For the Love of Her Dragon (18 page)

“I
wanted you to have these,” he said and handed her the flowers.

Kyra
hesitated and he was afraid that she would decline his gift but after a few
seconds of an inner debate he watched in her eyes, she tentatively reached out
and took them from him. “Thank you. They’re beautiful,” she said, still
looking at the bouquet.

As
her head tipped forward and she smelled the huge pink blossom at the apex of
the arrangement, he wished for the day her lips would be that close to his
again. Just the thought brought memories of the brief time he had actually held
her in his arms and the many erotic dreams he’d had recently.

He
cleared his throat, “Everything okay?”

She
looked up at him under her lashes, only accentuating how much smaller than him
she was and shrugged, “Doesn’t everyone have family drama?”

“Family?”
he asked.

“Yeah,
that was dear old mom,” she answered with so much emotion, he immediately
remembered what Devon had told him about their strained relationship.

At
a loss for words, he let his heart speak for him, “I’m sorry you had to deal
with that.”

“Whatever,
it’s not like I expected anything different. I’m actually surprised she showed
up. I was sure I had been officially written off, or maybe that was just
wishful thinking.” His heart clenched at the sight of her sad smile, and all he
wanted to do was hold her until her hurt was long forgotten.

She
quickly composed herself. It was like for just a few moments she had forgotten
to be upset with him, and he’d had hope, but then a wall had been instantly
constructed between them and her eyes became shuttered. Kyra was closing him
out and that was something he could not let happen. Throwing caution to the
wind, he took a step forward, pleasantly surprised that she didn’t move away.
“I wanted to talk to you…please?”

He
watched her struggle with her decision and prayed to every deity he had ever
heard of for her to just give him a chance. When she speared him with her
violet eyes his heart skipped a beat and he thought he might pass out, but then
she slowly nodded and it beat like he had just run a mile. “Come on in. I need
to put these babies in some water,” she nodded towards the flowers and reached
back to push the door open farther. “Besides, we seem to be drawing a crowd.”

He
followed her gaze and saw that both of his brothers and more than a few of the
Guardsmen were nonchalantly trying to hear their conversation. He shook his
head and followed Kyra through the door, vowing to kick Devon’s ass for
spreading the word of his whereabouts.

Once
inside, all thoughts of anything but his mate fled. Her scent was everywhere,
making his dragon roll on his back and damn near purr in ecstasy. He
looked around the small cottage he had visited more times than he could
remember when Rayne had been building the big house. He had even slept on the
very couch that still occupied center stage in the living room, but this visit,
everything seemed different, brighter, better, just because of the home’s
inhabitant. Little things that screamed her presence were lying here and there,
making it feel warm, inviting, and lived-in.

Kyra
headed straight to the kitchen and he heard the water running while she filled
a vase for her flowers. He stood in the dining room just taking it all in and
picked up a pendant from the table. A large golden stone beautifully bound in
copper with a heavy chain attached. The stone seemed to flair to life in his
hand. He could feel Kyra’s energy and a distinctly feline energy that he could
only assume was Max’s, but then fading into the background was another. It
seemed heavier than the others and dark, but also familiar somehow.

Lost
to what he was experiencing, he was surprised when Kyra spoke and he realized
she was right beside him, “What do you feel?”

She
stared at the stone in his hand and he knew that’s what she was talking about
but wished it was something much more personal that had spurred her inquiry. “I
feel your energy and a Big Cat, Max, I’m guessing?” he slyly asked, trying to
keep his jealousy from showing through, but promising himself to talk to the
King whenever the chance presented itself.

She
nodded and waited for him to continue. “And something in the distance that is
dark but familiar.” As soon as he heard the words he had only thought moments
ago, his old suspicions tried to rise up, but there was no way he was going to
blow the only chance Kyra may ever give him to try to make things right. With
renewed focus, he looked at her beautiful face, listened to the sound of her
breathing, and watched her pulse flutter just beneath the skin at the base of
her neck, a spot he wanted to taste almost as much as he wanted his next
breath.

She
spoke and it was barely above a whisper, but filled with excitement, “You can
feel him? Really?”

“Him
who?” Royce asked, keeping his jealousy on a tight leash but needing an answer
as quickly as possible.

