Tempting Treasure (Ashland Pride Book 10)

by R. E. Butler

  “You’ve made her very happy,” Lisa said. “I remember thinking it was so strange that you three were certain you were meant to be together when you were younger. I wondered if it was an infatuation that would go away with time, but it didn’t. You were all right, one hundred percent destined mates.”

  They’d faced a lot of that over the years, adults assuming they were too young to know what they were talking about. They’d persevered, though, and hadn’t let the naysayers get to them. Because at the end of the day, it didn’t matter to him or his brother what anyone thought of their relationship with Treasure; it only mattered that she was theirs and they were hers.

  “Even though you weren’t sure, you still supported us, and we’re grateful for it.”

  “You’re my sons now,” she said, smiling. “And I love you both dearly. I know you’ll have a wonderful life with Treasure.”

  “Thank you for everything,” he said, kissing her hand before giving her over to Kevin and going to dance with Sam. Once all the dads and moms had been danced with, the trio sat for a while to catch their breath while the pride crowded onto the dance floor and the music switched to faster songs.

  Treasure leaned on his shoulder and sighed. “How long do we have to stay?”

  He chuckled. “We still have to cut the cake.”

  “Oh! I forgot about that. We can let the pride enjoy a few songs and then have cake.”

  “Sounds good to us,” Kevin said.

  Treasure leaped to her feet suddenly, spinning around as her wings, which she’d tucked into her back after the ceremony, suddenly appeared. Kevin and Brian stood, their cats snarling in worry as they looked around, wondering what had their mate so agitated.

  And then Brian saw it – a portal opening a few yards from them.

  “What the actual hell?” His claws and fangs broke free and he let out a warning growl. The music stopped abruptly, and the male pride members joined them.

  “Not again,” Lisa said worriedly from behind them. “Why does this keep happening?”

  Drayce stepped through the portal, along with two males. He put up his hands and said, “Please don’t be distressed, we aren’t here to harm anyone.”

  Brian stepped in front of Treasure. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

  “I’ve come to ensure that Treasure won’t be troubled by any dragon, ever again. Can you please let me explain?”

  Brian glanced at Treasure, and she shrugged. “His aura says his intentions are pure. He’s not here to do harm.”

  “I don’t trust him,” Kevin said in a low voice. “But what choice do we have?”

  “You’re interrupting our mating day,” Brian said. “But if you’re going to fix the mess you made, we’ll hear you out.”

  Kevin turned to face the pride. “Please go back to the party. We’ll handle things.”

  Brian looked at Rhett and Grant, who both nodded in understanding. “We’ve got your backs,” Grant said.

  The pride moved away, leaving only a handful of males to stand with them, including Wyked, Fate, James, and John. Every male was pissed, but no one was more pissed than Brian. He’d had about enough of the dragons.

  “Talk,” he said, folding his arms.

  Drayce cleared his throat. “I honestly believed my father wanted nothing to do with you anymore. But one of my friends overheard some males talking about how the king had gone into the human realm to entice a female to return home. I approached the male but he denied it. I was going to speak to my father about it, but before I could, I felt Treasure in the castle and knew something was wrong.” He gave her a long look. “You asked me if there was a dragon who could make my father do right, and it turns out that dragon is me. I have a way for you to be safe – truly safe – forever.”

  “How?” Brian asked.

  Drayce pulled a leather pouch from his belt and tossed it at them. Brian caught it and handed it to Treasure. “I talked to one of our elders about protection spells and was told that there’s only one that will truly do what you’re asking for. I wrote out the spell and instructions for you; they’re on parchment in the pouch. You can do the spell tonight when the moon rises.”

  “What does the spell do?” Kevin asked.

  “It will prevent her from ever coming into the fae realm again. No one will ever be able to open a portal to find her, and she will never be able to open a portal herself. The spell covers her and any children she has. Anyone who is related to her by blood will be forever prevented from coming to the fae realm.”

  Treasure looked at Kevin and then Brian. Then she looked at Drayce. “I can’t go into the realm myself.”

  “No. You can’t even open a portal.”

  “And no one can open a portal and take me with them.”

  “Correct. Once you cast that spell, even the most powerful dragon or fae in the realm couldn’t find you or pull you into the fae realm. You would be well and truly invisible. You, your children, and their children, forever.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just that you forgive me. I should have stood up to my father in the first place and never come to check you out after you visited your parents’ home.”

  “So this is it,” Treasure said. “I’ll finally be safe.”

  “Yes,” Drayce said.

  “Then I forgive you,” she said. “And wish you a happy life.”

  The males bowed low, and then Drayce said, “We’ll leave you to your celebration.”

  When they were through the portal, it shimmered and disappeared, and their group was left staring at the empty space.

  “What do you think?” Rhett asked.

  Treasure stared down at the pouch. “I believe him.”

  “Then we’ll do the spell tonight when the moon rises,” Brian said. “But until then, we have some cake that needs cutting.”

  But Treasure didn’t say anything, and he and Kevin stopped in their tracks and looked at their mate.

