“So, let me get this straight,” she laid her hand on his forearm and leveled her gaze. “You are not only the dragon in my dreams and the one I kinda-sorta remember flying on, but also the one that looked like a snow-white-scale-covered Incredible Hulk on steroids?”
His smile widened, overjoyed to have Myanna awake, walking and talking and completely healed after both he and Martha had attended to all her wounds with their combined magic.
Winking, Banning answered, “I’m actually a Lunar White Dragon. The Snow Dragons may take offense.” Banning swallowed past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat as he quietly added, “If any are left…”.
Am I truly alone? Are my kin gone?
Pushing the negative thoughts from his mind, he took a deep, cleansing breath and touched the bear claw hanging around his neck. He could feel the connection of Gerallt’s dragon magic with Martha’s ancestral Earthen mysticism working diligently to clear the old crone’s black magic from his soul, just as it had cleared the curse from Myanna’s. He prayed that someday soon, he would be able to track his brethren.
I have to believe some of my kin still live…
Focusing instead on the miracle before him, his mate, his Myanna, the Guardsman continued to explain, “Yes, the dragon you witnessed inside the prison was the smallest version of what my kind call my Warrior Dragon.”
For the third or fourth time since she’d awoken, Myanna’s eyes grew to the size of a saucer as she squealed in astonishment, “Smallest?” Her lips snapped shut and her grip on his arm tightened. “How big is the big one?”
“Well, that is a tricky question,” Banning winked, loving the beautiful pink glow of Myanna’s blush as it kissed the apples of her cheeks. “The angrier I become, the taller I get and in most cases, I have no memory at all of myself or my actions, but the tallest ever reported was just shy of twelve feet.”
He leaned closer, kissing the tip of her nose as he added, “I will admit, I was close to losing all control just knowing you were in danger…and dying… Fear that I wouldn’t be in time flooded my mind and body, pushed me toward the point of no return.” He pulled Myanna into his lap, needing to hold her close as recollections of what she had suffered that night swamped his mind. “But the touch of your soul to mine, the bond that we share, allowed me to retain a small bit of my humanity.” Pulling her even closer, he added, “Allowed me to recognize friend from foe.”
Leaning back, Myanna placed her hand on his cheek and smiled so sweetly Banning swore he could see the Heavens in her eyes. “You, my wonderful Prince Charming, are nothing short of amazing.”
He laid his lips to hers in a chaste kiss that had his heart pounding and his dragon begging for more before she pulled away and went on, “And I will always be there to pull you back from the edge, just as I know you will always be there to rescue me.” She got a feisty gleam in her eye as she added, “I hope you know that you’re stuck with me forever.” She chuckled, “I’m like that bad penny you can’t ever get rid of, Mister.”
Getting to his feet, cradling Myanna in his arms, Banning nodded with a waggle of his eyebrows, “Never fear, mo stór. I plan to spend eternity right by your side.” He kissed her hard and fast. “It is you who will never be rid of me.”
Thankful their four-and-a-half-hour discussion was finally coming to an end and he had been able to tell his mate that her mother’s death was no fault of her own, Banning explained that a curse had been placed on their ancestors. One that would strike the females of their family at a certain age, causing them to wither and die while no explainable illness could be seen by modern medicine.
He went on to explain that he and Martha had been able to remove it when they were healing her and that as soon as Myanna was ready, he would help her find the reason for the curse and the person who dared to doom her female kin to death. Not only her words of thanks, but also the gratitude he felt through their mating bond let the Guardsman know he was doing the right thing. Although Myanna was still dealing with the loss and sadness of Robin’s death, Banning could also feel her relief at knowing there was nothing more she could’ve done to save her mother.
Wanting to claim Myanna as his very own, Banning turned toward the hall. He’d made it exactly half a step when Beau appeared in the doorway and chuckled with a wink, “Don’t I just have the worst timing.”
“You most certainly do,” Banning grumbled straight into his new friend’s mind, only to be answered with another of the Alpha’s easy-going snickers.
Sliding his arm from under Myanna’s legs, holding her close when her feet touched the ground, he chuckled as she attempted to ignore the grizzly’s insinuation and asked, “What’s up, Beau? Where’s Charlie and Amos?”
Myanna continued to shock him with her unconditional acceptance of not only men who could transform into dragons, but also those who shared their souls with bears, along with all the other species he had told her they could encounter in their long and happy life together. She had latched onto all the wonder and magic of his world with the excitement of a child. Banning knew his wonderful mate was using it to keep the memories of the kidnapping and her torture at the hands of those degenerates at bay, and he wanted nothing more than to give her the time she needed. When she was ready, together, they would tackle those demons and send them to the pits of Hell, alongside the men who had caused them.
Turning his attention back to the conversation between his mate and Beau, Banning couldn’t help but chuckle as Myanna clapped her hands, her excitement evident as she chuckled, “No way? There are really bears in my back yard?”
“Sure are,” Beau nodded. “Come on out and see.”
Holding tight to Myanna’s hand, Banning laughed out loud as she literally pulled him through the kitchen and out the back door. “Be right back,” she squealed.
Letting go of his fingers and racing toward the pair of enormous grizzlies, Myanna sat down between them, petting their heads as they grunted happily. “I don’t mean any disrespect,” she beamed. “You are both just so beautiful, I can’t help but touch your fur.” Both bears leaned their large heads closer, bumping her hands with the tips of their noses.
“No worries,” Beau called to Myanna. “They are loving every minute of it.”
Both bears immediately made loud clicking sounds with their tongue, vocalizing their total agreement with their Alpha’s comment. Banning leaned closer to the Alpha grizzly and whispered, “I think the time has come.”
Nodding with a smile, Beau snickered. “I’ll hold down the fort. See ya’ on the flip side.”
Turning to his left, Banning dashed through the tall hedges serving as the perimeter of Myanna’s yard, around the corner and several miles to a nature preserve the bears used during mating season. Running to the center, he found the large meadow Beau had shown him in his mind and took cover in the center of a patch of huge pine trees.
Bowing his head, Banning prayed to the Ancients, “I know not where my kin are, and I seek to mate the woman made for me by the Universe. With all the reverence and respect due to you, the Kings and Queens of the Dragons, I ask for your blessing and promise to do everything in my power to live the life you have commanded. I will spend every day honoring our ways and the gift of life you have given me. It is in the way of our kin, the Goddess of All and the Universe that I humbly request your favor.”
Long seconds passed as the Guardsman waited in silence, head bowed, unmoving, for a sign that his prayers had been heard. Holding his breath, Banning nearly jumped from his skin as first one, then another, then another, then an entire Kaleidoscope, or swarm, of – white butterflies - with tiny, light-blue droplets on their wings, landed on his shoulders, arms, and hands.
A light breeze carrying the scent of ozone and evening jasmine ruffled the wings of the féileacáin while a melodiously lyrical voice softly murmured, “Son of my heart, you have made me ever so proud on this day. I wish you every happiness. May you know a love as great as your father and I share. Be happy, Banning, for you are now the King of the Lunar Dragons and on this night, you shall mate your Queen. Is breá liom tú, mo mhac, forever and always.”
“Thank you, Mother. I love you and look forward to the day we are reunited.” Tears wet his cheeks as he watched the pieris rapae return to the Heavens along with the spirit of his mother.