Her Mad Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 15) (6 page)

He saw movement from the hunters a split second before a
shout ripped through the silence of the night. “I know you’re up there you
piece of shit. Kyran, is it? Bastard is more like it. Come out peacefully and
I’ll kill you quickly. Make me work for it and I’ll torture you for weeks
before I finally let you bleed out in the bottom of a God forsaken hole in the
middle of nowhere.”

The woman’s voice was low and commanding. Her tone filled
with an authority that only came from years of command. It was apparent she was
used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it and right now, she wanted
Kyran’s ass in a sling…but why?

He didn’t have long to wait for his answer before the woman
was shouting again. “What? Cat got your tongue? You prefer turning into some
kind of monster and killing defenseless people as opposed to a fair fight?” She
scoffed, “You really are a coward. Hiding in a cave like a rat. Come out and
face me like a man, you piece of shit.”

Maddox saw the muscle in Kyran’s jaw jump. Could see the
tension flowing through the black dragon’s body as every word the woman
screamed touched a different nerve, pushed a different button. It was time to
act. Time to do something…
anything
…to keep his friend from acting on
impulse.

Saying the only thing he could think of and trying to act
cool, the mad dragon chuckled,
“What did you do this time? Forget to kiss
her goodbye?”

Maddox held his breath, waiting for Kyran to respond to his
attempt at levity. The black dragon, still squatting behind the brush, bounced
on his toes, his eyes fixed on the pack of hunters, searching for the woman
issuing the threats. The mad dragon was doing the same thing with the hopes he
could identify her and think of a way to shut her up before Kyran found her.
Now was not the time to poke the big crazy dragon.

Of course, as with everything over the last almost
twenty-four hours, luck was not on Maddox’s side. Not only could he not get a
look at Kyran’s tormentor but she was once again screaming at the top of her
lungs.

“All right, we’ll play it your way. Remember when you’re on
your knees begging for your life that I gave you a chance.”

Calling to Rian, Maddox growled,
“Tell me you’re close.”

“Fifteen minutes, but we’re gonna have to land on the
front side of the mountain to avoid your visitors.”

“Son of a bitch…”
was the only response the mad
dragon got out as Kyran sprung from his cover, stood in full view, and
bellowed, “Ye wull nae threaten me, lassie. Shaw yersel'.”

With all three O’Reilly brothers hollering in his ear for a
status update and his seriously deranged old friend issuing threats to the
bloodthirsty leader of a pack of hunters, Maddox had to wonder if trussed up
like the latest kill in the far corner of the cave behind him hadn’t been
better than what he was now facing. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury of
deciding as a succession of four loud ‘Pffts’ sounded, instantly followed the
smell of gun powder and smoke.

Scanning the sky above them, Maddox located four brass
canisters headed right for the ledge where he and Kyran stood. Jumping to his
feet, the mad dragon ran several yards before diving for his friend. Tackling
the black dragon, Maddox rolled towards the cave entrance just as four
canisters bounced in the dirt in front of them and began spewing noxious grey fog
all around them.

Kyran fought against Maddox’s hold, kicking and screaming
and promising retribution as Maddox recognized silver nitrate filling the air.
Maddox attempted to hold his breath while ripping the T-shirt from his body and
trying to cover the black dragon’s nose and mouth.

Kyran finally realized what was happening and stopped
struggling. Grabbing the T-shirt from Maddox’s hand, he ripped it in half and
threw part of it to the mad dragon as he scrambled to his feet, grabbing the
sword he’d dropped in the scuffle with his free hand. Refusing to back down,
the Phantom stood ready as the silver burnt and blistered his bare torso and
arms, adding to the macabre mosaic decorating his body.

Maddox jumped to his feet, tied the fabric around his face, and
stood beside his friend, a blade in each hand, ready to die to defend their way
of life. Scanning the terrain, he saw no movement. What were the hunters
playing at? What was their game plan?

Quickly answering the O’Reillys with a clipped response as
they all continued to demand a status update, Maddox growled,
“The bastards
are using silver gas. Be careful…and hurry!”

