6. Curses Schmurses

His Fate lived among the stars. Maybe she was a star.

Kissing her made him feel like the whole Milky Way was bursting out of his chest. Which was silly. Probably anyone whod ever kissed a Fate felt that way. For a moment, he was sure that only the two of them existed together in the vast universe.

Until Not-Kurjara showed up. Grr.

Percy had thought he was going to turn into a Dragon Warrior himself when that dang Black Dragon had implied that she was his mate. Something deep inside of Percy stirred and rumbled around like a caged beast. Thinking that anyone else could ever touched his Fate, would ever see her plush, curvy body, and had ever kissed her delicious lips that tasted even better than popcorn and Mamp;Ms combined had him feeling downright... prickly.

She was his Fate.

His.

Percy shook his head trying to clear these strange thoughts. She couldnt belong to him. He couldnt belong to her. That wasnt his destiny. She wasnt his to claim.

He rubbed at his chest and found it a little too hard to breathe. Thinking about helping her find a way back to the stars while he stayed here on Earth was worse than black licorice. Worse than black jellybeans. Worse than a Black Dragon Warrior taking Kadys love away.

Now, now. That wasnt fair. Neo hadnt taken anything that Kady hadnt given him, and she didnt love Percy any less for loving her mate. He certainly didnt love her any less. If he examined his feelings a bit, he even understood now how there might be different kind of loves.

Which made the idea of his Fate leaving him really suck donkey balls. Fine. If the Dragon could help, hed better let him help.

You really think you can fly her to the stars, Not-Kur?—?

The other man held up a hand stopping Percy mid-question. Just Knot is fine. I have forsaken that other name.

Not? That was the name hed chosen? Okay, then. Sure, fine. So, do you think you can actually fly her all the way to the stars? How does it work with no air for you to flap your wings against?

If Not-Kurjara couldnt do it, theyd head back to Rogue and present the problem to Kady and her sisters. They were all smart and powerful.

Not...still a weird name, shook his head. To the stars, no.

Shizz. Hed known that was a long shot. He frowned trying to think of some other way to get her back to the stars. Even the humans spaceships didnt actually go that far. Not like in the movies.

Percy. Face no. His Fate touched the edges of his mouth that were turned down and looked worried.

He took her fingers in his hand and kissed the tips of each of them. Its okay. I was just thinking about how to get you home.

Home. Fate go home. Okay. Her face was so hopeful.

He wanted to tell her everything was going to be just fine. She would go home and he would go with her.Not for real. He could act like a cowboy and convince just about anyone he knew what he was about, but he was no Luke Skywalker.

What you need is a portal and some magic. Not-Kurjara...Percy couldnt bring himself to call him Not in his head...suggested something dangerous.

First of all, the shadow portals the Black Dragons could create using their own magic was a ticket straight to the underworld, aka - Hell. And these days it was filled with Soul Stealing Demons who would be giddy at the chance to get access to a bright shiny soul like his Fates.

Shadow portals are a no go, my man. Percy crossed his arms and drummed his fingers along his bicep. Too dangerous.

There are lots of different kinds of portals, my man. As if the familiarity tasted strange coming out of his mouth, Not-Kurjara, smacked his tongue behind his teeth and made an ick face. All magic can create portals, the Black Demon Dragons are just the only ones to be smart enough to figure that out.

Well, that was news the other Dragon Wyverns would probably like to know. But how in the world was he supposed to open a portal to the stars? He didnt even know how to use his own magic.

But his Fate did.

When shed touched the tree and opened it, hed felt the glow in his chest that meant a witch was drawing on his energy to boost their magic.

Could it be that Fates needed familiars too? Did his Fate need him? Maybe she could open a portal to home for herself, with his help.

Can you teach me, or us, to open a portal using her magic? I dont exactly know what element it is, maybe starlight, if thats even a thing. Im just guessing.

Not-Kurjara tipped his head to the side and studied Percy. You have a connection to your fated mate, dont you?

We have, I mean, theres something between us. He took his Fates hand and kept it held tight. I felt her draw on my familiar powers when we entered the Dragon tree.

The idea of leaving Kady and becoming someone elses familiar tore at his heartstrings. He wasnt sure he could do it, even if it meant being able to change his own destiny.

Percy stared down at his Fate. She might be his damsel in distress, and she might be stranded on Earth and need help to get home, but she was a powerful being. It didnt seem likely she needed anyone or anything when she was in her element, whatever that was.

Somehow in the last few hours, shed become more than just his Fate.

Right. I believe there is enough magic between the two of you to open a portal. Yes. The way he said that almost sounded like a dare.

The two of them. Together theyd open a portal and hed take her home. And then?

