Saved By Her Dragon (20 page)

Devon watched as everyone nodded in agreement and was just
about to speak when Rian stood and addressed the group, “Since the
sun will be up in a few hours, I’m gonna head back over to Dev’s,
grab a shower, and get some training in before tonight’s raid.” He
crossed the room and clapped Devon on the shoulder as he passed,
“You better get some sleep, loverboy.”

Devon thanked the group as everyone stood and headed out.
Less than a minute later only he, Royce, and Kyra were left with a
table top of half-filled coffee cups and the remnants of a tray of
cinnamon rolls. They cleared the table in silence, all obviously
deep in thought when Kyra spoke, “I think I should go with you
tonight.”

The words were barely out of her mouth when Royce growled
through gritted teeth, “No fucking way,
mo
chroi’
. You’re not getting anywhere near
that little piece of shit.”

Spinning on her heels and advancing towards her mate, Devon
saw fire in Kyra’s eyes. With the hopes of preventing a fight
between two of his dearest friends, Devon quickly interjected, “But
Kyra, I need you here to protect Anya. With all of us gone, there’s
no one I trust more to keep her safe.”

His words hung in the air as he felt the brewing tensions
fade away. Kyra laughed, “
Damn
, you know how to take the wind
out of a girl’s sails, Dev.” She continued forward, walking
directly into her mate’s outstretched arms.

Royce mouthed,
“Thank you,”
over Kyra’s head and Devon grinned in
response.

“Now, you two chuckleheads get the hell outta here and get
some rest and…” He paused until they were both looking at him, and
then said, “Thank you so very much. I couldn’t do this without
either of you.”

“Oh, yeah, you could. It just wouldn’t be as much fun,” Kyra
giggled.

Royce turned her in his arms and gently pushed his mate
towards the back door, speaking over his shoulder, “I’m gonna take
you up on the offer to get a few more hours sleep.”

“Me too,” Devon called to his friends as he shut the door and
turned out the kitchen light. Heading back to Anya, he let all
thoughts of the traitor drift away so that when he slid into bed
next to her, his only thoughts were of her and the perfect way
their bodies fit together.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrew barely made it back to the mansion before his temper
got the best of him. He left his car running in the driveway,
driver’s side door wide open, and the front door of the mansion
barely on the hinges as he shoved his way through the throng of
wizard wannabes blocking the path to his office. Slamming the door,
he was greeted by an empty office with nothing but his nineteenth
century solid oak Ambassador’s desk and leather high back office
chair to toss around. Unwilling to destroy the only two pieces of
furniture left, he pushed open the hidden panel beside the floor to
ceiling bookcases and disappeared down the long hidden passageway
to his hidden workout facility.

Throwing his trench coat, suit jacket, and dress shirt into a
pile in the corner of the well-appointed room and kicking his shoes
in the opposite corner, he strode towards the long punching bag
that hung from the ceiling in the center of the room. He poured
every bit of frustration and anger he felt at the loss of the young
woman he
knew
was
not only special but somehow imperative to his vengeance against
the dragons. Sweat poured down his face and back. His fists, as
well as the tops of his feet bled from the sheer voracity of his
attack while his temper raged on. Visions of the sanctimonious
Devon Walsh sweeping in and saving the damsel in distress fueled
his ire as his punches and kicks landed one right after another.
Only the sound of the concrete cracking under the huge steel
bracket that held the bag to the ceiling stilled his
fists.

Making his way to the small refrigerator across the room, he
pulled out a cold bottle of water, took off the cap and drank it
down, reaching for a second bottle while pitching the other towards
the trashcan. Only when the second bottle had been emptied and
thrown away did Andrew lean against the wall and take a long, deep
breath. He looked around the room, not really seeing any of the
equipment, only remembering what the young doctor had said when he
had inquired about the girl’s condition. Dr. Gallagher, as her
nametag had identified her, had spouted hospital policy and
deflected his questions quite effectively, but it had been what she
didn’t say that let him know the young woman was awake and well and
for that he was grateful. What he absolutely hated, and was not
sure how to rectify, was the fact that she was with those fucking
dragons.

Andrew slid down the wall until his ass made contact with the
floor, thankful he had at least one place in the world to let
pretenses go and think. He thought about the vibes he had gotten
from the young woman his men had taken from outside the movie
theatre all those weeks ago. It was obvious she was magical. Not
like Kyra or any of the other witches or wizards he had ever known,
but magical all the same. She was filled with goodness and light,
and something very old with an almost reverent feeling to it. That
magic is what had compelled him to have her taken to the hospital
where he knew she would sooner or later recover.

Sure that word of his arrival and disappearance had reached
Mr. A and not wanting the glorified thug to accidently stumble upon
his private lair while searching for him, Andrew jumped in the
shower he’d had installed and quickly redressed. Taking a different
route that lead to the gardens behind the mansion, the traitor
reentered through the French doors into the dining room. All
conversation ceased and the handful of his followers that
surrounded one end of the long, antique dining table refused to
meet his eyes. Apparently, word of his less than joyful return had
spread. Silently reveling in the fact that they feared him, Andrew
strode out of the room with his head held high.

Just as he rounded the corner to the hallway that led to his
office, he spotted John carrying several large books, a look of
genuine accomplishment on his face. At the sound of Andrew’s boots
on the hardwood floor, his assistant smiled and said six words that
truly lifted Andrew’s spirits, “I translated more of the
prophecy.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anya awoke cocooned in the warmth of Devon’s body, his scent
filling her senses and the feel of his breath on the nape of her
neck. She very slowly and carefully rolled until she was face to
face with the man that had wormed his way into her heart. Up close,
she could see how incredibly long and thick his dark eyelashes were
as they curled against the tops of his cheeks. She then thought of
the expressive grey eyes they outlined and her heart beat a little
faster.

