Her Dragon's Soul (Dragon Guard Series Book 9) (3 page)

“You know if you just put a little effort into it, Alicia
May, we can be done with this before the snow flies.”

“Mom, it’s spring. We’ve got forever before winter,” Alicia
grumbled, obviously underwhelmed with her present task.

“My point exactly.” Their mother chuckled.

“Hey y’all. Find any gold?” Hannah hollered as she
approached.

“As if,” Alicia huffed.

“Hello, dear,” Sarah Beth called, leaving the garden and
meeting her daughter at the back door.

One hug later and they were in the kitchen, sitting around
the table while Fiona, another of Hannah’s six sisters, made them all glasses
of iced tea and a plate of her famous oatmeal cookies. Deciding to wait until
she could speak to her mother alone, Hannah listened as her sisters giggled and
gossiped about all the Guardsmen. They went on and on about their muscles, the
way they trained day in and day out to keep the world safe, and most of all,
how each sister wanted to see them transform into their dragons. 

Growing impatient, Hannah caught her mother’s eye and
motioned with her head towards the other room. Having six daughters, Sarah Beth
had always been very quick to catch non-verbal cues and immediately stood.
Quietly leaving the table, Hannah followed her mom into the living room. Before
she could begin, her mom pulled her into a huge hug and whispered, “What’s
wrong, baby girl?”

Surprised that her mom already knew there was a problem,
Hannah pulled back and met Sarah Beth’s knowing gaze. A lump began to form in
the young witch’s throat and she knew tears weren’t far behind. It wasn’t that
she was a crier or even someone who went to her mom for help very often, it was
that Hannah was out of her depth and worried she might hurt someone if she
couldn’t figure out how to stop the ever-growing darkness.

“Mom, I know you’re gonna think I’ve lost my mind, but here
goes…”

It took about fifteen minutes to get through her tale,
during which Sarah Bath sat completely still, focusing on her every word. When
Hannah finished, she held her breath as a myriad of emotions crossed her
mother’s face. Time seemed to stand still and Hannah thought she might pass out
before Sarah Beth finally asked her first question.

“How many times has this happened?”

“Five that I can remember, and one of those was the few
minutes with Liam this morning.”

“And what does your mate have to say about all this?”

“My mate? How the hell…?” Hannah gasped.

“Give me some credit, Hannah Marie. I wasn’t born yesterday.
Not to mention that when you two are within throwing distance of one another,
you generate enough electricity to light LAX.” Sarah Beth chuckled.

Laughing despite herself, Hannah mumbled, “I should’ve known
you’d figure it out.”

“You betcha, baby. I’ve had to keep up with seven of y’all
for so long, not much gets past me…but enough of that. How long do these
episodes last?”

“The longest one was today, just a little over three hours.”

“And you woke up on the cliffs, in a circle with all the
makings of a spell, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” was all Hannah could squeeze past the
tightening in her throat that was now threatening to choke her.

“Take a breath, darling. You look like you’re gonna pass
out.” Once again, Hannah felt her mom’s loving hand squeeze her fingers. “We’ve
made it through everything that’s ever been thrown at us. We’re the McKennons
after all. There’s no way the darkness is gonna win. As long as we stick
together, we can do anything.”

Hannah immediately felt better listening to her mom give the
same pep talk she’d given so many times. Sarah Beth had taken over where
Hannah’s dad left off, and there had never been a day that the seven McKennon
sisters doubted their ability to conquer the world. Hannah knew her mother was
right. There was nothing they couldn’t get through if they faced it together.

Just as she was about to speak, her mom added, “The one
thing you need to do is get that man of yours over here. Our white magic
combined with his dragon magic will be damn near unstoppable. You might want to
get Melanie, too.”

“But, Mom, what if he thinks I’m crazy?”

Sarah Beth shook her head and chuckled. “Girl, that boy
already knows about you and loves you all the more for it. I know you and Meli
Rose have talked about what it means to be a dragon’s mate. In any other
situation you wouldn’t be hiding from him but running into his arms.” Sarah
Beth paused and looked right into Hannah’s eyes. The young witch felt the
weight of her mom’s stare and the unconditional love Sarah Beth freely gave to
all her children. It was the best feeling in all the world. Before Hannah could
stop it, a single tear slid down her cheek.

Never one to miss anything, the young witch knew the minute
Sarah Beth saw the tear and let herself once again be pulled into a hug. Her
mother spoke without letting go. “You have to go to Liam and explain
everything. Then come back here and we’ll figure out what to do from there.”

