Saved by Her Dragons (Fated Mate of the Dragon Clans Book 3) Read online

  Raising his hand, Franco silences Tiernan’s threatening growl. “Please, Prince Darkonian. There is no need to threaten me. I won’t hurt her. I just want to ensure she’s okay.”

  “She’s not if you keep her locked in here and unprotected.” Tiernan glowers, not backing down.

  Franco sighs. “If I had known...I apologize. This has been quite complicated, but I know I can’t avoid my heir forever.”

  I wish he would look at me instead of Tiernan.

  Tiernan’s muscles ripple and bulge. “You could’ve just agreed to let us keep her contract instead of putting everyone through this mess, your majesty. I—”

  “You don’t understand how difficult that decision was to make. Allies are hard to come by, but you’ve seemed to prove that you might make a good one. As a reward for your actions, I give you permission to visit and protect Delphia despite your initial intrusion. Please accept my offering or leave. I must handle the witches.”

  “Just a visit?” Licking my lips, I manage to find my voice. “He saved me. He deserves more. McKenzie and her sister were trying to take my heart. Please, I don’t feel safe here. I’m sure the princes will give you whatever it is you want for me.” The thought reels through my body, the memory of the pain coming back at full force. My voice hitches, and I inhale another breath, trying to suppress my nerves.

  Two hot arms engulf me, lifting me from the cold floor. Tiernan’s toasted marshmallow scent hugs me in the fragrance of his safety, and I relax.

  Franco doesn’t react to my pleas, remaining expressionless. His ageless face makes him look not even that much older than me. I should be used to it, considering that our species lives hundreds of years, but it’s weird. I had always expected that my dad would be middle-aged.

  “Like I said, Delphia. It’s complicated. I should’ve suspected the Liohts would do something rash, and I’ve failed you for that, but I need time,” Franco says, shooting me down and ignoring the fact that all of this bullshit falls on him.

  “Rash? Rash?” My voice rises in pitch, my stomach roiling again. “How is trying to cut my heart out rash? It was fucking insane! What the fuck was it even about? My Aunt McKayla? I—I don’t understand.”

  Tiernan hugs me to him, unfazed that he’s completely naked and cradling me in front of Franco. “Nova, we’re going to fi—”

  “You’re not going to do anything,” Franco says, his voice turning guttural with his sharp words. “I will handle the blasted witches.” Turning to me, he adds, “And McKayla is not your aunt. She was your kidnapper. Don’t forget that.”

  I tighten my jaw, desperate to argue. But it’s pointless. He obviously has something against the woman who raised me. It was my mom who gave me to McKayla after all, so...

  “I also expect you to be prepared to go over everything you know about the Liohts with me in the morning. I need to take care of the security of the palace,” Franco adds. He runs his hand through his dark hair. I study his features, trying to see a part of myself within him, but I see and feel absolutely nothing but annoyance for the man who imprisons me in this room as if I’m truly a criminal.

  “Your majesty, I’d like to request temporary guardian status for the princess instead of visitation,” Tiernan says, speaking up. He straightens his back and puffs out his chest like towering over Franco will intimidate him into agreeing.

  “Granted.” Franco flicks his gaze to the archway to my balcony. “It’s only appropriate since you fought so courageously for Delphia.”

  Whoa. I’m shocked. I thought his request would’ve been immediately denied.

  “You have until morning, and I expect you to guard her with your life until things are handled.” Franco jerks his attention to me. “If I unchain you, do you agree to not try anything stupid? The High Council was very clear with our arrangement. If you leave, you will face unbearable consequences.”

  I bob my head, a blip of hope and elation igniting inside me. “I promise I won’t leave. I just—thank you. You won’t regret it.”

  Franco nods, dipping his chin low. “I understand the circumstances around your arrival home haven’t been ideal, but I hope you know that I’ve done everything I have with your best interest at heart. No Litendrake Heir will ever waste away at the wretched prison. I never wanted your mother there, and I surely don’t want you there.” His face softens with his words, easing the anxiety tightening my chest. Reaching out, he touches a spot on my shackle. Magic sparkles across the metal, and it releases, showing off my bruised skin.

