by Dahlia Rose
“Welcome, dragon of the court. We were hoping you’d join us for dinner,” the leader snickered. It was the same one, the general, who he fought and the one who threatened Raven. “First you, and then the beauty who helped you live the first time around. This time, it will end differently, I assure you.”
Raul smiled grimly and flexed his muscles beneath the T-shirt he wore. Maybe he wouldn’t be making it home after all. He should have expressed more fully his love for Raven, given her his shield. He should’ve taken her in front of the king as his mate when they were in Paladin. There were a lot of things he should’ve done and now realized he may not get to. He wasn’t going down without a fight, that’s for sure. They would try to keep him from shifting because then the battle would change and he would have the upper hand. He would rip as many of them apart as he could, starting with the bastard who wanted Raven. He would kill him first. He would lure them into the open tunnels where they couldn’t restrain him and then he would shift.
“Let’s see who will be left standing at the end of this game,” Raul smiled coldly and rushed forward with a roar. The battle was at hand.
* * * *
Raven paced back and forth in the penthouse. She was acutely aware of Daisye watching her every movement and that only seemed to irritate Raven more. How could they expect her to just sit there and not go fight for the man she loved? She knew she shouldn’t have warned the others of his leaving. She should have just taken off after him, even if she didn't have a way of getting there. Just because they were dragons didn’t mean she could leave Raul’s fate in their hands. Oh, hell no, she was going to help her man.
“I can see the wheels in your head turning, Raven. We are not going,” Daisye said firmly.
“If it was Hawke in that situation would you just be sitting here?” Raven practically shouted. “Unless you have a taser hidden somewhere that can keep me down, I’m going and that’s final.”
“How will you get there without a car?” Daisye asked.
“My mother’s dig site leader taught me how to hotwire a car when I was twelve,” Raven replied.
“No need for that. I’ve got one waiting downstairs,” Daisye got up and put on her coat. “I was just timing how long before you actually stopped pacing so we could get out of here. Hawke should know better than to order me to stay put. Sometimes I think I may have to bean him on the head.”
Raven grinned. “Let’s go help our men.”
“I’ll drive. I’m badass on the roads,” Daisye replied.
With that, they found a common ground that cemented their friendship. Raven slid into the passenger seat and had barely fastened her seatbelt before Daisye pulled out with a screech of the tires. She was a badass driver all right, with emphasis on the bad. Raven found herself praying to actually get there alive. The woman shouldn’t be allowed to drive.
“Are you sure you have a license?” Raven demanded to know.
Daisye laughed. “Don’t worry, kitten, I’m a pro at this.”
“Lord save us,” Raven muttered and began repeating the hail Mary’s she had learned from Sister Lucia in Chile.
By the time Daisye finally parked, Raven was ready to roll out the car and kiss the ground. One thing was certain. She was flying home in style on Raul’s back. Raul, his name careened through her and she took off running with Daisye yelling behind her. She barely glanced up when she heard a cry from above. A dragon flew by with a serpent in its mouth and dropped it out of the sky. She heard it crash into the trees nearby, and from that height the Shen serpent had to be dead. The dragon wasn’t Raul. This one was red all over except for one long string of gold scales along its back all the way down to the tip of his tail. Raul would gleam in the night as moonlight glinted off the emerald green and gold of his dragon form. Raven kept moving forward towards the sounds of fighting that were getting clearer and louder with each step. She ran through the brush, hardly noticing that they scratched her cheeks or pulled at her clothes. All she wanted was to get to him and make sure he was okay. Just as she got free and into the clearing she heard a roar and the ground shook. Most of the ground in front of the mine was littered with dead and mangled Shen. She had seen three dragons outside of the mine, none of which were Raul, so she knew he was inside the mine. The rocks of the mine suddenly began to crumble inward. She screamed Raul’s name and tried to rush forward, but a dragon with fiery red scales stepped in front of her path while Daisye, who had finally caught up, pulled her back.
“Raul, Raul!” she screamed and with a burst of strength broke free from Daisye. She ran towards the rocks of the collapsed mine and began to struggle with moving them. “He could still be alive. Help me!” she screamed.
She turned and saw that Hawke, Aki and Lleau were now in their human form and completely naked and all were staring at her with sadness on their faces. “You sons of bitches, come help me!” She was not going to lose him now. If she had to dig every piece of stone out herself and find him, she would.
Hawke came over and took a rock out of her hand. “The collapse affected the entire mine, Raven. If he wasn’t able to shift in there he would have been crushed. Aki saw it all collapse from the sky. There is no way—”
“No, don’t you dare give up on him. Don’t you dare!” she sobbed. “If you had gone with him, if you hadn’t ordered him to stay…” She fought with him, pounded on his chest, and pointed to the three men who called Raul their brother. “You killed him, all of you killed him!”
