Finding the Dragon (Dásreach Council Book 1) (19 page)

When Nat and then Rogue had turned out to be mates as well, it had given Kai hope. Three mates found in a matter of days, and they were all friends.
Friends
. The thirteen men that had been chosen for the Thirteen the year Kai was, had all been marked with the symbol for friendship – two arrows crossing. It was almost unheard of for so many Dásreach to be marked with the same symbol for their mates. The symbol was a way to understand your mate and how to find her, so it was normally unique to the Dásreach. Granted there are only so many symbols, and a few men would usually have the same symbol each year, but never so many and it had never happened for the Thirteen. In the years that the men had been searching, discussions and arguments had led them nowhere in understanding what the symbol had meant. To make it stranger, Dar’s best friend Riordan and Sasha’s twin brother Hunter, both had the symbol as well. There had been fifteen men in all with the same symbol in that one Oath ceremony.

Kai and Corbin had spent hours begging the Shaman to explain what it meant; especially as they approached their deadline. All the Shaman would say is that the Great Spirit and Destiny would lead them when the time was right. When Kai had become extremely upset and despondent, the Shaman had taken him into the temple and after some meditation he had shared a simple statement, “
You and your brothers will bring much needed change. You all are unique, but the same. Together you will achieve much.”
He had left Kai with more questions than answers, but that was the Shaman.

However, finally, maybe they had an answer. Their mates would be found in groups and would be friends. If they could find one, then they should find more. Not only did they have only ten more to find, but they would also, hopefully, only have to find a few of those to reach the others. It gave Kai much needed hope for his brothers.

Of course, there was also fear. Fear that some had already been lost due to this traitor in their mist. Dar and Malkum had to find the answers. They were the Enforcers of the Thirteen, if they could not find the answer in their investigations, then no one could. Kai couldn’t accept the thought of failure, because, until the traitor was found his mate would not be safe.

From the moment Kai had found Alvena, her safety and happiness had become one of only three concerns: Alvena, his brothers, and the Dásreach.

He had to protect her.

But, what if she denied his protection? What if she didn’t want to be his mate?

It wouldn’t matter. Kai would protect Alvena for the rest of her life, whether it was with him or not. If he had to keep her safe from a distance, then he would. He could see himself, in his dragon form, creating storms and cloud cover, and following her everywhere she went. Ohio weather would never been the same. He chuckled. Circling clouds… circling dragon. Circles… round… protect… sleep.

*

Kai felt the wind blowing over his face as he dove in and out of the clouds he had created. The joy of flying always took his breath away. But, today it was tempered with the need to protect. He had to protect his mate. She was below in the grass – grass where enemies could hide. He circled out of the clouds and into the sunshine. It felt so warm and good on his scaly hide, warming him. As a dragon he loved heat, the hotter the better, but the cold didn’t bother him much either. It was good to be a dragon.

Pay attention.

Kai startled as his dragon guardian yanked him back to the task at hand.

I am wise one.
He answered.

Don’t try to flatter me. You must keep focus. She is depending on you.

Aye. You are right. Thank you. Alvena needs me and I must make sure she is kept safe.

He began spiraling down closer to the bonnie lass below. She always took his breath away and as she looked at him with her eyes squinted against the sun, it was no different. She gave him joy like he felt when he flew. He wanted to shout to the world that she was his, so he did just that, with a loud roar he trumpeted his feelings for the lass. Letting all know that she was under his protection and to stay away.

What are you doing? Are you trying to scare her away?
His dragon guardian thought at him. The dragon’s anger at him was a fierce burn from inside.

I was staking my clam. Making sure everything knew to stay away. Alvena is made of sterner stuff. She is a true warrior mate.

You sound sure of yourself.

No. I am sure of her.
Kai huffed, tired of the constant nagging and correction from the ancient dragon.

He knew the dragon meant well, but it was difficult for Kai at times. With the addition of the dragon he had taken on a lot of responsibility that his twenty year old self had not been ready for and he had acted very much the child he had been. Now, he was ready to take on all of the responsibility that the Great Spirit and Destiny had given him. And, that included one sweet and feisty mate that smelled like cinnamon. Deciding that he wanted to smell her scent, he flew lower and lower behind her. His mate was speaking to herself. It made him chuckle as he quietly landed behind her. Just as he inhaled her scent, he saw her stiffen, and from one second to the next she was gone. Poof. Gone.

Kai stretched out his wings and lurched back into the sky. His neck extended, his wings pumping furiously as he scanned the grass below. She was nowhere. Just gone.

Kai roared, a loud, pain filled sound.

*

Kai startled awake. His breathing was harsh and he looked around. His skin was damp with sweat and he found himself on the floor. He had fallen out of bed, which must have been what woke him from his dream… no… nightmare. Losing his mate would devastate him. It was a deep fear that he would fail her and she would just disappear like the other women had already. He couldn’t fail her. It was not acceptable.

Chapter 13

Al stood in the field again with grass as far as the eye could see. She saw a shadow moving across the stalks. Looking up, she tried to see what it was, but it was coming from the direction of the sun. Bright light glared into her eyes and she squinted them shut. It must be a bird. She thought just as she heard a loud roar. It was not like any sound she had ever heard before, a booming deep baritone of a growl and roar combination.

She searched the surrounding grass. Nothing. There was nothing but her, the grass, and the shadow circling above her head. Realizing that the bird must be what made the noise, Al wondered what kind of animal would make a noise like that. It couldn’t be a bird, not with a sound that was way more than any animal that she had heard roar in the past.
Lions, tigers, and bears… Oh, my.
She giggled. But, none of those animals had ever sounded like this one.

“
Why aren’t I running?”
She asked the grass.

Al recognized that she should be terrified by this unknown. But, she wasn’t.

