Saved By Her Dragon (25 page)

She handed it to Kyra who quickly scanned the writing and
then said, “Okay Chica, this is gonna work pretty much the same as
the Detection Spell, only there’s no amulet.
Hell
, we don’t even have to light a
candle, just form a circle, recite the ritual, and wait. I know the
waiting part will suck, but I’m adding an indicator that will tell
me when the concealment is lifted so we’ll know right away,
cool?”

“Absolutely,” Anya responded and quickly
added, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you both enough
for all your help.”

Siobhan stood and stepped over the clutter on the floor,
stopping right in front of her. “Having you here and seeing the
look of utter bliss you put on my son’s face is thanks
enough.”

Before she could respond the older woman pulled her into a
fierce hug. It was only a few seconds before she felt a much
smaller set of arms come around her from behind and heard Kyra’s
melodic voice. “And I think it’s freaking cool to get another
sis.”

These beautiful, magical people never ceased to amaze Anya
with their kindness, generosity, and love. She had loved her mom
and pops very much, but always felt like something was missing. The
longer she spent with Devon and his clan, the more she understood
what family
really felt
like
.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been a hell of a night and all he wanted to do was
crawl into bed with Anya and hold her while he slept for a few
days, but his mother and Kyra apparently had other plans. Devon
wasn’t surprised when he walked into Siobhan’s house to find Sam,
Grace, and Kyndel huddled in deep conversation around the kitchen
table. He had left Aidan and Rayne digging through the rubble with
Aaron, Rian, Royce, and Kellan, and had watched Lance and Rory fly
overhead from the SUV window while he drove the rest of the Blue
Thunder Clan back to the lair. Rian had told them to rest because
they would have the shift tomorrow night, and Rayne had told him to
drive them, informing Devon that his constant worry over being away
from Anya was driving them all crazy. Max had concurred as he and
his panthers piled into vehicles to return to their Pride. Devon
shrugged, not apologetic in the slightest for the strong feelings
his mate evoked. He did note that he was going to have to work
harder to keep them to himself, something he had not had to do
since he was very young.
Ain’t love
grand?

Devon knew he should’ve felt bad for leaving the others
behind in favor of seeing Anya, but he just couldn’t work up the
guilt. The mating call was relentless and his dragon felt it just
as strongly, making the beast damn near intolerable. The long hours
of silence between them after the blast had only exacerbated the
situation. He had spoken to her and knew she was doing fine, but
that did not negate the fact that he
needed
to
see
her,
hold
her, take her scent into his
body, and feel her skin against his.

He was just about to ask where his mate was when he heard the
words of a ritual and felt Kyra’s magic pulse through the air.
Rushing down the hall to his mother’s study, he threw open the door
just as Kyra said the words,
“We ask for
the blessing of the Universe, the Heavens, and the Goddess in our
quest to rid this woman of the Spell of Concealment.”

Marching to Anya, he stood behind her, waiting until the
ladies raised their heads and let go of one another’s hands before
spinning her around. He slammed his mouth to hers and reveled in
her immediate response to his kiss. She opened for him and he
tasted deep of all that she was until they were both panting and
more than a little excited. He saw the blush on her cheeks and
loved that he had put it there. Devon didn’t care who saw, he
wanted to fly her to the top of the highest peak and scream for all
to hear that Anya was his mate and he loved her with every fiber of
his being.

The sound of Siobhan clearing her throat and Kyra giggling
brought his thoughts back to the study and what he had just walked
in on. Never one to mince words, he looked first at his mother and
then Kyra before asking, “So, anything anyone wants to tell
me?”

Anya’s eyes grew wide and he realized his tone may have been
a bit stronger than he intended, but he was just a little pissed
that no one had bothered to either give him a heads up or wait
until he got back. Devon knew Anya thought she could take care of
herself, but she was
his mate,
and he would be damned if even his mother would
perform magic on her without his permission. He was just about to
say what he thought when Anya pulled from his arms and planted her
fists firmly on her hips. The look she gave him said she had heard
at least part of his thoughts and did
not
agree.

Devon held up his hands and opened his mouth to explain, but
she would hear none of it. “Dammit, Devon, I
can
take care of myself and if I
want your mother, or anyone else for that matter, to perform a
spell, a ritual, or an appendectomy,
I’ll
be damned
if I’ll wait for
your
permission.”

She leaned forward on her tippy toes until their noses almost
touched, in what he assumed was an effort to intimidate him. He
used his considerable control to keep from laughing at how cute she
looked, guessing it would only infuriate her more. When she spoke
again it was through gritted teeth, “You are my mate, but that
does
not
mean
that you get to dictate everything I do. Siobhan and Kyra found a
way to remove the Concealment Spell and I wanted it gone as soon as
possible, so we did the ritual.” She shrugged. “It’s done, so I
suggest you deal with it, but the choice is yours.”

He sensed she was about to turn away in order to make a
dramatic exit and solidify her position on the matter, but there
was no way he was letting her get away–they had been apart for way
too long. Taking one step to the right and stopping her movement,
he scooped her up, tossed her over his shoulder, and headed towards
the door. When he turned down the hall, he looked back at Kyra and
his mother and winked as they laughed at his exit.

Anya laid silently over his shoulder as he made his way to
the other end of the house, but he could feel her frustration and
was sure he was going to get an earful when they were safely
ensconced in the privacy of her room. He could not have been more
wrong. After shutting and locking the door to make sure they
weren’t interrupted, he carefully placed Anya on the bed and stood
back…waiting for what he was sure was to come.

