Angus shifted back to his human form, and was in motion in the next breath. Instinct had him putting on the speed to catch Keira. Something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t because she had run from him. He had expected that. The warning was more. He had been gone from Khoth too long to determine precisely what the earth was trying to tell him, but he knew it was dangerous.

He debated shifting back to his dragon for increased speed, but his wings would be a hindrance maneuvering through the trees. Angus’s heart raced in his chest as sweat broke across his body. A curse left him when he caught sight of her a hundred yards away. Keira’s frantic eyes met his before her blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest.

A dozen Redcaps surrounded Keira. The sight stopped all cognitive function, and his dragon roared in his mind, demanding release. Reason told him shifting would exacerbate the problem, not solve it. He eyed the murderous dwarves as they formed a semi-circle around Keira, blocking him from reaching her.

He recalled their venomous jagged teeth, and stayed his ground. His nude body couldn’t withstand the attack of so many. One scurried up a nearby tree, placing its blade-tipped finger against Keira’s throat while several more held her in place. Even at a distance, their blood-dripping “hats” smelled of death and decay. Powries fought as a group, and these little fuckers would use their teeth and claws to gravely wound him and kill Keira before anyone could stop them.

In a flash, Angus grabbed hold of one of the hats and blood spurted across his arm. His stomach recoiled. He’d forgotten the red cap was an extension of their head, dripping with the blood of their enemies. The fact that Cyril had created such a vile creature was indicative of his blackened soul.

The Redcap in his grip twisted and bared a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. It lunged and snapped its jaws, trying to latch onto his side. Grabbing hold of its feet, Angus roared his fury and pulled, tearing the creature into two pieces. Green blood splashed, and he tossed it to the ground. He sent a silent apology to the earth for desecrating the soil with their putrid blood.

“Let her go!” he growled as he stalked closer to Keira. She was terrified as she struggled to escape their clutches. Blood covered Keira’s arms, and he noticed she had several deep gashes.

Another roar left his body as Legette and Lorne emerged from behind the enemy. He could hear more coming to the rescue and breathed easier. Wise to the danger, the Redcaps used the trees to dart in and attack, then leaped out of range.

Trusting his Máahes to take care of the rest, Angus reached Keira’s side, but not before a Redcap sank its claws into her shoulder. Without stopping, Angus ripped the Powrie from her body, eliciting another scream from her throat.

Immediately, Angus kneeled at her side, unaware of his mistake until it was too late. The creature in his grip tore through his forearm, cutting to the bone. A partial shift to Angus’s arm garnered long talons, and he sliced the dwarf in half.

“Behind you!” Keira yelled a second later.

Falling across her legs, Angus tried to avoid the creature flying towards him, but the little elf was too damn fast. “Motherfucker,” Angus growled and surged to his feet.

Snarling, Keira grabbed hold of the one that was chewing on her lower leg and yanked it off her. Her courage was only one reason he’d fallen in love with her, but seeing her engage the enemy made his heart swell with pride.

“Eww, you are a disgusting parasite,” she snapped and punched it in the face. She didn’t flinch when she knocked a fistful of teeth out of its mouth. “And, you smell even worse on the inside.” With that proclamation, Keira slammed it into a tree hard enough that it slumped to the ground unconscious.

Razors cut into Angus’s lower abdomen, making him pay for his inattention. It was impossible to fight effectively with his focus torn between Keira and the enemy. It killed him she was bleeding and injured. He’d failed her. She was correct when she warned him against making promises he couldn’t keep.

Angus hadn’t considered that, like his people, the enemy would sense his return. He grabbed the Redcap attached to his side. Thankfully, Angus’s healing ability was working efficiently. The monster dangled from his grip, hissing and spitting his venom. With one swipe, his talon beheaded the creature, and he tossed it aside.

He quickly turned back to see Keira stomping on the Powrie she’d thrown. Laying his palm on her shoulder, she jumped and swung her fist at him.

He intercepted the punch and pulled her close to his chest. “‘Tis dead, Turquoise. It’s over,” he reassured. “Did any get away?” he asked Legette when he sensed the male’s approach.

A few knights still engaged the enemy. The incursion was under control and the remaining enemy eliminated in no time.