The last word was barely out of her mouth before Sarah Beth
was pulling back and standing up. Hannah chuckled as her mom tugged on her
hands until she was also standing. One kiss on the cheek later and Hannah was
being ushered to the door.

“Now, get outta here and don’t come back without your man.
I’ll tell your sisters what’s going on and we’ll give Melanie and Jace a call.
You have enough to worry about.”

“Thanks, Mom. Love you,” was all Hannah could say as she
made her way onto the front porch.

“I love you too, Darlin’.”

Walking as fast as she could without running to draw
attention, Hannah thought about what Melanie had told her about the non-verbal
communication between mates. She knew there were times she could feel what Liam
was feeling or hear what he was thinking, but they’d never communicated through
the bond she felt growing between them. Figuring it was now or never, Hannah
reached through their link, surprised to find it dark and abandoned, so
different than the other times she’d used it. Those times she’d been able to
feel the warmth of Liam’s feelings, the light from his beautiful soul, and the
strength of his unbreakable spirit, but none of that was there this time.

Where could he be? Can he shut this mating thing off?

The longer she searched the mating bond for her mate, the
more frantic Hannah became, until she realized somewhere along the way she’d
started to run. Stopping in her tracks and taking several deep breaths, the
young witch worked hard to get her emotions under control. Deciding she needed
answers and sure she’d find her mate with his best friend, she headed to
Melanie and Jace’s.

No sooner had she changed directions than the scent of
sulfur and brimstone caused her eyes to water. Searching for the origin of the
offending smells, Hannah was once again lost to the darkness.

CHAPTER
THREE

Liam had been dreaming of Hannah when he was hit right in the
face with what he could only imagine was a tidal wave. Spitting and sputtering,
he opened his eyes to then be confronted with total darkness. Not even his
enhanced sight could cut through the inky blackness surrounding him.

Trying to sit up to escape any further deluge, his efforts
were stopped short as he found his wrists bound and pulled above his head. A
little more inspection and he wasn’t surprised to find his ankles also tied
together. He felt cement at his back and could feel that he was several feet
off the floor. As if all of that wasn’t enough, from the burn in his wrists and
ankles, the young Guardsman knew his bindings contained silver.

Okay, so whoever is doing this knows I’m a dragon and
knows how to subdue us. Great! Just freaking great!

Holding his breath, Liam listened for any clue of his
location or who was holding him hostage. More frustrated than he’d ever been,
with a headache sure to make him cross-eyed growing from the lump he could feel
on the back of his head, the young Guardsman and his dragon wanted to roar
until the walls around him shook. The thought of letting his beast out to take
care of whatever and whoever was threatening them both was close to becoming a
reality. One he knew was against all his training, but still a viable option as
far as he was concerned. His dragon growled his approval, blowing smoke for
emphasis.

Pushing his enhanced senses out as far as they could go, the
only thing he could be sure of was that he was dealing with black magic
and
demons. The scent of sulfur was slight and probably undetectable to human
senses, but the brimstone was unmistakable. Brimstone on its own didn’t always
mean a piece of hell or one of its inhabitants had made their way to the
surface, but when coupled with the stench of burnt Mandrake root and Wild Yam,
it was damn near a sure thing.

“Fuck!” Liam spat under his breath.

A chuckle from the corner alerted him to the fact that he
was no longer alone and reminded him to stay focused. It wouldn’t do to get
caught unawares
again
. Seemed like these people meant business.

The chuckle was followed by slow, measured boot strikes
against a cement floor. Every other footstep was followed by an additional
click that Liam soon recognized as a cane.

I just saw someone with a cane. Who the hell was it?

Answering the question out loud he’d only asked in his head,
he whispered, “Cleland.”

A high-pitched cackle Liam was sure could break glass came
from the same direction as the footsteps and preceded the gravelly voice of the
much older man, who until now Liam had only seen from a distance.

It was as if the darkness receded as the
Grand Draoi
spoke. “Well, well, young Guardsman, it seems as if you have been caught in my
trap.”

Circling to Liam’s left, the leader of the
Dorcha
continued. “You see, it was you dragons who took everything from me…my power,
my coven, my birthright. Seems only fair that I do the same to you. I must
admit, I never imagined our little Hannah to be the mate of one of the mighty
Dragon Guard. This is working out so much better than I could’ve ever hoped
for. I’ve always known the McKennon family was the source of great power and
because of that destined for great things, but never in my wildest dreams could
I have guessed the little witch would be useful beyond her own power.”

