Hearts Unleashed: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by C. D. Gorri

  And just like that, quicker than a heartbeat, the chanting stopped and so did the beating. In the next breath, the Demon Strike Team was abruptly and with what sounded like incredible brute force jerked off the ground and thrown around like rag dolls.

  Eyes flying open, finally able to take a deep breath, Creed wasn’t out of the woods yet, but at least he could see what happening. Throwing back his head, he blinked once, twice, three times.

  It was unbelievable. He’d only ever seen something like it at the end of a battle. There were bodies everywhere. Some face up and some face down and some just laid out where they’d fallen. But the best was the sight of all seven men and three witches, rolled up in tight black balls, doing their best to writhe in pain and unable to straighten their bodies.

  Spinning like a thin, black funnel cloud, the person attempting his rescue threw out her arms and hissed, “Itealaich! Fly!”

  Whipped out into the street then sling shotted right back, their impact upon the building literally shook the ground where he lay. Trying to follow their trajectory was no use. Creed was hoisted off the ground and thrown over a thin, yet muscular shoulder. Bathed in warm, soft, floral scent, with a touch of sweetness that reminded him of Queen of the Night tulips, it was as if he’d been wrapped in a blanket fresh from the dryer.

  “Hey! Wait! I know that scent.”

  Still only able to move his eyes, the Paladin Leader looked up to find those who had been assaulting him embedded in the side of the Earle Cabell Federal Building. Had he not just been beaten and bewitched within an inch of his life, the sight of a plethora of arms and legs sticking out of the shiny red granite, fingers frantically wiggling around the silver seals of the United States of America and the great State of Texas, would’ve been funny. As it was, he believed they’d only received a very small part of the retribution they deserved.

  “Yeah, my Mate did that. Now, if she could only hear me.”

  From one pounding footstep of his Fairy to the next, a shroud of black feathered wings wrapped around them both. Shooting into the air as if she’d been shot from a cannon, the woman, his Mate, made for him by the Universe who’d saved him from capture and certain death, took flight. Traversing at a speed nearly as fast as Alastair, Creed summoned every ounce of ancient Dragon Magic flowing through his veins and mentally called out to his Mate.

  “Can you hear me? Do you remember me? From last night? In Valentine? Where are you taking me?”

  “You might as well be talking to a wall, Lad,” Alastair scoffed, his brogue so thick Creed could smell the heather from the Highlands of his birth.

  “You’re back!”

  “Of course, I’m back. Did the black magic cook your brain? How far could I actually get from you, daft sod?”

  “Not far.” Creed tried not to chuckle but failed miserably, blaming it on the shit day he was having.

  “And finally, he catches up,” Alastair grumbled. “Can’t you feel the black magic? It’s still there, coursing through our veins. Have you forgotten what to do when under attack by evil sorcery? Did your mother not learn her craft from the one and only Goddess Danu and pass that knowledge onto you?”

  “Yes. No. And you know she did. You were there. I’m not a wet behind the…”

  “No, you are not,” the Dragon King enunciated. “You are Paladin. We are Paladin. An entity unto ourselves. We and our Brethren were appointed by the Universe to exact Her justice. Paladin is not a race nor a sect or even a species. It is a creed, a belief, a religion that can only be defined by three words…”

  “Strength, honor, and loyalty,” Creed finished.

  Images of the day he took his oath, as a young man, all those centuries ago filled his mind. His hair still dark as night and his face unlined, he stood before the greatest Elder of them all, Gruffydd, and recited, “Strength is the belief that we are the Universe’s Chosen Warriors. Honor is the belief that what we do is not only for the good of Dragonkin, but for the good of all mankind and every living being under the sun. Loyalty is our guiding light, for without one's Clan – those we hold dear and would die for - one has no purpose. In the end, when we face our final flight, these three things, as well as the Love of our Mate, is all we will carry into the Heavens. Strength to the Paladin who honor the laws of the Universe and are loyal to those we protect.”

