A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book 11) (12 page)

“Yuon arranged for the future queen’s
abduction by the scientists at the warehouse. Meiling was indebted
to Yuon, who saved her grandparents’ home from bankruptcy when she
was young. He forced her to befriend the future queen and then to
drug her so she could be taken to the warehouse.”

“Did he know what would happen to her at the
warehouse?” Tosh asked.

“He watched her being dosed with the breeding
drug. He didn’t care what happened to her, only that she suffered
and that you, sire, suffered as well.”

Tosh looked at Deci, his eyes flashing to the
color of his dragon. “He wanted to take over the nest?”

“Yes, sire.” Maggie grunted slightly and the
tattoo seemed to throb. “He would have had you killed.”

The nest gasped, and an angry murmur rose up
from them. Deci wanted to run to Tosh’s side, her bear full of
murderous intent.

Yuon screamed suddenly as Maggie’s tattoo
glowed even more brightly. “Your parents’ deaths were engineered by
him,” she said.

Deci moved to Tosh and took his hand in hers.
His body tensed, and he looked down at her. “I don’t understand,”
he said.

Yuon’s eyes rolled back, and he slumped to
the ground as Maggie released him. She looked at Tosh and shivered
from head to toe, and then she slipped to her knees. Jun rushed to
Maggie’s side and stopped her from falling over completely.

“Your mother was poisoned when you were
young. Yuon bribed a mansion cook to poison her meal. He had hoped
that your father would be so grief stricken that he would step down
as king. As you were too young to take over, Yuon would have been
given the kingship in your place. He had your father killed during
the hunt and carried his body to a natural wolf pack that destroyed
his body and any evidence of Yuon’s deadly intervention. He had
hoped that because you were unmated and he was much older and wiser
than you, that the elders would put him in place temporarily,
during which time he’d arrange for your death. But they didn’t, and
so he began to plan a way to kill you and take over. You met Deci,
and he changed his plan to include her.”

Maggie’s skin paled and she lowered her head
with a heavy sigh.

Tosh shook his head. “I always wondered about
their deaths. Now I know the truth.”

“I’m sorry,” Deci whispered.

Tosh wrapped his arms around her and kissed
her. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

He released his tight hold on her and turned
to face the nest. “Our laws are clear. Abduction and harm of any
royal nest member, including queen-regent, is punishable by death.
As the rightful heir and leader of the nest, I charge you Yuon
Otaki, Ge When, Brandon Young, and Rine Lau with treason, and I
sentence you to death by combat. I choose Zixin, Wei, and Gen to
fight beside me.”

Zixin, Wei, and Gen stepped up and bowed
before Tosh.

Gen looked up, the glint of tears in his
eyes, and said, “I will honor your parents and you tonight,
sire.”

Zixin pressed his fist to his chest and said,
“They will not see the dawn.”

“It is our honor to fight beside you,” Wei
said.

Tosh called to Dai, Lok, Tai, and Zhen. “Keep
the future queen safe.”

Jun and Liu joined Deci as she stepped back
to the edge of the clearing, surrounded by the guards. She blew a
kiss to Tosh, and he nodded before stripping from his trousers and
shifting into his dragon. Zixin, Wei, and Gen shifted, and together
the four males bellowed their rage to the sky. The dragons holding
the four traitors released them and stepped away. It took only a
heartbeat for the traitors to try and shift. Gen pounced on Rine
before the male had even shifted completely, taking him into the
air, high above the treetops.

Tosh, Zixin, and Wei each grabbed one of the
traitors, Tosh taking his uncle with a furious roar and carrying
him upward. Deci lost sight of them through the trees, but she
couldn’t miss the sounds of the fighting – snapping jaws, flapping
wings, and pain-filled screams.

A shiver wove down Deci’s spine. She had no
doubt that the traitors would die, high above the sacred grove.

“My lady?” Jun said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Liu and I need to get you ready for the
ceremonies.”

Chewing on her lip, Deci pulled her attention
away from the treetops and looked at the young dragon. “Is it too
much? Shouldn’t we wait a while?”

Liu’s brow rose. “Wait for what?”

“Dragons are dying up there.”

“Traitors,” Jun said.

