Save a Horse,

Ride a Dragon

Dragon Guard #33

by

Julia Mills

There Are No Coincidences.

The Universe Does Not Make Mistakes.

Fate Will Not Be Denied.

Copyright © 2018 Julia Mills

All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

NOTICE:  This is an adult erotic paranormal romance with love scenes and mature situations. It is only intended for adult readers over the age of 18

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Cover by Linda Boulanger with Tell Tale Book Covers

Edited and Proofed by Tammy Payne with Book Nook Nuts

Beta Read by Linda Levy

Formatted by Charlene Bauer with Wicked Bold Creations

DEDICATION

Dare to Dream! Find the Strength to Act! Never Look Back!

Thank you, God.

To my girls, Liz and Em, I Love You. Every day, every way, always.

Author’s Note

Hey Y’all! Thank you so very much for reading my book. I have to tell you this was the quickest I’ve ever written a story. From the first idea on June 1, 2018 to publishing it on June 22, 2018 in celebration of my 52nd birthday, it has been one of the most fun, most enlightening, and most soul lifting books I’ve written.

Let me start by explaining the reasons why this story is so special to me. My great-grandmother was Emma Evilhawk. She was the Princess of her Tribe and in line to be the Chief when she met a farmer, newly immigrated to the United States working the land he’d just purchased not far from her Tribal Lands. Falling madly in love almost at first sight, the couple received the permission of her father to marry and well, the rest as they say, is history – my history.

Being 1/16 Cherokee has always been a source of pride for me. I have no doubt it is one of the reasons my family has always been so close, shared in holidays and celebrations, had a true sense of community, and knew who we were down to the very bottom of our souls. I LOVE that I am part Native American. I love all the bits and pieces that make me the goofball I am.

Having said that, I did take liberties with some of the Cherokee legends, not much, but a little to make it work with my Dragons. I also named some of my characters after members of my family – most specifically – my dad, J.D. and my mom, Barbara. Although they are both gone, along with my brother, I feel their presence every day. I know they are looking down on me, guiding me and loving me just as they always did.

I am finding more and more that I include names, places, and especially personalities of real people in my stories. I believe it is my way of honoring them. I never want to forget anyone.

Family is important. Whether they be related to you by blood or by love or both, they shape who you are, hold you up when you’re sure to fall, and give you that unconditional acceptance each of us needs.

I hope when you read this story that you feel the love of family and know that if you ever need me, all you have to do is holler.

Take Care of YOU and Always Dare to Dream!

XOXO Julia

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Epilogue

About Julia

Also by Julia Mills

The Dragon Guard

We soar the skies
Free to a certain extent,
As long as we stay hidden 
From prying human eyes.

Our scales differ in color
Our defensive weapons,
Tails, horns, talons and all,
Are never the same.

We are one with nature
We blend in with nature
The wind helps us soar high in the heavens
While the earth grants us healing strength in our hour of need.

We are one with the world
We are the guardians of our kin
When evil conspires to maim and hurt
We are protectors of this human race.

As majestic animals of fairytales
We share our beings with great men
They walk in honor and the grace of Fate,
Fate that we cannot deny.

Copyright © 2016 Melanie Williams
- This Poem is based on the Series, The Dragon Guard by Author Julia Mills.

Index of the Original Language of the Dragon Kin

Save a Horse, Ride a Dragon

GAELIC

Mo filly álainn..........My beautiful filly

Gluasaid de Ghluasad..........Fumes of Revulsion

Crois Lasrach..........Flaming Cross

Tha mo chridhe taobh a-staigh thu a-nis agus gu bràth..........My heart is within you now and forever

Mo ghra’……….My Love

CHEROKEE

Atsilv Soquili……….Fire Horse

Uwetsi……….Son

Chapter One

“Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!”

Whap! Cluck! Kick!

“Owwwwww, oh, owwwowwwowwww. Shit! Shit! Shit!”

Hopping on one foot, cursing the day she’d ever decided to take a cross country trip all by her lonesome, Dax glared at the steam shooting from the radiator of her bright red Jeep Cherokee. “What the hell, Daisy Mae? Why now? Why here?” Dropping her booted foot onto the dry, dusty ground even though her toes still ached from where she’d kicked her beloved Jeep in the rear tire, she looked one way and then the other. “There’s nothing but dirt, cactus, and coyote crap for miles.”

Stomping towards the vehicle and throwing open the back door, she grabbed two of her last three gallons of drinking water with a grunt and a groan. Making her way back to the front of the vehicle, she plopped them on the ground, and pulled her cell phone of the back pocket of her jeans. Might as well call her bestie and listen to her bitch while waiting for the engine to cool off enough to work on it.

Leaning her butt against Daisy Mae’s front quarter panel, she slid her finger along the screen, tapped in her password, and spat, “Son of a…” Shaking her fist that was holding the device above her head towards the cell phone gods, she slapped the useless phone against her thigh and snarled, “No service. None at all. Why the hell do I even pay the stupid bill? I swear to the Goddess that damn salesman said, ‘Coverage all over the world’. I oughta burn his stupid little bubble-gum-pink shop to the ground.”

Marching back to the vehicle, she opened the driver’s side door, dropped into the seat and slapped the palm of her free hand against the steering wheel again and again as she threw back her head and screamed, “What did I ever do to you? I give to charity, feed stray animals, don’t litter, and say my prayers. Can’t I at least get a break this one time? I mean, come…”

The sound of her cell phone playing ‘Poison’ by Bel Biv DeVoe had Dax whipping the device up from her leg and punching the green button with so much force the tip of the nail on her index finger went flying through the air. Slamming the phone to her ear, she demanded, “Bryn is that you? Bryn? Bryndle Ma…”

“Stop right there, Dakota Jane Sparks. I swear I’ll turn you into a toad and laugh my ass off every single time your butt bumps the ground.”

Rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath to keep from shrieking at her best friend, Dax quickly changed the subject and asked, “How did you call me? This stupid phone has no service. I swear, this whole damn cell phone thing is a serious rip-off. I oughta…”

“Did you really just ask me that?” Bryn interrupted with a tsk. “I am part witch, ya’ know? Just like you, except for the fact that I know how to use mine for more than heating up my coffee, popping popcorn, and making the margarita glasses frosty.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re a regular Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” She’d thought about calling the woman who’d been her bestie since grade school Endora but knew that would only make the five-foot-nothing bundle of piss and vinegar feistier than she already was, so Dax had gone with the cute, little, blond TV witch just to keep the peace.

And Bryn will pay for that shit later…

Was there something wrong with embracing her Fire Horse side and basically ignoring her Celtic Witch heritage? Being a horse that could fly, breath fire, manipulate fire – basically make fire her beyotch, not to mention having a swirly, glowing-ember horn like a Unicorn if she wanted to was way better than zapping empty bottles with spells and wands any old day of the week.

Sure, her mom would never understand why she didn’t practice witchcraft. For the tall, slender redheaded witch who Dax called momma, with the face of an angel, and a heart of gold, being a Witch and wielding magic had come naturally. She’d taught many a novice with elegant expertise – every single one, but her own daughter, that is.

The battle had been ongoing from the first time sparks flew from Dax’s fingers when she was still in nappies. “Yoo cannae expect tae master yer magic if ye ne'er try, Dakota, me loove. Flyin' aroond wi' yer hooves in th' air will only git ye sae far.” She could hear her mother’s thick Scottish brogue as if the fiery redhead was standing at her side.

Of course, right on the heels of her mom’s warning came her dad’s smooth, southern drawl of reassurance. “Now there’s nothin’ wrong with Dax spreading her wings every once in a while, Darlin’.” He’d always pull his wife close and kiss her on the top of the head before adding, “Besides, if she doesn’t blow off some of that fire, she might just combust.”

Too damn cute for words – that was her parents. Even the story of how they met was something that made everyone swoon. It was actually kind of sickening and absolutely adorable and something Dax wanted more than she would ever in a million years admit out loud.

“Hello! Earth to Dax. Come in, Dakota Ja…”

“Dammit, Bryn, shut your mouth!” Dax seethed, feeling the fire building in her veins and working as hard as she could to keep it under control. “I let it slide once, but that’s all you get. I may not be able to turn you into a toad, but I can darn sure set that closet of yours ablaze.”

“You wouldn’t?” Bryn squealed.

Clearing her throat and getting her brain out of the clouds while ignoring her friends outrage at the threat to the metric ton of clothes, shoes, and purses she’d acquired over the hundreds of years they’d been alive, Dax snapped right back to reality and sassed, “Since you didn’t whip up this phone call to help me with my car troubles, and I’m praying it wasn’t to just call me by my Christian name and lecture me for the umpteenth time about my inept skills in the field of magic, why don’t you just get on with it?”

Yes, she was winding her bestie up, but that’s what friends are for, right?

“No, I will not help you with that beat-up, hunk of junk. I’ve told you a hundred times that you…”

“I need to get a new car or learn the spell to fix the one I have or both,” Dax groaned in unison with Bryn’s usual litany, laughing out loud when her friend added, “Because I am older, smarter, and prettier.”

Laughing even harder when she heard the chuckle in Bryn’s voice, Dax teased, “And more of a pain in the ass.”

“Hey, now, I resemble that statement.”

Laughing so hard she had to work to catch her breath, Dax wheezed, “Yes, you do, my dear, but then again, so do I.”

“No, truer words were ever spoken.”

Switching her phone to the other ear so she could take a drink of water, when Dax was finally able to form a coherent sentence, she asked, “So, before you bibbidi-bobbidi-boo my pleasantly round ass home, what did you really call for?”

“Oh, yeah, that.” Bryn suddenly sounded distracted right before an eerie buzz joined their conversation. “I was…I was…yeah…ummm…”

“Out with it. I’m sweating like the last turkey in a field of pigs the day before Thanksgiving. This place is hot as hell and twice as dry.” 

Waiting for a snappy comeback from the girl who’d taught her to cuss with fluid elegance, blow spitballs with accuracy, and shoot beer cans off a fence at a hundred yards with an ancient Winchester, a creepy feeling started to creep up Dax’s spine. Something was off. Bryn was never quiet, even if she had nothing to say. The tiny Witch had two speeds – fast and faster – and that was for her feet, her mouth, her mind, and her magic.

Sitting up straight as she threw the empty water bottle over her shoulder and into the backseat, Dax growled, “Bryn, you’re freakin’ me out. What the hell is goin’ on?”

“I just can’t… It’s that…” Her voice sounded hollow and oh so very far away.

“Alright, enough messin’ around. This isn’t funny at all. Talk to me. Dammit, Bryn…”

“The Seventh Scale – the Crystal of Aganunitsi - has risen.” Deep, gravelly, and haunting, Bryn’s voice sounded like a really bad Vincent Price impression after a night of drunken karaoke and too many unfiltered cigarillos with a touch of a British accent. Creepy didn’t begin to describe it.

Goosebumps danced up and down Dax’s arms while her friend continued. “The blood of the Enchanted it seeks. Ripped from its host. Satiated for centuries. The tempest must bathe in the blood of the righteous, feed on the entrails of the just, and devour the soul of the virtuous.”

“Okay, you’ve sufficiently messed with my mind,” Dax jumped in when Bryn finally took a breath. “You were right. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done this on my own. You should be here with me.”

Waiting for nearly a heartbeat, she went on, “Good enough? You win. Now, make with the hocus-pocus and get me out of here.” When no answer came, she added, “Alright, alright, I’ll practice my magic, learn the damn spells. I’ll…”

“The Horse of Fire shall meet the Scaled Warrior. Only the joining of their flames can stop the devastation caused by the Crystal of Aganunitsi.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Dax scoffed. “Let me guess, Dungeon Master. This is my quest. You are so not funny.”

“The time is at hand. Blood will be shed. The Unktena must be bathed in fire.”

And…with that, the line went dead.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Throwing her phone to the side to keep from smashing it to bits, Dax launched in to the bat shit crazy tirade she’d been planning since the first sputter from under the hood of her car. Jumping out of the Jeep, throwing her hands in the air and pacing around Daisy Mae, she ranted, “Great! Super! Fan-freakin’-tastic! Bryn is having a breakdown, I’m trapped in the asshole of nowhere without a working phone, and for some reason I can’t even reach my parents with our freaky telepathy.”

Stopping as she rounded the side of her Jeep, she leaned her hip against what used to be her shiny, silver Black Horse Bull Guard but was now covered in dirt and sand, and raged, “Hell on Earth! That’s what this is. Gotta be. No other explanation.”

Thoughts of Bryn and the creepy way she was speaking in riddles rolling around her noggin, Dax let her chin fall towards her neck, wiped the sweat from her brow and shook her head. “Not one damn thing here makes sense.” She sighed. “Not even a little bit. Bryn has always been able to see the future but the Crypt Keeper act is all new and seven shades of demonic.”

Raising her head as she pushed off the Jeep, she slammed her hands to her hips and turned to right. “What the hell just happened? If there was water instead of all this god forsaken dirt, I would swear I was in the Bermuda Triangle. Someone upstairs is seriously messing with my day.”

Doing an about-face just to be sure she was not imagining the miles and miles and miles of freakin’ dirt, she growled, “And what is a freakin’ Unktena? Who is the Scaled Warrior? And if he’s so effing cool, where the hell is he?”

Throwing her hand in the air and waving like a schoolgirl trying to get her favorite teacher’s attention, she added in an exaggeratedly high-pitched, girly-girl voice, “Here I am. Damsel in distress. Ass in a sling and admitting she needs help. I’m not an ax murderer. I have a conscience and morals and…”

“And a damn fine ass.”

Spinning so quickly she had to slap her hand down on Daisy Mae’s hood to stay on her feet at the deep, drawing baritone rumble sending shivers up her spine. Opening her mouth to issue a litany of curse words and flaming insults, Dax damn near swallowed her tongue and fell on her ass as something akin to a fifty-million-watt lightning bolt zapped her right in the heart.

Standing eye-to-eye with the best-looking man alive, her heart trying to jump out of her chest, her mouth hanging open, and her Horse pushing to be let free, she managed a, “Wha…? Wh..? I…”

The smile widened across his brilliantly tanned skin deepening the dimple in his right cheek and showing his sparkling white teeth. Twinkles, like stars in the night sky, made his dark brown eyes sparkle with mischief making Dax unable to contain a shiver of excitement.

Pulling the glove off his left hand and extending it, he winked as he introduced himself. “Name’s J.D. I have a thing for damsels in distress and I also just happen to be the Unktena you were askin’ about.”

Chapter Two

Hand hanging in the air, the seductive scent of honeysuckle mixed with warm cade, pink pepper, and gorgeous woman driving both him and his Dragon to near distraction, J.D. was thankful his mirrored sunglasses hid the fire he knew was dancing in his eyes. Moving a half step closer, needing to touch her more than he needed to breathe, he acted as cool as possible and snickered, “Unktena means Dragon in Cherokee.”

