Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1) (11 page)

“During the early morning, a dense fog covers the lower mountains. The trees on our mountains are much larger than the ones you have here. Some of the branches are as big around as the trunks of your trees. They have to be to support the weight of the dragons who love to fly through them.” Zoran began.

Abby gasped as the symbiosis around her neck wove with the one around his. The warm gold bands intertwined together, sending her pictures of what Zoran was describing. She watched as he shifted to his full dragon form, a powerful green, gold, and red dragon. He wasn’t massive like the dragons from the movies; he was the same height as he was now if you didn’t count his tail and wings. She saw his gold symbiosis form armor over his body, a gold breast plate, head armor, and armor for his claws, wings, and tail. She watched as his powerful wings swept up and down lifting him straight up into the air in a matter of seconds. She turned her head. It was as if she could almost feel the wind blowing across her face as he flew through the thick fog, swerving in and out between the huge branches of the trees before breaking through the cloud cover to soar over the mountain ridges. Abby set the guitar down without opening her eyes so she could spread her arms out as if she was the one flying. Zoran’s voice rolled over her, through her, as if they had become one and the same. She felt the freedom and power of the dragon in flight. She laughed as she felt the spray from the waterfall as he dove down swirling, in and out of the rainbow colored mist. She looked at his reflection as he skimmed the water; his back claws drawing faint ripples as he let them barely touch the surface before sweeping back up. She could feel his love for his home and the freedom of being who he was in those few precious minutes. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt him landing on one of those thick branches so he could look down upon the world he called home. It was incredibly beautiful.

The sound of a truck coming up the drive and Bo barking drew them out of the world they had escaped to. As the gold around their necks separated, they gazed at each other unable to bear ending the journey they had just traveled together. Zoran leaned forward brushing his lips gently across Abby’s lips.

The sound of a truck door slamming finally broke through the daze Abby was feeling. Turning to look at their visitor, a smile broke through at the sight of Edna’s worry look. Abby pulled herself reluctantly out of Zoran’s arms and off his lap to stand up.

“Welcome home, Edna.” Abby said smiling at her old friend.

“Hello dear. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Edna said with a small smile and a knowing look.

“Zoran, I’d like you to meet an old family friend. Edna knew my grandparents when they lived in Los Angeles and has known me my whole life. She’s my god-mother.” Abby said walking forward to wrap her arm around Edna’s waist. “Edna, this is Zoran. He needed a place to stay for a few days.”

Edna frowned. “Just for a few?”

She looked back and forth between Abby and Zoran. Abby blushed, unable to meet Edna’s knowing look. Zoran immediately liked the older woman.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Edna.” Zoran said.

Edna frowned. “What did he just say? The only thing I halfway understood was my name.”

“He said it was a pleasure to meet you. Zoran isn’t from around here.” Abby said pushing her hair behind her ear as she looked nervously at Zoran. She had never, ever lied to Edna and knew she could trust her with her life but she wasn’t sure she could trust her with Zoran’s.

“Where are you from young man?” Edna asked in her usual point blank I-want-a-straight-answer-right-now voice.

Zoran looked amused. He could tell Edna was very protective of Abby and he appreciated that. He also thought it was funny she called him a young man. While he did not know the age limit of Abby’s species, his could live for thousands of years. His father perished in a tragic accident during a hunt; even so, he was over a thousand years old. His mother would have perished if she had been his father’s true mate but she was never accepted by his symbiosis or his dragon fully. They still reproduced but that was mostly because his mother came from a long and distinguished line of dragons. Theirs was a union of two strong clans bound together to form one strong one.

“A very distant land.” Zoran replied, looking directly into Edna’s eyes.

“He’s from a very long away, Edna. Would you like some coffee or tea? I also need to show you the piece I finished. I’m flying out tomorrow morning to New York to deliver it. Can you believe they are sending their private jet for me?” Abby said, moving up the steps giving Zoran a warning look as she passed him.

Edna chuckled. “I’d better skip tonight. I love my kids but, damn if they don’t tire me out. I want to see this piece you’ve been hiding from me and get Gloria and Bo back home before it gets dark, if I can.”

