Claiming Carina (8 page)

"Oh okay. I
guess I could try to rest for a little bit."

Her voice
sounded so drained that Denver knew she wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
As much as she wanted to wait up for her friend to be found, she'd worn herself
out to the point she wouldn't be able to, he was certain. She proved his point,
when moments later she snuggled back against him and went limp as she fell
asleep.

Chapter Four

Carina woke to
Denver's gentle fingers in her hair and his deep voice in her ear.

"Sweetness,
I have news."

She rolled over
and nuzzled against his chest, inhaling his scent and trying to wake her mind
up.

"Skye's
been found, Carina. Everyone is on their way back to the castle."

That got her
fully alert in seconds. She bolted upright and stared down at him.

"She's
okay?"

"I'm not
sure, sweetness. I just know they're on their way back."

"Can we go
wait for them? I need to see her, to know she's okay."

"Sure,
sweetness. Skye will want to see that you’re all right, too, I imagine, before
she'll let her men take care of her."

Without thought
Carina bent down and kissed Denver solidly on the lips. He quickly took control
of the kiss but pulled back before they became totally merged in each other.

"If we keep
that up, you won't be leaving this bed for some time."

Chuckling at Denver's
threat, she bounced from the bed and headed to the dressing room. The amount of
clothes she now owned still made her feel a little giddy. She'd never had much
money or many possessions. She picked an emerald green gown that buttoned up
the front so she could dress quickly, not wanting to waste a moment.

She grabbed up a
brush and quickly untangled her hair, leaving the black curls loose. She went
back into the bedroom to find Denver dressed and ready to go. He held out his
hand to her, and she willingly placed her palm in his before they headed out.

Minutes later,
she stood with Denver at her back and his arms wrapped around her waist on the
front steps of the castle, watching for the dragons to return with Skye.
Scanning the horizon, she finally caught a glimpse of blue.

"I see
them!"

Denver's arms
tightened around her as they watched the three large blue and magenta dragons
fly toward them. Her men, their golden scales shimmering in the sunlight, were
right behind them. All five dragons landed with grace and ease. There were a
number of bright flashes of light, and Carina broke free from Denver's embrace
to run toward Skye, who lay unconscious in the arms of one of the blue dragons.
Before she reached her friend, another man, obviously related to the dragon as
he had blue hair, took Skye from his arms. Another flash brought all three blue
haired men to Skye's side. Carina ran straight up to them. She no longer feared
these gentle giants, and her worry for her friend was foremost in her mind.

"What happened?
Why isn't she awake?"

Her voice
sounded breathless to her own ears as the men turned gentle magenta eyes on
her.

"Skye got
lost on her way back to the castle, and then Gyasi closed in on her. He must have
scented her as she did her best to hide from him. We found her just as Huro
joined his brother to capture her. She slipped and fell down a ravine. We're
not sure exactly how bad her injuries are, Carina, but she hasn't woken since
she fell."

Carina felt her
legs weaken. Her friend, this strong woman who had guarded her and stood up to
these giant men for her, was now the weaker one. Before Carina’s knees hit the
concrete, she was wrapped up in a warm embrace. She turned her head up to see
Phelan holding her. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against his bare chest. She
felt the warmth of her other men as they came near her.

"She'll be
fine, Carina. Baxter and Zane will find the cause and heal her."

She lifted her
head to look at Hart as he'd spoken. "Can I go with her? Can I stay with
her until she wakes up? It's what she did for me, and I won't abandon
her."

"Of course,
baby doll."

With Phelan
carrying her securely, they all moved toward the clinic, and Carina couldn’t
resist speaking her mind.

"I'm so
glad you and Hart returned safely. I don't think I can live without all three
of you now."

****

Hart could feel
his heart thumping wildly in his chest. His entire body was buzzing with
excitement at being bonded with Carina. He stood in the center of the circle of
red dust the Great Wind had left behind with his two brothers, waiting for
their Desired to walk down the row of apple trees toward them. He looked over
at Diego, who stood with the two ceremonial glass bowls of honey. Honey was
sacred to their Goddess, used in ceremonies to bring her blessing. His brothers'
sharp intakes of breath snagged his attention. His own breath caught in his
lungs as he watched the most beautiful female he'd ever seen float down toward
them. Skye walked beside her, gripping her arm. That poor female was still
recovering from her ordeal. This was the third morning after she'd been found
and her first step outside the castle. Carina had refused to be bonded without
her friend by her side, and while it drove all three of them a little crazy to
wait, they agreed they would.

Becky, with the
aid of Eilagh, walked toward them, too. This was to be a double Bonding
Ceremony. Hart was sure the Goddess would be most pleased. Hart watched as
Carina nervously stepped inside the circle to stand before them. The females
had all witnessed Eilagh, Dimitri and Max bond only a few days before, but
Carina had admitted that she had zoned out for most of the ceremony. Hart gave
her a smile and a wink. Chuckling a little, her shoulders relaxed.

Diego brought
forward one of the glass bowls and placed it among the four of them.

"We shall
begin with the Bonding Ceremony for Dragon Warriors Denver, Phelan, and Hart to
Lady Carina."

Diego motioned
for Carina to join them near the honey. As she came closer, Hart and his
brothers stepped back, flashing to dragon form before returning to the bowl and
their Desired.

"Carina, do
you accept Dragons Denver, Phelan, and Hart as yours?"

"I accept
Denver, Phelan, and Hart as my own."

