For the Love of Her Dragon (24 page)

“I
guess I really am
gonna
have to start calling ahead,”
Aaron chuckled.

Royce
leaned his head to Kyra’s and sighed. Then he turned to face his friend while
she sat behind him. “I really wish you would.”

“Sorry,
but the crew is about ready and I wanted to make sure you guys were all packed
up.”

“Thanks,
man. We’ll be out in just a few minutes.” Royce said as he turned and helped
Kyra down.

Once
her feet hit the floor, she scooted around him and was hurrying up the stairs,
shouting that she wouldn’t be but a few minutes. Both men shook their heads and
chuckled.

With
only three SUVs to accommodate twelve huge Dragon Guardsmen and one tiny witch,
the ride back to the lair was crowded but fun. Aaron, Aidan, and Rory rode in
the same vehicle as Royce and Kyra, ensuring that they laughed the entire time.
Royce watched as Kyra laughed until tears rolled down her face at the stories
his ‘supposed’ friends and family told about his mishaps throughout the years.
He knew he should have been upset, but just couldn’t be as he watched how much
fun his mate was having.

Their
arrival home was met with a big party at Rayne and
Kyndel’s
.
His brethren all found their mates and children happy to see them in a way he
only now understood that he had Kyra in his life. Every available surface was
covered with food and drink and many from the clan stopped by to share in the
celebration, wishing them all luck in their continued efforts to capture the
one that had betrayed their entire race. Kyra was never far from his side,
something he took as a very good sign, even though he saw the same worried look
in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking that he had witnessed earlier.

After
watching Kyra fight to keep her eyes open for about thirty minutes, he grabbed
her hand and together they made the rounds, thanking everyone and saying good
night. The walk to Kyra’s was nice, but with every step they took Royce could
feel his mate’s tension growing. Finally, when they reached her front door and
she practically ran in, he asked the question that had been driving him crazy
since that morning, “What’s wrong Kyra? What has you so worried?”

“Nothing,”
she answered too quickly, as she busied herself with unpacking her supplies
onto the table.

Not
willing to let the subject drop, Royce walked over to her and stilled her hands
with his. When she finally looked up, he could see frustration and worry, just
as he had expected, but also pain, and that was not something he could just
ignore. He laid his hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes, trying to show
her how much he cared and that he would do anything to help her before he
spoke. “What is it Kyra? What have you been keeping from me all day?”

She
shook her head but it was without conviction, so he stood, touching her face
and waiting for her to tell him. When she spoke her voice shook, “My mother is
missing.”

Royce
sat down in the nearest chair and pulled Kyra onto his lap. She laid her head
on his chest as he rubbed little circles on her back and hummed the same tune
his mother had when he and his brothers needed comfort. He waited until her
breathing returned to normal before he asked his next question.

“What
can I do to help?”

“That’s
just it, there’s nothing
anyone
can do to help,” her voice cracked and
she burrowed farther into his embrace.

“There
is always something that can be done. Just tell me what you know and we’ll
figure out how to get her back.”

Kyra
jumped off his lap and started to pace. One her third trip past him, Royce
spoke, “Talk to me, Kyra. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I
don’t know what’s going on. I have no idea what happened. Mom showed up, yelled
and left…just like always. Auntie Della shows up, helps save my ass only to
tell me that my mother never made it home after our fight and…”

She
stopped dead in her tracks and stared out the picture window into the night.
Royce used all his considerable strength, but it wasn’t enough. He could see
the tension in her body, feel it flowing through their bond and had to go to
her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned down and asked, “And what,
Kyra?”

Her
shoulders slumped and she looked at the floor. He heard her swallow several
times before she finally spoke in a voice that sounded far away and lost, “And
that as the only heir to the Grand Priestess and of a ruling age, I have to go
back and run things until my mother is found or the Council decides who is to
rule in her place.”

It
was definitely NOT what he was expecting her to say and for a split second
thought he might have misheard but then he replayed her words again and knew he
had definitely heard everything Kyra had said correctly. Trying to keep his
dragon from making an appearance and his brain from exploding, he said the only
thing he could think of, “If you have to go, I’ll go too. Who knows, I might be
able to help.”

Kyra
shook her head and moved out of his grasp. When she spoke, the sadness in her
voice nearly broke his heart, “You can’t. Until the decision is made by the
Council as to who will be the next Grand Priestess, no one that has not been
initiated into our coven can enter…
no one
.”

“There
has to be something we can do. You are my mate and I am yours, they cannot keep
us apart,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his temper in check
but failing miserably.

Her
sadness was like a dagger to his heart and her next words drove it deep, “You
really mean that? You really
believe
we are mates?”

The
shock of her words made him stutter and he saw uncertainty flash in her eyes.
That uncertainty renewed his resolve to make her see that he more than believed
they were mates, he
knew
with all that he was that she was to be his.
When he spoke he was sure to pour his whole heart and soul into his words,
“Knowing that you are my mate, that you were created just for me, is my reason
for living, the one thing in all the world that tells me the future is full of
hope and promise. It is what I am staking forever on. I have no doubt we will
live long happy lives filled with more love than any couple has ever known.”

She
threw herself into his arms, hugging his neck and sobbing so hard that within
minutes, the collar of his shirt was wet. As he felt her begin to calm, he once
again sat down and pulled her into his lap. She looked up, not quite meeting
his eyes, and he could see she was embarrassed for her outburst. Needing to
comfort her, he quickly spoke, “Never be embarrassed about anything you feel or
think or say or…just
anything
with me. We are in this together. Always
remember that…
always together
.”

They
spent the next several hours discussing everything from where her mother could
be to how long she thought it would be before she could come back to him, or
that he might be allowed into her coven. He saw how upset she was by all that
was happening and how she hated that it was out of her control. Royce wished
there was something he could do to make things easier for his mate, but could
come up with absolutely nothing.

