by Brenda Trim
Before Angus could respond, Lorne interjected. “No disrespect, Keira, but Cyril is a fucking douche-dick and a massive liar who wouldn’t know the truth if it was branded on his asshole. Your allegiance is in the wrong place.”
“What do you mean?” Keira asked and slumped against the seat.
“What do you remember of Khoth?” Angus asked Keira, curious how much of her memory Cyril stole.
Thinking of Khoth, Angus’s blood heated as he thought of the descriptions of his home realm’s current state. By Lorne’s account, the lush green land he left was now a barren desert, and it struck a blow to his soul.
As king of the Cuelebre, Angus was physically and mentally connected to Khoth. When it flourished, so did he. And when it withered and died, he felt that, as well. It was the main reason Cyril was destroying the land. He knew if he killed its vitality, Angus would perish along with it. Angus understood that returning to Khoth would not restore all his power he once held. He would have to reclaim the land and his strength.
“I don’t remember it at all,” Keira admitted with downcast eyes.
It had been an eternity since Angus had the urge to comfort another and he didn’t hesitate to clasp Keira’s shoulder. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and was surprised when reason outweighed the desire to feel her body against his again. He gave her shoulder a squeeze then removed his hand.
“Cyril created Buggane to devour the natural resources of Khoth. The moment I went through the portal, our realm began dying. Tis no’ the lush paradise it once was,” Angus informed her and watched intently for her reaction.
She showed no sign of having heard him, other than a tightening of her mouth. “Why would he do that? And, why are you telling me this? I’m in the middle of this duel between the two of you, and I want no part of it. It’s exhausting,” Keira admitted.
Angus regretted placing her in the middle of anything. Every instinct clamored for him to drag her back to Khoth, and put her in his hoard where she would be safe with his precious gems.
“I doona know why Cyril would want to destroy his home and all living things of Khoth. We were close friends once. That is, until you chose me.”
“I chose you?” she asked incredulously. “I highly doubt that.”
Angus ran his forefinger over her high cheekbone and watched the blood rush to the surface. The heat between them was palpable. “Aye, you did. We met soon after I took the throne and it was love at first sight for me. You, however, took a bit longer,” he admitted with a grin.
Keira rolled her eyes and chuckled as pink stained her cheeks. “What throne do you sit on? The throne of delusion?” she countered, but mirth sparked behind her gorgeous orbs.
Angus threw back his head and laughed. “You always had a way of keeping me grounded.”
“You mean calling out your balarky,” she retorted with a smile.
“That, too. You never allowed me to develop a big head…except when it suited,” he murmured with a heated stare.
Turning her head, she swallowed hard and shifted in her seat. “So is this throne of yours real or imaginary?”
Angus relaxed into the leather seat. Conversing was far better than having her ready to jump from the moving car. “I am king of all Cuelebre, and you are my queen.”
She choked on a cough and swiveled her head in his direction. “What? Now I know you are delusional. I am no one’s queen. And what are Cuelebre? Are they sea dragons?”
Angus would have pursued the topic of her being his queen but heard the longing when she asked about sea dragons.
“Nay. Cuelebre are the land dragons that inhabit Khoth, and I am their leader. We live in peace with most creatures on Khoth. And, you come from the Stoorworm. Your father Cygnus is their king, making you a princess. I’m surprised Cyril hasn’t told you all of this. Maybe he doesna want your memories returning,” he suggested and felt the vehicle turn off the highway onto a gravelly road.
“Sire, we need fuel. Would you like anything to eat?” Lorne asked as he pulled the SUV to a stop.
“Nay, but thank you, Lorne. Would you like anything, Turquoise?” Before the last word left his mouth, the rear door opened and Keira jumped out, and ran across the parking lot.
“Shite,” Angus barked and was in motion behind her in the next breath.
The sound of a slamming door and Lorne’s heavy footsteps echoed behind him. “Damn, she can run fast,” the Máahes huffed.
