Dragon's Heart (6 page)

Mates.

Something
else Draakar didn’t want to think about yet. He did love Sierran, though not
his truemate, and mourned her passing. Talon remained all he had now.

No.
Not quite true. Another existed. The Stones told him his mate was here but why
hadn’t she felt his presence or called to him? The moment he returned to Terra,
she should have been drawn to him. As a fully matured female, her dragon’s
blood would run strong.
 

So
why couldn’t he fully sense her? He had only brief, vague hints of her. Maybe
he didn’t really want to find her, at least not yet. Sierran’s passing still
rested fresh in his memories.

Ian’s
voice snapped Draakar out of his thoughts.

“We’re
almost there, Draak.”

Talon
sat up in bed and pulled the electrodes off his forehead, but the machines
continued to function as though he were still attached. Next he pulled the IV
out of his arm, all the while never taking his eyes off Maya.

“I’m
sorry. That was clumsy of me. Verbalizing is not something I do very often, but
I better get used to it though. Please, don’t be afraid. You know I won’t hurt
you.”

Maya
still hadn’t moved any closer. She stayed with her back pressed against the
wall and her hand on the doorknob. “How…how did you do that? Who are you?”

“My
name is Talon Akgon. Again, I’m sorry. We don’t have much time. My father is
already here and will find me soon if you don’t help me.”

“Help
you? What’s going on here? I repeat, and I’m tired of repeating myself. Who and
what are you?”

“I
told you who I am and I-I think you already know what I am. What you are?”

Maya
felt less scared and more than a little angry at his response. “What am I?” she
said, pointing to her chest. “What kind of crap is this?”
 

“Maya,
please. I’m begging you. I need your help. I can not be here when my father
gets here or else he’ll send me home.”

She
frowned. “Are…are you afraid of your father? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No,
I’m not afraid of my father, and no I’m not in any kind of trouble. He sent me
here, but he didn’t realize about the time difference or that she would be even
younger than I.”

“Whoa,
hold on. You’re not making any sense. What time difference and who’s ‘she’?”

“I….”

Maya
held up her hand. “Wait, let’s start over. Your name’s Talon Akgon. Are you
from around here?”

“Yes
and no.”

“What
kind of answer is that?”

“The
only one I have time to give right now. Listen, my father is on his way. I want
you to take my hand.” Her eyes opened wide and she felt her eyebrows stretch
toward her forehead. Talon smiled and watched her intently. “Just hold my hand,
and ask yourself if you trust me,” he continued, while lifting his hand off the
bed.

“Trust
you! I don’t even know you.”

“Please,
Maya. You’re my only hope.”

Some
primal instinct, or stupidity, caused Maya to pick up the over turned chair and
walk over to stand beside the bed. Gingerly, she took Talon’s outstretched
hand. She did trust him.

“I’m
going to link to you. Between the two of us, we will be able to block my father
from finding me.”

“What’d
you mean link?” Maya asked. Too late, Talon had already grasped her hand, and a
golden glow immediately surrounded where their skin touched. She felt no pain,
was only a little startled by the heat radiating from his skin. When she tried
to jerk her hand away, he released her.

“It’s
all right, Maya.
 
It’s done.”

“Done!”
Maya shook her head. “What’s done? I didn’t know when it began.”

“A
connection between us. It’s kind of difficult for me to explain, but with this
connection to you, I’m able to tap into some of your earth-bound essence to
mask my own. You now have a link to me. You’ll always be able to have a sense
of my well-being and me of you. You’ll be able to let my father know I’m fine.”

“What
have you done?”

 
“I’m sorry. The link itself is painless,
but…” His forehead crinkled, he looked like he didn’t want to tell her the rest
of it but continued talking. “If I’m harmed you’ll know. This was the only
thing I could think of to block my father from finding me. We are now linked.
When my father searches for me, he will only sense you.”

Maya
could only stare at him wild-eyed. She should have been running for her life,
but her legs wouldn’t move. Maybe because of a major break down in the command
centers between her brain and her feet.

Talon
had no such immobility and got off the bed. One minute he had on a hospital
gown and the next he wore the same clothes Maya had found him in up on the
mountain. She gasped and her brain unlocked from its frozen state, prompting
her feet to take a step back.
 

“How…how’d
you do that?” she cried. “What are you?”

Talon
shook his head at her and looked a little sad. “You know what I am. Your blood
knows. I have to go now but we will meet again. Thank you for all that you have
done for me, and know my mother did not mean you any harm. She did what she did
for the brethren, our race; they both did. I know that now.”

