by Elle Boon
“I have to go back to work.” She spun on her heel, running as fast as she could back to the lodge, back toward the safety of where she’d last seen Talia.
The door to Dave’s office was open, the scent of the manager and fear filling the air. She didn’t understand why they’d hired a human to run the place, but he seemed nice enough. However, he’d become a first class porchdick lately, but stepping into his office, the sight of him lying on the floor had her almost panic shifting. The next thing she remembered was the man with the cold, lifeless eyes, who made Keith look like a choir boy, coming up from behind her. “Why’d you run from me, little lamb?” His grating voice asked. And then there was pain. So much pain.
Sky opened her mouth to scream, to demand he leave her alone, but nothing came out. She watched as he lifted his hand, waving two of his fingers in a strange pattern, and then pain pierced her lips. Oh Goddess, what was he doing to her? The feel of a sharp object being stabbed into her flesh, while something weaved in and out, over and over again, hurt like nothing she’d experienced. Before, when Keith had punished her, she’d been able to escape inside her mind, but this man held her with the force of his gaze. Unable to look away or even blink, Sky felt wetness flowing from her eyes and lips, the scent of her own blood filling her senses. Surely, someone would come and rescue her, but the being in front of her only smiled, evil wrapping around them like a cloak.
Minutes that felt more like hours passed, then he laughed. “Much better. You look beautiful now.” He held up a mirror allowing Sky to see what he saw. Her face was ghostly white, with streaks of blood pouring from the holes he’d stabbed into her flesh, tracks of tears washing some of it away even as fresh blood oozed. Zigzags of thick black thread weaved back and forth over her mouth, keeping her from opening her lips.
Tears of pain and shame leaked out of her eyes. She was supposed to be a wolf, a predator, but all she’d ever been was the damn prey.
“You have a purpose, little lamb. Keith gifted you some of the Fey powers he stole from Talia. I can feel it pulsing within you. I just need to get you and the stupid bitch in the same place, so she can extract it from you. Then, I will end your sorry excuse of a life. Won’t that be wonderful?” His insane laughter scared her almost as much as the loss of her ability to scream or reach out to her alpha through her mind.
She stared at the crazy man in front of her, hating him, hating her life, wishing he would just kill her and be done with it.
“I have no plans to kill you just yet, little lamb, but never fear, your death will come sooner rather than later.”
Sky glared at the bastard wishing with all her might he would die a horrible death. The next thing she knew, everything went black.
River and Raydon burst through the woods, coming to a stop a few feet from a man they’d never seen before, growls bursting from them both at the scent of Sky’s blood surrounding the area. Their hackles rose as the man raised his free hand, a ball floating above him.
“Back off, mutts, or I’ll end your worthless existence along with this one.” His hand wavered over the head of Sky.
Sky’s fear was palpable, but her unique scent triggered a primal need to claim her through Raydon and him.
“Sky, are you okay?” Niall asked.
A whimper was his answer, sounding muffled. From their vantage point, the only thing they could see was the top of her head. River wanted to rip the man’s arm off as he saw his fingers were wrapped around her long golden tresses. The coppery scent of her blood mixed with the salty tang of her tears was making his wolf and Raydon’s hard to control. Reaching out to his alpha, he forced the calmness where there was none out. “She’s our mate, Niall.”
“Why don’t you release the female and face me like a man instead of a pussy like you are,” Niall taunted.
Hearing Niall’s words had Raydon tensing beside him, but River put his arm out, knowing there had to be a reason for what he was doing.
What he’d expected he wasn’t sure, but as the bastard laughed, he was prepared for another comment. However, what they got was worse. So much worse than he was prepared for. Nothing in all his thirty years could’ve equipped him for the sight of their mate being held in front of a monster. Her mouth crudely sewn shut, with what looked like black yarn, had his wolf roaring in his head. He tried to convey to her that they’d save her, that she’d be okay by looking into her eyes, but they too were wrong. There was no color to them, only great pools of blackness with bloody tears leaking from both. His heart broke right then and there, knowing she was suffering, and neither he nor Raydon had been there for her. While they stood staring, blood flowed from each hole where her lips had been sewn, plus trails of red flowed from her ears. Too much blood for one to lose and still stand, he was sure.