Watching a single curl, the perfect combination of gold, burnt orange, and red, fall across her forehead as she slowly nodded, his heart skipped a beat. Oh, to be that soft length of hair, touching her silken skin, bathing in her scent, marking her with his, making her…

“Pardon me?” He cleared his throat, snapping out of his daydream while being forced to admit he’d missed what she’d said.

“Are you Cherokee?” Her smoky contralto flowed through him like well-aged scotch, warming him from the inside-out, not to mention the way just the tip of her nose crinkled and softened her features to perfection when she grinned at his faux pas.

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked at his hand, still outstretched, and bit back a groan of his own when the beautiful lady’s lips formed a perfect ‘O’ as she hopped forward and slid her hand into his.

Bolts of lightning, flashes of color, images of a wild horse flying across the desert as if she owned it overwhelmed and excited both man and Dragon. One touch, a simple joining of hands and J.D.’s entire existence had been wonderfully, irreparably altered in the best possible way.

Wrapping his fingers around the back of her hand, his animal instinct said to pull her to him, kiss her silly, throw her over his shoulder, and take her back to his bed – something the Dragon King, Pwyll, with whom he shared his soul was one-hundred-percent in favor of. Then his brain kicked in and the little voice that never ceased to kick him in the ass at the most inopportune time, griped, “Have you lost your freakin’ mind? Do you want to scare her off? Or worse yet, lose your family jewels? This woman is wild, free, and independent, with a bullshit meter that will sniff out your sad game in two seconds flat. Tread softly, you big dumb oaf.”

“About half on my mom’s side,” J.D. added, trying to get her talking again. “You?”

Still slowly nodding her head, her emerald eyes as big as saucers, she answered, “Same, but on my dad’s family.” Unfortunately pulling her hands from his, he watched as she instantly took control of herself before going on, “Name’s Dax.”

Alright, pretty lady, if that’s the way you want to play it, I’m game.

“Nice to meet you, Dax.” He shoved his hand back in his glove as he motioned towards her Jeep. “I can have a look, if you need me to.”

Indecision coupled with what he immediately recognized as pure, old bull-headedness crossed her lovely face before she finally turned to the side and acquiesced, “Sure, I’d appreciate it.”

Walking past her, he couldn’t help but take another deep inhale of her enticing scent. Dammit, if this woman didn’t have it all, good looks, sexy curves, and an iron will he didn’t want to tame, but speed alongside.

Snatching the dark blue bandana out of his back pocket and folding it in a square, he laid the cloth over the cap on her radiator before pushing and turning it with the heel of his hand. Lifting his head as tiny puffs of steam jumped from the opening, he reached down and grabbed one of the gallons of water sitting to the side.

Slowly pouring the liquid, he swore, “Shit, that’s not good,” when the tell-tale sizzle of cool water striking hot dirt reached his ears. Standing up, he set the jug on the ground and got to his knees. Holding onto the bumper, he ducked under the front of the Jeep.

Shaking his head while secretly being glad it was Saturday afternoon and the closest auto repair was closed until Monday morning, J.D. schooled his expression as he climbed to his feet and turned towards Dax. Just as it had been the first time he looked at her, the second time was even more explosive after just a few seconds away, his heart skipped a beat and Pwyll roared, “Mine,” as J.D.’s eyes met hers.

Taking off his favorite, well-broken in, brown felt Stetson, he ran the side of his gloved index finger across his chin a couple of time before breaking the news. “You’ve got a pretty good sized hole in your radiator.” Motioning over his shoulder with his thumb, he asked, “Do you remember running over anything? Hearing a loud noise or a thump or a bump before it conked out on ya’?”

A tiny blush painted the tops of her cheeks highlighting her cute little freckles just before she shoved the fingers of her left hand through her hair, and her right into her pocket before giving a half-hearted chuckle. “I really wouldn’t know. I had the music blasting and was singing along.” She grinned, her chuckle becoming more natural. “Typical girl move, right? Not payin’ attention to where I was goin’ or what was happenin’.”

“No, not really.” J.D. rushed to ease her embarrassment. “Hell, I’ve done it myself.”

Okay, yeah, I’m lying, but dadgummit, I love that little grin of hers.

Hurrying on he added, “When the song’s right, it’s right and ya’ just gotta sing.”

“See, that’s what I’m always tellin’ Bryn.”

Sure, he wondered who the hell Bryn was, but he’d find out later ‘cause Dax’s laugh was music to his ears. It was brighter than the sun, sweeter than honey, and made him want to know if she was ticklish.

Something I plan on findin’ out as soon as we’re alone.

Forcing himself to pay attention to what she was saying, he wasn’t surprised when she asked, “There doesn’t happen to be a garage that’s open on the weekend and isn’t a hundred miles away, is there?”

“The good news is that Shorty’s is about fifty miles south,” he slapped his hat against his leg as he went on, “And the bad news is, he doesn’t open ‘til Monday at seven am.”

Glad that she closed her eyes and let her head fall forward so he could catch his breath, J.D. could feel Dax’s unease and irritation as if it were his own. Opening his mouth before he engaged his brain made him immediately realize that he would do anything to calm her nerves, even subject himself to his brothers’ ribbing.

“There’s nothing to worry about.” He grinned as her head slowly raised. “Our ranch is a mile-and-a-half over that ridge.” He pointed to the right, loving the swish of her loose ponytail as she followed his finger. “Mom and dad would skin me alive if I didn’t bring you back with me.”

Spinning towards him, her eyes once again wide as she put her hands up in surrender and shook her head. “Oh no, I can’t impose. That’s just not cool.”

Putting his hat back on his head and his boot on the fender of her Jeep as she continued with a list of reasons she couldn’t come back to his house that he quite frankly wasn’t listening, J.D. jumped in when Dax stopped to take a breath and snickered, “Well, the nearest hotel is sixty-five miles south, and the last time I went by there the only guests were roaches, ants, and about a hundred or so scorpions.”

Leaning his elbow on his leg and scratching the stubble on his chin as he watched Dax come to terms with her situation, he then explained, “Look, you’ll be perfectly safe. There’s three spare bedrooms in the big house. My brothers and I all live in our own homes on the far side of the horse barns.”

   Seeing she was actually considering coming back with him, J.D. went in for the kill. “We get locked out at nine pm every night even if we haven’t been fed.” With a wink and a snickered, he added, “But don’t feel bad, momma leaves leftovers in Tupperware on the back porch.”

Smiling so wide his cheeks actually hurt when Dax laughed out loud and teased, “Sounds like my mom.” Biting her bottom lip, another thing that nearly made J.D. jump right out of his skin, she took a deep breath and as she exhaled she nodded. “As long as you’re sure your parents won’t mind, I’d love to take a shower, get something to eat, and get some sleep. This heat and the stress over Daisy Mae nearly blowing up has me wiped out. Oh shit,” she stopped, looked at her Jeep, back at him then back at her Jeep before asking, “But what about her?” She pointed towards her vehicle. “Will she be alright out here ‘til Monday?”

Putting his foot on the ground and standing tall, J.D. assured, “Tree and I’ll come get ‘her’ in the morning,” he winked as he called the Jeep a girl then went on. “As you can see, this road doesn’t see much traffic. I was actually gonna ask how you ended up on it.”

Shrugging and letting her head fall to the side, Dax hit him with another of her thousand-watt smiles as she sniggered, “I have no earthly idea.”

“Alrighty then. Let’s just call it Fate and get you up to the house.” Walking around to the side of the Jeep, he pointed to the soft black top folded up in the back. “You don’t have to bother with that either. No rain in sight and no one’s gonna touch a thing, promise.”

Cause I’ve sent out the warning to everything within a hundred-and-fifty-miles that if they touch your stuff, I’ll set their ass on fire.

Reaching in and grabbing her blue and white stripped duffle in one hand and the tan leather overnight bag in the other, he looked over his shoulder just in time to catch a glimpse of her fine round ass as she leaned in to get her purse.

Good Lordy, at this rate, I’m gonna need two cold showers and an ice pack before dinner. 

Wanting to see her smile just one more time before the ride home, J.D. looked forward and headed towards his tan and black filly named Sugar, asking the one question he was sure would get a rise outta Dax. “Ever ride a horse before?”

“Ride a horse? Cowboy, I am a Horse.”

Chapter Three

I played right into his hands…and what very nice hands they are.

He’d known she was a Fire Horse just as sure as she’d known he was a Dragon. Sure, she hadn’t known the Cherokee word for Dragon. Had never had a reason to learn it, but she recognized the smooth-talking, hotter than homemade sin Cowboy as one of the Universe’s chosen Warriors at first glance.

Standing three feet from J.D. had been hard enough, but with her front tight against his back, her hands wrapped around his waist, and the filly they were riding on’s lope rocking her hips against his butt, Dax was sure she was about to go supernova before they reached the ranch. Needing to distract herself, she leaned forward and started asking questions into his ear.

“Who’s Tree?”

“What was that?” He asked, turning his head slightly to the side and smiling.

I will not kiss that dimple. I will not kiss that dimple. I will not…

“You said ‘you and Tree’ would go back and get my Jeep in the morning. I just wondered who Tree is? It’s an interesting name.”

Oh,” he chuckled. “That’s my older brother Demetrius. When he was little mom tried to get Deme to stick as a nickname, but Gage, our oldest brother who was two at the time, had already started saying Tree. The name stuck, and all these years later that’s what everyone calls him.”

“How many of you are there?”

“Already tired of me?”

His smile widened as he leaned his shoulder back just enough to bump her chest and cause the lacy material of her bra to tease her already taut nipples. Unable to control her shiver of excitement, Dax tried to look away but the concern in J.D.’s voice when he cursed, “Dammit, you’re cold,” warmed her heart more than she was ready to admit.

Stopping the horse and jumping to the ground, he made quick work of opening the saddle bag just behind her thigh and whipping out a leather jacket. Her fingers grazed his as she took the coat, touched even more by his immediate attention to what he thought she needed.

Wonder if he’s that perceptive in other areas…

Putting her arms in the sleeves, wrapping herself in the scent of amber, warm birch, and wild Dragon, she sunk into the well-worn leather imagining it was J.D. Snapping her eyes to his when his hand landed on her thigh, Dax forced herself to stay still when her every instinct was pushing her to jump into his arms.

“How’s that? Better?”

The genuine concern in his voice and the look in his eyes that said he was willing and able to do absolutely anything to see to her comfort tapped away at the hard shell she’d built around her heart. J.D. was something special, there was no denying it, but…

“Yeah, I’m great. Thank you.”

And thanks for not realizing I want to jump your bones – right here, right now.

Back up in the saddle, he clicked his tongue and gently tapped the filly’s sides with the heels of his boots. “Hold on,” was the only warning Dax got before they were galloping across a huge patch of the dry, brown desert grass.

Letting her head fall backward, she pulled the scrunchie from her hair and reveled in the feeling of freedom and abandon as the cool evening air blew her curls backward. Time seemed to slip away and all too soon, the filly was slowing down as the scrumptious aroma of steaks with all the trimmings filled her senses.

Thankful for the extra layer of material covering her body, hopeful that it hid her undeniable attraction to J.D., she lifted her head and opened her eyes just in time to spot an absolutely stunning two-story red brick home. Not only did it have the wrap-around porch she’d always dreamt her perfect home would have, but the white trim and black shutters were perfect accents.

It was not only beautiful but also huge. She imagined the interior as they got close enough for her to see what she could only assume was J.D.’s whole family standing on the porch.

Five tall, muscular, dare she say, drop-dead gorgeous men – all different versions of the one she was still holding onto – stood in different relaxed poses, each sporting shit-eating grins and twinkles of mischief in their eyes.

In front and closest to the steps, smiling openly with a warm welcome, was an older, but still incredibly handsome as all get-out, male Dragon who had to be J.D.’s dad. At his side, holding onto his hand with an ease that only comes from years and years together, stood his mom. Bright blue eyes, long, straight black hair with a touch of gray that looked more like highlights than signs of age, and magic floating around her like the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, she was one of the most captivating women Dax had ever seen.

She felt an instant kinship both magically and instinctually. Her Fire Horse raised her beautiful head and gave a happy snuffle, reaching for the woman with trust and confidence.

Alright, Girl, give us a chance to at the very least meet her before you go all stalker-filly.

Sitting still as J.D dismounted, Dax was unable not to show her shock when he reached towards her waist and nodded. “Come on, let’s get up down. Momma’s about to jump outta her skin wantin’ to meet you. You’re one of the first and only girls any of us have ever brought home.”

“Brought home? Whoa, Cowboy, I’m hopin’ you don’t…”

“Just come on. Stop thinkin’ so hard about everythin’.” He cut her off with a stifled whisper and an exaggerated roll of his eyes that had her simultaneously swooning and wanting to slap him silly.

Holding her breath, refusing to show any signs of the effect his hands on her waist had on her treacherous body, Dax stepped back and straightened his jacket, refusing to take it off, no matter what anyone thought. Turning towards his family, she smiled as sweetly as she could while the feel of his hand on the small of her back felt so natural that for a split second she relaxed into it.

Jumping to attention, bowing her back just enough to let J.D. know she was no pushover, Dax stopped when he did at the bottom of the steps and waited while he went through the introductions. “Mom, Dad, this is Dax…umm…

“Sparks,” she helped, biting the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing as the long, tall Dragon blushed.

“Ahem, Sparks,” he continued with a nod. “Dax, this is my mom and dad, Barbara and Owen MacAllen.”

Looking back to his parents, the Dragon continued, “Her Jeep has a hole in the radiator and stopped working past the northwest pasture right before Mule’s Crossing. Tree and I’ll go get it after supper and then take it to Shorty’s on Monday morning.”

Dax felt him glance at her before hurrying on, “I told her it was okay to bunk with y’all ‘til then.”

“Absolutely,” Barbara beamed, moving so fast from her place on the porch that Dax was wrapped up in a warm, welcoming hug before she knew what was happening. Something deep inside, something small but very significant shifted into place, making her realize the same thing, only on a much larger scale, had happened when she’d shaken hands with her Cowboy.

Returning Barbara’s genuine smile, Dax barely got to breathe and say, Thank you,” before Owen had taken his wife’s place and was giving the Fire Horse a hug of his own. Stepping back and sliding his hand into his Barbara’s, the patriarch of Clan MacAllen welcomed, “You are most assuredly welcome to stay as long as you like. We’ve got lots of empty bedrooms and lots to eat.”

Motioning for Dax to follow as he turned both himself and his wife around, Owen called over his shoulder, “Come on in. Get washed up and comfortable. Barbara’s got a feast all cooked up and ready for us.”

