For the Love of Her Dragon (8 page)

“Tell
Rayne and
Rian
I’ll meet them at the ridge. I’ll take
first watch and lead the men in from the other side.”

He
knew ignoring everything his good friend had just said was low, but it was also
his own form of self-preservation and he was taking the only way out he had.

“I
never thought I would say this, but Royce O’Reilly, you are a fucking coward.
I’ll tell them, but you better have your head on straight…forever is a long
time to be alone.”
And with that his friend severed their
connection.

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“Kyra,
be careful. You’re
gonna
fall if you don’t stop
stomping around,” Devon sounded as pissed as she felt.

“Whatever,
Devon, I’m
not
stomping. I’m
trying
to get my big ass off this
damn mountain and back to the others. I just want to find that little asshole
and go home.” She stumbled onto the final step and would’ve fallen if it hadn’t
been for Devon’s quick reflexes.

“Thanks,”
was all she could get past the lump in her throat. Embarrassed, but not willing
to show it, she pulled her arm from Devon’s grasp and started to take the last
step again, but her escort decided it was time to talk.

“Are
you sure you’re okay?” Devon asked, and the sincerity in his voice was almost
her undoing, but then she remembered what a fool Royce had made of her just
moments ago and let her anger be her shield.

She
squared her shoulders and since Royce wasn’t there, turned on her friend, “Yes,
Devon, I’m sure I’m fine.”

The
Guardsman looked frustrated, worried, and more than a little pissed off, but
for some reason she could tell none of those emotions were pointed at her. She
watched as he quickly regained his composure. “Just remember, I
am
your
friend and I’m here if you need to talk.”

Once
again a lump formed in her throat.
What the hell is wrong with me?
she
thought. She never cried, never got choked up. Kyra St
Croix did not let people get to her. She thought back to many years earlier and
remembered the exact moment she had closed the doors on the part of her that
allowed others to hurt her, the part of her that trusted in someone other than
herself. Then she pictured the exact moment that she knew there was something
more for her in her future. The truth that she would have one person that she
meant the world to, that she was connected to…body and soul. That would think
of her wants and needs instead of just what she could do for them…the day her
dragon marking appeared. But today those days seemed like eons ago and proved
to be the dreams of a much younger, much more naïve young woman. It was time to
kick ass, take names, and put the mushy shit to rest.

She
looked Devon in the eyes, showing her strength and her resolve and said, “Really,
I’m good. No worries, okay?”

Devon’s
eyes said he wasn’t buying it, but at least he had the decency to put on a good
show, “Okay, Killer. You ready to kick some traitor ass?” He smiled his crooked
smile.

“
Hell
,
yeah. I’m ready. Let’s get this show on the road!” She chuckled as they took
the last few steps to the bottom of the mountain and headed back to where the
others were planning their defense.

It
was obvious
Rian
had rallied the troops by the sheer
number of people milling around the makeshift headquarters he and Rayne had
ordered set up. It was positioned at the south side of the lair under the cover
of a huge rock formation and hidden by a dense grouping of trees. Devon had
explained on their way back that the Blue Thunder Clan was much smaller than
theirs and had not had a man find his mate for almost a hundred years. Once
again fate had stuck up her middle finger and dared the world to say anything
about it. Here was a clan of some of the hottest, most loyal, fierce men she’d
ever met and they were without mates. And here she was, tied to the one person
in the world that couldn’t stand the sight of her.
Yeah, it’s a wonderful
life alright
, said the little witch in her head.

Before
she could sink any lower,
Rian
was at her side, “Hey
there, little witch, long time no see. Have fun while you were gone?”

She
could tell from the shit eating grin on his face he had his own ideas about
exactly what had occurred between her and his brother, but there was no way she
saying a damn thing. Instead she decided to play along. “Yep, sure did. I was
out sightseeing. Beautiful country you have here and by the way…I have a name.”

Rian
chuckled and pointed towards a small tent nestled in a quiet little corner.
“Rayne ordered that set up for you so that you may work your magic in peace.
Your bags are ready and waiting.” He began to walk, so she followed, wondering
why he thought she needed an escort.

When
they reached their destination he simply stood, looking out at the landscape,
his eyes seeing much more than the nature before them. Kyra watched a million
thoughts fly across his face…a face that looked so much like the one she wanted
to punch that she wondered if that was where the similarities ended. Not
wanting to disturb him, she stood waiting since he had chosen the entrance to
her makeshift workspace as his place to perch. He slowly looked down and she
was once again reminded how amazingly tall both he and his brother were,
especially when compared to her stature.

His
blue eyes were no longer sparkling, but held questions that she feared he was
going to ask. Not one to wait for the inevitable she spoke first, “Was there
something else you needed before I get to work?”

Rian
grinned but it didn’t reach his eyes. “As a matter of fact, there is. I know my
brother is being a first rate
asshat
and I’ve been
debating whether I should explain his behavior or not. Since you are here I
think it’s my duty as his older brother and the bane of his very existence to
explain the source of the burr up his butt.”

She
scoffed, “I hate to inform you but I’ve taken the title of ‘Royce’s bane of
existence’ from you, Your Highness or Elder or whatever I’m supposed to call
you.”

He
laughed out loud and she was reminded of the
one time
she’d heard Royce laugh. It was bold and full and made you want to laugh right
along with him. “You’re supposed to call me
Rian
and
someday, Brother. That’s why I’m going to tell you what it is that keeps my
brother from falling at your feet and worshipping the ground you walk on like
his heart and dragon are begging him to do.”