“I’m certain one or two managed to get away, so it’s a good bet Akilam will know of your return, if he doesn’t already. Those fucking Unseelie have taken half of our land, and now this stretch of land will go to them as well,” Legette replied.

“The hell it will,” Angus declared. “Your king has returned, and I will heal the earth.” He turned to Keira. “Don’t even think of running,” he warned before he knelt.

Concentrating, Angus breathed dragon smoke over the ground, and used a talon to inscribe a rune into the smoke. Green flared from where the Powrie blood touched the earth before the smoke from the rune sank into the dirt and dying shrubs. Angus repeated the process several times until the erosion from the creature’s blood disappeared.

“We have missed you, Sire. So much of the land needs your healing magic. I am ashamed to admit that I have lost more ground to them every year,” Legette replied with a self-deprecating shake of his head.

“‘Tis no’ your fault. We focus on the future from here. As soon as we get back to Tatenen, I want your top knights assembled. After you update me aboot Akilam, we’ll put a plan in place. They will strike soon, probably before I can get my footing. No better time to hit us than while we are distracted by my return,” Angus explained as he crossed to Keira.

As expected, she was standing with her arms crossed, glaring at him. Her bleeding had slowed, but she was pissed about the situation.

“Thanks for saving me, but I’m going home now,” she informed him with a tap of her foot.

When he ran his hand over her cheek, heat flamed between them. “You are no’ leaving my sight while there is danger at our doorstep. Cyril willna stop in his pursuit of you. He took you from me once, and I willna allow that to happen again.”

Keira turned away but stopped short, wincing. Her injuries were worse than he realized. Angus didn’t hesitate to scoop her in his arms, and began walking. Legette was beside him a second later with Lorne and Blaine and the others following suit.

Silence descended on their group and Angus noticed Keira was staring at him and looking down between their bodies. Her cheeks turned crimson, and he felt sweat break across her body where he cradled her in his hold.

“You…You’re naked,” she whispered.

A smile crept across his face as he realized what had her so fixated. His shaft filled with blood under her scrutiny and her tiny gasp had him chuckling. “Aye, that’s what happens when I shift. Like what you see?”

“Are all Cuelebre so…big?” Keira asked as she glanced over Angus’s shoulder and looked to the other males.

“Eyes over here, Turquoise. I’d hate to kill my knights the day of my return,” he teased. He wasn’t a jealous male, but she should have eyes for no one but him.

“You’ve changed, Sire, but damn, you’re a sight for sore eyes. The planet is rejoicing at your return. Can you feel it?” Legette indicated with a sweep of his hand to the earth beneath their feet.

Every pulse and ripple surged through Angus’s blood like fine wine. Holding Keira closer, he was nearly whole again. His knights were content to follow him on foot through the woods, each peppering him with praise and pledging their loyalty anew.

Keira watched the interactions with his knights, which surprised Angus. He thought she would be solely focused on her surroundings as she searched for another escape route.

She’d made it clear that she didn’t trust him, but she watched earnestly as each Máahes vowed their pledge. When they reached the edge of the forest, and Duamutef came into view, Angus heard the celebrations throughout the city.

He immediately recognized the older homes made of stone or wood. Glass and steel composed the newer buildings, which made sense given that hematite was a natural resource to Khoth.

As he turned the corner, familiar turrets and battlements came into view and the castle, Tatenen, had emotion choking him. It was vastly different than the Seattle skyline he left behind.

Keira played statue in his arms while her head played a game of tennis as she tried to take in the people that surrounded them. Their travel was slow-going through the cobblestone lanes as the people crowded around them, wanting to catch a glimpse of Angus. He acknowledged the roads were so different than the paved roads of earth.

Comments about the Gods’ blessings abounded throughout the crowd, as well as, questions about the identity of the female in his arms. His Máahes took care keeping the procession moving while honoring the people’s need to see Angus.

Guilt swamped him that he’d acted rashly and left his people in such a horrible lurch. Their hope and desperation battered his body as he walked among them. As their king, he shared a connection to each of his subjects and felt their emotions.

Keira leaned toward him, and her lips accidentally skimmed his ear. Like gunpowder igniting, arousal flared, and blood rushed to his cock. He frantically tried to think of Izzy’s messy diapers or the stench of the Sheti demons, anything to deflate the rising torpedo between his legs.

