Claiming Carina (3 page)

No wonder she’s scared of men! They took turns to rape
our Desired.
Denver all but growled to his brothers.

We can heal her. We
can
do this. Now we know what's happened, we
can help her heal and win her heart.

Hart was the
gentlest one of him and his brothers, and he was what Carina would need most to
begin with.

It will be best if you take the lead with her, Hart.
She needs all the tenderness we can supply, and you are the best with that side
of things. Phelan and I will follow your lead on this.

****

Hart took a deep
breath to steel
himself
before pushing through the
door to the clinic. Carina now sat, fully dressed, with Skye on the edge of the
bed. He walked forward with very measured steps, trying his hardest not to look
threatening. He saw her tense up, but she didn't try to hide behind Skye this
time, which he took as a positive sign. He felt his brothers enter the room and
stand on either side of him.

"Hello,
Carina. My name is Hart, and these are my brothers, Denver and Phelan."

As she looked
each of them over from head to foot, he saw the briefest expression of arousal
cross her face before she clamped it down with a frown and turned to cling to
Skye. His poor baby was feeling the connection among them, but anything sex
related was going to scare her for a while, he'd guess.

"We're
Dragon Warriors, but our main job is farming. We tend to all the cattle and the
crops that provide the food for everyone here. Perhaps you'd like a tour of our
farm? Skye can come, too. That way you can get outside and get some fresh air. You've
been stuck in this room for days."

Carina slowly
lifted her head and looked at him before she turned to Skye.

"Whatever
you want to do is fine, Carina. We've got all the time in the world."

Well, they
might. He and his brothers didn't. To have their Desired nearby but not claimed
would very quickly drive all three of them completely insane. Before the plague
took all the females from them, dragons used to be killed due to the insanity
caused from having their
Desired
reject their bond.

Before Carina
could say anything else her stomach growled loudly.

"I'm so sorry!
That was very loud." She lowered her head, tucking her chin in so her hair
fell to hide her face from them.

"Don't be
sorry, baby. It's my fault. I didn't think. You haven't eaten in days while
you've been sleeping. Let's go to the Dining Hall and get you something to eat.
We can tour the farm later."

He watched as
she gripped Skye tighter. "I'll come with you.
It’s
okay, Carina."

He and his
brothers, and Skye's men, stood back from the doorway to allow Skye to lead
Carina out, before they all followed them to the Dining Hall.

This is looking impossible, brother.

Phelan was
always the skeptical one of them.

Don't fear yet, brother. I have an idea that should
help. We just need to get her to go on the farm tour.

He could feel
his brothers give him a strange look, but he didn't care. He wasn't giving
details away just yet.

They entered the
Dining Hall to find the servers bringing out a number of platters of roast beef
and vegetables that they had freshly roasted just for them once they'd heard
Carina had awoken. He pulled out a chair for her as Calix did the same for
Skye. The men let the women sit together, and Hart moved with the other men
around to the other side of the table to sit. They'd not eaten earlier either,
as they had stayed to guard Carina. Skye's men had eaten, but dragons were
always able to pack away more food so they also piled their plates high and
started eating. Hart figured if they all started eating, Carina would feel
calmer and less like the center of attention. He watched as Skye filled a plate
for Carina and set it in front of her.

By the time they
all finished eating Carina wasn't clinging to Skye anymore. Both females were
looking much more relaxed than they had before the meal.

"We need to
head out to the orchard now. Your friend Eilagh's Bonding Ceremony is due to
start soon. I'm sure she'd want both of you there for it."

"Bonding Ceremony?"
Carina's face
screwed up into the cutest frown.

"Eilagh and
her men, Dimitri and Max, are bonding. I believe the Earth phrase is
getting married
."

Carina's eyes
shot up to his. "I've only been out of it for half a day longer than
Eilagh, right?"

"It's been
a very eventful day."

Carina turned to
Skye with panic written clearly all over her face. "Skye, Eilagh is way
too sensible to get married after one day. Are they forcing her? Are they going
to force all of us to get married straight away?"

Hart sucked in a
sharp breath at her quiet words. He hadn't expected her to see it that way.

"Carina?
Please look at me." He
waited until she did before he continued, "We promised you earlier that
none of you will be forced into anything. We meant it. You will see for
yourself that Eilagh is very happy and totally willing to bond with her
men."

Calix got up
from his chair and moved toward Skye. "We really must get moving or we'll
miss the ceremony, and trust me, you both want to witness this. It's very
magical and rather special."

Hart noticed
Calix snuck in a touch to his Desired, Skye, as he helped her from her seat.
Hart wished he could touch his Desired, but he knew it was too soon for that. He
simply stood nearby with his brothers as Skye helped Carina out of her chair,
and they all headed toward the door.

Chapter Two

Carina stood
close to Skye as she stared at the red circle of outback dust on the ground in
front of her. She wasn't sure how she felt. She knew the others must be missing
their families, but she didn't have any to miss. Her only friends were all here
with her. She tried to name the feeling that was winding through her
subconscious but couldn't quite grab hold of it. Was it relief? She'd never
have to step foot in Sydney again. Maybe it was a touch of excitement? This new
land would certainly provide an adventure and perhaps a new beginning.

Skye's gasp
pulled her from her thoughts, and Carina looked up to see Becky walk Eilagh
down between the apple trees to where they all stood waiting. Her friends were
beautiful, and both wore stunning silk gowns. Eilagh's was deep red and Becky's
deep purple, while both had gold trim. Carina frowned, trying to think when she
had last seen either woman in a dress. She couldn't remember, maybe their high
school formal?