“What did you do to her?” Raydon growled the question, his fingers flexing, claws sprouting out of the tips of his hands.
The anguished growl was echoed within him just as he went to leap forward, his own claws out and ready to render the man in half, he slammed into a wall. The sound of Torq’s voice telling them to stop finally registered.
“Don’t. It’s what he wants. He’s feeding off your energy. Look,” Torq said as he glared over his shoulder.
River looked to see the bastard standing, his arms out as if he was waiting for an influx of power.
“Niall, get control of them,” Torq growled then faced the man who held Sky. “So, you like hurting little girls? Why don’t you try stepping into the big boys’ playground and see if you can hang with the big dogs, or maybe you prefer staying on the porch with the pups?”
“That doesn’t even make sense. Which are you? A man or a dog? Let me answer that. You’re all nothing but animals to be used when the need arises. This one has served her purpose.” He gave Sky one final look, then tossed her aside, her muffled moan cut off as soon as she hit the ground.
River barely kept his beast leashed, knowing whatever the hell was keeping him and Raydon away from their mate wouldn’t hold forever.
Even while the battle raged in front of them, neither he nor Raydon took their eyes off their mate, waiting, praying to the Goddess she’d be okay. Through the barrier, her heartbeat was faint and getting weaker.
“Niall, she’s dying,” he roared, uncaring who heard him.
The sound of swords clashing, then the yells of ‘No’ followed by heat had him looking up to see a huge creature flying overhead. River knew he should help his packmates, especially when he felt Torq slipping away, but at the same time, he noticed Sky’s breathing and heartrate also slowing, then stopping. He gripped his brothers’ shoulder, both pushed against the invisible barrier, wanting to hold her, the female they had yet to claim, at least one time, before she was gone from them forever.
“Ock, what’s wrong with her?” Lula the dragon asked, rushing to Sky, the invisible barrier no hindrance to her.
River banged against the force holding him back, his wolf clawing forward at the presence of another predator.
“Female, that’s our mate. Don’t hurt her,” Raydon warned Lula.
Lula being Lula ignored them both as she shifted from dragon to human. She glared at them, then waving her hand, she made the wall disappear. Luckily, he and his twin were fast on their feet and kept themselves from falling face first. He made it to Sky’s side first, flinching as he got his first up close glimpse of the damage done to her beautiful face. “Stay with us, Sky,” he whispered. He wouldn’t care what she looked like as long as she was alive.
“It’s too late for that, wolfie,” Lula said matter-of-factly.
Raydon roared, the anguished sound shook the trees around them. “No, it can’t be.”
Lula looked at Sky, then at him and Raydon. “I can save her. Bring her back from the brink, but she’ll be changed. Can you handle that, twinsies?”
He nodded, his throat too tight for words.
“So it shall be then,” Lula sighed. The words no sooner left her mouth, then she
shifted again, sweeping Sky up with one large wing, disappearing before their eyes.
“What the hell did you just agree to, River?”
His brother’s whispered words deflated the air in his chest. “The only thing I could, Rye, the only thing I could,” he repeated.
Across the way, he glimpsed the rest of his pack, sensed Torq’s lifeforce getting stronger, could hear their banter, but until he knew their mate would be alright, he closed himself off to them.
A swift breeze brought his eyes back to the area above them. Blocking out the moon for a moment was a shadow in a cloudless sky, making him think he was hallucinating. “Goddess, is that Lula?” he asked Raydon.
“I do believe it is, and with her is Sky, but she...she smells different.” Raydon moved closer as Lula landed a few feet from them.
“That’s rude, wolfie.” Lula’s eyes sparkled as she met theirs. She landed with the grace only she could perform while holding a sleeping Sky tucked close to her chest. “Now, I know you agreed you’d be fine with me being the magnificent dragon I am, but you must promise to not freak out and go all crazy on me, or I’ll be forced to kick your wolf butts. That would upset Jenna, and I’d like to avoid doing that.”
