Dragon's Heart (25 page)

Her hands ran through hair smoothly gliding through her fingers before
moving to grasp his strong shoulder muscles.
I will hold you to that promise, Dark One.

Sliding downward, he continued licking and placing kisses upon the very
crest of both full breasts before raising his hand to lay it over one, running
his thumb back and forth across the pebbled surface. He watched, seemingly
fascinated as her already distended nipple peaked even more at his touch.
Draakar moved his attention and mouth to the other breast, opening wide he took
as much of her ample flesh into his mouth as he could and suckled—hard.

Maya bowed her back in reaction to the intense sensation centered on her
aureole.
 
The moan of satisfaction
vibrating against the mist could have come from either one of them, but in
actuality had come from both. When she thought she could take no more, Draakar
raised his head. He moved his mouth to the other breast and lavished it as
thoroughly as the first with tongue and teeth. Maya had her hands wrapped in
his hair, trapping his head against her breast as she rolled her head from side
to side in mindless bliss.

Draakar removed his mouth from her breast and blew lightly over it in an
attempt to cool her fire. When she tried to press him back to her, he removed
her hands from his hair. “No,” she whispered.

Shhh. We have time. I’m not going
anywhere.

  
Her eyes popped open to stare
into the blazing green glow of his.
Please,
Draakar. Please.

  
   
Mmmm,
he
rumbled.
And I will. Please you, as you
already please me.
 

So saying he opened his emotions fully to her so she could share his
pleasure in her before he began licking his way in a straight line down the
middle of her body. Maya shut her eyes to completely immerse herself in the
myriad of sensations. Her stomach muscles contracted and pressure gathered in
her womb from the intensity of the pleasure he slowly and diligently built up
within her. The moment the tip of Draakar’s tongue touched her woman’s
entrance, like the eruption of a sun the force exploded, and her essence poured
out for him to receive. He might have been a man starving for eons. He lapped
up every single drop flowing from her core.

Before she could catch her breath, he growled against her sheath and the
sound caused her body to vibrate as he then crawled up over her body. The
gentle push of his hands to farther widen her thighs caused Maya’s eyes to pop
open. She saw their bodies surrounded by a colorful glow, warming her to her
soul, before his eyes ensnared hers.
 
Without pause he breached the last barrier between them and roared,
claiming her for all time by deed then by word.

Our life is one. Our soul is one.
One cannot exist without the other. Ever we are intertwined, in this world and
beyond, in this life and next. I belong to you as you belong to me. Even death
hath no dominion over us.

Maya felt only a slight discomfort lasting the time it took to blink
because by then he began to move inside her and other sensations bombarded her.
Sensations so fierce, she could no longer keep her eyes open. All the better to
bury herself in each and every one of them. The sensation of her mate inside of
her was like coming home after a long absence. Every part of her reached to
cling to him. Her body stretched to accommodate him and contracted to keep him
there. Her soul no longer resided splintered and alone but joined with his,
soaring to the heavens. Her mate wrapped around her, in her, with her, until
they were both engulfed in the flames which blazed from the green fire she’d
seen shooting from his eyes before she’d closed her own. Maya wrapped her legs
around Draaka’s waist and rode wave after wave created by the inferno of their
passion.

As Maya’s inner feminine muscles clamped down on him, the rhythm of
Draakar’s movements increased until he could not contain his release any
longer. With another roar, this one from the part of his soul always belonging
to her, a cry of joy erupted. He spilled his essence and kept spilling into the
cradle of his truemate. When the tremors throughout his body finally stilled,
he rolled onto his back, taking Maya with him.
 

She laid her head on his heart and smiled as its frantic movement calmed.
Without opening her eyes, she repeated the pledge of bonding back to him.

Our life is one,
Maya told
her mate as tears of joy coursed down her cheeks.
Our soul is one. One cannot exist without the other. Ever we are
intertwined, in this world and beyond, in this life and next. I belong to you
as you belong to me. Even death hath no dominion over us.

