Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) (31 page)

As they worked, more people from what they
called their
clan
entered the room, forming groups in the four corners
of the room. So engrossed in saving Lance, it wasn’t until she turned to grab
more sutures that she realized they were actually chanting. It was nothing like
the sounds
of the tiny witch. Theirs had more of a sacred
feel. It was the Latin she had learned in medical school, and the longer she
tuned in, the more she understood that they were actually praying not only for
Lance but that she and Siobhan would
be
given all that they
needed and all would be better for the experience.

She was completely humbled at the solidarity
and commitment to one another that these people shared. It was something she’d
never known even when her mother and sister were alive. They’d had no extended
family; it had always been just them. To see and
feel
the bond that ran
between them energized her and made her believe that there might actually be a
chance for her and the man they all swore was her mate. 

When the blade was removed and she had tied off
the last stitch, the Healer slathered the wound with a thick layer of ointment
that smelled of herbs and flowers. Any other time she would have had a fit, but
after all she had witnessed in the last ten or so hours, she had to believe
Siobhan knew what she was doing. The people that had been chanting were now
placing candles on every available surface and in groups of four, they were
surrounding Lance’s bed and offering what she could only imagine were more
prayers of healing and support.

Unable to stand any longer, she dropped in the
chair that someone had placed at the foot of his bed and leaned forward. Her
head fell onto her folded arms. Trying to get comfortable, she bumped his bare
foot. Just the touch sent a familiar electric current streaking through her
body, more intense than anything she had ever experienced. She was sure it was
a good sign. Completely exhausted, both physically and mentally, her body still
reacted to his touch, and it was so much stronger than when she had been
touching the dragon on his chest prior to the surgery. Never a religious
person, she took a minute and offered a really quick prayer to whatever
Higher
power was listening. Then she drifted, not quite
sleeping, but not quite awake.

Days passed, and she was beginning to think he
might never wake up. The only time she left was to shower and change clothes
afraid that, if she stayed away
too
long, the bond she could feel that tied them together
would somehow cease to exist. She hated to admit that she was coming to depend
on the feelings of warmth and acceptance that she
knew
came from him.
They
had
to
be coming
from him. She’d never felt them before the day she had
completely opened herself to him, and she never wanted it to end. When the
thought of returning to work invaded the routine she had set up while caring
for Lance, she pushed it away not wanting to think what would happen if they
spent long hours and miles apart.

Somehow Siobhan knew what she was feeling, and
without preamble, explained that once the bond between mates was formed, not
even their ‘forever death’ could sever what they had together. The older woman
then told her the story of how her own mate had gone to the Heavens many years
ago and of their connection, just as strong as the day it had formed.
Sam
saw the momentary flash of pain in the other woman’s eyes, which was
immediately replaced with a smile so sweet it brought a tear to her eyes. “My
Gareth was a Dragon Guardsman, just like your Lance. I lost him during an
especially brutal battle with the wizards and hunters many years ago. I carry
him here,” she placed her hand over her heart. “And here,” she said as she
lifted the locket that Sam had admired often over the last few days. Siobhan
opened the beautifully engraved piece of jewelry, and Sam saw a spectacular
opal dragon scale with what looked like a red tear drop in the center.

“My
mate was one of the rare white dragons. Not long after we were mated, he
returned from battle, unable to shift back to human form due to a serious
injury. I nursed him in the healing caves for almost a week until he was able
to shift again. While I cared for him, he shed this scale.” She gently stroked
the scales within the locket. “I’d placed it with all the other broken scales,
but my Gareth found it, and had this locket made for me. On the day he gave it
me, he explained that only once in every white dragon’s life did they produce
the rare heart scale. Most shed it without ever knowing. The fact that we had
been together when he’d shed it was our special blessing from the Universe.

“We
had many happy years together and were blessed with a son. I believe you’ve met
him…Devon?” Sam nodded. “Even though Gareth has gone on before me, I hold a
piece of his soul in mine. We will be reunited in the Heavens again one day.”
She beamed with love and pride while talking of her family.

For
the first time since this entire thing started, Sam let her tears flow freely,
surprised that not a single one was in sadness, but all were happy tears for
hope and love. Siobhan held her hand as once again, warmth that defied
explanation made its way up her arm and she was filled with a calm sense of
well being. “There is one more thing I need to talk to you about, Love,” the
elder woman began, and Sam wiped her eyes on her sleeve while she listened. “I
know the girls explained a lot to you about our kin, and I can tell that you
have not completely come to terms with what the future holds for you and our
Lance, but I feel it is my responsibility to make sure you know that our
lifespan is considerably longer than that of humans, and that if you decide to
officially mate with Lance, yours will be also.”

Sam
sat for a minute contemplating what she’d just learned and wondered if her life
would ever be normal again. She snorted in the most unladylike fashion when she
realized her life had
never
been normal, so why start at this point.
Siobhan grinned like she knew what Sam was thinking, which she probably did,
and actually giggled when Sam had snorted.

“So
are we talking a hundred years longer or something?”

“Actually,
we are talking about a thousand years and that is just in this life. None of us
knows what the next life holds.” The Healer said so calmly that Sam had to do a
quick rewind of the conversation to make sure she had heard correctly, and then
she was sure her eyes were going to bug out of her head.
“ONE.THOUSAND.YEARS?
REALLY?”

Siobhan
grabbed both hands, but Sam was pretty sure the warmth trick wasn’t going to
work this time. “Yes, dear but there is nothing to fear. You will have your
mate and all his brethren by your side. Days filled with love and family.”

