Her Mad Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 15) (11 page)

Calysta was thankful to Maddox for keeping their bond open
and allowing her to watch as he raced across the lair, calling to the other
Guardsmen. The rumbling on the far side of the woods bordering the lair
continued to grow. It filled the night sky and turned the calm, predawn hours
into a storm of menace and fury.

“Royce, Rian, Rory, get to my house. Drago is landing.
Kayne, Lenn, Brann, Dec, and Pearce, with me and Niall to the tree line.
Whatever is out there needs an ass kicking,”
Maddox ordered, still running
as fast as he could.

“I’m on my way, too, old man. Just landed an hour ago,”
Kellan said.

“Damn glad to have you, boy,”
her mad dragon
answered. 

Watching the action like a movie running through her mind,
Calysta was on pins and needles as Maddox and Niall approached the tree line at
the same time as the other Guardsmen. She was happy to see his sword in his
hand but more worried than ever as a shrill shriek cut through the air and the
sound of heavy wings beat against the night sky.

Her mate and six formidable Guardsmen stood at the ready,
swords drawn, watching the sky for whatever dared to breech their borders to
appear. The adrenalin rushing through Maddox’s body was heady. The strength and
fury of both man and beast captivating. They were each a warrior in their own
right and damn near unstoppable when combined. The Universe’s proud defenders,
a true testament to all that was right and good in the world.

A loud roar shook the ground a split second before a large
black dragon crashed through the trees. His talons were extended. The battle
horns that jutted from his brow and across the apex of his skull were at the
ready. This beast was armed for war.

“KYRAN!”
The name blew through Maddox’s mind as he
spun around and chased the shadow of the flying dragon across the compound.

Calysta was more thankful than ever that Brannoc and Lennox
had developed an earplug of sorts for the Guardsmen to protect them against
Kyran’s mind-numbing wail. Rian had ordered all Guardsmen to keep the
protective devices with them at all times as a precaution and for occasions
just like this. She had no doubt the roar she was hearing would’ve disabled the
Guardsmen without the boys’ invention.

“He’s heading for Drago,”
her dragon shouted to the
others then to the Assassin,
“It’s Kyran. He’s lost his mind. He’s on the
attack and you’re the target. Land! Land this minute!”

“I’m dropping Alicia now.”
Calysta heard Drago’s
reply and then saw the vision the Assassin pushed into Maddox’s mind. Gasping,
the Priestess held her breath as the young witch all but did a swan dive off
her mate’s back, falling well over a hundred feet straight into the basket the
O’Reilly brothers had made with their arms.

Good thing those boys are strong…

It reminded Calysta of a cheerleading move from Kyra’s
younger days. Thankfully, her daughter had only fallen about twenty feet but
just like then, Alicia’s death defying move took precious years off the
Priestess’ life.

“What are you doing, Drago?”
Maddox demanded.
“Do
not take him on.”

“I’m not going to fight him. I’m going to bring him
down,”
the Assassin replied, gaining altitude and speed.

“He’s too powerful and too crazy, you damned fool,”
Kayne bellowed.

“He’s still my lad and I intend to bring him home.”
Drago’s tone was adamant. He was not about to be stopped.

“You stupid, arrogant, pain in my…”
was Maddox’s
reply as Calysta watched her mate hand Lennox his sword and run about a hundred
feet from his brethren. She felt magic fill every cell of his body and watched
as the tall, handsome man she loved more than life itself became a thousand
pound Prussian Blue dragon. His scales sparkled in the moonlight as his massive
wings unfolded and he took to the sky. She marveled at the power in the beast’s
body; of his talons and the fierce poise of the horns that lined the bridge of
his nose, brow and skull before cascading down his spine and growing in width
and length until they reached the sharp spaded-end of his tail.

The grim determination in his eyes, still the same beautiful
blue but now with an elliptical pupil, was mesmerizing and the brutal
aggression thrumming through his powerful being was awe-inspiring. Calysta had
no doubt her dragon would best whatever foe he came up against but could feel
his need to rescue as opposed to harm in this endeavor. Gaining on Kyran at the
same rate that the black dragon was overtaking Drago, Maddox positioned himself
to come up on the one they called the Phantom’s left side. The Priestess was
momentarily confused but then saw the glitter of golden scales and realized
Kayne had also called forth his beast and was joining the effort to return one
of their own to the clan.