The words had barely left his mind when more silver nitrate
canisters tore through the night sky heading right for their heads, closely followed
by a barrage of arrows. Looking to Kyran, Maddox was glad to see the black
dragon’s sense of self-preservation had kicked in as he turned and ran towards
the cave entrance. Following his old friend, sure they would make it behind
Kyran’s magical shield in time, the mad dragon howled in pain as three
silver-tipped arrows burrowed into his right shoulder, his midriff just above
his belt, and the back of his left thigh.

Adding to the toxin already eating him from the inside out,
the silver from the arrows sent the mad dragon’s body into immediate shutdown
mode. His dragon pushed healing magic at his injuries as fast as the beast
could, but it simply was not enough. Maddox fell to his knees. Holding himself
from falling face first into the dirt by his will alone, he twisted just enough
to land on his butt and pull both blades from his waistband to take down as
many hunters as he could before the inevitability of unconsciousness made him a
sitting duck.

Out of the corner of his eyes, through the cloud of silver
nitrate, Maddox saw Kyran spin on one foot and run towards him screaming,
“Haud
oan, Doxie. Ah git ye.”
  

    Shaking his head, Maddox opened his mouth to order Kyran
to take cover, but the words died in his throat as arrows filled the sky and
hunters charged the ledge. Arrow after arrow dug into the black dragon’s back
but he refused to be taken down. Standing with his back to Maddox, feet
shoulder width apart, both hands on the hilt of his weapon, Kyran was ready to
strike any and all who dared to advance. The black dragon looked every bit the
Guardsman he’d always been. It was as if, in that moment, they’d gone back in
time.

Maddox blinked back the darkness threatening his vision
while trying to move but the silver was taking its toll. He wobbled where he
sat, refusing to fall over as he counted five four-inch silver arrows
protruding from Kyran’s back.

He always was unstoppable…

The hunters, dressed in black from head-to-toe with only
their eyes visible through their cloth ski masks, formed a semi-circle at the
edge of the outcropping and stood, guns at the ready...an immoveable death
squad.

Maddox held his breath. Knew the guns were loaded with
silver. Knew there was no escape. Seconds ticked by. The standoff dragged on.
The mad dragon searched the covered faces for the woman who’d been issuing
threats but found only nine men.

Where is she?

Kyran’s legs shook. Maddox had no idea if it was the silver
poisoning, the need to fight the foe in front of him, or the combination of the
two, but he knew beyond all doubt that his old friend would be provoking their
adversaries sooner rather than later. It was not in their nature to stand and
wait in the heat of battle. They were going to die. It was a foregone
conclusion and there was no way Maddox was going to go out sitting on his ass.

Before he could move, two things happened simultaneously;
the woman who had been shouting orders appeared and, without warning, pulled
her gun and shot Kyran right in the chest. As the black dragon fell to the
ground before him, Maddox was sure to see a gaping wound through the middle of
his old friend. Thankfully, all that was there was a large dart with an
antiseptic, medicinal spell.

Tranquilizer…

The word had barely crossed his mind when the bitch with
long, straight ebony hair tied in a ponytail that swung back and forth as she
walked towards him, eyes as dark as midnight that stared a hole into his soul,
and black leather from just under her chin to the pointed tip of her boots that
shone in the moonlight, pointed her gun at him and fired at point blank range.
Falling back from the impact of the dart, Maddox’s vision filled with his
attacker’s face as she grabbed him by the hair and pulled his face to hers
until the tips of their noses touched.

“I don’t have room to take you, too,
abomination
,”
she spat. “But be sure that I’ll be back for you.” She dropped his head with a
thump on the hard ground before adding, “And know this. Your friend is going to
suffer in ways you can only imagine in your darkest nightmares for killing my
father.” Standing, she put her hands on her hips and pushed out her chest,
preening like a proud peacock at her success.

Father? Kyran killed a helluva lotta hunters in his day.
Hell, we all did…

Struggling against the silver coursing through his veins
coupled with the powerful sedative, Maddox tried to sit up. When that didn’t
work, he grabbed for Kyran, attempting to pull him away from the hunters who
were clamping silver shackles on his wrists and ankles and wrapping him in
silver chainmaille.

The leader of the hunters cackled like a maniacal super
villain from a comic book and ground the heel of her boot into Maddox’s wrist
as she sneered, “The name of Tariq O’Baoill will be avenged.”