She tried to run past Daisye who caught her in her arms and she crumpled to the ground. She looked up at the woman who was openly weeping as well. Raven wondered why Daisye was crying. She didn’t lose Hawke. She still had her man to hold her at night and to love her unconditionally. The ground began rumbling again and she heard more rocks slide and grate against each other. She couldn’t look, to see the mine caving in even more. The thought of him being in there was more than she could stand.
“By the gods,” she heard Aki say.
Raven looked up in time to see Raul burst through the rocks and into the sky, showering them with dirt and pieces of debris. He landed with a thud and as he was shifting, Raven was running towards him. She threw herself in his arms and he held her tight against him.
“I thought you were gone. I thought you…” She couldn’t get the words out.
He kissed her hard, through the grime, dirt and tears their lips clung and Raven was lost in him.
“Hey now, Shaloh, I’m fine,” Raul murmured. “There is no one that can keep me away from my love.”
“You are the luckiest dragon I’ve ever met,” Lleau said.
“How did you manage to get out of that?” Aki asked.
“My shift is what caused the cave in,” Raul explained. “I saw some of them moving towards the entrance and knew the three of you had arrived, but there were too many still coming at me. My only recourse was to fight while I let the dragon free of my human skin and kill the ones still inside.”
Raven reared back and punched him before glaring at him. “That’s the stupidest idea you’ve ever had! You could have died and then what? I would be… I love you, you big dumb dragon.”
Raul rubbed his jaw where she’d hit him and pulled her hard against him for a long kiss. “Ah, Raven, I knew your anger would make for good foreplay. Be my mate. Let me take you to Paladin and present you as my love.”
“Okay, but I’m still mad at you,” Raven said, smiling. “I love you, dragon.”
“And I you, Shaloh,” Raul replied.
“What of your father?” Hawke asked.
Raul let go of Raven to turn to Hawke and went to his knee. “There was no one. It was as you said: a trap. I disobeyed your order and I am ready to face my judgment.”
“Raul, you thought you were going after your father. I was wrong for throwing it all at you and expecting you to just fall in line,” Hawke said. “Loyalty runs both ways and your father was good to you. You never saw the violence; you saw the man being a good
father to you. You are a fine and honorable man, a proud dragon, and I stand with you as a warrior of the court.”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you guys. I was, um, kind of distraught,” Raven said apologetically.
Hawke laughed. “I understand completely and hold no grudges. I’m happy that he has you to watch his back.”
“Now can we please go home?” Daisye said, looking around. “The dismembered Shen are giving me the creeps. Plus, we’re all just standing around talking while half of us are naked. It’s a tad improper.”
That caused a laugh between all of them and Raven felt as if she had become part of something bigger that most humans realized.
“Well, how about you ladies find your way back to the car? We’ll clean up and follow from the sky.”
“Um, how about we help and then I ride back with you, Raul?” Raven replied. “Daisye, I like you a lot, but I cannot say the same for your driving.”
Hawke laughed. “I told you, honey, a car is a dangerous weapon when you’re behind the wheel.”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess I will wait around,” Daisye grumbled good-naturedly. “But, Hawke, you drive back with me.”
“I drive,” Hawke said as they walked away.
Raven wrapped her arms around Raul’s thick waist and rested her head against his chest. He cupped her chin in his hand and lifted her head so he could see into her eyes. Raven could happily drown in the depths of his emerald gaze.
“I love you, Raven, my wild, intelligent love,” Raul said. “I have never said it to another and I will never say it to anyone but you.”
“You’d better not or I’ll deck you so hard you’ll think you were hit by a truck,” Raven said, but she was grinning from ear to ear.
Raul kissed her lovingly and promised, “I shall forever be yours. I swear it on my honor and of the court I serve. Tomorrow I’ll take you to our king and present you as my mate.”
“My life has taken a new course. I’ll finish my thesis and from there I’m going to devote my time to learning your culture and documenting it for the generations to come,” Raven replied. “Because I love you and your home, your people, and vow to keep your secret as my own. I have never felt so strongly about anything in my life.”
“Spoken like the true mate of a warrior,” Raul said. “I must shift to my dragon and help the others.”
She watched him walk a few steps away and change into his magnificent green and gold dragon and take to the skies. I’m the mate of a dragon with honor, she thought with a smile and moved towards Daisye to watch their dragons dominate the night sky.
The End
Coming in 2013
Book 5 of The Paladin Dragons
A Dragon’s Rage
Where Lleau tries to see past the anger and loss in his life, and Liis could be the one who saves him.
About the Author
Dahlia Rose is the best-selling author of contemporary and paranormal romance with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on a Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn,” and her biggest supporter and longtime love. She has a love of erotica, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. Books and writing are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books.
Sugar and Spice Press
Where romance is everything nice.
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