She shuddered at the thought of him showing up at their party. She hesitated, but then figured the truth was the best option. Forgive me, Niall. I’m going to exaggerate what happened between us. I hate speaking of you to this monster. Niall didn’t trust her, but she didn’t blame him. She couldn’t stay angry at him for long.
“They didn’t really want me there. They were just using me and wanted me to know it. They still blame me for their clan’s demise.” The words tasted like dust in her mouth.
“That is most unfortunate.”
Right. It wasn’t unfortunate for him, not at all.
“Come. We must walk faster. We have a train to catch.”
“Where are we going?” Nora asked.
“To Dublin. Then we will fly home.”
Home. My home is not in Russia. My home is nearby, in a little cottage near Galway. My home is with Niall.
The first time a true home had been offered to her was with Niall, and she’d just thrown it all away. But it would be worth it if she were able to prevail and escape from the alpha. She had to make sure she kept all of them safe.
20
Niall
Niall raced upstairs to get his wallet as well as the bag he wore around his neck when he shifted and flew. To his shock, a note now lay on the bed. He sank down onto the mattress as he read Nora’s words. She had said she loved him.
He had spoken too soon when he walked away and when he told her he didn’t trust her. Why had he been so hasty? So rash? He should have paid attention to her.
Niall’s protective instincts overtook him at once. He ran behind the castle and shifted into his dragon form. He spread his wings and lifted into the air, flying low over the tops of the trees. All the cars were still parked in the lane by the lake, so Nora had left on foot. She had been gone for at least thirty minutes, but she was still walking. He could travel much faster in the air.
He could smell her scent near the trees behind the castle, so he flew there, hovering low. He was grateful that the fog had risen so that he would not be visible to the human eye.
He had been a fool to let her go when she was so upset. Who knew what kind of dangers lurked out here? Hadn’t he just been the victim of a kidnapping recently? He was all too aware of what could happen when magic was involved. Plenty of creatures would love to catch a powerful witch.
About a mile from the castle, he caught her scent. He also caught the scent of a very pungent male. The male was not human. He smelled like an animal. Could it be a bear shifter? Niall had never met one. They were not native to Ireland, nor was whatever this creature was.
Nora’s words rang in his mind. She had asked if he ever met a werewolf. He had not. He would remember a stench like this. The male stank of beer and rotting meat. He should not be anywhere near Nora, who smelled of wild blackberries and lavender.
Did Nora want to be with this repulsive wolf?
No, she did not. He could sense her emotions, even from in the sky. She was in distress. She did not want to be anywhere near him. Niall folded his wings in and began to circle the two of them. He would watch them and see how the male was treating her. He would discern what their plans were.
As he flew lower, he caught a glimpse of metal around her wrist. His vision zeroed in on her wrist. The werewolf had handcuffed her. White-hot fury filled his bones. How dare that beast put something against her soft skin?
Niall would not stand for it. He swooped down, flying low. He beat his wings, shoving the werewolf away from Nora. He used his claw to rip the metal off of her arms. The wolf roared at him, but he was no match for Niall, who was bigger, stronger, and filled with protective anger on behalf of the female he loved. Liam sent the wolf flying into a tree.
Niall couldn’t speak in this form, but he didn’t need to. He would kill this bastard and rip his head from his body. He opened his jaw, planning to end the wolf’s life, but Nora grabbed Niall’s arm.
“Please don’t kill him,” she begged.
Niall transformed back into a human. His body shook with pent-up rage. “Why should I let him live?”
“It will only bring more battle into our lives. More war. He’s the alpha of a large pack in Russia. They’ll know the second he dies.”
Niall spat in the wolf’s direction. “If he ever steps onto Irish soil again, he’ll be dead.”
Niall wasn’t violent, but this threat was real. He would not let the werewolf live if he ever showed his face in this country again.
21
Nora
Niall had knocked the wolf unconscious when he had thrown him into a tree. Nora used her magic to keep the werewolf from transforming, and she bound his hands together to keep him from escaping. Niall lifted the werewolf’s body and slung him over his shoulder.
“You didn’t need me to tear the handcuffs off. Why did you allow him to put them on you?” Niall asked.
“I didn’t want to put your clan in danger.”
“Our clan could easily defend itself from one werewolf. Evan Declan could hold his own.”
“But what if he had help? What if he had vampires? What if he had an army of Fae?” She touched his arm. “What if he had a witch?” She looked down at the ground, hating to remind Niall of his own experience but knowing it was necessary. “It only takes one witch to bring a group of any kind to its knees.”
“You’re right, but I will always take any risk to keep you safe.”
“That’s hard for me to get used to.”
He stopped walking. “Nora. I love you.”
She was speechless.
“You don’t have to respond right now. I want to get this piece of shite alpha back to Russia as soon as possible. I need to call Kellan and get us a plane, but we have to get to the Shannon Airport first. The fastest way is for me to shift. You can ride on my back, and I can hold on to this lecherous freak.”
