by T. C. Clark
“Did you braid my hair?” she asked lost in the look in his eyes.
“I did and I will from this day forward…it is my right.” He added not bothering to hide the possessiveness in his voice.
“You really think we are mated? You don’t even know me…the real me. What I think or how I feel, how can you think we are meant to be after just a few hours together?” she asked her voice held no judgment. She’d researched enough supernatural’s to know that they believed in a mated pair but she wanted to know exactly why he believed she was the one for him.
“Dragons aren’t like others for the benefit of our species we are given an instinct that guides us to the one that is the other part of our being. When I smelled your scent…I knew that you would be the only thing that would ever really matter in my life. I know that you are kind. I know that you are strong, stronger than most because my instinct can only guide me rightly. No spell could replace it, no enchantment can replicate it.”
“Does the mate get a choice if she is not of your species?”She asked again this time out of genuine curiosity.
“Yes, but the instinct in time will affect you as well. It already is you can feel what I feel…my desire fuels your own. In time you will accept me, even now you’ve bent your own rules to stay here.”
“I did bend them,” she admitted laughing at his arrogance.
“I just hope you don’t make me regret it,” she said seriously as her mind drifted back to Anise and her horrible divorce.
“Nothing between us could ever end in regret,” he whispered taking her in his arms again. He tilted her head back and kissed her.
His powerful body cradled her closely devouring her mouth with an intensity that would overwhelm a weaker woman. She closed her eyes meeting his kiss with a demand of her own.
She could feel his erection again; pure steel and some age-old womanly instinct caused her to pull away. His body taut with tension, skin heating under her touch. His eyes flickered from dark grey to yellow, the same color as the dragon. As her body backed up, he followed.
In the back of her mind, she knew that should alarm her…but she couldn’t stop the fire building between them. A shudder went through Alex as he lifted his head to look down into her face.
She was flushed, her lips bright red from the pressure of his tongue. He’d even ruined the braid he’d done the night before with his fingers. He wanted her too much, he had to get control.
She was a witch from the mortal realm. He didn’t want to frighten her before they’d even begun. Reluctantly he separated their bodies. His breathing labored, his eyes dark.
“First we talk to the council…” he whispered his voice trailing off as he kissed her again.
“What’s happening to me, Alex? I don’t even know you but I need something…What is this?” She leaned back to look up at him. She wanted a little fun but she knew that this was the beginning of something way bigger than that.
“Try to trust me in this give it time and everything will be clear…but for now we go.” He took her hand noting how small and fragile it looked against his own. He would protect his treasure and together they would figure this out because whatever may come he would never let her go.
Bad guys are the worst
* * *
Anise Amant walked along the road with a skip in her step. She was happy that Opal hadn’t put up a fight about her leaving. She desperately needed time alone. She looked into the amber lit sky with its rolling clouds and gentle winds. There was a serenity here that could not be found on the surface realm.
She’d spent the last few days collecting many different species of plants, some exotic, some dangerous. She couldn’t wait to give them to Lorelei; her dear sister would treasure them. Walking quietly she observed the beautiful nature around her.
She loved this place it had a certain wildness that most of the surface realm lacked. The trees and plants nearly burst with life, most vibrant and enormous even the grass grew nearly ten feet tall. The roads were mostly dirt with some sort of gem style rock used for their roadways. Every element of life here was infused with nature.
She had to admit the actual people weren’t as welcoming as she would have liked they mostly gawked at her and followed her with their suspicious eyes. Opal had told her of witches here in Atlantis and their stand for equality. The Atlantean witches and warlocks had made sure that their kind had a place in Atlantis, by taking it.
Their own ancestors had led a war that revolutionized their place in society. Most supernatural’s now viewed practitioners of magic with hostility. But they also behaved with wary respect. Anise grimaced as she thought of the reality of starting a life down here, could she really leave her sisters behind? Is this truly what she wanted or was she just running away from the sadness that awaited her in the surface realm?
If she was going to move to Atlantis how could she explain that choice to her family? She knew they would worry. Lorelei and Opal always worried about her. But there was something about this place that spoke to the very essence of her soul.
She’d set up a meeting with Jana from the Atlantis coven of witches to go over what it would take to transition into a life here. Ever since her divorce, she’d been feeling so lost and this was the first time in a long time that she felt like herself.
A wave of sadness hit her as she thought about Terrence. She still couldn’t believe how they had ended, never even suspected that he would hurt her so badly. She felt like a fool. Suddenly, she stopped walking listening….feeling.
She listened to the sound of the wind shifting through the trees, to the earth itself. It was warning her of a threat. She couldn’t explain how it worked but knew she could trust this feeling. Her instincts had saved her life more than once. She looked around the woods her eyes searching for any sign of a threat. Somewhere out there among the trees was a predator.
