For the Love of Her Dragon (12 page)

Lighting
the candles she had yet to pack and sitting cross-legged in the middle of her
tent, she pictured Andrew as she had first seen him, a man in need of her help,
and then as she had come to know him, a traitor and poster boy of all that was
wrong in the world. Methodically, a picture began to form in her mind. Having
never worked this spell other than when she originally learned it years ago,
she was amazed at the clarity of the image and the accompanying thoughts.

Of
course Andrew was scheming, but he was also relaxing, enjoying his flight. He
was headed back to whatever
hole
in the ground he was
calling home. She couldn’t get a location or picture of the house because he
was not thinking of the actual structure, only what had to be done when he
returned. His thoughts were jumbled, but he kept returning to that damn
Prophecy. If she ever ran into the dumbass that had found it absolutely
necessary to write that crap out, she promised herself she would kick his ass.
Had
to be a man, a woman would NOT be that stupid,
she thought as she continued
to sift through what she could of Andrew’s thoughts. Now that she had made
initial contact, doing it again would be simple. She had a leg up on the jerk,
at least
something
positive had come out of their little meeting in the
woods.

Not
wanting to face the Dragon Guard any more than was absolutely necessary, she
fiddled around in her tent listening to what was going on outside. Rayne was
obviously pissed. More than once he had roared, actually
roared
, that he
would see Andrew skinned alive for all he had done. It had been a huge weight
off her shoulders when the Commander had ordered Devon, Lance, and Aidan, along
with several of
Rian’s
clan, to return home. He was
sure whatever evil Andrew was concocting would take place on their home turf,
and he wanted his mate and child along with all the other innocents protected.

The
men had raced off to catch a plane bound for the west. At first she thought it
was funny that they weren’t transforming and flying themselves and then
realized it was daylight. The expenditure of magic to conceal their beasts in
the light of day would have been too much, at least that was what she guessed.
She was at the flap of her tent about to offer her help when she heard Devon
ask Rory to watch after her and make sure she got back safely. Tears threatened
to fall again, the big old softy was a true friend, one she was sure would be
with her throughout her lifetime.

Time
seemed to fly and before she knew it, the sun had set. Rory appeared at the
flap of her tent, “Hey, Kyra, okay if I come in?”

“Yeah,
come in,” she answered, ready to get the hell out of there. Hiding was not
something she was good at or enjoyed.

“We’re
gonna
be heading out in a few minutes. As your
appointed bodyguard, I wanted to make sure you were ready.” He grinned and she
wondered how old he was. It had to be older than her but he acted like a frat
guy looking for a party most of time.

“I’ve
been ready for a while, but I really need to talk to Rayne before we leave. I
was just trying to stay out of the way while you guys were getting ready to
head out.”

“Sure
you were,” he said with more than a little suspicion in his voice. “I’m sure
spending all day in a dark, dank tent is exactly what an Earth witch enjoys
above all else. Just as I am sure your self-imposed exile had nothing to do
with my pigheaded loser of a brother.”

Busted!
she
thought, but was unwilling to let Rory know he had
hit the nail on the head. “No, I took a nap after being carried like a sack of
rotten potatoes through the woods and basically dismissed like an errant child.
Then I worked a spell or two to make sure that schmuck was not anywhere near
Kyndel
, Sam, or the others we left at home, and finally, I
packed up so I was ready to go when it was time to leave.”

He
smiled a knowing smile and she imagined smacking it off his face, but before
she could act upon her thoughts, he shrugged, “Have it your way, but I do want
you to understand something.” It was as if a switch had been flipped. Gone was
the playful youngest brother that everyone thought was clueless, only to be
replaced by an intense, bold Guardsman. Even his voice sounded different;
deeper and more commanding, “It does not matter to
Rian
or I where you came from or what you are or even that
Ilsa
was of your coven. As far as we are concerned you are to be our sister, and it
will happen sooner rather than later.

“For
as long as I can remember I always knew Royce would be the first of us to find
his mate.
Hell
,
Rian
and I’ve had a bet going
for over fifty years about when it would happen. I’m happy to say that I won.”
A small twinkle in his eye told her the clown was still in there, but it didn’t
stop him from resuming with a stern tone, “Royce is and always will be the
heart of our family. Many over the years have mistaken that as weakness. Of
course, my big brother has corrected their misguided assumptions with extreme
prejudice, but that does not negate the truth of it.

“When
we were young, before
Ilsa
lost her mind, she
explained the importance of our trio to us and made us promise to always be
there for one another. It has not been easy, most of all for Roy, but we have
done our best. As I am sure you can imagine,
Rian
is
the head, not only figuratively, but also in reality. A strong leader, willing
to make the hard decisions, highly respected not only by our clan, but all of
dragon kin, and also a gifted strategist.

