Eternal (Dragon Wars, #2) (14 page)

“I’m going to give you some more medicine. It’s really for the pain and gods forbid anyone knew we had it here, they’d come in droves to rob us. You need to sleep to heal. Already, you look better. You’re clearing your infection.”

“No.” He croaked. “Addict.”

“It’s not the same. These are Devon’s from when he came home from war.” She kissed his brow. “We’re not in a cave. I can do better than dragon egg drugs.”

Everything faded to blackness once more.

****

“H
ey, brother, you awake?”

Dougal’s eyes fluttered open. He was sitting, in a chair. Where? He looked around. On the porch of his childhood home.

Devon stared at him from across the porch. “I thought you needed some fresh air. I thought it might bring you around.”

Dougal tried to rise and then sat back. “Aren’t you a sight for sour eyes? How long has it been?”

Devon laughed, throwing his head back. “Seventeen years, big brother. Fuck. Can you believe it?”

“You got old.”

Devon nodded. “You got uglier.”

“Hey.” Caitlyn came onto the porch and rushed to his side. “You’re awake.”

“He is and he seems to be retaining information. It’s a good sign.” Devon rose from his chair and walked inside leaving them alone.

Caitlyn’s warm hand touched his skin. “You’re cool. You’re not burning with fever.”

With his good arm, he tugged her to him. “I knew I would get home to you.”

Her face fell and he wondered what he had said to put such an expression there. “I lost hope a few times. I thought you were gone. I started to think of you as dead.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Then I guess I must be the best surprise ever?”

It felt good to tease her, even better when she grinned. “The very best. Outside of Rick, who took me by surprise too. Although I guess he shouldn’t have.”

“Rick?”

“Oh.” She jumped. “Your son. We have a baby. Of course, you don’t know.”

He grabbed her arm. “I did actually. The Queen dragon told me.”

Caitlyn pursed her lips. “How did she know?”

“The dragon you kept for a while told her. Before he died.”

His mate took a long, deep breath. “I need to hear everything that happened to you.”

“Not all of it. Never all of it. I can’t...” He let his voice drift off. Some things had to stay in the prison.

She kissed him square on the lips. Her breath was sweet and her skin soft. He breathed her in, shuddering from her touch, from her love, from the perfection which was Caitlyn.

Finally and too soon, she pulled back. “Let me go get Rick.”

“You don’t think I’ll terrify the baby?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I think Owens men are made of sterner stuff than terror over ugly beards.”

“Only because we get the best possible mates.”

Caitlyn smiled so brightly she lit his world. “Well, there’s your perfect taste in women, of course.”

Seconds later she returned, holding a dark-haired baby in her arms. He’d thought he’d been prepared to meet his son, only he wasn’t. He stared open-mouthed at the bundle in her arms before she placed him on his chest. The child squirmed but didn’t fuss. He had the most perfectly-shaped, round head he’d ever seen.

Rick’s face, which mostly looked scrunched resembled his own. After a minute, when it was too much, the emotions, the reality, the sheer goodness of the moment threatened to overwhelm him, he turned his attention back to Caitlyn.

Tears streamed her face. “I never thought I’d see you with him.”

“He’s going to have to grow in a world with a father who has one hand and three legs when he shifts.”

She shrugged. “I think Rick will be fine. He doesn’t seem to mind his mother’s scarred cheek.”

He supposed he had walked into that one. “What scar?”

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. “What missing hand?”

“Come here.” He tugged her onto his lap. There, in the sunshine on the porch, he held his mate and his son. Dougal Owens finally realized he’d come home. Nothing would drag him from it again.

****

“H
ey, you two.” Homer’s voice caught his attention and stopped Robert Owen’s downward slope toward the fishing lake. Apparently, the other Male had gotten out of the dragon prison. Had he managed his mission before the vanishing act the lizards pulled?

“Hey,” he called back. They had no formality anymore, hadn’t since they’d gone elite.

Homer scooted the hill and grinned before they shook hands. “Didn’t see August.”

“He’s around somewhere. In a foul mood. Doesn’t like inaction. He’s still determined to find where the thousands of them are hiding.”

The younger man nodded. “So then nothing has changed.”

“Very little.” He took a deep breath, letting the wind hit him in the face. Some days it was still good to be alive. “Did you get it done?”

“Your brother was managing to free himself before I managed to get him out. He lost a hand. He’s in bad shape. But, I saw him home, unbeknownst to him for the last day, to his mate before I took off here. I think the dragon-talker and Devon will see to him.”

That was good. Robbie had been able to do very little for his family since he’d had to fake his own death a decade earlier. Getting them out of dragon prisons proved to be a service he could still provide.

“I’m going to go eat.” Homer rubbed his belly. “He reminds me of you, by the way. Dougal. Same hard headed, he knows best bullshit.”

“All the Owens men.” Robert couldn’t help but grin. They’d gotten it from their mother.

“Oh, and congratulations. You’re an uncle.”

“She had the baby.” He nodded. Robbie had seen her pregnant from a distance. When she’d been chatting with the dragon at the fishing cabin. If it had been anything other than a pure greeny, he’d have put the creature to its death. His pregnant sister-in-law didn’t need to be messing with that kind of shit. Even if she was brilliant and could burn eggs.

Her help still blew his mind...

Homer nodded and returned the way he had come. The kid was good, which was why he’d been given the mission to get caught. Dougal had handled himself but if he’d been unable, Robbie’s man would have saved his ass.

Robbie made for the lake. Maybe there was still trout to catch. His stomach moaned. When was the last time he ate? The wind hit him again and he looked upwards. Snapping his fingers, he signaled his twin brother, Auggie to pay attention. From behind a tree, hidden as he almost always was, Auggie appeared. The other man had seen them too.

Dragons circled overhead.

Shit.
They were back already. Not even a year.

“Is that what I think it is?” His brother called to him from the rock face he’d climbed.

“Yep.” The beasts had returned. No matter, Robbie had never really believed them dead. Miracles didn’t happen anymore.

“I’m going to signal the commander. Then we’d better get out of here before they see us and we end as their dinner.”

Robbie nodded before moving away from the lake. Some day they
would
become dinner to the nasties and when they died no one would grieve. Everyone who mattered thought them dead for the last decade.

“This is what we knew was going to happen. This is what the human said they do.” August sighed loudly.

Robbie regarded his brother. “Well, the humans would know, wouldn’t they?”

T
hank you so much for reading Eternal. It is the second story in my Dragon Wars series. Eternal can easily be read as a standalone.

Best to all of you.

RR

A
s a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework. I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.

I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. We’ve just moved from New Jersey to Texas where I am learning to love Barbecue!

I am in love with science fiction, fantasy and the paranormal and try to use all these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action-packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books. In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.

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www.rebecaroyce.com

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Her Wolf

Summer’s Wolf

Wolf Reborn

Wolf’s Valentine

Wolf’s Magic

Alpha Wolf

Angel’s Wolf

Darkest Wolf

Lone Wolf

Alpha Rising

Alpha’s Strength

Alpha’s Sacrifice

Alpha’s Truth

Seductive Powers

Adrenaline Rush

Last Ascension

Eye Contact

Embraced

The Warrior
(Young Adult)

Initiation

Driven

Subversive

Redemption

Justice

T
he unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement (including infringement without monetary gain) is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

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T
his book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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E
ternal 

Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Royce

ISBN: 978-0-9964874-0-5

Cover art by Original Syn 

http://www.syneca-originalsyn.com/

Previously Released

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A
ll rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Interior format by The Killion Group

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