Magical Lover

by Karilyn Bentley

  Thoren opened the back gate to the Courtyard, allowing her to walk in first. She needed to think, to pull her thoughts together. All the excitement of the day left her feeling worn out, tired, emotionally drained. She wanted Thoren, but she didn’t want him to think he could treat her like this. That he could leave her out of decisions that concerned her.

  “Thoren, I need some time to think.”

  “There is no thinking. You belong to me and me to you. What’s to think about?”

  “You withheld truth from me and yet you expect me to let it go. I can’t do that.”

  “I explained—”

  “I know and I still need to think. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, but you did. And what about your job? If I am an apprentice at the Temple, what will you do?”

  Thoren’s face shut down, closed her out. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes, it does. If you don’t do something, you’ll grow to resent me and I don’t want that. I need to think and you do too before we go through with the mating.”

  “Keara, please. I’m sorry I hurt you. I want you more than anything.”

  “I know and I feel the same way about you. But I still need time to think. We can talk tomorrow. It’s almost dark now.” Keara leaned toward him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Goodnight, Thoren.”

  Taking a cue from Alviss, she transported away from him before his arms encircled her waist. Before she acted on her heart and invited him into her room for the night. She appeared in front of Jamie’s room, two doors down from Conr’s.

  When she finished with Jamie, she needed to see how Conr was doing. Not that Annaliese had problems treating the lad. Seeing to the ill was a calling Keara had no control over. Her blood begged her to attend and she followed.

  Thoren probably felt the same way about his missions.

  Keara turned the dragon’s head knob and pushed open the door to Jamie’s room. Annaliese stood over the boy, holding a cup to Jamie’s lips. Both sets of eyes locked on her as she entered.

  “He needed some water. I hope you do not mind.”

  “Of course not. I got transported away before I could tend to him. Thank you for your help.”

  Jamie seemed a little groggy from the aftereffects of the datura. His words slurred as he spoke, “Hey, how’re ya? Where’d ya go?” He flopped his good arm to Annaliese. “She jus’ up and disappeared.”

  Keara walked to him and stroked his shoulder as he turned his face into her hand. She ran her fingers through his dirty hair.

  Annaliese paused, holding the cup as she watched Keara’s hands. Keara met her gaze. Her aunt. Why had she not noticed before? Their noses were different, but everything else looked identical.

  “Did you know?”

  “That you are my niece? I suspected when I saw how you healed Conr.”

  “I didn’t heal him.”

  “You helped. He is much better today. I took away the containment field over his bed.”

  Keara’s breath caught. “He is?”

  “I just said so.”

  She smiled. “I didn’t think I helped. Does it upset you to know I’m your niece?”

  Annaliese set the cup down. “Why should it? I’m pleased to know my brother left a part of himself behind. And it’s nice to know I wasn’t imagining things when I saw Mother in you.”

  A family. She had a family. That seemed to like her. Who would have thought? “I’m glad we’re related too.” Keara blinked. Draconia and its tear-forming air got to her. “So Jamie,” she sniffed, “how do you feel?”

  Jamie ignored her, continuing to look between Annaliese and Keara. “Ya bof look alike.”

  “I’m glad you’re observant. Now tell me how you feel.”

  “I’sss fine.”

  “Are you in pain?”

  His head flopped back and forth on the pillow. “Nuh-uh.”

  “Perhaps you would like me to teach you a spell to mend his bones.”

  “There is a spell to do that?” Instead of running her hands over the bones and healing them, a spell would do the same thing? Interesting. Anything to take her mind off Thoren.

  “Yous iss puttin’ spells on me?” Jamie waved his free hand.

  “It will make you feel better,” Annaliese grabbed his waving hand.

  “S’all right. Feel a little hazy.”

  Keara patted his shoulder. “It will be all right.”

  “When you heal a broken bone, you first set it, like you have. Once you are sure the bones are set correctly, then you cast a spell to heal the break. Watch and listen.”

