CHAPTER 1 of FOR THE LOVE OF HER DRAGON #8
Andrew settled into a seat at the very rear of the plane with the ancient text opened in his lap.
It had been covered and made to look like any ordinary book to avoid any unnecessary questions.
No one could know that he had possession of one of the most ancient and dangerous volumes of spells, prophecies, and supernatural knowledge ever written.
It was only by luck that John had overheard a few young witches talking about it and had been able to befriend them long enough to get into their leader’s home and steal the book.
His protégé had assured him that he had not been seen, but further warned that the Grand Priestess he had liberated the book from was one of the most powerful he had ever encountered and would definitely try to get it back.
Just another reason he was thrilled his amulet was keeping him hidden from everyone.
It was almost forty-five minutes later when he finally heard the sound of people approaching the plane.
Before he could return the book to his bag, Mr. A entered the plane with Master Eaton, several wizards, and a few of his thugs in tow.
Master Eaton was the first to speak and actually had the decency to apologize, “Sorry we are late. We were unavoidably detained, but the cargo is being loaded, and we will be in the air in the next twenty minutes.”
“No need to explain, Eaton. Andrew knows there are many moving parts to all our plans, and delays are to be expected. Get buckled in so we can have a drink and enjoy our flight.”
The asshole actually had the nerve to wink in Andrew’s direction like they were friends.
If the scumbag had not been essential to all his plans, Andrew would have killed him where he stood, but as it was, he needed him for at least two more weeks.
If all went well, as soon as the next full moon was high in the sky, there would be nothing any of them could do to stop him.
Until then, he would bide his time, put up with all their bullshit, and revel in the moment he watched the life drain out of their useless bodies.
Deciding to play along, he smiled, knowing it did not reach his eyes, and said, “Absolutely. No harm done. I was able to catch up on some much-needed reading.”
Master Eaton looked from one man to the other; his fear of the building tension and freely tossed innuendos was palpable.
In an effort to end the pissing contest that Mr. A seemed to perpetually be ready for, Andrew chuckled and motioned towards the flight attendants.
“Besides, I have been tortured with the tantalizing aroma coming from the galley and would love to have a bite to eat and a drink while we wait to get our voyage underway.”
Seemingly pacified, and the tension level decreasing by the second, everyone took a seat while the attendants served the drinks and passed around an extravagant assortment of hors d’oeuvres.
Eating and drinking with a plane full of idiots ranked right up there with having all his teeth pulled without anesthetic, but it was a means to an end, and he would do whatever it took to destroy everyone that betrayed him.
He took comfort in the fact that in just sixteen days the moon would be full, and as long as things went according to plan, he would have all the power he needed to deliver the vengeance those fucking dragon assholes deserved.
All he had to do was play the part, and the Universe knew he was good at playing his part.
There was absolutely no way she could have prepared herself for a flight to the coast of an entirely different country on the back of a dragon.
When they had reached the lair, all the Guardsmen had been in the clearing behind Rayne’s home, ready to transform and head out to stop whatever plan Andrew was cooking up.
She had tried repeatedly, using every spell and magical charm she could think of, to get another read on Andrew, but the bastard had either charged his Cloaking amulet or found another way to avoid her detection.
The only other thing she could think of was that he was surrounded by other magical beings and their magic was essentially spilling onto him, keeping him hidden.
She decided that as soon as they landed, she would do a Detection spell to see if she could locate any high concentrations of black magic.
That way she would be able to track the people he was with, and the guys could catch him before he could hurt Royce or any of the innocent people the fucking traitor cared nothing about.
Rayne had told them that no one, not even Carrick, the Head Elder, had been able to get a response from Royce or his brothers, making them believe that something or someone was blocking their communication.
Thankfully, there was a special connection between all the dragons that shared a blood bond, fueled by their dragon magic, that let them know Royce was still alive, not in what condition, just that he was alive.
She watched the mated Guardsmen kiss their loved ones goodbye, unable to stop the heaviness that settled in and around her heart.
That was how she had always imagined a mate would be…
loving and caring and totally devoted. Deciding her pity party should wait until everyone was safe and she was off somewhere by herself, preferably at least a hundred miles from all things dragon, she had bent down to give the waiting Sydney a kiss on the head.
There was just something about the little blonde-haired beauty that brightened even the darkest moments.
After everyone had been hugged, kissed, and wished a safe trip, Lance asked if she was hitching a ride with him or taking her own broom.
Everyone laughed, and some of the sadness fell away from the group.
Lance had a way of making everyone laugh, even when faced with imminent danger.
The men had walked about a hundred yards farther into the clearing, and from one moment to the next, the men she knew became the dragons she had imagined.
Two shimmering silver and black, one striking red, one glimmering gold, and a brilliant white – all majestic, all fierce, all exuding more power and magic than she had ever experienced, and all ready to do whatever it took to protect one of their own.
The strange feeling that only came when the Guard were using their mind speak slid through her mind.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump just before Sam said, “Lance is ready.” And then the beautiful doctor did something completely surprising.
She hugged Kyra. A real hug that, without words, let her know that she was truly accepted into their family…
that she mattered. It took all her control not to let the tears she felt welling up fall.
As soon as Sam let go, Kyra turned away and all but ran towards the dragons.
Nothing had ever touched her like that one simple gesture.
Their flight had been amazing, and her enhanced night vision had definitely come in handy.
Flying over the open water in the middle of the night had been amazing.
She’d seen whales, dolphins, and all kinds of sea creatures she’d only ever seen in books and movies.
She felt like a little kid on her first-grade field trip, not that she had ever been on a field trip or even to a school, but she had heard about them.
There was no way she could have stopped the giggles that bubbled over even though she knew the Guardsmen could hear.
It might have been the only chance she would ever get to ride a dragon, and she was damn sure going to make the most of it.
On the ground and making their way through an incredibly dense forest towards the lair of the Blue Thunder Clan, she wondered how she was going to avoid the giant of a man who had flown halfway around the world to avoid her.
No matter what Devon had said, she knew she was the reason he’d left.
To confirm that, she sometimes got a glimpse of what he was feeling or thinking.
She quickly learned that the difference between what he felt towards her when he was awake and what he felt when he was sleeping or had let his guard down was as different as night and day.
Not that she had a clue what to do about it.
When he was awake, he pushed all thoughts of her as far from his consciousness as possible, and when that wasn’t possible, she felt how angry and frustrated he became.
It was like he was being forced to listen to techno music after an all-night bender…
shitty. But when he was asleep, she felt affection, attraction, the desire to get to know her better, and the need to protect her at all costs.
She had spent hour after hour wondering what it all meant and had even contemplated talking to Siobhan, Devon’s mom and their clan’s Elder Healer, about it.
No matter how many times Kyra came into contact with the older woman, she was impressed with her compassion and the acceptance she felt from her; however, Kyra had never gotten around to it, and she was out of time.
In the next hour or so, she would be face to face with the man.
If he had not been in danger, there was no way she would be anywhere around him.
He had made his feelings known, and there was no way she was forcing herself on him.
It was a ‘take care of business and get the hell out’ situation.