Furee Born: The Dragon Mage Series Book IV (17 page)

“Do I have your
attention?” she asked, her words as openly challenging as her actions.

Theron’s smile grew.  “You
have had my attention for some time, little mouse.”  His eyes softened further,
his face almost sad.  “You would have done yourself more of a service if you
had continued to hide from me.”  Then his whole demeanor hardened and the red
flowed back into his eyes with a vengeance.  Clare took a step back, her hands
falling to her sides with a shocked gasp escaping her lips.  But he caught her,
pulling her small lithe body back, and closer so that her soft chest slammed
against his much harder one.  Theron looked down at Clare and Riva sucked in
her own breath of shock.  The look he bestowed on the girl was utter
possession.  His words when he spoke nothing less than a promise.  “Too late
now.”

Furee squeezed her
shoulders, reminding her she had a job to do, though not the one he thought. 
I’ll
distract him.  You get Clare and you get out. 
His words were implacable,
but when he stepped around her and reached for Theron, he was propelled across
the room and slammed into the hard wall.  Pinned like a bug, Furee roared his
displeasure.

Get out, Riva.  We need
more knights.

But instead of running
for the tunnel and help, Riva stepped slowly forward.  Theron had turned and
had his eyes on Furee, a wicked gleam shining red.  But he had not let Clare go
either, and she was yelling at him, though she seemed more intent on beating
him senseless than running away.

When the girl’s eyes hit
on her briefly around Theron and then quickly moved away, Riva realized she was
still distracting the man.  Though other than holding her close, he did not
seem to paying her any mind.  Graedon was back to screaming, and Furee was
roaring at all of them.  She saw Theron start to turn her way and Riva rushed
forward, but she never would have made it if Clare had not taken that moment to
climb him like a monkey, her hands wrapping him up tightly as her lips went to
his neck. Clare bit him, her eyes glowing mage green and on Riva over his
shoulder. 

Theron froze, his wind
died, and Riva caught the naked skin of his forearm in her extended hand and
thrust every ounce of her healing power through the dragon-mage hybrid.

It was the worst thing
she had ever felt, that dark oily infection that coated his insides.  But she
fought it back, much like she had done with Aarion and Furee; like an explosion,
she sent everything she had to eradicate the sickness eating at his soul.  And
it was not enough.  Then she felt a hand on her shoulder and knew from the feel
of energy that it was Clare; clinging to Theron and now Riva, she pushed her
own power through them, opened herself up to whatever Riva needed to heal Theron. 
It should not have worked.  They had two different kinds of magic that were not
compatible, but somehow that extra boost, that small taste of Clare’s energy
pushed back the last of the dark light, until all that remained was the hard
rock center of the blood stone pulsing with power.

Riva fell back into her
mate’s arms and struggled to open her eyes to see Theron with Clare clutched in
his arms, neither of them faring as well as Riva with Furee to catch her.  They
were sprawled and tangled across the floor, Theron leaning over Clare.  His
eyes were back to black, his face tortured.  With gentle hands, he pushed red
hair that had escaped her braid back from her pale face so that he could look
her over.  Her grass-green eyes looked huge in her face.  Riva knew he was
searching for damage he had done and knew he found none when he closed his eyes
and dropped his forehead to Clare’s in relief.  Riva watched as the girl closed
her own eyes, and her arms went up and around his shoulders.

“You’re back.”  The words
were a benediction and Riva saw his back shudder under the impact.

“Yes.  For now.” 

Riva sucked in a breath
to try to keep the tears back at the despair coating his words.  They had
bought him some time, but how long before the blood stone finished what it had
started and Theron was truly lost to them?  And having seen what they had
today, Riva had no doubt that Clare would be the first person who paid if
Theron went bad, but she would not be the last.

Watching the same tortured
thoughts flow across Theron’s face, Riva fought back tears for all of them.  Then
Theron sucked in a breath, determination hardening his face, while the wind
started to thrash around them.  He took one moment to press his lips to Clare’s
as if it was the last time, then stood while the girl still reeled from the
kiss.

