Haunted By Her Dragon (The Dragon Guard Series) (41 page)

Her
mate was nowhere in sight, and for just a moment, she wondered if he’d gotten
cold feet. A rustling to her left alerted her to the arrival of Lance’s
brethren. The five men of his Force were dressed in their finest, similar to
their escorts but in colors that matched their specific dragon. Rayne was at
the head of the line, standing tall and proud in the reddest of reds, looking
every bit the Commander he was. Then
came
Royce, whose
beautiful royal blue
surcoat
with green accents truly
fit the gentle giant who seemed to care for everyone. Next, Aaron and Aidan
were dressed in a silvery gray that shined in the waning light, stood tall and
dignified. Devon was at the end of the line in a stunning white iridescent
surcoat
that barely did justice to the dragon he’d shown
her. All the men smiled, filling her with true acceptance of a family she had
never expected to have. It was overwhelming and beautiful, but she still had
not seen the man she loved.

No
sooner had the thought crossed her mind than he came striding around the gazebo
looking better than any man had a right to look.
But damn, he did that
in a pair of ripped jeans and faded T-shirt
, she thought to herself,
dress
clothes just upped the ante
. His shimmering golden
surcoat
with black cord and embroidery accentuated the amazing body she knew lay
beneath. His smile lit up the twilight. He looked nowhere but into her eyes.
The electrical current that was always present when they were together snapped
to life, and she recognized it in him, too, as his pupils dilated and his
nostrils flared. Her body reacted to everything when they were together, and
she hoped she would make it through the mating ceremony without dragging him
behind the gazebo and making love to him until neither could walk much less
think. She would have sworn he could read her mind when his smile widened and
he winked, suggesting they shared the same thoughts.

He
stopped ten feet from her, almost at attention. She held her breath waiting for
what would come next.  Carrick, the Chief Elder, cleared his throat, and
then his voice rang out loud and clear.  “Long ago, when knights and
dragons fought side by side for King and Country, it became apparent that
dragon kin was no longer safe from those that would expose and destroy them.
They sought to join with the knights that had fought so valiantly by their
sides for centuries. Thus, through magic, and the will of both dragon and
knight, the Golden Fire Clan of the Dragon Shifters became a reality. It was
through the joining of many different clans that we have become the strong and
powerful Force we are today.

“We
are here, at the Lake of Life, a place long blessed by our ancestors that went
before us, to honor what the Universe put into place all those many years ago.
To acknowledge and bless the mating of Lancelot Michael
Kavanaugh
to the one the Universe made for him, Samantha Anne Malone. Will those seeking
to witness this union please step forward?”

From
their place next to the gazebo stepped the five men Lance had called brethren
since the moment she met him. The men that she knew had trained with him,
fought with him, bled with him, and now shared the happiest moment of both
their lives with
them
. They knelt as one, and bowed their heads. Rayne
then stood, and addressed the Elders, “We, the five of the
MacLendon
Force, wish to witness and offer our blessing to the union of these two souls,
two halves of the same whole. May they live long, fight hard, love harder, and
produce many young to flourish in this world when their souls have gone to the
Heavens.” He knelt next to his men, and bowed his head once again.

Carrick
began again, “Your witness and blessing have been acknowledged and accepted
MacLendon
Force. Lancelot
Kavanaugh
,
you may go to your mate.”

She
didn’t even see him move before he was standing in front of her with a look in
his glowing blue eyes that made her feel loved, adored, and incredibly humble
to have found real love. He took her hands in his, and she felt all the emotion
and power he held within just from his touch.

Carrick
began again, “The golden dragons are warriors born of the sun and the harvest,
The Heavens shine favorably on all of
Her
winged
warriors, but the ones born with golden scales are near and dear to Her heart.
They have great intuition and reason. Their exteriors are strong and sturdy.
They use those characteristics to protect all they hold dear. Although they
appear to never take anything seriously, their emotions run deep and once they
have pledged their fealty, they never turn their backs. Their love never tires,
but instead seems to grow stronger with each passing year. To mate a golden
dragon means to accept all that they are, and honor the power shared between
mates.

“Now
is the time of the marking. May the Universe continue to bless you and yours
all of your days.” She knew the Elders were leaving by the boot strikes on the
wood of the gazebo, and she saw Lance’s
brethren
exit
after Royce had collected Sydney.

She
had no idea how long they stood there ensnared in each other’s gaze before
Lance pulled her the last few inches to him. He lowered his head and stopped
right before their lips touched. She felt his breath on her lips as he
whispered, “
Ta’ mo
chroi
istigh
ionat
,” and then he was kissed her. A more
all-encompassing, completely and devastatingly enraptured kiss had never been
shared between two. The first brush of his lips reached every cell of her body.
A heat unlike any she had ever known consumed her from the inside out and laid
her open, heart and soul, to her mate. The moment was perfect. And then as if a
light switch had been flipped, she could feel what Lance felt. Confusing for an
instant, but then the piece of her soul she hadn’t known was missing, slid into
place and, she was soaring. It was one thing to be told someone loved you but
to feel what they felt was beyond belief. It was even better than Grace and
Kyndel
had explained. The love they shared defied all
explanation. It simply
was
.

A
twinge on the left side of her neck made her flinch. Lance left her lips,
taking a moment to look into her eyes before trailing kisses across her
sensitive skin until he reached the tender spot. He licked and sucked until all
thoughts of anything but their bodies loving one another were banished from her
mind. She wound her fingers through his hair as he continued to lavish her neck
and shoulders until she was sure she would catch fire. She pulled his mouth up
to hers, and just as she would have kissed the lips of her mate, he pulled back
slightly, and winked. She furrowed her brow in mock anger, “Are you trying to
kill me, Lancelot?” Unable to stop herself, she laughed out loud. Her mate
looked puzzled at her outburst as she hurried to explain. “While you were
recovering, every night when I gave you your bath, I spoke to the dragon on your
chest. I nicknamed him Lancelot. Today when Carrick said your given name was
Lancelot it was hard not to laugh. Just now when I said out loud, it reminded
me,” she shrugged, and hoped he understood.

