Fire & Ice

by Alice Brown

  “Well, the guys and the king rushed you into their medical facilities while I was forced to stay out in the waiting area,” Angel continued.

  Evangelina turned her eyes to her friend and placed a hand on top of hers. “Hon, I am sorry. You must have been so lonely and frightened.”

  The immediate twinkle in Angel’s eyes could not be missed. “Well, I admit, I was not happy at first. The king ended up coming right back out into the waiting area as well, and paced back and forth for what seemed like forever. He had several of his guards with him, as if they expected the little human to be able to hurt their precious king. Ha! The man could squash me like a bug if he wanted to.”

  “Is he mean and nasty?” From what Evangelina could recall the man that introduced himself to her as the king was huge, but seemed very pleasant. Then again, she still wasn’t sure about what was a dream and what was reality.

  “Oh no, not at all! He was just worried. It wasn’t until later that I found out since you are his sons’ mate, if you had died, they would have missed their one chance at true love.”

  “Okay, let’s get back to this mate thing in a minute. So, what happened after the king wore a hole in the carpet with his pacing?”

  Angel gave a sly smile and the twinkle in her eyes got even brighter. “Well, one of the guards was sitting near me, and he kept inching closer and closer. Then, we started talking, and suddenly, the king threw his head back and roared with laughter as he came over and patted this guard, Zen, on the back and congratulated him. I didn’t understand what was going on until Zen took me to dinner.” She stopped and smiled even wider, and Evangelina could tell that whatever her friend was getting ready to say, it was really good news.

  “We went to this place that looked like an old-fashion pub/restaurant, where the bartender brought out a platter of food for us that was as big as the table! I had never seen so much food in my life! But as we started eating and drinking, I started to relax, and that is when Zen informed me that I am his mate.”

  It was clear then what the twinkle in her eye had been all about. Angel was in love! “Oh my gosh, girl, I am so happy for you!” Evangelina threw her arms around her friend’s neck and hugged her tight, only to release her a moment later with a slight frown on her face.

  “Wait a minute! Is he handsome? Is he kind and gentle? Does he treat you well, or is he all caveman style?”

  Angel giggled at her friend’s inquisition as she leaned back and sighed. “He’s wonderful. He’s thoughtful, and kind, and handsome!”

  Evangelina placed her hand on top of her friend’s and squeezed gently. “I am happy for you, Angel, I truly am!”

  Both women’s heads turned in unison as someone lightly knocked on the door. The door opened before either of them had time to say anything. The man Evangelina had been introduced to as King Thoran stepped through the doorway with a small smile on his face.

  “Oh good, you’re awake. I came to ask if you two wanted to go for a short horseback ride with me. Evangelina, are you feeling up to it? The men are busy with training exercises today, so it will be at least another couple of hours before they are home. Are you two up for a little sightseeing?”

  Chapter Eight

  The girls glanced at each other. “It’s up to you, Evangelina. I’ll stay in if you aren’t feeling up to going,” Angel announced.

  “No, surprisingly I feel good. I think I feel better than I have in a long time. Exactly how long have we been here, anyway?”

  “Just a couple of days, why?” Angel responded.

  “I am just a little surprised that I feel this good only a few days after practically being blown up.”

  “Evangelina, our medical knowledge is far more advanced than what Earth has. Also, the doctor who treated you, the twins’ dragon, and myself, we all hold healing magic within us and use it whenever it is needed.”

  She grinned over at the king. “Sounds like I owe a few people a thank you.”

  King Thoran chuckled. He liked the feisty little human that was his sons’ mate. “No need, really. It’s what we do.”

  Turning back to her friend, Evangelina stated, “Come on, let’s go check out this foreign land.”

  Then, she turned to glance at the king. “We will be safe, won’t we?”

  He immediately reassured her. “Oh yes, my dear, you will be very safe. Not only will I be going with you, we will have a few of my guards with us as well.” He gave her a wink. “I shall send up a servant to see about finding some clothes for you to wear. I shall meet you two downstairs when you are ready.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

  Twenty minutes later the women followed a young maid down the stairs. King Thoran was standing at the foot of the stairs waiting for them. He gave both women a kind smile. “If you are ready, the horses are out front waiting for us.”

  Evangelina nodded, but her mind was a bit hesitant. Their “horses” looked nothing like she had ever ridden before. For starters, they were huge, easily much larger than the Clydesdales back on Earth. And they had six legs. Two in the front, and four in the back. Their long manes were braided, and their tails were almost the size of two normal tails. They also flared a bit making them much thicker and fuller than any of the horses’ tails that she had ever seen. She heard King Thoran refer to these animals as horses, but these didn’t look anything like any horses she had ever seen, or any animals, for that matter. Well, at least their coloring was the same as horses back on Earth. After seeing the size and extra pair of legs, she half expected them to be pink with purple polka dots! King Thoran’s horse was white, the horse she rode was a solid black, and Angel’s was a deep chestnut brown, with a black mane and tail.

