by Julia Mills
A quick glance between the Guardsmen confirmed Andrew’s original misgivings; there was definitely something big in the works. Aidan reluctantly nodded. Not that it mattered, since Emma had already moved a chair to his bedside and was making herself comfortable.
“I’m glad that’s been decided. Now, if we may proceed?” Carrick asked and continued before anyone responded.
Must be nice being the boss…
“Siobhan has studied the ancient text you were carrying when you…when we found you.”
Good catch, old boy. You wouldn’t want to remind me that you captured me just when you are about to ask for my help, now would you?
With only a split second to regain his composure, Carrick continued. “She has been able to decipher many of your notes and complete the translation of what Zachary has identified as the Hell Fire Prophecy. Are you familiar with its contents, and more importantly, the part you play in it?”
Andrew shook his head. “I knew I was translating something ancient, but I never had enough of it in one place at one time to ascertain what it was or what it could be used for. I certainly never saw anything that led me to believe I had anything to do with it.”
Rayne handed a page from a yellow legal pad to Andrew that had handwriting covering most of one side. It didn’t go without the traitor’s notice that Rayne pulled back as if burnt when their hands accidently bumped.
Afraid you might catch some good sense and a backbone, Commander?
Shaking his head while reading the document, Andrew would’ve fallen down had he not already been in bed, when he read “…the Ancients will speak through the Special One and the Child. They will bless the Clan the color of the summer sky and the water when it is calm.”
“Son of a bitch! I knew it was something crazy, but damn.” He looked up from the paper and asked, “So, do you know who the others are?”
Shaking his head, Carrick quickly answered, “No, it appears only Emma knows.”
Andrew’s head spun to look at his mate, whose cheeks were immediately red with embarrassment. His dragon chuffed with the need to comfort their mate, and Andrew had to admit he had a lot to learn about having a mate, but that would have to wait until they were alone.
Her voice seemed far away as she began to explain. The more she talked the more shocked he was, and then she dropped the biggest bomb of all. Even bigger than the spirit of the first dragon appearing at his resurrection. “So, Shavon said that when you woke up, I would understand the Prophecy and know who the other people that it described were. But you’re awake and I have no clue.”
Andrew thought for just a moment. If he had learned one thing in all his magical dabbling, whether it was light, dark, and everything in between, things were never as ‘mystical’ as they seemed. It was better to take the words at face value. With that in mind, he asked, “What exactly did she say, mo chroi’?”
Where the hell did that come from? I’ve never called anyone my heart.
Unaware of his internal struggles, Emma answered right away. “She said, ‘Be blessed, Emma Sinclair. You are the best of us. When your mate wakes, you will understand the Prophecy and be able to call those mentioned by name’.” She unconsciously rubbed her wrist while she spoke, as if it itched; not so much that it was a bother, just something she endured.
“I see,” was his only response. He replayed her words in his head, never losing eye contact with his mate. They were definitely straightforward, nothing flowery or misleading, so he, like Emma, had to wonder why she didn’t know now that he was awake.
“What does it mean?” Aaron gruffly asked. “Do you even know or are you just stalling? Trying to think of a way to use what you know to barter your freedom? Give it up, little brother. That ship has sailed. Your ass is gonna do whatever you have to do to receive that Blessing and pass it on to the Blue Dragons. I will make damn sure of it with everything in me and with my dying breath. And when you have done every single thing required of you, you are going back to your cell to await the Tribunal, and I pray to the Heavens they kill you slowly.” Venom spewed from every word Aaron was growling. The oldest O’Brien brother leaned down until his was nose to nose with Andrew and spat, “You will pay for every fucking thing you did, traitor.”
Before Andrew could say a word, Emma shot up, her chair skittering her across the floor and crashing into the far wall from the force of her action. He watched, unable to move, as she flew at his older brother, her palms making contact with his chest with such force that Aaron had to take a step back or find himself on his ass. She roared like a mother dragon protecting her nest and attempted to close the distance between she and the one that had threatened her mate. Thankfully, Aidan sped around the bed, grabbed her around the waist, sprung her away from Aaron, and attempted to calm her.
