The Red Dragon

by Tianna Xander

  “Stop wishing us to death, Emily.” Declan chuckled as he strode quickly through the darkness. Soon they would be in the cavern, where he could light the torches and show her just what their union would bring—life, hope and the possibility of a dragon’s lifetime together. “It is true that I have tied my life force to your mortal lifespan. However, once we complete our bond, yours will be tied to mine and my dragon’s magic will not let his mate expire before her time.”

  Finally stepping into the large cavern, he set her down and called his fire forth, breathing it on every one of the sconces in the large stone room. As the torches lit, the fire burned and caught, traveling through troughs of thick oil, lighting the cavern as though it were midday.

  “It’s beautiful, Declan.” Awe filled Emily’s voice as she spun around in a circle looking at the home he had built for his mate. He had spent years there, carving out the dense granite, decorating it and building what he hoped his woman could love. “How ever did you find something so beautiful?”

  She made a slow circuit of the cavern, taking in every hollow, the pools of both hot and cold water and the large, hand-carved bed he had designed just for her.

  “I didn’t find it, love. I made it. A dragon lives several lifetimes. He spends much of his time looking for his mate. When he cannot find her, he finds a place he would call home with her. He builds it, carves it, and sets everything out for her with the hope that she will like it and spend time with him there.”

  He watched as she slipped off her shoes and stepped ankle deep into the steaming pool. “This feels so good.” She turned to face him. “You carved out the pools?”

  “I carved out everything. I scooped out the cave, the main room of the cavern...” He gestured to the bed. “I even carved the bed where you will sleep.”

  “Where I will sleep?”

  “We are not yet wed. There are non-sexual ways to complete our bond.” He smiled at her blush. “As much as I would love to consummate our relationship, I understand you will still have your old-fashioned ways. I’m willing to wait, Emily.” He picked up a beautiful pendant on an ancient-looking gold chain. “I have waited several lifetimes to give this to my mate. It has been said that no one can protect this as well as she.” Reaching around her, he clasped it around her neck with a smile. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “It is said that this stone is magic. That it is the stone that held Excalibur. In fact, it is believed it holds a map that can lead a person to the lake where the sword is kept safe by the lady of legend until Arthur returns to claim it.”

  Emily chuckled. “Right...and if I believe that, I’m sure you have prime farmland in south central Florida to sell me.”

  “I have no farmland to sell. I can only say that now that you wear the ancient stone, I can wait until you are comfortable enough with me to complete our bond. “After all, I have waited this long, haven’t I?”

  Chapter Five

  “Come. It is time for breakfast. I would have you eat.” Declan stared at her, waggling his brows as he held out a small sausage.

  Emily’s face burned at his teasing. Declan was always teasing her. He’d managed to make her feel like a school girl again over the last week they spent together. As always, he’d been the perfect gentleman. He’d given her the bed as he promised, sleeping on the floor next to her. A night hadn’t gone by that he hadn’t held her hand as she drifted off to sleep.

  He treated her like the virgin she still was. Declan might not realize it, but she was still untouched. He probably assumed that she had found a human man to marry. He might even think she had children, but he never spoke of it. She wanted to cry, knowing he probably thought that, but found no censure or blame in his voice or eyes.

  After he’d left all those years ago, she’d thrown herself into her work. She couldn’t bear the idea of another man touching her, or making love with her, when she knew that he was her one true love. It didn’t matter that she thought him a bloodthirsty, witch-killing dragon. Declan had still been the one, and she had loved him with all of her broken heart, no matter how much she feared what his dragon might do to her.

  Emily, for one, was tired of waiting. They had been there for a week, and he had done little more than kiss her once or twice a day. She’d waited fifty years to spend time alone with Declan, and she didn’t want to wait another minute. She wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by her man before she died of old age.

  “What about a hand-fasting? Isn’t that what lovers do here in Scotland?” She’d heard it was. Those who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—wait for a church wedding still participated in the ancient practice.

  “They do,” he replied with a nod. “At least they still did fifty years ago. But, only when they love each other a great deal and do not wish to wait for a clergy.” Declan moved over to what looked like a kitchen. A gas line led to a stove in the corner, and a waterfall fed the sink. It appeared as though he’d thought of everything. The stove wasn’t modern by any standards, but just knowing that he had thought about her love of cooking when he’d built this place—it was enough to make her chest ache.

  “We have so much wasted time between us, Declan. I’m not sure I want to squander any more.” She stepped out of the pool where she had been soaking her feet, yet again—the heat did wonders for her arthritis—and slipped her shoes back on. She’d have to see about putting down some rugs if they planned to spend much more time here. Otherwise, the cold stone floor would cause her feet to hurt.

  She stared at him, her heart racing as she watched his muscles move beneath his shirt. She felt nervous, giddy, like a young girl. She hadn’t felt so excited since their last day together, when he’d kissed her so passionately and revealed that he was a dragon. That one, not-so-innocent kiss had ruined everything.

  Emily was much older and wiser now. She knew that dragons mated with witches. They didn’t kill them. Somewhere down the line, someone had decided to try to commit genocide on the dragons. It was only with witches that dragons could breed. Without them, their species would soon become extinct.