  “Thank you,” I repeat, afraid if I open my big mouth to say anything else, I might end up chained again.

  With one more silent stern look at Tiernan, Franco strides away and slams the giant door closed.

  “My fates, Nova. I need you close right now.” Tiernan adjusts me in his arms without waiting for my response.

  Like his closeness releases the wild beast inside me, I crash my mouth to his and kiss him with all my desperation. Whatever bad feelings I had for him over how I ended up here vanish, and all I can think about is how safe I feel in his embrace, how good his lips taste, and how free my soul feels in this moment.

  “My beautiful mate,” he murmurs with a groan against my mouth. “Can I help you clean up? Feed you? Cuddle you? I want so desperately to show you that I don’t give a damn if I can’t solidify our bonding of souls yet. I want to prove to you that you’re mine. I’ll do anything for you.”

  I smile against his lips and nod my head. “Whatever you want. Just...keep talking. Tell me everything that has happened. I need to know about the others.”

  He hums against my mouth. “They’re going crazy. It’s taking everything in them not to storm the palace and tear the place down for you.”

  “I want that so badly,” I say, mapping his shoulders with my fingers.

  Sliding his tongue into my mouth, he silences me from talking. “Careful, Nova. They might sense your desire, but Franco wasn’t kidding. You can’t leave the palace.”

  My brows crinkle together. “What?”

  “Ambrose said that you’ve been branded with dark magic—forbidden magic. If you leave...it’s just, let’s not think about it. He’ll figure it out. I know he will. He has never let us down.”

  The desire that rose inside me sputters out, and my whole body cools. How can my life go from shit to bearable to fucking awful in such a short time? I miss my mates more than I ever thought possible, and despite Tiernan being here, it’s not the same. I want them all.

  Groaning, Tiernan hugs me tighter and doesn’t put me down until we reach the bathroom. It’s the first time I don’t have to maneuver the heavy chair around. Setting me on the grand rock counter with a crevice wide enough to create a sink, Tiernan stands in front of me and drapes his arms over my shoulders.

  “I wish I alone could be enough for you, Nova,” he murmurs, a flame of sadness dancing across his jade-green irises. He must’ve heard my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if he could like the Drekis. “But I understand. You’re not intended for one.”

  How do I respond to that? I want to deny it and say that he is enough, but then I’d be lying. We haven’t even had a chance to really bond. The connection I feel is purely magical because of the mate bond to Theo.

  If I lied, he’d know it immediately, because when I think of love and pleasure and happiness, it always revolves around several men. It revolves around the Drekis. He’s right that my heart claims many, and without the others, I feel as if I’m incomplete. Like I’ll never be whole again.

  “I just pray to the fates that you’ll be intended for me,” he murmurs, combing his fingers through my hair.

  I force my mouth to smile despite my heart not really being into it. “I’d like to try, Tiernan. But not until I’m free of this mess. I just—I just need you to be here for me, okay?”

  “I will never be far. Promise.” His green eyes light the fire in his soul. “You’re my mate, whether or not the fates are in our favor. You deserve better than what th
e witches have granted.”

  If only I could feel that he’s right.

  If only the fates could truly be on my side.

  Chapter 2

  Warning

  “DELPHIA.” THE SOFT WHISPER OF a feminine voice tugs me away from the sound of Tiernan’s heart beating.

  I wasn’t sure if he’d ever fall asleep if I didn’t, despite looking exhausted from fighting against magic. He only relaxed after I closed my eyes and pretended to try. A part of me thought it was sweet for him to make sure I was okay, but I felt bad about it. Just because I couldn’t relax enough to drift off doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get to.

  “Delphia.” I hold my breath and concentrate on the world around me. I’m so shaken that I wouldn’t put it past me for hearing things that aren’t there. Especially because I’d recognize the familiar melodic voice anywhere.