River didn’t waiver. Lula might confuse others, but he understood what she was saying, what her comments were, and he wouldn’t go back and change a damn thing. Sky was alive and that was all that mattered to him. He moved forward, his hands itching to take Sky from the huge dragon. “I never go back on my word, dragon.”
Before he could take Sky, Lula became a gorgeous human with long pink hair cradling an unconscious Sky in her arms. “I knew that, wolfie. Your female with the strange name is going to be fine. As a matter of fact, the three of you together have quite the weird names. Sky like above us, which is filled with infinite possibilities, River, which can be very deep and murky, and Raydon the protector. Hmm, something to think about. Anyhoo, your mate to be is changed, but not dead. I call that winning. Now, where would you three like to go?”
The only place he wanted to be when Sky woke was at his and Raydon’s home. They’d deal with her family later and what their names might mean for their future. He, like all mystical beings, believed there was a reason for everything. The way Lula said their names with such ease and added the little tidbit to each had made him pause for a moment. For now, he and his brother would watch over Sky and help her through whatever changes there was. “Our home.”
Lula nodded, then he, Raydon, and Sky were inside their home with Lula standing in front of his large bed where she’d put Sky. “Let her wake on her own. Until then, you can take turns watching over her. I suggest she not be left alone and just be prepared for her to need space. I’ll be around if you need me, hopefully.”
With that, the female disappeared.
“River, what does she mean, changed? She’s said that a couple times, but she looks just the same. Well, she looks better than she did before that bastard got ahold of her. It’s as if nothing ever marred her skin.” His brother’s voice broke, his hand shook as he raised it over Skys head, then pulled back.
“Lula obviously healed her injuries. Maybe there were more internal wounds we didn’t see. I don’t know, and I don’t care. Her scent is the same, only slightly different. I can smell a hint of cotton candy which reminds me of Lula, but that could be because she was with the dragon for however long in the other realm. Shit, we should’ve asked that question.” He raked his hand through his hair, watching as his twin did the same. “She’s still ours. I sense her wolf calling to mine. Don’t you?” River asked and then went to the opposite side of the bed, leaning down to pull the blanket over Sky. He wasn’t as tentative to touch Sky as his brother.
Raydon’s breath escaped in a rush. “My wolf wants to mark her now. Clearly, that hasn’t changed.”
River nodded. “Let’s just take care of our mate, and when she wakes up, we’ll do whatever it takes to make her realize she belongs with us.”
His brother laughed. “Thank the goddess we still have that chance.”
“No, thank Lula.” The sweet scent of cotton candy still filled the air. Yeah, the pink dragon may be a little weird, but she’d saved their mate, and for that, he’d forever be in her debt.
Raydon watched his brother cover Sky, his chest swelling with love and respect for his twin. If Sky had died, he knew without a doubt, he and River would’ve followed.
His ears picked up on conversations outside as if they were right next to him. While River and he were almost identical in looks, they had a few things that separated them. One of those was his ability to hear a pin drop, if he was listening for it, even if it was miles away. Of course, he had to know and be focused on that certain pin. Now, he was hyperaware of the dragon, needing to know if there was anything amiss with her or their future mate. Not many knew of his ability outside of his twin and his alpha, since it tended to freak people out. Raydon didn’t go around listening in on people’s convos for shits and giggles. In all honesty, it was more of a burden as a kid than a thing to celebrate, until now. Turning his head, he allowed his mind to search for the dragon female, pushing aside all other sounds except the one he wanted to hear. Through the long tunnel in his mind, he pushed aside the sounds coming from the woodland creatures, the noise of the forest as the wind blew the trees, everything, until he found Lula.
“Lord love a duck; do I have to do everything?” Lula asked.
“You are the mighty dragon, Lula dear.” Talia, mate to Torq’s voice held a joking note he couldn’t miss.
