When he spoke again, she could feel the sadness in his voice. “The worst part of all of this is that you can only stay with me until the first rays of the morning sun break the horizon. When that happens, you will be immediately transported back to the exact spot I summoned you from.”
Rian pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her, and held on tight as he continued. His scent seeped into her very essence. His chest rumbled against her body as he spoke. “The bright side is that those blasted witches built the spell so that I can call you to me every full moon as soon as the first moonbeam hits the earth. And they assured me they will continue working on a way for me to bring you home permanently.”
Setting her an arm’s length away, he looked deep into her eyes, conveying the conviction of his words. “I will not rest until you are right here, by my side, for all eternity. For you are mine, Audrey Dobresou, more now than ever before.”
Tears filled her eyes but she refused to let them fall. For the first time since her descent into the Abyss, Audrey had hope…real hope. It was more than reading the secret journal entry. Rian was tangible. Right in front of her and looking at her as if he thought she’d hung the moon and stars. Audrey opened her mouth to tell him about the journal and the escape plan she’d found in it—but stopped.
What if he gets hurt? I can’t risk that. Not right now.
Deciding to wait, Audrey summoned all her courage and smiled at the wonderful man Fate had decided would be her mate. With only a few hours until daybreak, she wanted nothing more than to hold his hand, look into his loving eyes, and listen to him speak. They talked for hours. Rian asked question after question about her time in hell and the name of her master. Audrey did her best to hide the fact of her beatings but could see that he knew she was lying. Thankfully, her Guardsman let it go, but she somehow knew that wouldn’t last for long.
Audrey could feel Rian’s anger grow as she explained how her father’s bastard brother, with the help of evil wizards, had bartered her everlasting soul to Adramelech. She explained in as much detail as she knew about Prince Valdis’ association with the black magic practitioners and the way they had slaughtered her father, King August, and his followers to take his crown and kingdom. Rian became so furious when she detailed how the Chancellor had kidnapped and tortured other shifters in an effort to locate the dragons, that he’d jumped to his feet and paced the floor as she spoke.
All too soon, daybreak approached. Audrey could feel the impending doom in the marrow of her bones. Knew she only had minutes before it would be thirty very long days until she could once again see Rian. Acting on impulse as he stood and helped her to her feet, Audrey let herself be pulled against her mate’s massive chest. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and just as she felt the first tug of the spell returning her to hell, she laid her lips to his.
As Audrey was yanked from the arms of her lover, Rian’s voice floated through her mind. “I will never give up, mo chroi’, never.”
2
It’s never easy to fool the people closest to you and when they can literally read your mind, it’s damned near impossible. Having actually held his mate in his arms, though only for a little while, then having to let her go, was driving the Dragon Leader absolutely insane. Ten years of trying to bring her to the surface was bad enough, but now Rian felt like he was in hell right beside her.
The Guardsman spent the next week torn between securing his mental blocks against his brothers’ intrusions and driving the witches crazy for a permanent way to return Audrey to his arms. Rian knew he was being a pain in the ass but really didn’t care. However, he did want to punch something…with great force and repeatedly…and he wasn’t the only one. The separation was driving his dragon to a place where all the beast would do was constantly roar within his mind. It only made the way the Grand Priestess stood patiently before him, speaking as if he was a three-year-old, all the more infuriating.
“Things like this take time, Rian. You must be patient.”
“Patient? You don’t think I’ve been patient. It’s been ten years! TEN YEARS! And Audrey is still trapped in hell. Under the circumstances, I think I have been incredibly patient.”
Nodding, Eleanor placed her hand on his forearm, immediately pulling it back when he growled at her touch. Rian sneered without an ounce of remorse. Obviously rattled, the white witch answered, “I understand the urgency, but you must also comprehend that even with the demon’s name, we are at a loss without the ritual used to doom your mate’s soul. I told you we needed both for there to be any real assurances when I gave you the summoning spell.”