His people may miss him, but there would be more than one eyebrow raised over his triumphant return while he sported an erection the size of Mount Batia, the enormous volcano of Khoth.

“They don’t care that all of you are naked?” Keira observed. “Why is that?”

“They’re going to care verra shortly,” he groaned.

“Huh? Why?” she asked then glanced down, her expression morphing to shock. “Oh….OH! Put me down. I can walk in front of you.”

Every fiber of his soul rebelled against letting her go, but that was a better option than giving the city a peep show. He set her to her feet and held onto her shoulders. Keira positioned her body right in front of him, and to no surprise, it was the green light for Mr. Happy to go full-blown.

“‘Tis been too long, Turquoise. I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

Keira huffed as she met his gaze. “Looks like you’ve got a problem then, because I don’t feel the same.” A hot poker stabbed through his chest at hearing her cutthroat words.

It was a good thing Cyril wasn’t standing before him because Angus would have ripped him to shreds and eaten him for dinner. That male stole everything from him, and Keira’s words were a painful reminder.

It took great effort to tamp down his rage, but that’s what he did. Hands remained on her shoulders, and they continued their trek through the town. When they reached Tatenen, the hurt from her words was temporarily forgotten when the staff greeted him with tears and bows as Angus entered his castle.

The first thing he noticed was the updates to his home. Gone were the candelabras and torches, as were the tapestries. Abstract artwork adorned the walls. It wasn’t unattractive, but his chest ached at the changes made.

He recalled his mother commissioning several tapestries depicting important moments in his life. He wondered where they’d gone. He longed to see the one of his parents again.

Angus embraced one servant after another, hugging his personal assistant the longest. “Och, you are a sight for sore eyes, Declan,” Angus remarked after he released his hold.

Declan inclined his headful of bright red hair. “You have changed much, Sire. I love the look, though,” the male added with a grand gesture.

Angus smiled and had to admit his assistant was right. The last time they had seen each other was ions ago when Angus wore hefty, velvet clothing befitting his station. Clothing, in general, was more conservative and made of heavier cloths. He noted the style in Khoth had evolved with the people and the city.

“And, you sound different,” Declan went on. “The accent is very sexy.”

Angus laughed at the eccentric male. He wondered if Declan faced his true sexual nature because it was apparent to Angus that Declan preferred a male over females.

Their small group walked down the hall, taking in every room as they passed by. “Aye, many years in Scotland will do that to a male. I see things have changed much around here,” Angus observed.

“It has been a slow renovation. The castle hasn’t been easy to retrofit, but you will be happy to know some things have remained the same. Some of us insisted on it,” Declan shared as he looked at Legette.

They came to the throne room, and Angus was relieved to see many of the original tapestries hanging on the walls. The scenes depicting dragons in battle brought back memories of his father, bragging over what he and his knights had accomplished during a monumental war. Along one wall, a small tapestry portrayed a baby dragon with green eyes, snarling in a not-so-ferocious manner. Angus recalled how his mother fawned over him as a young dragonette, and this tapestry was her favorite.

His large throne still sat on the raised dais. It had been his father’s, and before that, his grandfather’s, before he took the title of king. The massive chair had been in the family long as Angus could remember. Each embedded jewel had been applied by hand and was a prized possession of his lineage.

Approaching the throne, he noticed Keira’s awe as he glanced her way. The fact that she was sharing in this moment made it that more special. He wanted her by his side now, and for eternity.

The gift of passing his dominion to an heir was impossible if Angus mated Keira. He decided centuries ago that fact didn’t matter, and yet now, he wondered if he still felt the same, given the circumstances.

“Welcome back, Sire,” Legette said motioning to the chair. “Your presence has been missed and sorely needed. I can speak for the rest of us when I say that it’s about fucking time.”

Angus sat on the upholstered cushion and closed his eyes. The King of Khoth was home, at last. His mantle fell into place, and a wave of power surged through his body. His dragon roared within as the two connected with all living things of the realm.

His concern over choosing Keira vanished when he opened his eyes and met her sparkling turquoise gaze. He would stop at nothing to make her his queen.