by Julia Mills
“You’re welcome,” the brunette snapped. “Drop the blanket and head back to your people.”
Taking a deep breath as he stepped out from behind the brambles, the Guardsman feared he might have to confess his true intentions, but the sound of huge wings flapping overhead followed by a screech that nearly shook the forest floor drew everyone’s attention right before a huge Strix, an ancient owl shifter with incredible powers, landed between he and the female shifters. Magic filled the air as the miraculous bird disappeared and in its place appeared a tall, platinum blonde with grey eyes and skin the color of caramel.
Her gaze shot from the others to him, turning dark and stormy. The clouds overhead covered the rising sun and the air turned cool as she held up her hand and asked, “Who are you and why are you here?”
“He is here to thank us for helping him,” the redhead laughed sarcastically. “Did you know we had helped any men lately, Pearl?”
Moving only her lips, the Strix he now knew as Pearl, slowly shook her head and grumbled, “I did not, Gwendolyn, but I am guessing that our lovely sister, Phryne, did.” She narrowed her gaze even more, still pointing at Orion and asked, “Tell me, Phryne, does he look familiar?”
Dropping her arm and thus her knife, the Pegasus named Phryne rolled her eyes and sighed. “Okay, I knew, but she made me swear. Didn’t want to involve the rest of you.” She put her hands on her hips. “We kept him locked in the storage cave and returned him to his people as soon as he was well enough to travel.”
Pearl slowly turned her head to look at the women she’d called sister, reminding him of the owl she’d just been, and asked, “You did not think he would just come back? He’s a dragon after all.” She looked back at him and curled her nose before adding, “A male dragon.” Scoffing, she looked back to her sister and said, “The only dragon I’ve ever trusted is Sadie. The rest, especially the men, are nosey and domineering and…”
Sadie…now, I know her name…
Holding up her hands, Phryne interrupted, “We sedated him, hid our scent, covered our trail, and dropped him off without anyone seeing us.” She scowled at Orion, “He should not have been able to find his way back here.”
“Yet, here he is,” Gwendolyn snipped, her Scottish brogue thicker than before as she still held her bow at the ready.
Letting her hands fall to her sides, Pearl relaxed her stance and walked to stand beside the Thunderbird, placing her hand on Gwendolyn’s bow and forcing it down, much to her sister’s chagrin. Shaking her head, the Strix said, her British accent more defined and her tone almost lilting, “It would not have mattered if you beat him over the head and doused yourself in kerosene.” Her eyes shot to his, “This Guardsman is on the hunt.”
“He is what and what?” Phryne turned to Pearl. “Are you saying he seriously is one the Enforcers?”
Orion eyes snapped to hers and before he’d had time to think, was demanding, “You know of the Enforcers?” He took a threatening step forward. “Who are you? How do you know of us?”
It was when Pearl raised a crossbow he hadn’t seen until that moment, Phryne pulled her blade back out of its sheath, and Gwendolyn’s bow was back at the ready, that the Shadow realized he had nothing but a blanket. Holding up his hand, Orion quickly apologized, “I’m sorry. Excuse the offense. It’s just that, well,” he took a breath, praying for the words that would ease the tension darting between he and the female shifters then began again, “Yes, to answer your question, I am one of the Enforcers. My name is Orion and again, I truly did not mean to impose by coming here. All I wanted to do was thank you for helping me.”
He dropped his hand and took a step back. “When you found me…well, let’s just say I had been running for my life. I was looking for my kin after having been imprisoned for almost a century.”
“So, the stories of your death and that of your brothers was wrong?” Pearl asked, her curiosity outweighing whatever threat she thought he posed. “The Guardian always told us that she and her people believed you to all still be alive. Their warriors had even searched for you for many years.”
Nodding as a feeling of admiration for the women before him grew, Orion continued, “No, we were not killed. Only bewitched, imprisoned, and tortured for nearly a century, at least in my case. I haven’t spoken to all my brethren, but it appears we all suffered different fates. However, we survived…for the most part.”