Lance
threw back his head, and she saw the mark on his neck as he laughed his
marvelous booming laugh that made her tingle all over. “That’s priceless,
mo
ghra
’
, absolutely priceless.”

She
reached up, touching the brand that looked like a flame with a flaming arrow
through it. As she touched, Lance moaned low in his throat, almost a growl, and
touched the spot on her neck where she had felt a twinge during their mating
ceremony. She was sure her eyes would roll back into her head at the intense
feelings and heightened arousal she felt as he tenderly rubbed with just his
fingertips. As she looked into his eyes, he nodded, “Yes, Doc, they match, and
if we don’t stop touching them soon, there
will be
no stopping us.” He
wiggled his eyebrows, and the dimple in his cheek winked at her as she removed
her hand from his neck.

He
guided her to a blanket laid on the grass she hadn’t seen earlier. Once they
were seated, he produced a small golden box and a set of papers rolled with a
golden ribbon tied around it. “What’s this? You’ve done enough.” She smiled while
looking at the beautiful decorations and thinking of the magnificent ceremony
he’d just given her.

 “
Awwww
, Doc, I’d give you the world just to see
that
smile,” he said with love and honesty she could
feel
. He leaned forward
and kissed the tip of her nose. “You are all that matters,” he whispered, and
the depth of his emotions brought tears to her eyes.

Unable
to speak, she nodded and then gasped as she opened the box.
There
lying against the gold velvet were the beautiful earrings she’d admired at Emma’s
jewelry shop. Two delicate golden bells, fashioned from golden dragon scales,
hanging on petite golden chains from emerald cut aquamarine jewels, nearly
identical to the one she wore on her finger.  “They are so beautiful.” She
laid her hand on his cheek and sweetly kissed his lips.

When
she would have deepened the kiss he pulled back, grinning from ear to ear, “Put
them on,
mo
chroi
’
. I want to see them hanging
from your pretty little ears.”

As
quick as she could, she removed the tiny gold hoops she had worn for her mating
ceremony and put them on. Shaking her head slightly, she smiled slyly as the
bells from her ears rang. “You know what happens when a bell rings,” she
giggled.

He
pulled her onto his lap and kissed her with an assurance of their love filled
tomorrows. The kiss was slow and passionate and so complete she simply melted,
but then she was mated to Lancelot
Kavanaugh
. What
else was she to do? Their kiss continued until both were panting, fighting to
keep their clothes on. Using his enhanced speed, he set her back on the blanket
and pointed to the papers she still held. “Have a look at those, please, Doc. I
might explode if I’m not making love to you as soon as possible.”

Dispensing
with formalities, she ripped the ribbon off the papers and sat speechless as
she saw the bold type at the top of the first page, ‘FINAL DISPOSITION OF LEGAL
GUARDIANSHIP’. She read on to see that she and Lance had been named as Sydney’s
permanent and legal guardians,
her parents
. She launched herself at
Lance, crushing her mouth to his. She had to be the luckiest woman in the world
to have him and now the little beauty in her life.
“I love you with all my
heart,”
she thought to herself while still kissing her miraculous mate.

 “But
I love you more, Doc,”
she heard in her mind and pulled
back, shocked.

“What
did you say,” she asked out loud.

 “I
said, I love you more,”
he repeated directly into her
mind. “
And now we share
everything
.”

She
sighed as he kissed her again, giving him all that she was and all that she
hoped they would be. For the first night of their very long lives, she loved
her
mate
…her
husband
… as it was
always
meant to be; two
souls joined
forever
, blessed by the Universe.  She had a family,
she had love,
they
had it all.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

The Universe had given them all a beautiful day for the
first birthday of their Commander’s son. Birthdays had never been anything they
celebrated. They were warriors that lived hundreds of years. What use did they
have for such things?  But now that three of his brethren had found their
human mates, birthday parties seemed to be on the horizon. He truly hoped they
didn’t want to celebrate his. He had never told anyone the date, but
he
was sure that the other
Guardsmen knew how and where to find
it
. He
just prayed that they didn’t
go looking for it.

When Lance and Sam had arrived with Sydney,
he’d made sure to give his closest friend as much shit as possible. For almost
a hundred years, he’d put up with everything from snakes in his bedroll to
Vaseline on the doorknobs to being called grandpa at every turn. Now that the
jokester was mated, Royce took every opportunity to remind him of all the
things he’d said about mates and his reluctance to have one of his own prior to
meeting Samantha Malone. In all truth, he was so incredibly proud of Lance for
not only claiming his mate but also officially adopting Sydney. Their little
family was a true miracle, and he was sure
it
would grow one day as well.

Walking into the kitchen, he ran right into the
bane of his existence, Kyra St. Croix. She had been staying with Rayne and
Kyndel
since they found her on that mountainside all those
months ago. The moment he had scented patchouli and
rose
petals, he
knew
she was to be his mate. From the moment of his birth he
was taught that the Universe does not make mistakes, and he had waited for the
day that he would find the one made especially for him. 
But a witch?
Was it a sick joke? Did the Universe have a
sense of humor? Yes, she was a white witch, but he’d learned the hard way that
any magic but dragon magic was unreliable, and could be bastardized and twisted
to the practitioner’s own whims.