by Julia Mills
Bone shattered and muscles tore until he no longer possessed wings at all, but instead had what looked like huge blades of an oversized battle-axe jutting from his back with his long, venomous finger-claws extending from the razor-sharp edges. Moving them up and down and forward and back, an evil grin curled the corner of his shortened snout as visions of slashing Myanna’s attackers to ribbons while injecting them with his acidic poison to which there was no antidote danced in his head.
The talons at the ends of his fingers doubled in size and girth, their hooked tips tingling with the need to rip through mortar, brick, and human flesh. No longer able to control his actions, Banning dove to his knees. Pieces of asphalt and gravel flew through the air as he tore at the roof, demolishing everything standing between him and his mate.
Leaping through the huge hole of his own making, Banning inhaled deeply, growling low in his throat as he instantly located the scent of Myanna’s blood. Racing down the hall, tearing through doors, walls, and glass, Banning ripped the iron bars from the cage separating him from his mate, throwing them over his head and reaching for the next set.
The sound of the bears at his back pushed the dragon harder, one word echoing over and over in his wrath-addled mind, “Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.”
Pulling his fists back to either side of his pecs, Banning thrust them through the cement blocks on both sides of the thick metal door, then grabbing the sides, crushed it as if it were nothing more than a soda can. Heaving it to the side, he stalked into the room, walking directly into a volley of gunfire.
Ignoring the bullets bouncing off the impenetrable scales of the armor of his Warrior Dragon, Banning grabbed the closest inmate by the neck, squeezing with such strength that the man’s head popped off his neck in a spray of blood and gore like a ball bouncing on an upward spray of water.
Dropping the body where he stood, the Guardsman spun to the side. Reaching out, he wrapped his meaty paw around the barrel of the automatic rifle firing shot after shot after shot directly into his chest. Jerking both man and gun over his shoulder, he immediately sent them sailing through the air and crashing into the far wall, the sickening sound of shattering bones cutting through the chaos.
Continuing forward, he sped straight for the double line of prisoners waving their knives and shouting obscenities at him and the bears. Running down the center, Banning dropped his reconstructed wings, laughing maniacally as his poisoned talons cut their necks from ear-to-ear while shoving deadly venom into their veins.
“Looks like you got the bad guys on the run. We’re taking the victims outside. Charlie called 911. We’ll wait for the authorities. Go out the way you came. I’m not sure I can explain you to a bunch of human first responders.”
Beau’s words echoed somewhere in the depths of Banning’s mind, behind the rage, making it impossible for the dragon to respond. His only thoughts were of getting to Myanna. He had to have her in his arms. Had to know she would be okay, for only she could calm both man and dragon and return them to normal.
Bursting into the kitchen, his eyes trained on the two men responsible for Myanna’s condition, Banning took a single step forward. Glaring into the dark soulless eyes of the taller, thinner man he knew had been in charge, the Warrior Dragon gave a single nod.
Another step forward and the man screamed, “Get back, you scaly freak, or I’ll blow the fucking brains outta your head.”
Another step forward and the man took three backward, his ass running into the counter as he fired four shots in quick succession. Banning grinned as the convict’s eyes nearly fell from his head when his bullets bounced off the Warrior Dragon’s chest.
Another step forward and the man scrambled atop the counter, dropping his empty gun into the sink and crawling on hands and knees toward the door. Grabbing the prisoner’s ankle, Banning’s claws dug deeply into the man’s flesh, the tips scratching the bone as the dragon pulled the wailing man backwards, flipping him over and grabbing his neck with his free paw.
Looking down into the face of the man who’d dared to target his mate, Banning snarled, “Tit for tat, you bloody wanker. How does it feel?” His fingers constricted around the convict’s neck just as the bastards had tightened around Myanna’s.
Tighter and tighter Banning squeezed, watching as the inmate’s face turned red, then blue, then a brilliant shade of purple just before the crack and pop of muscle and bone signaled the piece of shit was dead. Leaving the body where it lay, the Guardsman turned toward the shorter, obviously younger, but just as perverse piece of shit who was standing in the corner, white with fear.
