Only For Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 6) (8 page)

He had to laugh. If Maude knew how old he really was, she’d probably flip her lid.

It wasn’t long before Jill had a box packed with Styrofoam to-go containers, napkins, plastic forks and knives, and all the condiments they could ever need. Leaving them a huge tip, he secured the box to the back of his Harley and headed back to the cottage.

Sitting at a stop sign waiting to turn left, a butterfly landed on his cheek. The sensation of its wings on his skin triggered a sense of deja vu. He remembered something that felt like silk, only lighter somehow, caressing his cheek and arms. His mind filled with the scent of fresh cut roses and a warm purple glow that simply exuded happiness. A horn blasted behind him, jarring him from his memory, but the thought and feeling remained.

Following his link to Charlie, he felt her stir and knew she would be awake very soon. Hurrying into the house, he raced to the kitchen in an effort to have everything ready before she came downstairs. He slid the box on the counter, grabbed the coffee from the canister, and found plates in the cabinet.

The first drip of java hit the bottom of the pot as he heard Charlie’s footsteps above his head. Figuring it would take her a few minutes to get downstairs; he ran to the patio and picked a few daisies to fill the empty vase on the table.

Timing it perfectly, he placed the plates on the table just as she rounded the corner. Her look of shock, which quickly turned to a smile, was worth all his hurried preparations. Holding out her chair, he asked, “Breakfast, milady?”

Bypassing the chair, she stood on her toes and placed a tender kiss to his cheek. Aaron wanted more. Leaning down for better contact, he held her head at the perfect angle as his lips met hers, showing her the way he wanted to start every morning. Several passion-filled moments later, they broke apart, breathless and weak-kneed.

Holding her to his chest for just a moment longer, Aaron grinned. “You’re better than ham and eggs, that’s for damn sure.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased, in what had to be her best Mae West impression.

Aaron barked out a laugh as he turned Charlie around and waited until she sat. Pouring coffee and juice for both of them before taking his own seat, Aaron watched her watching him and had to grin.

“You better eat before it gets cold.”

“I’m not sure where to begin. I’d ask if you made all this but I know my cupboards were bare. Where’d you go?” she asked, adding cream and sugar to her coffee.

“Maude’s on Plantation. I think we keep her in business, or did before everyone found their mates.”

He watched for any sign that she knew they were fated to be together, but saw none. The thought of looking through their bond entered his mind, but he knew he already had a lot of explaining to do where that was concerned and didn’t want any more to tackle.

Charlie drowned her pancakes in syrup, took a bite, and moaned, “These are amazing,” with her mouth full.

Aaron loved that she was already comfortable enough around him to be herself. His mouth watered as she licked a drop of syrup from her lips. It took all of his considerable control to keep from leaning across the table and following her example. A sense of accomplishment filled not only the man, but also his beast, as he sat watching Charlie eat her fill.

I truly have turned into a big puddle of goo.

Setting her fork on her plate with an uneaten bite still on the tines, she looked up, spearing him with her brilliant gaze. “Thank you so very much. I can’t remember a time I have enjoyed a breakfast as much as I have this one.” She practically purred.

Always feed her breakfast, especially pancakes. Have LOTS of syrup on hand.

She paused and he watched a flurry of emotions cross her face. Clearing her throat, she spoke again, and this time it was with conviction. “I have a couple of questions for you and I have to know that you’ll answer them with total honesty. Can you do that for me?”

“I told you there would be no more secrets between us and I
meant
what I said,” he answered, trying to keep the hurt and frustration at her continued mistrust out of his voice.

The look on her face said she knew she’d wounded his pride and that made him even madder. She spoke before he could further respond. “Don’t get upset. It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t know what you can and can’t tell me. What are the rules? Sam said I could know everything, but what is
everything
? I guess I should’ve said that if there’s something you can’t answer, some detail you can’t share, just tell me. I can handle that. I just can’t handle being kept in the dark. I don’t operate that way. Make sense?”

He nodded, once again in awe of her intuitive nature.

“Okay, now? I don’t want you upset, but I have to know I can be straight with you and you’ll be straight with me, ya know? ‘Cause here’s the thing… what we did last night, what we shared, I don’t take lightly. And if I’m to be as honest with you as I want you to be with me, I have to admit that it has
never
been like that with anyone else…
ever
.”

He restrained himself from fist pumping the air while his dragon roared his own pleasure at her comment in his head. All he could do was nod and agree as he watched just the touch of a blush highlight her cheeks. 

“So we’re good right?” she asked.

“Yes,
mo chroi
. We’re good.”

