Her Mad Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 15) (12 page)

“Were you able
to connect with Kyran at all? Could you tell why he attacked you?”

Shaking his
head, the Assassin answered, “His mind was wide open but it was total chaos.
The more I spoke to him the more chaotic it became. It was like my words were
literally being attacked in his brain.”

“Wonder if it
had anything to do with that gismo Niall was talking about?” Kayne mused.

“That’s how I
have it figured. He was not the Kyran I knew in any way, shape, or form. He was
a bloody mess.” Drago paused and took a sip of the water Alicia offered before
continuing. “I did see pieces of his recent memories and he was still in human
form until he spotted me in the sky. He had a duffle and a gun of some sort.”
He looked at Maddox. “I sent Lennox out to fetch it.” Then to everyone, “I
believe from the few coherent thoughts I was able to piece together that he was
sent to attack - us, the lair, any dragon he could find - in human form but
then changed his plan when he saw me. That leads me to believe that our lad is
in there somewhere. We just have to pray our Niall can bring him back.”

They again sat
in silence until the door opened and Rian walked in. “I have good news. There
is an actual brain surgeon in Max’s pride and she’s less than an hour from
here. He’ll have her here by nightfall.”

“Finally,
something positive to look forward to.” Kayne gave a half-hearted smile.

“I pray they
can get that thing out and clean whatever those bloody bastards have pumped
into his system out of him. I have to believe we can bring him back.” Drago
looked up at Maddox and reiterated, “We just have to.”

With a single
nod, the mad dragon agreed just as Niall yelled, “Kyran’s awake and he’s trying
to break free!”

Maddox and
Kayne were immediately on their feet and following Rian out the door only
stopping when Drago ordered, “Allie, help me up.”

The mad dragon
turned on his heel at the door and shook his head, “No way, old man. You need
to rest.”

The Assassin
stopped halfway between sitting and standing and glared, while through gritted
teeth threatening, “You wanna try and make me,
Doxie
?”

Maddox ignored
Rian’s snickered question of “Doxie?” instead answering his old friend by
putting his hands up in surrender and striding back towards him with Kayne on
his heels. “I’d never kick a man when he’s down.”

Drago barked
out a laugh as Maddox took one arm and the demi god took the other. “Just
‘cause I’m down doesn’t mean I’m out, and you never could take me in a fair
fight,
old man
.”

Chapter Ten

The last twenty for hours had
been a whirlwind. It had taken almost two hours and three injections of some
super sedative Niall had been using on the Guardsmen for years to get Kyran
under control. He was in and out of consciousness, acting just as he had when
he’d had Maddox tied up in his cave. Thankfully, the Elder Healer had some
ideas as to the Phantom’s state of mind.

“Our psyches are very
protective. They will take us to a place of safety when the real world gets to
be too much to handle. I believe that’s what’s going on with Kyran and the only
cure is time to heal.”

“But why would he go back to
one of the darkest days in our combined Forces’ history?” Drago asked with an
incredulous look on his face. “We lost one of our own. Kyran killed countless
wizards and hunters while being injured himself then he was lost and on his own
for almost a full day before we could bring him in.”

Niall’s eye lit with
understanding. “That’s it! He has transferred his feelings of abandonment and
loneliness to a time when he was on his own but knew you lot were going to save
him. It’s his mind’s way of dealing with all that’s happened.”

“Okay, let’s say you’re
right. Do you think he remembers being imprisoned by the wizards? Will he ever
return to us? Will he heal, both mind and body?” Kayne asked, looking down at
their brethren, his love and concern evident in his expression.

“The question for me is, was
he ever imprisoned as you all were or has he been with the hunters all along?
Did you know that Brannoc hacked Tariq’s computers while you all were there?”
Niall asked with a sly grin on his face.

“That little bugger,” Maddox
snickered. “No, I had no idea, but I’m guessin’ from the look on your face that
he found something good.”

“That he did. From what we’ve
been able to put together, Tariq was at least a third generation hunter and the
second of those generations to use themselves as test subjects. Which explains
how he looked the same in every picture we found no matter the date. The first
thing they synthesized was our ability to age more slowly than humans. But I
digress,” Niall paused and began taking Kyran’s pulse for the third time in the
last twenty minutes. “There are records going back almost two hundred years
that were either scanned or transcribed. I have to hand it to those bastards,
they were good at keeping data.”

“And these records mention
our Kyran?” Drago asked without looking away from the black dragon who mumbled
unintelligibly in his sleep.

“Not by name, but they
reference ‘the black dragon’, ‘special powers’, ‘killing machine’ and Cleland
over and over. Can you think of another of us who fits that description?” Niall
was making notes in Kyran’s chart as he spoke.

