by Mills, Julia
Not surprisingly, Aidan was the first to respond, “Fuck me! Be there in two, Bro!”
He was sure the rest all said variations of the same thing, but even the sounds were drowned out by the sounds of his broadsword slamming into Andrew’s katana. The lazy mother fucker wanted to fight, and that made Lance’s day. He lived for the fight. The heat of the battle fueled his actions. He was doing what he had trained his entire life to do…slay the enemy that threatened the dragon kin way of life. No matter whom that enemy was, and there was no bigger threat than the traitor before him. Apparently the asshole had been training since the last time Lance had seen him swing a blade. The traitor’s advances were measured and compact, and from the look in his eye, he was trying to find an opening. The stupid asshole obviously thought he could take down one of the best swordsmen ever born. Not only had Lance been alive longer, but he’d had some kind of blade in his hand since he could walk. To add to his natural ability, he had trained with Rayne’s father until the day of his forever death, and those countless hours of instruction at the hands of a true master had given him the confidence to believe there wasn’t a fight he could not win.
“So you’ve been practicing, you piece of shit. Scared you’re gonna get your ass kicked?” he taunted.
“Scared? Of you? Hardly! I don’t have to practice to beat the likes of you. You’re the joke you’ve always been,” Andrew countered, but Lance could see the fear growing in his eyes. The coward would have to fight on his own, without the help of his magic or his friends.
“Yeah, we’ll see how tough you are when you’re covered in silver standing before the Tribunal.”
“Not gonna happen,” the traitor tried to continue their banter, but was definitely out of shape from the way he panted, and the sweat dotted his upper lip.
Continuing to drive Andrew farther back with one swipe of his blade after another, Lance was eating up the fear that continued to grow in the mismatched eyes of his one-time friend. The traitor was mere feet from the back wall when a sound like cracking wood began just to the left of where they fought. Unable to look, he continued to tear away at the meager defenses Andrew had left. Aidan and Aaron yelled in unison, “Get the fuck away from there you pieces of shit!”
Without warning, the entire wall that had been cracking fell away. A quick glance revealed the twins fighting five or six sword-wielding wizards. Andrew took advantage of the split second distraction to swipe at his arm. His blade missed the target, but Lance felt a ribbon of fire break out over his ribs. Trusting his enhanced healing, he refocused, and in a series of intricate thrusts and parries, he had Andrew flat against the back wall, essentially taking away his ability to swing his blade. Just as he was about to land a debilitating blow, he felt three stabs across his back, and the immediate burn of silver entering his system. Son of a bitch! Someone has silver tipped arrows?
Immediately after, Devon spoke directly into his mind, “Hunter down. You cool?”
“I’m cool. Hunters too? What. The. Fuck?”
“I got this! Kick that little shit’s ass for all of us.”He felt Devon’s concentration go to his own fight, and he prayed to the Heavens for strength.
His pain caused him to stumble, giving Andrew the space he needed to renew their fight. The bastard actually got an almost satisfied look in his eyes as he watched Lance struggle to compensate for the arrows in his back. Ignoring the pain and weakness that was quickly spreading through his body, he fought to regain the upper hand. He pulled from the strength of his dragon, and the beast responded by pouring all that he could into the warrior. The man he had once called brother slowly moved towards the opening left from the missing wall while trying to fend off the barrage of strikes from Lance’s broadsword.
Unable to keep Andrew from reaching the outside, he looked for the best place to continue their fight while keeping the coward as far from his misguided followers as possible. He spotted a small ledge not more than a hundred yards from where they fought. If he got the traitor out on the ledge the fight would be over. There was no way Andrew would take a chance on falling. He was just too much of a coward.
His dragon continued to pump a steady stream of power into him, enhancing it with his ancient dragon magic, attempting to keep the silver from spreading until he could defeat Andrew and go into his healing sleep. He quickly checked, and the Dragon Guard, along with their allies, were winning the battle, but he could hear them talking about the ones that were getting away. Through the eyes of his brothers he could see that Max was sending the werepanthers out to try and round them up. Any other time he would have laughed at the thought of those idiots coming face to face with the Big Cats, but at that moment he was just a bit busy.
Nearing the ledge where he planned to end their confrontation, he began to take more controlled strikes, concentrating much of his strength into each downward swipe. The resulting clang of metal on metal was music to his ears. He watched the vibrations reverberate up the traitor’s arms, causing him to put both hands on the grip of his blade just to keep it from falling from his hands. Lance loved that Andrew was completely on the defensive as he continued to attack with everything he had left. The fear that now emanated from Andrew was icing on the cake.
“Looks like you might be a little outmatched, asshole,” Lance couldn’t help but to taunt the little fucker.
It took several seconds before Andrew responded, and then his voice was winded, “I will watch you beg for your life this night, you worthless piece of shit.”
Well, he had to give the little shit credit; he talked a good game, but Lance was well aware that every strike Andrew threw was weaker than the last. There was no way he could outlast him. Measuring the distance to the ledge, he changed tactics. Instead of a full frontal attack, he began going for Andrew’s left side, essentially herding him in the direction he wanted him to go.