  Annaliese spoke words Keara had never heard and a glow appeared around her hands. She placed her hands on Jamie’s broken arm, leaving the glow surrounding the splint. She then did the same thing to his leg.

  “And that’s it?” Keara held her hand above the blue glow surrounding Jamie’s arm, feeling the pulse of magic.

  “You may touch the magic. Yes, that’s all there is to it. The spell will dissipate once the bones are healed.”

  Keara lowered her palm, feeling the magic beat against her own skin as it reached inside her, trying to heal her bones. Yanking her hand back, she looked at Annaliese.

  “And I can learn that spell?”

  “Of course.”

  “What language was that?”

  “The language of the Goddess.”

  “And I am allowed to learn it?”

  “Of course.”

  What a different place. Wrapping her mind around women—females—being allowed to speak to the Goddess was enough to leave her speechless. Maybe speechless was a good thing. She could use this time to think what she would say to Thoren the next time she saw him.

  How could he not have at least told her she was his mate? While she understood his dilemma, it still left her feeling like he didn’t care about her.

  “Keara? Would you like to learn the spell now?”

  “I’d like that.” Anything to take her mind off Thoren.

  ****

  Thoren sat at the table with Ari, shoveling food into his mouth like it was his last meal. Enar went somewhere with Lily, undoubtedly enjoying a moment of bedsport, while his best friend sat on a bench with the High Priestess instead of Keara.

  If it had been Keara sitting to his right instead of his aunt, he would have suggested activities more along the line of Enar’s current one.

  The chance of that happening now headed into the range of not so lucky. Thoren stuck a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed. What a fool he was. How had he ever considered his job more important than his mate?

  Too late now to do anything about it. He explained his foolish actions to Keara and the choice was hers.

  He hoped she chose him soon, but what were the chances of that? For all he knew, she’d stay angry at him forever and where would that leave him? With a job and no mate.

  Had he mentioned what a stupid fool he was?

  “You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

  Great. Now Ari wanted to talk. He jabbed a vegetable stalk onto his fork and popped it into his mouth.

  “Mmph.”

  “Your father is insistent upon you finding a mate. I can understand where that would get a little old.”

  “That’s not it.” He chased the vegetable substance down with a good swallow of wine and peered into his cup. He could do with a little more of the stuff.

  “I’m waiting.”

  He shrugged. Lying was not an option. Neither was discussing his apparent journey to the land of selfish and stupid.

  A splitting headache saved him from both options, the call of the Council banging around inside his skull like an anvil. Twice in one day? Not that he complained. It beat answering his aunt.

  “The Council?” Ari placed a hand on his back.

  “I’ve got to go.” Now that the pain stopped, he needed to show up in front of the Council before they decided to call him again.

  He doubted his head could take another round of the Council’s call.


  “You’d think they’d come up with a better way to call their spies. What if you were in the middle of a fight or something when they called? You’d be dead.”

  “They only call when you’re in Draconia so the assumption is you would not be fighting. I’ll see you later.”

  Before she started with another round of what’s-the-matter, he transported to the Council’s Chamber.

  The thirteen males sat in the glowing candlelight that cast long shadows upon their faces, giving them a haunted appearance. No one spoke at his arrival.

  “What’s wrong?” Something had to be. It had been less than an hour since he’d left and things were fine then.

  “Be patient,” Alviss said. “We’ll let you know shortly.”

  Thoren didn’t have long to wait before the heavy wooden doors thudded against the stone wall as if a gale force hit them, ushering in one infuriated Enar. Dust sprinkled on Thoren’s head as the doors slammed shut. Enar stalked past his best friend, stopping directly in front of Viktor.

  “Twice in one day? I have a life outside of this Council.”

  “Not by my wishes, you don’t,” Enar’s father hissed at him.

  “Silence!” Alviss’s voice boomed throughout the room as he gestured for a snarling Enar to stand beside Thoren.

