by Lori King
10
Axel had been through the gate before and knew exactly the place he needed to go. Landing in a crouch, he scanned the area for any of the creatures that lived on this side of the veil. He was relieved to discover that nothing appeared to have changed since his last visit. Silently cursing to himself, he remembered this place as though it were only a year ago since he’d been here. Time seemed to stand still in the Valley of Shadows, and he began to ask himself if this was simply a trick of the Veil. The déjà vu effect was short-lived as he darted for cover behind the wall of rolling mist amongst the fallen trees to his right. The males who crossed over behind him settled his mind back into the here-and-now, as none of them were Draven. It was not Willow’s mateship he was vying for, but her daughter Rainah’s. An unencumbered anger swept over his body, and after waiting nearly thirty years, he finally had a chance to be the Alpha, provided he could secure the mateship through winning the challenge. A gust of wind picked up, and the mist swirled through his hiding place. Moving with stealth, he managed to get on his journey underway towards the centre of the valley.
Pausing only briefly to grab a sturdy branch from one of the downed trees, he used it to prod at the ground in front of him as he slowly progressed through the marshlands which led to the temple. He smugly grinned to himself as he bypassed all the bogs without setting foot into any of the thick slush that would have sucked him down to the bottom. He stood at the foot of the giant staircase which ascended to the dragon’s lair and throne room.
As Axel placed his boot on the bottom step, the ground beneath his feet shook and the stone under the sole of his shoe cracked. He looked down only long enough to shuffle his foot sideways so as not to lose his footing. The sound of fracturing stone caused him to raise his head just in time to see the Chimera statue begin to crumble as it came to life. The mighty beast with the body of a lion, the wings and tail of a dragon, and the horns of a ram announced its awakening with an earth-shattering roar. Axel leapt up onto the podium, jumped onto the stirring beast and stabbed his dagger with all his strength into the side of its neck. Blood oozed out, covering his leg and boot so quickly there was no way for the ancient to stem the flow. The King of the Chimera’s head fell to his paws, and his eyes glazed over with the knowledge that he was leaving his pregnant Queen unprotected.
The instant her mate’s life was endangered, the Queen of the Chimera pricked her ears and opened her eyes. The sound of her mate’s roar covered some of the sounds from the falling clay as it crumpled and fell away from her body. She sniffed the air around her and recognised the scent of that belonging a wolf shifter. She also knew this particular one had no honour whatsoever, and for that, he would die.
Axel jumped down from his seat on the back of the dead Chimera and wiped the bloody blade of his weapon on the leg of his pants that wasn’t soaked with the blood of the beast he’d just slain. A sudden movement from behind him drew his attention toward the marshlands he’d just crossed to reach the temple. He cursed to himself as the other males made their way through the treacherous bog, then spun just in time to be knocked to the ground by the second Chimera statue, which had also come to life. Self-preservation had Axel raising one hand to protect his head and shoulders and the other rose to bury the blade of his dagger to the hilt between the ribs, piercing the heart of the beast on top of him. With no remorse for killing such a spectacular creature, he squirmed and shoved his way free from beneath the Chimera’s lifeless body. Withdrawing his dagger at the last possible moment, Axel darted up the stairs towards the throne room where the dragon’s treasures were kept.
Boon landed on his knees beside the fallen beast, “Why would he do this? What kind of evil is he?” he asked the dead animal as he ran his hand down its side as if patting a giant pet. His hand settled on the bulging belly of the deceased creature and he sighed, knowing that unless someone changed the laws, then this kind of thing would always be a possibility in the future. A flutter of movement beneath his flattened palm made his breath catch momentarily. “Quickly, give me a hand,” he commanded, taking his blade in his hand; the others fell to their knees next to him.
Helping him, they followed his directions as he carefully sliced through the skin on the belly of the beast. Slicing through the thick wall of the muscle containing the uterus, he slid his hand inside and fished around in the still warm body of the dead lioness. Finding the slippery bundle, he wrapped his hand gently around it and pulled it free. Tearing the amniotic sac around the newborn, he placed it into the waiting hands of Hunter before diving back inside to search for any more possible survivors.
Hunter looked at Ronin and Eos, “Go, make sure that bastard doesn’t do any more damage than he already has.”
With a quick nod in Hunter’s direction, both males raced off in the direction Axel had gone. Up the stairs to the temple, taking them two at a time, Eos and Ronin ran inside together, only to come to a halt near in the centre of the room. A female cowered before Axel, his arm raised ready to strike. Eos eyed the treasure scattered across the marble floor.
“Where is it?” Axel demanded, pulling the long blonde hair harshly as he wrapped it around his closed fist.
“It’s not here.” Tatiana cried out in obvious fear and pain.
“Don’t lie to me, bitch. I know the dragon is here somewhere.”
“I… I’m not lying. Please look around, it’s not here,” she sobbed.
Ronin stepped sideways to gain Axel’s attention. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Fuck off, this is none of your busi…” Axel’s words were cut off literally, when Eos took ownership of a long jewel-encrusted sword and thrust it forward with all his strength. Axel’s raised hand released the dagger it held, and as it clattered to the floor, his hands curled around the sword protruding from his chest. His knees gave way and his body slunk to the floor. Within three short, sharp, shallow breaths, he was dead.
