Saved By Her Dragon (21 page)

Unfortunately, both Aaron and Lance were in attendance, so
his efforts were thrown by the wayside when they both cracked up
causing everyone else to follow suit. Aaron was the first to
recover and spoke as Devon made his way to the huge round table in
the center of the enormous room, “Nice try, Slick.”

A slap on the back from Lance as he passed by was accompanied
by, “She’s got you all tied up in your underwear.”

Before he could respond Rayne added, “Another one bites the
dust.”

The Commander’s out of character comment triggered another
round of laughter that only calmed when Carrick cleared his throat.
The men gathered around as the Elder spoke. “I wanted to tell each
and every one of you, especially Aaron and Aidan, that I understand
how hard it is to hunt down one of your own. It is not what we as
men or dragons ever want to do, but all too often it is a task we
must undertake. May the Universe bless you with
success.”

Devon watched as their regal Leader exited the building and
wondered if he was talking about the rogue Carrick and his father
had hunted down all those years ago. Max’s voice shoved thoughts of
the past behind and Devon focused on the information the King and
his guards were able to obtain.

“The pictures you gave us were incredibly
accurate. Gotta love technology and all that shit. The only notable
difference is the overgrowth of the foliage–but that is to our
advantage as it provides excellent coverage. Raphael was also able
to get a closer look at the security system and disabling it will
be no problem. The only thing that might give us pause is access
into the mansion itself. Every entrance is locked and magically
warded except for a hidden entrance that I am sure leads to the
basement. It’s completely covered with overgrown plants and vines.
Something tells me
nobody
knows it even exists. All of my men agree that
one small explosive would blow the door and clear the
tunnel.”

“Hell, yeah,” Lennox cheered from across the
table.

“You’ll have to excuse Lenn, he has a flair for explosions,”
Rory chuckled while Rian and Kellan shook their heads.

Devon looked at the large Guardsman with spiky black hair and
a wild look in his eyes and nodded, “It’s all you, Lennox. Just
don’t blow us all to the Heavens.”

“Aye, just let me at ‘em.”

“Sounds like we have a plan. So, if there’s nothing else, I
suggest everyone do what needs to be done and we’ll meet back here
at nine tonight,” Rayne said and then turned to Max. “And we’ll see
you and your crew at the abandoned Quicky Mart about ten miles from
the property at ten thirty?”

“That you will,” Max answered, and Devon was once again
amazed at the nonchalance with which the King did damn near
everything, including planning to invade a fortress filled with
crazy, half-trained wizards and a clearly deranged
traitor.

Everyone went their separate directions and Devon headed out
to the training pit. He had been keeping tabs on Anya through their
mating link and knew she was happy and relaxed. So instead of
heading back and spoiling her good mood with his nervous energy, he
decided to train for an hour or two.

Striding into the barn and grabbing a broad sword, it dawned
on Devon that for the first time he truly was nervous about a
mission. He had no clue how many times he had flown, ridden, or run
headlong into battle without a thought but to vanquish the enemy.
His brethren teased that he was the ‘Zen Guardsman’, and until a
few days ago that had been true. He had always been the voice of
reason and the go-to guy for reassurance, but all of that changed
the moment Anya had entered the picture.

He shook his head, psychoanalyzing himself, and it was then
that he realized he still had his confidence, his inner peace, and
his resolve that what he and his brethren were doing was absolutely
honorable. The only thing that had changed was his undeniable need
to return home after battle, to spend hundreds of years learning
everything there was to know about the one the Universe had made
for him.

Thankfully, Rian called out from across the pit, jerking
Devon from his self-analysis. “Aye, Dev. Fancy a bit of
sparring?”

Devon chuckled at the clan leader’s brogue. It seemed it only
made an appearance when Rian was distracted or fighting. “You’re
on,” he answered, swinging his sword to test the
balance.

Rian advanced and within seconds they were engaged in a mock
battle for their lives. The clash of the blades drew the other
Guardsmen and trainees until a crowd formed around them, and Devon
could see the other men making bets on who would bow out first.
Never one to go down easily, he poured everything into each thrust
of his sword.

The taunts started about an hour into their duel, but when
Devon noticed Rian’s arm shaking he used it to his advantage, and
within minutes had the bigger and older Elder disarmed and standing
at the end of his blade.

“Will you look at that shit, Roy? Dev, just spanked Ri but
good. Guess I owe you fifty bucks,” Rory chuckled to
Royce.

Rian put his fist over his heart; acting incredibly
disheartened and in his best British accent, he crooned, “Et tu,
Royce? Et tu?”

The entire pit erupted in laughter as Devon and Rian made
their way back to the barn to clean their swords and grab something
to drink. “You’ve gotten better with a sword than I remember,
Devon.”

“Thanks Rian, but I think the last time we trained together
was about fifty years ago. I’m sorry to say I’ve had more occasions
than I care to admit to hone my skills–especially in the last few
years.”

“Yeah, Andrew has definitely caused more
than his fair share of trouble.” Rian paused and Devon could tell
he was deciding whether to share something or not.

When the Elder spoke again his tone no longer held the levity
from just moments before, “Carrick has asked Kellan and our Force
to stay and assist with Andrew’s containment…and he requested I
serve on the Tribunal.”

The tension in Rian’s body and the almost haunted tone of his
voice said neither of those requests were welcomed but had been
agreed to out of a sense of duty. Devon was just about to respond
when Anya spoke directly into his mind. He smiled at the tentative
tone to her voice,
“Devon?”

“Yes,
mo chroi’
,”
he answered while saying goodbye
to Rian.