He thought about Uther and Atticus and prayed to the Heavens for their safe return as the Strix moved closer and held out her free hand to him. Tingling, like butterflies landing on his arms, signaled that Pearl was using her healing magic to help his wounded soul. When she spoke, it was with reverence. “I am so very sorry for what you have endured, Guardsman, and I understand your mission, but I must tell you, what you seek will not be easily won.”
Walking up on either side, their weapons thankfully stowed, the Pegasus and the Thunderbird spoke in unison, something he guessed happened a lot. “What are you talking about, Pearl? What mission?”
Orion felt the weight of the Strix’s stare then heard her voice in his mind, “This is your tale to tell, dragon. The decision is yours, but I suggest you make it quickly.”
Opening his mouth to speak, Orion instead spun on his heels and held his breath as the scent of apple blossoms filled the air. Looking as deep into the forest as his preternatural vision would allow, the Guardsman saw the movement of a dense thicket a second before she burst through the overgrown foliage.
Unable to move, he merely stared as the dragoness moved closer, still unaware of his presence. She was a dream come to life; her long pewter hair with silver highlights braided around her face like the female warriors of old and hanging long down her back. Her warm brown eyes were full of life, wisdom, and determination as she walked through the forest as if she owned it, signaling to all who was in charge.
He could feel her strength and resolve that served as the perfect complement to her warm heart and the deep emotions she worked so hard to hide, even with the yards that still separated them. His hands fisted with the need to touch her sun-kissed skin. His body warmed with the need to feel the contrast of her womanly curves against the unyielding muscles of his body. His mouth watered as she licked her perfectly plump peach lips and his dragon roared in recognition of the dragoness he knew dwelled within Sadie’s soul.
As if she heard his thoughts, the dragoness’ eyes met his. Recognition flared to life. Coming to a complete halt, she stared for what seemed like forever before leveling her gaze and growling, “Did I not make it clear that you were not welcome here?”
Chapter Five
Ignoring the man who had become the bane of her existence, Sadie stalked toward her three sisters and demanded, “What is he doing here?” pointing behind her back as she glared at the ones she held most dear.
“You know exactly what he is doing here, Sadie,” Pearl smiled. “And please, do not try to act as if you do not.”
Adding Pearl to the list of people she was ignoring, the dragoness turned to Phryne and raised a single eyebrow. Her sister looked at the male then at Pearl then at Gwendolyn and finally back to Sadie before, rambling, “Look, I told you this whole plan of yours was never going to work. As for ‘what’,” she used the air quotes the dragoness really hated while still talking so fast it was hard to keep up, “he is doing here, I have no idea. As for who he is here to see, well, ummm…that is obvious. As for how he got here, you will have to talk to him or Pearl because I have no earthly idea and they seem to have all the answers.” She took a breath before quickly adding, “And as for me, I already got yelled at by Gwendolyn for keeping secrets and I have a headache, so I am going home.”
With a, “Humph!” Phryne spun around and strode off, leaving Sadie to look at Gwendolyn, who shook her head and admitted, “She’s right. I did yell.” The Thunderbird shook her finger at Sadie. “We do not keep secrets. That’s rule number one and you,” she stopped shaking her finger and pointed with gusto, “kept
a whopper from all of us and forced Phryne to go along with you. It is just not right, deirfiúr. Just not right.”
Repeating her sister’s actions, Gwendolyn jogged to catch Phryne as Sadie watched and tried to figure out what she was going to say to Pearl. Unfortunately, as the Strix was apt to do because of all her over the top intuitive powers, Pearl beat the dragoness to the punch and appeared at her side with a knowing look in her eyes and a smile.
“If the Guardian was here, she would tell you that you cannot outrun Fate or Destiny.” The Strix reached out and wrapped her long elegant fingers around Sadie’s hand, giving her a little squeeze of reassurance before saying, “You know what is the right thing to do. I believe you have since you first laid eyes on him.”