Listening to the hint of a Scottish brogue mixed with Owen’s smooth southern drawl made Dax feel even more welcome – a welcome reminder of home even if she hadn’t been back to Scotland in forever. These people were what her dad would call ‘salt of the earth folks’. The kind you could depend on to have your back no matter what the situation.

Stopping just a few feet from the door, she was introduced to the ‘brothers’. Starting with the farthest away, J.D. went down the line, “That one there is Gage, the oldest, and next to him is Tree.”

As J.D. said their names, they all walked up and gave her a hearty handshake before disappearing into the house.

“The one with the ratty, old John Deere hat is Zach and right behind him are Heath and Colton, the twins and the youngest of all of us.”

“Where do you fall into line?”

“I’m after Zach and before Heath,” J.D. answered, holding the door open for her as she followed the heavenly scent of home cooked food in to the warmest and most welcoming home besides her mom and dad’s that she’d ever seen. Helping her take off his jacket and hanging it on the antique coat tree just inside the front door, he pointed across a large, open great room decorated with touches of what she knew had to be the family’s blended history, and said, “That door over there’s the bathroom if you wanna wash up.”

“Thank you so much.” Dax stopped and turned, looking J.D. right in the eye to be sure he knew how much she meant her next words. “Really and truly, thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

No sooner had the words crossed her lips than the mischievous gleam returned to J.D.’s eyes and he whispered, “I’ve got a few suggestions if you’re up for it.”

Without answering and before she smiled knowingly and gave herself away at his innuendo, Dax walked straight to the bathroom, shut and locked the door, and collapsed against the wood. Running her fingers through her tangles hair, she looked in the mirror and shook her head at her own reflection. “Well, you’ve gone and done it now, Dax, my girl. You’ve let him get under your skin.” Huffing out a long breath as she pushed to her feet and crossed to the sink, she snickered, “But then again, isn’t that where you wanted him?” 

Chapter Four

Dinner was torturous. On one hand sitting across from Dax watching her interact with his family was the best thing since sliced bread, then there was his raging libido and the jokes ringing from his brothers ringing in his head.

“So, this one’s the one, right?” Gage chuckled using mindspeak, sure to avoid eye contact as he looked over the rim of his tea glass, the jerk added, “Damn, I’m glad you’re the first of us to find your mate. Now, maybe mom’ll lay off.”

“Ya’ gonna take her out on a midnight ride and claim her as your own?” Colton’s snicker was almost too much to bear but then his twin chimed in with, “Naw, Mom’ll kick his ass and make him sleep in the barn for a week if he tries to sneak into the big house,” and J.D. almost spit green beans across the table.

Zach and Tree stayed strangely quiet until dessert was served and then just as J.D. had a mouthful of apple pie started singing “J.D. and Dax sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” in horrible, ear-splitting harmony.

Coughing and sputtering, trying with all his might not to make a fool of himself, J.D. stood up, gasped, “Excuse me,” and made a quick exit, but not before growling directly into his brother’s minds, “Paybacks are a bitch, Assholes, and I plan on makin' it as painful as possible."

Choking down his pie then getting a long drink of water from the back hose, he wasn’t at all surprised when his dad showed up, an opened beer in each hand. Motioning towards the swing the boys had given Barbara for Mother’s Day a few years ago, Owen led the way. Sitting down beside his dad and taking a drink of his beer, J.D. was pretty sure what was coming, but all the same, waited patiently.

It wasn’t long before Owen began, “Ya’ know, Son, findin’ your mate is as complicated as it is wonderful. When I realized your mom was the one for me, it took me nearly a month to work up the nerve just to talk to her. She was the Princess of her Tribe, promised to the biggest, strongest, most worthy Brave, with the weight of responsibility and leadership hanging around her head like a cement block.”

Taking another drink of his beer, J.D. thought about telling his dad he’d heard the story a million times, but quickly decided to shut up and listen. Maybe, just maybe, there was something he’d missed before or been to hardheaded to understand. It was worth a shot because as far as women were concerned, J.D.’s boat had a big hole and was sinking fast.

“I’d been watchin’ close,” Owen took a drink and settled back. “Ridin’ past where she and her sisters gathered water every day, makin’ sure they were okay when they were out in the fields, and generally what the police would call stalking these days.”

Laughing out loud, always shocked at his dad’s dry wit and ability to see the good in everything, J.D. teased, “See, I knew it. You kidnapped her, tied her up, and made her love you, right?”

Slapping his leg, his laughter so loud the cattle in the field behind them started to moo along with him, Owen heartily agreed, “It almost came to that.” Catching his breath and taking another sip from his longneck Budweiser, he went on, “I finally got up the nerve to talk to her, and that was the very last straw. I was a goner. She was all I could think about. I wanted to be with her every minute of every day. It was so bad that I almost caused a stampede when your granddad, uncles, and I were taking the herd to auction.”

“No shit?” J.D. nearly choked on his beer. He’s never heard this part before. “I would’ve loved to see that. The old man must’ve been madder than a wet hen.”

“Oh yeah, and then some, but don’t let him hear you callin’ him ‘old man’. He’ll whoop you good.”

I’m sure he’d try…

“Gotcha, Pops.”

 “Anyway, while we were in Ft Worth, he sat me down and told me just how to handle your mom’s father.” Wiping his brow and crossing his legs, Owen looked at the house with a loving smile on his face as he continued. “I know you’ve heard all the stories so many times you could recite them, but indulge an old man his happy memories.”

Sitting back and getting comfortable, J.D. assured, “Ya’ know I love our history, especially when you made a mess and got embarrassed.”

Swatting his knee, Owen tried to be tough but J.D. could see his shoulders bouncing with mirth. “I didn’t always make a mess of things.”

“To hear mom tell…”

“Yeah, well this is my story, so, hush it up and listen.”

Snickering to himself as his dad went on, J.D. once again thought about how truly lucky he was. Not everyone got to spend centuries with three generations of their family. It was a blessing he’d never taken for granted.

“Anyway, as I was sayin’,” Owen cleared his throat. “The Cherokee Nation is split up into seven Clans and your momma is from the largest – the Wolf Clan. Her dad, your grandfather, Cheveyo Thorntree was the Principal Chief while her oldest brother, Dasan was the War Chief and Elan, the youngest of all the children, was Peace Chief. Because the Cherokee Clans are matrilineal, meaning Clan affiliation comes from one's mother, the Council of Elders readily recognized Barb as the strongest, most intelligent, with the truest heart of the Tribe. They knew the wellbeing of not only her Clan, but her Tribe, and the entire Cherokee Nation would be her focus.”

“Then you came along,” J.D. chimed in just to be a shit.

Sure enough, Owen teased, “Who’s tellin’ this story?”

“You, Pops, always you.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Taking the last drink of his beer and setting the empty bottle on the grass, he went on, “After the auction, I got all dressed up, even shaved my beard and trimmed my hair, and went to ask Cheveyo for permission to court his daughter.” Sitting up and leaning forward, he braced his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands.

“Boy howdy, was that a fun night. I ended up fighting not only Dasan and Elan but four other Braves. There was no doubt in my mind that I was gonna die that night, but your grandpa knew better. His wife, your grandma, Adsila, had seen your mom’s future in her dreams. She’d prepared the old Chief for what was comin’. Had made sure that the magic Adsila inherited from her mother who’d married a very powerful man of Medicine and Magic would not die with your mom.”

J.D. stayed silent while his dad looked up and caught sight of his wife, the only woman in all the world he’d ever loved, the light of his soul, the completion of his very essence, through the window. It was something that had always mystified the younger Dragon, but the second Dax slid her hand into his, everything became crystal clear.

Unclasping his hand, Owen pointed at Barbara before looking at his son and nodding. “See, that woman right there, she was the only one for me. I knew it. My Dragon knew it. Hell, everybody knew it.”

Once again sitting back, the older Dragon added, “What I’m tryin’ to say is… Son, don’t waste time, but don’t push too hard either. There’s an old Cherokee saying that Cheveyo still likes to tell the young Braves. I can’t say it in Iroquoian, heck, I have a hard enough time with Gaelic.” He snickered and looked right into J.D.’s eyes. “The smart Brave lets the Squaw come to him. Chasing the one you love will only lead to lonely nights.”

That was the first time the story had ever ended that way, and it made J.D. think. He thought Dax felt the same way he did. The mating bond was glowing deep in his soul, connecting him to her in an inextricably permanent and incredible way. But, did she feel it, too? Did she even want a mate? Could she not accept him? Had that ever happened?

Opening his mouth to ask his dad the questions piling up in his mind, he never got to speak as a horrifying scream of pure agony cut through the air. On his feet and running toward the house before his mind even comprehended what was happening, he roared, “Dax!”

Throwing open the door, he raced through the kitchen and into the dining room. His eyes bounced from his mom to his brothers to a smoldering outline of a body branded into the hardwood floor.

Barbara’s voice was like an echo in the back of his mind as he tried to unscramble the myriad of sights, sounds, and emotions bombarding his mind. “She just fell on the floor and started seizing. Gage and Tree made sure she didn’t hurt herself while I made sure she didn’t choke.” The warm, caring touch of her hand on his shoulder was of little comfort. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t make sense of what was right before him.

Then his mom said the three words that chilled both man and Dragon to the core. “She just disappeared.”

Chapter Five

Fire rained down from the sky. Rivers of blood flowed as far as the eye could see. The ground shook beneath her feet and the winds howled like wolves calling for the fight.

Turning one way and then another, there was no escape to be had. She was caught in the middle of a cataclysmic event she neither understood nor knew how to survive. Running for cover, rancid blood and bits of gore and entrails coated her shins and the back of her legs, clinging to her like vermin as her bare feet pounded the molten earth.

Ducking under an overhang created by a large, flat rock, she refused to look down. Knew if she did, she would throw up, pass out, or both. Wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands, she pushed the dripping strands of her hair away from her face and tried to see something…anything through the crimson rain.

No matter where she looked or how hard she focused the enhanced vision afforded her as a Fire Horse Shifter, she could see nothing and no one. Summoning the magic she’d inherited from her mother, she cursed and stomped, more pissed at herself than anyone else for not learning to use the all the gifts she’d been given. It was there, just under the surface, brewing, simmering, begging to be set free. If only…

Spinning to the right, the sounds of a fight, flesh hitting flesh, loud groans and heated grunts mixed with furious indignation drew not only her sight but that of her Fire Horse. Zeroing in on a plateau halfway up the side of the mountain she saw him.

More brilliant than she’d ever imagined. Determination and fury etched in his handsome face. His chest heaving with strength and power. His fists pummeling his opponent with unrelenting fortitude and implacable courage. With every punch and kick she watched his assault grow more savage, his resolve more concrete and his body taller, broader…more massive, but through it all, his opponent was unmoved. Simply refused to back down.

A monster, that was the only word she could come up with, from the darkest nightmares and the deepest pits of Hell, the Dragon’s opponent stood at least ten feet tall. Covered in a horrific mosaic of scales and pock-marked skin the color of mud, snakes jutting from his forehead, long, jagged fangs filling his short, stubbed muzzle, and talons like spikes protruding from his grotesquely misshapen paws, it was demonic and terrifying.   

“J.D.” Her mind instinctively reached for his, her Fire Horse grabbing hold of his Dragon, adding her power and magic to their fight.

“Dax…” Was his only reply, his tone deep, gruff, almost animalistic.

Watching in awe as the man she’d known was her mate but had refused to admit, even to herself, grew larger still, she knew Fate had left Her mark. The bright bronze scales of his Dragon shot up his arms, across his chest, and down his torso making him the most fiercely gorgeous thing she’d ever laid eyes on. Following his lead, she dropped the heavy shields containing the magic of her Fire Horse and opened to him and only him.

Feeling the sheer magnitude of her alter-ego’s unstoppable desire to help her mate and her immense power filling every cell, every fiber, every molecule of her being, Dax began to run. Faster with every step, magic and sheer willpower fueling her, driving her, willing her to her mate’s side, she felt her hair growing longer, becoming thicker, morphing into the mane of her Fire Horse.

Soft, downy fur, like that of a new born colt rolled over her arms and legs, working its way across her shoulders and down her back. Embracing her equine soul-mate, she pushed herself harder, needing to fight alongside her Dragon, needing…

Smooth, warm, and wet, something swiped her cheek, leaving a trail of slimy moisture that caused her to stumble as she looked from side-to-side to see what fresh hell-spawn had deemed it necessary to rear its ugly head. Swiping at her face as she righted her stride and regained her speed, Dax once again swerved when the sensation of being licked and nuzzled pushed at not only her heated skin but her psyche.

Grumbles and grunts preceded nips and many more licks. Her surroundings flickered. Bright, blinding shards of light cut through the bloody rain and shooting flames.

Green? Tiny spears of something green and pokey touched her opposite cheek. Long, soft tendrils of hair, no…not hair, fur…Wait! Fur?

Forcing her eyes open and pushing to her knees, Dax’s hands flew to her temples in an attempt to keep her head from flying off her neck. Everything was spinning. There were black spots popping and pulsing all around her. The acrid odor of burned grass and scorched dirt assaulted her senses.

Woof! Woof! Pounce. “Ugh, dammit, Patches. Get your damned…”

“Patches?” She squealed, grabbed the long-haired fur ball of mixed heritage and questionable parentage around the tummy, sure, to hold him so that his overeager tongue was out of range of her face.

“Wait!” She demanded to the dog whose tail was wagging so fast she thought he might just take off. “How did you get here?” Sliding her eyes to the side, she amended, “Nope, rewind. How did I get here?”

“You appeared outta nowhere, screamed for some dude named J.D. then burnt the spectacularly unpleasant ring all around you into the middle of our brand new yard.”

Snapping her head towards the porch of the house she shared with not only Bryn, but Maisie and Presley, both super friends and just as crazy as she, Dax growled under her breath. Up on her feet, Patches still in her hands, tail still wagging and tongue still swiping at the air, Dax flew up the steps and railed, “And you didn’t think to wake me, or for the love of the Goddess put the frikkin’ fire out?”

“No,” Bryn scoffed, setting her mug on the wicker table and reaching for Patches. “I knew you were fine. You were mid-transformation. Your Horse wouldn’t let you burn.”

“My Horse wouldn’t…” Dax’s voice trailed off as she stared at her best friend like the half-Witch, half-Shifter had three heads and a tail. “My Horse wouldn’t…” she repeated. Giving a little shake of her head, hoping to unscramble her brains and…

“Wait! Wait! Wait! J.D.!” She spun in a circle, finding nothing and no one but her friend and her dog. “Where is J.D.? Did he appear to? Did the monster dude show up?”

