Chapter Four

 

How in the hell did I not see that coming?

Watching as confusion, then accusation crossed the handsome dragon’s face, Dani prayed he’d at least wait until she could explain before blurting out what he had already learned about her. Looking at the other two dragons in attendance, she was shocked that they weren’t looking at her with the same expression as the one she’d heard Melanie call Wolfe. She could feel how old and powerful the red dragon was, but chalked up his not recognizing her as kin to the only little bit of luck she was going to have for the day. Plastering a smile on her face, Dani waited as Melanie introduced her to the group of visitors Daire had been waiting to meet.

“This is Dani, our Healer and Daire’s sister,” Melanie sing-songed. “She’ll be sittin’ in on y’all’s meetin’.”

“The Alpha’s sister” Dani heard the words running around the blue dragon’s mind as she followed him into the conference room beside Daire’s office. Securing her mental blocks while she got her third cup of coffee, the Healer smiled as she thought about how attractive the dragon named Wolfe truly was.

A dragon named Wolfe… what the heck? But damn…

First of all, he had to be just a few inches shy of seven feet, which made him look like a giant from where all five-foot-five inches of Dani was standing. Then there came his shoulders, as wide as any football players she’d ever seen and just right for her hands to hold on to. Not to mention his biceps that were barely contained by his light denim shirt, and dang it all if he didn’t have a chest a quarter would bounce right off of.

Her fingers tingled with the need to see if his long, brown, wavy hair was as soft as it looked with the sun shining on it from the window and highlighting the light and dark streaks running throughout. Dani knew women all over the world had lined up to get a look at this long, tall drink of water.

He had made her heart beat in double time, and her pulse race just from the few steps he’d taken towards her. She’d heard the word, “Dragoness,” float through his mind and felt the call of his dragon to hers. It was all so incredibly wonderful and devastatingly terrible, all at the same time.

Turning as she felt his deep blue eyes staring a hole into her back, Dani avoided looking anywhere but right at her chair as she quickly crossed the room and sat down beside Daire. Thankfully, Darragh and the other Council members came walking in, creating a distraction as they found their seats and the meeting was called to order.

For the next two hours, the dragoness tried to focus on the talks by taking copious notes, but no matter what she did, Dani could not stop thinking about the look in Wolfe’s eyes and the way her dragon continued to beat against her mental shields, trying to connect with the beast she believed to be her mate.

Wait? What? Mate? Did I truly just think that? Yes…yes…I did. Could that be right?

Thinking back over everything she could remember for what her parents and the Elders of their Clan had said when she was a child, Dannika listed the signs. Instant recognition… check. Heart beats faster when he’s near… check. Can think of nothing else… check. Dragon recognizes her mate… check, make that a double check with an exclamation mark. Feel a stirring in your soul as if it is finally complete… check.

Well, crap! This is so far from what I planned today. Have I entered the Twilight Zone? How did this happen? There has got to be some mistake.

“Dani? Dani…did you hear me?” Daire was chuckling, but his voice held an edge she knew meant she’d missed something important and he was covering for her.

“I’m sorry, Daire. I was trying to catch up on the notes.” She looked up, surprised to see the concern in his eyes.

“No worries, I just wanted to make sure you agreed to the addendum to the treaty that states you will help train any new Healers and help set up new treatment centers with our allied Packs.” He nodded and touched her arm at the same time Darragh put his arm around her shoulders while pushing comfort and peace through the bond they shared as Packmates.

She had just opened her mouth to respond when Wolfe’s growled, “Who is he to you?” burst through her mental blocks. Snapping her eyes to his, Dani answered her brother with, “That sounds perfect, Daire,” at the same time she snarled directly into Wolfe’s mind, “My brother, you lunkhead. What’s it to you?”

His eyes narrowed, and his lips turned downward before he replied, “How does a dragoness have wolves for brothers?”

“It’s called adoption, asshole. Now, get outta my head.” And with that, she slammed her mental blocks back into place and gave Wolfe a nasty grin when his hand flew to his temple, rubbing away the pain from her abrupt disconnect of their mental communication.

