Sadie's Shadow Read online

  Testing his resolve, she pushed forward a second time, passion and wanton desire demanding she have this man, but still Orion resisted, this time roaring, “Tá tú mianach. You. Are. Mine. SAY IT!”

  Unable to resist any longer, her need so strong it threatened her very sanity, Sadie roared in return, “Tá mé mise, dammit. I am yours, Orion!”

  Crying out in utter bliss as his cock slammed into her, the dragoness felt her body stretch to accommodate his intrusion and her pussy pulse around him, pulling him deeper still, wanting…demanding all he had to give. Holding her gaze captive, Orion pulled back and thrust even faster and with more force than before. Fire roared through her veins as he drove into her faster and faster.

  She felt his hands on her back, protecting her skin from the bark of the tree as the slap of skin on skin echoed through the forest. Harder, faster, over and over, they could not get enough of one another. Her body tightened. Her heart beat with a fury she’d never before felt. Her nails slid down his back, feeling the scars, loving all of him. She inhaled the sweet coppery scent of his blood as the rainbow scales of her dragon covered the backs of her hands and flowed up her arms.

  Orion’s hand slid between their bodies; his fingers slipped through the wet curls covering her mound, slid around her throbbing clit, rubbing tiny circles as he once again demanded, “You are mine, Sadie. Say it. Mine!”

  The pressure on her clit increased, forcing her over the cliff of pleasure as she screamed, “Yes…yes…yes…I am yours, Orion. YOURS!”

  Flying high, Sadie had never felt anything so amazing, but just as she was sure she’d found nirvana, the shimmering grey scales of Orion’s dragon covered his face and chest, his teeth grew long and sharp, and with a roar of conquest, he came inside her as his canines pierced the flesh just over her jugular.

  Sadie was once again flying high. Her eyes slid shut. Fireworks danced behind her closed eyelids. She fought to breathe. Over and over she screamed Orion’s name until her throat was raw and her voice but a scratchy whisper.

  Floating to the earth, she felt him slide from her body before holding her to his chest, turning and laying them both down on the blanket she had no idea when he’d laid out. Giving into the pull of unconsciousness, the last thing she felt before succumbing to the darkness was Orion’s chest against her back, his arm around her waist, and his lips kissing the mark she knew he’d left on her neck. Never had she felt so cherished, so protected…and so totally and completely scared out of her mind.

  What have I done? Round one goes to Fate, Destiny, and the man with the bottomless blue eyes…

  Chapter Six

  “Tell me dragon. Tell me what I want to know and the pain will end.” The monk’s fetid breath beat at Orion’s senses as the bastard carved at his back with a silver athame.

  Biting his tongue until he tasted his own blood, Orion refused to cry out, refused to speak…refused to acknowledge the existence of his tormentors at all costs. He had lost count of the days, months, years he’d been hanging in these catacombs, tortured by religious zealots, repeatedly asked to betray not only his kin, but their heritage.

  They had tried fire, knives, poisons, anything they could think of to make him give up the location of the original Cave of the Ancients. Thankfully, his grandfather was one of the original Kings and had passed not only his knowledge, but also his strength to his grandson. No matter what the monks did, the dragon of Orion’s soul, the same who had lived within his grandfather, had been able to combat it with his pure white dragon magic and heal the Guardsman…at least until now.

  It appeared the zealots had gotten smarter, or perhaps just lucky, by the feel of the blade presently slashing through his skin, marking him with runes. He had already scented the boiling silver, felt the heat of the fire on the backs of his legs, and knew beyond all doubt that when they were done flaying his flesh, they would be attempting to make their evil glyphs permanent with the caustic metal.

  Praying to the Heavens that they were not able to disturb the marking given to him by the Universe upon his birth, the one representing the dragon with whom he shared his soul, Orion continued to stare at the wall before him and keep his lips tightly clasped. All too soon, the cutting stopped and the short, squatty monk came to stand in front of the Guardsman, his gnarled, dirty fingers digging into Orion’s cheeks as he spat, “Tell me, Cretan. Tell me where to find the Cave of the Ancients and I shall end your suffering forever.”

