by Milly Taiden
Her heart froze in her chest. Could it be possible? She sucked in a hard breath. She’d known Lexi all her life. She was her best friend. She’d never lie to her. If she said Tor was mated, then he was the liar.
She slipped clothes on and got the new car keys Tor had given her earlier, leaving as quietly as possible without waking him. She couldn’t go back for her glasses now. Luckily, she could still see, just not as clearly as she did with them on.
She was trying to think of why he’d tell her he had no woman or why he wasn’t mated, when a van came up her side, got in front of her and stopped, making her hit the brakes.
She recognized the men coming out of the van. “Is everything okay, Rusty?”
“It’s my wife, you have to come now. She won’t last ‘til tonight.”
She wanted badly to say no, but her empathy stopped her. Rusty’s pain and his worry for his wife were real. “Okay, I’ll follow you.”
He looked like he wanted to argue with her, but nodded. She proceeded to follow the black van down the road and straight to a main street. She texted Lexi she’d be there later. First she’d see about Rusty’s wife. The woman wouldn’t live long. If only she could help her go in peace, then it would be worth any pain she had to endure.
Half an hour later, her back burning like someone had struck her with a hot poker, she got out of her car at a deserted farm. The old farmhouse was caving in on itself. She could see the beauty it had once been and knew it had fallen to a slow death, like Rusty’s wife.
Rusty took her inside to a room on the first floor. The room was tidy and full of wild flowers in different vases. A very frail woman, her head covered in a silk scarf, lay in the center of the four poster bed.
Morgan’s back burned like someone was lighting a fire back there. She winced at the pain but rushed to the chair by the woman’s side and grasped her hand between hers. The woman opened her eyes. “Am I dead?”
Morgan shook her head. “No, Helena. You’re not dead. I’m here to offer you some comfort.”
Helena glanced past Morgan at Rusty. “Thank you.”
He cleared his throat. “I would give my life for yours if I could.”
Helena smiled. “That’s not necessary, darling. In time, we’ll be together again.”
“Tell me about your marriage,” Morgan asked Helena.
“I met Rusty when we were both little kids. For a long time, I had no idea he even knew I existed, until I turned sixteen.” She chuckled, her laughter turning into a bout of coughs.
“Sixteen is definitely the age where boys realize girls should get their attention.” Morgan grinned, patting Helena’s hand and rubbing circles over the protruding veins.
“We’ve been together since. I could never give him the children he wanted, but he didn’t care.” She met Morgan's gaze. “I had cervical cancer at only twenty and had to have a hysterectomy. He always said I was all the family he needed.” Her eyes watered. “Until the cancer returned. Now he’ll be all alone.”
Morgan could sense Rusty’s pain at her back along with the fear in Helena of leaving him alone.
“I am not letting you go anywhere, sweetheart. We still have many years to live.”
“Oh, Rusty,” Helena gasped. “I love you, but you can be so dense.”
Morgan ignored the fire blazing at her back, ignored the sweat gathering at her upper lip and focused on Helena. On her pain. She pulled at it, soothing where she could and almost massaging the balls of torture the poor woman was dealing with.
Helena gave a small sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Her previously labored breathing calmed. Morgan turned to Rusty, sadness clogging her throat. “You were right. She won’t last long. I’ll stay in the house until she’s passed.”
“Come, I’ll make us some coffee.” Rusty marched out of the room. She stood and walked after him, closing the door behind her.
In the living room, she stopped when she saw the front door open. The other man from the van, she didn’t get his name, was there.
“She’s here,” the tattooed man said.
“Adonis,” Rusty said. “I never told you it was okay to bring her.”
Adonis. Morgan eyed the big guy with the tattoos, piercings all over his head and face, and decided his name was clearly not well thought out.
“You wanted someone to cure, Helena!” Adonis hissed. He eyed Morgan with an evil glare. “All I had to promise the witch was this girl. You were already bringing her here. Two birds. One stone. Get it, old man?”
Morgan’s back finally eased up. She was glad because it seemed she was in some kind of trouble and she’d left her cell phone in the car in her rush to get to the dying Helena.
“She helped Helena rest. For the first time in months, she fell asleep without pain, Adonis!”
“It’s too late to change anything. Sylvana is already here.”
Morgan glanced at the entrance where a new person walked in. She was tall, slim and beautiful with raven long hair and eyes. Her gaze found Morgan and stayed there.
“So, you’re the one,” the woman said in a soft, flinty voice.
“The one?” Morgan widened her stance, realizing this woman was evil not just from her aura, but from what she saw. Something Morgan had never experienced in her life happened then. She saw the past. She saw Sylvana’s past. The images were so fast through her mind, they were almost in a blur. Until it got to her and Tor. Then it was like watching a movie on fast forward. She saw, heard and captured everything as if she’d been there herself.
“Tor’s new play thing.”
Morgan grinned. “No. I’m not his new play thing. He’s an amazing man, but I would never play with him or his emotions.”
Sylvana raised her hands and shoved everything, people and furniture, out of the surroundings, leaving a large open space where only she and Morgan stood. This was the witch. The witch the crown had been made for.
