Resurrecting Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 13) Read online

  Lifting Claire’s feet off the floor, Rory growled his approval as her legs were immediately around his waist. Making his way up the stairs and into his room never once allowing their kiss to end, the dragon kicked the door shut, and together they loved one another for the next four days and nights.

  Early on the morning of their fifth glorious day together, the cool breeze of the morning air flowing through the bedroom window woke Rory from his blissful sleep. Missing Claire, he reached for the silky softness of his mate only to find cold emptiness on her side of the bed. Grabbing his pajama pants off the end of the bed, he slid them on as he headed out the door, following the heavenly scent of sunshine and summer flowers.

  Reaching the bottom of the steps, he nearly fell flat on his face as just the sight of Claire wiped all rational thought from his mind. There she was, standing in front of the French doors that overlooked the garden, looking every bit the goddess he knew her to be. Dressed in his shirt, her arms raised and braced on either side of the doorframe, her luscious curves outlined by the rays of the rising sun called to him like a siren’s song.

  Moving closer, the fragrance of their mingled scents nearly drove the Guardsman to his knees. It smelled like everything right in the world and was yet another representation of their perfect union. Claire was the physical manifestation of everything Rory would ever need for all eternity. The Heavens knew they’d made it work for the last few days. It was so true...the Universe does not make mistakes.

  Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in the silky strands of her hair. Leaning into his touch, her raised arms came down around his head as a sigh of sheer pleasure crossed her pouty lips while he kissed his way to her ear.

  Claire’s fingers pulled the hairs at the nape of his neck as he teased her ear with the very tip of his tongue. Her hips moved from side to side, causing her bum to rub against his erection.

  “I could live forever and it wouldn’t be long enough to show you how much I love you,” he moaned directly into her mind.

  Turning in his arms, Claire replied, “Good thing we have forever and then some,” before sealing her words with a kiss.

  Every time they touched, every time they kissed, was even more fantastic than the last. Everything about them together got better with every moment of every day. Rory knew beyond all doubt Claire would be the center of his universe always and forever.

  Deepening their kiss, Rory felt their passion rise. Pulling Claire away from the door and closer to his body, he walked them to the couch, slipped his hand between their bodies, and carefully unbuttoned her shirt, letting the material fall to the floor as he kept his very willing mate occupied with their kiss.

  Sliding out of his pajama pants, Rory begrudgingly pulled away from Claire but only long enough to lay down and pull her soft, supple body onto his. Chuckling as she got comfortable, his phoenix teased, “Haven’t you had enough of me yet?”

  For his answer, Rory pulled her up his body and crushed his mouth to hers, branding with his lips, making sure she knew he would never ever tire of her or what they were together. His tongue swept into her mouth, taking control of even her breathing. His hands moved up and down her body, the feel of her satiny skin against his hands making him crazy with desire.

  Claire moaned into his mouth. It was all the encouragement he needed. Grabbing her bum, he lifted her so that his erection was pillowed against her stomach as she straddled the tops of his thighs. Running his fingers over her bum until her reached her wet, swollen center, Rory’s digits entered her from behind, swirling in and out as the evidence of her arousal wet his fingers.

  Kissing his way down her jaw, he once again found that sweet little spot behind her ear he knew drove her wild. She contracted around his fingers as he nipped and teased her sensitive skin. Her legs slid to either side of his hips, forcing his fingers from her warm, wet center.

  Claire moaned at the loss, immediately rolling her hips and grinding against his erection. With every move the swollen tip of his length bumped her swollen clit. Flush spread across her chest and worked its way down her body with every touch. Her nails dug into his chest. Her head fell back in ecstasy as she rode him with complete abandon. It was the most magnificent vision the dragon had ever seen

  Her beautifully full breasts tormented him as they swayed with every bounce of her luscious body on his. Lifting his head with his hand on her back, Rory sucked as much of her tantalizing flesh into his mouth as he could. Worrying her hardened nipple with this tongue and teeth until once again, her fingers were tangled in his hair and she was moaning his name.

