by Donna Grant
“I spent lifetimes scouring my world for you,” he said.
“Anyone in my mind would know that.”
A small frown formed, but he hastily smoothed it away. “You doubt it’s me?”
“Look around,” she retorted.
His lips curved in a smile. “They’re gone, lass.”
A quick look confirmed that he was right, but she still didn’t trust him. “This could be a ruse like the others.”
“Nothing’s holding you here. You can wake up. Con healed you.”
She shook her head and stepped out of his arms. “I’ve tried. I’ve tried to move. I’ve tried to call out to you.”
“I’ve been by your side the entire time,” he said solemnly. “I came here, hoping to find you. The only place I’ve held you until recently was in my dreams.”
Eurwen shook her head. “Stop.”
“You’re going to have to trust someone if you’re going to get free.”
She hated that he was right. So much of her yearned for this to be the real Vaughn, but she couldn’t take that chance. If she were wrong, she didn’t want to think about what could happen. She didn’t even know all that had transpired since being attacked. All she knew was that something held her, and she wanted free.
Eurwen squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “You’re right. I do have to trust someone. And that someone is me.”
Vaughn grinned and nodded. “Exactly. What are you waiting for then?”
She couldn’t stop the smile his words brought.
“You’re a product of one of the most powerful Dragon Kings to ever be born, as well as a formidable Light Fae who never lets anything stand in her way. With the blood of those two flowing through your veins, nothing should hold you. No’ now. No’ ever,” he said, his words and gaze intense.
Eurwen realized the truth of what he said. She hadn’t used her magic because something had told her she couldn’t. She hadn’t been able to move because someone had put something in her mind that convinced her of that. She hadn’t been able to open her eyes or call out for help because the entity had made her believe that it was impossible.
The more those thoughts occurred, the stronger her magic coursed through her veins. She drew in a breath, feeling her magic take over every inch of her body. Her eyes closed as she thought about breaking free, of eradicating whatever had trapped her. She saw a bright light through her eyelids. When she opened her eyes again, she realized that the light was her. She was glowing.
And it felt amazing.
With a shout, she shattered the bonds holding her.
Eurwen came awake, gasping for air as she sat up, ready to fight. There was movement beside her. She turned, trying to see through the glow of her body. Through the bright light, she saw Persian blue eyes filled with pride and love staring back at her.
“You did it,” Vaughn said with a smile.
She swallowed as the light dimmed and then faded completely. “Am I really free?”
“Oh, aye,” he said.
She threw her arms around him and held on tight. Everything felt real. She sank her hands into his hair, feeling the cool strands sliding through her fingers. She breathed in the scent of sunlight and pine from his skin and clothes. His arms held her firmly against him.
The door of the cottage flew open, and people spilled into the house. Eurwen and Vaughn released each other as surprised smiles greeted her.
“You did it,” Brandr told Vaughn.
Vaughn looked at her and shook his head. “Your sister did it herself. I simply reminded her who she was.”
Eurwen reached for his hand, needing to feel him.
“What happened?” Rhi asked.
Con added, “We saw glowing.”
“That was Eurwen,” Vaughn told them.
Eurwen knew that everyone wanted details. They needed it. But right now, she just wanted some time with her thoughts. “I’ll tell all of you everything, but I need a wee bit.”
“Of course,” Rhi said as they began walking out.
Vaughn rose to his feet, but she stopped him with her hand. “Not you.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “Oh?”
“We need to talk. There are some things I’ve not told you. It’s time you know everything.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Vaughn’s heart pounded rapidly. He tried not to read anything into Eurwen wanting him to stay behind, but it was impossible not to. Her face and voice gave nothing away—nothing that would allow his poor heart to stop worrying.
Vaughn glanced at the door to see Brandr bow his head to him slightly before closing it behind him. In all his years, Vaughn had never been so nervous. Had never been so anxious to hear news. He remained standing. Eurwen gracefully rose from the bed and moved around the cottage.
He didn’t take his eyes off her. She moved fluidly as if she contained all the elements—embodied them. Despite her ordeal—or perhaps because of it—she seemed to have a radiance from within. Vaughn still couldn’t believe that she had glowed as much as her mother did when Rhi became angry.
It also brought to mind seeing multiple versions of himself in her dream. They had looked just like him. Sounded like him, too. It had been disconcerting and unnerving to see so many copies of himself. It was no wonder Eurwen hadn’t believed that it was him when he arrived. He had no idea how long she had been tormented so, but it was a testament to her strength of mind and will that she was able to find a way out of such deception.
For the first time, Vaughn noticed the two halves that Eurwen embodied. For her dragon side, she had the patience and discipline that dragons were known for. Now, however, she also had the same light within her that Rhi had. It had always been there, but now, it was brighter, stronger. Her battle had given her that. To Vaughn, it looked as if the two halves within her had finally come together, uniting into one powerful being.
