The Fate of Her Dragon Read Online Free PDF Page B

mind, Alicia chastised herself for even
thinking something might have happened to him.
    He’ll be all right. He has
to be. He’s been in there for a hundred years; a few hours couldn’t have made
things worse… could they?
    Thinking she should ask her
mom, Alicia opened her mouth but Melanie, her sister Hannah’s oldest friend and
also a mate to one of the dragons, cut her off before she could speak. “Whatcha
thinking so hard about, doll?”
    “Nothing really? Just
thinking about what has to be done.”
    Melanie nodded but the
knowing look on her face said she wasn’t buying Alicia’s nonchalance. Her words
confirmed her expression. “I know you’re worried. Hell, I would be frantic if
it was Jace.”
    “It’s not the same thing,”
Alicia muttered.
    “Okay, yeah, whatever you
say. I’ll let you have a little more time with your denial, but as soon as
Drago is out of his cage, you had better be ready. These dragons don’t play
when it comes to their mates. And you’re boy’s been through a hell of an
ordeal. He’s gonna seriously need you.”
    Nodding, Alicia murmured,
“Yeah, I know. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
    “I’m here if you need me.”
    Looking up for the first time
since Melanie had started to talk, Alicia gave her a smile before saying,
“Thanks Mel. Really, thank you.”
    “Any time, doll. Any time.”
    They walked along in
companionable silence until Kyra and Sarah Beth called out in unison, “Alicia,
get up here.”
    Jogging to the front of the
pack, she arrived just as Kyra was removing a copper pot and herbs from her
backpack. “What are you doing? We’re about a hundred yards from the cave.”
Alicia knew she was yelling and really didn’t care. Her frustration level was
through the roof and still climbing. Every minute they wasted was another
minute Drago had to suffer, and as far as she was concerned, that was completely
unacceptable.
    Sarah Beth laid her hand on
Alicia’s shoulder and spoke as calmly as possible. “Kyra and I both felt a huge
surge of black magic right here.” She pointed to the spot on the ground where
the platinum-haired white witch had placed her copper pot. “Kyra is going to
scry for the origin. You’re going to need to be patient for just a little bit.
If my hunch is right, this is the source of the power keeping your… ummm… Drago
imprisoned.”
    Alicia knew her mother was
about to call him her mate. She heard the snickers behind her and thought about
telling them all to go to hell. Nodding to her mother, she walked ahead about
fifty feet and sat on a rock to think while Kyra and Sarah Beth scryed.
    Closing her eyes, Alicia
prayed to the Goddess that Drago was okay and that they would get to him on
time. She’d never been extremely devout when it came to her spiritual side, but
decided if it would help Drago, she would try anything. Several minutes into
her prayers, the one voice she’d missed more than she thought possible finally
spoke.
    “I appreciate your
prayers, ceann beag , but it is you
I believe in right now. It is you that will free me from this hell.”
    “Sure, whatever you say,” she scoffed. “And what did you just call me? I
understood the others but I’ve never heard that one.”
    Chuckling the low, baritone
chuckle that seemed to ignite all Alicia’s senses and make it hard for her to
focus, Drago simply said, “Little one. It means little one.”
    Alicia wanted to be upset but
kind of liked the name. All the same, she felt an obligation to give him just a
little crap. “Little one, huh? Where did that come from? I’m almost five
foot ten.”
    “It is just how I think of
you, as my ‘little one’. Someone I can care for. Someone to love. Someone that
loves me back. You are my hope and that is something I haven’t had in a very
long time.”
    Words escaped Alicia as she
sat there absorbing Drago’s beautiful words. They touched her as few things
ever had. It seemed incomprehensible for her to think