ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 3: THE DRAGON'S KEEPER
Chapter 15.5

Lord Mage....

Tyran made his way up to his quarters where he was sure after sating her curiosity about Drake’s human mate, Noelle was resting. The pregnancy was already taking its toll on her. There was nothing she was able to keep down other than toffee ice-cream and meat that had been seasoned with a lot of lemon. Tyran opened the door and found her resting back on the bed with a tub of ice-cream in one hand while the other hand lovingly stroked the little girth almost still invisible under her royal gowns. Esmira was sitting near her queen chatting continuously about the human female who was proving a little more popular than he expected. When the two females noticed his presence, Esmira jumped to her feet before she inclined her head to him.

“My king.” she said softly.

“It’s alright, Esmira. I will take it from here.” Tyran assured her as his eyes churned just by staring at his mate.

“Yes, my king.” Esmira bobbed again and quickly left the chambers.

Noelle looked up at him and smiled and the love he felt for that female swelled in his chest and threatened to spill over. She had a new glow about her because of her pregnancy. He expected his sex drive to reduce a bit now that his mate was with child but his shaft kicked hard in his pants and his body tingled for her. “Are you alright?”

Noelle sighed and nodded. “I will be. I tire too quickly these days because of the pregnancy. I am not very good company. I miss the days when I had no care in the world.” her voice echoed with a yearning that had Tyran smile as he sat down beside her.

“I love it that I can always know where you are now.” He teased the locks out from her face.

Noelle was never always like that. She was most impulsive, always setting his teeth on the edge. She had him running around after her like a mad man and whenever she managed to slip from his watch, he was never at ease. After the pregnancy a sense of responsibility took over her. Tyran guessed that she must have realised that it was no longer about her but about the baby that was growing inside of her.

“I bet you do.” She looked up at him as she slurped some ice cream in her mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me Drake found his mate?”

Tyran scratched the back on her head. It completely slipped out of his head. He had too many things going on at the moment that he found himself not having time to think about anything else. And now with everything that Drake told him, it meant sleepless nights until they found the culprit responsible for the rogue dragons. “I thought I did?”

“You didn’t.” Noelle frowned at him. “The poor thing is homesick. Lyrah and I tried to talk to her, make her realise that she can’t co-exist in both worlds and she just broke down.”

“She has been here for several weeks. Time does not wait for anyone. The faster she learns that, the best for everyone.”

“Then you should talk to Drake about it. I know that if he continues seeing Maya unhappy, he would want to take her back.” Noelle suggested.

“That Dragon is just too soft.” Tyran growled in displeasure but all the while, his hand had found its way to Noelle’s stomach.

He still couldn’t believe there was life growing in there, a life both he and her created. Was it a girl with a fiery temper, a stubborn streak and an overly big heart like her mother or was it a boy with his traits? Was their baby going to have coppery locks or dark slick hair? And what about the eyes? What sort of eyes was their baby going to have? Such questions sometimes kept Tyran awake at night, that along with the fact that once it was known to the public that the Mage Queen was pregnant both her and their unborn baby were in danger.

The bloodshed of a royal child on Blue Moon Night. How could someone even consider harming an innocent baby? Thinking along that line of thoughts made his body charge up with energy pulsing out of him.

Noelle giggled. “That tickles!”

“Forgive me.” Tyran looked away. He had not told his queen about the possibility of her life being in danger so she went on with her everyday routine like nothing was a amiss but little did she know of the fear gnawing inside Tyran.

When he saw the the amber pendant Drake brought with him, everything in Tyran’s body went cold with fear. Suddenly he was back in the caves where the rogues were keeping his queen and her father. The sight of her in a wedding dress with her arms and legs bond together brought cold dread inside him. The rogues’ blades were created from that particular gemstone. Bile churned in his stomach. He still had the nightmares of losing her again and sometimes he woke up sweating and panting searching for her in the dark.

“Tyran, what is wrong?” Noelle’s voice brought him back to reality.

Tyran turned to her and said. “Nothing you should occupy your mind with.”

“How is Drake doing back in the Northern Sector? Is that what is worrying you?” She asked him.

“I believe in Drake’s abilities to keep everything under control in the Northern Sector. That is why I located him there. I think he is the only male who can handle Orisidia.” he flashed his teeth remembering how frustrating the female was.

“Then why to do have the look of a very distrusting male?” She touched his cheek lightly.