Eurwen turned to him. As she did, her black battle attire faded away. A flowing silk dress of deep mauve that cascaded elegantly to the floor at the sides and to mid-calf at the front and back replaced it. Spaghetti straps connected a bodice with a scoop neck at the front. She turned slightly, and he saw the sexy racerback of the gown. Her golden hair was free and hung to her waist in soft waves. She was barefoot with only a slim, gold ankle bracelet around her left ankle. Her silver eyes were steady as she gazed at him.
“Thank you,” she said.
He shook his head. “For what?”
“You helped me break free.”
“You did that all on your own.”
Her lips softened. “It was you who urged me to see what was within. I was too trapped to know what to do.”
“You would’ve figured it out on your own eventually.”
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug of one shoulder. “Or maybe we work well as a team.”
Hope leapt in his heart. “I agree with that.”
“Was I here the entire time?”
Vaughn nodded once. “After you fell and Con healed you, I brought you here. Nothing we did revived you. You were unconscious for a full day.”
“I thought I was being held somewhere else. I couldn’t move, couldn’t open my eyes or talk.”
“Whatever it was, it was in your mind.”
Her head turned slightly as she looked out a window. “Did you find who attacked me?”
“We searched. There was nothing.”
Her eyes snapped back to him. “Did you not get my warning?”
He frowned as he shook his head. “What warning?”
“Before it struck me, I said that it was invisible. I only saw a shimmer out of the corner of my eye.”
“We never heard that. Whatever you said before it attacked was distorted. As if something intentionally prevented your words from reaching us.”
Her eyebrows shot up in shock. “They were able to interfere with our telepathic conversation?”
“It appears so.”
“And they’re invisible.” Her shoulders
lifted as she drew in a deep breath. “I’ve never been so scared.”
Vaughn took a step toward her. “None of us was going to allow anything to take you from us. I was prepared to do whatever it took.”
“I knew you would find me. There was never any doubt.”
“Good.” He wanted her to know that he would’ve stopped time to free her.
She licked her lips and walked to him, closing the distance between them. “I realized a few things while being held.”
“Is that so?”
Eurwen pressed her lips together, a hesitant expression crossing her face. “I’ve never been in such a situation before. I’m not too proud to admit that I believed myself too powerful to be put in harm’s way or captured. I now know that isn’t true.”
“All of us have been in similar situations. When you have the power we do and the abilities we possess, we sometimes forget there are ways that others can get to us. No one is infallible. No’ even a Dragon King.”
A hint of a smile pulled at her lips. “Thank you for attempting to make me feel better. The thing is, I’m thankful for what happened. I was shown that I need to strengthen certain aspects of my magic. But I also learned that I’m able to access power I never knew I had. I could feel it running through me.”
Vaughn nodded slowly. “I see the changes in you. It’s in the way you hold yourself, how you speak. You were already powerful. Now, you are more so.”
Her eyes dropped to the floor for a heartbeat. “As wonderous as all of that was, it wasn’t what really changed me.”
“Then what did?”
“Realizing that I might never see you again.”
Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat. He searched her face, too afraid to speak for fear she might stop talking.
“All I could think about was you,” she admitted. “I realized how many centuries I lost with you. More than anything, I realized I’ve been a fool.”
He shook his head, his lips parting to speak when she held up a hand.
“Please. Let me finish.”
It was the hardest thing Vaughn had ever done, but he remained silent.
“I put this realm, my brother, and the duties I have before my heart. I stopped hearing what my soul needed. Stopped listening to what my heart cried out for. I deadened myself to all of it because I thought I had to choose between my life here and…you,” she finished with a whisper.
Vaughn yearned to reach for her. The need was so great that he fisted his hands to keep them by his sides.
Tears filled her eyes as she blinked rapidly. Her body was stiff with emotion, her pulse erratic at her throat. “What I’m trying to say—badly—is that I love you.”
“I love you,” he whispered as he gently cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
Her arms came around his neck as she returned his kiss. He lowered his arms and snaked them around her, tightening his hold as the kiss deepened. As much as he wanted to finish what he had begun, now wasn’t the time. Vaughn slowly ended the kiss and lifted his head.
“Forgive me,” she said.
He frowned as he shook his head. “For what?”
“For not returning to you all these years. For putting you off once you found me again. For causing us to miss so many lifetimes together.”
Vaughn gazed down at her, wondering how he’d ended up with someone as beautiful and special as Eurwen. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
“I disagree.”
He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “If you need an example that the universe brings people together when it’s time, look at your parents. Same goes for us. We may never know why we spent so many centuries apart, and I doona care. What matters now is that you’re in my arms.”
“I never want to leave them,” she said with a smile.
“Just what I wanted to hear.”
Eurwen’s smile dropped. “We’re going to have to work out something regarding our living arrangements.”
“Whatever you want. I doona care.”
“Of course, you do.”
“I doona,” he insisted.