Abby chuckled slipping her shoes on. The three of them walked down to Abby’s workshop. Edna was impressed with Abby’s latest masterpiece. Edna told Zoran about how proud she was of Abby and how special she was. Zoran just grinned as he watched Abby blushing and trying to get Edna to hush up. Zoran was unable to stop himself from grabbing Abby during one of her blushes and kissing her – deeply, right in front of Edna who stood there grinning.

“Zoran.” Abby protested huskily. She could feel the fire burning inside her. Whenever he touched her she seemed to ignite into flames.

Edna laughed. “I don’t think you two will mind if I call it a night. Zoran, can you give me a hand getting the trailer hooked up and getting Gloria loaded. Abby, I know you need to get your piece packed for transport. I’ll send Zoran back down to help you when I’m done with him.”

Abby took the hint. Abby stay, Zoran go. Edna wanted him alone for a few minutes. Abby gave Edna a kiss and hug telling her she would see her later in the week when she went into town. Edna hugged Abby tightly. She had a feeling it might be the last time she saw her precious little girl. She fought back tears at the thought. She didn’t know why she felt that way, she just did.

Brushing Abby’s hair back, Edna gave Abby one last kiss on her forehead before looking her deeply in the eyes, “You know I love you, baby girl. I’m glad you finally found the man to complete you. Be happy.”

Abby fought back tears. “I love you too, Edna.”

Abby stood by the door for a few minutes watching as Edna and Zoran walked back up the path towards the cabin. Taking a deep breath, she turned and began the tedious task of packing her creation.

Edna waited until they were far enough away from the workshop Abby wouldn’t hear what she had to say. She was determined for Abby to find happiness, even if it meant her moving far away. She couldn’t put her finger on it but she knew people. It had been her job for over thirty years in the entertainment business to know how to read people and Zoran was like no person she had ever met.

“Who are you?” Edna turned looking at Zoran. “And don’t try to bullshit me. I know people and you are not like anyone I have ever met. I need to know you aren’t going to hurt Abby. I’d kill you myself right now if I thought you would. I just need to know my baby girl is going to be happy.”

Zoran stood for a moment looking at the old woman standing in front of him. Looking down at the determination in the woman’s face, Zoran knew he could not hurt her or Abby by taking Abby away without the woman knowing Abby would be alright. Staring up at the path to the meadow, he made the decision to let Abby’s friend know just how much Abby would be loved and cared for. Reaching down, he took Edna’s withered hand in his and nodded.

Edna was nervous as Zoran led her up the path to the meadow. She had been to the meadow hundreds, hell, maybe even thousands of times, over the thirty plus years she had known Abby’s grandparents. Bo ran ahead of them used to the direction they were going now. Edna was beginning to grow concerned until she stepped into the meadow and saw a large golden ship appearing out of thin air. She trembled as Zoran led her inside. He waited patiently for his symbiosis to accept her as a friend of Abby’s.

Turning to look at Edna, Zoran said softly, “I am Zoran Reykill, Leader of the Valdier and High King.”

Edna’s shaky hand went to her throat as she slowly sank down onto a seat that formed for her. “Oh, dear. You really aren’t like any man I’ve ever met before, are you?”

Zoran smiled gently, “I highly doubt it.”

“How…?” Edna began. “How did you meet Abby?”

Zoran’s lips curved into a soft smile, “She found me. I was captured by another species. I was injured and landed here looking for a safe place to heal. Bo actually found me. Abby took me into her home and cared for me and my ship.” Zoran said, waving his hand to the golden ship they sat in.

“You’re going to take her away, aren’t you?” Edna whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “When you leave, you plan to take her.”

“Yes.” Zoran said firmly. “She is my true mate. I have marked her as mine and neither of us can be with another.”

“She doesn’t know, does she?” Edna asked sadly. While her heart broke for her own loss, she couldn’t help but be happy for Abby.

“No. She thinks to stay here.” Zoran said.

“What if she doesn’t want to go? Surely, she has the right to know, to make the decision...” Edna began. Her voice faded as Zoran shook his head.

“We can’t be apart, to do so would mean death for us both.” Zoran said. “Edna, you need not worry. I will do everything in my power to make her happy. I love Abby very much. She is my other half.”

Edna smiled through her tears. Nodding her head, “I believe you. She is very special. She deserves to be happy. Just keep her safe and love her. That’s all I could ever ask.”