She
tried to interrupt, but he held up his hand for her to wait and continued, “I
know you don’t believe he wants you, but let me assure you, little
wi
…
Kyra
,
that he most definitely finds you the most beautiful and alluring creature on
the planet, and rightfully so. You were made especially for him, just as he was
made for you, and had he and our whole family not suffered a terrible loss in
our younger years, I have no doubts that the two of you would already be mated
and off making babies, or at least practicing. But as Fate would have it, we
did
suffer a tragedy and of all of us, Royce has been the one that refuses to let
the past rest.”

He
looked over her head and kept talking, “When we were much younger and still
living with our parents, my mother was pregnant with our sister. The baby was
thought to be the one our prophecies spoke of, the child that would bring
female dragons back to our kin. From the day my mother knew she carried a girl,
dragon shifters from all over the world sent their blessings and some even came
to visit our humble clan.

“As
the time of the birth came closer, my mother and her most trusted friend, the
woman that had been part of our family for my entire life and had helped raise
all of us boys,
Ilsa
, were engrossed in making sure
everything was perfect for our little Rhianna to enter the world.

“One
day very close to the birth, we were all out and about doing whatever, when my
mother’s scream ripped through the beautiful fall day.” His last words were
barely a whisper and she looked up to see tears filling his eyes. Completely
unprepared for any show of emotion from the man she had thought incapable of
anything but cracking jokes and issuing orders, Kyra just stood and watched as
Rian
struggled for control.

When
he began again his voice cracked, “Royce was the first to arrive and what he
saw, I am afraid scarred him for life.”

Rian
continued and the story he told was like a dagger to her heart. She simply couldn’t
imagine the loss they had suffered and that it came at the hands of someone
they loved and trusted made it all the worse. The pain and anguish rolling off
the man before her was overwhelming, even though she was about the
most
untouchy
- feely person in the
world, she was helpless to do anything but close the distance between them and
hug him for all she was worth. His hands landed on her shoulders and
gripped just shy of the point of pain. Untold minutes later, he urged her back
a step and they locked eyes, “I have yet to tell you the most important part.
Ilsa
was a white witch and she was sacrificing our mother
and sister to a demon to gain power. So you see, Kyra, its Royce’s prejudice
that keeps him from your side,
not you
. Fate has given you the task to
drag him out of the past and into the future that awaits both of you.”

Kyra
felt as if she had been punched in the gut. She wanted to simultaneously laugh
and cry. Fate had not only flipped her off, but now
She
was laughing about it. When Kyra was alone, she was definitely going to ask the
Goddess what it was she had done to deserve this steaming pile of shit that was
her life. Never one to mince words, she said what she was thinking, “What the
hell am
I
supposed to do? I can’t change the fact that I’m a witch. I’m
sure it doesn’t help that I’m also one of the strongest around
and
I
helped Andrew hurt the people he loves, even though I didn’t know what the
piece of shit was up to.”

She
stepped around him and started to pace while she spoke, “I mean seriously, what
do
you
want me to do? He hated me before he
even knew me. He hates what I am at a cellular level and is unwilling to see
past that to find out
who
I am. You think I can change that?”

She
threw her hands in the air as she continued to pace, not caring that every
dragon shifter in the vicinity could hear what she was saying. “And…
and
if all that wasn’t enough, Fate in Her infinite wisdom, decided to tie us
together. Did you know that now that we have…?” She stuttered to a stop and
took a breath as she felt the telltale heat of a blush on her cheeks.

There
was no way she was going to tell
Rian
that she had
made out with Royce like a cheerleader on Homecoming with the quarterback, and
had for the first time in her life climaxed. She had no idea how much these
dragon guys actually knew about witches, but was sure they didn’t know that
only a witch’s one true mate could bring her to completion and as soon as that
happened, there would
never
be another. Not even a little kissing under
the bleachers with someone that wasn’t him. Since their ‘trip to the mountain
top’ had led to just that, the rest of Kyra’s very long life, at least where
love was concerned, had been decided. She figured she should’ve been upset, but
it was just confirmation of what she had known from the first moment she had
laid eyes on the gentle giant with caring eyes and curly red hair…she was truly
and rightly screwed.

Realizing
she and
Rian
were just standing there, staring at one
another, she hurried on, “There’s no changing his mind.
Hell
, he ran
across an ocean and is sleeping in a cave to be rid of me! He’s had longer than
I’ve been alive to feed and nurture his hate of witches. There’s nothing I can
do. I’m going to help catch Andrew and then I’m going to disappear. Let your
brother live his life
cause
I’m damn sure
gonna
live mine. I won’t give him the opportunity to shame
me again!”

The
second the words left her mouth, she knew she had said too much. Damn her
temper and damn her inability to keep her mouth shut. Not wanting to deal with
Rian
any longer, she tried to step around him in the hopes
of hiding in her tent, but he was having none of her avoidance. He stuck his
arm in front of her and refused to move it until she acknowledged him. Holding
her position, she turned her head and glared, waiting for him to speak.

Her
heart beat in her chest while she waited, and she wondered if witches could
have heart attacks. When he spoke, it was the voice of the Elder of the clan,
not the voice of a brother, he used, “You are right, he will not shame you
again. I won’t allow it. But neither will I allow you to run and hide like he
has done. I tried to be patient, but you two are your own worst enemies.

“I
do not know what occurred between you two earlier and it’s none of my business.
I can however, assume, and whether you know it or not, your actions have doomed
you both to a life of utter loneliness.”