Page 70 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Chapter Twenty-Six
The breath locked in Vaughn’s chest. He had spent hours scouring the realm for Eurwen. With every second he couldn’t find her, he feared that he would spend the rest of eternity searching for her, only to have her remain just out of reach.
Vaughn hadn’t hesitated to go to her the instant he saw her by the loch. A myriad of emotions swirled chaotically through him. The entire time he’d searched, he’d made a mental list of all the things he planned to say to her once he found her. But it all vanished the instant he spotted her. He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved to find her or angry that she had ignored him calling for her.
Their attraction was strong. And deep. If that was the only way he could get through to her, then that’s what he would use. It was why when he took human form, he purposefully remained naked.
The way her eyes roamed seductively over his body let him know that she felt their connection. She might attempt to ignore her heart, but her body was another matter entirely. Vaughn’s future was on the line. He wasn’t afraid of death. But to have finally found his mate and lose her? There was nothing he wouldn’t try to convince Eurwen that she was his, and he was hers.
He had never been at a loss for words before. Yet, as he stood before his mate, he wracked his mind for the perfect thing to say. The problem was, he was still getting to know Eurwen. He knew she was fiercely independent, devoted to her realm, and strong-minded. All traits that made him fall for her even more.
Vaughn usually knew everything about those he faced off against in legal matters. Eurwen kept him spinning, not knowing which way was up. She had shaken up his entire world. And he liked it. It had gotten him out of a rut he hadn’t even realized he was in.
He swallowed and parted his lips, hoping the right words would come. Before he got the chance, Eurwen was before him, her lips on his as her arms wrapped around his neck. With his next breath, he enfolded her in his arms and poured all of his longing and love into the kiss.
With her sweet body pressed against his, desire tuned everything else out. Vaughn no longer cared about where she had been, what might be keeping her from wanting a relationship with him, or any other outside factors. All he cared about, all he wanted, was the woman in his arms.
Eurwen slowly ended the kiss. Her silver eyes opened and met his. “I wasn’t sure you would want to talk to me after what happened at Dreagan.”
“I followed you here. That should tell you everything.”
She ducked her head, then looked up at him as her lips twisted. “I arrived a short time ago. When Ulrik sent you here, I was still on your world with Eilish. She took me to an island so we could talk.”
“To get away from me?” he asked, praying that wasn’t the case.
“I’ve never had a friend, not like that. Eilish offered to do something, just the two of us, and I accepted.”
Vaughn smiled. “And?”
“I had fun,” Eurwen replied with a grin. “I swam in the most beautiful water in Thailand, and we talked for hours.”
“Eilish is great. All the mates at Dreagan are. You should get to know each of them individually.”
Her eyes widened with interest. “You think that would be all right?”
“Aye,” he said, seeing for the first time how starved she was for interaction.
As if sensing his thoughts, she said, “I have dragon friends.”
“That isna the same as having human or Fae friends. Dragons who can no’ shift doona understand the difference. They know their world, and there isna anything wrong with that. The humans and Fae know their world and have no clue about being a dragon.”
“How have all of you done it? You’ve lived in two worlds, just as Brandr and I have.”
Vaughn called his clothes to him and took her hand to lead her to a tree with a massive, gnarled trunk and limbs spread wide. Once they were seated against the tree, he turned his head to her. “We must repress our true selves. We hide on Earth. But you already knew that.”
“Erith spoke of the sacrifices made to keep your identities secret. I’m sad to admit I didn’t realize the extent of it until I visited Dreagan. At least I can be whoever I want to be here.”
“You’re fortunate.”
Her brows drew together. “All of you have survived untold millennia, pretending to be human. You’ve saved Earth numerous times. You’ve kept the mortals safe from the Dark Fae and the Others. You’re heroes.”
“We’re merely protecting our home,” he explained. “As for the humans, that goes back to the vow we made when they arrived. If we didna kill them so our dragons could remain, we certainly wouldna allow someone else to wipe them out.”
“It would’ve solved one of your problems. At least, you could’ve been a dragon again.”
He smiled as he blew out a breath. “Aye, it would have. The thing is, we’re always dragons, first and foremost. We remain in human form out of necessity. It’s why so many take to their mountains when things get to be too much. They return to their true forms and shut out everything.”
“Erith tried to tell me and Brandr how much everyone at Dreagan suffered.”
“You didna believe?”
Eurwen slowly shook her head. “I knew she and Con were friends. She spoke highly of him and Rhi. Brandr and I thought her involvement with them colored her views. When we argued with her, she kept telling us that we’d see our parents for who they really were someday.”
“Have you?”
“I’m beginning to,” Eurwen admitted. “I’m ashamed that it has taken me this long.”
Vaughn twined his fingers with hers. “Look at the path Con and Rhi walked together and then separate before they found each other again. All of us knew they belonged together. They wanted to be together, but the universe has a way of doing things that none of us can even begin to understand.”
“All these years, I’ve only known half the story. Going to Dreagan was fitting the final piece of the puzzle.”
“There’s one more place you should go.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Where?”
