Chapter 9
Three hours later, tucked away in her cabin on the farthest border of Defiance on the side of Mt.
Serenity, Tamsyn sat cuddled in Ruairí’s arms. She couldn’t believe that he’d gotten rid of the horrible Sow and her evil Mate, stopped the storm from doing anything but minimal damage, and was the brother of the most well-known Guardsman in history.
It really did pay to have a Mate who just happened to be a Dragon Guardsman blessed by Borrum, the Celtic God of the Wind and Rain.
There was so much they didn’t know about one another.
Most of it could wait, but one thing she needed to be sure she understood was how he’d come to be in a hole in a cave in the middle of Mt.
Serenity and how he’d gotten all the awful scars over his body.
Not wanting to leave the warmth and security of his embrace, she asked what she needed to know, not moving a muscle.
“Do you mind telling me one more time how you came to be in here, and how long you think you’ve been here?”
Unable to sit still, Tamsyn looked up into his downturned eyes and gave his fingers an extra squeeze. Listening with not only her ears, but also her heart, she could feel what it cost him to relive the most horrible experience of his life.
“Stop.” She shook her head. “You don’t need to do this, and I am so sorry I asked. Seriously, sometimes I can’t even believe what comes out of my mouth. We can…”
Shivering as the electricity of their connection sparked to life when he slid the side of his index finger under her chin, Tamsyn lifted her eyes to her Mate’s as he smiled and reassured, “For you, my love, I would do anything.”
“But…”
“But nothing.” Leaning down, he placed a tender kiss on the tip of her nose. “It is the truth.”
Pulling her closer, the warmth of his embrace filled her with more love than she ever thought possible. Tamsyn slowly nodded, “Okay, only if you’re sure.”
“I am sure, and it means more than I can put into words that you care.”
“Oh, I more than care, Mr. Dragon Man.” Turning with his arms, she laid her lips to his and whispered directly into his mind, “I love you, Ruairí O’Clery.”
“And I love you, Tamsyn Elizabeth O’Clery.”
Following her Dragon as he deepened their kiss, Tamsyn groaned and pretended to pout when Ruairí pulled away and teased, “If you keep this up, I won’t be able to finish my story.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Tamsyn looked at him with her big, brown, bedroom eyes. “We have forever.”
“Indeed, but I can feel how much you want to understand my past.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“And it is my job to give you anything and everything your heart desires.” He winked and settled farther into the overstuffed couch that had been her momma and daddy’s, holding her close as he picked up where he’d left off.
“The battle was brutal. We lost one of our own, and many were wounded. In the end, through the will of us all, we did prevail. Only the most cowardly of our enemies who deserted the battle were left breathing.” Wrinkling up his nose and curling his upper lip, her Dragon spat, the brogue of the Highlands thick in his voice.
“The wee bastards scattered like roaches in the light of day.”
“It took a day and a half to say our goodbyes to our fallen Brethren and release his soul into the Heavens. With heavy hearts, we finally took our rest with the knowledge that as Dragon Kin’s elite group of Warriors, we would most likely be sent to battle evil again very soon.”
“Sometime later, I was awakened by the Dragon King with whom I share my soul. Dorman was roaring so loudly that my teeth chattered. I was frozen, unable to move a muscle. I tried with every ounce of strength to call out to my Brethren, but it was not to be. Black Magic was thick in the air. Loud chanting nearly made my ears bleed. Eventually, with effort, I opened my eyes and looked upon the ones responsible for the treachery befalling us.”
“There, in a circle, stood too many tall, masked, cloaked figures to count. They recited their evil spell, swaying side-to-side. Then I saw her—a small woman, possibly of Elven descent—leading the ritual. She knew who we were, knew our mission, and was more than pleased to throw her knowledge in our faces.”
“She’s the one you think of as the bitch, right?”
“Yes.” Ruairí slowly nodded, then went on, “It was such a shock. We, the Enforcers, had always operated from the shadows. Each with a special ability, we were all called upon to serve not only our Kin, but all Paranormals and humans in the fight against those who would see us eradicated.”
“With a silver disc placed on each of our chests, the bitch—the one responsible for the Sorcerer you knew as Milton that we dispatched today—bespelled us. Crowing with pride, the stench of which stung my nose, she promised we would live forever, suffer for all our years, and be locked away in a tomb of her own design, unique to each of us. She wanted us to live with the knowledge that we had failed to defeat evil. Darkness would conquer the Light, and Good would no longer be welcome in her new order as it reigned over all the Earth.”