  King Thoran quickly mounted his own horse, but both women needed the assistance of a stable hand in order to climb up the huge beasts. Evangelina found herself feeling a bit nervous to take in this strange new land. She glanced up at the sky and was glad the sun was shining, and from her point of view, it looked exactly the same as it did on Earth. As she glanced down from atop the massive beast she sat upon, she noticed the grass was exceptionally bright green in color. As a matter of fact, everywhere she looked, the colors were brighter than anything on Earth.

  It wasn't long after they mounted that they were on their way. The guards had their own beasts to ride, and quickly fell into step behind them.

  Their ride into the small village was fairly uneventful as there really wasn’t much to see but the grass, trees, and flowers. Once again, Evangelina was amazed at how much larger everything was here. The trees were huge. At a glance, she guessed it would take at least three or four men with arms linked to circle the base of one of the trees.

  And the flowers! They passed a field that seemed to have wild flowers growing in it, but the flowers were larger than both of her hands cupped together! They were so beautiful though, with all the different colors and shapes. She couldn’t immediately identify any of them, but she wished she had her camera with her. She would have loved the opportunity to shoot some footage of this beautiful place.

  They came upon a quaint little village, and she knew this was where people went to do their shopping. Some of the stands were roughly put together, while others were actual buildings you could enter. Of course, as soon as everyone realized the king was gracing them with a visit, all activity stopped as people bowed as he passed. They were going slow enough that he was able to speak with numerous shop owners, asking how business was doing, or how their families were. One shop owner even came hurrying out of the shop with an overflowing basket of fruits and vegetables, stating it was for their dinner table that evening. At one point, the king doubled back to speak to one of the shopkeepers. Evangelina was amazed that both hers and Angel’s horses just stopped, as if the horses couldn’t move without their king on his horse in front of them.

  Within just a couple of minutes, King Thoran was once again riding ahead of them, leading the way. Evangelina and Angel both spotted some shops they wouldn’t mi
nd returning to visit later. A few looked like they sold women’s clothing, which displayed some quite unique and alluring pieces. Across the street from one of the clothing markets was a business that appeared to sell beautiful gems. Somehow the owner knew who both she and Angel were, for he yelled out as they passed by, “Have those twins of yours and Zen bring you back, my ladies. You may pick anything you like, as my gift to the royal family!”

  Evangelina wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about at the end, but she held her tongue and smiled sweetly at the man as she nodded her head.

  Now heading out of the village, Evangelina took notice of them riding into the wide open. They were headed toward fields of lush, green, rolling hills, covered with wildflowers swaying in the light breeze. There were also extremely tall, lush trees offering shady coolness. There were unrecognizable species of songbirds singing during their flight.

  “You shall come to understand the natural friendliness and peacefulness of our people in time. Even though we are dragons, we are very happy and laid back, never fighting or attacking one another, nor any others. That is not to say that we will not fight if war is brought to us. Of course, we shall stand and fight for our loved ones and the protection of our homeland,” King Thoran stated as they continued to ride through the open fields. “We do have one arch enemy, the Raptorians, and they are quite beastly. They know nothing but war, constantly striving for another battle. That is why we have Mount Armament.”

  “Mount Armament?” both Angel and Evangelina asked.

  “Yes, Mount Armament is our first line of defense and helps keep us safely protected from others. Look over here, we are approaching the great mountain as we speak!” There was a definite hint of excitement in the king’s voice, as he gestured with his hand in the direction of Mount Armament.

  Evangelina and Angel turned their sights upon the nearing mountain, which was a complete wonder in itself. It stood high and mighty, intimidatingly to all those so much smaller surrounding it. It shone with the brightness of the day’s sun, a metallic rainbow running through it as it constantly changed colors, never appearing the same color in one place for very long. As they drew nearer, the women spotted ledges cut out of its surface, all of them varying sizes and depth. They were even able to see some of the dragons that guarded the mountain, perched on some of the ledges. A few turned curious eyes toward them, seeing two human women accompanying their king on an afternoon ride. It was both awe-inspiring and a bit reassuring to see the striking, beautifully colored creatures, especially for Evangelina, who had just learned that day that the twins considered her their mate and she found herself wondering what it would be like to see the handsome twins’ dragon up close and not just in a painting.

  King Thoran’s voice broke through her thoughts and brought her back to the here and now. “Mount Armament is our guard tower, and allows us to see any approaching enemy. Some of these dragons call Mount Armament home, so I took the time to make certain the inside of the mountain is set up like a home for them. While they are out on the perches, they keep a vigilant watch. If an enemy dares to approach, some dragons will split off and meet the enemy head on, trying to keep the fight as far away from our homes as possible. Others will break off and promptly come warn the castle, so an alarm can be rung. Once this alarm is sounded, everything immediately closes and the men gear up for battle, while the females gather in the market area with the younglings.” He waved up at the dragons as they went by, and the women watched the dragons bow before their king.

  “Can the dragons speak at all?” Evangelina asked out of curiosity.

  “Oh yes, I heard Fadri myself,” Angel quickly replied.

  “Fadri?” Evangelina shook her head and pinched her brows together. “Who is Fadri?”

