Dragon Guardian (Drakins of Wyrmarach) (22 page)

Isobeau chose her words carefully.
“Wren, I think
it’s time to talk about what happened out there.” She and Wren were lounging in
the family room of the stately executive home overlooking the river. The
Watcher headquarters tucked away in an old Victorian was exquisite, private and
spacious.

They curled up on separate ends of a large overstuffed
sectional couch. Once she’d had coaxed Wren out of the bedroom, they’d spent a
blessedly peaceful evening meal together and sat quietly watching out the back
window.
Isobeau
had apologized for not filling Wren
in on her suspicions about Ron Packard.

Isobeau could tell Wren was suffering from the hormonal
effects of the estrangement from Caleb and Ethan. The Watcher’s edict to
separate her from them may have been a bad decision.

Wren asked, “Kiernan confirmed it, said the Goddess called me
a Dragon Guardian?”

“That was the prominent message in his public mind.” Isobeau
watched Wren for her reaction.

“I thought you couldn’t read minds?”

“It’s complicated.” Boy was it complicated.

Wren smoothed her hair back with a shaky hand. “What more can
you tell me about being Dragon Guardian?”

‘Well, from what Maxwell has grudgingly shared with me, he
confirmed that the prevailing though is the Guardian removed herself from our
world. The Queen put the spin on it citing the wickedness of the people. That
gave her the edge she needed to eradicate those factions of the society that
didn’t fit into her scheme of things. Her first attack was on anyone she deemed
a sexual deviant.

“Guardian’s emerge from certain genealogical lines. In
antiquity one was found amongst the humans. I suspect there was dragon ancestry
there. They may occasionally go unnoticed. Watchers are always looking for
those of Drakin ancestry lost in the world. We watch for many things. It is for
the Watchers to teach you and the Spirit of the Goddess to lead you. You may be
the only Dragon Guardian on the earth.”

Wren seemed to pause to consider her words before asking. “Is
that because other Guardian’s haven’t been identified?”

Isobeau looked out the window at the river and shrugged.
“Maybe.
Watchers look for anyone unusual that might be of
the power, but you’re the only one we’ve found.”

“What else?” Wren asked.

“The Guardian is like a spiritual leader for the Drakin
society. They preside over High Holy Day festivals; look out for the moral and
spiritual welfare of the race.”
 
Isabeau
spoke by rote.

Wren shook her head. “That doesn’t seem all that important
for all this fuss.”

“There’s a lot we don’t know.”
Isabeau
looked down at her hands clasped together. She was not going to reveal her
finding that nowhere in the history of Drakin had a Dragon Guardian been mated
much less to a member of the Royal house, or as in this case, two such members.

“Those are the basics. There are some references that the
Guardian controls the keys to identifying Drakin blood in humans. Also, that
she can match likely mating pairs. Matched pairs are very important in Drakin
society. We have not had a bonding in this modern generation. The last was well
over five hundred years ago. Some believe it is related to not having a
Guardian. We are told that the Goddess will reveal more.

“Obviously you hold the power of transition if what happened
the other day was any indicator. What’d she call it?”

“She
said,
powers of manifestation.”
I think. “Then there’s this whole thing with Kiernan.”

Isobeau couldn’t let herself admit that she wanted to claim
the dark warrior as her own more than her next breath. They’d spoken mind to
mind and without the initial bonding experience yet. She couldn’t think of a
joined life with a mate who could never want her. What had she gotten herself
into?
 
Focus on Wren
.

“About my brothers, the way you let them treat you
sets
the tone for how they are going to treat you the rest
of your life. And for dragons, that can be a very long long time.”

Wren teared up. “I can’t really control how they treat me.”

“Will you listen to yourself?
Jeash.
You are The Dragon Guardian. I didn’t say control how they treat you. I’m
talking about what you accept. And you let them get away with way too much.
They aren’t stupid. Once you call them on it a few times they’ll change the way
they treat you. Stop being a doormat.”

