Ohh, I hope they all find family in the dragon clans!
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
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 li
**This is the seventh book in the Guardian's Next Generation series (eleven in the overall Guardian series). References will be made to events that occurred in the other books without specific detail provided here.*As I walk on the sidewalks in the human city where I have an apartment, I think about the last week. It’s been a whirlwind of birthdays, my twin sisters both turned eighteen and then less than a week later, they both had their Luna ceremonies one night apart. They’re mated to the two Alphas that are in an alliance with my oldest brother, Rich.All of the males in my generation are strong Alphas, stronger than most because our mothers are Guardians. The Guardian line travels through the females in the bloodline, and besides my younger sister who is still underage, all of the female Guardians in our generation have found their mates. All the sons of the Guardians in this generation have found their mates as well. Except me.I’m not sure why I haven’t found her. Cohen, one of
How did I ever get myself into his mess? Oh right, I fell for the wrong man. He was so attractive, so charming, until he wasn’t. He was a prince, until he became a nightmare. All those things you worry about as a kid, all the things that go bump in the night, they’re real. Werewolves are real. I know because I’ve been forced to live with them now for several months.Alec was everything a young woman dreams of when she finds ‘the one’. He’s smart, charismatic, and he seemed to really be into me. We dated for a short time, but it was intense. He wanted to be around me all the time and I loved the attention. After a life in foster care, never having anyone who truly cared about me, I fell for it; hook, line, and sinker. In hindsight, he didn’t even have to give me that much attention. I thought he was being gentlemanly not wanting to sleep with me, but it turns out, he never wanted me for sex. He wanted a slave.When he’d ‘confessed’ to being a werewolf, he said he wanted me to know ever
Did he say Guardians? Isn’t that what Alec and his friends were saying before? Something about twins finding their mates?When the man, Cayden, crouches into a fighting stance, I don’t even have to duck to stay hidden behind him. Whether that was intentional on his part or he’s just that tall, I don’t know, but I stay behind him, my hands looping into the back of his pants. If Alec tries to tear me away, at least I have something to hold onto.“We just want the girl, Alpha Cayden. She’s part of our pack and she’s distraught. We need to get her home and take care of her.”Alpha? Oh no!“Distraught…” he says as if he’s rolling the word around in his head but it’s not making sense. “Yeah, I might go with terrified, not distraught, based on her scent. So, I’m guessing that whatever you boys did, she didn’t like it. She’s run from you and now she’s asked for my help. If you know who I am, then you know I won’t say no to helping her or anyone that asks for my assistance,” he growls.I’m not
My little mate is about as skittish as she can be. I’m not sure how she’ll feel about staying in my apartment, but it’s the safest place for her. As much as I want to know about her and what happened to her, I also feel the need to take care of her.‘WE feel the need to take care of her,’ Baron says.Baron has been thrashing in my head ever since that Alpha, his Beta, and the other warriors came charging after our mate. I don’t know why they want her or what they did to her, but I’ll be contacting Rich to find out everything he knows about Alpha Alec.Her stomach hasn’t stopped rumbling and it makes me wonder how long it’s been since she’s eaten. As we wait for the food, I casually look over her body, noticing the bruises, the scrapes, the dried and cracked skin on her fingers and the cracked fingernails with dried blood that look like she’s chewed them down to the quick. All of that is making it harder for me to keep Baron under control and to remain calm. But she’s a human. I need t
I’m not sure why this guy takes me asking him for help so seriously. I asked because I needed to get away from Alec. But he seems to be taking it to mean I need food, clothing, and a place to sleep. I do, but I don’t understand why this guy is making it his problem. He could have let me go after Alpha Alec walked away, but he didn’t.Since I learned my lesson, that trusting werewolves is dangerous to my well-being, I follow the guy, Cayden, when he goes to make a phone call. I hear him talking to others about coming here. I’m already outmatched with this guy, but if he has someone coming to get me, who knows where I’ll end up. It could be worse than what happened with Alpha Alec.I think quickly, rushing into the kitchen as quietly as I can. When I hear him call my name, I lift the pan over my head that was thankfully sitting on the stove. If I can just knock him out, even for a few minutes, I can get away. Once the others arrive, there will be no escape for me. As soon as I see his h
I grind my teeth as my mate breaks down into the most gut-wrenching sobs I’ve ever heard.‘Cayden, who is she?’ my brother asks in the mind link.‘My mate.’He nods, watching his mate and mine.“Come on. Why don’t we go into the other room and relax for a moment. Sometimes Alphas forget what a strong presence they have,” Emlyn says to Madelyn, gently scolding her mate. She turns and gives him a look before leading Madelyn into my bedroom and a moment later, I hear the water turn on.Rich gives her a contrite look before turning to me as they walk into the other room.“What pack?” Rich asks, gesturing for me to sit. “Oh, pizza. I’m starving.”“Help yourself. They’re wings, too,” I say as we sit. “Alpha Alec. Do you know him?”“Hmm,” he says, taking a bite of food as his eyes stare off while he thinks.‘Cayd, did you get her some clothes?’ Emlyn asks in the mind link.I hop up, grabbing the bag and a bottle of water and taking it into the bedroom.I see Madelyn sitting on the side 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 li
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
