by Vella Day
The last thing Finn remembered was four flapping wings, a lot of squawking, and a stream of fire shooting above his body.
Chapter Fifteen
Kaleena paced the bedroom where Finn lay in a heap on the bed in his wolf form. She faced her brother, happy he’d responded so quickly to her distress call. “What do you think?”
Declan shook his head. “I’ve finished the last of the treatments for the burns. Now it’s up to Finn to finish healing.”
Her brother’s ability to heal was legendary, but maybe Finn’s Earth genetics were different from other shifters on Tarradon, and it disrupted Declan’s magic. Her brother said he hadn’t wanted to overtax Finn’s wolf, so he’d performed his healing magic in small bits over the last twenty-four hours.
“How long before he wakes up?”
Declan cupped her shoulder. “Honestly, I can’t say, but since Fate has connected you two, he should feel your concern and healing love. If he does, he’ll pull through.” He dragged his hand down her arm. “If I recall, he wasn’t the only one injured in the battle. How’s your arm doing? A broken wing needs to be tended to.”
Kaleena didn’t have time to worry about herself. “I’m fine. When Finn attacked that monster, it gave me time to heal myself. All that’s left is a little soreness.” To prove it, she lifted both arms over her head and held in the wince.
He glanced at her cheek and placed a hand over it. “If you won’t let me fix the last bit of soreness, then let me repair this scar.”
The bright red slash from the gouge mark had yet to mend but with time it would disappear. She concentrated all her efforts on her wing and not on the inconsequential facial scratch. “Fine.”
Heat poured through her body from his touch, and she almost pulled away from the ache. Closing her eyes to concentrate on her brother’s healing warmth, she inhaled and counted backward from ten to one. When he lifted his hand, all of the pain disappeared. She opened her eyes and touched her face. “It’s gone!”
Her brother smiled and tapped the end of her nose. “I’ve still got the touch, little one. If your arm remains sore, call me, okay?” Her brother’s concern lightened her heavy heart.
“Yes, I promise, and thank you.” She glanced back at the bed.
Declan wagged a finger at her. “And stay inside, please!”
“Don’t worry. I will.” She shook her head. “Damn Rathan and his men.”
“Our guards will make sure no one gets in here.”
Being a good prisoner wasn’t in her genetic makeup, but until both she and Finn were strong, she’d stay inside the country estate. “I have no doubt.”
“Just so you know, I asked a few of the workers to dispose of the dead body,” Declan said.
“I’m glad. I never want to see that creep again.” She’d washed her hands ten times to get that man’s blood off her talons, but she couldn’t remove the image of him struggling for his last few breaths. Even though the man took orders from Rathan, he didn’t deserve to die for something he might not have believed in. “I never want to kill another soul. Fighting is one thing, but killing is another.”
“You had no choice. Rathan sent him to kill you.”
“I know, but I wish our dear cousin would have come himself. I would have enjoyed that kill.”
Declan chuckled and moved closer. He looked down at her. “Rathan would have killed you. Don’t tangle with him.” His voice held a deadly serious tone.
She wasn’t about to say that if Finn hadn’t attacked the Royal Guard when he had, she’d be dead. “I’ll try not to.” She lifted up on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“I’ll leave you to your nursing duties.” He smiled and then left, his boots smacking against the tile floor.
Once his steps faded, Kaleena rushed over to Finn. Declan had healed her lover’s burns. That in and of itself had been an amazing feat.
“Finn, can you hear me?” She placed a hand on his head, hoping to somehow transmit her love to him.
For years she’d always known that he would be her mate, but having him here in person made a world of difference. Because of her special abilities, she was given a window into her mate’s life. For her, it happened about twenty years ago when Fate must have decided she was ready to see the world he lived in. Now, Finn was with her, and Kaleena would do everything in her power to make him strong again.
