by Renee Wildes
His immense garnet length soared overhead with lethal grace. “They were unable to remove you from me. We were banished into the earth for centuries, until I made a pact with Cilaniestra and clawed my way free.”
The level of betrayal was almost unfathomable. He had to pay. With the last of her waning strength, she chanted, “Dragon-man-dragon-man.”
Spiridon crashed to the ground with an agonized cry, blurring between naked red-haired man and red-scaled beast.
Anuk saw Trystan wince in sympathy from the corner of her eye. How had he gotten free? Her gaze shifted to the children, and Niadh, approaching from the smithy. Was he wearing her bed sheet?
Sudden weakness struck her. ’Twas as if all her strength flowed from her, down a drain. She staggered, swayed, fell to her knees. Her sight glazed over, and she saw it. A shining gold spirit-cord, tying her to her father. What? Insight hit. She’d felt it afore. Every time she’d had sex, bound another being to her, he’d sucked it all away. She was the source of all his power. Had been all along.
“You bloody parasite!” she screamed. “It wasn’t your magic all these years, was it? It was mine! You’re nothing but a powerless…troll-turd! Leech!”
He rose, his expression ugly. “You’re as bad as she is. You’ll pay the same price.”
“I’m exactly as she is.” Anuk staggered to her feet. “I’m a guardian.”
Trystan and Niadh moved to flank her. Trystan placed a hand on the small of her back, and a curious blend of power flowed into her. Earth and sea. An impossible mixture, but undeniably there. She stared at him, startled. He smiled. “We stand together, guardian.”
“Ye’re yer ma’s child, guardian,” Niadh added. “Renounce him. Break the tie.”
After everything she’d done to them, they stood with her? Forgave her? She’d never be worthy of such a gift, but she’d spend the rest of her life trying. “I renounce thee, Spiridon the Nameless. Mate-murderer. Thou art not my father. I am Anuk Kahn Androcles shena Lena Kahn Androcles shena Ilya Kahn Androcles shena Rala Kahn Androcles shena Vana Kahn Androcles shena Mystria Kahn Androcles.” She had to catch her breath after that.
The book laughed in her head. She pictured it gloating from her bedside table, and stretched out her hands. “Come to me,” she commanded. With an audible “pop” it appeared in her hands.
“I am the daughter of dragon queens, and by the power that passes from mother to daughter I break all ties with thee,” she finished.
Spiridon screamed as the cord flared…and vanished.
“Quit tryin’ t’ shift,” Trystan called.
Spiridon did, and a drawn-looking man lay crumpled on the ground, eyes closed. He clawed at the dirt with bent fingers, as if trying to summon the strength to rise. Now he had none but his own strength to wield.
Drek, her arm hurt. Anuk belatedly summoned a cloak of black velvet to cover herself as she choked down the urge to kick him in the head, or better yet, rip it clean off his body. The suffering he’d caused. Him, a guardian. How best to punish him? Inspiration stirred. Slowly, she smiled.
“Mama! Mama!” The little girl Braeca’s cries distracted Anuk. She turned to see both children running pell mell down the street toward a group of armed seal-men…and the woman who led them.
Chapter Sixteen
“Braeca! Ioain!” Finora ran harder that she had ever run in her life. Dropping to her knees, she caught both children to her. They clung to her, sobbing. “Ssh, it’s all right. I’m here. We’re safe.” It was worth it. Everything. Anything. She’d never leave them again. Never.
Griogair knelt aside her. “It seems our rescue was not needed, after all.” He smiled and stroked the children’s hair. “Your mother’s back, little ones. You’re free and safe.”
Braeca peeked at him over Finora’s shoulder. “You!”
Finora smiled. “This is your grandfather, Braeca. Ioain.”
“Gwampa?” Ioain tried.
Griogair nodded, and Ioain stepped forward to give him a hug. After a moment’s hesitation, the selkie king hugged him back.
A tall, muscular, nearly naked man helped an injured Anuk forward. Finora stared at him. “Niadh?”
He nodded wearily.
Finora glared at Anuk. Fury rushed through her. Drawing back a fist, she knocked the dragon-whore to the ground. “You rotten bitch! Whore! Baby-stealer! How dare you!”