Tyran grabbed her hand and pressed his face into it. “Noelle...pixie....when the time comes, I want you to follow exactly what I tell you...no questions asked. This is a dangerous world but you need to survive it...you and our baby.”

“Tyran, you are frightening me. What is this about?” Noelle asked.

Tyran sighed and pulled Noelle in his arms, placing a kiss on her hair. “I just don’t want to lose you, Noe. I love you too damn much to lose you.”

Noelle grabbed onto him. “I am not going anywhere. We are not going anywhere, Tyran. We will stand with you to the very end.”

“I love you.” Tyran whispered hoarsely.

“I love you so much, Tyran.” Noelle smiled up at him and placed a kiss on his lips.

That was what it took to break his control completely. A growl reverberated from deep inside him as he crushed his lips hard on hers.

Noelle always responded to his kisses and it left him staggering for a stance. When they said that the love and pull between them became more tolerable with time, it was not true. Tyran felt as if the love only swelled into greater amounts with time. Though now he could stay away from her a little longer than before, the moment he laid his eyes on her, every part of his body raged in wanting and needing her. It was the sweetest torture but Tyran didn’t mind suffering if it meant being with her.

He teased the buttons at the back of her dress open and pulled it down from her shoulders. Her skin was warm against his touch. She was flawless. Tyran ran his hand from the column of her elegantly long neck down between the valley of her breasts, loving the way her rose nipples tightened down to the rounding stomach. Her baby bump grew everyday and Tyran could already connect with the light of their child just the way Lyrah could sense the life. Two or more months and he knew he would be able to tell if it were a boy or girl.

Tyran leaned forward and kissed her softly. Tyran was ready to lay his life down just so his mate and child could live. They were his breath, his heart and his soul and he couldn’t live without them.

Noelle caressed the locks on his head and smiled lovingly at him. “You worry too much. The baby and I are doing quite well.”

Tyran kissed Noelle long and hard. She was right, he should not dread for things to come, only enjoy and cherish every moment he spent with her. A soft moan escaped her lips as Tyran took charge of her body. That was one place he never went wrong with her. He knew how to give his queen pleasure.

Evening had fallen when Tyran finally urged himself to let his queen rest while he went to see what everyone else was up to. Esmira returned to her queen’s side with a tray of food the moment she saw him exit the quarters. Tyran was grateful for her but he had her background checked thoroughly because he once entrusted his sister’s life to a spy. The girl wouldn’t leave Lyrah’s side and Tyran was very sure she stayed close to see if Lyrah had known her attackers. Luckily Lyrah didn’t but Storm did and he almost paid with his life when she tried to kill him. If it weren’t for Jax, Storm would have died.

Tyran followed the subtle muffling of voices coming from one of the informal lounges and arrived to replace his sister perched on Rhol’s lap and it looked like she was telling him something very important because the male was was immensely concentrated on her. Drake was standing leaning on the side bar with Zach with a glass in his hand and his eyes building up a storm while his mate was sitting beside Eva, one of the last Nosferatus in the Enchanted World, her eyes wide with wonder but Tyran didn’t miss the side glance filled with worry to Drake. The two must have argued. He mused. He was glad the Dragon got to eat up his own words because he always had the craziest advice for him in the past when he had argued with his queen. Tyran entertained a smirk as he entered eyeing the Jinn-Mage who was studying the amber pendant with close scrutiny.

“So, what do you make of it?” Tyran asked him catching everyone’s attention.

Everyone jumped to their feet and bowed or bobbed to him except for Rhol and Lyrah who were too busy with each other to see anyone else and the human female who was blinking blankly at him. When she realised she had to get up, her cheeks turned red as she got up and did a clumsy bob mouthing sorry to him.

The wonder of the world, Tyran thought as he chuckled quietly.

“It’s a gemstone, very rare but it’s one of the toughest I know.” Dante weighed the pendant in his hands. “It’s its properties that are the wonder though.” He hummed to himself.

“What do you mean?” Tyran settled down in front of the male.

“With a little enchantment this is one of the deadliest gemstone because it enhances the wielder’s abilties a tenth fold!” Dante explained.

Tyran’s eyebrows arched up.

“I mean the owner of this pendant might have not been a very powerful Mage but with this around his neck, he could easily win against you, Lord Mage.”

Tyran wasn’t ready for the growl that escaped his throat. No one could out-match him even with that fucking amulet! “Barely...” He hissed.

Dante shrugged his shoulders lightly, “fine, barely win against you.”

