by Julia Mills
Pushing his anger aside and taking a deep breath to fight the excruciating pain of the silver still stuck in his back, the Guardsman got to his knees and smiled at the girls. Holding out his hands, he said, “Okay, climb on.”
Without a second thought, the children got up and jumped into his arms. The burly old Guardsman’s heart filled to bursting that these kids trusted him with their safety. Quickly getting the tiniest one on his back with her hands tightly clasped right under his chin and the other two under his arms, Kellan rose to his feet. With his little passengers onboard, he did an about face and started his jog to the bunker.
The doors opened and Rory’s head popped out, complete with his patented shit-eating grin. Brannoc was right behind him glaring his disapproval.
It has to be hard to be the mother hen for a bunch of adrenalin junkie dragons.
“Are you two the welcoming...”
The words were stolen from his lips as fire tore through the back of his right thigh. Stumbling to one knee but still moving as fast as he possibly could, Kellan sat one of the girls on the ground right in front of him before swinging the smallest one off his back. Pfft...the sound of another shot from a long range sniper rifle reached his ears, giving the Guardsman the split second he needed to duck and once again cover the little ones with his body.
“Grab the kate, Dec. We gotta reaper out here,” Rory bellowed, referring to the bravo 501 sniper rifle and the man with Kellan in his sights.
Thinking of every possible scenario as he dodged another bullet, he called to Rory, “He’s using silver. Bastard knows who we are. I think it’s past time we know who the fuck he is.”
“Already on our way,” Pearce immediately responded, closely followed by Lennox’s, “SOB is by himself and heavily warded. I can only see him. Can’t get a read on who or what he is.”
Hearing Rory answer and having faith in his brethren to handle the enemy, Kellan scooped up the little girl now sitting on his knee, bundled all three against his chest, and jumped to his feet.
“Hold on, ladies,” he ordered as little fingers dug into his arms, chest, and neck. White hot agony ripped through his body. His dragon roared, pushing wave after wave of healing magic through the Guardsman’s system but hardly making a dent in the toxin.
Another Pfft had him swerving to the right. Then another had him ducking and twisting to the left just as Declan finally began returning fire. Using a bonfire of debris still burning from the bombing as cover, Kellan jumped over the flames. It was apparent the sniper knew the village well and was working as hard as he could to keep the Guardsman from getting his passengers to safety.
Heading towards a metal shed that had miraculously survived, Kellan maneuvered around several still smoldering piles of rubble while constantly telling the girls that everything would be all right.
It has to be all right...
Running full out the last fifty yards, Kellan could finally see light at the end of the tunnel. He was going to make it. The girls were going to be safe. Thanking the Heavens above, he poured all his energy into his run. Counting the yards, he listened to his brethren keeping the sniper at bay and once again couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be dragon.
Looking over his shoulder one more time, he saw that Declan had moved out of the bunker with his kate and was laying on the ground, while Rory was standing above him firing a smaller Enfield. Both were taking their cues from Lennox and Pearce, who were less than a hundred yards from the reaper.
Turning back to the front, a flash in the corner of his eye drew his attention just as the thud of a grenade hitting the ground mere inches from his feet had him spinning on one foot. His incredible speed coupled with his size and the extra weight of his passengers made it impossible for him to stop.
Assuming the explosive had a five second fuse, Kellan ran faster than he ever had in his life. He commanded his dragon to stop healing and shove all his magic into getting the Guardsman and the little girls to safety.
Three...two...o...
He wasn’t fast enough. The blast from the grenade threw him forward. The girls were forced from his arms and as they flew through the air he heard the tell-tale sound of ‘Pfft’ Pfft’ Pfft’. Silver shrapnel shredded his face and hands.
His world slowed. He could hear himself screaming. Hear his brethren shouting his name. He pulled at the sand, dragging himself towards the girls as their lifeless bodies fell to the ground. Reaching the smallest of them, both man and dragon roared as the life drained from her big brown eyes.
