by Julia Mills
Making his way into Simon’s room, he listened to the ongoing conversation, surprised at how soft spoken the six-foot-seven, musclebound, three-hundred-and fifty-pound man with salt and pepper hair and hands that even in human form resembled paws was. “They just left the plans up on all the monitors when we were in lab. One of the technicians in the lab even made a joke when Riley, he’s the bear and has a PhD in quantum physics, was looking at the screen. The jerk literally said ‘do you read, boy?’” The big man snorted sarcastically before adding, “He asked in a voice like he was talking to a small child. I thought the bear was going to lop the scrawny scientist’s head off.”
“You guys deserve medals for all you’ve been through,” Brann commented while he typed on his laptop.
A sad look came over the gorilla’s face as he murmured, “I just want them to pay for all our brothers and sisters who didn’t make it out alive.
Silence filled the room. Maddox could feel everyone contemplating all the lives lost at the hands of the O’Baoill family, but it was Declan’s words that rang true, “Eve will pay with blood.”
Simon nodded then quickly changed the subject, “Here,” he reached for Brann’s computer. “It’ll be quicker if I just draw the schematics I can remember then we can match them to the units you’re taking out of us.” He immediately began typing while adding, “We all have different implants depending on our genetic makeup and what they ultimately wanted to force us to do.”
A noise in the hall had Maddox spinning around just as a tall burly man with a full beard and knowing brown eyes entered the room. He had an air of ‘don’t fuck with me’ all around him but his sideways grin eased the tension and when he spoke, it reminded the mad dragon of a country singer he’d met in his younger days.
“Hey, y’all. I’m Will. This here’s my brother, Jake.” He pointed to a smaller, almost carbon copy of himself sans the beard.
Jake had a well-trimmed goatee and smiled with his whole face. Stepping around his older brother, he held out his hand to Maddox and in a low, sincerity-filled voice said, “Thank you very much for everything. Oh, and in case you couldn’t tell,” his easy chuckle filled the room, “we’re wolves.” Then to Simon he said, “Riley’s in surgery.” The young wolf pointed to the back of his neck. “You’re next and then it’s our turn.” Jake motioned to his brother and himself before putting his hand back out.
Shaking with the younger lupine, Maddox grinned, “Maddox here and the three chuckleheads over there bothering Simon are Brannoc, Lennox, and Declan.” Brann and Lenn looked away from the laptop screen long enough to smile and wave while Dec simply threw up his hand and grunted. The mad dragon went on, “Anything for our brothers in arms. And I must say I like this shape,” he pointed his finger at Jake’s face and laughed. “To the scary wolf man look.”
“Me too. That half transformed super wolf shit is for the birds,” Will answered for the both of them over the mad dragon’s shoulder. Then to the others, “Whatcha ya’ll lookin’ at?”
“Simon’s recreating what he can remember of the plans for the Messenger,” Brann answered, scooting to the side to make room for the wolf.
“When you’re done, Jake and I can have a go at it,” Will mumbled as he watched the gorilla click keys.
“Will’s in the geospatial field and I’m a data modeler,” Jake interjected as he squeezed in between Dec and Lenn, his southern twang making Maddox smile.
Watching five huge men crowd around an even larger man who was lying in a hospital bed with a computer on his lap was more than the mad dragon could take.
When did I get so old?
“Oh, about a hundred years ago if I remember correctly,” Kayne teased.
“I really wish you’d stay the hell outta my head,” Maddox grumbled.
“And I really wish you’d shield your thoughts better,” the demi god chuckled. “Up for a drink. Max and I are hiding out back and there’s a cold beer with your name on it.”
“Sounds good. Be there in five.”
His goodbyes were met with mumbled ‘See ya laters’ and ‘nice to meet ya’s’ without much eye contact. Chuckling at how engrossed they all were in something he knew nothing about, the mad dragon headed out the door and down the hall, his mouth already watering at just the thought of a nice cold beer. Turning the corner, he stopped short when Calysta exclaimed, “Son of a…Maddy come quick. The Council’s at the front gate and I’m covered in blood.”
