by Crystal Dawn
“Just lay the bad news on me.”
“Maggio is threatening your family if Davy isn’t brought to him.”
“That man is insane. What‘s the good news?”
“The emperor has invited your family to come to Draconis with us. If they accept, it will be permanent. We need to find a way to notify them of the threat and the invitation. Should they decide to come, they only have two more days to deal with the move. Our house is big and so is Davy’s. Whoever wishes to can live with us until they make the adjustment to life among us.”
“That is sweet, but I fear none of my sisters will go. My mom, well it’s a coin toss. She’s got to be one of the most surprising people when it comes to the decisions she makes. The best thing to do I think is to call her and let her get the word out. If we call tonight, maybe we’ll get some answers starting tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll defer to your knowledge of your family. Give her a call and then we’ll wait and see what happens.”
Bree picked her phone up off the nightstand where it was charging and pushed her mom’s button. It only rang once. “Hello?” her mom said in the other end.
“Mom, it’s Bree.”
“Is everything alright? Why are you calling Baby?”
“There’s a problem. Maggio, the crook Davy worked for has sent a threat against the family. Romo talked to his king and even though the borders are normally closed, he has issued an invitation to any members of the family that want to come to their country. When you guys make the decision you need to understand that you might not be able to come back even to visit and you only have two days to decide. Their country has a tradition of isolationism. I know you’ll have to give this some thought, but I would love you or any of the family to come with us. There would be a place for you to stay and all the help you need to get settled in. Just think about it, Mom.”
“Oh Sweetie. I will think about it but it’s so sudden and such a big decision. Also I need to call everyone and let them know about that crime boss and the offer. That man worries me and the cops don’t seem to be able to do a thing. I’d better go and start making phone calls and see what everyone else has to say. No matter what I decide, you know I love you, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes, Mom. I love you too.” His Bree stood there holding the phone with a lost look on her face. She set it down almost like an afterthought and stared off into space.
“Bree?”
“Hmm, what?”
“Are you alright?”
“Sure, I’m fine,’ she said with a sigh. “I just wonder what they’ll decide. If I was guessing though, I doubt anyone will come with us. We won’t be any worse off than before, I suppose.”
“We’ll know something tomorrow, but meanwhile we have the rest of the day to spend together. What do you want to do? Anything you want to do or see one more time?”
“That sounds so final.”
“It is, but you’ll have a whole new world at your feet. There’s no place I won’t take you and you’ll love some of the places we can go as dragons. There are some mountain tops we can land on where you can see for a hundred miles. Below my favorite one, there are waterfalls we can swim in and pastures we can roll around. You’ll love it there, I promise.” Bree smiled at him and it encouraged him to continue. “Why don’t we go feed the ducks? You’ll feel better if you get out in the sunshine and the fresh air.”
“Okay, anything is better than just moping around in the room.”
Romo led the way out of the room and they took the elevator to the lobby. Bree seemed to perk up the second they stepped outside. The lake and the ducks were already in sight. Ducks swam on the lake and others came up to people begging for food. As the tourists threw handfuls of seed onto the ground, other birds swooped in grabbing a share for themselves. It was a free for all. Bree laughed at one brave black bird that just kept coming back even though the ducks ganged up on him and tried to chase him away. He just kept coming back, getting a mouthful of seed, getting away to where he’d swallow it, and coming back for more.
The crazy little bird’s antics had gone a long way toward cheering up his mate. They circled the lake and then headed back to the hotel as twilight settled around them. With his arm around her, he’d had her pulled up against his side enjoying the time they spent together and the warmth he could feel between them. A bond was building, he could feel it as it seeped into him connecting them on a primal level. He had listened when males describe the way they felt, it just did not make sense until he felt the same emotions. Nothing he had ever felt before came close to it.
An old warrior who had lost his mate of many years had once told him it was like having part of your heart cut out of your body and tossed away. No matter how badly he’d felt for the old one, it had been beyond his ability to truly sympathize until he had found Bree.
“I’m not sure you’ll ever truly understand what you mean to me,” he whispered to her as he held her back against his chest in the elevator as it moved up.
“What do you mean?” she asked. The elevator stopped on their floor and opened interrupting their conversation. Once they made it into their room she turned back to him. “What are you talking about?”
“Mating among my people is not the same as marriage among yours. You have a piece of me, Bree, and you always will,” he explained.
“Where is this coming from? I thought we understood each other.”
“Don’t you feel it?”
“I feel love growing. Isn’t that what you feel?”
“What I feel seems like so much more than that. There is a story about the first dragon and his mate.”
“Is this like a legend?”
“Yes, but it is said to be real not just a story to teach children.”
“Some of our legends, well actually all of them, are supposed to be based on the truth.”
Romo shot her one of those yeah right looks. “It is said thousands of years ago when the first dragon male was looking for his mate, he got tired of looking and decided to give up. The goddess looked down, saw how dejected and tired he was and she went to visit him. She called to him and asked him why he’d given up his search for his other half. He told her it was just too hard to find her and that he’d begun to believe she wasn’t out there.”