She pointed at him and rushed to ask, “That’s one of the things I wanted to ask. That language…what you just called me. You used it last night, too. What is it?”

He chuckled, not surprised she had noticed it, and explained. “It is a form of Gaelic. It’s the language our ancestors, the dragons used. Out of respect for their faith in us, the first shifters chose to continue its use. My parents were fluent and made sure my brothers and I knew how to read, write, and speak it. I’m ashamed to say that over time, we became used to speaking the native language of wherever we happened to live at the time to maintain our cover, and our Gaelic, at least mine, became rusty. With you, it just seems natural to use it.”

“And what did you just call me?”

“My heart.”

Charlie sat across the table staring at him like he’d grown an extra head while he worked hard not to laugh. She’d asked that he hold nothing back and he’d been as straight as he could be. He watched as she composed herself and had to give her credit for never breaking eye contact. When she spoke again, he heard a little waver, but for the most part, she kept it together. His mate was truly outstanding.

“Okay, we’ll get back to that.

She asked a lot of question he knew for a fact Samantha had answered, and some that seemed trivial. He wondered if she was comparing their answers, but from the thoughts she was letting fly around, it seemed she was only interested in what
he
had to say. There were a few long pauses in their conversation where he was sure she was trying to get up her nerve for something. Charlie chewed on her lip when she was deep in thought or less than confidant about something. It was the one tell he’d been able to pick up while they talked.

Aaron watched one such bout of lip chewing, then saw resolve enter her eyes. When she spoke, it was a little more rushed than it had previously been, but still straight to the point. “Last night, was there a time when I could hear your thoughts or you could hear mine? I…”

“Yes, there most definitely was,” he immediately answered, cutting off her next comment.

Finally, we’re getting somewhere.

“How is that even possible? Are you psychic or something? Can dragons read minds?” she questioned, speaking more rapidly, tapping her nails against the table and furrowing her brows. “Does that happen
every
time you make love?”

“No, it does not and it has never happened before. And no, dragons cannot read minds, per say. We can share thoughts with people we’re connected to. Those bonds are forged through fealty, or blood, or those that mates share. In our world, we call it mindspeak. It’s a really useful tool for us in battle or to pick on each other without anyone else knowing.” He chuckled, adding the latter in hopes of lessening the stress he could feel in her.

She snickered, making him feel a little better and then he said, “And I’m not psychic, although sometimes I truly wish I was. It would make things so much easier to know what was coming.”

“So based on what you just said, we share a connection? Am I getting this right?”

“Yes, you are.”

He could see the wheels of her mind turning, all the pieces clicking into place. He gave her the time she needed to reason through it. This was one discovery he was sure she had to make on her own.

“Not one of blood…I know that. And I haven’t pledged my fealty to you or anyone for that matter.
Hell
, I don’t even know how to do that.”

He grinned but said nothing. Just watching her was fascinating, something he could do for days on end and never get bored.

“More than just based on the fact that I’m Sam’s friend and you are a dragon like Lance, right?”

“Right.”

She stood and paced. He could hear her mumbling to herself, recanting everything he’d told her, checking off one item after another. It was after her fifth pass across the kitchen that she spun on her heel, planted her hands on her hips, and glared at him.

“Well,
hell
, I’m your mate aren’t I?”

Not exactly the sentiment I’d hoped for…

CHAPTER EIGHT

“I mean
you
think I’m your mate, right?”

“I
know
you’re my mate,” he said with all the confidence of a king and the calmness of a scholar.

I’m not gonna freak out. I’m not gonna freak out.

“How do you know? Did a bell go off? You got a sign from above? What tells you that we are meant to be together…
forever
? I mean Sam says that you guys’ forever is really like…
forever
. A thousand years alive and then in the Heavens after that, right?”

“Yep, that’s right. To answer your questions, no a bell didn’t go off and there was no literal sign from above. I just know. In here.” He pounded his fist to his chest hard enough that she thought about checking for broken bones.

“Before I go any further I have to ask you a question. I want you to give the first answer that pops into your mind. No thinking about what is politically correct or any of that BS, just say the first thing that you think, okay?

“Yeah. Okay. I can do that,” she answered, taking a deep breath and clearing her mind.

He studied her for a moment. She stared him straight in the eye to reassure him that she would do just as he asked. Nodding once, he said, “What did you feel the first time you saw me?”

“Like I already knew you,” she blurted out, surprised even though it came out of her own mouth.

“I have another. You ready?”

“Hit me, tough guy
.
”

“Ever been able to hear anyone else in your mind before? During sex, walking down the street holding hands, anytime?”

“Nope, never.”

“Ever felt what you feel when we’re together with anyone else?”

“Nope.”

