Tears for Her Dragon

by Julia Milla

  Then exactly one week to the day that he and Kayne had talked, Kyran found his friend playing catch with Duke and told the demigod their plan was a go. After much internal deliberation, the black dragon came to the conclusion it was the only way to keep Caitlin safe. He decided the ends would justify the means and let the chips fall where they may. Now, twenty-four hours later, the Phantom made love to his mate, held her in his arms until she was sleeping soundly, then like a thief in the night, dressed in the dark, blocked their mental communication and the sight he shared with her, and stole away to meet his long-time friend at the edge of the woods.

  Kyran had no doubt Duke and his brethren would take care of Caitlin in his absence. His banshee would be safe and well protected, of that the black dragon was sure. Not that any of his internal reassurances made any difference. He felt like shit. His heart ached. His soul longed for its other half and the burning pit in the bottom of his stomach grew with every step he moved away from his mate. Even his dragon, who had been all in for the fight, was now pissed and growling, pining for his mate.

  Focusing all his mental acuity and with a mighty stroke of his powerful magic, Kyran forced all his indecision and fear into the mental strongbox he’d used to maintain his sanity during his century in captivity. Once the lid was securely in place, he stood tall, and using the love he felt for Caitlin as his guiding force, caught up with Kayne. Together, they made their way to the hideout of the last living O’Baoill.

  Arriving outside the small abandoned town right at daybreak, Kyran and Kayne used the last few minutes of darkness for reconnaissance. They were glad to see that Eve’s numbers had dwindled to less than fifty hunters, with most still recovering from the battle at the lair of the Blue Thunder dragons.

  It hadn’t taken the Guardsmen long to locate an old mineshaft that had been retrofitted into an underground testing facility. It was much smaller than where Kyran had been held or even the bunker Kayne had helped to destroy. From the heart beats they heard with their enhanced senses, twelve to fifteen shifters, of all varieties who would need to be saved, were being held within the same shaft.

  “'N' whaur dae ye suggest we poot thaim that’s oot o' sight 'n' safe?” Kyran asked, noting that the trees behind them would provide sparse cover and refusing to think about where the poor souls would go after the fight was over.

  “We’re going to transport them to the valley about a mile from here.” He held up his hand. “And before you start bitchin’, yes, it’s a long way, but only if you’re walking.” The look in the demigod’s eye had Kyran and his dragon bracing for what was to come. As usual, Kayne did not disappoint. “I say we take advantage of your black scales and let your dragon out. No one will be able to see you. The moon is at its dimmest. You can carry at least six or seven at a time and hopefully, some will be able to make it of their own volition.”

  It all made sense; almost too much sense. If something seemed too good to be true, it usually was and so far, their mission seemed pretty damned good. After some discussion, it was decided that they would wait out the daylight hours in the woods, making sure there were no extra troops or any other surprises, and as soon as the sun was down, the rescue attempt would commence.

  Splitting up, Kyran made his way to the far side of the derelict village and into what used to be a warehouse of some sort. After looking around and opening several large wooden crates, he called to Kayne. “Looks lik' we got 'ere juist in time.”

  “Yeah? What did you find?”

  “Laboratory equipment, cots, computers, lots of silver chain, and cuffs, Eve wis planning tae expand this place. Rebuild whit she’s lost,” Kyran growled through the unique link he shared with the demigod.

  “Doesn’t surprise me. She doesn’t seem to be the type to give up.” Kayne chuckled. The demigod hadn’t changed one iota in a century. He still loved the thrill of the chase and the adrenalin of a fight. “I found her weapons cache and it looks like she’s preparing for WWIII. There are even surface to air missiles and a launcher. I’m thinkin’ we could put this baby to good use. Shame Lenn’s not here. He’d be giddy at all the explosives.”

  At the mention of one of the younger Guardsmen Kyran met during his brief stay at the lair of the Blue Thunder dragons, he thought about Drago and the lads they’d left behind, which led him to think of Caitlin. Slamming the lid shut even tighter on his mental box, the black dragon resumed opening crates until he came across one containing a stainless-steel refrigeration unit with a time lock keypad on the front.