“Be ready down there. I’m hoping to take him down easily
and force his transformation as we go,”
Maddox commanded the men on the
ground as he and Kayne neared Kyran.

No longer able to stand being indoors while her dragon was
fighting, Calysta attempted to leave the confines of the clinic, only to find
her way blocked by three hundred pounds of bear. Huffing her irritation, the
Priestess ordered, “Move Annie. I need to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”

The bear simply laid down in front of the door and clicked
her tongue. Calysta’s entire being shook with frustration. “Dammit, Annie, let
me out of here,” she shrieked, but before her grizzly guard could answer, the
scene unfolding in her mind took her breath away.

Maddox and Kayne came up alongside Kyran just as he reached
Drago. Closing in around him, the mad dragon and the demi god began to herd the
Phantom away from his Commander. Unfortunately, the black dragon had a few
tricks of his own. As the blue and golden dragons sought to stop the movement
of Kyran’s wings thus forcing him down, the black dragon pulled his wings into
his sides and did a death drop.

Once under Maddox and Kayne, the black dragon once again
extended his powerful wings and gave a mighty push along the airstream the
other dragons left in their wake. Propelling through the sky even faster than
before, Kyran rolled to the side, came up under Drago, and sliced through the
soft scales and tender skin where his right wing joined his impressive chest.
The red dragon faltered as blood filled the sky and scales fell like snowflakes
from the huge gaping wound on his underbelly. 

“DRAGO!”
Maddox roared as he took off at top speed
after Kyran while Kayne dropped below the Assassin and guided the dragon to the
ground.

Kyran was turning and dropping closer to the ground,
presumably to make another pass and finish what he’d started, when Calysta
smelled the unmistakable scent of dragon fire. She immediately looked around
then realized it was not her physical senses that were picking up the aroma of
burnt mesquite, oak, and charcoal, but that of Maddox’s dragon. Remorse filled
her being. The regret her mate was already feeling for what he was about to do.
He knew there was no other way to bring Kyran down without further damage to
his brethren or their lair than to hurl a short blast of his dragon fire at one
of his oldest and closest friends, but it went against every fiber of his
being.

“Get everyone out of the clearing. I’m blazing his
underbelly and bringing him down,”
Maddox ordered.

Momentary shock rose from his brethren, immediately followed
by their unmistakable support and belief that Maddox was making the only choice
he could. Calysta held her breath as the beautiful blue dragon, who was also
her mate, flapped his wings one last time, propelling himself like a jet
through the sky. Mere seconds before he would’ve crashed into the backend of
Kyran’s black dragon, Maddox rolled to his back and slid under the black dragon
in almost the same fashion as Kyran had done to Drago. Instead of talons, the
mad dragon shot a blaze of dragon fire at each of the black dragon’s
outstretched wings.

An agonizing shriek of pain shook the ground as Kyran struggled
to stay airborne while beating his wings to extinguish the flames. Maddox
rolled out from under him, righted his massive body, and followed the black
dragon in his descent, changing from beast to man at the same time as Kyran.
Touching down a split second before the Phantom, Maddox dropped to his knees as
the dead weight of his old friend crashed into his arms.

Screaming to his brethren, her dragon ordered,
“Get the
hell over here! Help me get him to the clinic!”
He took a gulp of air and
then asked,
“Where’s Drago? Is he okay?”

The sounds of pounding feet and yelling preceeded the sound
of the electronic glass doors being forced open just as Rian and Rory carried
the bloody and unconscious Drago over the threshold with a tearful Alicia close
behind.

“He’s here. I’ve got him,”
Calysta answered as she
directed two of the O’Reilly brothers to triage.

“Take good care of him, Callie.”
She could hear the
concern in Maddox’s voice and then he added,
“Be there in two with another
patient and this one is my fault.”

Cutting the clothing away from Drago’s wounds, she answered
her mate with a cold dose of reality,
“You did what you had to do for the
good of everyone. He will recover. Now, suck it up, cupcake, and get your ass
over here. I need your help.”