“He was really going to give up and continue his life alone?”
“Yes, he was weary of the search. The goddess told him to take her hand and he did. She took him away many miles to the other side of the planet. They were looking down on a young woman who was working in a garden. The goddess wanted to know what he felt and he told her he’d been shocked in his heart. This was his mate and the goddess told him he would never be complete, his heart would always ache because without his mate, a small part was missing. Now that she’d shown him where his mate was, he’d be able to go there and find her, but he needed to tell the other males so they knew to never give up the search. It was worth everything to find their perfect match. Do you know that we will live hundreds of years together now that we’ve found each other?”
“No, you said long lives but a hundred years is a long life here.”
“It could be a thousand or even more on Draconis. Our dragons can heal us and they extend our natural lives but we don’t live as long if we don’t find our fated mates. Without you, I would never feel complete and I wouldn’t live as long. You make me whole and I can feel the energy running through me and tying us together.”
“I think the longer we’re together the closer we’ll become. In such a short amount of time, I already feel more for you than I’ve ever felt for anyone besides family.”
Romo stripped out of his clothing. “Undress, Mate,” he growled as he was overwhelmed with need for her.
Bree started to undress, her shirt fell to the floor and she was unsnapping her bra but it wasn’t fast enough. His desire to be skin to skin made him burn. They could discuss feelings all day long but the need to show her how he felt wouldn’t go away. His nimble finge
rs undid her pants and pushed them down. He got her on the bed and pulled off her shoes and slid her socks off. His hands rubbed her legs and her silky soft skin called to him. Since they were both naked he could enjoy touching her and ease the ache he felt when he looked at her.
Rubbing his hand down the outside of her leg, he caught her foot and brought it to his mouth. Kissing her instep he felt her shiver and it delighted him. Moving to her other leg, he repeated himself so one leg wouldn’t be jealous. He almost chuckled at the thought. This time instead of stopping he kissed her ankle and worked his way inside of her thigh. The scent of her passion was on the air so strong he could taste it. He moved to her other ankle and kissed his way back up her thigh again but this time he went all the way up and licked up her folds savoring her sweet creamy goodness.
His tongue speared into her channel fucking her until she moaned and then he moved his tongue up to her clit and inserted a finger instead finger fucking her enthusiastically with first one then two fingers while he attacked her little nubbin with his mouth. Bree writhed under him and her fingers slid into his hair grabbing handfuls and pulling him in even closer. Moaning with the delicious flavors bursting on his tongue, he sucked in her little bundle of nerves and she came apart. Screaming his name, she arched against him and he worried for a moment that she would snatch him bald as she bucked and jerked vigorously under his mouth and fingers.
Rolling his mate on her stomach, he pulled her up in front of him in what humans called doggie style. As his hard cock sank deep into her wet heat, he felt like howling even though dragons were more likely to roar. Energy surged through him and his body was on fire. He began pounding into her and her channel squeezed and released him almost like a massage. She was taking him to new heights every time they were together and in the end he would feel like he had come home. A tingle ran down his back and his balls tightened. His fingers moved to her clit to stimulate her so she would cum with him. He felt the signs that she was as close as he was so he plucked at her clit and she exploded all around him.
She tightened on him squeezing like a vise until he joined her and fell into ecstasy. Waves of pleasure crashed over him as she clutched and clenched at him and he bucked and jerked into her spraying his hot seed into her. Bree fell onto the bed and he rolled beside her so he wouldn’t crush her but aftershocks still washed over them both. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her sweet lips.
“That was incredible, Sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear.
“Amazing,” she agreed breathlessly.
Romo felt pleasantly tired and he was sure sleep would be deep and restful. Their bond continued to deepen and now he was convinced she felt it too. He softly smoothed her hair back from her face which was damp from sweat. It felt good to stroke her until she was calm so she would sleep. Snuggling up to her, he wrapped himself around her and felt comforted. Moments later the sound of her deep even breathing told him she was asleep.
Tomorrow they had a busy day ahead of them with the doctor’s visit he’d forgotten to mention and the decisions her family would have to make. Tonight he just wanted to rest curled around his mate and knowing they were safe. He could feel sleep slowly claiming him and he didn’t fight it as he drifted under.
Chapter 9
Leaving Home
Dori Lynn DeGreg sat looking at the phone in her hand after her oldest daughter, Bree dropped the equivalent of a bomb on her. She was torn between laughing and crying and not sure which emotion would win out. Crazy? Just a little bit and the odd thing was she wanted to go. What her other daughters and Davy’s immediate family would say, she didn’t know.
Bree’s father had been her high school sweetheart and even though he’d been like her best friend, she wasn’t sure he’d been the love of her life. Before the senior prom, a little fun in the backseat and an unintended pregnancy, Dori would have said her love was adventure. Instead, she’d stayed home and had one beautiful and much loved child after another while her husband had pursued enough adventure for both of them.
