Dragon Storm (Dawn of the Dragon Queen Book 2)

by Tara West

  After he reached his destination, the shoreline was so thin, it was almost an illusion. He frowned at the water. The bubbles had stopped; no doubt the school of fish had swum away.

  He gripped the sides when the bubbles began again. This time the boiling rocked his small vessel so hard, he feared he would capsize. What fish were these? Was there a predator nearby driving them all to the top? But Gabriel didn’t see fish splashing to the surface.

  The bubbles intensified, and when Gabriel saw what followed, he would have thought he’d gone mad had he not seen his beautiful lady transform into a dragon. A large, splotchy head with inky teardrop-shaped eyes shot up directly beside his boat, like a skyscraper jutting from the sea.

  Gabriel swallowed hard when eight huge tentacles sprang up around the creature. When he’d seen drawings of giant octopus attacking a fishing vessel, he had thought the pictures merely the stuff of fantasy. But this monster looking down at him was no fantasy. In fact, she was real enough to make him nearly wet his pants.

  His heart raced as he gaped up at the beast. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered his papi speaking of a friendly sea monster named Graechen. Gabriel prayed her kindness extended to him.

  She peered down at him through eyes as dark as a raven’s wing. You are Safina’s mate.

  Her voice ricocheted in his skull, though he saw no movement from her pinched mouth.

  His tongue felt heavy and dry, all moisture in his mouth having vanished. “Y-yes. And you are Graechen?”

  She sank into the water until she was level with him. I am. Her tear-dropped shaped eyes narrowed. Tell me, what has brought you to this distant shore?

  Gabriel thought about it for a moment. Would this monster be angry with him for stealing Safi from her mother? He did not wish to provoke Graechen’s ire. “Safi and I… we….” His mind was a jumbled mess. Fear had a funny way of twisting his tongue into a knot. “Her mother was going to force her back into the cocoon.”

  The beast chuckled, a low, deep sound that vibrated his chest. Do you really think she would have done that?

  He squeezed his hands together in his lap, willing himself to calm down so he could make sense, for he wasn’t sure if the monster was purposely belittling him. “We weren’t willing to take the chance.”

  Graechen made an odd clucking sound that rattled his insides. Foolish children.

  He puffed up his chest, determined not to let this monster see how much she unnerved him. “We are children no more.”

  She shot up into the sky, a deep growl pulsating from her bulbous head. Safina will always be her mother’s child.

  Gabriel stood on shaky legs, the boat tipping dangerously, trying to show he was brave. “Why have you come here?” Even as he said the words, he surprised himself with his temerity.

  She sank back into the ocean, the ripples from the displaced water rocking the boat and forcing him to sit.

  Impertinent boy. I should ask the same of you. The ocean is my home. But if you must know, I came to warn you.

  He gripped the sides of the boat, swallowing a lump of panic. “The dragon queen is coming?”

  The monster made a deep gurgling sound that Gabriel assumed was laughter.

  No, no. Not that. Rest assured, she won’t be able to find you for a while.

  “Then what is the warning?” He tried not to sound impatient, though the tension and fear which coiled around his spine had made his speech clipped. This monster brought bad tidings, and though he feared her news, he needed to prepare.

  I have come from the east. She waved a floppy tentacle in the direction of the morning sun. A tempest approaches.

  “A tempest?” he asked. “You mean a storm?”

  Yes. The echo of her voice turned shrill. You must flee the island before it reaches your shore.

  He grabbed his oars, preparing to paddle back, for he did not wish to be caught on the water during foul weather. “I have weathered storms before.” Already he was thinking of the work that must be done. He would have to board up the windows and collect enough food to last a few days.

  She made that clucking sound again. I can assure you, my boy. Her voice was an ominous hiss in his ears. You have never seen a storm like this. The surge will wash over the land and reduce your home to ruins. Thousand will perish here, as well as the island of Galveston.

