Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) (40 page)

Bringing
his attention back to the girls, he was happy to see them enjoying themselves.
Wanting to show them his home and spend some
quality
time with his mate,
he called to them, “Come on, you two. There’s a lot more to see.”

They
picked up several more pieces of jewelry, and he listened as Emma explained
each piece in detail and the importance
of the
design and color of scales. He smiled when Emma explained the significance of a
bell ringing to the dragon people, and as they walked towards him, they were
chattering on and on about all the pretty pieces they had seen.

“Did
Emma make the bracelet
Kyndel
wears and necklace
Grace wears?” Sam asked.

“Yes,
she did,” he answered. “Why do you ask?”

 “Interesting
they have bells on them…” He didn’t let her finish before he kissed her quickly
but with all the love he felt.

He
heard bells ringing and the sound of Sydney laughing. Looking over Sam’s
shoulder, he could see Emma and the child holding bells the artist had crafted
from larger dragons scales and grinning ear to ear.

“Very
funny, you two.”
He winked as Sydney ran back to him and
Sam.

“Well,
Emma did say that every time a dragon kisses his mate a bell rings.” Sam
laughed and he was once again reminded how truly lucky he was.

They
continued their leisurely walk as he pointed out other buildings and continued
introducing both to everyone they passed. Sam was obviously impressed when they
reached the Cave of the Elders. Unlike any other cave, the entrance had been
carved over time, depicting the journey of the Golden Fire Clan and their quest
to preserve their past, grow their community, and enhance the land that was
their home. The intricate design transformed the gateway to the sacred laws and
rules of their society into a thing of beauty. 

If
possible, he was even more proud of his mate when he introduced her to the clan
Elders. These four men had lived longer than most, experienced things most of
them could only imagine, and were responsible for the social, political, and
economic structure of their civilization. Her eyes lit with an excitement he
had only seen when they were alone, and she practically glowed from the moment
the Head Healer, Zachary, began to speak. The oldest known living member of all
dragon kin had seen more battle, and had performed more healing than any other.
He had a wisdom that literally flowed from him into anyone willing to accept
it, and his Sam was more than willing.

Lance
watched as Zachary took Sam’s hands in his. The amazing energy of the aged
dragon flowed all around them. He spoke in a voice weakened from age but still
clear and direct, “You have incredible healing powers with an empathy that
surpasses even mine. I can imagine you have healed many and I
know
you
will be very important to both human and dragon kin.” His mismatched eyes met
Sam’s and Lance saw her slowly nod. The Elder and his mate talked until Sydney
yawned loudly from where she played at his side.

Carrick,
the Chief Elder, knelt down beside her, and Lance almost gasped out loud. Never
before had he seen the leader of their clan on the floor. Carrick’s deep voice
bounced from wall to wall even though he spoke barely above a whisper, “Are you
having fun little one?”

“Yes,
sir, I am,” Sydney answered completely unimpressed by the person speaking to
her, but incredibly respectful.

“I
hope you enjoy your time here. Maybe you will come see me again, someday.”

“That
would be cool. I can bring more toys next time,” the child responded.

Carrick’s
booming laughter was all they could hear for several seconds as it echoed all
throughout the cave. “Yes, my dear that would be perfect.”

As
they said their goodbyes, Lance couldn’t help but wonder what is was about
Sydney that drew the Chief Elder’s attention. He was beginning to get a list
longer than his arms of questions that needed to be answered, but the first
order of business was to officially mate the miraculous Samantha Malone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Forty-eight hours after
her first dragon flight, she was preparing to be mated to the man that had
stolen her heart. His home sat at the edge of the lair of his clan with a lush
wooded area behind it. It was freaky, but also reassuring, that his home so
closely resembled hers; painted white with black shutters and windows
everywhere. The main difference was the fact that his was over twice as big as
hers. 

 Her
wild mane would not be tamed, and she refused to wear it bound in her usual
French braid. Frustrated and staring at herself in the mirror, she was just
about to give up when Siobhan had shown up with four stunning golden hair
combs. When she held them in her hands, she realized they were carved from the
scales of a golden dragon. As she raised her eyes and met the Elder Healer’s
eyes. The older woman simply nodded, and returned to securing Sam’s hair in a
complex design of braids and curls. As she worked, she added tiny, light blue
forget-me-not blooms throughout the design. She never wore very much makeup,
and thankfully was blessed with her father’s skin tone so she got away with a
dusting of powder, a little mascara, and burnt honey lip gloss.  

Earlier
in the day, a large box was delivered, containing dresses for both she and
Sydney along with a note from Lance.
‘For my beautiful
ladies.
Elder Carrick and the others have given permission for
Sydney to attend the ceremony with us. See you there. All my love, Lance’

Their
gowns were absolutely beautiful. Sam’s was made of golden gossamer, and draped
over one shoulder while leaving the other bare. As she shook it out, getting
ready to try it on, she marveled at the way the light made it sparkle, almost
like there were little diamonds woven into the fabric. When she slipped the
dress over her head, she was amazed at the perfect fit. It had been handmade.
She wondered when Lance had found the time to order them. The bodice was
fitted, and a dark gold satin ribbon tied around the waist, making her hips
look rounder and fuller.

She
frowned at her reflection having always hated her hips, and the words Lance had
spoken when she had mentioned losing weight whispered through her mind,
‘I
love you mo
chroi
, just as you are. Your body was
fashioned by the Universe to be everything I ever wanted or needed. You are
perfect, inside and out. I love every curl of your gorgeous hair that wraps so
lovingly around my fingers. I love the sweet way the tip of your nose turns up ever
so slightly. I love the way your pouty lips open so readily at the touch of
mine. Most of all, you , mo
ghra
’, must know that I
will die a happy man if it is in your arms, pillowed by the fullness and curves
that signify you are all woman, and all mine.’
Just the thought of her mate
and she was once again calm. It was amazing…absolutely amazing.