“No,” was the unanimous
answer.

“So let me get this right.
Those sons of bitches buried Kayne in Hell, Drago in a hole, and kept Kyran as
a lab rat for almost an entire century, right under our noses?” Maddox knew he
was nearly snarling when he finished his question, but just the thought of what
his brethren had endured and what four of them might still be going through was
enough to make him breath fire for the second time in a week.

Nodding with sadness in his
eyes, Niall answered, “Unfortunately, that is exactly what I’m telling you, and
there’s more…” The Elder Healer paused and looked first at Drago then Maddox
and finally Kayne, before continuing. “I believe from the notes Brann is still decrypting
that they know where the other four are and how to bring them back from
whatever hell they’re in.”

Drago jumped up from his
chair and leapt forward. “The rest of my lads are alive? We can bring them
home?”

Maddox grabbed his old
friend’s arm to stop the Assassin from running out of the basement to find
Brannoc and begin the search for the lost Guardsmen of his Force as Niall went
on, “Hold on, Drago. I said the information is
still
being transcribed
and that I
believe
we will find the information we are looking for. I
did not, however, say they were still alive.” The Healer stepped forward and
placed his hand on the Assassin’s opposite shoulder before adding, “Sorry to be
so blunt, but you have to be prepared for the worst case scenario. I believe we
will
find them. I simply have no clue where they will be or what
condition they will be in. It has been a century.” Then looking at Kyran, he
added, “And we all know firsthand how cruel our enemies can be.”

An eerie silence filled the
cell. Only Kyran’s incoherent mumbling and the beep of his heart monitor filled
the void. Niall had spoken the truth; made them all face a reality they’d been
avoiding. It was necessary but in no way negated the fact that it just sucked.

Maddox had been carrying
around the guilt over not accompanying his friends on that last mission for a
century. He’d done everything in his considerable power to find them and when
all his efforts had failed, he’d finally made peace with the fact that seven
good men were gone and that he would never have the answers he so desperately
wanted.

Now, all these years later,
he was being faced with facts that obliterated all his previous beliefs. Some
of the most important men in his life, the ones he’d called brethren, had grown
up with, had trained with, had raised seven kinds of hell with, had been
imprisoned, tortured, and only the Heavens knew what, right under his nose. To
say he was angry was an understatement, but he had to focus, had to help Kyran
recover so that they could take down the O’Baoills and rescue any other
shifters the twins were holding against their will. He had to prioritize…but in
the back of his mind, the mad dragon was planning how to bring their kin back
to the clan.

Drago was pacing the length
of Kyran’s cell with a look of determination and defiance that always meant
death and destruction. Maddox could see the wheels turning and knew from
experience that the Assassin was prone to act first and think later. Slowly
making his way to the door, he made sure both locks were secure as he casually
blocked the only exit.

Thankfully, Kayne was also
carefully watching his old Commander and knew how to diffuse the situation.
“Hey Boss, let’s get our game plan together. First, we get Kyran up and running
and let him help us take down the Gruesome Twosome. That will give Brann the
time he needs to decode all the information and then we can go get the lads.
But first things first, get our boy here up and back with us. Whatcha say?”

Drago nodded and stopped at
Kyran’s bedside. Keeping his eyes on the now quiet black dragon, the Assassin
asked Niall, “How soon before we can get that damn thing out of his head?”

Before the Healer could
answer, there was a knock at the door and a familiar voice called through the
oak and silver, “I believe I have just the woman to answer your question,
mi
amigos
. That is, if cats are welcome at this dragon only party.”

Maddox snorted at the King of
the Big Cats arrogance and turn of phrase. The one thing he could always count
on was for Max to make a grand entrance. Unlocking the locks, the mad dragon
pulled the huge door open, rolled his eyes, and teased, “Well, we’ve got no
catnip but I’m guessing I can round up a bowl of milk if you need one.”

The King laughed out loud and
then to his beautiful companion explained, “They blow a lot of smoke.” Max slid
his eyes to Maddox and winked. “But they’re good people.”

Motioning for the tall woman
with long brown hair and almond-shaped hazel eyes to enter in front of him,
Max, “Gentleman, may I introduce Camille Danvers. She is the foremost brain
surgeon in the world and specializes in brain stem reconstruction.”

Niall rushed forward and
shook the doctor’s hand. “Welcome, Dr. Danvers. I’m Niall McGuinness, Clan
Healer and physician. I am thrilled to meet you. I’ve read several of your
articles.”