Theron thrust his hand
straight through his leather armor and into his chest.

Riva screamed just as
Clare yelled, “No!” and threw herself at Theron.  He caught her, holding her to
his side with one hand, while with an angry sucking sound, he pulled the blood
stone out of his chest with the other.  He screamed in pain the whole time, and
when it was out, he dropped it to the fl
oor and fell into
Clare’s arms.

“No, no, no,” Clare wept
as she fell back to the floor under Theron’s weight.  She twisted so that she
could put her hands on either side of his pale-as-death face, her words of
denial becoming a mantra.  She tried to shake the life back into him.

Riva made it to him and
tried to push whatever energy she had left into him to heal him, but she had so
little left and they were at Isolation.  It was broken and cut off from much of
the magic of Dracon.  There was nothing for her to draw upon.  Clare grabbed
her hand where she touched Theron’s arm, but there was no influx of power this
time; whatever had forged the connection before was gone.  Furee came at her
back while she was crying, but he too had expended too much to have any to
spare for a healing.  She looked up into Clare’s wet green eyes and could say
nothing.

Clare slammed her eyes
shut as more tears leaked out.  “No!”  It was then Riva knew Clare was aware of
what Theron was to her.  She saw the death of a dream in the girl’s eyes before
she fell over Theron and started shaking him.  “No!  Don’t you leave me here
alone!  Theron . . . no.”

With another angry
screech, Clare pulled her knife and went to work cutting away Theron’s leather
armor.  Furee took over when it was going too slowly, and as soon as they pulled
back the leather covering the open wound on Theron’s chest, they knew.  They
could see his heart through the wound, even as they watched the uneven beating
slow and finally stop.

Riva fell back into Furee’s
arms, her tears falling freely as he held her curled back to his chest.  She
could not bear to even look at Clare, but she had an unrestricted view of the
moment the girl realized there was no coming back from that.  Not without
serious magic.

That was when Riva saw
Clare’s eyes go to the blood stone where it glowed so unnaturally, lying where
Theron had thrown it against the wall in the corner, bloated with power.

“Clare?” Riva watched the
thought go across the girl’s mind and lunged forward to grab her hand.  “Clare,”
she whispered once she had her attention, and she watched the thought flit
through Clare’s mind and away.  “It wouldn’t be him.”

“No, it wouldn’t be him,”
Clare finally said, and the life just seemed to fall out of her. 

Some sound drew Furee’s
eyes to the tunnel just in time to see General Solan Fire-Eater stop and look
at what was happening.  Aarion and Lux followed, and between them stood Rhune.

Riva had wrapped her arms
around Clare sharing in her misery, and she did not see them yet.  Furee stood.

“Rhune!” he called, and
with a gasp, both Riva and Clare looked up, both their eyes on the youngest
healer.  “Get over here and help Riva.”

Rhune was already at
Theron’s side by the time Furee finished talking.  Wasting no time, his hand
went to the one Riva extended to him, her other one on the giant hole in Theron’s
chest.

She sucked energy from
the boy so fast he fell to his knees at her side.  Mage-green healer light was
sealing up Lord Theron’s chest even as Solan Fire-Eater spoke, his eyes going from
the ladies crying over a healing Theron to Graedon, who looked like a broken
and abandoned toy in the corner.  Finally, he raised a brow to see Lord Rendal
still hiding in the corner.  Last he saw the blood stone casting its own
shadows by the wall.

“What has happened here?”

Furee shook his head, his
eyes on his healer mate as she worked.  So he was watching when the hole
sealed, and when Lord Theron of Seatown’s heart started to beat again.  He blew
out a breath of relief when Riva and Rhune fell away in one move that had them
sprawled together on the floor beside Theron.

Furee walked over until
he could look down at his exhausted mate in her dirty red dress, sprawled on
the floor of the cave.  She was smiling.

“He is healed?” he asked
quietly, his eyes drifting over her as he picked her up into his arms.  He did
not have enough energy left to wrap her in his fire, so he settled for his
arms.

She nodded, her eyes
struggling to stay open.  “Now, it’s up to him,” she murmured.