  “Galveston?” Gabriel gasped. “How do you know this?”

  I am steward of the sea. Earth Mother has shown me what is to come. I must go. She sunk low as the water boiled around her. The souls of the deceased call to me. I must lead them to the light.

  * * *

  Gabriel knew the sea creature had been telling the truth. As soon as he reached shore, he saw the tide had buried the remains of their bonfire. How had it risen so fast? The only reasonable explanation was that a hurricane was indeed approaching.

  He wished his powers were as strong as his papi’s. The elements spoke to the old man. To the common mortal, the whistle of the wind was just a sound, but to Papi, it was the promise of a sweet summer rain, or the sibilant warning of a forthcoming storm. Gabriel only hoped the wind had given his papi warning. If not, he feared his family and the rest of the population of the small Galveston island would be swallowed by the tempest.

  His heart beat wildly as he raced through the jungle, nearly falling on his face as he dodged roots and vines. When he came upon the house, he found Safi pulling up weeds in the garden, a futile task, for once the storm hit there’d be nothing left.

  He stopped and bent over, clutching his sides and trying to catch his breath.

  Safi looked up. “What is it, Gabriel?”

  “Safi,” he said between gasps. “We need to go.”

  She jumped to her feet, clutching a spade in one hand and wiping dirt from her pale frock with the other. “What? Why?”

  He nodded toward the east. Already a gentle wind was picking up. “A storm is coming.”

  She dropped the spade to the ground. “Did the wind tell you?”

  He grimaced, for he doubted his powers would ever be that strong. “No. Not the wind. Graechen.”

  “Graechen? The sea monster?”

  He nodded. “Safi, pack your pretty dresses and whatever else we can take.”

  “So we are to let a simple storm drive us away?” She threw her dirt-stained hands into the sky. “Gabriel, the house has shutters, and it’s on high ground.”

  He closed the short distance between them. Clutching her shoulders, he beseechingly searched her eyes. “Safi, this is no ordinary storm. It’s a hurricane.”

  “A hurricane?”

  “A cyclone with powerful wind and great waves that will wash over the land. Graechen has seen it, and she says the house will be ripped from its foundation. Many have already died on the southeast side of the island.”

  Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, great goddess!”

  “There’s more.” Gabriel swallowed the lump of panic that wedged in his throat. “Graechen says the storm will hit Galveston.”

  “Galveston? But it’s many miles away. How can she be sure?”

  “She says she’s seen the future. It will reap great destruction and kill thousands. We must go back and warn the others.”

  * * *

  Duncan MacQuoid was the first to disembark from the steaming train. He slung his bag across one shoulder and marched straight to the ticket counter, booking passage for the next train to Galveston.

  He sat on a bench and loosened his collar, but it did little to ease his discomfort as the unbearable Texas sun beat down on him. What he needed was to check into a hotel and relax in a long bath, but he’d come too far to stop now. Only a few more hours, and he would reach his destination. After five hundred years of searching, he would soon be reunited with his mate and child.

  Chapter Seven

  Scotland - 1429

  They fell onto the furs in a tangle of arms and legs. Duncan’s mouth was on her neck while he squeezed her breasts. Instinct t
ook over, and Fiona rolled him onto his back, straddling his waist and grinding out a rhythm against his hard, silky member.

  She threw back her head and moaned. “Ahhh.” It felt so exquisite as the friction from his staff coaxed more fluids out of her slick entrance. Never had she imagined lovemaking could feel so erotic, so powerful.

  Despite the cool night air, his forehead was beaded with sweat as he dug his hands into her waist, his hips matching her rhythm.

  The full moon shone from a small window, bathing their nude bodies in its glow. His pale eyes sparkled like starlight, and the tilt of his full lips was a cross between pain and pleasure. He panted as she coated him in her essence, the sensation building between her legs one of blissful torture. This was madness. She couldn’t stop, yet how could she go on? She knew nothing of this lovemaking, only that her desire begged to be sated.