Eos moved to block Ronin’s approach towards the female. “Don’t!” was all he offered before turning his back on Ronin. Over the coppery scent of the spilt blood, he could smell something he never expected to find… his true mate. He slowly stepped closer to the trembling female. Brushing her dishevelled white-blonde hair back away from her face, he held his breath. His mate was stunningly beautiful with her soft peaches-and-cream complexion. Eos’ eyes travelled down her full-figured form, and his body instantly hardened with the desire to claim her as his. “Shhh, you’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He held out his hand and prompted her, “Will you come to me so I can see if he’s hurt you?” Tatiana gave a shy nod before slipping her delicate hand inside his. Eos tilted his head in Ronin’s direction. “Pick something as a mating gift for Boon and Rainah, then go.”
“Jesus, man, you’re not seriously thinking of staying here, are you?”
“I have a few things I need to discuss with…” he glanced at his mate. “What’s your name beautiful?” he asked.
“Tatiana,” she whispered, lifting her lashes to look into his handsome face. Her heart sped up at his gentle words spoken as though he meant them. Did he really think she was beautiful? She wondered if he’d think the same of her when he discovered that she was the scaled beast the other wolf shifter had been seeking. Her eyes narrowed, slightly sceptical for a moment. Maybe it’s a trick. Perhaps he knows she’s the dragon and hopes to take her prisoner. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach and she tried to free herself from his grip.
“Shhh, you’re safe with me. I would never harm you. I know you don’t understand the bond between us right now, but I hope in time you will learn that I would give my life to keep you safe. I give myself to your service for as long as we both shall live.”
Tatiana’s eyes widened and filled with tears, ‘Could this odd male really be my fated mate?’ She’d spent an eternity alone, unloved, unwanted, and outcast. All she’d ever really wanted was to feel loved and needed. Justifiably confused about the entire situation, she made the ra
sh decision to let go of the past. “I’ll come with you, if you’ll have me?”
Eos ran his thumbs over her high cheekbones on either side of her face, staring into her mismatched eyes. He found himself mesmerised by the tranquil colours that swirled of aquamarine in one iris, and iridescent tones of fluorite in the other. He leaned in closer, breaching Tatiana’s personal space, to kiss away her overflowing tears.
“Wait,” Tatiana tried to shove him away, but it was too late to stop her mate from being exposed to the aphrodisiac now touching his lips.
Eos’ lips began to buzz with the fine tingle of lust. His heart began to beat faster, and he started to breathe heavier as he became completely focused on winning his mate’s compliance. His cock had grown so hard that the teeth of his zipper were almost painfully biting into his flesh, reminding him that he should have worn boxers instead of going commando.
“Dude, you can’t take care of this now, we have to go, time’s ticking away fast.” Ronin’s warning was dismissed by a growl of desire as Eos buried his face in the crook of Tatiana’s neck. Eos became lost in the moment, nibbling gently along a path from Tatiana’s shoulder up along her neck to her jawline.
Trailing kisses down to her lips, he captured her mouth and when she opened her mouth to protest, he made good of the opportunity to flick his tongue past her parted lips.
“Damn it, Eos!” Ronin cursed pocketing the pink diamonds he’d collected from the pile of treasure.
“You owe me, asshole.” He waited as patiently as his Irish blood would allow him to until Eos came up for air. Then without over-thinking his actions, he slugged Eos in the jaw, knocking him out cold.
Tatiana roared at the ceiling, not wanting to endanger the male that was in the process of stealing her heart. Hells bells, he’d already stolen her common sense. Before Tatiana could become the dragon, Ronin put both his hands up in the air, begging, “Please, listen to me before you do anything rash? We don’t have much time. He’s willing to give up everything to stay here with you and you seem amicable in walking away from this place to be with him. Am I right?”
She gave him a tight nod in reply, her eyes narrowing and her eyebrow raising while she listened to his proposition. “We have to get out of here if we are going to make it home before the gate closes. Once on the other side, then you two can have all that you want. Okay?”
Tatiana willingly agreed to do as Ronin suggested, turning her back to him she started to scrunch the hem of her smock dress up to remove it, much to his dismay. “Wait! What are doing?”
“I’m calling on the dragon. She will take us to the gate faster than we can run. She’ll also be able to carry the extra weight.” She gave him a quick disapproving look over her shoulder. “Look away, please.”
“Sure, sure,” Ronin replied, nervously turning to face the other direction. The temple trembled and stone dust trickled to the ground like that of an hourglass reminding him they were fast running out of time. The unholy roar of an unfamiliar nature had him taking a step towards the entrance before glancing backwards over his shoulder and finding the source of the noise. Standing in the same place that Tatiana stood only moments ago, was the most magnificent vision of dreams and nightmares alike that he’d ever seen.
The dragon tilted its head and snuffed warm air at Ronin as if questioning his honour. Satisfied with Ronin’s jaw-dropped stare, Tatiana moved closer to where her mate lay on the marble floor. Nudging him with her snout, she rolled him over then looked at Ronin for help.
