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what happened to him.” Grania kept her voice low, and unlike Blaze she kept her emotions in check.
“I never knew Doral before he came to the Palace.” Blaze gazed over at Grania.
“Did you know him?”
“Of course, I did. He was one of my father’s protégés. When Nicholas
transformed, I was a little surprised to hear that he was working within the Palace. He was always a little paranoid of the Royal Family. He said you were not the true heirs of DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
the Dragon Shifter Throne, that you were only the pretenders.”
“Indeed.” A muscle danced in Blaze’s cheeks. “Had I known this before—you
have stayed away from the palace for far too long, cousin.”
“I stayed away because it was the wish of your parents. Apparently, they view me as a security risk … what a laughable thought that is—you’ve been invaded and you didn’t even know. Here I am living in a self-imposed exile here on Earth while worse sorts than me invade the palace. I feel so loved.” She looked at Nicholas. “So, tell me, are you working as a double agent?”
“Oh, you are good. Dylan, hang onto this one … she’s a thinker. You’re right …
we have the real O’Malley in lockup—he’s quickly seeing the error of his ways, I assure you. He wishes us to release him so he can right the wrongs of his past. I think he might just be telling us a sweet story since it’s what we want to hear, but I could be mistaken. I have been wrong once or twice before in my life. Now, I warrant you it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I own it like a man.”
“O’Malley should be given a second chance. I can’t see any other way—maybe
keep him under constant watch—please, try to give him the benefit of the doubt. When he was going to the palace he might have been intending to defect from Draco. You never know. If you don’t give him a second chance ...”
“Grania is right. Try to give him the chance to redeem himself. If he’s so
fervently talking out against Draco, I have no reason to not believe him. One of us could return with you to your lockup facility and we could search his mind.” She nodded at Blaze’s suggestion.
“We’ve already had a witch well skilled in telepathy search his mind.”
“Not good enough!” She hadn’t meant to sound so enraged, she couldn’t help it.
Her passions were riled. “What you don’t understand is that our telepathy is far stronger than any you magic kind possess. We are keen mind infiltrators. If O’Malley wants to keep his secrets hidden from you, he will. It’s as easy as that.”
Nicholas furrowed his brow. “Dylan can sense and read your mind.”
“Dylan is my intended mate. The Dragon Mating Fire bonds our hearts together
in an unbreakable unity. A channel has been forged between the two of us. He will always be able to hear my thoughts, and I will be able to hear his. However, if I truly wanted to keep deep dark hidden truths from Dylan, I would be able to erect the necessary mind shields.”
“You couldn’t … you wouldn’t.” Dylan seemed horrifically shocked.
“The two of us are barely even bonded. We hardly know each other at this stage of the game, I could keep just as many secrets from you as you’ve been hiding from me.”
He wrenched his eyes away from hers. Fury boiled within the blue depths,
making her heart ache. She couldn’t take back what she’d just said. It was true … he had to know what he was dealing with when it came to the many talents her kind possessed.
“That’s the way it is, then.” His voice turned sad.
“I could go in your place, Blaze.” Her offer struck a chord inside of him; she saw something flicker in Dylan’s eyes, then, fade.
“You could at that, cousin. I think you should go. If O’Malley is telling the truth, we need every able bodied dragon shifter on our side. If he’s not telling the truth, you know what to do.”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
“She knows what to do? What the hell do you mean? She can’t kill him, my kind are keeping him under watchful guard. We are learning quite a bit about the genetic makeup of dragon shifters with him in our custody.”
“By the Fates! If you are doing experiments on him, the deal of a brokered
alliance between us, is over.” Blaze’s eyes burned with fury. He looked ready to lash out at Dylan. They didn’t have the time to have that sort of a battle on their hands—not now.
“We aren’t doing experiments on him in the way that the humans would if they
had him. We’re only observing his habits, his temperament and the way that he shifts.
This has helped us to perfect our ways within your community.” Nicholas seemed proud of himself—tickled pink was the way she would describe it.
“Mimics and copycats. It’s so nice to know that your kind has become perfect in that area of expertise,” she murmured, a sour taste infiltrating her mouth.
At her words, Nicholas’s eyes darkened. “Listen, we do what we have to do to be a formidable enemy. We still haven’t lost this war. Your kind can’t say the same.”
She looked over at Blaze just in time to see his jaw clench, his Adams Apple bob with his irritation, then, his eyes sparked with flames. Before she could react and stop him, he’d activated his heat vision. A laser line of fire emitted from his eyes, burning her screen to bits.
“Hey! That was a new television! I can't believe you just did that!"
“I’ll reimburse you.” Blaze’s voice was stern and tightly clipped.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Dylan sounded stern, even reproving. “My kind won’t take kindly to that display of arrogance. You need help, we’re offering it. Stop casting blind judgment on us, and give us a bloody break. You said yourself that you had no reason to doubt Nicholas in his guise of O’Malley. Obviously, that tells me that none of our operatives have ever done anything to incur your wrath, or even your suspicion.”