The doctor’s eyes widened and
her smile broadened. “The Dr. Niall McGuinness, who invented dissolving screws
for the bone repair in shifters?” Then quickly added, “And please, call me
Camille.”

Maddox watched his old friend
blush and had to hold back a chuckle. It had been a long time since he’d seen
the old boy flustered. “Why thank you, Camille. That was many years ago,” the
Healer quietly responded.

“But still being used and
referenced in our training. It is I who am honored to meet you, doctor.” The
young feline shifter was not only pretty, but poised and obviously
well-educated. Maddox just hoped she was half as good as her hype since she’d
be playing around in Kyran’s brain.

“Here is the patient and his
chart,” Niall talked as he walked Camille towards the black dragon. While she
studied the chart, Maddox shrugged at Kayne and then Drago before announcing,
“I’m gonna head up and check on Calysta. Kayne, you wanna go? Drago?”

“I think I’ll stay and hear
what the doc has to say,” the Assassin quickly answered, taking his seat on the
opposite side of Kyran’s bed.

“I’m with you,” Kayne replied
as he patted the black dragon’s shoulder and headed towards the door.

“Mind if I join you,
gentlemen? Blood and guts is not my thing unless I’m the one causing it,” Max
snickered, turning to fall in line with Maddox and Kayne even before they
answered.

“The more the merrier,” the
demi god snorted. “I’m sure Calysta would love the company.”

“Yeah,” the mad dragon
chuckled.

Leaving the cell/hospital
room, Maddox made sure the door was secure and reminded the young Guardsman,
Wolfe, to stay alert and protect not only the patient, but Niall, Drago, and
Dr. Danvers.

He had to hold back a smile
as the young dragon stood tall and snapped, “Aye, sir.”

As they climbed the stairs,
Max commented, “I hear congratulations are in order, Maddox. Well done. Your
mate is a special woman. I wish you both much happiness.”

The mad dragon tamped down
the jealousy immediately rising within him at the King’s mention of Calysta. It
was instinct. He knew Max meant no harm, but it still happened every time any
male other than those he was the closest with spoke of her, looked at her, or
were even near her. Clearing his throat Maddox replied, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Entering the clinic, Maddox
excused himself to go find his little witch while the other two went in search
of something to drink. Following Calysta’s scent, he found her in the room of
the gargoyle sisters, Daphne and Lizzie. Standing outside the door, he listened
as the Priestess talked the girls through calling their magic. He was surprised
to learn that before being captured and used as guinea pigs, they were able to
transform any time of day, not only at night. He’d been taught at a young age
that gargoyles were the French cousins of the dragons, having been born from
the ashes of La Gargouille, a seventh century dragon destroyed by St. Romanus,
one of the founders of the hunter movement. Because of how they came about,
legend stated they only had the ability to call their gargoyles in the dark of
the night. Apparently, legends could be wrong.

Ya’ learn something new
every day…

Listening to the compassion
and care Calysta had for her patients only made him love her more. His mate was
a truly special person and he was grateful every minute of every day for her
presence in his life.

The sound of his name
followed by feminine giggles, pulled the mad dragon from his thoughts. Striding
into the room, he immediately stopped as the two young girls gasped and huddled
together.

Reassuring the girls as she
got up and stepped towards him, Calysta spoke in a low soothing tone. “Nothing
to worry about, girls. This is my mate,
Maddox.” 

He watched as the girls
looked him over from head to toe several times before slowly relaxing. The
smaller of the two, with big grey eyes and long black hair, blurted out,
“You’re huge,” before immediately slapping her hand over her mouth.

Her sister whispered a harsh,
“Lizzie!” just as Maddox burst out laughing. The sound filled the room and for
just a moment, the surprised girls were back in each other’s arms, but as
Calysta joined in the fun, the girls again relaxed and started to giggle along.

Catching his breath, the mad
dragon agreed, “Yeah, I am pretty big and I’m guessing the hair and scruffy
face don’t help any.”

The taller of the girls,
whose hair was almost white it was so blonde and her eyes the color of watered
down whiskey, smiled. “But you have very pretty eyes and your voice is kind.”

Having never been very good
at accepting compliments, Maddox had no idea what to say so he was incredibly
relieved when Calysta winked at the girls and teased, “I know, right? And he’s
all mine, so hands off, ladies.”

The mad dragon was glad to
see the girls really laugh and feel comfortable around him. He used his grumpy
exterior and bad attitude to mess with his boys but these little ones had been
through enough. They needed his support.

Winking at the girls, he
asked, “Do you mind if I borrow Calysta for just a minute? I promise to bring her
right back.”