Chapter Thirteen
Calysta hadn’t thought it was possible to love Maddox any more than she already did, but after watching him expertly handle not only the Earth Witch’s Council’s arrival but also Agatha’s air of condescension and bitchiness without growling or grumbling in the slightest, she literally had stars in her eyes. He was the perfect mate, even if she was the only one who knew about his soft underbelly. It made it all the more special; something he kept just for her.
She’d hurried through finishing up at the clinic, left instructions for everyone, grabbed Della and headed home, growing more anxious with every step about what she would find when she got there. The Council was not known for their tact or consideration for anyone who wasn’t a witch. They considered all other ‘special’ races to be subpar and at times, even tried to discount their magic.
Of course, they’d never met Maddox MacQueen. The Priestess chuckled as she imagined the look on Agatha and her lackey, Vareck’s, face when they tried to read Maddox’s mind and got a taste of his powerful dragon magic. It was going to be worth the hassle of having to deal with them just to see them put two and two together and realize that between her mating with Maddy and Kyra’s mating with Royce, their bid to overthrow the St. Kroix line had officially gone up in smoke.
“What are you smiling about?” Della asked as they hurried along.
“Just wishing I was a fly on the wall when Aggie gets a load of my dragon,” Calysta snickered.
Giggling as well, Della agreed, “I’ve been thinking that ever since you said you sent him to meet them. Maddox’s size alone will have Vareck and Odgar standing on their tip toes and puffing out their chests.”
Laughing out loud, Calysta wheezed, “Oh, Dell, I hadn’t thought about their Napoleonic complexes.” Grabbing her sister’s hand, the Priestess started to jog. “We have to hurry. I don’t want to miss this.”
Running across the large patio stones she and Della had placed throughout the garden, Calysta quietly hurried into the house, turned and placed her index finger to her lips to let her sister know they were trying to be sneaky, and crept through the dining room towards the living room. Standing just around the corner, she heard Agatha ask, “And what is your position within your clan?” in a haughty, dismissive tone.
It was hard not to laugh out loud at the thoughts rolling around Maddox’s mind, but she had to give him credit for answering without missing a beat and with his usual air of confidence. “I am considered an Elder among my kin, not part of the governing body by my own choice, but I do have a say in the decision making. I also oversee all aspects of the training of our young Guardsmen.”
He’d said it just as Calysta had asked him to when they’d been preparing for this visit. It wasn’t that she answered to anyone. She was, after all, their Grande Priestess. They answered to her but…they all possessed the ability to make Calysta’s life extremely difficult if they chose to and for the most part, creating grief for her was always Agatha’s go-to choice.
“I see.” Agatha was gearing up for something. Calysta wasn’t sure what but she was certain it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Time to save the day, sister of mine,” she whispered to Della.
“Okay, but you forgot your cape, Superwitch,” her younger sister giggled.
“But I betcha I can find my broom in a pinch,” Calysta snickered before rounding the corner and walking in as if she’d just arrived.
“Hello, all,” Calysta chirped, giving her mate a quick wink. “Sorry to have kept you waiting.” S
he looked around the room at the four women and two men, all sporting scowls and looking down their noses at her disheveled appearance, and decided to remind them right up front who she was and that they were in her home. Furrowing her brow and feigning surprise, she asked, “Solomon hasn’t arrived yet?”
Her question was met with gasps, followed by looks of surprise and then a few of fear at the mention of the oldest and wisest among them. Solomon MacAnBaird led the Witch Army against both the Catholics and the Protestants between 1580 to 1630, also known as the Darkest Days. He tirelessly continued to rescue witches and those accused of witchcraft for many years until he was able to reach an accord with royalty. Together with the greatest leaders of the day, Solomon was instrumental in writing and helping pass the Witchcraft Act of 1735 that put an end to the needless hunting and torturing of witches all over the world.
