by Julia Mills
“No, ce’adsearc, I’m not ignoring you.” He reassured, using the most soothing tone he could muster. He took a deep breath, allowing his instincts to guide him in his explanation. “I need you to listen to me with an open mind. I’m going to ask you not to interrupt until I’m finished, please.” He watched her brow furrow as she held back her retort. “I know what I’m about to tell you is going to be hard for you to believe at first, but I promise on my honor, I would never lie to you and that when time permits I will show you everything.” He paused to gauge her reaction. “Can you do that for me, ce’adsearc, can you trust me enough to listen to what I need to tell you?”
He watched her inner debate as she continued to stare right into his eyes. She was trying to decide exactly how bad she wanted the answers only he could provide against throwing him out on his ass. The battle raged on and too many emotions to count played across her beautiful face. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath then slowly exhaled. When she looked at him again, he saw resolution in her eyes and if he wasn’t mistaken, more than a little trust, even though he was sure she did not understand it. “Yes, I’ll listen to what you have to say but you better be ready to answer all my questions when you’re finished. God knows nothing has been normal since I met you. Why should now be any different?” She huffed her resignation and he held back a grin.
“Thank you, mo ghra’. I promise I will never betray your trust,” he rolled his shoulders more nervous than he thought possible. “I’ll start with what you just witnessed. I’m the Commander of the Dragon Guard of my clan. Through a bond of fealty and of blood , I’m able to mind speak with my Force, a group of men I grew up with, trained with, trust with my life and by extension, now, your life. Mind speak is like what you think of as telepathy. We are able to speak mind to mind across almost any distance. It’s essential to our ability to protect our people and be effective in battle. We are the Golden Fire Clan of the Dragon Shifters. My Force and I, along with many others, have been tasked with protecting our people from the hunters, a group that would drive us into extinction. These hunters, zealots originally trained by dark wizards, are the oldest enemy of dragon kin.
“We, the dragon shifters, have been in existence since the days of King Arthur. As hard as all of this is to believe, on top of it all, the stories you’ve heard of knights and dragons are absolutely true.” He watched her eyes widen and her fist clench as she sat completely still soaking in every word he spoke. “As time progressed and the lands became more populated, the dragons found it harder and harder to hide their existence. When their secret became impossible to keep, they enlisted the help of a very powerful mage. He was able to combine the very essence of their beings with the knight of their choosing. A knight that possessed all the characteristics necessary to protect what was theirs, to fight for those that needed a champion and keep their race from extinction.
“The dragons looked for men that were courteous, honest, generous, courageous, loyal, just, discreet, wise, brave and honorable. The qualities that the knights that had fought alongside them for thousands of years possessed. They made sure these qualities were so ingrained in the individual, that they were actually an integral part of that individual’s bloodline. They had to ensure that by entrusting their very essence to a group of men, their power would never be abused.
“My family was one of the few given this honor. My ancestor was chosen in the 6th century, shortly after King Arthur disappeared. From that point forward, every male in my family has gone through the transformation between the ages of 18 and 21. After transformation until our forever death, we are able to shift from man to dragon and back again. It is a duty and an honor we take very seriously. We also retain the magic of the dragon while in our human form.” Her eyebrows shot so high at the mention of magic they were almost invisible under the fall of her hair.
“One of the most important milestones in a dragon shifters life, other than his transformation, is finding his mate. The one female in the entire world created just for him. She is the other half of his soul, the completion of the man and his beast. She provides them with peace, love and light. She grounds them, makes them whole. She is the single most important person to both entities in this world and the next. Although they have survived and been successful in many endeavors, the man and his beast have never truly lived until they have found the one the Universe designed for them.
“You, my beautiful Kyndel, ce’adsearc, are that person to me. You are my mate, the light of my soul. You complete me and the dragon that dwells within in ways until now I had only heard about. You’ve haunted my thoughts during the day and my dreams at night even before I knew you existed. From the moment I caught your scent as I was soaring over the city last evening, I knew you were the one for me. When I saw you, it was solidified in my heart that you are truly the other half of my soul.
“So mo ghra’, you ask why you’re drawn to me and feel more comfortable with me than you’ve felt with any other. It’s because we are destined to be together. Your soul recognized mine just as mine recognized yours. Like has called to like, and the incredible feelings we are discovering for each other will not be denied. They will only grow stronger over the years, my beautiful Kyndel and after our official mating you will possess many of the same talents I have. We’ll be able to mind speak and I’ll teach you to draw on my dragon magic.”
Kyndel sat in complete silence. He could see every thought and emotion flying through that amazing mind of hers as plainly as if she had spoken them. He saw confusion and wondered if she wanted to laugh, cry, jump for joy or check herself into a padded room. He knew he needed a drink so he could only imagine that she also needed a shot of something strong and hard. Her brow furrowed again, something he knew meant she had questions, probably even more than she’d had before. She pursed her lips and he knew she was questioning whether what he’d just told her was the truth. What he knew of her said she was a realist. He was sure that even entertaining the thought of believing his fantastic tale was causing her a great deal of angst. She’d accused him of being an escaped mental patient and he watched as she wondered if it was him or her that needed that therapy. He knew she could not deny the pull she felt and she had already stated she’d never experienced anything like they had just shared. She’d witnessed his super healing first hand which should help her believe everything else he’d told her.