  Reading the shipping label, he saw it had only been delivered a day before and was from Genesis Laboratories, a subsidiary of O’Baoill Industries. Pulling away the wooden slats until the unit was completely unwrapped, Kyran grabbed the handle and tested its strength. Evil - dark, sickening, acrid evil slithered up his arm, trying to find a way to invade his mind and body. Tearing his hand from the unit, the Phantom jumped back as his dragon roared and the hair on his arms and at the nape of his neck stood on end.

  The being in the box living…breathing…full of hate, vengeance, and malevolent intent and seeking a host. It had sensed not only Kyran, but his dragon, and his incredibly strong mixture of banshee and white magic and had immediately sought to invade…to possess. Even standing ten feet away, the Phantom could feel the entity searching…reaching for him and his dragon…trying to overwhelm man and beast with an evil as old as time.

  “Kayne, we’ve goot a prooblem.”

  But it wasn’t the demigod who answered with the words, “You’ve got more than one problem, mo chara.” It was Drago’s. His Commander had somehow broken through Kyran’s mental shielding and sounded more than a little upset. “Caitlin got your note and she’s gone.”

  “She’s what?!” Kyran bellowed.

  “She’s gone. Little sneak said she was going to make tea and the next thing I know, not only is she gone, but also Duke and Rory.” Drago paused then added, “And here is the note she had Ror leave. ‘If you hear from Kyran before I do, tell him I’m coming to kick his ass and I’m wearing my boots.’ Sounds like…”

  “Yeah, Ah knoow, Ah messed up royally this time…”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Of all the hair-brained, high-handed, egotistical, stupid… Ooohhhh! I’m just so mad I could spit. I swear I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna scale that dragon like a fish and then I’m really gonna get mad…”

  Caitlin knew she wasn’t making much sense and was pretty sure Kyran’s friend, Rory, thought she’d lost her mind, but to hell with all of them. When she’d awoken and found her mate’s side of the bed cold and their mental connection blocked, the panic had begun. Working hard not to jump to conclusions, the banshee had gotten up, put on her fuzzy robe, and made her way to the kitchen, praying with every step that Kyran was up and simply letting her sleep.

  Halfway down the hall, with her hand on Duke’s neck, she’d heard Drago’s deep voice and all hope had fled. His words, “I will tell her. Heavens knows those two have been a pain in my ass the longest, I used to be good at making excuses for them. Let us see if I still can,” filled Caitlin with dread

  “I wouldn’t make excuses. I’d tell her the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Kyran never did think before he leapt. I love him, but the asshole has got to learn that there are consequences for his actions.” Caitlin recognized Maddox’s low grumble along with the irritation in his voice and had to agree. She didn’t want anything sugar-coated.

  Appearing in the doorway, the banshee wasn’t surprised when all conversation came to a screeching halt. She didn’t need her eyes to feel everyone looking at her as she let Duke lead her to the stove. With her hand on the counter for support, she looked in the direction of the three strong heartbeats in the room and said, “Give it to me straight? Where is he and who did he convince to go with him?”

  The tension in the room spiked. She heard footsteps coming closer as Drago answered, “He’s gone to face Eve… with Kayne.” His hand touched her arm. “I wou
ld suspect it was six of one, half-dozen of another with those two. What one doesn’t think of, the other is sure to. I have spent more years than I would like to admit trying to keep them from getting each other and all of us killed.”

  Letting the words of the Assassin sink in, Caitlin fought the barrage of old emotions rolling over her like a tidal wave. To say Kyran had hurt her only scratched the surface. He was the one person she had believed with all certainty would never lie to her and would never leave her behind… would always be there for her. She had trusted his words when he said that he saw her as an equal partner, one who could and would share in every part of his life, not some little blind banshee who needed his protection. He had even promised on their mating night that they would slay their greatest enemy together as one... true partners.

