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Chapter Three
“Yeah, I hear ya’, but…”
"But you'd rather sit over there in that hot ass desert feeling sorry for yourself than come to my beautiful resort with redwoods all around and the Pacific Coast just a hop, skip, and a jump away? If so, then you're even more of a sourpuss than I ever realized." Laughing at herself, his old friend hurried on, "You can even bring that motorcycle of yours through the portal and haul ass up and down the Pacific Coast Highway to your heart's content."
"What are you really up to, Jianna?" Ranger asked, trying but failing to keep the growl out of his voice. She'd been known to play Matchmaker more than once in the hundreds of years he'd known her. It wouldn't surprise him to find out she had some unexpecting woman all set to be his date, and that shit wasn't happening. No matter what Jianna said.
“I’mtryingto help an old friend get his ass back in gear after one hell of a battle," the Valkyrie answered with a growl of her own. "I can come over there, throw you over my shoulder, and cart your grumpy behind back with me, but I'd hate to embarrass you in front of your family."
“No, you wouldn’t,” he laughed out loud. “You would eat that shit up.”
"You're right!" The older than dirt by her own admission Valkyrie laughed out loud before instantly getting quiet and solemnly going on. "Seriously, though, you're damned lucky to be alive, and you need to make sure you're a hundred percent before going back for round two with those sons of bitches."
There was a pregnant pause that made the hair on the back of Ranger's neck stand on end. Jianna did not pause. Nor did she hesitate. Hell, she was the poster girl for 'Leap first. Look later'. Her favorite saying when they were in the trenches together fighting the Giants on the Isle of Skye centuries ago was – "What should I wait for? I'm a fucking Valkyrie. Hear me roar."
"Sorry for the interruption," she finally came back. "Had to convince a guest to keep her reservation. These people just don't know what's good for them."
“And that’s what you’re there for,” Ranger snickered.
“You know it,” Jianna emphatically confirmed. "And like I was saying, you almost died Asshole, and you Dragons are a hard lot to kill, am I right?" Not waiting for his answer, she added, "So, you need to be sure you're in fighting form before round two. And you need to get some clean, west coast air in those lungs."
Right didn't begin to describe the truth in Jianna's words. Ranger was damned lucky to be alive, and there would most definitely be a round two. The Chimera wouldnotget away with what they’d done to all those people. He would bring them to justice if he had to do it with his dying breath.
"No, the hell you will not," Jianna shouted through the phone. "That's just fucking crazy talk, and I do not want to hear it ever again."
"Then, stay the hell outta my head."
"And watch your tone, there, Kiddo," she half chuckled, the irritation still very evident in her voice. "You know I can kick your ass without breaking a sweat. And I will listen when I need to listen and where you're concerned, that's all the damned time. Now, are you coming, or do I need to jump on over there and…"
"No, hell no, you are not coming here and dragging me by the ear. I've got a little dignity left," Ranger pretended to be irritated when he was actually very touched that he had friends and family who gave a shit about his wellbeing. "Let me get packed up and properly thank Momma Barbara, Owen, and my brothers. I'll holler back atcha to open the portal after dinner, deal?"
“Alright, I’ll be waitin’.”
“I know you will.”
Jianna laughed out loud, making Ranger chuckle before he signed off with, "Talk to ya' in just a bit."
Waiting until the Valkyrie disconnected the call, Ranger laid his phone on the bedside table, staring at the picture that was his screensaver. The woman on the phone was beautiful – inside and out – just the best person he'd ever met. He wanted to be with her more than he wanted to draw his next breath. She was his Mate. The one woman in all the world made for him by the Universe.
Without her, he wasn't whole. His soul ached, and his heart yearned. Even the doctors had said he would already be healed if he would just call his Mate to him.
But he couldn’t.
“Oh, Ellie,” he sighed, shaking his head at his own hardheadedness. “I need to find a way to apologize for driving away. How do I say I'm sorry for not calling for over a year? What will you do when I walk back into your life like a little lost pup?" Sighing so loud it sounded more like a groan, Ranger fell back onto the bed, running his fingers through his dark brown curls out of sheer frustration.
How could he ever make Ellie MacLeish understand that everything he’d done from the moment they met had been for her? What were the words? Should he just say,"Hey, Ellie. Long time no see. Well, yeah, I was meaning to call, but I got a lead on the Chimera, tracked them down, went in without backup, and damned near got myself killed."
“Way to sound like the man she needs, Ranger, you big dope,” he growled under his breath. “You’re a real catch, there, my boy.”
Unconsciously running his fingers over the long, jagged scar decorating his ribs, Ranger remembered precisely how it felt to be impaled with a sterling silver sword. His skin burned with the memory. His blood seemed to boil. It was hard to breathe. He was… He was…
Up on his feet, Ranger damned near ran across the room to get to the window. The talons of his Dragon pushing through the tips of his fingers, the sharp points dug into the wooden frame as he threw it open and gulped the hot, desert air. Sweat poured down his back, his hands shook, and his vision blurred.
His Dragon, Carradoc, wanted out. He wanted to fight the invisible menace, the dark figure in their memories. Smoke pouring out of his nostrils, the Dragon King snarled,"All you've got to do is let me take control. I'll end them all."So enraged that his Scottish brogue was thick in Ranger's mind, it took the Guardsman more than a few seconds to understand.
“Fuck!” He panted, still trying to stop the panic attack that was doing its best to take him under.“Can you stop this shit?”He mentally growled to his Dragon.
“You know I cannot. This is your battle and your battle alone.”