Pearl squeezed her hand a second time and closed the scant distance between them. “Sadie Ashford, you are the strongest person I know. It is time you let the world see it, too.” Kissing her on the cheek, the Strix whispered, “He is a good man with a good heart. Take a chance. You might just find you like it.”
Rolling her eyes even as she felt the truth in Pearl’s words, Sadie watched yet another sister walk away, unblinking until the Strix disappeared into the forest. The heat of the male’s stare on her back should have irritated the dragoness, should have made her feel uncomfortable, should have at the very least felt foreign. Instead, it was like the first hello, or the first blossom in springtime, or the first sunrise after a thunderstorm…it was a new beginning and it scared the living hell out of her.
Slowly turning toward the male, Sadie looked him right in the eye and, even though she had the best intentions to be kind, her words still sounded like an accusation when she questioned, “How did you track us? I have been hiding my scent for over a century and no one, no one, has ever been able to follow my trail.” She took a step forward. “How did you do it?”
Before he could answer, she added, “And why? Your lair is over a hundred and fifty miles away? Why would you come back here?” Another step forward. “What could you possibly want from us?” She felt her temper taking over. Tried hard to control it as her dragon pushed the princess a step closer still.
Trying to be patient and wait for his answer, she took a long look at the man who simply refused to leave her alone. Where there had once been a long scraggly beard, there was now a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee perfectly accentuating his strong jawline and a cupid’s bow that made his lips extremely hard to look away from. His hair had been trimmed and even though pulled back at the nape of his neck, was still wavy and refusing to be tamed.
Her gaze traveled to his neck where she noticed his wounds were almost healed and his scars not so red and angry. His fingers clenched and unclenched as he held the woolen blanket to his chest that she had left wrapped around him that fateful night. When he spoke, the rumbling timbre of his voice rolled over and around her until Sadie had to take a deep breath and refocus to catch what he was saying.
“I came back, because…well,” he chuckled nervously then cleared his throat, his Gaelic brogue more pronounced when he began again. “I couldn’t stay away. I had to see who had shot me with her arrow.” He finally took a step forward as he snickered, “But was kind enough to take care of me afterward.”
Looking up at the sky, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he lowered his gaze and continued, “I tracked you by scent.” He held up his hand as Sadie began to argue and shook his head. “I know you are going to tell me that you magically disguised it or hid it some other way and I believe you did.” He nodded and took another step in her direction. “None of my brethren could catch your scent, neither on this,” he held the blanket out between them, “nor anywhere around where you left me, and we are the Enforcers, the best of the best, so I believe you did what you could to hide from me.”
He stopped talking and just stared. Sadie knew he wanted to say more, could feel the words nearly bubbling out of him, but for some reason also knew that he wanted her to ask him how he did it. So, she did. “But you’re here? Is that because you are as you say, ‘the best of the best’?”
Dropping the hand holding the blanket to his side, the Guardsman shook his head and smiled. His change in expression coupled with the glint in his eye and the dimple in his cheek nearly stole her breath, making it hard to focus when he softly answered, “No, that makes me your mate.”
That one word, the one Sadie had been avoiding since her arrow first made contact with his flesh, echoed over and over in her mind. It took hold of her heart and shook her to the very bottom of her soul. It was the truth she had been avoiding, running from and feared more than anything she had ever faced. How could the Universe, or Fate, or Destiny, or whoever was in charge of the craziness that had become her life, possibly think she was ready for a mate?
Needing to think but refusing to appear weak or scared, Sadie nodded, “Is that so, Guardsman?”
“Orion.”
“What?” she spat, not understanding his answer, and thinking of punching him in the jaw. He smirked, “My name is Orion, not Guardsman or dragon or whatever lovely names you have come up with for me.” He had the audacity to wink at her as he added, “And yes, Sadie Ashford, that is so.”
He paused and tilted his head to the side. His smile widened and his eyes narrowed as if he was thinking just before he nodded, “And, if I’m not mistaken, this is not new information to you.”