  “You have been called because intruders have been spotted in Draconi territory. We thought you would like to handle it.” Alviss’s eyes sparkled as he looked at them.

  “Why us?” Thoren asked. Usually reconnaissance specialists did not fight off intruders. On the rare occasion an intruder crossed into Draconia, the Council used their special set of Watchers and Draconi trained to handle that type of thing.

  Judging by Enar’s face, he was itching for a fight. Thoren glanced at Viktor who glared at Enar like he crawled out from under some rock. Enar might be itching for a fight, but it wasn’t a fight against intruders.

  “Because of whom we suspect the intruders are.” Alviss waved his hand, causing a ball with flickering images to hover mid-air. He beckoned Thoren and Enar to peer into the depths.

  White mist swirled in the seeing ball, coalescing into clouds that separated in half, forming a vision. Thoren squinted as he stared at the flickering images. By the Goddess. How had he crossed the ward lines?

  Simon and a figure wearing a cloak hiding his face sat around a campfire surrounded by a contingent of soldiers. A cold fury washed through Thoren. These men were the ones that took Keara. That drugged Keara. That planned to rape her. His hands cranked into fists, nails stabbing into his palms. His lip pulled into a snarl, as steam poured from his ears.

  The bastards must die.

  “Where are they?” Thoren growled.

  “So they are the ones that captured Keara?” Alviss asked.

  Thoren swallowed steam and managed to get his claws to retract into fingers. He didn’t bother removing the snarl. “Yes.”

  “Is the mission capture or destroy?” Enar fingered the hilt of Blood Seeker.

  “Destroy,” Thoren said staring at Alviss. The old male better not refuse him his vengeance.

  Alviss’s wrinkles convulsed into a smile. “Destroy. These are the ones that harmed my granddaughter.” He peered closer, his eyes blinking. “Is the one in the cloak a Draconi?”

  “According to Keara he is.”

  “Then you must capture him and bring him to us for questioning. Then you may kill him after we speak to him.”

  “It will be my pleasure.”

  “They are right inside of Draconi territory. The wards must be weakening for them to have crossed the border, or that rogue Draconi has more power than he should. After you have secured the territory, see if you can determine the strength of the wards so we can send someone out to restore them. May the Goddess bless your mission and may the ones that considered defiling my granddaughter die in pain.”

  Sounded like a plan to him, especially the dying in pain part. Thoren grabbed Enar’s arm and transported them to the woods where the soon to be dead men camped.

  Five fires burned brightly in a small clearing in the woods. Six men sat around each fire. If Simon and the rogue Draconi had prepared well, they would have several men patrolling the perimeter of the camp. No more than forty men to their two. Not a problem.

  Although the hooded Draconi gave Thoren pause. What magic did he have? Why was he here and what did he want from Keara? What was it about Keara that caused the Draconi and Simon to chase after her, even into Draconia? Furthermore, how had they crossed the wards? Thoren knew the questions pointed to the rogue Draconi, but the answers remained shrouded in mystery.

  Solving mysteries was not his forte.

  Killing those who harmed his mate, was.

  “Blood Seeker is thirsty. Are you going to sit on your arse all night or do we get to have some fun?” Enar held his sword reverently, his finger lightly stroking the blade.

  “Simon and the Draconi are mine.” Thoren flexed his fingers, not needing a sword. Energy balls worked well, thank you very much.

  Enar inclined his head. “May the Goddess go with you.”

  “And also with you.”

  Enar crept away from Thoren some distance before letting out a war cry, startling the soldiers sitting around the campfires. They scrambled for their weapons, some of them losing their heads in the process. Thoren turned from Enar’s fight, looking for Simon and the Draconi.

  He didn’t see the Draconi, but he did locate Simon hiding behind a tree. It seemed the lord wasn’t so tough now that his men were being killed.

  Thoren stalked toward the man, picking his way through the undergrowth, skirting the periphery of the camp. Cries came from the soldiers as Blood Seeker drank from the slain men’s wounds, empowering Enar with their life’s strength. A magic sword in the hands of a Watcher was a dangerous thing.