  “I must be inside you,” he rasped. “I canna wait.”

  Inside me? Aye! That’s what her body was seeking. “Please,” she cried.

  With a growl, he flipped her over. The air whooshed from her lungs as she landed on the furs. She spread her legs, welcoming his entrance.

  He seated himself between her thighs, and in one fluid thrust, buried himself deep inside her swollen channel. She cried out as he pierced her barrier, then groaned as pain gave way to pleasure.

  Panting like a wounded animal, he rested his forehead on hers. “Lass, ye should have told me ye were a maiden.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then her cheek as he slowly withdrew. “I’m sorry.”

  She wrapped her legs around him, thrusting upward and needing to feel his fullness. “Please don’t stop.”

  He groaned as he slowly slid back in. “I donna want to stop, but I donna want to hurt you.”

  “You could never hurt me. Love me,” she begged. “Love me, please.”

  “I will. Always,” he cried as their bodies thrust together, pairing at the precipice of pleasure.

  She met him with raised hips, as he captured her cries with a heat-searing kiss.

  Momentum built until neither could stop the climaxes that claimed them. Fiona knew not where her ecstasy ended and his began, as the crests that held her carried him to his own release.

  They panted into each other’s mouths, alternating between crying and moaning. Their bodies throbbed to the tempo of each other’s heartbeats, slowing as the waves of pleasure heightened the sensation of each caress, nip, and kiss. As one, they melded, reveling in the joy of their newfound love.

  He cradled her in his arms while rolling onto his side, taking her with him. After one languid, long kiss, he pulled back, his lips swollen and his eyes sated and heavy. “What is this spell you have over me?”

  Fiona froze, feeling as if his embrace was a noose. Did he think she’d bewitched him? “I-I did not.”

  “Easy, lass.” He flashed a satisfied smile before stroking her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. His pale eyes darkened. “Let me make love to you again. This time more slowly. Forgive my impatience the first time.”

  His member, still inside her, surged as if it had a life of its own, pressing against her insides and teasing her with the promise of more pleasure.

  Fiona flushed with shock and then desire. “You are forgiven.”

  He rolled her over again, thrusting deep before capturing her mouth in another kiss. “I think I’ve found heaven inside you,” he breathed against her lips. “I never want this to end.”

  “Neither do I.” If only, she thought, she could bottle this moment and live within the sanctuary of his arms for an eternity.

  * * *

  Fiona woke with a start and sat up, chest heaving, sweat dripping down her brow, and her dress wet from the thick moisture that pooled between her thighs. She took a moment to take in her surroundings. The moon’s pale light shone across her bed, illuminating her bedroom in Galveston. She bent over, clutching her stomach as she was overcome by a wave of nausea. Such a powerful dream could only mean one thing.

  “Oh, Almighty Mother!” she cried into the stagnant air. “Duncan is near.”

  * * *

  Gabriel hunched over Safina’s scaly spine while the wind whipped his hair into a frenzy. His eyes widened when he saw they were flying toward a massive wall of brick-hued clouds.

  “Where are you going, Safi? Galveston is the other way.”

  I wish to see this storm for myself. Her answer reverberated in his mind.

  Gabriel’s heart fell to the pit of his stomach as they neared the hurricane. It roared like a thousand steam trains, wind and debris flattening everything in its path like a heavy curtain of darkness and destruction falling across the landscape.

  What is that? Safina asked, the echo of her fear rattling in his skull.

  “Cuba’s death knell,” Gabriel answered flatly.

  I have never seen anything so frightening.

  Strong words coming from a dragon with talons the size of butcher knives. Gabriel clutched her scales as a wave of sadness and despair washed over him. They were Safina’s emotions. In his mind he heard her crying, and deep in his soul, he felt her heartbreak.

  Safina’s wings strained as the approaching storm gained momentum.

  Earth Mother is angry. I can hear the screams of her victims.

