The Red Dragon

by Tianna Xander

  Chapter Seven

  Emily glanced up, following Declan’s gaze. Summer stood on the porch, wringing her hands as she nervously hopped from foot to foot. Emily didn’t have to say a thing. She merely met Summer’s gaze and held her arms open.

  Summer didn’t need more of an invitation. The young woman’s eyes lit up. She danced down the stone steps and into Emily’s waiting arms. “I was so worried about you.” She pulled back and frowned at Emily. “This is the last time I worry about you. I’m getting you a cell phone. I don’t care how much you argue. If you can’t afford one, we’ll pay for it for you.”

  She glanced back at her mate, Adrian, as though looking for his agreement. “I refuse to go through another week like the last one. Even though I knew that a dragon would see that his mate was fed and clothed, I hated not knowing where you were or how you were doing.” Summer hugged her again. “The others are out looking for you. We all needed to be sure that you would accept him as your mate. He did just carry you off without asking.”

  Summer glared up at Declan. “Why did you just carry her off like that? We just got her out of the hospital a week before you took off with her. Were you trying to make her sick again?”

  Uh oh. Emily knew that news was not going to make her dragon happy. As he’d told her just a few minutes ago, she was his greatest treasure. He would not take kindly to learning that she’d been sick and hadn’t bothered to tell him. He also wouldn’t like hearing why she had been sick.

  Her back warmed as an angry dragon moved up behind her. “Why didn’t you tell me you had been ill?”

  Emily’s cheeks burned. “I wasn’t sick. I fainted and everyone panicked.”

  “Yeah. She fainted because she wasn’t eating,” Summer added, her hands on her hips and a reproving scowl on her face. “Apparently, she couldn’t afford to eat and buy her medication. So, she starved herself instead of asking for help.”

  Declan grasped her shoulders from behind, pulled her back against his chest and tucked her head beneath his chin. “You can rest assured that will not happen again. I am here, now, and Emily will never want for anything, now that we are together.”

  “I will if you don’t bind us together, mister.” Emily stepped from his embrace. “I’ve already done without my medication for a week. My blood pressure is probably out of this world, by now.” She raised her chin. “And I refuse to accept aid from a man who is not my husband.”

  “I merely wished to give you time to adjust to this life, mate.” Declan shook his head. “We need time to get to know each other again.”

  “No. What you mean is that you want to give me time to see that you’re not some witch-killing monster. You’re afraid that deep down, I still fear what you are.”

  Reaching up, she cupped his jaw in her hand. The stubble pricked her fingers as she drew his head down toward hers. “I don’t fear you, dragon. I have seen Summer and her sisters with their mates. There is nothing to fear from you, except maybe having to wait for a proposal until I’m so decrepit, I won’t be able to say yes without someone fetching my teeth first.”

  “I’ve already asked you, woman.” Declan grasped her arm and spun her around. “I’m still waiting for you to give a satisfactory answer.”

  “As I recall, the last time you asked, the answer was no. If you want a different answer, you’ll have to ask me again. How do I know you haven’t changed your mind?”

  “What will I do with you, mate?” Declan chuckled, reached out, and drew her into his arms.

  “I’m thinking you’ll love me, but I could be wrong.” Emily smiled up at him. “I’m still waiting.”

  With a sigh, Declan lowered himself to one knee and took her right hand in his. Emily covered her mouth with her free hand. Tears streamed down her face as he stared up into her eyes, his love shining like a beacon between them.

  “I love you with every fiber of my being, Emily. I always have. Every cell within me screams to be near you when you’re gone. My every thought is of you. Every part of me wants to feel your warmth next to me when I’m awake, when I eat and when I sleep. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, my mate? Will you marry this crusty old dragon, Emily?”

  Emily could do nothing more than nod as she sobbed into her hand. She had waited so long to look down into her dragon’s loving brown eyes and tell him that being his mate was the only thing she ever wanted.