  This time, when he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, she would believe him. She wouldn’t say no, and she wouldn’t run. Emily merely needed to hear him say the words again. Though he had shown her in so many ways over the last week, as crazy as it seemed, she needed to hear him say that after all these years, he still wanted her and still loved her. She needed to hear him say the words.

  What she couldn’t figure out was what took him so long. Why didn’t he just claim her already? She thought he wanted to. Why else had he carried her here and asked her permission to bring her into his lair? He’d even said he would claim her here. Now he hesitated. Why?

  “What are you waiting for, dragon?” she asked, a bit nervous. “I’ve all but begged you to make me your mate. Why are you hesitating?” His reticence made her nervous. Had he changed his mind? Was he angry with her for wasting all of those years, or had he never really cared for her at all? Her eyes burned with unshed tears as he seemed to ignore her.

  She stepped back a bit, staring at him as he moved through the cavern, as though listening for something. Whatever he wanted to hear, it apparently wasn’t her. He didn’t answer her. It was as though he hadn’t heard her say a thing.

  Her chest hurt. Her throat closed off and Emily wanted to run. Why had she trusted him so completely? Why hadn’t she at least insisted that they tell Summer where he’d taken her?

  She bit her lip. It didn’t really matter. He was stronger than she. Even if he were human, he would be stronger than she was. Fighting him would have been futile. Studying the cavern, Emily turned in a slow circle, looking at what had apparently just become her prison.

  “Why are you doing this?” She couldn’t imagine him harming her, not now. Yet, he seemed so different. Distant. It was almost as though he didn’t care about how she felt and that scared her.

  He didn’t turn to face her, he didn’t smile in her
direction, but merely walked the perimeter of the cave as though looking for something.

  “I have no desire to frighten you again, Emily,” he finally answered her as he knelt next to the wall at the far side. Reaching down, he felt for something. She couldn’t see what. “We cannot stay here.” Standing he looked up and cocked his head to the side.

  “Why not?” She started toward him. “What’s wrong?”

  He threw his hand out as though to ward her off. “Do not come closer!”

  A low rumble started beneath them. The ground shook, nearly knocking her off her feet. The walls cracked. The stone beneath her feet buckled and Emily stumbled.

  It wasn’t until then that she felt the magic in the air. It was dark, insidious, and it urged her to fear Declan, even hate him. Emily frowned. That was why she had begun to fear him again. The dark magic weaved its way into the cavern, urging her to run from her mate.

  She stood strong, gathering what she could of her magic around her. She needed her sewing kit. She’d left it in the limo when she exited. How could she have known she would need it? It was there where she hid her wand. Her magic had always been little more than useless. It was worse without her wand. She would be more of a hindrance than a help if she did anything but attempt to ward off the dark magic that strove to drive yet another wedge between her and her mate.

  Declan streaked toward her, nothing more than a blur. “You are in danger here.” He pulled her into his arms, lifted her against his chest, and rushed toward the opening.

  “Someone has found my lair.” A low growl came from deep in his chest. “Who could know I have risen? More yet, who would care?”

  “A lot of people could know,” Emily said dryly. “You flew here while it was still daylight. The people who are with me know, and they had no reason to believe your rising should be kept a secret from others of your kind.”

  “It is not someone of my kind who hunts us. This is not the magic of a dragon, or of a witch. This is the magic of a sorcerer.”

  “Don’t you mean mage?” Emily frowned. Since when were mages bad? As far as she knew, they wielded the same kind of good magic as witches.

  “A sorcerer is not a mage. They are something...more.” He ran back down the passage toward the entrance to the cave, never once stumbling in the darkness.

  “More?” Emily didn’t know much about magic. Not really. Like the Flowers girls, she’d been orphaned and left ignorant of her heritage until an old aunt found her, gave Emily her mother’s wand and warned her off dragons. She knew a little about sorcerers, though.

  “I had hoped to spare you the knowledge of their existence, love.” He sounded resigned, almost sad. “I didn’t want to frighten you. Sorcerers are powerful beings and most succumb to the insidious whispers of an evil that wishes to control the world and everything in it.”

  That sounded ominous. “Are there good sorcerers? Could this be some sort of mistake?” Something told her that was wishful thinking, but she still had to ask. Maybe what she’d read in her family’s Book of Shadows had been wrong.

  “I have only known one sorcerer that was not overcome by darkness. This cannot be he.”

  “Why not?”

  “I believe he is dead.” He rushed from the cave, bursting out into the night and jumped over the side of the cliff. “However, that does not mean they do not exist. I have never met anyone who even knows how a sorcerer is made.”

  Emily’s heart raced as they plummeted toward the ground. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his neck.

  He let her go for a moment and she couldn’t hold on. Screaming, she lost her grip and started to fall. Declan didn’t let her drop more than a few inches. Strong, dragon forelegs scooped her up just before he beat his large wings and streaked toward the sky. The mountain rumbled behind them, the sound of a large explosion rending the night air.