One so dangerous that his presence had quieted a forest that was teaming with life. She closed her eyes seeking the serenity of her surroundings searching through the sounds and feel of the woods around her.
Her magic was based on plant life and earthwork. She could literally feel the life in plants and use it to heal or harm other beings. Her abilities also meant she could manipulate plant life and any form of the earth.
She used her powers to spy through the trees. She spotted him then, could feel his body pressed up against the back of the fifth tree to her right. His breathing was elevated and his heartbeat continued to accelerate.
He was pumping himself up to attack her. She used her powers then opening the tree and using its own bark to encase him. She added her own magic to reinforce it, thanking it for its help.
As she crept closer she continued to search through the woods and found no other person. He was alone. When she got close enough to see him anger coursed through her body. She’d caught the worst of the worst. A type of monster that existed in one’s nightmare. The kind of being that would kill its own kind just to gain more power.
She strengthened her hold, forcing the tree tighter around his squirming body ignoring his gasp of pain. She’d learned long ago not to trust their kind.
When he opened his mouth to talk she cut him off saying, “Save the begging soul eater you’ll find no mercy here I promise you that. But just for shits and giggles before I remove your head from your body you’re going to tell me why you smell like my sister.”
* * *
Alex soared through the sky moving quickly over the mountains. He held Opal in a large claw. He could feel the worry in the dragon he didn’t like taking her near other male dragons while she remained unconvinced of their bond.
He needed her to cleave to him…to yearn for him the way he yearned for her. But something told him he needed to figure out this mess with the council first. Whoever had set up the ambush on him was someone important and he agreed with Opal they needed to know exactly what was being done to the warlock.
He wouldn’t risk her safety if he disagreed with how
they were handling it he would happily take matters into his own hands. He kept his claws just far enough apart for her to see below. He wanted her to love her new home the way he did.
She was with the keeper’s coven and that meant she most likely lived above ground. If she returned there he would as well, he couldn’t bear to separate from her now. As they closed in on the building where the council met, he paused. There were four large copper bowls placed in the center of an open field that should be lit with dragon fire and they were out.
He also didn’t see anyone in the surrounding guard towers. This wasn’t looking good, instead of landing, he glided over the area. Opal sensed the tension in Alex and felt it herself as well. There was no way that a place like this would be deserted.
When they landed Alex gently placed her on the ground. When he tried to transform his dragon fought him confirming his fear that something was wrong.
His dragon wouldn’t leave the fate of their mate to his human form. Opal didn’t seem surprised by him staying in his fighting form.
The dragon leaned in again and rubbed its face against her body, taking in her scent. His eyes were so gentle that Opal reached out, running her hand along the side of his face. He pushed his massive head into her small hand seeking affection.
She loved the feel of him in this form, his barely contained power. When he looked back over his shoulder at the empty building, he blew out a cloud is smoke with a small flame of fire contained inside.
She nodded understanding his message this could be a trap. She followed behind him closely as he walked slowly back towards the castle.
“We would probably be less noticeable if you transitioned back into your human form,” she said surprisingly comfortable with the beautiful beast.
He shook his head his eyes focused on the building and they narrowed as he saw a flash of color through one of the windows. He stopped when he felt her tap on his shoulder.
“I have enough power to read the building let me see what I can find out.” She pulled up her sleeves and focused her energy. He watched as the air shifted around her and changed.
Her power was incredible it was the first time he’d ever seen a witch work up close. His mate even weakened by a fight and a limiting enchantment was stronger than the others he’d witnessed in the field.
Her eyes changed white as she accessed what was left of her power. Only natural-born Atlantians or newly accepted citizens of Atlantis had this cap removed. If they had been on the surface she would still have almost of her magic even with taking out that soul eater.
She decided to use an old Japanese spell from a Koror. She spoke softly the words she read so long ago. This spell would leave her just enough energy to cast at least once more to defend herself if they were attacked again tonight. Once she’d slept her power would naturally recharge itself to its limited ability once again.
She relaxed and let her spirit travel from her body into the building. She turned once and saw the dragon pull his tail around her and lean in close. Leaving her body left it vulnerable to attack. But, she knew he would protect her physical form with his life; she sighed softly and entered the building.
She mapped the building with her spirit checking every room. One thing was for certain blood had been shed here; a lot of it and the worst news she had to share with Alex was that the soul eater was nowhere to be found.
* * *
Anise paced agitated and concerned, the soul eater had been no help. She had a feeling someone else had gotten to him before she did because his mind was a scrambled mess and his body was no better. He showed signs of torture.
He still smelled of her sister and that meant something had happened to Opal. Regret flooded her she should have never left her alone. For years Opal had been their protector… she was always the strongest. If something happened to her she would never forgive herself.