  “Yes, Declan. I would love nothing more than to be your mate. I’ll marry you. I want nothing more than to be yours forever and a day.”

  Beside her, Summer bounced in place and clapped her hands. “You two are getting married. That’s wonderful!

  “Hey, you guys!” April called from the door. “Oh, hi, Emily! It’s nice to see you again.” She smiled at Declan. “I assume you’re Declan, the red dragon. It’s nice to meet you.” She opened the door wider. “You all need to come inside. Summer, you’ll never believe who we found.”

  Chapter Eight

  Declan followed the others into the manor. He settled himself on the rosewood settee with Emily on his lap.

  A group of men walked through the door. The female named Summer gasped and rushed toward them, hugging each one in turn. A wave of powerful magic rolled off one or more of the men.

  “There is a sorcerer in our midst.” Standing, Declan placed Emily behind him. He must be the one who destroyed his lair. The humans might not realize what he meant by his declaration, but Declan knew the other dragons would realize the danger. It had been years, centuries even, since he’d felt a power so strong.

  Usually, those who wielded such great power were evil. He’d only known one sorcerer with such power in his lifetime that was good. The man had been both surrogate father and mentor to Drake when he was younger.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Declan.” Drake pushed his way through the seven men gathered near the door. “These are my brothers-in-law.” He smiled, the sickening smile of a man who had been wrapped around his woman’s finger. “Allow me to introduce you.” He waved his hand toward the men who stood against the outer wall, with their arms folded over their midsections.

  “From left to right, these men are Lancelot, Tristan, Daniel, Erec, Gareth, Gawain, and Perceval.”

  “Thank you for the introductions, cousin.” He frowned toward the men. “They are all named for Knights of the round table.” He cocked his head to the side and stared at Drake. “Why?” Declan shifted his gaze to the men in an attempt to figure out which one of them wielded the immense power of a sorcerer.

  “Our parents loved the Arthurian legends.” The one Drake identified as Lancelot stepped forward. He glared in Drake’s direction. “Call me Lance, damn it.”

  “I hate that they named us after men who never existed. People always seem to think we should do something great because they supposedly did.”

  One of the others shook his head with a frown. Declan thought it was Gawain, but he wasn’t sure.

  “What makes you think they never existed?” Declan tried to figure out which one was hiding the fact that he was a sorcerer. Did the man even hide it from his brothers?

  “King Arthur, Camelot, and the knights of the round table are nothing more than a romantic myth dreamt up by those who wished to set a better ideal.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, if I were you.” Declan glanced back toward Emily, who sat next to Summer. Adrian, whom Declan remembered was the name of the missing brother of the Earth dragon, Damek, stood in front of the two women, protecting both Emily and his mate, Summer. Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he watched the men. Did he feel the power of a sorcerer, as well?

  “You can’t be saying you believe that romantic nonsense is real.” This came from the man he believed Drake said was Perceval.

  “No. I don’t believe it’s real. I know it’s real. I lived it.” Declan bowed. “I am, or perhaps I should say, I was Sagramor, cousin to Arthur.”

  “I call bullshit.” Lance grimaced. “Eve
ryone knows Arthur didn’t exist. They’ve found no evidence that he lived or died anywhere near England. If he died there, they would have found a body.”

  “Of course he existed.” Declan rested his hands on his hips. “The church of the time wanted everyone to believe the stories were nothing more than heretical tripe passed down from generation to generation. They claimed they were nothing more than stories told by those who didn’t have the ability to record their history on paper—those they deemed pagans.” He looked at each of the men in turn, not caring if he believed them or not. He was here for his mate, not a history lesson. “The church did its best to stamp out all knowledge of magic with the hopes of controlling the populace.”

  Declan paced to the window and stared out through the darkness. “Why do you think he was called Arthur Pendragon? Pendragon is Welsh for Chief Dragon, you fool.”

  “Chief Dragon? Do you mean as in the king of dragons?” Lancelot glanced at Drake.

