Madelyn is getting more confident!
I’ve never felt so daring as I do with Cayd. There’s just something about him. It’s not what he says, it’s how he acts. His words are great, but I’ve learned not to trust those. His actions though and those of his family are hard to resist. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. I don’t think this many people, siblings, sibling mates, parents, and in-laws would all say the same thing if it wasn’t true.Add to that, Cayd is just, well…Cayd. As perfect as he is on the outside and wow does he have a great body, he’s even better on the inside.“Hey, ready for breakfast? Xander and Maeve are here. I asked them to bring your clothes hoping that you’d agree to go to Araphyra.”“You’re really worried about me,” I say, watching him.“It’s not so much that I’m worried about you here. No one would ever get past me to get to you. Even if they did, they’d also have to get past Rich and Emlyn, and that will never happen.”“So, why don’t we stay here?” I ask.“Two reasons,” he says, stepping up to m
As we drive, I take Madelyn’s hand, pulling it to my mouth for a kiss. “What’s going on in the pretty head of yours? And just so you know, I never realized how much I count on the mind link to feel and hear other’s thoughts and emotions. Now, the one person I want to hear most, I can’t. It’s making me a bit nuts. Hopefully, it’s not bothering you that I ask you all the time.”She turns and smiles at me in a way that settles something deep inside me like nothing else ever has. “I think it’s sweet. It’s sweeter that you really want to know and you care about what I say and how I feel.”“You are the most important person in the world to me. I care very much about anything that has anything to do with you, Madelyn.”She smiles again, looking away. “I’m really starting to believe that,” she whispers.I’m not sure if she knows that I can hear her or not, so I wait. When she looks at me, I return her smile, letting her know that I did hear her. Her cheeks flush pink and I reach out, stroking
There’s a lot happening all at once and it’s overwhelming. First, the warm light that King Aolis ignited in my body was strange, but somehow comforting. It felt like something inside of me settled. It’s a feeling I haven’t had since my parents died.Then there was Lily growling and Baron growling as well. Since I wasn’t sure what was going on, I’d focused on King Aolis who didn’t seem perturbed by all the growling, except he did keep a tight hold on his mate.And let’s not get started on the fact that Leprechauns are real! I seriously thought that was a myth, but here one is and apparently, he spouts off prophecies. Again, I didn’t know those existed anywhere except books and movies.When Aolis takes his hand out of mine, the light fades and I feel the loss of the warmth, although the tingling sensation of being settled remains.“What does that mean, there’s a prophecy about me?” I ask, looking at the group. Everyone except Cayd is looking at me with something close to awe.“The prophe
There’s a prophecy about my mate. While it wouldn’t have mattered to me, didn’t matter to me, that Madelyn was human, knowing that she’s more than that makes me even prouder to be her mate. Everyone in the Guardian families is mated to someone strong, a Guardian, an Alpha, or a King. So, I was surprised that my mate was a human, but I didn’t care. I’ve been raised to trust the Moon Goddess, and I’m so glad that I did.It makes sense that Madelyn is mated to me now. Without the connection to Aolis and Araphyra, she may never have learned that she was more than a human.I smile at my mate as I lead her to where I can smell old books, leather, Lily’s vanilla and honey scent, and Buppig’s scent of Irish cider.“Why are you smiling at me?” Madelyn asks.“Just wondering if I’ll be worthy of you once we figure out what you are,” I say.She stops and looks at me. “I’m human, Cayd.”“You’re a bit more than that. Aolis knows his magic.”“I’m no different than I was when you first met me. And wer
I’d read the prophecy and then read it again. The moment I started to read it, the same feeling of warmth, comfort, and familiarity that I’d felt when Aolis lit the light in my body started again.“Did the prophecy call to you, Madelyn?” Aolis asks me. This time, I know exactly what he means.“Yes,” I whisper. I feel Cayd’s arm tighten around me.“What does this mean? What does this prophecy mean? You’re saying Madelyn is a dragon?” Cayd asks.“The prophecy is a bit harder to decipher. But this,” Buppig says, slapping a book on the table that is so large and heavy that it makes the table shake as dust rises from the book. “This is the history of the Drache line of dragons.”“The Drache line?” I ask.“There were many lines of dragons, clans if you will. Drache was one. A very ancient, very powerful dragon line,” Aolis says.“They were known as the protectors, lass. Just like that line in the prophecy, ‘she who protects’. It makes sense if you’re descended from the Drache line of dragons
My mate is a dragon! How cool is that! Okay maybe she can’t shift, and we can’t go all ‘Game of Thrones’ on the world but, damn!When we walk outside, I want to make sure that Madelyn is okay. As exciting as this is for me, I’ve been to Araphyra before, I’ve grown up as a shifter. My mate hasn’t and this is a lot to take in all at once.“Whenever you’ve had enough, just let me know. We can go back to our room,” I tell her.She nods, but continues to look around, totally in awe of this place.“So, GoldMoon and Lucero? You’re not going to tell me who or what they are?” she asks me.“Once you’ve seen them, I will,” I tell her.What has been most exciting about this trip for me has been Madelyn’s expressions. They’re almost childlike in their awe and excitement of what she sees around her. I don’t want to risk missing that look because I tell her that she’s going to see a magical deer and a unicorn.We stand on the steps waiting for them to come. I’m not sure who calls them, perhaps it’s L
