Her Dragon's Soul (Dragon Guard Series Book 9) Read Free

nothing .
All thought fled as Zander, one of Cleland’s most trusted henchmen, burst
through the foliage.
    Their fight was brutal. Little could be heard over the sound
of shouted spells and misdirected magic exploding all around them. It would’ve
gone far longer had Cleland not magically appeared shouting, “ Scriosta !”
    In the blink of an eye both men collapsed to the
ground…dead. Another dark wizard appeared on Cleland’s left, shaking his head
in disbelief. “What a waste.”
    “Yes, my dear Cain, it is a tremendous waste, but sometimes
you must sacrifice a few bad apples to rid the orchard of the rotten ones,”
Cleland answered as he turned on his heel and wondered back towards the Sacred
Circle.
    Liam’s heart clenched, remembering how Hannah’s voice had
cracked as she bravely held back her tears while telling him the tale. He would
never forget her final words, “And I had to sit there, hidden like a scared
little girl and watch those bastards kill my dad. I was able to fight off the
spell to send me away, but I was still invisible. I screamed spell after spell
but I was still a novice, so they couldn’t hear them. My magic had no effect.
But now I can kill them; I can kill them all and one day, I will avenge my
father’s death.” 
    Melanie’s voice broke the spell Hannah’s memories had woven.
Liam saw the determination in the young nurse’s eyes, heard the thoughts his
brethren was sending to him through their unique link, and for the first time
in days felt real hope. “I agree. There’s no way Hannah’s done anything
willingly, not the way she hates your grandpa. But that raises a whole new set
of questions. If not Cleland, then who would do this? Are there people still
loyal to the Draoi ? To the Dorcha ? Does anyone know how to stop
whoever or whatever is poisoning my mate?”
    He speared Melanie with a look even though he knew it wasn’t
her fault. Liam just seriously needed someone… anyone …to blame. Jace
quickly stood, took a step towards him, and in a low growl warned, “Back off,
Li. It’s not Mel’s fault.”
    “I know. I know. I’m sorry. It’s just…” He had no idea how
to finish his statement or what to do, so he just shook his head and prayed his
closest friends would understand.
    Melanie walked forward and hugged him as best she could considering
their huge height difference. Being six-foot-six from the age of thirteen had
been a challenge, but one Liam had soon found he could use to his advantage.
Bending at the waist, he hugged her back, nodding to Jace at the same time.
    “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to be a dick. You know I love
Mel like a sister. It’s just that this shit is messing with my head. What if…”
    “No ‘what ifs’ dude. You know better. If it hadn’t been
for you when Mel was captured and hurt, I would’ve lost my fucking mind. We’ll
figure this out. You gotta keep it together. You gotta be strong for Hannah.
Now give me back my mate.” Jace winked. Liam smiled and for a moment, all
was right with the world.
    Melanie pulled away, looked back at her mate, and was just
about to speak when a knock at the front door startled them all. Using his
enhanced speed, Jace was at the door and had it opened in two seconds,
revealing the oldest of their Force, Royce, and his mate. Both the
six-foot-eight, carrot-topped giant and his barely five-foot platinum blonde
witch of a mate frowned then walked through the door.
    Kyra was the first to speak. “You two really need to learn
to shield your thoughts better. I know you share a special connection with the
big guy here, but he picks up damn near everything y’all say when you’re
stressed. Which means I hear it and you know I have a bad habit of sticking my
nose in where it doesn’t belong.”
    She chuckled before playfully elbowing Royce in the stomach
and taking a seat on the edge of the couch. Looking around the room, Kyra took
a moment to examine each of them closely before continuing. “So