Awakened Dragon

by Harmony Raines

  A lump of emotion welled in Ruby’s throat. Would she ever be so in tune with her mate that they would anticipate each other’s moves? Helena and Tiberius moved as if they were dancing partners, their bodies swaying to music no one else could hear.

  She snapped back to reality, she was the last dragon to land and the others were waiting for her. She’d only known her mate for a couple of days and she needed to exercise patience.

  Her dragon chuckled at that thought and lowered herself to land on the ledge. Ruby shifted and joined the others.

  “Lead the way,” Helena said to Magnus.

  He looked at Ruby, who nodded and gave him a brief smile. Her heart ached for him as fear flickered over his face. A dragon would bravely fight with tooth and claw for those he loved and overcome the worst foe.

  But this was different, this was the unknown. There was nothing to fight except time. And time, like fate, was too powerful for even the mightiest of dragons.

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Magnus

  She was behind him; her presence gave him comfort as he led them through the small opening and along the narrow tunnel that led to the cave where his treasure lay gleaming and beautiful as several flashlights flickered over it.

  “You are right, it does sing to me,” Magnus told his mate.

  She moved to stand beside him, her hand searching for his. Fingers entwined as she found his hand. Just as their souls were entwined.

  Before his memories were restored he’d known she was his, felt it in his blood, in every beat of his heart. However, since his memories were restored, and his dragon released, the bond between them had grown stronger. It stretched out over time and distance. Unbreakable and strong.

  “It is,” Ruby agreed. “But this is not why we came.”

  Magnus took a weary breath and then exhaled. A shudder passed through him. “She’s through there. I can just about sense her.”

  Ruby shook her head. “I don’t know why I didn’t sense her before.”

  “Because you were consumed with your mate,” Fiona told her gently. “When you first meet a mate, it’s all-consuming for you and your dragon. Like first love. Heady and breathtaking, it knocks you senseless.”

  “I never knew you felt that way about me,” Harlan said as he joined them.

  “I might not have been talking from experience,” Fiona told him acidly, which earned her a kiss on the cheek. “What was that for?”

  “Because I love you.” Harlan switched his attention to Magnus. “Do you want us to go first?”

  “No.” He had resolved to see this through. “Whatever is waiting for us… Emilia is my sister.” He took the vial from his pocket and looked at it. Could something so small really wake a great beast?

  “The old priest at the temple knows what he’s doing,” Tiberius offered.

  Magnus glanced at Tiberius. “I have no doubt. My concern is if Perry got the spellmaker to add something else to the Ancient Slumber spell.”

  Ruby took a sharp breath. “Like he did to you, making you forget your memories.”

  “Exactly.” Magnus pocketed the vial. “Shall we proceed?”

  Without waiting for an answer, he strode toward a concealed tunnel at the back of the cave. This section was lower, and they had to duck down. His hair brushed the low stone roof of the tunnel, but he carried on. His senses prickled as they drew closer, the hairs on his neck and lower arms rose as the air filled with static electricity. This wasn’t the same as his cave.

  When the tunnel ended abruptly, opening out into a wider cave, he stood up, his throat constricted as he looked down on a sleeping dragon. She was more beautiful than he remembered, her scales a shimmering mass of turquoise, like a warm ocean on a summer’s day.

  “Oh, my!” Helena’s gasp echoed around the cave. “What’s this?” She reached out, but Tiberius grabbed her hand and pulled it back.

  “There’s a barrier of some kind. Let’s not touch it until we know it won’t harm us. This was put here to protect Emilia from anyone who might try to hurt her or get her treasure.” He let go of his wife’s hand and she dropped it to her side.

  “This wasn’t here when I saw her just before I went to sleep. He must have put it here afterward. Perry truly did not want anyone else to have her.” Magnus stared at the sleeping dragon. “Is there a way to break through?”

  “It might take some time.” Tiberius took a step closer, picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it gently toward Emilia’s dragon.

  “Duck.” Alex covered Sapphi with his body as the stone rebounded off and flew back at them like a bullet.

  Leaving a slash of red across his forearm, it grazed Tiberius, who appeared oblivious to the wound as he worked his way closer to the perimeter. Helena followed, her concern evident from the smoke coming from her nostrils and the way the air shimmered around her. She was fighting to contain her dragon who wanted to launch herself at the invisible barrier that had caused harm to her mate.

  “It’s a good thing Tiberius came. If anyone can get Emilia out, he can,” Sapphi said, moving to stand next to Ruby, with Alex on her other side. “Can you tell what it is?”

  “I have an idea.” Tiberius held out his hands and closed his eyes. While he worked, Magnus pushed his dragon senses to their limit, questing for an answer to what surrounded his sister like a barrier. It was solid yet invisible.

  “Air has to be able to get inside, right? Or else Emilia would have suffocated.” Sapphi’s voice echoed off the walls of the cavern, breaking the silence.