“It
all sounds really cool, but don’t you guys get arthritis or diabetes or high
blood pressure?”

Siobhan
laughed, “No, Samantha, we do not. We are designed to live long, bountiful
lives protecting our kin and any other that may need our help.”

“If
you say so, but I was thinking eighty was going be a lot of years, I definitely
need to think about the whole
thousand year thing
.” Sam tried to make
light, while inside she was freaking out.

“I
promise I did not tell you to scare you or make you doubt what I can tell you
feel for him,” she motioned to Lance still lying motionless. “But to make sure
that you know everything about us.”

“Well,
thank you for sharing. I truly appreciate it. It’s just
gonna
take a little time to fully absorb it all.”

On the third day, she could no longer keep
Sydney from visiting Lance. The negotiations and promises were over. As soon as
they got down stairs, she was once again completely amazed by the little girl’s
maturity and loving nature.
Syd
sat beside Lance’s
bed with her books and dolls, reading and acting out story after story. There
were times when she was talking or singing that Sam could actually feel love
flowing through their connection, and had to believe that meant he was making
his way back to them.

Sydney visited at least once a day from then
on. There were times it appeared as though she was actually carrying on a
conversation with him, but Sam chalked it up to a little girl’s imagination.
Grace had spoken with the judge handling Sydney’s case and now the four of
them, Aidan, Grace, Sam and Lance, were listed as her guardians. The order would
remain in place until her safety was no longer an issue. If Sam had it her way
the child would remain with them forever.
Them?
 
Forever?
Was she really considering making a go
of it with her Dragon Man? She shoved it into the ‘Things to Think
About
Later’ part of her brain and moved on.

The huge incision across his chest visibly
healed more every day, until on the sixth day, the stitches had dissolved and
all that was left was a jagged puffy pink scar. Further proof that all she was
being told, no matter how unbelievable, was the truth.  His heart beat was
strong and steady, although still slower than she liked. Siobhan assured her it
was normal for all dragon shifters. All of his brethren, as she had been told
they were called, were in and out every day all day, and
Kyndel
came down a few extra times to administer the ointment that was her granny’s
recipe. Sam had never believed in herbal remedies, but then she had never
believed men could turn into dragons either.

Max, whom she had met at the hospital, his
sister, and two
men
came to visit during Lance’s
convalescence. Their mannerisms were anything but normal. The large, darker
skinned one with onyx eyes actually sniffed Lance’s arm, and looked to Max. She
was sure the silent communication thing was happening between them, but it was
different
than when the dragons were doing it, completely inexplicable, but different
nonetheless. Max and his group were big and muscular but leaner, more compact,
more graceful than Lance and the others. The dragon shifters were graceful, but
the others were just…
more so
. They were very polite and seemed genuinely
concerned for his welfare, but she could not help feeling that they had secrets
of their own.

Her hand to forehead moment came when Devon
came down just as Max and crew were leaving. She must have been looking at them
with a questioning look because the usually quiet Guardsman asked, “You can
tell, can’t you?”

“What?” She asked, trying to school her
features.

“You can tell they aren’t human. You’ve been
around us long enough that you are starting to notice the difference,” he
stated so matter-of-factly that it took her a minute to respond.

“Busted,” she shrugged, and waited for him to
go on.

“They’re
werepanthers
.”
She knew she was looking at him like he had three heads but couldn’t stop, so
she waited. “Like we change into dragons, they change into panthers.”

He smiled like it was every day a person found
out that there really were people that could turn into something more. She had
thought they were something more, but confirmation was something totally
different.

 “You okay, Sam?”

“Okay is a relative term, but I will be as soon
as you tell me what else is out there, and why the darker on
e
smelled Lance’s arm.”

Devon thought for a moment and then agreed,
“But if he,” he motioned towards Lance, still unconscious, “gets pissed, I’m
blaming it on you.”

“Deal,” she agreed.

“Juan Carlos was ‘scenting’ to see if there was
silver left in Lance’s body. He told Max that it was almost all gone.”

“I think I need some of those supercharged
senses you guys all have,” she laughed, trying to relieve the tension.

“You will,” he responded, but she decided to
let that go for another time.

She listened as he told her about more things
than she had ever even imagined. They talked into the wee hours of the morning.
If he had not looked her straight in the eye, or stalled even a second before
answering one of her million questions, she would’ve sworn he was messing with
her (kind of like her initiation into the family) but he didn’t and she knew he
was being blatantly honest. When she finally rested that evening, her dreams
were full of all they had discussed. She added to the list of things she was
going to wring Lance’s neck over when he woke up.

The last night before she had to return to
work, Royce came down to visit. As he was getting up to leave he asked her to
come outside for a minute. Scared that Lance might wake up while she was gone,
she stood, but didn’t move until one of the younger healers that had been
making the rounds told her he would keep watch and come get her if there was
any change.

As they made their way through the house, she
noticed it was completely abandoned. “Where is everyone?” she asked.

The big guy didn’t answer, just kept moving
through the house. When they reached the French doors leading into the
backyard, she saw lights and heard voices. Royce threw them open, and everyone
she had met over the last week screamed, “SURPRISE!”

In the course of all the craziness, she’d
forgotten her own birthday. Not that she ever really celebrated it, but at
least she usually remembered the day. It was incredibly touching that these
amazing people had thought of her. They were accepting her into their fold,
making her one of their own, even though she still held out that she would be
returning to her life as soon as she knew Lance was healthy and the threats
against
her
and Sydney had been
eliminated.