For the Love of Her Dragon

by Julia Mills

  The need to move and feel her move against him took over. Holding Kyra steady, he pulled almost completely from her warmth before pushing all the way back in. His slow, steady pace accelerated until he could hear the sound of their passion-soaked skin slapping together and the feel of his mate meeting him stroke for stroke. Their motions became frantic and the second before he lost control, he barked, “Kyra!” Her eyes flew open and their mutual release echoed against the tiles of the shower.

  The feeling of being with his mate was like nothing Royce had ever experienced. A feeling of euphoria came over him as he continued to slowly move in and out of Kyra and marveled as he watched her return to earth. When she had calmed, she graced him with a lazy smile, and he let his half-erect penis slide from the haven of his mate.

  Afraid he would fall to the ground, Royce stepped back until the shower bench touched the back of his legs and sat down, pulling Kyra to his chest. She curled into him and he could’ve sworn she purred. He kissed the top of her head and thanked the Universe for second chances. Kyra was a gift, one he would spend his life proving he deserved. He only prayed that she would bestow her grace upon him. He promised with his every breath to unconditionally love her for every second of every minute of every day of this life and the next. His only wish was for all her tomorrows to be filled with nothing but bliss.

  The water still poured from the shower and it was then that he realized the steam had diminished. He quickly rinsed the remaining shampoo from her hair and body, feeling truly fulfilled that she let him care from her. He grabbed a fluffy pink towel from the counter beside the shower and wrapped Kyra in it before heading to the bedroom.

  Her eyes dropped as she tried to conceal her continual yawns. All the while, he reveled that the lazy smile he had put on her beautiful lips remained. He enjoyed running the soft towel over her enticing curves, making sure every inch of her body was dry. She watched while he quickly dried his own body and then giggled when he lifted her with one arm while throwing back the covers with the other. He positioned himself sitting up with his back touching the headboard, his legs stretched out in front of him and Kyra curled in his lap, keeping as much of their skin to skin contact as possible. As he pulled the covers over them, he felt her tense and then begin to speak, “Royce...”

  He laid his index finger to her lips and whispered, “Shhhh, there will be plenty of time to talk later. Get your rest. Tomorrow’s a big day. Let’s just enjoy being right here, right now…together.”

