by Julia Mills
“I see you have come to try to stop my mission, Morning Star of the Crystal Clan. Just as your mother and father did and their parents before them and theirs before them and so on all the way back to the great Queen Eistir and her King Astraeus.”
Squeezing Dannika’s hand, Wolfe offered all his love and support as pain sliced through his mate at the mention of her parents. He could feel the rage burning through her at the knowledge that she stood before the being responsible for their deaths, but then his mate spoke, and the Guardsman could not have been prouder.
“That was the past. This is now. Why have you come?”
“Do not be coy,” the Shapeshifter mocked. “You know exactly why I am here.”
“I want to hear you say it,” Dannika challenged.
The Shapeshifter slowly raised her head, looked across the field with her foggy gray eyes and chuckled, “Why, my dear, you are the Morning Star. I somehow knew you were still alive, although you did a good job of hiding. Your magical skills were and are quite impressive for a dragon.” She spat the word like it burnt her tongue to speak it before continuing, “You and your mate hold the ability to heal all of shifter kind, allowing those horrible abominations to flourish when they should be rotting under the earth. You must be destroyed, so that my kin can rise out of the darkness we were forced to endure and take our rightful place as the dominant species.”
Her words were spoken so matter-of-factly and without the slightest hesitation that were they anywhere else, Wolfe would’ve thought she was giving a weather report or discussing what to have for dinner. It was disconcerting at best and absolutely horrifying in reality. This powerful Shapeshifter believed she was on some demented divine mission and was willing to do whatever it took to eliminate everyone who opposed her.
Focusing on his mate, Wolfe felt Dannika’s fury combined with an overwhelming determination to burn the awful creature before them to the ground. He applauded her restraint, not sure he would be able to hold back if he was face-to-face with the person or persons responsible for the death of his Clan.
“And you think you have what it takes to bring me and mine down?” Dannika dared. “One old woman and a group of rogues, unfit to be part of any Pack, Clan or Sloth, only able to run around the countryside, hiding on the fringes, losers without names or a home to call their own.” The dragoness scoffed and Wolfe knew she was baiting the Shapeshifter. “But then, you would choose rogues. After all, that’s what you are, isn’t it?” Dannika took a step forward. “A loser, who has no real power of her own. A wannabe who had to steal what she has from others because she wasn’t blessed by the Universe.”
The lavender light that had been surrounding Dannika since her return to the Lodge grew brighter as sparks danced around her head. Pointing to the border of Blue Ridge Pack territory, the Morning Star taunted, “You are so low you cannot even cross the boundary onto sacred land!”
“Now!” The Shapeshifter screamed, her dark mysticism shooting like lightning bolts from her finger tips.
The rogues, having taken the forms of their animals flew at the wolves protecting the borders as the Shapeshifter took flight, aiming her cane, now suddenly a silver sword, at Dannika’s heart. Throwing his mate behind him, Wolfe pulled his broad sword from the scabbard on his back, deflecting the thrust of the Shapeshifter’s blade before tossing the woman to the side with all his strength.
Strong, white magic filled the air as Grey and Angus became dragons and the others called forth their wolves. Immediately taking to the sky, the Guardsmen rained fire down on the rogues, filling the air with howls of agony and the scent of burning fur from the rogues.
“Wolfe, turn around!” Dani yelled as their friends, now wolves, charged the rogues who had avoided the dragons’ fire.
Spinning with his sword at the ready, Wolfe ran forward, engaging the Shapeshifter in a battle of intricate moves and clashing blades. Listening to Dannika’s voice in his mind while keeping their enemy busy, he did exactly as she said.
“I know what we have to do,” his dragoness instructed. “Drive her closer to me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Completely,” she quickly answered. “Try to make it so your back is towards me and when I tell you to drop to your knees and reach for my hands, do it.”
Wolfe heard the conviction in her words and felt the belief filling their mating bond as he responded, “You got it, my love.”
Quickly changing his tactics, Wolfe let the Shapeshifter work her way ever closer while turning them to the right with every swing of his sword. Feeling Dannika at his back, he swung his blade upward stopping the Shapeshifter’s downward thrust at the precise moment, Dani yelled, “Now!”