  April grasped his cousin’s arm. “But you’re the dragon king...aren’t you?” She looked more confused than disappointed.

  Drake gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged. “Guilty.”

  “Are you...” April dropped her hand, stepped back, and licked her lips. “Are you saying that you’re King Arthur?”

  “Guilty again,” Drake replied with a sigh. “Honey, you have to realize that we had to change our names. Over the centuries, I have been many people. Every thirty years or so, my identity has to die and I must become someone else.”

  “But...but you could have told me!” The color drained from April’s face. She looked faint.

  Drake wrapped his arm around her and led her to the nearest chair where she abruptly sat.

  “Holy crap! I’m married to King Arthur.” She narrowed her eyes. “What happened to Guinevere?”

  “Mordred killed her.” Drake lowered his gaze, as he always did when asked about the woman who had tried to be a dragon’s mate. “It was her body that took my place in the grave.” He sighed. “It was easy to substitute bodies back then. Now we tell sex by bone structure. There are also dental records and DNA. Back then, a body was a body after rotting in the ground for several months.”

  He glanced at his mate, who sat glaring at him. “You are my true mate, April. She was the wife of a king. The person who kept me sane during an insane time.”

  “What about Morgan Le Fey?”

  “Her name is Morgaine, not Morgan. Part of Morgaine’s story is true. She is my half sister, and no, I am not in love with her and she did not have my illegitimate child. Incest then was just as sick as it is today.”

  “Can we get back to the matter at hand, please?” Declan hated being rude, especially to his king, but his mate’s safety was more important than Drake’s feelings.

  “And that is?” yet another one of the brothers said. Declan scowled. Having seven sons and so many daughters should be illegal.

  Declan glanced around the room. How many children did their parents have? Their mother should be exhausted and their father castrated.

  “Which one of you is the sorcerer?” Declan moved toward the men when they all shook their heads. “Make no mistake, I will not tolerate danger near my mate.” He flicked a gaze toward Drake. “If I were you, I would demand to know who deceived me in my own home.”

  “It’s me.” Perceval left the company of his brothers, moving out into the open. “But I’m no danger to any of the women. They’re my sisters.” He smiled toward Emily. “And my honorary aunt.”

  “It was a sorcerer’s power that destroyed my lair and endangered my mate.” Declan growled. His skin turned red, scales rippled along his arms.

  “You’d better not shift in here, damn it!” Drake snarled. “Think of the harm that could come to the women when the roof gives, you idiot.”

  “Well, it wasn’t me.” Perceval increased the distance between him and his brothers, putting himself within Declan’s reach. It was a precarious position. If Declan had tried, he could have reached out and snapped the man’s neck in a moment. “I didn’t know you existed until I walked through that door.” He pointed behind him. “And, frankly, I wish I had never met you.”

  “Don’t antagonize him, Perceval.”

  “Why the hell not?” He glared at Lancelot before pointing at Declan. “He doesn’t give a shit about antagonizing me.”

  “True,” Lancelot agreed. “But the last time I checked, you couldn’t roast someone like a pig on a spit with your breath, either.”

  Chapter Nine

  Emily sat still, taking everything in. Her heart almost gave out when Drake told them all he was King Arthur, in the flesh.

  She glanced at Declan. She had guessed he was old, but she never thought he’d been alive in the twelfth century. That was when the stories of King Arthur began circulating, wasn’t it?

  “I always thought King Arthur was a blond,” she commented absently.

  “It’s not like they had cameras,” Summer added from beside her. “Or maybe he dyes his hair now. Who knows? It’s not like it matters. What matters is who destroyed Declan’s lair and why?” She shook her head. “I know it wasn’t one of my brothers.”

  “You have a woman’s heart, love,” Adrian whispered between them. “You would never think one of your brothers was capable of harming someone. However, I have never met a good sorcerer.”

  “I have met a good sorcerer, and so has Sagramor.” Drake glared at them all.