  But that was all over now. Her dragon had shown his true colors. He didn’t think of her as an equal. His word meant nothing and if they had no trust, then, well…they had nothing.

  Rory’s words pulled Caitlin from her internal pity party. “Hey, kiddo,” he patted her shoulder. “Don’t let this freak you out. I do stupid shit all the time. Claire just smacks me around and I’m good as new.” His chuckle was tense and forced. “We’re men and we’re dragons, it’s a crazy combination bound to get us in trouble at every turn. We think with everything but our heads.”

  She knew the tall, smiling, redhead she’d seen through Kyran’s eyes was only trying to make her feel better, but that ship had sailed. There was no feeling better. There was only accepting the facts as they were and moving on. “Did you ever break a promise to your Claire? Lie to her?”

  “No,” came Rory’s murmured reply. “I’m so sorry, Cait.”

  Her questions pushed the tension in the room even higher. The Guardsmen’s discomfort was palpable. They felt bad for her, knew Kyran had messed up, but because of their bond, the incredible loyalty they shared, they found it hard to outright agree with her. Well, all except Maddox.

  “You have every right to be pissed, Caitlin. If Ky promised to take you with him, then it shouldn’t have mattered if Kayne pushed him or not. A promise is a promise. I know Callie would kick my ass and then turn me into a toad if I left her behind.”

  Caitlin couldn’t help but laugh. The mad dragon was one of a kind, and she was grateful for his candor. “Thanks, Maddox. I appreciate it.” She chuckled, then to them all, “Does it say where they went?”

  Rian immediately answered, “Not in so many words, but I found a map with coordinates written in Kayne’s chicken scratch. I know he’s been working with Maximillian Prentice, the King of the Big Cats, and his extensive network of trackers to find Eve’s location.” She heard him tap on the table. “Looks like they got a solid lead.”

  “And how long ago was that?” she asked, suspicion tainting her tone.

  The Dragon Leader’s tone turned dark. “I have no way of knowing exactly, but it has to have been at least a few days from the way the ink is smudged.”

  “Then he…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. Blamed herself almost as much as she blamed him. Caitlin had known Kyran was hiding something and hadn’t pushed the issue when she knew she should.

  At first, it was just a feeling, then there were parts of himself that Kyran started holding back; all signs of betrayal that the banshee had chosen to overlook. What bothered her the most, but she’d chosen to ignore, had been the way his eyes hadn’t met hers when she’d asked him if everything was okay the day before. Looking someone in the eyes was something Caitlin didn’t take for granted after not having it for so many years. Sharing Kyran’s vision was a gift from the Universe and he had abused it. It was just like all the other times… she’d trusted someone and gotten burned. Well, hell hath no fury like a banshee out to teach her mate a lesson and Caitlin wasn’t giving up.

  Yes, she was wounded, but she’d been there before. Sure, she was pissed, but that would pass. Kyran was the man the Universe had made just for her and even if she had to kick his ass from now to eternity, he was going to understand that she was a force to be reckoned with and one he could not set on the shelf like a china doll. They would be equals or their life together would be full of strife, of that her dragon could be sure.

  Balling up her fists and taking a deep breath, Caitlin knew what she had to do but was also well aware that most of the men in the room would object. It would take a bit of subterfuge on her part, but if she played it right, the banshee had no doubt she would be having words with her mate before night’s end. For a split second, she felt guilty. Was she doing the same thing to the Guardsmen that Kyran had done to her? Her answer came immediately as a resounding no by both woman and banshee. She hadn’t promised them anything. This was her life and she was going to fight for it with every ounce of strength she possessed.

  “Why don’t y’all go have a seat on the deck? I know Duke needs to go out and he loves playing ball with you guys. I’ll make some iced tea and we’ll wait for my wayward mate. Seems like the only alternative he’s left us.”

  As they all answered to the affirmative and apologized once again for Kyran, Caitlin almost felt bad for what she was about to do but told her guilty conscience to hush as she called out, “Rory, do you mind helping me with the tea?”

