by Julia Mills
Like I give a shit. She’s worth all that and more.
Charlie squirmed in her sleep, her discomfort evident in her tiny moans. Every wiggle, every roll of her shoulders was like a knife to his heart. It was as if it was happening to him. His dragon growled, puffing smoke and pushing the man to ease their mate’s discomfort. Aaron’s frustration grew. Helplessness, especially in this case, was not something he took lightly. It was his job to see to her every need, keep her from harm…make sure she was cared for in every way.
There had been times, specifically over the last few years, where he had scoffed when the other Guardsmen had gotten all warm and fuzzy. It was a shock to his system that he was experiencing the same thing. He’d been so sure there was no way he could ever feel what they felt, ever have a mate to call his own. The funny thing was he’d thought he was okay with it. Hell, he’d run as far and fast as he could, but it was to no avail. All the stories were true. Fate definitely had a way of getting what She wanted. And if Aaron had to be honest…Charlie was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Absently moving his hands across her back, he listened to his dragon purr, noticing that every so often, the beast would chuff. It was as if the big guy was trying to tell him something, something only the beast recognized. He listened intently but heard nothing unusual. Dismissing it as excitement from finally finding the light of their soul, his thoughts drifted back to his miracle…his mate…his Charlie.
She was unlike any woman he’d ever known. The glimpses of her thoughts he’d gotten while they made love had blown his mind. She was not only strong, independent, and incredibly intelligent, but her compassion and empathy showed him the true beauty of her soul. The depth of commitment to her profession was a true testament to her spirit. It was not only what she wanted to do; being a physician was what she was meant to do.
His dragon chuffed again, this time at the precise moment her marking wiggled under his hand. Sure he’d imagined it, Aaron gently moved Charlie off his chest, carefully placing her on the bed. Using movements so slow only his enhanced vision tracked them, he traced the outermost lines of her brand with just the tips of his fingers. With his extra abilities, he could see them move, as well as feel them. What he’d originally thought to be scars he now recognized as some type of glyph.
Connecting with Charlie through their ever-growing bond, Aaron searched for their origin, or at least everything she knew about them. He knew he’d catch hell when she found out he’d been picking through her brain, but figured it was worth it.
Besides, she’s sexy when she’s pissed and making up is gonna be so much fun.
Through her memories, he saw all the doctor’s opinions. The professionals stated they were nothing more than birthmarks; something they believed would disappear over time, or at least be so small they would be inconsequential. Obviously, modern medicine had been mistaken in this case.
One specific memory surfaced more than any other. Aaron saw Charlie and her mom talking about her back. His mate was adamant that her mother not look at it while her mother was just as determined to see it. It was obvious from whom she’d inherited her iron will. They reminded him of two warriors standing off on the field of battle.
Finally, Charlie had given in. It was then Mrs. Gallagher realized the marks were growing right along with her daughter. He saw their visit with another specialist who, like the others, had no answers. His pride soared as his mate told her mother not to worry, that it didn’t matter. She’d even gone so far as to say that she liked her ‘wings’. Those words spurred the Guardsman into action.
Moving as carefully as possible, while making sure to keep one hand moving across her back at all times, he rose to his knees so he could see all of Charlie’s back. She’d been right. The markings did resemble wings. They were breathtaking in their intricacy and detail. So realistic, Aaron imagined them lifting off her skin and fluttering in the breeze.
Caressing her porcelain skin, he continued to delve into Charlie’s mind and spirit. There, hidden deep inside, was a spark of magic, very small but vibrant in its bid to thrive. Its origin was undeterminable, at least with his limited knowledge of anything but dragon magic, and his mate had no knowledge of its existence. She’d been adopted at such a young age the only thing she remembered of her birth mother was the softness of her skin and the melody she sang as she rocked her babe.
He closed his eyes, imaging a young woman with white-blond tresses and expressive blue eyes holding a child that looked so much like her the woman thought she would burst with joy. The melody was beautiful. The woman’s voice so high and clear it sounded like magic itself. And she sang in a language he recognized from his youth.
Hush-a-bye, baby, my darling, my child
My flawless jewel, my piece of the world
Hush-a-bye, baby, isn't it a great joy
My little one in bed without any sorrows.
Child of my heart, sleep calmly
And well all night and be happy
I'm by your side praying for blessings on you,
Hush-a-bye, baby, and sleep for now.
On top of the house there are white fairies
Playing and frolicking under the gentle moonlight
Here they come calling my baby
To draw her into their great fairy mound.
The recollection was buried so deep he imagined Charlie thought of it as a dream, if she thought of it at all. Sighing in her sleep, he felt her finally relax. The lullaby gave her comfort, if only subconsciously, and for that he was grateful. Aaron knew the day would come when he would tell his mate about it and help her to remember such a beautiful memory.
His investigation of Charlie’s mind and back continued until the wee hours of the morning, but he uncovered nothing new. Lots of dead ends and memories of a wonderful childhood with great parents that adored their adopted daughter. She thought of her birth mother often, but only in a dream that never quite made it to her reality. Charles and Marian Gallagher were the people her heart recognized as her mother and father.
