Chapter 5

Austin had never been so glad to hear anyone’s voice in his entire life. He immediately hauled her against his chest, bracing her body in an upright position as he held the pot to her lips. “I don’t have a cup, sorry,” he said as he tipped it up, pouring a few drops into her mouth.

The bitter brew slid down her throat, making her cough and sputter.

“Another minute, then,” he said as he eased back. The last thing she needed was to get sick from aspirating the liquid into her lungs.

Tulia gasped again, and it was all Austin could do not to roar his fury into the cavern. He knew her pain—knew what she was going through. And though it may have been at her own hand, she never should have had to defend herself with poisoned stakes to begin with. Those responsible would pay.

He stroked the hair from her sweat damp forehead, resisting the urge to press his lips to her skin. If the mistrust and fear he’d seen in her eyes before was any indication, she wouldn’t willingly accept such a tender gesture—not yet, anyway. Once she was well, he’d do whatever it took to not only keep her safe, but also make her happy.

“Okay, let’s try this again,” he said after a few minutes had passed.

This time, when he spilled some of the fluid into her mouth, her lips closed around the rim, and her throat bobbed as she swallowed. He gave her small sips, not wanting to rush her newly awakening body.

Another wicked spasm tore through her, and she cried out. Austin gritted his teeth and held her as closely as he dared. When it finally eased, he wiped the tears from her cheeks as he whispered soft words in her ear until her whimpers subsided.

“A few more minutes and the tea will loosen you up again. Just breathe through it.”

Tulia closed her eyes and took some deep breaths, only moaning twice more when her body went rigid again, before finally relaxing against him. A fine sheen of sweat covered her exposed skin, and his T-shirt clung to her damp body, but the tension around her eyes disappeared. “Thank you,” she whispered through chattering teeth.

She tried to push herself from him, but she was still too weak, her arms not quite coordinated enough to manage the task.

“Just rest for a few minutes. You’ll be able to move again soon. The worst is over now that the tea is kicking in. In fact, maybe we’ll just rest here for a while until you can fly again,” he suggested. They had a long way to go until they reached Glen Farley, and even though they didn’t have to race to get there, the sooner he had Tulia at the estate and under clan protection, the better off they’d be.

With her eyes closed and her body relaxed, sagging heavily against him, Austin could almost imagine Tulia being asleep in his arms, but the twitching of her eyes behind her lids told him otherwise.

“Charlotte’s alive?” she asked without opening her eyes. The surprise behind the words was unmistakable.

Austin stroked a hand down the length of her spine in a soothing caress. “Yes. She was found by my clan leader, Jace, who happened to be her fated mate.”

Tulia’s eyes popped open, and her lips formed a small ‘o’ as she looked up at him. “She’s mated?”

He nodded. “Happily so, from what I can tell. Now that she’s under our protection, anyone who tries to harm her will face us all.” He wanted to assure her that as his mate, she would also be afforded the same level of protection—not only from him, but from each male in their clan—but he doubted she was ready to hear such a proclamation. Hell, they’d barely met. There was no way she’d blindly trust him after the things she’d been put through.

“Where is the Dragon Blood Clan? I’ve never heard of it,” she said, a small tremor coursing through her as the poison kept purging from her system.

He lifted the bottle of water he’d opened to make her tea, pouring a mouthful of the cool liquid into her mouth, knowing firsthand how parched she would be. “Glen Farley is a small town out east. We’ve a two-day flight to get us there.”

She swallowed the water in her mouth and pursed her lips.

“Let’s say I believe you and decide to accompany you to Glen Farley. What then? I can’t just hide for the rest of my life. I have family.”

Austin had given it some thought over the past few weeks. They hadn’t planned for more than Tulia to join the clan, but he was almost sure Jace would never deny any female her parents. He should have taken the time to clarify that fact during his journey, but his focus had been on finding Tulia. “Are they safe where they are?”

Tulia worried her bottom lip and finally raised a hand to her forehead, brushing her hair from it. “I don’t know. They were on the run with me. I separated from them so those who were chasing us would come after me and leave them alone.”

A new surge of anger rose in his chest. “Your father approved this? Sending you out without protection?” What kind of male did that?

“He had no choice,” Tulia snapped. “I didn’t give him one. The chase was wearing down my mother. If I had stayed with them, they would have caught all three of us, and they wouldn’t have thought twice about killing them. This gave my parents a fighting chance to get away.”

Austin swallowed his anger, letting it simmer. Whether he approved of the plan or not was a moot point. He had Tulia now and she was safe. “Where are they going?”

Tulia’s eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again and sighed.

He couldn’t blame her for not trusting him. She didn’t know him. “If we can check on them on the way to Glen Farley, we will. Maybe even convince them to join us.”

Her gaze snapped back to his. “They’d be welcomed there?”

“Of course.” Austin couldn’t promise them room at the estate, but there were plenty of rentals in town that could accommodate an older couple. The clan itself had enough riches to support an extra pair. Hell, he’d figure out a way to take care of them himself if it made his mate happy.

She swallowed again and licked her dry lips. “They’re heading to Colorado by car.”

He’d suspected they’d used a vehicle when he’d had difficulty catching her scent when he’d left her hometown. Her words only confirmed it. “Alright, let’s see what you can do. How’s the pain?” he asked. She didn’t look to be suffering a great deal, but some people were good at hiding their agony.

“Much better, thanks. I’m aching all over, but the spasms are gone.”

In a smooth, fluid motion, he got to his feet, taking her with him. Her body pressed heavily against him for a moment until she regained her balance and righted herself.

“Take it easy. No sudden movements. Your arms and legs will take a while to find its coordination after the poison gets done. What was it, anyway? Hemlock?” Austin kept his hands on her shoulders, steadying her when she swayed a little.

A wave of pink started in her neck and filled her cheeks. “Yes. My father gave me the spikes before he left. He told me to use them to defend myself. So instead, I stabbed myself and rendered myself helpless.”

“It’s good you had them. You took one of the dragons down. Had I not startled you, you wouldn’t have fallen onto the stake you were holding.” He smiled down at her as he released her. It would be a while before she’d be able to move freely and even longer before she could shift. It was just as well, flying at night would be safer. Who knew how many other dragons had been sent after her.

“Probably not, but I don’t think I would have gotten away from the three of them. Thank you.” She took a deep breath, then a small step away from him, and another.

Austin followed close but didn’t touch her. If she stumbled, he’d keep her from hitting the cavern floor, but he’d keep his hands to himself otherwise. Holding her as she came out of her paralysis had been both heaven and hell. Having his mate so close had the dragon all but purring, but something told him he’d have to tread carefully with Tulia. She wasn’t going to jump into his arms so easily, and that was okay. As long as she was with him, and she was safe, he would be content.