  “Not at all,” he’d quickly answered and after much brow-beating and even some old fashioned girlie tears to get what she wanted, Caitlin convinced the youngest of the O’Reilly family to help her go after Kyran. It had only been a stroke of Fate that Duke returned to the kitchen to help the banshee make her case. There was no way she could embark on such an adventure without her oldest and most loyal companion.

  Now that she was traipsing through the woods, a few hours from the location Kayne had marked on the map, Caitlin was getting madder by the minute. After continually trying to contact Kyran, who was still conveniently locking her out of his mind, her head felt like it might explode. And worst of all, she couldn’t stop her feelings of longing and love for the man who held her heart. The battle between love and anger was so strong within her the banshee wanted to scream.

  “Ky’s not gonna know what hit him when you get done.” Rory laughed. “I can only imagine what Claire would do to me.” Duke yipped in agreement, making the Guardsman add, “You’re gonna take a bite out of his butt, too, huh, buddy?”

  Stopping dead in her tracks, Caitlin turned toward the sound of Rory’s voice and asked, “Why do you think he did it?”

  She was met with silence, but she could also feel the Guardsman’s conflicted feelings mixed with a touch of anger at Kyran that surprised her. It took a few seconds but when Rory answered, it was worth the wait. “Well, Cait, I think he did it because he loves you more than life itself and he never ever wants to see you hurt. It’s not that he believes you’re not up to fighting Eve. Heck, one look at you and anyone can see you’re ready for whatever life throws at you, but for Kyran, like all the old guys, he thinks he has to protect you from anything and everything, including himself. They come from an age when women, even the super gifted ones like you, were supposed to stay on the sidelines, not be on the battlefield. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone what he did, but I do believe it was out of his overwhelming love for you.”

  The dragon paused and she could tell whatever he was about to say was hard for him, so she waited patiently. Finally, he continued, “The best way I can say it is that Ky will always put himself between you and danger, even if that means making you mad. Cause, let’s face it, he’d rather have you mad and healthy than hurt any day of the week.”

  Caitlin was humbled by Rory’s words and could feel the truth in them. She was just about to tell him so when he added, “But that doesn’t let him off the hook for breaking a promise. For that, I will hold him while you kick his ass.”

  The chuckle in his voice and the way he patted her arm helped to ease Caitlin’s fury with her mate, but it didn’t stop the overwhelming feeling that Kyran needed her more than he was ever going to admit. “Thanks
so much, Rory. I needed to hear that.” She smiled. “And as for holding while I whoop up on him… I might just take you up on it.”

  “You got it,” he chuckled as the banshee turned back around and with her hand firmly holding onto Duke’s collar, started off toward her mate once again.

  The closer the three travelers got to their destination, the more Caitlin was overwhelmed with feelings of hate and revulsion coupled with the need to hunt and feed. A cloud of malevolence was forming in the distance, pulling all things dark and evil toward it, summoning all with the desire to consume goodness and spread darkness with its web of wickedness.

  “Rory, I need to stop for a minute,” she heavily breathed as a vision of the being began to form in her mind.

  “Are you okay?” the Guardsman asked, helping her to sit on a fallen log and handing her a bottle of water.

  “I’m not sure. I need to check something,” was the only response Caitlin could give as the sight she had inherited from her father took over.

  Never before had she been able to see a being’s future without the aid of touch, but there was no doubt in Caitlin’s mind that she was truly witnessing the horrific plans this malevolent entity had in store for the world. Images of death, destruction, and devastation as far as the eye could see burst forth in her mind. Agonizing screams pierced her consciousness. The smell of rancid blood and burning flesh filled her nostrils. The vision so real that the banshee spirit living within Caitlin’s soul began to rise. The call to wail, to announce the impending doom, grew stronger with every breath she breathed.

  Fighting the urge, trying to break free from the pull the being’s thoughts had on her, Caitlin grabbed for Rory’s hand at the same time that her heart and mind reached for the bond she shared with Kyran. The blocks he’d placed between them burst open. She could not only feel everything her mate was feeling, but also see and hear what was happening in his location.