Her Dragon To Slay(30)

“My family was one of the few given this honor. My ancestor was chosen in the 6th century, shortly after King Arthur disappeared. From that point forward, every male in my family has gone through the transformation between the ages of 18 and 21. After transformation until our forever death, we are able to shift from man to dragon and back again. It is a duty and an honor we take very seriously. We also retain the magic of the dragon while in our human form.” Her eyebrows shot so high at the mention of magic they were almost invisible under the fall of her hair.

“One of the most important milestones in a dragon shifters life, other than his transformation, is finding his mate. The one female in the entire world created just for him. She is the other half of his soul, the completion of the man and his beast. She provides them with peace, love and light. She grounds them, makes them whole. She is the single most important person to both entities in this world and the next. Although they have survived and been successful in many endeavors, the man and his beast have never truly lived until they have found the one the Universe designed for them.

“You, my beautiful Kyndel, ce’adsearc, are that person to me. You are my mate, the light of my soul. You complete me and the dragon that dwells within in ways until now I had only heard about. You’ve haunted my thoughts during the day and my dreams at night even before I knew you existed. From the moment I caught your scent as I was soaring over the city last evening, I knew you were the one for me. When I saw you, it was solidified in my heart that you are truly the other half of my soul.

“So mo ghra’, you ask why you’re drawn to me and feel more comfortable with me than you’ve felt with any other. It’s because we are destined to be together. Your soul recognized mine just as mine recognized yours. Like has called to like, and the incredible feelings we are discovering for each other will not be denied. They will only grow stronger over the years, my beautiful Kyndel and after our official mating you will possess many of the same talents I have. We’ll be able to mind speak and I’ll teach you to draw on my dragon magic.”

Kyndel sat in complete silence. He could see every thought and emotion flying through that amazing mind of hers as plainly as if she had spoken them. He saw confusion and wondered if she wanted to laugh, cry, jump for joy or check herself into a padded room. He knew he needed a drink so he could only imagine that she also needed a shot of something strong and hard. Her brow furrowed again, something he knew meant she had questions, probably even more than she’d had before. She pursed her lips and he knew she was questioning whether what he’d just told her was the truth. What he knew of her said she was a realist. He was sure that even entertaining the thought of believing his fantastic tale was causing her a great deal of angst. She’d accused him of being an escaped mental patient and he watched as she wondered if it was him or her that needed that therapy. He knew she could not deny the pull she felt and she had already stated she’d never experienced anything like they had just shared. She’d witnessed his super healing first hand which should help her believe everything else he’d told her.

Rayne watched as patiently as he could but the silence was killing him. He had fought life and death battles and they hadn’t been as stressful as explaining everything to Kyndel. This was his future, his destiny; everything was riding on this moment. “I know this is a lot for you to take in. I told you I’d never betray your trust, always be honest with you and answer all your questions and I always will. I only ask a little more indulgence on your part, there is a very pressing issue we must address right away.

“The noises, I’m sure you heard last evening as you passed the park,” he saw recognition flash in her emerald eyes and more than a little vindication, “were caused from a fight between a pack of hunters and myself. They saw me drop from the sky and chose that time to attack. I had to take care of them to protect you, my clan and myself. There are others from their pack that have followed their comrades and are closing in on our location.

“I have the house warded to keep us from their sight but these bastards are very persistent. Men from my Force assure me they are searching quite diligently to find the one who took out the others from their pack. We will be able to fight them off and return to our clan but I cannot and will not leave you behind. They’ll know you are my mate as soon as they are near you. They will kill you without remorse to draw me out and to keep us from completing our bond thus ensuring our offspring never exist.” For the first time he saw real fear in her eyes. It was immediately replaced with the strength he had already witnessed. Kyndel was an incredibly tough lady. She was a warrior in her own right, just another confirmation that she was his perfect match in every way.