Pointing at the man as he slowly closed the distance between them, Banning stared into the prisoner’s eyes while crooking his thick, talon-tipped finger in a ‘come hither’ motion and snickering sarcastically, “Now, it’s your turn.”
The scent of urine filled the room as the man wet his pants right before the Guardsman shoved his outstretched hand through the inmate’s chest, ripped out his heart, and held it in the miscreant’s face as he drew his last breath and crumbled to the floor. Without hesitation, Banning spun on his heel, scooped up his mate, and with her cradled in his arms, exited the prison the way he’d arrived.
Chapter Twelve
Pine trees…an open fire…warm cloves and cinnamon mixed with the soft woodsy scent of cedar…the irresistible feel of well-toned muscle and the soft touch of lips on her neck…
Mimi burrowed deeper into her pillow, refusing to wake up from the best dream she’d ever had. She was in the arms of her dreamy Prince Charming and nothing or no one was taking away her bliss.
Pulling the comforter over her head, she sank back into a deep slumber…
Looking into Banning’s deep blue eyes, Mimi could see unconditional love, the promise of their future together…their very own happily ever after. As always, he guided her out onto the balcony, but this time there were no flowers, no beautiful fountains, or the glow of the moon highlighting the fireflies as they flitted above the foliage. All she saw was death and destruction.
Her head pounded. Burning pain radiated from the tender skin behind her knee. A nagging tingle, like a hundred tiny bees stinging her wrists and ankles, crawled up her arms and legs while every muscle in her body screamed in response to any movement. Searching for Banning, screaming his name in her mind, Mimi’s eyes popped open to find her own reflection staring back at her in the black, soulless eyes of Ted Dubronski.
“Help me! Banning! Where are you? HELP!”
Popping up in bed, her eyes already open wide but her mind still trapped in the miasma of her nightmare, Mimi shrieked aloud, “Somebody! Anybody! Help me! Please help me!”
Warm hands wrapped around her shoulders and slid underneath her legs, cradling her as a deep, rumbling baritone whispered, “Come back to me, Myanna. You are safe, mo ghrá. I shall never leave your side.”
Burying her face in the soft cotton of her rescuer’s T-shirt, seeking refuge in the safety of her dreams, Mimi bathed in his wonderfully spicy, smoky scent, murmuring, “You came for me. You saved me from the darkness.”
Her heart sang as Banning kissed the top of her head, reassuring, “I will forever be by your side, forever protecting you, forever loving you.”
“And I love you, Banning,” she sighed. “If only you were real.”
The rumbling of his deep, vibrant chuckle under her cheek where it laid against his chest made Mimi smile right before he said, “Open your eyes, grá mo chroí.”
The little voice in the back of her head, the one she always depended on to give it to her straight, sassed, “Open your eyes, crazy girl. Look where you are and who you’re with.”
“But…”
“But nothing. Open…”
“I agree, mo maité,” Banning joined her internal conversation. “Open those beautiful hazel eyes. I’ve been waiting four days and I fear I may perish if I do not see them soon.”
Wondering if she needed to call Edwin Hamilton, her friend from medical schoo
l, for a consultation, Mimi slowly opened one eye with the other immediately following suit as she yelled, “Son of a bi…”
Twisting her legs toward the door as she slapped her palms against his heavily-muscled chest, Mimi scampered off the gorgeous man’s lap in a most unladylike fashion. Catching her toe on the edge of the throw rug beside her bed, she grabbed for her bedside table, missed the corner, and with another shrieking expletive, landed right on her butt, looking up at the most handsome man she’d ever seen, who she could tell was biting the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing.
Crab-walking backward, keeping her eyes trained on the intruder who looked scarily like her dreamy Prince Charming, Mimi bumped into the door then the wall before faster than she could track, the man was off the bed, across the room, and scooping her up off the floor. “You’re going to hurt yourself,” he chastised while she screamed. “Put me down, you beast. Who the hell do you think you are?”
