When they reached her, Neeren fell to his knees. Raw emotions tightened Alex’s throat. Tried to claw out of her lungs. The woman came out of the shadows and rested her hand on Neeren's hand. She reached for Alex, years of loss and yearning etched on her porcelain skin. Alex fell to the earth beside her brother.
The three of them collapsed on the beach together, cried like babies. Held on to each other like lifelines. For hours they were like one. Alex, unable to let go, fearing she would disappear.
The woman raised her head first and wiped her eyes. “Look at me. My darlings. My Alexedria, can you ever forgive me?”
Alex dashed the tears away and searched the woman’s eyes. Eyes so much like hers. “Mother,” she finally said, “I forgive you anything.”
Chapter 27
Collum recoiled, the past twenty-five years shattered by that one flippant remark. “You can't be about to tell me what I think you are. She’s dead. Everyone knows she’s dead.”
“Well duh, of course they do,” Mar replied. “Funny how everyone will believe what they’re told isn't it. Who told everyone she was dead?”
She climbed off the plush chair and wriggled her fingers in front of the massive stone fireplace. “I felt the same when I finally figured it out. Domhall is good at keeping secrets. He’s even better at manipulating them. I only clued in, ‘cause he wanted me to. The players are about to shift Dragon-Mine and I’m more than happy to be one of them.”
Collum studied her frame in the fire. She chugged her whiskey, with a devilish smile.
“You’re enjoying this,” he finally choked out.
“I always enjoy a bit of intrigue. It keeps me fresh.” She scolded him, “Oh, come on, you’re a dragon for Christ’s sake. Dragon’s get off on intrigue. The only reason you might not be enjoying this as much as me is because you’ve fallen for the reason we're all playing the game.”
He cursed. The world turned on its axis. He’d lost Alex. He'd never get her back now. “Domhall.”
“Yep, good old insane, Domhall. Loving husband, loving father, loving grandfather. You know, I'm beginning to suspect that dude ain't as nuts as you all think he is. This is going to start a war, Collum. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell know whose side I want to be on.”
The whiskey glass in his hand felt like lead. “Gray is alive.”
Mar patted his muscled arm. “Gray is alive.”
“Can you find her?”
“I'm pretty damn sure I can.” She rubbed his muscles beneath the black cashmere sweater. “You know, I thought you'd be meaner. Folks warned me about you. Don't cross him, don’t piss him off, don't let him near your daughters, blah, blah, blah. If you weren't in love with the girl, I'd totally have a go with yeah.”
He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. “For Christ's sake, Mar, take this seriously for a minute.”
“I am. I'm totally serious. I'd be all over you in a heartbeat if it weren’t for the smell of the lust you have for Alex, all over you. Honestly, it's not fair. But, I don't go in for being turned down, so, you know, no toques.” She flipped her hair back and swept her hands down her body before tossing back the final slug of whiskey in her cup.
“I'm just going to ignore you,” he said.
“That might be best.”
“And I don't love Alex. I barely know her.”
“Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that, oh master-of-denial. You reek of claiming smoke. Don't dragons only claim the one who is to be their mate?”
“It's different. Alex isn't a dragon. The rules don't apply.”
“Yeah? Bullshit, Obewankanobe. Just ‘cause you don't want to be claimed, doesn't mean you aren't. Smoke that logic. Oh, and you better hope you are claimed because I hear tell it's the only way to find her.”
He grabbed her shoulders. His dark eyes filled with blue fire. “Quit playing games with me, witch.”
Mar shook him off. “Easy, big guy, not sure if you noticed, but this skin is perfect. No bruises, okay.”
He released her immediately, moved to the other side of the room, studied the ancestral paintings that lined the wall of the library. Each face was as dark and harsh as his own. Each face, a descendant of dragons. Humans thought dragons were a fable, a legend like unicorns. In reality, they’d simply evolved to walk among the humans. They were a fierce and passionate race, led by instinct to conquer.
Collum was the one among them with the power and control to lead. Most hid on their towers of rock, with little desire to be near other beings. Spread across the world, they came only when called. They came when he called.
He rejoined Mar by the fire, placed his hand gently on the small of her back. “I apologize, witch. I shouldn't have grabbed you.” He rubbed her skin with tender affection.
She turned her brilliant white smile on him and retreated from his touch. “None of that now. I told you, I'm not into you okay.”
He smiled fondly at her. “Ah, yes, I forgot. Now tell me what you meant. How can I find Alex?”
“Right. This keeps getting better and better. Another rumor, of course, but I'm fairly certain it's true. Tell me, is it true ancient dragons could call to their mates across time and lands?”
Collum studied her. “That is the rumor.”
“But is it true?”
“We are not ancient anymore so I fail to see why it matters. Those old ways have been lost. And Alex is not my mate.”
“Sure, sure, but you claimed her.”
He nodded. “But she is not dragon, was raised human. She is young and unschooled and we were together but once. The bond isn't strong enough to find her, even if the ancient ways still existed.”
“Well I disagree with you and I want to do a spell. I've studied the ways of your people. I'm, like ninety-two percent certain I can find her, or at the very least get within a close range. I only need you to be willing to try.”