Spinning to the left, the Guardsman elbowed the Shapeshifter in the chest, grinning at her loud ‘oomph’ as he let his sword hit the ground and grabbed Dannika’s hands. Looking into her eyes, his mate roared, “Mar an bandia beartaithe!”
The jeweled box shot straight up in the air, hovered about their heads for a split second, and then began to spin like a top. A sound, like a tiny whine in the darkness, grew louder and louder until Wolfe thought his ears would surely bleed. It was so loud he barely heard Dannika’s instructions of, “Whatever you do, do not let go of my hands,” in his own mind.
Holding tight, as the atmosphere filled with so much magic Wolfe could feel it pressing down on him, the Guardsman nearly fell on his ass when a shockwave of epic proportions shook the ground like an earthquake measuring ten-point-zero on the Richter scale. With his ears ringing and multi-colored spots dancing before his eyes, the Guardsman pulled his mate into his lap, curling his larger frame over hers to protect her from any and all who sought to harm her.
Bloodcurdling howls and screams of agony filled the air. The scent of ozone joined burnt fur making it hard to breathe as Dannika fought to get out from under him.
“Wolfe, let me go!”
Not answering, he looked around for the Shapeshifter, finally finding her crawling across the still-shaking earth, trying to grab her sword. He watched in horror as she flashed from one animal to another, a sick collage of the shifters she’d killed in her bid to run the world.
Jumping to his feet, while keeping a hold of Dannika’s hand, Wolfe stalked towards the Shapeshifter, put his large booted foot on her blade and spat, “It’s over. You lost. Give up.”
Holding up her ever-changing head, the Shapeshifter snarled, “Never. You will never defeat me.”
Her fingers touched the hilt of her sword at the exact moment a massive red dragon landed to Wolfe’s left and shot a contained burst of fire that ignited the Shapeshifter into a wailing ball of fire that rolled around in circles. Changing back to human form, Angus strode towards Wolfe, shaking his head. “Sorry to steal your thunder, lad, but she needed to die. I could not let her draw another breath.”
“Not a problem,” Wolfe grinned, then to Dannika, “Are you okay?” He looked her up and down, checking for any cuts or bruises.
Laughing out loud, she teased, “Stop! I’m fine.”
“What the hell was that?” Daire asked, he and Darragh coming up behind the couple as the others came from all directions, everyone looking dazed and somewhat confused.
Before Dannika could explain, Grey landed with a loud thud to the right and immediately changed back to a man. Jogging towards them, he pointed at the burnt and charred remains of the rogues and what little was left of the smoldering Shapeshifter. “Y’all just couldn’t wait for me to have any fun, could you?”
“Whatever, I smelled the burning fur, you had plenty of fun,” Wolfe scoffed.
“Yeah.” Grey looked quite pleased with himself as he bumped his shoulder into Angus and added, “Me and this guy had a little fun, but he got the big kill.”
Shaking his head, the Enforcer grumbled, “And I’d do it again, to keep us all safe.”
“That box is something else,” Ellie pointed at the now cold and dormant artifact. “It shook Caleb and me right outta our
fur.”
“Me too,” Olivia chuckled, standing close to her mate.
The rest of the wolves nodded, with Becky coming up to Dannika and holding out her arms. Reluctantly letting go of his mate, Wolfe looked on as the two women hugged and his mate assured her best friend, “It’s all over now. We’re all safe.”
Pulling back, Becky smiled with tears of happiness streaming down her face. “Thank the Goddess. I couldn’t live without you, girl.”
“Right back atcha.”
“Enough of the mushy stuff,” Daire teased. “We have a mess to clean up and some wolves that need your attention, Dani.”
Giving her brother a mock salute, his dragoness burst out laughing when Wolfe grumbled, “Okay, but I get her after that and,” he leveled his gaze at the Alpha, “I promise to rip the hide off anyone who bothers us.”