“How do you know we’re not mates?”

“I don’t,” was out of her mouth before she could stop it, closely followed by a mumbled, “Oh shit!”

Aaron grinned that damn cocky grin and she felt the need to pace again. As she recounted everything she’d felt, thought, even imagined and dreamt since meeting him, Charlie had to agree that their connection defied explanation and logic. Her heart said to go for it while her brain said
what about your free will
? And of course, her body said,
grab that man and never let him go.

While she continued to pace and think, Aaron chimed in, “I think I can help you understand. Will you take a walk with me…outside? Watching you pace is making me dizzy.”

She had to laugh. Pacing had always been her coping mechanism, it helped her think, got her blood pumping, and worked off the nerves, but she could see where sitting and watching might get a bit annoying after a while.

“Sure,” she answered, unconsciously reaching for his hand and then shaking her head when he chuckled as he threaded his fingers through hers. He tugged her hand until she leaned into him. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he started out the door.

Jerk! Just couldn’t let it go, could he?

Taking a path she’d never been on, Aaron began to explain, “You see, all our lives we’re told that there’s one woman in the entire world destined to be our mate. That the Universe has fashioned one woman who will be our perfect complement and that we, in turn, will complete her. She brings the light to our souls and that of our beast. It is the job of the man and dragon to keep her safe, provide for her, and to make sure that she wants for nothing.”

She started to speak, but he held up his index finger and continued. “I know these are old-fashioned ideas, but remember, we’re part of a very old race. In my experience, each couple makes it work in their own way. God knows the women mated to my brethren are some of the strongest, most out-spoken, independent women I’ve ever had the honor of knowing.” He paused, kissed the back of her hand, and added, “And you, Dr. Charlene Gallagher, are no different.”

A stray ray of sunshine touched his face just as he laughed. Charlie had to look away to keep from telling him just how handsome he was. She shook her head, wondering when she’d lost her mind and focused on what Aaron was saying.  

“There are stories told around the campfires, older drakes, male dragons, sharing their life experiences, lessons taught to ensure we know the signs, even our Holy Book talks about it. There’s a passage that all dragon shifters learn at a young age…

‘When the two halves of the same whole meet, there will be instant recognition. Their souls will merge, and only then will the man and dragon know complete peace, they will have found their true home. It will be as if the time before they met their mate does not exist. All that will matter will be that they become one in body, mind, and soul with the One the Universe made for them.’”

“Of course this was written when female dragons still existed. You see, later on, when the dragons entrusted their souls to the knights, almost all the female dragons had been destroyed by the wizards and their cohorts, the hunters. The ones that remained either followed their mates to the Heavens or succumbed to a sickness that swept through the clans. The Kings of all the Clans had been searching for answers. I mean without a way to reproduce, extinction was knocking at their door.”

“The story goes…Their Elders met in one of the most ancient and holy places of our kin. They prayed day and night for years and years, asking the Universe to give them a solution. The night before the Joining Ceremony in which the all-powerful mage was going to combine the souls of the Dragon Kings with the Knight of their choice, the Elders’ prayers were answered. Two lovebirds entered the cave where they were holed up. Now, this cave was deep in the earth, surrounded by miles and miles of rock, not some place birds would just happen into. It was a true sign from the Universe.”

“The birds landed on the altar in the center of their Prayer Circle and started to sing. If that wasn’t enough, words appeared in the air above them, as if handwritten with a quill or whatever people used back then, while the birds continued to sing. It was the words that gave the Elders and all dragon kin by extension, hope. It said…”

“’From the human race, women with great power will be born. Not the power to maim or destroy, but the power to love, to heal, to uplift, and to rebuild. The beautiful ones will be created as the perfect complement for the men who take up our spirits. One woman destined for one man, to live on Earth and in the Heavens, joined for all times. When the time is right, they shall discover one another. Fate will not be denied in this matter. The two will become one. The woman will provide the man and the beast with love, light, and hope. Man and beast will be protector and provider. Their partnership will be real and mutual. Together they shall provide heirs that will allow our great race to continue for all eternity.’”

Charlie let all Aaron had said sink in. Could it be true that Fate and the Universe had designed her for him and him for her? Could everything that had happened in her life bring her to this moment with this man? Did she even have a choice in the matter?

That last question pissed her off. Charlie Gallagher was not a pushover,
no one
, not even Fate or the Universe or whoever, was going to tell her whom she was supposed to love. Letting her anger take over, she stopped on the path and asked, “I get no choice?
We
get no choice? Our free will has been taken from us? We’re just supposed to skip off into the sunset because it’s written in some old book somewhere?”