She felt as much as heard the relief in his voice that she
didn’t blame him for doing what had to be done as he responded,
“Aye, Aye,
Priestess.”

Turning her attention to the serious condition of her
patient and the look of terror on Alicia’s face, Calysta was telling the little
witch that Drago would be fine after his wounds were cleaned and he went into a
healing sleep and she almost missed Maddox’s whispered,
“I love you more
than you’ll ever know. Thank you.”

Sending love through their bond, Calysta severed their
communication so she could concentrate on Drago and Alicia. They needed her
now. There would be time later to show her dragon exactly how much she loved
him.

Chapter Nine

The last three days had been some of the hardest and most
worrisome of his very long life. As Maddox collapsed into his oversized
recliner and reached for the lever to put the footrest up, he felt every one of
his two-hundred-and-twenty-two years. He and Calysta had slept a couple of
hours here and there but even that had been fitful. All their attention was
focused on Drago and Kyran, both in their healing sleep, both thankfully
recovering but still unconscious.

The mad dragon had dealt with the guilt from using his fire
as a weapon against a friend. He’d weighed the options and made the best
decision he could at the time. Everyone agreed. The tough scales of the black
dragon’s underbelly protected Kyran from any serious burns that would leave
long term damage to either beast or man. Had Maddox used his talons or horns
there was a risk of hitting vital organs and inadvertently killing one of his
own. Kyran’s attack on Drago had reminded the mad dragon that although their
beasts were warriors, they were not indestructible. He was justified in using
the only other option available to him to save the lives of those he called
brethren.

Calysta came in from the kitchen, handed him a mug of what
smelled like flowers, and sat on his lap. Sniffing the warm liquid, he looked
over the rim of the cup and grumbled, “What the hell is this?”

“My special blend of chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and
ashwaganda. It will calm your mind and help you sleep. You need a few good
hours of rest. You’re running on empty and that’s not good for you
or
Drago and Kyran.”

“I have no clue what ass waggin’ tea is gonna do to help me
sleep and this,” he nodded to the mug before setting it on the side table to
his right, “smells like hot flower soup.”

Calysta shook her head. “Maddox, you
need
some
sleep.”

“I need a case or two of Macallans and a month away from all
this shit with you, but that’s not going to happen. So, I’m going to have a
glass of iced tea, a shower, and grab a couple of hours of sleep with you in my
arms.” 

Smiling while she carefully climbed off his lap as not to
spill what remained of her flowery drink, his little witch stood up, reached
out to him with her free hand, and winked. “Definitely. Now, let’s head up
before one or both of us falls asleep in this ratty old chair.”

Quickly getting to his feet, he wrapped his arms around
Calysta, kissed her soundly then teased, “Don’t mess with my chair, woman.”

Lifting her into his arms, he headed up the stairs as she
looked over his shoulder and sighed, “I guess it’s not that bad. I just wish
you’d let me recover it.”

“Callie,” he mockingly growled.

“Okay, okay,” she relented with a chuckle. “I’ll leave
your
man-chair alone.”

Reaching their bedroom, he set his mate on the bed and
kissed the top of her head before quickly undressing. He loved the way
Calysta’s pupils dilated, her breathing sped up, and the succulent scent of her
arousal filled the room. It didn’t matter that they were bone tired and barely
able to keep their eyes open, she still desired him just as much as he desired
her.

Sliding into his side of the bed, Maddox waggled his
eyebrows and in a low, sultry tone suggested, “Now, it’s your turn and
I
wanna watch.”

Calysta stood, placed her mug on the bedside table, and
she removed first her blouse and then
her bra, letting them fall to the floor while giving him a mouthwatering view
of her beautiful body and the curves his lips longed to taste.

His eyes
widened as her jeans slid to the floor. His breath caught in his throat as the
light blue silk of her panties followed, caressing her legs as his hands longed
to do. Stepping out of the pile of clothing at her feet, Calysta’s head was
slightly bowed with a beautiful light blush coloring her cheeks as she looked
up at him through her long dark lashes with such love and longing that his
heart skipped a beat.