Not that son of a bitch again…

Refusing to cry out in pain as the bitch crushed the bones
in his wrist, Maddox called to the O’Reilly’s with his remaining consciousness.
“Hunters…a…attacked. K…Kyran c…captured.”

The last thing he heard before his world turned black was
the O’Baoill woman kicking an unconscious Kyran in the stomach and laughing.
“Good thing we had you tagged, you piece of shit dragon. Never would’ve found
you otherwise.”

Chapter Four

Vacillating between absolutely furious and scared out of her
wits so many times that she felt like the ball in her very own game of ping
pong, Calysta paced past the bay window facing the mountain range for the
umpteenth time. It was not in her nature to stand idly by and let the ‘menfolk’
take care of things. She was
the
Grande Priestess of all Earthen Witches
and had been from the very young age of sixteen when her mother and father were
attacked and killed by a band of rogue wizards.

Her coven, like all wiccan covens, was matriarchal. It was
the blessing the Goddess had bestowed upon them at the beginning of time. It
was also why so many were given the honor of mating outside their race. The
continuance of their special brand of white magic depended upon the procreation
of their race and with male witches leaving because of their gender biases, it
was the only way. Calysta had known from her fiftieth birthday, when the dragon
tattoo appeared on her hip, that she was meant to be the mate of one of the
infamous Guardsmen, but had told no one; not even her beloved sister, Della.

When the mark appeared on her daughter’s hip the morning of
her fiftieth birthday, Calysta knew it was Destiny. There could be no other
reason. The Universe and the Goddess were putting two of the most magically
powerful races together for the purpose of protecting all that was good and
right in the world. Of course, being mated to the most obstinate, pig-headed,
overbearing, pain-in-the-ass dragon ever created had not been in the Priestess’
plan, but nonetheless, Maddox was her mate…for better or for worse.

Isn’t that what the humans say?

She knew he’d been up to something. Had thought about taking
a peek into his personal thoughts, but after several internal debates, erred on
the side of trusting her mate and didn’t.

See where that got me? I swear if something happens to
him, I will nurse him back to health just so I can kill himself myself. 

The mere thought of anyone or anything taking the shine from
his beautiful blue eyes made Calysta so angry her hands shook and her magic
rose within her. Yes, Maddox was a handful, but he was
her
handful. He
was arrogant and stubborn, high-handed and grumpy, and generally the perfect
definition of a curmudgeon, but that was only the façade he put on for the
outside world. For his
little witch
as he called her, Maddox was loving,
thoughtful, caring, and giving. He was an amazing lover and perfect mate. He
completed in her ways she’d never thought possible. Together, there was
absolutely nothing they couldn’t achieve.

If he’d only trusted me enough to confide in me…

She knew he was trying and knew it had to be hard to change
the habits of two hundred years but dammit, why did he have to run off with no
backup at all? Sure, he’d lived alone for a long time, but he
knew
better. He even taught the young Guardsmen-in-Training they never went any
where
alone.

Man better learn to practice what he preaches…

She’d expected there to be bumps in the road of the whole
‘sharing everything’ aspect of their relationship. Maddox had lived alone for a
very, very long time. Had removed himself from the fellowship of his clan and
his brethren when the guilt over the loss of Drago and his Force, along with
the growth of his magic, had become too much to bear. His behavior had become
so erratic and his temper so easily ignited that the Elders had granted his
request to live alone, deciding that the toll loneliness would take on him
would be less detrimental than handling constant interaction with those who
reminded him of what he saw as his failures.

It was unusual for a dragon to live a solitary life. They
were, by nature, clan beasts that needed the comradery and interaction of
others of their kin to flourish, but as with everything, her Maddox was the
exception to the rule. She smiled to herself and watched a rather large black
cloud float over the beautifully bright full moon just as Kyra burst into the
room.

“Royce…
gasp
… just…
gasp
… heard…
gasp
…
from Maddox!” Her daughter was so out of breath that she bent at the waist, put
her hands on her knees, and hung her head while mumbling, “Damn, I’m outta shape.”