Her giggle made him smile as he almost jogged towards his
mother’s home.
“I just wondered what you
were up to. Your mom is researching and the other girls went
home…”

“And you’re bored?”

“Well…”

He received more than one questioning look when he laughed
out loud for no apparent reason but really didn’t care, his mate
was reaching out to him and he couldn’t be happier.
“I’ll be right there, love.”

“Thanks.”

Taking the same shortcuts he had used just a few hours
earlier, he was at his mother’s home in less than a minute and had
Anya in his arms in the next two seconds. After a lengthy hello
kiss that had all thoughts of anything but her naked body wrapped
around his and his name on her lips, he reluctantly set his mate a
few inches away and took a deep breath. He grinned as he took in
the dreamy look in her eyes and the way she struggled to catch her
breath.

Noticing him looking at her, Anya raised one eyebrow and put
her hands on her hips before teasing, “Pretty happy with yourself,
huh?”

Acting like he had to think about his answer, Devon pursed
his lips and looked to the side before answering. “As a matter of
fact, I am,” he snickered.

Anya swung to swat his shoulder but Devon was quicker and
grabbed her hand, pulling her close to him once again. Holding her
against his chest, he looked into her beautiful, light green eyes
and saw his forever. He kissed her forehead and asked, “Wanna take
a walk? See the sights?”

The excitement he saw in her eyes answered his question
before she exclaimed, “Oh, yes! Please?”

Before he could answer, she was wiggling out of his arms and
calling over her shoulder, “Just let me grab my shoes.”

When she returned, Anya had not only put on the sandals Grace
had loaned her, but had also pulled her hair up in a cute ponytail
that sat high on her head. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him
towards the door, chatting away about all Kyndel and Grace had told
her about the lair and more specifically, the Town
Square.

They walked along, arm-in-arm and Devon introduced her to
everyone they passed, prouder than he had ever been. He had to
admit, at least to himself, that he had been happy when his
brethren had found their mates, but there was absolutely nothing
that compared to having Anya in his life. The stories he had heard
his entire life did not come close to the feeling of finding the
one the Universe had made for him.

Caught up in his thoughts, he almost missed Anya’s question,
“Is there a florist here?”

“Yes, there is. Did you want some flowers?” Her question
surprised him and then made him worry that he was not providing her
with everything she wanted or needed.

She immediately shook her head, “Not for me, but I would like
to get your mom some to thank her for her hospitality.” A pained
look crossed her face and her head fell forward, causing him to
stop and spin her around until they were face to face.

Lifting her head in surprise, he cut off the words she was
about to speak when he asked, “What’s the matter,
mo ghra’
?”

“Nothing…it’s just that…oh
hell
!” Her voice
gained confidence and she squared her shoulders, “I forgot I don’t
have any money. I don’t even know where my purse
is
!”

Devon schooled his features and bit the inside of his cheeks
to keep from smiling at her obvious distress. His mate was strong,
independent, and absolutely adorable, and he would do whatever he
could, even holding in his laugher, to make sure she stayed just as
she was. He was however, irritated with himself for not realizing
she needed her own things. Having a mate was uncharted territory
but one he was going to enjoy every second discovering.

“Not to worry. I’ll take care of it. And in the very near
future, we’ll take a trip out to your farm to grab your things,
okay?”

The look that crossed her face was reminiscent of the way
Sydney and Jay looked on Christmas morning and her squeal of
delight warmed him through and through. “Oh my gosh, thank you so
much, Dev. Everyone has been so great to me and I am so thankful,
but I really do miss my stuff.”

She threw herself into his arms and hugged him with a
strength he hadn’t realized she possessed. The clearing of a throat
sounded behind him and they broke apart right before Sydney slammed
into his leg. “Boo!” the little girl screamed. “Did I scare you?
Huh? Did I?”

Feigning fear, he shuddered and clasped his chest, “You did!
I think you might’ve given me a heart attack.”

“You’re so silly, Dev,” the child giggled while turning to
his mate. “Did I scare you too much, Anya?”

His mate knelt down and shook her head, “No way! Come on,
Syd, you know girls are tougher than boys.”

Sydney’s giggle turned into full blown laughter as she
agreed, “We sure are!” Throwing herself into Anya’s arms the child
gave her a big hug before stepping back and asking, “Where y’all
going? Dad is taking me to get some ice cream. You wanna come
too?”

As fun as spending time with one of his favorite people in
the whole world sounded, Devon truly wanted to show his mate around
the lair and then spend some alone time before he had to embark on
the hunt for the traitor. “Not today, Syd. How about a rain
check?”

The sweet girl took his refusal in stride. “You got it. Just
don’t forget, ‘kay?”

“It’s a date! No way I’m gonna forget that.” He helped Anya
up as Sydney ran the few steps back to her dad. It was then that
Devon realized Lance hadn’t spoken at all.

“What’s wrong, man? It’s not like you to be so
quiet.”

“Nothing,” was the only response he got from his brethren,
but Sydney was more than willing to spill the beans.

“Daddy’s upset cause Andrew was at the hospital last night
but Mommy went to work anyway and wouldn’t let Daddy come too. But
Jace and Liam went to keep her safe and Ern…Ernes…the panther man
is there too.”

“Ernesto?” Devon helped, seeing the frustration on the
child’s face.

“Yep! Him!” Sydney bounced from one foot to the
other.

Seeing the obvious frustration on his brethren’s face, Devon
used their link and said
, “Ya’ know Jace
and Liam are not gonna let anything happen to Sam, and if for some
reason Andrew or one of his minions get past them, Ernesto is damn
good. It’s the cat in him.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s
just…oh hell. It’s just if anything happens to her…”
Lance’s voice trailed off and for the
first time Devon could truly relate.