By then huge tears pooled in her emerald green eyes and ran
down Wren’s face. “Besides, they really don’t want me anymore.”

Isobeau knew exactly how she felt. She grabbed a tissue and
scooted over to hug her friend. “Oh Wren, If that were true, then you really
don’t want them either. You deserve better than that. Everything’s going to
work out just fine.” Advice she wished she could believe herself.

“How about let’s get you out of that sidhartha?” If what
Isobeau suspected was true…well they’d see wouldn’t they?

“Izzy, you can do that? Why didn’t you say so before?” Wren
jumped up from the couch. “Go for it. Wait I’ll need something to put on.”

She ran up the stairs to her room, and charged back to
Isobeau, skipping steps on her way down before skidding to a breathless halt,
holding up a ridiculous purple and pink backpack with her leather encased sword
tied through the handles.

Isobeau had major conflict doing the tango in her head. If it
didn’t work
no
problem, Wren would be stuck in the
sidhartha of the love of
Isobeau’s
life.

If what she was getting ready to do did work and the skin
came off Wren, then that was a pretty clear assurance that Isobeau’s essence
wanted a mated bond with Kiernan and his spirit was receptive, at least in
dragon form. Dragon hide held the intelligence and crux of the dragon at the
cellular level.

Wren stood before her waiting. Izzy walked over to her
rubbing her hands together, warming them. “Okay. Here goes…”
nothing, everything
, “Well, here we
go.”

Wren threw the backpack onto the couch behind her. “I’ve got
half a mind to keep the damn thing just to irritate those insufferable brothers
of yours.”

What kind of comeback could Isobeau have for that without
revealing more than she wanted to?

“Just kidding, get it off…please.”

Isobeau stroked the leather with the tip of her index finger
around the top line of the makeshift wrap and over the rigid knot.
This is not where you belong, let go, let
go.

“Is it supposed to do something? I don’t feel anything.”

“Patience, give it a moment. It’s thinking.”

“Thinking?”
Wren squeaked.

This is not where you
belong, come to me.
Isobeau blew her breath over the surface of the
leather. What occurred next wasn’t something she’d considered anywhere in the
realm of possibility.

Wren turned as Isobeau blew making a revolution and back to
her starting place. Then the Indigo dragon skin retreated from Wren’s body with
a leap, wrapping around Isobeau’s arm like a scared cat before completely
disappearing, assimilated into Isobeau’s DNA. Now that was unexpected.

Isobeau tried to absorb the weight of what’d occurred. The entire
swath of Dragon skin had disappeared on, er in her. It was impossible.

“Oh Thank the Goddess.” Wren spun around completely naked,
running her hands over her skin. Did you know it was going to do that?” Wren
asked.

She pulled clothes out of the backpack, the sword bumping up
and down as she rummaged.

“Ah, no I can’t say as I did.” Isobeau sank down onto the
chair. Maybe Wren wouldn’t grasp the significance of this monumental screw up.

“When are you going to tell Kiernan?”
 
Wren pulled the t-shirt over her head. It
swamped her, so she tied the thing around her middle and turned her back to
stepped
into the jeans.

Damn, Wren didn’t miss anything. “I can’t tell him. He
doesn’t ever need to know.”

Wren continued, “I saw a white energy light all around both
of you, putting you together. Granted I didn’t think his skin would leap off of
me onto you but essentially that confirms you belong together.”

“Oh shit, Wren, you and those Guardian powers!”

“You mean the Guardian is a freaking dragon matchmaker?”
Wren’s voice squeaked.

“You’re not just a matchmaker. You are Goddess’s high
priestess in our society. Female births have been way down for years. Fertility
is decreasing every generation.

“Bonded mates are almost non-existent. We are a dying race
and it’s pretty important to identify mates for our warriors from among the
humans without exposing our people to the world.”

Wren didn’t have time to say more because there was a
measured, pounding on the front door that shook the heavy wood.

“And you aren’t going to tell him either, got it?” Isobeau
didn’t wait for Wren’s answer.