She gave him a flat look. “Vaughn, Dreagan is your home. Your family is there.”
“They are. But the one who holds my heart is here.”
Her smile was radiant as it spread across her face. “Please don’t ever stop talking about me like that.”
“It willna happen,” he promised.
“As much as I want to celebrate this, we still have business to take care of.”
“Trust me. I’m aware. So is everyone outside.”
“How do we fight something we can’t see?” she asked.
Vaughn gave her a quick kiss. “With an army.”
“Brandr will balk.”
“He was struck, same as you. Con got to him before he fell unconscious. That may be the only reason he wasna affected as you were. But the generals are dead. As well as about fifty dragons.”
Shock made her face pale as her lips went slack. “No.”
“I’m sorry.”
Eurwen swallowed and lifted her chin. “You’re right. We need an army. An army of Dragon Kings.”
“We’ll be a united family. It might no’ hurt to consider using some of the mates, as well.”
She nodded excitedly. “I hadn’t thought about the Druids and the Fae, but you’re right. We can’t allow whatever is here to stay. Let’s go tell the others.”
As she turned to walk to the door, Vaughn held her hand and pulled her back to him. He smiled as their gazes held.
“What?” she asked softly.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just wanted to tell you again that I love you.”
“And I love you.”
After another lingering kiss, they walked from the cottage together.
The group was upon them the minute they emerged. As Eurwen fielded questions from others about her experience, Vaughn listened with half an ear since she had already told him everything. He noted Brandr watching him. Vaughn wanted to talk to him. Brandr might have been civil when it came to helping his sister, but Vaughn wasn’t sure how far that would extend. Especially once Brandr discovered that they were to be mated.
“Invisible?” Varek asked.
V crossed his arms over his chest. “Shite.”
Vaughn looked at the other Kings, each of them likely thinking the same thing—it would take the Dragon Kings.
“And nothing like this has ever happened on Zora before?” Rhi asked.
Brandr shook his head. “No’ since Eurwen and I have been here anyway.”
“I’ve never heard of it either,” Jeyra added.
Rhi turned her head to Con. “We might need to speak with Erith. If she created this realm, she might have an idea what this is.”
“Good idea,” Con replied.
Eurwen got Vaughn’s attention before she looked at her brother. He nodded to her. She took Brandr’s hand and moved away.
Once they were out of earshot, Claire asked, “What is that about?”
With all eyes on him, Vaughn looked at Con and Rhi. “She’s talking to her brother about her and I being mates.”
“She finally admitted it?” Rhi asked with a brilliant smile.
Con’s lips turned up in a grin as he and Vaughn clasped forearms and slapped each other on the back with their free hands. “I never had any doubt.”
“Congratulations,” Varek said.
V chuckled. “How long before Con warns you no’ to hurt his daughter?”
“No’ long at all,” Con replied.
The group erupted in laughter.
Vaughn took a deep breath. Despite the threat that still hung in the air, he felt lighter than he had in a long time. He had his mate. At one time, he’d feared never finding her. Now, she was his. No dragon or man in the entire universe could be as happy as he was.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“I know what you’re going to say,” Brandr said before she could
speak.
Eurwen faced him and looked into his black eyes. “Do you now?”
“You’re Vaughn’s mate.”
“Or you could’ve said, he’s my mate. I am half-dragon.”
“I’m happy for you.”
Brandr said the right words, but Eurwen wasn’t sure he meant them. “Are you?”
“I am,” he said with a nod. “You deserve to be happy.”
“So do you.”
He glanced away. “One day, perhaps. Are you living on Earth?”
“I don’t know what we’re going to do. My home is here. Vaughn’s is there. But there has to be a way to work it out. That is if you aren’t going to banish me.”
Her brother smiled at her. “I was never going to banish you. I was angry when I said that. As for where to live, split time between the realms. I can cover things here while you’re gone.”
Eurwen was so surprised that she couldn’t speak for a moment. “You’re all right with a Dragon King living here?”
“He’s your mate, Eurwen. If I refuse him, I refuse you. Mates are as one. And you’re my sister. I willna sever that bond.”
Emotion choked her. She quickly blinked back tears. “Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing for putting you in a position where you thought you had to choose. This is your home. You have as much right to make decisions as I do.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and quickly wiped away the few tears that had escaped. “I’m glad you see that.”
“Sadly, I didna until you were injured. It all quickly came into perspective. I didna realize how I had been acting, but the real factor was Vaughn. He was willing to die for you, and I know he would’ve. There isna a doubt in my heart that he doesna truly love you.”
“And I love him.”
“I have one request,” Brandr said.
Eurwen shrugged. “Anything.”
“Have the mating ceremony here.”
She hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “Here? You know that means the Kings will come to Zora.”
“As they should. We have no right to keep them away from the dragons. They should witness their brethren’s mating. As the dragons here should bear witness for one of theirs.”