  “Aye, Lad, that is what makes us who we…”

  “While those sentiments are lovely,” Alex’s voice floated through his mind. Followed by the images of a tall, lithe, brunette with eyes the color of the most precious Taaffeite gemstone and curves in all the right places. Swirling with silver and glowing from within, her power was magnetic, and her aura filled with delicious danger. “Those wonderful virtues won’t save either one of our asses right now. So, if you don’t mind, keep the waxing poetical memories to yourself until I have us somewhere safe.”

  “Alex, where are you taking me?”

  “She cannot hear you, Lad.”

  “Then how the hell did I hear her, and how did she hear what I was saying?”

  “You weren’t saying anything.” The Dragon King sounded impatient, irritated as he sighed, “You were remembering. Lost in a daydream pulled from your subconscious by the Healing Magic this lovely creature is pouring into you.”

  “Ya’ gotta love havin’ a Mate. Kayne was right. But don’t tell him I said that,” Creed commented.

  Then it dawned on him, how had she been able to help him when Kayne and Max weren’t? It’s not like they’re lightweights in any sense of the word. Kayne channeled the power of the Celtic God of the Sun and Max held the Magic of the Big Cats all over the world in his soul. Together they amassed enough power to blow up a small country.

  No matter how much he appreciated having his ass saved by none other than his Mate, it just didn’t add up. “I need to force this shit sorcery out of my system and get some answers. I have to know why Alex is here? Now?”

  “How about you hold on to your short pants, Lad? Our Mate is about to land.”

  Passing through a thick veil of Magic as sweet as the woman herself, Creed suddenly could not keep his eyes open. No matter how hard he fought, pure exhaustion leached into every fiber of his being.

  The slight jolt of her feet hitting the ground was followed by the sound of the soles of her boots pounding against concrete as she took off running was music to his ears. If he could only get down off her shoulder and take a breath, surely his muddled brain would clear.

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever admit that my Mate carried me to safety,” he chuckled wryly. “Oh, hell, I probably will. Just to show off her skills and strength.”

  “We are heading down,” Alistair advised. “Underground. It feels like we’re in a tunnel. Can you feel that, Lad? And as for admitting that Alex carried you on her shoulder, how about we reserve judgement until you have your wits about you?”

  The slamming of a heavy metal door then another and another followed by a blast of cool air was all the warning Creed got, before being unceremoniously plopped into a big, soft chair. Then there she was, even more gorgeous than the night before, his Mate, one of the strongest Fairies he’d ever known – Alex MacAskill.

  Opening his mouth to speak, needing to get answers to the questions racing around his mind, his lips refused to work. No sound. No words. Not even a hiss.

  Deciding to reach for her, to do what he should have done the night before and touch the one and only woman he would ever love, Creed’s head fell backward, and his eyes slid shut. “No, no, no," he roared within the confines of his head. “I refuse to…”

  Then her hand was on his face. The sparks of their connection skittered down his spine and straight to his cock. With the slightest of touches, the simple act of brushing his hair off his face, she’d made an old Dragon very happy. As she leaned over to put a pillow behind his head, and make him more comfortable, Creed did the only thing he could – in haled deeply, taking her scent into his very being.

  Fighting to open hi
s eyes, to look into hers, the Paladin only sunk deeper into unconsciousness. Then he heard her voice, felt the emotion in her words and his heart skipped a beat.

  If he’d been able, he would have laughed out loud when she sighed, “Well, this is a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into Alex. Now that you’ve got your Dragon here, whatcha gonna do with him?”

  Chapter Eight

  Setting a circle of salt around the chair where she’d placed Creed Mathers, the Dragon who was her Mate, as well as her mark, Alex took a step back and let out the breath she’d been holding for what seemed like forever. Looking at his face, her heart sunk. It wasn’t that he wasn’t still the handsomest man she’d ever laid eyes on him, even with all the cuts, scrapes, and bruises, it was the fact that he’d gotten those cuts, scrapes, and bruises on her watch.

  “But you were only watching him because you were ordered to kill him. Something, I am proud to say, you did not do,” Verity challenged.

