Dragon's Grace

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Lyrical Press, Inc. www.lyricalpress.com

Copyright ©2010 by Nicole dennis First published in 2010, 2010 NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others. This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

2

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

CONTENTS Highlight Dragon's Grace Dedication Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 ****

3

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Back Cover Copy Can a battered dragon warrior overcome past mistakes? After an attack by dark wraiths, exiled guardian Allauria Grace, treks up a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm to locate her dragon. Once there, she finds a reluctant Callum McDrakken. In fact, he wants nothing to do with her and refused to let her in his haven. They battle through memories of a tangled past and a devastating injury that left Callum unable to transform into his dragon form. With the looming threat of wraiths and the possibility of Allauria becoming one herself, they wonder if there is still a chance for this dragon to have his mate. Contains M/F sex with steamy against-the-wall shower scene. Add in a fiery shape-shifting dragon warrior for fun. ****

4

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Highlight With a quick yip, Lauri started to fall and braced herself. She barely missed clipping her head on the toilet. Crumpled on the floor, clad only in matching lingerie, Lauri breathed slow, deep. "Status on latest goal...complete utter failure. No different than the rest of my sorry life," she noted. Groaning at the pain flaring up in spurts, this latest escapade would now add itself to the other tingles and messages overloading the pain sensory. Entering the bathroom without knocking, Callum dropped a plastic container on the counter. Crossing arms over his chest, he scowled while one eyebrow arched. "What the hell happened?" Looking up to face the dark glower, Lauri brushed back a blood-tangled bit of hair. "What do you think? I tried to get my jeans off. Whatever this crap is, it's draining my energy." Grumbling under his breath, Callum slid his hands under her shoulders, and yanked Lauri off the floor. At the rough movement, all the aches and pains became more pronounced. She bit back the cries before they could leave, knowing he didn't want to hear them. "Damn you that hurts," she complained. "Then don't fall again." [Back to Table of Contents]

5

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Dragon's Grace Nicole Dennis [Back to Table of Contents]

6

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Lyrical Press, Incorporated Dragon's Grace Copyright (C) 2010 Nicole Dennis Edited by Lea Shizas Book design by Renee Rocco Cover Art by Renee Rocco Lyrical Press, Incorporated Staten Island, New York 10308 www.lyricalpress.com eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher's permission. PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content. Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated 7

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: April 2010 [Back to Table of Contents]

8

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Dedication To all who believed in me, this first one is for you. Acknowledgments To Lyrical Press for giving me this wonderful opportunity. To Lea for helping make the story even better. Thank you so much. [Back to Table of Contents]

9

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 1 Allauria Grace's bare foot slipped against the snow causing her to prop a blood-splattered hand on a rough pile of stones to halt a potentially dangerous fall. If she fell, she wasn't sure her pain-wracked body would remain upright, let alone keep climbing up the mountain. No matter the consequence or sacrifice, she would make it up this blasted mountain. Wobbling, she pushed back a wet lock away from her eyes. When fingers brushed against an oozing gash on her temple, she winced. Jackhammers started up once more. Leaning hard against a tree, Lauri looked around the snowy forest blanketing the mountainside. A harsh shudder racked her battered frame. Teeth chattered as cold raced up her spine. Definitely not dressed for a snow-laden hike, she wore ripped jeans and a bloodied shirt that barely covered anything. Sandals were long gone, leaving bare feet frozen, on the edge of hypothermia. Would she ever feel her toes again? Fresh agony raced through. A heated flash caused Lauri to bend, catch what breath she could manage. Lungs labored to pull in cold air. A bloodied hand pressed against the wounds. Shot twice while racing away from pursuers, it was to no avail. Afterward, examining the wounds, she realized they weren't ordinary bullets. She felt something evil slide into the bloodstream. She assumed the bullets were a delivery capsule of some type. Once the car spun out of control from black ice, it rolled down an embankment. Nothing helped the 10

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

current situation. It only added more injury to insult given by the bullets. Still, she was almost there. She was almost to him. Callum. A powerful dragon warrior. Pointing energy higher up the mountain, she sent her magic through heavy clouds, needing to locate the dragon warrior on sentry above his mountain—his self-proclaimed exile from their home castle. A haven where she wasn't welcomed, but couldn't stay away from. After five long painful years, she needed to see this dragon. When she failed to locate him or reach his mind, Lauri pulled the gifts back inside to preserve what she could. Stepping into a clearing, Lauri scooped up snow and placed it on her tongue. Eyes closed a brief moment as icy coldness slid down, setting off a surge of brain freeze, before it mingled with other pains. She pressed another scoop against the wounds in her side to numb them. A hiss escaped her lips, filled with an icy sensation of the impromptu cold pack. She noticed the snow-covered ground changed from a shining white reflecting the moonlight to a deep shadow. A silent scream escaped her when an enormous dark figure swooped down from the clouds. The figure wasn't a wraith, but a powerful dragon. For now, she would be safe. A dragon wouldn't kill a mortal on the spot no matter what past sins she may carry he wouldn't strike. One large foreclaw with white talons nearly the length of a forearm stretched. Frozen toes left the ground. When the dragon plucked her up, she became weightless. Tucked up against a powerful chest filled with soft scales, she moaned 11

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

with utter pleasure when warmth melted the chilly inner ice. Though she knew this was a warrior, Lauri didn't know if this was the dragon she sought. Closing tired eyes, she rested against a smooth scale. For now, this one sweet moment, flying through the air, clutched against a warm body, she was safe, back where she belonged in a powerful, but tender foreclaw. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw yer worthless ass back out in the snow, Allauria Grace?" Popping up to a sitting position far too fast for a maltreated body at the sound of an accent ripped from the Scottish Highlands, Lauri whimpered in agony She let go of control at the full body spasm to ward off a chill, and almost slid toward a convulsion. Short, fast breaths trickled. She tried to control the agonizing flashes. She lay back against the sofa's arm, wrapping an arm tight around her waist. Within a short while, the pain subsided to a dull insistent throb. It irritated more than anything else did. She managed to meet dangerous hazel eyes. They were eyes she knew. Only instead of seeing this gaze filled with care, love or even protection, intense anger at this unexpected arrival flooded them. This intense emotion caused there to be more gold than green swirled within the mixed irises. Still, they were the eyes of the one she sought, Callum McDrakken. Bound through aged bloodlines by rituals, the dragon was protector, warrior to her guardian position. Only through mistakes, they tore away that position. While she left the castle in distress, bereft, grieving, she heard Callum's roar. 12

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

It was the last time she heard his voice. "Well? Ye better give me one blasted good reason, lass. I have no patience when it comes to dealing with you." His Scottish burr reared up, more pronounced with anger. She scrambled, reached for the first reason to pop in her poor brain, which still thumped to the beat of massive kettledrums. "There was an attack by wraiths on the castle." Arms crossed over his powerful chest as he stared, biceps flexed, ticked with a spurt of unconscious movement in his body. "That is the best you got?" "The most important." His eyes narrowed. His chiseled jawline clenched on one side, under the ear she wanted to nuzzle, kiss. "Ye need to figure a better one. I know what happened." "How?" "Liam called earlier. I do have access to a satellite phone. He told me about the attack, as is proper of the castle's chief dragon warrior. There isn't any danger. They succeeded in pushing them back." She dropped her gaze down in relief. "Good, everyone is safe." "No thanks to ye." "Me? How could I bring about an attack?" "I'm sure ye did something while you were away to draw the wraiths' attentions. If they found you, they would trace ye back to the castle. Ye always managed to get them around you somehow. Why would this time be any different?" "I haven't done anything to garner attention for the last five years. I've kept to myself since the banishment, only 13

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

going to school. After school, I went to work to earn money. I live a basic boring lifestyle, keeping only to myself. That's all, Callum. I swear." "The sworn oath of a liar, a betrayer of her kind," he said with a snort. "Callum, please—" "Why would you care about the castle? Ye were banished." "I may be banished, but I still care for those who live there." "Don't waste yer time caring. They wish nothing to do with the likes of you. We're no longer your family. You were banished from the castle, Lauri. Your name scratched off the registry. You are dead to everyone inside those walls." "Scratched?" "The code with banishments." He shook his head. "Every school-aged child knows the laws, yet you must still ask every single time. Even after being banished, you're still slow to learn your history, your own culture. Yet you wonder why you ended up in this position. Exiled from your home." "I'm not at my..." She trailed off at the thought, knowing it wouldn't matter at this point. He wouldn't hear anything she said. "At what? You were never quick. This precise problem was the reason why you caused harm. Why you were the cause of unnecessary deaths." Old hurt permeated her mind at the reason for banishment, Callum's personal wish of exile in this lonely cabin, far from those of his kind dwelling in the Scottish 14

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Highlands. Breath rattled through sore lungs while she dropped a speculative look over his body. His six-foot-three frame towered her five-seven height. His body was long, lanky, and lean to the point of undernourishment. There were enough bands of muscle around his frame to give his limbs some definition. He resembled the appearance of a trained athlete who went for speed rather than raw muscle power. His torso was strong, wide, and tapered down to a muscle-packed abdomen. She let the wary, cautious inspection drop further down the handsome frame. Above the jeans he created after transforming, she saw the thick band of ugly, rippled scar tissue spread from the left side of his navel destroying the band of abdomen muscle, around the flank. She knew it would curve up toward his spine, coming close to the shoulder blade where if often interfered with his back flight muscles. The last time they ever saw each other was a previous battle with the wraiths over the castle's borders. She had jumped headfirst into a battle when she was far from prepared. In the process destroyed three lives. One was permanently gone from the world. Callum had fallen from the sky and landed hard on the ground. The gruesome wound nearly tore his body in half. Twisted after one death, the loss of a link with Callum, she was inconsolable. It was inevitable how the others all voted banishment from the castle and their lands before she could harm another dragon with ineptitude.