Rayne watched as patiently as he could but the silence was killing him. He had fought life and death battles and they hadn’t been as stressful as explaining everything to Kyndel. This was his future, his destiny; everything was riding on this moment. “I know this is a lot for you to take in. I told you I’d never betray your trust, always be honest with you and answer all your questions and I always will. I only ask a little more indulgence on your part, there is a very pressing issue we must address right away.
“The noises, I’m sure you heard last evening as you passed the park,” he saw recognition flash in her emerald eyes and more than a little vindication, “were caused from a fight between a pack of hunters and myself. They saw me drop from the sky and chose that time to attack. I had to take care of them to protect you, my clan and myself. There are others from their pack that have followed their comrades and are closing in on our location.
“I have the house warded to keep us from their sight but these bastards are very persistent. Men from my Force assure me they are searching quite diligently to find the one who took out the others from their pack. We will be able to fight them off and return to our clan but I cannot and will not leave you behind. They’ll know you are my mate as soon as they are near you. They will kill you without remorse to draw me out and to keep us from completing our bond thus ensuring our offspring never exist.” For the first time he saw real fear in her eyes. It was immediately replaced with the strength he had already witnessed. Kyndel was an incredibly tough lady. She was a warrior in her own right, just another confirmation that she was his perfect match in every way.
“I don’t want
to scare you, my beloved, but I did promise to tell you the truth and I must also ask you to trust me to keep you safe. We need to get dressed and meet my brethren. We’ll all return to the clan and make plans to take care of the other hunters in the area.”
She just sat there staring at him, again more emotions than he could decipher making their way across her incredibly expressive face. He’d done the best he could to read her but now he had to depend on her to tell him what she was thinking. Her breathing was slow and deep. He was thankful she was calm, not freaking out, but she wasn’t speaking and that was making him crazy. He’d never longed to hear anything as much as he longed to hear her voice.
Kyndel took a measured breath, “So the dragon tattoo on your back, is he your dragon?”
“Yes and no. The tattoo across my back is the physical representation of the dragon within.” Once again she’d completely taken him off guard. Out of all he’d just told her that was the first question she had for him? His mate was an incredible riddle he would enjoy spending the rest of his life solving. A challenge he couldn’t wait to begin as a mated couple.
“So I did hear noises in the park last night, it wasn’t my imagination?” He heard relief in her question and he sought to give her the confirmation she looked for.
“No, it wasn’t your imagination.”
“These hunters want to kill you and your kind?” This time she sounded almost fierce, like she thought to protect him. He couldn’t have been prouder.
Rayne nodded, “Yes, sweetheart, they do and now you too. You are mine now and after our mating ceremony you’ll also be our kind. They’ll use whatever means necessary to take you from me and I will NOT let that happen.”
“And you and your brethren, I think you called them, you think you can keep us all safe?” He wasn’t sure but it seemed like she was messing with him just a bit.
“Yes, I know we can.”
Again he watched her strength and determination wash away any other doubts she might have had. “Then I guess we better get dressed and get a move on. But you have to promise to answer the rest of my questions when we’re safe.” She paused for just a second, “I’m not so sure I believe all this talk of mates and destiny but if those hunters hurt you that badly, I don’t want to run into them.” She stood wrapping the afghan around her and knotting it in the front, “Don’t you dare think for one moment that self preservation is going to keep me from getting answers to all my questions. I’m going with you but that doesn’t mean I buy everything you just said and I have about a hundred more questions.”
She turned to leave the room and looked back at him over her shoulder, “And no planning any mating ceremonies just yet, bub.” And with that she moved towards the hallway swaying her hips and tempting him until he had to close his eyes to regain his control.
“Yes, mo chroi, I’ll answer any and all of your questions as soon as I know you’re safe and the hunters are no longer a threat,” he called after her, chuckling at her unbreakable will.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She had absolutely no idea why she believed a word out of Rayne’s mouth or why, for that matter, she trusted him at all but the little voice in her head that never steered her wrong said he was telling the truth. At least he confirmed she had heard something in that blasted park last night. She knew with all certainty that he would give his life to protect hers, not that she would let him do that but that did not negate what she felt. He may be some big bad Commander of the Dragon Guard but she was Kyndel Masterson and the Mastersons were a tough bunch through and through even though she was all that was left. Her people knew how to fight when it was necessary and they won, especially when someone they cared about was in danger.
She stopped dead in her tracks. Did she care about him? There was no denying they had shared something extraordinary. Something she had never experienced before. Somehow in the last twelve hours he had wormed his way into her heart. She would just have to help him get rid of those crazy hunter guys and then figure out the rest. What would granny say if she could see her now? She would tell her to get off her butt and get rid of the trouble and that was exactly what she planned to do.