 
Isobeau felt the
familiar chaotic swirl of emotions outside and ran to pull the door open. Thank
the Goddess, they’d brought Kiernan back. Hopefully he would accept healing
from her now.

He was supported between Caleb and Ethan. Ethan looked
bruised and battered. Caleb had a gash over his forehead at least three inches
long that could use stitches.

Kiernan’s complexion had faded to a pasty grey. Ethan was
hollering at her. “Why the fuck are you opening this door without knowing who’s
on the other side?”

Isobeau stood back shaking her head as the three men stumbled
through. “I can’t believe this, you left here to go brawl with each other. What
did you two do to him?”
 
Everyone was
talking at once. Rage poured through Isobeau.

 
“You two testosterone
laden bullies had to beat him up, just to prove your point?”
 
Isobeau shouted at her brothers pounding her
fist on Ethan’s shoulder.

Caleb shouted back. “This isn’t what it looks like. Give us a
chance, damn it woman he needs a healer not a hell cat.”

Ethan started cursing again. “He went ape shit on us. We
didn’t do anything to him.”

Isobeau ran her hands over Kiernan looking for injuries. He
didn’t have a mark on him.

She glanced up noticing cuts and bruises on her brothers.
“Well it does look like you two got the worst end of the deal.”
 
Six bulky Watchers stormed through the door,
evidently attracted by all the pounding and shouting. She nodded to her armed
companions.

“These two are my brothers and you’re going to have to get
used to a lot of shouting when they are around. It doesn’t necessarily mean
anything. And no they aren’t going to make off with the Lady Wren, in spite of
what Maxwell may have told you so shoo, go somewhere and do something useful.
I’ve got healing to do.”

They didn’t look convinced. Isobeau put her hands on her
hips. “Seriously, guys Rhys will be here and I am perfectly capable of calling
you if I need you. If you feel like you are obligated to be around then go
clear the front ballroom of furniture. I’m going to need a big space to work.”

That seemed to convince them and they turned to leave. Some
degree of relief floated to Isobeau’s awareness. Yeah, those guys didn’t want
to have to stand between the royal heirs and anything they wanted.

Kiernan pulled away from Isobeau and her brothers and
stumbled, lurching toward Wren going down on one knee in front of her.
“Guardian.
I’m in bad shape and the enemy has messed with my
mind. The Goddess was
wrong,
I’m not worthy to be your
Tao'Taran
.”

Isobeau’s heart shredded to see Kiernan on his knees in front
of Wren.

“Give us time to figure this out. What was
that
you said, you are my
Tao'Taran
?”

“Yes the Goddess appeared to me. I thought she was a
delusion. I didn’t feel right talking about it in front of Maxwell.” He
hesitated.

“It’s okay
Kiernan,
you can tell me
what you saw.”

“I was chained. Ron was working on me, cutting the skin from
my back. A fae woman appeared to me. I thought she’d been there before but that
must not have been real. I couldn’t tell what was real from hallucination.

She said The
Mane’tung
would mate
and I was to be the protector, the
Tao'Taran
of the new Queen as she would be the Guardian of
the people as well-- the time was coming soon. Then you showed up.”

Vitality left Kiernan and he knelt broken before her. “I
can’t be trusted. You must end my suffering and keep everyone safe. I’m asking
for you to order my mercy death, couAnasia. Be fast and merciful in your
justice.”

Isobeau fell to her knees beside him. “No, Wren
don’t
.”
 
Izzy begged,
she couldn’t think of a world without Kiernan even if she couldn’t let herself
claim him.

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m not going to be a very good
Guardian.”
 
Wren turned from Izzy to
Kiernan with a perplexed look on her face.

“Kiernan, I’ve told you when I placed that mark on your face,
the Goddess isn’t finished with you yet. When are you going to believe it?

Wren studied the two
watchers while they stood by
waiting for Izzy’s orders. A deep blue light of otherworldly aura wrapped
around both of them. Wren followed as Izzy drew them away from the activity.
She hesitated to form an opinion of what the light meant. A similar light had
shown around Izzy and Kiernan convincing her they belonged together if they
could figure out a way past their huge obstacles. Talk about trust issues.

