and kissed her.
He told her if she was meant to remember that she would, but for right now he didn’t want her to worry about anything and just enjoy herself being with the people who loved her. She snuggled into him as she listened to everyone talking and laughing. Her head was resting against his chest and she was listening to his heartbeat. It helped comfort her and without meaning to she fell asleep. Aldain told everyone to continue to enjoy themselves as he decided to take the sleeping Tori upstairs and put her to bed. He was going to stay in the room with her.
He quickly but gently undressed her. It was a warm night out so he just left her naked. He then undressed and got in beside her, spooning himself against her. She sighed as she felt his warmth against her. He smiled; it made him feel good to know that having him with her mattered as much to her as it did to him. He lay there wondering when he should broach the subject of them making their relationship permanent. She knew she was his soul mate and she seemed alright with it.
As all these thoughts were going through his head he didn’t notice that Tori had turned around in his arms and was looking at him with a smile on her face. He felt a wave of heat coursing through his body. The sexual flame was coming from Tori. He looked down at her and saw her staring at him with seductive eyes.
She reached up and brought his head down to hers and when their lips met, he moaned. She started running her hands down his chest as he pulled her body closer to his, deepening the kiss. The flame was starting to consume him. The only thing that existed at that moment was Tori and himself. He felt her hands working their way down his body working it like magic. His manhood was as hard as iron, wanting to bury itself in her silky folds.
He gasped as her hand gripped him firmly and started to stroke it. It had been so long for him that he knew if she continued much longer he wouldn’t last more than a minute. He quickly put her on her back so his body was over hers. He whispered in her ear. “No love, I won’t last. I have to feel me inside of you.”
She whispered back, “Then take me now Dain. Let me feel you inside of me. Please, I have missed the feel of you so much.” He didn’t have to be told twice. He moved the head to her opening and in one thrust filled her all the way to her womb. He ran his steel hard shaft through her moist folds. He wanted to be gentle but his dragon took over and he thrust into her hard and fast.
He took her legs and put them over his shoulders. With each thrust Tori could feel him fill her. Her vaginal walls contracting like a vice with each plunge. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to last long enough to please her but he couldn’t stop or slow down if his life depended on it. Sweat started to appear on his face. It was taking a huge effort not to climax before her.
Tori’s body was basking in the sensations her body was experiencing. Her heart was racing and her body was starting to shake. She could feel that coil tightening in her body. She started to call his name as her body started to stiffen. Aldain could tell she was close to climaxing. He reached down and started to rub her engorged nub as he continued his assault. He sped up his thrusting with a powerful desire to mark Tori washing over him. Before he could even think of what he was doing his teeth elongated and he quickly bit her on the shoulder. This put her over the edge. Her body stiffened as she orgasmed so hard she saw stars. Aldain shouted her name as he felt himself filling her womb full of his seed. With each spurt, Tori’s body reacted, causing her to orgasm repeatedly. She felt like she was on a cloud and it took her a minute before she could think. It was like she had an out of body experience.
When she was able to have rational thought, she saw that Aldain had sweat pouring off his face. He had turned on his back and had her on top of him running his hand down her hair. His breathing was ragged and his hands were still shaking. She could feel the bounding of his heart beat as her hand rested on his chest. His eyes were closed and you could tell he was trying to get control of himself. Tori couldn’t help smiling, knowing it was her that had the power to make this large powerful man a quivering mess.
When a few minutes had passed, Aldain turned on his side, taking Tori with him as he kissed her forehead repeatedly. Tori looked at him with half lidded eyes, “I can honestly say I never thought a love bite would affect me as much as the one you gave me.”
Aldain looked at her sheepishly, “Uh it was something more than a love bite. It’s my mark on you to let other dragons know that you belong to me. In case you don’t know it’s what a dragon does with his soul mate. I love you with my whole being! I love you with all my heart and soul. So, I have been thinking, since all your family is still here along with your best friend; would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I promise you will want for nothing. We can get married while everyone is still here.” Aldain held his breath as Tori’s eyes widened at his confession.
She took in a shaky breath. “I love you to Dain. I thought I knew what love was, and then I met you; that was when I realized I have never felt this way about another man. What I feel for you goes beyond definition. I know with every beat of my heart, it beats with love for you. I can’t imagine you not being a part of my life, I will marry you. You are the only man I will ever need or want.” Aldain held her close. He closed his eyes at the feel of her body next to his, his heart beating rapidly with love for his soul mate.
Chapter Thirteen
The day of the wedding arrived and it was beautiful and Aldain insisted he wanted to take care of setting everything up. Tori wasn’t sure what he had in mind but his mother assured her, whatever it was, it would be spectacular. He also wanted to choose picking out her wedding dress. She trusted him enough to let him do all these things while she concentrated on the guest list and the food. She was glad her sister turned out to be such a marvelous cook, not to mention her mother and Cassie were there to help with matters. They all insisted on fixing the meals for the wedding. It seemed that the numerous items delivered came in truck loads. Tori’s list of guests was very small since everyone she wanted there was already at the castle. Aldain’s list, on the other hand, was huge. When Tori saw his list, it looked like he invited all of Scotland. His entire clan was invited along with everyone from the McEwan clan. It also looked like there might be everyone from town too.
Tori got to meet Aldain’s best friend Malcolm MacMurray who was also the one in charge of Aldain’s clan when he wasn’t around to take charge. Aldain wasn’t there much because being a council member took up much of hi
s time. Malcolm did a superb job of taking care of matters concerning the clan. He was also going to be best man at the wedding.
Tori was having her best friend Carrie as her maid of honor. She asked her sister, but Becca really wanted to do the cooking for everyone. Tori wasn’t hurt at all that she had declined the offer, she knew her sister loved her and she loved her sister enough to not feel offended. If cooking for the masses meant that much to her then she was all for having her do what made her happy.
As the time grew closer for the ceremony, Tori was feeling butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She hadn’t seen Dain all day. She was starting to wonder if he was capable of setting things up like he said. While wondering if she should just sneak away and peek at the glen they were going to be married in, the doorbell rang. When she answered it, a man dressed in the colors of Dain’s clan stood there with a large clothing box in his hand. He bowed to Tori, introduced himself as one of the honor guards that was part of the wedding party and informed her he was delivering her wedding dress.
Tori had no idea the wedding was going to include an honor guard. It was Dain’s wedding too so if he wanted an honor guard he could have one. She would find out later that honor guards were all part of Paragon Dragon weddings. They were the first dragon shifters to come into existence and were the protectors of the human race. It was something special when one found their soul mate and she was in for a wonderful surprise when she got to the glen.
Her mother, Heather and Cassie all followed her upstairs. Their curiosity was so palpable that Tori didn’t have the heart to draw out opening the box slowly. She tore it open, her curiosity as intense as theirs. When she opened the tissue paper and saw the gown, they all gasped. It was the most glamorous gown they had ever seen. It was made to mold to her body like a bodysuit. The background of the gown was white, but throughout the gown were small flames of orange and red.