  Kyra sighed and her breath tickled the hair on his chest. As she snuggled closer against him, for the first time in his very long life he understood what it meant to be truly at peace.

  ~~~~~~~

  The sound of voices and the smell of coffee had Kyra opening her eyes, even though all she wanted was to curl up against Royce and stay in bed for maybe another a week or two. She stretched and smiled as she felt little aches that only came from being well-loved. Debating whether she should move or not, she let her eyes slide closed, only to pop open when a low, smooth voice that made her body tingle sounded from the vicinity of the door. “Good morning, cailin ‘alainn. Did you sleep well?” Royce sat down next to her as he spoke.

  She rolled to her side facing him, and nearly purred, “Yes, very well.” As she inhaled, the scent of fresh air and sunshine filled her senses. The thought of running her nose up and down his exposed thigh, just to have that scent embedded in her very soul, crossed her mind. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  Royce chuckled and asked, “What were you just thinking?”

  Instead of answering, she asked, “Why?”

  “The look on your face was pure delight and the way your cheeks blushed told me that it was definitely a thought I would like to make a reality.”

  A nervous giggle flew from her lips as she rolled to her back and pulled the comforter over her head to hide from Royce’s incredibly perceptive gaze. The mattress moved as his leg brushed the blanket, and in the next second, she was looking into the same deep brown eyes that had held so much passion the night before. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t hide from me,” Royce chuckled.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she answered. “We agreed but I was…” She bit her lip to stop from embarrassing herself.

  “You were what, a chumann?”

  “Nothing,” she answered and tried to roll away, but the huge muscular arm lying across her waist kept her in place.

  “Tell me…please,” he asked and grinned. Not the way he grinned at her before, but this time, like a little boy just before he is about to do something that he knows will get him in trouble but was going to do it anyway. There was a twinkle in his eyes that hadn’t been there before, and little lines bracketed his eyes that she knew only came when someone was truly happy. When he spoke she could hear that happiness in his voice, “or I might have to resort to tickling the answer out of you.”

  “You wouldn’t do that to me,” was her answer, but she saw the truth in his eyes…he most definitely would and he would enjoy every minute of it.

  “Have it your way,” he said and his hands grabbed her sides.

  She laughed wildly and when he paused for her to take a breath, she wheezed out, “I was just...well, I was thinking...oh, hell. I thought you smelled good, alright? That’s the truth.”

  Kyra turned her head to the side to avoid looking at Royce and showing how embarrassed she was at what she had just admitted.

  A sweet lingering kiss on her neck, just below her ear, and then he whispered, “I think you smell delicious, mo chroi, absolutely delicious.” To show the honesty of his words, he ran his nose the entire length of her neck, inhaling.

  A slight kiss on her cheek and then she felt his breath on her lips, one brush of his lips on hers and then… “Royce, Kyra, breakfast is ready!” Aidan yelled from downstairs. They groaned in unison and then burst out laughing.

  With a kiss to her forehead, the man that she wanted to trust more than anything in the world stood and walked towards the door. His last words left her smiling all the way to the breakfast table, “There will be a hell of a lot more of that later.”

  After breakfast was cleared and Royce had been properly teased for showing up in the middle of the night, the guys headed out to relieve the others and Kyra headed upstairs to unpack the rest of her supplies and avoid the other Guardsmen that were coming to eat and rest. She had laughed out loud when she heard Royce just outside the kitchen window warning them against even looking at her. The afternoon flew by as she alternated between thinking about all they needed to accomplish before the sun came up the next morning, and if she was ever going to truly be able to forgive and forget and completely trust where Royce was concerned. Just his name running through her mind caused her pulse to race. If she knew for sure things could always be like they had been during the night, then she would run headlong towards Royce and never look back.

  Unfortunately, Kyra had learned too many times, and always the hard way, that just because she wanted things to be a certain way, didn’t always make them happen that way. She was a survivor and part of that came from learning from her mistakes. For one of the first times that she could remember since leaving the coven, Kyra prayed, and not just a please help me get outta the mess I have created prayer. She prayed a real, honest to goodness, talking to the Goddess, looking for guidance prayer, and when she was finished, felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Her future with Royce was still one big question mark, but at least she knew somehow they would both be alright.

  Hours later, every supply she thought she could ever need was out and ready to go. Kyra took a shower, braided her hair to keep it out of her way, and dressed in her favorite jeans and boots, along with her lucky black t-shirt with a fluorescent green outline of a witch on a broom and the words…’O’Cedar Makes Your Life Easier’. Slowly, she walked down the stairs, listening carefully to make sure she was alone, and was in the kitchen making a tuna sandwich when Aidan came through th
e back door. “Hey, whatcha makin’?” he asked and grabbed a glass of tea.

  “Tuna sandwich, want one?”

  “Sure, that would be great. I’m starving,” he answered and took a long drink of iced tea.

  “Anybody else coming in? I’ll make a few if they are,” she asked as casually as possible, but Aidan’s laugh told her that he knew what she was really wanted to know.

  “Royce is with Rayne and Rian. They got here about an hour ago and they’re all going over the plans again. I’ve heard them so many times, I can recite them forwards and backwards and I needed to talk to Grace…alone. Even mind speak can be crowded when you have brethren like mine.” He smiled, and the amazing love he felt for his wife was like a light shining straight from his heart. He and Grace gave her hope that everything would turn out for her and Royce.

  “I completely understand. Try growing up with at least a hundred other witches…crowded does not begin to describe it. And try getting a hot shower after seven a.m. without using your magic…pfft…not happening.”

  They laughed together as she brought their sandwiches to the table and refilled their drinks. She and Aidan ate and talked about their childhoods and families and even football before she felt the sensation that accompanied the mind speak of the Dragon Guard. Aidan nodded once or twice and then said, “The sun is going down and Royce wants you to make sure the wards are as strong as they can be, so that you are protected until you have to come outside right before midnight.”

  Any other time she would have gotten pissed and told him to mind his own business, but after spending time with the dragons and feeling at least some of what Royce was feeling, she knew he was being the macho caveman to protect her, and it warmed her heart. She nodded and then began walking from window to window, repeating the Warding Spell. Then she repeated it on the doors. She finished, returned to the table, and mock saluted. “Tell ‘dragon man’ that the wards have been reinforced.” She almost got the words out before she collapsed in her chair laughing. Aidan joined in and let her know that her message had been received and Royce was chuckling, as well.

  Aidan stood and said, “I’ve gotta get out there. Duty calls. Lock the door behind me and one of us will be back to get you in just a little while.”