“My mother’s personal maid ... she’s one of them, isn’t she?” Blaze asked, his face dawning with cresting realization. He looked over at Grania, terror etched on his features.
“Now, don’t go and jump the wand, Blaze old boy. You don’t need to worry,
even if she is, she’s not going to hurt the Queen. Our operatives know that in order to really win this war, the monarchs must stay alive. If the monarchs fall, and you get killed in the line of fire, there won’t be an heir to fill the seat of the dragon shifter Royalty.”
“That is where you are wrong. There is Grania.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no … not in bloody million years, Blaze. I’m never
going to sing to that tune. I’m quite happy as a non royal, thank you. I'll take my noble status to that of royal status any day.”
Dylan looked over at her. “I thought you were related by blood to the Queen .…”
“Aye. She is. My mother is of the ancestral ruling class of Dragonia. She only named my father King in the interest of uniting his clan with her clan.”
“Man, you all have so many bloody sides, I’m getting an ass ache.” Dylan
touched his temple wearily.
She drew in a long breath. “Either way, you’re going to have to get back into contact with Nicholas, Dylan. We need his help. We can’t afford pissing him royally, and alienating him. Already, I feel something stirring in the air. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it does not bode well for us. Something of great change is coming, something we will not like, but must find the strength to rise above.”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
“Speaking of which, I must get back to Dragonia. Who knows what has happened
in my absence.” Blaze sighed, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Be safe, Blaze. May the flame of your life force never grow dim,” Grania's
voice trembled and almost broke.
“And yours. Relay my sincere apologies to that
Nicholas fellow. No doubt I’ll be seeing him again within the day since he will not be relinquishing his place within the palace. When the hour grows dark for us, at least we’ll know that Magic Kind spies surround us. They might come in handy.”
“Believe me, they just might be your saving grace,” Dylan said expressively.
Blaze gave him a hard look. “Mustn’t dilly dally. Grania, I am giving you full authority to act on behalf of the Royal Family in the diplomatic matters between Dylan’s government and ours. Maintain a level head and a full heart. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Not a chance.” She smiled. He embraced her quickly. Moving away from her,
he recited the necessary incantation to open the fiery portal back to Dragonia.
“May the Gods and Goddesses watch over you all.” With that, he was gone.
“Now, the fight finally comes to Earth.” She heard dread and foreboding enter her voice. She didn’t like the sound of it one bit.
“I don’t see any invading army.”
“That’s just it. This is the calm before the very fiery storm.”
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
Chapter Eight
“I can feel it coming.”
“What? The invading force?”
“Of a sort.” She struggled to maintain her breathing. “Give me your hand.”
Without asking her any further questions, he gave her his hand. She flipped it over so the palm faced her. “This is just what I was afraid of. Damn.”
“Damn, what? Damn the whole bloody war your father started or damn me?”
“Not you … not right now anyway.” She moved his hand so his palm faced hers,
with the fingertips pointing to the ceiling. Without a word, she moved her hand so they each touched each other. Flames of fire rushed through her body, as they touched the resulting rush made both of them gasp. The cottage lit up, and if Blaze hadn’t already destroyed the television, their flames of pent up desire might have done that.
“I don’t understand ....” His voice turned husky, almost gruff.
“I think you do. You only need to recall what I told you yesterday. This is the effect of the Mating Fire. If we don’t do something to sate its intensity we will both burn up in the after effects. The Mating Ritual has officially begun—bad timing, aye, but it’s not something we can ignore.”
“Burn up?” His voice went hoarse.
“Yep.”
“That’s not something I’d like to do.” He caressed her cheek gently, and then
placed his hand on her forehead, frowning when his fingers touched her skin. She heaved another shuddering breath. “You’re hot. Are you certain that Blaze healed you completely?”
“Positive.”
He looked unconvinced. “I hope so.”
“I’m telling you this is not a poison doing this to me, this is the Mating Fire. If we connect with each other it will diminish ... a bit.”
“Connect? Well, aren’t you romantic.”
“Not romantic … telepathic. We need to join our minds, and our spirits … not
our bodies—at least not right now—in the very near future, yes. But not now!”
“It’s good to know that we’ll be having a definite lovemaking session soon.
Could we try to be a bit more romantic though. I like the proper ambiance, some sensual music, a nice meal beforehand. You know, not all slam bam, thank you, miss.”
“Stop it! You are lessening what it would be. You’re making it sound like
something you’d find in a seedy district of town.”
“Well, you’ll have to admit that our relationship up to this point in time has moved by at lightening speed. I’ve barely had time to stop and catch my breath. We both continually fear for our lives. Now, I fear more for you than I do for myself.”
“You shouldn’t. I am more expendable than you.”
“You are telling me that this incredible bond has been forged between us, and yet, you contradict yourself by telling me that you are more dispensable than me. That makes DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
no sense in my mind. I should be the one protecting you.” Dylan caressed her cheek gently.
