Guardians recognize Guardians.
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
Last night, we put the tree in the stand and added water. The rest will wait until we have everyone over. Then, I’d feasted on my dragon, letting her feast on me before I made love to her. Our room felt warm and inviting in the glow of Madelyn's dragon light that shone out of both us. I had to be mindful that I couldn’t get too lost in my mate and spend the entire night making love to her. I wanted to, and she did too, but she needs to be awake enough to stand up to Alpha Alec today.She’s in the shower while I’ve been making us breakfast, but I can feel her nerves starting to get the better of her. I turn the bacon down to low, leaving the eggs and pancakes for the moment and slide into the shower with my mate.“You’re not alone,” I say when she presses her back against me. “No one will let him or anyone else hurt you. But even if they did get past my family, which he won't, they would never get past me to you. You are safe. You will remain safe,” I say against her ear. I have my arms
MadelynI didn’t know what to expect from sharing my aura with Emlyn, but it wasn’t the submission of all three of these Alphas. Just like the others, her aura is strong, powerful, and clean. I’m not sure how else to describe it. It’s a pure energy with no malice in it.“Interesting,” Emlyn says, looking from me to the Alphas.“Is that you, Emlyn?” Alpha Rich asks her.“It’s both of us,” she says, turning back to me. “Madelyn has tapped into her power.”Because I’m looking at Emlyn, I’m don’t understand why both Cayd and Alpha Rich growl at once. I feel Cayd’s warm, strong body step up behind me, but his eyes remain focused on the Alphas.“You knew about her power,” Alpha Rich says.“Richie?” Emlyn asks him.“They looked surprised that she had tapped into her power, not like they had no idea what we were talking about,” he says.“They know what you are, Madelyn. Which makes what they did to you, that much more sinister.”I turn and look at them. “You knew?”“Let’s take this inside,” Ri
I’m not sure what it was about Lily telling Alec that we’d get to the discussion about his father, but it just clicked in my head. Her parents knew what they were. In order for Alpha Alaric or Alec to get to Madelyn, to get a person with dragon blood who knew nothing about her power, they would have had to kill her parents. When I told Leana, she’d started questioning him and as soon as he told the first lie, I knew I was right.I was ready when he lied, because now with Ennata’s spell, we can see it when he does. I felt Madelyn sway and I wrapped my arms around her, just before she passed out. I scoop her into my arms, and snarl at Alpha Alec.“Let me take her, Cayd,” my mother says, coming to stand beside me.“No. If she’s not in my arms, I’ll kill him,” I growl, glaring at Alpha Alec.“Why did you or your father order their death?” Lily asks.“Isn’t it obvious?” I say. “They wanted her, a dragon, enslaved to them. You would have known that she had power. You would have known that he
When I wake up, I’m alone in Cayd’s bed. Well, I guess it’s our bed now. It only takes a moment before the memory comes back and the tears well in my eyes. Before the first one falls, Cayd is there, wrapping me in his embrace. He doesn’t say anything, he just holds me while Baron purrs at me and I cry.“Why?” I finally whisper, my voice hoarse.He kisses the top of my head. “They wanted power. They wanted your power.”“How did they even know? No one knew? How did they know?” she asks.“I’m not sure. We didn’t get that far before I left to bring you home. They may have asked after I left or they may try to find out before they execute them.”I look up at him. “They’re going to kill the Alphas?”“They’ve been enslaving your kind for generations. Each one of them has at least one in their packs right now. All the Guardians, besides Riley and Leana, are going to the packs to rescue them. They’re going to bring them here, but we’ll need your help. They won’t trust us, and that’s understanda
I watch as my mate talks to the two individuals that Malin and Quinn brought in. Once again, she touches their light. The male has a silver light and I can feel that the silver aura feels familiar to her.“The Drache line,” I say.“I think so, too,” she says, looking over at me.“The what line?” the young guy, his name is Silas, asks.Madelyn goes through the same process she did with Avalon with Silas and Tamsyn, the female that shares the Falkor line with Madelyn.“Do you think this makes us family, Cayd?” she asks me as their lights begin to glow.“I think maybe you are related to both of them, since your father is descended from the Drache line.”“Your father’s alive?” Silas asks her.She shakes her head. “No, he died.”“Mine too,” Silas says.“And mine,” Tamsyn says.“Go rest, get some food and a shower and once everyone is here, we’re going to get together and Cayd and I will explain everything that we’ve learned to you,” she says.“She’s definitely a Guardian,” Quinn says.“If I
