by Alice Brown
Blain sighed heavily as he heard a commotion downstairs. “Dammit, what now?” He looked over to Natasha. “Something is going on downstairs and I need to go find out what. Do you want to stay here, or are you feeling well enough to...” he let the sentence hang in mid-air.
“I’ll go with you. If more of Boragello’s men have showed up, you might need the help.” She stood and walked over to his side. Glancing backwards, she stated to Jade, “Don’t go anywhere, I have a list of questions I want to ask you after things get settled down.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jade replied with conviction.
By the time the couple had reached the bottom of the stairs, they knew exactly what was going on. When Blain had sounded the alarm earlier, it notified the Council that help was needed. Now, because of that alarm going off, he was dealing with an egotistical vampire, a rather bitchy witch, and a shape shifter. Out of the three, Nicolas, a mountain lion shape shifter, was the only one who was even a little tolerable.
And when the witch caught Natasha by the arm ten minutes later stating the entire incident was all her fault, and that trouble followed her everywhere, and that she should be put out of existence just because of all the trouble she caused, Blain lost it. Before he knew what had happened, he had changed over into his dragon form and was singeing the old witch’s hair. She quickly let go of Natasha when she felt fire being breathed on her.
“Blain Barrymire, what in the hell do you think you are doing?”
Still in dragon form, Sapphamire answered her, none to happily. “Natasha is our mate. You will never touch her or condemn her ever again, or you will live to regret it!”
For some reason, this had the vampire laughing. “I heard about the prince dragon twins finding their mate. I wondered how much truth there was to the rumors that had gotten back to me that you are a possessive lot.” Then, glancing over to Hazellette the witch, he stated, “You’d do best not to even look at her until that dragon has calmed down, because I seriously don’t think the three of us would stand a chance against an irate dragon who is protecting his mate.”
Hazellette narrowed her eyes at the vampire. “Laugh now, but when she is the cause of untold ruin and devastation, don’t come begging me to help.”
“Duly noted, Hazellette, now let’s get the dead bodies taken care of and then go downstairs for a bit of interrogation.” The vampire locked his fingers together and then turned them backwards, popping joints as he went. “God, I love my job,” he stated with a grin.
It took the next five and half hours for the three Council members to get everything cleaned up, move the bodies and stage the scene of another crime, and interrogate the prisoners. Blain was happy to see them finally take the prisoners and go back to headquarters. By this time, it was mid-morning, but all he wanted to do is find Natasha and go crawl back into bed for the day.
Shortly before lunch, his private cell phone rang. “Hello,” he stated, knowing it had to be someone from Dragonose, and wondering why they would be calling.
“Hey, cuz, Thoran here. I am afraid I need you to come home for a while. Aiden and Adrian are on an extended honeymoon with their mate, and we are running short of fighters. Our Intel folks are telling us we could be on the receiving end of a Raptorian strike very soon. We need you and Sapphamire to come home.”
His king may have made it sound like he was asking, but Blain wasn’t fooled for a minute. “I have found my mate. Do I have permission to bring her?” If the answer were no, Blain would have to think long and hard about leaving Natasha there while he returned to Dragonose. He wanted her by his side.
“Congratulations! Of course, you can bring her! I look forward to meeting the woman who will no doubt have you wrapped around her thumb in little time.”
The king hung up the phone chuckling at his own statement. He hadn’t asked Blain when he would be arriving. It was an unspoken order for him to return home as soon as possible. So much for catching a nap with Natasha, Blain thought grumpily. Meanwhile, his dragon was jumping up and down, excited to be going home where he could run free, fly freely, without worry of someone spotting them.
'We’re going home, yes, and Tashe is coming with us!' Sapphamire sang as he jumped around for joy.
As Blain remembered that Sapphamire had gifted Natasha with the gift of a dragon of her own, going home did sound like a good plan. At least Sapphamire could teach her new dragon the ropes. Yes, after thinking things through for a moment, it was a very good idea to go home.