The group erupted in laughter as they all began to walk back towards the Lodge while Daire’s Betas and Trackers started cleaning up the remains of their fallen enemies. As they all entered the cover of the trees, Olivia called out, “Don’t forget old Wolfey boy, we are having a Mating Party for y’all.” Then she and Ellie yelled in unison, “And we are not taking no for an answer.”
Chapter Fourteen
While Dannika was patching up the wolves, Wolfe also felt the pull of his Healing powers and was drawn to the Clinic and more importantly, to his lovely mate. Touching her shoulder, the electricity of their connection joined with curative abilities they both possessed, causing the couple to gasp in unison.
“What was that?” Wolfe asked.
With a knowing smile, his beautiful mate winked, “Just one more blessing from the Goddess and Queen Eistir.”
“That dragoness should come with an instruction manual,” the Guardsman laughed, spending the rest of the night and most of the morning alongside his mate, helping take care of all who had been injured in the fight with the Shapeshifter.
Tired to the bone, Wolfe picked Dannika up even as she protested and carried her across the Courtyard, to her house and right up to her room. Laying her back on the bed, the Guardsman followed her down, pulling the small blue velvet pouch he’d retrieved from his backpack earlier out of his pocket.
“What’s that?” Dannika asked, looking at the bag with a twinkle in her eye.
Loosening the satin string, Wolfe let the five-carat princess cut garnet and diamond ring that had been his mother’s fall into the palm of his hand. He gazed at the sparkle of the deep red stone surrounded by smaller glittering ones, remembering how it looked on his mother’s finger and knowing beyond all doubt it belonged on his mate’s.
Looking up at his dragoness, the Guardsman took a deep breath and asked, “Dannika DoChara, Morning Star of the Crystal Clan, will you do me the extreme honor and be the mate of my soul, of my dragon and of my heart, for now and forever?”
Throwing herself into his arms, Dannika sobbed, “Oh my Goddess, yes, Wolfe! Yes to it all! To everything!”
Pulling back, he teased, “Those better be happy tears, mo chroí or I’m putting this ring back in the bag.”
Swatting his arm, Dannika pretended to pout as he laughed out loud while slipping the ring onto her finger and sighing, “Thanks be to the Universe. I know I would surely perish without you.”
Pulling him to her with all the force of their love, Dannika’s kiss was pure passion and filled with the reassurance that as long as they were together, there was nothing they couldn’t handle…together. For the first time in his life, Wolfe McCallum had it all, and there was no way he was ever letting it go.
Pulling back, Dannika cooed, “I simply adore you, Wolfe, with everything that I am. You make me a better person just for loving you. Thank you so much for everything.”
As she once again laid her lips to his, Wolfe fought to contain the emotion this one woman, his woman, brought out in him. She was the hope, the wonder, the perfectly quiet surrender of pure love. Wolfe had no doubt he was the luckiest dragon in all the world to have her by his side for eternity. Deepening the kiss, he was once again in awe of the incredible feelings flowing between them.
Kissing her neck, he nibbled her ear and smiled against her skin as Dannika sighed in ecstasy. Her thoughts mirrored his. Their love was a treasure. Something they would spend their whole lives nurturing. Her desire fed his. Together, they fed the fire smoldering between them. The kiss that started as slow and gentle quickly turned passionate and possessive.
Dannika laid back down, pulling Wolfe with her, cursing at the clothing that separated them as his cock grew harder and his need to love his mate uncontrollable. Gulping air, the Guardsman pulled his lips from her throat and threw back his head.
Taking full advantage of the moment, Dannika slid her hand under the waistband of his jeans and fisted his throbbing cock. Unable to breathe when she ran her thumb through the drop of moisture that had already gathered on the tip, Wolfe groaned, “Dannika… mo stór”.
Continuing to massage him, his dragoness ground her hips against the combination of her hand and his hard cock until Wolfe was sure he would die. Quickly losing control, he thrust against her, his desire taking over, driving his every move. Their pace immediately became frantic with his need to feel her skin against his.
Sliding to the side, groaning as Dannika moaned when his erection pulled from her hand, Wolfe ripped the clothes from her body. Just like the first time, just like every time, touching his mate was purely electric. Both man and dragon roared with need as he ripped her panties from her body and threw them over his shoulder. Her scent filled the air, driving Wolfe wild with unbridled desire. No longer able to hold back, he thrust two fingers into her weeping flesh, shouting his pleasure right along with hers at how perfectly they fit together.
