There were too many people there for him to get a good read. Too much noise. Then everything fell away from him as he caught the faint scent of flowers and blueberries on the air.
Grrr. Mine.
He wondered at the thought, but the truth struck him hard. It was the most wonderful fragrance he’d ever smelled.
His eyes landed on the vast slab of winter stone in the center of the small rectangular space. Chest heaving, Kingston put one foot in front of the other and approached the altar.
Yes. Something inside of him seemed to recognize it for what it was. He hated the thing on sight. The stone table was meant to be a coffin, he realized and growled once more.
As his bare feet drew nearer to it, he realized someone was chained to the cold, hard rock. Just like a sacrifice. Kingston sucked in a breath and more of the blueberry flower fragrance invaded his senses. The air was musty and cold, dust motes filled his vision. He waved them away, squinting and calling upon his Dragon’s eyesight. The beast had night-vision and as Kingston adjusted to it, he could not believe his eyes.
It was her. The woman from his dreams.
Thick black hair so long it hung off the sides of the altar surrounded her perfect face. She had tawny skin with earthy undertones of golds and coppers, though he could imagine her rounded cheeks with a hint of blush on them. As it was, the cold kept her unnaturally pale. Still, she was, in a word, lovely.
Her wide mouth was slack as if in sleep, but Kingston knew better. He could tell by the furrow of her eyebrows that she was doing anything but rest. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she battled with whatever was holding her down and that was when he sprang into action.
Using his Dragon’s strength, Kingston gripped the heavy metal chains that were attached to the manacles binding her wrists. He noted with muted fury the bruises that marked the area, a telltale sign of her struggles.
He didn’t know who she was or who put her there, but by the gods themselves, he would see them pay! Anger warred with the singular intent to free her inside of him, the latter won out thankfully, and he stretched and pulled the bespelled metal, oblivious to the conversation going on around him.
“Kingston!” someone yelled and he spared them a brief glance as his Dragon hissed at them for their interruption.
He needed the woman freed. Now.
No, not the woman, his Dragon growled, my woman.
“Kingston,” Storm touched his shoulder.
Kingston turned his head and growled at the Guardian, one word escaped his lips.
“Mine.”
“Oh fuck,” Storm said and tackled his mate to the ground.
“Hudson,” she groaned, but he knew the Wolf would not harm his mate.
He barely spared them a glance. Good thing the Wolf Shifter had such good instincts, he’d known before Kingston what he was about to do. With one well-aimed roar his flames covered the chains, weakening them to the point where he was able to twist the wretched things to pieces.
The metal bits clanged loudly as they hit the hard floor, but he couldn’t have cared any less. Whoever had chained this woman was going to die, even if he had to scour the Earth for the bastard!
He rubbed her wrists and hands hoping to bring warmth to her ice-cold body. She was freed from the awful constraints, but still the small woman’s eyes were firmly closed. Her face looked pale and in pain. His beast roared inside of him. Carefully, slowly, he leaned down to her face with his hands outstretched but not quite touching.
“Wake up,” he whispered.
Her skin began to glow then, and he was helpless save to watch as she struggled with whatever magic held her captive. Golden eyes darted from person to person in the room. Somehow, all of the Guardians under his care had arrived without him noticing.
“Egros,” he summoned the one male Witch in the room even though his Dragon wholeheartedly objected to the male’s presence, but Kingston pushed his jealousy aside.
He needed to help her and Egros was the one person there he trusted to have the knowledge necessary to do that. The Witch approached and Kingston’s lip furled into a low threatening growl which had the man lowering his gaze and baring his throat to him.
His position as Alpha commanded as much and he was grateful Egros did so without hesitation. The last thing he wanted was to hurt the unmated male for coming near the woman.
Mate, his Dragon supplied.
Holy fuck. He had a mate. A fated mate. The idea was simply too huge for him to wrap his draconian head around. Better to take it one step at a time. First, he needed to free her. Then he could worry about what it all meant.
“She has been here a long while, Alpha,” Egros said and examined the chains and the runes on the wall, “these symbols are both Native American and European. I suspect the woman here is descended from both sides. Judging from her dress, she was probably confined here sometime in the late eighteen-century.”
“Why isn’t she waking up?”
“I am not sure, sir,” he said, “but I have an idea.”
The twinkle in the Guardian’s eye left Kingston with little doubt where his thoughts were headed. The others all seemed too stunned to speak, and he couldn’t blame them. For years they’d thought he was mated to the one the universe had deemed his one and only.
He’d allowed them to believe that. Had lied to them all. Kingston could hardly accept it. He knew deep down he was not worthy of his own mate.
“We are not qualified to decide who is worthy, Alpha,” Egros said quietly, “the universe knows better than we do.”
“Boss, is she really your mate? What about Neela?” Furio asked and he could hear the confusion in the Stallion Shifter’s voice.
It was no more or less than what he was feeling himself. All he could do was nod in answer.
“Shh,” Storm hissed at the Stallion.
“You have to claim her then,” Fergie said and from the muffled sounds coming after that statement, Kingston could only assume Storm had covered his mate’s mouth with his hand.
“Ouch!” the Wolf growled and hopped on one foot after his mate stomped on his booted appendage with her stilettos.
Kingston wished he had on shoes, but a quick look told him his own mate was barefoot. Perfect. Maybe that would save him from her wrath after he did what he was about to.
Shit. His body trembled and his Dragon snarled. Worthy or not. Time was up. She needed him and there was nothing he would not do for her.
“Kingston,” Byram interrupted, but he was not in the mood for the Vampire.
“Everyone leave,” he growled, allowing only a fraction of his Alpha’s powers to seep into his voice.
When no one moved, he tried again, this time using triple the amount of command as he bellowed, “OUT! NOW”
Four
Holley could feel her mate pressing in on her in the dank and cold dungeon that had been the prison of her body for nigh on three centuries.
Finally. After decades of visiting him in dreams, he was here, and he was going to free her. She felt the Keep struggling to hold her firmly in place, but this was it. She was certain. He was hers and she was his. Holley was finally going to be free.
Let me go now. He is my mate. She pleaded with the manetuwak, but the spirits of the Keep were not as easy to sway as they had been when they agreed to watch over her.
The Dragon Shifter was mighty though, and she felt his power and the sheer brute force of his strength as he struggled to break the chains that bound her to the stone slab. She pushed the thought at him to use his fire and was surprised when he did.