Chapter 9 The Guardian’s Vow
The Guardian’s Vow
Angus
My dragon was agitated. He wanted to kill this Bazer person and go find our mate.
Seth had greeted me in the evening, just as day turned to night, and introduced me to Ummir and Julgan.
Ummir’s skin—or hide as gargoyles called it—was reddish-brown.
He was shorter than the other gargoyles I had met, but more built, with muscles on top of muscles.
His auburn hair was a shade darker than his skin.
Julgan, on the other hand, was the typical blueish-gray type.
He had large wings and no smile. His stoic personality reminded me of Aaran.
“We should be at the private landing strip in about ten minutes,” Seth said.
“How far is that from the Circle?” I asked, just as eager as my dragon to get back to our mate.
“It’s a twenty-minute drive. We should be done soon,” he said with a grin.
Seth seemed to be always cheerful and to love life. If I hadn’t discovered my mate, I’d have definitely been all over him. He had a personality that drew others to him.
I nodded as I thought about my little wolf again. I couldn’t wait to get to know him, find out his name, and love him.
The plane finally descended and touched down. The doors opened, and Ummir and Julgan stepped out. I grabbed Bazer and pulled him up.
“Easy, I’m going!” he said.
I rolled my eyes. This guy was annoying as fuck. ‘Can I go to the bathroom?’ ‘Can I get something to eat?’ I wanted to deck him. Instead, I pushed him forward down the steps; Seth was by my side.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and I couldn’t breathe. My dragon wanted to break free. I didn’t know what was happening, but my dragon was pissed. I concentrated on controlling the pain and my beast.
“Are you okay?” Seth asked, worry lacing his voice.
I was about to respond when an explosion rocked the plane.
The blast sent us flying through the air to land on the hard tarmac.
I shook my head, trying to regain my bearings.
A light flashed and a tall, beautiful woman appeared.
She had porcelain skin, long legs, and raven hair. She wore a sheer black gown.
“Harper,” Bazer whispered from a few feet beside me.
I’d heard that name before. This was the witch from ancient times, who desired to kill all dragons and take our blood to enhance her magic.
Her eyes narrowed at Bazer as if she’d heard his whisper.
I went to call on my dragon, but before I could, she raised her hand and, with a flick of her wrist, she and Bazer disappeared.
Crap! Crap! Crap, Krispin is going to be pissed! I thought.
I stood up and looked around. Seth was still lying on the ground, Ummir by his side.
Julgan was barking into his phone. I got to my feet.
I noted all my limbs, making sure I was okay before I started walking toward the gargoyles.
Seth was trying to sit up, and Ummir was holding him down.
When I reached them, I saw why—Seth had a piece of metal sticking out of his leg.
“This is going to hurt,” Ummir said.
“I don’t care. Just pull it out. I’ll heal,” Seth replied.
“Chieftain, we were ambushed…I don’t know who…some woman…. Yes, Chieftain,” Julgan said into the phone.
“OW, fuck!” Seth cried out.
Ummir placed pressure on the wound with a torn piece of material. Blood quickly stained the fabric. “Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have pulled it out. He’s losing too much blood,” he said.
I wasn’t like Addison, who had healing magic, but I was still a dragon, and there was a way I could help if I wanted. I didn’t think—I acted. I got to my knees, changing one of my hands to my dragon claw. I cut the palm of my other.
“Move your hand,” I ordered. Ummir hurriedly pulled away to comply as he watched my actions.
I put my hand over the wound and squeezed. A single drop of blood hit Seth’s injury, and instantly the wound sealed. Seth, Ummir, and Julgan stared in shock.
“Wow, thanks. It doesn’t even hurt anymore,” Seth said in awe.
“You’re welcome,” I replied simply. I didn’t speak more about it. Dragon’s blood held a lot of power. Enough could make a person immortal. It was one of the main reasons Harper’s father, the evil mage, had first sought it out.
“Chieftain Tomlin wants us to head back to the clutch. We need to find out who that woman was,” Julgan said, apparently picking up on the fact I didn’t want to talk about what I had done.
“It was Harper. Bazer recognized her. I need to tell the king. If she is back in action, he’ll want to know about it. Can you all make it back to the clutch?” I asked. My dragon wanted out, and he wanted to fly.
“Yes, I’m feeling a hundred percent. I can carry you, and we can fly to the clutch; we’ll be there in no time,” Seth said. I looked at him and smirked.
“I can fly on my own, but I’m not going back to the clutch. I’m heading to the King. Have a safe journey, all of you,” I replied.