Furee carried his now
sleeping mate to the tunnel entrance and the other dragon knights made way for
him.  He stopped at Solan and gave him the pertinent news.  “Rendal was working
with Graedon.”

Solan flashed a grim look
at the dragon in the corner, while Lux growled and Aarion cursed.  “We will
handle them.”  Then his eyes hit on Riva in Furee’s arms.  “You are strong
enough to get yourself and your mate to Forsaken?”

“I am,” he said.  “Theron
should come as well.  I doubt Clare will leave him and he may need more
healing.”  Furee took a breath.  “Riva healed him from the damage of the blood
stone, but he was the one who pulled it from his own chest.”

That had even Solan
sucking in a shocked breath, his eyes going along with Lux’s and Aarion’s to
Theron where he was lying across Clare’s lap.  She was brushing his hair back
from his forehead, her eyes fighting to stay open as she watched over him.  They
could not hear what she was saying, but they could all she her mouth moving as
she spoke to the unconscious Theron.  She looked more than a little angry at
the unconscious Lord of Seatown.

“We will see them safely
to Forsaken and let the Lady Asha know of her brother,” he looked at Rhune who
had moved closer to his sister, his eyes going from her to Theron and back
again.  Solan’s tone turned ironic.  “Though I wonder if I should bother.”  He
saw Furee’s questioning look.  “The dragon seer bade me wait to follow you
until we located Rhune.  He was healing survivors in the cliff caves.  She
insisted that he must go to Isolation with us.”

Furee thought of his last
conversation with the dragon seer and held onto his anger with an effort.  With
one more curt nod for his general, he shifted and carried his mate through the
tunnels of Isolation and out into the open skies of Dracon.  As soon as he was
away from Isolation Mountain, he felt better and he made good time to Forsaken.

***

When Riva awoke in her
own room at Forsaken, she knew she was not alone and that it was not Furee.  “How
did you get him to leave? I know it could not have been easy,” she murmured. 
She opened her eyes and looked at the dragon seer.

“I went into the weave to
see when he would be called away,” Asha confessed, looking slightly guilty.  “He
would not have let me talk to you at all if he had known I would come,” Asha
answered on a sigh.  “He is very angry with me.”

Riva smiled at her
brother’s mate.  “Theron?”

“He lives and is my
brother again, though he has yet to wake up from his sleep.”  Her eyes jumped
from happy to sad, fire to ice in a moment and Riva blinked at the swift
changes.  “He has a long road ahead of him.  Even without the blood stone, his
level of power will be uncomfortable for some.  And I fear he will never lose
all of the dark taint that clings to him.  So many choices before him, and he
is not the only one who will have to make them.”  Asha shook off her worries
and turned back to Riva.  “He would have no chance if not for you.”  She smiled
sadly at Riva.  “And I do not say that lightly.  I know what you went through
to help him.  I know . . .”

Riva took her hand and
squeezed before she could say more.  “I do not envy you the powers you possess,
nor the choices you have to make.”  Riva looked her in the eye and made sure
she could see the truth in her own, and then sent a small pulse of healing
light through Asha, mending what she could.  “But just because you can see the
choices other people make does not mean you are responsible for them.”  When
Asha would have argued, Riva shushed her.  “Yes, you knew I would be taken at Seatown,
but you also knew I would be rescued, and if it had not happened the way it
did, what would have changed?”

Asha pulled in a fast
breath, her eyes haunted.  “Many would have died, and Theron . . .”

“I saw how close he was,
Asha.  I know what you do not say.  And I know you make the best choices you
can for everyone.”

“Riva,” she started, the
ice in her eyes melting into tears.  “If you had not saved him . . .”

Riva laughed softly.  “I
did not save him alone, but if it makes you feel better, I will say what you
came to hear.  I forgive you and you’re welcome.”

Asha sucked in her breath
as if the words had more power than they should.  Then with a nod of her head,
she sat up straighter.  Her face losing the sadness that lingered, a true smile
lit her face.  “Now, my mate is looking for me, and yours would probably like you
to himself.  I will leave you to rest.”  She took Riva’s hand and squeezed it
fully one more time, her gratitude shining in her eyes.  Then she was gone, and
Riva turned to see Furee push back the drapes to the balcony.

