Fighting For Her Dragon

Fighting For Her Dragon

Dragon Guard Series #7

By

Julia Mills

There Are No Coincidences.

The Universe Does Not Make Mistakes.

Fate Will Not Be Denied.

Copyright © 2015 Julia Mills

All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

DISCLAIMER
: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

NOTICE:
  This is an adult erotic paranormal romance with love scenes and mature situations. It is only intended for adult readers over the age of 18.

Edited by Lisa Miller, Angel Editing Services

Cover Designed by Linda Boulanger with Tell Tale Book Covers
http://telltalebookcovers.weebly.com/

Cover Image taken by Shauna Kruse with
Kruse Images and Photography

Cover Model
Lance Jones - Tattoo Model

Kris Adams with
Book Addicts One Stop PR Shop

Formatted by Danielle James

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Book #7 in the Dragon Guard Series is truly something I never expected type.

THANK YOU!!!! You, the readers, make it all possible!

I am humbled and eternally grateful.

A BIG HUGE THANK YOU goes to my beta readers, Tonya Allen, Cindy Barton, Charlene Bauer, Wendy Albert Bianco, Dee Bowerman, Karen Branch, Stacey Bradley, Charlene Cain, Laura Farmer, Tanya Gaunt, Lia Hearn, Rosemary Hendry, Rose Holub, Isla Johnston, Laurie Johnson, Rebecca Larsen, Audi Lewis, Karen Mikhael, Lisa Miller, Susan Newman, Betty Olsen, Bonnie Rediske, Sharon Richmond, Anna Salamatin, Staci Simmons, Jacklynn Sizemore, Robin Smith, Joy Starr, Angela Thomas, Bridget Parker, Stacy Quackenbush, Carol Ray, Patti Snyder, Ashley Katherine Taylor, Cindy Turner, Sandy Vogel, Janna Ward, Melanie Williams, Penny Brosze, Amy Young - YOU ARE THE BEST!

Thanks to Lisa Miller, who never says no, helps me be a better writer and does a FANTASTIC job!!!!

Thank you to Linda Boulanger, who from my crazy character messages and emails creates the most breathtaking covers I could ever imagine. She is magical!

Also by Julia Mills

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Her Dragon to Slay, Dragon Guard Series #1

Her Dragon’s Fire, Dragon Guard Series #2

Haunted by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard Series #3

For the Love of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard Series #4

Saved by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #5

Only for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #6

***

Her Love, Her Dragon: The Saga Begins, A Dragon Guard Prequel

DEDICATION

Dare to Dream! Find the Strength to Act! Never Look Back!

Thank you, God.

To my girls, Liz and Em, I Love You. Every day, every way, always.

To Emma Edwards, You are BEAUTIFULLY BRILLIANT in every way. Thank you!

To Charlene Bauer, I could not do this without you. Thank you! Ready to do it again?

FIGHTING FOR HER DRAGON

Index of the Words from the Original Language of the Dragon Kin

Mo maite’……….
My mate

Tharraingt ar shiúl……….
Pull away

Briseadh an banna………
Break the bond

Tá brón orm……….
I’m sorry

Go gcasfar le chéile sinn i na Spéartha…..
Until we meet in the Heavens

Mo a rúnsearc……….
My secret love

Mo Mhac……….
Son

A Stor’……….
My Treasure

Athair……….
Father

A bheannaigh……….
Be Blessed

Le creideamh an ancients……
With the Faith of the Ancients

Agus beannú na flaithis……
And the blessing of the Heavens

A bheith go maith……….
Be well

Codladh go maith……….
Sleep well

Deirfiúr……….
Sister

CHAPTER ONE

“Emma! Emma! Open this damn door!” Devon bellowed.

This was the third time in two days he’d pounded on her door. The only difference was, this time he seemed
really
upset, almost desperate. She tried to get up, had tried every time. Wanted to answer the door or at least call out to him. Needed to tell him she had the flu or whatever this horrible feeling was and that she would talk to him when she felt better. The problem was no matter how hard she tried, not even a finger would move. Her throat was so dry from crying and lack of drink she could only whisper. Emma couldn’t remember how long it had been since she’d actually left her bed.

All of this had started forty-eight hours earlier, with the voice of the traitor sounding in her head, and reached its first climax when she’d collapsed on her living room floor. He’d spoken directly into her mind, had been doing so since the moment he touched the land of the Red Fire Clan lair. As shocking as it was to hear him like he was a part of her, the fact that he called her his mate and had triggered her fainting, freaked her out. On the heels of his mind-boggling revelation, the traitor had begged her to come to him. He had reached for her. Not like you reach across the table, but through some invisible link she felt in the very depths of her soul and could’ve sworn had not been there before he reached out to her.

Pain accompanied his pleas; a crippling pain that permeated every cell of her being. It had finally become too much for her to bear. Emma landed face first in front of the couch, barely missing the corner of the coffee table with her head, and let blessed unconsciousness take her away.