  King Thoran took over the conversation. “Fadri is my sons’ dragon. His name derived from the fact that one head spews fire, while the other spews ice. These elements are the letter F at the beginning and the letter I at the end, and the letters in the middle are from their names Adrian and Aiden. To answer your first question, yes, our dragons speak English perfectly. I think after you meet your mates’ dragon you will also realize they have a personality all of their own!”

  He glanced up at the sun, which was now starting to drift down in the sky. “Come, ladies, it is beginning to get late, and I am sure your mates are back by now. They may possibly even be worrying about your whereabouts.” There was a bit of tease in the last part, and Evangelina wondered, with a small smile on her face, just how much the king would like to keep his sons squirming and wondering about their mate. He was a father for sure, she could see it now with the sparkle in his eyes and the smile on his face as he spoke of his sons.

  As they approached the castle, Evangelina noticed three men standing outside the stone walls. Two of the men she recognized immediately as the twins, Adrian and Aiden, the third she assumed was Angel’s mate, Zen. She took a quick moment to study the man whom her best friend was falling for. He was strong and tall, but was not as strong or tall as the twins. There was just something irresistible about them.

  Even with Aiden and his gruffness, she knew he would never do anything intentionally to hurt her. She felt protected when she was with the twins. She felt cared for, and that was a first for her in a very long time.

  The horses stopped and the three men stepped away from the wall as one, and headed to them. The twins were headed straight for her, while Zen headed directly to Angel. When the twins reached her horse, Aiden reached up, wrapped his hands around her waist, and lifted her off the horse in a second; however, instead of setting her on her feet, he cradled her against his chest as he leaned his head into her hair and sniffed deeply.

  “Baby, are you feeling okay?” he gently inquired.

  She smiled up at her big warrior. She knew being as gentle as he was with her did not come naturally to him. He was more the type to bark orders, demand answers, and not give a damn about the feelings of another person. But he was trying hard for her sake, and she appreciated the fact he was putting forth the effort. “I’m fine, really. Your father took us on a quick tour through the village, then out to see Mount Armament where the dragons keep watch. It was fascinating!”

  Adrian’s full-blown smile suddenly came into view, making her grin. “Hey, babe. Missed you today.” He placed a chaste kiss on the side of her mouth, before taking up position next to his brother, and grinning down at her like a fool.

  King Thoran dismounted, then handed the reins for the women’s horses, as well as his own, to waiting stable hands. “It should be about suppertime. Come, everyone, I for one have worked up an appetite!”

  Dinner had been a very boisterous affair, but it was over and everyone had since gone off in different directions. Evangelina had watched her friend and Zen head back outside as soon as dinner was over. The twins had brought her into what looked to be a sitting room, and now seemed at a total loss of words other than to ask if she was feeling okay every five minutes. If she had to smile sweetly and reply “yes,” one more time tonight, she might just put a fist in their faces.

  Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she decided to verify some of the things Angel had told her that afternoon. “So, Angel explained to me that you believe there is one special person made just for you: your mate. She is also under the impression you two believe I am your mate. Care to explain any of that?” She gave each man a questioning look.

  The brothers looked over to each other for just a moment. 'Well, brother, what and how much do we dare tell her?' Adrian asked telepathically.

  'I say we go ahead and lay it all out there for her. She is going to need to know the facts anyway; she is our mate. The sooner she realizes that, the better off we will be,' Aiden replied.

  Fadri decided to chime in, 'It’s about time you two got off your asses and went after her. Just look at her. She is ready for us. And such a beautiful creature! You two need to hurry up and bond with her!'

  Knowing his brother ha
d a more diplomatic way about him, especially with words, Aiden was happy to let him take the lead on this one.

  “Sweetheart, our dragon recognized you as our mate before we even met you. Last week while we were keeping tabs on Gerald, and realized he was following you, our dragon informed us that you were ours. Then the night we met you at the bar, our human half knew right then and there that you were our true mate.”

  “But…how? How do you know I am your mate? How do you know it isn’t just something sexual? Something that once you scratch the itch, you won’t be interested in anymore?” She still wasn’t sure about this whole “mate” thing. She asked the question in complete seriousness, not trying to be rude or flip in any way.

  “I can’t answer you as to how our dragon knew a week before we did, you will have to ask him yourself. But for us, the minute we were close enough to you, two things happened at once. The first was your scent. I am not implying you stink in any way, but when you meet your mate, their natural scent wraps around you like a warm blanket. The second thing is pure recognition on a very basic level. As soon as we looked into your eyes, it was as if two pieces of a puzzle that had been floating around inside us finally joined and locked together.”

  “So this is not just sexual?”

  “Oh, we find you extremely sexy, darling, don’t ever wonder about that. We have wanted to lay you down and pleasure you until you scream our names ever since we met you at the bar. But we are trying to give you time to get to know us and become more comfortable in this situation. We realize this is a bit difficult for you, and that things are not done the same way on Earth as they are here.” He stopped there for just a moment to let his words sink in. “So, while we desperately want to ravish your body, we have made the decision we must wait until you are comfortable. In the meantime, we have the pleasure of wooing our mate.”