When the traitor finally stepped back onto the ledge, Lance went in for the kill. “You ready to give-in?”
“I’d rather die,” was Andrew’s response.
Lance smiled, “Suits me just fine.”
He struck over and over, giving the asshole exactly what he’d just asked for, and when Andrew stumbled back, he knew there would never be a better opportunity. With all that he was he pulled his broadsword over his head, and just as he started the downswing, Royce’s voice sounded in his head, “Behind you!”
He couldn’t respond to the big guy, and was unable to do anything but continue on the course he had begun. He had to trust that Aidan or Aaron, who he knew were close, would do whatever they could to help out. His blade clashed with Andrew’s as he held it up overhead, trying whatever he could to protect himself. He felt the sting of countless arrows pierce his skin. The traitor crumbled under the force of his blow, but Lance could not stop his forward motion. He catapulted over the fallen Andrew, and slid towards the lip of the ledge. The hunter’s arrows still sticking from his back were pushed farther into his flesh. He felt the burn of the silver heads in every possible direction. His weakened dragon fought against the debilitating poison, but was unable to thwart its effects.
His brethren were all shouting directions in his head, however, his arms and legs grew heavier by the second, and there was a fog invading his brain. In a last ditch effort, he reached back and grabbed Andrew’s outstretched leg to use as an anchor. Although he would always think of the traitor as the ‘little asshole’, Lance prayed that his six foot, two hundred pound frame would be just enough to keep him from going over the ledge. His forward motion slowed right before he felt his legs go over the edge. The next thing he saw was the ground racing towards him. Rayne screamed into his head, “Call your dragon!”
But the beast had given all that he could, and although he tried, there wasn’t enough of his ancient magic remaining for him to materialize. Lance was sure he wouldn’t die but knew it was going to hurt like a son of a bitch. He counted the seconds in his head and knew he was close to hitting the ground. He brought up all the im
ages of Sam he’d tucked away to take his mind off his inevitable destination. He wondered how pissed she would be when she saw him all messed up, and then thought how fun it would be to play doctor with his doctor.
Sure the ground had to be close, he took the deepest breath possible, and braced for impact. It was then that he actually heard what the men of his Force were all screaming, “SILVER!”
In his next breath, he felt something hard and cold pierce the skin of his back and slide completely through his body. Squinting, he saw the blade of a broadsword protruding from his chest. “Fuck!” was all he could wheeze out before he saw feet, so big they could only belong to Royce, stop right beside him.
The older Guardsman was on his knees, talking faster than Lance could track. “Stay still you pain in the ass. Let me see what I’m working with.”
For the first time in all the years he’d known the old guy, he sounded panicked. He could feel his dragon pushing with what little power he had left, but both man and beast knew it wasn’t enough. There was no way he would be able to stay conscious much longer. Grabbing Royce’s hand, he waited until the gentle brown eyes of his oldest friend looked at him, and then said all he could, “Protect Sam and Syd.” With a sigh, he and his dragon lost the fight and their world went black.
CHAPTER NINE
Those fucking Dragon Guardsmen had done it again. They had found a way to ruin all his plans, and they had Kyra. What. The. Fuck? True to form, the cowardly wizards with him had scattered when the fight got to be more than they could handle. Only John had come forward when the assholes had raced to help the dope. Thank the Heavens for the hunters, although he was pretty sure that they’d come with Master Eaton’s men. He’d had absolutely no contact with any hunter packs since the incident on the hillside almost a year ago.
At least one good thing came out of the evening, Lance was either dead or dying. Served the idiot right for thinking he could defeat him. It had been close, but what those losers needed to remember was that he always had a backup plan and backup plans for his backup plans. The rogue wizards thought he was stupid when he’d told them to place piles of silver around the base of the mountain. Guess he had shown them. Fate had favor upon him for a moment and Lance, the dope, was sporting a broadsword through the chest. He would gloat when they were all back together. There would be fewer of them, and he should feel bad about that, but all of this was about getting his revenge and not about how many ‘followers’ he could amass. Like the old saying goes, ‘You gotta break a few eggs…’ He was sure that many had been killed either by ‘The Auctioneer’s’ incompetence, or the useless Guardsmen, not to mention the werepanthers he’d seen chasing them through the woods. Getting Kyra back was definitely on his To-Do list also, but that would have to wait until he was able to regroup and see where he stood with personnel and supplies. He was alive, and able to fight another day. Although running through the woods was less than dignified, he’d avoided capture. Put a big ol’ mark in the win column.
He was no more than a half a mile from his hidden vehicle when the sounds of human feet being followed by much larger, much heavier paws, reached his ears. Turning his head, he caught sight of one of the rogue wizards John had introduced him to running for his life. One minute he was up, and the next he was taken down by a large caramel colored panther. The Big Cat was trying to detain the man, but teeth and claws combined with a scared shitless wizard, was heading towards disaster for the practitioner. Andrew sped towards the SUV expertly hidden by branches and vines, thankful he hadn’t been the werepanther’s prey. When he was safely behind the wheel and careening down the unused, single-lane gravel road, he texted his second, Returning to base. After several long minutes of wondering if the rogue wizard had survived, his phone vibrated on the seat next to him, Assessing the damage. See you tonight.