Maya
could only gape at him, too stunned to say anything. Every word out of his
mouth sounded like gibberish. Yet some part of her, a small part, paid
attention to his words. He stepped closer to her and gently kissed her cheek.
“Do not be afraid, Maya.
 
Welcome
to the family. Forgive him…he’s here.”

     
With those both
joyous and ominous words left hanging in the air, he shimmered and disappeared,
leaving Maya with her mouth wide open.
Yep
,
I am losing it!
She sat on the bed
because her knees would no longer support her body.

    
The automatic doors
at the hospital entrance slid smoothly open. The man who stepped through them
glanced neither left nor right. All eyes swung in his direction and remained
fixated on him. He didn’t walk but glided smoothly across the tiled floor with
sensuous grace. A compelling aura surrounded the man, making him the center of
attention. The air around him seemed to vibrate with electrical currents. His
presence screamed wealth, power, danger and for anyone with an additional
X-chromosome, raw, primal, unadulterated sex.

  
He never stopped at the
information desk, already knowing his destination. He didn’t even break stride
when the elevator doors opened before him and he stepped on. He didn’t press a
button, but the elevator started and stopped on the necessary floor.

     
Draakar stepped
off the elevator and for the first time halted his stride. In truth, too
stunned to move. All of his senses registered the presence he’d yearned for,
for well over a thousand years. Something he had all but given up hope of ever
being able to have. Then another’s thoughts slammed into his head, with such
force his eyes blinked twice from the impact.

At last—it’s about damn
time!
 

My Queen!

Don’t my Queen me! Queens die! I am
so pissed at you I could rip out your heart and fry it! Literally!

     
“What the
hell!” Maya shouted aloud. She sat on the bed with her head in her hands. “Oh
my God! I am losing my mind! Who or what the hell was that? Get the hell outta
my head.”

     
Maya sensed the
presence closer to her now, the same presence in her head. She felt rather than
heard the door open. Her world narrowing down to small increments of motion,
she lowered her arms to her sides and raised her head.

The
creature she beheld standing framed in the doorway commanded a mixture of awe,
anger and fascination. No doubt in her mind, a human did not stand before her.
Like father like son. Besides, no mere man could have such an impact on all
five senses and then some. She felt saturated in the pheromones rolling off him
in waves.
 

About
six-four and wearing a long leather coat covering what she knew would be
solidly packed muscle, with a structure of unbelievable beauty for a face, yet
holding not a hint of femininity, stared back at her. His thick straight
midnight-black hair hung over his shoulder and past his waist, but his entire
demeanor screamed prime male. He assessed her as silently and deeply as she
assessed and appreciated him.

Dark eyebrows like wings graced a perfect forehead, while
long dark lashes framed eyes flashing emerald fire within their depths. A nose
no surgeon could ever duplicate, made for looking imperially at others,
followed by a slightly squared jaw in no way weak. His lips—Maya refused
to even think about. No, nothing feminine about this man.
 

No
human man entered the room, a dark angel maybe.
Or a dragon.

The
certainty popped into her head and would not leave.

While
the son’s beauty would make an artist long to paint, he was still a boy. Here
before her stood something entirely different. On some level Maya acknowledged
all of this, but the emotion of an inexplicable rage took the strongest
precedent, and buried under the rage, hurt from the pain of his betrayal.

Betrayal?
It made no sense. She did not know this man, this creature. And yet, some part
of her recognized him. Recognized what they could mean to each other, and part
of her knew he had betrayed her.

     
The dragon of
her dreams stood before her. A man she should fear, but instead anger rose to
the surface. A safer better emotion than fear or hurt, and one she could
harness.

     
She blinked
then frowned.
 
Now why exactly was
she angry?

A
rthur Ferguson held his wife’s hand in a near death
grip as he walked with her up to the front door of the rowhouse in the upper
northwest section of Washington, DC.
 
The front yards on this street were well maintained and expensive cars lined
the road. Like his ex-wife, the neighborhood appeared classy and pricey. Arthur
only observed this in passing, his excitement at this visit upper most in his
thoughts. He and his wife only stayed in their hotel room long enough to change
clothes. Arthur couldn’t wait to see the daughter he hadn’t seen in two
years.
 
Living in another country
kept them apart.

Distance
didn’t stop him from keeping in touch though. He’d kept in regular contact with
her through e-mails, texting, and even social networks, and he dutifully sent
her mother a check each month for her care, but she’d been eight the last time
he saw her in person.
 

Thankfully,
despite the way they parted, his ex-wife allowed him to contact their daughter
during the entire time he lived abroad. At least he had the chance to maintain
a relationship with his child. If his ex hadn’t agreed, with him out of the
country it would have been difficult to force the issue, but in truth, their
tenacious daughter had insisted upon it rather than any of her mother’s doing.
In the last few months, things had changed drastically. Tammi, her mother, had
cancer and she didn’t have much time left. She wanted him to have full custody
of their daughter before she died. She did not want her gangster brother
anywhere near their child. Neither did Arthur. For once in their lives they
were in complete agreement.