  Tiberius turned back to face the others. “Yes, air can get in and out. I believe the more force exerted by an object that comes into contact with it, the greater the force used to repel.”

  Magnus stepped forward, approaching the barrier. “Let’s test that theory.” He reached out and touched his hand to the barrier, the palm of his hand buzzing as he neared it. Slowly, moving almost imperceptibly, he touched the barrier.

  It didn’t work. He wasn’t thrown back, but his palm would go no further. They were defeated, the vial in his pocket useless.

  “Can you do anything?” Fiona asked as they all gazed at the sleeping dragon beyond the barrier.

  “I will return to the temple and seek out the knowledge to remove the barrier.” He took a step forward and stood side by side with Magnus. “She’s safe in there.”

  Magnus nodded. “Maybe it is for the best. If she awoke now, she would not have her mate. For all we know he may be long dead. Perhaps it is better if she sleeps on.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Tiberius asked.

  Magnus lifted his head and smiled sadly. “It is the only way to stop my dragon from throwing himself against this barrier until it breaks.” Then he shifted his attention to Ruby. “That and the thought of breaking our mate’s heart.”

  “I’ll do everything I can to free her, Magnus,” Tiberius promised.

  “Thank you, you are a good friend to dragons.” Magnus placed his hand on Tiberius’s shoulder before speaking to everyone else gathered around. “Thank you all.”

  He hid his bitter disappointment from the others, but when Ruby joined him, it was impossible to hide it from his mate. “We will free her.”

  He pushed her hair back from her face, then brushed away a smudge of dirt from her cheek. “She’s at peace. If fate woke me at the right time for me to meet my mate, perhaps it works the same for Emilia.”

  “And we’ll always be here, watching over her,” Ruby assured him.

  “We will.” He watched the others as they crawled back along the tunnel, their flashlights growing fainter and darkness crowded in on them. “But we have our lives to lead too. I have spent too long in the past. I want to celebrate my future with you.”

  “We can have both.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips. “We can have it all because we’re mighty dragons.”

  He chuckled, his disappointment diminishing. “We are mighty dragons.” Their lips met, and he infused his kiss with all the
love and longing that she had awoken in his heart. They were one, they had the rest of their lives together to look forward to and one day the selfish actions of Peregrine Manning would be undone. Emilia would get her happy ever after and be as happy as he was with his mate.

  “This mighty dragon needs her bed,” Ruby said as they parted.

  “There is one more thing I would like to do before we sleep.” A wave of fear passed over him. It would take a while to let go of the innate fear his dragon had of going to sleep and not waking up again for a few centuries.

  “Which is?” Ruby asked.

  “You’ll see.” He took her hand and they clambered over the cave floor, strewn with rocks and boulders, before squeezing along the low tunnel before entering the cave where his treasure lay. The others were gathered there waiting. “I just need a moment.”

  Leaving Ruby, he walked around the edge of his hoard, allowing his senses to roam as he sought out a certain gem. When he located it, he parted the sea of gold with his hands and reached out for an ornate box. Flipping the lid open, his eyes widened. He’d found it.

  The gold rippled as he waded through it to where his mate stood with her sister and mother. Taking Ruby’s hand, he dropped down on one knee. “Ruby red dragon, will you marry me?”

  He took the ring, adorned with a giant ruby and offered it to her. “If you do not like it, you can choose another.” His face cracked into a smile. “You can have every ounce of my treasure if you will be my wife.”

  Ruby’s eyes misted with tears and she pulled him to his feet. “This is perfect.”

  “That means yes?” Magnus asked, needing to be sure. In this mixed up modern world, he wanted to be sure.

  She nodded. “It means yes.” Ruby threw her arms around him, and kissed him, the cave echoing with her laughter. “A thousand times yes.”

  With one last look over his shoulder to where his sister slept, Magnus left the cave to emerge in the open air as the first rays of the sun peeked over the distant horizon. They shifted and worked quickly to block the trail once more, and then flew home like a flock of monstrous birds.

  Despite his sadness over Emilia, his dragon rejoiced. In his past life, he had always flown as a solitary dragon, hiding from the world and hiding his broken promise from his sister. Those days were gone. He was part of something bigger.

  This dragon had truly awoken, and his love for his mate and her family would grow stronger day by day.

  Emilia’s book is next! Who will awaken our sleeping dragon? Sign up here and I’ll drop you an email as soon as it’s released.

  Harmony Raines Newsletter

  Below I’ve also included the first book of my Wolf Valley Raiders Series as a bonus so you can get to know the characters from Wolf Valley. Enjoy!

  Redeem the Wolf

  Wolf Valley Raiders

  (Book One)

  *

  Note from the author: My books are written, produced and edited in the UK where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.

  ***

  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.

  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.