He’d taken a few extra minutes to ‘listen’ to what Charlie thought of her father. After all, Aaron would be asking for her hand in what the humans called ‘marriage’ very soon. Charles Gallagher was a retired cop, a hard ass, but incredibly fair and rational–except where his daughter was concerned. Aaron tried to imagine what a conversation with the man would be like, but came up empty-handed and at a loss for words for one of the only times in his life. He’d faced every imaginable enemy without a second thought, but just the idea of the man his mate held in such high esteem made him nervous and jittery. Deciding it wasn’t something he could control, but most definitely something that had to happen, he moved on.
Taking one more look at the magic buried deep in Charlie’s soul, he just knew it was inherent; either her birth mother or father, or maybe even both, had been magical. He wondered if it had been intentionally buried, but knew that was a question for the experts. The spark was definitely a part of her, but completely unrealized by its host, and because of that he couldn’t tell if it was dragon or not.
Aaron shuddered while thinking about what Devon had gone through with Anya, and decided to tell Charlie what had happened first thing in the morning. He would admit he’d poked around in her brain and convince her to let Siobhan, their clan’s Elder Healer, and Kyra, take a look. There wasn’t anything Siobhan didn’t know about healing, and magic was the little white witch’s specialty. Besides, Royce had mentioned she needed something else to think about while she waited for word from her aunt about the hunt for Calysta.
Keeping his hand on her back, he settled back into bed, carefully placing Charlie across his chest once again. His possessiveness made him chuckle. She grumbled at the motion but immediately settled when he kissed the top of her head. Her actions, even in sleep, showed that she felt the mating call just as much as he did.
Cuddling against him, a sigh slipped from her lips while her legs entwined with his, securing
her place with her mate. The skin-to-skin contact calmed man and beast as well as their mate. The scent of fresh roses and their lovemaking filled his senses, while Charlie’s presence in his heart and soul made him feel more complete than he ever had. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and just enjoyed the beginning of a very long and happy life. It was the most peaceful he could ever remember being in his entire existence.
Charlie’s presence filled his mind while memories of his transformation accompanied a fear that his mate would go through what Anya did. The uncertainty of Charlie’s origins was a conundrum that had to be solved as soon as possible. Her magic was good and pure…nothing but white light and a sense of peace, but there was no way she would shift without warning if he had anything to say about it.
The fear he’d heard in Devon’s voice, accompanied by the pain on the older Guardsman’s face when he believed Anya to be dying, had been damn near paralyzing. At the time, Aaron’s thoughts had been divided between helping the couple and keeping Charlie from a total meltdown after she’d ignored his orders to return to the reception. While the details were blurry, the one thing for certain was that Anya had been in excruciating pain and Devon had been ready to follow her to the Heavens
Neither had talked much about that night. All Devon said was that Anya was adapting to her new state of being and he was thrilled that calling her dragon forth had become a painless event. Apparently, she’d even taken to flying like a natural. He’d heard that Siobhan and Zachary, the oldest Elder in dragon kin, were searching every available archive to find Anya’s heritage. Being the first female dragon in hundreds of years had to be one of the coolest, and freakiest things, the poor woman had ever been through.
Well, besides turning into a dragon.
Once again, Aaron thought about his and Aidan’s transformation. The twins had felt the stirring of the beast at exactly the same moment. Barely making it to the valley between the two mountains that bordered the Silver Clan’s lair before the crippling pain of their first shift began, the brothers drew on the knowledge buried deep in their souls and that of their dragons to survive. Aaron’s last coherent thought had been to call to his father.
His extremities still tingled remembering the magic filling every molecule of his body just as his entire being began to tear and reconfigure into that of his dragon. Even his bones, that in human form were dense and heavy, became hollow and light to enable flight. Thankfully, only the first transformation was painful. Now, what had originally taken hours was instantaneous.
Of course, he and Aidan had gotten to experience it in stereo. Being identical twins, as close as two people can genetically be, they completely shared one another’s transformation. They had teased each other mercilessly for years, one always accusing the other of being the bigger baby. Their father had declared it a draw and their mother had fussed over them for days after they returned home.
Some of the best times of my life.
As sleep claimed him, all he could think was that even better times were to come. It was as if his life was beginning anew…
Aaron woke to the sun in his eyes, a crick in his neck, and a cramp in his leg, but he’d never been happier or more rested. He knew he would endure absolutely anything to awaken with the woman that owned his heart and soul in his arms every morning for the rest of his life.
Sometime during the wee hours of the morning, Charlie’s back had mercifully stopped bothering her. She’d wound herself around him and clung so tightly, he had to imagine they looked like a human pretzel. Aaron had never liked sharing a bed with anyone, let alone have them touching him, but now that Charlie was in his life, he couldn’t imagine sleeping without her touch.
Wanting to do something special for his mate, Aaron carefully untangled their limbs, moved her to the bed where he lovingly positioned her to make sure she got as much rest as possible, and then stood. He watched her fall back into a deep sleep. His dragon chuffed, urging him to crawl back into bed, but the man wanted to provide for their mate.