“Thank you for giving her
time with me,” she said mildly.  “How long are you going to be mad at her for
things she cannot change?”

“How long are you going
to be in bed recuperating from a kidnapping and healing her brother?”

Riva laughed and pushed
back her covers.  “About now.”

Furee smiled and sat down
on the bed, keeping her from jumping up to prove her health.  “Then I will
strive to forget what I felt when I realized you had been taken, and she knew
and did nothing to warn me of it.”  Since he looked mad again at the reminder,
Riva realized that he may not be quite ready to let that go and changed the
subject before it made him any madder.

“What has been happening
while I slept?”

That did not seem to
sweeten his temper.  “Lord Graedon seems to be in a sleep of his own.  Theron
broke most of the bones in his body, not to mention what the wind did to his
skin . . .”  He stopped and looked at the grimace on Riva’s face.  “But it was
his brain that sustained the most damage.  He will not wake up, and it goes
against the grain to just lop off his head while he lies helpless.  So he has
been detained indefinitely.”

Riva blinked.  “Detained?
 How?”

Furee snorted.  “Kinkaid.”

“Ahh.”  Riva accepted
that as answer enough.  If anyone could imprison Graedon and keep him contained,
it was Kinkaid.  “And Rendal?” she asked, snuggling closer to his chest and
burying her nose in his warm neck.

“Released to House of
Earth.”  She stopped sniffing his neck and gave him surprised eyes.  Furee
growled his agreement.  “Technically, he did nothing but chase Clare around and
cower in the corner.  We cannot kill him for that, mores the pity.”  Furee
shrugged and started playing with her hair.  “He is Aarion’s problem now.”  At
her questioning look, Furee explained.  “Aarion has decided to clean house.  He
has started working at Isolation again, but he has also brought with him a
great many House of Earth dragons so that they can see exactly what the cost is
for dabbling in the dark – and so he can keep a better eye on them.”

“That man takes on too
much,” Riva said, sighing.  “Please tell me he at least has the dragon knights
with him as well to watch his back.”

“Adair, Balin, Icarus,
and Datulos.  With that line up, even the fools that seem to populate House of
Earth will think twice before causing problems.”

Riva firmed her lips and
then let it go when she realized it was not her choice to make.  “The babies
and Morgan?  All is well there?”

This time Furee’s smile
was wide and sincere.  “Beautiful and universally doted upon.”

Riva had just started to
smile when she caught the worried look on his face.  “What?”

“I know you like living
here, and there are the babies now.  Kinkaid and Prince Ladon would love to
have you as a healer in residence, so if you prefer, we could stay here.”  The
hesitant voice was so unlike the Furee she was used to it worried her, but he
went on and Riva finally understood.  “But I would like to show you my home. 
It is not as grand as this, but my land borders General Solan on one side and
Icarus on the other, and the house overlooks the ocean.  You might like it, and
we can of course make any changes you would like . . . to make it habitable for
a lady . . . and any children that may follow.”

Riva smiled and then
laughed.  Furee narrowed his eyes, some of his usual fire returning, especially
when he felt through their link that she was laughing at him.  “You find me
amusing?”

“I do.”  She laughed
again, then ran her hand down his hard jaw before he could say anything else.  “I
would love to live quietly by the sea, as long as you are there with me.”

Furee smiled again, and
Riva felt his fire flow over her arm and wrap her at the wrist, holding her
against his face so he could turn and kiss her palm. “I have yet to meet a mage
female who could manage living quietly, and I doubt it will begin with you, but
I will do my best to make it a home for you.”

Riva sucked in a breath
and lost her smile.  Furee ran his hand up her face and into her hair, tugging
it gently to get her attention.  “What is it?”

“I have only ever wanted
a home,” she said simply.  Then she ducked her head back into his neck and
smiled against his skin.  She felt the full force of Furee’s love pour over her
as his fire wrapped her up almost as tightly as his arms.