She woke to wave after wave of pain racking her body. When the sun began to shine through the slats of her blinds hanging on the picture window, the pain had begun to recede. It had been almost twenty minutes since the last barrage of agony–the longest it had stayed at just a dull throb since she’d passed out. Working up her courage, Emma rose to her knees.

Cold sweat peppered her upper lip, wet her spine, and ran down her arms. Taking a long, deep breath in an attempt to end her panting and hopefully not hyperventilate, she steadied herself and began crawling towards her bedroom. Halfway to her destination, the pain returned with a vengeance. Her muscles knotted, feeling as if they were pulling away from her bones. Cramps like nothing she’d ever experienced set her insides on fire, a blaze that tore through her abdomen and chest, forcing the air from her lungs. Spots danced before her eyes before she once again found herself laying on the cold, hard tile.

With no windows in the hallway, Emma could only guess how long she’d been there when she was finally able to pry open her eyelids. Struggling to her knees for the second time, she was determined to make it to her feet and used the wall as a crutch. Finally standing, she put one foot in front of the other, her shaky legs threatening to buckle under her before she finally made it to her bed. Moaning, she fell face forward onto the sage green comforter, praying to the Heavens that she never had to move again.

Over the next few hours she floated in and out of consciousness, never quite sure if what she heard and saw was real. Andrew’s voice was the only constant as she battled whatever force attacked her body, mind, and soul. He would plead with her to come to him, speaking beautiful words in the ancient language of dragon kin, telling her that she was the only one that could end his torment. Then he would demand, his tone sharp, his words direct, as if he would accept nothing but her complete surrender to his will. In between, he would whisper her name over and over, all the while pushing his need into her.

His eyes peered into her soul. She had no idea how, but his mismatched stare followed her from consciousness to restless sleep and back again, ever present, keeping watch over her. When one especially horrific wave of torment came upon her, their gazes locked. The agony she saw reflected in those hauntingly imperfect eyes confirmed her worst fears, it was not
her
pain– but his–attacking her.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered, barely able to make out her own words.

Horror overrode the ache in his eyes and seemed to push the agony from his tone. He spoke with command and a clarity that baffled her, considering his pain. “
I’m not doing anything
, a thaisce.
It’s our connection…our bond.
If you come to me, I hope to free you from my influence.”

“But…”
Her attempt to answer through mindspeak, as he had spoken to her, was cut short by Devon’s first round of knocking at her door.

The next two days were an endless loop of pain, visions, and nonsensical conversations with the traitor in her head, only interrupted by the few precious moments when she was overtaken by exhaustion. Andrew’s pleas became more insistent, the power he was pushing through the invisible bond more forceful, as she continued to explain that she was trying to come to him, but was physically incapable.

“You must! It’s the only way I can save you,”
was the last she heard of him. Their bond had gone silent. She called to him but to no avail; he had simply stopped communicating.

But I still hurt…

“Emma, Heavens dammit! If you don’t open this door, I’m breaking it down.” Devon’s shouts were becoming more insistent, his pounding on the door a constant thunder that echoed through her skull at every strike.

Closing her eyes, wishing for the mindspeak the Dragon Guard all shared, Emma tried to answer her longtime friend. The harder she pushed, the more lightheaded she became. It was hard for her to breathe. The cramps were endless. Just before the darkness overtook her, she heard Devon roar and the telltale sound of splintering wood.

From the smells that assaulted her senses and the temperature that felt like they were in a meat locker, when she awoke, Emma could tell she was no longer in her home but in the new clinic they had just finished building.

“How long has she been unconscious?” A low, gravelly voice she didn’t recognize asked.

“How the hell should I know? She hasn’t responded to my calls or texts and hasn’t answered her door in almost three days. Mom mentioned that Andrew had been calling her name, and that in the last few hours, he had gotten frantic and then passed out. Something about it didn’t feel right, so I went to check on our Emma again, and this time I didn’t let the door get in the way,” Devon answered.

The voice she didn’t recognize barked with laughter. “I’m guessing you owe the poor girl a door.”

“Damn straight, and I’ll pay up as soon as you tell me she’s gonna be okay. Mom’s with that fucking traitor so you’re all I got, Pearce.”

Pearce? The dark-haired, dark-skinned, Blue Dragon from Rian’s clan?

“Loving the vote of confidence there, Bro,” Pearce chuckled.

“You know what I mean. I know you’re damn good at what you do. It’s just that she’s like my little sister. We all think of her that way.” Devon’s voice faded off and Emma tried with all her might to wake up, to reassure him that everything would be all right.

“No worries, just tryin’ to lighten the mood.” The Blue Dragon cleared his throat and continued. “We’ll figure this out and get her back on her feet in no time. She’s very dehydrated, seems to have suffered a reoccurring fever for a number of days, and from the look of the nail marks in her palms, excruciating pain accompanied it all. There’s internal bruising, which looks like it might have been from muscle cramping of some sort. It’s bad enough in a few spots that I would swear she’s been punched, but there’s no external marks, not even a scratch on her body that I can find.”