He would have liked to have been there to see how many of their flock had survived, but with the sun rising, and the only amulets left were the ones he had hidden, there was no way he could risk being caught. John was competent. He would simply have to trust that the man did his job. If not, Andrew would return to the original plan and kill him as soon as he had Kyra back in his possession.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It had been an hour since Royce had told her that Lance had been hurt. She knew he was alive, she could feel him, something she was going to have to examine later. When he’d explained that there was a state-of-the-art medical facility in the basement and that a ‘Healer’ from their family was on the way, she’d damn near punched the big man in the gut. She knew their brief conversation would’ve been comical in any other situation. “I’m a doctor, Royce. Let me help.”
“I know you’re a doctor, Samantha, and a very good one, but Lance has a few unique…medical conditions that require a ‘specialist’.” She’d seen him look over her head with concern, and Sydney had squeezed her hand. She had glared over her shoulder to find Aidan looking back at the big man. It was obvious some type of silent communication was taking place but she had no clue how.
Letting her anger take over, she took a step forward, standing toe-to-toe with a six foot ten giant, and threw as much attitude into her voice as possible, “Dammit, Royce, take me to him! I can help…” The resignation she saw in his eyes swamped her with fear. Her knees trembled, but she refused to show weakness. Lance needed her to be strong.
“Please…” was all she could get past the lump in her throat.
“I promise you can go down just as soon as Siobhan has gotten here, and had a chance to look at him.” Without another word, he turned and headed towards a door she hadn’t seen before. Grace was immediately at her side, directing her back into the family room where Kyndel sat with Jay.
Sydney had crawled up in her lap, and that was where they’d been ever since. Devon had returned, and she heard the voice of an older woman. The timber of the woman’s voice seemed to lower the tension level in the house exponentially. When she’d asked Grace and Kyndel about her, both ladies had smiled, and assured her their family Healer was the best in the world. While all of that was well and good, she was a trained surgeon, top in her class, and working to be one of the best in the country. She needed to be down there.
Sydney sat on the floor next to Jay, she paced, trying to think of a way to get past the young man guarding the door. Seeing Lance was her number one goal at the moment. She’d lost everyone she’d ever loved without being able to help. There had been no goodbye or prayers for a happy ending, only caskets, and flowers, and weeping mourners. That shit was so not happening this time. She was not losing him, not as long as she drew breath. Her pacing halted, and she stared out the window. Was it true? Did she love him? Despite all her misgivings and thoughts of her future, since he had burst into her world she hadn’t been able to imagine her life without him. He had haunted her every thought. Even when he’d been watching her, she’d longed for more, and now that she had it, imagining a future with him was almost too easy. There were things he wasn’t telling her and that would have to be dealt with, but what mattered in that moment was that he was hurt, needed her help, and they were being kept apart.
She paced the other direction and ran right into Grace. Both women grabbed the others’ arms for support, “Oh Grace! I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
Grace shook her head, “No! No! It’s my fault, I was following too close. I thought you were headed into the kitchen and maybe we could talk over a cup of coffee.”
Little red flags went up. She grabbed Grace’s arm again, “What is it? What has happened?” she whispered, fearing the worst.
“Oh, Sam, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. It’s nothing like that. There are just a few things that you should know about our family. Things that Lance should’ve told you but wasn’t able to with all that’s happened.” Grace smiled sweetly, and Sam wondered if these things were answers to the questions that were piling up in her mind.
“Sure, coffee sounds great, and if this conversation w
ill get me down there with him, all the better.” She turned, and headed for the kitchen, not waiting for an answer. Lance needed her. She knew it like she knew her own name, like she’d known every time he was near. It sounded weird even to her, but she could feel his need for her. He was reaching for her with his mind instead of his body. Maybe all the stress and lack of sleep over the last couple of days was making her loopy. Hopefully, Grace and Kyndel would have the answers that she needed. Sitting at the table, she watched the other woman approach. Kyndel moved the kids and their toys into the breakfast nook with them. When she met the red-headed woman’s eyes, Kyndel smiled and giggled “You surely didn’t think I was getting left out of all the fun did you?”
Grace took the seat across from her, and Kyndel pulled another next to her best friend. Whatever they had to say was important, that much was obvious. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered like when she’d had a big exam at school. The others seemed completely relaxed, leading her to believe it was nothing ominous. Her mind ran wild with what it could be. Deciding that maybe it was something as simple as making sure she understood they were family by choice, not blood related. Surely, they knew that didn’t matter to her.
After popping up and hurrying to grab the refreshments, Grace returned with cookies, a full coffee pot, mugs, sugar, cream, and milk for the kids, and went about making sure everyone was well taken care of before taking her seat. It was like she was stalling, and Sam’s tension jumped. Her suspicions were confirmed when the raven haired beauty sat down, took a deep breath, and said, “So how are you really?”