Izzy sent them scrambling. “Rhys I need you to go down to the
corner store and buy all the milk and white bread they have-- hurry.” He had a
boyish charm. Classic beauty etched into his features with black hair feathered
wildly around his head sheltering ice blue eyes that gave him a rugged edge.

He made a very unlikely errand boy towering over Izzy from
his hulking 6’4 height, but didn’t question her command. Were all these guys
built like tanks?
 
As he moved away from
his companion the light faded.

She was so tired from the events of the day. She’d moved
through dimensions, had a harrowing rescue, flown dragon back and wrecked her
romance all in the course of twelve hours. What she wanted most was sleep but
her body continued to punish her with hormonal surges, more now that Ethan and
Caleb had returned and were ignoring her.

Wren felt a rattle of energy moving in her, zipping under her
skin. She must have pinched a nerve twisting in Kiernan’s dragon grasp. She had
an unexplained urge to touch Rhys for just a moment. She reached out, brushed
his wrist to get his attention. Her fingers tingled. There, the energy eased
from her. The compulsion ended.

“Yes, Lady Wren?”
 
He
turned to her.

“No, nothing, it’s okay.”

He nodded and rushed to leave.

Izzy hadn’t slowed down, grabbing a basket off the entry
table, thrusting it toward the shorter man. “Haydn, go out back, fill this
basket with all the fresh aloe you can harvest. Send it through the food
processor and make a gel. We’ll need buckets of the stuff.”

The young man moved to take the basket from Izzy. The itch of
power tickled along Wren’s arm again. She couldn’t explain it. He was part of
it. She raised her hand connecting with his chest. Feeling the annoying tingle
pass into him,

“Sorry.” She murmured. He rubbed his chest with his free hand
in round circular motions.

Haydn was stunningly beautiful but not in an alpha hulking
male way like the others. No, more an
androgynous
sensuality that would lure either men or women to his side.

His high cheekbones anchored round sapphire blue eyes framed
with long dark lashes. A heart shaped face made room for large full lips to
shelter potential for a dazzling smile. His features in near perfect symmetry
were exotic and alluring affecting Wren in a, ‘I hate my girlfriend because
she’s too beautiful’, sort of way.

She wasn’t attracted
to
him
as much as she struggled to not be jealous
of him
. Women suffered for the looks Goddess gave him naturally. He
didn’t have to worry about red hair that had a life of its own or skin that
could freckle under the tiniest amount of sunlight. She felt frumpy and coarse
around him.

He turned with the grace of a dancer. He didn’t walk, he
glided from the room.
Ok, add clumsy to
my list of reasons why I feel inferior in his stunning presence.

Izzy laughed reading Wren’s expression perfectly. “Ah, Haydn,
yes, he has that effect on everyone in the beginning.”

Wren shook herself to focus back on the task at hand.

Once put into motion Izzy was a drill sergeant. Caleb and
Ethan were press-ganged into helping the Watchers clear the room of all
furniture to give Kiernan space to shift and stay in dragon form while she
worked on healing his wounds. The group was not used to having dragons around
needing space to recline in the den.

Ethan and Caleb pushed by Wren with a couch headed for the
back family room. Ethan pinned her with a stare that spoke volumes about how he
felt seeing her touch another man, even casually. Well, he’d have to get over
it.

There was a lot going on all at once in a fevered pitch of
activity. Kiernan had been convinced to sit in the one remaining chair where he
became still as a statue and seemed to focus all his energy inward taking one
measured breath after another.

Izzy insisted on having everything she would need in place
before he shifted. She was gathering supplies to deal with the infected wound
trauma the dragon was experiencing. Her talent in healing extended to the
metaphysical plain combining, gifts, and practical medicine.