The Guardsman didn’t even attempt to stop the satisfied smile that crossed his lips while Dannika screamed, “Oh my God, Wolfe, yes…please…more…”
He pushed his thumb against her aroused nub, rubbing circles at the same time he curled the tips of his fingers, still buried deep inside her, tormenting the bundle of nerves at the top of her channel. Her eyes flew open. Dannika speared him with a look so passionate, so possessive, and so raw, Wolfe was lost forever, adrift on their love.
Mischief twinkled in the depths of her eyes as Dannika reached between their bodies and quickly unzipped his pants, fisting him from root to tip as she grabbed the moisture from the tip for lubrication, working him faster and faster. Wolfe could only groan low in his throat, sure he’d died and gone to the Heavens.
Needing to be buried deep inside his mate, Wolfe pulled his fingers from her pussy, ignored her moans of loss, and shoved his pants to the floor. Pulling back, he reluctantly forced his dragoness to release his throbbing cock, smiling at the pout of her perfect lips as he rolled Dannika over, caged her in and whispered, “You are the most spectacular woman I’ve ever seen.”
Before Dannika could respond, he thrust his hard cock into her with such force that the tip touched her womb. His dragoness rolled her hips, their new position causing his erection to fill her as never before. They fit together like glove and hand. Wolfe could think of no place he ever wanted to be but within the paradise of his Dannika.
Completely seated within her, Wolfe stopped all motion and watched as his dragoness dropped her head forward in a simple act of perfect submission. Her delicate hands clenched the dark blue comforter, her knuckles white as she used all her strength to stay on her knees. Dannika’s womb squeezed him tight, shattering his hard-fought control. Leaning forward, he grabbed both her shoulders and began to thrust, hard and fast, creating a perfect rhythm that can only occur between True Mates.
Dannika’s moans of ecstasy grew louder with each drive Wolfe made into her warm, wet flesh. She pushed back, meeting him thrust for thrust. Their movements became uncoordinated and frantic. He felt her orgasm building, threatening to take them both over the edge. Removing one of his hands from her shoulders, Wolfe palmed her breast, squeezing her hardened nippl
e between his thumb and forefinger, pushing Dannika into the most amazing orgasm that overtook them both.
Leaning forward, he rested his chest against her back, inhaled their combined scent, and bathed his senses in everything that he and his dragoness were together. His arm around her waist kept Dannika from falling when her legs threatened to fold. Kissing up her spine, his erection began to once again harden as she tightened around him.
Sliding from her warmth, Wolfe turned Dannika in his arms shocked when she pulled him to her, slammed her mouth to his, immediately demanding entrance as soon as her back had touched the bed. He could feel her need and that of her dragoness to claim what was hers and he had claimed her. It was exhilarating to know they were in it together…all the way…in all ways. Deepening their kiss, she rolled them over, moved her body over his, her thighs falling on either side of his, the wetness from their earlier lovemaking still warm on her curls.
Breaking their connection, Dannika sat up, giving Wolfe a coy look that suggested he was going to love whatever she had in mind. Her fingertips rubbed over his shoulders and across his chest, lightly toying with his nipples, making him shiver. Biting her bottom lip, she paid special attention to each ridge of his six-pack and then teased the thin line of hair leading toward his pelvis. It was sensory overload at its best. Wolfe’s eyes threatened to roll back in his head at the sheer pleasure of her fingers on his skin, but he forced them to stay put, not wanting to miss a second of what his beautiful mate had planned.
With her hands on his stomach and her eyes holding his captive, Dannika slid down his legs until his erection was just before her lips. The dragon knew immediately this was what paradise felt like. The tip of her tongue teased her bottom lip making Wolfe light-headed. She then captured the small bead of moisture at the tip of his erection with her tongue, and the Guardsman knew beyond all understanding that that one image would be burned into his memory for all time. Dannika tasted him again and he lost the fight as his eyes slid shut.