Just the mention of Hannah’s name by the man Liam knew to be
capable of heinous acts of evil had the dragon shifter pulling against his
restraints and seething with a fury he hadn’t known he was capable of. His
dragon thrashed against the constraints of his mind, pushing with all his
beastly strength to come forth. Liam was just about to speak when Cleland once
again spewed his venom.

“I originally planted the spell within Hannah so that I
might keep tabs on my dear Meli Rose. My plans for my traitor of a
granddaughter have not been forgotten, only put on hold, and I didn’t want her
to get too far away, but then we had this unforeseen windfall. You see, my
followers, the ones you and your kin were unable to abduct and turn against me,
have been working very hard since you and your cohorts disrupted our plans.
They have summoned and trapped a low level demon. Something that until now has
eluded us. The only downside is that he has to have a permanent host to remain
topside. I have repeatedly tried shoving him into your little mate, but that
only works for short periods of time before she’s able to throw off the effects
and push the demon out. I fear if I keep at it much longer Hannah may burn out,
and I still need her to monitor my wayward kin.

So you see, Fate has once again afforded me an unprecedented
opportunity…you. I happened to be listening to dear Hannah’s thoughts and was
thrilled to find out you were her mate. It was then I decided there could be no
better vessel than the strong mind and body of a Dragon Guardsman. The demon
can lie dormant within you and be called forth only when I need him, hence
stretching his time topside to as long as I find him useful. I’ve even solved
the problem of your dragon. I can put the beast to ‘sleep’, thus keeping him
out of the way for as long as I have need of your body and soul. Of course, I
have no idea what shape you and your dragon will be in when we’re done, but
then again, I honestly do not care.”

Liam shook with anger and disbelief. His mind raced from all
the
Grand Draoi
had revealed. He had to get loose and save his beautiful
Hannah from Cleland’s heinous plans. Shouting to each of his brethren through
their unique mindspeak and the common ones alike, the young dragon prayed for
at least one of his kin to hear his distress call. Yelling in his own mind
until he thought it might explode, only silence was returned. Ready to double
his efforts no matter the cost to him physically or mentally, the sound of
metal scraping against concrete silenced his pleas.

Tiny footsteps filled the silence. The light lemony scent of
Angel’s trumpets filled the cavern and his dragon whimpered. Liam’s heart
dropped like a stone as Hannah’s light red tresses came into view, immediately
followed by her beautiful face. The same face that had haunted his dreams since
their first meeting. Her ivory skin glowed with an absolute purity he knew
could have only come from the Universe Herself. He remembered the feeling of
silk as her long, curly tresses ran through his fingers and the brilliance of
her blue eyes that enhanced her every expression. Liam felt as if he was
drowning every time he looked into them.

A lethal combination of sadness and fury swamped the young
Guardsman as he doubled his determination to save the one the Universe had made
for him. The dragon he’d shared his soul with for over sixty years blew smoke
and pawed at the ground like a bull ready to charge. There was no way either
man or beast was going to let the
Draoi
continue to take advantage of
their mate.

The sounds of other footsteps echoed off what he was sure
were stone walls. By his count, three more
Dorcha
entered the room. Liam
could hear Cleland issuing orders, leaving the young Guardsman free to focus
all his attention on his mate. He knew the only way they were going to make it
out alive was if they worked together. And the only way that was going to
happen was if Hannah woke from the trance she was under. He thought of calling
for his brethren once again but decided against it. The
Grand Draoi
had
to have placed some kind of dampening spell around the structure they were in
and it was keeping him from communicating with his brethren. It was the only
explanation for their continued silence. Sadly, he and Hannah were on their
own.

Time to put up or shut up
.

Going into warrior mode, Liam immediately came up with a
plan. One he was sure was going to fail, but one he at least had to try.
Focusing all his energy and that of his dragon on their nonresponsive mate, he
began to probe their mating bond. Just like he’d experienced earlier in the
day, the link was dark and dank, teaming with an evil Liam now knew was
Cleland’s low level demon squatting inside his mate. As he pushed through the
darkness, careful to avoid detection from the evil entity, Liam remembered a little
of the magic his mother had taught him as a boy.

Thankfully, Kara Drennan had been a white witch and loved
sharing her knowledge with her only son. Although her focus had been on Healing
magic, she still knew a lot about Defensive magic and an attack spell or two,
which she’d taught Liam before small pox claimed her life shortly before his
first transformation. One incantation in particular he recalled was to wake a
person from a coma. He had no idea if it would wake a person being possessed,
but he was willing to try damn near anything to have his Hannah back.