  Refusing to acknowledge the zealot’s presence, the Guardsman heard the shuffled footsteps approaching his back mere seconds before boiling silver was poured over his shoulders, leaving fiery trails of scorched flesh and blisters down his back, chest, and legs. Breathing slowly through his nose, staring at the same tiny spot on the wall, Orion fell so far into his own mind to escape the pain that instead of enduring the agony, he was now watching it happen, safe and secure in a world of his own making.

  He smiled as both monks flew into a rage at his unresponsiveness. Laughed out loud in his own mind as one grabbed a whip, striking the sweltering skin on his back until pieces of silver-coated flesh began to fly around the dungeon as the older, taller, thinner, decrepit hooded figure cheered him on.

  The sound of a wooden door scraping against the concrete floor echoed throughout the chamber as in flew the Abbot, screaming, “STOP! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!” He tore the whip from the monk’s hand and threw it against the far wall, continuing to yell, “He must NOT be harmed! We have strict orders from the Bishop to keep this abomination alive until he gives the location of the cave.”

  Orion watched as the man dressed in red robes as opposed to the drab brown the others wore, slapped both monks across the face, pointed at the ground, and commanded, “Kneel!”

  As if their legs had fallen out from under them, the clergymen fell to their knees and stared in fear as the Abbot fetched the whip and returned to stand behind them. Without preamble, he struck first one and then the other, over and over until they were little more than sniveling, huddled masses lying on the floor in fetal positions.

  Dropping the whip, the Abbot bellowed, “To the chapel! Pray for forgiveness until I come to get you!”

  Watching the monks stumble to their feet then shuffle from the room, Orion admitted to feeling a bit of satisfaction but still remained in the part of his psyche where he felt no pain. Turning on his heels, the Abbot left without a backward glance, and slammed the door.

  His vision turned dark. The Guardsman felt as though he was falling forward for several seconds, then abruptly stopped, the light immediately returning to his sight. In this scene, he was chained to the wall. No longer viewing, but once again an active participant in the nightmare. Although in the same room, he knew from the length of his hair and beard and the healed scars on his arms and legs that it was much further in the future.

  He watched the Abbot preparing yet another of the herbal concoctions he believed would weaken the Guardsman enough for the zealots to finally get the information they so desperately wanted. Orion watched, and for the first time in all his years of suffering at the hands of these madmen, actually thought about telling them that if the glyphs in his back and the silver in his system hadn’t weakened his resolve, nothing would. He even opened his mouth but snapped it shut in the next second, deciding it would be a waste of time and energy.

  Picking yet another spot on the wall to stare at, this one his own blood, the Guardsman prepared for whatever pain was to come. He had just taken a deep breath to begin the meditation that would allow him to take the punishment while keeping his sanity when an explosion rocked the walls of the catacombs.

  Racing to the door, the Abbot yelled, “Father Thomas! Father Peter!”

  Only to be answered by another explosion, this one causing the steel supports used to hang the chains from the ceiling that they had utilized years earlier in his torture to fall to the stone floor with a loud crash, followed by falling rocks and rubble. Dust blocked the Guardsman’s view as he listened t
o the Abbot continue to call out the names of his monks, his tone increasingly insistent and panicked.

  By the time the third explosion rocked the building, the Abbot’s screams had stopped. The huge steel hooks holding the silver chains tied around Orion’s wrists, ankles, and midsection were knocked loose as half the ceiling caved in, also covering the floor in piles of stone and rubble. With a single pull, the Guardsman was able to dislodge the restraints from the wall. Dragging the chain across the stone floor, he nearly missed being crushed by yet more falling debris from the ceiling before making it into a small closet hidden under the stairs.

  Tearing the caustic metal from where it had eaten through his skin and become embedded in his muscle inch by excruciating inch, he listened to the footsteps of the monks who remained pounding on the floor over his head. Finally finished, blood covering every inch of his body and tattered clothing, Orion climbed out of the cupboard, over the pile of debris, and out the monstrous hole in the wall. Running as fast as he could, the Guardsman tore through the cemetery, dashed into the mausoleum and after securing the door, slid down the wall to wait until nightfall when he could begin his journey home without being seen.