“Andrew.
I spelled that Goldstone to work as kind of a tracking device. A way to give me
a look at what was going on around him, maybe even show me where he is, but he
is using and surrounded by so much black magic that it only takes a little
while before I can’t read it anymore. I even had Max cleanse it for me using
his brand of magic, but that lasted less than a day and then
nada.
But
until you said you could feel him, I never thought about the connection of your
dragon magic to his.” She was excited. It made his heart beat faster to see her
eyes light up and he wanted to shout that he had done that, but it was just a
tiny step towards his ultimate goal.

“Do
you mind if we hold on to it together and see what comes to light?” she
tentatively asked, and he could only guess that she was scared of his response
because of his earlier recrimination of all things magic.

Wanting
to reassure her that he was a changed man and needing to help her, he readily
agreed, “Absolutely. What do you need me to do?”

Kyra
looked surprised at his eager acceptance, further confirming that he was on the
right path. It may not have been going how he had planned, but he was spending
time with his mate and she was no longer looking at him like he kicked her
puppy, so he was putting it in the win column.

“Take
a seat,” she pointed to the chair at the head of the table and took a seat next
to him. “You’re so damn tall, I’m getting a crick in my neck from looking up at
you,” she chuckled and he laughed along, happier than he had been for a long
time.

She
lit a candle and set it between them. When she reached for his hand, he braced
for the touch he had thought lost to him forever while trying to hide any
reaction that would make Kyra turn from him. “Hold the stone in your fist and
then wrap your other hand around it,” she instructed.

He
complied, sad when their connection was broken, but almost immediately, she put
one hand on top of his and the other underneath. Her hands were so small they
barely covered just the back of his, but the warmth he felt from her touch was
unlike any other. His body began to react and he thanked the heavens that his
shirt tails covered his growing erection. He had no clue how he would explain
that and was sure that she wouldn’t find it complimentary.

“Now,
focus on the flame and think of Andrew, not the traitor that you want to catch,
but the man he was before all of this happened. That is the part I have no
knowledge of, the part I can’t connect with. I have a feeling he has more
dragon magic than he realizes, and if we can use that to tap in, then we can
get a better sense of what the little shithead is planning.”

He
wanted to laugh at what she had said, but her demeanor told him she was dead
serious, so he focused and remembered Andrew as he had been when Royce had
trained him. How proud Andrew had been to be accepted in the Guard and the
incredible bond he and his brothers shared. The bond between the brothers had
been as strong as he shared with his own and he wondered if maybe Aidan or
Aaron might be able to connect with Andrew better than he, but he didn’t
mention it out of the sheer need to spend time with Kyra. If he couldn’t help
her, he would most definitely suggest it, but that was
after
he had done
everything he could.

The
flame danced and swayed hypnotically as the stone grew warmer in his hands. The
longer he watched the more he could make out images in the golden glow, and in
the next second, he was able to feel what the traitor was feeling and the
bastard was excited. The picture developing in the flame showed a ritual fire
surrounded by at least fifty people, some hooded, some wearing amulets that
resembled the ones Kyra made, but dirtied by black magic. The group chanted the
words Andrew and another man, obviously also in charge, fed them.

Royce
caught glances of the area surrounding the fire that only confirmed what Kyra
had said; he was planning a ritual on the mountain beside Black Lake. The
picture faded from view and Kyra slumped back in her chair, severing their
connection before she spoke, “He must have come in contact with more shit
magic,” she huffed, and it was then that he realized how discouraged she was.

“You
should be proud of yourself. That was amazing,” he praised.

Kyra’s
eyes raised, wide and full of skepticism, making Royce chuckle, “No, seriously,”
he laid his hand on her knee. “You should be proud. You just confirmed what you
thought all along…he is going to perform a ritual at Black Lake on the mountain
and we can be there to stop him.”

He
tried to convey the pride and acceptance he felt, and for a moment he thought
it might be working, but then Kyra suddenly stood up and walked to the far end
of the table. “Thank you for helping me with that, but given your dislike of
all things magic, I’m sure that’s not why you’re here.”

His
reprieve was over and she had all her defenses at the ready once again, waiting
for him to make a mess of things again, but there was no way he was going to
let that happen. He took a deep breath and let his hands fall into his lap,
waiting for a just a few seconds and listening to her heartbeat. The rapid beat
told him that she was just as nervous as he. Everything in him screamed to do
whatever he could to make her feel better. Using the voice he reserved for the
mates of his brethren, he began, “I came here to apologize. I know it’ll never
be enough, and if given the chance, I’ll spend every day for the rest of my
life making it up to you. I am so incredibly sorry for everything that I did to
push you away. I’m a complete and total idiot. It’s the only excuse I have and
I know it’s like a raindrop hoping to fill the ocean…it will
never
be
enough.” He stopped and watched his mate, looking for any sign that his words
were having the desired effect, but he just couldn’t tell.

