Chosen Destiny (11 page)

not hauling her to her feet even though he could have easily done it. He wanted her to

take a step toward him to accept of her own will.

She rose, her fingers tightening on his. “I’ll expect you to keep it in mind and for it

to happen. This had better be good.”

He heard the lilt in her voice and saw a teasing gleam in her eyes. She walked at his

side without question as he led her out of the coven house. He liked the feeling of her

hand in his. She hesitated when they approached the gates. He saw her glance at him

but he just smiled. He wasn’t going to give her any hints. Once outside the gates, he

released her hand.

He turned to her and put his hands on her shoulder. “Stay right here. We’re going

to fly.”

Her eyes widened. “Fly? Really?”

“Really, just stand there.”

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“Can I ride on your back?” She licked her lips almost bouncing with excitement.

He tilted his head. He wouldn’t mind her riding on his back, but he wanted to hold

her. “Not this time. Remind me the next time and I’ll let you.”

She nodded. He walked away from her and when he was far enough away he

turned to face her. He let the dragon rise inside him. He felt a slight pulling tug and

then he was looking at the top of the wall. He looked down, searching for Meagan. She

stood exactly where he’d left her. He lowered his head, needing to draw her scent into

him. He needed to be able to find her. He saw her straighten, but she didn’t step away

from him. She stayed just as she was even as his head lowered. He drew in her scent, a

delicious berry scent that tempted him to get closer so he could know more. He

wondered if she tasted like berries too.

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Meagan stared at the huge blue muzzle of the dragon. About the only thing

recognizable were his eyes. Those deep brown orbs glittered with interest. A long, thick,

forked tongue flicked out and stroked over her neck. A low rumble sounded, startling

her. She jumped. Her muscles tightened and she stepped back, but her body seemed to

lose all coordination. She almost fell onto her ass. She managed to catch herself and

awkwardly stumbled back a few steps. Her fingers traced over the spot where he’d

licked her. Tingles ran down her neck where that slightly rough tongue had touched. It

hadn’t scared her, but she hadn’t expected that.

The dragon rose onto his back paws. Before she could panic, his large paws

gathered her close to his warm body. The scales weren’t hard like she’d expected. They

felt a little coarse but supple. The muscles bunched beneath his skin and then he leaped

into the air. She heard a soft whoosh of air and flapping wings.

Looking down, she saw the ground moving by at an unbelievably fast rate as

Samiel took her higher. The trees blurred as he flew toward Mount Allian. He circled

and glided low over the trees to a treeless, rocky area high on the mountain. The wind

brushed over her cheeks and bare arms. It was chilly but refreshing. It was pretty, but

she had no idea what they were doing here.

He released her after putting her gently on her feet. She walked away from him

giving him room to lower himself to the ground. She had no idea how quickly he could

change, but expected him still to be in transition. When she turned back to face him, a

black mist was dissipating and Samiel was stepping forward.

“This is pretty. Is there something you wanted to show me here or did you just get

tired?” She smiled.

“I’m not tired. I wanted to show you the new lair. Turn around, you’re facing the

wrong way.” He put his hand on her shoulder and urged her to turn.

She slanted a glance at him from the corner of her eyes. She had no idea why he’d

brought her to see it. She wouldn’t be sleeping away from the village while there were

Dark Sorcerers in the area. They could gripe or growl all they wanted. Their

convenience wasn’t her concern. She only cared about the safety of the town. To protect

it, she had to be there. But she wasn’t going to argue about it right now. She’d deal with

his mistaken beliefs later.

Her eyes roamed over the area, trying to find some opening. When he said lair, she

immediately thought of a cave, something underground. She couldn’t see anything

even resembling a cave. Maybe she was wrong about him living underground, but

there definitely wasn’t a house. What was she supposed to be seeing and where was the

entrance to his lair?

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“You plan to stay here while you’re in the area?” She tried not to sound as confused

as she actually was as she walked with him closer toward a rocky shelf that was taller

than she was.

“We needed somewhere secure here while we hunt the Dark Sorcerer. This will

provide a safe place for us and is still close enough to easily get to the village if we’re

needed.” Samiel stopped and suddenly a rounded arch appeared in the rocky outcrop

in front of them.

“How are you supposed to know when the village needs help when you’re here in

a cave, probably deep underground?” She stepped closer to him as he led her into the

dark opening.

His curved an arm around her. The light streaming in from behind them abruptly

disappeared. Before her eyes could adjust to the darkness light flared from lamps along

the corridor. She looked over her shoulder and the opening had disappeared, a solid

wall stood where it had once been.

“I never leave the opening to the lair unsealed for longer than it takes to get inside.

Dragons are usually very territorial.” His lips widened into a fierce grin revealing the

sharp points of his teeth.

“Really, I’m honored you’re showing me your lair.” She laughed softly, but refused

to be sidetracked. “How are you going to know when your help is needed?”

His hand tightened around her and he shot her a suspicious look as if he suspected

she might be thinking of not coming here with him. She waited for him to say

something, but he just kept striding down the white-gray stone hallway. She was on the

point of asking him again when they walked out of the corridor into a large room. It

stunned her.

It was different from what she’d envisioned. She’d expected something austere,

maybe even formal with dark heavy furniture. She’d been wrong. The only thing she

hadn’t been mistaken about was the sheer size and high ceilings. She’d known he’d

want a lot of space.

