Mate Healer (12 page)

Sighing, Lian followed the guards to the large courtyard to the right of the cathedral. A section was cordoned off and what looked like an army of police protected the ropes. A huge pyre filled the center of the space, intimidatingly large. Lian's heart beat double time, trying to leap out his throat, which would probably be less painful than a burning.

"Couldn't they kill me before burning?" Lian complained.

"No." Nevair replied. "We have to give the goddess the chance to save you."

"And if she doesn't?" Lian was pretty sure of the answer, but he needed to hear it from his lover's lips.

"Then we die together," Nevair vowed.

Lian suppressed his objection. He didn't have the right to tell Nevair what to do. Instead, he nodded, his eyes on the pyre.

"I'll help you to the top." The nice guard from before took Lian's hand and supported him up the rickety pile of wood. "Careful," he warned when Lian started to slip.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to break a leg if I can burn instead."

The guard winced but didn't say anything further.

Sighing, Lian climbed to the top and sat on the pile. "I feel like a bird on a nest," he grumbled.

"We could tie you to the pole, but we thought that would be too dramatic. Why don't you lie down?" the helpful guard offered.

Lying down would put all the body parts on fire pretty much at the same time. It was good advice. Shifting his weight, Lian settled on his back. He could feel every pokey branch stabbing his itchy back. At least his discomfort wouldn't last long. He gave a hysterical laugh.

"I love you." Nevair's voice drifted up to him.

Lian wished his lover had stayed behind. Nevair didn't need to see this.

"I love you, too," Lian rushed the words out.

He might not get another chance to speak. Lian's one point of happiness was Tres being unable to come and watch him burn. Nevair told him last night the man had requested the chance, but everyone from the judge to his lawyer had denied him.

Bastard!

"Give me that!" Lian turned his head and watched Nevair yank the torch out of the guard's hand. "Don't you know anything about tradition?"

The guard bowed low to Nevair but didn't speak.

Nevair approached the stack of wood. "May the will of the goddess follow you into the hereafter or place your feet on the path to righteousness."

Nevair placed the torch at the base of the kindling. The soft whoosh of flames burning up the pyre made Lian sick to his stomach. Soon he would start to feel the heat. His natural magic wouldn't keep him from burning. Knowing he had healing powers he couldn't use for his own body was a special kind of torment.

His heart jolted when the crackling fire came closer. The smell of burnt wood choked Lian and made him cough.

At least he'd die of smoke inhalation before the flames ever reached him.

The sky, a brilliant blue above him, mocked him with its beauty. At the first flicker of a flame at the bottom of his foot, Lian bit his lip to hold back a scream. Bad enough Nevair would see him burn, Lian wouldn't leave him with screams ringing in his ears.

"You have proven yourself a man worthy of a dragon,"
a female voice sang in Lian's ear.

The smoke must be getting to him.

Pain ripped through him when his bones snapped and reformed. Despite his resolve to stay silent, a scream tore out of him until his voice changed, became deeper, louder and changed from a human sound to a beastly roar. Throwing back his head, Lian gave a dragon howl.

* * * *

Nevair's mouth dropped open. A red dragon with gold wings crouched in the middle of the fire, the flames reflecting on the scales. Lian had transformed.

"I am disappointed you lacked faith in me, my Nevair."

Nevair dropped to his knees as the sparkling form of his goddess shimmered before him. "Forgive me, goddess. My faith isn't strong enough." Tears dripped down his cheeks as he caught sight of the beauty of his mate through the translucent goddess.

The goddess gave Nevair an understanding smile "Your faith is fine, my dear. Even I would hesitate before I sacrificed my beloved son. Goddesses are a fickle lot. We might not always do what you want us to, but we never betray the faithful."

Nevair nodded, humbled. "At least he'll believe in you now."

The goddess laughed. "Yes, he kind of has to, doesn't he?" Her laughter filled the courtyard before she vanished all together.

"I'll kill you!" Nevair turned around to see Tres running towards him, brandishing a sword. "You aren't blessed," he shrieked. "You'll die, just like the others."