“She’s magnificent,” Angus acknowledged as he caught up with her.
The predator in him wanted to slack off and allow her some headway. The chase was intoxicating but now was not the time. They needed to leave the country before Cyril caught up with them.
Wrapping his fingers around her shoulder, he pulled. It knocked her off balance, and she stumbled, nearly falling. Angus didn’t hesitate to scoop her in his arms.
“Get gas and drinks and be fast aboot it,” Angus ordered Lorne as he carried Keira back to the vehicle.
“Put me down. Now!” Keira shouted and pounded her fists against Angus’s chest. She was far weaker than she should have been and Angus guessed her sea dragon needed water.
“Remember what happened the last time you hit me,” he warned. “I’d hate to see you hurt yourself again.” He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.
She closed her eyes and tried to hide her shudder. “Please, just let me go. Haven’t you taken enough from me? Besides, I know the portal doesn’t work, so we aren’t going back to Khoth.”
Angus’s molars gnashed together, and he breathed deeply, close to losing his shit again. Another lie she’d been told. The smell of ocean breeze, unique to Keira, calmed him enough to respond.
“Did you miss the part where Cyril never tells the truth? The portal works. Lorne and another of my Máahes came through several months ago. And, the only thing I have ever taken from you was your heart, but you gave it freely. I swear it.”
Keira stilled in his arms, and his dragon tried to break free. It wanted at her as much as Angus did. The need for his dragon to breathe a rune of protection around Keira rode him like a bad habit.
Curious, he asked, “How did you get away from Cyril? We willna make it far if he can sense you,” Angus mumbled, wishing he’d thought far enough ahead to have the Rowan sisters create a cloaking spell for her, as well.
“I didn’t intend to run away from Cyril. Not really. He’s taken good care of me, and I have no one else. I didn’t know if my magic would work until I tried. I was shocked when it did,” she admitted.
Angus knew Keira better than she realized. She may be shocked by her magic, but she was planning something. She was brilliant, with a sharp intellect, and would try to break free again if given the opportunity.
Angus was taking no chances. He would be glued to her side until they returned home. He had no idea how to reverse her amnesia and had research to do. There was a clue somewhere, and he would find it.
Cyril hadn’t completely hidden his tracks if Mack found the tablet and broke Keira’s sleep spell. It was only a matter of time before he found the key to unlocking her memories and then he could win her heart again.
But for now, Angus was happy. He had his beloved in his arms, and they were going home. Nothing else mattered.
Chapter Five
It was futile to try and run from Angus and Lorne, and Keira wasn’t going to risk it again. They were dragons she had no chance of outrunning. Transforming into her sea dragon was pointless. She had a powerful, broad tail, but she didn’t know if her wings would carry her through the sky like they did the ocean.
They trudged through a familiar field. Setting aside plans of escape, Keira focused on her surroundings. The area was familiar. Was this close to the cave where she’d woken all those months ago? That day was a haze of confusion in her mind, so she wasn’t certain. At the same time, she didn’t trust Angus and refused to walk meekly to her demise. She wasn’t about to walk right into anyone’s trap.
&n
bsp; It struck her that she still had her magic wrapped around her essence, masking her presence. All she had to do was let go of the power and Cyril would no doubt be at her side in a flash. It was tempting, but Lorne and Angus’s words haunted her.
Until Keira was positive it was trap she was making no moves. If they were right about Cyril, she would be walking from one enemy to another.
A large circle of standing stones stood in the distance. The scent of heather tickled her senses, reminding her again of the area surrounding the cave this male had put her in. Her recollection was blurry, but she distinctly recalled a field of heather. Their small group crested a rise, and her heart dropped to her feet when she spotted the purple groundcover.
“No! You aren’t taking me back there! I’ll die before that happens!” Keira snarled and bared her teeth. She would rather be skinned alive than be forced back to that cave.
Both males paled and stared at her. Looking down, she realized she had partially shifted. Who could blame her though? No way she was being led like a lamb to slaughter.