He would go with her, and stay with her, forever. Warmth blossomed across his chest and the sensation was even better than getting his belly rubbed. That must mean it was the right decision.

Holy cow, was he really going to do this? Take her home to the stars and stay with her? It was too crazy to even think about, yet he was.

Okay, darlin. Lets do it. It will be an adventure to get you home.

Her face lit up and she made a bunch of incoherent sounds. She didnt make any sense, but her squeaks and giggles were as excited as he felt and his insides went all wiggly. But first he had to say goodbye to the best friend hed ever had.

Percy looked over to where Herbie had been parked by the tree, and of course, she was MIA. What the hay? Fine.Not-Ku, uh Not, think you could give us a lift back to Rogue? If Im gonna be portaling around the universe, I need to...

It was too hard to think about saying goodbye.

I can. Not-Kurjara shifted back into the Dragon and lowered his head so they could get on.

How in the heck was Percy going to express to his Fate that they needed to get on the enormous beast and go for a ride?

He quickly grabbed his tablet, found the clip he was looking for and showed her a scene from Game of Thrones whereDaenerys Targaryen flew on the back of the dragon.

She watched intently and waved her hands back and forth making the scene reverse and fast forward a few times. Then she looked at him with wide eyes, glancing over at Not-Kurjara and back to him again. I fly dragon?

Whoa. She was picking up language fast now. They could work on that some more later.Her eyes twinkled at him and her lips parted. She looked so darn kissable, but he would restrain himself. For now. I can help you. This is the way we get you home.

Home?

First, they had to make a little stop to say goodbye, and he wasnt sure how to explain that. No scenes from any movie he could think of really described how the felt or what would happen. He didnt want her thinking he was saying goodbye to her. He hoped shed understand when they landed in Rogue and not among the stars.

Home. He sure hoped her home had an environment he could survive in. He didnt need much, just oxygen, water, some plants, and if he was lucky, hedgehog snacks. If he was really, really lucky, Cheetos.

She stared at the Not-Kurjara for a long time and then sighed. She shook her head and looked very forlorn. “Dragon. No fly home.”

It didnt seem as though she meant that they couldnt get home via a flying dragon, more that, she was scared to fly. Percy might be too if hed just crash landed to Earth.

“I don’t buy that for a second, darlin’. You can do anything you set your mind too.” Percy took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “Well do it together, and I promise to hold your hand the whole time.”

With only a little coercing, and a few tugs on her hand, he finally got her to climb up on the scales on Not-Kurjaras neck and find a place to sit. Percy scrambled up beside her, but the Dragon gave a bit of a wiggle of his wings, which jostled them both until Percy was behind his Fate, and she was between his legs.

He wrapped his arms around her and softly pressed a kiss to her neck. This must be why all the cowboys in the movies always had their lady loves sit in front of them on their horses. he got it now. Having her right where she was felt damn near perfect.

Percy held her tight to his chest. “It’s now or never, little lady. Hang on to your hat.”

Not-Kurjara lifted into the air, and her body tighten up, she might even have squeezed her eyes shut. He should have figured shed be afraid of flying. But there was nothing like gliding through the night air like this.

The Dragon took them low over the forest near Rogue. One second they were hovering over the trees and the small town below, and the next they were seeing stars. Literally. He took a sharp turn upwards, ascending faster and faster.

Not, Not, what are you doing?

The Dragons voice came back into his mind, which was strange and surprising. Were about to be attacked.

What? Why? Was it Soul Stealers? He didnt see anything or hear their tell-tale screeches. But another voice rang through his head.

“Who are you, witch, and why are you in our territory?” The voice was low and growly and Percy recognized it instantly.

Neo, Kadys mate, along with two more Black Dragons dived down out of the clouds straight for them. But why were they attacking Not-Kurjara? Oh, wait, they had called out to his Fate. They thought she was a witch, and the Black Dragon Brotherhood were a bit wary of witches they didnt know.

He waved at Neo, and concentrated so he could send a message back via the mindspeak that alpha Dragons could use. Hi Neo. Its me, Percy. And this is my friend. Were just on our way back to Rogue to come see you and Kady.

Identify yourselves before I have to come over there and eat your face off.

Well, nerfherders. That didnt seem to work. This was bad. He couldn’t allow the Dragons to eat him or his Fate. Why wasnt Not-Kurjara saying something.

Another voice sounded from behind the dragons. “Sweetheart, I don’t think threatening to eat whoever that is will encourage them to tell you who they are.”

Oh, phew. It was Kady.

But if theyre the ones who kidnapped my Percy, I give you ever permission to roast them and eat them with barbecue sauce.

For about the eleventy-hundreth time today, Percy said, What?

He waved again and got a shot of dragon fire for his efforts. Holy John Wayne, what the heck was going on?

