As if all that wasn’t enough, Rian was faced with yet another decision. It was up to him, along with the other Elders, to decide whether or not the clan should go to war against another faction of their greatest enemy—the wizards, and their cohorts—the hunters. Nothing was ever easy. Even after ten years of leading the Blue Thunder Clan, there were so many things he wanted and needed to talk to his father about.
Still hailed the greatest leader of dragon kin, Ronan O’Reilly had been one of the fiercest Guardsmen of all times. His legend lived on although he’d been dead for almost fifteen years. Rian once again cursed Fate for the death of his mother and unborn sister to their family friend, a white witch possessed by a demon. Had that not occurred, Rian would still have a family. He would be able to hear his mother, Riona, sing as she worked in her garden. He, Royce, and Rory would be glowering at the young men who tried to catch their baby sister’s eye, and most of all, his father wouldn’t have walked away from his sons, his clan, and his life to wither and die.
So much senseless tragedy.
Making his way to the Cave of the Ancients, Rian thought about Audrey. She was spectacular. Even a Demon Lord and the fires of hell couldn’t diminish her vibrant spirit or her breathtaking beauty. Her violet eyes burned as bright as the first night he’d seen her. The ebony of her hair had shined in the dim candlelight of his basement and felt like silk as it ran through his fingers. Her porcelain skin held its ethereal glow and was so soft to the touch Rian’s fingers tingled long after she was gone. Just thinking of how her soft curves and abundant breasts felt against the hardness of his own physique made Rian’s heart skip a beat. As he’d held her in his arms, there had been absolutely no doubt he’d found home. Audrey was perfect; now all he had to do was get her out of hell.
Things hadn’t changed much in ninety years. They’d only gotten more desperate. Rian was off the rails, doing things he’d never thought possible with only the slightest hope of success. Planning was something he’d left in the dust. It had failed him way too many times. He was acting on pure instinct.
The highly respected Leader of the Blue Thunder Clan had deceived everyone he’d ever known for years. He’d dabbled in the dark arts. Made deals with the very people responsible for his greatest loss. And most recently had broken into his oldest and closest friend’s lair, stolen a powerful magical talisman, and disappeared into the night. Not only was he leaving his family, but also his kin and the clan he’d sworn to lead and protect. All to save the woman he loved.
“Memories aren’t gonna fix this shit. If anyone knows that, it’s me. A hundred years. A hundred fucking years and Audrey is still in hell.” He shook his head and kicked a rock out of his path.
“But I finally have the Focus Stone. I might have had to steal it from not only my oldest friend but also a man who’d called my dad brethren. Hopefully, he’ll understand when this is all over. Maybe he won’t try to kill me. Not that it matters. I would do anything to save Audrey from an eternity with that beast, even face the wrath of a mentally unstable dragon with more magic than he knows what to do with.”
Stopping to watch a doe and her fawn cross the creek to his left, Rian thought of his brothers and quickly pushed the thought aside. There would be time for explanations later. Turning south, he headed up the first of three inclines he’d built to serve as cover for his cabin.
“Never in a million years would I have guessed this mass of magical power was hidden with Drago. Hell, I would’ve never guessed Drago was alive. Poor guy. I can’t imagine living in a silver box buried in the ground for a hundred years. I’m glad he’s back and I know it’s a shitty thing to think, but I’m sorry he’s not the dragon from Audrey’s book.” Rian patted the leather messenger bag draped across his body to reassure himself both of the precious items essential to his mate’s release were still in his possession.
He remembered the day Audrey finally gave him the journal. From the moment she’d appeared, Rian could feel something was different with her…off in some way. She wouldn’t even give him a proper kiss and stood as close as she could to the outer perimeter of the Devil’s Trap, keeping her distance from him.
It had taken less than ten minutes before she’d turned, held out the journal, and explained everything in a rolling rush of words it had taken his ears almost a minute to fully comprehend. He smiled, remembering how Audrey had thought he would be upset that she’d held off telling him, when in fact it warmed his heart to know she worried for his safety just as he worried for hers. Now, all these years later, the book’s existence was paying off.
