by Kim Faulks
“Oh no you don’t,” Marcus growled and shook his head. “No way. I forbid it…”
Midnight hair sliced the air as Xael spun. The room trembled as her voice turned into something inhuman. “Forbid it?”
“Until we have at least reinforced the damn walls,” he muttered, lifting a hand in protest. “Or maybe relocated to Hell. One more of you and it’ll feel like it anyway.”
The tension slipped away. Xael turned and grinned. “Lots more.”
“That’s it, I’m done,” Alpha bellowed, grinning ear to ear. “More fucking Dragons? The world just isn’t big enough.”
“Then it’ll have to grow, won't it?” Michael said moving closer, finding my hand to drag me away from everyone else.
He lifted a hand as I curled into his chest and brushed strands of hair behind my ear. “You knew all that and you kept it a secret?”
“Well to be fair we didn’t have a whole lot of time for conversation,” I murmured and raised my mouth to his.
His hand curled around my head, holding me in place. His kiss consumed me, stealing my doubts as he took the corners of my lips and then my mouth. The room faded from view—everything faded from view.
I reached for his arms, pulling him closer, harder, passion simmered under the surface as he broke away. But he didn’t leave me.
“Does all this mean…” He glanced down to my stomach.
And a cold, unseen knife plunged into my chest. It was better to tell him now. Better to end all hope. He might leave me. He might end it all.
But he needed the truth, and right now that was all I had left.
“No,” I shook my head. “That can’t happen, not with me. My DNA is infected. The Sickle Cell gene can pass to my children—it could kill them. I can’t take that chance.”
The glint dulled in his gaze, yet he never moved from my side. The smile was quick, leaving me hollow. “That’s okay. I have you, that’s all I want.”
For now…the words burned in my mind. That’s all he wanted for now.
Someone softly cleared their throat. Joslyn stepped closer. I caught a glimpse of black as Thorn struggled under the blanket in her arms. Michael gave me a nod as my heart kicked. I could do this. If I wanted to be part of this family I had to endure. No matter how hard it was, just seeing her grow up—even from a distance—was worth it.
“I wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done. I haven’t been fair to you—I see that now.” Joslyn took a step closer.
I tried to drag my gaze from her arms, tried to give this mother the kind of respect she deserved. “You were acting like a mother should. No one can fault you for that.”
She seemed to crumple. I crossed the distance to grab her. “Listen to me. You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. You’re a wonderful mother, Joslyn. A beautiful, wonderful mother and you’ve got all the time to be happy.”
She leaned in, resting her chest and shoulder against mine.
I wrapped my arms around her, drawing her close. “So let yourself be happy. Forget about everything, and everyone else. You have two beautiful babies, one perfect mate and a monstrous family to surround yourself with.”
She raised her head, brown eyes shimmered fresh with tears and for a second she looked so young, and so unsure. “And you? You’ll be here too, right?”
My heart clawed its way into my throat, turning my voice husky and raw. “If you want me, too.”
“Yes, yes I want you, too.” A smile spread as her tears fell. “I really want you, too. I feel a connection between us.”
I gripped her tight as the others closed in, reaching out to touch her, and me. I closed my eyes. This was a family…one big Dragon and wolf family, giving comfort, giving strength the only way their animal natures knew.
“I like her name,” Joslyn whispered. “I like Thorn very much.”
My heart wept with her kindness. “Me too.”
Arms wrapped around me, hearts beat in unison, the steady throb closed in like a cocoon. So this was what it felt like to belong…this was what it felt like to be part of a family of Dragons.
26
Michael
I took a step backwards, watching my family surround her. She deserved it all, every pledge of friendship, every glimpse of their love. This human woman had been to Hell and back, and somehow she survived it all.
Victor clapped me on the back and threw an arm around my shoulder. “How about a drink, my brother?”
“As many as we can handle. How fast can we get a feast together? I want some kind of celebration for her—something for us all.”
His grin widened, blue eyes sparkled. “You read my mind. We’ll invite everyone—even your new friend—the Vampire.”
“He’s not bad you know, for an undead. He’s not bad at all.”
He squeezed me tight. “Then invite the bloodsucker over and let’s take a moment to breathe…before we start the process.”
“Process?”
There was a savage glint in his stare. Marcus stepped closer, followed by Zadoc, Evander and Xael. Victor’s voice turned to stone. “Of finding those responsible. No one hurts my family and lives. No one.”
The Saint rose to the surface of my mind. Teeth glinted like neon razors. We’d been defending, protecting those we could. I found Joslyn amongst the others smiling, laughing. Her gaze found mine and stilled. Her smile was so soft, so human, I found the dark bundle in her arms. Thorn’s tail slipped from under the confines to slap gently against her mother and the room was filled with the chorus of Oooo’s and Ahhh’s.
We’d come close to losing the most precious of us all—our future.
My family had grown bigger than I’d ever imagined.
We had more to protect now. More to love.
And more to fight for.
“A feast, and then we make plans to go to war,” Victor urged.
“Agreed,” Marcus clapped me on the shoulder.