Wren didn’t take it personal that the guys basically ignored
her while they worked. Well, not too personal. Okay, it was damn personal. She decided
if they were going to be stubborn pricks about everything, she wouldn’t tell
them she was free of Kiernan’s skin.

Kiernan was looking progressively grayer and his breaths
increasingly labored. A sense of urgency descended on their preparations.

Wren followed Izzy into the large room listening to her
whispered instructions. Kiernan leaned back in the chair staring at the
ceiling. The process of preparing had taken at least half an hour. Caleb and
Ethan may have stayed away from Wren but their eyes tracked every move she
made. Wren turned her need into anger. They had to know how she was suffering
and yet they closed their blasted minds and ignored her. There were so many
things she wished she had told the two numbskulls, if she had been talking to them,
that is.

They probably wanted her to just go home. Maybe they never
wanted to see her again. That was the way the Old Wren would handle things. But
now things were different. She was different.

She paced the front of the Victorian ballroom. Her thoughts
swirled through all the things that had happened to her. Everything kept
circling back to one undeniable thought. She loved Caleb and Ethan. Each step
of her pacing emphasized, she wanted them. They were hers. She needed them. It
was the most right decision she’d ever made.

Their flaws while infuriating were intrinsically them. She
was far from perfect as well. Well, maybe not as far as they were, but still.
Most of their problem was communicating in a manner that wasn’t offensive.
Surely there was a way for them to get a handle on that. She turned to make
another lap in front of the deep bay windows
.

What if they really didn’t want her anymore?
No freaking way.
She was done feeling
sorry for
herself
and finished dodging around the
issues between she and the twins. She was ready to risk it all. One way or
another, things were going to get hashed out. And at the end of it all if they
didn’t want her, well so be it. But, damn that would hurt big time.

Izzy’s voice broke through her revere. “We need to start.”

Wren knelt down by Kiernan, prompted by Izzy’s nod to explain
what would happen next. Wren accepted that Izzy was avoiding communicating
directly with the man.

“Kiernan, Izzy is ready for you to shift now. She has some
healing talent and folk remedies. This may hurt. You’ll need to control your
dragon. There is a lot of infection. It could be difficult for you.”

“So have your healer fix my dragon’s body. You don’t
understand. That guy did something to my mind. I’m no longer in control of my
actions. A car went by my apartment with a booming bass and I blacked out,
destroyed the kitchen and had to be restrained by them.” He jutted his chin
toward Caleb and Ethan. “It took two warriors to stop me with considerable
damage. If that happened here, I could kill someone.”

“Okay, well first step is to heal your dragon. In this moment
let
me
be
your
protector. Help us help you, okay?”

He nodded wearily. “Sure, knock yourself out. Call Si’Mon to
restrain me if needed. He’s big enough.”

“Have you seen yourself in dragon form?” Well of course he
hadn’t, there weren’t mirrors that big. Wren didn’t want to tell him that if
Si’Mon transitioned along with Kiernan in dragon form there wouldn’t be room to
contain the two of them, much less if Kiernan’s dragon really did need restrained.
She imagined the bay windows along the front wall would be the first casualty
of their Godzilla meets King
Ghidorah
re-enactment.

He ignored the jab at his size and moved to the middle of the
room. He closed his eyes, lifted his head toward the chandelier and shifted.
The process was a sensual, giving metamorphosis. Even while seeing the
transformation, she couldn’t really comprehend how the change occurred, it just
happened as if the dragon folded out of Kiernan, around Kiernan through space and
time.

The beast collapsed on the floor as if the change had
siphoned any remaining energy he possessed. The wound
pulsed
an angry red and oozed a nasty looking discharge coating his flanks with ichor
and green puss. Dirt from the stockyard scabbed part of the raw flesh-- white
larvae moved in a churning motion burrowing through the dead meat, maggots.

Wren’s full stomach threatened to turn inside out. She wanted
to look away but she didn’t have that luxury. She and the others were there to
help Isobeau save this man. How had the man Kiernan stood this much pain within
his human form?
 
How could this dragon
survive?