Not to be deterred, Emma kicked Aidan’s legs while pummeling his arm with her fists, all the while screaming, “Over my dead body will you lock up my mate, Aaron O’Brien! You spineless bastard! Come in here after all he's been through! No fucking way! All of you get the hell out of here. I swear to the Heavens I will tear apart anyone that dares touch him. Get out! Get OUT! GET THE HELL OUT NOW!!!!”
A crowd was forming outside Andrew’s room. For the first time since he’d left the lair all those years ago, the voices of all the Guardsmen came alive in his mind. Carrick was calling for Siobhan. Aaron was standing dumbfounded, not sure if he should be pissed or embarrassed that a girl had gotten the drop on him. Rayne was frantically calling Kyndel, sure she could talk Emma down, and yelling for Lance to bring Sam with the hopes of sedating her. Someone, he couldn’t tell who, called out to Devon to come right away and bring Royce and Kyra.
Surprisingly, it was Aidan that was the calmest while he took one hell of a beating from a very pissed off Emma. He spoke directly to Andrew through their unique link, that until that moment, Andrew had forgotten existed. “She needs you. You are her mate and the only one that can get through to her. You have to take her from me and calm her. I’m not sure how or why, but she’s acting like a fully mated dragon shifter protecting her nest. I’ve tried to reach her through mindspeak, but she can’t or won’t hear me.”
Andrew nodded, pushing the side rail of his bed down while calling to Emma in the calmest voice possible. “Emma, mo chroi’, you need to relax. You’re gonna hurt Aidan or worse yet, yourself. Just chill. We’ll work it all out. Aaron was just being a dick.”
He continued to speak to his mate as his brother slowly, painstakingly, moved the ten feet to the bedside, taking extra care not to hurt or drop Emma. Andrew could feel Aidan’s concentration and commitment to keeping her safe and had to admit, Aidan was not the complete and total monster he’d made him out to be for all those years. Just another bit of information Andrew would have to think about later.
“Okay, you ready? This is gonna be tricky. You’re gonna take the brunt of her fists and feet. There’s no way to get her to you without just laying her across you and the bed and bro, your girl is strong.”
Andrew nodded. “Just do it. She’s gonna hurt herself. She can’t hear me either. We have to get this…this…whatever the hell it is stopped.”
Without another word, Aidan took the last step, and with incredible dexterity, pushed the flailing young woman into Andrew’s arms. Both man and beast embraced their mate, not caring that she was losing her mind, just reveling in the fact that they finally had her in their arms. A feeling until that very moment, Andrew had been sure he would never feel.
Their skin touched and electricity sparked all over and throughout Andrew’s body, lighting him up from the inside out. His dragon roared for the first time in nearly ten years and stood to his full height in Andrew’s mind’s eye. The black beast pushed with a strength Andrew had thought destroyed by black magic, trying to reach his mate. Emma felt it too. All motion stopped, her mouth hung open, and her eyes widened. Her instantaneous shock stopped her tirade for a just split second. It was all the time Andrew needed. Without though
t he slammed his lips to hers–their union unlike anything he’d experienced in all his almost hundred years.
What had started as a way to distract Emma quickly became the joining of their souls. Her hands flew to his head; her nails scratched his scalp as she held him as close as possible. His hands gripped her ample bottom, pushing their bodies as closely together as they could be while still clothed. They ate at one another’s lips. Andrew was unable to distinguish where he ended and she began, and all he could think was…more!
Somewhere in the distance he heard the click of a door shutting and a lock being thrown, but he couldn’t care. As long as he had Emma there was nothing and no one else that mattered. She began to ride his growing erection and the need to feel her naked skin against his became his single focus.
