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Authors: Julia Mills

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BOOK: The Fate of Her Dragon
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“You got it,” the young witch
answered, grabbing the bag of salt from Kyra’s backpack and walking to her
mate’s prison.

Once there, she got as close
as the evil magic would allow and began laying out the circle. In her mind she
continually talked to Drago, reassuring him that he would be free very soon.
When the circle was as complete as she could get it, Alicia ran and grabbed
four candles from the stack her sisters had left laying where they’d earlier
been sitting. She knew the ritual she was about to perform was supposed to have
colored candles but prayed the strength of her conviction to free her mate
would make up for whatever else she lacked.

Closing her eyes, Alicia
tuned into the elements all around her. It only took a few seconds until she
could visualize what directions were north, south, east, and west. Walking to
the north, she twisted the candle into the soft soil and lit the wick.
Standing, she prayed,
Guardians of the North, Element of Earth, I call upon
thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this
circle.

Moving to the East, she did
the same thing with the candle and then prayed, “
Guardians of the East,
Element of Air, I call upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join
me now and bless this circle.

And so it went also to the
south where she prayed, “
Guardians of the South, Element of Fire, I call
upon thee to be present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this
circle.

And finally to the west where
she prayed, “
Guardians of the West, Element of Water, I call upon thee to be
present during this ritual. Please join me now and bless this circle.

Moving to the middle of the
circle she threw back, closed her eyes, and prayed,
“God and Goddess,
Guardian Angels, and Spiritual Guides please be present with us during this
ritual. Bless this circle and keep us protected. No unwanted entities are
welcome here. Only pure, divine beings are invited into this space. The circle
is cast. So mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be.”

She prayed for everyone’s
safety in her own words one more time before lowering her head and opening her
eyes. What she saw brought tears to her eyes. Standing around the circle she’d
just conjured were her sisters, her mother, Melanie, and Kyra, all smiling,
holding candles, and gallons of Dousing Serum, ready to free her mate from his
imprisonment.

Not missing a beat, the tiny
witch began speaking the revised Banishment Spell. “
Oh Goddess of our hearts
and the Universe who gives us life, we come you to again in need of your help.
We seek to neutralize the dark magic holding our brethren and release him back
into the loving arms of his family. We seek to send the evil enchantment and
any left behind back to the hell it came from. Guide our actions, uplift our
hearts, and fill our souls with the sense of purpose only you can provide. So
mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be.”

The witches repeated the
incantation verbatim three times before lifting their jugs of Dousing Serum and
holding them above their heads.
“Bless our actions. Bless our magic. Bless
our souls. Lend us your power. Lend us your spirit. Goddess of all, Universe of
our birth, God in the Heavens. So mote it be. Blessed be. Blessed be.”
Kyra’s
voice rang out loud and clear. “Douse the box!”

Every witch emptied her
Dousing Serum onto the silver box. Flashes of light and plumes of smoke filled
the small chamber as the coffin shaped chest holding Drago MacLendon expanded
and contracted as if it was breathing. The flames of the candles Alicia had
placed at the four corners shot to the roof of the cave while the ones the
dragons were holding were extinguished.

The witches again starting
reciting the Banishment Spell, this time throwing salt at the box. The sigils
sizzled and flashed once again before disappearing completely. A loud moaning
filled the chamber. The earth below their feet shook. Rocks and debris fell
from the ceiling as a sound like a clap of lightning immediately followed by a
heavy roll of thunder roared through the cave.

From one heartbeat to the
next, the cave was filled with absolute silence. The flames of the candles at
the four corners returned to normal and the ones in the dragons’ hands relit as
if on command. The silver box holding Drago prisoner gave a gut wrenching moan
and the lid flew open.

Alicia gasped as the man
who’d come to mean so much to her came into view. He was barely recognizable as
a human being, let alone a Guardsman, but not even that mattered to the woman
who was finally seeing her mate. Dropping her jug, the young witch raced to her
Assassin. Grabbing the silver chains still holding him hostage, she pulled with
all her might while screaming over her shoulder, “Help me! What the hell is
wrong with you? Get your butts over here and help me get him free! He’s not
breathing!”

 

Chapter Nine

Gut wrenching pain attacked
his body from every direction. Searing agony unlike anything he’d ever
experienced made Drago believe he’d been sent to the fires of Hell rather than
the serenity of the Heavens as he’d always been promised. He opened his mouth
to scream just as another wave of torture rolled over his brutally battered
body.

It felt as if the flesh was
being flayed from every part of his body inch by precious inch. The Guardsman
struggled against his bonds. The reality of his situation eluded his
consciousness. All he could feel was utter anguish. It was obvious Fate and the
Universe had decided him unworthy. He truly was in Hell, still chained within a
silver box, meant to languish in the Pit to be tortured and tormented for all
eternity.

Seeking any solace he could
find, Drago forced a picture of his mate to the forefront of his mind. Just one
glimpse of Alicia’s beautiful face gave him the tiniest respite from the pain.
He prayed that he had not doomed her to the same fate. That just because they
were mates his little witch would be able to live a full, happy life and ascend
to the Heavens where he was sure she belonged.

