Saved By Her Dragon (30 page)

Carrick began again, “The white dragons are warriors born of
the sun
and
the
moon. The Universe shines favorably on all of Her winged warriors,
but the ones born with white scales hold both the favor of the day
and of the night. They are a powerful sign of purity and wisdom
combined with tremendous spiritual energy. Their calm exterior
hides the heart of the beast and allows them to take those that
oppose them by surprise. Loyalty and strength of will are their two
greatest attributes and they use those to protect all they hold
dear. Love and devotion run deep within those with white scales and
grows deeper as the years pass. To mate a white dragon means to
accept all that they are, and honor the power shared between
mates.”

“Now is
the time of the marking. May the Universe continue to bless you and
yours all of your days.” The sounds of the others exiting the
chamber only served as background noise to the beating of their two
hearts as one. Devon had no idea how long he stood looking at his
magnificent mate, but he knew with every fiber of his being there
would never be a day he not welcome the sight.

He felt his eyes began to glow and saw a heat that was more
than passion reflected in Anya’s gorgeous green eyes. Devon lowered
his mouth to hers, and as their lips touched whispered,
“
Ta’ mo chroi istigh
ionat
,” into her mind. The experience was
unlike any other–a flame ignited in his heart and spread throughout
his body, filling every cell with the bond only true mates
share.

Anya broke their kiss with a hiss, a twinge to his neck
telling him that they were being marked by the Universe. “No
worries,
mo chroi
,
it’s only the mating mark.”

He
lowered his mouth to her neck, running the tip of his tongue along
the lines of the double flames signifying their bond, to ease the
sting. Anya’s hands grabbed his head, holding him in place, moaning
his name. Her body arched into his causing his already hard cock to
rub against the cradle of her stomach.

With a
reluctant groan, Devon pulled back from his mate, sure to keep her
body against his. He watched as her eyes flew open, full of fire,
passion and questions, “What…”

“I know,
a
mhuirnín
, there’s nothing more I want to do
than disappear with you for a year or two, all alone…somewhere
secluded….” He kissed her forehead and sighed, “But we have a party
full of people waiting just below.”

She
pretended to pout, the sight more than he could stand. His lips
once again found hers and he poured all they were together into
that small joining, making promises of what was to come. Their bond
was complete; they were connected soul to soul, heart to heart,
destiny to destiny for all their days on the Earth and all those
after.

Pulling back once again, Devon set Anya an arm’s length away
to help him resist the temptation she would always be and grinned
as she struggled to open her eyes. Even heavy-lidded, he was
humbled by all he saw shining back at him, knowing there was
absolutely nothing
he
would not do for this one woman…
his
woman
.

The mark
on her wrist rippled under his fingertips. His dragon tattoo and
the beast within responded in kind and his mating mark pulsed with
the power of their bond. Anya gasped and her pupils dilated, “What
was that?”

“That was us
, mo
ghra’
. Just us,” he chuckled and turned,
pulling his mate to his side.

Walking out of the cave, a voice Devon thought lost to him
forever, floated through his mind,
“She’s a
keeper son. Blessings o’ thuas.”

“Thanks, Dad.”
was all that came out
as emotion gripped his heart.

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

The trip down the mountain in Devon’s lap atop his handsome
filly felt like a dream. She kept touching the mating mark as it
pulsed on her neck and looking at the one on her mate. It was a
truly surreal experience. She had been able to hear his thoughts
and he hers from the very beginning, even when she was in a coma.
There had even been times when they could feel each other’s
emotions, but after the kiss that damn near fried every brain cell
in her mind it was as if they shared
everything
…
they were one
. Then she remembered
Siobhan’s words… “It is written in our holy book that
‘when the two halves of the same whole meet, there
will be instant recognition. Their souls will merge and only then
will the dragon shifter know complete peace, they will have found
their true home. It will be as if the time before they met does not
exist. All that matters is that they become one in body, mind, and
soul.’

She most definitely felt the ‘one in body, mind, and soul’
thing, but it was
her
that had found her true home, been saved from a life of
loneliness by her very own dragon. Devon pulled her close, causing
goose bumps to rise when he whispered, “we saved each other,
mo chroi’
”.

She was
sure her heart would burst from the emotion she felt pouring from
the amazing man holding her in his arms. The horse slowed and she
followed Devon’s gaze to find all of their friends, and some she
was beginning to think of as family, gathered around the lake ready
for a serious party; tents, chairs, decorations, and a band she
recognized as werepanthers that began to play as soon as Devon
dismounted, still holding her close.

The
party-goers formed two lines facing one another in a boy-girl
fashion and when Devon set her at the entrance to their receiving
line, the Guardsmen, all of them even the Blue Thunder Clan, lifted
their swords making an archway for them to walk under. It was
exactly backwards from every wedding she had ever attended and made
all the more special for it. At the end of the line stood Siobhan
and Carrick, and as the couple neared, the two Elders bowed their
heads. Anya could hear the older couple blessing their union. Tears
filled her eyes at the outpouring of affection she felt from
everyone in attendance. She was no longer an orphan–she had truly
found her family.

Her happy tears turned to giggles when Max stepped right in
front of them, bowed and asked for a dance. Devon growled low in
his throat, quickly informing the King that
he
had the first dance,
“
And every one after that,”
she heard him add in his mind. Max smiled his ‘cat
that ate the canary’ grin, winked, and told her he would catch up
with her later.

Kyndel
and Grace quickly redirected them to the huge four tier cake at the
center of the festivities. Anya was not surprised to find Sydney
standing close by eyeing the gorgeous confection, and laughed when
the child asked, “Are you gonna cut it now? My tummy is dying to
taste it.”