CHAPTER SIX
She knew in retrospect she really should have asked more questions. Hell, maybe she should have gotten off the crazy train and headed back to her old life but for some ungodly reason that was just not a choice she was willing to make. Kyndel was blaming her lack of questions, coupled with the fact that she had basically blindly followed a man she had met less than twenty-four hours ago, on the endorphins created by a whole bunch of the best orgasms she had ever had in her life. An incredible amount of serotonin was the only plausible explanation she could come up with. Kyndel Masterson was not a woman that followed anyone on blind faith. That kind of shit got a person betrayed, hurt or worse -dead! She had learned all about that earlier in her life and she had promised herself never to do it again. With the exception of Grace, she never let anyone get close to her without the third, fourth and fifth degree. She always spent many hours deciding if someone was worth her time and after they had passed all of her tests, only then did she let them into her world. Even then they just got to put their foot in the door. It took years for Kyndel to trust and here she was leaving her home with a man that professed to be a dragon shifter, who the hell does that shit? And if that wasn’t enough, he looked her right in the eye and told her they were mates. Mates? He’d actually said that they were destined to be together.
Destiny, really? Who believes in that crap anymore? Was it destiny that made her trust those dicks and supposed friends at her first ever frat party? They’d put something in her beer that night, she knew they had even though she was never able to prove it. She had been drinking beer with Granny and the boys since she was twelve years old. She could hold her alcohol better than most men twice her size but not that night. She hadn’t even gotten all the way through her first red solo cup when her world had gone fuzzy. She’d had to use the wall to hold herself up. The next thing she knew it was morning, she was waking up in a lawn chair in the front yard of the frat house and pictures of her in her underwear were posted on the fraternity/sorority social page.
Kyndel had handled it like she handled everything her whole life. She picked herself up by her boot straps, held her head high and acted like nothing had ever happened. Well, maybe she reacted a little when that asshole, Chip Lowery, walked right up to her in the cafeteria and asked in the loudest voice possible if he could get a private viewing without her lingerie collection. In retrospect, she supposed ramming her foot into his crotch as hard as she could was at least a little reaction and it probably didn’t help that she had her Doc Marten combat boots on that day. She had heard he spent the next couple of weeks in bed with ice packs. But hey! No one mentioned it again and with the help of Corey, a Computer Science major, the pictures disappeared off that damn website and were never seen again. So what if she had to endure a month of Corey following her around like a puppy, eventually she introduced him to her friend Abbey and they lived happily ever after, at least the last time she talked to them it was complete wedded bliss.
For whatever reason she felt safe with Rayne, like he would never do anything to hurt her. ‘Catty Kyndel’ kept assuring her that everything he was saying was the truth, no matter how farfetched it sounded. She could not shake the feeling of complete confidence that he would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. She had tried everything she knew to doubt him and all the feelings he stirred in her. That little box, hidden deep inside, where all her fears and anger were locked up tight had been opened wide. She thought those feelings would drive the out of control emotions Rayne stirred in her from her system but just when those scary feelings would begin to surface, a wave of comfort and security would roll across her. It was like Rayne knew she needed comfort and was giving it to her.
She watched him closely. He gave no indication that he was even paying attention to her while he was getting dressed in the clothes they
had scrounged from the bag at the bottom of the office/craft room closet. She thought they had been left by the last douche bag she’d let sleep over. The pants were a little short and the shirt was stretched to its limit over that awesome chest of his but the boots fit, sort of.
Rayne had questioned her, well, more like interrogated her, at length about this other male, as he called him. He seemed pacified when she couldn’t even remember the guy’s name but still insisted they were burning the ‘offending’ garments as soon as he had his own clothes. She couldn’t stop the giggle that snuck out. He’d rushed her with a fierce look on his face, lifted her until she had no alternative but to wrap her legs around his waist then proceeded to plunder her mouth, leaving her breathless and more than a little disoriented. While she was still coming back to earth, he set her back on her feet, steadied her and rubbed her shoulders then proceeded to help her finish getting dressed. She couldn’t mistake the heat in his eyes. The promise of more of those mind numbing orgasms made her a little light-headed and dammit, she just didn’t have it in her to feel bad about her anticipation.
Now they were walking down the sidewalk, headed to meet his friends and she realized she didn’t even know his last name. She truly had lost all her marbles, there was no other explanation. “What’s your last name?” She blurted out before something else unforeseen happened.
Rayne stopped walking and looked down at her. “MacLendon, evgren. Why? Wondering how it will sound as your last name?” He gave her his panty wetting grin and winked.
“WHAT? NO!” she sputtered and stammered, “I just wondered. I have, after all, trusted you with my wellbeing and have so far bought into all your tall tales, at least for the time being. I thought I should know your last name.”
She could have kicked him in the shin as he stifled a laugh at her outrage. “You’re absolutely right, mo ghra’. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Our meeting has been a bit unconventional, to say the least. As soon as the threat of the hunters is taken care of and we are safe with the clan, we’ll have all the time we need to learn about each other.’ He once again turned that damn smile on her, “I want to know everything about you and want to share everything that I am with you.”