When Two Souls Meet (Dragons of Paragon Book 2)

by Jan Dockter

  Carrie looked at him with lust-filled eyes. “Yes, I want this. Please, Malcolm, let me feel you inside me.”

  That was all he needed to hear. He placed the head of his engorged shaft over her slick petals and slowly, inch by inch, filled her until his balls touched her backside. She was so damn tight and hot. He kept still a minute, feeling her walls tighten over him. He slowly started to move, his hips bringing his shaft almost out before shoving it in again. He couldn’t keep that slow pace.

  He put her legs over his shoulders and sped up, taking her hard and fast, and her walls convulsed around him. Her hips moved in time with his to meet each thrust. Their lovemaking was so intense, all they could hear were their bodies slapping together.

  Malcolm was overcome with a raging fire coursing through his body. This was his mate. She belonged to him and he was going to make sure every male dragon shifter knew it.

  Carrie had never felt so full. Malcolm’s shaft spread her walls so far it almost hurt. He filled her deeply with each thrust. Every time he moved inside her, he hit that bundle of nerves that caused her to moan his name. Her body started to shake. It felt like a spring being wound tighter and tighter. She was beyond words. She was lost in the pure animalistic pleasure of Malcolm’s lovemaking. He was taking her in a way she had never experienced. She could tell he was loving her with everything he had, and she realized she could feel his emotions. She knew this wasn’t a fleeting thing. She could feel the deep love he had for her, the overwhelming desire to keep her happy and safe.

  Malcolm bent her legs, putting his hands on her knees to push them back. Carrie didn’t think it possible, but he was able to go deeper inside of her. In just a few thrusts, Carrie’s entire body shook and she screamed his name as her body arched upwards. Her orgasm was so intense that her inner walls squeezed Malcolm’s manhood so hard it was almost painful, but it was also his undoing. His orgasm was so all consuming that he roared, his body jerking each time he filled her.

  Carrie could feel him fill her as her walls contracted, milking him for everything he had in him. She was dizzy, and her heart raced as Malcolm slowed.

  Malcolm was spent. Moving to his side, he took her with him. Sweat poured from his brow, and he gasped for air. His hands shook as he moved strands of hair from her face, putting them behind her ears.

  Carrie put her hands on his chest. She could feel his heart racing as fast as hers. They had just experienced something magical.

  It took some time before either of them could speak. While they waited for their bodies to go back to normal, they stared into each other’s eyes, both appearing to see into the other’s soul.

  Carrie, finally able to speak, asked, “What was that, Malcolm? What was that we just shared? What does it mean to feel something that intense with someone I just met?”

  “Mo ghaol, my love. I will tell you, but you must promise me that you will listen with an open mind and not be afraid of what I am going to tell you,” Malcolm said. “You must trust that I love you with all my heart and would die rather than hurt you. Can you give me that promise?”

  Carrie knew Malcolm would never hurt her. She knew that whatever he had to say wouldn’t change how she felt about him. “I promise, Malcolm. I will keep an open mind and nothing you tell me would make me afraid.”

  Malcolm looked into her eyes, and he knew she was sincere.

  He took a deep breath. “I’m not just a man. I’m also a dragon shifter. We were made by the goddess Athena to watch and protect humankind. For thousands of years, humans and dragon shifters lived in harmony. Then a time came when some humans began to fear that dragon shifters would become dangerous and turn on them. There was no justification for this—no dragon shifter had ever hurt a human—but some humans believed this and started hunting us. Before we would have to kill them to defend ourselves, we spread out around the world. We went to places that would be safe for us and kept what we are a secret. Some places, like Scotland, Ireland, and England, were the best places to be. While no one says anything about seeing an occasional dragon, we are sure they know of our existence. The people who have an idea what we might be have never said anything.”

  Malcolm wound his fingers around hers.