Uncaring of the danger around him, Kellan got to his knees and carefully lifted the child into his arms. Holding her to his chest, he walked on his knees to where the other girls lay side-by-side, their dead eyes staring back at him.
Laying down beside them, he curled himself around all three tiny bodies and simply wept. It was the first time in over a hundred years that tears had wet his cheeks. Pain unlike anything he’d ever felt wracked his already wounded and failing body. His heart slowed, struggling to beat against the crushing anguish of such useless loss.
His soul grew dark and empty. The dragon within pushed against the confines of Kellan’s mind, needing to tear free, demanding to destroy the ones responsible for stealing the precious lives from ones so small and innocent.
Lost in his anguish, the Guardsman heard his brethren trying to reach him. Heard Rory give the orders for Lennox and Pearce to bomb the area where the sniper still lay with a false confidence that he’d remained hidden while killing the children. He heard Declan take off after the combatant who’d thrown the grenade. Knew the moment Dec’s hand had closed around the man’s neck and felt an unrivaled satisfaction when he heard the unmistakable crack of the bones in the bastard’s neck. Kellan’s only regret was that he hadn’t been the one to kill him.
Ignoring his brethren’s screams to move, to get up, to do anything but remain where he was, like a sitting duck, trying to get himself killed. Kellan growled when large, gloved hands grabbed at his shoulders. Acting on pure instinct fueled by a fiery fury, the guardsman lashed out, grabbed his oldest and best friend by the throat, and kicked his feet out from under him. Rory threw his hands in front of himself as a sign of surrender while speaking directly into Kellan’s rage filled mind.
“Kell...let go...It’s...me.”
Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, Kellan knew he didn’t want to hurt his friend; knew he needed to remove his hand from Rory’s throat, but his wrath and that of his beast’s overrode all else. It consumed them.
“Kell.” Rory struggled to speak, his voice going high from lack of oxygen.
“Kellan...” The voice was now pleading with a pitch so much softer...smaller...that he began to doubt it was his longtime friend speaking.
More hands than he could count slapped at his arms. Thin, sharp nails tore at the skin of his fingers as he fought against his and his dragon’s instinct and tried to let go.
More female voices cut through his frenzy. The desert faded to black. Kellan struggled to open his eyes. Shouts of sheer terror tore away at the haze of his mind.
“Dammit, you big oaf, let go!” a low gravelly voice yelled before a small hand smacked him in the side of the head.
“Let go of her!” an obviously female voice shrieked.
“Wake the hell up, asshole!” a deep, husky voice growled just as a fist much smaller than any of his brethren’s punched him in the gut.
Why did Rory let the villagers out of the bunker?
As if hearing his question, Rory’s voice boomed through his mind, “Wake the hell up, Kell! You’re killing Olive!”
Kellan’s eyes flew open. His fingers released their grip as if they were spring-loaded. He scrambled up and over the back of the couch, horror and regret filling his entire being as he saw the deep purple bruises already forming on Olive’s beautiful neck and the fear in her eyes.
Throwing his hands out in front of himself as he backed away, unable to speak and shaking his head so quick
ly he was dizzy, Kellan stumbled as his back touched the cool glass of the patio doors.
Reaching behind him, unable to break eye contact with the gorgeous dove, he slid open the door with such force it bounced on its tracks just as he spun on his heels and ran barefooted and bare-chested into the darkness. Racing across the countryside, Kellan fell farther and farther into despair as Olive’s feeling of fright and confusion flooded their newly formed mating bond. Her thoughts were chaotic. She didn’t want to be scared. Was fighting hard to push it all aside. Was working with all her might to convince herself as well as her cousins that he hadn’t meant to hurt her.
I hurt her. I caused the one person I was meant to protect, no matter what, pain by my own hand. I couldn’t save those girls and I can’t save her...from myself...
