by Julia Mills
“J.D.” Tinged with just the right amount of ancient magic to both smack him in the back of the head and steal his voice, Barbara’s voice was devoid of all emotion as she warned, “Don’t make me tie you up and throw you in the barn.”
With the scales of his Dragon flashing on the backs of his hands and the tips of his canines pushing into his bottom lip as they extended in his mouth, J.D. inhaled deeply as he pushed his Dragon King to the back of his psyche. Letting his eyes slide shut, he counted to ten then slowly exhaled, only opening his eyes when he felt his body returning to normal.
Still a scary combination of scared and enraged, he glared into his father’s eyes, waited a split second to be sure he could speak civilly and nodded. “I won’t apologize.”
“Wouldn’t expect you to.” Owen’s expression softened just a bit. “She’s your mate.” Taking a single step backward, he added, “You’re worried.” Raising his hand and extending his index finger, J.D. wasn’t surprised when his dad poked him in the shoulder as he added, “But you ever get your back up at me again, and I promise it’ll take more than your momma’s quick spells to save your ass from a beatin’.”
Dropping his finger and walking away without a word, J.D. watched Owen cross the room and take a seat at the head of the table. He could hear his brothers yammering in the back of his mind, completely freaking at what was happening, but he refused to be bothered with what they thought. He needed to find Dax, needed to know his mate was okay. The rest would wait.
Turning to face his mom, schooling his features, and making sure his tone was even and not attacking, he acknowledged, “Sorry, Mom, I know I was outta line.”
A single nod was the only response he received as his mother stood tall, her blue eyes piercing a hole straight into his mind. Taking another deep breath, he went on, “Did you see or hear anything before it happened? Do you see anything now? Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
Firing questions at everyone who’d been present when Dax disappeared, he rambled on until his mother lifted her hand. Snapping his mouth shut, knowing from years of experience when his mom had had enough of his shit, J.D. stood perfectly still as she began to speak.
“We were sitting at the table having a very nice conversation when out of nowhere, with no warning, Dakota’s eyes rolled back in her head, her body went completely limp and she quite literally slid right out of her chair.”
Taking a step forward, she placed her hands on the back of one of the wooden chairs Owen had made for one of their anniversary years ago, and continued, “No sooner had she hit the floor than she began to convulse.”
J.D. knew his mother was recanting what she’d said not only for his benefit, but also for hers. Barbara was not only an incredibly powerful Medicine Woman imbued with the magical healing powers of the Great Creator, but she had been a nurse in not one, but two different centuries.
“Tree and Gage held her and I made sure she didn’t choke. I checked everything inside and out of her body and mind and couldn’t find anything, but…”
As her words trailed off, dread – cold, eerie chills tip-toeing up his spine, made Pwyll growl and drop his head, ready to attack. Waiting for his mother to speak. Willing her to finish her thought before he completely lost his mind, J.D. held his breath.
Tapping the wood with the tip of the nail of her index finger, Barbara narrowed her eyes as if she was looking at something far away then went on, “I couldn’t get past the first halls of her mind.” She leaned on the chair, her expression turning to a frown. “There was a wall. Not Fire Horse magic, or that of her mother.” She bit her bottom lip and her eyes dropped to the table as she thought for a minute before adding, “There was something familiar, but not all together recognizable.”
J.D. felt the metaphorical punch to his gut as her eyes snapped to his. “It was as if someone or something didn’t want me to see what it was doing? But, I could feel how strong Dakota is and there is no doubt in my mind that the intruder couldn’t mess with her no matter how hard he tried.”
Fists clenched at his side, shaking with the power it took to stay still and not roar at the top of his lungs, J.D. spoke through gritted teeth, “You think something was trying to possess her?”
Slowly shaking her head as she walked around the chair and sat down, Barbara once again looked him in the eye, but this time he could feel that she was questioning not only what she’d seen, but herself. “I don’t know, Son. I just don’t know.”
No longer able to stay still and do nothing when his mate was in danger, J.D. threw caution to the wind, not caring if he pissed off his mate or not, and reached through their ever-growing mating bond. “Dax? Dax, are you there?”