Hot tears fell against his chest, and he felt the lingering sadness and
joy in her heart.
Shed no more tears,
beloved. I am here. I love you, Maya, I always have. From the day I was created
my sole purpose was to love you. I swear you will always come first.
 
Nothing and no one will ever separate
us again.

Draakar raised her head and licked the tears off her face, but his
actions made her cry even more. So he kissed her instead. That did the trick
and her tears stopped as she stretched her body fully over his. Then they both
froze. They had run out of time.

He comes,
Maya sent.

Yes. He’s close. You still have
time to leave. I can send you back to the hospital now. My powers are as they
should be.

 
No. We are one. We do this together, Dark One. I am your
mate, and as I told you once, I fight at your side.

He looked into golden eyes shining with tears, caring, worry, and love.
Even though she hadn’t told him the last, it shone in each look, each touch she
gave. He brushed his hands against the sides of her face before raising his
head to press his lips softly against hers.
Very
well. We face him together.

Draakar felt her reluctance to move. He shared it but eventually she
rolled off him. Before straightening, she dressed herself in black jeans and a
rust-colored sweater. By the time she looked up at him he’d already donned his
customary all black ensemble, this time with a short black leather jacket.

“Oh come on,” she groaned and changed the color of his shirt to match the
color of her sweater.
 
“Better, and
don’t go changing it.”

Even knowing the confrontation with the silver dragon remained imminent,
he took a moment to smile at his mate. “As you wish. Your powers are coming
easier to you. You didn’t even give it thought.”

She beamed. But then Draakar saw the short lived bubble of euphoria she
had been riding abruptly pop when she remembered what they yet had to face.
“Draakar, what are we going to do?”

“We’re going to kill the betrayer.”

“I understand that we have to.
 
But how?”

“
W
hat
the hell happened?” Talon asked, not really expecting a ready answer.

“I don’t know,” Robert replied. “The wall just closed up on us.”

“What should we do?” James asked. “Can you open the portal, lad?”

“No. Even with you both helping I still can’t open it. Maybe if we
combined all the powers of the First we might be able to open it.”

“So should we contact everyone at the hospital and have them meet us
here?” Robert asked.

“Not yet. Let’s give my father some time,” Talon stated. “We wait till
dawn, just as he wanted.”

“Well, lad, I believe he’d want us, Robert and me,” James said indicating
himself, “to wait. He wanted you to go and wait at the hospital.”

Talon shook his head. “No. He wanted me to wait until dawn so that’s what
we’ll do. If he’s not back by then we’ll all head back to the Stones, and we’ll
open a gate to Akgon.”

     
Talon.

     
Father! What happened? Are you all
right? Did you find Maya?

     
Yes. We’re both fine. I need you to
listen. Take Robert and James and leave now. The betrayer is on his way.

      
But Father…

      
No buts, Talon. Go. Go now.
Return to the hospital and get everyone back to the Stones. Have Ian go on
ahead and get the jet ready. Maya and I will join you at the Stones.

     
All right, Father, when should we
expect you?

    
Time moves differently in the realms,
Talon. We know that. So I’m not sure. But if we do not join you in a couple of
days, use the power of the Stones to help you put out another call to our human
brethren then return to Akgon with as many as you can gather.

     
I will not abandon you, Father.

 
You have no choice. There are mates among the human brethren who can
help save our world. If I fail, you are the brethren’s only hope. Save as many
of them as you can. Use the power of the Stones and ask Mother Earth for any
help. They will help if they deem it a time of great need.
 

    
What about my mate, Father? I cannot leave
if she remains and is in danger.

    
Although she is young Talon, she is
strong. A call, such as the one you may have to send out, will guide her to
you. Now go. You don’t have much time.

     
Talon turned to his father’s
Firsts and quickly told them what he had said. They all understood if the
betrayer prevailed, those with brethren blood would be the first hunted and
destroyed. Chaos would ensue. They hurried out of the cave and down the
mountain to their car in pitch darkness. Not even a sliver of moonlight split
the overcast night, but with their dragon sight they could see clearly enough
to get down the mountain to the car still parked at the side of the road.
 