Nevair wondered how Tres escaped and where he'd found a sword. He knew the guards were too far away to save him.
The goddess gives and the goddess takes away
.

"Why do you want my death?" Nevair asked, trying to stall. He didn't have time to transform, not before Tres could stab him in the heart.

"Because dragonkin are unnatural. You all think you're a better species, but we'll get you. We'll kill you all and take over this planet one dragon at a time."

Tres's eyes had a fanatical gleam in them. Nevair wondered how he'd missed it before. The sword rose before him only to be smacked away by a giant red paw.

Tres's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Lian. "No! No! The goddess didn't change you! You're supposed to die!"

Lian opened his mouth, exposing dagger-sharp teeth. With a swipe of dragon-Lian's paw, Tres flew across the courtyard and landed in a heap on the other side where the stunned guards finally took action.

Watching as the guards carried Tres off, Nevair turned his attention back to the dragon butting him with its head for attention. Its gold eyes gleamed as it regarded Nevair.

Nevair scratched the dragon behind its eye ridge just to watch his eyes cross. "Later, I'll take you for flying lessons. Right now I need you to shift back."

He got sleepy blinks.

"No! You don't get to take a nap. I need my Lian back. Transform."

It took a long moment where Nevair thought Lian might defy him and go for that nap anyway. Instead the large, beautiful beast shrank into a smaller stunning man who collapsed in tears in Nevair's arms.

"I'm so proud of you," Nevair whispered, holding Lian close.

Lian sobbed, the stress of the fire and transformation ripping away his usual calm veneer. "Let it all out, sweetheart, give me all your tears."

Several minutes later, Lian ran out of tears and relaxed against Nevair's body.

A helpful guard came forward and gave Lian a white robe to wear.

Lian quickly donned it, hiding his body from the crowds.

"Come on, let's go to my room." Nevair rubbed Lian's back trying to soothe the distraught man.

Lian nodded, still not speaking.

People parted as they walked by. Some tried to touch Lian as if to make contact with a man blessed by the goddess. A soft whisper of words followed them as they entered the cathedral.

Nevair helped Lian up the winding staircase, each stair feeling taller than the one before. Relief made his grip tighter than necessary on Lian's arm but the fear of losing him still grabbed Nevair's throat like a hungry beast. His inner dragon growled with the need to bond with his mate, to reclaim their mark, and his back itched like sand fleas were nesting under his skin.

When they were finally alone and the door closed behind them, Nevair took a good look at his mate. Lian's blue eyes now had silver streaks running through them like a sparkly summer sky.

"You're mine," Nevair said as if there had been an argument. Now that Lian hadn't died, he didn't want to leave any room for wiggling out. "Now everyone will want to touch you and worship you as a gift of the goddess, but you're mine. No one gets to have you but me." Nevair walked over to his wardrobe and removed the box he'd hidden inside. "When I was young and hadn't taken my vows yet, I knew some day I would have a mate of my own. I just knew it. So I took the money my grandfather left me and had this made for my future mate, for you. I love you, Lian, and I hope you'll accept this as a sign of my affection."

He held out the box to his lover who regarded him with wide, wary eyes.

"I love you, too," Lian said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Open it," Nevair urged.

Lian's smile, although half the power of his usual brilliance, still struck Nevair with its sweetness.

* * * *

Lian's fingers shook as he opened the wooden box. He didn't know what to do now besides stay as close to Nevair as he possibly could. The man defined Lian's world and for a person who'd always considered himself self-sufficient, Lian found his new dependency more frightening than turning into a dragon.

The gold cuff encrusted with jewels glowed in its red velvet setting. Rubies, emeralds and baby-fist sized diamonds covered the piece. He'd never seen a more beautiful piece of jewelry.

"What happens if I turn into a dragon with this on?" He had a momentary spurt of pride that his voice sounded steady.

Nevair's warm, understanding smile, settled Lian's nerves more than all the platitudes in the universe. "I paid extra for a sizing spell. It will always fit you no matter your form and it can't be removed by anyone but you."