With that, I stepped back and let my dragon free.
Scales covered my body in a bright flash, and then I was in my dragon form.
I looked at my gargoyle friends; they had expressions of awe.
I knew what they saw; I was the size of a bus.
I had powerful claws and wings, and the blue scales, of course.
I unfurled my impressive wings and took off into the night sky.
It took an hour, but the large cabin that I now called home came into sight.
It was four stories, made of dark wood, had floor-to-ceiling windows, and a deck that wrapped around the entire structure.
The inside was modern. The king and his family lived on the top level, and Roarke and his family on the third.
Aaran, Addison, and I shared the second level, and the first floor contained the common areas.
As I approached the back deck, Krispin and Roarke exited. I landed and shifted in one graceful move.
“What happened?” Krispin asked as Aaran came out and handed me a kilt.
“We were ambushed, my king,” I replied.
His eyes widened. “Come inside. I want a full report,” he commanded.
I walked into the cabin and saw Roarke’s mate Devin, Krispin’s mate Ben, and Addison sitting on the oversized couches.
They looked up in concern as we entered the family room.
It was late, nearly midnight; the kids must be asleep.
“Who ambushed you? Did Bazer get away? Were there injuries?” Krispin’s questions came fast.
“We had just landed and were disembarking when I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My dragon wanted to take over. As I was attempting to control my beast, the plane exploded, sending us flying onto the tarmac. I was disoriented. Then a beautiful, black-haired woman appeared in a flash of light…” I paused at the sharp inhales of breath.
“Harper,” Krispin growled.
I nodded and continued, “Yes, Harper. I heard Bazer whisper her name. I was getting up to shift, but before I could she waved her hand, and Bazer and she disappeared.”
Krispin’s face was a mask of rage. “What of the pain in your chest? Is it gone? Do you think Harper did it?”
I’d had time to think about the pain on the trip here. The more I thought about it, the more I thought Harper hadn’t caused it. It had felt like someone else’s pain. I could only assume it was my Cardia’s. That fact scared me.
I sighed. “I don’t think it was Harper. I think it was my…my Cardia’s.”
“Your Cardia?” Their voices overlapped, but it was the same question.
“You met your Cardia? When?” Aaran barked.
“I don’t even know his name. I saw him in Belle Fort, and I knew he was my heart. I was going to talk to him, but then Reade and Ronan were born, and he left. I had planned to search for him, but…” I stumbled on my words.
“But your king gave you a task,” Krispin said, finishing my thought. I nodded.
“You should have told me, Angus. Aaran or Addison could have gone. Hell, I could have told Tomlin and the elders to reschedule his trial.”
“I didn’t want to let my king down. It’s my duty and honor to serve,” I said.
Krispin looked at me with compassion. “Angus, I meant it when I introduced you to the Alpha as my brothers. You and your brothers are my family, not just my guardians. My desire is for all of you to find your mates, to have children, and to fill this home with laughter and love.”
Tears shone in my eyes; he truly meant those words. He really believed me to be his brother. I stood up, and he met me, hugging me. I felt more arms wrapped around us. We all stood in a great big group hug. I felt a slap on the back of my head.
“Don’t keep shit from us again,” Aaran said gruffly.
I nodded, and we broke the hug.
We all sat back down, and Krispin pulled out his phone. I wondered who he was calling.
With my dragon hearing, I heard a tired voice answer, “Hello?”
“Alpha James, it’s Krispin, I know it’s late, but it’s important that I speak with you,” Krispin replied.
“King Krispin, what can I do for you?” the Alpha’s voice, sounding more alert, asked.
“One of my brothers will come to Belle Fort—” Krispin said, but the noise of a throat clearing caught his attention. I looked at Aaran, who returned the gaze at Krispin, silently asking permission to come with me.
“Two of my brothers will be coming to Belle Fort. I know it’s late, but do you have lodging for them?”
“Yes, of course. When will they be arriving? Why are they coming?” he asked.
“They’ll be there within next few hours. As to why, they’ll explain when they get there. I appreciate you helping them in this matter.”
“No problem at all. I’ll get two rooms ready.”
“Thank you for your help. Have a good night.”
“Good night.”
Krispin hung up the phone. “Go find your Cardia and bring him home.”
Aaran and I flew into the night sky. I was glad he’d come with me; he might be an asshole sometimes, but he always had my back. The Alpha’s house came into view, and we landed softly in his backyard. We quickly shifted and grabbed our kilts from the bags we’d packed before leaving.