  Jumping from his slumber, his knife at the ready, Orion stood motionless as a doe and her fawn moved across the forest unaware and unbothered by his presence. Letting out the breath he had been holding, the Guardsman sat back down on the blanket, scrubbed his hands over his face, and noted the absence of the woman whom he’d shared one of the most important and amazing events of his life.

  Shaking his head, he watched a lizard scurrying under and over the fallen leaves on the forest floor as he spoke aloud to himself. “Did you really think she was going to be here?” Pulling his shirt over his head and sliding his feet into his boots, he further scolded himself. “You should have stayed awake. Kept watch. Made sure she didn’t get away.”

  Standing and putting on his jacket, he picked up the blanket, his excuse for being anywhere near the woman who turned his world inside-out and upside-down, folded it as compactly as he could, and leaned back against the tree that held a myriad of wonderful memories from the night before. Looking to the right and then to the left, he scented the air, immediately found the succulent aroma of apple blossoms, and smiled.

  Unable to wait a moment longer, Orion took a deep breath, tucked the blanket under his arm, and headed in the direction he knew his mate had traveled. Hours passed as the sun shone high in the sky. He thought about running but was having such an enjoyable trek through the forest, looking at all the things he’d missed over the years, he couldn’t bring himself to hurry.

  “The longer it takes, the less likely it is that my lady love will know I am coming,” he told himself. “I can just imagine the frown on her spectacularly expressive face when she sees I have once again tracked her down.” He grinned as he thought aloud. “The way her brow crinkles and her eyes narrow, calling attention to the golden hues in their beautifully brown depths.”

  He kicked a rock and even hummed as he remembered the pink blush that covered her cheeks when she was miffed and the strong set of her shoulders when she challenged him. His mouth watered remembering the taste of her perfect lips and the feel of her soft, warm body.

  Picking up the pace, he thought of making love with his dragoness every night, waking up to kiss her breathless every morning and spending the rest of his life showing her exactly what she meant to him. He thought of the life they would have. The happiness they would share and the love that would grow exponentially with each passing day fueled every step Orion took.

  Lost in thought, the Guardsman missed the sudden absence of the birds overhead, the squirrels gathering their nuts, and the other sounds of the forest that had accompanied him throughout his journey. He didn’t notice the broken tree branches or piles of sawdust littering the forest floor or the mound of dirt just to the left of where he walked as he daydreamed about again seeing his mate.

  Picking up the pace, the Guardsman was all but jogging when he stepped forward and the ground was suddenly gone from under his feet. Falling into the darkness, opening his enhanced senses as wide as they would go, Orion dropped the woolen blanket and reached out and grabbed a thick root jutting from the walls of the hole he’d just plummeted into.

  Stopping with a painful jerk, he heard the pop of a tendon and the snap of bone as his shoulder pulled from its socket. White hot pain shot through his arm and his vision blurred as the Guardsman roared in pain, holding onto the root with all his might but unable to stand the strain of his own weight upon his injuries.

  Once again falling into the darkness, he landed abruptly in an icy stream of water, flowing quickly toward what sounded like underground falls. Grabbing hold of a rock with his uninjured arm, it took several tries before Orion was finally able to pull himself onto the flat surface of a much larger rock and collapse, struggling for air.

  When he could finally move, the Guardsman carefully got to his feet and using the first tree he could find, forced his shoulder back into the socket with a loud pop. Dizzy from the pain, he slid down the trunk and sat as still as possible, calling upon his dragon to heal his injuries.

  Almost instantaneously, he felt the warm glow of pure white dragon magic in the depths of his soul. With every breath, it filled his body, took away his pain, and began to repair his torn muscles and broken bones. Eyes heavy, his head falling back from the blessed lack of pain, and pure exhaustion, Orion had just begun to float on a cloud of unconsciousness when the barrel of a gun touched his temple and a heavily accented voice ordered, “To your feet, dragon. I don’t need your brains to drink your blood.”