“You are his mate, little human.” Sylvana gave a perfect evil smile. “Yes. I see you are surprised. It’s the truth. You and Tor. But now that will never happen because I’m here to get rid of you. Tor will never know happiness. Ever.”
“You never said she was going to kill her!” Rusty yelled at Adonis.
“How the fuck was I supposed to know? And what does it matter anyway? If she can save Helena?”
TWENTY-FIVE
Morgan shook her head and stared at the witch. Morgan should be afraid. She knew that, but something told her not to worry. That it would all be fine. “She won’t help Helena, Rusty. I’m sorry. She’s only here to kill me.” She glanced at Adonis being held back by a pile of furniture. “And you, too. She knows Rusty’s death will be watching the love of his life die.”
“Very good, little empath,” Sylvana said. “Now tell me something else. Has he fucked you?”
Morgan raised her brows. “I don’t really think that’s any of your business.”
For the first time since she arrived, Sylvana showed her emotions. Fury lit her eyes into pools of red. “He is my business. He’s been mine and will never know another woman as long as he lives.”
She stared into Morgan’s eyes. She could feel Sylvana prodding inside her head. She was about to tell her to get out when her mind built walls. First in stone. Then in concrete. Then brick. Wood. Massive walls built in her mind to stop the witch from digging into her head.
“Build all the walls you want, little empath. I already know he fucked you.” Sylvana raised her hands again and a circle of fire surrounded them. Someone whispered in Morgan’s mind. She struggled to listen until she realized it was her Tor.
“Focus on the furniture and move it, Morgan.”
“Tor?”
“You can do this. Move it. Hit her or she will kill you before I get there.”
She wanted to ask how he was in her head or how he knew where to find her, but instead she focused on a big handmade dining room table that looked to weigh a few hundred pounds. It was on its side. The table trembled the long
er she stared at it.
“She’s going to kill all of us if we don’t get out of here,” Adonis said to Rusty.
“I’m not leaving this woman behind, not when she helped me. Besides, Helena is in bed, plugged into the painkillers!”
“Suit yourself,” Adonis yelled and tried to head up the stairs. She saw his intent. He was going to try and jump over the railing on to a sofa so he could reach one of the windows closest to him. He was suddenly pulled back down.
“You aren’t leaving us so fast,” Sylvana said to him. “Are you?”
Morgan shut off all the conversation and noise and called the table to fly. It moved so fast, zipping into the air flying at the witch, she almost missed it. The table hit Sylvana on the side, knocking her off her feet.
Sylvana glanced around, looking for the culprit. The earth started shaking. Loud screeching sounds came from the ceiling. Morgan knew that noise. She covered the top of her head and watched as the roof of the house was peeled back by a massive orange dragon.
A loud roar sounded and wings flapped as it shook the house, trying to bring it down.
Sylvana turned to face the large dragon, her hands raised, but Morgan's mind connected with him before he continued destroying the house.
“Stop, Tor. There's a dying woman here. If you destroy this house, you’ll kill her.”
He pulled back, still flying above them. Then a black dragon slammed into the orange one and Sylvana was back to facing Morgan.
“Let’s end this. It was already a piece of cake to get you away from Tor. Who do you think sent you those messages? It wasn’t your little friend.”
Morgan gasped. She’d gotten her to leave Tor, her protector, behind so she could come here and get to her alone. She felt so stupid. “Did you hurt Lexi? What did you do to them?”
Sylvana laughed. “I have no need for your friend or your pathetic mother. I only needed you to think she messaged you.”
“Why do you want to kill me?”
“If you die, Tor will never have a mate.”
She nodded. “But killing me will also kill him.”
Sylvana stopped to think for a moment but then shrugged. “I’ll miss him, but I’ll find someone else to torture.”
Morgan tried something new with her sudden mental power. She shoved at the witch with her mind. Sylvana flew back, breaking the front door down and landing outside. The fire she’d started at the center of the living room went out the moment she landed on her back.
Morgan rushed outside, hoping to keep her away from Helena and destroying the house.
Sylvana was already on her feet, hands raised and calling on her powers. Fuck.
“Call on the fire balls,” she heard Tor say in her mind. “Think of the fire balls and shoot them at her.”
She was running out of time. Sylvana had the ground shaking. Morgan thought back to the balls of fire she and Tor had discussed. His dragon controlled them with his mind. What if she could control some with her mind, too?
She visualized massive fireballs in orange and they materialized at the palm of her hand. She gasped, unsure what the fuck was going on but willing to go with it. She pointed at Sylvana, who was ready to kill everyone in that area when the fire balls shot out of her hands and hit the witch on either shoulder.
Sylvana was knocked out of her power call. She roared and sent lightning bolts toward Morgan. She didn’t have time to move, but the bolts never hit her. Her dragon mate was back. Tor landed in front of her, stopping the electrical charges from hitting her. He took the hit hard but continued to protect Morgan.
Sylvana screeched. “You can’t protect her forever!”
Tor’s dragon sent fire blades straight at Sylvana. She tried to wave them off, sent her own blazing balls, but they continued until they got their target. The blades slammed into her, lighting her on fire.