  “There are a few humans who do know of us, mainly the clan chiefs in Scotland, but they know we are here to protect, not harm. Since our existence, it has been known that each dragon shifter has a soulmate. A woman made especially for him. She helps keep him and his dragon grounded. When they join, a part of her essence leaves her body and attaches to the dragon. He doesn’t feel whole until that happens. Some of us find our mates. Others will marry to keep their bloodline going, and others stay alone. The ones who stay alone die sooner than they normally would if they had found their mate. You’re my mate. You’re the woman made especially for me. You were born to be mine. What we experienced was two mates loving each other. But the true joining doesn’t take place until the mating ritual is performed. That is when the two become one.”

  As Malcolm explained this to Carrie, he watched her carefully. Her facial expression never changed. She listened to his every word. When he finished and she did not say anything, he felt nervous. He couldn’t tell what was going through her mind, so he did something he knew he shouldn’t do. He concentrated on her feelings. He couldn’t hear her thoughts yet, but he could feel her emotions. All dragon shifters had the ability to communicate telepathically with each other. Their mates also developed the ability to communicate once the mating ritual took place. With Carrie, he felt wonder, awe, and excitement, but most of all love and a sense of wellbeing. He couldn’t help smiling, relief showing on his face. She believed him. She accepted what he had told her. His heart soared with love for her.

  She smiled at him with wonder in her eyes. “I believe you, Malcolm. What I experienced with you has no definition. I have never experienced anything so wonderful. That explains the dragon I saw at your side when we first got here and the dreams I have been having.”

  Malcolm was startled, “What do you mean the dragon you saw at my side? How could you see it?”

  Carrie frowned as she tried to find a way to explain her seeing the blue dragon. “Think of it as a shadow. I saw it out of the corner of my eye at the side of your body. It was attached, like it was a part of you. It was blue in color, and I saw it for only a moment. Until now, I thought it was a figment of my imagination because I had been dreaming of dragons. Now I know it was your dragon I was saw.”

  Malcolm was speechless. He had never heard of such a thing. It made his belief that she was a Chosen One stronger, but he wasn’t going to mention that to her yet. He felt it would be too much too soon.

  Chapter Four

  As Carrie was enjoying being held in Malcolm’s arms, she suddenly shot straight up.

  “Do you hear that?”

  Malcolm looked at her with bewilderment. “Hear what, love? I don’t hear anything.”

  Carrie stood. “You don’t hear someone yelling for help?”

  “No, honey, I don’t hear anything.”

  Carrie quickly put her clothes back on. “I am telling you, Malcolm, someone out there needs help. I can hear him.” She took off running, Malcolm following close behind her.

  Carrie came upon a mound of firewood, and there lying in the middle of it was a young man. It looked like he had been cutting firewood and had accidentally cut his leg with a hatchet. He bled profusely from the wound and was falling in and out of consciousness from shock or blood loss or both. Carrie quickly pressed her hands against his leg to help slow the bleeding.

  After seeing Carrie had things in control, Malcolm yelled that he was going to get help. Dragon shifters were much faster than humans. They weren’t far from town, and he would be there in a matter of minutes.

  Shortly after, Carrie heard three-wheelers heading her direction. There was no road nearby, so it made sense they would be used to get around in a forest. The first to arrive was Malcolm and the town doctor. Malcolm came to a stop a
nd the doctor quickly got off, running to the young man.

  It looked like an artery had been cut, judging by the amount of blood he saw. He knew if Carrie hadn’t found him when she did, this young man would have bled to death. The doctor quickly put a tourniquet on the man’s leg, making sure to let some blood flow from the wound. He didn’t want to make it so tight that it would totally stop the flow and cause the young man to lose his leg.

  Two more three-wheelers with a stretcher attached pulled up beside them. If each machine kept at the same rate of speed, the stretcher would still be stable. Carrie assumed they had done this kind of thing more than once. She had faith they would be able to get this boy to the hospital. They carefully loaded him onto the stretcher and took off heading toward the hospital. The doctor climbed onto one of the three-wheelers with his young patient. Malcolm and Carrie were right behind them. She needed to make sure he was going to be okay.

