by C J Matthew
“Yet,” she finished for him. “Another thing I heard from your buddies. Am I—”
“When did you talk to my buddies?”
“Your fault. It seems you told them something about a witch leaving a trail of magic through the barrier. A witch who crashed in an airplane? Who else could it be? Since then, they’ve decided I must be your mate, which sounded weird at first, but they make it seem special. Am I your mate?”
Mine. She loves me.
Liam rolled his eyes. He knew the sea dragon’s silence couldn’t last.
Yes, he told the beast, and she wants to meet you.
When?
Later today. Now let me explain to—
Give her the first gift
“Liam?” Heather’s brows were drawn together, her eyes worried.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her. “You are most definitely my mate…ouch, our mate. The Sea Dragon is excited to meet you.”
“You’re a Sea Dragon?”
“Yes.”
“And you can you talk to him? Seriously? Right now? Are you talking about me?”
“Yes, yes, unfortunately yes, and of course. It’s a little challenging to carry on dual conversations but since you know what’s happening, if you’ll bear with me…us.”
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Coming up for air, she said, “This is unbelievably awesome.”
“I’ll…we’ll…stop it. I can’t speak in the plural for the rest of my life. Heather is our mate and she loves us both. We’ll shift for her this afternoon and you can show off. Now, let me give her the first gift, chosen by both of us from our hoard.”
“You have a hoard?”
“Yes. And that’s another dragon tradition he seems hell-bent on following. A mate is draped with jewelry from the hoard and then claimed.”
“Um, that last part, being claimed? Is it like what we did here earlier? Or does claiming involve teeth?”
“Using teeth is optional. In the old days, I believe two dragons would bite each other to complete the claiming. But today, it’s lots more about sex on the hoard and the bite is ceremonial.”
She smiled, tapped him gently on his chest and whispered, “Mister Sea Dragon? Thank you for letting Liam explain things to me. I can’t wait to meet you.”
The sea dragon pranced around, whipping his forked tail, and bellowing triumphant roars.
“And Liam, you’re from a mixed marriage. Were your parents like Romeo and Juliet?”
“No, there’s an entire clan of us. Half sea serpents, half dragons. Our dragon natures are territorial in the extreme, so we need to live far apart.”
“The Rudraige clan of Muirdris Shipping.” It was not a question. He didn’t know if he should puff-up with pride or cringe in fear. His mate had a mind like a steel trap. And she wanted to know more. “What were your revelations taking Drake back home…?
“That’s when I figured the sea dragon and I were both victims of all your magic confusion. He hadn’t recognized you as our mate and on the way to Dublin, I realized I’m in love with you, mate or no mate.”
“What’s my first gift?”
He dove for the backpack, sat it between them on the bed. “The big guy’s favorite.” With a flourish, he unzipped the inner pouch and reeled out the yards of pearls in the four strands necklace.
She gasped and stretched out her hands. “This is wonderful. So big and so many. It’s beautiful.”
The necklace was too big to fit in her hands. “Want to try it on?”
“Is it okay? I swear I saw this exact necklace in an Elizabethan painting.”
“If you accept this gift, it belongs to you now.”
“Of course, I accept. Help me loop it around.”
To make up for the length, he kept circling the strands around her neck. As he feared, she could barely hold her head up. Sitting back to take in the view, his heart overflowed with love for her. This brilliant, intuitive, remarkable, sexy, magical woman. And she was his mate, now and forever.
He pounced on her, his mouth insistent, his hands moving everywhere.
“Wait,” she squeaked, shoving at him. “Put the necklace in a safe place.”
He dumped the pearls in the backpack and the backpack on the floor. As he turned to her, she pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips.
“My turn.”
With those two words, he went rock hard.
She kissed him and slid her mouth down to tease his nipples. When did they get so sensitive? He tried reaching for her breasts. She grabbed his wrists, stretched his arms above his head, and waggled her index finger in his face. “Stay there. I said, my turn.”
Desperate need swept through his body. He had to bury his cock inside her tight warmth. Now. As if reading his mind, she whispered, “This time, I decide. Not yet.”
He gritted his teeth. She rocked her nether lips against his straining cock, but he couldn’t manage to get inside. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Finally, she grasped the base of his cock, rose on her knees and placed him at her slick entrance. And stopped.
Before he could take control by thrusting his hips and plunging into her, she slowly lowered her hips. Inch by agonizing inch, he slid inside her tight, wet channel.
When, at last, she was fully seated on him, she offered him a sassy smirk. He couldn’t take any more. With a muted Sea Dragon roar, he flipped them over. Still embedded deep inside his mate, he pulled Heather’s legs up around his waist, then braved a glance to gauge her reaction.
She blinked at him. “Sooo, the alpha sea dragon has to be on top; in charge.” Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. “I’m okay with that. Most of the time.”
They shared two more orgasms before retreating to the shower. As they took turns soaping each other, Heather stopped suddenly.
“What?” he asked.
“Where does all this hot water some from?”
“Underground hot springs. The Romans loved their baths.”
“Ah, thanks.”