Tearing through the darkness, racing towards the sea, Kellan quickly erected his mental blocks. With everyone and everything, including his brethren, locked out of his mind, the Guardsman ran as fast as he could, not caring where he was going or if he ever returned. All that mattered was never again hurting the one the Universe made for him.
I’ll die before I leave another mark on her silken skin...
Chapter Two
Olive felt hollow inside. There was a gaping hole where Kellan had been...and should still be. He’d severed their connection. Made himself unreachable. She knew their mating bond still existed. Could see it and feel it shining bright in her heart and soul. But her dragon had blocked himself from it...and more importantly, from her.
When his screams of terror had cut through her dreams earlier that night, she’d tried to use their bond to calm him, but nothing she tried worked. He was lost to his demons. His heart was pounding faster and faster. Olive could feel his beast pushing to be free, to fight the fight the man was losing. Pouring all the light and calm into his dark terror that she had, the little dove spoke to her mate, pleaded with him to wake, but the hold the past had on him was too tight. He was lost.
His dreams became hers. She felt before she saw the bullet rip through his leg. It was so real her skin burned from the silver. Her muscles felt shredded, while in her mind’s eye, the dove could actually visualize the poison as it raced to her heart and other vital organs. Watching Kellan stay on his feet, run for his life, and carry those girls while trying with all his might to save them, was nothing short of miraculous. His determination was a living, breathing entity within their shared fantasy. He was the strongest man she’d ever known.
Olive’s heart filled with joy right along with Kellan’s when she was sure both he and the children were safe. Gasping in her sleep when the shrapnel tore through his cheek and abraded his forehead, Olive sprang from her bed. The dove ran to the mirror to be sure her face was unblemished. That was when it hit her like a freight train bound for hell—torment, sorrow, and an all-encompassing blistering wrath.
Her heart ceased to beat as the spark simultaneously extinguished in three sets of beautiful brown eyes. Her dove sought to escape the bounds of her mind and body, screeching alongside its mate, as Kellan’s dragon roared at the loss and injustice. It was too much to endure, completely inconceivable how a Universe who created and sustained so much beauty had let these three precious souls be taken long before their time. She now had intimate knowledge of the scars her dragon carried on his heart and soul. Scars so much more debilitating than the few that covered his face and those she now knew abraded his sides and back.
“Olive, honey, you really need to drink this tea. It’s Calysta’s special healing blend. Also, put this bag of ice on your neck, those bruises are only getting darker.” Claire’s coaxing pulled the dove from her thoughts, unfortunately reminding her of how bad her neck really hurt.
But it’s nothing compared to Kellan’s pain...
She could see the concern on all six of her cousin’s faces and really wanted them to focus on something, anything, other than her. Olive had never been one to like the spotlight even if it was her family. Claire and her new mate, Rory, should be off honeymooning, not worrying about her or what was going on in the clan, but she could see from the looks on the couple’s face that wasn’t happening any time soon.
“Yeah, they really are. Why aren’t you healing?” Delilah, the hawk shifter among them with a heart of gold and the ability to worry too much about everything, asked with a furrowed brow.
“Just tired, I guess,” Olive smiled, trying to hide from her family how close to death she’d really come at the hands of her own mate.
But it wasn’t his fault. Wish he was here so I could tell him so...
“I could heal you,” Claire, a phoenix shifter and leader of their clan, offered.
“She’s getting really quick with those tears,” Claire’s mate and Kellan’s best friend, Rory, chuckled. “She tried to heal my papercut yesterday.” His cheeky grin and light-hearted snicker made everyone laugh and thankfully, relieved some of the tension in the room.
Olive smiled. Rory was a good guy, a big goofball, but a good guy nonetheless. Not to mention, super considerate to try to make them feel better when she could see the toll his concern for his best friend was taking on the Guardsman.
“Stop fussing, y’all. I’ll be fine. I’m gonna drink this tea and then we can get outta here. I’m sure Kellan doesn’t want to come home to find us all hanging out.”