Rushing to Kyra, she rubbed her back and tried to be calm
when she asked for clarification, “
Royce
just heard from my mate?” The
Priestess knew she’d done a poor job at hiding her frustration that Maddox had
chosen to reach out to her daughter’s mate instead of her but really couldn’t
care; she was glad he was alive…so she could kill him. Following the mating
bond she shared with her mad dragon, Calysta attempted to talk to her mate for
what seemed like the millionth time. Once again, her call echoed back to her as
if it had hit a wall. She knew it was Maddox’s mental shields and cursed him
under her breath.

Kyra slowly stood up at the same time Della flew through the
door from the kitchen, “Did I hear you right? Maddox is safe?”

Flopping down into the first available chair, Kyra pushed
her platinum curls away from her face and blew out a long suffering breath.
“Yes, Auntie Della, Maddox is safe…at least I think he is.” And then to her
mother she added, “Well, actually, he contacted Rian, Rory,
and
Royce.”
Holding up her index finger, Kyra furrowed her brow just a second before the
tell-tale buzz of mindspeak pricked at Calysta’s senses.

Trying hard to be happy he was alive and not dwell on the
fact that her mate had chosen to contact the O’Reilly brothers instead of her,
the Priestess snapped when her sister asked, “What did he say to you?”

“He said nothing to me…O
kay
? He chose to call them…O
kay
?
I have no clue what is going on. The bastard has blatantly left the
little
woman
out of his plans as not to worry her or some antiquated bullshit that
I’m sure to turn him into a toad for thinking…O
kay
?” She was seething
and pacing with such a fury that sparks were literally bursting from the tips
of her fingers.

To think that her mate, the one person in all the world who
was supposed to love her unconditionally, understand her better than anyone
else, and always be by her side had snuck out like a thief in the night on a
fool’s errand without even thinking to consult her was absolutely infuriating.
She had half a mind to pack a bag and go back to the coven. “Let the old coot
come home to an empty house and empty bed. Let’s see how he likes it,” she
ranted to herself while continuing to pace and pointedly ignoring the shocked
look on her sister’s face.

Out the corner of her eye, Calysta saw Kyra sit on the edge
of her seat. It was obvious the younger witch had something important to tell
her but the Priestess’ anger, combined with the pent up worry from the last
three days, was reaching its breaking point. Calysta was thoroughly pissed.
There was no two ways about it and she needed to get it out of her system or
risk doing something incredibly stupid and potentially hazardous.

Repeating the calming mantra her mother had taught her at a
young age, the Priestess felt like a fledgling still learning to control her
magic but knew it was the only way to control her rage.
I ask the wind to
blow away my worries, the water to let my anxieties flow with their tides, the
fire to burn away the anxiety of my heart, and the earth to ground me and keep
me standing when my own strength fails. Thanks be to the Goddess for the gift
of my life and my magic. Thanks be to the Universe for the gift of all that I
am and all that I have.

On her fifth recitation of the mantra, her magic began to
subside and her anger reduce to a slow simmer. Stopping beside Kyra’s chair,
Calysta tried to smile and asked, “You have news?”

Looking through her eyelashes while failing miserably to
keep from laughing, Kyra snickered, “Yes, but it’s only gonna make you go all
‘nuclear momma’ on us again.”

Her daughter always had been able to make a joke out of any
situation. It was both infuriating and exasperating, but also very much needed
in this situation. Calysta tried hard to give her giggling daughter and chuckling
sister the evil eye but failed and actually ended up cracking her first real
smile since she’d awoken to an empty bed seventy-two hours ago. Crossing the
room and sitting on the arm of the couch, the Priestess motioned for her sister
to join her, and once they were all seated together, nodded. “Go ahead and tell
me. It can’t be any worse than what I’ve already imagined.”

Once again sitting back in her chair, Kyra explained, “Okay,
here’s all I know because Maddox is still unconscious from silver poisoning.”

Kyra raised her hand as Calysta jumped to her feet and
shouted, “WHAT?” The younger witch quickly added, “Rian has already applied the
drawing poultice you and Kyndel concocted to all his wounds and the old
butthead is healing nicely. So, chill, will ya? At least let me tell you what I
found out.”

Nodding in pensive agreement, Calysta returned to her seat
and tried to calm down enough to actually hear what her daughter was saying,
finding it amazing that her mate could hold his mental shields even when
unconscious.