15

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Well? Have you gotten your fill of staring at the damage you caused to me? Would you rather have the wraiths take my soul instead of leaving me with this scar?" His rough, harsh tone lacerated those old wounds further. She winced at hearing the depth of his hatred. In his mind, she dropped to the level of hatred for the wraiths. The underlying cause of hatred for the wraiths was if they killed a guardian or dragon, they absorbed their soul, rendering them unable to pass into the light. If a wraith managed to kill the dragon, they killed their soul. Unable to fly free into the light after death, forever tethered to the ground, was the worse kind of death a dragon warrior could face. "I'm sorry, Cal, I didn't know." "Nor would I have ever let you lay eyes upon me again. What are you doing here? I want to know why you dared intrude upon my mountain before I kick you off it." She observed him pushing a rough hand through espresso dark hair, the long locks now reached down to his shoulders. Looking at his marble hewn face, she noticed it was leaner. Life in exile wasn't faring well for him. Without other dragons to rely upon to share energy, he was alone to restore it. Even after the past few years of chosen isolation, she knew he remained confident in his decision to face this healing process alone. It was a combination of logical scientist and determined hard-headed warrior. He wouldn't want anyone else to see him struggle during this low point of his life, cousin to the leader of the castle fallen to a lowly position of a flightless dragon warrior. She knew the pain from the wound took a great deal of his energy to continue to heal, grow 16

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

stronger. However, she heard talk before leaving how he would never be the warrior he was before the injury. Knowing Callum, she knew he would do everything within his power to restore himself as a powerful dragon warrior to be reckoned with in the air. "Silence from you once again. Have you nothing to say for yourself?" "At this point, it seems I should say nothing. You don't want to hear anything I say, let alone listen to the words." "Aye, you have that right, lass. Still, I want to know why you're on my mountain. So, start talking." "They found me in the townhome I was given near the campus. Somehow, they managed to follow me from class." "That pathetic attempt of an explanation doesn't give me the reason why you're here." "Bear with me. I'm in a bit of pain if you haven't noticed." "Noticed, but I don't care at this point." He dropped into an armchair. "All I want is for you to get out of my home." "Cal, please be reasonable. I'm hurting—" "Don't talk to me about hurting, lass. I went to the edge when it came to pain. There are times I glean I'm still on the edge." He held up a hand. "Just tell me what the hell you're doing here." A long sigh of frustration escaped. There was no way she could ask him for help when he acted in this fashion. Especially when he wouldn't even listen. She pressed a hand tighter against throbbing wounds escalating in pain. "I was shot twice with some kind of capsules. I thought they were 17

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

bullets at first, but a dark liquid trickled out of the wounds. It wasn't blood." "A capsule with liquid?" She nodded. "A liquid coursing through my bloodstream." "Wraiths shot you?" "In their human persona, the tall dark figures dressed head to toe in black. They shot me just after we left the campus area. I managed to reach the car and drove off. They continued to chase me down the highway. I couldn't lose them." He waved a hand in a silent question toward the rest of the tattered appearance. "Rolled my car down an embankment when the blood loss hit me. The trudge up the mountain to find you did the rest," she admitted. Leaning forward over his knees, he balanced his elbows on his thighs to let his hands scrub over his face before they scratched at the bristled growth around his jaw. "Shot twice with a capsule, rolled down an embankment. Yet, out of all places ye could go, you came here to find me. Why the hell do ye think I want anything to do with you? Or this knowledge of capsules or wraiths chasing you after your banishment." "They called me a 'wretched wraith-halfling.' There was more about how I failed in my purpose," she whispered. His hands stopped moving over his face. They dropped to reveal his eyes, now greener with his emotions. "A wraith what?" 18

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Halfling." Lauri licked dry lips in fear for what it could mean. "It can't be possible, I'm Allain's twin." "Don't speak his name to me," Callum thundered. She didn't quiver under the force of his anger. "I must speak his name for he is a part of this. He'll always be a part of me. Nothing will change it. I came from the same womb, the same parents." "Only ye have the pitch black irises. His were your mother's blue." "Fraternal twins are different. Different genes." He dropped his head back in his hands, mumbled a few nasty curses, other derogatory things. "Dark eyes. Slow in training. Sense the wraiths before scouts." "Callum, I'm not one of them. I can't be," Lauri insisted as she moved positions. Moaning with pain the simple movement caused, she reached out to touch his knee. She yearned to touch him, needed to tell him she was here. She desired his help, his comfort, his acceptance. He lurched away. His hands dropped to reveal eyes changed to dragon's gold. "There is no knowing what ye are or what ye could become." "I'm still a guardian born, trained, even if I didn't go through the entire ritual. I'm still a guardian. That must mean something?" "Only the wraiths succeeded in injuring me, killing my guardian because of your presence. Only yer still valuable to the wraiths because you know of our secrets, our castles, the numbers of warriors. Not to mention any other kind of vital information. Anything used to destroy us." 19

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Her jaw dropped at his accusations. "I would never do such a thing, I swear to you! I'm still a guardian, blast you, dragon! The oath means something. No matter what happened in the past or now, I'm a guardian." "Repeating it doesn't always make it so. Not any more in your case. You're no longer a guardian anyone wants on their side." "Damn you! What else must I say? How long must I pay for those mistakes?" "How long will your brother remain dead?" A moan of agony curdled. She curled in a fetal position to hold in the excruciating pain of his words. Reaching down, long fingers gripped her chin, tilting it up for him to stare deep. Condemnation filled his golden-green eyes. "Damn you for coming here. You couldn't wait to throw everything back in my face. Damn you, Allauria Grace, damn you to hell." After releasing her chin with a flick of his wrist, he paced away, hands curled at his sides. "I'm already there without being next to you," she whispered. "A guardian without a matched dragon warrior." "A warrior damned to fly without his guardian. I am forever damned. I'll never be what I was because of this blasted injury. My best friend, my guardian will never be there to laugh, brighten my day. He is gone. Never to come back or be able to fly free. His soul taken by the wraiths! The worse kind of death for any one of us. His life spark blown out long before it was his time." "This is my fault. It's my eternal damnation. Aye, I know this." 20

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Yet ye still climbed the mountain." "There was nowhere else to go. No one else I could turn to," she said, lifting watery eyes. "Ye should have thought again, for I don't want you either." "Since my being here bothers you so damn much, I'll leave." Bare feet thudded against the wooden floor as she walked away from him. She heard him release a long sigh. "Not in your condition. You'll be dead before morning from exposure or worse if you leave." Lauri turned to look at him wave a hand to encompass the current situation she was in as he explained, but she didn't accept it. "Better than stay here where I'm condemned." A low, raspy growl left him. "Go to the loft bedroom. There's an en suite bathroom. Shower, dress yer wounds, pull on a change of clothes. See if ye can collect some of the liquid or a piece of the capsule from the wound." "How do I do that?" When Callum let out a long sigh at the simple question, she knew it wasn't the time to contradict his feelings on training. "Concentrate on healing. Ye can force the capsule out of the wound. Use a cup in the bathroom to collect it." Rising, Lauri nodded, went to the stairs leading to the loft. Wobbly, she made it there, braced a hand on the railing. She glanced back at Callum. He took notice the entire time, not lifting an arm to assist. "Thank you for allowing me to stay with you." 21

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"I'm not allowing anything. Ye're here until we can analyze the liquid. What they meant coming after you. I'll get in touch with Liam. He'll decide what to do with you. Come morning, you'll leave with an oath never to return to my sight. That is the only oath I will accept from a betrayer like you," he snarled. He strode off in the opposite direction. The rising thread of hope fell like a boulder to the empty pit of her stomach at his words. At the unwavering pain, she trudged up the stairs. He would never forgive or forget what happened that night on the battlefield. The death of a beloved twin, the wound that nearly destroyed Callum's life. Along with everyone's belief that she had a complete lack of responsibility, which caused everything. [Back to Table of Contents]

22

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 2 Reaching the top of the stairs, panting, sucking air in, Lauri leaned against the wall to rest. Whatever was inside stole away strength, energy, life. She could only hope she made it long enough for Callum to discover what the capsule contained before she died. For she was convinced she wouldn't live through this. Rocking, she pushed away from the wall, and went to one of the doors. It turned out to be a large closet, not the bathroom. Since she found this door, she yanked one of the button-down shirts off a hanger. Lauri paused, breathed in the delicious scent of storms, pine. Callum's unique scent. Clutching the shirt in a not-as-bloodied hand, she stumbled to the other door. "Jackpot. I found a bathroom. Yippee for me. I accomplished something right." Beyond the counter, she whimpered at the sight of the stand-up shower stall. There was no bathtub to relax. She was doomed with a chance to fall. "Perfect." She placed the shirt on the counter. From underneath, she found a fluffy towel and let it fall on a toilet seat. While near the counter, she looked for a cup. There was none. She leaned out the doorway. "Callum, there's no cup up here." Within moments, she heard his distant reply. "I'll bring one up." Lauri concentrated on getting the mess of tattered clothes off. "Get them off without falling down is the latest goal." 23

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Fingers were clumsy when she tried opening the stubborn buttons from tiny closures. After several minutes, lots of low cussing, the shirt dropped to the tiled floor in a wet splat of sleet, melted snow, and blood. Attacking the zipper, she shimmied out of the heavy, saturated denim. Finally, she pushed the denim, let it pool on the floor. After tugging one foot free, she hopped to one side to get the other free. It was far too much. Dizziness and a swirling sensation were set off inside her poor head from the motion. That set off everything else. With a quick yip, Lauri started to fall and braced herself. She barely missed clipping her head on the toilet. Crumpled on the floor, clad only in matching lingerie, Lauri breathed slow, deep. "Status on latest goal...complete utter failure. No different than the rest of my sorry life," she noted. Groaning at the pain flaring up in spurts, this latest escapade would now add itself to the other tingles and messages overloading the pain sensory. Entering the bathroom without knocking, Callum dropped a plastic container on the counter. Crossing arms over his chest, he glowered while one eyebrow arched. "What the hell happened?" Looking up to face the dark glower, Lauri brushed back a blood-tangled bit of hair. "What do you think? I tried to get my jeans off. Whatever this crap is, it's draining my energy." Grumbling under his breath, Callum slid hands under her shoulders, and yanked Lauri off the floor. At the rough 24