She sat next to him on the bed, believing what Declan said. If she talked to him, he might not respond, but he would hear the love in her voice. “Hey, baby. I was just thinking about one of the images I received of you and your family.” She smiled at the memory of his youthful feistiness. “You couldn’t have been more than eleven at the time.” She sighed. “What a daredevil you were. You provided me with such wonderful nightly dreams.” She continued to stroke his body.
“I’m not sure whether your parents owned the horses or not, but you and Devon decided to go for a ride in the hills. Being the youngest child, you wanted to prove you were a man, so you challenged your brother to a race. Do you remember that?” She didn’t expect him to respond, but hopefully he could hear her, and the memory might help bring him back.
“Anyway, you were in some field. I’m not sure why your horse spooked, but it did, and you went flying. When you landed, my heart nearly stopped. I can still see the way your leg bent. It was something awful. I had no doubt it was broken.” She smiled. “Brave, Finn. You worked so hard not to cry out. Devon on the other hand kind of freaked, but like a good older brother, he rushed to your side and told you to shift. And you did. I can only imagine how much that hurt. Devon stayed with you for about an hour and then must have figured that your wolf wasn’t mature enough to heal you. So what did he do? He lifted you up and placed you on the back of his horse and took you home.”
She remembered waiting until the next night to find out what happened. “Someone by the name of Kathryn Berta was called in to help heal you. She lit some candles, placed an herb packet under your head, and chanted. Miraculously, you roused in a few hours. Your leg was a bit sore for a day or two, but as soon as it healed, you were raring to go riding again. You really wanted to prove to Devon that you could beat him in a race.”
A muscle twitched under her hand, and her heartbeat rose. “Finn?”
Her pulse soared and Kaleena sat up straighter. The bedroom door opened and Tory entered. Kaleena didn’t need to turn around to know it was her. Their twin connection seemed to be working overtime of late.
Her sister placed a hand on Kaleena’s shoulder. “How is he?”
Tory had been her rock since the attack while Finn tried to heal. “I felt him move.”
“That’s good.” As if together they could reach his wolf, Tory placed a hand on Finn’s body too. “Come on, Finn. Kaleena’s really worried about you. You need to wake up.”
A leg shot out and then retracted, boosting her spirits. Kaleena leaned over and pressed her lips to his ear. “I love you, Finn McKinnon.”
A second later, his eyes opened but then closed again. “I think he’s coming out of it,” her sister said with excitement.
Kaleena rubbed an unscathed part of his body to stimulate him. “Come on, Finn, you can do it.”
As if she’d willed him awake, Finn’s wolf whined as he opened his eyes. His gaze darted around in obvious confusion. She bet the last thing he remembered was passing out after being attacked by that monster guard. Kaleena glanced at Tory then back at Finn and smiled. “You’re at the country house. You’re safe now.”
Finn huffed at Tory and then rolled over. He slowly shook his body as if testing whether he was completely healed.
Only then did Kaleena remember that if Finn shifted, he’d be naked. “Tory, it might be better if you leave. I’ll explain why later,” she said.
“Sure.” Tory leaned over and hugged her. “I’m just happy he’s better. Bye, Finn.”
As soon as she left, Finn shifted and sure enough he was buck naked—just the way she liked him. Kaleena gr
inned. “It’s so good to have you back. How do you feel?”
He sat up. “Confused how I got here, but I think I’m okay.” He looked down at his body, and his eyes widened, probably at the lack of burns.
“What do you remember?” she asked.
He winced. “That I was going to lose you, and I couldn’t let that happen.” Finn pulled her in and hugged her tight. “I didn’t know what to do. When that dragon clawed at your face and then injured your wing, I saw red.”
“What you did was fantastic, especially with the way you somehow managed to get on that guard’s wing. Those few seconds gave me time to gather some strength.”
“I’m not sure I remember much after he shot fire at me. Can you fill in the gaps? And why am I not burned? I remember the intense heat and searing ache.”
“You have Declan to thank for that. He healed you.”