Desperate
to know what she was feeling, he reached through their growing mating bond,
only to be smacked in the face with so many emotions and feelings that it took
him a minute just to recognize them all. Kyra was swamped with confusion,
frustration, anger, disbelief, and a pain that forced the air from his lungs.
Just as he was about to pull back, he felt a little touch of hope. It was like
a light in the darkness, and right behind that beautiful, warm, glowing light,
was the tiniest spark of love. Just enough to let him know there was a chance.
A chance that she would forgive him, a chance that she could truly love him,
and a chance that the tiny little spark he saw burning deep inside her heart
could be stoked and fed until it was a blaze that could not be contained. That
was his deepest desire for them and he hoped with all he was that he could make
her believe in the possibility of their future as much as he did.

“I
know you’ve been told what happened in my past.” She nodded and he saw pity in
her eyes, pity that he did not deserve.

“Don’t
feel sorry for me. It was a long time ago and absolutely no excuse for what I
said or how I ran away from you that beautiful morning on the ridge. It
happened and I refused to deal with it until now. When faced with the prospect
of letting go of my hate and anger, I somehow thought that would also make me
give up the memories of my mother. I was wrong…dead wrong. I now have it on
good authority that all the great things about her will be with me forever. But
that does nothing to change the fact that I hurt you.”

He
cleared his throat and looked away, needing to find a little balance. In the
split second it took him to glance out the window and back to his mate,
something became crystal clear…she
was
his balance. She was the one person
in existence that could make him feel right, whole…complete. She was all he
would ever need. All he had to do was make her believe that he could be the
same thing for her.

CHAPTER SIX

Hours later, after
Royce left, Kyra grabbed a bottle of wine and a glass and made a beeline for
the patio. The sunset, cool breeze, and quiet, was just what she needed after
that afternoon. It hadn’t been bad really, just filled with so much inner
turmoil that she needed to get away from herself. She knew she hadn’t given him
the answers he was looking for and part of her really, really wanted to. The
thought of running into his arms, forgetting all the bad shit and riding off
into the sunset had been her go-to thought the entire time they talked. But
Kyra lived in the real world and knew that they had issues that had to be
resolved before she could ever trust that he wouldn’t simply change his mind
again and leave her a crazy mess of heartbroken witch. There was
no way
she would survive that again, especially if she let her old friend Hope have a
foothold in her heart.

She
chuckled at her own dramatic flair and took a long sip of her wine. The sigh
that followed came from somewhere deep in her soul and personified everything
she was feeling. Her head fell back, her eyes closed, and for a few minutes,
all the worries of the world washed away. A cool breeze blew and the crickets
chirped, it was paradise, and then her cell phone rang, shattering her
momentary serenity. An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen and she
hesitated to answer. The phone ceased its clatter, the silence in the absence
of the song “Everything She Does Is Magic” almost deafening. She had made that
tune her ring tone so many years ago she no longer remembered the reason for
it, but nonetheless, had never changed it.

Maybe
it was because I had a mad crush on Sting
, she giggled to
herself, and then almost dropped her glass of wine when it rang again, same
number flashing across the screen. This time she answered right away, “Hello?”

“Kyra,
honey, is that you?” The voice, a blast from the past, asked.

“Yes,
Auntie Della, it’s me,” was all she could get out, so shocked that the oldest
of her mother’s true sisters was reaching out to her.

“It
is so good to finally hear your voice,
Little One
.” She smiled,
remembering the thousands of times she had asked her auntie to stop calling her
that and was surprised at the comfort it gave her now.

“Yours
too, Auntie,” she said as she pictured the round-faced, cherub of a woman that
had been her only confidant during her horrible teenage years. Kyra remembered
how her watery, light blue eyes would shine with understanding when
Calysta
had done one thing or another to piss off her only
daughter. As the years came and went, it was always Auntie Della that was there
with a kind word, sage advice, and a hug. She could have very well been the
Grand Priestess, her powers were stronger and better practiced than
Calysta’s
, but that had not been her dream. Della took
pride in training and nurturing the young, so early in life, the sisters had
made a pact to stand together and carry out their individual duties to the best
of their abilities for the good of the coven.
and
that
stood all these many years later. But it did not stop the elder witch from
having her niece’s back whenever necessary. Kyra knew her well enough,
even after all the years they had been separated, to know something was wrong
from the tone of her voice.