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

movement, all the aches and pains became more pronounced. She bit back the cries before they could leave, knowing he didn't want to hear them. "Damn you that hurts," she complained. "Then don't fall again." She was unceremoniously plopped down on the edge of the toilet, and then saw him snag the container. "I'll try not to," she muttered. "Concentrate on the wound. Feel the liquid inside yer system. The capsule lodged in yer side." Letting out a breath, Lauri did what he ordered. With his help, she narrowed attention on where the capsules were lodged. Grimacing with the pain, she forced muscles to push them out. She let out a cry of pain when they dragged out of the wounds, scraped the sensitive edges of torn skin. They made a soft plunk sound in the container. "Good. Good work," Callum said. At the unexpected praise, she met his gaze. It was one of the last things she ever expected to hear from him. It caused a flutter of hope. When she saw nothing but disdain in his eyes, she stared at the container. The flutter of hope once again sputtered into despair. One hand pressed against the oozing wounds. "Will that help you figure it out?" He tilted the cup, swirled it to study the contents inside with all the interest of a trained scientist. His nose crinkled when he sniffed the greenish ooze. "Aye, that's a horrid smell. I can see some liquid caught inside. There's enough of the delivery capsule to figure out its origins. I called Liam. Told him ye're here." 25

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"What did he say?" "Depending on the outcome, it could be one of three things. Yer immediate return to the castle, continued exile, or death." Standing, he set the container on the counter. His movements were simple and deliberate, but she couldn't get past the last word he said. "Death?" "If it turns out ye're becoming a wraith, aye. Ye came to me. They can track ye to me. They'll follow your steps back to the castle's new location within the highlands." "I didn't go there. Not for months." "They can still follow old tracks. It's where you left, where your scent was strongest after the campus." "Once again, I manage to accomplish that with one action. I must be setting some kind of record for it," she muttered. With a push against the toilet to stand upright, unsteady legs collapsed. She yelped, but thanks to Callum's quick reflexes, she was caught in his arms and held against his steady frame. When she tried to rest against his shoulder, he shrugged it out of a comfortable position. "Ye can't shower if you can't stand on your own damn feet." When she was back on the toilet, he shook his head, jamming his hands against his waist. "I was trying to figure how to accomplish the feat. I need a moment to get back some strength." "Ye don't know how long that will last. You can't stay in here in this ridiculous fashion. Only one way to do this." Stepping back, Callum unbuttoned his jeans. They fell with a soft swoosh of denim. A pair of boxer-briefs clung to his slender hips and cupped his cock into the perfect package. 26

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

If things went the way they were supposed to years ago, Lauri knew they'd be mated, perhaps raising a child, fighting side-by-side. Instead, they'd become personal enemies, unable to be in the same room. "What are you doing?" Callum stepped forward to haul her upright. With one hand, a smooth move unhooked the bra, pushed the straps to slide them off her shoulders. Hooking a finger around the front, he yanked away the silky fabric, exposing small rounded breasts to his view. Modest all of the sudden, she covered herself from his view. "Cal, wait..." "Ye can't clean yourself, let alone stand upright. I'll help ye with the shower," he said in a gruff, raspy tone as his fingers hooked around the panties. A quick movement dragged them down. He repeated the same with his briefs. While she moved another hand to cover brown curls at the apex of her thighs, Lauri shook her head. "I don't think this is a wise decision." "Stop being modest. It's not worth it at this point. We both know you can't do this without help." The tip of her tongue licked dry lips when she stared at what those briefs hid behind the soft cotton. Long and thick, his penis was aroused to the point where it lifted toward his belly. The root of him covered in the same dark curls as upon his head. She wanted to reach out and stroke the sensitive skin, wondering if it felt like silk over steel. She needed to bring him to full attention, aroused beyond thought. She lifted the perusal away from his sex to see him turn enough to twist 27

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

the handle. When his hand moved back, she was forced inside the small stall and toward the shower. With another silent nod of his head, she got into the position he wanted. Stepping under the massaging spray, Lauri turned toward the falling water. Tired eyes closed as it rained down, cleansing the blood. She heard him close the glass shower door, then glide behind her. "Let's get this over with," he said, his voice rougher than normal. "Such wonderful enthusiasm. I'm sorry to be such an inconvenience. There was no other place I could go in this condition." "I don't want to hear it. Since ye couldn't go to a hospital, you should've gone to one of the medics the castle has for those on the outside to visit for such types of emergencies. There was a list of them for everyone to take." "I didn't have access to such a list. I was on the run. If I'd known, then yes, I would've gone there. It didn't come up as a possible source of safety. Besides, you mean you wanted me to go, do anything else except having me here on the mountain." Not answering, Cal let out a snort. Lauri pressed a hand to the cool tile. The water beat down on sore muscles, working out the kinks and pain with its warmth. Keeping one arm on a hip to keep Lauri in place, Cal reached for a bottle. "Don't expect any fancy smelly stuff here. This stuff works." He poured it on a washcloth, moistened the cloth, and started on one arm. 28

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

In spite of his gruff tone, Lauri sighed at the gentle touch. He took special care with the various scrapes. Bruises she accumulated over the night. A warm tingling sensation spread throughout. An afterglow swept through, and she let out a long moan of pleasure. When it retreated, she touched the wound on her temple. It was closed, but still healing underneath. "You healed me?" She glanced back at his stone face. "Aye. Just gave it a kick-start to prevent more blood loss." While the cloth cleansed torn, aggravated skin, a lassitude filled body and mind. She was safe, safe in the arms of a dragon. While she was here, no one would try to cause more harm, physically at least. Emotionally and mentally, they were scarred from their past. Those wounds could easily reopen. Instead of anger, she wanted passion. Love. Arousal. She wanted this dragon warrior. She raised a hand to wrap around his neck. Fingers tangled in his thick hair. Full breasts pointed up, beckoned his touch, along with the spray of the shower. Shifting closer to him told Lauri how his body reacted. No matter what his words, his body craved. His erection pressed against the back of her thighs. If she shifted slightly to the side, his penis would lie between them, stroking wet lips, coating itself with cream. Another bold touch and he would be cupped, stroking, pulling, tugging, arousing him to such delights. How she wanted to touch him, love him, feel him deep inside. Only the distance forced between them kept eager 29

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

hands in position. He would never accept her touch. Perhaps there was a way to bring them back together. They could close the distance, close it with passion. The wounds could be covered, and healed with love. There could still be love. Lauri licked her lips once more as the sensual thoughts tumbled and tortured with possibilities. Could she arouse this gorgeous dragon to the point where he would forget the past? There was only one way to find out. Tilting hips back, she rolled them in an experimental fashion to see how far gone he was. Would he keep his stony expression? She smiled when he growled his pleasure. His head dropped, brushed against hers. She moaned when his lips traveled across a sensitive shoulder. His teeth lightly sank into tender skin. His hands continued to move the soapy washcloth over her belly until long sensitive fingers cupped a swollen breast. His thumb brushed hard against the pebbled nipple. It drew a harsh moan. His fingers pinched, pulled at the sensitive skin, and she cried out with the pleasure-pain of the feeling. Her hips thrust harder against him. "Cal..." She met his harsh kiss. The wet splat of the washcloth dropping on the floor filled the stall. He dropped pretense of washing. His hand curled around her neck to hold it in the position he wanted. Tongue, lips, teeth moved. His tongue plunged deep inside, grazed the soft palate, tangled. As if he was trying to immerse himself in the very essence of her. His tongue made love to her mouth. 30

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

With a growl, he pulled away with a sharp movement. Before she could fall from losing his support, he spun and pressed them against the tiled wall. The sharp cold of the tiles speckled across her back, causing a brief distraction from the heat coming off his body. His hands grabbed her ass. Then he lifted until she wrapped her legs around his hips, a slight squeeze of muscles brought him even closer. Anchored between cold and heat, Lauri's body opened for his invasion and caress. "Cal..." His mouth covered a waiting breast. Lauri drove fingers deep into his hair, enjoying its silkiness. One foot fondled his powerful, muscled leg. She loved the differences between their skin textures—the crispy rough texture of his body hair against smooth skin. The warm hardness of his muscles under his skin pressed into the soft curves. When she tilted yearning hips toward him, she moaned when his erection slid between wet, downy lips. Instead of answering, Cal captured her mouth. There would be no words between them. Passion raged between them. In spite of their harsh words, fate, nature drew them together. After going all this time without seeing him, she couldn't get enough of him. Lauri moaned. A breath hitched when his fingers slipped between them. Unerring in their quest, they found the taut clit. When his fingers pulled, flicked the nub, she cried out with pleasure against his neck.