“Promising that we would all be locked away and strewn like dust on the wind to the farthest reaches of the Universe, she cackled, assuring that all of us would be left to simply exist. ‘There will be no escape,’ she taunted. ‘You will never die because you are the great and powerful Dragon Guardsmen–the Enforcers.’”
“That is the last thing I remember before being forced into a deep, dreamless sleep. When I awoke the first time, I was on a ship. The Taskmaster took great pleasure in telling me that I had been sold to the Fiach Dubh as a plaything. All they wanted was to extract the whereabouts of the remaining Dragons, be they Guardsmen or not. As time wore on, they went so far as to make the ill-fated attempt to separate my Magic from myself and my Dragon King.”
Placing her right hand over their combined hands, Tamsyn pushed love and strength through the bond she shared with her Dragon. He was building to something big, something he hadn’t shared early. She could feel it in her bones, and she wanted him to know she was with him all the way.
“The last bunch I was sold to dropped me in the hole in the ground where you found me.” Eyes filled with unshed tears, Ruairí’s voice was little more than a whisper when he continued, “I cannot believe Carrick, Gunnar, even my Brethren still live. Like you, it is a hope, a prayer, I never truly thought would be answered.”
Shaking his head, her Dragon took a deep breath.
“I know you can feel what it means to me that the bitch’s attempt to destroy us failed.
I told Carrick that I wanted time alone, with you, to get to know you and for you to get to know me.
Then, if it is all right with you, I would like to reunite with my kin. ”
“Of course, Ruairí, it is more than okay,” she readily reassured. “As long as it’s okay if we use your connections with the Dragons to locate my parents.”
“That would be wonderful,” Ruairí happily agreed, his words filling Tamsyn with a peace she hadn’t felt in years. “I would very much like to have the blessing of your father and mother for our official Mating.”
Trying not to chuckle at his proper, old-world ways, Tamsyn finally gave in to a case of the giggles that got worse when Ruairí asked, “What is so funny? Did I say something wrong again?”
“Oh, no,” Tams wheezed through her laughter. “I think it’s sweet that you want my parents’ blessing, even if it might be a little outdated.”
Smiling and shaking his head, a blush came to Ruairí’s cheeks as he sighed, “More like antiquated.”
“No way!”
“Yes, it is true, but I will try to catch up on all that I’ve missed.”
“And I will help. I promise.”
“That is wonderful…” Then he stopped, and his expression turned stern. “But I do not want one of those strange communication devices. They give me a headache.”
“And that is why even the wifi is…”
“Wi-wi-wifi?”
Patting his chest, she let all the love and adoration she already felt for him fill their Mating Bond as she teased, “No worries, my love. Let’s just say all the electronics that had your mental antennas going haywire have been disconnected.”
“And that…” He leaned so close that the tips of their noses touched. “…is just another reason why I love you, Mo phiseag bheag.” Then he kissed her with so much passion and love that Tamsyn was sure they were floating in the air.
There was no doubt in her heart, mind, or soul that she loved Ruairí just as much as if she’d known him her whole life, and even though she never wanted her Dragon to stop kissing her, Tamsyn needed to tell him right away.
Leaning back from their embrace, she looked up at his handsome face, and for the briefest of moments, her mind was so filled with everything that she was feeling that it took her a minute to find the words.
Of course, her Mate took the opportunity to ask, “What are you so intently thinking about, mo chat beag? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, well, except that you keep calling me your little cat or kitten,” she chuckled. “I haven’t been little in a whole lotta years.”
“Would you rather I call you mo gràidh or m' ulaidh ort? Or would it be best if I just say Tha gaol agam ort?”
“I like beloved, and my darling is good too, but what does the last one mean?”
“Are you referring to Tha gaol agam ort?”
“Yes, goofy man, you know I am.”
Lifting her onto his lap with the arm he had around her, Ruairí positioned Tamsyn so that she had to straddle the huge muscle in his thigh as he looked deep into her eyes.
Smiling so sweetly and with so much adoration in his expressive Emerald eyes that it stole the breath from her lungs, her Dragon whispered, “Tha gaol agam ort means I love you with everything that I am in the language of the Ancients, and no truer words have ever been spoken.”
Lying his lips to hers, he added the following sentiment directly into her mind, “Leamsa gu bràth, leatsa gu bràth, le chèile gu bràth mar a bhitheas sinn.”
Repeating his lovely words in English, Tamsyn deepened their kiss, opening all she was to her Dragon as she purred, “Forever mine, forever yours, together forever is how we shall be. I love you, Ruairí O’Clery.
I love you something awful, and I don’t even care that it took a hurricane for me to find you. ”