Looking at the still smoking ring of ashes that used to be her yard, she turned back to Bryn and demanded, “Are you deaf? What did you see? Dammit, Bryn, I swear, if you…”

“If I what?” Her blues grew dark, nearly gray, as sparks shot from her fingertips. “If I tell you that you’re an idiot? If I turn you into a toad like I promised? If I…” Stopping mid-sentence, her eyes glazed over, her hands dropped into her lap, and the muscles in her face went lax.

Staring into space like she’d lost all marbles, Bryn began to speak in the same eerily freaky voice as when she had called Dax. “The Horse of Fire must unite with the Scaled Warrior. Fire shall rain down from the Heavens. Rivers of the Blood of the Just will flow freely. The Crystal of Aganunitsi is near. If not destroyed it will claim what it has lost.”

A deafening silence filled the airwaves. Bryn’s eyes slammed shut, her head fell forward, and her body sort of slipped out of the chair like she had suddenly become a boneless ragdoll. Grabbing her friend by the shoulder before her head hit the ground, Dax sat down with a thud, looked at the dog – tail still wagging and tongue still hanging out – and sighed with such force that her lips made a silly sound like a motor on a boat. “I sure hope you know what’s goin’ on ‘cause I’m up Shit’s Creek without a paddle and my boat’s gotta hole.”  

Chapter Six

“She what!”

“Now, Son, you need to calm down.”

Spinning towards his father who’d apparently followed him into the house, J.D. stepped right up and growled into his face, “You need to shut the hell up.”

Flames sprung to life in Owen’s eyes, but his tone remained calm as he advised, “Take a step back and a deep breath, Jacob Daniel, before we both say things we’re gonna regret.”

“Bring it…”

“J.D.” Tinged with just the right amount of ancient magic to both smack him in the back of the head and steal his voice, Barbara’s voice was devoid of all emotion as she warned, “Don’t make me tie you up and throw you in the barn.”

With the scales of his Dragon flashing on the backs of his hands and the tips of his canines pushing into his bottom lip as they extended in his mouth, J.D. inhaled deeply as he pushed his Dragon King to the back of his psyche. Letting his eyes slide shut, he counted to ten then slowly exhaled, only opening his eyes when he felt his body returning to normal.

Still a scary combination of scared and enraged, he glared into his father’s eyes, waited a split second to be sure he could speak civilly and nodded. “I won’t apologize.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to.” Owen’s expression softened just a bit. “She’s your mate.” Taking a single step backward, he added, “You’re worried.” Raising his hand and extending his index finger, J.D. wasn’t surprised when his dad poked him in the shoulder as he added, “But you ever get your back up at me again, and I promise it’ll take more than your momma’s quick spells to save your ass from a beatin’.”

Dropping his finger and walking away without a word, J.D. watched Owen cross the room and take a seat at the head of the table. He could hear his brothers yammering in the back of his mind, completely freaking at what was happening, but he refused to be bothered with what they thought. He needed to find Dax, needed to know his mate was okay. The rest would wait.

Turning to face his mom, schooling his features, and making sure his tone was even and not attacking, he acknowledged, “Sorry, Mom, I know I was outta line.”

A single nod was the only response he received as his mother stood tall, her blue eyes piercing a hole straight into his mind. Taking another deep breath, he went on, “Did you see or hear anything before it happened? Do you see anything now? Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

Firing questions at everyone who’d been present when Dax disappeared, he rambled on until his mother lifted her hand. Snapping his mouth shut, knowing from years of experience when his mom had had enough of his shit, J.D. stood perfectly still as she began to speak.

“We were sitting at the table having a very nice conversation when out of nowhere, with no warning, Dakota’s eyes rolled back in her head, her body went completely limp and she quite literally slid right out of her chair.”

Taking a step forward, she placed her hands on the back of one of the wooden chairs Owen had made for one of their anniversary years ago, and continued, “No sooner had she hit the floor than she began to convulse.”

J.D. knew his mother was recanting what she’d said not only for his benefit, but also for hers. Barbara was not only an incredibly powerful Medicine Woman imbued with the magical healing powers of the Great Creator, but she had been a nurse in not one, but two different centuries.

“Tree and Gage held her and I made sure she didn’t choke. I checked everything inside and out of her body and mind and couldn’t find anything, but…”

As her words trailed off, dread – cold, eerie chills tip-toeing up his spine, made Pwyll growl and drop his head, ready to attack. Waiting for his mother to speak. Willing her to finish her thought before he completely lost his mind, J.D. held his breath.

Tapping the wood with the tip of the nail of her index finger, Barbara narrowed her eyes as if she was looking at something far away then went on, “I couldn’t get past the first halls of her mind.” She leaned on the chair, her expression turning to a frown. “There was a wall. Not Fire Horse magic, or that of her mother.” She bit her bottom lip and her eyes dropped to the table as she thought for a minute before adding, “There was something familiar, but not all together recognizable.”

J.D. felt the metaphorical punch to his gut as her eyes snapped to his. “It was as if someone or something didn’t want me to see what it was doing? But, I could feel how strong Dakota is and there is no doubt in my mind that the intruder couldn’t mess with her no matter how hard he tried.”

Fists clenched at his side, shaking with the power it took to stay still and not roar at the top of his lungs, J.D. spoke through gritted teeth, “You think something was trying to possess her?”

Slowly shaking her head as she walked around the chair and sat down, Barbara once again looked him in the eye, but this time he could feel that she was questioning not only what she’d seen, but herself. “I don’t know, Son. I just don’t know.”

No longer able to stay still and do nothing when his mate was in danger, J.D. threw caution to the wind, not caring if he pissed off his mate or not, and reached through their ever-growing mating bond. “Dax? Dax, are you there?”

Forced to take a step back when his own mysticism rebounded, J.D. pushed even more power into his next call. “Dakota? Answer me, please. I just need to…”

“You need nothing, Dragon.” Venom dripped off the last word. “But death.” Maniacal cackling attacked his mind. “At the hands of your very own mate.”

Falling backward, engulfed in a feeling of weightlessness, J.D.’s skin began to boil. Landing in a river of blood, careening piles of bodies, gnawed bones, and the entrails of the dead, he fought to stay afloat as he welcomed his transformation from man to Dragon King.

Taking the smaller, more compact form of Pwyll’s Ayastigi Unktena –Warrior Dragon, he planted his huge, paw on the river bed. His long, sharp talons digging into the scorched earth as his short, curved wings pointed forward, the claws extending from their spindly framework bones ready and more than willing to fire their fearsome venom at any and all combatants.

Raising to his full height of just shy of eleven-feet, he marched to the shore, jumped upon the smoldering earth and turned directly towards the epicenter of the maelstrom. Having to look twice, unable to believe what he saw, J.D. stepped forward. Pushing his enhanced vision to the very tenth degree of its ability then stopped dead in his tracks.

Dax!  

Her name echoed through his mind, a mantra, a warning, a dichotomy he couldn’t unravel, but nonetheless was drawn to as bees to honey. In her Fire Horse form, her long flowing mane was the perfect combination of golden hair and glorious flames. Her coat, the same brilliant hue as her long, sweeping curls, had become the canvas for a mesmerizing mosaic as fire pushed from the depths of her soul and slashed through her downy hide.

An object of beauty and destruction, she was nothing short of miraculous. Moving forward, slowly at first, gaining speed with every pounding step, he was soon racing towards her, his need to remove her from all danger overriding any and all sense of self-preservation he might possess.

Eyes trained on his mate. The scenery an insignificant blur as it whizzed by, J.D. felt the bolts of fiery lightning nipping at his heels. Electricity, its current sharp and seeking, beat at his impenetrable scales as it moved past him.

But what was it seeking if not him? Who else could withstand the impact?

Then it all became clear. In one earth-shattering explosion of sight and sound, he saw the truth. Sliding to a stop, his eyes glued to his mate, he could only stand in horrified appreciation as every glowing streak and every fiery flash found its mark.

Throwing her head back, Dax reared back, standing upright on her hind legs as her forelegs pawed the air. Absorbing each strike, her body grew, and her fire burnt more brightly as her flames turned to bright white shards of blinding light.

Refusing to look away no matter how the light assaulted his eyes, J.D. answered her thundering neighs as he threw back his head in kind and roared, “Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

Chapter Seven

“Yes, Mom, I get it. It’s you who seems to think that I have all the time in the world to listen to lectures when I think some big bad ugly somethin’-or-another is gonna get J.D. and his family.”

“Nae, Dear, that isnae whit Ah said,” Kristen’s motherly tone grated on every single one of Dax’s frayed nerves. “Ah was jist tryin' tae…”

“Make me absolutely, certifiably stark raving mad.”

“Dakota Jane Sparks, Ah am yer mother an' ye will listen tae me.”

Holding the phone so tightly she could hear the little pieces of plastic and metal popping and cracking, Dax nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder. Spinning so quickly she damn near lost her balance, she shrieked, “Mom? Dad? What the hell?”

“Whit tae hell, indeed.” Her mom, who’d literally materialized out of thin air with her father in tow, raised a single red eyebrow and frowned. “It was obvioos ye wereno gonnae listen, sae, we’re here tae help.”

Unable to respond as her dad wrapped her up in a big strong hug, Dax embraced him right back. What was it about a ‘dad hug’ that just seemed to make everything better? No, it didn’t feed the hungry or bring peace to the world, but in that few precious seconds, Dax felt like anything was possible. Sure, she loved her mom with all her heart, but she would always and forever be a Daddy’s Girl.

Reluctant to leave the haven of her father’s arms, she forced herself to take a step back. Turning towards her mom, she couldn’t help but smile when Kristen titled her head to the side and held her arms open wide.

Walking into the hug, she could feel her mother’s power reaching for its kin buried deep inside her own soul. Not only was it ancient and packed with immeasurable strength, but it weaved in and around her heart and soul, forcing away her nervous energy and fear and giving her the focus she needed.

Waiting until Kristen’s hold loosened, Dax leaned her head back and smiled. “Thanks for coming. I didn’t realize how very much I needed to see you both.”

“That’s whit we’re here fur.” Kristen stepped back. “There’ll ne'er be a day when we aren’t here fur ye.”

Feeling better than she had just a few minutes ago, Dax started to get down to business when Bryndle walked into the room.

“Hey there.” Walking straight towards John and Kristen, she accepted quick hugs and kisses on the cheek before turning to Dax. “And as for you, ya’ know I’ve always got your back.”

“Well, the first thing we need to do is find out if J.D. and his family are okay.”

Knowing looks and parental grins crossed her mom and dad’s face.

“Alright, get it over with. Tell me you told me so. That you knew my mate was gonna show up and I would go from independent smart ass to wimpy girlie-girl in the blink of an eye.”

Laughing so hard it actually surprised her enough that she jumped, Dax’s parents looked at one another and then back to her shaking their head in unison. It was her dad who spoke first. “Daxie, my girl, you’ll never ever be a girlie-girl. Not even if you wore pink, put on lipstick, and wore something besides jeans. You are, and will always be, a true original.”

“Aww, shucks, Pops.” She knew she was blushing and couldn’t even care.

“Dear Heart, havin' a mate isn’t gonnae change who ye ur. It’s gonna make ye th' best version of yerself. Needin' someoone, someoone whoa is th' perfect complement fur ye an' only ye, is th' single most wonderful thing, aside frae havin' bairns, and that ye will ever experience soon enough.”

Wanting to take the time to talk to her mom and dad, to understand everything she’d been literally ignoring for most of her life, Dax could only smile and nod. She had to get to J.D. Had to know he and his family were okay. Had to find out who in the hell was high-jacking her brain…had to admit to her sexy Dragon that she knew they were mates and she was ready to give this whole ‘being together’ thing a shot.

And when did that happened? I have no earthly idea. Fate is a sneaky bitch. Whipped in, messed with my heart, and BAM, I’m chasing after some crazy ass Cowboy. Whoda’ thought?

“Hello? Dax?” Bryn was right beside her snapping her fingers and being as usual sassy self. “You ready?”

“Ready for what?”

Without a word, her mom grabbed her left hand, her dad her right, and Bryn laid her hand on her shoulder. Opening her mouth to ask what in the heck was going on, Dax instead found herself thrown into a swirling vortex of sight and sound. Spinning every which way but up, weightless, and mad as a hornet, she tried to yell at her mother, but her words were lost in the ether. Landing with a thud and a thump, her butt aching and her temper flaring, she was on her feet and ranting at her mother before the ringing had stopped in her ears.  

“What in the name of all that is holy made you do that?” Swinging around to her father who was working way too hard not to laugh, she threw her index finger in his direction and continued her tirade, “And don’t you dare go standin’ up for her. I need to get to J.D.” She whirled towards, Bryn, not missing a beat. “You…well, you just stay hushed up. I need to know he’s okay and that his family’s okay.”

Throwing her hands in the air, she stomped off, still bitchin’ as loudly as she could. “What the hell is wrong with you people? Why does no one listen to me? What in the Goddess’ green Earth am I gonna have to do to get…y’all…”

Finally taking stock of where she was, Dax’s words trailed off, “To…list…”

Spinning on her toes, she glared at her mother, “We’re here?” She started back the way she’d just come. “Wherever here is.” She pointed one way and then the other. “At least close to…”

Feeling more than a little embarrassed but absolutely refusing to apologize for her outrage, she looked at her mom and mouthed, “Thank you.” Then added out loud, “So, how far are we…”

The sound of horses’ hooves against the hard, dry ground echoed across the desert a split second before Heath and Colton appeared over the ridge. Bringing their horses to a halt just short of where Dax was standing, she was already asking, “How’s J.D.?” while the horses were moving.

“He’s caught in some kinda trance or something,” Heath quickly answered.

“Mom’s got no clue what’s happening or how to stop it,” Colton continued where his twin had left off.

“That’s why she called out to your momma,” Heath nodded towards Kristen as Dax looked toward her mom shocked to see the satisfied smile on her face.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Cos ye ne’er shut yer mouth long ‘nuff,” Kristen huffed, then to the twins she smiled and explained, “As Ah tauld ye mather, Ah didn’t want tae jist pop in oan yer land afor we’d met properly.”

The twins were both nodding, which only served to piss Dax off a little bit more.

I really am the last one to know everything, even when it’s my frikkin’ life we’re talkin’ about…

“But noo that we’re here, lead tae way.”

“I can do that,” Dax scoffed, closing her eyes and opening her mind to her mother and adding a strong bit of sass through their shared mental bond. “We will talk about this later. The least you could’ve done was give me a damned heads up.”

“An' ye coold’ve stopped bein' sae bloody pigheaded prat,” Kristen huffed. “But neither's gonna happen, sae, hush it up an' let’s git tae me almost son-in-law afor there’s naethin' left tae meet.”