31

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Damn ye for making me want you." His hands gripped her ass, dragging them higher against the wall. Without another word, he plunged deep. The tight glove of heat stretched to accommodate him. The slight twinge of tender skin and tissues as they expanded around his length and thickness caused her to let out a soft pain filled gasp, but it wasn't enough for her to stop him. What little discomfort his entry created now melded into the pleasure of having him deep inside. Finally, they were one, connected to withstand anything that would come for them. She wrapped legs tighter around his thighs, tilting hips to open for his deeper invasion. Her head thrashed against the wall. "Damn ye're tight." His voice was thick, almost harsh with need. He pulled out, drove back to the hilt. "Tight and warm. So warm." His forehead pressed against her neck as his hips piston. "Just yours, only yours." His erection sat deep inside. "No one else?" Lauri stared at his face. Saw the gold flash into the hazelgreen irises. "No one but you." Hands moved from his shoulders to frame his face. He snatched hold, cuffed them against the wall over their heads. "Good." With only her legs wrapped around him, he changed his stance. Then he drove his hips hard, fast, furious with a pace to take them higher. Lauri leaned against the tiles, mouth opened with silent screams of pleasure. When he used some kind of wicked magic to tease, flick the sensitive clit, flames of fire raced up 32

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

her spine. That wonderful point deep inside tightened, readying to explode, then she spasm with such intensity, hips bucked against him. Slick vaginal folds and muscles methodically clenched and released around his dick. A scream of pure ecstasy left when it finally came. She flew away. Before she finished coming back, he thrust hard once, twice, a third time before he groaned. His body spurted fluids deep inside when he found his release. Once more, she soared with unimaginable pleasure. "Callum..." His arms embraced her. He was the anchor while she flew out of control. She knew he would be there when she returned from pleasure. [Back to Table of Contents]

33

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 3 Coming back down to earth, water dripping over them, a smile curled, Lauri opened drowsy eyes to stare into the face of her lover. Only he was no longer there. It reverted to the stone face of a dragon warrior. All warmth evaporated. A sick feeling settled while nausea rose. She tried to swallow past the thick lump that had formed in her throat. The valley of hate returned. A bout of passionate sex couldn't bridge this crevasse. Not after one heated time. Perhaps never. Within a few moments, he extracted himself, and then jerked back another step. A step filled with hundreds of silent meanings. He twisted a hand to shut the water. Silent, he moved them out of the shower. With one swift movement, he snatched the towel and shirt before she was unceremoniously carried in a one-arm lift and deposited on the bed. "Cal?" She turned toward him. The towel and shirt thrown as if he couldn't stand the sight of her naked body. The motion enhanced when he added a pair of sweats and thick socks to the pile. "Dry, heal, be gone from my sight," he snarled. She felt the blood draining from her face. The afterglow of sex with this wonderful dragon dissipated before she had the chance to be thoroughly enjoyed, explored, and ravished. 34

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Another vicious snarl forced her mouth to close without a word. He yanked open drawers, pulled out clothes. He entered and left the bathroom. This time fully dressed in same pair of jeans. A shirt slung over an arm. The cup with the liquid held in his hand. She was left alone in the cold bedroom. Looking around the empty room, Lauri realized there were barely signs of anyone living here with Cal's innate neatness, mandatory housekeeping. Drained, used, depleted of everything—there wasn't anything left inside. She managed a few desultory swipes with the towel. After tugging the shirt in place, she wiggled in the sweats, thick socks. Lifting up the quilt, she burrowed under the covers. The only thing that smelt like Cal was the pillow. Tugging it close, arms wrapped around it, she almost hugged the stuffing out of it. Nuzzling into his warm scent, she let the tears of exhaustion escape what little control she had left over her emotions.. Futile longing for a future no longer hers finally let loose. "Stupid, blundering idiotic fool. What the hell was I thinking?" Callum muttered. His dragon snarled, growled in his head. He retreated to the back office room, tucked under the stairs. "Should never have offered to help with the damn shower." Continuing to curse himself, he set up a pot of coffee to brew. With care, ease of a trained researcher, he separated the liquid contents from the capsule within the small container. Using a medicine dropper, he sucked up a few drops to examine and squeezed them onto a clean slide. 35

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Gently, he lowered the cover slip one edge at a time on the slide and then the other half. He repeated the same procedures with the remnants of the capsule using special tweezers. The next slide created contained droplets of Lauri's contaminated blood. Sitting on a sliding stool, he scooted over to a microscope, studied them under various types of magnification. Yanking a pad close, he wrote down detailed observations in his cramped handwriting. Due to the silence filling the cabin as he worked, his sensitive hearing heard the soft bitter sounds of sobbing. Callum pulled back from the microscope. He was heartless, callous and cruel with Lauri. Even after the bitterness for what she did, he knew better than to accost Lauri in such a horrific way. His hand curled into a fist. His gut clenched at the racing thoughts. His normally logic-filled mind left behind after passion. There was nothing logical about Lauri. His feelings were a disaster. They never were logical or organized when it came to the slender feminine twin of his trusted guardian, his best friend. Since the birth of the twins, he knew destiny created Lauri to be his joined mate and guardian. Yet, the Fates never worked alone, nor were they simple masters. They could be cruel. Oh, horribly, devilishly cruel in their choices for those who remained bound. After five years of trying to force gorgeous, beguiling, traitorous Allauria Grace out of his mind, he found her unexpected presence reopened closed-off memories and hidden feelings. 36

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Pushing away from the desk, Callum paced in moderated strides. Careful, controlled, his logical brain tried to work out what it meant. The warrior side wanted to toss the traitorous female out in the cold, wash his hands clean of the whole mess. The dragon within him cried out for his mate, no longer willing to spend life alone. Shoving a hand through his hair, Callum poured a large cup of steaming coffee, leaving it black. He strode to the phone, hit the speed dial, booting up the laptop from sleep mode. "I didn't expect to hear from you, Cal," Liam McDrakken said, his calm voice coming over the line. "I managed to get a piece of the capsule. There are slides of contaminated blood. The liquid contained within the capsule. There is a foul smell associated with the liquid. It's thick, green, and viscous." Callum used the miniaturized equipment to create detailed, microscopic scans of each slide. They were sent to his cousin. "Ye should be receiving them now." "I am. What has happened? I can sense something is very off with you. Not to mention your Scottish burr is up in your voice." "What do ye think is off? She's here, invading my exile." "I need you to breathe. Calm down, Cal. Take it slow, easy before you burn up with hatred. I don't wish for you to dismember Lauri. Center yourself." Cal growled over the intercom at his leader. Liam's chuckle didn't help lower the edge riding him. He pulled in a few deep breaths and calmed down his fiery dragon. 37

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Good, I heard those breaths." Cal grumbled again, but didn't answer his smart-ass boss. "Listen to me, please, truly listen to what I'm telling you. Are you there?" "Aye, I haven't hung up on you just yet." "Grateful for that, at least. It's time for you to face what happened that night. You had five years to prepare for this possible situation, Cal. Exiled, banished, or whatever happened to both of you. You can't fight what is happening. Destiny and fate still guide our ways. They force you together. It must be faced. Dealt with before either of you can continue with life." "This is no kind of life, Liam. Ye know this. How can I be with the one who caused my guardian's death?" "She is the only one who knows what you are going through. Lauri is grieving for the loss of a twin and you, her dragon mate. All of it heaped on after a forced banishment from the only home she's known. Lauri's the last of the Grace line." "As we're the last of the McDrakken line." "Aye. Our lines have always been together. It continues to be that way. The Graces followed your father's side long ago. While other families supported the royal line. We all number too few to turn our backs on each other." Cal closed his eyes at the thought of the renowned family within the guardians. The Grace family looked after his dragon line of the McDrakken's for generations. He was his father's only son. Without one of them mating and producing 38

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

children, one side of the powerful McDrakken lines would be gone, forever. "I can't handle the emotions. The stress of having Lauri here. I already caved." "Caved? How?" "In the shower." Silence filled the laboratory once more. Cal stared at the phone. "Liam?" "Should I congratulate you or offer my apologies for not winging away when you first called?" Callum's eyes narrowed in irritation at the chief warrior's dry tone of voice. A low growl rumbled up his chest in answer. "Not all is black and white, Cal. Perhaps what happened to Lauri means something else happened, something more than anyone of us saw, heard, or acknowledged. Remember the journals." "Aye, I know there could be more. It doesn't bring my guardian back." "Perhaps, in a way, it will bring a new guardian to your side, to heal both of you. Let Lauri see the journals." "I'll think about it. What do you make of the slides? Are the scans clear enough for you to decipher and study them?" Callum said, forcefully changing the subject. Hours passed unnoticed. Callum discussed analysis, variables, and other theories with other warrior scientists. Though Liam remained in the background and discussion for most of it. The news of this liquid capsule and Lauri's reappearance spread like wildfire throughout the castle. He knew there would be some for and against her return, but none of which Callum would pass on to Lauri. 39

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

He only wanted the reason why she reappeared into his life. Then he wanted to figure out how quickly she could disappear with minimal damage to himself. When there were no answers popping out at them, Callum disconnected the call from the others. There wasn't a point in continuing the experiments tonight on his end. The others in the castle would continue working with their greater machines. Perhaps he will know more in the morning. He stretched his arms. Twisted his back until a few vertebrae cracked. Rubbing a hand over his face, he knew he needed to speak with Lauri. He grumbled at Liam's interference and advice on taking advantage of her reappearance into his life. Still, he wasn't sure what he would do. Part of him wanted to strangle her, the other half wanted to continue what happened in the shower. Rising from the stool, he stepped out of the lab and shut the door behind him. The delicious, homey scents of fresh-baked bread, redolent with fragrant beef stew drifted toward him. He lifted his nose and breathed. His stomach grumbled in answer. His culinary skills weren't quite up to par. He knew who was in there. Stepping into the kitchen, silent on bare feet, he leaned against the entryway, and watched Lauri stirring a spoon around the pot. On the counter nearby rested a loaf pan filled with a baked golden loaf cooling. He didn't realize there was such a pan in the kitchen. He waited for Lauri to stop what she was doing and turn to meet his perusal. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come out of the room. I was hungry." She kept the tone low, cautious to his moods. "I didn't know you cooked like this." 40

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Mom taught me." The small shrug lifted a shoulder. "There were fixings for the stew, the bread. I helped myself. The storm got worse while you were sequestered. I can still leave if you desire. I don't wish to be in the way." "Stop, Lauri, just stop," he said, raking a hand through his disordered hair. The spoon dropped with a clamor on the gas-powered stovetop. She hugged a slender body dressed in his clothes and topped with hair tousled in a ratty nest in desperate need of brushing. He wondered why she didn't use the brush in his bathroom. "What? What do you wish for me to do? I can't time travel back to the night disaster tore everything apart. I wish I could. I can't change me. I don't know..." She stopped the rush plea and hunched over. A long moan, a sharp whimper of pain escaped, only to end in a near scream of torture. "Lauri? Lauri, what's wrong?" Callum barely caught her before she collapsed on the floor. When his arms wrapped around Lauri, she curled in a fetal position. Her face turned white with pain as she let out another long moan. Her body, fraught with whatever demons the liquid was changing, twisted in his arms. The pain wrung another moan as tears fell. Cradling Lauri against his body, he went to the sofa. Settling on the cushions, he placed her on his lap, comforting, soothing through the horrible episode. Utterly helpless to do anything more, he waited and held her.