  It’s not in my head. I know it. It might have been years since I’ve seen Aunt McKayla, but I’d never forget the soft yet sharp tone of her voice. Her murmur of my name reminds me of the simple things in life I took for granted—like believing I was human with criminal parents and how she was always around. I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear Aunt McKayla’s voice again, and hearing it now? Whoa. This is crazy, right? Why would she contact me now? And here? She made sure with a spell that I would know that she’d no longer be in my life when the Drekis and I searched for her. A part of me hopes she changed her mind and is reaching out. Another part of me knows it’s wishful thinking.

  Ugh. I’m afraid to find out, but I’m desperate to know.

  I gather my bravery and get the nerve to shift from Tiernan’s embrace. Easing upright, I study his sleepy features as his bottom lip puffs out with each of his breaths. He doesn’t stir or move, and I lean over and kiss his forehead softly. Unlike Maddox, Kash, and Rowan, who are extremely light sleepers, Tiernan either trusts the protection of the palace or truly believes there won’t be any more threats tonight. Regardless, I won’t wake him.

  “Eht rorrim ile gra ti ra,” Aunt McKayla whispers, her voice sounding as if it comes from nowhere and everywhere. It swirls through my mind and in my ears. It’s like she uses a spell to call to my soul. “Delphia, open your mind to me. I must be quick.” McKayla’s words sharpen with urgency, reminding me of the hundreds of times she spoke to me in such a tone. When I was growing up, it was like this when she thought I was acting like my mother. Now? I can’t stop the worry rising inside me. This isn’t a casual summons with magic to check in on me. It’s more.

  I peer around the dark room, using only the soft magical candlelight within the glass sconces outside my bathroom to light my way. My bare feet thump quietly against the cool rock floor, and I hug my arms around me tighter, wishing I had grabbed one of the blankets from the bed. I only wear a nightie, where Tiernan remains naked in all his delicious glory. His unashamed confidence reminds me of Maddox, though he’s not as rough around the edges.

  The thought of Maddox cracks my heart. I can almost hear him grumbling about the fact that I haven’t had sex in...what feels like a long fucking time. He’d be both annoyed that Tiernan didn’t try hard enough to seduce me or because he wasn’t here to do it himself. I never knew how much I’d love Maddox for his attitude, but it makes the strange entanglement of my soul to both the Drekis and Darkonians that much easier.

  Another whisper of my name laces around me, drawing my attention to the tingling sensation crawling over my skin. I stare in shock at the bathroom mirror. I knew I had been strolling this way, but I was so lost in my thoughts that I missed exactly how I got here.

  “Eht rorrim ile gra ti ra,” Aunt McKayla whispers, her voice growing in volume.

  I notice a red spark of magic streak across the mirror like a lightning bolt, and my reflection blurs. My heart rams against my ribcage the longer I stare at my wavy reflection until it morphs and transforms into an eerily familiar face. I clutch onto the countertop, the sight of Aunt McKayla in the mirror staring at me worse than I thought because of her similarity to McKenzie.

  Fear engulfs me.

  The memory of the searing pain cutting open my chest forces me to step back. How can just an image in the mirror—one who I know but with an evil twin—ruin such a reunion for me? Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, and I clutch the countertop to stabilize me.

  It’s Aunt McKayla. She would never hurt me. If only chanting these words helped.

  A dozen thoughts race through my head as I finally convince myself that the woman in the mirror won’t turn into McKenzie, step through, and steal my heart. “Aunt McKayla?” I ask with a hoarseness in my voice. I need to hear her confirm that it’s actually her and not McKenzie to get my heart to settle.

  “I’m so happy to find you in Magaelorum,” she says, her eyes flicking around like she drinks in my reflection through this strange looking glass. “I assume you found your mates, yes?”

  “Found them? More like they found me. And what the fuck to everything. Why didn’t you tell me? Where are you? I got your message at our old house when I went looking for you.” Everything gushes from my mouth as if I need to spit the words out before I forget them. “You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

  Her features tighten at the heat of my anger. “Delphia, please. I’d love to answer your questions, but I don’t have time. My connection to Magaelorum grows weak, and I need you to listen.”