  “Oh, God, Rory. More...please...more,” she begged.

  He could deny her nothing. Leaning back, he slid his body down just a fraction, lifted his hips, and drove himself deep into his mate, entering her with such force he touched the bottom of her womb.

  Claire fell forward, grabbed his shoulders, and sank her nails into his skin so hard he knew she drew blood. Her total loss of control sent his passion into orbit. Moving in and out of his mate as fast as he could, Rory smiled despite his lack of oxygen when Claire wailed, “Rory...oh my Heavens...Rory, yes, Rory!”

  Claire screamed her release as Rory continued to thrust in and out, bringing her down from one climax while building the next. With each stroke she closed tighter around him. Looking at him with an expression of complete abandon and total satisfaction, Claire had never looked more amazing. His chest puffed with pride that he’d put that look on her face.

  Feelings he’d never thought he’d feel overtook him. Nothing in all his years could ever compare to what being with Claire meant to him. She was simply magnificent and she was his.

  Claire was a vision. Naked as she was meant to be, haloed by the rays of the golden sun, sitting atop him like the queen she was, there had never been anyone or anything more spectacular. Leaning forward, she laid a chaste kiss to his lips. Rory’s heart skipped a beat. There was no denying this woman would be the death of him but at the moment, he couldn’t think of a better way to go. And after all, he was becoming an expert on the subject.

  He rocked slowly in and out of her, in absolutely no hurry to abandon his connection with her. Dancing their own erotic tango to the beat of their hearts, Claire gasped as she contracted around him again.

  Closing her eyes, she sighed, “This is heaven.”

  Swiveling his hips, Rory rubbed all the sensitive spots he knew made her writhe in pleasure.

  “Oh, Rory...”

  Rotating her hips in the opposite direction of his motion as she slid down his length, their intricate lap dance made it hard for Rory to think. Claire leaned forward, her palms on his chest and mewled, “Oh my Heavens...yes...oh, Rory, yes...”

  “That’s it, ta’ mo chroi istigh, take what you need.”

  Moving faster, Rory angled himself against her change in position, making every sweep of his erection tease the bundle of nerves that drove Claire wild. Their slow burn exploded. The sounds of their lovemaking filled the room as they built to their ecstatic completion. Their eyes locked. Their hearts raced. From one heart beat to the next, Rory and Claire screamed their release.

  Collapsing, boneless and replete across his chest, Claire struggled to catch her breath. Grinning with absolute satisfaction, Rory ran his fingertips up and down her spine, simply enjoying the sound of their hearts beating as one.

  Opening his mouth to tell Claire for the hundredth time how much he loved her, Rory instead groaned as Rian spoke through their unique link.

  “Time to get up, Loverboy. We’ve found the Slades.”

  Chapter Nine

  There was nothing Rory wanted to do less than get up from the comfort of his bed, his mate, and the cocoon they had created for themselves, but duty called. The remaining Slades had to be dealt with and he and Claire needed to be the ones to do it.

  “You better get your lazy bones up or they’re gonna leave without us,” his phoenix chuckled as she appeared on the ste
ps wearing nothing but a towel, her long red curls still wet from the shower.

  “Oh, all right,” he groaned and lifted himself off the couch while putting on a show of how much energy it took and biting the inside of his cheeks to keep from laughing at his own silliness.

  It apparently had the same effect on Claire as she chuckled so hard she had to grab the railing to keep from tumbling down the stairs. Using his enhanced speed, Rory rushed up the steps, picked up his mate, and sped to the bedroom.

  Kissing her soundly before gently tossing her to the middle of the bed and following her down, Rory tickled his phoenix until she was out of breath and begging for him to stop. Kissing her one more time, he jumped up before she could retaliate and ran into the bathroom as Claire yelled, “Expect it when you least expect, babycakes.”

  “And just when I thought I couldn’t love you any more,” he whispered directly into her mind.