Grabbing his clothes, he quickly dressed and headed down to fix breakfast. Charlie’s refrigerator was basically bare, so it was on to plan B. Two minutes later, he was roaring down the road, headed to his favorite diner to grab one of everything on the menu.
Maude, the diner owner, and her daughter, Jill, laughed at the amount of food he ordered, teasing that only a man in love ate that much. He knew they were right, but he wasn’t ready to share. He grinned and said, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Honey, I’m old enough to be your momma,” Maude cackled as she poured hotcake batter on the griddle. “There’s nothing you can tell me I haven’t heard once and tried twice.”
He had to laugh. If Maude knew how old he really was, she’d probably flip her lid.
It wasn’t long before Jill had a box packed with Styrofoam to-go containers, napkins, plastic forks and knives, and all the condiments they could ever need. Leaving them a huge tip, he secured the box to the back of his Harley and headed back to the cottage.
Sitting at a stop sign waiting to turn left, a butterfly landed on his cheek. The sensation of its wings on his skin triggered a sense of deja vu. He remembered something that felt like silk, only lighter somehow, caressing his cheek and arms. His mind filled with the scent of fresh cut roses and a warm purple glow that simply exuded happiness. A horn blasted behind him, jarring him from his memory, but the thought and feeling remained.
Following his link to Charlie, he felt her stir and knew she would be awake very soon. Hurrying into the house, he raced to the kitchen in an effort to have everything ready before she came downstairs. He slid the box on the counter, grabbed the coffee from the canister, and found plates in the cabinet.
The first drip of java hit the bottom of the pot as he heard Charlie’s footsteps above his head. Figuring it would take her a few minutes to get downstairs; he ran to the patio and picked a few daisies to fill the empty vase on the table.
Timing it perfectly, he placed the plates on the table just as she rounded the corner. Her look of shock, which quickly turned to a smile, was worth all his hurried preparations. Holding out her chair, he asked, “Breakfast, milady?”
Bypassing the chair, she stood on her toes and placed a tender kiss to his cheek. Aaron wanted more. Leaning down for better contact, he held her head at the perfect angle as his lips met hers, showing her the way he wanted to start every morning. Several passion-filled moments later, they broke apart, breathless and weak-kneed.
Holding her to his chest for just a moment longer, Aaron grinned. “You’re better than ham and eggs, that’s for damn sure.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased, in what had to be her best Mae West impression.
Aaron barked out a laugh as he turned Charlie around and waited until she sat. Pouring coffee and juice for both of them before taking his own seat, Aaron watched her watching him and had to grin.
“You better eat before it gets cold.”
“I’m not sure where to begin. I’d ask if you made all this but I know my cupboards were bare. Where’d you go?” she asked, adding cream and sugar to her coffee.
“Maude’s on Plantation. I think we keep her in business, or did before everyone found their mates.”
He watched for any sign that she knew they were fated to be together, but saw none. The thought of looking through their bond entered his mind, but he knew he already had a lot of explaining to do where that was concerned and didn’t want any more to tackle.
Charlie drowned her pancakes in syrup, took a bite, and moaned, “These are amazing,” with her mouth full.
Aaron loved that she was already comfortable enough around him to be herself. His mouth watered as she licked a drop of syrup from her lips. It took all of his considerable control to keep from leaning across the table and following her example. A sense of accomplishment filled not only the man, but also his beast, as he sat watching Charlie eat her fill.
I truly have turned into a big pu
ddle of goo.
Setting her fork on her plate with an uneaten bite still on the tines, she looked up, spearing him with her brilliant gaze. “Thank you so very much. I can’t remember a time I have enjoyed a breakfast as much as I have this one.” She practically purred.
Always feed her breakfast, especially pancakes. Have LOTS of syrup on hand.
She paused and he watched a flurry of emotions cross her face. Clearing her throat, she spoke again, and this time it was with conviction. “I have a couple of questions for you and I have to know that you’ll answer them with total honesty. Can you do that for me?”
“I told you there would be no more secrets between us and I meant what I said,” he answered, trying to keep the hurt and frustration at her continued mistrust out of his voice.
The look on her face said she knew she’d wounded his pride and that made him even madder. She spoke before he could further respond. “Don’t get upset. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t know what you can and can’t tell me. What are the rules? Sam said I could know everything, but what is everything? I guess I should’ve said that if there’s something you can’t answer, some detail you can’t share, just tell me. I can handle that. I just can’t handle being kept in the dark. I don’t operate that way. Make sense?”
He nodded, once again in awe of her intuitive nature.
“Okay, now? I don’t want you upset, but I have to know I can be straight with you and you’ll be straight with me, ya know? ‘Cause here’s the thing… what we did last night, what we shared, I don’t take lightly. And if I’m to be as honest with you as I want you to be with me, I have to admit that it has never been like that with anyone else…ever.”
He restrained himself from fist pumping the air while his dragon roared his own pleasure at her comment in his head. All he could do was nod and agree as he watched just the touch of a blush highlight her cheeks.
“So we’re good right?” she asked.
“Yes, mo chroi. We’re good.”
