Ivormantis (2 page)

Meldamiriel sighed heavily as she allowed her body to relax for the first time in what seemed like forever. Her muscles were in a constant state of knots from running, always running.

She thought back to when she first arrived a short while ago. She thought about Natasha and her mate, Blain, then about the other dragon shifter that was with them. Both men were enormous in build and the patch over Blain’s eye gave him the look of a massive, deadly pirate. But she knew from talking with her friend, Natasha, that Blain would never hurt anyone intentionally. She also knew the dragons at no time had taken the slightest of interest in her and her unusual powers. However, there was something about the other dragon who had been walking with Natasha and her mate; something that kept on niggling in the back of her mind, distracting her from all other rational thoughts.

“Hello? Are you even listening to a single thing I’m saying?” Natasha asked, leaning down to get eye level with her and snapping her fingers in her face.

Meldamiriel jumped back in the tub, splashing water everywhere as she gasped, not even realizing she had momentarily left the here and now to let her mind wander a bit.

“Yes,” she automatically answered the one person on the planet she could fully trust, even though she hadn’t heard a darn word her friend had been saying.

Blushing, she knew she couldn’t lie to her only friend in the world.

“Actually, no. No I didn’t. I’m sorry, Natasha.” She was working on keeping her tears hidden behind her eyes, even though they were still threatening to break through.

Natasha sighed heavily and dropped down onto the closed toilet seat. She, her mate, Blain, and their friend, Dominic, had just been returning from a trip to Dragonose. The trip turned out to be a learning experience for Natasha in finding her own inner dragon, Naquadus. They also were involved in a battle between the Dragonosians and the Raptorians. During the battle, both Blain and Dominic were severely injured. Blain had lost his right eye to the foul creatures and Dominic’s dragon’s wings had been broken, converting the injury over to a badly damaged spine in his human form. It made any normal movement difficult for him, even walking a short distance, and required him to wear a special back brace that forced him to keep his spine straight. Seeing her friend in the state she was in upon arrival, and knowing she was jumpy around large men, Natasha had whisked her straight into a spare bedroom and got her settled in a bath. However, Natasha needed answers.

In truth, the shifter that wasn’t Natasha’s mate who the one who made Meldamiriel nervous. But then again, almost any man did. Being a four-foot seven-inch elf was no comparison to a six-foot plus mighty dragon, such as the one she had gotten a glimpse of on her way in. But damn if he wasn’t good looking. For once, Meldamiriel wished she were any other creature other than an elf. To the larger supernaturals, like vampires, werewolves, and some dragons, elves were at the same level as the dirt beneath their boots. Never noticed, respected, or even acknowledged. But could she ignore the pull she was feeling toward the big man? Furthermore, why was she feeling such a strong pull to begin with?

Trust no male.
Trust no person.
You know that.
Natasha taught you that.
You need to try to keep as far away as you can
. Meldamiriel repeated those words in her head as she gazed down at her tiny hands folded in her lap.
Besides, why would a formidable warrior dragon like him have anything to do with someone like you, someone who is running to keep their own life?

“Melda, why is Bullock’s clan after you?” Natasha asked.

She looked over to Natasha, knowing she would need to come clean with her and tell her everything. A lot had happened since she left.

Dominic really needed to lay down, or at least sit down and stay seated for a little while. Their trip back from Dragonose had truly taken a lot out of him, much more than he wanted to admit. However, he couldn’t bring his body, nor his dragon, to accept the rest right now. Not after just finding his mate and now having her in the same house as himself. He felt as if he were about to crawl out of his skin, his need to see his mate so profound. If only he could see her for a moment. He needed to know she was safe. He needed to know she was unharmed. It was eating a hole in him not to know either. Earlier, Natasha acted too quickly for him, rushing his mate into the castle and straight upstairs, out of sight, not even allowing him the chance to say hello to the beautiful creature let alone to catch her name.

His dragon, Ivormantis, itched to be set free to go hunt down his mate and claim her immediately. It was a rough struggle for him to keep the stubborn creature locked up within himself. But it was necessary. Otherwise, if he let the beast out now, he would never be able to fly ever again. The Raptorians had done a number on both he and his lifelong friend, Blain Barrymire, during their raid on Dragonose a few weeks ago. Both of his dragon wings were shattered to the point that when he shifted into his human body, the injury transferred over to his spine, almost leaving him paralyzed. If it hadn’t been for some excellent healthcare, he might not be walking today. The bastards had stabbed Blain’s right eye out as well.

“You look like you could use one,” Blain stated, coming up behind him with an extra Scotch in his hand.

Dominic hadn’t even realized he had been staring out the huge bay windows gazing off into the darkness of the settling night. He smiled, gingerly taking the fragile glass from his friend’s hand. Though the good doctor who had seen to his injuries had warned him about drinking, one Scotch was nothing to a dragon. And in truth, tonight he could really use it. It would help to settle his raging nerves and take the edge off his pain; he was way past time for the next round of his pain medication and just hadn’t made it up to his room to unpack his things and find the pills. Plus, he had no intention of moving anywhere until he knew at least
something
about his mate.

They had scented the vampires nearby when they arrived. It wasn’t hard to guess they were the ones chasing after the small elf. Blain sent out several of his best guards to hunt the bloodsuckers down and bring them back for questioning. Dominic would personally see to it that he was the one to run a stake through each and every one of their hearts if they were truly after his mate!

“It’s eating at you, isn’t it?” Blain questioned, following his gaze out into the night.

Dominic cocked his head slightly to the side, at least as much as his shattered spine would allow him to. “What?”