Forced to take a step back when his own mysticism rebounded, J.D. pushed even more power into his next call. “Dakota? Answer me, please. I just need to…”
“You need nothing, Dragon.” Venom dripped off the last word. “But death.” Maniacal cackling attacked his mind. “At the hands of your very own mate.”
Falling backward, engulfed in a feeling of weightlessness, J.D.’s skin began to boil. Landing in a river of blood, careening piles of bodies, gnawed bones, and the entrails of the dead, he fought to stay afloat as he welcomed his transformation from man to Dragon King.
Taking the smaller, more compact form of Pwyll’s Ayastigi Unktena –Warrior Dragon, he planted his huge, paw on the river bed. His long, sharp talons digging into the scorched earth as his short, curved wings pointed forward, the claws extending from their spindly framework bones ready and more than willing to fire their fearsome venom at any and all combatants.
Raising to his full height of just shy of eleven-feet, he marched to the shore, jumped upon the smoldering earth and turned directly towards the epicenter of the maelstrom. Having to look twice, unable to believe what he saw, J.D. stepped forward. Pushing his enhanced vision to the very tenth degree of its ability then stopped dead in his tracks.
Dax!
Her name echoed through his mind, a mantra, a warning, a dichotomy he couldn’t unravel, but nonetheless was drawn to as bees to honey. In her Fire Horse form, her long flowing mane was the perfect combination of golden hair and glorious flames. Her coat, the same brilliant hue as her long, sweeping curls, had become the canvas for a mesmerizing mosaic as fire pushed from the depths of her soul and slashed through her downy hide.
An object of beauty and destruction, she was nothing short of miraculous. Moving forward, slowly at first, gaining speed with every pounding step, he was soon racing towards her, his need to remove her from all danger overriding any and all sense of self-preservation he might possess.
Eyes trained on his mate. The scenery an insignificant blur as it whizzed by, J.D. felt the bolts of fiery lightning nipping at his heels. Electricity, its current sharp and seeking, beat at his impenetrable scales as it moved past him.
But what was it seeking if not him? Who else could withstand the impact?
Then it all became clear. In one earth-shattering explosion of sight and sound, he saw the truth. Sliding to a stop, his eyes glued to his mate, he could only stand in horrified appreciation as every glowing streak and every fiery flash found its mark.
Throwing her head back, Dax reared back, standing upright on her hind legs as her forelegs pawed the air. Absorbing each strike, her body grew, and her fire burnt more brightly as her flames turned to bright white shards of blinding light.
Refusing to look away no matter how the light assaulted his eyes, J.D. answered her thundering neighs as he threw back his head in kind and roared, “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
Chapter Seven
“Yes, Mom, I get it. It’s you who seems to think that I have all the time in the world to listen to lectures when I think some big bad ugly somethin’-or-another is gonna get J.D. and his family.”
“Nae, Dear, that isnae whit Ah said,” Kristen’s motherly tone grated on every single one of Dax’s frayed nerves. “Ah was jist tryin' tae…”
; “Make me absolutely, certifiably stark raving mad.”
“Dakota Jane Sparks, Ah am yer mother an' ye will listen tae me.”
Holding the phone so tightly she could hear the little pieces of plastic and metal popping and cracking, Dax nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder. Spinning so quickly she damn near lost her balance, she shrieked, “Mom? Dad? What the hell?”
“Whit tae hell, indeed.” Her mom, who’d literally materialized out of thin air with her father in tow, raised a single red eyebrow and frowned. “It was obvioos ye wereno gonnae listen, sae, we’re here tae help.”
Unable to respond as her dad wrapped her up in a big strong hug, Dax embraced him right back. What was it about a ‘dad hug’ that just seemed to make everything better? No, it didn’t feed the hungry or bring peace to the world, but in that few precious seconds, Dax felt like anything was possible. Sure, she loved her mom with all her heart, but she would always and forever be a Daddy’s Girl.