He sighed, felt a moment of weakness. “She’s found her mother.”
“Who cares. You swore to protect her. That vow isn't kaput. Domhall has his own game plan. My sense is she's going to need you. Sorry, but you better suck up the fact that she traipsed off with another dude and try this.”
The brand on his flesh ached. Moved under his sweater. Called out for its other half. He nodded. “What do we need?”
“Cool—Your blood, a strand of her hair, a dragon’s egg. I have the rest.”
“A dragon’s egg. Are you out of your fucking mind? It’s against every law of my people to touch dragon eggs. They are sacred.”
Mar doubled over with laughter. “I sort of figured that. Thought it was worth a shot. Those goddamn things are worth a fortune.”
He growled again. Felt like all he did was growl around this child.
She giggled. “Take it easy. Ha, you should've seen your face. Gosh, I love how volátil you dragons are. Easy pickins, easy pickins.”
Collum took a menacing step toward her.
“Stop. Stop. I'm funny, remember? You like me.” She jumped over the back of the lounger and grabbed her boots. “It's just the blood and hair, promise. You have to be willing to let me cut you and you have to be willing to stand inside the life circle I create.”
Collum retreated. “Very well. When?”
“Tomorrow. It's like one in the morning and I'm totally wiped.” She bounced out of the room. “Don't worry about me. Glenny showed me where I could put my stuff. We took care of that while you were down here throwing good whiskey in the fire. He deserves a raise you know. Tots for now, carino.
~ ~ ~
Collum sat by the fire for a few minutes after Mar had left. The revelations for the night were almost too much for him. Kaylen had lied. There was no way she hadn't known who Alex's father was. It surprised him that he wasn't angrier. But truthfully
, he respected her strategy. Goddamn he missed that woman.
The clock on the mantle read two o'clock in the morning. He forced himself to leave the den. Morning was coming soon. His feet carried him to the room he’d shared with Alex. The covers were still rumpled from when they’d made love. Glenn had wisely chosen not to make up the room. He picked up a pillow, inhaled her lingering scent. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed his head in his hands. Her mother was alive. She had a brother. Knowing everything he did, he couldn't see how she’d possibly wish to return to him.
“Fuck,” he muttered, raking his hands through his hair as he straightened.
He'd been charged, however, with keeping her safe and she wasn't safe yet. Not with the war coming their way. The war her mother and brother were sure to crave as much as their enemies.
He had vague memories of Gray Taleisin. He'd heard the stories. The woman was a fierce warrior who loved knowledge and destruction as much as any dragon. She must be chomping at the bit for payback. Whether Alex liked it or not he was bound to her for a while longer. That meant he had to find her before they all did something stupid.
Chapter 28
Alex wept openly. Held on to her mother like she was a lifeline.
Gray wiped the tears from her eyes. “I am so very, very sorry, my beautiful child. Sorry for everything. I could hardly bear living, knowing you’d been taken from me, knowing I had to stay away from you.”
“Why didn't you bring me here before now?”
“I didn't know where you were. Your guardian hid you well. Please don’t hate me, Alex.”
“I don’t hate you. I just don’t understand all of this. I don’t understand why I wasn’t sent to you right from the start.”
Gray held her tightly. “I can only assume your grandmother thought asking Collum Thronus to make you disappear was the right thing to do. That she was protecting you from the elders. She thought I was dead. Everyone did. Truthfully, I almost was. Domhall saved my life, weaved a spell to keep me alive until he could get me to a healer. He knew the elders would steal you and agreed with Mother that you should be hidden for your own safety. He told her I’d died while she was cleaning you in the other room.”
Alex swiped her arm across her face. Sniffled on the last of her tears. “Why would he do that? Lie to his own wife?”
Gray replied, “I learned long ago not to question my father. He has knowledge and foresight none of us can claim to understand. I'm certain he knew of Neeren and your father Daylen almost from the start.” She weaved slightly in the sand.
Neeren steadied her. “It is all right, Mother. We’re together now. Father knows you loved him.”
Jealousy surge through Alex as she watched the interplay between the two. She might never have the same bond.
“Daughter, look at me please,” Gray said as she brushed her cheek. “I love you with every breath in my body. What Domhall did, I believe he did to protect us all. He afforded you the chance at life. He afforded me time to grieve my husband. Neeren had time to learn how to lead. War will find us soon. I'm happy it didn't find us twenty-five years ago.”
“What about Collum? He’s the one that hid me from you.”
“Your dragon is a worthy mate. I have no quarrel with the beast. He only did as Kaylen asked. In truth, if not for him, we would be dead, slain by his father. Collum kept you hidden from those who would hurt you. There is nothing to avenge. We will not harm him.” She laughed then, a real laugh filled with joy. “Not that I think we could.”
Alex remembered the feel of his skin on hers, his lips on hers. “Why does everyone keep calling him mine? There was no commitment between us. He’s an infuriating man. In fact, he's a bit of a bully.”
Gray laughed again. Then turned to kiss Neeren’s head. “My darling boy, please leave me with my daughter. We have so much to catch up on.”