After eating a huge meal in bed, they dressed, and he presented his mate with the single strand pearl necklace. “This one’s for every day. When you aren’t posing for a royal portrait.”
“Oh, it’s beautiful too. I can’t wait to see the vault.” She stood in front of the mirror and turned.
“Pearls definitely dress up jeans and a sweater,” she said. “Are we going to the beach now?”
“I need to check on the plane and I’d like an empty space to introduce the sea dragon.”
As they picked their way down the cliff, Liam spotted Goban by a rock formation at the far end of the beach. He yelled and waved and Goban started toward them. They met on the sand. “How’d it go?” Liam asked. “Did you and the crew recover the plane?”
“We got the fuselage off the bottom, brought it ashore and buried it. Also, part of one wing and most of the tail…”
“Do I hear a but?”
“In hindsight, we should have spread out all the pieces here on the beach. Made sure we had the entire plane before we buried any of it.”
“Because…”
“Because this morning a big part of a wing was spotted floating outside the Druid’s barrier. Like a fecking road sign pointed this way.”
Chapter 14
Heather
Heather watched as Liam’s face flushed red, his hands balled into fists and his shoulder muscles bunched. The man was about to explode. Without a word, she sidled closer, and surreptitiously worked her fingers into one of the fists. It appeared her mate was livid and working to suppress his symptoms while he reined in his temper.
What could she do to help?
Wait and see.
He asked Goban to tell them the story of lifting the plane and transporting it to the beach. The huge man, nicknamed ‘Little Smith’ in honor of his ancestors who’d made their living at a forge, was a born storyteller. And one who didn’t hesitate to make fun of himself. They were all three wiping tear
s of laugher by the end.
She squeezed Liam’s hand. Her mate knew quite well how to handle his temper.
With a smile for Goban, she said. “If you’ll excuse us, I’m about to introduce myself to a Sea Dragon.”
“Then you are mates?” Goban asked, already pumping Liam’s hand. “Great news.”
He shook her hand, and said, “Congratulations, lady wicca. I’ll just be on my merry way, then.”
She placed a hand on his arm and said in a low voice, “Depending on how deep you buried the plane, if you make it a challenge, the boys might uncover what parts you have, and put the puzzle pieces together to see what’s still missing.”
Liam beamed at her. “A terrific idea, Heather.”
Goban gave her a small bow. “Well done, lady. I’ll let you both know how we progress.”
When they were alone, she kissed Liam. “I’m excited to meet your other form. Tell me a little about what to expect.”
“His head is like a dragon with horns. There are spikes down his neck and back so when you and I swim together you’ll have something to hang on to.”
“How can I breathe underwater?”
“When you climb up on the sea dragon’s neck, just above the edge of his wings, there’s a spot with no spikes. That’s the best place to sit. If you lean forward, rest your chin on his scales, you’ll find the air flow from the gills. That air blows strong enough for you to breathe and it’ll even keep you warm and dry.”
“Really?” A lot to accept on faith.
He hugged her. “We’ll go slow – one step at a time. No swimming today. Just get to know him. Remember, he’s me and he loves you. And we’d die to protect you.
“Figure out how to climb aboard and be sure to find the gills. The sea serpent heritage makes our bodies really long, plus a tail. Can we do this now? The big guy is getting impatient.”
“I’m ready.”
“Stay there,” Liam said and jogged away from her toward the water line. He stopped and turned. She saw the air around him shimmer and his arms and legs began to stretch. A heartbeat later, it was done. A tremendous creature, black scales across the top and silver down his neck and on his underside, couched in the sand. The horns on his head gleamed in the sunlight. She walked closer. He wasn’t crouching exactly; his legs were short for such a big, long body. Giant claws were half-buried in the sand from the weight. Past his midsection the body went on and on until it narrowed and then curled into an impressive tail with a forked end.
The sea dragon lowered his chin to the sand and took in an audible breath. Head down like that, he seemed sad. Heather gathered her courage and marched toward his face? Snout? Well, he had a long jaw, and nostrils right on the tip on his blunt nose.
She needed to veer a little to one side to look into his eye. It was lovely shade of antique gold. “Hello, Sea Dragon. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Heather, your mate.”
Way down by the water’s edge, the sea dragon’s tail rose into the air and smacked down on the sand.
She got within an arm’s length of his head and froze. “I’m a little…okay, I’m a lot nervous. Don’t misunderstand, I love you. It’s just that you’re so big, plus the fact I’ve never met a Sea Dragon before. Can you be patient with me?”
The lid came down over the golden eye and then rose.
Blink once for yes, twice for no, Heather remembered the child’s code. She took a giant step forward and stroked the scales on his face. “Smooth,” she whispered. “Not sure what I thought dragon scales would feel like, but yours are amazing.”
Oh, she needed to thank him for her gifts. “I understand you picked out the gorgeous four strand pearl necklace for my first gift. How can I ever thank you? I wore it this morning…oh, I guess you already know that. This dual natured business is a little confusing, too, but I’ll get the hang of it.”
She walked along his side peering up at the row of spikes on his neck, running down his back. “Liam mentioned me climbing on your neck, so I’ll know where to sit when we go swimming together. How—?”