Reluctant to leave the haven of her father’s arms, she forced herself to take a step back. Turning towards her mom, she couldn’t help but smile when Kristen titled her head to the side and held her arms open wide.
Walking into the hug, she could feel her mother’s power reaching for its kin buried deep inside her own soul. Not only was it ancient and packed with immeasurable strength, but it weaved in and around her heart and soul, forcing away her nervous energy and fear and giving her the focus she needed.
Waiting until Kristen’s hold loosened, Dax leaned her head back and smiled. “Thanks for coming. I didn’t realize how very much I needed to see you both.”
“That’s whit we’re here fur.” Kristen stepped back. “There’ll ne'er be a day when we aren’t here fur ye.”
Feeling better than she had just a few minutes ago, Dax started to get down to business when Bryndle walked into the room.
“Hey there.” Walking straight towards John and Kristen, she accepted quick hugs and kisses on the cheek before turning to Dax. “And as for you, ya’ know I’ve always got your back.”
“Well, the first thing we need to do is find out if J.D. and his family are okay.”
Knowing looks and parental grins crossed her mom and dad’s face.
“Alright, get it over with. Tell me you told me so. That you knew my mate was gonna show up and I would go from independent smart ass to wimpy girlie-girl in the blink of an eye.”
Laughing so hard it actually surprised her enough that she jumped, Dax’s parents looked at one another and then back to her shaking their head in unison. It was her dad who spoke first. “Daxie, my girl, you’ll never ever be a girlie-girl. Not even if you wore pink, put on lipstick, and wore something besides jeans. You are, and will always be, a true original.”
“Aww, shucks, Pops.” She knew she was blushing and couldn’t even care.
“Dear Heart, havin' a mate isn’t gonnae change who ye ur. It’s gonna make ye th' best version of yerself. Needin' someoone, someoone whoa is th' perfect complement fur ye an' only ye, is th' single most wonderful thing, aside frae havin' bairns, and that ye will ever experience soon enough.”
Wanting to take the time to talk to her mom and dad, to understand everything she’d been literally ignoring for most of her life, Dax could only smile and nod. She had to get to J.D. Had to know he and his family were okay. Had to find out who in the hell was high-jacking her brain…had to admit to her sexy Dragon that she knew they were mates and she was ready to give this whole ‘being together’ thing a shot.
And when did that happened? I have no earthly idea. Fate is a sneaky bitch. Whipped in, messed with my heart, and BAM, I’m chasing after some crazy ass Cowboy. Whoda’ thought?
“Hello? Dax?” Bryn was right beside her snapping her fingers and being as usual sassy self. “You ready?”
“Ready for what?”
Without a word, her mom grabbed her left hand, her dad her right, and Bryn laid her hand on her shoulder. Opening her mouth to ask what in the heck was going on, Dax instead found herself thrown into a swirling vortex of sight and sound. Spinning every which way but up, weightless, and mad as a hornet, she tried to yell at her mother, but her words were lost in the ether. Landing with a thud and a thump, her butt aching and her temper flaring, she was on her feet and ranting at her mother before the ringing had stopped in her ears.
“What in the name of all that is holy made you do that?” Swinging around to her father who was working way too hard not to laugh, she threw her index finger in his direction and continued her tirade, “And don’t you dare go standin’ up for her. I need to get to J.D.” She whirled towards, Bryn, not missing a beat. “You…well, you just stay hushed up. I need to know he’s okay and that his family’s okay.”
Throwing her hands in the air, she stomped off, still bitchin’ as loudly as she could. “What the hell is wrong with you people? Why does no one listen to me? What in the Goddess’ green Earth am I gonna have to do to get…y’all…”
Finally taking stock of where she was, Dax’s words trailed off, “To…list…”
Spinning on her toes, she glared at her mother, “We’re here?” She started back the way she’d just come. “Wherever here is.” She pointed one way and then the other. “At least close to…”
Feeling more than a little embarrassed but absolutely refusing to apologize for her outrage, she looked at her mom and mouthed, “Thank you.” Then added out loud, “So, how far are we…”
The sound of horses’ hooves against the hard, dry ground echoed across the desert a split second before Heath and Colton appeared over the ridge. Bringing their horses to a halt just short of where Dax was standing, she was already asking, “How’s J.D.?” while the horses were moving.