“Ah, yes. Declan is a healer. I will thank him, but how did you escape?” he asked.
“When I saw how the guard had injured you, it gave me this incredible boost to rise and attack. I only had enough energy for one shot though, so with my claws extended I charged, and sunk my talons through his chest and into his heart.” She waved a hand, not wanting to relive that moment again. “He died quickly after that.”
Kaleena swallowed hard to keep down the bile. It wasn’t her first kill, and it wouldn’t be her last, but that didn’t mean she liked taking a life.
“I’m glad he’s dead, but how are you? For real?” Finn reached up and gently touched her face. “I can’t believe it. There’s hardly a mark. When I saw that dragon had gouged your face, I thought for sure there would be a lot of damage.”
She smiled. “It was pretty ugly, but Declan did his magic on me too.”
Finn glanced down and ran his hands over his body. “He’s a miracle worker. I’m not sure even Missy could have healed you without a trace.”
It took her a moment to remember Missy was Kathryn’s daughter and that she had become the healer in the family in Silver Lake, Tennessee. “Maybe not.”
He checked her out. “You look so amazing, all healthy and alive. I can’t believe it.”
She cupped his face. “I’m good now that I have you back.” She wouldn’t mention the sore wing. Her dragon would heal her soon.
“I think I should check you out to make sure there are no other scratches or gouges,” Finn said with a gleam in his eye that screamed trouble.
“Is that so? Did you suddenly get a doctor’s degree?”
He slipped an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “Let’s just say I have a magic touch.”
She chuckled, and it felt damned good. How Finn could joke at a time like this she didn’t know, but most likely it was his coping mechanism for having nearly died.
In a flash, they were stretched out on the bed, kissing and touching. As strong as Finn felt in her arms, she didn’t want him to overtax himself, so she reluctantly broke off the kiss. “You know I’ve been worried sick about you. You might believe you’ve recovered enough for play time, but how about if we get you something to eat before I let you devour me?”
“Can I have you for dessert?” He winked.
She giggled but wrinkled her nose. “No offense, love, but you might want to shower first.”
Finn laughed. He lifted his arm and took a whiff. “I guess I am pretty gamey. I still smell like burnt hair and flesh.”
“How about you clean up while I ask the cook to prepare a meal for us?”
“Sounds good to me. Just so you know though, I still expect you to give me my sweet treat after we eat.” He gave her ass a little slap on his way to the shower.
She squealed and grinned. “Oh don’t you worry, I’ll take care of your sweet tooth.”
Finn couldn’t believe they’d both survived fighting a dragon. Okay, he didn’t actually do much of the fighting, but he had distracted the beast long enough for Kaleena to kick its ass.
Finn downed his drink. “By the way, this wine surpasses anything I’ve ever tasted on Earth.”
She looked down for a moment. “Actually, the vines we use came from France.”
“Really?”
She laughed. “You’d be amazed what we’ve learned from your world. Our philosophy is if we don’t harm anyone in the copying of ideas, we’re good. It’s not like we’ll be competing for resources or customers.”
That made sense. While Finn loved talking about Tarradon, he had something that had been on his mind ever since he awoke. “Kaleena, you mentioned that you’ll need to hole up here for a while because there is a possibility that Rathan will send someone else, right?”
“Yes.”
“As nice as it is here, what do you think of taking a little trip to Earth?” Her eyes lit up. “It would be a perfect place to lay low, and you would be protected there as well. Besides, I feel bad with the way I left my family, and I want to let them know that I’m okay. I know my twin Chelsea is worried too.”
When Kaleena smiled, a huge weight lifted. She then sobered. “I’m sorry I put you in such a tenuous position. As for going to Earth, I think it’s a splendid idea.”
His pulse jackhammered. “You do? That makes me so happy.”
She polished off her wine. “For a short visit at least. I understand what it’s like to miss family. Hell, when I went to school in Colorado, I would return almost every weekend, partly to visit, but also because my dragon became very antsy without her weekly flight. I worried that if I flew too long on Earth, my shield of invisibility might disappear, and that would be bad.”