“And you’re not going to find anything.” She heard Siobhan’s voice and wanted to cry tears of joy, but not even her tear ducts weren’t cooperating.

“What do mean?” Both men asked in unison.

Emma felt Siobhan’s hand on her arm and relaxed for the first time that she could remember. “I mean…I believe our girl is Andrew’s mate…”

“WHAT!?” Devon yelled.

“You heard what I said, Son. Why do you doubt it?”

“I don’t doubt it. I just don’t understand it. How can that piece of crap have a mate? How could the Universe…”

“Who has a mate? How could the Universe what?” Emma immediately recognized Aidan’s voice.

“Your brother,” Siobhan answered.

“Well, yeah, Aaron and Charlie, we knew that.”

“No, the other one,” Devon growled.

The silence was deafening. Emma tried to imagine the look of disbelief on Aidan’s face. She wished she could just wake up and be an active participant in her own life, but no matter what she tried, she couldn’t move. Thankfully, since she’d awakened, the pain had only been a dull ache. Her head was no longer threatening to break into tiny pieces. But she still couldn’t move, so it only stood to reason that her body had shut down to heal.

Couldn’t be a worse time for this shit.

“You can’t be serious?” Aidan’s voice was low and disbelieving.

“Can’t be serious about what?” Aaron was apparently entering the clinic and Emma heard another pair of boots striking the tile floor. The question of who was quickly answered when Royce spoke.

“Sorry are we late to the party? Lance and I were working the kid here overtime when Dev sent out the call. The girls are on their way, and Rayne is coming from the Cave of the Ancients.”

A hand on her shoulder and a soft, “Come on, Em, you can beat it,” let her know the ‘kid’ they referred to was Cole, one of the Guardsman in training. A sweet kid that brought her unusable dragon scales to make her jewelry.

Emma wasn’t surprised to hear Siobhan’s voice. “Well, now that most of you are here, I will start over and hopefully only have to explain once. Please hold your outbursts until I am finished. It has been a rough five days and my patience is limited.” The Elder Healer sounded frustrated and tired.

“It appears as though our Emma is Andrew’s mate, and somehow, the mating bond has been established, although I would stake my life on the fact that they have not seen each other, much less done anything, to trigger a mating. Their link has become so strong in such a short amount of time that she is sharing his pain…
on every level.
Those of us that have been around since she came to the lair have always known she was extraordinary, but just
how
extraordinary was always the mystery. We now have a clue. She is the mate of the
Special One.
Something none of us can take lightly. When I have a few extra minutes, I will go through the Books of Legend and figure out exactly what we are up against.”

They’ve always known I was extraordinary? What the heck is she talking about? I really need to wake up. Laying here is driving me nuts!

Again there was nothing but silence and it seemed to stretch on forever. Aidan was the first to speak. “So, the little shit has a mate. How can that be after all that he’s done? How can you be sure, Siobhan?”

“Well, I hate to state the obvious,” Siobhan’s calm had returned, but she still sounded exhausted. “But he
is
dragon and that means the Universe fashioned someone just for him at the time of his birth. As for how I know, well Andrew tipped me off. He is in an incredible amount of pain. Silver has gotten into his bloodstream and his dragon is being little to no help in pushing it out. His wounds are not healing and he has a high fever. In his delirium, he was speaking the ancient language, referring to
mate
and begging her to come to him. I chalked it up to silver poisoning, but today he called her name and said he could sever their bond.”

So that’s what he was talking about.

“That’s when I went over
again
. I ended up knocking down the door, found her unconscious, and brought her to Pearce, since Mom was with the traitor.” Emma could hear some of the Zen that was Devon’s trademark returning to his tone, but it was still colored with a
lot
of anger and frustration.

“This is just too hard to believe. The stupid little bastard turned his back on dragon kin, vowed to destroy us all, and basically became a black magic wielding wizard. How can his dragon still recognize its mate? How can the bond have been created?” Aaron asked.

“Hell, how can his dragon have survived the horror it’s been subjected to without turning on the little shit? There were years we couldn’t even sense his existence,” Royce asked, resentment punctuating every word.

“Couldn’t it be that his dragon merely hibernated while his human side went about his nasty business?” Cole asked, and Emma was proud that he was learning to speak up in a group of Guardsmen.

“If I may jump into this conversation,” Pearce said, “I think the young’un has a good point. More importantly, we’re all about to sit on Andrew’s Tribunal, so we need to do our research. I, like Siobhan, remember something about the
Special One
and his mate in the history books. As much as I want to see the little shit burn for all he’s done, I want to make sure your girl here’s okay and that we’re not setting off a chain reaction those we love won’t survive.”

Agreement came from all around, warming her heart. Emma loved each and every one of the big lugs and was thrilled her feelings were reciprocated. The Guardsmen continued to talk while Siobhan and Pearce resumed her exam. She felt them using their enhanced senses and listened as Pearce made sure Siobhan saw every one of her internal injuries.