  Once at the hospital, Carrie and Malcolm both headed toward the waiting room outside the emergency room. He was eighteen-year-old Bobby Adair, explained a nurse. The doctor was working on him. He had lost enough blood that he needed a transfusion and thirty-six stitches on the calf of his leg. The nurse kept them informed about what was happening. No one had been able to find Bobby’s parents yet. Carrie wanted to stay until she was sure he was going to be alright.

  As they waited, Malcolm asked her the question that had been hovering on his lips since she found Bobby. “Carrie, how did you hear him, lass?”

  Malcolm should have been able to hear him since dragon shifters have acute hearing, as well as sight. If she had heard him, Malcolm should have been able to also.

  Carrie tried to explain how she heard him, hoping Malcolm would be able to understand. “It wasn’t his voice I heard. It was his body calling out. It’s hard to explain. It’s like the life force of someone calling for help. It isn’t an actual voice I hear. It’s like my body is being spoken to by another body, a type of energy force going from one person to another. The energy from my body picked up the energy going from his, and I followed the energy trail. I know this might be hard for you to understand, but this is the only way I know how to explain it. It’s like what I felt with my grandmother. The only difference is, her accident hadn’t happened yet.”

  Malcolm had heard about gifted people talk about the energy surrounding them and being able to tap into it. He didn’t understand how it worked, but he wasn’t going to question it. He saw for himself. It really worked.

  It seemed like an eternity passed before Doctor MacWilliams finally came out of the emergency room. He smiled, and Carrie felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

  “Bobby’s going to be fine,” he said. “It’s a lucky thing you found him when you did or we would have lost him. He has you to thank for saving him, lassie. He is sedated right now, but I’m sure when he wakes up he would like to thank you himself.”

  Carrie had been so afraid he was going to die. There was so much blood when she got to him.

  “Thank God he is going to be okay,” she said. “I don’t know how to thank you.” The doctor gave her a hug. “He’s going to be fine, thanks to you.” A look of concern spread over his face. “While I have you here, I’d like to check you out. You’re shaking like a leaf. I want to make sure you aren’t in some kind of shock.”

  Before Carrie could argue that she was fine, the doctor had her in the examination room closest to the waiting room. He listened to her heartrate. It raced so fast it sounded more like a race car engine than a heartbeat. She had been there a couple of hours and was still shaking. She couldn’t seem to stop it.

  The doctor looked at Carrie and said, “I’m sure you’re suffering from the after effects of an adrenaline rush. I’m going to give you something to bring your heartrate back to normal. After it slows down, you can go home, have a nice cup of tea, and have a rest.” The doctor patted Carrie’s hand as he left to order the medicine propranolol to slow her heart rate. The nurse came in and gave Carrie a shot and said the Doctor would be back in fifteen minutes to check on her.

  Beside Carrie, Malcolm was berating himself. He should have noticed Carrie was suffering from shock. He was sure he could have slowed her heartrate himself with the bond they shared. It just hadn’t occurred to him until now. Malcolm put his arms around her. He could feel her heart racing, her body shaking.

  “Shh, love, it’s all over,” he said. “Bobby is going to be fine, thanks to you. Try to relax. Don’t think of anything except being held in my arms, keeping you safe.”

  Malcolm felt Carrie relax. He wasn’t sure if it was him or the medication, but he wasn’t letting her go until her heart slowed and she was back to normal.

  Carrie snuggled into his chest. As her heart returned to normal, the after effect left her exhausted, but the comfort of being in Malcolm’s arms felt like heaven. She did feel safe. She never wanted to leave Malcolm’s arms. Carrie fell into a deep sleep while he held her.

  Malcolm picked Carrie up and sat in a recliner. When the doctor came in to check on her, she wasn’t aware of anyone or anything around her. The doctor told Malcolm it was possible she might sleep the entire day. Her heartrate was back to normal, so he told Malcolm to take her home.