Striding around
the bed, gloriously naked and perfect in every way, his little witch leaned
forward, kissed first his forehead and then the tip of his nose before finally
touching his lips. The hardened peaks of her nipples brushed his chest as she
slowly and tenderly showed him how much he meant to her with only her lips and
tongue.

So caught up in
the moment, Maddox could only lay there, more aroused than he’d ever been and
more in love with his little witch than he ever thought possible. His hands had
just gone around her waist when Calysta pulled away and stood up with a wicked
little grin on her kiss-swollen lips and a twinkle in her eyes.

Groaning,
Maddox reached for her, “Please, Callie, just come to bed. I
need
you.” 

Chuckling,
Calysta slowly turned around and over her shoulder answered with, “You need
sleep, my dragon warrior, and now you shall have sweet dreams.”

Grumbling to
himself, the mad dragon tried to come up with a good argument, but his mind
went completely blank as he took in the seductive sway of her beautiful bum and
the way her long, strawberry-blonde tresses moved lovingly back-and-forth
across the silken skin of her back.

The best he
could do by way of a retort was to mumble, “I’ll find a way to keep you naked
and in my bed for a month,
mo sorceress beag.
”

The sound of
laughter was the only response he got as he fought to stay awake.
Unfortunately, sleep won out before Calysta returned, but his dreams were some
of the best he’d ever had.

An annoying
buzz invaded his dreams. Slapping at the alarm clock did no good; the noise
only got louder and more irritating. Opening his eyes just enough to locate the
cause of the noise and destroy it as quickly as possible, Maddox jumped out of
bed when he realized it was his cell phone and that more importantly, he was
alone.

Grabbing both
the infuriating little piece of technology and a piece of paper with Calysta’s
handwriting on it, the mad dragon hit the green button on the screen and
snarled, “What?”

“Well, good
morning to you, too, my sweet,” Calysta chuckled.

“Where are
you?” he asked with a little less anger than before but still rather growly.

“Didn’t you get
my note?”

Looking at the
now crumpled piece of paper in his hand, Maddox grunted, “Just woke up.”

“And that is
why I left you sleeping. You needed the rest and looked too comfortable to
disturb, but now I’m afraid you must rise and shine, my love.” He knew she was
being purposely perky just to get a rise out of him and he hated to admit it,
but it was working.

Yawning away
the last vestiges of sleep, Maddox rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Bottom line it
for me, Callie. I haven’t had my coffee yet.”

Laughing that
laugh that made him smile no matter how grumpy he may be, Calysta answered,
“Drago is awake and asking for you. It also looks like Kyran isn’t far behind.”

Jumping to his
feet, suddenly wide awake, the mad dragon breathed, “Thank the Heavens,” and
then to Calysta, “and thank you,
mo chroí
, I’ll be there in ten.
Mo
ghrá thú
.”

“Love you, too.
See you soon,” was her response as he disconnected the call, ran to the shower,
and dressed in record time.

Arriving at the
clinic, Maddox followed the sound of his old friend’s laughter and found Drago
sitting up in bed with Alicia by his side. Looking around the room he also
found Kayne, Niall, Rian, and Calysta. The conversation stopped as the mad
dragon entered the room. The guilty looks on everyone faces said he’d been the
topic of conversation.

That assumption
was quickly confirmed when Drago burst out laughing. “I was just telling your
lovely mate here a few stories from the old days.”

Groaning and
shaking his head, Maddox walked to the Assassin’s bedside and shook hands in
the way of their kin. “Good to see you back among the living,” he leveled his
gaze at Drago and raised an eyebrow before adding, “and stop telling tales
outta school. What happened in the past,
stays
in the past.”

The room
erupted in laughter. Calysta moved to his side, kissed his cheek, and giggled,
“The farmer’s daughter, huh? Did I ever tell you my daddy had a cow?”

His mate’s cheeky
comment made their friends howl all the louder and the mad dragon might’ve even
cracked a smile, but his attention was on his old friend and comrade. It was
good to see the old man up and kicking after sustaining such serious injuries.
Now, it was time to decide on a strategy to deal with another of their friends
who’d apparently gone bat shit crazy.

As the laughter
died down, Maddox pulled up a chair and asked with a nod, “So, how are you
really
feeling?”