Thankfully, the Leader of the Ladies of the Sky had a good poker face, because Orion’s words coupled with his confidence and the way his brogue made everything sound mysterious and romantic, was making it hard for Sadie to hold onto her anger. Not to mention, the pushing and pining from her dragon as the beast reached for not only one of its own kind, but the mate of her heart.
Using the strategy that had saved her ass and that of her sisters more than once, Sadie metaphorically wrapped both hands around her anger, leaned forward, and growled, “You know nothing about me, Guardsman.” Purposely using his title and not his name, she continued, “And you are trespassing on our land. You are not welcome and you need to leave.”
Closing the distance between them, still sporting his smirk, Orion slowly shook his head. “I am not going anywhere until we talk. You can try to get rid of me. Hell, shoot me with another arrow, but I. Am. Not. Leaving.”
Refusing to back down, Sadie returned Orion’s stare, no longer holding back the rage that was quickly coming to a boil at his insolence but actually pushing it toward him, challenging him, provoking him, throwing down the gauntlet to see what he was truly made of. She watched the pupils of his eyes elongate, felt the power of his dragon answering her challenge, and let the corners of her mouth curl into a predatory smile.
Not wanting to be left out, her dragon poured magic into the princess, snarling and preening her long elegant neck. Sadie’s sight became more vivid, her hearing more intense, her sense of smell intensely acute as her focus narrowed on the dragon before her. Anticipation and the thrill of a worthy adversary fueled her hypersensitivity. She noticed the tiny flecks of gold swirling in the eyes of both man and dragon. His ragged breathing echoed in her ears as the scent of the forest at night combined with a campfire burning with sweet, fragrant wood filled her senses.
The muscle in his jaw jumped. He dropped the blanket as his hands opened and closed to the tempo of her pounding heart. Fire danced in his eyes as just the tip of his tongue slipped between his lips, leaving a glistening trail of moisture on his plump bottom lip. Heat flashed between them. Orion’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared. Sadie’s body warmed and in the blink of an eye, his arms were wrapped around her waist, his hard body pressed against hers and his lips crushing hers in an all-encompassing kiss of fire, passion, and possession.
It no longer became about challenging him but enticing him, teasing him, making him as crazy with desire as she was. He dominated her mouth like he already owned her heart and soul. Desire, previously unknown to her, flared to life, roaring through her like a wildfire, devour
ing all she’d ever known, making her want more of its heavenly flame.
Her hands tangled in his hair, pulled the silken strands from the leather strap and wound them around her fingers, holding him close as his lips left hers, blazing a trail of need across her jaw and down her neck. His rough, calloused fingers dove under the leather of her vest. Sparks, the electricity of their connection, burst through her body, culminating in a fireball of arousal in the depths of her soul as he moved her backward until she felt the bark of a tree at her back and her arousal wetting the crotch of her panties.
His erection pushed against her center as the dragon rolled his hips. His fingers dug into the tight globes of her ass and lifted her feet from the ground. Immediately wrapping her legs around his waist, matching the tempo of his hips, her fingers grabbed at his shoulders as she mewled, “Yes…yes…Orion…yes…”
The warmth of his breath raised goose bumps all over her body as his lips touched her ear and he growled, “Oh yes...Sadie…you are mine, mo dragoness, mo banphrionsa, mianach.”
Something in his tone, his conviction, the way he claimed her as his like no one else ever had, freed something deep inside of Sadie. Her movements became frantic. She ripped his jacket and shirt from his body. Her nails bit into the skin on his shoulders as her lips and teeth kissed and tasted across his shoulders and beautifully muscular chest.
Her fingers reached between their bodies, fighting with the button on his pants, wanting to feel all of him, needing to answer the mating call setting her aflame from the inside out. Orion’s hand fisted her hair, pulling her lips back to his, ripping the clothes from her body and letting his jeans slide down his legs.
Tearing his lips from hers, he commanded, “Sadie, look at me.” Her eyes snapped to him as he growled, “Tá tú mianach.”
Needing his kiss more than to answer, she pushed forward only to have him pull his head even farther back and snarl, “Tá tú mianach, Sadie Ashford. Say it.”