Mimi’s world was turned upside-down as she found herself flung over his shoulder and popped on the ass while he barked with laughter, “I am your mate, that is who the hell I am.”
Balling up her fists, she beat on his hard-as-rock backside, bellowing, “You are a figment of my overactive imagination. Now, put me down and get the hell outta my head.”
Their forward motion stopped on a dime. Mimi’s world once again went for a whirl. Her feet hit the floor. His hands gently cupped her cheeks and then like all of her favorite sappy love stories, he crushed his lips to hers.
Dominating her mouth, he took complete control of their kiss. Claimed not only her body, but her heart and soul with his caress. Sparks of electricity flew through her body, turning her desire into a roaring fire, encompassing all Mimi had ever known.
There was no denying that the man before her was not only real, or that she craved him more than the air she breathed. Climbing his body, she wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning into their kiss as his hands closed over the ample globes of her ass.
Licking the seam of his lips, Mimi’s nails bit into the cotton-covered muscles of his shoulders as their minds opened completely to one another. Growling low in his throat as her tongue danced along his, he pulled her closer, smashing her hardened nipples against his chest, sending her body into sensory overload.
Her hips moved of their own accord, bumping against his erection, pushing against the zipper of his jeans, causing her dream lover to meet her thrusts until she could think of nothing but stripping him naked and riding his cock to their mutual release.
Something echoed in her lust-soaked mind. A sound she should recognize, should go see about but easily dismissed, refusing to leave the man who kissed her as if he owned her.
“Banning…You here?” A deep, raspy voice, heavy with a smooth, southern drawl, called out. The sound of boots striking tile stopped short just before the same voice quickly apologized, “Whoa…sorry.”
Jerking her lips from her dream lover’s, Mimi straightened her legs to slide to the floor, then huffed and frowned when he kept his hands clasped under her butt, whispering through gritted teeth, “Let me down.”
“No.”
Furrowing her brow even more, she demanded a little louder but still through gritted teeth, “Let me down.”
“No.”
“Ahem,” the man who’d just entered the room cleared his throat. “Hey, Ban, I’ll leave you guys alone to talk this out. Charlie and I’ll just get breakfast started. Holler…”
Slapping her palms on the chest of the man she’d been kissing, Mimi truly looked at him for the first time. Recognition, loud and clear, erupted in her mind. The images from her dreams combined with reality as she shrieked, “Oh my God! It’s you! Banning! The prince from my dreams!”
Her hands clapped against his pecs again with more force as she continued to yell, “How the…What the… This can’t be…”
She saw his head nod and his lips open, waited to hear what he had to say, but his words were lost in a whirl of black and a ringing in her ears that rivaled the bells at St. Mary’s.
Her arms went limp…
Her head fell forward…
And in her next breath, Mimi fainted…
Just like a freakin’ girly-girl…
Chapter Thirteen
“So, let me get this straight,” she laid her hand on his forearm and leveled her gaze. “You are not only the dragon in my dreams and the one I kinda-sorta remember flying on, but also the one that looked like a snow-white-scale-covered Incredible Hulk on steroids?”
His smile widened, overjoyed to have Myanna awake, walking and talking and completely healed after both he and Martha had attended to all her wounds with their combined magic.
Winking, Banning answered, “I’m actually a Lunar White Dragon. The Snow Dragons may take offense.” Banning swallowed past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat as he quietly added, “If any are left…”.
Am I truly alone? Are my kin gone?
Pushing the negative thoughts from his mind, he took a deep, cleansing breath and touched the bear claw hanging around his neck. He could feel the connection of Gerallt’s dragon magic with Martha’s ancestral Earthen mysticism working diligently to clear the old crone’s black magic from his soul, just as it had cleared the curse from Myanna’s. He prayed that someday soon, he would be able to track his brethren.
I have to believe some of my kin still live…
Focusing instead on the miracle before him, his mate, his Myanna, the Guardsman continued to explain, “Yes, the dragon you witnessed inside the prison was the smallest version of what my kind call my Warrior Dragon.”
