Furee Born: The Dragon Mage Series Book IV (10 page)

She smiled at her worried
mate.  “I will be fine now, Furee.  Can you join the others in the hall?  I
must prepare Morgan and that means no one who is not mated or related to her.” 
She had a sudden thought.  She turned to look at Melly and Clare.  “Do you know
where Rhune is?”  As a healer, he would have known before anyone else what his
sister was doing.

Clare and Melisande
blinked looking at each other.  “I don’t think I have seen him since before the
evening meal,” Clare said, suddenly looking worried.

Melisande looked beyond
them to her sister who was momentarily resting.  “With everything that has been
happening, I did not think.  Lately, it’s usually Morgan who . . .”

“And she has been
distracted today,” Riva finished for the aghast sounding woman.  She turned to
Furee and spoke low.  “Can you find Rhune?” 

He looked unhappy at
leaving her, but he nodded just the same.  Melly raised her head and all of
them felt the swirl of wind shoot out in all directions, ruffling hair and
clothes in passing.  Riva left her to it, knowing she used the wind to search
for the boy, and headed back to her patient.  The others would have to worry
about Rhune.  She had her hands full at present with his sister
and
her dragon mates.

Furee walked out of the
birthing room thinking how very much he did not like leaving Riva with two
unstable dragons with only a wind mage to protect her.

I am fine. 
Her
soft laughter flittered through his mind, lightening his dark thoughts
significantly. 
Both Eben and Ladon are on their best behavior now.  And
Melly is more than a match for them regardless.  You find Rhune, I will handle
the birthing.

Furee snorted his
displeasure, but sent a mental caress down her hair before he left her
thoughts, just because he could.  He was rewarded by the deep warmth of a smile
he could only feel and not see.  It was enough for now.  He did not wish to
distract her from her job.  He left thinking about his mate, finding Rhune, and
the loss of control in two of the most powerful and controlled dragons he
knew.  He had to wonder if he would do any better should he be so blessed, and
when the panic receded thinking of that cry of pain in the birthing room, he
dropped the thought like a hot coal and decided he would probably not do any
better than the others with his own mate in pain.

He cleared the panic from
his suddenly tight throat and looked at the assembled dragons and mages.  It
was an interesting sight, all warriors, even Asha wore leather armor standing
beside her fire mage mate in his huntsman guard, his bow and quiver still
strapped to his back despite the battle being over.  The other mages, Archer
and Cree, he was surprised to note did not stand out from the dragon knights
they stood among.  Except perhaps that they wore more weapons than any of the
knights.  They were tall for humans, even mage folk, and they had the same
deadly eyes and baring of the rest of the group.

But then, Furee thought,
they had fought battles together this day and wondered who had magicked them
clean.  The dragons could do it for themselves and others, but he was not aware
that the mages held that power.

Right now they were all
further bonded by the silence of men.  In the arena of birthing babies, they
neither had nor wanted a say in events.   

They kept vigil.  Braedon
was the only one lucky enough to have his mate in his arms while he waited. 
Furee was just happy he had an assignment.

“Has anyone knowledge of
Rhune?”

“Melisande tells me Rhune
has left behind Forsaken Mountain,” General Solan said grimly into the growing
silence as the dragons looked around.  “He seems to be heading for Seatown but
she knows not why.”  He was already moving as he spoke, heading for the nearest
launching point to follow.  Most of the group moved to join him, as relieved as
Furee to have a purpose.  Asha and Braedon seemed to be having some kind of
confab in the silent way of mates.  Then Asha called to the departing knights
while Braedon cursed.  “We came here to warn you that the healers were in
danger.  Riva most of all.  But Graedon is looking for healers.  It means Rhune
could be a target, despite his youth and undeveloped power.”

Furee who had been
following his general with the other knights halted in his tracks, and reached
instinctively to see that Riva was safe.

She was distracted but
secure in the next room.  Everyone else had stopped as well.  General Solan
narrowed his eyes at the seer and then looked at Furee, his own eyes of silver
mercury seething.