Furious at her glib response and even more so that he could tell the Priestess was holding something back, Rian stepped forward. Using his impressive six-foot-ten-inch height to intimidate, the Dragon Leader leaned over her much smaller frame and snarled through gritted teeth, “What else, Eleanor? What do you know that you’re not telling me?"
He pushed in on her and was rewarded with the first real spark of fear in her eyes. “You are aware of my history with witches, yes?”
He watched as she swallowed nervously. Her only answer was a slow nod. “You may not be the one who killed my mother and sister but I will be damned if I stand idly by and let another of you…witches…take away someone I love.” He spat the last few words with all the venom the pain and frustration of loss fueled within him.
Narrowing his gaze, Rian finished his not-so-thinly veiled threat. “I will burn you and all you hold dear to the ground if I find that you could’ve helped Audrey and did nothing.”
The Dragon Leader watched anxiety, fright, indecision, and finally contempt roll across the old witch’s face. Feeling like Eleanor needed a bit more convincing, Rian closed more of the distance between them.
Mere inches separated him from the object of his ire. He growled just barely above a whisper, “It is my promise to you, Priestess.” Bending at the waist to look the witch right in the eye because he had to be sure she knew he meant every single word and to crowd her just that last little bit, the Dragon Leader added, “And you know I can do it.”
Eleanor stepped back and squared her shoulders. It was her way of trying to take control. He’d seen many do it and many fail and it didn’t matter. He’d been in enough negotiations with rivals to know he had her on the run. She would lose this round. There was no way he was going to let up, not when he could feel at least a few of the answers he needed within his reach.
Rian watched the thought of retaliation cross her wise grey eyes. Knew she probably contemplated turning him into a gecko, or worse yet, a toad. But he was confident Eleanor wouldn’t. She hadn’t lived as long as she had or protected her witches from harm for so many years without being pragmatic. That didn’t mean he hadn’t pissed her off. It just meant she wouldn’t turn her magic loose on him…at least not yet.
There was no way the Priestess would start a war with the dragons. It was one she couldn’t win no matter how old and powerful she was. Dragon kin was the one adversary who could, and would, quite literally rain fire down on her and her entire coven. No, the witch was simply licking her wounds and making him wait. It was the only play she had. After all, there was one thing both Rian and Eleanor could agree on…dead witches couldn’t cast spells.
After several seconds of contemptuous stares, the Priestess finally answered. “We are working on a ritual but it requires summoning a demon. I will not sully the white earthen magic of my coven for you or anyone. No matter how many threats you throw around, Rian O’Reilly.” She paused for effect and the Dragon Leader felt the undeniable need to shake her until her teeth rattled. Instead, he rolled his eyes and waited.
When Eleanor finally spoke again, he could hear her reticence. “However, a messenger has been sent to collect a monk I met many years ago on my travels. He has a certain, shall we say, intimate connection with the dark arts. I was not holding back, merely erring on the side of caution because of your history with my kind and my uncertainty of bringing him into my coven. It is risky mixing white and shall we say—dark gray magic. Risks you have personally experienced. If all goes well, Elmer will be here within the month and we will then know if he can help us retrieve your Audrey.”
Rian knew there was nothing else he could do. No other threats he could make. He was going to have to wait. However, he couldn’t resist reinforcing his position.
“Never forget that because of my personal experience I have little to no tolerance for you or your kind. You are only a necessary evil to get my Audrey out of hell. I know you knew my mother and father and tried to help, but that does not negate the facts of that day. It only makes what I am about to say more important.” He stopped, looked her dead in the eye so there could be no mistake of his intention, and said, “If I get one hint that you or any of your people have neglected helping my mate or turned dark, I will exterminate the lot of you without a second thought.”
Turning on his heels, he walked a few yards before looking over his shoulder. Happy to see the Priestess right where he’d left her, he couldn’t help but add, “Watch yourself, Eleanor. Never forget, we’re all expendable.”
Two weeks passed with no word from the witches. He knew the Priestess had said it would be at least a month before her monk arrived but with less than a week until he would once again summon Audrey, Rian was impatient. He at least wanted to give her good news, even if he had to once again watch her be sucked back into the pits of hell.