For the third or fourth time since she’d awoken, Myanna’s eyes grew to the size of a saucer as she squealed in astonishment, “Smallest?” Her lips snapped shut and her grip on his arm tightened. “How big is the big one?”
“Well, that is a tricky question,” Banning winked, loving the beautiful pink glow of Myanna’s blush as it kissed the apples of her cheeks. “The angrier I become, the taller I get and in most cases, I have no memory at all of myself or my actions, but the tallest ever reported was just shy of twelve feet.”
He leaned closer, kissing the tip of her nose as he added, “I will admit, I was close to losing all control just knowing you were in danger…and dying… Fear that I wouldn’t be in time flooded my mind and body, pushed me toward the point of no return.” He pulled Myanna into his lap, needing to hold her close as recollections of what she had suffered that night swamped his mind. “But the touch of your soul to mine, the bond that we share, allowed me to retain a small bit of my humanity.” Pulling her even closer, he added, “Allowed me to recognize friend from foe.”
Leaning back, Myanna placed her hand on his cheek and smiled so sweetly Banning swore he could see the Heavens in her eyes. “You, my wonderful Prince Charming, are nothing short of amazing.”
He laid his lips to hers in a chaste kiss that had his heart pounding and his dragon begging for more before she pulled away and went on, “And I will always be there to pull you back from the edge, just as I know you will always be there to rescue me.” She got a feisty gleam in her eye as she added, “I hope you know that you’re stuck with me forever.” She chuckled, “I’m like that bad penny you can’t ever get rid of, Mister.”
Getting to his feet, cradling Myanna in his arms, Banning nodded with a waggle of his eyebrows, “Never fear, mo stór. I plan to spend eternity right by your side.” He kissed her hard and fast. “It is you who will never be rid of me.”
Thankful their four-and-a-half-hour discussion was finally coming to an end and he had been able to tell his mate that her mother’s death was no fault of her own, Banning explained that a curse had been placed on their ancestors. One that would strike the females of their family at a certain age, causing them to wither and die while no explainable illness could be seen by modern medicine.
He went on to explain that he and Martha had been able to remove it when they were healing her and tha
t as soon as Myanna was ready, he would help her find the reason for the curse and the person who dared to doom her female kin to death. Not only her words of thanks, but also the gratitude he felt through their mating bond let the Guardsman know he was doing the right thing. Although Myanna was still dealing with the loss and sadness of Robin’s death, Banning could also feel her relief at knowing there was nothing more she could’ve done to save her mother.
Wanting to claim Myanna as his very own, Banning turned toward the hall. He’d made it exactly half a step when Beau appeared in the doorway and chuckled with a wink, “Don’t I just have the worst timing.”
“You most certainly do,” Banning grumbled straight into his new friend’s mind, only to be answered with another of the Alpha’s easy-going snickers.
Sliding his arm from under Myanna’s legs, holding her close when her feet touched the ground, he chuckled as she attempted to ignore the grizzly’s insinuation and asked, “What’s up, Beau? Where’s Charlie and Amos?”
Myanna continued to shock him with her unconditional acceptance of not only men who could transform into dragons, but also those who shared their souls with bears, along with all the other species he had told her they could encounter in their long and happy life together. She had latched onto all the wonder and magic of his world with the excitement of a child. Banning knew his wonderful mate was using it to keep the memories of the kidnapping and her torture at the hands of those degenerates at bay, and he wanted nothing more than to give her the time she needed. When she was ready, together, they would tackle those demons and send them to the pits of Hell, alongside the men who had caused them.
Turning his attention back to the conversation between his mate and Beau, Banning couldn’t help but chuckle as Myanna clapped her hands, her excitement evident as she chuckled, “No way? There are really bears in my back yard?”
“Sure are,” Beau nodded. “Come on out and see.”
Holding tight to Myanna’s hand, Banning laughed out loud as she literally pulled him through the kitchen and out the back door. “Be right back,” she squealed.