“Can it make a female Dragon take a full Dragon form without her being of royal blood?” Drake’s quiet voice came through.

Dante nodded. “Given the right spell, yes, it can.”

“But how did the rogues get hold of it?” Rhol asked

“The last time I checked, it was mined in the Northern Sector--”

“Pardon my intrusion but did you ask for me?” a tall and lanky male suddenly entered.

“And who are you?” Tyran turned to him with annoyance.

“I am--oh heavens, it that Iyrosium?” He moved with amazing speed and snatched the pendant from Dante then turned it around his hands before holding it up in the light. “How in the High Priestess’ name did you get such good quality Iyr? And it is so clear....” he breathed in hard. “This is--this is big!”

“I take it you are the Mage of Earth.” Tyran guessed.

The lanky male nodded, still entranced by the gemstone. “Yes, my king.”

“And you have good knowledge of that gemstone?” Tyran asked.

“Of course!” He looked slightly offended that his knowledge of such a rarely stone was underestimated. “I know all there is to know about every gemstone and every rock on this earth.I am drawn to them. That is what it means to be a Mage of Earth.”

Tyran narrowed his eyes towards the erratic and almost insane character in front of him. “What’s your name?”

His eyes widened as he looked around and realized that he wasn’t the only one in the room. His face paled down. “Trey, my king.” He inclined his head at him.

Tyran eyed the boy closely. “Late bloomer?” that earned a grin from Rhol.

Trey swallowed hard and shook his head. “This is about as good as it gets.”

Tyran settled back and studied the male. It was sad that the male didn’t even have a lump of muscle to go for him but that wasn’t why he was there. “Do you know how the rogues might have come to possess this....”

“Iyrosium, Iyr for short.” He prompted excitedly turning back to the gemstone. “I might have a clue.”

“Enlighten us.” Rhol said catching the jumpy male’s attention.

Trey passed a hand over his wet brow as he swallowed hard once more and continued to explain himself. “This stone is found in only one area in the Northern Sector, in the mines under the mountain of Iyrse hence the name. It is created when three very powerful gemstones melt together and their properties are entertwined namely rubiose, malleymen and furisium. Now this does not happen overnight, it happens over a period of thousands of years. A cloudy Iyr is of poor quality but this--this is very good quality.

“A large reserve of Iyr emits an energy that enhances one’s abilities and emotions just by being around it. However with a spell, one could focus the gemstone to enhance one attribute. My greatest guess is that the rogues could have unknowingly settled in a cave that had these emissions.” He looked rather smug with his explanation.

“But how would they have known about this gemstone?” Tyran asked.

“They must have someone in their ranks that knows of it, Mage of Earth like me or someone who is familiar and works close with the mines.”

“Drake,” Tyran turned to the male who was staring blankly across the room. “Do you know of anyone who knows of the mines?”

“No, but I can get a list of possible people from the Nobles.” Drake answered.

Tyran nodded.

“One more thing, my king.” Trey stuttered.

Tyran arched his eyebrow at him. “Yes?”

“It is very addictive--as in drug addiction sorta thing. The user of this gemstone begins to physically deteriorate. They start craving for the power at all times.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Tyran got up. “I need to know who has access to this gemstone. I need to know which mines in the Northern Sectors mine it and how many people are exposed to it. I need answers!” He turned to Drake and Zach. “Drake, as soon as you are done here, head back up there and get these motherfuckers.”

“I still have to go to the Realm of Fire and get some answers about several things. Also, Serensa assured me that the rogues have people from high classes, I need to see if this is true.”

“But the moment you are done there, head back to the Northern Sector and grind those Nobles’ asses if you have to! But I need answers.”

“Done.” Drake answered.

“Good. Trey, keep that thing somewhere where it will not affect anyone. Now I am hungry--anyone else joining me for dinner?”

Rhol helped Lyrah up and stood beside her. Zach pushed himself from the wall and joined the convoy. As Drake was about to follow Tyran, he narrowed his eyes at him.

“No, not you. You are not living this place until you clear out whatever is going on between you and your mate.”

Maya’s eyes widened and while Drake wanted to protest, Tyran was already leaving bellowing. “The rest of you replace somewhere else to crush.”

He smirked when the smart-mouthed Dragon was suddenly speechless. Served him right, Tyran thought. Every male had to go through what he was now experiencing, an argument and making up with his mate. It was like a rite of passage where, if he successfully executed it, he emerged on the other side as a full grown male.

Tyran hummed lightly to himself and walked away.