  Is she serious? Rage rushes through me like a tidal wave of destruction, and I smack my hands on the countertop. “No, you listen to me. I’m in trouble. I’m being imprisoned at the Litendrake Palace. You told me my father was dead. He’s not. He’s—”

  “What? No.” Her eyes widen with a spark of her magic. “No. Delphia, listen to me. You need—”

  Green magic sets the dim bathroom aglow as Ambrose materializes beside me with four hulking figures. I gasp, my heart speeding up. I want to throw myself at my mates, but I can’t take my eyes away from the mirror.

  “Delphia, you must run. Run now. Take your mates and go into hiding. You have to. It’s not safe. There is something I must make right, and it’ll bring many enemies from the shadows. Please, you have to go.” Aunt McKayla rubs her hands together, sending sparks of red power zapping across the mirror.

  I lean on the counter, slapping my hands to the mirror as if I can break through to where she is. “I can’t, I’m—”

  “Delphia, run!” The mirror explodes, and if Ambrose didn’t summon a protective shield, I’d have been cut by the thousands of sharp pieces raining across the grand bathroom.

  Two hot hands squeeze my waist and lift me off my feet. I stare in shock, meeting Maddox’s dark eyes. He flares his nostrils, drinking in my features. My body refuses to react as McKayla’s demands rage inside me. I should kiss him and show him how much I missed him, but no matter how hard I try to get myself together, all I can think about is listening to McKayla and running.

  “We must take Delphia away. Now.” Maddox’s voice booms with his words. “She feels as if she will die otherwise, and I cannot bear the thought of her fear being all-consuming.”

  “My brother is right.” Rowan steps closer, crunching glass under his boots. Leaning over Maddox’s shoulder, he reaches out and caresses his fingers to my cheek. “We’ve waited long enough. Now is the time.”

  “Be reasonable, Drekis,” Ambrose says, snapping his fingers. Green magic crackles around us, eating away at the glass on the floor until the mirror returns as it was. “We can’t run with her. The power imprisoning her here will rip her apart if she leaves.”

  I blink a few times at his words but don’t look at him. I keep my gaze trained on my reflection in the mirror as if I can summon Aunt McKayla back. How could she make such demands without listening to me? Would she if she knew any better? She cared enough to contact me, but what now? Was it a courtesy because she raised me, or was it because she cares? Fuck my life.

  “Then fix it.” Theo growls, drawing my attention to him as Kash quietly joins Maddox’s ot
her side to pet my hair. “Do what you must. I don’t care about the consequences. Our mate is too important.”

  My eyebrows shoot up on my forehead, his words prodding at my soul. I can’t stop my wild emotions from getting the best of me. “You haven’t earned the right to call me that. You stood by and did nothing as they brought me here.” Are my words unfair? Yes. I just can’t help the bitter feelings. My good senses know there wasn’t much they could do, but my heart wants to still hold it against him. Maybe it’s because he’s more of an asshole than Maddox. Maybe it’s because if I never ended up here, I would’ve never gone through the agony of the witch attack. I wish things could return to what they had been before when we fought about our bond and none of the other messy shit and worrying about my life and heart.

  Theo narrows his eyes at me, one look into his face reminding me of our moment of heated passion—of how I basically hate fucked him and loved the hell out of it. My body hums with the memory, and I squeeze my thighs together. My traitorous vagina doesn’t give a fuck if we don’t get along. But damn it, I do. He will hold it over my head if I don’t stand my ground and make him prove to me that he can be a mate.

  “Do I need to remind you that I have earned the right?” Theo glides his tongue over his bottom lip, revealing the glittering barbell in his tongue. “Because you say one thing, but your mind says another. Stop resisting our bond. You’re mine, and I’m prepared to prove it and claim you over and over again.”

  My body reacts at his comment, and I break my gaze from his first, wanting nothing more than to shut off my lust. It’s growing harder to think, especially with all of my mates surrounding me. Each of them showers me with attention, their gazes and touches only arousing the beast inside me instead of settling me down. Like they can’t resist testing me, they quietly close in around me until there is no possible way to leave their circle, not that I want to. The only place I want to escape is this palace.