Free Warrior Lover (Draconia Tales) by Karilyn Bentley Page A

shooting arrows from piercing further. Oh no, please Goddess no. Don’t let it be about Keara.
    Her vision grayed and despite her plea she saw Keara surrounded by Lord Simon and his soldiers. They bound her friend’s hands and feet, threw her over a soldier’s shoulder and slapped her face. The lot of them walked through a door in the wall of the town, carrying Keara into the inky blackness. Lily screamed but the door slammed in her face, sealing off entrance.
    The pain stopped shooting through her skull, her vision returning in increments. Lily curled into a ball on the grass, hands clutching her head.
    Stupid visions. Why couldn’t she have seen this before Keara walked out of the wards? Her visions were fickle things, coming as they wanted, leaving her either puzzled at the scenes, or frustrated as she saw, but could not help.
    What good were visions if she couldn’t act on them? Or if no one believed her when she told them about the scenes? Lily smacked the grass with her palm.
    How could she help her friend when she remained stuck behind invisible walls?
    Lily shook. Lord Simon had Keara in his clutches and the only ones who could get her out were off chasing a small boy around the woods. Lily jumped up and ran full force into the barrier, beating her hands against it, hoping it would break. Her hands turned red, stinging, her voice grew hoarse and still no one heard her screams.
    She sank against the invisible wall, tears rimming her eyes. Her friend was lost, as good as dead.
    And she could do nothing about it.
    ****
    Enar grasped Jamie’s shoulder, holding the little imp in place as they walked back to their campsite.
    “You know, you don’t have to hold me. I won’t run off.”
    “What? So we chased you around because we needed running practice?”
    “Come on. Please?”
    Enar glared at the Halfling and tightened his grip.
    “Fine.” Jamie huffed.
    Trouble came in small packages. Packages shaped like a boy. Surely he and Thoren hadn’t been this much trouble as boys. A vivid memory of Thoren’s mother yelling at them came to mind. Enar scrunched his eyebrows. No, they hadn’t been this much trouble. Unlike Jamie, they had never wandered off through wards, gotten captured, and needed to be rescued.
    Not once. No one ever needed to rescue them.
    And to top things off, Keara had chased after Jamie and gotten herself captured. What a mess.
    Enar’s gaze locked on Thoren’s back, Keara’s red locks hanging over his arm as he carried her. It wasn’t until they found Jamie with Lord Simon’s henchmen that they realized Keara had been captured by the lord too.
    “How is she doing?”
    Thoren continued forward, speaking over his shoulder to Enar. “Same. She still hasn’t moved.”
    Enar grunted. He’d love to kill Simon for hurting Keara. She had been drugged with some potion rendering her incapable of voluntary movement, susceptible to commands by the one who gave her the drug. Her free will vanished while under the power of the potion.
    Good thing they found her. Maybe now Thoren realized she was his mate. Or not. His best friend had a habit of being hardheaded.
    Branches brushed against his arm as they walked through the woods, leaving the town. Again. At least his woman remained safe behind Thoren’s wards. Where they left her. Hopefully. Enar swallowed and rubbed the achy spot on his chest. What if Lily wasn’t at the campsite? If anything happened to his woman, he’d kill the cause of it. She belonged to him. With any luck she’d enjoy being his claim.
    At least until he returned her to his people. Then she’d loathe him. And not taking her back wasn’t an option. Right?
    A sound like distant thunder interrupted Enar’s thoughts.
    “Dragon wings!” Jamie turned and Enar almost lost his grip on the boy’s shoulder. Almost.
    Enar peered at the sky, but saw a bramble of tree limbs instead. Not that he could see the dragon. The male flew in full camouflage mode, invisible against the