The rest of the meeting was a blur. Dani worked hard to ignore any and all of Wolfe’s attempts at getting her attention by throwing herself into any and all discussions about a treaty that until that moment she hadn’t even thought about. No sooner had Daire adjourned the meeting and instructed everyone to meet Becky in the reception area for directions to their accommodations than Dani was on her feet with hopes of a quick and painless getaway.

Unfortunately, Daire asked her to stay behind, and since she had no good excuse to get out of it, the dragoness sat back down and waited until they were alone as the Alpha shut the door. Sitting in the chair Darragh had used during the meeting, Daire blew out a long, tired breath and leaned back as far as the chair would let him.

Putting his hands behind his head, the Alpha looked up at the ceiling and asked, “What’s up with the dragon…Wolfe, I think his name was?”

Dammit! Why? Why? Why does he have to see everything?

Forcing herself to relax, Dani grinned, “Nothing, just thought we’d met somewhere before.”

Goddess, please forgive me for lying…

“Sure seemed like more than that. I thought the boy was gonna jump across the table when Darragh put his arm around you.” Daire let his head roll to the side. “Something I need to take care of?”

Swatting her brother’s arm, Dani laughed out loud, “When have I ever needed you to take care of a man for me?” She leaned back. “If I remember right, it was me, you and Darr left to fend off all the girls you two had chasing after y’all when we were younger.” She put her index finger and thumb up to her face in the shape of a telephone and in a high squeaky voice mimicked, “I’m sorry Daire isn’t here right now, but can I take a message?” Laughing so hard she had to take a breath, the dragoness added, “Oh, it was Darragh you wanted to speak to. I’m sorry, he’s not here either.”

Dannika turned her chair and poked her brother in the chest with mock anger, “And you were both sitting right there like scared pups the whole time, afraid to talk to a girl on the damn phone.” She flopped back in her chair, chuckling along with Daire. “Goddess only knows how much I wish for those times again. Now, the line of women trying to trap an Alpha is a mile long and those girls do not take no for an answer. Thank goodness you have Betas to fend off them off. Alpha-hunting females are crazy. They scare me.” She added an exaggerated shiver for effect.

“Whatever, Dani. You know you loved taking charge and telling those girls to leave your brothers alone. And what about all those boys that came callin’? I thought dad was gonna have a heart attack when that big ol’ wolf from the Virginia Pack knocked on the door and said he had heard the voice of the Goddess telling him you were his mate.”

By this time, Dani was laughing so hard, tears were running down her face as she remembered the shocked expression on Joshua’s face. “And you remember what he said?”

“Well, She didn’t call me and you ain’t getting within a mile of my daughter,” they chuckled in unison.

After finally catching her breath, Dani added, “We really did have an awesome childhood, didn’t we?”

“Damn straight, and you know what else was awesome?” Daire asked as he took his hands out from behind his head, sat forward and patted Dani on the knee.

“No, what else?”

“Having a sister to share it with.” He winked. “And just cause we’re old and feeble now doesn’t mean I’m not still here to set any wayward males, be their wolf, dragon or whatever-the-hell-else straight.” He dipped his chin lower and looked her right in the eye. “All you gotta do is call. I’m here, sis.”

Leaning over and bumping shoulders with him, Dani sighed, “I know, and I can’t tell you what that means to me - what it has always meant.” She turned and smiled. “But I promise, this is nothing. I’ll talk to him. I got this.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

Thankfully, there was a knock on the door right before Melanie called out, “Daire, there’s a call from the South Carolina Pack for you. The man says it’s urgent.”

Rolling his eyes, the Alpha whispered, “Aren’t they always?” Before answering his assistant out loud, “I’ll be right there, Mel, thanks.”

Standing and pushing his chair in, Daire laid his hand on Dani’s shoulder before reassuring her. “I know how tough you are. Hell, I think I’ve still got the scars to prove it, but if you need me, holler, ‘kay?”

Nodding, the dragoness gave a tiny salute followed by, “You got it, Chief.”

Shaking his head and chuckling, Daire called over his shoulder as he left the room, “Love ya, sis. Talk later.”

“Love you, Daire.”

Picking up her notebooks and papers, Dani made sure the room was in order before turning off the lights and shutting the door. Walking through the Lodge, she stopped at her office, shut down her computer and laid all the stuff in her arms on her desk, promising herself to get to it first thing the next morning.