“
What should I do?
”

Just as she was debating between sitting down or beginning to walk, she heard a scraping behind her. She started to turn, but something came over her mouth. She began to struggle…

*

Al jerked awake with a tight hold on her shoulders and a hand over her mouth.
What the hell?
She thought just as she heard Nat’s voice in her ear.

“Shh. It’s just Nat and Rogue.”

Al sat up in the bed with her two friends kneeling beside her where she had been sleeping.

“What the fuck? You all scared the shit out of me.” Al furiously whispered at them.

“Sorry.” Rogue whispered back.

Al yawned and then stretched. She shook her head and tried to get her brain working. She couldn’t understand why her friends were in her room now? She had waited for hours for them to show and just as she was getting into her dream, they came and woke her up. She hadn’t slept much since meeting Kai. The man kept her up, the attackers kept her up, and then the man kissed her. Yeah, Al was definitely ready for a good night’s sleep. She laid back and curled into a half moon on her side. Snuggling down in the pillow, sweet and smoky, she reached for her blanket.

“Dang it, Al. Wake up. We need to talk.” Nat crabbed at her.

She sighed and sat back up.

“What? I haven’t slept in days and I want to sleep.”

“Seriously? With everything that has happened, you can sleep?” Nat pushed to the side of the bed.

“Look. You all got sleep this week. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since leaving Ohio. Only when I was drunk… no, wait, that was a sleepless night as well. So, just get off my back.”

Rogue giggled. Nat and Al both swung their gazes to their friend.

“What?” She gave them an innocent look.

“Whatever. What I want to know is why it took you all so long to come and find me. I waited hours… oh… I didn’t come for you either.” Al leaned back against the headboard of the bed.

“I waited too, Al. I figured Nat would come up with a plan and come for us.” Both women turned to look at Nat.

“Why do I have to make the plan?” Nat’s eyes looked back and forth between her friends.

“IT student,” Al motions at Rogue, “technical writer,” she pointed at herself, “marine. Duh.” She pointed at Nat.

Nat grinned, “Point taken.”

Nat and Rogue joined Al at the head of the bed. She couldn’t help notice again how large the bed was since they had plenty of room for all three of them to sit comfortably. She imagined Kai in the bed, with his height and muscled body, she was sure that he would take up half of the mattress easily. It made her realize just how much larger he was than her. She never seemed to realize how large he was until she had time to stop and think about it.

“Do you think he’s proportionate?”

“Who?” Nat asked.

“Who what?” Al looked at her friend, confused.

“You asked if we thought he’s proportionate. I was wondering who and what we were talking about?” Nat looked at Al, waiting for an answer.

Al blushed as she realized that she had said her thoughts out loud.

Rogue laughed, “I think we know who and what she was thinkin’ about.”

Al covered her face with both hands and wished she could vanish and never be seen again.

Rogue tapped her hands with a finger as if they were a door.

“And, yes, I do.” When Al moved her hands and gave Rogue a questioning look, she went on, “Kai is definitely proportionate. All. Over.”

“Aw, Rogue, please.” Al moaned. “I’m dying already. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“Obviously.” Nat said on a laugh.

“So, I was wonderin’. “Rogue interrupted, “Am I the only one with strange feelin’s?”

“Feelings?” Al was confused. They went from humiliating her to talking about feelings?

“Yeah, you know,” Rogue hesitated, “about the men.”

“I wouldn’t call it feelings for them, but… well, we never did finish our conversation about the tattoos.” Nat sat picking at a pair of sweats she was wearing.

“Nat, why don’t you tell us what you’re thinkin’?” Rogue prompted.

Obviously, her friends were reluctant to talk about what they were dealing with, but they seemed to need to talk about it all the same.

Nat looked at them both, “This whole conversation stays in this room. Got it? Same rules apply as I said at the beginning of this trip, what happens here, stays here.”

“Got it.” Al responded quickly. She was a bit unsure of and embarrassed by her feelings and thoughts for Kai, but she really did need her friends’ advice.

“Agreed.” Rogue said eagerly as she got more comfortable.

“So, Rogue asked if I had feelings toward one of the men and the answer is no. You both know, I don’t want a man.” She looked off in the distance for a minute. “But, there is something about the tattoo that I saw and chose when we were at the tattoo shop. I keep dreaming of black panthers. I’m always in a bunch of trees and I’m running, but something always happens and I fall. Then this panther comes up and licks my face. There are times I cuddle up to it, like it’s a big kitten. It’s not that I’m scared… I just don’t want to be caught.”

Nat finished and stared at the door to Al’s room. Rogue cleared her throat and Al turned to face her.

“You’re runnin’ away and I’m chasin’. My dreams always include Malkum and a bear. I don’t see them at the same time, but I’m always chasin’ one or the other of them.”

“I’m in a sea of grass. It’s like I’m waiting for something, searching for something. I’m in no hurry to go anywhere. The first time…we… um…” Al blushed and both of her friends touched her arm indicating she should go on. “Well, the first one was of Kai and I. We were in the grass, but I couldn’t open my eyes and he…touched and kissed me all over.” She rushed out the last and refused to look at either of her friends.

“Did you have others?” Nat pulled her arm to get her to look at her.

“Yes, I was having one when you woke me. But, there was something in the sky. There was a huge shadow circling, but I couldn’t see it because the sun was in my eyes. Then there was a roar. It didn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard, but I wasn’t scared. You woke me about then, so I have no idea where the dream would have taken me.” Al looked at Nat and then Rogue. “Since the moment I met Kai, I’ve been attracted to him. Since then, he’s made me laugh, he’s protected me, and he’s stood up for me. So, to answer Rogue’s question, yes, I have feelings for Kai. Do I understand them? No. Do I want to? Now that’s the real question right there.”