41

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Their coming together in the shower broke open the cold shield around his heart. The talk with Liam widened the crack to force him to see past the hatred. Now he needed to deal with the truth. Lauri Grace returned to his life and it was time to figure out what that meant for him and his dragon. [Back to Table of Contents]

42

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 4 Long moments later, far longer than Callum desired, passed before Lauri's eyes fluttered. Then she met his gaze. She blinked, almost as if she was awakening in a daze. "Cal?" He heard Lauri's soft, almost wishful voice. "Aye, lass, I'm here. How are ye feeling?" He raised a hand to draw back a few sweat soaked curls from her forehead. "Been wrung out and left to dry." A rough chuckle left him at the simple remark. "What's happening to me?" "We're not sure what the liquid is doing. I've talked it over with Liam and others at the castle. None of us know for sure what the compound is. What it's capable of doing to your system." "Others?" "The other warrior scientists Liam asked to join in on the analysis and discussion." "None cried foul about my being here?" "Nay, 'tis better you're with us than at some hospital where our secrets could be found out with tests. Even if we chose the doctor, worked with them and their staff, there would still be a huge risk. There's always the chance of a leak." "Translated—another black mark against my name if our secrets came out. People learned dragons flew through the skies once again," she muttered. She wiggled to roll out of his grip. 43

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Callum didn't release his hold. He enjoyed Lauri's soft weight cuddled in his arms. "I didn't say that, lass." "You didn't have to. I heard it still. Let me go, please. The episode has passed." "I've no desire to let ye go just yet." Pitch-black eyes widened as she looked at him. "You don't want me here." "I spoke harshly." "More than just harsh." His eyebrow rose to inform Lauri that she pushed what little luck she possessed too far. To his surprise, she fell silent. "This is the best place for ye until we know what is happening with the liquid. I'm both a scientist and a warrior. What better dragon than me to figure out what is happening? Also, protect you if the wraiths track you. Not to mention, we know each other better than anyone else could. I would see changes sooner than another." "We also hate each other more than anyone else." "Hatred we can push aside, deal with at another moment in time. Right now, we only need to be concerned with your health. After, I'll figure what this liquid is doing to your system. I want to understand why the wraiths tracked, shot you, but did not kill you. They don't allow enemies to live. After this episode, there is no way you can leave. Only other place would be to return you to the castle. Right now, I don't wish to go that route." "Then what?" "We'll continue on as we are. Perhaps more." 44

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Why?" "Five years is a long time, Lauri. To protect myself, I built a wall around me to heal. There was a lot of trauma for me to recover from. It'll take time to crack that wall open. I didn't realize the crack had opened while we were together in the shower." He admired the flush rising up Lauri's neck as he brought up the memory of their shower. "I didn't think you wish that to happen again." "You're right, I was angry and unsure of what happened. Again, I acted harsh, rash. It was unfair to you. I was rude." "You never act rash. You're the logical, cool, calm, collected Callum. No one could get a rise out of you." "Except for you," he reminded with a grin. "Yeah, well...What little I could do." "Right now. You did a lot." "How?" "There's a delicious dinner awaiting us. If you did nothing, there would be nothing to eat. Can you handle a bit of food?" Lauri nodded. "It should be ready for us now." "Good. First, go upstairs to grab a brush. Probably will also need a comb. They should be under the sink." "A brush?" "Aye, ye have a bird's nest for a head of hair," he teased. She squeaked as hands rose, pushing out of his arms. His warm chuckle followed the almost frantic race up the steps. Rising himself, he went to the kitchen to ladle the thick hearty beef stew into bowls, sliced through the fragrant rosemary bread. 45

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

While he poured warm tea into glasses, he lifted his gaze as she returned with brush and comb set in hand. A grin curled his lips. "I'll brush your hair afterward. Sit. Eat. I know you must be starving." "I am. Didn't have anything to eat since before the wraiths appeared," she admitted, doing what he asked and sat in the chair opposite him with feet tucked back against the rung. She dipped the spoon into the bowl. Callum indulged in a few spoonfuls of the stew, dipping the bread in to soak up some liquid. "Why so long?" She shrugged. "Just the passage of the day. Classes, lab, work. Just busy doing things, I didn't stop to grab a bite to eat. When I walked out of the last class, there they were, waiting for me. Everything went downhill from there." "Did you sense them following you before their appearance?" "No, this is rather unusual. I always sensed them long before anyone else, perhaps they were cloaked or something." "Tell me exactly what happened from the time you left the classroom," he said. "Why?" "To get an idea of what is going on. Liam wanted to know how they found you. How they followed you, but not open up with a full out attack. They didn't bother to capture you. Just follow and shoot you." At the tiny movement of Lauri sucking the lower lip under her teeth, Cal sensed heat rushing through him. He paid attention when she nibbled those luscious lips, knowing what 46

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

they could do to his cock. They didn't get to that position in the shower, but it was an experience he wanted to enjoy. At that thought, his cock hardened and pushed against the jeans. Soon he was forced to shift his hips in the chair, readjusting himself. After more spoonfuls of stew, he listened while she gave him the rundown of the chase, shooting, the car accident, and the race up the mountain. She mentioned how she didn't feel the wraiths after the car spun off the road. "Perhaps they thought ye were still encased in the car." "I don't know. The urge to find you overwhelmed me, taking over after that." "A good thing ye did. You needed my help with the injuries." A light entered those pitch-black irises for a brief second before her careful gaze dropped back to the table. She remained silent while they finished the bowls of stew. The silence remained during the few minutes it took to clean the bowls. Callum found containers to store the stew for another meal. Once they'd cleaned everything, he picked up the brush and comb, and led Lauri to the living room where she settled on the sofa. Sitting, opening his legs, he wrapped an arm around Lauri's waist. With a grin, he gave a gentle yank. She let out a squeak at the unexpected movement. "What was that for? I was fine where I was." He waved the brush in answer. "Not for me. Needed to bring ye closer. I can't brush your hair when you're an arm's length away." He worked his way carefully through the 47

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

tangled golden-brown locks. When he reached one of the nastier snarls, he used his fingers, trying not to tug on the sensitive scalp. Soon, Lauri purred, contentment filled her under his attentive touch. She always enjoyed having someone brush her hair. Especially when that someone was careful, considerate not to yank on the scalp with every stroke, snarl, and tangle. "Did I run out of conditioner in the bottle?" he asked in a lazy tone. "Yup," she said. "Hmm, your hair soaks up the conditioner like a sponge." "If there's not enough, this is the result." "I'll have you shiny with some curls when I'm done. Want a low braid?" "Nah, you can leave it loose." "Good. I prefer your hair loose. It's too pretty of a color and length to keep it tied up out of the way. I'm glad to see you didn't cut it." "Didn't have the heart to cut it. My one vanity." A warm chuckle rumbled. "Hmm, you and this hair. How long did others have to wait whenever you showered?" She blushed at the gentle teasing. Memories surged at how often she heard Allain banging on the door, yelling to get out. It often ended with him threatening to get the 'big bad dragon' to break down the door. "I miss him," she whispered, hating to ruin the calm between them. Allain was still there with them, in their memories, in their hearts. 48

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"You're not alone, lass. I miss him, too." After a few beats of silence, Cal set the brush down. Tugged closer against his chest, he enclosed Lauri in his arms. His chin settled on her shoulder, nuzzling a soft cheek. She enjoyed his gentleness instead of the argument and yelling she expected. Perhaps there was a bit of a break from the nastiness to remember the one they both loved. Tears spilt over at the memories of a lost twin brother and a damaged hurt dragon falling out of the sky. She stood in the middle screaming. She shifted, pressed a hand against Cal's chest where his heart beat strong and steady under the layers of skin, muscle, bone. That powerful beat let her know how this wonderful dragon would never give up so easily on life. She pressed a kiss to his chest, feeling the warmth emanating through his long-sleeved flannel shirt. She placed another gentle kiss on his chin. "Cal, please." She met his lips with hers. She turned and twisted in his grip, straddled his hips, and cupped hands around his beloved face. Leaning forward, she flicked her tongue against a sensitive nip of his lower lip, enticing him to participate in the kiss. His hands caressed up her back, his mouth opened. Soon, he took over their kiss. His tongue flicking, filling, tasting, and dancing. She danced fingers down his chest, unbuttoning the shirt as she went along. She broke the kiss for the scant seconds it took to whisk their shirts over their heads. Settling against him, she pressed aching breasts against the solid warmth of 49

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

his chest. A long moan escaped before she met his lips again. Another heady moan slipped out when his strong arms lifted her until his mouth captured a nipple. Then he suckled, nipped, and lipped the sensuous skin. Her head fell back, hair trailing down, eyes closed as he lavished attention. "Cal, my dragon." When he rolled them around, a playful squeak burst out with the sudden movement. An undulating moan lingered on her lips until he pressed his erection against the silky cleft, cupped against their shared warmth. With a grin as he settled, lips roving over her face, his hands skimming over soft skin, Lauri let herself drift away under the pleasure of this masterful dragon warrior making love, gentle passionate love this time. Only this time she hoped he wouldn't turn away when the passion dimmed. [Back to Table of Contents]