So angry she couldn’t see straight and more than a little embarrassed, the only thing Dax could be thankful for was that Bryn was standing there being quiet.

Yeah, that’s not weird at all. HA! I’ll have to look into that as soon as I make sure that blasted Dragon of mine is outta trouble…

Unconsciously reaching for the magic she’d inherited from her mother and letting her rage and frustration lead the way, Dax mumbled a Gaelic phrase she didn’t even know she knew and in the blink of an eye they were standing on the porch of Owen and Barbara’s house. Ignoring her mother’s congratulations, more irritated with herself than anyone else at that moment, she sped through the door as soon as Gage opened it.

Sliding to her knees next to J.D., she laid her hands on his chest. Bursts of light. Pops and bangs of explosions. Thick, heavy darkness all around, and then wham she was back in the land of bloody water and burning earth.

Momentary confusion caused a boulder in the base of her stomach and her heart to end up in her throat as she adjusted to being thrust into the body of her Fire Horse without any of her own doing. Swinging her head to the side, she locked eyes with what her heart immediately recognized as her mate, even though he was looking like The Hulk dressed as a Dragon.

Opening her mind to his, her laughter sounded more like chuffing coming from her Horse’s mouth as he teased, “Well, this is a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.”

Chapter Eight

“No shit, Sherlock.” Dax’s ready reply made J.D. chuckle. Dammit all if she wasn’t absolutely perfect in every way he’d found so far.

    Shocked when the fire bolts and super-charged electric currents stopped the second his mate’s consciousness was in the body of her Fire Horse, his next question was, “So, where is here and how do we get the heck back home?”

“You ask a good question.” She slowly ambled forward, her eyes shifting from side-to-side and up-and down. It was the same thing he’d done with abysmal failure just moments before. “The only way I’ve ever been able to get in or out is to have a fit on the floor.” Turning her lovely head to face him, her mane flowing like strands of freshly sown silk through the harsh, steaming air, she lifted her chin. “And I hear that’s the way you arrived, too.”

“News travels fast.”

“Oh boy, you aren’t kiddin’ and I think I should warn you it’s about to get even faster. Our mothers have met and from what I can tell – it was a match made in our worst nightmares, and that was before Bryn jumped into the mix.”

“Well hell, I wondered what would happen when east met west.” He pushed to shift back to his human form only to find he couldn’t. Throwing more of Pwyll’s pure white Dragon magic into the image of his human form in his mind, J.D. all too soon found himself flying through the air and landing on his scaled ass with an incredibly embarrassingly bone-jarring thunk.

“Are you okay?” Dax was there in a flash, her head bowed low, concern burning bright in her eyes. “Did you do that or was it whatever asshole pulled us here?”

Thankful for the scales covering his face to hide his embarrassment, J.D. snickered, “Nope, that was all me. I’m just that good.” Getting to his feet, a flash of light had him spinning to the left.

Whooshing past his ears, his wings flew forward, their talons extended as far as they could go. With no further provocation, a deep rumbling growl crawled from his chest, vibrating his whole body and accompanying Dax’s angry trumpet.

Eyes trained on the farthest ridge, he stood at the ready, waiting for their ‘host’ to appear. Black clouds, dense and ominous gathered above the highest peak. Bolts of lightning and streaks of fire bombarded the earth creating thick plumes of smoke and haze.

Out of the miasma, outlined by fiery currents, rose a tall, dark figure. Blanketing the valley below, his shadow overtook any and all light. The antithesis of good, slimy, malevolent tendrils snaked down the mountainside, across the smoldering, blood-soaked ground, in search any and all who opposed it.

Opening his arms wide, a bright red light burst from a huge Dragon scale shaped gem in the center of his chest. Refusing to look away, J.D. searched the landscape, seeking a way to set a trap for their attacker.

Looking to Dax, his heart stuttered and his breath froze in his lungs as he took in the look of mystified horror dancing in her eyes. One word floated from her mind to his, “Aganunitsi.”

“Who is…”

“Nearly right, my Atsilv Soquili.” The booming lisp, like the hiss of a snake, slashed through their minds. “Aganunitsi is but bones in the earth. I am the Seventh Son of the Seventh Tsalagi Medicine Man. My name is Huacaltzintli. I am raised from the ashes to claim what is rightfully mine.”

Slamming his mental shields into place, J.D. turned to Dax just as she snapped out of her stupor. Swinging her head towards him, she nudged his shoulder with her muzzle then snapped her head backwards in two quick movements.

Walking backward, mirroring her movements, eyes trained on the boogey man on the ridge, he listened carefully as she explained, “It all just clicked. I should’ve known Fate was kickin’ us both in the ass when I heard what she said. But, I was sure Bryn was messin’ with me. Then…”

Her words were overshadowed by the thundering roar of the bastard on the mountain. “You will not win Atsilv Soquili. You and your Dragon Warrior can try, but the victory belongs to me. It is my due. Centuries of waiting. Festering under the earth. Made to cradle the Seventh Scale, bathe it in my own life’s essence, listen to the tired ramblings of Aganunitsi’s spirit, I discovered my true purpose – the true purpose of this magical gift your ancestors forced mine to squander.”

A single second pause and the messed up Medicine Man returned from the dead added with immense pride and true satisfaction, “We were meant to rule all Tribal Nations. Not just those of your ancestors, but every man, woman, child, and beast alive will bow at our feet and beg for our mercy.”

Silence, vast and deafening, filled the valley as the couple moved farther into the cavern. J.D. had heard the tale of Aganunitsi more times than he could remember. It was one of his granddad’s favorites. But the raving maniac bellowing like a loon had warped the legend of goodness and hope into a horror story and somehow had pointed his rage at her and Dax.

How could that horror show threatening the entire world be an ancestor of the greatest Medicine Man ever to live? The person responsible for killing the Uktena – a snakelike creature that threatened an entire Nation would never let such a thing happen.

Aganunitsi had save the Seventh Scale as a reminder to all who would dare threaten the Nations. He and his ancestors kept it alive to protect – not to harm. Something somewhere had gone haywire and J.D. was going to get the bottom of it – come hell or high water.

Repeating what she’d said as he listened to her racing thoughts, Dax went on, “Bryn got all freaky, sounded like some kinda bad imitation of Vincent Price and said something about the Horse of Fire and the Scaled Warrior.” She huffed, making the short hairs at the top of her mane lift and fall. “I seriously thought she was bein’ a brat ‘cause I took the road trip by myself.”

“Can you remember exactly what she said? Word for word?”

“No, but you can have a look.” He felt her mental blocks fall open and watched as her memory of the phone call just before he found her replayed in her mind. Listening intently to every word, he was just about to speak when another, more recent, but nonetheless just as eerie, memory began.

Witnessing himself, or the dream version of himself as it were, beating the living crap out of an exact duplicate of the maniac on the ridge, J.D. knew it somehow fit together with what he’d been experiencing before the appearance of Dax’s consciousness. With the words - The Horse of Fire shall meet the Scaled Warrior. Only the joining of their flames can stop the Crystal of Aganunitsi. The time is at hand. Blood will be shed. The Unktena must be bathed in fire. – running on a continuous loop through his mind, he asserted, “Stay here. This silence can’t be good and,” he turned his eyes towards her, “Dragons do not run and hide from trouble.”

Stalking forward, knowing full well that Dax was right behind him, he fought hard not to smile as she snipped, “Well, la-dee-frikkin’-da Mr. Big, Bad Dragon Ass. You think Fire Horses are wimps?”

Feeling her anger fueling her fire, her rage working to a full burn, J.D. did let just the corner of his mouth raise. Pissed off and ready to fight was where he wanted his mate to be. Worried for his well-being was sweet, but it wouldn’t do either of them any good in battle.

Walking out from behind the blood-soaked boulder at the side of the entrance, he roared, “Bring it on, Asshole.”

“And I thought I was the one with impulse control issues,” Dax’s sarcastic snark was exactly what he needed to hear. It spoke to both man and Dragon, an affirmation of what he had always been told and wholeheartedly believed – it was his job to protect his mate, come what may. Nothing and no one would ever touch Dakota as long as he drew breath.

Stepping out farther, marching to the center of the valley, he turned to face the reincarnated machination of one of the greatest Wonder-workers, Fortune-tellers, and Medicine Men the Cherokee Nation had ever known. Watching the bastard once again fling his arms wide, J.D. refused to back down as one after another after another, images of Medicine Men, presumably of Aganunitsi’s lineage, appeared across the ridge.

A grating cackle rebounded off the rocks. “What say you now, Dragon?”

“Fuck you and your ancestors. The day belongs to the Unktena.”

Chapter Nine

Praying he had a plan. Knowing in her heart he wouldn’t taunt a thousand-and-the-Great-Creator-only-knew-how-many-year-old Zombie Medicine Man – At least I think it’s a Zombie. Maybe he’s a ghost? Guess it doesn’t matter. Bastard’s gotta die. – without a plan, Dax trotted out with her head held high and her eye staring at their opponent. Taking her place next to her mate, she kept her head pointed forward as she spoke directly into J.D.’s mind, “And, you were thinking he would attack first?”

“Just wait. I have a plan.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m so good at the patience thing,” she grumbled.

Thankful he ignored her snotty comment, she hoped she was hiding her shock as he deliberately, with so much malice and fury in his voice that the hairs up and down her spine stood on end, shouted, “What’s the matter? Never been challenged before? Scared of a fair fight? Used to sneaking in, killin’ and destroyin’ then disappearin’ like the spineless cowards you are?”

Shards of fire, blasts of power, and sparks of noxious magic crashed to the ground all around them, but J.D. stood tall, moving slightly in front of her, absorbing the black magic with his impenetrable scales. Snapping his fist in the air, a long, deadly sword, crafted from his own scales appeared in his hand. Motioning for her to come forward, Dax felt the tingle of powerful Dragon magic erect a shield around her as he held the blade between them.

“Is that all you’ve got? Parlor tricks and cheap illusions? Have you never faced a Dragon before, Huacaltzintli? Are you scared?”

“Scared? Of the likes of you?” The Medicine Man screeched. The rattling, hissing snake that grew from the very center of his forehead weaved back and forth, spewing venom that popped and crackled on Huacaltzintli’s shoulders and chest.

“Words are cheap.” Raising his hand, winding up like he was pitching a no-hitter in the World Series, J.D. thrust his arm forward, opening his hand at just the perfect moment and flinging a smoldering mass of fire at the leader of the undead freaks.

Countering her Dragon’s bomb with snaps of electricity and whipping ribbons of fire, the Medicine Men stood fast on the ridge. What were they waiting for? Did they think they were safe up there? Were they stupid enough to think J.D. wouldn’t climb across every damned rock on that mountain for the opportunity to rip their shriveled hearts from their chests?

“Time’s up, you sniveling coward.” With every word, J.D.’s speech grew deeper, more deadly…more animalistic. His shoulders grew wider, and his biceps larger as the tips of his wings went from being curved into the sides of his waist to elongating, their deadly talons dripping with venom.

Brilliant bronze with a touch of gold, a heavy crimson formed a vein down the center of his scales, trickling out to the edges, creating a stained-glass effect that glowed in the oppressive atmosphere. Keeping her mind open to his, she knew the moment his Dragon King shoved his massive payload of power into her mate.

Fire shot from his fingertips, calling to her Fire Horse, demanding she take heed and join the fight. Mirroring her mate’s movements, she breathed in the smoke and fire, let the scent of blood and gore enrage her alter ego then relaxed into the change. Flames raced through her veins and a dark red hue fell over the landscape as the sensation of wings growing from her shoulders, ripping through her coat and extending skyward exhilarated both woman and Fire Horse.

Instantaneously, she swung her head from side-to-side, smiling so wide that she flashed the razor-sharp incisors and canines of her Battle Horse at the row of Medicine Men preparing to attack. Stopping next to J.D., feeling the last of her transformation at its end, she announced her presence with a low, rumbling trumpet that grew into a roar, assuring their adversaries that she could and most definitely would fight beside her mate.

The feel of J.D.’s huge, taloned paw on her withers, his thick, scaled fingers tangling in her mane, sent a shiver of excitement through her body. The sensation of her Battle Horse joining with his Warrior Dragon was nothing short of mind-blowing.

Explosions, like firebombs raced through her system, fed her desire to protect not only her home and family but her mate. Every cell in her body ignited into a bright fiery rage. Opening her heart and soul wider than she ever knew possible, she welcomed their union as she felt J.D. do the same.

“Ready, mo chapall álainn?” His voice shook the confines of her mind.

“You know it. Time to kick ass and I don’t give a shit about takin’ names.”

Chapter Ten

Watching his mate out of the corner of his eye, J.D. couldn’t believe how stunning she was in the form of her Battle Horse. Her reddish-brown coat had turned a glossy midnight black, reminding him of a starless sky. Fire ripped and tore through her hide, seeking the vengeance it was created to bestow.

Wild, flying about her head and neck like flaming silk her mane haloed her magnificent countenance, assuring all who’d ever witnessed her splendor that beauty was in no way a weakness. Rearing back on her hind legs, she once again waved her front paws, but this time fire flew from her hooves accompanied with deadly bolts of lightning and spectacular mysticism.

Lifting his sword at the same time that he raised his opposite hand from her coat, J.D. roared the battle cry his granddad Cheveyo had repeated to all his grandsons from the day they were old enough to speak, “Yutta-hey!”

“Today’s a good day to die?” Dax’s shriek cut through the frenzy of his mind. “Did you seriously just tell those bat-shit crazy Medicine Men Zombies that today is a good day to die?”

Unable to answer or show emotion as he charged into battle, J.D. let the love and respect growing within his heart for her fill their mating bond. There was absolutely no doubt Dakota had been created just for him – she was absolutely everything he’d ever hoped for and so very much more.

Reaching the bottom of the mountain and realizing Huacaltzintli and his army were standing strong, he spread his wings, signaling with a single thought that Dax should do the same. A single mighty push against the seething, fetid air and J.D.’s feet left the ground.

Flying high above his enemies’ heads, he held their rapt attention. Turning in midair, he dropped his stubbed snout, opened his vice-like jaws, and expelled a thick, gray cloud of noxious gas his Celtic ancestors called, gluasaid de ghluasad – fumes of revulsion. Grinning to himself as the Medicine Men finally began to move, J.D. completed his dive amid the coughing and gagging undead.

No sooner had his giant feet touched the ground than Dax landed on the opposite side of the ridge. Swinging his fiery broadsword, decapitating any and all in his path, he reveled in the feel of their caustic black blood coating his scales. Again and again, he struck down the Medicine Men only to look up and find more of them charging towards him.

“Making any headway?” He snarled into his mate’s mind.

