Read Online Mate of the Dragon by Harmony Raines - Free Book Online
Authors: Harmony Raines
Tags: General Fiction
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word he never thought he would use when describing Tara. She always appeared to have solid armour covering every part of her, a barrier to anyone or anything that might try to hurt her.
However, without her magic, that hard exterior was gone. Did he look different to her? Younger, or older? He touched his face. What if all of the years caught up with him, just as they had with the witch who had stolen his heart stone. Once more, he pressed his hand to his heart, realising this had become a habit since it had been returned to him. He held onto it too tightly. It stifled him.
When in reality, it belonged to Tara, so that she could be by his side forever. Slowing down, he walked by her side. She looked up at him and smiled, despite her worries and hunger. His heart stone contracted in his chest. It wanted to go to her; it was where it belonged.
Reaching out for her hand, he took hold of it, feeling her warmth, her strength. She would make him a good, strong mate. An intelligent woman, who would bear his child, an heir to the Stronghold in Spellholm. If they ever returned .
Dòmhnall made a promise to himself, and to Tara. Somehow, whatever it took, he would get them out of here. Then he would finally make things right. He would claim her on the stone altar, as he should have done the first time they mated. Then he would give her his heart stone.
One thing this adventure had taught him was he had been stupid, arrogant and disrespectful to Tara. She was his mate. The fates had chosen them to be together for a reason. And he had tried to deny that fate.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled. Louder than before, it sounded as though a hammer was being struck upon the heavens.
“What the hell was that?” Tara asked, ducking as though the force of it would beat her to the floor.
“A storm. If it’s heading this way, we need to get inside quickly.” They had reached the trees where they could gather nuts. Dòmhnall stripped off his shirt, and they both picked the nuts from the tree and placed them in this makeshift bag.
They had to spread out to find enough for them both. If this were all they were going to eat, they would need plenty. And plenty of water to wash them down. As another crack of thunder speared the atmosphere, Tara moved back to be closer to him.
“It scares you?” he asked.
She looked up at the sky, which had not changed from its azure blue. “Thunder doesn’t, normally. But there is something not right about this. Where is the lightning? And the sky is just the same, cloudless, blue … it’s wrong,” she finished, her voice a whisper.
Dòmhnall had to agree. This whole place was wrong. Surreal. Unreal. “Come on, let’s get back.” But he knew that they couldn’t stay in the cabin forever, and whatever had put them here was beginning to play out its end game. Deep inside him, his dragon raised its head and puffed smoke out through its nostrils. He felt comforted by its presence, the closest he had been to it since they had come here.
Yet it filled him with disquiet. Deep in its slumber, his dragon had felt the shift in the air. Something was coming.
Chapter Fifteen – Tara
“What happens now?” Tara asked, they were sat in front of the fire, hardly speaking as they both went over the day’s events. An occasional rumble of that otherworldly thunder reached them, making her shudder.
“I don’t know. We either stay here, or try to find the spot where we first arrived. Hopefully there will be some kind of touchstone that will take us back to our own reality.”
“And if not?” Tara asked, but he had no answers. Neither of them did.
She had chased the same question around and around in her head whilst they had collected the nuts from the trees. Even the discovery of blackberries as they had walked back to the cabin wasn’t enough to lift their mood. They were stuck in a world that did not seem to follow conventional rules.
“Have you tried your magic?” he asked.
“Not
However, without her magic, that hard exterior was gone. Did he look different to her? Younger, or older? He touched his face. What if all of the years caught up with him, just as they had with the witch who had stolen his heart stone. Once more, he pressed his hand to his heart, realising this had become a habit since it had been returned to him. He held onto it too tightly. It stifled him.
When in reality, it belonged to Tara, so that she could be by his side forever. Slowing down, he walked by her side. She looked up at him and smiled, despite her worries and hunger. His heart stone contracted in his chest. It wanted to go to her; it was where it belonged.
Reaching out for her hand, he took hold of it, feeling her warmth, her strength. She would make him a good, strong mate. An intelligent woman, who would bear his child, an heir to the Stronghold in Spellholm. If they ever returned .
Dòmhnall made a promise to himself, and to Tara. Somehow, whatever it took, he would get them out of here. Then he would finally make things right. He would claim her on the stone altar, as he should have done the first time they mated. Then he would give her his heart stone.
One thing this adventure had taught him was he had been stupid, arrogant and disrespectful to Tara. She was his mate. The fates had chosen them to be together for a reason. And he had tried to deny that fate.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled. Louder than before, it sounded as though a hammer was being struck upon the heavens.
“What the hell was that?” Tara asked, ducking as though the force of it would beat her to the floor.
“A storm. If it’s heading this way, we need to get inside quickly.” They had reached the trees where they could gather nuts. Dòmhnall stripped off his shirt, and they both picked the nuts from the tree and placed them in this makeshift bag.
They had to spread out to find enough for them both. If this were all they were going to eat, they would need plenty. And plenty of water to wash them down. As another crack of thunder speared the atmosphere, Tara moved back to be closer to him.
“It scares you?” he asked.
She looked up at the sky, which had not changed from its azure blue. “Thunder doesn’t, normally. But there is something not right about this. Where is the lightning? And the sky is just the same, cloudless, blue … it’s wrong,” she finished, her voice a whisper.
Dòmhnall had to agree. This whole place was wrong. Surreal. Unreal. “Come on, let’s get back.” But he knew that they couldn’t stay in the cabin forever, and whatever had put them here was beginning to play out its end game. Deep inside him, his dragon raised its head and puffed smoke out through its nostrils. He felt comforted by its presence, the closest he had been to it since they had come here.
Yet it filled him with disquiet. Deep in its slumber, his dragon had felt the shift in the air. Something was coming.
Chapter Fifteen – Tara
“What happens now?” Tara asked, they were sat in front of the fire, hardly speaking as they both went over the day’s events. An occasional rumble of that otherworldly thunder reached them, making her shudder.
“I don’t know. We either stay here, or try to find the spot where we first arrived. Hopefully there will be some kind of touchstone that will take us back to our own reality.”
“And if not?” Tara asked, but he had no answers. Neither of them did.
She had chased the same question around and around in her head whilst they had collected the nuts from the trees. Even the discovery of blackberries as they had walked back to the cabin wasn’t enough to lift their mood. They were stuck in a world that did not seem to follow conventional rules.
“Have you tried your magic?” he asked.
“Not
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