When he’d died leaving her with four daughters to raise alone, it hadn’t been a surprise. Tommy had been an army ranger and a true hero. He’d been the first to volunteer, the last to leave, and had always done the right thing without giving it a second thought. He’d gone to war and as it had dragged on, she’d known deep inside that one day he wouldn’t come back.
Looking at the phone again, she pressed the first button she planned to call. “Mom?” her second eldest daughter Betty asked.
“Yes, Sweetie. It’s me.”
“I just spoke to you. Is everything alright?”
“Everything is fine, but I spoke to Bree. I told you she would be moving to the same country Davy lives in now and she managed to get the rest of us invited too. I’m seriously thinking about going but I’m going to wait and see what everyone else decides.”
“That’s a big decision to make. When do we have to decide? Isn’t this kind of sudden?”
“There’s more to it. That mob boss that Davy angered is making threats. It does seem crazy but the police don’t seem to be able to stop him. I know you’ve thought about moving to get away from Tom. Maybe this is happening for a reason. This could give you a clean start somewhere he won’t find you. You know I want a better life for you. I need your answer tomorrow.”
“I know mom but I have to think about Selia. Nothing matters more than her.”
“That’s exactly who I’m thinking of and you know it.” Dori sighed.
Her two year old granddaughter had a father that was a pig. There was no other way to explain it. Betty had been married briefly to the father, Jon, who was a druggie and a wife beater. As a father, he was just as bad having been to jail once for slapping the little girl hard enough to put her in the hospital. That was the last time he’d had court ordered visitation. Even the judge who seemed more concerned about Jon’s rights than the welfare of Betty and Selia had finally given up on the worthless man who simply couldn’t be redeemed. The problem was Jon still considered Betty and Selia his property.
“I’ll think about it, Mom.”
“Call me tomorrow and give my Silly lots of kisses.” She loved that little angel and they called her Silly because Selia was a mouthful for such a little one and that’s what she called herself, for now anyway.
Dori would normally take a few minutes between calls, but she had too many to make and she wanted everyone to have time to think through things. Pushing the next button, she waited for Anne to answer. It didn’t take long.
“Hello?” came a very high sweet voice.
“Anne, this is Dori,” she told her sister who also happened to be Davy’s mother.”
“Oh, my goodness. I’m sorry. I thought it might be Davy. Not that I’m not happy to hear from you too.”
“I would feel the same if I were in your situation. I would take the time to ask after the family, but something important has come up. That mob guy, Maggio, isn’t it?”
“Yes, what has he done now?” Anne’s voice hid fear, or at least it tried to but Dori caught it right away.
“He’s threatening our family. None of us will be safe. Bree is moving to the place that Davy lives now because she’s marrying a man from there too. We’ve all been invited to move there if we want to. That’s why I’m calling. The catch is we have two days to decide so I’m calling to let you know.”
“There’s no way we can go. We have a life here and our other children. None of us will be able to leave. I miss Davy, but I’ll not follow her to some third world country.”
“It’s alright. The choice is yours but at least you have a choice. I need to call my children now. You have a good night, Anne.”
“You’re not considering this are you, Dori? It’s lunacy.”
“Well you know me, Anne. I’m just as crazy as they come. Don’t worry, once I decide, I’ll let you know.”
Hmm, that went well considering. At least that was what Dori thought. She and Anne were sisters bu
t they were as different as night and day. Anne had married into money and lived the snobby life. She and George, her husband, were socialites and ran with the in crowd. They loved their children, but they had been happy to get them raised and out the door. Family dinners were every other week and the rest of the time their kids were on their own. They did have trust funds, but Davy at least had never touched hers. There was Glen, one of the few boys on their side of the family and Fern, the other sister.
Once she finished calling her kids, she’d call Glen and Fern because she knew Anne wouldn’t be doing it. Her youngest daughter Kitty would be next. It was a wasted call because she knew Kitty would never leave. Her baby had gotten her bachelor’s degree and was in her first year in John Hopkin’s medical school. It was her dream and she wouldn’t give it up for anything.
“Hello, talk fast,” Kitty said. The girl was always busy working or studying. Even with scholarships, because she was damn smart, she had to tutor and do other work to make extra money. Dori was proud of her youngest and it would break her heart when she had to leave her behind.
“Hey, Sweetie.”
“Oh, it’s you Mom. Didn’t we just talk?” Confusion was obvious in her voice and she was so busy she had a hard time keeping up with family events.
“Yes, but something came up that I needed to tell you about.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“The thug Davy had the altercation with is threatening the family. Your sister, Bree is married now to a guy from the same place as Jarel, Davy’s husband. They have offered the family sanctuary if we decide to go. I’m seriously thinking about it. You have two days to decide.”
“I don’t need two days. I love all of you and I’ll miss anyone who decides to go but I hope you’ll visit when you can. Right here is where I need to be.”
“I love you too baby and I already knew what you’d say. Once I know who is going and who is staying, I’ll call you back.”