Sliding his hands under the hem of her light green t-shirt, he ripped it over her head. Grinning as she moaned at the loss before returning to his lips. The brief glance he’d gotten of her ample breasts overflowing the white lace of her bra made him lightheaded. Her hands left his hair, her tiny nails scratching the sides of his neck, across his collar bone, and down his chest. They found purchase just above his nipples and dug into his pecs, causing his hips to jerk against hers. Emma moaned low in her throat, riding his sheet covered cock with renewed vigor.
Reaching around her back he unhooked her bra, massaged up her back to her shoulders, and carefully slid the straps down her arms. Leaving her mouth, he kissed along her jawline and reveled in the fact that his Emma threw her head to the side to allow him greater access. Reaching her ear, he sucked her earlobe between his teeth and worried it with the tip of his tongue until she was mewling his name. He nipped the tender spot right behind her ear and worked his way down her neck, kissing and tasting until he thought he might drown in her scent.
At the tender spot where the soft skin of her neck met the curve of her shoulder, he lavished it with his tongue while she moaned his name low and long. Unable to stop himself or his dragon, Andrew bit down with enough force to leave a mark but not break the skin. Emma screamed her release over and over, making him smile against her silky skin; his only regret was that he hadn’t been inside her for the experience.
As she began to return from the clouds, Andrew licked and kissed his mark, relieving any residual pain she felt. He knew it was not permanent, but prayed that with any luck she would one day wear his mark for all to see. Emma collapsed unto his chest, boneless and satisfied. He kissed the top of her head and was just about to roll them over to rest when, she began to shake.
Thinking she was cold he reached for the blanket, but never made it. Emma sat straight up, eyes rolled back in her head, mouth opened wide, and made a shrill whining noise that reminded him of a wounded animal. Needing to comfort his mate, Andrew pulled her to his chest, wrapped his arms around her, and tried to stop her shaking.
His ministrations had the opposite effect. The instant their chests touched, Emma went into full blown convulsions, shaking so badly he thought she would break apart. Fearing for her life, he did the only thing he could think of…he yelled for help.
The next thirty minutes happened in the blink of an eye, but the continuous replay in his head was in slow motion. People came from every direction. Aidan pried his arms from around Emma, explaining that Andrew had to let go so Siobhan and Zachary could help his mate. Devon and Royce gently lifted her off his chest while he screamed for them to be careful. Charlie and Sam rushed into the room with a woman who smelled of magic that he didn’t know. He later found out she was a nurse who worked at the hospital with them.
People were giving instructions, others were yelling demands, and still others were demanding answers…answers Andrew didn’t have. All he could do was concentrate all his energy towards Emma. He spoke through their link, constantly reminding her that she was his reason for living and how proud he was of her, while pouring every ounce of strength and healing power both he and his dragon possessed into her.
His last glimpse of her beautiful face was as they covered it with an oxygen mask right before wheeling her from the room.
She has to live! Dammit, she just has too.
CHAPTER NINE
Emma had been in and out of consciousness for almost a week. During the first night, she’d screamed until they’d finally relented and moved Andrew into her room. At the touch of his hand to hers she immediately quieted. They’d remained in constant contact for the next forty-eight hours, until he’d been pronounced well enough to be discharged.
It was no surprise when Aidan, Pearce, Rian, and Kellan showed up with silver cuffs to take him back to his prison. They had made no secret of the fact that they didn’t trust him and did not want him uncontained before the Blessing ceremony. He smiled; thinking how lucky they were that Emma was still unconscious and even chuckled when he realized Aaron had not come along for his arrest.
My mate kicked my big brother’s ass. This is better than reality TV.
Not wanting to wake Emma now that she was finally resting comfortably, Andrew quietly dressed and let the Guardsmen cuff his hands behind his back before leading him out of the room. The group made it as far as the door before Emma began to call his name. By the third utterance she was beginning to thrash her head side to side.
Siobhan ran into the room, took one look at Andrew in irons, and frowned. “What do you think you are doing?”
It was Rian that answered. “What we should to keep the clan safe. He won’t be harmed, merely detained where we can keep an eye on him.”