  “Sweet talk will not change my mind,” she chuckled.

  Laughing out loud, Rory jumped in and out of the shower in record time then was dressed and waiting while Claire tamed her beautiful mane. He watched with an appreciation that a week ago he would have never believed he could have. Everything she did was beautiful.

  “Well, this is as good as it gets,” his phoenix snorted, turning and grabbing her boots.

  Asking, “What’s that look for?” as she walked past him, Rory chuckled, “Just thinking how freakin’ lucky I really am.”

  He followed his mate down the stairs where she stopped, sat on the bottom step, and pulled on her boots before answering, “Remember that when I’m old, grey, and wrinkly.”

  “Even then, you’ll be the best looking thing in the world,” Rory answered, holding out his hand to help her up then pulling her to him for a quick kiss.

  “I’ll be reminding you that you said that in a couple hundred years,” Claire laughed, turning out of his arms and heading toward the door.

  “Remind him of what?” Ettie, who was just about to knock when Claire opened the door, asked.

  “How gorgeous she is,” Rory chuckled, closing the door behind him.

  “Oh, lordy, they’ve reached the mushy stage, y’all,” Ettie snickered to her cousins, who were waiting on the sidewalk.

  Of course, the ladies spent the entire walk to the Grand Hall, where they were meeting the rest of the Dragon Guard and the werepanthers, teasing him. But they didn’t stop there and that meant his brethren immediately jumped on the bandwagon, proving once again that paybacks suck.

  Thankfully, Rian was all business and bellowed, “Enough!” Then in a calmer voice added, “We need to get to the caves before the griffins move on and we have to waste more time tracking them.” Then grinning in his youngest brother’s direction, he chuckled. “There’ll be time to harass Ror later.”

  “Thanks.” Rory shook his head, thanking the Heavens for a reprieve but preparing for years and years of jokes.

  Pointing to the huge map laid out in the middle of the twelve-foot round wooden table that was older than everyone in the room, Max detailed what the werepanthers knew about the griffins.

  “They are in three separate caves, grouped together on this side of the mountain. Sylvia and her sons are in the highest one with the largest ledge. It is my belief, and Rian agrees, that at least two dragons could safely land there. Or...” The King paused and turned to Claire and her cousins, “A dragon and let’s say, an eagle?”

  He left his question hanging in the air while the ladies looked at one another. Rory could hear the static from their mind-to-mind conversation and wished he could hear what they were saying. He and Claire had discussed what their mating would mean for their unique blend of special abilities, unanimously deciding they were going to be a lethal couple. He just wished it had already happened.

  “How about we stick to the original plan and I’ll be one of the dragons?” Kayne suggested, then to the ladies said, “I know all of your birds are fierce in their own right but they can’t rival our dragons, and if I’m one of them it’s like having two dragons and Claire.”

  “If I hadn’t known you most of my life I’d think you were being sexist, but I know that’s not the case. And besides all that, you’re right,” Claire answered for her whole family.

  “How do you know each other?” Pearce asked.

  “We’re siblings,” Kayne motioned between himself and Claire. Rory nodded because thankfully, one of the first things his mate had explained to him was her connection to the demi god. As for the rest of the group, it was shocked looks all around.

  “Siblings?” Why is this the first I’m hearing of this?” Maddox sounded pissed but then that was the norm for the mad dragon.

  “Hell, I don’t know. Guess I never thought about drawing up my family tree for you,” Kayne was chuckling and shaking his head. “Anyway, Claire and I share a father.”

  “What?” was asked in unison.

  “Y’all know my story. Lugh got a year to come and live with my mom, the love of his life, and they had me. Anyone who needs the whole story get with me later.” He chuckled then continued, “Well, Lugh saw how great the women of the original Clan of the Sun were and grew to love them like his own children. When the men rebelled, he gave all the power to the women, made them the leaders, and made it so his blood flows through every female offspring, making him metaphysically their father. And no matter his faults, dear ol’ Dad takes his role as father very seriously. So even though Claire has, excuse me,” he nodded to the phoenix and mouthed ‘Sorry’, “had a human dad, may he rest in peace, she is still technically a child of Lugh and therefore my half-sister. Now that everyone is caught up on my genealogy, how about we get this show on the road?”