She nodded. He dropped Maxim to the ground with a thud. From his bag, he pulled out his phone and called Kellan. Asking the other shifter for help was obviously new to him, but he did it with haste and then thanked Kellan profusely.
“He’s going to arrange the plane now.”
He shifted into his dragon form, and it was a beautiful thing to watch. First, his eyes were yellow. Then, his skin began to shimmer and turn to scales. Huge wings appeared, and so did a powerful tail.
He inclined his head, and she hopped on his back. He picked Maxim up with his claws again, taking no care to be careful. They lifted off the ground and soared through the air.
When they reached the airport, Niall transformed back into his human form and got dressed. Then he slung the werewolf back over his shoulder again. Nora used a spell to make him completely invisible to any nearby humans. They boarded the luxury plane that Kellan had waiting for them. It was small but full of amenities.
“Wow.” Nora had not flown much in her life. As a child, she’d rarely left Ireland, and when she had, they’d taken a ferry to Wales.
She stretched out on the plush sofa, dug through the snack bar, and washed her face and hands in a real sink. During all of that, she was able to keep Maxim knocked out with very little effort. After she’d inspected every square inch of the plane, it was time to talk to Niall.
She sighed. “I owe you an explanation.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he insisted.
“I do. And even if I didn’t, I still want to tell you. When you questioned me the first time, I left out so much, the truth about my life. I told you I went searching for my father in Russia, and that part was true. While I was there, I met Maxim, the alpha of the werewolf pack. He caught me off guard and lured me back to his pack with promises of helping me find the wizard who was my father. He was lying. He didn’t know any wizards. He didn’t know my father. He took me back to their compound, and they held us hostage.”
Niall was silent, watching her, clearly interested in what she was saying.
“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t escape.” She lifted on
e shoulder. “I was only eighteen when I got there. I didn’t know the full extent of my power. By the time I figured it out, a year had gone by. They had figured out how to keep me prisoner.”
“How?”
“They threatened to kill villagers. They actually did it once. They threatened to kill the entire village if I left, so I stayed.”
“How did you finally get out?” he asked.
“Once they told me I’d become the alpha’s mate, I didn’t care anymore. I knew I couldn’t live like that, and I couldn’t bring his child into the world. They are not a loving group. They are not like the dragon shifters. They are brutal, and they are harsh. That’s how I grew up. I refuse to do it to another child.”
Niall exhaled. “I’m so sorry. Will you let me go after them?”
“No. A lot of them are innocent. They’d start a turf war. We’d never be free of them.”
“I’m going to respect your wishes on this. You suffered through living there. But if you change your mind, I’ll go after them. Alone, if I have to.”
She put her hand on his. “Thank you, but I’d rather leave them alone.”
“I wouldn’t make them suffer.”
“I know you wouldn’t. But what if they came after you? What if they found out where your clan lives in Texas? Or what if you were caught, and your clan wanted to help rescue you? Or what if they came after Clara and Juliana, who’d have no chance against them? Or the hatchlings, who’d be terrified.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. I won’t touch them. I promise.”
She hoped he was telling the truth. She was going to choose to believe him.
Once they reached the commune where the wolves lived, Nora pulled the stationary from the castle out of her bag.
They had decided together on the plane ride to dump Maxim right outside the gates of his commune. It would be humiliating enough to stop him from coming after her, but it wouldn’t permanently damage him. However, it might cause discord in the pack if others thought his ineptitude made him look weak.
Nora wanted to leave a note, just to make things clear.
“Let me write the note,” Niall said.
She handed him the paper, and he began to write.
Your alpha attacked my mate, the witch you know as Nora Deacon. It will not happen again. If any of your pack sets foot on Irish soil, the result will be death. No exceptions.
—Niall Byrne, member of The Irish Dragon Clan
With magic, she glued the note to Maxim’s chest, and they lay him on the other side of the gate that led to the compound. From the watchtower area, the werewolf guards watched, but no one moved a muscle.
Nora noticed that Niall had used the word mate in the note, but she didn’t comment. She and Niall needed to talk—as soon as possible.
22
Niall
Niall’s blood was still boiling. It took everything he had not to have the pilot turn the plane around. He continued to fantasize about flying low over the compound and breathing fire onto every square inch of the werewolf pack’s property.
The only thing stopping him was that Nora asked him not to. A few werewolves were no threat to him, but maybe a few hundred might be if they had arrows or cannons. It did not matter to him, though. He would risk it.
He couldn’t get the images out of his head. A young, lonely Nora, desperate for a connection with her father, was coerced into an opportunistic pack by a corrupt, deceptive alpha and a ruthless pack and held there for four years by their threats. They’d used her for her magic, and then, after four years of being caged in their pack, the alpha had promised to mate with her against her will. Niall could not bear to think of it. It bothered him that they would face no consequences.
Niall didn’t know how she was still standing. He’d told her he would make their deaths quick, but if he’d gone and actually laid eyes on them, knowing what they’d done to her, then he felt certain he’d torture them just as they’d tortured her.