  “I couldn’t,” she admitted. “No matter how hard I tried to pull the trigger, it just wouldn’t happen.

  “You would’ve killed him anyway?” The Fairy with whom she shared her soul shrieked.

  “No, for Goddess’ sake, you know I wouldn’t have. I’m just saying…”

  “You’re just saying that you think your gun malfunctioned?”

  “It had to be, right?”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Exactly,” Verity emphatically declared. “Because you can’t kill your Mate. It’s against the laws of Nature and of the Universe.”

  “So, you’re saying that the Universe stopped me from pulling the trigger?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Well, I’ll be…”

  “Now, you need to do exactly as I say so you don’t become the number one fugitive of The Crow and we both get to live happily ever after with that hunka-hunka-burning love, Creed.”

  “Why do I think I’m not gonna like this?”

  “Because you’re not gonna like it,” Verity confirmed. “But I’ve thought about it from the moment I saw that the mark was our Mate, and it’s the only way we all get out of this alive.”

  “Okay,” Alex sighed. “Hit me.”

  “Get his cell phone out of the inside pocket of his jacket.”

  “Why? I have a cell phone of my own.” Pulling the device from her back pocket, Alex held it in front of her face.

  “I know you do, Dingbat. You’re gonna need his so you can send a picture to one of the other Paladins.”

  “So, I can what?”

  “Hold your horses, Alex. Don’t have a heart attack. Just hear me out.”

  “Okay,” she slowly answered, holding perfectly still and waiting for an explanation before doing anything Verity wanted.

  “I meant, get the phone out of his pocket and I’ll explain while you’re doing that.”

  Doing as her Fairy wanted, sure the plan was doomed to fail, Alex got the device from Creed’s jacket pocket as Verity continued to explain. “Now, you’re gonna take a picture of our Mate.”

  “Yeah, I got that when you said we were sending a picture to one of the other Paladins. I’m just waiting for more in-depth details of how this isn’t gonna end in death for us all.” Huffing out an exasperated breath and pushing the hair off her shoulder Alex admitted, “Before last night, I had resigned myself to the fact that I had one more job to finish and then I would be winging off to the Heavens.”

  Eyes going to an unconscious Creed, she sighed, “But now I’ve sorta kinda met him and everything’s changed. Not to mention the fact that somebody wants him dead. How can that be? He’s a Dragon Guardsman, a Paladin for cripes’ sake - one of the best of the best of the best. Am I supposed to believe that he’s broken the law and been found guilty? Not on a bet. I can feel the goodness and honor coming off him in waves. Something about this is just not right.”

  “Okay, so, let’s follow my plan then you can come up with one of your own to find out why we’re in this situation,” Verity prodded. “First things first. If our collective butts are down below, we won’t be able to clear this mess up, will we?”

  “You win,” Alex conceded. “But only because my hormones are in overdrive and I can’t come up with a better idea.”

  “Okay, Girlie. Get to snapping.”

  Having taken the picture, she looked through his contacts and landed on the name Stone. “With a name like that, he’s got to be Creed’s second in command, right?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Hitting the green button and sending the picture with the message, XOXO, Assassin, as Verity had instructed, Alex insisted, “Now, explain why I did that? And how we’re not gonna end up with a Fomorian Death Squad, the Coven of the Crow, and a Clan of pissed of Paladins on the doorstep of our safe house?”

  “We can’t deliver him to his people without breaking the orders given by the Morrígan, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And within the hour, the Celtic Goddess of War will know that you haven’t completed the mission, that the mark still lives, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Then she will send The Crow out to kill you, right?”

  “Right,” Alex ground out through gritted teeth. “I really hope you’re going somewhere with all this because so far, you’re not painting a very pretty picture.”

  “Of course, I am,” Verity vowed. “The point I am making is that the only acceptable way for you not to have completed the mission was for someone else to have intervened.”

  “Right and they did and then I intervened, putting my ass right back in The Crows’ crosshairs.”

  “But no one knows that because you turned most of the members of the Death Squad into wall art, along with the Coven of the Crow while the Demi-God and the King of the Big Cats dispatched the rest. Furthermore, you had Amy delete her video so nothing was sent to the Eye of Dagda.”

