Chapter 2
It’s never easy to fool the people closest to you and when they can literally read your mind, it’s damned near impossible.
Having actually held his mate in his arms, though only for a little while, then having to let her go, was driving the Dragon Leader absolutely insane.
Ten years of trying to bring her to the surface was bad enough, but now Rian felt like he was in hell right beside her.
The Guardsman spent the next week torn between securing his mental blocks against his brothers’ intrusions and driving the witches crazy for a permanent way to return Audrey to his arms. Rian knew he was being a pain in the ass but really didn’t care.
However, he did want to punch something…
with great force and repeatedly…and he wasn’t the only one.
The separation was driving his dragon to a place where all the beast would do was constantly roar within his mind.
It only made the way the Grand Priestess stood patiently before him, speaking as if he was a three-year-old, all the more infuriating.
“Things like this take time, Rian. You must be patient.”
“Patient? You don’t think I’ve been patient. It’s been ten years! TEN YEARS! And Audrey is still trapped in hell. Under the circumstances, I think I have been incredibly patient.”
Nodding, Eleanor placed her hand on his forearm, immediately pulling it back when he growled at her touch.
Rian sneered without an ounce of remorse.
Obviously rattled, the white witch answered, “I understand the urgency, but you must also comprehend that even with the demon’s name, we are at a loss without the ritual used to doom your mate’s soul.
I told you we needed both for there to be any real assurances when I gave you the summoning spell. ”
Furious at her glib response and even more so that he could tell the Priestess was holding something back, Rian stepped forward.
Using his impressive six-foot-ten-inch height to intimidate, the Dragon Leader leaned over her much smaller frame and snarled through gritted teeth, “What else, Eleanor? What do you know that you’re not telling me? "
He pushed in on her and was rewarded with the first real spark of fear in her eyes. “You are aware of my history with witches, yes?”
He watched as she swallowed nervously. Her only answer was a slow nod.
“You may not be the one who killed my mother and sister but I will be damned if I stand idly by and let another of you…witches…take away someone I love.” He spat the last few words with all the venom the pain and frustration of loss fueled within him.
Narrowing his gaze, Rian finished his not-so-thinly veiled threat. “I will burn you and all you hold dear to the ground if I find that you could’ve helped Audrey and did nothing.”
The Dragon Leader watched anxiety, fright, indecision, and finally contempt roll across the old witch’s face. Feeling like Eleanor needed a bit more convincing, Rian closed more of the distance between them.
Mere inches separated him from the object of his ire.
He growled just barely above a whisper, “It is my promise to you, Priestess.” Bending at the waist to look the witch right in the eye because he had to be sure she knew he meant every single word and to crowd her just that last little bit, the Dragon Leader added, “And you know I can do it.”
Eleanor stepped back and squared her shoulders.
It was her way of trying to take control.
He’d seen many do it and many fail and it didn’t matter.
He’d been in enough negotiations with rivals to know he had her on the run.
She would lose this round. There was no way he was going to let up, not when he could feel at least a few of the answers he needed within his reach.
Rian watched the thought of retaliation cross her wise grey eyes.
Knew she probably contemplated turning him into a gecko, or worse yet, a toad.
But he was confident Eleanor wouldn’t. She hadn’t lived as long as she had or protected her witches from harm for so many years without being pragmatic.
That didn’t mean he hadn’t pissed her off.
It just meant she wouldn’t turn her magic loose on him… at least not yet.
There was no way the Priestess would start a war with the dragons.
It was one she couldn’t win no matter how old and powerful she was.
Dragon kin was the one adversary who could, and would, quite literally rain fire down on her and her entire coven.
No, the witch was simply licking her wounds and making him wait.
It was the only play she had. After all, there was one thing both Rian and Eleanor could agree on… dead witches couldn’t cast spells.
After several seconds of contemptuous stares, the Priestess finally answered.
“We are working on a ritual but it requires summoning a demon. I will not sully the white earthen magic of my coven for you or anyone. No matter how many threats you throw around, Rian O’Reilly.