“No!” Came her instant and adamant reply. “These bastards are like roaches, there’s a fuck-ton of them and they piss me off.”

Glancing up, he watched for a split second as Dax once again reared onto her back feet. Poetry in motion, he would always think of her as ‘beautiful destruction’ as streaks of bright red lightning flew from her front feet.

Pushing herself forward, landing with a resounding thud, he continued to watch her as he spun, dove, and sliced his way through the sea of undead. Cheering when she used her long elegant wings as a sword, slicing through the Medicine Men as if they were no more than wet paper then moving to the next before the bodies had hit the ground, J.D. was in awe of her prowess.

Reaching the apex, still battling the never-ending sea of grotesque, now decomposing, rotting Medicine Men, he looked for Huacaltzintli. Something in the back of J.D.’s mind, the little voice that always saved his ass in one way or another, was telling him the only way to end the unceasing reincarnation of the undead was to rip the asshole’s head from his shoulders. 

Continuing the tedious task of wading through the decaying bodies as he added to the piles, J.D. extended his wings, again giving a single push before raising into the air. Sure that Dax could handle herself, he continued to monitor her progress while soaring just above the flames. Looking for the abomination of hate and black magic responsible for the alternate dimension he and his mate were fighting to destroy, the Dragon knew Huacaltzintli couldn’t have gotten far.

He hasn’t yet amassed the power to force this world into ours.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when shots rang out to the east. Lowering his left wing, J.D. glided towards the sound at the precise moment pieces of glowing metal and fiery granite struck the scales covering his torso.

Following their trajectory, he touched down nearly three-hundred yards from the origin of the shots. Curling the tips of his wings back into his waist, letting the claw-covered edges lead the way, he cut through the burnt remains of trees and brush.

Stopping mid-stride as the sound of rhythmic chanting reached his ears, J.D. pushed his enhanced senses as far as they would go. Scenting the blood of not only a Wolf but also an Eagle – sacred animals that were never to be killed – Pwyll snarled, pushing against the confines of J.D.’s mind.

“I know, Old Man. The bastard’s bating us.”

Camouflaging himself with a cloak of the Dragon King’s magic, J.D. moved forward. Deciphering the chant, his blood ran cold as he recognized the words ‘righteous blood’, ‘Chief of the lands’, and ‘heart of the Tribe’.

Granddad

The word burst into his mind followed by the gravelly voice of Cheveyo Thorntree. “Do not come any farther, Uwetsi. Huacaltzintli has hidden this place from the Great Spirit. He is using the magic of the Devil to conjure the Lake of Fire on this plane.”

“I can’t…won’t leave you,” J.D. retaliated.

“You can and you will. It is my final word.”

“And, no is mine.” Calling to Dax, he shared his sight. “Do you see this? Huacaltzintli is going to use my granddad as a sacrifice to raise Hell on Earth. I have to stop him.”

“WE have to stop him, Cowboy,” she corrected. “And this time, I have a plan.”

Chapter Eleven

“No, Dax! I said…”

“You said a whole lotta dumb shit, that what’s you said.” Not giving her cantankerous mate a chance to butt in, she hurried on while spreading her wings and lifting herself into the sky. Following the trail of her Dragon’s magic, she went on, “Those pieces of rot and bone were a distraction and I should’ve seen it sooner. Husi-what’s-his-face played me for a fool, but he won’t get another chance. Something dawned on me right before you decided to be stupid.” She could feel his anger at her rash decision and simply ignored it. He would damn good and well listen to her or their relationship would start with one humdinger of a fight.

“When Brynn went all Creepy Witch on me, she said ‘The Unktena must be bathed in fire.’” She paused for a split-second as her hooves touched down. “She wasn’t talking about bad fire, she was talking about our fire – the combination of Battle Horse and Warrior Dragon.”

With his irritation at her waning, she could hear his thoughts of exactly what they could do to join their fires just before he answered, “I believe you’re right.”

“Well, of course, I am. You’ll get used to it. Happens all the time.”

Not sure if her mate appreciated her attempt to cut the tension with humor or not, Dax stopped behind him, speaking only when he turned his head and winked his big Dragon eye at her. “I was thinkin’…”

“You were thinkin’ that you’d actually let me get a word in edgewise?” J.D.’s tone was sharp but she could feel it was worry for his grandfather and fury at the bastard holding the old Chief hostage and nothing she’d done. Going on without pause, he added, “I’ll go to the other side, directly across from you. We’ll wait until Huacaltzintli begins the actual ritual.” Stepping forward, he bent his huge body nearly double and stared through the branches at his grandfather whose head was hanging forward from where the Medicine Man had tied him to a thick piece of oak.

Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “You sure?”

“As sure as I’ve been of anything.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before J.D. vanished. Reading his thoughts, making sure she understood exactly what she was supposed to be doing, wobbles and waves in the air around the huge ring of fire Huacaltzintli had trapped Chief Thorntree within alerted to how quickly her Dragon could actually travel.

Waiting for the signal, Dax heard J.D.’s threatening growl when the Medicine Man grabbed a handful of Cheveyo’s hair and slammed the back of his skull against the hard plank of wood. Moving forward, still at the edge of the charred forest, she thought about wringing her Dragon’s neck when he stepped out into the clearing and shouted, “Touch my Grandfather again and I’ll rip you limb from limb.

Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Huacaltzintli’s cackle rang through the seared landscape as faster than her eyes could track the ruthless bastard open-hand slapped the old Chief right across the face. Running through the flames. J.D. catapulted into the air and stretched out his long, thick legs to pummel the Medicine Man.

A whoosh of boiling magic, the stench of death, and a howl that curdled the very blood in her veins filled the clearing. With her eyes trained on her mate, she watched in horror as he hung helplessly above the blazing bonfire.

“J.D.!” She roared.

“Don’t…move,” his struggling stammer skipped through her mind. “It’s…a…a…trap.”

“No shit.” The words whipped from her mind to his before she could stop them. “But then why should I stop them?” She asked, knowing he couldn’t answer. “You had to be the hero. Couldn’t wait for us to do it together. You’re really gonna have to work on that or eternity is gonna suck for you. Let me…”

“Let you what? Tell him all the reasons why you’re always right and he’s always gonna be wrong?”

Whipping her head to the side, Dax nearly jumped for joy as she took in her dad, in Battle Stallion form, ready and willing to help not only rescue her mate, but also his grandfather. Ready to tell him how happy she was to see him, she was nearly knocked on her butt as not one, but all five of J.D.’s brothers and his dad appeared in her father’s magical wake.

“How did you get here? I thought J.D. and I were secluded on the Island of Misfit Medicine Men.”

“It’s a feat of magic I never imagined, but I’ll let your mother tell you about that. She, Barbara, and Bryndle have teamed up.” Her father’s voice trailed off as J.D.’s Dad took over.

With differing hues of bronze scales, the MacAllen Dragons all stood tall, but it was Owen whose voice she heard in her mind. “I see my son’s leapt before he looked again.” Not waiting for her answer, he went on, “And seems like that Medicine Man thinks he’s outfoxed us.”

“What do you mean?” Dax immediately felt bad for asking questions while her mate was hanging in the air like a marionette from last year’s fair, but then again, she had told him to wait.

“Close your eyes and find the taint of the Medicine Man’s magic.”

Doing as Owen instructed, Dax spat, “What a dick. He’s tailored his spell to only screw with Dragons and Fire Horses.”

“Indeed he has.” Owen nodded. “And he should’ve done his homework.”

Quicker than she could ask what he meant, pure, white Dragon magic filled the air and the six Warrior Dragons faded from Scaled Heroes to the biggest Timberwolves she’d ever seen. Standing almost as tall as her Fire Horse, their thick fur was the color of whiskey, almost that of their Dragon scales, and their eyes an icy blue.

Running off in all directions, J.D.’s five brothers surrounded the perimeter while Owen stayed at her side, along with her father. She didn’t have to wonder long what the plan was before the older Dragon began, “The boys will be able to distract the Medicine Man but it’s all up to you and J.D. to destroy him and that blasted Seventh Scale.”

“And exactly how do we go about stopping Dr. Buttface and blowing up a couple of millenniums old scale that’s now a stone with wicked evil powers?”

“You’ll know when the time comes.” Her father and Owen answered in unison.

Swinging her head from side-to-side, sure to give them both the nastiest look she was able to muster with her Battle Horse’s muzzle, she sarcastically huffed, “Thanks, guys.” After looking at J.D. and wishing with all her heart it was her and not him caught in the black magic, she added, “Well, just in case I implode and kill us all, just remember, you were no help at all.”

Their laughter in her head helped to diffuse a bit of her nervousness as she waited for the signal then thought, “What is the signal? Owen, what…”      

  Her answer came when the chaos of five howling, barking, growling and snapping Timber Wolves burst from the tree line and jumped through the flames of Huacaltzintli’s Sacred Circle. Watching as they herded him back to the farthest corner, Dax waited until the Wolf she recognized as the youngest of J.D.’s brothers, Colton, snapped his teeth down on the Medicine Man’s petrified forearm, snarling, shaking his head, and baring down so hard she heard the crunch and crack of brittle bone.

Dashing into the clearing, jumping the flames as if they were a hurdle, she flapped her wings, opened her mouth as wide as she could and exhaled a whirling column of brilliantly, deadly, flashing shards of powerful magical lightning. Holding her breath as J.D. was thrown backward, his feet flew over her head, and for two of the longest seconds of her life he was out of sight, Dax breathed a sigh of relief when his roar shook the ground. It was even better when he flew onto the scene, breathing fire, lightning and his wicked nasty gas in every direction.

Retracting his talons as he held out his paw, her mate’s voice sounded in her mind. “Lay your hoof in my hand and pour all the fire you can into our bond.”

Not questioning the directions she’d been given for the first time in her life, she slid one of her front feet over his paw and concentrated on the wonderfully warming light in the base of her heart and soul. Then with every ounce of her power and magic, she shoved the flames of her Battle Horse into their magical connection. Awestruck as J.D. grew even larger and bright white light burst from every scale covering his body, she was still shocked when he became engulfed in flames.

Pushing her hoof all the way through his paw, stopping when he was holding her knee, Dax felt a surge in energy and a force that was so uniquely wonderful there was no denying it was the combination of both hers and J.D.’s abilities. Embracing the rush, reveling in the raw strength, every fiber of her being detonated in a cascade of flames, electricity, and ancient mysticism.

Letting herself be pulled to J.D.’s side, she followed the instructions he was sharing with her telepathically. Placing her free hoof over his shoulder, she faced her mate as she wrapped her wings over and around his.

Closing her eyes, she let go of everything she was. Woman, Fire Horse, and Battle Horse, the magic of her ancestors – both Shifter and Witch, and all the love and adoration she already had for her Dragon flowed from her soul to his. Completely open, holding absolutely nothing back, she felt the whole of J.D.’s being merge with hers as she watched an overwhelming cyclone of flames shot from the bottom of their souls.

“Back!” He bellowed into the souls of his brothers just before their burning tempest hit Huacaltzintli square in the chest and detonated like a confetti cannon filled with ash.

Squeals of anguish and howls of pain filled the atmosphere as similar explosions sounded behind them in the direction of the ridge as together the couple landed next to Chief Cheveyo who Owen had freed. Letting go and putting all four hooves on the ground, Dax looked into J.D.’s eyes and winked. “Hey, can you turn all furry, too?”

“Oh, Darlin’, just wait ‘til you see all the things I can do.” 

Chapter Twelve

“Hey, enough of that lovey-dovey crap,” Gage grumbled. “I’m ready to get home and out of this fur. I forgot how hot this crap was.”

“Do not worry,” Cheveyo responded. “Now that Huacaltzintli has been returned to the depths of Hell, home is only a thought away.”

Spreading his arms wide and letting his head fall back, the elder Chief’s voice rang out over the cacophony, a beacon of hope and peace. The longer they waited, the louder he sang, until his whole body began to lift from the ground.

Hovering above them, he sang, “Oh, Great Spirit, may this land be cleansed, that it can be returned to its beautiful splendor. May our hearts be cleansed, that we may hear Your voice clearly. May the smoke that was made to harm be used for good, that it may carry this prayer spiraling to the Heavens.”

Wrapped tight in J.D.’s arms, Dax swayed to the tune dancing through her mind. Lost in the melody, she nearly jumped out of her skin when a flash of light and a loud boom came out of nowhere.

Dots danced before her eyes. She scrambled to stay on her feet, her legs as wobbly as a newborn colt’s. Screaming for J.D., her thoughts were flung back at her as she was sucked into a swirling vortex of lights and sounds that not only blinded her, but nearly burst her eardrums.

Over and over she yelled. Searching for her mate, her father, Owen, and all of the others. Where were they? What fresh hell had decided they hadn’t suffered enough?

Trying to focus. Wishing for calm so that she could somehow find out what was happening, Dax found herself unceremoniously dumped onto a slab of hard, gritty concrete. Jumping to her feet, ready to fight any and all comers, she shook her head and rapidly blinked her eyes.

Turning a complete circle, her vision clearing, she could only just make out the wavy images of two people standing no more than twenty feet before her. “Who in all that’s holy are you and what the hell do you want? I’ve had a shitty couple of days and I’m ready to maim and mutilate anybody who even looks my way.”

Laughing out loud, the sound so familiar her arms dropped of their own accord, Dax took a step forward as the still out of focus person with bright red hair scolded, “Ah knoo ye didnae jist curse at yer mather, an' after aw Barbara, Bryndle, an' Ah’ve jist doone fur ye.”

“Mom?”

“An' whoo else woods it be, Darlin’?”

Rushing forward, she wrapped her arms around both her mom and Barbara, trying to hold back the tears as she asked, “Where are the others? Are they okay? Where’s J.D.?” Stepping back and looking her mom in the eyes, she demanded, “Where is he, Mom? Is he okay? Is he…”

“Turn around, Woman. I’m right here.”

Spinning on her toes and running into his waiting arms, Dax slammed her lips to his, pouring every emotion she was feeling into that single joining. Never wanting to be anywhere he wasn’t, knowing she’d been a fool to resist the pull of the mating call in the first place, she reluctantly lifted her lips from his and blurted out, “Marry me, Cowboy, or lose me forever.”

Laughter erupted from all around her, but she only had eyes for her Dragon. In less than a week, he’d become the center of her world, the love of her life, and the man who’d stolen her heart.

“Aren’t I supposed to ask you?” His eyes were alight with mischief.

“Now, I know your momma has told you more than once over all the years you’ve been on this Earth that the Cherokee Nation is matrilineal, so, in my book, Mister, that means the early Filly gets her Dragon.”

Leaning his head back and raising a single eyebrow, she knew J.D. was trying to hold back his laughter. All too soon, he couldn’t hold it anymore. Laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes, he readily agreed, “Baby, you can lead this man around by the scales. I’m yours. Do with me what you will.”