“He’s caught in some kinda trance or something,” Heath quickly answered.
“Mom’s got no clue what’s happening or how to stop it,” Colton continued where his twin had left off.
“That’s why she called out to your momma,” Heath nodded towards Kristen as Dax looked toward her mom shocked to see the satisfied smile on her face.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Cos ye ne’er shut yer mouth long ‘nuff,” Kristen huffed, then to the twins she smiled and explained, “As Ah tauld ye mather, Ah didn’t want tae jist pop in oan yer land afor we’d met properly.”
The twins were both nodding, which only served to piss Dax off a little bit more.
I really am the last one to know everything, even when it’s my frikkin’ life we’re talkin’ about…
“But noo that we’re here, lead tae way.”
“I can do that,” Dax scoffed, closing her eyes and opening her mind to her mother and adding a strong bit of sass through their shared mental bond. “We will talk about this later. The least you could’ve done was give me a damned heads up.”
“An' ye coold’ve stopped bein' sae bloody pigheaded prat,” Kristen huffed. “But neither's gonna happen, sae, hush it up an' let’s git tae me almost son-in-law afor there’s naethin' left tae meet.”
So angry she couldn’t see straight and more than a little embarrassed, the only thing Dax could be thankful for was that Bryn was standing there being quiet.
Yeah, that’s not weird at all. HA! I’ll have to look into that as soon as I make sure that blasted Dragon of mine is outta trouble…
Unconsciously reaching for the magic she’d inherited from her mother and letting her rage and frustration lead the way, Dax mumbled a Gaelic phrase she didn’t even know she knew and in the blink of an eye they were standing on the porch of Owen and Barbara’s house. Ignoring her mother’s congratulations, more irritated with herself than anyone else at that moment, she sped through the door as soon as Gage opened it.
Sliding to her knees next to J.D., she laid her hands on his chest. Bursts of light. Pops and bangs of explosions. Thick, heavy darkness all around, and then wham she was back in the land of bloody water and burning earth.
Momentary confu
sion caused a boulder in the base of her stomach and her heart to end up in her throat as she adjusted to being thrust into the body of her Fire Horse without any of her own doing. Swinging her head to the side, she locked eyes with what her heart immediately recognized as her mate, even though he was looking like The Hulk dressed as a Dragon.
Opening her mind to his, her laughter sounded more like chuffing coming from her Horse’s mouth as he teased, “Well, this is a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.”
Chapter Eight
“No shit, Sherlock.” Dax’s ready reply made J.D. chuckle. Dammit all if she wasn’t absolutely perfect in every way he’d found so far.
Shocked when the fire bolts and super-charged electric currents stopped the second his mate’s consciousness was in the body of her Fire Horse, his next question was, “So, where is here and how do we get the heck back home?”
“You ask a good question.” She slowly ambled forward, her eyes shifting from side-to-side and up-and down. It was the same thing he’d done with abysmal failure just moments before. “The only way I’ve ever been able to get in or out is to have a fit on the floor.” Turning her lovely head to face him, her mane flowing like strands of freshly sown silk through the harsh, steaming air, she lifted her chin. “And I hear that’s the way you arrived, too.”
“News travels fast.”
“Oh boy, you aren’t kiddin’ and I think I should warn you it’s about to get even faster. Our mothers have met and from what I can tell – it was a match made in our worst nightmares, and that was before Bryn jumped into the mix.”
“Well hell, I wondered what would happen when east met west.” He pushed to shift back to his human form only to find he couldn’t. Throwing more of Pwyll’s pure white Dragon magic into the image of his human form in his mind, J.D. all too soon found himself flying through the air and landing on his scaled ass with an incredibly embarrassingly bone-jarring thunk.
“Are you okay?” Dax was there in a flash, her head bowed low, concern burning bright in her eyes. “Did you do that or was it whatever asshole pulled us here?”