  For a demi god, Kayne was seriously low-key and laid back. It could be said that he hated any attention, which Rory had always thought was pretty cool for a guy who could call down the power of the sun and incinerate pretty much anyone he wanted to. That made him think of Claire and once again thank the Universe for her.

  “Thanks, Kayne, and I agree. How about you and Kellan take the ledge. With his scales being such a dark blue he looks black. providing great camouflage. They’ll only see your golden ones and hopefully, not realize there’s two dragons,” Rian agreed.

  “Then we’ll be right behind waiting for any that change into griffin form,” Delilah chimed in, her eyes flashing from human to the eyes of her falcon, letting everyone know she was ready for battle.

  “Agreed,” the rest of the ladies said as one.

  “Thank you.” Rian nodded to the aviary shifters before addressing the rest of the group. “The rest of us will split into three groups and scale the mountain in human form.”

  “The members of my pride will be in panther form and climb the backside of the mountain, coming around from both sides to catch any who flee in human form. It is almost completely foliage and vines with no ledges to speak of. Not a problem for our paws and claws.” Max’s smile was so fierce his canines showed. It was the first time Rory had ever seen the King show the aggression of his panther while still in human form. The Guardsman had to admit it was kinda cool.

  Everyone was talking amongst themselves when Rian appeared at Rory’s side. “Claire, I saw your face when I said the others would be in animal form while you’d be on the ground with us and I wanted to explain.” The youngest O’Reilly could tell his brother was in full leadership mode, speaking as the Dragon Leader and not his brother, and Rory respected Rian for it.

  Shaking her head, Claire smiled, “No worries. I completely understand. Besides, Rory was thinking so loud about me on the ground with the ability to call my fire whether I am in phoenix or human form I knew why you’d made the decision you did. Makes sense. It’s what I would do if I was calling the shots.”

  Rory was floored. Claire never stopped surprising him and from Rian’s comment, even he was impressed. “Anytime you want to help with strategy, you are most definitely welcome.”

  “Damn, woman, yo
u are amazing,” Rory whispered as he leaned in and kissed Claire soundly on the lips.

  “Get a room,” Kellan teased.

  “Yeah, please for Heaven’s sake stop all the kissy face,” Lennox laughed.

  “Never,” Rory chuckled just as Rian said, “We leave in an hour. Get your gear and meet at the garage.”

  Since they’d brought everything with them to begin with, Rory and Claire sat around talking to her cousins. The Guardsman laughed until his sides hurt at the stories his mate’s cousins shared about Claire’s childhood.

  “I swear I’m gonna set them all on fire if they don’t shut up,” Claire sent directly into his mind while blushing a beautiful shade of pink.

  “What was it you said when the guys were all giving me shit? I believe it was something about ‘getting what I deserve’,” Rory chuckled.

  “Yeah but that’s you. I needed the ammunition,” she snickered.

  “Hey! What’s good for the dragon is good for the phoenix,” he laughed out loud.

  “That’s not how the saying goes, silly dragon.” His mate rolled her eyes.

  Preparing his comeback, Rory never got to say it as Rian called, “Let’s load up.”

  The ride to the coast took almost two hours and when they arrived, it was completely dark with only a crescent moon lighting the night sky. With the stealth that only came from all their years together, the dragons moved into place. Their allies, the werepanthers and the aviary shifters, filled the air with magic as they called forth their alter egos and prepared to move on Rian’s command.

  Rory was amazed at how well the three incredibly different species worked together toward a common goal. He knew the dragons and werepanthers would collaborate as they always had but was pleasantly surprised with the seamless addition of their feathered friends.