I could kiss my brother. While I feel nearly incapacitated with my desire to help my mate but fearing that I would scare her, Xander swoops in to save the day.Since we’re all standing, I look at my mate. “I’m guessing horror movies aren’t your thing?”She shakes her head, no.“Maeve wouldn’t allow that in our house anyway. We’ll be lucky if we don’t have to watch some children’s witchy movie like Sleeping Beauty.”“Sleeping Beauty didn’t have witches,” Madelyn says, frowning.“Tell that to my mate. Those sprite things…what are they called, Cayd?”“Fairy godmothers,” I say, watching Madelyn. Her heart rate has gone down since Rich left. I’ll need to warn my father to monitor his Alpha aura around her. Maybe if I tell him to act like she’s one of the twins, he’ll get the picture. Of all of us, the twins, who look and act the most like our mother, have always been treated more gently than the rest of us.“My mate says the fairy godmothers aren’t fairies at all, they’re witches,” he says,
I wake in soft sheets that smell like buttery maple syrup. Or maybe that’s the smell that’s coming from the kitchen.I shoot up in bed worried that I’ve overslept and I’ll be punished. Except this isn’t my room. I frown, looking around and then it all comes flooding back. I escaped. I ran into Cayd. I met a Guardian, Cayd’s brothers, Xander’s mate, and we watched a movie.I must have fallen asleep during the movie. I certainly don’t remember coming back down to Cayd’s room. The only reason I know this is Cayd’s room is because I showered in here last night and I glanced around at his room, curious to see if he had any pictures of him and his girlfriend or mate. I was surprised at how happy it made me that he didn’t have any.He has lots of pictures of his family. It’s a big family and every one of them, every single one of them, is drop-dead gorgeous. His sisters, and I know they’re his sisters because they all have the sun-kissed look of people who live by the ocean, all look like mod
‘Dammit, Baron! You’re going to scare her!’ I growl at my wolf.‘You need to get your nose checked, Cayd. What I was smelling wasn’t fear, it was arousal. She wanted me to kiss her,’ he says smugly.Damn arrogant wolf.‘I’m not arrogant. I was careful with her, but she’s obviously curious about me and apparently has no problem if I kiss her. You on the other hand…’ he says, laughing as we walk into the living room.I roll my eyes and go to open the door for my parents. When I do, my mother’s sweet smile brightens my day, just like it has for most of my life.“Cayden,” she says, opening her arms. “Hello, my son.” The only person that my mother loves more than her children is my father. Well, now maybe her grandbabies are starting to push us out too, I’m not exactly sure on that one.“Hello, Mother,” I say, enveloping her in a hug. My mother is a small woman, having been held by vampires when she was still a growing teenager. It stunted her growth, but not her strength.“Hey, Dad,” I say
I’m glad Cayd got me this blanket. I’m uncomfortable talking about what happened to me. In a lot of ways, I feel stupid for falling for Alec’s interest in me. I mean, I didn’t know that he was a werewolf, but he was nice and that was all it took for me to fall head over heels for him.I have to admit, in the very short time that I’ve been around him, I can already tell that Cayd is different than Alpha Alec. When I was with Alec, when we were dating, or what I thought was dating, I never met anyone else, not until he took me to the pack. With Cayd, I’ve met two brothers, two sister-in-laws, and now his parents. While Alpha Liam is intimidating, Luna Angel is very sweet, and it’s obvious that Alpha Liam adores his mate. That was something else that I didn’t see with Alpha Alec or his father. This level of adoration for someone else in their life. It makes me wonder why some werewolves are like that and others aren’t. Maybe the Guardians are just different.I pull the blanket around me,
How close did I come to losing my mate because some asshole Alphas were abusing her? She nearly died, nearly starved to death. I don’t think humans can go days without water and if they took her clothes and left her in a cell…she would have been frigid. The image of my mate, laying naked in a ball on the concrete floor of some pack’s cells had come unbidden to my mind and Baron and I had felt the need to kill Alpha Alec. If I had known last night…if I had known what he did to my mate, he would never have gotten out of this city alive.‘Cayden, sweetheart, I know that you and Baron are struggling with what you’ve heard, but your mate needs you. This is hard for her to tell us. She may not understand why she isn’t afraid of you, or why your presence helps her to feel safe, but it does. Take some breaths and come be here for your mate,’ my mother’s gentle voice floats into my mind.‘Mom…’‘They will pay for what they did to her and what, I assume, they are doing to others,’ she says, this
I like Angel. She’s very sweet and I realize quickly that she’s a lot of fun. Since she has four daughters, she’s used to shopping, much more than I am.“I really don’t think we should spend so much of Cayd’s money,” I say to her for the hundredth time.“Trust me, sweetheart. He will be very happy to know that you have clothes that you’re comfortable in and that you like. Believe me. I know my son. This is important to him.”“Because he found me and I asked for his help? I really didn’t mean for him to do all of this when I asked for help.”“Even if my son didn’t do this for you, my mate and I would. It’s the right thing to do, but I also don’t want you to think that all of us are like what you’re experienced,” she says, looking around. She told me she’d prefer to shop in the town that is on pack lands, but when she asked me, I told her I’d rather stay in the city, so we did.I’m trying to be careful, in case he has a girlfriend who might get jealous of his attention of me and all this
My dad, Xander, and I met to talk about buying out the rest of the building. We’re all in agreement that it would be a good idea. Xander likes it because then we’d own all the stores on the first floor which includes Maeve’s witch shop and the restaurant on the third floor where our staff and others from outside the building come to eat. So, those businesses would pay rent to us. The other floors we would begin to renovate as apartment condos for our staff. The twelfth floor is where our company is located and since humans don’t build a thirteenth floor, it’s a large space with high ceilings. Xander now owns the fifteenth floor for him and his family. Currently we own the eleventh floor to the fifteenth.Currently, the fourteenth floor has multiple residents, but my father suggested that I look at remodeling it to take over the entire floor like Xander has done on the fifteenth floor, and moving the residents to other floors. Because we still bring in individuals who need assistance, w
I wake up with that same scent of buttery maple syrup in my nose. I love that smell.I open my eyes, disoriented again. I look around, taking a minute to realize that I’m in Cayd’s bedroom again. How did I get here? It takes another minute but then I remember. We were attacked by Alpha Alaric. I sit up quickly, remembering that I passed out.I can hear a man’s quiet voice in the other room. I’m guessing it’s Cayd. I want to know if Angel is alright, so I get out of bed and make my way to the door.“I can’t thank you enough, Maeve,” Cayd says. He must be on the phone, but he doesn’t sound upset, he sounds relieved.“I do, because it helps me to know that my mate is safe,” he says in response to whatever Maeve said to him.His mate? Who is his mate? Who is safe? Not his mother. There weren’t any other women there today…except me.I feel like my stomach falls to my feet. His mate? Don’t werewolves get all sorts of possessive about their mates?Before he gets off the phone, I carefully mak
Four Years Later“Daddy, who are 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 siblings
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