Jewels glittered in the walls. The gems flashed as they caught the light. Gold and

silver stands held lamps. Three long couches sat in a semicircle around a large hearth.

There was nothing formal about them. The fabrics were jewel-toned. One couch was a

vibrant green while the other two were a brilliant blue and a deep golden yellow. A

large hammock hung at one end of the room. She saw a door on one wall and another

almost opposite. For a few moments, she completely forgot about everything they’d

been discussing.

“Do you like it?” His voice pulled her from her study of the room.

She nodded.

She forced her mind off the room and back to their discussion. “So how do you

expect to know when you’re needed if you’re underground? You certainly won’t hear

the trouble. I doubt you’d be able to hear a herd of wild
chitan
stampeding over the

mountain.”

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“No, we wouldn’t hear the battle. Jaeson can communicate with the other vampires

psychically. So if anything happens, we’ll know in moments.” He drew her over to the

couch.

“And what if Jaeson isn’t here?” She tilted her head. The two men weren’t always

together. There could easily come a time when they were apart for days. His stance, the

easy smile shouted confidence, but she knew it was the unexpected which fouled even

the best plans.

“Look up.” He chuckled.

She looked up and saw the pale green sky through what looked like faceted crystal.

She blinked. The ceiling hadn’t been like that. She was certain of it. It had been solid

rock.

“If there’s trouble, I’ll be able to see the magical flare that will be shot into the air,”

he explained easily.

“And what if you’re asleep?” She raised a brow. That arrogant attitude would get

annoying fast. She hoped he didn’t show that side too often.

A low tone sounded, seeming to vibrate through her head and tighten her stomach.

She suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy. She put a hand to head and leaned into him. The

noise stopped abruptly.

“Do you think you could sleep through that?” He sat down on the couch and

watched her.

She stood there for a few moments waiting for the sensation to pass. She didn’t

know if she could tolerate that while she was awake. She certainly couldn’t sleep

through it. She didn’t know anyone who could do that.

“You have to be joking. That would be impossible to sleep though.” She took a deep

breath and was relieved when the worst of the sensations didn’t return. “That would

happen every time someone lobs an alarm flare into the sky or a specific person?”

“Every alarm flare. The spell is keyed to sound whenever any flare spell is used.”

He held out his hand.

She ignored the invitation and walked around a little. Samiel turned his head,

tracking her as she tried to look as if she was curious about his lair when her stomach

was churning from her nervousness. His eyes burned with intensity and he seemed

ready to bolt off that couch. Not that she intended to walk away from him tonight. She

just needed a few moments to think. Samiel wasn’t Jaeson. She knew he would take the

physical intimacy as a sign of commitment. He’d be possessive from the first touch. One

single kiss and a little touch and he would be absolutely certain she was his mate. She

knew she didn’t have a prayer of changing how he felt.

“Nervous?” His voice drew her away from her thoughts.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe a little, but mostly I was just thinking.”

“They must have been heavy thoughts. Want to come over here and share them?”

He looked from her to the couch beside him.

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She took a deep breath, half expecting an explosion when she told him. She didn’t

want to give him false hope. Whatever he thought she’d make her own decisions. She

could have just sat down beside him and let desire take them both. It seemed too much

like lying. She took a seat near him on the couch, but kept a little distance between

them. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done, but she wanted to be near

him.

“I was thinking about the future.” She licked her lips.

“The future will take care of itself. We need to deal with the Dark Sorcerer first.” He

shrugged.

“I wasn’t talking about the Dark Sorcerer. I was thinking about you, Jaeson and me.

I don’t know if it’s going to work. I know you expect me to be with you, but I don’t

know if I’ll be able to stay with you.” She tilted her head and watched him.

His expression froze. She waited for a growl, a head shake or some kind of denial.

Aside from a slight tensing, he didn’t seem to react. She let out her breath slowly. His

eyes bored into hers and she could tell that that calm expression was a mask. But she

couldn’t read anything behind it.

“It will work.” The words sounded as if they were ground between rocks.

She opened her mouth, but she snapped it closed as his eyes narrowed.

“It will work. None of us is going to walk away at the first sign of difficulty. Mates

are for life and yours will be extended significantly when both of us bite you.” His hand

cupped the side of her cheek. “Now do you want to argue about it or would you like to

kiss me?”

She looked up at him and couldn’t resist a smile at the tone of his voice. He

managed to imply that there wouldn’t be any other option at all. It should have

infuriated her. She couldn’t explain why but it didn’t.

“You say it and that’s the way it’s going to be?” She tilted her head and tried to pull

her lips into a more serious expression. She knew she didn’t quite succeed when he

grinned.

“Usually, because I don’t give up until I get my way.” He drew his hand along her

collarbone.

She could feel the heat of his fingers even through the fabric of her shirt. She had to

clench her fingers to stop herself from touching him.

“I’ll make my own decisions. You won’t push me into a decision I think is wrong.”

She folded her arms across her chest.

He shook his head. “I’m not going to get into an argument with you about it. We’ll

be together years from now, because you’ll see that this is right.”

She sighed.

“Now come over and give me a kiss. I missed you last night.” He gently tugged at

her shoulder.

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She moved closer, but looked at him. She didn’t understand how he could say that,

but she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “How can you miss me? You don’t know

me.”

“You’re a little late in coming to us. You should have found us years ago.” His