"To accept
your dragons before all of us here and the Goddess above, you need to begin the
ritual. Because your males number three you need to use your lips and your
hands to form the bond. Use a finger to coat your lips in honey, then place
both your hands—palm down—in the bowl then place a palm on the face of two of
your dragons as you kiss the third."

Hart could see
the cute little frown form on Carina's sweet face as she processed the
instructions. A heartbeat later, she reached forward and ran a finger through
the thick golden liquid. Hart’s blood heated as Carina coated her lips. As she
leaned forward to place her palms into the honey a drop of honey left her lush
lips and landed in the bowl.

Phelan was the
lucky one in the middle, so he stretched over the bowl so Carina would be able
to reach him easily. Hart and Denver came in close on either side. Hart's
entire being vibrated with excitement as he watched Carina's hands and lips
come toward them all. Closing his eyes as her hand met his scales, he purred as
he felt the sparks flow through his body, heart, and soul, binding all four of
them together. Hart opened his eyes to watch Carina. Her lips were no longer
pressed against Phelan’s scales with a kiss. They were parted on a sigh, and
her forehead rested against Phelan's scales.
Lucky dragon.

Slowly, Carina stepped slightly back from them, looking at each of them
in confusion.

You are exquisite, baby doll. I'm going to love you
forever.

Carina's eyes
flew wide, and she stared at Hart.

That's right, honey, we can all talk with each other
now. I love you.

Bonded for eternity,
sweetness.
I love you.

If it wasn't for
the bond that told Hart Carina was extremely happy, he would have been worried
about the amount of tears streaming down her face. He stepped back at the same
moment as his brothers and flashed back to human. The ceremony wasn't complete.
Carina had bonded with their dragons, but still needed to bond with them as
men.

Diego's loud
voice declared, "Carina, you have accepted your dragons, and now you must
accept your warriors."

Hart grinned
broadly as Denver drew Carina's attention by stepping close to the bowl and
raising his left hand to hover above the bowl. Phelan and Hart were quick to
follow his lead. Carina caught on and mimicked their actions. Denver was the
first to delve his hand into the honey, allowing the thick liquid to swallow
his entire hand. Phelan went next, and then Hart had his turn. The sticky
liquid felt good against his skin. Carina looked
so
nervous as she placed her entire hand into the honey. With Carina following
their movements, they all lifted their palms out of the honey and placed them
together so they each touched thumb to little finger, curling the tips of their
fingers in so all of them touched each other. The second full contact was made
the sparks of awareness flew through Hart's entire being once again. He could
feel the bond that now flowed among all four of them.

Hart looked to
Carina. She had her eyes closed and the sweetest, most contented smile on her
face. When she opened her eyes, her gaze fastened on him. Without breaking
their left hands apart, he dipped a finger of his right hand into the honey and
brought it to her lips, coating them once more in the thick liquid of their
Goddess. He leaned forward and kissed her mouth, savoring her taste, arousing
them both.

I claim you, Carina, my Desired. You are mine, and I
am yours.
Forever.

When he pulled
away from her lips, he was panting with desire. It took all his willpower to
tamp down his wants so his brothers also had the chance to bond fully with her.
He watched with pride and awe as both Phelan and Denver sealed their love with
honeyed kisses. As soon as Denver pulled back from her, Diego's voice boomed
through the air.

"Before the
Goddess of Feury and all present here, I proclaim you four bound together for
eternity. May the Goddess bless you in your lives together with much happiness
and many
children.
"

Hart grinned at
Carina as he felt his left hand tingle. The Goddess was going to bless them,
just as she had Dimitri, Drake, and Eilagh. He watched in awe and wonder as
honey golden ribbons of light began their spinning dance around and among their
joined hands. He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as the burn in his palm
increased. A tear of joy escaped his eye with the knowledge the Goddess
approved and had marked them as mates. Hart opened his eyes as the heat
dissipated and saw the last of the ribbons of light twirl among their hands. He
looked up at Carina to see her watching their joined hands in obvious shock.

"The
Goddess has approved of us bonding, sweetness. Look at your palm." Hart
could hear the roughness of Denver's voice, showing him that his brother was as
emotional as he was.

****

Carina couldn't
breathe as she took in her palm. A gorgeous intricate abstract design of four
dragons all intertwined sat in the center. The black image looked like a tattoo,
and it was stunning. She forced herself to suck in a deep breath as she closed
her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she saw three more palms before
her. Denver, Phelan and Hart's palms all matched hers. The same design was woven
into their skin as in hers.

"It's
gorgeous."

"It's the
mating mark, honey.
When the Goddess approves of the bond
that has been created, she gives each of the bonded this mark.
It
doesn't always happen."

Carina could
hear more than a hint of pride in Phelan's voice, and she looked up to see
three very happy men, their chests puffed out like they'd just scored the
winning goal in the AFL Grand Final or had just won the lotto. She smiled back
at them. She felt like she was glowing. She could feel their joy and
contentment to be bonded with her, and that the Goddess had blessed their
union.

"C'mon,
baby doll, the others need their turn."

Moments later,
she found herself pressed against Denver's chest, with Phelan leaning against
her side and Hart against her back. With her cheek against Denver's heart, she
listened to the strong and steady beat as she watched her friend, Becky bond
with her dragons, Drake and Savren. The ceremony was beautiful to watch.
Surrounded by all three of her men, with all her friends safe and
nearby, Carina had never been happier.

She watched in
awe as the ribbons of light danced for Becky, Drake, and Savren, too. She was
so grateful that the Goddess had blessed them, like she had them and Eilagh,
Dimitri, and Max.

When the ceremony
was finished, Dimitri stepped forward from where he stood with Eilagh and Max.