The dragon didn’t stop. He continued his attack on the witch. Even as she tried to run from him. Until there was only smoke and she was gone. Morgan couldn’t tell if she’d burned to death or had done a disappearing act.
She watched her dragon once again land. He shifted into his human body and ran to her. She jumped at him, uncaring of her size or weight. All she knew was that this was her man. That she wouldn’t have to give him up because he was her mate.
They kissed like they’d been given a second chance at life. In a way, they had. They could be together and not worry about her being mated to one of his brothers. She rubbed at his shoulders and frowned, pulling away from their kiss when she felt a scar that hadn’t been there before.
“Hang on a second,” she said. “Put me down.”
He did as she asked. She walked around him, seeing for the first time the mate mark on Tor. There it was, a massive dragon tattoo with her initial on its wing.
She realized then that the burning she’d been feeling at her back must have been her own mark making itself known. It would be interesting to see what hers looked like. Later, after they helped Helena see to her last breath with Rusty by her side.
Rusty ran out of the house with a robe for Tor. “Please,” he called to Morgan. “I know I don’t deserve your help after what happened, but I never wanted you to get hurt. I only wanted my Helena to have another chance at life.”
Morgan shook her head. “Don’t worry. I understand. I’m sorry you didn’t get your wish of her getting more time here with you.”
“It’s fine. I just want her last moments to be at peace. Can you help?”
She nodded. They went inside to help Helena spend a few moments of peace with the man she loved.
TWENTY-SIX
Morgan wrapped her robe around her waist and grinned at her body in the mirror. She touched her already rounded belly and chuckled. That wasn’t the baby, not yet. That was just her very curvy body, but soon, it would be all her baby. Her month old baby grew inside her. She couldn’t believe her little dragon had been blocking everyone from knowing his existence until now. She could only imagine what that meant for his powers.
Wait ‘til she told her mate. She left the bathroom and caught him by the same balcony where they’d first made love. The one they’d made their baby on.
He turned and marched right up to her, taking her into his arms and kissing her. Their lips melded and joy flowed in her heart. She kissed him back, a new bond growing tighter and stronger between them. She could see into his mind and heart and knew he felt the same.
Then there were his powers. They grew stronger since their mate marks showed. He could now see the future where she could see the past. They were both getting used to their new powers and visions. As it was, Morgan no longer needed glasses to see. Their mating changed both their lives.
Morgan shoved his pants down, immediately curling a hand around his length and pumping him. He groaned into their kiss and tugged at the tie around her waist. He pulled her back as he sat on the edge of the ottoman at the foot of their bed.
He slipped the robe open and kissed her breast, sucking a tight peak into his mouth. His hot tongue curled around her aching nipple and gave a gentle tug. A soft moan left the back of her throat. She leaned forward, gripping his shoulders and straddling him. He slid a hand between her thighs, fondling her clit and dipping into her channel.
He let go of her breast and inhaled at her tit. “Something’s different about you, sweetheart.”
She groaned and rocked her hips on his hand. “That I’m standing?”
“No,” he growled and drove his fingers deeper into her sex. “Lord, you’re soaked. I fucking love it.”
“I fucking love your tongue, Tor. God!”
He licked from one nipple to the other and bit between them. “Your scent,” he grunted between bites, “is different.”
“Shut up and fuck me already,” she panted, pulling his hand from between her legs, grabbing a hold of his cock and sliding down. She took him in one fell swoop. She was wet and ready. Her body shook with how badly she ached for him. He was big, but she accommo
dated him easily.
“Christ, baby. You’re extra tight this time.”
She could imagine. He felt extra massive. He grabbed at her ass cheeks and licked her collar bone. “I love you.”
She curled her arms around his neck and kissed his beard. “I love you, too, you big, sexy dragon.”
She rocked on him, back and forth at first, then she pressed her knees into the ottoman and lifted and dropped over his cock.
“You’re always going to be mine, Morgan,” he told her. “All mine. You were mine before I knew you were my mate.”
He gripped her hips and helped her ride him. Her chest burned from lack of air, but she managed to reply. “I love that I loved you before this mate mark came along. I might have not known for sure if it was the mark or true love.”
He shoved her down harder. Faster. His moves increasing with his breaths and grunts. “I’m glad you know I loved you before the mark as well. I fucking love you to the ends of the earths, baby girl. Mark or no mark.”
She gulped, feeling her body tighten as she readied to fly. “I know, Tor.”
He pushed her down and ground her against his pelvis. Then he pressed a finger between her folds, right at the heart of her pleasure. She groaned and continued riding him.
“Your pussy, your curves. Every fucking part of you is mine. Will always be mine.”
She kissed all over his face. He pressed a kiss by her ear. “There will never be another woman that makes my dick hard and my heart soft like you do. Not in this lifetime and not in the next.”
She came then, her body bowing and pressing forward, her pussy contracting around his length. Pleasure consumed her, rushing through every limb and exiting through every pore.
He joined her in her climax, groaning and spilling his seed into her already fertile channel. He pulsed inside her, dragging another orgasm from her shaky core. “I fucking love you, Morgan.”
“I’ll never stop loving hearing you say that. I love you, too, Tor.”