Solomon was a great witch, admired by the Earth Witch and Wiccan Community as a whole, and feared by those who dared to persecute witches, be they human, special, or even another witch. But most important of all, he was Calysta’s godfather, her mentor, and had raised both she and Della after their parents were killed in an unexplained accident, leaving her in the seat of power at a very young age.
“Ssssolomon is ccccoming?” Agatha stuttered.
Score one for the home team.
“Yes,” Calysta happily answered and then, “Oh poo, did I forget to tell you when we last spoke? I do apologize. It’s just been so busy around here.” The Priestess shook her head and swatted the air. “It must’ve slipped my mind. Solomon will be officiating our vows.”
She grinned, wrinkled her nose, and gave a peppy shrug of her shoulders as Maddox said, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Trying hard not to chuckle or give any indication she and her mate were speaking, Calysta acted worried and asked, “There’s no problem with that, is there? He is, after all, ordained and more than qualified and,” she leveled her gaze and added just a bit of steel to her voice, “the man who raised me.”
Agatha immediately began to shake her head then squeaked out a barely audible, “No problem at all.”
Clapping her hands together and plastering on a sickeningly sweet smile, Calysta cheered, “Great. Now that that’s all settled. How about I show you to the guest house where you can freshen up and get ready for dinner. Maddox insisted on having it catered. Isn’t he a dear?” She looked at him and winked. “It will be ready promptly at nine, which gives us all a little under an hour to get presentable.” She chuckled for good measure while motioning towards the sliding glass doors at the back of the room.
Begrudgingly, her ‘guests’ rose from their seats, picked up their bags, and followed her out the door, through the well-lit garden, and into the small carriage house Maddox and the O’Reilly boys had remodeled just for this occasion. She, Della, and Kyra had spent a week decorating to be the perfect little country cottage. Calysta had no doubt Agatha and the others would hate it. They much preferred haughty French provincial. It warmed the Priestess’ heart to know they would hate everything from the wreath on the door to the sheets they had to sleep on.
Opening the door, she stood to the side and smiled, “Welcome to your home away from home. Make yourselves comfortable. See you at nine.” Closing the door before anyone could say anything, Calysta raced back across to the main house, through the sliding glass doors, up the stairs, and into Maddox’s arms, laughing like a schoolgirl.
Holding her tight, her dragon grinned and snickered, “I’m assuming all went well.”
Kissing him soundly, Calysta pulled back and laughed out loud. “Depends on who you are.” She slipped out of his arms and headed for the shower. “From my perspective, it went perfectly.”
The rest of the evening went just as well. The caterers arrived right on time. Solomon got there as they were sitting down to eat and Agatha looked as if her head might explode for the entire evening.
The crowning jewel of the event was when the old bitty herself tried to throw Calysta a curveball. “We saw the aftermath of a battle as we flew over. I hope it didn’t ruin the location of your ceremony. From the pictures you sent, it looked as if your ‘little prayer garden’ had been destroyed.”
The Priestess quickly placed her hand over her mate’s and gave him a quick squeeze as she felt his need to jump across the table and throttle her oldest nemesis. “I’ve got this, Maddy,” she assured before answering Agatha out loud. “Oh, Aggie dear, are your eyes giving you fits again? Poor dear.” She gave a little pout. “The one you saw on your way in was just one of many gardens here at the lair.” Calysta looked at Maddox, who she could feel was barely controlling his temper and smiled. “We have chosen the one by the lake with the most magnificent view.”
She wanted to laugh out loud at Agatha’s uncontained shudder. It was a well-known fact that while Calysta had control over all the elements, Agatha had only ever mastered fire, and because of that avoided all natural bodies of water like the plague. The Priestess hadn’t purposely picked the Garden of Serenity because of her old foe’s aversion to water. It had been the place of her dragon ceremony and she only thought it right that they perform the witch one there as well. The fact that it made Aggie extremely uncomfortable had simply been a happy coincidence…a very much enjoyed happy accident.