“As
I said, Royce is the heart. His compassion allows him to see the whole picture
and keep balance in the fight we face against those that would destroy all we
hold dear. He has a depth that keeps us all from indiscriminately killing those
who oppose us. He is the life force that pumps through both clans.” He stopped
and she once again saw the levity in his gaze and a slight grin on his face.

Several
minutes passed as he looked everywhere but at her, and it was then that she
realized for all of his bravado, Rory was embarrassed to say what part he
played in their family dynamics. Never one to hold back (Well, until recently
anyway) Kyra asked, “And you, what part are you?”

Rory
laughed, “You truly are a bold little witch. You’re going to need that fearless
abandon to deal with my brother on a daily basis for all of eternity.”

She
felt her smile fall and a sadness she had forgotten, at least for a few
minutes, descend back upon her. Trying to turn away, she found Rory standing in
her way, “I know it’s hard right now, but I promise the big dumbass
will
come around. You two are destined to be together. Haven’t you heard…the
Universe knows what
She’s
doing?”

Thankfully,
he was so tall and she was so short and they were so close together, that when
she looked straight ahead she only had to stare at the logo on his t-shirt.
Rory continued, “To answer your question, I am the hands. I make things happen.
Now, do not misunderstand; we are all men of action, but I am more willing to
leap without looking than my brothers. I take the risks they have to think
about. The older I get, the more I realize how true the old witch’s
descriptions were.”

He
walked away and looked out the open flap of her tent. Kyra was immediately
aware of the fact that he was mind speaking with someone and wondered who, but
was unwilling to interrupt or ask. She began gathering up her bags just as Rory
turned around and smiled. “I know you can tell when we’re talking to one
another in the way of our kin and I have nothing to hide. It was Devon,
checking on you. He takes his role of protector very seriously.”

It
was nice to know someone cared. She felt her spirits lift. “He’s a good
friend,” she smiled and then added, “and a hell of a poker player.”

“I
have been known to play a hand or two if the stakes are right,” he winked at
her, all traces of the warrior gone.

“We
usually play for shots. Can you handle your liquor, dragon man?” she joked,
feeling more and more like her old self.

“You
just wait, little witch, just wait and see.”

He
grabbed her duffle bag and exited the tent ahead of her, being sure to stop and
hold the flap to keep it from falling on her head. She thought a lot about all
they had discussed as she rode back across the ocean on the back of his noble
royal blue beast. Only her night vision allowed her to see the ribbons of green
strewn throughout that added depth and reminded her why his family’s clan was
called Blue Thunder.

Leaning
forward to rest against the base of his neck, she let her eyes slide shut. No
matter how hard she tried, she could not banish the hope that Rory was right,
that she would still be his and
Rian’s
sister. That
Royce would accept their fate. One thought followed her into her slumber;
hope
was a scary bitch
.

CHAPTER FOUR

He and
Rian
stayed another day after Rayne and the others had
headed back to make sure the younger Guardsmen were prepared to defend their
lands until the conflict with the traitor was over. The Elders came to see them
off, his Uncle Stefan among them, and looking none too pleased. After all the
pleasantries were dispensed, he and Stefan moved to the side to speak
privately.

Royce
was the first to break the awkward silence, “I’m sure you heard about the
newest development in Fate’s plan to ruin my life?” Royce asked.

“Ruin
your life? Royce, my boy, you need to stop focusing on everything that is wrong
and instead look at what is good. You have never been one to back down from a
fight, nor have you ever been the bringer of doom and gloom…quite the opposite.
You are the one that searches for the truth. You make others see reason, find
the goodness, see the quest to the end. Now, because you are faced with a real
challenge, one that hits at
your
heart for the first time, you are
giving up, accepting an unfulfilled life without a fight. What a pity.” His
uncle shook his head just as he had done when he was a boy and failed at
learning some valuable lesson.

The
shame Royce felt caused him to lash out, “I have not given up! I have accepted
what is. You taught me that the Universe does not make mistakes, that Fate will
not be denied. Did you ever think that might be a load of bullshit? That
sometimes, something somewhere, just gets fucked up? That it is up to us to set
it right? We were given free will to choose our path. I cannot find a way
around the fact that she is a witch, a witch from the same coven as
Ilsa
. Remember her? The witch that murdered my mother? Then
shoved a dagger into a baby before she even had a chance to draw her first
breath? Do you remember, Uncle?” He spat the last words out with enough venom
that Stefan actually flinched.

Several
moments later, as Royce felt his temper begin to subside and the guilt of what
he had just said began to rush in, his uncle spoke, “Yes Royce, I remember. But
I remember so much more of your mother and of
Ilsa
than that one day. Don’t you? Don’t you have any happy memories to draw from,
or are you so focused on your own guilt over what happened that you can’t
remember anything else?”