Her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they
lightly stroked the tiny laugh lines that emanated from those
expressive eyes, making her smile to herself. Butterflies chose
that moment to take up residence in her tummy as a collage of
everything from Devon’s silly smirk to a full blown laugh paraded
through her mind.
How is it possible he
has come to mean so much to me in such a short time?

“Because I am as much
yours as you are mine.”
She
squeaked in surprise and then giggled as the arm he had draped
across her waist tightened, pulling her tighter against his hard
body.

Anya swatted his shoulder. “How long have you been lying
there playing possum?”

With his eyes holding her captive, he leaned forward until
their lips all but touched and whispered, “I’ll sleep when I’m
dead. I don’t want to miss a second of having you in my
arms.”

His lips touched hers and the fire she had seen burning in
his eyes poured into her. She opened completely to the man she was
sure she was meant to spend the rest of her life with and felt the
incredible depth of his love and commitment. Their kiss went on and
on until she was sure she would spontaneously combust until a knock
at the door surprised them both.

“This better be good,” Devon growled against her
lips.

“Wake up on the wrong side of the
bed,
lover boy
?” He could hear the contained laughter in Rory’s
voice.

“What do you want, Rory?” Devon’s growl was very pronounced,
his chest rumbling under her fingertips.

“Don’t kill the messenger, dude. Rayne and
Rian are waiting in the Great Hall with the others. They’ve been
calling you for over an hour but apparently you’ve been
incommunicado
.”

“I swear privacy is a dirty word around here,” Devon grumbled
under his breath, still holding her tight.

Anya buried her head in his chest to keep from laughing out
loud at the conversation going on over her head, but her efforts
were for naught when Rory answered, “We live in each other’s heads
ninety percent of the time and you want privacy? What? Are you new
here?”

“Rory!” Devon all but roared. Instead of frightening her as
it would’ve before she’d met this wonderful group of dragons, it
caused Anya to giggle uncontrollably, which made Devon’s chest jump
against her cheek with his own barely contained
laughter.

“I’m going…I’m going. But they’re just gonna send someone
else or Heavens forbid…
me
again until you get your ass outta bed and get
over there,” Rory complained.

“Go away, Rory. Tell them I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Devon commanded as he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I’ll tell them,” Rory muttered as she
heard his retreating footsteps.

Anya almost felt bad for the other Guardsman but knew he was
a smart ass and loved picking at anyone he could.
Devon disturbed her thoughts and giggles with a
kiss to the tip of her nose before pulling farther back from her.
He paused for just a moment and just stared. Unable to bear his
look, she looked
 
down for a second, and when she looked up again he was still
gazing at her, wearing a knowing a smile. When he spoke she could
feel the emotion of his words to the depths of her soul. “I am
absolutely the luckiest man in the world.”

She felt her cheeks warm from the emotion his words stirred
within her. When she would’ve looked away again, Devon’s fingers
held her chin captive and spoke with a reverence she had only heard
uttered in a prayer, “believe my words,
mo
ghra’
. From the moment I found you, you
became my reason for living. The Universe may have made you but you
are
mine,
and I
am the happiest dragon alive for it.”

Tears gathered in her eyes and her heart beat faster than she
ever imagined it could at his words of love and commitment, but it
was his last statement that made her heart fill to near bursting.
“All of my love…now…always…forever.” He sealed his pledge with just
the touch of his lips to hers
and in the
next instant, much to her disappointment, was climbing out of
bed.

Anya couldn’t stop grinning as she watched him pull jeans
over his boxers and covered the chest her fingers itched to touch
just one more time with a worn grey T-shirt. It was obvious Devon
had noticed when he raised one eyebrow and the side of his mouth
rose in an adorable smirk, but he confirmed it when he winked and
asked, “Enjoying the show?”

She scooted up in the bed and crossed her arms behind her
head, trying to portray a calm she didn’t feel. Furrowing her brow
and pursing her lips like she was making a tough decision, Anya
tried to keep the laughter from her voice when she answered, “Well,
yes, I believe I am.”

Less than a heartbeat later, she found herself wrapped in his
arms, breathless from the amazing kiss of her mate. Moaning deep in
her throat and grabbing his shoulders to pull him closer, she
poured all she felt for the amazing man she was fated to love
forever into that one kiss. All too soon, Devon pulled back and
Anya was happy to see he was as breathless as she. His voice was
lower and more raspy than usual when he said, “I cannot wait for
the rest of our lives together.”

He stopped and sighed, “Unfortunately, my brethren are giving
me a headache with their continual bitching in my head.”

A quick kiss on her forehead as he returned her to bed and he
was at the door. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,
mo chroi’.
”

She sighed as the door gently closed and smiled.
Forever will never be long enough…

Using his enhanced speed and cutting through all the wooded
areas, Devon arrived at the Great Hall in just a few minutes. It
wasn’t because every few seconds one or the other of his brethren
were bellowing in his brain, although he was going to kick some ass
when he saw them, it was completely and totally because he hated
every minute that he was not with Anya. Every second in her
presence made him love her more. It was as if he had known her
forever, not just a few days.

Ready to kick ass and take names for being disturbed, Devon
pushed open the huge double doors to the Great Hall and stomped in,
only to be stopped in his tracks by the presence of not only the
King of the Big Cats, but Carrick, the Head Elder of his clan.
Deciding to play off his abrupt entrance, he called out, “I’m here,
let the party begin.”