Blain climbed the stairs to go find his mate. Then to pack and leave for home.
Chapter Eight
Natasha hurried through her phone call as she rushed around, throwing some clothes near the suitcase.
“I don’t know exactly how long I will be gone. Yes, do you want me to leave word with the guards that if you show up they are to protect you? All I would need to do is tell Blain. He would order everyone here to guard you until we return. Okay, don’t get upset, I won’t breathe a word, yet. But you know you can’t stay there much longer. Yes, I know you are scared. How about if I come get you after we get back? I’ll bring Blain with me. Nothing is going to get through the two of us. You would be safe, I promise. Okay, stay safe until I return. Bye.”
Blain listened to his mate talking on the phone while she went through the bedroom like a tornado, grabbing clothes and other items willy-nilly. Everything was being thrown on the bed, and by the growing heap, he wondered just how much luggage she thought he could take. He had forgotten to tell her he would have to go through the portal in his dragon form. He was still standing in the doorway when she hung up the phone.
“Hey, anything important?” he inquired as he nodded to her phone, which had also been thrown on the bed.
Natasha looked at him and bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she had made a promise also. “Can I tell you later, Blain? Honestly, I promised her not to say anything just yet, so I really don’t want to break that promise. And even if I could, it would take more time than we have available.”
He walked over to her beside the bed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her up tightly against him. “Just don’t wait until it is too late, baby. From what I heard, you have a friend in trouble. You know I will help, all you have to do is tell me.”
“I know, and thank you, Blain, for not pushing. I promise, just as soon as we return from our trip, I’ll tell you everything.”
“Why are we leaving so suddenly?” Natasha asked Blain as they prepared to enter the portal.
“The king needs more fighters to defend Dragonose against an attack he thinks is imminent,” Blain explained.
“Attack? Who is attacking? Why?”
“Dragonose and Raptor have been bitter enemies for a long, long time. The Raptorians are also shape shifters. In their shifted form, they resemble a T-Rex, but are shorter, have longer snouts, and vicious, razor-sharp teeth. Most stand approximately nine to twelve feet tall in their shifted form, and hold the belief they should rule the world. All the worlds.
“We have had many skirmishes with them, and are aware that many more will come. So far, the Raptorians have not discovered the portals to Earth held in tight secret on Dragonose. We Dragons protect the portals on both ends from being discovered and exploited,” said Blain. “The last thing we want is for the Raptorians to discover a portal that will allow them to reach Earth. Today’s human race would not have a ghost of a chance against an army of Raptorians. We don’t even let the rest of the Others know about the portals. It’s a secret tightly held to keep Earth safe from invasion.”
The trip through the portal was unlike anything Natasha had ever experienced before. She thought she had seen most there was to see in her young life already, but the portal trip had been fascinating. Blain changed over to his dragon form, allowing Sapphamire to get them safely home. Once one stepped into the magic passageway, the wind would pick you up and carry you away. Natasha had hung on for dear life to Sapphamire’s ne
ck, scared the wind would rip her body away from him.
After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only about twenty seconds, they landed with a thud. She slid down Sapphamire’s body and collapsed on the ground, her jelly legs unable to hold her up. Sapphamire bent his large head down to check on her, and the next second Blain was kneeling in front of her, a concerned look on his face.
“Are you okay? I know that trip is a bit much the first few times.” It was then Natasha looked around and realized their landing had drawn attention. People and dragons alike were starting to gather around them.
“Um, Blain, are we safe?” she asked as she glanced around.
“Sure we are. When you can get your legs back under you, I’ll introduce everyone.”
He quickly stood and redressed, in the midst of friends stopping to welcome him back home. One very close friend came up and slapped his long-time-no-see buddy on the back. “Well, it’s about time you decided to come back home!” Then, the man glanced down and seemed to have just noticed Natasha as she stood and brushed herself off. “And who is this little bundle of beauty?”
“Back off, Dominic. She is mine!” The growl coming from deep in his chest, as he issued his warning that would have sent most men scrambling. But not Dominic.