Before the
Assassin could answer, Calysta leaned down and gave Maddox a quick kiss then
excused herself to go check on Annie and the others, immediately followed by
Niall, who said, “I’m on way to check on Kyran.” But then the Elder Healer
stopped and turned back to the room before continuing. “He’s down in lockup
with two healers and a young Guardsman, as well as being held in cloth-lined
silver shackles and chains. I removed the tracker from his back and the other
one from his forearm, but we need to discuss the removal of that module from
the base of his brain. I’ve done lots of surgeries, but I’d rather have an
expert opinion before I go messing around with an already damaged mind. Since I
found it the other day and after Brannoc took a look at it, I’m sure it’s some
kind of delivery system for more of the synthetic drug Adam and Eve have
developed to control shifters. Which,” he held up his hand to stop the
questions that everyone was about to ask, “I tested a miniscule amount of
liquid that I was able to extract from it and I can confirm that it is a
mixture of dragon, which is Kyran’s, wolf, bear, hyena, panther, chimera, and
primate DNA.”

“Primate, as in
monkey?” Kayne asked with a look of shock on his face that Maddox knew
reflected everyone in the room’s expression.

“Yes, monkey.
Gorilla to be exact, and I think it’s important to add that the DNA is not
corrupted at all.”

“And that
means?” Drago was the first to ask.

Niall smiled a
sad smile. “That means those animals are still alive and their genetic material
is being siphoned for the O’Baoill twins’ evil experiments as we speak.”

“Does Max know
that one or more of his cats are messed up in this horror show?” Kayne asked.

   Maddox had
no clue what to say and looked to Drago who also had a blank look on his face.
Thankfully, Rian had an idea. Pulling his phone from his pocket, the Dragon
Leader stood and said, “Let me give the King a call. I don’t know what he knows
but I’ll be sure to tell him everything Niall has discovered when I ask about a
doctor. I know there are at least two physicians in his Pride. If I remember
correctly, one is a surgeon of some kind. There’s a female panther who lives
across the pond, but I’m sure he said there’s at least one other over here.”

“Excellent.”
The Elder Healer nodded as Rian excused himself to make his call.

“One last thing
before I go,” Niall spoke up. “Brann deactivated the trackers and made sure the
contraption still in Kyran’s neck was not omitting a signal but he did not
destroy them. He believes he can reverse engineer their circuitry to find Adam
and Eve.”

“Now,
that
is
good news, Ni, and again, thanks for everything.” Drago nodded to the Elder
Healer as the man turned and left the room.

Looking back to
his old friend, the mad dragon rubbed his hand across his stubble-covered chin
and sighed. “Let’s hope the King’s got an answer.”

“If he doesn’t,
he’ll know where to look.
Maximillian Prentice
has been around almost as long as us and his dad was King of
the Pride before him. They have a huge network and the cats are still plentiful
all over the world,” Kayne was nodding while giving his usual pep talk.

The room was
immediately quiet, as each person pondered what they were facing and tried to
formulate a solution. Looking from face to face, Maddox finally broke the
silence by asking, “Okay, like I asked before, how are you really feeling?” He
pointed at Drago’s stomach and raised his eyebrows.

Lifting the
soft grey T-shirt Maddox knew was standard clinic patient apparel, the Assassin
revealed an angry looking wound from his hip all the way to the top of his
pectoral muscle. The skin was mending but the incision Kyran’s talon had cut
across the Commander’s body was a deep brick red from the combination of dried
blood and healing tissue. A bright red that reminded Maddox of sunburnt skin
extended out from the cut about an inch on both sides and ran the entire
length. There were several sutures that Niall had put in at the deepest points
just for good measure, extenuating how long the abrasion actually was. It was a
miracle none of Drago’s vital organs were damaged in the attack, especially his
heart.

The mad dragon
stared for a moment longer and then remarked, “Hell, you’re lucky to be with
us.”

“Damned lucky,”
the Assassin nodded, gripping Alicia’s hand and bringing it to his lips for a
quick peck. “And for it to be one of my lads.” He snorted sarcastically. “I
always said I trained everyone to kill or be killed.” Drago finally looked
Maddox in the eye and said, “But I never thought one would use it on me.”