“What’s
wrong?” Kyra asked, dispensing with pleasantries.

Her
aunt paused and tension poured through the line, “Have you seen your mother?”

“Yes,
she was here earlier today,” Kyra answered, her suspicions rising. “Why do you
ask?”

“Oh
dear,
Little One
, I’m sorry. I was hoping to at least give you warning.
I only just learned that she had gotten word from the dragons that you were
with them.”

Unable
to contain her shock, Kyra practically yelled, “She WHAT?! What the hell?! From
WHO?!” If Royce had anything to do with the impromptu visit from her mother,
she would be a widow before she was even a wife.

“Calm
yourself, how many times have I told you I do not like that language?” Ever the
model of decorum, a throwback to her true generation, her aunt scolded.

Two
deep breaths later, Kyra still saw red, but apologized all the same, “Sorry,
Auntie Della. It’s just that her visit was…well…”

“I
can only imagine, sweetheart and I
am
so sorry. If only I could have
warned you.”

“It
doesn’t matter now, what’s done is done,” Kyra said, still trying to calm down.
“But I really need to know who contacted Mother, please, Auntie.”

“Let
me find the letter.” Kyra heard the sound of papers being shuffled as her aunt
mumbled about messes.

Several
tense seconds later, Della came back on the line, “The letter is signed Elder
Rian
A. O’Reilly, Blue Thunder Clan. But are you not mated
to a Golden Fire shifter, dear heart?”

Her
blood boiled with the need to kick a certain pompous, arrogant, dragon man’s
ass, but she vowed to contain her fury until she could get her aunt off the
phone. “Long story, Auntie. I’m not mated to anyone yet, and as it stands, I
may never be.”

“That
will not do,
Little One
. You need your mate, just like the flowers need
the rain.”

She
could feel one of Della’s philosophical rants coming on, and as much as she had
missed her aunt and wanted to reconnect, the only thing that mattered in that
second was finding
Rian
and putting her size five
boot squarely up his ass. Using the voice that had gotten her out of more
trouble than she could even remember, she said the one thing she knew her aunt
longed to hear, “I know you’re right, Auntie. I’ll do
whatever
it takes
to be the dutiful mate and you
must
come to the mating ceremony as soon
as the details are set.”

Thankfully,
her aunt bought her act as she had so many times during Kyra’s life. “Oh,
Sweetling
, you have made this old witch very happy. Know
that I am always here for you,
Little One
, you only need call. I love
you, my dear.”

Her
aunt’s unconditional love had seen Kyra through many dark times and would get
her through more, she had no doubt. “Thank you, Auntie Della, I love you, too.”

“Blessed
be,
Little One
.”

“Blessed
be, Auntie”

She
barely had the call disconnected before she was in the house, boots on, and
heading for the front door, all thoughts of relaxation a distant memory.
Rian
was about to see what happened when you fucked with
Kyra St. Croix. On her way to Royce’s home she regretted not having her aunt
read her the entire letter, but then decided torturing it out of
Rian
would be so much more rewarding.

The
door opened before her fist could hit it the third time, a very surprised and
smiling Royce stood just over the threshold. The smile slid from his face and
his brow furrowed as she nearly spit her words at him, “Where the hell is your
asshole brother?”

“You
will have to narrow it down a bit. They’re both assholes.” Any other time she
would have laughed at his response, but in that moment it was all she could do
to keep from screaming.”

“
Rian
,” she growled through gritted teeth.

“He’s
at the training pit.” Kyra spun around and flew across the yard, Royce’s yelled
“Why?” a whisper in the distance.

She
reached her destination in record time and marched right up to the asshole that
was the focus of her anger. He smiled a smile she was sure had made many women
swoon, but instead of swooning, Kyra punched him right in the stomach as hard
as she could. His resulting grunt let her know she had hit her mark. She pulled
back to strike again when her fist was engulfed in a much larger hand, that
even in her fury she recognized as her mate. The feel of his breath on her ear
as he whispered, “I know he deserves to have his ass kicked, but here is not
the place,” threatened her resolve to kick his brother’s ass, but even Royce
could not stop her from getting the answers.