Arthur
knocked on the front door and it quickly opened. His eyes traveled downward
until they stared into silvery gray eyes, the identical color as his own.

Draakar
stepped into the hospital room toward his past and his future. Ready or not, it
sat in front of him and he would face it as he had faced everything else in his
life, like the Lord of the Brethren.

The
door shut silently behind him, closing without him touching it. His woman
didn’t flinch. The sight of her had his blood humming through his veins. No
doubt existed in his mind or heart she was meant for him. She had spoken to him
in his mind, or rather her dragon self recognized him and spoke to his. He
wondered if she realized what happened.

Draakar
became aware of something else. He could no longer sense or track his son. The
woman before him consumed all of his senses. His link to Talon led him straight
to her.

She
stared at him with large almond-shaped eyes, shining with an intelligence to
match his own. He returned her stare, imprinting every nuance of her into his
memory. A warm brown color coated her skin, in stark contrast to his paleness.
Funny, though his dragon hide was deep black, his human skin was white. But
this mate of his, while very beautiful as a human, would be magnificent as a
dragon. The power flowed true and strong in her blood. He could hear it
coursing through her body. The magicks lay dormant no more as they rose to
consciousness beneath her skin.

His
truemate.

He
watched her inhale, taking air deep into her lungs as her chest expanded. He
did not need to read her mind to know she wrestled to try to bank the
unreasonable and puzzling anger she felt toward him—a stranger.

“You…you
must be Talon’s father. He’s not here.”

Ah, Talon.
 
What have you done?

“Stop
that.”

Draakar
stepped farther into the room and blocked his thoughts from her. Without taking
his gaze off her, he removed his jacket and tossed it onto the chair beside
him.
 

Maya's
gasp and reaction to him almost had him grinning. She guessed he could read her
thoughts, but she hadn’t managed to block him before he pulled her attraction
to him from her mind. He reminded her of one of those Olympic ice speed skaters
she’d seen on television, all broad-shouldered with a narrow waist. His
clothing both covered and showcased lean sleek muscle. She wanted to touch him,
and imagined his body would feel like steel beneath her fingers. She had to
forcibly wrench her thoughts away from his looks and back to her many
questions. He could no longer suppress his smile at the things filtering
through her mind and his pleasure in her.

“Talon
told me to let you know he’s fine, but he won’t be returning home with you.”
The words came out in a rush, then she paused and took a deep breath before
continuing. He sensed she wanted answers and facing him, a being she was unsure
of, seemed the only way to get them.

Draakar
patiently studied the woman before him reading the thoughts she verbalized as
well as those she didn’t. He found it interesting how easily she could read his
dragon mind. He had to concentrate to block his thoughts from her. Some mated
brethren claimed there were no secrets between truemates. Perhaps they spoke
the truth. Once they were mated, he would never be able to hold anything back
from her. He would not want to.

As
Dragon Lord he wanted to claim his queen immediately, but, as human brethren,
she would not understand—not yet. He needed to wait a little while, and
he still grieved for his first mate. Sierran may not have been his truemate but
he owed her a time of mourning. He would also require time to get past Maya’s
anger. All very real and justified.

“Can
you tell me what’s going on? Who are you—people?” She left unspoken in
the air but very much on her mind the last part of her question:
Were they
even human
?

The
heat of her anger lay banked in her eyes, and he could hear and feel the
confusion in the tone of her voice. She did not understand how she could harbor
such anger toward a stranger. Although he and she weren’t strangers, not
really. They were just a long time in coming. The blame rested entirely with
him. He had a lot to answer for, but he would try to make it up to her, he’d
spend a lifetime doing it. Gentleness existed within her heart, and he would
need it. She would forgive him. She must.

But
her anger toward him would have to be addressed. Nor would it be easy for him
to get past it and get her to accept him, to accept herself and her true
nature. Her brethren blood ran very strong. He couldn’t even sense her until he
had gotten close because she unconsciously blocked him. She hadn’t responded to
his call, to him, as her Dragon Lord; or maybe she had and it explained the
reason why Talon had found her first. His call had awakened her. But then, why
could he not locate his son?

“I
am Draakar Akgon,” he finally responded, “and yes, I am Talon’s father.”

He
continued staring at her with unblinking eyes, waiting for her to say
something.

“Ah…your
eyes.” She gestured with her right hand in his direction. “They glow just like
Talon’s.”