“Well, hello, lassie.” He bowed formally and elegantly as he turned to address Natasha. “And where in the world did you pick up this rogue?” he asked in a teasing voice.
“Who, Blain? He’s my mate,” she answered truthfully.
Dominic turned toward his friend. “Are there more like her on Earth? Maybe I will come with you this time when you leave and see if I can secure a mate.”
Blain shook his head and chuckled. “You’ve been threatening to come to Earth for several years now. I think you really don’t want a mate.”
Dominic growled in reply, and Natasha couldn’t help but smile at the two of them bantering with each other. Suddenly, she felt something tug at her pants leg.
Looking down, she saw a rather small person, only standing about three feet high, but with keen intelligence and mischief in his eyes. His pointed ears gave his elven heritage away. Blain glanced over to her at the same time and noticed the little man also. Quickly looking back at Dominic, he questioned him. “Since when does King Thoran allow elves on this land?”
Before Dominic could reply, the elf stated, “Hi, Blain Barrymire, I’m Adorellan. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Blain started to extend his hand to give the elf a handshake, but Dominic stepped in, snatched Adorellan up by the back of his shirt, and shook him.
“No one wants you here, little man. You are not even supposed to be here. Now go on and stop bothering our guests.”
An anger like no other she had ever felt before hit Natasha at how Blain’s friend was manhandling this little man. How dare he! Just because the man was an elf and therefore short, didn’t give anyone a reason to mistreat him. Before she even realized what she was doing, she reached over and placed her hand on Dominic’s arm. When she did, she immediately started smelling burnt flesh. She quickly looked down in amazement to see her hand burning Dominic’s arm. About that time, his pain receptors kicked in, alerting his brain that his arm was in pain. She quickly yanked her hand back, and at the same time he dropped the little man and yanked his arm back also, but the damage was done.
“Blood hell, woman! What in the hell do you think you are doing?” He cradled his injured arm up to his chest, looking over to Blain for answers. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing your own weapon!” he yelled.
“You didn’t ask. Surely she didn’t cause that much pain, did she? She is only a female, after all,” Blain smirked at his friend.
“What the hell? Do you sleep with one eye open every night?” His friend pressed as he started lowering his arm. He had dragon blood in him, so even with the burn it would heal quickly.
“Nope, I try like hell never to make her mad,” Blain replied as he watched his mate stand feet spread apart and hands on her hips. He also spotted the elf hiding behind her. Suddenly, Sapphamire decided to join in. 'Hehehe,' the dragon chortled. 'Yeah, her powers are starting to wake up! She is going to be gorgeous once Naquadus fully develops.'
'Naquadus?' Blain questioned.
Sapphamire sighed deeply and shook his head, even though Blain’s mind’s eye was the only one who could see it. 'Her dragon, idiot man. Naquadus is her dragon’s name. It is the joining of her name Natasha, and her dragon’s color of aqua. Na-quad-us.'
There were times Blain wanted to kick Sapphamire’s ass for being such a smart mouth. I’d better try to calm Natasha down before she gets us kicked out of here before we even get settled! he thought.
Before he could open his mouth to try to calm the situation, the one man he didn’t want to see right at that moment walked up. As he approached, there was little guessing exactly who he was. Tall and proud, he walked up to the growing crowd with authority. Stopping at Blain’s side, he extended his hand. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. Do we have a problem that needs to be addressed here?”
Blain turned and bowed before his king. “King Thoran, may I present my mate, Natasha Clayton.”
Blain watched as Natasha’s mouth dropped open and then she began to wring her hands together, a sure sign she was stressed out. “Kkkking Thhhoran,” she stuttered. “Itttt is ssuch an honor.”
King Thoran threw back his head and laughed heartedly. “Oh, my girl, the pleasure is all mine. I love seeing this one settled down. Didn’t think it would ever happen. Now, are you the same Natasha Clayton that I have heard about? Is your mother part pixie and part demon, and your father an angel?”