Cayd takes my hand and we head upstairs to the place where Holstin Enterprises runs. When the doors to the elevator open, I see a woman sitting at a desk. She is obviously flirting with a large, gruff looking man. They both turn as we walk in and the man, who had been sitting on the edge of the desk, flirting with the woman, stands.“Good evening, Alpha,” the man says.“Lachlin, are you flirting with your mate while she’s working?” Cayd asks. He’s obviously perfectly fine with activity.“Alpha, it’s not my fault that my mate is so perfect and now that she’s pregnant I can hardly stay away from her,” he says unabashedly as the woman stands. As soon as she does, I can see her baby bump.“Alpha, are you going to introduce us?” the woman asks.“Please, before my mate explodes with curiosity,” Lachlin says, putting his arm around the woman.“Madelyn, this is Avery and Lachlin. They both work for Holstin Enterprises. Avery, Lachlin, this is my mate, Madelyn.”Avery squeals while Lachlin laug
I realize I don’t have a lot of experience with dragons, but this guy is on my last nerve. I understand he’s been through a lot and that he’s distrustful of werewolves, but Madelyn and the others aren’t werewolves and they've been through just as much as he has.When everyone arrives, we begin. I know King Aiduin will be here as quickly as he can, but I don’t want to wait for him. Torin is already jumpy and the others are nervous enough that the scent of their fear is starting to fill the room.“As you know, my name is Madelyn. Up until very recently, I thought I was a human, just like all of you did. In a very short amount of time, I escaped from the pack that was holding me hostage, I found my mate who is also a werewolf but a good one, I went to a place called Araphyra which is the land of the fae where I learned about the history of dragons, and then I found my magic.”“How did you find it?” Silas asks.“Well…” Madelyn begins before looking at me.“Araphyra is a very magical place.
Four Years Later“Daddy, who are we waiting for?” my oldest daughter, Theia, stage-whispers to my mate.I see him glance at me from the corner of his eye and I know what he’s going to do before he does it. He whisper-yells right back.“We’re waiting for Tate if he ever gets his poop together and comes out.”I see a flash of light and I know that Tate heard him. Cayd and Tate have always been close and that hasn’t changed in the five years that Cayd and I have been together.Now that Tate has turned nineteen, he decided to take over their family’s coven. He waited a year, wanting to spend some time with his new mate, Daphne, before making it official. Now, his sweet little mate and their beautiful sprite daughter are sitting in the front row, right in front of us, watching as Tate is about to take over as warlock of his coven.“What’s he doing with his poop?” my third child and first son, Idris, asks.Cayd always wanted to name our first son after his father, since none his other siblin
Eleven months laterWhat a difference a year makes! From the moment that my mate ran into my arms, my life felt like it was going full-throttle into my future, a future that still looks so bright and beautiful I can hardly stand it.‘You always say that,’ my sweet mate says in my mind. That’s just one of many things that have changed in the last year. My mate’s ability to mind link me and use her enhanced senses has improved significantly.‘My future is you. And you, my love, are bright and beautiful,’ I tell her. I hear the soft purr in her mind, the emotions of her dragon that has strengthened in the last year. Every time we go to Araphyra, it gets stronger.As I expected, all of the dragons stayed in Araphyra. They created their own village or clan or whatever they call it in the mountain ranges that Lily, Silas, and Tamsyn found. Most of them have created their homes there, although some made their permanent residence in Araphyra. Samlael’s mate, Mevnenth, stayed in Araphyra and Sa
Everything here in Araphyra is so magical, and now, all of these dragons get to feel it too. I lean into Cayd as we watch Silas and Tamsyn find their families. I watch as the sprites, even the ones from Araphyra who don’t know the dragons, all sniffle and wipe their eyes. I watch as Anastasia hugs Ailduin, looking up at him and wiping a tear from his face.“Today is a good day,” I whisper to Cayd.“Yes it is. And there are many, many more for us and them,” he says, wrapping his arms more tightly around me.“Okay, everyone,” Lily says, wiping her own tears. “We have so much to show you. First, I think we should show you to your rooms. You are welcome here as long as you want to stay, but Silas, Tamsyn, and I found a place here in Araphyra, in a different land, where you might be more comfortable. There are mountain ranges there and I understand that’s where you were living before. Once you’re settled, we’ll show you around, and let you begin to connect with your magic. Araphyra is a mag
It takes a lot to get everyone into the vans and to the jetliner, but we make it work. Thankfully, there are enough leaders among the dragons to help keep things moving and since the really young dragons left yesterday, it makes it that much easier to get everyone settled.Rich sent the two pilots and several flight attendants to help us, and he also made sure the plane was stocked with food and beverages. The biggest surprise was seeing my parents, Reagan, and Meadow. They came out to assist in any way that was needed.As soon as my father saw the sprite mates, he burst out laughing. “The sprites strike again. Hello, I’m Alpha Liam,” he introduced himself to everyone. My mother introduced herself and, in her way, gently touched the dragons as they boarded the plane. I could tell that many of them could feel her aura as it touched theirs. Since they haven’t come into their magic fully yet, I’m sure it feels weird to them, almost like an awakening inside themselves. That’s what it felt