Strong arms dragged her off Anuk, who lay on the ground surprisingly not fighting back. “Easy, there, lass. It’s no’ what ye think.”
She whirled on him, stared deep into his eyes. Trystan stared back at her with clear blue badger-wolf eyes. He’d not fallen prey to the dragon-witch’s wiles, after all. “You’re all right,” she whispered.
“I would never betray ye with the likes o’ her,” he replied. He grimaced and closed his eyes, turning to Anuk, whom Niadh was helping up from the dirt. “I dinna mean it as it sounded, lass.”
“No offense taken,” she muttered.
Betray. Oh, stars, what had she done?
Griogair must have seen the distress on her face, because he grasped Finora’s arm. “You did what you had to do. If he doesn’t understand that, then he doesn’t deserve you.”
“What do we do with him?” Mari called, indicating Spiridon.
Anuk turned with a singularly unpleasant smile. “Cilaniestra!” she hollered. Her voice rolled over the hills of the earth and the waves of the sea. “I make You an offer!”
Eyes appeared in the clouds. “Daughter of earth and fire, what wouldst thou say to Me?”
“I am dragonkind, guardian. That is who I am, what I was born to be. I have here one who would deny his very nature. As blood kin, I offer him up to You. He refuses to be a guardian on earth. He has stained the ground with the blood of those he was in a position to protect. Therefore, let him be a guardian of the seas, in service to You.”
Spiridon paled. “Nay. Anuk, what are you doing?” Panic raised his voice to a rather effeminate, piercing shriek.
“A guardian to serve You, all the days of his life.” Anuk waited.
“Done.” Cilaniestra turned Her implacable gaze on Spiridon. “Oathbreaker, I bind thee to the waves of the sea. Swim amongst the fishes, the mer and the selkie. I charge thee with protecting the shores of my realm, to maintain the peace amongst all.”
Spiridon shimmered, stretching into an elongated version of a dragon, with fins in place of claws. A dark, glistening garnet deepened to purple along his spines, with wings shrunk down to but an afterthought.
“Come.” Cilaniestra blinked Her eyes and vanished. In a blur of motion, Spiridon made his way to the water’s edge…and was gone.
Anuk sagged in the circle of Niadh’s arm.
Trystan pulled Finora to him. She resisted. “Go with your grandfather, Braeca. Ioain. I have to talk to Trystan.”
“Come on, you two. Let’s go to the Mermaid Pub and await your dam there,” Griogair said. He turned to Mari, who stared at him with an awed expression. “I’m sure this beautiful woman can show us the way.”
Mari blushed to the roots of her hair. Braeca giggled.
Finora watched them go, and Niadh and Anuk returned to the remains of the manor house.
Trystan cupped her chin in his hand, turned her face until her gaze met his. “Are ye all right? What happened t’ ye?”
“I opened the door.” Her eyes burned with tears. “Matteo said he needed my help to rescue the children, that you had sent him. He gave me this as proof.” She placed the amulet around his neck.
“He had yer skin,” Trystan stated levelly. “He returned ye t’ the sea.”
She nodded miserably.
“How could ye leave yer bairns?”
How could she hope to explain the disorientation, the forgetting? “The sea overwhelms all…for a bit. The roar was so loud, but I kept hesitating. He drove me, unmercifully.” She raised her skirt to reveal the long, scabbed-over wound on her hip.
Trystan’s eyes turned cold and deadly. “He did th
is t’ ye?”
“Aye.” Finora swallowed hard. “I couldn’t remember how to swim. It felt like I was drowning. I couldn’t remember how to hold my breath. I kept trying to surface, and he just kept shoving me under.”
“Ssh.” He pulled her to him, rubbed his hands up and down her back in a slow soothing motion. A tremor ran through him. She felt him quiver. “Where did he take ye?”
“To his palace.” Finora shuddered at the memory of the blood-stained pillar. “There was blood everywhere.”
“How did ye get t’ yer father?”
Here it was…the beginning of the end. “I tricked Matteo into taking me.”
Trystan held himself very, very still. “How?”
“Once upon a time, we’d been betrothed by my father. I convinced him I still honored that pact. As a princess, bound by her king father to a then-prince peer, now the neighboring king. He was bound and determined to an alliance with my father.” Finora took a deep, shaky breath. “He almost raped me. So I…I seduced him instead.”