The entire time the Guardsman had been talking, Emma had been steadily calling for Andrew, while getting louder and louder. Siobhan looked at her patient and then back to Rian, a look of pure disgust on her face. “Either you take those filthy chains off him, which by the way are burning his skin after I spent much of my time and talent returning him to good health, or I will have to call Carrick. You may be a Head Elder, Rian O’Rielly, but not here. This is not your call.”
She turned to Aidan, who until that moment had been successful at remaining unnoticed. “And you, Aidan O’Brien, his brother. Letting them lead him off to prison when his mate needs him. What would you do if it was Grace in that bed?”
Aidan didn’t answer but had the decency to bow his head. Focusing again on Rian, Siobhan asked, “So what will it be Rian? Are you going to let Emma get to a full blown tantrum and possibly hurt herself, or are you going to let her mate comfort her?”
The Healer’s words could barely be heard over Emma’s shouting, but Siobhan’s smile spoke volumes as Rian unlocked the cuffs and left the room without another word, the other Guardsmen not far behind. Not willing to let his mate suffer a second longer, Andrew crawled into the bed with Emma, pulled her across his chest, and held her tight while she settled.
Siobhan stood at the end of her bed making notes on Emma’s chart. Returning the file to its rack, she rounded the bed and took Emma’s wrist in her hand. Andrew knew she was checking his mate’s pulse, but also felt her probing with her mind, checking to make sure she had no internal injuries from her latest outburst.
Apparently satisfied with what she found, Andrew felt Siobhan leave his mate’s mind before speaking. “You have gotten yourself into quite the mess, Andrew. You need to consider what all of this is doing to Emma.”
He looked down at her stunning face, upturned in her sleep, resting right over his heart, and suddenly his mouth was too dry to speak. Siobhan was right, but what could he do? If he got too far from Emma, she lost her mind…literally. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Andrew looked at the healer. “I would leave her if I could. I would spare her all the heartache that being my mate is going to bring her if there was a way.”
“I am sure we can find a way to sedate her and then bring her out of it when you are far from the lair.”
Andrew shook his head. “No, you misunderstand me. Everything changed the moment I heard her in my mind, felt her in soul, and let her into my heart. I can’t walk away from her
. Don’t you see; she is the reason I exist. She brought me back from the dead. And not just for some prophecy, but because she is the one, the only one that can wash the stain from my soul.”
“But what will it cost her?”
“I will do whatever it takes; even give up my own life, if it costs her anything…anything at all.”
“I’ll hold you to those words.” And with that, the Elder Healer disappeared into the hall.
That had been five days ago and, for the most part, nothing had changed. Emma was still unconscious and screamed if he got more than ten feet from her, which made showers and bathroom breaks interesting to say the least. On the upside, he was getting to do nothing but hold her in his arms and tell her all the shitty things he’d done in the time before he met her. He was also sure to tell her everything he’d endured at the hands of others and made sure she knew exactly who was responsible for his trials and tribulations.
With the help of Melanie, a nurse from the hospital that volunteered at the clinic, he’d just finished giving Emma her sponge bath when a sound from the far corner of the room drew his attention. Reaching for his sword out of habit, he cursed when he came back empty-handed. Positioning himself between the growing white sphere and his mate, he took a slow step forward, trying to think of something instead of his hands to fight with, but coming up with nothing.
During his internal debate, the sphere had doubled in size. With no other options, Andrew spread his feet shoulder width apart, bent his knees just slightly, and took a fighting stance.
Nothing is getting to Emma without killing me first.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when a soft, almost angelic voice answered directly into his mind. “No need for violence, warrior. I come to help your mate, not hurt her, just as I have helped you in the past.”
“Shavon?”
Before his next breath, the sphere of light turned into a tall, ethereal woman with shimmering golden hair and brilliantly blue translucent skin. “Yes, Andrew. It is me.” Her voice was even more melodic when spoken out loud. Emma had told him all about his trip out of the Fades in vivid detail, but actually seeing the Ancient before him was mind boggling.
