Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) (23 page)

Schooling his expression, he answered as he
knocked, “Now Dr. Malone, would you want me to betray
Syd’s
confidence?” He winked, hoping his humor would distract her. Thankfully,
Kyndel
opened the door, and any other conversation was
drowned out as Sydney yelled ‘Hello’ to everyone, and began asking Jay what
story he wanted to hear.

One hour and four stories later, Jay was
crashed, and Sydney could barely keep her eyes open. He had spent a large
portion of story time wondering exactly how the little girl he’d only known for
little more than a day was able to tap into their mind
speak
.
Somehow, he didn’t think she knew
what
they were saying just that they
were talking directly into each other’s minds. Grace could do the same thing as
a side effect of her
spidey
senses
and
he wondered if that was the case with
Syd
but she
hadn’t mentioned any other special talents. He would definitely have to talk to
the old man after their excursion, and see what he might know about it, but for
now it was bedtime. Scooping her off the loveseat, he said ‘Night’ to all as
he, Sam and the sweet bundle in his arms headed to child’s room.

She barely got through her prayers without
yawning, and was sleeping as soon as her head hit the pillow. The complete
adoration he saw in Sam’s eyes was just one of the hundreds of things he had
come to love about her. He paused, waiting for the internal groan at his
continued sappiness about his mate, but it didn’t come. Only the feeling that
all the pieces of his life were finally in order, filled him. He wondered how
many years of teasing he would have to take from his brethren, and then smiled,
because for the first time, it really didn’t matter; Sam was worth all the shit
he would have to take from them.

He looked back at the one the Universe had made
for him, and she was grinning like a little girl with a secret. She turned and
headed for the door, and he was helpless to do anything but follow. As soon as
the door closed, she started to laugh. He pulled her to him, giving her the
most intimidating look he could muster, which made her laugh even harder.
Lifting her feet off the ground, he walked towards their room. She squealed,
and he asked, “What exactly is so funny, Doc?”

“Put me down, and I’ll tell you.”

“Tell me, and I’ll put you down,” he countered,
and laughed out loud as she glared at him.

“All right, you win.” He set her feet on the
floor, sure to keep her close. “Now, tell me what’s so funny?”

She bit her bottom lip, and he almost forgot what
he’d asked. All he wanted to do was nibble on her luscious mouth himself, and
then she spoke restoring a bit of his focus, “You were looking at Sydney with
such tenderness, then in the blink of an eye, your look changed to one of
almost confusion, and then you looked relieved. It just tickled me to watch all
the thoughts and emotions cross your face.”

“Tickled you, huh?” And with that, he opened
the door, and walked her backwards, thinking of all the ways he would like to
tickle
her.

“Don’t get too cozy in there, Romeo,” Royce
yelled on his way by. “You’ve got less than thirty minutes before Rayne wants
us downstairs and ready to go.”

“Whatever, Old Man.
You worry about your shit, I got this
covered.”

“Yeah, right, whatever you say, Pain in the
Ass,” he heard Royce chuckle, and knew there was more to come. “Feel free to
kick his ass, Sam, and holler if you need any help.”

“Get lost, Gramps,” he yelled into the hall,
and heard his long time friend’s cackle. Had Sam not been in his arms, he would
have kept their banter fest going, but with only thirty minutes to enjoy his
mate, there was no way in hell he was going to waste it on Royce.

He had originally planned to tickle her into
submission, but his only thoughts in that moment revolved around kissing as much
of her body as he could in the time he had remaining.
After all, somebody
has to do it,
he thought to himself as he lowered his lips to hers.

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

Finally, luck had been on his side, and just when it
counted the most. As soon as the idiot, Lance, had driven away and the
werepanthers
were busy cleaning up the mess from the
ritual, he had been able to truly search for Kyra. Thankfully, the little witch
had made a fatal mistake, and gone out in the light of day, sure that she was
safe. She had led him right to the front door of her hiding place. He had just
stood staring for the longest time, not believing that something had actually
worked in his favor. Then the sound of crashing and rather creative cursing
came from inside the tiny, dilapidated structure. He guessed it could have been
called a cabin several hundred years ago, but all he saw was rotten wood held
together by the vines that had grown in and around every available hole and
crevice in the structure. It reminded him of the stories his mother and
brothers used to read to him about fairies when he had been a very young
drake
.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he shut it down. Memories like that
were for losers. His parents were dead, and his brothers were the very assholes
that had left him to be tortured and die at the hands of their greatest
enemies. He hated the fact that since his dragon senses had started to return,
so had the memories he’d worked diligently for years to lock away. If there was
time, he decided he would ask Kyra for a spell or potion to make them
permanently disappear.

The look on her face when she had opened the
door to find him standing there had been priceless, and he had to give her
credit for her moxie. She hadn’t tried to run, and didn’t even scream, only
hung her head, and muttered, “Oh, shit!”  He had pushed her back into her
hole, secured the door, and proceeded to tell her what he needed. Of course,
she’d been resistant. The tiny
witch
could cuss like
a drunk, and had an arm like a prize fighter. It’d taken several hours for the
mark on his forehead, where a particularly large piece of quartz had nicked
him, to heal. In any other circumstance, he would have laughed until he cried
at some of the names she called him, but he couldn’t take the chance she would
think he had gone soft. ‘Son of a
fuckin
’ fairy’s
fat-assed cousin’ had a particularly memorable ring.