“I know, but it just seems strange to be
dressing up for the ceremonies when my mate is up there killing his
uncle and last-living relative.”

Liu tutted. “Males are fierce. To put off the
executions for the ceremonies wouldn’t be prudent. It’s important
for the prince to ensure your safety from today forward, and that
means those males need to die. Now.”

There was a loud crunching sound above them,
and a few of the dragon males shifted and took to the air.

“Where are they going?” Deci asked.

“To help dispose of the bodies,” Jun said.
“Put everything from your mind but the ceremonies. Today you’re
going to become our queen in truth. The prince is showing the nest
that he will kill to protect you. You need to show the nest that
you will stand beside your mate through anything and
everything.”

Deci nodded in understanding. “Dragons aren’t
warm and fuzzy.”

Liu snorted. “Not when it comes to the safety
of their mates and their families.”

She looked upward to where her mate was
dealing with the dragon who killed his parents and had planned to
kill them. That a family member could be so consumed with becoming
a leader that he would stoop so low baffled Deci. He must have been
evil from the inside out.

“I’m ready to be queen and to stand by Tosh
for the rest of our lives.”

* * *

Tosh carried the body of his uncle toward the
nest’s burial grounds. He felt strange – both sad and elated. He’d
fought and killed before, but never someone in his own family.
Behind him, his guards carried the bodies of the other traitors.
He’d known his uncle wasn’t happy to be passed over for leader of
the nest to the point of delusion, but to know that other males had
acted in concert with him, had known that Deci could be raped and
harmed by their actions, caused him to feel betrayed all the way to
his soul.

The burial grounds came into view at the edge
of the dragon’s territory, and Tosh lowered himself to the ground.
The ground was cold and covered in snow, but several dragons had
flown ahead and prepared it, digging a deep trench for the bodies.
The males stood next to the enormous hole, their claws caked with
dirt and their chests heaving with exertion.

Gen, Zixin, and Wei laid the traitors’ bodies
in the trench, and then Tosh laid his uncle with them. He stared
down at his uncle, whose body was the same color as his mother’s
burnished copper. Among the many things he wished for that day was
that his parents were still alive, and that Deci had never known
how much evil could exist in the world.

Tosh lifted his head and bayed mournfully to
the sky. The scent of accelerant filled the air as the trench was
doused with it, the bitter scent making Tosh’s nose twitch.
Inhaling deeply, he accessed his fire-breathing abilities and blew
an intense stream of flame over the bodies. He watched as the
bodies were engulfed with flames, and then he turned his back on
the sight and took flight. Gen, Zixin, and Wei joined him in the
air as he wheeled toward the clearing where his mate was getting
ready for their ceremonies. Although the day had been marred with
bloodshed, it was ending in a way that started a new chapter of
their lives. Deci was already his mate and a part of his soul, but
now she would be his in truth and stand by his side as ruler of the
nest.

It was time to move forward, and he could
think of no one he wanted by his side more than Deci.

* * *

Deci looked down at the beautiful green gown.
It was the exact color of Tosh’s dragon, an amazing dark green that
shimmered in the sunlight streaming through the trees. She sat on a
tree stump while Liu fixed her hair. Using matching green ribbon,
she braided sections of Deci’s hair, entwining the ribbon and
pinning the braids into a bun at the nape of her neck. Jun returned
from where she had been working with other dragon females to repair
the clearing so it looked as nice as it had before.

“The prince is back and waiting for you,” Jun
said.

Liu finished off a braid and then looped it
around the bun, pinning it securely. “You look like a queen,” she
said.

“Not quite,” Tosh said as he stepped into
view. He wore trousers and a tunic the same color as Deci’s gown.
He didn’t take his eyes off Deci as he said, “If you’ll excuse us,
I’d like to speak to my mate for a moment.”

Jun and Liu bowed their heads and slipped
away.

“Humans think its bad luck to see each other
before the ceremony,” Deci said as Tosh held his hand out to her
and helped her stand.

“We’re not human, but even if we were,
there’s something that I want you to have.”

“What? You already saved my life and have
ensured that we’re
both
safe in the future. In a few
minutes, we’ll be mated and crowned. I have everything I need.”