“The need to be near her and lay claim to her.”

He sighed, looking back out into the wide open. “It’s that obvious?”

Blain nodded.

Both men turned abruptly at the sound of the doors quietly opening, but to Dominic’s disappointment, only Natasha emerged through them. His dragon sulked deep within himself.

‘I want to see our mate!
Not her,’
his dragon, Ivormantis, pouted at him.

‘I know, I want to see her, too, but you need to be nice to Natasha.
If it wasn’t for her, we may not be here. Then what would our mate do without us?
Did you think of that?’
he argued back to the stubborn creature within.

Ivormantis just huffed at him before curling up and sulking.

“How is she, my love?” Blain asked his mate, concern coating his voice.

Natasha hugged her arms closely to her body, her worried gaze shifting down to her shoes. What was she holding back from them? What was going on with his little elf mate? Ivormantis suddenly was back up, taking keen notice to everything going on around them.

“There’s a lot more to Meldamiriel than what meets the naked eye. I was trying to explain the situation to you when she showed up. You see, Melda is a very rare breed of elf. She is an Omega Elf. A single being more powerful than any living creature known; nevertheless, a danger just the same. Her own kind wished to keep her locked away and protected from the world. And while she would be worshiped and revered, it is no life to have. Others wish to harness her powers for the ultimate weapon.” Natasha took a chance and glanced up at the two warriors standing in the room.

“What kind of Omega Elf?” Blain inquired. Dominic was grateful for him asking questions, since his own tongue had seemed to forget how to work.

“She controls all four elements and is a shapeshifter. She’s able to shift into any animal that she wishes to.”

One question had yet to be asked, and Dominic desperately needed to hear the answer, no matter how bad it was.

“Why…why did she show up in the state that she is in?” He couldn’t help choking on his words because he feared the answer.

Natasha looked over to him, biting her lower lip for a moment. She paused, wondering how Dominic would handle hearing the truth. “Because she was running from a clan of vampires. Their leader, Alec Bullock, is nothing but a cold-hearted bastard. I’ve dealt with him and his clan before. Alec craves nothing but strength and power, and he’ll do anything to succeed in achieving what he wants most. And right now, he wants Meldamiriel.”

“They attacked her?!” Fury raged inside of him at this statement.

Concern for his injuries had Natasha quickly trying to calm this big dragon shifter warrior down. “Dominic, please calm yourself. Meldamiriel is fine; she’s stronger than you think. You need to relax before she sees you, or you’ll frighten her. She’s very skittish around larger people, especially men.” But as she stated this, Dominic’s eyes were no longer on her. They seemed to be locked on something behind her. His body started to lose some of its tension as he took a slight step forward before quickly stopping again. She turned to see Meldamiriel half hiding behind the cracked door.

“Natasha?” she asked wearily, her big, worried eyes locked onto Dominic’s large frame as he stared at her. One look at the huge man standing next to Natasha’s mate and Meldamiriel didn’t know what to think. He was good looking, there was no doubt about that. He was just so big! She knew he had to stand well over six foot. But it was those gorgeous hazel eyes and strong jaw that caused her to catch her breath. His eyes gave her the impression he wanted to eat her for dinner and she didn’t want to be on the menu tonight.

Natasha and Blain exchanged glances and then looked back and forth between Meldamiriel and Dominic for a moment. Both dragon and man sensed she was scared and leery on making her next movement as his hungry eyes watched her way too close for comfort.

Natasha was the one to make the first move. Quickly making her way over to her best friend and gathering her in her arms, Meldamiriel clung to her for dear life as they slowly made their way into the room and back over to the two men. All the while, Natasha was whispering to her calmly that she had nothing to fear and she was perfectly safe here in Blain’s castle. Nothing would get her, and no one would harm her or frighten her.

“Melda, this is my mate, Blain Barrymire,” Natasha introduced lightly, gesturing to the man with a patch over his eye.

“It’s nice to meet you, Meldamiriel,” Blain said with a kind smile, giving her a slight nod of the head, knowing a handshake might put her over the edge, and not wanting to do anything to frighten the wee elf any more than what she already was.

Meldamiriel nodded back as well. “It’s…it’s nice to meet you too,” she said shakily.

“And this big guy here is Dominic Mantasillion.” Again, Natasha came across very light-hearted and gentle, while carefully turning a tightly clinging Meldamiriel to face Dominic. The tiny elf trembled in Natasha’s arms as she came to face the large dragon shifter. Sadly, she had heard a few too many horror stories about dragons eating elves, though she had always hoped they were just stories, something that truly didn’t happen in real life. Then again, vampires were supposed only to exist in books and yet they were whom she was running from at the current moment.

Ivormantis sensed her fear toward him and his human half and urged Dominic to be very careful in handling her.

‘You dare to frighten her away, or so much as mark her perfect skin with the tiniest scratch, and your spine will be the least of your pain that you have to worry about dealing with,’
Ivormantis threatened deeply, his stern voice rumbling with his warning.

‘I would never even dream of laying a harmful hand on such a beautiful and fascinating creature,’
Dominic growled back inwardly, being careful to keep all signs of his difficulties hidden within so as not to spook her. At the rate he and Ivormantis were going at it, he feared Ivormantis losing his temper and trying to force his way through, would truly scare the living daylights out of his mate.

Ever so gently, Dominic took Meldamiriel’s tiny hand in his much larger one and bent slightly to kiss the back of her fingers. It was only a whisper of a kiss, to show she had nothing to fear from him. The pain shooting down his spine was excruciating, but it was well worth it when he glanced up to see one corner of her mouth trying to turn up.