  “Okay…”

  “So, when the Paladins come charging in here and save their Leader and kill you it becomes no harm, no foul right?”

  “Right, but…”

  “But you’ll be dead and not Mated to Creed?”

  “Yeah, that.”

  “Okay, so, that part sucks, but this is the only thing I could come up with that would allow you to retain your honor and ascend to the Heavens and also make sure that Amy becomes the next Sìthiche Dubh just like the legend states.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re…”

  “Wait a minute,” Verity excitedly shrieked. “You poured a salt circle. Why did you pour a salt circle? Were you actually listening to me?”

  “Yes, and to remove the black magic and the curse from Creed.”

  “Then get to removing. That way he’ll be awake and can tell the Dragons who you are, that you helped him escape, and that you’re not part of the Fomorian Death Squad. Bingo-bango, you’re in the clear to live happily ever after with the man of your dreams.”

  “Until they find out that I was actually sent to Dallas to kill him.”

  “Can we puhlease worry about that later? Right now, you need to…”

  “You need to stop what you’re doing and turn yourself in. Throw yourself on the mercy of the Morrígan and save our family’s honor,” Amy spat, stopping right beside her sister with a look of utter disappointment on her face. “How could you…?”

  “Stop right there,” Alex warned, holding her index finger and staring at her sister.

  Swinging that same digit towards the unconscious Dragon, she all but seethed, “This is my Mate. Not a mark. Not someone who will ever die by my hand.”

  “I didn’t…”

  Holding up her hand, Alex gave a single, sharp, shake of her head. “No, you didn’t know, but stomping in here and accusing me of dishonoring our family without having all the facts… Well, that’s… it’s just…”

  “It’s unfair,” Amy murmured, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Reaching out and laying her hand on Alex’
s, Amy asked in earnest, “What can I do to help?”

  Explaining what they needed but didn’t already have, Amy was ready to perform the ritual by the time Alex got the the end of her explanation. Standing behind Creed, with a thin, black taper candle in her hand and a gold framed mirror on a matching stand to her left.

  Opening her mouth to ask where hers were, Alex laughed out loud, despite all they were going through, when Amy gave a single nod and duplicates appeared on her side of the circle. “What are you, Sabrina the Teenage Witch?”

  “Excuse me, sister dear,” Amy made a show of clearing her throat. “I prefer Samantha from Bewitched, or Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie thank you very much. I am, after all, about a hundred-and-twenty-seven.”

  “Boy, how time flies.”

  “And now you sound old.” Waving her free hand in the air, Amy prodded, “And we need to get this show on the road before it’s all for naught.”

  “Right you are.”

  Inhaling and exhaling, Alex looked right at Creed. Wondering what she’d ever done right to get such a handsome Mate with a heart and soul as pure as his, she offered a quick prayer that after all the fighting was over and they were okay, that he might find his way to accept her as his Mate.

  Looking up to find Amy staring at her, Alex shrugged, at the same time her sister whispered, “He’s gonna love you.” Speaking louder, she added, “If you hurry up and keep us all from being turned to ash.”

  “Okay, okay, I’m hurrying. Excuse me for being distracted. It’s not every day I meet my Mate, am ordered to kill my Mate and then go against everything I ever believed in to save my Mate.”

  “Yeah, well, shit got real. Now, you get realer.”

  “Realer? Is that even a word?”

  “Alex!”

  Focusing all her energy on removing the spell and nothing else, Alex snapped her fingers and lit the candles she and Amy were holding. Turning off the overhead, fluorescent lights with a thought, she let her eyes slide shut and pushed her spirit into Creed’s body.

  Finding the inky, black tentacles of the cursed Magic was easy – it seemed to be everywhere and multiplying with every beat of his heart. Without a second to lose, Alex started to sing in Gaelic, “Bidh an Draoidheachd air mo Mhat air a ghlacadh an oidhche seo. Eadar na sgàthanan sin chan fhaic solas a-riamh.”