Waggling her eyebrows and giving him her best Mae West imitations, Dax teased, “Baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

*****

The decision had been easy, both she and J.D. agreed. The wedding/Mating Ceremony would be a combination of everything they were – some Fire Horse, some Dragon, some Witch, and absolutely, some Cherokee.

She’d asked if they should also have something to honor the Wolf, but J.D. had explained that his family’s ability to transform into Timber Wolves was an extension of their Dragon – a gift their ancestors had received for helping a Pack many centuries ago. Thankful, she didn’t have to figure out a way to add one more thing to the ceremony, Dax was more than ready when the morning of her Mating Ceremony finally arrived.

Dressed in her mother’s simply elegant, floor-length gown made of cream-colored silk and decorated with tiny bronze and flaming red crystals both Kristen and Barbara had meticulously added, she walked out of the MacAllen’s home and stood at the edge of Barbara’s garden. Spectacularly transformed into the fantasy straight from her dreams, she couldn’t wait to see J.D. and thank him for all he and his brothers had done to make their special day so very perfect.

Standing under a white picket archway decorated with blossoms of every color and size and ribbons to match, she prayed the wind didn’t blow her long red curls into her face as she waited for her mate and his brothers to arrive. Eyes trained on the fountain in the middle of the garden, she smiled as Cheveyo entered from the side wearing the traditional dress of their Tribe.

Gripping her bouquet of red roses that had been delivered to her room that morning with a note that read, “Together we shall ride forever and grow young in our love. Always and forever, J.D.” so tightly she thought she might snap the stems, she breathed a sigh of relieve when Gage, Zach, Tree, Colton and Heath filed into the room led by Owen.

Wearing the same shit-eating grins as the day she met them each of the MacAllen boys winked in her direction and tipped their heads as if they were tipping an imaginary hat. Unable not to chuckle at the amazing blessings she’d been given by the Great Creator, the Universe and the Goddess of All, Dax’s breath was stolen from her lungs at J.D.

There he was, dressed just like his dad and brothers in what they called a surcoat that looked like they’d all just stepped out of a movie about Camelot. The fabric just three or four shades lighter than the scales of his Dragon, the hem, neck, and shoulders decorated with black corded trim, J.D. looked good enough to eat.

Shifting from one foot to the other and back again, ready to get to her mate and say the words that would bind them together for all eternity, her eyes landed on the fantastic needlework on the front of his surcoat. Unable to look away, she couldn’t believe the absolutely perfect rendition of J.D.’s Warrior Dragon in the midst of battle. It was nothing short of amazing.

Looking back to Cheveyo as he cleared his throat, Dax took one step and then the other. The bronze runner leading to the fountain tickled the bottom of her bare feet as she drew closer and closer to the man the Universe had created for her.

Stopping next to her father, she reached for his outstretched hand, squeezing tightly just to stay on her feet, Dax looked into his eyes as Cheveyo asked, “Do you, John Sparks, Leader of the Sparks Harras, willingly and with the love in your heart, give your Blessing to the union of your daughter to this man?”

“Her mother and I do. May their hands be forever clasped in friendship.” He paused and leaned down to give Dax a kiss on the cheek, before placing her hand in J.D.’s and adding, “And may their hearts be joined forever in love.”

“The Great Creator, the Universe, and the Goddess of All hear your Blessing and wish nothing but the best for you and yours.” Nodding, his wise eyes filled with love, Cheveyo waited until her dad had joined her mom in the seats behind them before continuing.

“J.D. and Dakota are here with family and friends, under the beautiful sky, the wind kissing their cheeks and the sun shining brightly upon them to profess not only their love for one another, but their commitment to an eternity walking and hand in hand for it is the greatest wish of the Great Creator and the Universe for these two blessed souls.”

“They’ve chosen to combine all that they are for a truly special Mating Ceremony that honors every step of their journey thus far and into the future. I stand before you, Chief of the Thorntree Wolf Clan of the Cherokee Nation and grandfather to J.D. to give you the Blessing of our Nation, our Tribe and our Clan.”

“Dakota Jane and Jacob Daniel, may you feel no rain, for each of you are the shelter for the other. May you feel no cold, for you have one another for warmth.”

“Now you are two people, but there is only one life before you. May your days be good and long upon this great Earth. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness, and kindness that your love deserves. Focus on what is right between you, not what is wrong.”

“Ride out the storms when the clouds hide the face of the sun, remembering that even if you lose sight of what is good for even a moment, the sun is still there to light your path. As each of you take responsibility for the quality and blessings in your life together, it is the promise of the Great Creator and the Universe that you will have nothing but abundance and delight.”

“With the love only a grandfather can have for his grandchildren, I wish you nothing but love and happiness. Cherish one another. Remember that faith, hope, and love are all that remains, and the greatest of these is love.”

Stepping forward, Cheveyo laid his hands upon theirs, and looking at J.D. whispered, “You have been given the greatest gift a man can receive. Cherish her with all that you are, Son.”

Smiling at her, J.D. winked. “I most assuredly will, Granddad.”

Next to stand before them was Owen, dressed just like J.D. and sporting a smile so bright Dax wondered if his cheeks hurt. Nodding to them both, he looked out at their families and began, “For the Dragons, these ceremonies are usually only open to the Elders of the Clan and the Guardsmen of the Male’s Force. In this case, I’m most certainly overjoyed to have family and friends witnessing this blessed event.”

“Long ago, when Knights and Dragons fought side by side for King and Country, it became apparent that Dragon kin was no longer safe from those who would expose, exploit, and destroy them. Seeking to remain hidden but also continue the mission of the Universe to preserve not only their species but human kind, they sought to join with the Knights who had so valiantly fought by their sides for so very many years. Thus, through magic and the will of both Dragon and Knight, the Dragon Shifters were born.”

“In the infinite wisdom of the Universe and our Founding Elders, Clans were set up, one for each color of the Dragon Kings whose soul we carry within our own. Each was assigned a region in which to make their home and to protect their families. Over time, some have flourished, some have ceased to exist, and others have been born from the joining of many. As the Leader of the MacAllen Clan of the Bronze Dragons, it is an incredible honor to stand here today among family and friends, on the land my ancestors settled and have maintained for centuries. We have always lived our lives on a simple principle – Keep Creator/Universe, Family, and Love at the center of our world and we can never fail.”

“Gathered in the place so sacred to my family, I can feel the Universe’s unconditional acceptance of the Daughter of the Mighty Fire Horse, Johnathan Sparks. He and his lovely mate, Kristen, Priestess and Carrier of the Crois Lasrach have raised in her the ways of their kin and loved her as only a parent can.”

“The Great Creator and the Universe continue to astound one and all as they bless the Dragons with extraordinary mates for the best among us. Every Dragon who finds the Light of his Soul knows how very sacred she is. It is an honor to witness the power of what the Universe and our Elders put into place at our inception. We acknowledge and bless the mating of Jacob Daniel MacAllen to the One the Universe made for him, Dakota Jane Sparks. Will those seeking to witness this union please step forward?”

Taking a step forward, Gage smiled from ear-to-ear as he began, “We, the Dragons of the MacAllen Clan, brothers to Jacob Daniel one and all, wish to witness and offer our blessing to one born of our blood and the mate of his heart. May their lives now and forever be a testament to all we hold dear…love, honor, and loyalty.” Turning to face only his brother, he continued, “As you are one, let your combined strength see you through many years and the children of your children’s children smile upon you.” Chuckling, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, he added, “We’re all ready to be uncles, so, get this show on the road. Whatcha say, J.D.?”

Laughing one and all, Dax had to cough into her free hand as J.D.’s smooth baritone tiptoed through her mind. “I can’t wait to start practicing.”

Much to her surprise, Bryn came walking from the side of the garden and stopped beside Owen. Watching closely, Dax almost laughed out loud when her mouthed, “Think wedding night,” before smiling brightly. “Dakota, you are the sister I never had and the best friend a girl could ever hope for. May this blessing and all the others ensure that you and J.D. have the best forever possible.” Taking a breath and looking out at the others, Bryn began, “May the Loving protection of the Lord embrace you. May the Light of the Lady shine upon you. May the memories of this day forever touch you…”

“Because Love is the Light to guide you. Love is the Blanket to warm you. And Love is the Wonder given to you to Cherish and Hold forever, my dear, dear friends.”

Dax could only smile as she watched her best friend return to her seat. She and Brynn had always been inseparable, and even though she had found her mate, Dax would never be able to live without talking to her bestie at least every other day.

Clearing his throat as loudly as possible, Owen waited until the laughter had quieted before beginning again, “The witness and blessing of each and every one of you gathered here today has been acknowledged, not only by myself, but by the Great Creator, the Universe, the Goddess of all and the Ancients for whom we owe our very existence. It is truly a blessed event to have witnessed and officiated the Mating Ceremony of my son and now, daughter.”

Looking at J.D. and then at her, before raising his eyes to the others for just a moment, Owen continued, “The Bronze Dragons were born of the flawless combination of Earth and Sea. They possess a charitable nature and are larger and stronger than any of the other Metallic Dragons. Their impenetrable scales protect them in battle and their ability to take the form of the Timber Wolf makes them nearly unbeatable. Truth and honor lie at the heart of a Bronze Dragon and will always be the guiding light in his effort to be that his mate ever needs. To mate a Bronze Dragon is to accept all that they are and honor the power shared between mates.”

“As a Fire Horse and Daughter of the Bearer of the Flaming Cross of the Celtic Earthen Witches, do you Dakota take this man and his Dragon as not only your mate but that of your Fire Horse?” Owen asked, authority and reverence in his tone.

“With all that I was, all that I am, all I will ever be, and all that we are together, I accept J.D. and Pwyll into my heart and my soul. I will share everything that I am with both of these spectacular males every day of our lives together, both here and in the Heavens.”

Turning to J.D., Owen asked, “As a Bronze Dragon and my son, do you Jacob take this woman and her Fire horse as not only your mate but that of your Dragon?”

“For every day, rain or shine, fire or snow, day or night, with all that I am or all that I will ever be, I pledge to love, honor, and cherish Dakota and her Fire horse with all that I am. They will always come first, be the center of my focus, and the love of my heart.”

“Now is the time of the marking and I believe my son has something special planned for his mate. At this time, the rest of us get to eat, drink, and toast to their happiness in the big house.”

As everyone left the garden, Dax narrowed her eyes and tried to read her mate’s mind that was suspiciously closed to her at that moment, before whispering, “What are you up to, Mr. MacAllen?”

“Making you the happiest mate there ever was, Mrs. MacAllen.”

Chapter Thirteen

Racing to his house with Dax in his arms, the ranch was all but a blur. Many times over the years, he’d bitched about being the farthest from the big house, but now that he had a mate and wanted untold days and weeks of privacy, he couldn’t be happier.

Up on the porch, through the front door and finally alone with Dax, J.D. could barely contain himself. There hadn’t been a time since he first laid eyes on her that he hadn’t wanted to have her all to himself.

Letting her body slide down his, he pulled her tighter still the second her feet hit the floor. Running his fingers through her silken hair, grinning as she sighed with a seductive smile curving her tempting lips, he rubbed and kneaded down her neck and onto her shoulders.

Pushing her gown off her shoulder, he couldn’t help but put his lips to her body, kissing across her shoulder to her neck. Paying special attention to the spot he knew would very soon wear his Mating mark, he waited until Dax was breathless before he whispered, “Tha mo chridhe taobh a-staigh thu a-nis agus gu bràth,” into her mind.

Allowing his canines to extend and pierce her delicate skin, he held tight as she gasped at the same moment the identical spot on his neck stung. Saying the words that had been written on his heart from the moment of his birth, J.D. felt the missing piece of his soul click into place. “Bho a-nis gu deireadh an ama bheir mi gràdh dhut le mo chridhe uile.”

It felt as if his heart had grown wings when Dax repeated the words in English, her voice breathy and heavy with adoration. From now until the end of time, I will love you with all my heart.”

Pulling his fangs from her skin, J.D. reached around her back as he continued to kiss and taste her neck and shoulders. Needing to feel her body pressed to his, he made quick work of at least a hundred tiny pearl buttons lining her spine.

Capturing her lips as he pushed the soft fabric off her shoulders and down her arms, smiling into their kiss as it floated to the ground. Sliding his hands up her ribs, tracing the band of her bra, his nimble fingers unclasped the hooks, swiftly removing the troublesome garment and throwing it behind him.

Breaking their kiss, loving when Dax moaned at the loss, before opening her lust-soaked eyes and giving me a lazy smile. “Am I marked as yours, Dragon Man?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked at the magnificent glowing glyph, a fiery Dragon Scale with wings decorating the lovely column of her neck. “You are mine now and forever.”

“Good,” she sighed. “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Dax’s mind was only one of the million things he already loved about her. She was not only intelligent, but quick-witted with an amazing heart and body and curves in all the right places.

Lifting her into his arms, he sped up the stairs and into his room, closing the door with a satisfying click, before setting her feet on the floor. Reaching for the last scrap of material covering her body, her silky white panties, Pwyll purred and rolled onto his back within the confines of J.D.’s mind, pushing him to finish claiming their mate.

Sassy as ever, just the way he loved, Dax put her hand on her hip and with her free hand extended her index finger and while outlining his frame in the air between them teased, “Now, it’s your turn, Mr. MacAllen.”

Standing completely still as she sighed, making a show of rolling her eyes and tsking, she closed the distance between them and slipped her hands underneath the soft cotton of his black turtleneck he wore under his surcoat. Lifting both garments over his head and dropping them to the floor, she ran her hands over his shoulders and across his chest.

Currents of pure white-hot electricity raced through his veins, filled every fiber if his being, setting both man and Dragon alight with the need to be one with their mate. Slowly shaking her head, whispering, “Slow down, Cowboy,” she ran the tips of her fingers along each ridge of his six-pack, before laying her hand on the waistband of his pants.

Unbuttoning the brass button while demurely looking up at him through her thick, dark lashes, she winked before cooing, “Do you know how very much I want you, J.D. MacAllen.”

As if her words had somehow released her succulent scent into the room, he inhaled all that he could of the smoky aroma of cade wood and pink pepper. Not only was it intoxicating, but the perfect complement to everything that she was.  Shivering at the sensation as the backs of her fingers moved closer to his erection and she pushed his zipper down, J.D. held his breath in an effort to not pick up his mate and ravish her where they stood.

There was no hiding anything from one another. She wore his mark, and he hers. He’d heard her thoughts, knew that she wanted to take the lead, so no matter how hard it was for him, he would give her what she wanted – always and forever.