“Agreed,” Evander growled, moving in close.
“Agreed,” Zadoc murmured. Black veins ran along his face for a second before they disappeared. His midnight eyes glistened with the need for revenge.
“First we bring Lucas and the others home,” I snarled. “And then we’ll bring a war like no other to their door. They’ll have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”
The sound of her laughter captured my focus. Doc stood amongst the others, this was the first time I’d seen her smile. I’d torn a mountain to the ground to find her.
Only the Heavens knew what I’d do to keep her safe.
“This is rather cozy, isn’t it?”
I stifled a smirk at his grating tone and turned to the Vampire. “You could always hide in the damn shadows.”
He flinched and stared around the biggest bonfire this house had ever seen. Wolves, Dragons, and humans crowded around the flames laughing. Some—like X—were dancing in a slow rhythm that somehow gave me the chills.
“I’m glad you came, it’s been good for Doc.”
He turned his head, gave a curt nod. “And how is she…mentally?”
I swallowed the jealous need to mark my territory and gave him a smile. “You know, I think she’s going to be okay.”
“I’m glad, truly. So what will happen with the Guardians now?”
I turned away and felt the letter crumple in my breast pocket. After tonight, I wasn’t sure. Marcus had to answer for what had been found. Only he had the truth, and now that everyone was safe, it was time to hear that truth.
I reached for the faded yellowed paper and turned from the faint warmth of the fire. The edges broke away to flutter to the ground. I turned over the envelope and answered. “I don’t know.”
“What is that?” There was a chilling edge to the Vampire’s tone. He was transfixed by the letter in my hand…no, not the letter…the seal. He raised his head, rage shimmered in his feral gaze. “Where did you get that?
I took a step backwards and dropped my hand. He moved faster than I could track, lunging to gra
sp my hand. I didn’t fight him. Goddess knows I’d put this creature into the ground for good.
Instead, I let him lift my hand. The seal was what he longed for…
His fingers were so gentle, prying mine away one by one to cradle what was left of the letter in his palm.
“You know whose seal that is, don’t you?”
A tortured cry slipped from his lips. I didn’t dare stop him as he eased the seal open and slipped the letter free. His focus danced across the page, taking in the writing not once…but twice until he answered. “Yes. I know who owns this seal.” He found my gaze before taking a step closer. His lips curled, baring his teeth. “It is the mark of the King…the mark of my King. You have a lot to answer for, Guardian.”
Marcus strode into the study and took one look around the room. “Want to tell me what the Hell is going on here?”
I shifted from one foot to the other. Only kin remained in this room.
“I’d like to know the same,” Zadoc snapped and eyed the door.
I took a breath and waited for the door to close before I strode forward. My heart felt like stone as I placed the letter in the middle of the desk seal side up.
Marcus’s gaze narrowed. “Where did you get that?”
“You know where,” I answered. “Now, I’d like you to explain how it got there.”
“You’d like me to explain?” Marcus jerked his gaze to mine. “How do you think?”
“I think you hid it…because you were ashamed.”
My brother flinched as though slapped.
“Now, I think you should tell the rest of us what the letter said.” I gave him a nod. “We can start there.”
I’d never fought with my brothers, until now. But the fire in the Bloodletter’s gaze meant business. The Saint speared a shard of light through my chest to splash against the floor. “The truth, Marcus. Everything else we’ll deal with as a family. But honesty is one thing I demand, above all else.”
“The truth is what you want?” He spat and turned to face the others. “Seems like a goddamn witch hunt. But I’ll give you want you demand brother. The letter foretells of a dark mage who steals young women, mostly shifters. Whoever wrote this letter was asking for my help—no. He was pleading for my help.”
The air trembled with rage as Zadoc took a step closer. “A dark mage? How long ago was this letter given to you?”
Marcus met Zadoc’s gaze. “Five hundred years ago.”
“Five hundred years ago? You knew about this five hundred years ago?”
Marcus paced across the floor. “I knew about the letter, but I swear to you I didn’t know about anything else. I looked, I searched the damn archives.” He lifted a hand and pointed to the faded letter. “But I didn’t know who that seal belonged to. I had the wolves trace the scent, but it led me nowhere.”
Hate fought torture in those midnight eyes as he sought out Zadoc. “You think I’d let this happen to you?” His voice broke as he lifted a fist and punched his chest. “You think I wouldn’t give my life to spare yours, to ease your pain? I would’ve torn this world apart. I would’ve torn Hell apart, if I’d known. I would for any one of you.”
Xael dropped her head, tears shone against her skin. “This is my fault. This is all my fault.”
“No! You will not carry this burden. None of you will. I received the letter and I made every effort to find the being who wrote this. But you cannot find someone who doesn’t want to be found. You cannot save them; you cannot protect them. By the time we had the visions it was already too late…it was five hundred years too late. So there you have it, Michael. The truth, take it or leave it.”
And in this moment, I saw my brother for who he was. An immortal with human failings—just like the rest of us…every last one of us. I was just as tainted, just as at fault.
The truth didn’t need to set me free.