“Just because you are the man, doesn’t mean that gives you the holier than thou attitude to go all caveman on me. I’m perfectly capable of handling myself and before you point out my unfortunate incident last night, I will admit that I was distracted and at my wits end. Now, that I know you won’t pull off a stupid stunt like that again, I will be able to hone all of my focus into making sure you are kept safe.”
“That’s great. You’re focused, and now I’m the one driven to distraction. I can’t seem to think straight. My mind is a jumble of thoughts all straying off into different directions. This is no way to live—no way to conduct ourselves. Why can’t anything ever be simple for us? I feel so confused, not to mention disoriented.”
“I can help with that. We can touch minds … explore our consciousness and see what happens.”
“What if you get in there and come to the conclusion that I’m too stupid to be your mate? I know how you dragon shifters prize intelligence, and being wise. I don’t want us to have a competition when it comes to cleverness. I have heard how many geniuses your kind produces.”
“I don’t think we have to worry about that. How stupid can you be if you’re
developing this extra special spell?”
“You do have a point. Sometimes I amaze myself with my own sheer brilliance.
But you’re lucky, I’ll let you bask in the afterglow.” He smiled.
She touched his face. He didn’t draw away. Instead, he leaned into her hand, kissing her fingers. At the feel of his lips on her fingers, she almost lost her own semblance of control. At every intimate touch between them, she wanted to let out a scream—one that would shake the very rafters of the cottage. He was so brutal when it came to the art of war and yet when it came to the art of lovemaking, he knew just what to do to make her go weak in the knees, set her heart afire and cause her breath to quicken. She could only imagine the sort of lover he would be in bed. The only question was how would they keep their hands off of each other once they did give into
temptation? Would it drown them both?
He grinned at her. “How about touching my mind now? I haven’t felt a thing
.…” His voice trailed off as she put a hand on each side of his head, resting her fingers on his temple. She felt her mind spiral into his.
She was in a haven of sorts. She could feel his magic surging into her mind. It awed and thrilled her at the same time.
Images of his childhood flitted past her, then, she saw him as a teenager, and finally as a man. She knew he was seeing the same sort of images in his mind’s eye, and that thought terrified her. What would he think of her the way she’d once been?
His feelings toward her shifted, her heartbeat quickened, only to be relieved when she felt his love invade her soul. He was now falling headlong into the sea of love for her. He wanted her. The urgency made her breath hitch in her throat. She thought of the bed upstairs … she thought of the fact that they had so much to do. They couldn’t mate—they shouldn’t mate, but how could they stop themselves? The Mating Fire was on the precipice of making them both tumble face first into a volcano filled with lava love.
“Dylan?” Her voice was unbearably raspy.
DRAGON’S HEART Marly Mathews 170
“Grania.” He reached his hand up to brush it through her thick waves of hair. “I really am feeling excitedly amorous.”
“Ditto for me. I feel as if I’m about to flame up!”
Holding her face firmly in his hands, he looked into her eyes. “What will happen if we, if we give into our amorous feelings?”
“We will never be able to leave each other. Not unless the force called death takes us away, we will be forever linked. It is an unbreakable bond. Nothing in this world can shatter it. Nothing!”
&nb
sp; “Forever linked? For only knowing you a little over twenty-four hours, I’m
stunned to say that I could certainly live with that. I’d have to make an honest woman out of you, though. I guess my mother’s dreams for me to settle down with a nice little witch are certainly dashed against a stone wall.”
“Can’t say I’m disappointed.”
He smiled. “Neither am I. I do however want to make sure that you know what’s going to happen. I’m not acting out of anything but the feelings of burgeoning love for you, I want you to realize that.”
“And here I just thought you wanted to nail me because I’m such a tasty dish.”
“Well, I will say that you do look like a tasty dish, and I’m sure I will like the scent, taste and feeling of you. I just don’t want there to be any regrets between us. We have known each for such a short amount of time. I know how quickly love can turn to hate. I’ve seen it so many times before.”
“As intended mates, our souls have known each long before we found each other
in this world.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Really," she confirmed. "You have no need to fear. I will not be repentant for anything that’s going to happen between us.”
“Good. That’s the best news I’ve heard,” he proclaimed.
“We have a world on the edge of war, and yet, we’re about to make love.” Awe
dripped through her voice.
“Ah, but love is what makes the world go round.”
“I find that I can’t argue with that.” She smiled.
He laughed. She drowned herself in the sound of it. While her people were on the precipice of destruction she was finding the other half to her soul. Should she feel guilty? She couldn’t dwell on it, she had a job to do … she was ordained with protecting Dylan. And as his mate, she would be able to find him no matter what happened. She’d always be able to track him. He’d never escape from her again.
The tethers of Dylan’s control slackened. He wanted to sweep her off her feet and take her into his arms, but he held himself back. Her eyes haunted him. Even now the emerald green orbs sunk into his psyche making him want to lose himself in their luxurious depths.