50

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 5 Replete, breath heavy with satisfaction after numerous rounds of lovemaking, Callum mumbled, brushed a kiss against the slender shoulder near his cheek. After the first couple of rounds in front of the fire, he moved them to the loft bedroom where they enjoyed various positions until she rose over him. With his hands cupping small breasts, she took a ride on him until they came together. Shortly after, she tumbled to the bed next to him, half on, half off his body. He noticed how she burrowed into a pillow. Together they fell into a drowsy slumber, sweaty bodies tangled around one another. Taking care not to awaken Lauri, knowing she needed sleep. Callum rolled them until she reclined on the pillows and perky breasts lifted and begged for his lips. He couldn't deny them what they asked. What man could deny such a delicious reward? He nuzzled one. Pushed himself up to stare down at his lover, tucked beneath him. He never thought Lauri would be in his bed, naked, their bodies drowsy from slumber, lovemaking while their scents mixed together. He nuzzled a breast and heard a low moan rumble through his drowsy lover. "Ready for another round," he teased. Lauri stiffened underneath his touch, and he looked up to see black eyes pop open. Pushing further away, Callum stared, dumbstruck, when black irises flashed to red. 51

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Dragon...Death to you, dragon." The snarl roughened Lauri's voice to the same tones of a wraith. Once delicate fingers now extended into vicious claws before she swiped. Leaping away, but not before dangerous claws slice into his biceps, Callum landed on the floor with an answering growl. His hands extended into his own talons. The rest of his skin hardened to the diamond-tough, espresso brown scales of his dragon form. "Wraith..." he snarled, listening and looking for any further transformation from the woman in his bed. As his lover's body tossed, turned, and heaved against something flaring inside, he couldn't do anything but observe. Slender limbs flailed, hands that caressed him now gripped the sheets. It escalated until she arched completely off the bed with only head and heels touching the mattress. She dropped down with floppy limbs; sweat beaded on creamy skin as another yowl filled the room. "Callum!" At this point, he wasn't sure if it was the liquid the wraiths created or something else. Part of him sensed she was trying to fight it off with whatever strength remained. Callum released his dragon, watching his skin return to a normal golden tone. With a call of magic, he made silken ropes appear in his hand. Not wanting to touch for fear of setting off another round of fits, he sent the ropes to tie around all four limbs and secured them to the bedposts. For now, it would hold.

52

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Leaning over, Callum stared deep into the red-tinged eyes for any sign of the lover he took to bed. Instead, he saw blood and the overpowering need for his death. "Lauri! Allauria Grace, are ye in there?" he called to the thing in the bed. "No more. Lover no more. I'll bring death to you." "I highly doubt that. For now, ye'll stay put." The Lauri-wraith snarled, screamed, and cursed him. There was nothing he could do, not with so many questions unanswered. With another burst of magic, Callum created pants on his body. He left the bedroom. Holding a hand against his biceps, he went downstairs. In his lab, he concentrated to heal the wound, but it wouldn't seal. He brushed some ointment against the angry wounds and left the lab. Pushing a rough hand through his hair, he stoked the waning fire and added a few more logs. He wanted to call Liam. Something made him hesitate at the thought of a dozen dragons descending on the cabin to tear Lauri apart, without listening to either one of them. They would only see how she was turning into a wraith. They wouldn't think about a cure. Nothing but destruction would be on their minds. There must be another way to fight the cursed liquid altering her before his very eyes. He couldn't lose another guardian. Outside the snow stopped, leaving the mountain glistening under the heavy cloud-filled sky. He could barely tell whether it was day or night. Inside, the cabin became eerily quiet as the howls, screams, and curses of the wraith disappeared. 53

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Cal walked to the bedroom. He noticed she slipped into a deep sleep. His magic could no longer sense the presence of a wraith. Taking the precautionary approach, he kept the ropes in place. He was wrong last night. There was no way this woman could be his. There wasn't a way to turn this woman into a guardian. She was far too gone from everything he needed. Exhausted, he slid into an armchair with a blanket. After regarding the creature who held his heart with the capability to shred it apart, he slipped into sleep. Rising from a deep sleep, Lauri murmured Cal's name, and turned to curl up against his warmth. She cried out when a shoulder yanked in protest. She squinted against the bright rays of sunlight pouring into the windows to shine upon this unusual predicament, spread-eagle, and tied to the posts with some kind of rope. Lauri raised an eyebrow at this sexy bondage position. A glance to the side, she saw Cal asleep in a nearby chair. A blanket barely covered his gorgeous body. She whistled in a few low tones, a last shrill one. A typical guardian call to reach their dragon. She saw him startle in the chair. His eyes opened. "Warn me before you tie me up. Before you bring on the kinky side of your nature, dear dragon." Lauri waved wrists and ropes. "I'm open to different passions, though some kind of warning is nice, even required. Especially since I really need the bathroom." "Not kink, dear wraith." 54

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Not—Wraith?" Lauri tugged on the ropes, tried to rise. "What the hell are you talking about?" "Ye tell me what happened. Your eyes went red. You turned into a wraith. A nasty snarling wraith who wanted my head. The ropes are there to prevent your claws from stealing more of my skin," he said, twisting his arm to reveal healing red lines. "I turned into a what—" Lauri felt her blood drain at the sight of his healing skin. "Did I do that to your arm?" "Ye heard me. Aye, you took a swipe at me when I wanted to wake you for more sex." Rising out of the chair, he snapped his fingers to release the ropes, called a shirt to his hand, and tossed it in her direction. "Dress yourself, I don't sleep with a woman who turns into a wraith, wants my blood. Even with a woman I want to get out of my system." Setting the shirt aside, Lauri scrambled off the bed and stormed over. She pushed at his chest to stop his casual walk to the door, out of view. Once again, this beautiful considerate lover turned into a hard, stern dragon who hated and despised her. "How the hell can we get out of each others' system? I'm your destined mate." "Ye gave up the privilege the night you caused your brother's death. In spite of the training, you never acted as a true guardian and now you'll never become one. You've been exiled from the castle, the guardians. Have ye forgotten that bit of information? I can easily remind you of the fact." He swiped her hands away from his body. "How can I forget? No one will let me forget. I can't let myself forget nor forgive myself for what happened. I can 55

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

never forget the sight of those talons slicing deep into your side." Lauri pressed a hand against the wide swath of scar tissue. He smacked it away. "It wouldn't heal properly. A dozen healers came, but nothing would heal it. I was flightless for a year! I lost my dragon form for a year. I was cut off from that side of my soul because of you. I was stuck in this human form amongst the other dragons. They looked at me with such pity, grief. I lost my Guardian, a possible mate, and my dragon because of your idiotic decision." "I wanted to stay by your side—" Twirling, he forced them against the nearest wall. His hands clenched around her arms. "Having ye there? That's what caused everything. If ye stayed inside the castle with the others the way I ordered you, the night would have gone fine. The battle would be won, your brother still alive, countless lives saved, and I would never have gotten this injury. No, you're rash, impulsive, and above all, you ignored orders." He slammed a hand against the wall. "Because you wanted to be by my side in a battle you could never fight, lives were torn apart. Everything destroyed." "I wouldn't have come out, I wouldn't," she lashed out. "You called for me. You called for me to help you and Allain. That's why I took up the sword, rushed out. I wanted to help you. You needed me and I answered your call." "I would never call for you in the middle of battle, nor would Allain. You weren't trained to handle such a battle with the wraiths. Why the hell would I call for you?" 56

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Hatred tears at his denial welled up as she looked at him. "You did call for me! I couldn't deny you anything. You called me and I rushed to be there for you." She fisted hands against the wall, wanting to pound them against something to vent frustration and anger. "I would do anything you asked of me back then, even rush into a battle." "I would never call for you." "In my mind, I heard you." "Like this?" When he gathered energy, Lauri winced and cried out as he forced his way into her mind with their telepathic connection. She breathed in the intervening time he let up on the anger. As she opened to this mental invasion, she felt his internal strength, a dragon's flair. "Is this what ye heard? Did ye hear me like this?" The energy dissipated at the realization his internal voice was not the one she heard. His mental tone retained the burr of his physical, unlike the smooth one. She barely noticed at the time during his gentle disconnection of the mental link. Lauri's legs were wobbly, unsure as a knock-kneed foal. She knew only his fierce grip kept her naked body against the wall. "It wasn't you. That wasn't the voice," she murmured. "Now we're thinking the same way. I would never call an untrained guardian into a battle. Let alone call one with my mind amid my concentration of flying against wraiths." "Someone else touched my mind. Manipulated me to rush into the battle." She instantly succumbed to lost memories, 57

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

panic rising. "What is happening to me? Why is it happening? Why did they make me do that? To you? To Allain?" "I'm not sure what is doing this, other than to speculate the wraiths are up to something. Liam is checking into things at the castle." "Liam doesn't believe me anymore than you do." "He'll do what he must for the castle." In the wake of Cal releasing his grip, she sank to the floor, legs curled up, arms wrapped tight in a pitiful fashion. She caught the shirt he tossed, pulled it on to hide some nudity. Leaning to the side, she caught his scent in the collar. Staring at the floor, she heard him move around. Something opened, followed by a distinct slamming of a drawer, but she didn't move. When his bare feet came into her limited view, she didn't look up to meet his gaze, not sure what she would find in those hazel eyes. She flinched in an automatic response when he dropped something. It was a battered leather journal secured with a leather-thong tie. This time, she looked up at him. "What is this?" "Your mother's journal. Liam found it amongst your brother's things during his search for something to help me after I left the castle. Your brother made entries in the back after it was given to him upon your mother's death. Perhaps something in there could give you an answer to the questions rattling in your head." Lauri played with the leather cover and simple tie, fluttered the yellowed pages. When she stopped at a page, she recognized her mother's elegant, flowing handwriting in the beginning of the journal. At the end was Allain's crisp neat 58

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

writing, something she envied because her left-handed scrawl was often unreadable. "I'm going for a flight. Don't leave the cabin." He stalked out of the room. She didn't look away from the precious gift of the past. [Back to Table of Contents]