“Yes,
we share that trait. What is your name?”

“I’m
sorry. I should have introduced myself. My name is Maya Trent. Did anyone tell
you what happened?”

Ah,
a fitting name. It meant
‘power,’
the
power to create phenomena. The Fates had chosen for him a rare creature indeed.

Unlike
other brethren, Dams or Queens only had one mate, could only have one mate. The
male must be stronger than they to be able to handle the magicks of a Dam. Only
one brethren mate existed for a Dam— a Dragon Lord.
 

Although
not uncommon among their kind, truemate bindings almost consistently held true
for Dragon Lords. Even though a male could mate with any strong female, they
usually waited for their truemate. He being the exception. He had not, could
not. If his powers had not been released through a mating, their race faced
extinction.
 

Dams
are rare, and do not have such a choice. They cannot mate with just any male.
They die and are reborn over and over until they find their truemate, and they
suffer through each rebirth. Her dragon had been reborn many times in this
world and died many times over because he had not been on earth to sustain her,
just as she had not been there to sustain him when he needed her. She’d come
into being too late.

Unlike
her, he’d survived with Sierran’s help. Her powers sustained him so he could
give the brethren a chance to survive. Only, the internal powers Sierran helped
him release through their bond wasn’t enough. It didn’t last.

His
Queen, however, had no chance when he left Earth and he knew it. She had not
been born yet. She may not have been born for hundreds of years and the
brethren could not wait. The imminent extinction of their kind did not afford
him the luxury of waiting.

He’d
condemned his unborn mate to continuous rebirths and lonely deaths when he
left, sacrificing them both. No longer. He had come for her and he intended to
claim her. It would just take a little longer than expected. He would have to
give her time, give them both time. He hoped they had it.

He
finally answered. “No, I have spoken to no one at the hospital.” He didn’t add
he already knew what had happened to Talon. The Stones told him. Draakar began
to suspect how Talon hid from him. He had to swallow his smile at his son’s
cleverness.

“He
was found…I found him, unconscious in the middle of a circle of stones in the
mountains. But he’s fine now. Look can you just tell me what’s going on?”

“I
will answer all of your questions…in time, if you answer three for me now.” He
paused as she tentatively nodded. “Did Talon link with you?”

 
“Yes.”
 

Draakar
heard the hesitation in her voice.
 

“But
he’s fine,” she hurriedly added. “He said I would be able to let you know he’s
doing all right and I can sense he is. He just seemed to be a little worried
about someone.”

Draakar
sighed. “Yes, I know.” This complicated matters, but Draakar had faith in his
son. Talon didn’t realize, however, as soon as Draakar mated to Maya he would
be able to find him through their link.

“You
said three questions.” Maya’s voice drew him out of his reverie. “What are the
others?”

“First,
I want to thank you for helping Talon, and I will tell you all you need to know
but not here. Are you visiting the area?”

“Yes.
I’m an American. I’m staying at the Sperrin Inn. Are you from around here? I
can’t quite place your accent.”

“Ah,
an American—I would like to visit your country soon. My family has
claimed these lands for a long, long time, but my accent is not one you would
have ever heard.” He paused as he grabbed his coat. “I’ll have my driver take
us to the inn to get your things.”

“
What
!
Wait a minute! What are you talking about?”

“I would like you to come
and stay with me at Akgon Castle for the remainder of your stay.”

She
frowned. “Castle! Where is this castle? I-I can’t possible stay with you.
You’re a stranger! I thought you were going to answer my questions.”

“Only
if you come with me now. Don’t be afraid of me, Maya. Never be afraid of me.”

Huffing,
Maya crossed her arms over her chest. “Afraid! No. I’m just being
prudent.”
 

Draakar
raised one skeptical eyebrow and watched in fascination as Maya raised her hand
and ran long slender fingers through the loose curls in her auburn hair. He
wanted to reach out and grab one of her locks. He wanted to know if it felt as
silky as it looked; he wanted to feel her. Taking a deep breath, he inhaled her
scent. She smelled like no scent he had ever encountered before, a mixture of
sunshine, earth, rain and woman. The erotic aroma ignited his blood, and he
would never be able to forget it.
 

 
“Look,” Maya huffed again, distracting
him from his perusal of her scent. “I don’t know you. Yes, I helped your son
but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go off with some stranger. Especially one
that can do….” She waved one hand in the air. “The things you do. So just tell
me what’s going on and then we can go our separate ways.”

A
knock sounded on the door and Dr. Donovan walked in. He took one look at
Draakar Akgon and froze for a full minute. He shook his head and extended his
hand with a bemused expression on his face before it was quickly replaced with
a smile lighting up his eyes in recognition.