  “Sweetheart?” Kevin asked.

  “What’s wrong?” Brian asked.

  She rolled the pouch from hand to hand for a moment and then lifted her head. Her eyes were filled with tears. They moved to her immediately, sandwiching her between them.

  “Tell us,” Brian urged.

  Kevin motioned for the males with them to head on to the party so they could have privacy, and when they were alone, Treasure said, “This is it.”

  “This is what?” Kevin asked.

  “I’ll be cut off from my family forever when I cast this spell.”

  “But you’ll be safe,” Brian said.

  “Yeah.” She inhaled shakily. “I just…always took a bit of comfort in knowing that I could go see the house anytime I wanted. That I still had a connection to the realm, and to them. This spell will erase that.”

  Brian cupped her face, brushing her tears away with his thumbs. “No way, sweetheart. Your connection to your parents isn’t a physical place, it’s in your heart and your memories. They’ll live on because you’ll tell our children about them, and memories never die. They’re part of our family, even in their deaths.”

  She tilted her head and smiled a little. “I never thought of it that way.”

  “We want you to be safe,” Kevin said. “But we don’t have to do this tonight. If it’s too soon for you, we understand. We’ll just stick by you like glue to ensure you’re protected.”

  She kissed Brian and then turned to kiss Kevin. Sniffling, she brushed her cheeks with her fingertips. “I think we should do it tonight like Drayce said. You’re right. They live on in me, not in that house or that realm.”

  “You’re such a fierce female,” Kevin said. “We’re lucky to be mated and married to such an amazing woman.”

  “This amazing woman is very thankful to have two amazing males at her side, too.”

  Kevin took the pouch and put it in his pocket, and they escorted their mate back to the party. They cut the cake and fed it to Treasure, then shared the swe
et confection with their friends and family. As he watched his mate dancing with Hope after the cake was finished, he thought over the strange events of the day. It had started so well, and then abruptly taken a nosedive. But in the end, things seemed to be on their way back to normal.

  “I’m ready to take her home,” Brian said.

  “Me too.”

  They stood and joined her and Hope on the dance floor. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to steal our bride away for the night. Our honeymoon is waiting.” Kevin pulled Treasure against him and gave her waist a light squeeze.

  “Of course” Hope said. “See you guys in a week.”

  Treasure and Hope hugged briefly, and then their trio made the rounds of the guests and said goodbye.

  “We’re so happy for you,” Lisa said.

  “I’m happy, too,” Treasure said.

  Rhett smiled at them and said, “I want to say welcome to the family, but you boys are already my nephews, so that seems silly. But you’re my sons now, too, and I’m happy for all of you.”

  “Love you,” Treasure said, blowing a kiss to her adoptive parents.

  The trio walked away from the party, which Kevin knew from past experience would go long into the night. They headed toward their own home, where they planned to spend the next week getting to know their bride even better.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Treasure lounged in bed between her mates, her body slick with sweat and her skin still humming from the intense pleasure they’d shared. She’d been looking forward to this so much that she couldn’t actually believe they were married, mated, and in their own bedroom. It’s wasn’t her bedroom, or Kevin or Brian’s, it was theirs, and that made it even more special to her.

  “Are you hungry?” Kevin asked as he rose onto his elbow and looked down at her with a sweet smile.

  “Not really. I am thirsty, though.”

  “I’ll grab us something to drink,” he said, slipping from the bed and striding out of the room.

  She rolled to her side and cupped Brian’s face. “I’m happy.”

  “Oh?” he asked with a grin.

  “Yeah. I mean, it’s finally done. We waited all this time to be together and now we are. We’re marked, mated, and married. I almost can’t believe it, but I’m so, so happy. I have everything I ever wanted.”

  He rested his hand on her bare hip and gave it a squeeze. “I have everything I ever wanted, too.”

  She kissed him and eased back, turning her attention to Kevin as he walked in with three bottles of water. She sat up and accepted the one he handed to her, propping herself up with pillows. A glance at the clock told her that it was nearing the time when the moon was going to rise and she would need to cast the spell.

  “You’re thinking about the spell?” Kevin asked, taking a drink of water.

  “Yeah.”

  “What do you think will happen when you cast it?” Brian asked.

  “I’m not one hundred percent sure. I don’t think anything will happen to me outwardly, but I think it changes my spell-casting abilities so I can’t cross into the fae realm anymore.”

  “You’re sure you’re okay with doing this tonight?” Kevin asked, arching a brow.

  “Yes. I was a little sad and upset at first, but it keeps me and our family safe. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to ensure that our kids and their families will be protected. I mean, if you think about it, when we have kids, we could be looking at some hybrids that have never been created before, since we’ll be mixing dragon, fae, and mountain lion.”

  “So, a mountain lion who can breathe fire?” Brian asked. “Or a dragon that’s covered with blonde fur?”

  She gave him a playful swat on the arm. “Be serious.”