59

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 6 With a few powerful backstrokes of his wings, Callum transformed from the espresso-dark dragon to his human form. A glance up at the sky told him the sun disappeared behind dark clouds. He knew more snow would fall as evening fell around them. Then he saw the darkness within the clouds wasn't a coming snow. Stepping off the front porch, he walked away from the cabin to look around. A long shadowy wing appeared from the edge of the clouds. He snarled low at the sight. It wasn't a wing of a dragon. Wraiths. Wraiths were looking around his mountain. He glanced back at the cabin, the skies. He knew they were following the scent of the liquid they shot into Lauri, what was left during the climb toward him. They followed the scent of what would become one of their own. He would be a welcomed prize. He snarled again as another wing dipped under the clouds and circled. He wouldn't make it easy for them to take either one of them. Them. He wondered if there could be a them— him and Lauri. During his flight, there was time to think about Lauri, what happened between them. It wasn't sex—neither the passion-filled lustful time in the shower, the gentle coming together on the couch in front of the fire, or the long sessions in his bed. It wasn't sex to get her out of his system. No, there was no way to get sweet, beautiful Lauri out of his system. Those slender, knowing fingers combined with that 60

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

smile, innocent, but sensual, all of it dug deep under his skin, curled around his heart. Oh no, she was deep in the pit of his soul. He knew damn well he was deep in the pit of her soul. If he wasn't there, she wouldn't have trekked up the mountain in a blizzard to find him. If she truly hated him, she would have returned to the castle for help with the wraiths. There could be 'them', a relationship could blossom if given a push. His gaze returned to the wraiths. He wouldn't let them destroy the delicate blooming relationship, not until he gave it a chance. Nor would this dragon allow the wraiths to descend upon his haven without a fight. Dragging a hand through his unruly hair, he looked around the property he called home, a safe haven, studied the protective barriers. Nothing was tripped during his flight. Glancing back at his cabin, he looked up, saw a flickering light in the loft window. When he closed his eyes, he could still feel Lauri's presence within the warm interior. Upon first arriving at the cabin, the journal was amongst the possessions he took with him from the castle. Body— tender and healing. Heart—broken and sore. Mind—confused and numb from the loss of his ability to transform. His guardian lost forever. The betrayal done by his potential mate. Callum read the words written by the mother of his guardian and fated mate. Loving, heart-wrenching, those words opened up a lot of insight into the guardian family who protected him during harsh times, good times, and inbetween time. Part of him wondered how this wonderful 61

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

woman could produce twins who were night and day in their differences. Rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, Callum called the pair of jeans back to his body, and entered the cabin. He looked around the kitchen, the great room, but noticed nothing changed during the flight. Placing a hand on the banister, he jogged up the stairs to the loft room where he left Lauri. The door remained partially opened. He stepped inside. His movements were soft, quiet to not disturb or alarm. He found Lauri curled up in the armchair he slept in. Tracks of tears covered pale cheeks. The journal lay across bare thighs with an opened envelope. A letter rested on top, her fingers scraping and plucking the edges. "Lauri?" When he called, she didn't move a muscle. Part of him was afraid the wraith side would take over if he startled her. He didn't have the energy to muster to deal with it, not until he spoke with Lauri. "Allauria, I need ye to talk to me." He walked into the room, crouched in front of the chair. "My mother left a cryptic note in one of the passages I read. Something she taught me when I was younger. It was girl stuff, so Allain wouldn't find out. She left this envelope hiding under the binding on the back cover," she said in a low tone, emotionless. "What did it say?" "My aunt found information pertaining to Allain, me, the wraiths. She wouldn't say how she obtained it." 62

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Callum waited out the silence again. Everyone within the castle knew that Lauri's Aunt Serena was a powerful seer, within the guardians. If anyone could locate information it would be the late Serena, especially when it dealt with the wraiths. "A wraith seer predicted Allain would become a powerful guardian. His children with his dragon mate would become powerful. Together with the dragons, they would wipe out the entire species. Since they couldn't have that happen, they needed to find some way to counteract what the seer predicted. To change the future to be better for them. They created me." Lauri paused, licking the trembling lower lip, and swallowed hard. "Created you?" "I was created from wraith parents, magic, and forced into our mother's womb with Allain. I would absorb energy from him and Mom to look like them. To blend in and become a guardian. Only I wasn't there to blend, I was there to destroy everything. I accomplished that with ease the night Allain died. I did what I was created for and now they're coming for me to do more. I'm a spawn of evil." She crumpled the letter, closed the journal with a snap, and threw it at Callum. Leaning back to catch the journal with pure reflex, Callum stared, surprised at this kind of reaction. "You're not..." "Don't you dare try to tell me what I'm not! You know what I did. You know now exactly what I am. How it supported everything that happened." "We can change this...whatever this liquid is doing to you." "You have your orders from Liam." 63

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"Orders can change." "Not these. You wanted to follow those orders the minute I stepped through the door. You were told to kill me. Well, now is the time to carry out those orders." Rising to his feet, he stepped away. This was an impossible request. After what happened between them, there was no way he would follow Liam's orders. There was still a tiny lick of hope to save her from the wraiths. Part of him yearned to believe there was a chance, a chance he wouldn't lose another guardian. "You have to kill me now before I destroy anything else. The liquid was indeed breaking the barrier the guardian energy created at birth. If the barrier isn't reinforced, I will become wraith, another full-fledged, full-blown killer. As another powerful dragon with a promising destiny, you are also on my list to kill." She glared at him. "You, Callum, my mate. My dragon warrior. You can't let me turn into one of them." "I refuse to believe you would prefer death to fighting this wraith. I'll do no such thing. Even if Liam stood here, ordered me, I'd refuse to kill you." Callum tossed the journal on the bed. "We'll find another way." Now standing, Lauri revealed that she held his dagger. "Where did ye get that?" "It doesn't matter now. This is the only way to destroy me." Stepping in front, she bore into his gaze, flipped the dagger with the point facing her heart. "There is no other way, Callum. I need you to strike at my heart, put an end to my misery. I would rather die by your hand than anyone 64

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

else's or the wraiths. Once I finish the change, they'll find us here. They'll kill you. I can't bear the thought of your death on my hands." Callum held up his hands, refusing to take the dagger. "Damn you! Strike me down, Cal! Strike at me for the damage I caused, for your injury, for the death of Allain. For the other dragons and guardians killed. Their souls taken by the wraiths. Put an end to the one who caused pain, for I will only cause more if you let me live." She advanced on him, holding out the dagger. "Please, Cal, take it. Kill me. Please, I can't do it myself. Please do this last thing for me." "No, Lauri, I'll not kill you. Not like this." "Why not? You wanted to destroy me in the shower. Hours ago when I woke up, tied to the bed, you wanted to take my life. It would have been the perfect time. Now, you must do this here, in this fashion. There are no more options." Callum retreated until his shoulders met the wall. He kept his hand limp when she snatched it up from his side. Before he could pull back, she wrapped his fingers around the handle. She stepped in closer, between his legs. He sighed at the feeling of Lauri's soft belly pressed against his rock-hard erection. This wasn't what he wanted when he gave Lauri the journal. The danger and passion flared between them. It aroused his dragon. The pleas, calls of his mate filled the air. His dragon needed to comfort, hold, and protect his female from the rush of danger. Lauri moved closer until he saw the sharp edge of the dagger press against the warm, soft skin of a tender breast. 65

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

She leaned toward him, into the dagger. He sucked in a sharp breath when it broke skin enough for a drop of scarlet red blood to bead against the tip. He snarled at the scent of his mate's blood. "You need to strike for the heart. End this for me, for you, for the memory of Allain, for everyone. Use the anger that built inside you since the night I ignored orders, rushed out to help you. Everything I am is a lie. I'm a fake. I'm nothing to you except death, anger, lies. You knew what I was back then. You know it now. Now is the time to strike back. Kill me! End this for the both of us, I beg you to strike true!" His fingers flexed over the handle. Cal's gaze stared at the scarlet drop against the creamy skin. He wanted to lick the droplet, taste the essence, the power and magic that ran through her blood. His mate's very life captured in that tiny droplet. When he lifted his gaze, he saw the red return to the black irises. "Damn you, Callum! Strike me now! Please, don't let me change into what we hate," she screamed. "I'm verra sorry, lass." When she saw his hand rise, he concentrated on the relief, grief, and love that encompassed those dark irises before the red hated of the wraith washed it away. She tilted back, let out the terrible screech of a trapped wraith. His hand came down, knocking his beloved unconscious. Callum was quick to catch her before she collapsed on the floor. A scream of rage left him. He threw the dagger away from both of them. He barely registered when the blade sank into the wall. 66

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

He pressed his forehead against Lauri's upper chest, breathed in the sweet, rich scent, the aphrodisiac of her blood. Cupping a soft, perfect breast in his hand, he tilted his head, and licked the scarlet droplet from the tiny fissure on creamy skin. He couldn't destroy his beautiful Allauria. He knew she was a dragon's guardian and mate. No one other than a genuine guardian would put others' lives in front of their life. She was willing to die to repair the damage she caused, prevent the wraiths from completing their desires. Now his guardian and mate were finally with him, Cal knew he risked the chance of losing her forever. This time it would surely destroy him. He wasn't going to lose another guardian from his life. Especially when this particular guardian was his mate. When a shiver raced through Lauri's body as she fought against the power of the wraiths, Callum scooped her up in his arms. Cuddling Lauri close to his body, he called his dragon forward enough to warm the both of them. Rising, he went downstairs, back to the great room. With a bit of magic, he set up a nest of blankets in front of the fire. The fire would keep the chill out of the room, help fight back against the wraiths who couldn't survive against the sparks or flames. He nestled Lauri in the middle, then cuddled spoon-fashion. Reaching out to the fire, Callum found the sparks, embers, fanned them with his energy. They built up into stronger, warmer flames. He added a few more logs for the flames to devour. It would hold back the darkness. 67