The picture of Alicia blinked
from existence as bursts of blindingly bright light assaulted his
ultra-sensitive eyes from the inside-out. Blood-boiling fire the likes of which
Drago hadn’t known existed seared the flesh of his throat making breathing
impossible, just as the ferocious roar of a dragon cut through the chaos of his
agony-riddled mind. He reached for his dragon but found the winged-warrior unresponsive.
The fit of anger was not from his own beast, but one akin to the warrior with
whom he shared his soul.

Another of my family has
been doomed to the pits of Hell?

Unable to use the enhanced
senses he’d been blessed with as a dragon shifter to identify the beast still
seething beside him, Drago attempted to turn his head. Surprisingly, his head
fell forward, his chin touching his chest at the same time he drew his first
deep breath. It tasted of fresh turned soil and cool, damp air, not the dank rotten
stench of his own skin being eaten away by his silver bonds.

The shackle has been
removed from my neck?

Unwilling to trust his own
instincts, the Guardsman simply held still, enjoying the ability to breathe.
Drago imagined cool, soft fingers gently touching his cheeks and carefully
lifting his head upright. He knew it was all in his imagination but he enjoyed
it nonetheless.

Another breath and his senses
were overcome with the scent of daffodils and sunshine. Again, Drago reminded
himself that it was an illusion, a trick his mind was playing on him in an
attempt to ease the agony of the constant barrage of torture his was being made
to endure, but it simply didn’t matter. He would take whatever tiny piece of
the heaven that was his mate that he could and hold it in his heart forever. It
was all he would ever have of his Alicia.

All thought was driven from
Drago’s mind as another wave of agonizing pain tore across his chest. His mouth
opened in a wordless scream as the breath was pushed from his lungs. His eyes
flew open, immediately blinded by a flash of light the intensity of the sun.
Squeezing his eyes shut, the Guardsman searched for air, searched for calm,
searched for any small shred of sanity, only to come away empty-handed.

Will this torture never
end?

Another dragon’s roar echoed
through his mind, but it was the heart-breaking sob of a woman that cut through
all the other noise, wrapped around his heart, and called to his weary soul.
Sure he’d lost his mind, the Guardsman couldn’t care. It was better than
enduing one more second of misery. Gentle fingers stroked his face. Leaning
into the caress, Drago focused on the soft, silky feel of another’s touch.
Human contact was something he’d missed so much and one of the things he’d most
looked forward to after finding Alicia, but he knew he was dying, knew that
feeling her touch was not to be.

“Oh my sweet, Alicia…”

“Yes! Yes, Drago I’m
here!”

“You’re here in Hell with
me? No! That cannot be!”

The fingers that had so
gently touched his cheek now held his face within their grasp. Soft lips laid
upon his broken and bleeding mouth as Alicia pleaded,
“Open your eyes, just
a bit. Look at me.”

Sure he was being tortured by
the devil himself, Drago tried to move his head, tried to get away from the
demon pretending to be his mate.
“Get away from me, demon! Torment me no
more!”

The hands held him tight, the
sweet lips remained on his, and again the haunting voice pretending to be his
mate pleaded,
“Drago, it’s me. Please! Can’t you feel my hands on your face?
My lips against yours? Search our bond. It’s me. It’s Alicia.”

His heart pounded in his
chest as his mind tried to reason with the words he’d heard. Drago wanted to
believe, needed to believe more than he needed his next breath, that by some
stroke of Fate he’d been delivered from his prison, but the pain still wracking
his body battled with his wishes and dreams. 

It sounded like Alicia. The
feel of her mind against his felt like Alicia. The scent infusing itself into
every fiber of his being was most definitely Alicia’s, but none of it made
sense. His mate would not hurt him. She would not torture him. His little witch
would seek to heal him, not harm him. Still, the voice in his head begged.

“Please, Drago. Please
open your eyes. See me!”
Her pleas
became demands that were quickly followed by a voice the Guardsman had thought
he’d never hear again.

“Uncle, it’s true. We have
freed you. Open your eyes and see the woman that has worked so hard to save
your life.”
It was Rayne, Alexander’s
son, his nephew, confirming what the beautiful voice had been telling him.

“Rayne?”

“Yes, Uncle, it’s me.”

“But…”

“But nothing, your Alicia
brought us to you. She has saved you.”

Drago dared to hope, summoned
his courage and slowly opened his eyes. Immediately slamming them shut, he
yelled to Alicia,
“It burns. The light. I can’t take it. My eyes are on
fire.”

“Turn off the lights! It
hurts his eyes! He can’t see! Turn them all off!” Her lips had left his to
issue her commands but the sweet softness of her hands against his face
remained.

Can it be true? Have I
been saved?

It took several seconds before
Alicia spoke directly into his mind.
“Now try. Open your eyes slowly. All
the lights have been turned off, even the candles. Look at me, see that you are
free.”