Sounding
winded, with his hand rubbing where her fist had landed,
Rian
spoke, “What the hell, little witch? Isn’t Royce the one you are supposed to be
beating on?”

She
started for him again, fighting as hard as she could against Royce’s hold, “You
stupid, arrogant prick, I’m going to kick your ass all the way back across the
ocean.”

A
crowd was starting to form around them, not that Kyra cared as she prepared her
next insult, but before the words could leave her mouth, she was lifted in the
air. She heard Royce bark, “Follow me...
now
,” at his brother as
everything around her became a blur. No matter how many times she had seen the
dragon shifters use their enhanced speed, nothing was as cool as riding along,
even if she was mad enough to chew nails.

A
moment later her feet touched the ground again and she recognized that they
were at least two miles from the training pit in the middle of the woods. She
quickly blinked to gain her equilibrium, and wasn’t surprised to see not only
Rian
, but also Rory standing in front of her. The warmth at
her back and the hand on her shoulder said that Royce was at her back, whether
just a coincidence or by design. Had she not been so angry, she could have
kissed him for standing with her, even though he had no clue why she wanted to
kill his brother. Tucking all thoughts of the sexy man behind her away for
later consideration, she narrowed her eyes as
Rian
spoke, “Exactly what has you so hostile this evening?”

Not
only was he smirking at her, but his tone was dripping with an arrogance that
set her teeth on edge. She got almost a half a step towards him before she was
pulled back against Royce’s chest and his mouth was once again at her ear,
“He’s baiting you. Trust me, he can keep this up all day.”

Feeling
the truth in Royce’s words, she cut off
Rian’s
next
words and asked, “Why did you contact my mother? In what part of your inflated
ego did you think that reuniting my mother and me would do anything but make me
want to rip your head off and spit down the hole?”

Before
Rian
could respond, she felt Royce tense behind her
and his chest vibrated against her back as he spoke, “Is it true,
Ri
? Did you contact her mother?”

‘I
did,” he responded with no remorse.

“What
exactly
were you thinking?” Royce asked, before she had a chance.

“Well,
dear brother, I was hoping that bringing her mother here would help with both
the magic needed to take the traitor down and your…” he cleared his throat and
motioned with his index finger between she and Royce, “
relationship issues
.”

Faster
than she could track, Royce was out from behind her, had punched
Rian
in the face, and was standing over him roaring, “What
the
fuck
is wrong with you?” Royce reached down and picked up his
brother by the front of his shirt, still screaming. “What the
hell
gives
you the right to put your arrogant ass in the middle of everyone else’s
business? Get a damned life of your own and stay the hell out of mine and…” he
pulled
Rian
until their noses touched and snarled,
“Leave. Kyra.
Alone
.”

Rian
hit the ground with a thud and Royce stood looking down at his brother as if
seeing him for the first time. Rory slowing approached and looked from one
brother to the other. “Okay, so now that family counseling session has
concluded for today, can we all put our fists away and kiss and make up?”

“Fuck
you, Rory,” Royce ground out, still breathing like at any moment he might
spontaneously combust.

Kyra
stood silent, unable to move, taking in the sight before her. No one had ever stood
up for her before; even her Auntie Della had only provided moral support. But
there was Royce, the man she was sure she would never forgive or be able to
trust, the man that had hurt her more in just a few months than her mother had
in fifty years, punching his own brother in the face in her defense. All the
anger she had felt moments ago seemed to float away, only to be replaced by a
bone-deep fatigue. Royce seemed to sense she was suddenly working really hard
just to stay on her feet as he once again took his place at her back and this
time, pulled her to him.

Rian
climbed to his feet and wiped the blood from his already healing nose and lip
while Rory looked like he was watching a tennis match, looking from one brother
to the other. The silence was broken when Royce spoke over her head. “
Rian
, apologize to Kyra,” he demanded.

Time
stood still. All three brothers looked at one another and she knew that had she
not been there, looks would have been replaced by words and punches. As it was,
she could feel the violent conversation they were having in mind speak. It
almost made her smile to think they were being civilized for her benefit.
Several tense moments later,
Rian
spoke, “I am very
sorry, Kyra. I thought I was doing the right thing. As my brother has pointed
out, I may have overstepped. I hope you will accept my apology and we can let
bygones be bygones.”