Zoran leaned forward and gently cupped Edna’s cheek. “I will, I promise.”

Zoran watched as Edna drove slowly down the drive, Bo’s head hanging out the window with the green tennis ball held tightly in his mouth. He turned and walked down the path to Abby’s workshop. Tomorrow, two of his brothers would be here. Unknown to Abby, he would not be staying any longer than it took for her to return to him. Then, he would never let her go again.

Chapter 11

Abby bit her lip as she drove down the highway trying not to start crying again. Zoran had been very reluctant to let her go. After he came back to the workshop last night, he helped her finish packing her creation. It took both of them to get it into her truck. She hoped whoever came to pick her up wouldn’t mind helping her load it on the jet. Afterwards, they walked back to the cabin where Abby fixed them a light meal. After dinner, they sat outside talking about Abby’s clients and how far New York was from California. Zoran hadn’t said anything but Abby could tell he wasn’t pleased. Unable to deal with his disapproval of her leaving, she kissed him, the fire of desire burning in her blood. They spent most of the night making love before Abby fell into an exhausted sleep not long before daybreak.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Abby finally noticed the mark on her neck in the shape of a dragon but didn’t say anything to Zoran. Even now as she drove down the highway her fingers lightly traced the pattern. It looked like a combination of a tattoo and a birth mark. All she cared about was it was a piece of Zoran. It marked her as his and his dragon and no one could ever take that away from her.

Abby pulled into the airport parking lot. The terminal was just a single, one story building not much bigger than her workshop. Mrs. Patterson’s husband, Harry, was the lone airport personnel and he did that as a volunteer. He was a retired Air Force pilot and traffic controller. Abby liked the way he used to come up to the mountain to talk with her grandfather, especially after her grandmother died.

“Morning Abby, I just got a call that your ride would be landing in the next fifteen minutes. Need any help with your crate?” Harry said gruffly.

Abby smiled, “Morning Harry. If you don’t mind holding the hand truck steady while I slide it down, I would appreciate it. I have this thing packed so tight I could probably air drop it down the Boswell’s chimney and it would be fine.”

Harry laughed in response. They spent the next twenty minutes talking about different things while they waited for the jet to finish taxiing. Abby was surprised when two women climbed down from the jet.

“Good morning, I’m Trisha Grove and this is my co-pilot, Ariel Hamm. We are to assist you in any way you need and escort you to the Boswell’s home in New York.”

Abby looked at the two young women. Both were dressed in black form-fitting uniforms that flattered their figures. She had never seen a plane like the one they were flying. The jet had a slick design and Abby could tell it was made for speed.

“Hi, I’m Abby Tanner. Thank you for coming all this way to get me. I can’t believe the Boswell’s are flying me all the way to New York just to deliver this.”

Ariel laughed. “They spare no expense plus this is a write off. This is a new design for business jets and we get to test it out. Both of us were Air Force test pilots so this is one of the perks of the job. The jet is very safe and handles like a dream. They just wanted to test fuel efficiency and speed cross country. We were happy to volunteer for the trip.”

Harry’s eyes lit up when Ariel mentioned their Air Force connection. A half hour later, both women were promising to give Harry an update on their flight when they returned Abby early the next day. The Boswell’s planned a reception for Abby’s new creation and wanted her to stay the night for their dinner party. Abby was reluctant but knew it would be pointless to protest since the Boswell’s connection could mean more contracts for work.

The flight to New York was uneventful. They made a brief stop in Nevada to refuel as Shelby didn’t have the jet fuel they needed. After their brief stop, Abby leaned back in her seat staring down at the passing landscape. She already missed Zoran so much she hurt. She could feel her dragon mark burning as if it was protesting her being so far from him. She absentmindedly rubbed it gently with her fingers. Leaning her head back, she smiled down at the two gold symbioses on her wrists. They were weaving into different designs like they were trying to make her feel better. They both turned into the shape of a dog chasing each other. Abby giggled as she watched them running around her lap. Her eyes widened with wonder as both suddenly took the shape of little dragons and began flying around. She watched as they chased and played with each other for almost an hour before settling back down onto her wrists with a warm, contented feeling. She raised each one to her mouth, gently pressing a kiss to them.