Cayd had suggested that I wear Maeve’s protection amulet on this trip. I’m not sure if he was just being cautious, or if he instinctively knew that meeting up with a bunch of dragons could be dangerous. But just before we heard the voice, I felt the amulet begin to vibrate and it began to glow under my shirt. That’s how I’d known that they knew we were here.The moment the angry voice booms around us, Cayd pushes me behind him. Since I’m the dragon and he’s the wolf, this seems ridiculous to me, but I understand that my mate wants to protect me.“We aren’t here to hurt you, or take your children,” I say, adding the last part as an afterthought.“Oh yeah?” another voice says, coming up beside us. Torin shifts, putting a shoulder to Cayd’s and creating a wall on one side of me, like two sides of a box.“You’re a werewolf, aren’t you?” another voice says from my other side and Avalon shifts her body to protect me on that side. Why they’ve decided to protect me I have no idea. I’m the one
We didn’t have to worry about clothing for Torin and Avalon. My mother and my aunts apparently felt the need to make sure our new friends had clothes, so when we arrived back at the apartments, they had clothes waiting for them.“I don’t even know what to say about this,” Avalon says, looking shocked.“You don’t have to say anything. You’re under the care and protection of the Guardians. That means something to us, to all of us,” I tell them.“Thanks,” Torin says, but I can tell the gesture is meaningful to him too. Good, the sooner he realizes that we’re not his enemy, the better.Xander drives us to the airport where the pilots are ready and waiting for us. I say goodbye to my brother, having already spoken to my father.“Call if you need anything. We’ll be there," he says.“I know. I’ll be calling anyway, hopefully, to give you a timeframe and number of dragons headed your way,” I say, before following the others into the plane.It’s a private jet with small seating areas and a bedr
After spending most of the afternoon pouring over maps, and then spending dinner with the dragons, hearing their excitement about Araphyra and beginning to feel their own magic coming forward, Cayd led me into the forest.Just like last time, we spent then entire night making love, sharing light, and being together. I don’t know how my body has the energy to go for so many hours, never needing a break, never needing to disconnect from my mate, but I don’t care. My only complaint is that the time went by much too quickly and before I knew it, Cayd was sliding out of me, showing me that the sun had started to rise.“We need to get back to the city today so we can head out west. It’s time for us to bring all of your dragon brethren home, Madelyn. Then, maybe next time, we can stay out here until you’ve had enough of me,” he says giving me that million-dollar smile.“Well then, you’d better prepare to spend the rest of your life here in the forest Cayden Holstin, because I will never have
After we get settled, Aolis and Lily take the dragons on a tour of Araphyra. While they look around, I take Madelyn to the library so that we can meet with Ailduin.When we walk in, I see that Buppig is here as well, ready to assist.“Good morning, Buppig! How are you?” I ask him.“I’d be better if me mate wasn’t flittin’ around about having some male dragons around. What has he got that I haven’t got?” he asks irritably, his Irish accent becoming heavier with his frustration.“Height?” Madelyn asks innocently.“I think it was a rhetorical question, love,” I say to her as Buppig narrows his eyes at her.“Yeah, well, I’ve got it where it counts! Got her pregnant, didn’t I? I’m giving her a little sprite baby, aren’t I?”“Or possibly a leprechaun baby, Buppig. You know that Hyacinth loves you, unconditionally,” Anastasia says kindly.“Of course she does! You’re not questioning her love for you, are you, Buppig?” Madelyn asks.“Just because he’s big and warm, so what? I’m warm!” he huffs,
It feels good being back in Araphyra. I almost wish that this could be my home. Almost. But my home is with Cayd and he has a life back in the city and in the packs. And my life is with him.‘I promise we’ll visit frequently,’ Cayd says, sensing my thoughts.I smile at him as we all exit the van. King Aolis and Queen Lily are waiting for us.“Welcome dragons,” King Aolis says. As the others step forward and look around, I can sense the fae creatures moving toward us. I’m not sure if they are drawn to the magic of dragons, or if they are just excited to see more here in their homeland.“Whoa!” Tamsyn says. I turn and look at her, seeing that her body is glowing in a golden light.“Uh, what’s happening?” Silas asks, his body beginning to glow with a silver light.“Is this our magic?” Avalon asks in awe, her body glowing with her dragon's rose-gold color. Even Torin is glowing with a pewter glow.“You’re glowing too,” Cayd says, smiling as he looks over my body. I look down, surprised to
I wasn’t sure what to expect from our decorating party, but I wasn’t expecting to have as much fun as I did. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time, my mate especially. After breakfast, half of us began decorating trees, while others began preparing dinner, and then others decorated the apartment.I had several moments where I stopped and looked around, recognizing that someday soon our apartment will be as large as Xander and Maeve’s, but that this, this happiness and chaotic fun, is going to be my life.“I know that look,” my father says walking up.“What look is that?” I ask, eating yet another Christmas cookie. They’re really good.“The look of a man who is seeing his future with the woman he loves.”“Yep, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” I say, smiling as my mate sings with the others who know the holiday songs playing on the television.“Now replace every one of these people with your pups or dragons babies and you’ll see what I saw in my future when I met your mother.”“Ma
Even without sleep, my body is humming with the pleasure that Cayd gives me. It’s like a constant adrenaline rush that keeps my body on a high so that I don’t feel the need to get as much sleep.When I get out of the shower, I smile, putting on the second dress that Cayd knew that I’d need. I bite my lip as I think about all the positions we were in while I was in and out of this dress. I lean down to get the shoes, not sure that my feet are ready for a day in these heels when Cayd’s strained voice stops me.“Baby, I love you. I love you so much, more than anything else in this entire world. If you love me at all, anywhere close to how much I love you, you won’t wear those shoes. I only have so much restraint and it’s going to be hard enough seeing you in that dress today with every memory of what I did to you while you were in it last night. Please, have mercy on your weak mate and don’t wear those shoes.”I giggle, and then, because I can, I run and leap into my mate’s arms. He catch