Love did that on its own.
“I’ll take it, brother.” I crossed the room to wrap my arms around Marcus. “I’ll take it. But I need something else from you. I think it’ll help you understand.”
He pulled away and scowled.
“Trust me,” I muttered. “Can you do that?”
The pink evening sky wouldn’t go down without a fight, leaving the horizon bruised and bloody. We left the cars far behind us when the trail along the mountain became too steep, the rest of the way we tackled on foot.
“Trust you? Isn’t that what you said?” Marcus snapped. “And you know? I’m getting pretty sick of climbing goddamn mountains.”
“You should try tearing one apart.” I sucked in a breath and glanced along the sheer cliff. “Less talking, more climbing. We need to get there by morning.”
“And where the fuck is there?”
I hadn’t the heart to tell him I had no idea. The instructions were goddamn vague at best. “Just…walk.”
My calf muscles were screaming by the time we reached the ridge. Pink and purple gave way to midnight blue. The stars stretched forever up here, scattered to the corners like one giant roll of a dice and as the last traces of sunlight slipped away, a yellow lantern appeared in a cavern above us.
“Up there.” I pointed to the light. “Come on, not too much farther to go.”
“Smells like a goddamn trap, two of us all alone out here.”
“It’s not a trap, Marcus.” I shook my head and muttered. “Come on, you're wasting time.”
I dug my heels into the dirt and shoved. The sooner we were done here the quicker I’d be home with Doc. She agreed to stay a while, get to know everyone before she made any decisions about leaving.
All I hoped was that we’d grow on her—that somehow she’d want to stay.
That she’d want to stay with me.
I shoved against the base of a tree and propelled myself inside the mouth of the cave. Heavy breaths followed. He was here, and that was all that mattered.
The flickering lantern hovered in the darkness. I surged forward, leading my brother deeper inside. The yellow light was a mirage, slipping farther away the closer we came, until it opened into a monstrous dome, filled with moving shadows.
One stepped closer and raised the lantern high. Gabriel’s skin looked almost alive under the soft yellow hue. He gave me a nod. “Guardians.”
I acknowledged in kind. “Gabriel.”
“Guardians,” he started, “I’m sorry to bring you here under these conditions, but many can’t be trusted…not with what I’m about to share with you.”
There was a soft scrape, footsteps followed, heavy on one side—dragging the other. I turned toward the sound and the lantern was lifted higher, meeting dark eyes, high cheekbones and a chiseled jaw. There wasn’t a blemish on his skin—yet his eyes spoke of terror and torture so fresh it was still alive.
Gabriel turned to meet this shadow in the darkness and bowed. “May I present, Prince Austine Nicholi of the Shadistin Clan.”
The Prince turned an unflinching gaze to me. His presence severed the air with the kind of command you were both born into and earned. I dropped my gaze in what he took for a bow, and gave one back of his own, sweeping his hand along his side to capture the long tails of a long weathered brown coat and bend at the waist.
“Guardians,” he murmured. “I see you received my message through the wolf, and found the children.”
Marcus never flinched. “That was you?”
One corner of his mouth curled and gave a slow nod. “Yes. Please sit, make yourself at home. I have a story to tell you, one I think that’s long overdue.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the faded yellow letter.
There was a moment where the pain in the Prince’s eyes sharpened, until he reached out and took the letter from my hand. Long, tapered fingers skimmed the worn seal as he finished. “Five hundred years overdue.”
The End
Thank you so very much for reading.
Well, there you go. The babies are home.
Virgo was just massive
for me—I gave everything I had. So I had a little break after writing this and before I started Sagittarius. But I’m so glad I pushed myself. I think this was one of my best and I hope you think so to.
If you have a moment I’d really love a review. It doesn’t have to be much, one line…hell, one word even.
Word of mouth is the only way I can keep this gig going, and I really love reading how much these stories mean to you.
Until Sagittarius…
Kim, xx
P.S. I actually dreamed I gave birth last night. Maybe I was Joslyn…maybe it’s an omen. I’m hoping it’s a good one.
Sagittarius
Book Seven
The Zodiac Dragon Guardians
Lucas is the sixth of twelve Guardians. Dragon-born in the sign of Sagittarius, he carries all the traits of his sign—the good and the bad.
He's honest, outspoken and can spot a lie from a mile away. So when the Vampire Prince pledges allegiance to the Guardians in the hopes of keeping his sister, the Princess, and his clan safe Lucas becomes uneasy.
Something isn't quite right with the Vampire Princess, nor with the tale her brother has told and as the Guardians plan their wrath on those who've harmed their kin Lucas starts to uncover the chilling truth and finds a vicious, enemy who'd rival the Huntress herself.
Princess Eva Nicholi of the Shadistin Clan is a survivor, and she’s lived with the secret of her father's fight to save her from the Huntress for the last five hundred years. She'll stop at nothing to keep her past buried along with the bodies she's left in her wake, and as Lucas nears the truth she knows only one way to protect those she loves—seduce and destroy.
Lucas may escape with his life.
But his heart is another matter altogether.