Instead of yelling or even chastising him for his high-handed
behavior, she smiled sweetly, scooted to the edge of the bed, and
proceeded to remove first one sandal and then the other. Never
saying a word, only smiling sweetly, she stood, kissed the tip of
his nose, and turned to the right. As she walked away from him, she
removed first her blouse and then her bra, letting them fall to the
floor while giving him a mouthwatering view of her beautiful back
and the curves that had his hands begging to touch.

He watched as her jeans slid to the floor and his breath
caught in his throat as her panties slid down her legs. She
expertly stepped out of them, striding the last few steps to the
door of the bathroom, gloriously naked. He all but panted as he
took in the seductive sway of her ass and knew he would find every
way possible to keep her unclothed as much as possible in the
future.

His dick hardened to the point of pain when she stopped in
the doorway, slowly turned to the side giving him a view of her
absolutely perfect profile, and then looked longingly over her
shoulder. He had taken one involuntary step in her direction when
her words stopped him in his tracks. “I was going to invite you to
shower with me but now I find myself needing time alone.” She
slowly licked her lips, the trail of her tongue making his cock
jump as he imagined her beautiful lips on his body.

The spell she had woven fell away with the click of the lock
on the bathroom door. Standing in shock at the way his mate had
just played him like a fiddle, he groaned when her next statement
reached his ears, “Act like a Neanderthal and throw me over your
shoulder again and see what other tricks I have up my sleeve.
Paybacks are a bitch, Dragon Man.”

Devon had no clue how long he laid on the bed while the scent
of sea and sand mixed with Kyndel’s special bath oil filled the
room, driving him crazy with desire. He imagined the water
glistening on her olive skin and the bubbles sliding over her
generous curves. The beautiful aroma and his musings, combined with
her striptease, made him want nothing more than to break down the
door that stood between them and show her what a Neanderthal he
could truly be. Of course, that would only further prove her point
and probably land him on the couch, or worse yet, back at his house
with Rian’s men. He shuddered at the thought.

He realized after the fact that his actions could have been
misconstrued as high-handed. But he had been sure that once they
were alone he would be able to explain his actions and make her see
that sometimes his desire to keep her safe overrode his ability to
let her do things for herself. It was obvious she valued her
independence and had told him how important having a true
partnership was to her. He would move heaven and earth to have her
happy, but letting her put herself in danger without even
consulting him was not acceptable and something she would have to
understand. Devon somehow figured it was not the last
discussion
they would
have on the matter.

Trying to decide how to approach Anya while wondering if she
would ever emerge from the bath, he welcomed the distraction of
Rory’s voice in his mind.
“Hey, Dev.
Thought I’d catch ya up while lover boy here is talking to his
pretty doctor. We saw nothing. If anyone did get away, they’re good
and hidden now.”

“Thanks for trying. Did you let Rayne and Rian
know?”

“Sure did and Rayne said
to holler at you.”
For the first
time Devon could ever remember, Rory wasn’t being a smartass or
joking around. He just sounded tired.

“Cool. Thanks.”

“You got it. We’re about to land in the clearing behind your
house. I’m gonna grab a shower and some shut eye.”

“Enjoy, Ror. Catch ya later.”

“See ya, Dev.”

Deciding he better start groveling before Anya spent all the
down time he had hiding in the bathroom, he tapped on the door and
asked, “Everything okay in there,
mo
chroi’
?”

“Just great,” was her quick response.

Leaning against the door, he whispered, “M
o ghra’
, would you please come out
and talk to me?”

No answer, only silence, had him closing his eyes, leaning
his head against the door, and praying to the Heavens for the right
words to explain his actions. It was then he remembered something
he had read just a few days before. Taking a deep breath, he
started, “Anya,
a
mhuirnin
, do you remember the fountain we
saw in the Town Square?”

“Yes.”

He breathed a quick sigh of relief at her response and
continued, “When the Elders had the sculpture built they placed a
very special saying at the base. The words are beautiful in both
languages, but I truly never understood their meaning until you
came into my life. It says ‘Light to his soul. Love to his heart.
Hope to his future.’” He paused and swallowed past the lump that
was growing in his throat. “You are all of that and more. There are
times that I think I only learned how to breathe after I met
you.”

He heard movement on the other side of the door and felt the
emotions his words had stirred within his mate flowing through
their bond. When she didn’t speak, he went on, “I know you think I
try to control you or keep you from things, and I guess you’re
right to a certain extent, but it’s only because I love you more
than I ever thought possible. I
literally
cannot imagine my life
without you in it, and for a guy that’s been alive for a hundred
and twenty years…that’s saying something.”

He heard her move closer to the door and pressed on, “I want
to make you
happy
. I want you to have everything you ever wanted and things
you never knew possible. I’ll spend
every
day
of our lives together doing
everything
in my
considerable power to see you smile, and when you do…so will I,
because I’ll know that I put that look on your face.”

He felt her hand against the door and put his opposite hers.
“So when I freak out because you’re involved in a ritual when I’m
not around, or I throw you over my shoulder because I want to be
alone with you, it’s not because I want to control you. It’s
because I simply adore you and the very thought of you doing
anything that could result in you getting hurt stops my heart in my
chest. All I can think of is getting you away from anyone or
anything that may even remotely cause you harm. And if you think
I’m being an overbearing Neanderthal, you should know that my
dragon is a hundred times worse and about a thousand pounds
bigger.”