Upon hearing the mixture of her heritage, several people gasped out loud. Great, just great! He announces to the entire kingdom what I am so they can all be scared of the big bad girl that must have untold abilities and powers…right!
“I have no powers, sir,” Natasha responded to his question. Would this group be just like the Council and want her locked up? The king penetrated her with a look, capturing her eyes, forcing her to look into his piercing blue orbs and lock there.
“You just think you have no powers, my child. They are there, and will be coming out very quickly. Prepare yourself, so you’re not taken by surprise, and remember to always use your powers for the good. You were born to do great things, little one. Have faith in yourself.”
He then released her from his stare and turned his attention to Dominic. “Let me see that arm,” he commanded. He held his hand directly over the burnt flesh for about twenty seconds. When he lowered his hand to his side, Dominic’s arm was completely healed, leaving only a slight pink tint to the skin.
“Thank you, My Lord,” Dominic stated in relief.
“Next time, think before you act. Adorellan is to be treated as a guest, not a prisoner.” He stopped and looked out over the crowd. “That goes for everyone. Do I make myself clear?” he bellowed. Gone in an instant was the carefree, seemingly easygoing man who had been standing in front of Natasha a moment ago. Now, he spoke with all of the confidence and power of an ancient leader.
“Yes, My Lord,” was the unison response.
Adorellan took that moment to peek out from behind Natasha. “I know you are back there, Adorellan. Come out here, please. I want a word with you.”
Adorellan slowly came out of his hiding place from behind Natasha. “You, little man, know you can’t go irritating a big dragon that is twenty times your size. Leave them alone, and they will leave you alone,” the king reasoned.
Natasha quickly stepped up behind Adorellan. “Excuse me, but he wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was simply introducing himself when this overgrown buffoon decided to snatch him up by the back of his shirt.” Her head cocked toward Dominic as she discussed this with the king. The king! Who would have thought I would be defending someone I just met, and arguing with a king!
King Thoran tried to lock Adorellan’s eyes with his, but the c
rafty little man began to look everywhere but at King Thoran’s face. He kept moving his head up and down, side to side, looking at everything possible except the king’s face. He knew his little fun would be over if the king managed to lock eyes with him.
“Enough! Look at me, Adorellan!” the king bellowed in exasperation that this little man was trying to give him the slip.
As soon as Adorellan looked at the king’s face, he had him. And twenty seconds later, the king had his answer. Glancing back up to Natasha, he quietly asked her, “Did you have anything in your pockets when you came here?” As soon as the question was out in the open, Adorellan moaned and dropped his head.
“Yes, I did. I have…” She reached into the side pocket of her jeans to show her favorite pocket knife. It had been the very first knife she had ever owned, and her father had given it to her as a present. It was gone! Oh, no! She quickly looked down to see if maybe it had fallen out of her pocket when she slid down Sapphamire’s back. Nothing. Meanwhile, the king stepped back and folded his arms over his massive chest, as he glared down at the elf.
After a moment, the king grew impatient. “Adorellan, don’t you have something that belongs to Ms. Clayton?”
Natasha’s head quickly swung upwards upon hearing the king’s words. She looked over to the elf. “Did you see my pocket knife?”
The little man was looking exceedingly guilty. “Yes, well, it was pretty and shiny, and I like shiny things.” He grudgingly walked over to her and, reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out a lady’s pretty hairpin, a shiny rock, and finally, Natasha’s pocket knife. “I’m sorry,” he grumbled as he handed the knife back over to her.
The king cleared his throat. “Please forgive our guest, Natasha. It seems he has a favorite pastime of pick-pocketing.” The king then turned his attention to Blain. “Adorellan is here because he became a bit too nosy for his own good and followed Colt in the portal.” The king stopped and shook his head. “It is a miracle the little man even made it here, but now I have to decide if he can be trusted with our secret. Unfortunately, all evidence points to the contrary.” The king cut his narrowed eyes down to Adorellan as he finished speaking, a frown marring his chiseled features.