“You got
it Syd. We’ll cut it right now,” Devon quickly answered.

Sam
appeared with a pearl handled knife and cake server engraved with
DW and AW enclosed in an elegant heart. Leaning close the young
doctor whispered, “We made it as much like a regular wedding
reception as we could. Now that there are more of us, it was easy
to convince the guys.”

“Yeah,
right like we had a choice,” Lance scoffed from behind his mate,
love evident in his every word.

Anya
looked up to see Kyndel, Grace, and Kyra walking towards them. She
was immediately drawn into a group hug as all the girls descended,
squealing, “Welcome to the family,” in unison.

Kyra
whispered close to her ear, “The spell lifted while you were in the
cave. Let me know when you feel any changes.”

The next
few hours were a blur of well wishes and partying until she thought
she might collapse. She was glad to see Dr. Gallagher, Charlie as
she was instructed to call her, and to finally be able to thank her
for her excellent care during her time in the hospital.

Max did
finally commandeer her for a spin around the dance floor, much to
her mate’s chagrin and to the laughs of the werepanthers in
attendance. Before she could make it back to Devon’s side, Aaron
swooped in, asking to dance with the ‘bride’. She smiled at his use
of a very human word and agreed.

The
dance had barely begun when he asked, “Are you happy,
Anya?”

“Happier
than I’ve ever been. Why do you ask?”

“It’s
important to Devon and that makes it important to me.” She felt the
honesty and conviction in every word he spoke.

“You
know him really well, huh?”

“Yeah,”
he chuckled. “You could say that. Why?”

She looked away, wondering if she should ask what she really
wanted to know and then deciding
What the
hell?
and went for it. “Do you think
I
make
him
happy?”

Aaron threw back his head and laughed so loud some of the
guest turned and stared before answering, “Honey, if he were any
happier, he’d have to be two people. He
absolutely adores
you. I have never
seen him happier…
ever
…and I’ve known his ugly mug for a helluva lotta
years.”

She
couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled over and hugged his neck.
“Thank you so much,” she whispered before pulling back.

“Hey,
hey, hey, what the hell’s going on over here,” Devon asked,
pretending to be angry.

“I’m
trying to steal your mate and there’s not a damn thing you can do
about it,” Aaron joked as he danced Anya a few steps from Devon,
winking for her to play along.

Following Aaron’s footwork, Anya stepped a tiny bit closer,
right before an arm slid around her back and slipped between she
and her dance partner. The grin on Aaron’s face said he had
achieved exactly what he intended…
to drive
Devon crazy
.

Anya gasped as she was lifted into the air and twirled down
Devon’s arm until she fell flush against his body. Breathless, she
looked into his glowing grey eyes and recognized both the man and
beast whose souls completed her own. He spun her with the finesse
of F
red Astaire, weaving a spell as the
tune the band played provided the perfect score. Devon’s hands
moved expertly over her body, leaving a trail of heat and desire
until Anya was sure she would be but a pile of ash in his
hands.

Their erotic
dance of love and seduction continued, her desire building higher
as the music’s sensual beat kept time. Devon kissed along the bare
skin of her shoulder, paying special attention to his mark, the one
that told the world she was his. With lips and tongue he tasted his
way to her ear, nipping at her lobe before kissing away the
sting.

His chest rumbled under her hands as the rolling timbre of
his deep baritone voice sang one of her favorite songs in the
language of his ancestors, the words stoking the fire burning in
her lust-addled mind in English…
“I want
you forever, forever and always. Through the good and the bad and
the ugly…”
It was one of the songs she had
always hoped would be played at her wedding.

She felt
his arousal stiffen against her stomach, taking comfort in the fact
that he was as lost to their hunger as she. Anya rolled her hips in
time with his, teasing him with her body, promising all her love.
One song ended and another began just as they reached the very edge
of the party.

There, hidden in the shadows, he lifted his head and stared
deep into her eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted in a grin and
when he spoke, his voice was deep with desire. “You need to be
careful,
mo chroi
,
a newly mated dragon can be a dangerous creature.”

She
batted her eyes and crooned, “Oh, yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” he growled, lifting her into his arms and speeding
away from their guests. The trees were a blur in her peripheral
vision as they sped down the path she had earlier ridden to their
mating ceremony. The freedom of traveling at the enhanced speed of
a dragon shifter was exhilarating. What should have taken almost a
half hour was over in mere minutes. She felt Devon slow and then
stop completely. Anya turned her head and saw the beautiful home
she knew to be his. “Ours…
m’fhiorghra’
, always ours,” he
breathed, closing the distance between them. When he kissed her,
deeply and completely, the bond they already shared strengthened
and the pieces of her heart she once thought lost forever came
together.

She
shifted in his arms trying to deepen the kiss, but instead of
responding Devon pulled back, grinning as she moaned at the loss.
“I hear there is a human custom where the man carries his mate over
the threshold.”

“Yes…there is.”

Slowly
and deliberately, Devon once again lowered his lips towards hers.
Excitement coursed through her veins but he stopped right before
they touched and growled low in his throat, “Then we are going to
do this right.”

He
kissed her like a man possessed, flooding her with an undying love
that both excited and humbled Anya. In the background, she heard
the door slam, followed by the pounding of his footsteps as he tore
through the house. All thought flew from her mind. The antique lace
that lined the bodice of her gown teased her hardened, sensitive
nipples and she felt her panties dampen as her arousal
soared.