Tianna Xander (9 page)

Tansy stopped on the landing, a strange
expression on her face. Her hand shook on the railing, her knuckles
white as she gripped it as though it were a lifeline in a turbulent
sea.

“
Something is here.” Her
gaze met his before her eyes rolled back and she began to
shake.

Tony bounded up the stairs, afraid that
she would fall and hurt herself.

“
Hold me or get away from
me. I don’t know how long I can hold it.”

Edgar, Drake’s butler, rounded the
corner. “The master and mistress are having after dinner coffee in
the—Lord preserve us! My prayers haven’t been answered after all.”
Turning, he ran from the room, the cuffs of his slacks
smoldering.

The sound of the glass breaking in
several windows traveled up the stairs as Tony grabbed Tansy and
pressed his lips to hers. They could control this together if they
were bound by a kiss.

She opened to him immediately, her
tongue tangling with his. Tony opened his eyes at the sound of a
small explosion just as another small dirty bomb crashed through
the door window and exploded.

Fires broke out all over the house,
licking at the draperies and devouring the plaster walls. Tansy
jerked in his arms as the power within her fought for release. She
wouldn’t let it go, afraid that her fire would only do more damage
to Drake’s home.

Let it go, angel. This is
why you were born. It is what you were meant to do. Whatever else
happens, know that the power within you is meant to do good not
harm. Let it go.

Tony deepened their kiss,
distracting her just enough that she lost control over the fire in
her that raged for release. The
ignis et
pax
swirled around them, growing larger and
larger. As it engulfed Drake’s home, it pushed the fires and bombs
against the walls, then incinerated everything harmful in its
path.

Tansy’s fire was no longer a
destructive force, but a protective shell that stopped every fire,
every bomb and every evil force in its wake.

Linked to Tansy the way he
was, Tony could see what the
ignis et
pax
did as it expanded to cover not only
the interior, but the exterior of the house and grounds.

Shadowy figures sped over the grounds,
a few of them not quite fast enough as the sphere of fire engulfed
and burned them. Whomever or whatever they were, they would not
return to their homes this night.

Tonight they ran in fear from Tansy’s
wrath and the power of the dragon’s fire trapped within her thanks
to an ancient witch’s spell.

When the danger had passed
and the
ignis et pax
was again under control and the sphere dissipated, the others
gathered around Tansy with wide eyes and silent mouths.

Nothing would ever compare to the raw
power his mate demonstrated this night and no one would ever
threaten her family again and live.

Tony turned to face his mate at her
unintentional thought and smiled. “It is normal to want to harm
those who would take your loved ones away. Do not fret so over such
thoughts.”

Tansy swallowed, pressed her lips
together when she would have said something, then nodded. Pulling
away from him, she continued down the stairs. “We have to get
married as soon as possible. The more grounded I am, the stronger
the link Tony and I have together, the more control I have over the
fire.”

“
Tomorrow is the soonest you
can be wed. We await the paperwork to make this legal in human eyes
and Damek who returns from Canada tomorrow morning at
ten.”

“
Who is Damek and why does
he have to be here?” Tansy didn’t want to wait. The fire was a
strong power within her and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to
control it if something else happened and it manifested
again.

“
Damek is the Earth dragon
and it is his right to preside over every Dragon mating if he
chooses. He wants to be the one to marry you and Tony.” April
wrapped her arm around Tansy. “Don’t worry. It’ll be all right.
You’ll see.”

Tony knew Tansy wasn’t sure about that,
but what choice did they have? There were a lot of things dragons
did by the book and mating rituals were only one of them. She
sighed, obviously resigned to wait until the morning when
everything would be in order for their wedding.

Twelve hours later Tony stood awaiting
his bride. He could just see the stairs from where he stood in the
ballroom in anticipation of her presence. He saw her sisters
descending the stairs not long after someone began playing the
wedding march.

Two beautiful herons stood in a cage
off to the right. Apparently, one of the girls had captured the
birds at their parent’s farm with the help of her escort and
brought them here to witness the ceremony. He wasn’t sure he
understood the symbolism of the birds, but he allowed them at
Tansy’s request. He feared he would allow pretty much anything at
Tansy’s request.

His breath caught in his
throat at his first glimpse of his bride. Dressed all in white, she
literally glowed at the top of the stairs as the
ignis et pax
surrounded
her like a protective veil. Her red hair tumbled down her back in
shimmering waves and her smile tugged at his heart in a way nothing
else ever had. No one had ever been more beautiful.

Miraculously, nothing caught fire as
she made her way down the stairs. The train of her dress trailed
behind her, dragging on the floor, orange flames licking up from
the fabric. Tony didn’t know how she did it or if the material was
flame resistant or not, but the effect was stunning.

As soon as she entered the room, he
felt the draw on his power and the flames shot up. Her eyes widened
for a bit, then she smiled when the flames returned to the six-inch
tall flames the gown bore while Tansy descended the
stairs.

She was his mate, the love of his life
and he thanked everything that was good that she had come into his
life. The fact that his mate bore the fire of a fire dragon only
sweetened the pot for him. Her power would blend with his and, like
him, their children would be the protectors of dragon
kind.

Damek, the Earth dragon stood behind
him, their friends, including Armand, attended them and for now,
the stolen Dragon’s Desire was back where it belonged and no one
was under the influence—at least for the time being.

Tony watched as Tansy stopped before
him, turned to her brother and waited for him to lift her veil. God
she was beautiful.

Taking a deep breath, Tony
turned to Damek with a smile. This woman was his mate. He would
fight for her and he would die for her, but most importantly, after
five-thousand years, he would finally
live
for her.

About the Author

Tianna Xander is an eclectic author of
numerous paranormal, sci-fi, time travel romance erotica books.
Gaining inspiration for her characters and dialogue through her
family and her addiction to the internet, she never fails to amaze
readers with each new book she creates. As a reading junkie
herself, Tianna has no problem reading whatever is available at the
moment from romance novels, murder mysteries and encyclopedias to
books on solar energy.

Tianna’s life wouldn’t be
complete without a
happily ever
after
of her very own. She resides in
Michigan with her husband, two children, three cats, two dogs and
an intimidating bunny. Never one to fail to give credit where it’s
due, she commends her family for their constant support. After
writing many books and receiving rave reviews, her family is just
as proud of her. Always full of ideas, Tianna rarely puts the pen
down, so readers can look forward to many more exciting stories in
the future.