His front leg slowly extended toward her. She stepped on the top of a claw, then to a nubby spike on his leg, and got high enough to slide her leg over his neck and sit up-right.
“Yea, it worked. Please show me the gills and—” A blast of warm air blew across her right leg and arm. She lowered her face until the air current was directly in her face and blew her hair straight out behind her.
“Great.” She tried out different positions. Finally, she just rested her face against the black scales and reached her arms around him for as far as they could go. She was hugging a sea dragon. Her dragon.
“You’re a miracle,” she whispered, “and I love you.”
When Liam shifted back, she hugged him again and couldn’t stop kissing him.
“Let’s find a private spot on the beach,” she murmured, “I want to make love to you wearing only in my pearls.”
“Will you settle for a cave on the beach?”
“Is it nearby?”
“Right over there, at the bottom of the cliff. It’s an old portal we don’t use any more.”
“Race you there.”
An hour later she was limp and satisfied and had sand everywhere. It might sound poetic, maybe even romantic? But sand was annoying. “You don’t have a shower hidden away down here, do you?”
“Next time we’ll bring towels and go for a swim after.”
“Now see, I never thought salt water was much better than sand.”
“Cast a spell and get rid of it.”
She looked wide-eyed at him. “I don’t dare. I’d say the wrong thing and end up totally bald.”
He laughed and chased her to the cliff.
Over the next several days she and Liam fell into a comfortable routine. During the mornings, she worked hard at her magic lessons while he slept after a night of Guardian duty. They ate a late lunch together and spent each afternoon working on Festival projects. After dinner they went to bed and made love, until Liam had to go on patrol.
Truth be told, bed wasn’t the only place they had sex. Liam was a genius at finding spare time and out-of-the-way places any time of day.
Her idea to recruit the youngsters to make a game of moving sand off the buried plane, turned out to be a hit. Then laying out all the parts to identify what was missing? That chore turned into a puzzle to be solved. And the Guardians offered a reward for every new piece of airplane found washed up on the shore.
“The supply ship is due tomorrow,” Liam reminded her and the Druidess at dinner.
Andraste nodded. “Do you need any of our Druids to help?”
“Thanks, no. I’ve rounded up several powerhouse airborne shifters and the cargo will be in nets on the deck ready to lift and deliver to the top of the cliff.” He glanced at her. “And how about you, my trusty mate? Would you like to be the main spotter?”
“Trusty mate?” She raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like I work on one of your ships.”
He saluted her. “Admiral?”
“Okay, I’ll be your Admiral spotter. Do I get binoculars?”
“How about a telescope?”
“You’ve got to be kidding. We—”
“Yes, I’m kidding. We’ve got binoculars, a comfy chair, a parasol, and signal flags.”
“Signal flags?”
“Don’t laugh, they’re real. You’ll be sitting at the top of the cliff and everything is in your line of sight. If you see any Hunter boats approaching, wave your red flag. When it’s all clear, green. An invisible dragon will fly to the supply ship, pick up a cargo net and race back to the magical barrier. The only danger is a Hunter seeing the net between the deck of the ship and the edge of the Druid’s barrier.”
“I’ll need a bullhorn and a clipboard.”
“Forget it.”
She grinned at him. “What if we can only unload half the supplies?”
“Not to worry. That’s why we use dragons. They’re wise enough to bring all t
he adult beverages on the first trip.”
Chapter 15
Liam
Next day Liam stood on the beach and waved up to Heather reclined in a lawn chair overlooking the water. For the last half-hour, folks from Willow village had been dropping off gifts and treats for her. One group had set up what looked like a canvas medieval sunshade with festive colored flags hanging around the edges.
The supply ship was due to arrive any time and so far, there was no sign of a Hunter boat. The scum seemed to prefer snooping around at dusk, or in full dark, but the Guardians and towns-people were on alert all along the shoreline, watching for anything out of the ordinary.
If the unloading went well, he hoped to reverse the process and load some of the large airplane pieces. His ship could take them back to Dublin for Drake to recycle or sell as scrap.
Off in the distance, he spotted his cargo moving toward Draíochtia.
“Heads up, everybody, look sharp.” It was more of a symbolic warning since almost no one could hear him. He waved to Heather one more time, then turned and made a running dive into the ocean. After he got a few strokes from shore he shifted. His tail was still dragging on the sand, so he gave it a playful tug.
The unloading went quickly until an eagle shifter screamed across the deck of the supply ship warning of a private airplane in the distance. All his shifter volunteers changed into human form and settled themselves around the few cargo nets still on the deck of the Muirdris ship.
To relieve the tension, they sent mental messages to each other: Just stopped the ship for a minor repair. Nothing to see here. Move along.
The aircraft never changed course and did move along. When it was at a safe distance again, Liam signaled for the unloading to resume.
When the last load left the ship, Liam swam to shore and joined Heather on the top of the cliff. Behind them, a Pegasus shifter slowly lowered the last cargo net to the ground and then shifted beside it. He was a burly blond man in his human form, who came toward Liam.
“Just a suggestion…”
“Speak up,” Liam said with a grin. “You’ve more than earned my attention.”