  Simon didn’t see Thoren, his eyes fixated on the slaughter of his soldiers. Thoren spoke the words of a stunning spell, forming the magic in his palm. Once Simon had been questioned, he’d be killed.

  Good riddance.

  Thoren threw the blast.

  Before it reached Simon, it scattered into the trees, chipping out bark to rain down in a cloud of wood. What just happened? Thoren stared at Simon, as if the man knew the answer.

  “See, Simon. I told you he’d come for us.” The hooded Draconi stepped out from the tree next to Simon’s.

  How had he missed the male? Even if he hadn’t seen him, the male’s magical signature should have tipped him off. And yet Thoren hadn’t felt a thing.

  “Who are you and why are you here?” Thoren took a step toward the hooded Draconi.

  “Who am I? Why, the one who will watch you die, of course. It’s nothing personal. You have something I need and the only way to get it is to kill you. My revenge is close at hand. Happy dying!” The Draconi waggled his fingers at Thoren and ran into the woods.

  Reacting faster than Thoren thought possible, Simon yanked his sword from its sheath and charged him. So much for chasing after the Draconi. Thoren shot a blast of energy at the lord, staring at his hands when nothing happened. How could nothing happen? Magic did not disappear.

  He sidestepped Simon’s sword thrust and tried to form another energy ball. Before he could turn around the worst pain of his life tore through his gut. His breath came in short bursts as he looked down. Oh Goddess, no.

  Thoren fell to his knees, his hands clasped against his stomach where the tip of Simon’s sword poked through. A boot pressed against his hip, shoving as the sword was yanked from his body. Thoren toppled face first into a carpet of leaves, his hands bloody as they pressed against the hole in his abdomen. He tasted the coppery ting of blood in his mouth, felt his heart quicken as his life’s blood saturated the earth.

  “Isn’t titanium grand?” Simon slammed the sword into the ground in front of Thoren’s eyes.

  “No!” Enar rushed toward him, sword raised.

  A blast of light came from the trees, slamming into En
ar, sending Blood Seeker flying from his hand and dropping him like a rock onto the blood-soaked ground.

  “No!” The word had no strength in Thoren’s mouth, little more than a whisper. Enar was dead and he was dying. His eyes closed.

  Keara. His mate. Would she mourn him? Or would she be glad he no longer bothered her? Oh, Goddess, if he lived he would ensure Keara knew how much she meant to him. If only he could do it all over again, he would admit she belonged to him. Who was he fooling? He’d admit it to himself. None of this job-is-more-important-than-mate lies. No, he would do things right.

  He would declare his love.

  “Now we wait.”

  Too weak to move, even open his eyes, Thoren heard the Draconi approach.

  “They killed my men! Now who will protect me?”

  A long sigh. “I said I would, but did you listen? No, of course not.”

  “I want the woman.”

  “And you’ll have her. After me. After my revenge.”

  “But that’s too long!”

  “She’ll come. She’ll be drawn to him.”

  “How long?”

  “Not long.”

  No. Not Keara. They couldn’t be speaking of Keara. He needed to warn her of their plan. He needed to tell her how much he loved her.

  Keara. His mate. His love.

  A cold peace beckoned him, touched him, his body turning numb. He felt the blood slow its race between his fingers, a small trickle like dew dripping onto the leaves. Death called to him, tempting him with peace. But he only saw a face framed with curly red hair, green eyes sparkling as she looked up at him from where his body covered hers.

  Keara! He cried, sending her all of himself before the darkness of death overcame him.

  Chapter 18

  Keara dropped the cup, hearing it crack against the wood floor as if from a distance. Thoren’s voice echoed in her head, crying her name.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Looking at Annaliese, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “How do you know I heard anything?”

  “Don’t hide it. I could tell by the expression on your face.” Annaliese clasped her hands and pierced Keara with her green gaze.