Every minute that I’m here, I feel more and more like I belong. There’s a connectedness, a familiarity with the creatures here in Araphyra and it seems like the older they are, the more connected I feel to them.And now, there’s another prophecy about me? This is crazy. I feel like everywhere I turn, someone is telling me that I belong here. I know that GoldMoon and Lucero did. Both of them asked me, in my mind, if I was staying. Both were sad when I said no. Cayd doesn’t live here and I wouldn’t want to stay here without him, even if it does have more of a feeling of home than I’ve had since my parents died.And that’s something else that’s happening the longer we’re here. We haven’t even been here an entire day yet and my feelings towards Cayd are getting very strong, very quickly. It’s almost like, well…magic. Maybe here, where I can touch the magic I didn't know I had, I can feel the mate bond that Cayd feels. If this is what it feels like for him, then I can understand why he says
I was serious when I said that Madelyn’s thoughts and heart are pure. Her kindness is like a shining light in the darkness. Werewolves are an aggressive breed of shifter. We’re possessive, dominant fighters, following a pack hierarchy with a lot of growling and snarling in our lives.My mate’s mind is kind and gentle and sweet. It’s the kind of place I want to stay in, to curl up inside her loving glow, to live there forever. I’m sure the mate bond has something to do with that and maybe that’s why I’m mated to her, but it feels so good being inside her mind. Her sweet thoughts of loving my kisses and the way I touch her just make me want to do it more. The more I give her, the brighter the light inside her becomes, making me want to give her even more. It’s like a never-ending cycle of love growing between us.At least, I hope that’s what it is. It’s what it feels like, anyway.“Do you want to lie down? Do you want to talk? Do you want me to leave? What do you want?” I ask her when we
We have lunch with Luna Grace, who told me to call her Aunt now that I’m part of the family, Alpha Eli, who told me to call him Uncle, Alpha Emerson, and Quinn. Quinn insists that I’m her sister, so I shouldn’t call her Luna and Emerson told me whatever made me most comfortable was fine with him.I’m pretty sure they asked more questions about our time in Araphyra than I did about the trial tomorrow. Everyone was shocked that there were two prophecies about me and Uncle Eli and Emerson asked Cayd a lot of questions about us bringing the return of the dragons. I could tell Cayd was proud that he was mentioned in my prophecy, but honestly, if he’s my mate, who else would have been mentioned?Because it’s winter and we stayed for several hours, the sun was beginning to set before we left and I had a chance to see all of the sprites' witchy lights begin to glow in the forest.“We definitely need lots of lights,” I tell Cayd as he walks behind me, wrapping his arms around me.“Should we get
I could feel Madelyn’s sadness as we left Araphyra and I wanted to make it go away. It occurred to me that this decorating thing might make her happy again, and I was right. I’ll decorate my entire apartment if it will keep my mate happy. Hell, I decorate the whole damn building if it makes her happy.I may be more like my mother than my father, but I learned from my father and my brothers that you’ll never be happier than when you make your mate happy. And they are right. Feeling Madelyn’s sadness turn to happiness makes me feel like the king of the world.While I drive, Madelyn turns on the car radio. She begins singing along to the songs. I don’t know any of the words, but I dance along as she sings happily. She’s still singing as we pull up to the entrance of Safe Haven. I stop at the guard gate.“Can you let Alpha Emerson and my sister know that Alpha Cayden and his mate, Madelyn, are here to visit?” I ask the guard.“Go ahead, Alpha. I’ll let them know you’re coming.”“Thank you
I can feel Cayd’s pride in me. There’s so much goodness in him. His heart is gentle and kind. I know that others described him that way, and I knew it from our interactions. But knowing it and feeling it are very different. Everything about Cayd is warm and inviting, drawing me in and making me want more.“So, Madelyn, tomorrow at 10am, you need to be ready to face Alpha Alec and maybe some of his pack members. I’m also expecting that he’ll bring other Alphas with him since we killed his father,” Lily says.“Those Alphas are probably in league with him,” Cayd says.“I’d bet money on it, which is why all of the Guardians are invited to attend tomorrow. We shouldn’t need them since Riley, Leana, and I will be there along with Mehira and Ennata.”“Well that covers the big factions, and it will be interesting to see how these Alphas feel about a council of all females making judgements about them,” Cayd smirks.“I doubt they’re going to like it very much,” Lily says, her smile a bit more v