Lian wondered how much Nevair's grandfather had left him.

Nevair gave him a shy look from beneath his lashes. "Although I live in this cathedral, my family has invested well. Most of my money goes to charity, but we will never lack for anything. I can take care of you."

Nevair's earnest expression melted Lian's heart. "I'm not exactly poor, sweetheart. The council pays me well for my research."

"Good, I'm glad you are valued," Nevair said.

Lian touched the jeweled cuff. It looked expensive enough to fund a small city, but Lian didn't want to take away from Nevair's moment by making any of the sarcastic comments sitting on his tongue. "Put it on me."

Nevair's glowing expression told Lian he'd made the right choice.

The cold metal shocked Lian's skin upon contact but quickly warmed.

Nevair took Lian's hands in his. "By my position as Pontifex I bind us together beneath the good will of the goddess to be as one for the rest of our lives."

A warm glow filled Lian's chest, replacing the chill freezing his bones. For the first time, a sense of home engulfed him. He'd been drifting for so long he never thought he'd find a place to call his before.

"I love you," he told the man standing before him.

Nevair's expression made Lian's breath catch in his chest. He'd been admired, lusted after, and needed by lovers before, but until that moment never to the extent shown in Nevair's eyes, as if he'd ripped himself open and offered his soul.

"I love you, too. No matter what happens, we have each other," Nevair said.

Lian smiled. "Good, I'll hold you to that."

Epilogue

"Where are we going to today, sir?" Lian's guard, Ferlin, asked.

"To the dragon fields."

"Yes, sir."

Lian ignored the groan from his other guard. Both hated the lack of security at the fields. They liked it best when Lian stayed in the spacious office given to him as the new Medical Director and didn't leave.

Lian had established a small clinic to take care of the dragonkin at the fields. Healers rotated to get used to being around dragonkin and learn about their special needs. Tres and Bourne were indicted for attempted genocide and were now serving time on a prison planet.

Bourne confessed about doing the entire thing for money and revenge. He'd hated the dragonkin since an old lover had mated with one and dumped Bourne the same day. When one of the dragonkin accidentally killed a man Bourne had wanted for himself, the hatred had grown. When Tres had offered him the opportunity to get back at them, Bourne had snapped up the chance. He justified the genocide by the fact it wouldn't kill current dragonkin but would prevent them from ever being born.

Without any leadership, the medical council put Lian in charge because of his connection with the dragonkin community. Lian sent scolding notes to the kings informing them what their lack of oversight had resulted in and formed a new medical steering committee of which he and each of the dragon kings had equal voice. King Zeir's representative didn't show but Lian had plans to send someone to seek the ruler out.

"Hey."

Lian turned to find his mate standing by his hoverlimo. "What are you doing here?"

"It's our anniversary today. I've come to kidnap you away from everything," Nevair announced.

Lian laughed. "I'm supposed to be going to the dragon fields."

"You can do that tomorrow. Today you need to spend with me."

The hopeful look in Nevair's eyes sealed the deal.

"I'll call and tell them you won't make it today," Ferlin said, laughter in his voice.

Lian nodded. "You do that. I apparently have plans with my mate."

He didn't look away from Nevair's eyes. Stepping closer, he kissed his lover. "I'm happy to see you. You were still sleeping when I left, and you're full of crap. Our anniversary isn't for a few more days."

"That's if you're counting our mating anniversary. I'm counting from the first time I saw you."

Lian laughed. "I see we have several days of celebration ahead."

"Yep, and I plan to spend most of them in bed."

Nevair's kiss, hot and heady, caused Lian's dragon to growl in anticipation.

Lian couldn't have agreed more.

The End

About the Author

Amber Kell is a dreamer who has been writing stories in her head for as long as she could remember.

She lives in Seattle with her husband, two sons, two cats and one very stupid dog. To learn more about her current books or works in progress, check out her blog at http://amberkell.wordpress.com. Her fans can also reach her at [email protected].

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