” She paused for effect and the Dragon Leader felt the undeniable need to shake her until her teeth rattled. Instead, he rolled his eyes and waited.
When Eleanor finally spoke again, he could hear her reticence.
“However, a messenger has been sent to collect a monk I met many years ago on my travels. He has a certain, shall we say, intimate connection with the dark arts. I was not holding back, merely erring on the side of caution because of your history with my kind and my uncertainty of bringing him into my coven. It is risky mixing white and shall we say—dark gray magic. Risks you have personally experienced. If all goes well, Elmer will be here within the month and we will then know if he can help us retrieve your Audrey.”
Rian knew there was nothing else he could do. No other threats he could make. He was going to have to wait. However, he couldn’t resist reinforcing his position.
“Never forget that because of my personal experience I have little to no tolerance for you or your kind. You are only a necessary evil to get my Audrey out of hell. I know you knew my mother and father and tried to help, but that does not negate the facts of that day. It only makes what I am about to say more important.” He stopped, looked her dead in the eye so there could be no mistake of his intention, and said, “If I get one hint that you or any of your people have neglected helping my mate or turned dark, I will exterminate the lot of you without a second thought.”
Turning on his heels, he walked a few yards before looking over his shoulder. Happy to see the Priestess right where he’d left her, he couldn’t help but add, “Watch yourself, Eleanor. Never forget, we’re all expendable.”
Two weeks passed with no word from the witches.
He knew the Priestess had said it would be at least a month before her monk arrived but with less than a week until he would once again summon Audrey, Rian was impatient.
He at least wanted to give her good news, even if he had to once again watch her be sucked back into the pits of hell.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Rian was faced with yet another decision.
It was up to him, along with the other Elders, to decide whether or not the clan should go to war against another faction of their greatest enemy—the wizards, and their cohorts—the hunters.
Nothing was ever easy. Even after ten years of leading the Blue Thunder Clan, there were so many things he wanted and needed to talk to his father about.
Still hailed the greatest leader of dragon kin, Ronan O’Reilly had been one of the fiercest Guardsmen of all times.
His legend lived on although he’d been dead for almost fifteen years.
Rian once again cursed Fate for the death of his mother and unborn sister to their family friend, a white witch possessed by a demon.
Had that not occurred, Rian would still have a family.
He would be able to hear his mother, Riona, sing as she worked in her garden.
He, Royce, and Rory would be glowering at the young men who tried to catch their baby sister’s eye, and most of all, his father wouldn’t have walked away from his sons, his clan, and his life to wither and die.
So much senseless tragedy.
Making his way to the Cave of the Ancients, Rian thought about Audrey.
She was spectacular. Even a Demon Lord and the fires of hell couldn’t diminish her vibrant spirit or her breathtaking beauty.
Her violet eyes burned as bright as the first night he’d seen her.
The ebony of her hair had shined in the dim candlelight of his basement and felt like silk as it ran through his fingers.
Her porcelain skin held its ethereal glow and was so soft to the touch Rian’s fingers tingled long after she was gone.
Just thinking of how her soft curves and abundant breasts felt against the hardness of his own physique made Rian’s heart skip a beat.
As he’d held her in his arms, there had been absolutely no doubt he’d found home.
Audrey was perfect; now all he had to do was get her out of hell.
Things hadn’t changed much in ninety years.
They’d only gotten more desperate. Rian was off the rails, doing things he’d never thought possible with only the slightest hope of success.
Planning was something he’d left in the dust. It had failed him way too many times. He was acting on pure instinct.
The highly respected Leader of the Blue Thunder Clan had deceived everyone he’d ever known for years.
He’d dabbled in the dark arts. Made deals with the very people responsible for his greatest loss.
And most recently had broken into his oldest and closest friend’s lair, stolen a powerful magical talisman, and disappeared into the night.
Not only was he leaving his family, but also his kin and the clan he’d sworn to lead and protect. All to save the woman he loved.