Drawing on his years of
training and the little combined strength of he and his dragon that remained,
Drago slowly opened his eyes until he could just barely make out formless blobs
of different colors. Soft, tender lips again touched his, but this time he
could feel them smiling.

“It is you, isn’t it?”

“Yes! It’s me.”

Hearing the tears in Alicia’s
voice, Drago attempted to lift his arms to comfort his mate, only to be held
tight by the same silver chains he’d been subjected to for a hundred years.
Roaring at the injustice, he screamed,
“Why am I still restrained? What is
happening? My mate and my kin would not treat me so!”

“Drago! Stop! You’re going
to hurt yourself even more.”

“Hurt myself! It is you
that is holding me hostage!”

“No! No! I’m not! We’re
not!”

Refusing to be drawn even
farther into whatever horrible trick the Universe was playing on him, Drago
slammed his eyes shut and tried to pull away, but the hands that touched him so
lovingly held fast. Voices sounded all around him, some he recognized, and
others foreign.

“What do I do? He thinks he’s
in Hell imagining all of this. How do I make him believe?” the voice that
sounded like Alicia implored the others.

“Let me try to talk to him
again. Let me make him see reason,” the voice that sounded like his nephew
demanded.

“I can’t even imagine what
the poor man is going through,” a woman’s voice he’d never heard before
interjected.

“He is going into shock.
Removing the few shackles and chains that you did made it possible for him to
breathe but the pain is too much for his mind to deal with. His dragon has done
all he can without hurting Alicia, something the beast would never do, and the
man’s mind is going to break if you can’t get through to him,” a mature woman’s
voice that seemed familiar said with authority.

“What do you suggest?” the
voice that sounded like Rayne growled.

“I know!” the voice he so
wanted to be his mate exclaimed before speaking directly into his mind.
“You
told me to tell Rayne about the time he fell out of the hayloft after drinking
too much from his father’s flask, do you remember? You did that after calling
to me. After telling me I was your mate. Do you remember? Please remember.”
Her
last words were a whispered plea.

“I do. But if you are a
demon you could’ve pulled that from my mind.”

“I am not a demon, dammit.
Look within yourself. Find our mating bond. The bond you initiated with me, the
woman the Universe made for you. See that what I am telling you is the truth.
I’m trying to save you dammit, but you’re making it even that harder than it
has to be.”

There it was, the fire and
passion he knew was his mate. The bond that lay deep within him connecting his
soul to hers flared to life. It was true! He had been saved. His little witch
had done as she promised.

“It is you! By the Heavens
it is my beautiful Alicia.”

Words escaped him as her
forehead touched his and soft drops of wetness traveled down his cheeks. “
Are
you crying,
mo chroi’?”

“Of course, I’m crying you
big oaf. I thought you were dead.”
She
placed three chaste little kisses along his battered lips.

Before he could answer, the
older woman spoke again. “I am happy you have come to your senses, Drago, and
even more so that we have found you after all these years, but I’m afraid we
need Alicia to move. There are many more chains that need to be removed and we
have to get you out of that horrible silver coffin.”

Although Drago hadn’t dared
to open his eyes again, just the tone of the older woman’s voice let him know
she’d shuddered as she spoke the last words. He was just about to ask her name
when Rayne spoke. “Uncle, you need to go into your healing sleep before we
begin removing the rest of this silver. I am sorry for the pain you will be
subjected to but the horrible metal is embedded in your skin. I’m surprised it
hasn’t eaten away at your bones.”

Trying to answer aloud, Drago
opened his mouth, but only a wheeze escaped. Closing his mouth and trying to
clear his throat, he thanked the Heavens when the wet rim of a cup touched his
mouth. His first drop of cool, refreshing water slid across his tongue and slid
down his throat, igniting a voracious thirst.

Tipping his head forward,
trying to force more of the heavenly drink into his mouth, the older woman
instructed, “Only a few drops, Alicia. We do not need anything else to push him
toward shock. Just enough to allow him to speak before he goes into his healing
sleep.”

Drago wanted to yell at the
older woman, to tell her to mind her own business, but he was still unable to
speak and Alicia had already answered. “Yes, Siobhan. Just a few more drops.
He’s so very thirsty.”

“Siobhan Walsh?”
he asked Alicia.

“Yes, why?”

“I fought alongside her
mate, Gareth.”

“Well, y’all can talk
about that later. Right now you need to go to sleep and heal or whatever it is
Rayne told you to do. We have to get this silver off you and get you back to
the lair where Siobhan can treat your wounds.”

“But…”

“But nothing, you stubborn
dragon. Just this once, do as I say.”

Chuckling to himself, the
thought of freedom and his mate in his arms warming his heart, Drago answered,
“Whatever
you say,
mo maite,
whatever you say.
” Calling forth the calm
required to fall into his healing sleep, the Guardsman murmured,
“I love you
with all that I am, Alicia May,”
and quietly floated to sleep.

BOOK: The Fate of Her Dragon
13.78Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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