  Chapter Seven

  “You what?!” Phryne screamed.

  Swatting her sister on the shoulder, Sadie scolded, “Shut up, will you? Everyone will hear.”

  Moving her coffee out of the way and leaning closer, Phryne whispered, “Are you serious? You slept with the hunky dragon?” She waggled her eyebrows. “Al fresco? In the forest?” She patted Sadie’s hand and grinned, “Way to go. It’s about time you…”

  “Stop right there,” Sadie quickly interrupted. “Do not say that it was exactly what I needed.”

  “But it was,” Phryne interjected with a coy look.

  “Shut up. It was a mistake. I never…”

  “Hey, wait a minute,” Phryne slapped the table. “Did you do a shag and shoo and leave him lying in the woods?” Jumping to her feet, her sister scolded, “Oh my goddess, Sadie, you can’t do that.” Pointing at the door of her cottage, she ordered, “Get back out there and find him, apologize, and at least bring him back here for coffee.”

  “First of all, shag and shoo? Really? How long have you been holding on to that one?” Although her sister only winked over the rim of her coffee cup, Sadie knew Phryne had been saving that special little dig for an occasion just like was happening at that very moment. Leveling her gaze, she added, “And secondly, I will not go back and find him.”

  “Yes, you will,” Phryne growled, leaning over Sadie, trying to be intimidating.

  Slowly sliding out her chair, the dragoness got to her feet and growled, “I will not.” She closed the distance between them until the tip of her nose almost touched her sister’s. “It was a mistake that will never happen again and I am sorry I even told you.”

  “Dammit, Sadie! Why?’ Phryne threw her hands in the air as she flopped back into her chair. Shaking her head, she glanced up with a sad pout and sighed. “Why won’t you give yourself a chance to be happy?”

  “Happy? Is that what you think this man can do for me? Who says I’m not happy right now, right here, doing what we have been doing for most of our lives?”

  Shaking her head, Phryne sighed. “You know exactly what I mean. Yes, I believe you would be perfectly content to go right along living every day like you have for the last century; taking care of us while shouldering the weight of the world.” She held up her index finger to stop Sadie from interrupting and continued, “But it i
s time for you to realize that we are all grown and more than capable of taking care of ourselves. That if you find a life of your own, you are not letting us, or the Guardian, or your parents down in any way, shape, or form.” She stood and began to pace. “You are actually honoring your mom and dad by taking the wonderful life they gave you and doing something even more spectacular with it.” She sat back down and Sadie followed suit. “Tell me the truth, Sadie, don’t you want little dragons running all over, setting things on fire?” She grinned. “Don’t you want to know what true love and fiery passion feel like, to have someone think you hung the moon and stars? For them to know all your faults and love you anyway?” She laid her hands over Sadie’s and patted. “Just think of it, someone who thinks all your little quirks and weird habits are cute.”

  “I do not have little quirks and weird habits,” Sadie mumbled, trying to deflect everything else her sister had said.

  Sarcastically nodding her head with a wide-eyed look, Phryne held up her hands, palms out, and in an exaggerated tone said, “Yeah, okay, you keep living in La-La-Land,” before laughing out loud.

  Standing and walking around the table, Phryne motioned with her head and opened her arms. “Come on, give us a hug.”

  Begrudgingly, Sadie stood and hugged her sister. After a big embrace, complete with a kiss on the cheek, Phryne leaned back and said, “You know I love you and so do all the girls. We just want you to be happy, Sadie girl.” She stepped back and dropped her arms. “Take a chance.”

  “You know you’re the second person in as many days to tell me the same thing.”

  “See there. Then I have to be right, right?” Her sister laughed out loud.

  Caught up in Phryne’s infectious enthusiasm, Sadie shook her head and chuckled. “I don’t know if you’re right, but you are definitely persistent.” Picking up her pack and bow, she added, “Now, I’m going to check the traps and see if I can get a bit of hunting in as the sun goes down. I should be back before midnight.”