If he comes home...
She smiled but knew even before she looked at her cousins that it was half-hearted at best and they weren’t buying a bit of it. Quickly changing the subject, she asked, “How did you guys know what was happening?”
Tapping her forehead, Ettie answered, “Lady, you blew your blocks. Woke me up screaming in your head.”
“I thought you were hurt.” Gabby blew her thick black bangs out of her eyes and slumped back in the biggest La-Z-Boy Olive had ever seen.
Cause my dragon is a big man...
Tilly and Karleigh giggled so hard, the dove prepared herself for their answer and could only shake her head as they explained. “Well...” Karleigh teased and batted her eyes.
“We might’ve been sneaking around the training pit...” Tilly added, at least having the decency to look a little embarrassed.
“Oh, you big prude.” Karleigh swatted at Tilly’s arm. “I’ll tell them.” Looking around the room, she winked at Olive before finishing. “We were trying to see those dragon boys all sweaty and shirtless.”
The room erupted in laughter. Leave it to a falcon and an osprey to be on the lookout for the hot men when everyone else was asleep. Which was pretty easy considering the Universe had shown special favor to Her dragons. They were the biggest, brawniest, best looking men anywhere in the world and her mate was no exception.
Kellan was at least six-foot-six or seven, almost an entire foot taller than Olive’s five-foot-eight. His hair was the perfect combination of brown with golden highlights that told her he’d been a dirty blonde when he was younger. She loved that it was longer and usually a little messy but really wished he didn’t use it to hide his striking features. Scars or not, he was a very handsome man.
Thinking of her dragon as a child made Olive smile. There was no doubt in her mind he’d been a rambunctious little boy who’d caused more trouble than most but had never seen a lick of punishment. She could imagine him flashing his whiskey-colored eyes and gorgeous smile causing whoever he’d offended to melt like butter.
I can’t wait to get lost in those eyes... If I ever see them again...
Although he didn’t smile much right now, the little dove knew it was something he’d done a lot in his early years from the tiny lines around his eyes and mouth that gave him a distinguished air. Then there were his dimples. Just thinking about them made her sigh.
She’d only seen them once but that had been enough for her to know she would do whatever it took to see them every day of their very long lives together. The image was indelibly etched in her memory.
It will happen. It has to happen. The Universe does not make mi
stakes. Yeah, yeah, yeah...heard it all before...
Thinking of those dimples, she remembered the day... They had all been together. Everyone was messing with Claire and Rory prior to their mating ceremony. The Guardsmen were acting like a bunch of teenage boys, which she was quickly learning was par for the course, when she glanced across the room and saw Kellan completely relaxed, laughing out loud, and having fun with his brethren.
It was amazing. Their eyes met. Her heart skipped a beat and the rest, as they say, was history. She was gone hook, line, and sinker. There was no doubt in her heart, mind, and soul they were made for each other.
Of course in the next breath, a dark veil dropped over Kellan’s face. He quickly looked away and she hadn’t even seen him again until he showed up on her doorstep with flowers and a painted on smile. To say he was keeping her off-balance was a serious understatement. Then again, she’d acted like less than a swooning mate by slamming the door in his face and running to her room.
“Olive, did you hear a word I said?”
Snapping to attention, the dove looked at Claire, whose irritated expression matched her tone. Acting appropriately apologetic even though she had no idea what had transpired while she’d been in la-la land, Olive answered, “No, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else.”
Pulling his mate to his side and kissing the top of her head, Rory whispered to Claire, “Let me do this. You’re freaking out there, love.” Then to Olive, he winked and asked, “How long have you been dream sharing with our Kellan?”
Trying to answer without lying or giving too much away, the little dove finally decided it was no use. It was all going to come out one way or another. Nothing in her family ever stayed a secret. Everyone always found out everything, it was just the way it was when they were in each other’s minds ninety percent of the time.