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

When Lauri murmured something in sleep, he shifted enough to maintain a vigil and wait for her eyes to open. Half of him was relieved to see their black coloring until he saw the realization she wasn't dead come into them, then tears filled those lovely eyes. "Cal..." She stopped the plea when he pressed a finger against her lips. "No, beloved, ssh. I'll never destroy ye. I can't kill someone who holds my heart." He smoothed back a lock of hair. "Ye, wee one, definitely hold my heart. In spite of my harsh words those earlier times since your arrival, you have been, forever will be within my system. There is no getting rid of you." Lauri reached up a hand, stroking his bristled cheek. "I can't fight it much longer. It's getting too strong. It'll take me away from you. I thought of you every moment we were apart. I dreamt of you every night, my beautiful dragon. I will always dream of you. Sweet dreams of our time together." Turning his head, he nuzzled the seeking hand, kissed the sensitive fingertips, then pulled her forefinger between his lips to suckle and nip. He noticed the reaction of those pale pink nipples beaded under the shirt as a low moan escaped in a breathless sigh. "My dreams were filled with you, flying with you tucked against me, having you in my bed, under me, surrounding me." "Driving deep into my body to make us one." "We are one. We will be one. Become my mate and guardian, Allauria Grace, sister of Allain, strong guardian of 68

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

dragon warriors. Choose me instead of the darkness taking over your mind." "I'm not a guardian. I can't..." She stopped in midthought. "You're born of a guardian's body. You're raised in the ways of a guardian. That blood runs strong in you and it helped to create the barrier against the wraith, and prevented you from carrying out the orders and desires of a wraith. You're a guardian, beloved, in every ounce of your gorgeous body. Now, we must help to bring it forward, forever banish the wraith, and become my mate. My love, strength, and power will help to strengthen the barrier." "If it doesn't?" Callum rose, and stared down. "I go where ye go." "No, Cal!" "Decision made." "Callum, no, I can't bear to think of you turning into a wraith." "Even if it means becoming the wraith or death, we'll never be parted again. I will not lose another guardian. Losing you would destroy me. It would finish what was started that fateful night." He dropped his head, kissed those trembling lips to soothe his lover. "I would go to hell to find you, stand next to your side, Allauria Grace, my saving grace." Before she could answer, he noticed the scarlet seep back into the dark irises. He knew the energy of the wraith returned and time was running out.

69

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

"I could kill you without realizing it. Don't take the chance. You must leave and fight the incoming wraiths. Forget all about me." "Not without you, darling." He observed Lauri struggle to fight against the need to change. She flung up a hand, reaching for him, and he grasped it tight, giving the strength she needed to fight. When a low shout of pain left while she twisted in his arms, he clutched her close. She shook with a harsh snarl. "Love—" Another cry of agony. Callum let his barrier down. His dragon flooded energy into his mate, nearly suffocating Lauri with the pulse, power of his magic. Leaning over, he pressed his lips against Lauri's, needing to capture and hold her attention, energy, and passion while his dragon connected their souls and lives. He vanished their clothes, rolled them until she reclined against the pillows, stretched out underneath him. "Don't let go of me, Lauri." He waited when she tried to get a breath, to push away the wraith's violent pain. His heart clenched as she fought the lure of the wraith's call to change. They were losing valuable time. "No matter what, know I love you." A light gasp left him when she caressed his jaw as the scarlet continued to fill those irises, changing his lover before his eyes. A low groan of pain left when her head fell back. "Lauri? Lauri, darlin', open your eyes." Callum shook her gently. He pressed his hand against the quiet chest and found 70

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

neither breath nor a heartbeat. "Nononono. Lauri!" He sent his dragon deep inside her mind to find her essence, but only darkness met him. Rage, grief engulfed him. His head fell back as his dragon roared with the loss of his mate. [Back to Table of Contents]

71

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Chapter 7 Tears trickled from his eyes to splash on Lauri's face in soft droplets. Refusing to let his mate leave him, his dragon screamed, cursed. He rose hard, fast, furious inside his body. Callum screamed as his body transformed into his dragon form. He saw his golden tone skin transformed to espresso colored scales. Kept to a house-size form, Callum lifted his long neck, shook his head, letting the full ruff spread out. He stretched his front legs, whipped his tail. Stared down his long snout at his mate, he flicked his tongue to taste the air, the skin, and capture his mate's scent. Stronger in this form, he dove deep inside her unconsciousness. He broke through the wall of darkness the wraith created to hide what they were doing. Deep inside the dark, he saw a pale form curled up. Only the golden-brown curls told him this was indeed what was left of his strong mate. Tearing through another barrier surrounding the form, Callum reached out, nuzzled a shoulder with his snout. He flicked his tongue against soft, sensitive skin until she turned, looked at him. Lauri wrapped arms around his neck, shoulders. "Cal! You came for me." "Always, beloved, always. Come, my mate, come back with me." Cal nudged her to climb on his back. When she shifted a leg over his shoulders, settled against his body, Callum unfurled his wings, roared out against the 72

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

darkness clouding around them. He sent flames of mystic blue fire to burn the tendrils of the wraith burrowing deep inside. Flying through the mist of unconsciousness, Callum burnt the various tendrils, tore through the smoke, and barriers the wraith erected. The same time, his dragon used magic to tangle, weave their lives and souls together. During the flight, Lauri's body fell limp against his neck. After weaving the last lines together, Callum pulled away from Lauri's mind. He transformed back to the man, curled around his lady. A few tense seconds passed before he heard a breath rattle Lauri's lungs. It was slow and steady, and then the soft heartbeat returned to normal. The bond, fragile and tentative, was there. He could only hope she was strong enough to withstand this whole ordeal. Outside, the wind picked up, alerting his sensitive hearing at how this night wasn't finished. Rising from his mate with a kiss, Callum opened the door, stepped outside, and noticed the shadows filling the area around his cabin. The wraiths arrived, swirled around his mountain. He knew they were waiting to take hold of their newest acquisition. While the noise and dark swirled around the house, Callum snarled back at them. When a wraith dropped, it buffeted him with a plume of air and shadows. A growl left him as the black wraith swept up from him. He stared hard at the shape of a huge manta ray complete with a long stinger-like tail, the arms and legs of an ape to reach, grab prey from the ground or out of the sky. It was a truly horrifying creature to behold. He's seen more than his fair share. Not knowing if the bond 73

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

between them would be complete, if she would live, he wouldn't let the wraiths take Lauri, nor would he fall prey. His dragon bellowed a call. He changed from a man to a powerful dragon. He harnessed the natural energy of the mountain around him. With a powerful push from his legs, he leapt into the air and unfurled his wings to rise higher in the sky. Using the energy around him, he called lightning to strike out at the wraiths and light up the shadows hidden amongst the clouds. As the wraiths fled from the lightning, he used his fire to destroy them. Whirling, twirling with a slight twist of his wings, he swung around in the air before launching another attack with a stream of fire. He bellowed another call before diving under a shadow, shooting a long flash of fire as he flew. Furious against those who harmed his beloved, invaded his home, he twisted in another direction with a turn of his wing. Diving after another wraith, Callum blew fire, destroyed it, burst through the cloud of ash and shadow. With a cry of fulfillment at the destruction, he turned his head, spotting a wraith swirl to land on the cabin's porch. An outrage cry left him at the thought of his mate, left unconscious, vulnerable inside. Until the bond took hold between them, the wraiths still had the power to steal her from him. His wings angled sharply. He dove toward the wraith trying to enter the haven he created for himself. A haven where he found his destiny, his mate, his ability to fly. He let out a powerful roar. His talons flexed, ready to snare their prey, shred it into nothing. 74

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Just before his claws could sink into the shadowy body, it shrieked in pain, then exploded in a cloud of dust, ash, smoke. He flew through, turned sharp to avoid the building. He circled around in time to see who destroyed the wraith. His precious guardian mate stood in the yard, just off the porch. Dressed in his shirt. Bare feet strong and sure in the snow. Wind whipped through long tangles of golden hair as she brandished his long sword in delicate hands. A vicious look curled those lush lips. She swung the sword at another wraith. "You'll not take anyone away from me ever again!" she swore to the wraiths, sliced the sword through another and turned the creature into dust. What training, expertise she lacked with sword, she made up for it with anger, energy, a determined need to protect him. A smile curved his long snout in true appreciation. He saw a true dragon's guardian standing below, protecting their home, his nature. She was a wonderful sight to behold. With the last death, the remaining attackers winged away, and flew fast and furious through the dark clouds that surrounded them. They knew they lost their creation, the ability to infiltrate the dragons and their guardians. With a shout of joy at the sight of his mate, Callum dove to the ground. He back-winged hard, transformed to a man on the run. He raced toward his beloved, scooped her up in his arms, and spun them around. When he looked upon his mate's beloved face, he noticed Lauri's eyes were the same shade as his hazel. He knew the bond was secured, complete 75

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

when he perceived Lauri's unending joy and pleasure at having his arms around her. He couldn't resist the lure of those lips. They kissed long and deep, filled with a need. Setting Lauri back on bare feet, he drew his fingers through soft hair, and stared deep into those gorgeous eyes. After kissing his beloved hard, deep and possessive, he pulled back to nuzzle the soft cheek. "My saving grace, my Allauria, my mate. You're a true dragon's mate, my lass." **** About Nicole Dennis Nicole Dennis always had a fascination with fantasy, paranormal and the never-ending appeal and beauty of romance. It seemed only natural her various loves would come together in her writing. Growing up, she was often lost in a book. Since then, she fell into reading and collecting dragons, fairies, vampires, and shapeshifter figurines of all kinds, and those paranormal elements began to intrude in her writing. Over time, she became braver and allowed romance to slip into the erotica style of love. Working in a quiet office in Florida, she enjoys the down time to slip into her fantasy and paranormal worlds to escape reality. At home, she becomes the devoted human slave to two crazy cats—an angelic red tabby and a demonic, but chicken, black-orange calico. Nicole loves to hear from her readers. Reader eMail: 76

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

[email protected] [Back to Table of Contents]

77

Dragon's Grace by Nicole Dennis

Ready for more? Visit any of the following links: Lyrical Press lyricalpress.com

78