The minute the words were out of her mouth and she saw the look on Aaron’s face, she wished them back. Replaying them in her mind, she knew she’d let her mouth get ahead of her brain. Sure, it was what she meant to say, but even she had to admit there were about a thousand better ways to say it.

She had to give Aaron credit for a quick recovery and the amazing control of his temper. Fire flashed in his eyes and his brow furrowed, but never once did she think he might turn it on her. There was just a faith inside her that said he would never do anything to hurt her or even upset her if he could help it. That made her think about what he’d said and she went to speak, but he cut her off.

“Let me start by saying…
you
always have a choice. There is no way
anyone,
including me, will
ever
force you to do anything you don’t want to do as long as I draw breath.”

She heard a slight accent that hadn’t been there before. It made her think of rolling, green hills and foggy moors. It all fit with what he’d told
her. Even though he’d paused, he still was able to stop her when she began to speak…
again
.

“Secondly, let me ask you something…when Sam explained mates to you, what did she say?”

Thinking back to her conversation with her friend and remembering the immediate jealousy she’d felt at the way Samantha had talked about Lance, Charlie was almost embarrassed to answer, but she did it anyway. Throwing back her shoulders and faking a confidence she didn’t feel, she answered, “Sam talked about the Dragon Holy Book and said that she just knew from the moment she laid eyes
on the big goofball that they were meant to be together. She said she felt it
in her soul. But it wasn’t really what she said; it was how she said it. I could
feel
how much she loved him.”

She stopped and watched, thinking Aaron would react or gloat, but he didn’t. He just stood there, looking at her for several long seconds. When he spoke, she could hear more of his brogue and could see the rising conflict within him, only she
didn’t really know what it was all about.

“How did listening to Sam talk about her mate like that make you feel, Charlie? In here?” He reached across and laid his fingers over her heart for just a moment before stepping back and waiting.

Contemplating not answering, or at the very least just giving him some flippant answer, Charlie opened her mouth and quickly shut it again. She knew there was no way she could lie to him, even if it was by omission. Something within her heart simply would not let it happen. Looking at her feet and kicking the dirt, she sighed and said, “I was jealous.”

When she looked up, Aaron was still just standing there, but this time a tiny bit of the twinkle had returned to his eyes. It was nothing like usual, but it was so much better than what she’d seen just a moment ago.

“Did you think of me?”

Boy this guy just doesn’t give up!

Throwing her hands in the air and starting to pace, she all but screamed, “Yes,
dammit!
Is that what you wanted to hear? I thought of you!”

Stopping in front of him, her fist on her hip and finger pointing at his face, she went on, “And before you ask…Yes! I think about you all the time! And yes, you make me crazy! And no, I’ve never felt this way about anyone else! But most of all, I’m scared shitless, okay?”

She gulped in a breath to continue, but never got the chance. Aaron had her in his arms and was kissing her until her toes curled and she couldn’t think straight. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Her feet touched the ground. Cool air touched her body where his had just been warming it, and her lips ached at the loss of his.

Slowly opening her eyes, she found him standing in the same spot he’d been before, looking as if nothing had happened. The thought of punching him in the gut crossed her mind, but she knew from experience ‘rock hard abs didn’t come close to describing his amazing body.

I’d probably just break my hand.

It was then she noticed the slight bulge in the crotch of his Levis. She didn’t even try to hold back her evil little grin. If her brains had to
be scrambled, it was good to know she had some effect on him. Still, there was no way she could let him off the hook. “What was that about?”

“I wanted to kiss you, so I did.”

“But why?”

“Because I could and because you admitted to thinking about me. You could’ve lied or deflected or even walked away and refused to answer, but you didn’t. You told me.”

“Oh, well, if I expect you to be honest with me then I have to be honest with you.”

“Just another of the hundreds of reason I’m
sure
you are my mate. You have honor. Something that is rare in this day and age.”

“You sound like an old geezer, there, dragon guy. Be careful, I might mistake you for a dirty old man.” She snickered and wiggled her eyebrows before running off down the path.

It was time for a tension breaker and she could think of nothing better than running, although ‘exercise’ was usually a four-letter word in her book. She could hear his footsteps pounding the ground behind her and knew he was just messing with her. He could move faster than she could track, she’d seen it with her own eyes. If he really wanted to catch her, he could.

Hearing the sounds of water crashing against rock, Charlie realized she was deeper in the woods than she’d ever been before and slowed to a stop. Aaron came up beside her, not even having the decency to pretend to be out of breath, while she thought she might need a tank of oxygen.

“Everything okay there, Flo Jo?”

“HA HA HA!” She wheezed. “You could at least
act
like you’re winded.”