“Besides, I have to go home and get ready for that damned dinner. Wonder if I can play sick?” Dani talked to herself as she made her way down the hall, shutting office doors others had left open along the way. “I could try, but either one or both of my brothers would show up to take care of me then I would be busted for lying and never live it down.” Clicking the light over the reception desk off, the dragoness shook her head, “Nope, no getting out of it.”

Stepping out into the cool breeze of the late afternoon, Dani decided to take the long way home, sure a walk through the woods and by the lake would calm her nerves. Strolling through the trees, she once again thought of Wolfe. Could he really be her mate? Was it actually possible? Her mother had always told her that the Universe did not make mistakes and that She made one special man for one special woman, that they completed each other in every way and that together, they could do great things.

Of course, if he was her mate then that meant the prophecy she had avoided her whole life was about to come to pass. From the day she was old enough to understand, Dannika had listened to her mother tell and retell the story the Spiritual Elder of their Clan had told the day of the young dragoness’ birth.

“And so it shall be that when the Morning Star finds her one True Mate, the dragon whose soul completes hers like no other and their union is blessed by the Fates, the Universe and the Goddess of All, so shall she also then possess the key to unlock the full potential of their combined powers. For only she and the mate of her heart, acting as one, can battle the Darkness.”

“Yeah, thanks for that, Somera. Thanks, bunches,” Dani sighed to herself.

Picking up a handful of rocks, the dragoness walked beside the water, throwing rocks at the lily pads and wondering exactly when her life had gotten so complicated. Kneeling to get another handful of pebbles, the crack of a branch under the heel of a boot caused her to drop the stones in order to pull out the small knife she kept in her backpack. Staying on her knees, Dani stretched her preternatural senses as far and wide as they would go.

Finding nothing but a few deer and a raccoon who were both looking for food, the dragoness slid the blade back into her bag and decided she better head home to get ready for ‘the dinner’ before Daire sent out a search party. Taking one last look at the calm waters, she wished it led to the ocean, and she had a boat.

Dragons can swim, too…

Turning, she heaved a sigh and with her head down trudged under the cover of the trees. Listening to the rustling of the nocturnal wildlife that called the woods their home, Dani was deep in thought at least a hundred miles away when a set of big, strong hands grabbed her by the upper arms right before she crashed into the hard planes of an incredibly muscled chest.

Throwing back her head, the dragoness looked all the way up the large body before her right into the scowling eyes of none other than the bane of existence, the dragon called Wolfe. Opening her mouth to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, Dani was forced to eat her words when the dragon’s mouth slammed to hers, and in one fell swoop, she was awash in a myriad of emotions that astounded, excited and confused her.

The more he demanded, the more she gave. His hands loosened on her arms, slid down her back to just above her butt, where he gently rubbed tiny circles that sent mind-numbing electricity straight to her center.

Her hand tangled in his hair as she pushed harder against his body, rolling her hips, needing more of what she immediately knew beyond all doubt only Wolfe could give her. Tearing his lips from hers with a gasp, the dragon nibbled across her jaw kissed down her neck and teased the top of her shoulder with his teeth. As he worked his way back towards her lips, Dani was lost to the power of their attraction and the feelings this one dragon pulled from deep inside her soul, where she’d thought them locked away and hidden forever.

The howling of a wolf, closely followed by another and then another shattered the spell Wolfe’s embrace had created. Pushing hard against his chest, Dani growled, “Dammit, Wolfe, stop.”

Kissing her ear, he whispered, “Never, mo chroí.”

Her arousal quickly turning to exasperation, Dani summoned all her power and with the palms of her hands on Wolfe’s chest shoved the mountain of a man away from her body with a loud, “Oomph!”

“What the hell?” Wolfe spat, more stunned than upset with his still lusty eyes and kiss-swollen lips making Dani have to push away her carvings for more of what they had just shared.

Stepping up to him, she growled, “I said, stop!” To further punctuate her reply, Dani pushed up onto her toes and slapped him across the face before stomping off while yelling over her shoulder, “And if you value your ass - or any other - ‘appendage’ do not follow me.”