As cold as it is here in the mountains, there is steam coming from the hot springs. “Oh! How wonderful.”My grandmothers join me in the springs, showing me what they use to bathe themselves, using sand and scents found in the woods to scrub and scent their skin. Maybe that’s where the wild scents come from, or maybe, just like the wolves, it’s because of who we are.They ask me more about Araphyra and I tell them while we soak and then dry off using more plants to help absorb the water off our bodies. Once we’re dressed, we return to the fire. Cayd is back and is helping get this first group in the van. When he sees me, he comes jogging over.“I spoke to Rich. He’s getting a jetliner for us tomorrow. We need to talk to everyone by tonight and get their agreement to come back, but I also need more vans. Do you want to come with me or talk to the rest of the clan members?” He stops, leaning in and growling softly. “I like this wild scent on you. What is that?”“It’s what the dragons here
I don’t remember falling asleep, but I do remember feeling completely overwhelmed. When I wake up, it’s still dark outside but I feel my mate wrapped around me and the fire is in front of me again. I smile, thinking about how my mate always takes care of me.I carefully sit up, looking around the fire. Many of the dragons stayed to sleep here with us. It makes me glad and hopeful that they’ll all go to Araphyra and stay together.“He really loves you, doesn’t he?” my grandmother Camrys asks from across the flames.I look down at my sleeping mate. Somehow, after I sat up, he wrapped his body around me, still protecting me and keeping me warm, even in his sleep. Or maybe it’s Baron keeping watch over me. Either way, it makes me feel so loved and cherished.“Yes, he does. And I love him. When we marked and mated, I wasn’t sure what would happen or what it would be like. But I’m able to feel his emotions and hear his thoughts, although I’m not very good at it. I’m still surprised when I he
I watch my mate crying with her family. As much as I hate seeing her cry, I know these are good tears. I turn and look at Toddre.“Thank you.”“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to say anything, just in case I was wrong. But the ages match. I’m pretty sure Silas and Tamsyn have family here too. They’ll want to see them.”“We will make that happen,” I say, turning back to my mate as she and her grandparents pull back, one of her grandmothers wiping the tears from her eyes.“Oh, you have to meet my mate. This is Alpha Cayden,” she says, excitedly, turning to me.“You’re a wolf?” Qeddryn growls.“I am. But I’m not like the ones who did this to Madelyn or the others,” I say. “My family is blessed by the Moon Goddess. We, well the women in our families, are Guardians, much like Madelyn and the others in the Falkor line.”As we’re talking, more dragons begin approaching us. The ones from the hatching grounds, or as they call them now, the birthing grounds, also come to join us. For the rest of th
I never would have thought sleeping on the ground would be comfortable or that I could be warm in the mountains in winter, but with a fire in front of me and Cayd behind me, I slept great and stayed toasty warm all night.When I open my eyes, I see Toddre putting wood on the fire. “What time is it?” I ask.“Early. I’d say around 5am. You’re probably a bit jet-lagged so it might feel later to you.”I look around, seeing Torin, his body covered with sprites, and Avalon, with her body much the same. “Where are the others?” I ask.Toddre smiles. “Well, Dragon Fierce Lover went to see his mate,” he says chuckling. I laugh with him. The sprites’ names for the dragons are cute. It made me wonder what my name would have been.“Dragon Warm Heart left right after you fell asleep. Something about licking and not needing to choose one mate. He hasn’t re-emerged, so that should be interesting. And Dragon Grumpy Pants also went into the woods with his sprites, although much later.”I feel Cayd’s lip
I feel the dragons relax as we sit. That doesn’t mean that I feel safe enough to let Madelyn out of my reach, so I tuck her against my side, keeping an arm wrapped tightly around her. I stay quiet as she tells the story of what happened to her, how she got away, how she met me, and then of our experience in Araphyra.When she’s done, they look at Torin and Avalon whose stories are nearly identical.“There are two more. We left them in Araphyra. They’re younger and I think all of us felt the need to keep them where they are safe,” I tell them.Orsid, the leader, looks at me. “What was that thing you said about sprites. You mentioned it and then Madelyn mentioned it too.”“Do you not know that your forest is filled with sprites?” I ask them, amazed.They all look at each other again.“Our forest is haunted. That’s why we’ve been safe from humans. They don’t come here. Especially on windy days and nights, you can hear the ghosts voices on the wind,” Ronnon says.“Those are no ghosts,” I s