After constant reassurances that he was not
going to harm her did not work, he tied her to a chair to lower her resistance and
through gritted teeth (hers), they had reached a compromise. She would make the
amulets he needed, and allow herself to be
detained
until after he had
the Dragon Guard subdued, and he would let her go on her merry way with the
promise never to contact her again. There was no way in hell the last part was
going to happen, but she didn’t have to know that. He did whatever it took to
get her to wield her special brand of magic.

Kyra had bitched and moaned the entire time
they worked. Reminding him that she was a white witch and her magic was not to
be used to hurt others. So he had done what he did best, he lied. Knowing she
doubted every word he uttered, he poured on his long forgotten charm along with
the persuasive manner he had mastered over the years, and she had finally given
in. Although he was sure she had just done whatever it took to get rid of him,
that didn’t matter, he’d gotten what he wanted.

Helping with the ingredients had at least given
him a look into the construction of her talismans, even though he knew their
true power came from the witch herself. She worked with complete confidence,
and a true love of her craft. He opened his long unused senses, still clouded
with black magic, and focused on the tiny violet-eyed sorceress. It only took a
few moments, and he had confirmation of what he had suspected since meeting
Kyra. She was an intended mate of a Dragon Guardsman. Had he not muddied his
senses with tainted magic for so many years, he would have been able to
pinpoint which one, but as it was, just the knowledge that she had been created
for one of the men that had left him for dead was enough. Trying to think of
all the ways he could use the newfound knowledge to his benefit, and coming up
with nothing, he moved on to what was important, his revenge. They would all be
dead by his hand, and she would be his to use as he saw fit,
without
their interference.  

As he sat perched in a particularly large
crevice with a spectacular vantage point, he waited for the Force he had once
belonged to and their allies to arrive. He kept trying to feel bad for leaving
Kyra chained in her hideout while he, John, and the others tainted her magic
and set traps throughout the woods and along the base of the mountain, but he
couldn’t allow her to see how he was using her magic. He was certain she would
do everything in her considerable power to warn the useless Dragon Guard, and
there was absolutely no
way he could let that happen
.

Thinking of all the ways he was finally going
to have what he had worked for since his escape and murder of the wizards all
those years ago, he planned the next steps in his grand scheme. It monopolized
his every thought. Making everyone responsible for the hardships he had endured
pay. When he was done, he may actually let John live, at least for a little
while. The rogue wizard had been instrumental in building their group to over
forty members in an incredibly short time, and he was always available. His
attention to detail had been invaluable when planning the impromptu attack, and
he had absolutely no conscience which had proved essential. It was just another
feather in the evil practitioner’s cap that he had intimate knowledge of Master
Eaton’s methods and was willing to act as spy and go-between, but all that was
to be considered after the Guardsmen were sent to the heavens.

He thought back over their plans one more time.
Pictured where all the traps were placed along with the ‘special surprises’ he
had left. Waiting sucked, but it would all be worth it. John sat down beside
him looking around as if he was also running through their plans. When the
rogue wizard spoke, it was in hushed tones, “Everything is set and ready to go.
Everyone is in position. I can’t think of anything we missed. How are you
feeling, sir?”

He hated when John spoke like they were spies
in some stupid James Bond movie, but he knew it was left over from the many
years he’d spent serving Master Eaton. The wizard leader had an over
exaggerated sense of importance, and liked to play the part more than actually
doing any of the work. He answered, still looking out over the woods behind Dr.
Malone’s home, “I will let you know when the Dragon Guardsmen are bleeding out
at our feet.”

The rogue wizard hummed his agreement. “You’re
going to accomplish what no one else could do…destroy the Force of the Golden
Fire Clan. The stories of their Guardsmen are legendary. The wizards and
hunters have sought to exterminate them for centuries. You’ll be the most
feared and sought after wizard in the country.”

Hearing the awe in John’s voice reinforced his
decision to let the man live while he was still useful. Sooner or later, he
would have to be eliminated, because
no one
could ever know that Andrew
was one of the mighty dragon kin. No until all had been made to pay and he was
ready to return to the clan that had betrayed him, and destroy them as well.
Forgetting the rogue wizard was waiting for his reply until he cleared his
throat, Andrew merely grunted in his direction. He wanted to be feared. It
would make recruiting other wizards, and those with less than respectable
personalities, much easier. When all was said and done, it was going to take an
army to spread his vengeance, and an army was what he would have.

Smiling at the sounds of approaching vehicles,
anticipating the chaos he was about to cause, his heart raced. Those assholes
had absolutely no idea what was waiting for them.
All the
better for him. John tensed next to him. Just a few more minutes, and he would
finally feel the relief that came from exacting revenge on those that deserved
it. His brothers would die by his hand. How could this night get any better?

She wondered how many more times she could pace before she lost
her mind, or wore a path in Grace’s expensive carpet. Sydney and Jay were
playing their hundredth game of stack the blocks and knock them down. Watching
how well the little girl played with the baby made her both happy and sad.
Sydney was an incredible child, and Sam had no doubt she would grow up to do
amazing things, but she’d already suffered so much. She would’ve made a
wonderful big sister, and hopefully that could still happen for her. When she
thought of the child not being a part of her life, it made Sam even sadder. Not
wanting to spend the entire week they’d given her off from the hospital
brooding and worrying, she tried to think of other, happier subjects, and of
course her sexy obsession
popped
into her mind, creating a delicious distraction from her
worries.