The alpha didn’t deserve a slow death. He was supposed to be a leader, not a tyrant. He had abused the trust given to him naturally by his pack, and he’d squandered it on meaningless power. That was exactly what Nora’s mother had done, and it pissed him off that Nora had to endure more of it, even after breaking free from her mother’s rule.
It wasn’t until she put her hand on his cheek that he realized he was growling.
“Your eyes are yellow. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to breathe fire on a small plane, no matter how upgraded it is.”
He shut his eyes, blew out a slow breath, and counted to ten. He turned to look at her. “Is that better?”
She smiled. “You don’t look ready to explode.”
“I was thinking about Maxim again.”
Her hands threaded through his hair. “Don’t. Don’t waste any time thinking about them. It’s over.” She kissed him, and he marveled that she was able to forgive him after what he’d said at the castle.
“Let’s pick a new topic,” she said.
That was a good idea. There were things they needed to discuss. “I can do that,” he said. He pulled her over to the sofa so that they could sit side by side. “Nora, you saw what I wrote on the letter to the werewolf pack. You are my mate.” He took her hands into his, and thankfully, she did not pull away. “I would like for you to give me another chance.”
She meant everything to him. Moments ago, he would have happily shredded an entire wolf pack to pieces. But now he could barely hold himself together as he waited for his mate to answer him. He held his breath.
She stared into his eyes. “I feel like you’re my mate too.”
Relief flooded his body. It would have been enough for him to know that she was alive and that she was healthy. He would have checked on her from time to time, and he would have asked the women from his new clan to keep tabs on her too.
“I’m sorry for saying I didn’t trust you.”
“You had reason not to trust me,” Nora said. “I didn’t tell you a huge part of the story.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
“I had just gotten away when I arrived in Galway. It had only been a week or so. I decided to try to be human. I wasn’t even going to use any magic.”
Light dawned in his eyes. “And then your very first professor was a dragon shifter.”
“Yes,” Nora said, nodding. “A dragon shifter.”
Niall fought the urge to chuckle. Everything made so much more sense now that he had a better understanding of the whole story. “Now that I know about the wolves, I can fully appreciate why you bolted out of my class that day.”
“Yes. I was afraid you’d want me to answer to someone or something.”
“And I did,” he said. “You must have been terrified when I called Quinn.”
“No,” Nora said. She shook her head and smiled. “It was okay. I understood. You were in the same boat. You’d just been used by witches, just as I was used by the werewolves.”
“But my servitude only lasted weeks, not years.”
“It still sucked for you. You’ll never forget it.”
He smiled at her. “That it did.”
He wanted to propose right there on the plane, but he would wait. He was dirty from chasing after her in the woods, and they were both exhausted from flying to Russia and back. He’d hold off until they were back at the castle. It was a romantic setting, and she might enjoy being able to tell the rest of the clan.
She put her head in his lap and slept against him on the way back for the entire four-hour flight, and while she did, he plotted the way he would propose. She didn’t have a family to ask for permission.
He would get a ring, and he would get down on one knee and ask her to marry him by the lake at the castle. If he was lucky, she would say yes. If he wasn’t lucky, if she didn’t say yes, then he would love her as much or as little as she would allow it.
“We’re here,” he said, gently jostling her shoulder. The taxi had dropped
them off at the end of the gravel road.
She blinked up at him, and he lifted her into his arms in a bridal carry. He hoped he’d get to carry her over a threshold one day. She nuzzled against him, drifting off again as he carried her back toward the castle. They’d only been gone about eighteen hours, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.
In the past twenty-four hours, they’d split up when she left him, and then he’d turned his back on her. He’d realized she was his mate and chased after her, only to find her in danger from a savage werewolf. The image of her in handcuffs, being led by that awful wolf, was seared into his memory forever.
But he wasn’t going to think about that. He had a proposal to plan. He carried her to the castle. The shifters must have heard him coming because Liam met him outside.
“She’s out cold. It’s been a rough day,” he said in a low tone. Liam would be able to hear him, but he kept his voice quiet enough so it wouldn’t wake her up. “We’ll fill you in later.”
They hadn’t discussed telling the clan about the werewolves yet, but Niall knew Nora would agree. The shifter clan would need to know about the werewolf pack threat. He hoped they’d never retaliate, but he wouldn’t rule it out completely. At least, not enough for them to not know the possibility existed. The rest of the family was gathered in the living area, and all of the adults looked relieved as soon as he carried Nora inside.
“Are you hungry?” Brynne asked in a whisper.
“Yes, I’m hungry, and I’m sure she will be too.” He’d tried to feed her before they left Russia, but she’d insisted she had no appetite.
“I’ll bring you something upstairs.”
“Thank you.” He was touched, once again, at how this family took care of each other and how they tried to take care of Nora and him too.
He got her settled into bed. A few minutes later, Brynne tapped on the door, quietly saying, “I have some beef stew for you both.”
Professor Dragon's Virgin (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 5) Page 9