“Lux, Cree, and Archer,
you are with me.  We fly for Seatown.  Furee stays at Forsaken with his mate.” 
Braedon looked up and then his flashing eyes zeroed in on Furee but Solan was
still giving orders.  “Balin, Adair, find Ryall and let him know the danger to
Shehar, then stay with them as added protection.”  He looked at Aarion.  “It
would be wise to abandon Isolation at present.  There are too many unmarked
entrances in the Earth and we do not have the forces to back you for the
moment.”

Aarion nodded grimly.  “I
would stay at Forsaken if you are in agreement.  It is unlikely Graedon can
find a way through Kinkaid’s defenses, but there are too many here he would
target if he could, and both Kinkaid and Ladon will be distracted for a bit.”

“Agreed.”  He looked at
Asha and Braedon.

“We stay with my sister,”
Braedon said, his voice grim, his eyes molten fire and directed at Furee.

Solan gave Furee one more
look that was a touch happy for him and a touch commiserating, then he was
gone.  The dragons and mages alike followed him to their assignments and every
one of the dragon knights gave Furee the same look.  Happy for him to have
found his mate and laughing at his present situation just the same, leaving
Furee to deal with his angry fire mage brother-in -law.

“You mated my sister?” 
Braedon’s voice was the first thing heard after everyone had shuffled out. 
Aarion made a choking noise that sounded a lot like a laugh before he turned to
walk over to the high windows down the long hallway.  He didn’t even bother
offering an excuse for his departure.  He just left the line of fire as far as
he could without actually leaving.  It was good the rest of them were finding
this entertaining.  Braedon certainly didn’t, and as much as it meant to have
claimed Riva as his own, he would not have traded her suffering for his, even
knowing the end result.

Furee studied the other
man’s face.  The agitation behind the question was as obvious as the fire
starting to coast up the mage’s arms.  Asha touched that fire and the flames
disappeared as if they had never been.

Furee caught the look on
the seer’s face and knew she was aware of what had happened and had chosen not
to tell her mate.  She nodded her head at him, her eyes swirling ice.  Furee
clenched his jaw, knowing what he had to say and how it would sound.  And he
would be unable to defend himself because he was in full agreement with the
fire mage.  He should not have touched her.  He could not even claim she was
unharmed. He more than anyone else knew that she had nearly died to save him. 
Died in fire.  Her worst fear realized.  It was only her inherent strength that
kept her from being damaged mentally by his attack.  He deserved whatever the fire
mage wanted to do to him.

“When I was battling at
Isolation, I was infected with a poison,” Furee said baldly.  “I flew off with
Riva to protect her and ended up out of my mind and trying to mate her instead.” 
He made himself keep looking the mage in the eye even as the fire started
burning hotter in the man’s mage-green eyes.  “She almost killed herself
healing me.  Even as I burned her, she healed me.”  One second there was a fire
mage standing before him, the next a vengeful flame as anger flared to rage and
fire whooshed over the huntsman.  Asha stood beside him inside the flames but
untouched by them.  A second later, she pulled at that power, so that most of
it was absorbed into her skin and Furee could once again see the angry
brother.  He finished it while he still had the chance.  “She was dying in my
arms.  To save her, I mated her using my blood and out-mating to feed her
dragon magic.”

There was a moment of
silence as Braedon forced open his clenched jaw to speak.  “Are you telling me
you attacked my sister with fire, tried to force a mating, and after she almost
died saving you, you finished the attack?”  The words were practically ground
out between gritted teeth.  “Do I have that right?”

Asha looked like she
wanted to say something, her eyes full of worry and her hands soothing her
mate, but Furee answered first.

 “Yes.”  He flinched
inwardly but told the truth through his own gritty throat just the same.

I thought we had finished
with this? 
Riva’s harried voice came through
exasperated, putting lie to the fact that he had somehow damaged her. 
Let
it go, Furee, and my brother can mind his own business.

Before Braedon could no
doubt attempt to kill him while Furee stood there and let him, they were both
distracted by the opening of the stone doors.  Clare stuck her head out and
glared at them, her eyes finding Braedon last.

“Riva says she’s fine. 
Mind your own business and leave Furee alone.  He feels bad enough about what
happened without you helping him feel worse.”  She turned and looked back as if
she could hear something they could not.  Then turned back and spoke again.  “If
you both need to be angry, you can blame Graedon for his poisons.  We all know
Furee would not have hurt her if he was in his right mind.  And if she has to
leave a birthing to come out here to deal with you two, you won’t like it.” 
Then apparently having said her peace, she slammed the door closed again.

