He had to smile as he thought of the look on her incredibly expressive face clearly stating that she thought he was an escaped mental patient. The way her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed made him want to take her into his arms and kiss all her worries away. It was all he could do not to laugh as she continued to eye him suspiciously while trying to convince him to go to the hospital. What she didn’t know and he wasn’t able to explain at the time was that human doctors couldn’t help him in any way and probably would’ve thrown him in a padded room for observation or dissection. But none of that negated the fact that her worry and concern had touched something deep in his heart, something he’d never imagined existed inside of him until Kyndel.
Although he couldn’t wait to watch the expressions of surprise flit across her gorgeous face and in the depths of her emerald eyes, he knew that he had to be careful how he explained who he was and what they would soon be to each other. She would be suspicious; it was her nature, but he was hoping the favorable reactions she’d already had to him and the pull of the mating call would help to convince her that he was indeed telling the truth. If not, he would use whatever means necessary to keep her safe, even if that meant tying her up to keep her from running away. They were mates, made for one another by the Universe, and the Universe did not make mistakes. Surely, she could understand that.
He not only wanted to experience every erotic fantasy he’d ever had with her, he also wanted to show her his clan, share his life with her and introduce her to all the people held close to his heart. More importantly, he wanted to know everything there was to know about her. Her likes and dislikes, her family, absolutely everything about her intrigued him. He couldn’t wait to experience the break of every day and the close of every evening with her. He knew she was incredibly intelligent, highly spirited, loyal to a fault and almost fearless. He couldn’t have hoped for a more perfect mate. He was the first of his Force to find his mate, a truly extraordinary event in the life of a dragon shifter. There would be days of celebration and feasting for every member of the clan. The mating ceremony would bring hope of a fruitful future to the entire clan.
He continued to simply lie in her bed, drinking in the fragrance that was uniquely her, content to bask in the warmth of her home, definitely in no hurry to be anywhere else. His internal clock told him the three hours she’d promised him had passed some time ago but she hadn’t awakened him and he just couldn’t make himself move in that moment. Soon enough he would have to rise and begin a series of difficult conversations with his beautiful mate.
His magic stores replenished from his healing sleep, he opened his senses and located her in the living room. From the sound of her breathing she was deep asleep. His poor mo ghra’, what a night she’d had. One that could’ve ended in terror and pain had the scum bag following her gotten to her before Rayne had stopped him, not to mention the hunters that were skulking through the park only yards away from his Kyndel. They would have beheaded her and disposed of her body without a thought of the beauty and spirit they’d extinguished from the earth. A shiver ran down his spine from the mere thought. He calmed, knowing he had made it in time. He had kept her safe. Something he would be doing for the rest of their very long lives.
He called out to his brethren through their unique mind speak. He needed to make sure they had cleared the bodies from the park. They would have smelled his blood so he also had to let them know he had healed and was with the woman he had saved. Aidan and Lance answered immediately. They had all been friends since they were young, playing in the meadow and scaring little vibrias. Even though he had risen to the rank of Commander quicker than any other, they were still his best friends, the three of them along with Devon, Royce and Aaron made up the most elite fighting Force in the Dragon Guard. They were envied by all other clans and often called upon to help. More than being brothers in arms, they were real brothers, not that they had the same parents but they were brothers of the heart and by the blood. They shared a bond only death could break and even then they were sure to meet in the heavens. One of the best features of their incredibly strong bonds was the ability to mentally communicate over long distances and sense when one of them was in danger.
They were just finishing up when Rayne contacted them. Aidan and Lance assured him they had disposed of the hunters’ bodies and that of Kyndel’s would be attacker. Lance, the class clown of the bunch, who was never one for tact or decorum, almost immediately asked about the beautiful woman Rayne had inadvertently shown him with his thoughts. The less than gentlemanly thoughts roaming around his brethren’s head were enough to cause Rayne’s dragon to puff up in anger. Both man and beast were immediately engulfed with jealousy. He knew his brethren would do nothing to dishonor their bond but that didn’t stop the territorial feelings he already had for Kyndel to burn. He could feel Lance laughing at his reaction and realized his pain in the ass brethren had let those images float through their connection to get a rise out of him. Jealousy and the need to punch Lance in the face was yet another effect of the mating call and one he would have to work hard to control. They’d been together so long that keeping a secret was almost impossible. It was an everyday occurrence for one or all of them be teased and taunted relentlessly no matter the subject.