Stefan
could not have inflicted more pain if he had run Royce through with a sword.
The truth of the Elder’s words rang throughout his entire body, and pointed out
a fact he’d never realized. When he thought of his mother, he did
only
think of that day, of what he found when he entered that room, and he
did
feel guilt. Not just your garden variety, ‘oh shit I better never do that
again’ guilt, but real, bone-deep, almost debilitating guilt. Sure he had
family memories and his mother was always in them laughing, smiling, loving
them all, but sometime between entering that room, finding his mother, and
returning to the outside world, he had tucked every other thought of
Riona
away and replaced them with remorse that he could not
save her and his sister and a need for vengeance against a woman already slain.

His
head dropped forward and for the first time in his life he felt one hundred and
fifty-six years old. Stefan laid his hand on his bicep and Royce could feel the
Elder pouring healing energy into him. It was his Uncle’s gift, to be able to
help heal the soul, and one of the many reasons he was so incredibly valuable
to their kin. Royce finally raised his head and met the eyes of the man that
was like a second father to him and the recrimination he expected to find was
surprisingly absent, all he could see in the Elder’s light green eyes was forgiveness
and hope.

His
words only reinforced what his eyes already said, “You will get through this my
boy. I have to believe you will learn to accept that sassy little witch for
exactly who she is and have a chance at a life filled with joy and love, but
she is not going to wait around forever. Kyra is strong and independent Royce,
and you have hurt her. The choice is yours, it always has been, just don’t take
too long to make it. I have a feeling your mate has even more determination
than you to live a loveless life in place of forgiving
you
.”

Stefan’s
last words rang in his ears the entire flight back home. As if that
wasn’t enough, he and
Rian
entered Rayne and
Kyndel’s
home to find all the women crowded around Kyra,
engaged in a heated debate. The sound of the door closing against the frame
stopped the debate, but the glares and looks of complete disgust he got from
Kyndel
, Grace, and Samantha would have leveled a lesser
man. They lasted for several tense moments, in which Royce prayed for one of
his brethren to save his ass, but those losers simply left him to his fate.

Kyndel
was the first to move, essentially ending the standoff, but he knew bigger
trouble was on the way when her eyebrow lifted and her hands landed on her
hips. Grace followed with the same stare he had seen her level at Aidan to win
many an argument, and Samantha simply folded her arms. But the look on Kyra’s
face and the way she quickly looked out the window to avoid even the sight of
him was what made his heart ache. Was Stefan right? Would she leave before he
could truly get his shit together? Was that what he wanted or did he want her
and the promise of a future?

The
glares continued and no one, not even his brothers offered any assistance.
Hell
,
Rory even plopped his ass on a barstool and chuckled like he was watching
football on a big screen. It seemed only the children were glad to see him.
Jay, Rayne’s son, toddled over and grabbed his leg while Sydney, Lance and
Samantha’s daughter, flew at him demanding to be hugged.

He
picked up Jay and headed to the family room, a child on each hip. The
conversation began again as soon as he had exited the room, and he fought the
urge to use his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop.
If they wanted to say
something to him, they could damn well talk directly to him
, at least that
was what his bruised ego thought.

He
knew he was messed up and knew the situation had to be fixed, but had no clue
how to do it. To be honest, he needed five minutes where he wasn’t thinking
about the steaming pile of shit his life had become. The kids were a great
distraction. He pushed his wallowing away, and instead gave pony rides and
played airplane until both children were yawning and cuddling in his lap. The
thought of what it would be like to have his own children in his lap crossed
his mind, but he quickly squashed the errant idea. How could he imagine
children when he couldn’t imagine a life with their mother?
I am truly
screwed and have no one to blame but myself
, was all he thought as he stood
to take the children to their parents.

Samantha
took Sydney and said good night while
Kyndel
hoisted
Jay onto her hip, also saying her farewells and headed upstairs. Royce made his
way to the fridge and grabbed a beer. As he leaned his butt against the
counter, he realized only the men of his Force and his brothers were present.
From the looks on their faces he was sure he was not going to like what they
had to say. He was shocked when Lance was the first to speak, “Alright, old
man, what’s up? This is your intervention. It’s obvious you feel the mating
bond,
hell
, we can all feel it through you. You are repressing so hard,
you are pushing out at us.”

Everyone
in the room nodded in agreement as Devon spoke, “I know you want to rip my head
off every time I’m near her, even though you told me to watch after her. I can
feel it. Your emotions are bleeding through to all of us.”

Royce
looked from man to man as each nodded in agreement. Was what they were saying
the truth? Had he repressed and avoided what he was trying
not
to feel for
Kyra so much that he was projecting it to all around him? The truth of the
situation was written on every face looking back at him. Not only was he
screwing with his world, he was screwing with theirs.

“
Shit!”
He squeezed the bottle in his hand so tight that it cracked before setting
it on the counter behind him. “I’m sorry. I had no idea. As soon as Andrew is
neutralized I’ll head back to the caves.”