Sliding his pants over his hips, her hand bumped his throbbing erection, thrusting J.D. over the edge of reason, straight into the fiery passion of their combined desire. Unable to hold back, all the resolutions he’d just made fading in the fire of his need, he slid his hands under her arms and held her to his chest.

Using the speed given to him by the Universe, J.D. spun around and within a single heartbeat had Dax on her back in the middle of his bed. One more quick move and her legs were over his shoulders, her center right in front of his face. Smiling as he rubbed his nose against the wet silk of her panties, he inhaled his mate’s intoxicating scent, sure he would lose his mind if he didn’t make love to her right then and right now.

Slipping his fingers under the silk at her hip, he tore the offending material from her body and threw it over his head, growling as the scent of warm, sexy Dax filled his senses even stronger than just moments before. No longer able to stand the torture of not being joined with her in every way possible, the tip of his tongue slowly licked up the glistening seam of her pussy. 

Groaning low in his throat, his Dragon roaring in his head as Dax’s taste burst upon his tongue, J.D. knew he’d found Heaven. Placing his hands under the wonderfully round globes of her behind, he lifted her pussy closer to his face, feasting as if for the first time. Driving his tongue into her excited body as far as he could go, licking every inch of his mate, he curled the end of his tongue to tease the sensitive bundle of nerves at the top of her channel.

Dax’s hands dove into his hair, fisting the strands and pulling with such force J.D. was sure he’d be bald as she moaned his name over and over. Smiling against her silken skin, loving the way she reacted to his touch, he used the flat of his tongue to lick her outer lips from bottom to top, teasing her aroused clit on every pass.

Tightening her legs around his head, her heels digging into his back, Dax’s screams of surrender rattled the windows as he sucked her swollen nub between his lips. Flicking it up and down with his tongue, teasing and taunting, his heart filled to nearly bursting as Dax shouted her release to the Heavens above.

Lapping at her essence as it flowed from her body, J.D. nuzzled and nipped her puffy lips until she released his hair and her breathing slowed to nearly normal. Slowly sliding her legs from his shoulders, massaging the tired muscles of her thighs, he looked up at Dax, his body shaking with the love he felt for this very special woman. There had never been a more glorious sight than his Fire Horse, the one the Universe had made for him, completely satisfied, looking like a Queen laid out before him.

Kissing her hip then her belly button, where he paid extra attention with the tip of his tongue until Dax giggled under her breath, he nipped his way up her stomach, kissing the sweet spot between her breasts, loving the feel of her heart beating in sync with his. Palming both her breasts, he gently kneaded, the already raised peaks growing harder against his palms. Kissing up her neck, he smiled against her heated skin as she let her head fall to the side, allowing him all the access he wanted.

True to all he knew of her, his sassy, fiery mate grabbed his head, pulled his lips to hers and kissed him with the same wild abandon she did everything. Opening immediately, J.D. made it clear with his actions that she owned him completely…body, heart and soul. Just as passionate in bed and in love as she was everywhere, Dax was absolute perfection.

With her hands in his hair and her tongue sliding in and out of his mouth, dancing alongside his, J.D. held back his climax by the thinnest of unraveling threads. Losing the battle, he shifted his hips and thrust his cock into the haven of his Dax. Pushing until he could go no farther, Dax ripped her lips from his and screamed, “J.D.!... Yes!... Oh, my Goddess, yes!... I love you!”

Wanting to go slow the first time in his mate’s body, but unable to keep control as the feel of her muscles contracted around him. Massaging, tempting, teasing, she made it absolutely impossible for him to hold still. Pulling out until only the tip of his rock-hard cock rested within her body, his control shattering with every heartbeat, J.D. growled through gritted teeth, “Look at me, mo ghra’. See the man who loves you more than life itself. You are my everything, Dakota MacAllen – absolutely the best part of who I am.”

Her eyes snapping to his, the love he saw overflowing from Dax’s heart and soul was nothing short of humbling. Thrusting into her then pulling right back out, he started a rhythm that she met stroke for stroke with an explosive passion that fed his own. Together in all things, always, that was the gift he’d been given from the Great Creator and the Universe.

Staring into one another’s eyes, their hearts beating as one, Dax’s Fire Horse reached for J.D.’s Dragon a split-second before their passion exploded, rocking both of them to the very bottom of their souls. Pushing her knees toward her chest, he lifted her ass, going deeper and filling her completely.

Rolling his hips, the head of his cock caressed the sensitive bundle of nerves that made the walls of her vagina close tighter and tighter around him. Wanting to shout to the Heavens when her eyes rolled back in her head from the pleasure only he could give her, J.D.’s chest puffed with pride as Dax struggled to catch her breath.

Reaching between their bodies, his fingers had barely closed around her clit when her orgasm propelled them both over the edge of ecstasy. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and her bright eyes held the miraculous promise of all the love in her heart. What was he to do, but follow her into the blissful cloud of adoration only they, as one, could create? There was no doubt, and would never be, that J.D. would follow Dax absolutely anywhere, even to the ends of the Earth.

Hours later, they laid together, completely satiated, her head on his chest, their legs intertwined, and their bodies cooling from several incredible hours of lovemaking. Smiling like a giddy little kid from the love he shared with his mate, J.D. reached into the drawer of the nightstand next to his bed.

Pulling a small black velvet box into the light, he turned to Dax and laid it in her open hand. Looking up with a shocked look in her eyes, she asked, “What’s this? You said no presents.”

“No, to be exact, I said, you could not buy any presents. I was careful not to include myself in that statement so you couldn’t beat me up when I gave you this.” His eyes shifted to the box for a half-second then returned to hers. “Open it.”

Opening the lid, Dax gasped as the ring his Grandfather, Owen’s dad, had given to him centuries ago. “This is stunning.” Her words were little more than the tiniest puff of air. “This is gorgeous.” She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “But it’s too much...too beautiful. It has to be a family heirloom.” She snapped back to her old self as her brow furrowed. “Besides. Isn’t Gage the oldest. Shouldn’t this be his?”

“No, this was given to me by dad’s dad, Fergus MacAllen, with the strict instructions to give it to my mate when I found her.” Kissing the tip of her nose, he leaned back and took the ring from the box.

Sliding it onto her finger, he explained, “This is one of the very rare red diamonds and old Fergus found it uncut, in this very shape, the very day he met Granny Mae.”

“The color is for their endless love and the shape, well, since it’s a Dragon scale, I’m thinkin’ you get the symbolism there.”

“Yep, puzzled that one out,” Dax chuckled. “But, I still think…”

Laying his index finger to her lips, cutting off her next rebuttal, J.D. looked her right in the eye and adamantly asked, “Do you want me to call old Fergus? He still lives in the mountains not far from here. I can get him to fly on over and kick your butt if you’d like?”

“No, hell no.” She shook her head and made her eyes as wide as they could go as she pretended to be scared. Laying her left hand over her heart, she even put a little quiver in her voice as she immediately sat back and straightened her shoulders. “I don’t want to make my new in-laws mad at me already. I’ll keep it if you insist.”

Raising a single eyebrow but quickly losing her stern façade, Dax laughed out loud as she wrapped her arms around his neck and purred, “Thank you, J.D., for everything.”

Pretending to tip the imaginary hat on his head and putting even more southern in his voice than was already there, he winked. “My pleasure, Ma’am. I aim to please.” Laying his lips to hers, he added telepathically, “And please you I will every day of my life.”

“Damn am I glad Daisy Mae broke down where she did,” came her happily breathy reply just before he deepened their kiss and added, “Ditto, Sweetheart. Ditto squared.”

Until we meet again…

Epilogue

Buzz! Buzz-Buzz-Buzz!

“Who is it?” She screamed from under the covers where she’d fallen asleep on the couch, promising herself to disconnect the stupid doorbell on her first day off.

“Your partner. We’ve got a case,” came Fitz’s gruff reply.

Pulling the blanket from her head, Donnatella Hale, called Hale since she’d joined the police force ten years ago and Nat to her friends, groaned aloud as she realized not even the sun was up yet. Throwing her feet onto the floor and making her body follow, she grabbed her robe and threw it on as she made her way to the front door.

Looking through the peephole just to be sure, she unlocked the door and turned the knob, before opening it all the way and grabbing Fitz’s cup of steaming coffee.

“Hey! I just bought that,” he snarled.

“I can tell. It’s still hot and doesn’t smell like your nasty cigarettes.”

Taking a sip as she started up the stairs to her room to get dressed, she called over her shoulder, “What the hell time is it any way?”

“Four am, your Ladyship. Got any food in your fridge?”

“Yep! Stopped at the store last night.” Stepping onto the second floor, a cold chill raced down her spine. The kind a person gets when someone rakes their fingernails down a chalkboard or walks over their own grave. Stopping at the railing and looking down, she asked, “What and where?”

Having worked together since Nat became a detective three years ago, Fitz knew what she was asking and answered, “DB in the Park.”

Closing her eyes, knowing what the answer to her next question was going to be, but needing to hear him say it, she asked, “It’s a girl?”

“Yes.”

“In Manlowe Park?”

“Yes.” Fitz walked into the foyer holding half a ham sandwich and looked up at her. “And?”

“And she’s twenty-one. Her neck’s been slashed. No signs of sexual assault. All her belongings are with her and she has a yellow ribbon wrapped around her right wrist.”

“Yes.” He took a bite of his sandwich. “And?”

“And a jogger found her by the pier.”

“You are right again, but then, I never doubted otherwise.”

Blowing out a long breath, she turned towards her room, crossed the threshold and closed the door. Leaning her back against the wood, she ran her fingers through her hair, pulling the scrunchie out as she went, and looked at the picture of her mom and dad she kept by her bed.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, she crossed the room and picked up the frame, running the tip of her index finger over their faces. Setting it back on the bedside table, she walked into the closet and grabbed her last clean suit.

Laying it on the bed, she looked back at her folks and smiled. “I know it’s not your fault I can see all this shit. Hell, it even helps with my job, but the dreams with the hot guy and the Dragon, those are seriously freakin’ me out.”

COMING JULY 3rd as Part of the Multi-Author Lick of Fire Series –

BURN DRAGON BURN

Book #34 in the Dragon Guard Series

THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL

Book #1 in the Dragon Guard Series

HER DRAGON TO SLAY

ALWAYS FREE on Amazon!

Sassy and stubborn have gotten Kyndel through everything life had to throw at her. Will her moxie help when destiny falls at her feet?

Hundreds of years of loyalty to the Dragon Guard have made Rayne a fearless leader. When the long-foretold pull of his mate rocks the Commander’s world to its core will he be able to save her from his enemies in time?

The chemistry between this strong-willed curvy girl and fierce warrior makes all the difference in the world where nothing is as it seems. The existence of an ancient race of honor-clad, tradition-bound protectors might be hard to accept but now the dead are coming back to life and holding a knife to her neck.

Can these fated mates defeat their greatest enemies and get their happily ever after?

Fate Will Not Be Denied!!

About Julia

Find all my stories on Amazon!

Hey Y’all! I’m Julia Mills the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Dragon Guard Series. I without a doubt admit to being a sarcastic, southern woman who would rather spend all day laughing than a minute crying. Living with my two most amazing daughters and a menagerie of animals, keeps me busy but I love telling a good story. Now, that I’ve decided to write the stories running through my brain, life is just a blast!

My beliefs are simple. A good book along with shoes, makeup, and purses will never let a girl down and no hero ever written will compare to my real-life hero, my dad! I’m a sucker for a happy ending and alpha men make me swoon.

I’m still working on my story but I promise it will contain as much love and laughter as I can pack into it! Now, go out there and create your own story!!! Dare to Dream! Have the Strength to Try EVERYTHING! Never Look Back!

I ABSOLUTELY adore stalkers so look me up on Facebook, sign up for my newsletter at JuliaMillsAuthor.com and follow me on Amazon.

Send me a message!

XOXO Julia

Also by Julia Mills

Find Them All on Amazon

*****

The Dragon Guard Series

Her Dragon to Slay, Dragon Guard #1

Her Dragon’s Fire, Dragon Guard #2

Haunted by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #3

For the Love of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #4

Saved by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #5

Only for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #6

Fighting for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #7

Her Dragon’s Heart, Dragon Guard #8

Her Dragon’s Soul, Dragon Guard #9

The Fate of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #10

Her Dragon’s No Angel, Dragon Guard #11

Her Dragon, His Demon, Dragon Guard #12

Resurrecting Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #13

The Scars of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #14

Her Mad Dragon, Dragon Guard #15

Tears for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #16

Guarding Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #17

Sassing Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #18

Kiss of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #19

Claws, Class and a Whole Lotta Sass, Dragon Guard #20

Dragon with the Girl Tattoo, Dragon Guard #21

Dragon Down, Dragon Guard #22

Twinkle, Twinkle, Sassy Little Star, Dragon Guard #23

Dragon Got Your Tongue, Dragon Guard #24

Her Dragon’s Fury, Dragon Guard #25

Dragon in the Mist, Dragon Guard #26

Dragon Got Run Over by A Reindeer, Dragon Guard #27

Tangled in Tinsel, Dragon Guard #28

Cupcake Kisses & Dragon Dreams, Dragon Guard #29 (Part of the Sinfully Delicious Anthology)

Her Dragon's Treasure, Dragon Guard #30

Aww Snap, Dragon, Dragon Guard #31

Imagine Dragon, Dragon Guard #32

Her Love, Her Dragon: The Saga Begins, A Dragon Guard Prequel

*****

Dragon Guard Berserkers

BANNING

ASHER

*****

The ‘Not-Quite’ Love Story Series

Vidalia: A ‘Not-Quite Vampire Love Story

Phoebe” A ‘Not-Quite’ Phoenix Love Story

Zoey: A ‘Not-Quite’ Zombie Love Story

Jax: A ‘Not-Quite’ Puma Love Story

Heidi: A ‘Not-Quite’ Hellhound Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)

Lola: A ‘Not-Quite’ Witchy Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)

Sammie Jo: A ‘Not-Quite’ Shifting Witchy Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)

Harmony: A ‘Not-Quite’ Haunted Love Story (Magic & Mayhem Kindle World)

*****

Kings of the Blood

VIKTOR: Heart of Her King ~ Kings of the Blood ~ Book 1

ROMAN: Fury of Her King ~ Kings of the Blood ~ Book2

ACHILLES: Soul of Her King ~ Kings of the Blood ~ Book 3

*****

CAUGHT: A Vampire Blood Courtesan Romance

CONDEMNED: A Vampire Blood Courtesan Romance

*****

MARROK: A Wolf’s Hunger

*****

Out of the Ashes: Guardians of the Zodiac: Pisces ~ Book 1

Scorched Ember: Guardians of the Zodiac: Taurus ~ Book 2

*****

Alaric: A Vampire’s Thirst