  Malcolm had called earlier for someone to bring a car to the hospital, and he carried the sleeping Carrie out of the hospital and into the waiting car. She never stirred.

  John Kerr sat behind the wheel while Malcolm sat in the back seat, holding Carrie close to his chest. After John broke Malcolm’s nose, he felt justice had been served, and they had remained close friends. John noticed the protective way Malcolm held Carrie, and he raised an eyebrow but felt it wise not to say anything. The drive back was quiet. Neither man spoke, not wanting to wake the sleeping woman Malcolm held so close.

  Chapter Five

  As John drove to the door, Magda rushed out. She saw Malcolm in the back holding Carrie. As he carefully got out, he looked toward Magda and shook his head to let her know to be quiet in case she woke Carrie. Magda followed Malcolm into the bedroom and watched him gently lay Carrie down on the bed and covered her up. He kissed her cheek and walked out of the room with Magda. He left the door open in case she needed something and so he could keep watch over her.

  They walked into the kitchen where tea and biscuits waited. Magda poured the tea, and they both sat at the table before she finally asked Malcolm what happened. Malcolm explained how Carrie had heard Bobbie’s life force reach out to her for help. Magda listened carefully, not interrupting until he finished the story. What she said next filled Malcolm with dread.

  “Well, I think we need to take her to the Cailleach,” she said. “There’s no doubt she is very gifted. We need to find out if she is meant for us. If she is, and she is willing, we will have to perform the ceremony for the Chosen One.”

  Malcolm wasn’t keen at all on that idea. “Ma, I want to wait. I want to take Carrie through the mating ritual first if she is willing. I will be able to hear her thoughts. I can already feel what she is going through. I need to know if something goes wrong in case she needs me. I can’t let her go through a ceremony that hasn’t been performed in hundreds of years, not knowing what to expect. None of us know what kind of risk she’s taking, and I won’t be left blind. I must know she’s going to be all right. Give me some time to ask her about the mating ritual and tell her what we think she might be. It might be more than she can take. I think I’ll visit Aldain and let him know what’s happening. Hopefully having Tori and him here will help give Carrie some moral support.”

  Magda agreed. She couldn’t imagine someone finding out they were the mate of a dragon shifter and a Chosen One in such a short amount of time. Carrie could use all the support she could get. Malcolm wanted to wait until Carrie woke up before he left. He needed to know she was going to be okay. Malcolm slept in a chair by her bedside, and he was glad he did because, like she had warned him, strange things happened.

  Carrie opened her eyes to the sound
of a woman’s voice calling out her name. She looked around, thinking it came from somewhere in the house. Everything seemed quiet, so who was calling her? She noticed that Malcolm had fallen asleep in a chair by her bedside. So as not to wake him, she slowly, quietly, got out of bed and dressed. She started to follow the voice that continued to call her name. It sounded like it was coming from the direction of the boat dock. As she got closer to the dock, she noticed about twenty feet in the middle of the water stood an old woman. She had long, gray hair, and her eyes were white. She beckoned to Carrie. Carrie felt a tingling course through her body. Her manner changed. It was like she was being compelled to walk to the old woman. She started walking toward her, arms outstretched, oblivious to how deep the water was getting.

  Malcolm woke with a start, his dragon screaming at him that their mate was in extreme danger. He checked all over the room but there was no sign of her. How did she make it out without him hearing anything? He frantically searched the house and the grounds. Malcolm started to panic. He knew something was horribly wrong. He reached out to see if he could sense where she was. He could reach her, but her feelings didn’t make sense. It was like she was in a dream state. He could tell she was at the closest boat dock. His heart skipped when he realized she was in the water.

  Without thinking he screamed, “Carrie, NO!” Knowing she was too far away to hear him, he sent her warnings as he shifted into his dragon form. He hoped his feelings would be able to stop her or at least slow her down until he could get there.