Kyra went on, “Maddox called the guys to come help because
he and Kyran were pinned down by a pack of hunters. Royce and his brothers got
there only
after
the hunters had taken the black dragon and your old man
was lying unconscious with silver arrows in his backside. After they removed
the hardware and applied the poultice, they poked around the cave and found
where Kyran has been hiding out.”

Kyra paused and a familiar look from her childhood crossed
her face. Calysta knew immediately that her daughter was trying to decide what
parts to tell her and what to leave out. Needing to know it all, no matter how
bad it was, the Priestess shook her head and gave a half chuckle. “Out with it,
all
of it, Kyra. I’m going to find out anyway.”

Barking out a laugh, Kyra said, “Ha! So true, I never could
hide
anything
from you.” She reached across and patted her mom’s hand
then said, “From what they can figure out, and remember this is only the guys’
speculation, Kyran had Maddox strung up.” She paused and opened her eyes wide
then said, “Like, you know, a hostage.”

Calysta laughed out loud and then laughed harder at the
shocked looks on both her daughter’s and her sister’s face. The Priestess knew
they were expecting her to blow a gasket. Hell, she was expecting to do it
herself, but just the thought of her know-it-all, full-of-himself, blow-hard
mate sneaking out to play Superman and save the day all by his lonesome and
instead getting caught by one of his own kin then held against his will
suddenly seemed hilarious, so the Priestess laughed until tears ran down her
face.

Catching her breath but still chuckling, she snickered,
“Serves the old coot right. Maybe next time he’ll take me with him.”

Della touched her shoulder and leaned closer before asking,
“Are you okay, honey? Can I get you some tea?”

Her sister’s tone implied that she thought Calysta was ready
for a straight-jacket and padded room, which only served to start the Priestess
on a renewed round of laughter that ended with both Kyra and Della laughing
along. Several minutes later, when their hilarity died down and they were all
catching their breath, the Priestess asked, “Any idea when they’ll be back? The
sun will be coming up soon and I’ll need to have a room at the clinic set up
for Maddox so Niall can check him out.”

“Couldn’t you just do that here?” Della asked.

“Yeah, Mom, that grumpy old dragon is gonna throw a fit if
he wakes up in the clinic.”

“Yeah, I know.” She giggled. “Isn’t it great.”

Laughing again, the three witches stood and headed into the
kitchen. Della started the kettle for tea while Calysta made a pot of coffee
and Kyra rooted through the refrigerator for something to make for breakfast.
She answered Calysta’s question from before as she emerged with an armload of
ingredients for omelets. “They’re waiting for Maddox to wake up but Roy says
they should be here by noon. I guess the old man is already moving around and
mumbling in his sleep.” She set the food on the counter, pulled out a cutting
board and knife, and began chopping. “Rian and Rory are scouting the area to
see which direction the hunters headed in with Kyran. They think it might be a
splinter group of Tariq O’Baoill’s.”

Leaning against the counter as the smell of coffee brewing
filled the kitchen, Calysta sighed. “I really hope not. The others have endured
so much.” She turned and took down her favorite mug from the cabinet then
checked the progress of her java before continuing, “There are still four
refuges in the clinic who can’t call their beasts. Healing is a slow process
without their magic. Poor little Annie, the bear shifter, is suffering from
severe depression at the absence. Niall has asked Claire and Audrey to take her
with them to the lake to see if being outside with all the girls will help lift
her spirits and hopefully give her the strength to let her magic flow.”

“If anyone can help her, it’s those ladies. The healing
power just rolls off of them,” Kyra agreed as she popped a cherry tomato into
her mouth.

“What about the twins, the gargoyles, Daphne and
Elizabeth... how are they doing? The last time I checked on them, they seemed
better to me,” Della said as she got plates and silverware out for their meal.

“Yes, they’re doing
much
better. Still can’t call
their beasts but they have each other, a true twin connection, that will get
them through. But it’s Kristie I worry about. She’s the last chimera in
existence. There were only five of them when the hunters raided their lair. The
bastards took them all while they slept and killed the other four, not even
knowing what they were. I fear she’ll never recover.” Calysta felt the tears
well up in her eyes just as they did every time she thought about Kristie’s
bleak future.