Continuing to talk to himself, Rian made his way through the dense forest towards the cabin he’d built almost seventy years ago. It was the only place he could be sure not to be interrupted during his all too brief monthly visits with Audrey. It had taken over a year to build and was where he planned to bring Audrey as soon as she was free of her possession.
He came every full moon that clan or Guard business didn’t keep him at the lair. The basement in his house was secure enough, but there was always a chance someone would sense the flair of magic when Audrey appeared and then disappeared. Not to mention the fact that his brother’s mate was the most powerful white witch ever born and living just a mile from his home while they all searched for the rest of Drago’s men.
His mind making his way back to the Assassin’s return, the Dragon Leader mused, “I’m sure the dragon shifter referenced in the journal is Kayne. I remember my dad, Alexander, and Drago talking about how he walked away from his crown to be a Guardsman. I know Drago trained him. He’s the only of us I’m aware of who had royal blood from our ancestors and also a much more powerful faction.”
Once inside his cottage in the woods, Rian locked the door behind him and took the first deep breath he could remember taking in almost thirty days. Letting his enhanced senses fill the space to make sure he was alone, the Dragon Leader then reinforced the wards Eleanor had taught him to construct. The glittering shadow of the last rune still hung in the air as Rian dropped to the couch and let his head fall back onto the cool leather. Opening one eye and looking at the clock on the mantel, he noted there was still four hours until he had to prepare to summon Audrey.
Smiling as he patted the Focus Stone through the leather of his bag and its protective silver casing, Rian couldn’t wait to show Audrey that after all this time they were one step closer to her release. Allowing himself an hour to rest, the Dragon Leader drifted off to sleep. As always, dreamy memories of his mate awaited him.
Lying on the pallet he’d made for them to share prior to summoning Audrey, Rian simply ran his fingers through her long ebony locks while listening to the soft sounds of her sleeping on his chest. These few stolen hours every month were the only thing keeping him sane.
At first, it had simply been the distance that made both man and beast crazy, but Rian soon learned it was so much more. He missed the ability to feel her thoughts and emotions through their slowly growing mating bond. Cursed when her scent disappeared from his flesh. Felt lost when he turned to speak to her only to remember she wasn’t there. But the worse was when he thought about his Audrey locked away with a Demon Lord, battling for her very life, and him, the mighty Dragon Leader, stuck on earth with no way to defend his mate. It was emasculating. It was infuriating. And most of all, it was eating away at his soul.
There were days when it was all Rian could do not to summon his mate against the moon, haul her to a holy man for exorcism, and then hide her away until he could slay the Demon Lord holding her captive. He’d actually gone to his basement and lit the candles before his good sense had returned. It took several minutes of an especially ferocious inner dialogue to talk himself out of it and walk away.
It had been eighty years since he’d first laid eyes on her, seventy since he’d first summoned her and an hour since he’d kissed her lovely lips. His dragon chuffed in his head, the same thing he’d been doing since the scent of brimstone filled the room proceeding Audrey’s entrance. Rian had barely gotten hello out of his mouth before his lips were on hers. His beast had once again pushed him to make love to his mate, to claim her as theirs in the most primal way, but it was not to be. Rian would not damn their eternal souls to hell.
Eleanor had warned Rian that if they should consummate their union, the demon squatting inside his mate could and most likely would possess them all. Once there, the malignant spirit would take control of his dragon and there would be no turning back. With the old witch’s words echoing in his mind, the Dragon Leader had pulled upon his many years of training and somehow found the strength to only give his mate pleasure. Knowing someday he would be able to love her as the Universe intended.
“What are you thinking so hard about, lubirea mea? I can hear the wheels turning.”
He loved that she spoke to him in Romanian, her mother’s native language, but was thrilled that her grandfather had taught her Gaelic. Answering in the language of his ancestors as he slid his hands under her arms and pulled her up his body, Rian repeated a line of the song his father had read to his mother on their wedding day. Ronin was a romantic for sure, but not much of a singer.
Tá gach mo smaointe de tú mo ghrá.
Tá gach anáil ar do shon mo stór.
Beats mo chroí ach amháin le mise.
Is tú mo , m'anam , mo ghrá go deo.
The last syllable was barely out of his mouth before Audrey began to sing the same words.
All my thoughts are of you, my love.