Reciting the spell he remembered just as if Kara had said it
to him yesterday, Liam chanted, “
Mu’scail
,” over and over in his head,
pushing it into the mating bond, reinforcing it with dragon magic. Splitting
his attention between his mate and Cleland, Liam also worked at his bindings.
The more the silver-covered jute bit into his skin and blood flowed down his
arms, the more determined he became to free both his mate and himself.

Looking deeply into Hannah’s eyes, Liam prayed he wasn’t
imagining the focus he saw slowly surfacing. The dark clouds were being pushed
back and the spark that made Hannah the incredibly special woman he loved was
returning. He had to be careful that Cleland didn’t sense his use of magic or
the
Draoi
was sure to figure out what he was trying to do.

As if the
Dorcha
leader had heard his thoughts, the
room was suddenly awash in bright candlelight and the smell of burning herbs
combined with a smoky, almost bitter stench. It was then Liam heard chanting
filling the room behind him. The
Dorcha
were beginning the spell that
would draw the demon out of Hannah and deposit it within his soul. He knew it
was perverse, but one thought continued to circle his mind as he tried with all
his might to break the dark hold the demon had on his mate and send the bastard
back to hell.

Even if I fail, at least the demon will be out of Hannah.

She was, after all, the most important person in all of
this. He had to protect her, no matter what, and had been cursing himself since
waking up for not knowing right away what was wrong with his mate and putting
an end to the hold the
Draoi
had on her. The son of a bitch had admitted
to putting her under his influence the night they’d rescued Melanie and the
others. How could Liam have missed the black magic within his own mate? How had
he failed her in such a huge way? If…no,
when
he got them out of this
mess, he was going to spend every day of their very long lives together making
it up to her. All he had to do was get them out of there.

Piece of cake! Not!

“Now don’t sell yourself short there, loverboy.”

The sound of Royce’s voice boomed in Liam’s head. The young
Guardsman was so shocked that for the first time since waking up he was glad to
be tied to the cement slab, otherwise he would’ve landed flat on his ass from
surprise.

“Royce?”

“You were expecting the jolly green giant?”

“No, Roy, he was expecting me. Everyone knows it’s the
older, more handsome brother that saves the day,”
Rian, the leader of the
Blue Thunder Clan, who also just happened to be Royce’s older brother, chimed
in.

“I thought it was the younger more dashing brother…”
Rory, Royce’s younger brother, added.

“Y’all need to get the hell out of the way and let the
little white witch work her magic or none of you will be taking another step
and your family line will end with a boom,”
Kyra teased, but Liam could
hear the underlying stress in the tiny witch’s voice.

“How the…?”
Liam was so overwhelmed that his brethren
had somehow heard his distress calls that words escaped him.

“We heard you loud and clear, Li, you just couldn’t hear
us,”
Jace answered his almost-asked question
. “Kyra and Melanie were
able to get a lock on the black magic while Royce and I followed your call. I’m
guessing our old friend, Cleland, is in there with you?”

“You got it in one,”
Liam answered.
“Bastard’s got
a low level demon resting inside of Hannah, but he really wants it inside of
me. They’re getting ready to make the switch right now.”

“We’re not going to let that happen, Liam. Is Hannah
okay?”
Melanie, who until that moment had been silent, asked.

“She’s fine. I was trying an old spell my mom taught me
to get her to wake up. It seems to be working, but it’s taking forever.”

“That’s because Cleland has the whole building you’re in
doused with serious amounts of black magic. Anything we do with white or dragon
magic is gonna take at least twice as much power to work,”
Kyra answered,
but he could tell she was distracted by whatever she was setting up.
“But
don’t you worry, I got the terrible threesome, who as much as it pains me to
admit are stronger than any other dragons I’ve ever come across. Not to mention
Melanie and Jace.”

“Kyra…”
Her mate and his brothers growled in unison.

Their complaining went unanswered. All Liam could hear was
the little witch’s occasional mumbling. He knew from experience she’d jumped
headlong into whatever spell she needed to work to free both him and his mate
and blocked out the rest of the world.

Returning his focus to Hannah and his attempt to wake her,
Liam recited his mother’s spell over again in his head while listening to the
progress of his friends and keeping tabs on the
Draoi
and his minions.
From what he could hear, it was only Cleland and three, maybe four of the
Dorcha
.
They would be no match for the sheer size and power of the Guardsmen about to
break through their defenses, but first the dragon shifters needed to get
inside the building.