“What, Turquoise? Doona fear this. We are going through the portal in the middle of the standing stones. That’s it. I swear on my life. Walk closer, and you will feel the magic of Khoth calling to you,” Angus encouraged as he gestured towards the massive stone pillars.
The pillars were far enough from the cave that she felt she could test his theory. Edging around Angus, Keira’s focus remained on her surroundings. Not that she could stop an ambush, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.
Lorne bounced impatiently from foot to foot while Angus watched her with a tolerant, sympathetic gaze. She wondered if the king had practiced that expression for centuries to perfect it. Then again, his countenance was genuine, and she could see how his people looked up to him.
A tingle of awareness shot through her after a couple of steps. Energy infused her limbs, making her realize exactly how diminished she and her sea dragon had become. Her skin plumped, and blood sang through her veins.
“I didna place you in that cave, my love. I vow on my throne that I am no’ the male Cyril has painted in your mind. You have no reason to trust me, but I would kill myself before I hurt you,” Angus vowed.
“It’s true,” Lorne added. “Angus has loved you from the moment he saw you. And, nothing has stopped him from pursuing you. Not even when everyone told him he was betraying his people for insisting on claiming a mate that wasn’t Tuya.”
Shaking her head, she wondered if she was in a parallel universe. She didn’t understood half of what they were talking about, and didn’t know who to trust.
“What are you talking about now? What is Tuya? And Civappu?” she asked as she inched closer to the magic in the stones.
“A Tuya is a Cuelebre mate. Specifically, one that is capable of birthing dragonettes, and Civappu is the ceremony during which they are identified,” Angus explained. “What Lorne is saying is that I loved you and didna care that you were no’ Tuya. Many object over a mating that willna result in an heir, but I didna care what they thought. You are it for me, dragonettes, or no’.” Angus declared matter-of-factly.
Keira’s eyes went wide over his revelation. The thought of babies never once crossed her mind, but as the importance of his words hit home, she knew it was huge. She believed Angus was the king of Khoth. Everything about his demeanor screamed aristocracy where Lorne’s didn’t hold the air of authority.
For a king to give up his chance of an heir meant that he loved her a great deal. Her mind reeled with confusion. It wasn’t obvious whom she should trust, but she knew one thing for certain. Cyril had lied to her about the portal. If he had lied to her about that, what other lies had he told?
“I don’t know what to say to you. I still don’t trust you. Like I said, I am no one’s mate. What happens when we go through the portal? Are a bunch of your knights waiting for us?”
“Aye. There will be numerous knights, but not because I wish to do you harm. One of these days you will trust me,” Angus informed Keira, surprising her with his brutal honesty.
“I doubt that,” she muttered under her breath, thinking no one heard.
“Never doubt me, Turquoise. As I was saying, I havena been home in a millennium. The realm has suffered due to my absence, and my Máahes are anxious for my return. Khoth needs me back on my throne. Every being in the realm will be relieved when I return. And, they will be just as pleased to see you,” Angus professed and extended a hand in her direction.
The idea that a realm of people would be affected by her return seemed foreign. Before Angus and Lorne crashed into her life, there was only one person she knew cared about her existence, and that was Cyril. Butterflies took flight in her stomach, and her palms began to sweat.
“So we just walk through?” she asked as they stood on the outside of the stone circle.
The magic reached into her cells and fed them, making her dizzy and lightheaded. It was almost too much, and the urge to take several steps back rode her, while at the same time, she wanted to run headlong into the middle of the invisible maelstrom.
“Aye. We do,” Angus replied and latched onto her hand. The residual burn was becoming familiar, but remained unlike anything she had experienced before him.
Instinct told her to rip free and break contact, but her emotions were a whirlwind.
Keira didn’t trust these dragons as far as she could throw them, but she needed Angus close as she took the next steps.