She waited for the explosion. She waited for him to shove her away. When neither happened, she dared to meet his gaze. Instead of the revulsion she’d expected, she saw only acceptance. Admiration.
Huh?
“Ye were alone. Locked up in a murderer’s house, knowing he’d slaughtered all of his kin. Bruised. Bleeding.” He brushed the hair from her face. “I see the one on yer cheek. I assume there are others.”
She nodded. “But—”
“I ken what ye’d tell me. Ye did what ye had t’ survive, t’ escape. It must have been a convincing performance. I almost pity the poor bastard.”
He made no sense whatsoever. “Why?”
“Because he had but yer body, when heart an’ soul ye belong t’ me. When he had ye, all ye thought on was escaping, returnin’ t’ the bairns…an’ me.” His eyes were steady. The love in them stole her breath. “I love ye, Finora. We’ve a tie that transcends earth an’ sea, an’ I’m grateful ye returned. Ye always wondered what would happen when ye got yer skin back, what would happen t’ the bairns. Well, ye had the chance an’ made yer choice. I told ye yer stronger than ye ken.”
She pulled him down to her in a heartfelt kiss. He took command of it in a heartbeat, his tongue chasing away the memory of Matteo. She gave herself up to his kiss, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Dinna cry, lass,” he whispered. He moved to kiss each one away. “No more tears. No more despair. We’re free. I love ye.”
“I love you, too.” And she did, fiercely.
“Let’s go get the bairns and go home.”
In a daze she headed for The Mermaid Pub. Griogair took one look at her face and nodded. “You have a tie to the land that balances out the call of the sea. It’s what helped you return when you made your choice. I take it you’ve made your choice?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Sire, but I choose to stay here, with Trystan, since he’ll have me. We’re going to be a family.”
Ioain’s eyes widened. “We’re keeping him?”
Trystan laughed. “Aye, laddie, ye’re stuck with me.”
Braeca eyed him with unexpected gravity. “Are you going to be my new da?”
“Aye, lass, if ye’ll have me.”
She thought it over, then nodded. “You won’t leave us?”
Finora’s heart stuttered in her chest. What would Trystan say to that?
Trystan regarded her seriously. “I would ne’er leave t’ ne’er return. I’m a guardian, lass. There are times when I’ll be called away on Clan business. But I swear t’ ye on me soul that barrin’ death I will always return t’ ye. And should death take me, me last thoughts will be o’ ye.”
Braeca’s lip trembled, but she sucked in a deep breath and nodded.
Griogair rose. “Walk with me, Daughter.”
Finora escorted him to the water’s edge, where his dozen bulls waited. “Will I ever see you again?”
He shook his head. “We’ll guard your way back to the distant shores, but you were meant for so much more than the harem. You have a grand adventure awaiting you, and a fine man to share it with. I wish you well.”
“Give my love to my mother, and please be careful. Matteo—”
He laid a finger against her lips. Shushing her. “I have made an alliance with the mer king, Krinardt. They’ve agreed to help me keep that treacherous pup in check until his half-brother grows to adulthood. We’ll be all right.” He tucked her skin beneath his arm. “We shall honor you with a fallen ceremony. The flames will ensure you never fall prey to another again.”
The destruction of her skin, as if she were a great warrior fallen in battle. She flung his arms around his neck. “I’ll miss you.”
“But not the sea.” He smiled. “That was a clever bit of magic, the tie to earth. Tell your man I applaud his creativity. Raise your children to become adults with honor and purpose. I think these guardians of yours will set them a fine example.” He turned away, donned his skin, and plunged into the sea with his bulls.
She swallowed down the aching lump in her throat and turned back to town. When she returned to The Mermaid, she spied Trystan at a table with the children.
“Anuk went t’ free their people from the bindin’ spell,” Trystan told her. “An’ Reed. Niadh but watches her back. We’ll be headin’ for home on the first ship t’ be found. Anuk returns with us. I told her o’ her niece, Dara. She’s eager t’ meet her. Asides, this town will be glad t’ see us gone. We’ve caused enough ruckus for ten lifetimes.”
Indeed, everyone seemed to be watching them from the corner of one eye. Mari came over and grabbed the last remaining chair at their table. “Superstitious fools,” the witch snorted.