Alex examined the reflection of the moon on the water. The Parthen lived in paradise, attuned to the sounds of the tropical birds that shared the island with them. Fig trees lined the upper beaches. The delightful musk of honeysuckle vines filled the air. Gray’s voice brought her back to the present.
“I hated your father when I first met him. He was pompous, so self-assured. It drove me insane. We met in battle. I’d taken out one of his cats. He almost beat me that first time. At the last second, he pulled back and told me I was too pretty to kill. He shifted into a giant panther and took off before I could finish him. He assumed no women could ever hurt him.” She laughed. “The second time we met, I slashed his face open with my vine. He hated me then. We were mortal enemies. But we couldn't stop chasing each other. Maybe we thought it was to prove we were stronger than the other. Can you imagine a king being bested by a mere woman?”
Gray dropped to the sand, stuck her toes in the water. Gentle waves wrapped around her lower body. She motioned for Alex to sit with her.
“This is my beach. No others come here, except Neeren. It’s where your father and I first met. It’s where I feel closest to him.” She smiled conspiratorially. “There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't want to smack the self-assured smile off his face. It drove me nuts, but I could never take the king out of the man. I loved him even more because of it.”
Alex traced a figure eight in the water as waves turned her violet dress dark plum. She waited for Gray to continue.
“Neeren is the same. He was raised to be a king. Was raised to know he was more powerful than any of the others. The women here worship him. He treats them well, has never harmed a living Parthen female, but he’s different from them. Neeren has never been told no. After Daylen’s murder, I fell apart. Neeren has treated me like a porcelain doll since, and I'm ashamed to admit I've let him. He will treat you the same if you allow it. I tell you this because he needs you to stand up to him. He will be forever alone if you don’t.”
She grasped Alex’s hand. “You must be stronger, my dear. You must not be burdened with the need to protect all Parthen like your brother. You must only protect yourself. That is what will save us all in the end.”
Alex stood and walked into the water, up to her waist. The ends of her hair smoked as though breathing. “I want you to know that I had good parents. They loved me and treated me well, but they died too. All of this is so much. Maybe it isn’t the same thing as what Neeren went through. What you went through. But it matters to me. You’d would’ve liked them.”
Gray followed her into the water and hugged her, kissed the tears on her cheeks. “I may have forgotten for a while, but we are warriors. We are strongest together. Domhall reunited our strength. Perhaps it's atonement for his part. I don't know. One rarely knows what my father is thinking. Now, about that dragon of yours.”
“Oh come on, can you guys let this rest. Collum isn't my dragon.”
“Did you sleep with him?”
“Seriously?” Her cheeks exploded with heat. When her mother simply nodded, she said, “Okay. Yes. I slept with him. But I've slept with other guys.”
Gray waved her hand in dismissal. “Beside the point. Did he blow smoke into your body? Did your fire embrace him? Brand him? Did he bite you?” She reached out to trace Alex’s tattoo. The leaves and petals on her arms strained toward Alex.
“Oh, my God, I just realized that I’ve seen you before. I had a dream about you.”
Gray smiled. “I wondered when you’d remember. Even with no knowledge, you reached me in your dream. You are so strong, my child. But quit changing the subject. Tell me about Collum.”
Alex knew she was blushing again. Maybe she’d catch on fire and have to dunk herself in the ocean. “Yes, to all of it.”
“Then you have been claimed. You two are now one.”
“Honestly, this seems like a bit of a sham. The next morning, he brushed me off. So, whatever. No big deal.”
Gray
dismissed her complaint with a wave. “Nothing but nerves. Ignore it. I doubt the noble dragon told you this, but once he claimed you, he claimed his mate for life. He can be with no other now. He might not be ready to admit it. Might even fight it, but sorry to say, you two are stuck together.”
“Excuse me?” Alex stumbled in the water before saying, “Not funny.”
Her mom grasped her arm, steadied her. “I’m not kidding.”
“Oh, God. This is an immortal thing, right? Shouldn't I have some say in it? You know, like the way people talk about feelings and futures before making a commitment.”
“Goddess, darling,” Gray admonished. “You do have a choice. You can choose to stay away from him. In which case, you might be able to move on to another guy. You certainly have that right, but I doubt it will work. I've met the Dragon King. For a dragon, it is much different though. You're it for him. Once a dragon claims, he can be with no other. Oh, he’ll survive without you I suppose, but he’ll never love another.”
“No one said the love word, Mother.”
Gray laughed. “I suspect that's precisely why he pushed you away. It’s likely he wished to explore your relationship, your feelings for each other before, bringing any of this up. Collum Thronus is a leader of honor, likely the most honorable among us.” She shrugged. “Besides, your fire wanted him too. That's a pretty clear indication the pressure isn't so bad. Anyway, I imagine he'll find his way here eventually. That dragon has never quit.”
“What if I don't want him? What if I'm not ready?”
“There is a way to test that theory.” Gray pulled Alex out of the water. They ambled back to the castle arm in arm. “You have the power to dreamwalk, my darling. Go to him in his dreams.”
A night bird warbled in the distance. Sparks flickered at the ends of Alex’s hair. She pushed her fingers through the knots that always seemed to be there. “I don't know how.”
Fire Born Page 12