  © 2018 Harmony Raines

  Kindle Edition

  Redeem the Wolf

  Wolf Valley Raiders

  (Book One)

  Kurt has made mistakes, big mistakes. Like the time he chased his cousin up into the mountains and nearly caused her death, all for the chance of power in the otherwise lawless town of Wolf Valley. But his actions only proved one thing, he would never be alpha material. He doubts he will ever be fit for anything since he ended up stuck in the body of his wolf for far too long. A wolf who has now abandoned him.

  One woman saved him; she coaxed the man out, bringing him back from the brink of insanity. He was sure she was his mate, but she couldn't be, because she left even before he could thank her. All he has to hold onto is the memory of her face, a face he paints over and over again, a face he may never set eyes on again.

  Chapter One – Kurt

  Outside the moon was bright, the very same moon that used to stir his blood and call his wolf to come out and taste the night. But those days were gone for Kurt. Since that fateful day when he set his sights on selling Fiona, his cousin, to a predator, he had not had the nerve to change. He was only too aware how close he had come to being held under the spell of his wolf forever.

  Turning his mind back to the painting before him gave him none of his usual comfort. Her face looked back at him, the woman who had saved his life, the nurse who had tempted the man back from the brink of doom.

  Who was she? His mate? If so, did she know? Did she understand that she had saved his body and his mind, but held onto his soul when she walked away?

  Damn, he was a romantic fool. Of course she didn’t know, or else she would have felt it too, and be here with him now, unable to stand another moment apart from him. Instead, he was alone, the full moon shining through his window, leaving him desperate to find out the truth.

  “How are you, Kurt?” His mom came into the room with a hot mug of cocoa. If anything said he was worthless as a man, it was this.

  “Thanks, Mom, you shouldn’t have.” He took it all the same, trying to sound happy. He had worried her so much over the last few months, the last thing she needed was to know how tough tonight was for him.

  “Can I see what you’ve painted?” she asked.

  Kurt covered his easel and smiled. “It’s just a preliminary sketch; you know how I prefer to keep them to myself until they are finished.”

  “I don’t know why. I would love to see one of your paintings as you go through the process. You are getting quite a name for yourself, you know. I saw that letter on the table; someone wants to buy the painting you did of the mountains.”

  “I haven’t made up my mind to sell,” he replied uneasily.

  “Come on, Kurt, you need the money, you have to start pulling your life back together. It was good of your sister to set up a website for you. And Joel has handed out lots of cards to Will’s business friends.”

  “I hate the thought of anyone buying them out of pity.”

  “Don’t be silly, they are amazing. Everyone who’s seen them has said so.”

  “Friends and family don’t count.”

  “Why not? They are telling the truth.”

  “Maybe.” How could he tell her the real reason? Each of the paintings held a piece of him in it, a piece of his memory from that fateful night and the aftermath that followed.

  The mountain in his painting was the one he had climbed, the one he had been stuck on as the snow came down. The trees were the same ones that hung down around him, whispering of death in the snow. And the face of her. Well, he didn’t know what she whispered, only that it had brought him back from the brink of madness.

  “Sorry, what, Mom?”

  “Mia is talking about getting a gallery to put on an exhibition. It would be wonderful for you to sell some, make some room for us in the house.”

  The house was really a small cabin on the edge of the forest, the mountains rising above them in the distance. Situated on the furthest outskirts of Wolf Valley, it was close enough to town for when they needed anything—not that they ventured there often—yet isolated enough to give him the peace his tortured mind needed. His mom had moved here with him a couple of months ago, after he had left the hospital. He was grateful; he didn’t have the confidence to do it alone. That’s right, a grown man needing his mom to hold his hand. Pathetic.

  She had given up eve
rything to move here with him. It was impossible to sell the house with the way things were in Wolf Valley, so she had walked away. Their family home had no doubt been ransacked by now and all her furniture sold or ruined. She didn’t let him see how much it must have hurt her; she said she had brought everything she needed with her. He knew she meant him. Because apart from a few old photographs and some other small mementos, she had left everything behind. He knew it was so that there was more room for him and his paintings.

  He looked at the beginnings of the painting in front of him. At the fiery hair and green eyes of his mate, reaching out his conscious mind to search for her. But she wasn’t there; she was never there.

  Chapter Two – Nadine

  Nadine had seen the notice advertising Kurt’s painting exhibition a week ago, and knew she couldn’t attend, it wasn’t right. But the pull of him was too much. So she had allowed herself to come to stand across the road from the gallery, completely out of sight, and watch out for him. He wouldn’t see her and would have no idea she was there.

  She wore a hat to cover her red hair; the fiery tones were enough to draw anyone’s eye towards her, precisely what she didn’t want. Stay out of sight; don’t let him see you. After an hour of waiting for him, even though it had become increasingly obvious he wasn’t going to attend, she knew she was the one who needed treatment for her mental disorder. She was addicted to a man she did not intend to ever meet again in real life.