I stare at my mate’s mark on my neck. I understand now why she wanted me to see it. She wasn’t worried that I wouldn’t like it, it’s just unlike any mate mark I’ve ever seen before.I stand from the water, turning to my mate. I’m not sure what she sees on my face, but she frowns, just a moment, before I take two steps and have her in my arms, devouring her mouth in a possessive kiss.I think I understand the power that I felt now when she bit into me. She gave me her dragon’s magic. Much like she will be stronger with my mark, I’m now stronger with hers. And maybe it’s because I’m a shifter that I feel it more than she has , but damn, dragon magic is very powerful magic.I pour my love and appreciation of the gift my mate has given me into the kiss.When I pull back, we’re both breathless and I can feel her dizziness from the power and emotions in my kiss. I’ll never get tired of this feeling.“I’ll never get tired of it either,” she says, her eyes still closed.I frown at my mate.‘Ca
I could feel Cayd’s body shaking with the control he was exerting in order to go slowly with me. I appreciate it, but something about his touch continues to light something inside me. The more he touches me, the more I want and need his touch. It's like my body is drawing him into me.I begin to feel a possessiveness, a need to have this man in my life, to have his mark on my neck for the world to see. And even more than that, I need the world to know that he is mine, only mine.When his canines enter my neck, and I feel like I’m going to explode with the pleasure inside me. It’s like the light inside me needs a place to exit, as if it’s expanding and is about to burst. My body jerks with the orgasms that Cayd has given me, one after another, but it hasn’t released the light inside me.It isn’t until I feel him release inside me, feel the warm jets of his cum coating my insides that I find my outlet. Something stings my gums and going solely on instinct, I bite down on Cayd’s neck, the
“Are you going to mark me tonight?” Madelyn asks me as soon as we get to our room.I look at her a moment. “Come sit with me," I say and rather than letting her sit in her own chair, I pull her into my lap. I wrap an arm around her waist and take her hand in my free one. This is the moment of truth.I take a deep breath, but then focus on her when I feel her nervousness, her fear that I don’t want to mark her, that maybe I've been putting her off because I had no intention of ever marking her. I quickly put my hands on her face, turning her head so she's looking at me. I am not Alec.“That’s not it at all, Madelyn. I would hope, after everything that we’ve been through here, that you realize that I will never, ever betray you. I will never leave you. I will never want any woman other than you, ever. You are it for me. What you saw was me preparing for YOU to not want this. Because you have to know that once it’s done, that’s it. There is no going back. There is do-over, there is no div
My mate still has no idea how incredible she is or how much power she has. Thankfully, she uses her powers for good.I tune into her mind as Baron runs. She loves riding on his back and howling with him. When we pass the trench with the giants, she howls at them and they raise their giant fists into the air, pumping in their version of a hello, I guess.Once we’ve passed the trench, the woodland creatures join us and my mate, my wolf, and all the woodland creatures begin howling again.When we get close enough to the castle, I hear Hera, Lily’s wolf, howling a welcome to us and we all howl again.My mate is laughing as Baron slows to a stop, letting her slide off our back. Lily smiles at her as I shift and pull on clothes.“Did you have a nice time?” Lily asks.“We did,” Madelyn says.“You could have told me that you’ve been sparring with Hope much more frequently,” I growl at Lily.“Where’s the fun in that?” Lily asks, unable to hide her smile. I knew she did it on purpose, hoping I’d
The giants are sweet. Okay, they’re a little scary, but I can feel their excitement to have a dragon in their midst again.A dragon. I guess I’ve accepted that I have dragon blood. It’s hard not to here, where everything feels magical and safe and loving. Okay, maybe that’s mostly Cayden that feels that way, but it still adds to the overall magic of Araphyra.When I’m done, Cayd shifts back into Baron and I wave at my new friends, the giants. Then I climb onto Baron’s back and howl. That’s another silly thing that I love doing. Howling with Baron. His answering howl is instantaneous and I grip his fur as he takes off again.This time, there are no woodland creatures flying with us. Cayd mentioned that Hope lives if the taboo land and no fae go there, not even Lucero, who stays back as we run forward. When Baron slows down, it’s eerily quiet. Unlike the woods in Araphyra and even back in Cayd’s family’s pack, the aren’t any sounds in the forest. No birds, no crickets, nothing. Just quie
I can tell that all of this is beginning to overwhelm Madelyn. It was a lot to begin with and it just keeps piling on.“Hey, why don’t we go for a run. We can go see the giants and Hope. Baron would love to run with you on his back again,” I say, watching her face. She might need some rest instead of an invigorating run, but she seems happy with anything that will get us out of this room.I see Buppig and Lily about to argue, but Madelyn has had enough for the day.“Why don’t you two speak to Aolis and Ailduin about what we’ve discussed, get their impressions. Madelyn needs to step away. Remember, she’s learning all of this about herself in just a couple of days. It’s a lot," I tell them.“Of course, Madelyn. You must think I’m a terrible Queen,” Lily says to her.“Not at all. I think you’re everything a queen should be, smart and beautiful and caring,” Madelyn says.Lily smiles. “I can see why King Ailduin was so taken with the dragons. You really do have a pure soul, don't you? Hopef