Braedon’s jaw loosened
the smallest bit, then the rest of the tension seemed to flow out of him along
with whatever fire had been building beneath his skin.  “Well,” he said shaking
his head dubiously, “she certainly told us.”  Then he narrowed his eyes on
Furee one more time and blew out a long breath.  “Is the poison out of your
system?”

“Riva cleared it out at
great cost to herself, ignoring her own injuries in favor of healing mine.”

Braedon tilted his head
and really looked at Furee, then shook his head.  “Do you want me to attack
you?”

Furee blew all the air
out through his nose and was not surprised when a whiff of smoke escaped as
well.  His dragon was too close to the surface.  “Maybe,” for the first time he
allowed the other man to see what he was really feeling.  “I hurt her.”

Braedon flinched, whether
at the words or the look in his eyes Furee could not say, but the man softened
noticeably.  “I don’t think I could punish you any more than you are already
doing to yourself.”  Then his jaw tensed again, and there was a swirl of
furious mage fire in his eyes as they went to Asha and then locked with Furee’s. 
“Graedon needs to die screaming.”

Furee growled at the
sentiment and answered, his own eyes flaring with fire and promise.  But it was
Aarion who made the vow in open air.  The other knight was closer than he had
been, and when they turned to look at him, he had lost the laughter in his
eyes.  Clearly he had heard everything.

“He will,” he ground
out.  “He will die screaming for his crimes.  No matter what it takes.”

No matter what it takes,
Furee
thought, careful to keep the promise in his own thoughts and away from his
gentle mate. 
He will pay for Asha, and her mother, and for all the rest
,
he thought, looking at the dragon seer and remembering other atrocities.  But
for him, it all came down to one thing. 
For Riva.

Riva did not bother to
tell Furee he was not keeping anything from her.  They were just too tightly
bound for that to work. She let his thoughts of vengeance go for now and
concentrated on the lives about to be born.  “Breathe, Morgan.  It will help
you through, I swear it.”

She was taking away most
of the pain, but as a healer, she could feel the contractions, the heart rates
of mother and child, and everything else that was going on inside Morgan.  It
would not be long now.  It was taking a great deal more healer energy than she
would have had available if not for her mating with Furee.  As it was, the
power seemed to sink back into her from the air around them as soon as she
passed it through Morgan and the babies.  It was a cycle of power she was sure
never to get used to.  It meant that as much pain as she was taking she could
always take more, and even if the birth lasted hours, or even days, she would
never need to walk away and rest.  It was liberating and seductive.  All that
power just floating there for the taking.  Imagine all the good she could do as
a dragon’s mate with the ability to tap into dragon magic.  It was heady to say
the least.  That did not mean that hours later after the birth she would not be
exhausted.  As hyped up on adrenaline and magic as she was, she was bound to
crash the second she slowed down.  Only this time she had a mate who she knew
would welcome the job of looking out for her while she rested.  It was a good
thought, that.  Having someone who would be there no matter what.  And that
someone being Furee, with his warm protective heat and gentle hands. 
A very
good thought.

***

Hours later, Eben Kinkaid
and Ladon were at the head of the bed holding their mate’s hands while Riva
caught first a dark-haired perfectly formed daughter.  She had a second to look
her over, tie and cut the cord, and pass her into Melisande’s waiting arms
before her sister forced her way into the world.  Morgan’s second daughter was
smaller with gold hair, and unlike her loud sister, she came out of her mother’s
womb without a peep, making everyone but Riva panic.  Riva had kept her healing
energy flowing through the babies and the mother throughout, so she felt the
life spark and energy of the smallest golden-haired sister even as the others
struggled to hear her tiny breaths.

“She is fine,” she called
out with a small laugh of happiness.  “She’s just more of a listener than a
talker.”  Riva looked the girl over, took care of the umbilical cord, and
handed her to her waiting Aunt Clare, who beamed down at the little dragon
mage.  And definitely dragon mage they were.  Riva could feel the separate
powers swirling in harmony through each child.

“A listener instead of a
talker, huh?” Clare asked, sniffing at stray tears and cuddling the girl over
to be cleaned.  “I guess you don’t take after your mother.”