“I can understand that. My wolf is the same way.” He tried to wrap his head around his real need for the visit. “It’s not just that I owe them a good explanation, I want my family to meet my mate.”
Kaleena leaned back in her seat smiling, appearing relaxed and happy at the acknowledgment of them being mates. “I want to meet your family in person too. Your mother seems like such a wonderful person and your dad is so strong and in control. I would enjoy learning more about your siblings too.”
Her comment surprised him. “How would you know about any of them?”
“Yeah…about that…I kind of watched you growing up.” She explained how Fate had decided that she’d be one of the lucky ones who could view her mate’s life.
The idea fascinated and maybe horrified him at the same time. “When I went out on dates, did you like spy on me?”
She sipped her wine as if she needed a moment to think what to say. “It’s not like I could watch at will. Fate picks those moments too. So, no, I never saw you on a date. I would have been so jealous.”
He relaxed until he realized his plan was not without risk since they might not be as safe as he thought. “What’s to stop Rathan and his guards from following us to Earth?”
“He can’t. We’re called Guardians in part because we guard the portals. Normally, the Royals don’t have much desire to visit Earth, as they aren’t into technological advancement, but there have been times when they’ve tried to send one of their minions after us.”
“Like Slater Coghill—the dragon shifter who came after my brother’s mate.”
“Yes. That was an unfortunate mishap. Trust me, I’ll make certain the rest of the team is prepared to stop anyone from entering, especially since we suspect Rathan might try something sneaky.”
“That’s a relief. You said they aren’t into technology? Why is that exactly?” Maybe it was why the castle jail cells had keys instead of an electric device to open them.
“I might have misspoken. They do have cell phones and some drive cars. They’re smart enough to know they must keep up somewhat so that the rest of the realm doesn’t overtake them. I think what they really want is to have the good stuff for themselves, while the rest of the realm remains in the dark ages.”
“So they can control them. Geez, they sound like tyrants the more I learn about them.”
Kaleena reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “They are indeed.�
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The idea of the two of them remaining on Earth appealed to him more and more, mostly because she would be safer there. “What do you think of moving to Earth for good but returning on weekends?”
She shook her head. “That would be the easy way out. The Royals need to understand they can’t take what isn’t theirs. I am a Guardian, and I have responsibilities. We are here to help protect the good people of Tarradon.”
Her philosophy resonated with him, but he didn’t like that Kaleena was willing to put her life in danger. “So you’re willing to die for your principles?”
Saying the word die had his gut churning. He couldn’t lose Kaleena now, not after he just found her.
“It’s who I am. A lot of people rely on me to keep them safe. If Fate chooses that as my path then I must accept it. I could go to Earth and die a different way. All we can do is live and love to the best of our abilities.”
“I get it, I really do.” She needed to live on Tarradon.
While he didn’t want to rush her, the thought of seeing his family had Finn excited. “When do you think we could go back to Earth?”
She finished off her wine. “How about we finish dinner first?”
“Seriously?” She nodded. This was too good to be true. It would be like he never left if they could transport to Earth with a snap of a finger. “So what’s the catch?”
“What do you mean?”
“What’s to stop us from visiting whenever we want?”
Kaleena sighed. “It’s complicated. You’re really close to your family and love them unconditionally, which was one of the reasons why I was so attracted to you in the first place.”
“I hear a but coming.”
“Finn, it will be really hard to explain why we need to leave all the time. Your folks might understand, but others won’t. Next thing you know, your family will want to visit Tarradon.”
“Why would that be so bad?” For the first time ever they were butting heads, and he didn’t like it. “They are aware of dragons, and trust me they’ve kept their fair share of secrets and more than just about your kind. Remember, Slater Coghill showed himself, and they didn’t tell anyone.” At least he didn’t think they had.