Looking
in the full length mirror, she noticed small, dark amber flames embroidered all
over the skirt from the waist to the hem. They made her think of the marks that
both Grace and
Kyndel
wore on their necks. Marks like
the one she knew she would wear for all to see as soon as she was officially
mated to Lance. He’d explained that each varied slightly, but always had some
kind of flame involved in the design, a design that was never known until the
time of marking.

She
pulled Sydney’s dress from the box just as the little one ran into the room.
Her curls that had a few minutes earlier been neatly bound with gold ribbons,
were bouncing all over, daring anyone to tame them. Sam shrugged and figured
there were other things to worry about. “Here’s your dress,
Syd
.”

“
Ohhhhhhh
that is so pretty,” she hopped up and down,
clapping.

In
the blink of an eye, she had her pink robe thrown on the bed and was standing
in front of Sam wearing the cutest little lace slip.
“Arms
up,
Cutey
Pie.
Let’s get you ready to roll,”
she said as she slid the dress over the child’s head.

Sydney
looked like a doll. “Why are you crying, Dr. Sam?”

“I’m
so happy,
Syd
.
Just really, really
happy.”
She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, thankful for waterproof
mascara. “Grab the ballet slippers out of the box and put them on. We don’t
want to keep whoever is picking us up waiting.”

“They’re
golden, Dr. Sam. I love them,” Sydney said as she placed her foot in first one
shoe, and then the other. “
Here’s
yours, too,” she
said as she placed them in front of Sam’s feet.

They
spent the next few moments primping in the mirror, and were just heading out of
the room when the doorbell rang. Sydney ran to the door and yelled, “Who’s
there?”

“
Jace
and Tomas, Miss Sydney, here to escort you and Dr.
Malone to the ceremony,” Sam recognized his voice through the door, and nodded
for the child to let them enter.

Both
of the younger Guardsmen resembled characters from a movie featuring King
Arthur dressed in their best uniforms which made sense since they had actually
come from that era in one way or another. Both had donned
surcoats
of a rich golden color trimmed with braided black and gold rope. On each, the
expertly stitched dragon in the throes of battle was so realistically done that
she half expected it to jump off their chests. The long sleeved undershirt and
pants they wore were coal black, and their knee high, black boots were polished
to a high shine that shone in the late afternoon sunlight.

Jace
and Tomas moved to either side of the door, facing one another as Sam and
Sydney exited. When the ladies reached the edge of the porch the Guardsmen
joined them with arms bent. Tomas was so tall that only Sydney’s hand reached
his forearm but the look on her face told Sam all she needed to know…
Syd
loved every minute of it. Sam slid her arm through
Jace’s
, and together the four of them followed the round
patio stones to the gate at the corner of Lance’s yard leading to a small
wooded area. She had to laugh when they reached the gate, and there was narrow
golden carpet covering the path that Sydney had spotted from the bedroom
window.

She
and
Jace
followed the other pair. They walked about
twenty paces when Tomas stopped beside a large stump covered with lace, holding
the largest bouquet of baby blue roses accented with golden baby’s breath that
she believed had ever been created. There had to be at least four dozen roses,
and they smelled like heaven. The card attached was simple but poignant,
‘Always
and forever. Lance’
. She had taken one from the bunch when
Jace
had thankfully offered to carry them. As she would
have turned away, she spied a small nosegay with the same blue and golden
flowers. When Tomas handed it to Sydney, she looked like she might melt on the
spot. Flowers turned even little girls to mush. She would have to remember to
thank you Lance for thinking of absolutely everything, and making the day as
special for Sydney as he had for her.

They
continued down the path, talking and taking in the wondrous scenery. The
butterflies in her stomach grew, but more from excitement than nerves. By the
time they went to bed tonight she would be mated to the man of her dreams. She
heard the sound of water and wondered what her wise-cracking mate had planned
for the start of their amazing life together. Just a few more steps and they
cleared the trees to find themselves standing beside a small lake. There was a
grotto in the corner where water flowed over large polished rocks and into the
body of water before them. The natural landscaping was flawless but the
decorations that surrounded the lake were breathtaking. Maypoles decorated with
hundreds of ribbons hanging from the top, and flower garlands winding around
the length, dotted the perimeter in almost ten feet intervals.

The
lake itself had large lily pads with multicolored flowers covering most of its
rippling surface. Tied to the whitewashed dock with gold cord, was a small swan
shaped craft. The young Guardsman led them down the dock and made sure both
were secure in their seats before one climbed in the front and the other the
back. Each grabbed an oar and began rowing the boat to the grotto.

As
they slowed, she saw a gazebo decorated to match the maypoles, with four
incredibly ornate chairs that resembled small thrones positioned in a
semi-circle inside. The chairs were empty one moment, and in the blink of the
eye, the four Elders she’d met when she first arrived at the lair appeared.
Lance had shown her just how fast their enhanced speed made them, but
damn
,
even old guys moved
fast
.

Tomas
jumped out, pulled the boat onto the grass, and
Jace
helped both of them onto the shore. The young Guardsmen bowed while motioning
with a flourish for Sam and Sydney to follow yet another piece of the golden
carpet to the spectacular structure that Lance had prepared. The Elders all
nodded their greeting, and she placed Sydney in the small chair to the right of
the steps leading into the gazebo.