"Eilagh is
beautiful, and she looks so happy." Skye's voice was all dreamy, like she
always got at weddings.

"I can't
believe they got Becky to wear a dress—she even looks happy wearing it!"
Binda added.

Carina looked at
her friends' faces as they approached. Eilagh looked blissfully happy, no sign
of any discomfort. She had her eyes firmly focused on her men as she came up to
them. Becky looked happy, too. She actually leaned into the man who came to
lead her away from the circle.

Carina watched
intrigued as another man brought forward a tall intricately designed silver
stand that held a large glass bowl of what looked like honey. He placed the
stand between Eilagh and her men before he stood back and began the ceremony.

"Welcome
all to the Bonding Ceremony of our Clan Leader Dimitri, Warrior Max, and Lady
Eilagh. Let us begin. Eilagh, do you accept Dragons Dimitri and Max as
yours?"

"Yes, I accept
both Dimitri and Max."

Carina didn't
hear or see any more of the ceremony as she was suddenly sucked under by
memories. She was transported back in time to when they were all still in early
Primary School. Before the car wreck took her parents away from her. They were
all over at Eilagh's house for a sleepover. They had raided her mum's wardrobe
and were playing dress-up. Eilagh managed to convince her mum to let her wear
her wedding dress. They had all the teddies and dolls they could find lined up
in rows to witness the wedding. She and the others got dressed up in Eilagh's
mum's good clothes. They got a little stuck when it came to the groom, so
Eilagh's dog, a big docile Labrador, got roped into the role. After the
ceremony as they were all getting out of the dress-up clothes, Eilagh had
announced to them that she would never get married unless her heart and soul
were both fully in love with the man. They'd all agreed,
then
laughed as they got ready for dinner.

Carina was
pulled back to reality when everyone started laughing. She smiled and let loose
a chuckle when she saw Eilagh being carried off by Dimitri and Max. Eilagh was
slung over Dimitri's shoulder but raised her head to smile at them. Carina
couldn't ever remember seeing her friend look so happy. Maybe there was a
chance for her to be happy here too.

"Don't
think there's any question about what those three are going to spend the night
doing!" Binda's loud voice came from beside her.

Carina turned
toward Binda and found her embracing Becky. They both looked up at her and Skye,
and they all moved in together for a group hug. Carina relaxed a little in the
arms of her friends. They pulled away, and she blinked back her tears. There
was a moment of awkward silence, which Becky broke.

"Been a
crazy week, huh?"

Carina couldn't
help but chuckle. Now that she was starting to relax, she was beginning to look
forward to this new start fate had offered her. She calmly followed her friends
up to the castle after the men declared it dinner time.

****

Dinner had been
a light one, as most of them had only eaten a short time ago. Once Carina had
eaten her fill, Hart very gently brushed his hand against hers and wasn't
surprised when she flinched away.

"So,
Carina, would you like that tour of the farm now? We've got a little time
before it gets dark."

He followed
Carina's gaze as she looked over to Skye. He bit his tongue to stop from
chuckling. Apparently, the ceremony had gotten to Skye. Leaning back in her
chair, she had her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side as Axel kissed
his way up her neck. Owen swooped in and claimed her mouth in a kiss with
enough heat that Hart could feel it from where he sat on the other side of the
table. He caught Calix's gaze.

Can you get Carina out of here? If Skye sees she's
willingly gone with you, we might be able to get her back to our chambers,
finally.

I'm working on it, Calix.

Carina's soft
voice broke up their telepathic conversation. "Ah, I guess so. We won't be
going far, will we? And the others, they'll know where we are?"

Hart closed his
eyes briefly as pain assailed him. His poor Desired had been so hurt by that
attack. He reopened his eyes and stood from his seat to stand by her side. She
rose from her seat with rapid jerky movements but didn’t cower away from him.
Holding Carina's gaze, he took her hand in a firm grip before placing her palm
over his heart.

"I promise
on my heart and soul, you will be completely safe with us. None of us will do
anything you don't want."

He saw her eyes
begin to dilate as her delicate fingers twitched against his skin, caressing
his pectoral muscle. He couldn't help but groan as the heat from her hand
flowed through his body, hardening his cock.

Snap out of it, Hart. You're scaring her!

Denver's
reprimand helped him get himself back under control. He released her hand, and
she ripped it away from him like she'd been burned. He felt the loss instantly.
Forcing his blood to return north from his groin, he stood and smiled gently at
her.

"Sorry,
baby doll. I didn't mean to scare you. How about we go on that tour?"

Hart didn't give
her time to process her options. He nodded at his brothers, and they came up
close behind her. She moved forward to put distance between them, so his
brothers moved forward again. Before she probably realized it, they were out in
the hall and heading toward the great outdoors.

Hart took a deep
breath in as they exited the castle. He loved the outdoors.

"Nothing like breathing in cool, fresh air."

He turned to
Carina after he spoke. She had the cutest little grin on her face as if she,
too, preferred the outdoors.

They continued
on in comfortable silence until they reached the top of a small hill. From the
top they could see most of their farmland. Phelan stepped in front of them and
shook out a blanket for them to sit on. Hart's lips quirked up. He hadn't seen
his brother grab the blanket, but he was glad he had.

"We can see
most of the farm from here. Why don't you sit down and we'll point out
everything to you."

Hart waited for
her to sit, which she did slowly, and he noticed that she slightly trembled.