“That sounds lovely, Calysta,” Solomon’s baritone voice resonated through the room. Without even trying, he oozed power when he spoke. “I cannot wait for nightfall tomorrow.”
The grandfather clock in the living room began to chime as Calysta’s mentor stood, “And as it is almost midnight, I must say thank you for a wonderful evening and retire for my evening meditation.”
Maddox was immediately on his feet. He pulled out Calysta’s chair and stood by her side as she hugged Solomon good night then carried her godfather’s bags to his room. Turning back to her guests, the Priestess wasn’t surprised to see them all standing and making their way towards the living room. She was, however, caught off guard when Bedelia, one of the youngest on the Council, stayed behind.
The short, round, rosy-cheeked witch smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around Calysta as she congratulated her in her high-pitched squeaky voice. “Oh, Priestess, I am so happy for you. May the Goddess bless you and your mate with good fortune, long life, and endless love.”
“Come, Bedelia,” Agatha ordered from the other room, but the little witch held on for a minute longer, adding, “You need to know how much we all love and support you,” before scampering off.
“Thank you, Bedelia,” Calysta called after the younger witch.
From over her shoulder, Della mused, “Well, now, wasn’t that interesting.”
Turning to face her sister, Calysta nodded. “It certainly was.” Taking a deep breath, she shrugged. “But we have lots to get done and only a few hours to do it. Is the car loaded and the girls on the way to meet us?”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Della giggled as Maddox walked into the room.
“Need any help?” he asked with a sly grin on his face.
Waggling her finger at him, Calysta teased, “Tut, tut, Mr. MacQueen, you’ve had your fun. You planned the first ceremony. Now, it’s mine turn.” Raising up on her tiptoes, she gave him a quick kiss and said, “Behave yourself. We’ll be back before sunrise. Leftovers are in the fridge.”
“I love you,” he called as she grabbed her bag.
“And I adore you, mo Dragon mheabhair,” she answered as she shut the door.
Kyra, Olive, Audrey, Alicia, and Claire were waiting when Calysta and Della pulled up with a car full of decorations and two bottles of wine. The Priestess got out of the car, held up the wine, and said, “The sooner we get done, the sooner we get to drink.”
Kyra jogged towards her, grinning from ear to ear and with a fist pump in the air, exclaimed, “Let’s do it. After a day like today, I need a drink or three.”
“Hell, yeah,” the other four ladies cheered and began unloading the car.
It took just a little over four hours for the six of them to transform the Garden of Serenity into the perfect venue for the ceremony where she would pledge her everlasting and undying love for her dragon in the way of her people. She couldn’t wait to see the entire meadow alight with the two-hundred-and fifty white candles she and the girls had carefully positioned and decorated with every blue flower they could beg or borrow from a fifty-mile radius.
The Prussian blue and white ribbons gently draped in, on, and all about the natural shrubbery were magnificent, as were the two huge white urns overflowing with lilies that stood on either side of the tall white archway positioned in front of the fountain where she and Maddox would recite their vows. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the spectacular princess cut aquamarine and diamond ring her dragon had slipped on her finger right after they’d been blessed with their markings from the Universe. She touched her pocket to make sure the Celtic knot wedding bands she had made from platinum and adorned with diamonds were still there. It would be one of the proudest moments of her life to put her ring on Maddox’s finger for all the world to see.
They finished the wine in record time and after looking at their handy work one more time, piled in the car. Once the girls were all safely dropped at their homes, Calysta and Della drove home, dragged themselves to bed, and slept until noon, only awakened by their alarms ringing and a knock at the door.
Throwing on her robe, she noted the absence of her mate but scurried down the stairs to end the persistent knocking threatening to make her head explode. Growling, “Would you please stop that infernal knocking?” while throwing open the door, she quickly apologized as Niall grinned and gave her a finger wave.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No. Yes. Well, the alarm was going off but I was ignoring it,” she gave her best tired chuckle and moved out of the way. “Sorry about that. We were out late decorating. Come on in. I hear Dell starting the coffee.”