Izzy leaned to touch her forehead against the
dragon’s
, her hands stroking across his broad jaw. “I’m
going to help you, trust me. I won’t let you down. Kiernan needs you to be
well.” Her English lapsed into words Wren recognized as the old language the
brothers occasionally spoke. She didn’t understand the meaning. The beast
groaned a weary rumble.

Haydn and Rhys stood there holding the bowl of goo they’d
concocted for the healer. Both mirrored an expression of revered awe.

Izzy spent hours soaking the wounds in poultices, drawing the
infection. Wren carried bowl after bowl of some white glue like glop to coat
onto the large patches of raw meat. Her arms ache from exertion. Izzy had
ordered the Watchers out to get more white bread. She’d called friends asking
for them to donate aloe, sending the unlikely Watcher errand boys to go get it.

Wren wasn’t sure their efforts were enough or in time to do any
good. Izzy laid white clothes on top of the stuff, allowed it time to soak.
She’d heated it with an iron. Wren didn’t see the logic in that at first.

Then once dry Izzy pealed the cloth back, resulting in
removal of the dead tissue and parasites, almost like a natural debridement of
the dead cells. Izzy had used metaphysical energy on top of the home remedies.
Tension riddled down Wren’s back as if to lend her power to the healing. The
larger wounds did seem cleaner and perhaps even rawer with the ucky stuff
removed.

Wren found a seat to collapse into resting the sword across
her lap. Someone had brought back a small couch in the flurry of activity and
she took advantage of the soft resting space. She felt better holding the
blade.

Her backpack sat on the floor by the bay window seat. She
didn’t have the strength to hold her head up. At least the exhaustion took the
edge off the sexual pressure caused by the separation from Ethan and Caleb. She
couldn’t go on much longer. In a world full of choices she had none and it
sucked.

Caleb sat watch
by the front windows of the large living room. The pitch deepness of late night
settled around him. A small lamp on the side table gave the room a night light
glow. Wren thankfully slept. One of the glass panes was slightly open. A storm
was brewing in the night, thunder rumbling through the heaviness of pre-rain
air. The darkness outside gave no indication of the hour.

They’d worked long and hard attempting the healing of
Kiernan’s dragon. They’d been at Izzy’s beckoned call while she
poultice
the various wounds and provide basic home remedy
aid to the beast. The long hours of assisting Izzy’s efforts to save Kiernan
had taken a toll on all of them.

Caleb and Ethan had begun plans for retribution against the
bastard who’d done this to the noble beast. It’d given him something to think
about while they’d worked.

Learning of the Goddess appearance to Kiernan, heaped on what
his men had come forward and told them in Wyrmarach, and Izzy’s testimony
 
convinced them both there was more to
Kiernan’s story than they knew. The way the others had stood up for him spoke
of his steadfastness. He was one of their own and that’s just how it was now,
even if he was a Wyrm, dragon to human shifter.

“Ethan, are you feeling it?”
 
Caleb whispered waking his brother.
The it
was
the beginning tingling awareness of the niggling of a premonition against their
psyche.

Ethan stood.
“Yeah.”

Caleb moved with him across the room. Wren was still in
danger and it was past time to go hunting. The barrier between them didn’t
matter. They didn’t care if she never claimed them. They were hers and they
would battle to their deaths in her service. They were used to functioning on
little or no rest while they carried out their duties as Enforcers. Adrenaline
would carry them through the hours ahead.

“Are you getting anything?”
 
The queasy unease settled into Caleb’s bones twisting his gut into a
tightness that made him feel like his skin was too small.

Ethan barely grunted.
“Nuha.”

Caleb had sifted through the power swirling around them.
Everything kept bringing him back to the same conclusion. “Something big and
bad is coming our way and it’s coming now.”

He looked around the room. Isobeau was resting curled up in
the dragon’s forearms with a light blanket pulled over her. She’d lain down
close to feel him if he woke. Evidently while she had been resting he had eased
her into his massive embrace to cushion her body from the hard floor.