Lula growled; the noise made a wave in his mind, almost pushing him out of the tunnel he was listening through. “Fine. Off you all go to your beds. I’ll even make sure you’re nekkid when you get there. Ps. You’re welcome.”
The sounds of his friends’ squeals and laughter were cut off, and then he heard several of them expressing their gratitude. “Thank you, Lula,” Talia yelled.
“I love that dragon,” Torq said.
Raydon wasn’t sure if he loved the dragon, but he was grateful they’d have a chance with their mate because of her. Now, they just had to wait and see exactly how Sky was changed and pray to the Goddess she wouldn’t be too upset.
“Shit, what about her parents?”
Raydon snapped the link to Lula shut as River’s question made him blink. “Fuck, I didn’t think of them. Hell, for that matter, do we even know a thing about them?”
River shrugged. “Let’s wait till morning. Hopefully, Sky will be awake by then, and can help us decide.”
He snorted. “Damn, you already whipped or what?”
“If by whipped you mean I’m willing to allow our mate to decide on what we tell her parents then...what was that?” River held his hand to his ear.
Raydon rolled his eyes and waited.
“Oh, yeah, that was the sound of a whip cracking ‘cause yep, I’m whipped. Thank you ma’am, may I have another.” River made the sound of a whip cracking, smiling, then sobered as his eyes landed on the silent form of Sky. “For her, I’d do just about anything, Rye.”
He and River both took up positions in the huge master bedroom, one on each side of Sky, in chairs not meant to be slept in, but neither were willing to go far. The link he’d forged with the dragon alerted him to her presence, yet he was aware she wasn’t speaking to him. His eyes snapped open while his mind followed the path of her voice.
“Female, quit ogling your male and come outside,” Lula demanded.
“It’s strange how there’s only one sun and one moon here, yet I feel as if they’re full of magic, you know?” He heard the loneliness in her tone.
Finally the other person spoke, not entirely shocking to him, yet he wondered why Lula went in search of Talia instead of him. “Yes, it does.”
“The female, Sky, which is a strange name for a human or other, but that’s not the point. Anyway, she’s going to be a little changed after tonight, and not just because of he who we will not mention, unless you w
ant to mention him because I’m that awesome. Ps. You’re welcome.” Raydon wanted to reach through the link, shake the female, and demand she tell him everything. Only knowing it would be useless kept him in the chair. Hell, she’d kick his ass and make him say ‘Thank you ma’am may I have another,’ before burning him to ashes.
“Um, thank you. But, can you elaborate on how Sky will be different? Will I need to explain things to her or the pack?” Talia’s hesitant words made him hold his breath.
“Well, it’s like this. I’m a very big dragon, and I have lots of dragon to go around, ya know. So, she was sort of dying, and I could see that would’ve gutted those twin fellas, so I sort of gifted her with some of me. Well, she was already a wolfie, so I’m not really sure what she’s gonna be. But, yeah, she’s gonna be a little different.” There was no worry or fear in Lula’s confident words. No, the dragon did what she did, no questions asked.
Silence descended. “Honey, have you any clue what you’ve done?”
Lula growled, the reverberation gave Raydon chills. “Of course, I know what I did. I’m not a child, Talia Taluleth of the House of Talu. You may be decades old, but I’m centuries older. What I did, I did because she’s going to be needed in the future. Now, take your Fey ass back to your mate. He’s stirring, and I don’t feel like keeping him asleep any longer.”
“Lula, wait. I didn’t mean to offend you. I know you wouldn’t do anything to harm someone. But, and this is huge—you giving a piece of yourself away weakens you until you mate.”
Raydon looked at a sleeping Sky, then imagined the great dragon being weak. No, he wouldn’t allow either of them to be hurt ever again.
“Like I said, I have a lot of me to go around. No need to worry. I’ll be right as rain. Besides, I don’t have a mate. Listen, I got to go. Take care of Sky of the weird name,” Lula said with a flippant tone that Raydon didn’t quite buy.
Before the link to the dragon was severed, he heard Talia’s whispered cry. “Oh, Lula, what have you done?”