He
handled the whole thing pretty well until she told him she would be leaving
first thing in the morning. He almost lost control. For a moment, it was hard
for him to breathe, as if all the air had been sucked from the room. He felt as
if he had just gotten her and now had to let her go. Had he been younger and
more prone to tantrums he would have yelled and screamed about how life wasn’t
fair.
Instead, he repeated that old saying about
absence making the heart grow fonder and assured them both that there was no
way in the world he was giving Kyra up. It may have taken him a while to
realize she was all he could ever want, but now that he had, there was nothing
that could take her from him, not even a missing mother and a Council of
witches.

In
the wee hours of the morning, they made their way to bed. They held one
another, kissing and touching, drinking each other in. It was never rushed,
just a slow exploration of what they truly were to one another. Royce used his
hands to memorize every inch of Kyra’s body, tucking it away in his heart to
pull out and relive when missing her got to be unbearable, like he knew it
would. He reveled in the feel of her hands on his skin and when they made love
they were one…mind, body, and soul. The missing pieces each had been searching
for their entire lives, were found that night in each other.

Morning
came, no matter how hard they tried to hold it off, but as they looked into one
another’s eyes, there was no sadness…only hope. Royce walked Kyra to the car
her Aunt Della had sent for her and kissed her one last time, laying his heart
at her feet, letting her have all of him, showing her that he was a better man
for just having her in his life, assuring her that very soon they would be
together again. He repeated the words that would forever be engraved on his
heart…
always together
. When she smiled he knew she felt the depth of his
commitment, but more than that, she believed it, she
believed
him.

The
car pulled away and Royce stood staring down the road it had traveled long
after the taillights had disappeared. Unsure what to do with himself and
wanting to be as close to Kyra as possible, he walked back into her house. He
inhaled her scent, touched her charms that lay on the table, and finally ended
up back in her bedroom. Sitting on the end of the bed, he let himself fall back
and his eyes slide shut. Not even the constant messages from his brothers
disturbed him as he begged, “Just bring her back to me. I can hold out as long
as it takes as long as I know she’ll come back.” He had no clue who he was
asking, if it was the Universe, the Goddess, or Fate, but when he felt a whisper
of a breeze, like a kiss on his forehead, he knew everything would work out. He
smiled as he thought,
Thanks Mom
.

~
~
~
~
~
~
~

It
had been ten days since she had gotten to the coven that she had grown up in,
the coven her mother had governed, the coven she had never wanted to return to.
Kyra knew it was her duty and that she was doing the right thing, but that did
not make being away from Royce any easier. Every moment of every day, whether
she was asleep or awake, she was thinking of him. She missed him more with each
passing day and looked forward to their daily phone calls.

He
told her everything that was happening at the lair and with everyone she had
grown to love over her time spent there. Sometimes, he would be with some of
them when he called and she would get to talk to them too. Her favorite was
Sydney. The child was just a doll and always said exactly what was on her mind,
something Kyra could definitely relate to. The conversation she’d had with the
almost six-year old just the night before had been running through her mind all
day. “Hey
Syd
. How
ya
doing?”

“I’m
okay.”

“Just
okay? You sound
kinda
down,” Kyra asked, genuinely
worried that the ever bubbly child seemed sad.

“Yeah…well…it’s
just…can you keep a secret Kyra?” Sydney asked.

Curiosity
peaked, Kyra answered, “Sure can. Remember I told you witches are the best
secret keepers.”

Sydney
giggled and Kyra knew she was starting to feel better already. “Okay, I’ll tell
you, but I
gotta
go in the other room.” Kyra heard
Sydney tell Royce she’d be right back and then waited.

Just
a minute later Sydney said, “Okay. I’m back. Now you have to pinkie swear even
though we can’t touch pinkies, that you won’t be a blabber.”

Kyra
wanted to laugh, but knew from experience that Sydney was being serious and
would be pissed if she laughed, so all she said was, “I pinkie swear.”

She
imagined Sydney’s sweet little face considering her swear while listening to
the silence and then finally the little girl spoke, “Okay, I know you won’t
blab ‘
cause
you’re my best friend.”

Kyra’s
heart swelled. Sydney was one of a kind and the best little girl she knew. It
made her happy that the child trusted her. “Thanks
Syd
,
I’m honored to be your best friend.”

“Cool!”
she exclaimed and then grew very serious, “Kyra, are you ever coming home?”

Kyra
could barely speak past the lump that immediately formed at the child’s
question. Clearing her throat she answered, “Of course I’m coming back,
Sweetheart. Why would you ask that? Is that your secret? You think I’m not
coming back?”

“No…yes…well…not
me but…” Kyra waited and listened as Sydney took a deep breath. Finally she
began again, “Not me, Royce. Royce is scared you’re not coming back. I heard
him tell Daddy when they were outside and I was supposed to be playing with
Jay. He told my daddy not to tell anyone, but that it was killing him. Do you
think it really is? Is Royce
gonna
die if you don’t
come back? Please tell me you’re coming back.”

Sydney
was almost crying by the time she stopped speaking and Kyra’s heart hurt that
she was not there to reassure her, to make her feel better. She felt even worse
that she was putting Royce through so much so early in their relationship.
“Yes, Baby Girl, I am most definitely coming back to you
and
to Royce. I
have things to take care of but I
will be back
. Royce was just being
silly when he said it was killing him, like when you think you’re
gonna
die when your mommy makes you eat your veggies before
dessert. It’s something people say when they really want something to happen.
The next time you hear him say that, give him a big hug, kiss his cheek, and
tell him you love him. Can you do that for me?”