“Can I interest you in a slightly used lighthouse and cottage?” Finora asked.
“You might, at that,” Mari replied. “I’d be happy to take over when you leave.”
Finora hugged her. “You’ve been a good friend. I’ll never forget you.”
“Mayhaps someday I’ll come visit.”
Trystan smiled. “You’ll always be welcome.”
Mari stood and made her way to the door.
“Mama? Ev’wyone’s stawing at us,” Ioain complained.
“Are you ready to go home, poppets?’ Finora asked.
They nodded.
“You have no idea,” Trystan whispered.
A warm glow suffused her entire body. “Oh, I think I do, mountain man. I can’t wait to meet your family.”
They walked arm-in-arm up the cliffside path. The children ran ahead to let Storm out. The big dog greeted them with thunderous barking. Rona paced the edge of the table. Braeca and Ioain flung their arms around Storm. Trystan started a fire in the hearth, and the children curled up on the rug afore the fire. Rona wound around Finora’s ankles, and she bent over to pet the cat. The cat arched her back with a meow, paws flexing on the floor.
“Mayhaps I should start supper,” Finora said.
Trystan shook his head. “Look.”
Braeca and Ioain were sound asleep, cuddled up with Storm.
Finora smiled as Trystan carried first Ioain, then Braeca, to their beds. Storm plunked down on the floor betwixt the children as Finora covered them with their blankets.
“Are you hungry?” she whispered as he followed her into the common room. “I can make you something to eat…” The words died in her throat at the expression of blatant hunger on his face.
“Later.” His voice was raspy. “Show me.”
Oh, stars. He was going to explode when he saw where some of those bruises were located. She swallowed hard. “Trystan—”
He captured her mouth in an open-mouthed kiss that melted her very bones. “I love you,” he whispered when they finally came up for air. “I’ll always love you. May you ne’er fear tellin’ or showin’ me sommat. What happens t’ ye happens t’ me as weel.”
She led him to her room, and he closed the door behind them. He reached for her, stroked a hand t
hrough her hair as she leaned into his touch. “Now I know how Rona feels,” she said. She took a deep breath. Trystan’s familiar scent curled around her, comforting as a blanket. “Make me forget.” To her horror she started to shake. “Make him go away. Please…”
“Oh, lass.” That feral-green glint flashed in his eyes. “I could kill him, right now. But here’s sommat better.” He kissed her temple, nibbled along her jaw where the bruise from Matteo’s blow still ached. “So strong,” he whispered. “So beautiful an’ brave.” His beard brushed the sensitive skin of her neck, and she shivered. He caressed her with just his fingertips, as lightly as butterfly wings. His lips, his tongue, followed along in the wake of his fingers.
Finora whimpered as her body awoke. Trystan loosened her laces, and her gown pooled at their feet, but he seemed to be in no hurry. His fingertips trailed across her collarbone, down her arms. Goosebumps rose, and she quivered. “Trystan…”
“So soft,” he whispered. “Like silk, like satin.” He caressed her in the moonlight, his eyes all but glowing in the dark. “Ye’re like a dream. I ne’er want t’ wake from this.” He brushed her lips with his, teased her with but the tip of his tongue and he smoothed his hands up and down her back.
Stars, his touch felt so good, so right. Her heart drank in his words. She reached for him, but he stayed her hands.
“Nay, lass. T’night’s yers.” He eased her down onto her bed, running a hand down her side and over her hip. His fingertips skirted around the wound. “Does it hurt, lass?”
He was rapidly giving her something else to think on. She shook her head. “Not when I’m with you,” she told him. She gasped as Trystan nuzzled her belly. “That tickles.”
“Aye?” He nuzzled her again, and she giggled helplessly. “I like the sound o’ that,” he said. He nibbled along the underside of her breast, and she sighed, curling her hands through his hair. Fire licked along her skin, everywhere he touched. She all but purred as she slid her hands over his shoulders and he shivered. “I yearn for yer touch,” he murmured. “Ye’re the other half of me soul. Ye make me world complete.”
Finora gasped as he suckled gently at her breast, and she arched into his mouth as he caressed her other breast. “Stars, Trystan!” Heat pooled low and deep, and she shifted restlessly, tangling her legs with his.