  She rolled her eyes but followed his instructions, settling in to watch cartoons and wait to finally catch the scumbag that had caused so much misery to so many people.

  A knock at the door startled her from her half sleeping, half watching TV position on the couch. One look through the peephole showed Aidan and Aaron. She opened the door and they both said, “He’s with Rayne,” in unison before she could even ask the question. Either they were mind readers or she wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions. I’m going with B, she thought to herself.

  “We have people watching every route into this place and there have been no signs of our demented little brother or anyone that works for him. Royce wants you out by the mountain and hidden long before Andrew gets here. For once, everyone agrees, so we are here to make that happen. You ready to go?” Aaron spoke with his usual cockiness, but this time it filled her with confidence instead of pissing her off.

  “Thanks, guys,” she said as she headed up the stairs. “Let me grab my bag and I’ll be ready to go.”

  Within two minutes she was back, backpack over her shoulder, ready to head out. Aidan opened the door. “After you milady,” he said and winked. She grinned, and together they all walked into the darkness to meet the others and put the traitor in the deepest hole they could find.

  The trip through the woods had been a whole lot more fun than hiding between a fallen log and a rock at the base of the mountain. For the first twenty minutes she had run through what was going to happen, making mental check marks as she went. Amulets spelled with the Perimeter Spell that would allow the idiots in but not out, placed and activated with magic from the traitor’s brothers…check. Containment Spell memorized and ready to work as soon as Andrew closed his circle…check. Nerves of steel firmly in place…check (well, maybe a half a check). It was going to be scary as shit to walk out and face Andrew and all his followers, even with the knowledge that their magic was ‘stuck’, for lack of a better term, within them by the special Containment Spell her Auntie Della had given her. After that she would use a very safe, very literal Siphoning Spell that would remove Andrew’s black magic and put it into a vessel. She had made sure the specific spell she was using was one hundred percent white and would only take the power from the host and store it in an inanimate object. There was no way she would risk her immortal soul or her tenuous relationship with her mate to extract the traitor’s magic. The urn she had chosen was the final step to ensure that no one, not even her, would ever get ahold of the darkness it would contain.

  The sweet young jewelry artisan, Emma, had crafted a wide bottomed, slim necked vase out of silver and iron; silver to prevent any shifter of any kind from touching it, and iron to prevent any witch, light or dark, from accessing it. The stopper was also a combination of the powerful metals and would immediately be covered with wax from a candle used in a ritual to avoid detection and escape. Kyra had taken every precaution she could think of and had even spoken to Auntie Della to be sure.

  She wished the Goldstone she had been using to track the dirt bag still worked, but he was apparently so immersed in black magic, even the thought of him obliterated everything good and pure. It was still hanging around her neck, but only as a beautiful accessory, nothing more.

  As she sat there waiting, the moisture from the ground soaking into her jeans, every minute or two she would get the feeling that Royce was thinking about her or that he was trying to tell her something. It was a special, comforting feeling that reminded her of what she sensed when the dragons were mind speaking. If she concentrated on the point where the feelings originated, she could almost hear his voice. Kyra closed her eyes and concentrated until the sound of footsteps demanded her attention.

  Holding her breath, she listened for any sign of the identity of the group heading towards her. Andrew’s voice, one she would never forget no matter how long she lived, was clear and pompous, “Is everyone in position and ready to ascend?”

  “Yes, sir,” was the prompt reply that squelched across the radio.

  Had it been any other time, she would have laughed at the haughty air in his voice. It was as if he was the general commanding his troops. What a dick, she thought as a hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. Thankfully, she had already put her hand over her mouth to avoid making any noise. Turning her head as far as it would go, she saw Aaron, a look of fierce determination on his face. When he smiled, it was almost scary and didn’t reach his eyes. She knew it was his game face and was damn glad she would never have it pointed at her.

  “You good?” he mouthed.

  Kyra nodded in response and turned back to see if she could at least count feet through the brush that helped provide her cover. Aaron tapped her shoulder, evidently he knew what she was doing because he held up both hands, fingers extended, indicating ten, and then held up a single hand with all five fingers extended and mouthed the word, “Groups.”

  Great! Super! Fifty dark wizards, led by a madman, trying to extract powerful pure white Earth magic and twist it to something dark and evil to destroy only the Goddess knew how many people…no problemo. Yeah…riiiigghhhtt. Her mother and auntie had always said she was powerful and this was one time she really hoped they knew what the hell they were talking about.

  Andrew’s voice cut through her thoughts, “Let us begin.”

  She knew the moment each wizard stepped over the perimeter she and the Guardsmen had set. It was not an uncomfortable feeling, just an awareness of every foot that touched the ground inside. She could see that Aaron felt it too by the slight widening of his eyes. In an instant, he was again ready for this battle. Kyra could see how personal it was for him and wished for a quick end to the pain Andrew continued to cause the people she called family.
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br />   The awareness that Royce was thinking of her was ever present and she longed for it to be him beside her. She knew it had to be a blood relative of the douchebag, but that did not stop her wanting her man with her before she had to go face fifty pissed off wizards. Her thoughts halted, my man? Where the hell had that thought come from? She was not sure she had forgiven him for all that had happened, and damn sure knew she wasn’t ready to hand him her heart; she didn’t trust that he wouldn’t turn on her again. But nonetheless, her crazy ass mind was being led around by her heart and they were both already thinking of him as her man.

  She immediately knew when the last person had crossed her magical border and slid her hands into the gloves she needed to handle the vessel. With the vase in her hands, she turned to Aaron and nodded. She followed in his footsteps to the back of the mountain, remaining completely concealed. They climbed a path she herself had made and spelled when the mountain had been her home. From an especially dense patch of shrubbery and weeds, they waited for Andrew to begin to close the circle.

  Two wizards, dressed in hooded cloaks, outlined the circle in white chalk, so completely infused with black magic it made her eyes water. Andrew was joined at the head of the circle by a tall, thin man with a long pointed nose, whose silky black robe was adorned with a variety of symbols, indicating he had reached Master status in the wizard community. The others around the circle were dressed in plain woolen, indicating they were new or had not achieved any recognition. Kyra’s mother had believed that it was important to know all they could about their enemies. As a young witch, Kyra had hated learning all the crap about anything other than magic, but now was grateful to at least understand a bit about what she was facing.