“Fuck
that!” was growled from every Guardsman in attendance, but it was Rayne that
stepped forward and spoke, “No, you will not. You will face this like you have
faced every other challenge in your life…head on. I have fought by your side
for more years than I care to remember and I‘ve never seen you doubt yourself
like you are now. I gave you time and space to come to the right conclusion,
but obviously you aren’t going to. Either you are too hard-headed or too blind
to see what is right in front of you. As your friend and your Commander, I’m
ordering to you to remove your head from your ass and do what needs to be done
to rectify the situation you have caused.”

He
and Rayne had been friends since the Commander had been barely old enough to
hold a broadsword, and Royce could not think of a time that his friend had ever
spoken to him with such disappointment and anger. Rayne was not the only one
pissed; the hits just kept coming.

From
the corner of the kitchen Aaron spoke, “Look old man, I know your issues,
hell
,
we’ve all got ‘
em
, but this is
your mate
we
are talking about, your future…forever, you get it? You get one shot at this
shit, that’s it, no do-overs, no regrouping, one shot, and you are fucking up
royally
!”

Never
one to keep quiet, Lance chimed in again, “Practice what you preach, Gramps.
We’ve all had to listen to you be right about every damn thing under the sun
for so many years that your monumental screw up now took us all by surprise.
Trust me, I should be happy to see you be wrong, just this once, but I’m not
and
I’m not letting you screw up your entire life
or Kyra’
s. It was you that
pushed me to claim Sam, even with all that was going on around us. Yeah, I
cursed the very air you breathed, but in the end, as much as it hurts to admit,
you were right. That woman is the best damn thing that ever happened to me,
just like Kyra is the best part of you.”

Frustrated
and feeling more than a little ganged up on, he spoke before he thought, “The
best part of me? How the hell do you figure? She’s a witch with more power in
her petite frame than any of us can imagine. What the hell am I supposed to do
if she gets seduced by the dark like
Ilsa
did?”

He
looked at
Rian
and Rory for help, but they only sat
looking at him like he was a lunatic, so he continued letting all his feelings
of bitterness and defeat fuel his words, “What will you do, you sanctimonious
asshole, if she loses her shit and comes after your family? Sacrifices Samantha
and Sydney right before your eyes.”

Royce
spun around and nailed Rayne with a look of pure contempt, “Or you my dear
Commander hear your beautiful wife call for help, so pained and helpless, and
you arrive just in time to see the dagger plunge into her heart! Tell me,
fucking
tell me, what you wouldn’t do to keep that from happening?” He was shouting so
loud he could feel the windows rattle in their panes. He looked from man to
man, but they were looking over his shoulder with complete pity and untold
compassion, not the anger he thought would come from his outburst. It was then
that he heard a tiny sob, almost inaudible. That one little sound reached
directly into his chest and squeezed his heart until he thought it would stop
beating.

His
rage forgotten, he spun around so fast that he almost knocked the table over.
There, standing at the entrance to the kitchen, was Kyra, looking as if it was
he that wielded the dagger. Her violet eyes were as big as saucers. Her tiny
hands were covering her mouth but not stopping the heart-wrenching sobs that
crossed her lips, or tears streaming down her cheeks wetting the collar of her
lavender blouse.

Unable
to stop, the need to comfort his mate a living being within him, he took a step
in her direction. In response, she threw her hands up in front of her and shook
her head until he thought she would fall from the force of her actions. Royce
stopped where he was and his hand reached for Kyra of its own volition, while
his dragon roared with the need to hold the one who was to be theirs.

His
heart beat with such vehemence he was sure it would jump from his chest. He
counted twenty beats while he stood gawking at the most beautiful woman ever
created, even grief stricken she was absolutely perfect, and in those seconds
it didn’t matter what she was, it only mattered that she was his. He tried to
take another step towards her and this time she took a step back, her eyes
widening even more.
She’s afraid of me
, he thought, and a sadness unlike
any he had never known filled him. When she spoke he felt his heart break. Her
words cut deep and true and the worst part was…he deserved them. Her voice was
barely above a whisper and clogged with tears, “That is really what you think
of me? That I could hurt a child? That I could hurt any of the people that I
have come to love as much as my own blood…maybe more? You really think I’m a
monster, don’t you?”

Before
his eyes, she went from a wounded pup to fierce warrior. She threw back her
shoulders, scrubbed the remaining tears from her face, and bunched her fists at
her sides, ready to take on whatever foe came at her. Damn shame he was the
enemy. Her next words rang clear and true, “I am not the monster, Royce
O’Reilly, you are. You have a black heart, incapable of compassion or reprieve.
A few moments ago I would have given anything, absolutely anything to have you
forgive me, to have you accept me as your mate. I was willing to forfeit the
very magic that runs through my veins for a chance at forever with you.”