She looked back at the prison she had created for the soul eater, he was struggling against the constant tightening of the tree, but there was nothing he could do. As he was now, he couldn’t escape.
Opal was strong but with the cap, they’d put on her powers she was vulnerable here. While Anise’s powers remained intact, maybe even enhanced. She didn’t know how to explain to the people of Atlantis that her power couldn’t be limited or capped, not with the earth all around her.
She was feeling fear creeping through her and she shook her head against it. Panicking was for the weak, she needed a plan. She could figure this out; she just needed to think about her resources, who could she call here?
A name popped into her mind and she stopped pacing. She spoke softly to the tree using her own personal spell to guide it and the tree stood and followed meekly behind her.
* * *
“How could everyone just disappear?” Opal asked for the fifth time. Once they had discovered the fortress abandoned Alex flew her to another home in the mountain, one he’d built himself by hand.
It was secluded and separate from his land and only one other dragon knew he owned it and he knew Malcolm would not betray him. He needed a plan, first his ambush now an attack on an official building.
This situation was escalating too quickly. He stopped and looked at his mate taking in her worried expression. She was pacing back and forth slowly, trying to understand exactly what was happening, she looked at him waiting for him to answer.
“They wouldn’t just leave and I can’t believe that many dragons could be killed. The only other option is that some of them went into hiding. The king isn’t here right now and without him, we can’t move against whatever this is…our rules demand the attention of someone with royal blood.” He turned back to the window looking out onto the mountain. He wasn’t the only dragon who had a hideaway and as secretive as their kind was no one would be sharing what happened there anytime soon.
“So you can’t do anything unless your king allows it…not even investigate?” Opal asked surprised at the vehemence in his voice. It was startling how strict the dragon realms society was, the coven rules were a cakewalk in comparison.
“If the council is involved and I think they are, the only thing we are allowed to do is defend ourselves if attacked…our society is brutal and everyone is powerful we have strict rules in place to make sure no one gets hurt. All I can do now is wait I only went to the council because of what happened with the soul eaters and that gave me a reason for being there.”
“Do you think we should wait?” she asked drumming her fingers on the wooden table.
“The king will be back in two days. If we stay here we could meet him in town. We have ways to review memories, I would be able to give them all of the information on the people that attacked us and then safeguard your return.”
“I should argue that I don’t need your protection to get home, but I feel like that will be a waste of breath,” she said watching his fierce expression.
They wouldn’t be safe if they left this place but he would follow her if she chose to go. She was biting her lip again; he noticed that she did that when she was upset.
She was so small compared to him; she looked tiny sitting in his kitchen chair. Dragon people were naturally big; he was nearly seven feet himself. He looked down at his hands and imagined how they would look on her.
He stood and walked over to the table leaning against the heavy oak table watching her expression. He knew he was too close to her, could feel his dragon reacting as it always did.
He couldn’t help his need. He didn’t know how he could temper it. He would not hurt her…but he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything else.
He could tell he fascinated her, but she still didn’t truly understand what was inside of him. He looked around the small bare cottage. With her scent fresh in his mind he needed something else to focus on. She probably wanted to change. He had some shirts that she could wear. He would warm water for her to freshen up…women as far as he could remember liked to freshen up.
His small home was almost c
ompletely empty with just the minimum amount of furniture and almost no food. Just some Oats and tea that he had stored away in a small cabinet. He would have to hunt for her; he felt his blood heat at the thought. He wanted to provide for his mate.
He didn’t realize that he was pacing or that she was following his every move with cautious eyes. She could feel the tension in him and felt the need to soothe him, to calm him. Some age-old instinct wearing on her mind guiding her on how to respond.
She thought of every scenario contemplated every outcome before she decided she would stay with him. She knew that if she stayed she would end up in his bed. She looked at him now trying to think without the effects of her hormones. This wasn’t a man she could just walk away from.
She was thirty years old she’d had her share of relationships good and bad. But she’d never known love, unlike her sisters she didn’t think it was possible for her. She wasn’t like other people. She liked the solitude of her books. The quiet of her home. When she wasn’t protecting the coven she was consuming her books. Her routine was her life and she was content with it. She knew staying here would change that on every level.
But something in him called to her, telling her that she needed this, needed him. She had to know what this was, this feeling building inside herself. She closed her hand once again over the small vial.
She considered going after Anise but maybe she would be safer on her own. She knew that Anise could defend herself, her power would ensure that and as the cap hadn’t affected her she still had full access to her abilities.
The attack had been targeted for Alex. As long as she was back in town by Sunday she would be on time for the departure. She looked at him and really let herself see him as he was. She ached to know what she was missing and one some level knew she could only find out with him.