His other hand, which had been behind his
back, appeared, and between his finger and thumb was a diamond
ring.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice
trembling with emotion.

“You are,” he said. “I want us to belong to
each other in every way, Deci, and that includes becoming husband
and wife in the eyes of the human government. Will you marry
me?”

“Of course!” she said.

He grinned, sliding the ring onto her finger
and then tugging her lightly against him. “We can get married in
the spring, so your sister can come if you’d like.”

“I’d love that.”

He kissed her, and she rose onto her toes and
kissed him more fully. “Careful, my future queen. I wouldn’t want
to wrinkle your beautiful gown.”

“Your kisses are worth a little bit of
wrinkling.”

He cupped her face. “There was never a more
radiant queen, mate, or wife, than you, December. I’m honored that
you’re mine.”

She stared into his eyes, finding herself
falling for the dragon who had, at first, swiped her buck, but then
stole her heart. “I’m so glad you’re mine, too.”

He pressed his lips to hers, and her bear
growled in happiness. His dragon answered with a soft growl.

“Are you ready to be queen?”

“I’m ready for anything.”

* * *

Tosh held Deci’s hand and escorted her to the
edge of the clearing, where he faced Gen, who wore a vest made of
the same material as Tosh’s and Deci’s clothing.

“Thank you for honoring me,” Gen said, bowing
deeply.

Tosh placed Deci’s hand in Gen’s and then
looked at her once more before walking to where Bao and Quon
waited. The nest stood in the clearing in two sections, with a
space between them to resemble an aisle. The flower petals, which
had all but been ruined by the earlier events, had been replaced
with pine boughs that lined the edges of the aisle in dark green,
mimicking the scales of Tosh’s dragon.

A young dragon female played a soft tune on a
violin as Gen escorted Deci down the aisle. The nest bowed their
heads in reverence as the bride passed by, and a hush fell over the
woods as if the world itself were watching with baited breath.

Bao opened the book containing the mating
ceremony and said, “Who brings this female to join with this
male?”

“I do,” Gen said, his voice hitching slightly
with emotion. “As the chosen escort of her royal princess, I bring
her today to be joined to the prince.”

Gen kissed Deci’s cheek and squeezed her hand
before giving her to Tosh. Tosh linked their fingers and smiled at
his mate.

“Prince Tosh, do you declare this day that
December Merricks is the one true mate of your heart? Do you swear
to be true only to her, to honor, love, and protect her all the
days of your life and into the great beyond?”

“I do.”

Bao smiled, his blue eyes crinkling.
“Princess December, do you declare this day that Tosh Okida is the
one true mate of your heart? Do you swear to be true only to him,
to honor, love, and protect him all the days of your life and into
the great beyond?”

Tosh felt the connection between himself and
Deci deepen and sweeten. He’d valued her as his mate before this
moment, but nearly losing her had brought a keen sense of awareness
to him. He didn’t just care for her; he loved her. It seemed
impossible to love someone so much in such a short time, but he
did.

“I do,” she said, her eyes glistening with
tears.

“I declare you officially mated. May your
lives be filled with joy,” Bao said.

The nest cheered as Tosh drew Deci close. He
looked down at his beautiful mate, feeling like the luckiest male
in the universe. “I love you, Deci.”

Her eyes widened and she smiled. “I love you,
too.”

His dragon preened like a peacock. Tosh
kissed Deci, and the nest cheered louder. Their kiss ended with
them both smiling.

Quon took Bao’s place, opening a
leather-bound book; the spine creaked with age. Jun and Liu slipped
forward silently and laid a green, fabric-covered pad in front of
his and Deci’s feet, which was meant to protect their clothes from
the ground when they knelt to accept their crowns.

Two young males, holding green velvet pillows
with Tosh’s crown and Deci’s tiara on them, stepped up next to
Quon. Deci made an almost inaudible gasp at seeing the tiara he had
designed specially for her.

The nest quieted, and Quon cleared his
throat. Tosh and Deci knelt on the pad, with their hands clasped.
The two males with the pillows knelt on either side of him and Deci
and held the pillows in front of them. Tosh released Deci’s hand
and placed the fingertips of his left hand on his crown. He nodded
at Deci, and she followed suit, placing her fingertips on the
sparkling tiara.