  “You would bring up Merlin.” Declan shook his head. “Yes, he was good, but he was only one of many.”

  “Will you please call him Declan? I don’t know if I can wrap my mind around all of this and having you refer to him as someone else isn’t helping matters.” Emily stared up at her mate. “Wait a minute. You two knew Merlin?” She waved her hand in front of her face. “I don’t know why I didn’t put that together when you said you were King Arthur.” She closed her eyes and held out her hand. “I don’t think I feel well. Do you think there is some place where I can rest?”

  As she had hoped, Declan rushed to her side, bent, and scooped her up in his arms. “I will care for you, mate.” He turned to Drake. Emily couldn’t think of him as King Arthur. She just might faint if she thought about it much more.

  “Carry me to Perceval, dear.” She rested her head against Declan’s chest. “I want to say hello. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the boy.”

  “I don’t think—”

  “I don’t care what you think, Declan. I watched him grow up. He became a man in front of my eyes and I refuse to think that he could harm anyone.”

  “As you wish.” He heaved a sigh. “I will take you to him, but I do so with protest.”

  He took her to Perceval and she took the boy’s hand. “I know you didn’t destroy his lair, boy.” Perceval bent when she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I knew your parents. There is a reason why you have so many sisters.” She glanced at each of the boys in turn.”

  “Though my parents died when I was young, they left me with an ancient grimoire. The ancient book of spells explained that witches were the true mates of dragons before it went on to tell the tale of dragons killing witches, decimating covens and initiating the burning times of the witch hunts.”

  She took a deep breath. She really did feel faint, but she had to tell them. It was news she knew she must impart before she did anything else. The boy’s life might depend on it. Even though he was surrounded by his brothers, they were no match for the amount of dragons she’d seen around Drake’s house.

  “It also spoke of sorcerers and who they are.” She glanced up at Declan. “Not individuals. Just in general. Sorcerers are born. They are not made, though I’m not sure I ever believed it.”

  “Born?” Drake shook his head. “How can they be born?”

  “A sorcerer is always the seventh son of the seventh son.” She glanced at Perceval. “He is the seventh son, and his father was the sevent
h son before him. He was brought up to be a good man. Evil begets evil. His father was a good man, just as Perceval is a good man. He will remain a good man as long as he has family to look up to him.”

  “Good Lord.” April, placed a hand to her throat. “Is that why they adopted all of us girls?”

  “Yes.” Emily nodded. “I believe it was. They knew he needed family, just as your father needed family.”

  Reaching out, Emily grasped Perceval’s arm. “As long as you’re surrounded by those you love, your heart cannot grow cold.” She leaned back, resting her head against Declan’s shoulder. “Now, I really would like to go rest, if you don’t mind.”

  “I will see to the care of my mate.” Declan turned to Drake. “By your leave, sire, I will need a room for Emily.”

  “Stop it with the sire stuff.” Drake waved his hand. “We don’t need to start standing on ceremony now.” He turned to one of his men. “Take Declan and his mate up to the rose room, please, Andre.”

  The man bowed. “As you wish, sir.”

  Drake turned back to Emily with a smile. “Sire, sir, it’s all the same.” Stepping closer, he reached out, took her hand, and bent over it. “I still wish you would call me Drake. I have grown accustomed to having friends. I would hate to lose one as special as you.”

  Emily’s cheeks burned as all the things she’d learned over the last few minutes ran through her mind. King Arthur had just kissed her hand and her mate had once been a knight of the Round Table. It was almost too much for her old mind to take in.

  “Thank you...Drake.” How would she ever feel comfortable being so informal with this man now? Every witch she had ever known had grown up listening to stories of the man and his knights. How when the world needed him, he would rise once more and save the people of Earth. “I-I’m sorry, but I really don’t feel well.”

  She glanced up at Declan. “I would rather be alone with my mate. We have a lot of catching up to do.”