  “It’s gone isn’t it?” Tears slid down Emily’s cheeks as she thought of the time and effort he’d spent carving out that magnificent cave that could have been a home to them both.

  Yes, love. It is gone, and for that, I am truly sorry. Please forgive me for exposing you to such danger. I will strive to take better care of you in the future.

  “I’m sorry, Declan. You worked so hard on your home, only to have someone destroy it. I’m so sorry.”

  Chapter Six

  Declan held her close. It is nothing, little one. I removed my greatest treasure. He nuzzled her head with the side of his face. He wanted her to know that she was the treasure he valued above all others. Nothing we left behind was irreplaceable. You are.

  “It’s my fault, isn’t it?” She turned her head, pressing her face against his chest.

  No. Nothing evil that strikes at us has anything to do with you. Those who are evil do horrible things. It is what they do.

  Powerful strokes of Declan’s wings sent them streaking toward the night sky. Wind rushed by him, striking his face. He closed his arms tighter around her. He needed to see to the comfort of his mate. The cool air felt refreshing against his hot skin. His scales protected him from many things, including the biting cold. However, Emily had no such protection.

  “It’s beautiful up here, Declan,” she called out over the rush of wind. She gave a slight shiver and Declan drew her closer his dragon’s heat.

  He loved the way she felt in his arms. Her soft, sweet scent twisted his insides the same way it had fifty years before. He closed his eyes for a moment and thanked whatever god had given him this second chance with his mate.

  Declan had slept most of the last fifty years. For the most part, he’d been unaware of the time passing. Unlike Emily, he hadn’t felt the horrible loneliness of missing one’s mate. However, his love had grown as though he hadn’t slept a day. His dragon heart swelled with his love over time, and though his internal clock told him fifty years had passed, and she had aged, she was just as beautiful to him as ever.

  Time had been kind to her. Though her birthday said she was seventy-six years old, she appeared as though she was in her mid-sixties—and she was as gorgeous as he remembered.

  Emily had most likely aged slower because he had tied himself to her before putting himself into the long sleep. He had done so because he couldn’t bear the thought of living without her. He had aged after binding himself to her. It was what he had intended. However, if she allowed Declan to claim her properly, his dragon magic would reverse the aging process. They would both gradually appear younger and younger until he reached the internal age of his dragon. Eventually, Emily would again be the young and beautiful woman she would recall seeing in her mirror all those years ago.

  Declan soared over the land. Lights dotted the darkened landscape, twinkling like stars below them. Some of the familiar landmarks were gone, replaced by the lights of newly built homes and businesses.

  Banking right at an old stone wall, he headed north, toward Kendrake Delfavaro’s Scottish home. As much as he wanted to be alone with his mate, he wanted her safe even more.

  Reaching the house, he flew to the back of the large manor, landing on the stone pathway that led through the extensive gardens. Bending, he lowered Emily to the ground, holding her steady until she regained her balance.

  “I’d forgotten how gentle you always were with me,” Emily said softly as she stared up at him, stars in her eyes. She showed no fear of his dragon. She merely smiled up at him softly and blinked away—what he hoped—were happy tears. Only love reflected back at him as she reached out and touched his hind leg. “You’re very warm. I don’t remember you being this warm.”

  She had never seen him angry either. He wanted to shout, to rage. His dragon wanted to scream out its frustration at leaving his lair on the run instead of hunting down those who endangered his mate.

  Emily softly stroked a thick, armored scale. “Even your scales are warm.” She rapped at it with her knuckles. “And hard.” Grinning, she leaned close to whisper, “You know, I a
lways thought you were hot.”

  Declan reached out with his senses, delving deep into the ether and pulled information from various sources. He educated himself on what had happened over the last fifty years. He also picked up on new slang and discovered what technological advances had been made.

  She thought he was hot. It was a compliment. It meant she found him very attractive. Declan smiled down at her, his dragon revealing his large, sharp teeth. I have always thought the same of you, lass.

  He concentrated on the change, slowly shifting back to his human form. His wings shrank, his body drawing them back into his shoulder blades. His legs and arms compressed and his large, diamond-shaped head grew smaller until his head and face once again appeared to be that of a human male.

  Emily continued to stare at him. Tall for a woman, she was still much shorter than Declan’s six-foot-six height. Tears glistened in her eyes, spilling onto cheeks grown red from the chill in the night air.

  “You look so different.” Her voice caught on a sob. “Why did you grow old with me? You weren’t supposed to get old.”

  Declan stepped close, drawing her into his arms with a groan. God, it felt good to hold her again. “I refused to go on without you. You’re my mate, my love.” His chest ached at the memory of their last night together. “I love you more than life itself.”

  “I didn’t mean for you to—I didn’t want this for you.” She buried her face in his shoulder and held him as though she would never let go. After a moment, she pulled back and stared up at him through red-rimmed eyes. “I love you too much for that, Declan. Surely you knew that.”

  He shook his head. “I only knew that I did not want to live a life without you in it.” He glanced behind her when someone opened one of the French doors off the deck. “We should join your friends, my love. Their curiosity has gotten the better of them. They have opened the door to see why we haven’t yet entered Drake’s home.”