  “Yeah, really,” Kevin said. “Obviously we’re talking about pink-and-blue furred mountain lions here. Fire-breathing optional.”

  “You guys!” she said, dissolving into laughter.

  Brian kissed Treasure and climbed off the bed. “I think we need to get ready.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” she said.

  They grabbed clothes and dressed, and she took a moment to pick up her wedding dress and hang it in the closet. She turned and found her mates picking up their suits and joining her at the closet. When their things were put away, they walked down to the kitchen, where she’d left the pouch. Sitting at the table, she opened it, withdrawing the rolled-up scroll and stretching it out.

  She read through the instructions and spell twice, then sat back. “It’s pretty straight-forward. I only need the spell and the ingredients in the pouch.”

  “Where should we do it?” Brian asked.

  “I think the tree. It’s where I made the portal Hope and I used.”

  Kevin looked at his watch. “We should get going.”

  Treasure nodded. Gathering the items for the spell, she walked out of the house with her mates and headed to the tree. She’d come to think of the tree as central to their relationship, a place where they’d wiled away many hours, talking and loving. It seemed a fitting place to close herself off from the fae realm for good.

  The evidence of their ceremony was still there, the ribbons and flowers fluttering in the breeze. In the distance, she could hear the pride still partying and enjoying themselves, the dance music floating on the wind and making her smile. She truly loved the pride. They’d given so much to her and asked nothing in return. She helped when she could, her fae and dragon abilities allowing her to do tasks that were impossible for other shifters.

  Brian and Kevin kissed her and stepped away to give her room.

  First, she closed her eyes and said goodbye to the fae realm. It wasn’t her home any longer, and her parents were going to live on in her memories and the stories she told her children. There wasn’t anything there for her anymore, and that made closing herself off from the place a little easier.

  She followed the directions as she read them out loud.

  “When the moon rises, spread a circle of magically imbued herbs on the ground and step inside the center.”

  The herbs sparkled in the moonlight; whatever magic had been spoken over them gave them some glittery qualities. She could pick out the scents of mint and salt, and some earthy elements that reminded her of the way the fields smelled in the spring when Rhett plowed for the first time before planting. Turning the pouch over, she dumped the contents into her palm and then made a circle on the ground in front of the tree. As the circle closed, a blast of magic rose up from the ground, coloring the air with a red mist for a brief moment.

  She crossed into the circle, the magic warm against her skin.

  “You okay, sweetheart?” Kevin asked.

  “Yep.” She smiled at them and tossed the empty pouch to Brian, who caught it.

  She unrolled the scroll and read the spell out loud three times, the language of the fae echoing in the night. With each pass, the magic in the circle heated and the red mist that had first appeared returned, layering itself until she could hardly see through it. As she spoke the last word of the spell for the third time, she followed the final direction on the scroll: Burn this.

  Calling on her dragon, she blew a quick stream of fire at the scroll and lit it, watching it burn swiftly and holding onto it until the flames neared her fingers. She dropped the scroll, and it turned to ash as it floated toward the ground. When the ash landed, the circle blazed bright red and a tremor rocked the ground, making her let out a gasp of surprise. Her wings broke free from her back, her shirt tearing as they slammed outward.

  “Shit,” she said, the pain of the abrupt appearance of her wings catching her off-guard.

  She’d opened her mouth to say something else, when her dragon trilled in her mind. Stepping from the circle, she saw a portal appear where she’d stood, but it was opaque and she couldn’t see through it. Like glass, the portal shattered into a million pieces and fell, bouncing on the ground in the circle and disappearing. When the last shard of the portal was gone, the re
d mist of the circle faded, and she knelt and used her hand to disperse the circle of herbs.

  “Are you okay?” Brian asked as he helped her to stand.

  “Yes. My wings just surprised me. They’ve never come out so fast like that before.”

  “You couldn’t control it?” Kevin asked.

  “No.” She looked at where the portal had been, the image still in her mind. “I think it was because of the power of the spell.”

  “Did it work? Are you shut off from the realm?” Brian asked.

  “There’s just one way to know.”

  She created a new circle while her mates watched, and stepped inside, raising her hands and drawing on the power of her fae side.

  Nothing happened.

  Although she could feel her power pulsing through her like electricity, she was unable to open a portal no matter how hard she tried. Her brow dotted with sweat, and her arms ached as she stood in that place and tried to create a way into the fae realm. Dropping her hands with a loud exhale, she let her wings recede into her back and rubbed her neck.

  “I couldn’t open one.”

  “We could feel your power,” Brian said, dropping to the ground with Kevin and helping her to disperse the circle she’d made. “I haven’t felt your power that strong before.”

  “I was really trying to open a portal.”

  Kevin sat back on his heels. “You couldn’t, so that means no one can open one and take you with them, right?”

  “According to the spell, and also what my dragon is sharing with me. It seems that she’s got a pretty good memory for things from my past. The more I draw on the power and learn about her, the more she reveals.”

  “That’s good,” Brian said. He picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We just want you to be safe. It’s no way to live, always looking over your shoulder.”