She would use his body as a shield if he led her into the kind of trap she suspected. Home was on the other side of that magic, and she was going through, regardless of the risk. She might be small, but she’d regained enough strength to put up a valiant fight, if need be.
Lorne went first, and Angus followed, grasping her hand tightly in his. The male was sex walking and his heat wrapped around her body like a blanket. As she allowed him to lead her towards the magical opening, she acknowledged her desire for Angus posed a greater threat than whatever waited on the other side of the portal.
The burn spread from where Angus’s hand joined with Keira’s and was making its way up his arm and down his chest. He needed to get through the portal before the heat reached his groin, and he greeted his people with a raging hard-on.
With quick steps, Angus crossed through the stones and every cell in his body stood at attention. Khoth’s magic unfurled and surged into him, making him stumble. It was overwhelming to be greeted with such vigor, and it made him tremble. He prayed to the Gods that Keira didn’t feel the shakiness to his hand or notice the falter in his steps. He hadn’t been home in over a thousand years, and his people were waiting on the other side.
“Ready?” he asked Keira, stalling for time to steel his nerves.
Lorne paused before crossing. “Can you feel the land rejoicing over your return? No doubt, everyone is gathering around the portal. Tatenen will throw a party unlike any before,” his knight claimed.
Lorne bounced with enthusiasm and took several excited steps before he disappeared. Next to him, Keira tensed like a statue. Was she as nervous as him about returning home?
Angus ran the backs of his fingers across her cheek, and it made her blink. She looked up and met his gaze. “‘Tis alright, Turquoise. Nothing will harm you.”
Shaking her head, she narrowed her eyes. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You don’t know your people anymore. For all you know, Lorne has an elaborate trap planned the second you cross.”
“Aye, he could, but they need me. Withoot the magic running through my veins, Khoth would perish. C’mon,” he encouraged. With that, Keira took a deep breath, held her head held high and followed him through with sure steps.
Immediately, he felt the change in temperature. Humid heat surrounded him, and the moon bathed him in a purple. He grew a full size as the four elements of Khoth reached him and filled the missing pieces. He’d lived so long with diminished power that it caught him off guard, and his dragon ascended in the blink of a
n eye.
Lorne acted quickly, pulling Keira from his side before his dragon’s powerful forelegs hit the ground with a thud. The Máahes standing near Angus faltered then went to one knee. Legette was at the fore, meeting his dragon eyes.
“Sire. Welcome home,” Legette announced before going to his knee.
Only Keira was left standing, hand over her mouth, gaping at him. Her eyes grabbed his attention. He had missed the faceted gems of her turquoise eyes. Even her hair was a brighter shade of green now that they were back on Khoth.
Angus tipped back his head and bellowed to the purple sky, shaking the trees and causing enormous star-shaped leaves to flutter to the ground. A stream of fire followed, reaching for the stars. One by one, his Máahes shifted and joined him. Keira stumbled back, shock and fear splayed across her beautiful face.
He hadn’t wanted to frighten her, but this reunion was too long coming. Angus indulged his knights and their joy fused with his, as well as, their fire. When he looked back to Keira, she was gone, and he heard her charging through the woods.
Chapter Six
Angus shifted back to his human form, and was in motion in the next breath. Instinct had him putting on the speed to catch Keira. Something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t because she had run from him. He had expected that. The warning was more. He had been gone from Khoth too long to determine precisely what the earth was trying to tell him, but he knew it was dangerous.
He debated shifting back to his dragon for increased speed, but his wings would be a hindrance maneuvering through the trees. Angus’s heart raced in his chest as sweat broke across his body. A curse left him when he caught sight of her a hundred yards away. Keira’s frantic eyes met his before her blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest.
A dozen Redcaps surrounded Keira. The sight stopped all cognitive function, and his dragon roared in his mind, demanding release. Reason told him shifting would exacerbate the problem, not solve it. He eyed the murderous dwarves as they formed a semi-circle around Keira, blocking him from reaching her.