Bending her knees, she allowed Ronin to lift her mate up and throw him over her shoulders. With a huff and a glare, she waited for Ronin to climb on as well. Once her passengers were safely seated, Tatiana stomped her way out through the entrance of the temple. Opening her wings to their full span, she dove off the plateau at the top of the stairs to glide gracefully towards the gate.
As she passed over the dead land, she set it ablaze with her fire breath. Finally, she arrived at the gate to the other world. Shrugging her shoulders, she forced Ronin to dismount. As Eos slid from her back, his eyes fluttered open to land on the dreamlike image of a pure white dragon. His knees buckled at the magnificence before him. His hand involuntarily rose to reach out and touch it, with the need to confirm that it was as real as what his eyes could see.
A blinding flash of light erupted; Eos pulled his hand back as though it had been burnt, and when his retinas returned to normal, he found that in place of the legendary beast, stood Tatiana, her chest heaving as she gulped in air through her heated body and porcelain skin that flushed pink with embarrassment. She attempted to cover her nakedness. With a roaring growl of protectiveness, Eos scrambled to his feet and engulfed her in his embrace to block the eyes of Ronin. “Look away if you wish to live,” Eos snarled at Ronin.
Ronin let out a low whistle of appreciation as he looked the other direction and then held out the smock that Tatiana had removed at the temple.
* * *
Boon removed his shirt and wrapped it around the small bundle of fur, and using his knuckles on his free hand, he pushed to his feet. “I don’t know about you, man, but I’m ready to call it a night. Stick a fork in me and colour me done.”
“Yeah, I’m good with that.” Hunter agreed.
Twenty minutes later they converged on the gateway, “What are you waiting for?” Boon asked Ronin and Eos as they approached.
A face peered around the side of Eos, and Boon’s eyebrow rose in a questioning manner.
Eos turned slightly and encouraged Tatiana to move to his side. “This is my mate. Her name is Tatiana. She’s coming with us.” It was a statement filled with conviction, not a request to be granted, and both Boon and Hunter gave a nod to show that although they were perplexed as to what had gone down out of their ear and eyeshot, they accepted and respected the decision made by the other male.
One after the other, they crossed the thin barrier between the two worlds.
Fire lancing through their bodies, they staggered as they cleared the gate. As Boon egressed from one side to the other, his eyes ran over the crowd looking for the one and only person that gave him purpose. He found her sitting on a throne at the head of a long red carpet. Blindfolded, Rainah sat waiting to be challenged. Ronin winked at Boon then stepped up to the judging area and placed his gift on the table before walking back to stand in line with the other males.
Eos cuddled Tatiana in closer to his side then raised his voice, “I withdraw from the tournament as I have found my mate while on the other side.”
The surrounding group of people gasped in surprise as Draven moved to stand in front of the couple, “Tatiana, you’re welcome here as it is against the law to separate a joining. Do you accept this man’s offer of mateship?”
“I do.”
“Then so may it be. Eos, you are released from your duty.” Draven announced, then returned to stand at the left of his blindfolded daughter.
Boon proceeded towards the judging section with the small bundle trapped inside his bloody shirt. Not wanting to risk the newborn wriggling off the table, he placed the scrunched-up parcel onto Rainah’s lap.
Her sharp intake of breath showed how he’d startled her, but out of reflex, her hands moved to take hold of the offering. Without further ado, Rainah’s right hand lifted to remove the blindfold with a smile. “I choose this gift as the most precious.” The scent of Boon wafted from the fabric in her lap, and she knew no matter what was inside the shirt, his gift was the only one she wanted. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision after having her eyes covered, she focused on the cluster of fur and feathers wrapped in the shirt which held Boon’s spicy cologne.
With a small cough in the back of his throat, Hunter spoke to Boon, “I’m really glad she picked your gift, because all I had to offer was you.” He nudged Boon’s ribs at the joke.
Boon returned a deadpan look at his new friend, “Oh, you won’t be grinning like that when you find out you’ve been dropped in it to babysit the Chimera while
I spend time with my mate.”
“What?” Hunter growled.
11
Three Weeks Later…
Boon opened the front door before Hunter could knock. “You’re late?”
“I wanted to run the perimeter before collecting Ezra,” Hunter explained.
Not stopping for pleasantries, Boon handed over a care-bag along with the Chimera cub Rainah had decided to name Ezra. “She’s taken to chewing on my boots, so I think she’s teething.” He pointed at one of his ruined boots next to the door.
“Point taken,” Hunter collected the growing cub from Boon and then, ignoring his alpha, he started down the front steps to head to his residence not far from where Boon and Rainah now lived together as a mated couple.
With a sigh of gratitude to have some alone time with his female, Boon shut and locked the door. Rainah’s hands slid around his waist and she rested her forehead between his shoulder blades. “Do you think we can keep her safe?”
“Without a doubt. We’ll do everything we can to protect her, sweetheart.”
Boon turned to face his mate; lifting her chin, he covered her lips with his own. He was met by a passion-filled response that sent fire through his entire system and sparked his need for the woman he’d taken as his mate.