  “Safi,” Gabriel cried as the wind whipped his hair across his face. “We must go.”

  With a heavy groan, she made a slow turn. Once the wind was behind them, Gabriel felt the hurricane’s angry sting across his back. His heart broke for the people of Cuba.

  * * *

  Fiona’s mind raced as she hurried down the street to Josef’s home. Mrs. Jenkens had said she’d been asleep for over a day, but her head was still foggy from her dream, making Fiona feel as if she’d been sleeping for ages. There was only one sleep powerful enough to make her feel that way—one induced by the dragon song. Josef claimed to have no other magical powers besides speaking to the elements and healing minor wounds. Who’d taught him the dragon song? Fiona’s heart ached when she realized it could have been none other than Graechen, the friend Fiona once trusted.

  Despite the weakness in her limbs, anger fueled Fiona’s movements as she climbed the steps to Josef’s front porch two at a time. She was not surprised to find him sitting in his rocking chair, staring vacantly at the clear sky. Was he searching the skies for Safina and Gabriel, or did he already know the young lovers were out of reach? Fiona suspected the latter.

  “Josef!” she boomed as she stormed up the last step. “Why did you sing the dragon song?”

  There was weariness in his eyes more profound than ever before, a look that spoke of a man whose days were numbered. “You needed rest,” he answered, his voice devoid of inflection.

  Had circumstances been different, Fiona would have taken pity on the old man, but it was she who’d lost her daughter, her only family, and the only reason she’d not taken her own life so many years ago. Josef had four grandsons, four reasons to live.

  She crossed the distance between them, jabbing his bony chest. “You lie. You were helping them escape.” He knew Safina and Gabriel weren’t coming back, which was why he’d sung to her, to keep her from ever finding them.

  He shrugged, his dull mahogany eyes sharpening to two fine points. “You threatened to harm my grandson. You would have done the same for your child.”

  She tossed her hands in the air, angry hot tears threatening the backs of her eyes. “And now my child is so far away, I cannot feel where she has fled!”

  Fiona still had a hard time grasping what had happened. Her sweet daughter had flown from her bosom, left Fiona alone to wallow in her loneliness and despair, and all for a mortal boy? How was Fiona to bear it, and how could Josef be so indifferent to her suffering?

  Fiona clenched her fists as she steeled her resolve. Perhaps Josef had bought them time, but she would fly to every edge of the earth until she found her child. They could not hide from her forever. Fiona would start looking for them soon, but first,
Josef had to make good on his word.

  She scowled at him, imagining her eyes to be twin coals burning holes through his skull. “I need you to break the bond now.”

  He stood slowly, relying on a cane for support. Odd, but Fiona did not remember him being so feeble. “Where is your mate?”

  “He isn’t far.” She placed a hand over her chest. “I can feel him.”

  Josef solemnly nodded. “I will break the bond after he arrives.”

  “No,” she growled, “not after he arrives. I don’t want him to find me.”

  Josef heaved a weary sigh. “I need him here to break the bond.”

  “No, Josef!” Fiona grabbed the old man’s shoulders, shaking him as if he were no more than a leaf tossed about in the wind. “He can’t be here.”

  Josef’s eyes widened as he shrank back. “How am I to break the bond? I don’t even know what he looks like. I cannot perform the spell if I can’t conjure his image.”

  Fiona looked deeply into his eyes, willing him to see the demons that haunted her soul. “Look into my mind, Josef.” She conjured up the image of Duncan’s pale eyes and seductive smile.

  Josef blinked once and then went still, stiffening beneath her touch. His eyes, once brilliant and bright, glazed over as if he were in a dream and then they closed altogether. “Safina has his eyes,” he whispered.

  Fiona swallowed hard. “Do you have a clear enough picture?”

  “Sí.” He trembled, and his eyes shot open. “But I don’t know if it will work.”

  She dug her fingers into his bony shoulders. “You must try.”