     
“I’ll drive,”
Talon said as they approached. “I’ll try to cloak our presence as much as
possible.” Talon paused as he opened the car door and looked up at the darkened
deserted road. “I can sense the betrayer now. There is a distinctive odor of
chaotic magicks on the edge of the wind. Come, we’ve got to hurry. Since my
cloak isn’t strong enough to protect us if he passes us on the road, we’ll
leave in the opposite direction I sense he’s coming from. Hopefully I can
manage so he won’t be able to sense us or the car from a distance.”

     
“I don’t know,
young Lord,” Robert said as he got into the car. “It just doesn’t feel right
leaving Draakar and Maya to face this bastard on their own,” he continued as
James got in behind him and Talon pulled away from the curb.

     
“He’s right,”
James agreed.

     
“I understand
how you both feel. I feel the same way. But if my father and Maya together can
not defeat the betrayer, we’ll probably need all of us to even stand a chance.”

     
“So what are ya
saying, laddie?” James asked.

     
“We go back to
the hospital and get everyone. I’ll send Maya’s parents with one of you on to
Akgon castle in Ireland, but the rest of us will come back here. We will be
there if he needs us. I may need your energies. I cannot draw them like my
father can but you both can feed me yours.”

     
Both men nodded
they understood.

      
The black
Hummer hadn’t rounded the first curve when Talon looked in his rearview mirror
and saw headlights coming up the mountain. He called on Mother Earth to boost
his magicks, and the Firsts in the car channeled their powers to help him
shield their presence from the powerful being in the car behind them.

     
Talon didn’t
see the car pull over to the side of the road and the two shadowed figures get
out. By the power of Mother Earth, they didn’t see him, but one stopped and
looked in the direction the Hummer had gone.

     
“What is it? Is
something wrong?” Isaiah asked as he came to stand beside him.

     
“I’m not sure,”
the man he knew as Justin said. He turned and looked at the mountainside in the
direction of the cave. “Come on. Let’s get this over with. Draakar should be
here soon. He may be closer on our heels than I thought, but it doesn’t
matter.
 
I’ll still have enough
time.”

     
The two men
stood before the stone wall in the cave and Arwan opened the gate. The second
he crossed over, it slammed shut behind him.

     
Isaiah,
stranded on the other side, called to his Lord but got no response. He didn’t
panic since they had prepared for this. He knew what he had to do. He made his
way back to the car and returned to the city to execute his Lord’s wishes.

Arwan knew immediately he had been tricked, even though he could neither
sense Draakar nor see him. The mist appeared thicker than usual and try as he
might, he couldn’t communicate with the being of the realm. The gate didn’t
respond to him, and he could no longer call forth the portal. He reached for
his magicks, enhanced by the power of the mist, and found it still there. At
least he still had those powers.

He surrounded himself with it until his body generated a silvery glow.
Bolstered, he took a few steps forward and the tendrils of the mist moved with
him. Where before its touch soothed now it turned bitterly cold, and Arwan
could not block the cold from seeping into his body. Shivering once, he blocked
his discomfort from his mind then came to a stop.

     
I know you’re here, whelp. What did that
weak sniveling fool of a brother call you? Ah yes, Draakar. I remember.
Draakar, so you continue to use that name. Well, let’s get this over with. Show
yourself.

    
I am here, betrayer.

     
Arwan slowly turned to face
Draakar.

     
Where’s Maya?

     
“I’m here.” The mist cleared
beside Draakar to reveal Maya standing at this side.

      
You belong next to me, Maya.

     
“Not in this life time,
betrayer, or the next.” She raised her hand from her side and Draakar took her
hand in his.

     
Ah, but you will be mine. No matter what the
whelp has told you. You are my mate. And my true name is Arwan.
 

     
“I don’t really give a shit what
you call yourself. And my mate is beside me.”

Arwan
looked at them with his dragon senses and knew they were mated. He growled.
Not for long.
He raised his hands and
shot a bolt of silver lightning straight at Draakar’s heart.

     
Draakar and
Maya immediately raised their shields.