Its your curse, Percy. I suspect the bit of it your mate has broken open is changing something deep within you. They will not recognize you, and as long as youre on my back, me either.

Eleventy-hundred and one times. What? My curse?

Ive been trying to tell you, but were out of time. If a Dragon could roll his eyes telepathically, Not-Kurjara just did. You must use your powers to open a portal. Right now.

This was ridiculous. I dont know how. I barely even have any magic.

You do, you just have to remember. They took a steep nosedive and his Fate squealed and twisted to bury her head in his chest. Let her be your strength and your guide.

Another shot of dragon fire came barreling toward them, and then another and another. These shots were not a warning and they only avoided being shot down by the swift maneuvering of Not-Kurjara through the sky.

What am I supposed to remember? We should just land and let Kady and Neo see that its me. This wasnt supposed to happen. Kady was his witch, his friend, his rock. It didnt seem possible that she wouldnt recognize him.

They cannot. Ask your fated mate for help, my friend. I will not leave your side to save myself. So, do it now or well all be killed. As if to sharpen his point, More Black Dragons joined the others in the sky and they were now surrounded on all sides.

Crap, crap, crappity crap crap.

He blinked back a very un-cowboy-like tear. Tell Kady goodbye for me.

Percy closed his eyes and drew upon the energy within him. It was sometimes harder to find when he was in his human form, but he wasnt going to freak his Fate out by shifting into his hedgehog form when he hadnt yet explained to her that was his true self. The power of the familiar bubbled up slowly inside of him and he carefully pushed it out toward his Fate.

When he opened his eyes, swirls of sparkling magic floated in the air around them. With Kady, his magic was golden, but with his Fate, it was different, new. His magic was a brilliant shade of purple, glowing in the night like fireflies high on lavender.

At first his Fates eyes went wide and he worried for a moment he hadnt done the right thing. But she sucked in a breath and closed her eyes like he had and in a second, another sparkling magic, this one with a brilliant silver like pure stardust shined so brightly the whole sky lit up.

His Fate opened her eyes and they watched the silver and purple swirling in the air around them. Percy. Magic. Beautiful.

Youre the one that is beautiful. He wished they could go back in time and hide in their little tree together. Spending hours kissing her wouldnt get them out of trouble or her back home. Instead he continued to channel his energy so it boosted her magic and pushed his mouth against her ear. Help me, Fate. Help me save us both.

He knew she couldnt really understand his words, or probably even his intention, but with a burst of purple, the world around them snapped and the air around them changed.

A big snow-capped mountain with one enormous tree filled up their view and they were headed right for it at high speed. Percy closed his eyes, bracing for the impact. At least he’d die with his Fate’s hand on his heart. Hopefully her magic would save her from the crash and she could start a whole new life in the Himalayas. Or wait, theyd have to cross and ocean and a couple of continents to get to Mt. Everest.

So where in the world had Not-Kurjara taken them? Wait, where the heck was Not-Kurjara. Not freaking here.

They crashed into the side of the mountain hard. While he hit the dirt, his Fate flew over his head and he reached out, snagging her from the air and to his chest. Her momentum dragged them both until they were crashing a second time. He hoped his body had provided a softer landing than hed had.

Everything went black, and he might have died.

But Percy didn’t feel dead. His heart was still beating and he could feel the heat of his Fate’s body on him. She was even breathing. Fast and hard, but then, so was he.

“Percy, no fly,” she scolded him.

Yeah... no. Hedgehogs were not meant to fly. He peeled one eyelid open and saw that they were stuck in a snowbank next to that great big tree. He was so stunned they were alive that he jumped up, swooping her into his arms and whooped. “You saved us, Fate. That. Was. Awesome.”

He spun her around in circles and kissed the breath out of them both. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands into his hair returning the kisses. She tasted like life and love and he couldn’t get enough of her.

His back slammed against the side of the tree and he turned, trying to find a place to support their bodies so they could wrap themselves up in each other. The bark in the tree shimmered and opened up and they fell inside together.

The inside was exactly the same as the Dragon Tree. There was even a bed.

A bed. He needed to take her to the bed and lay her in it. He wanted to touch and taste and explore every part of her and he wanted her to do the same to him. Even with his mouth on hers, her legs wrapped around him, her arms holding him tight to her, it wasn’t enough. He needed more of her, wanted to prove to the whole darn-tooting universe that they were alive.

He crashed into several more surfaces finding his way back to the partition where they bed was. It would help to find his way if he wasn’t tongue dancing with his Fate, but there was no way he was going to stop now. He’d just have to use his instincts to find his way to their little love nest.

Finally his legs bumped up against the softness of the mattress and blankets of leaves. He laid her down on the bed and crawled up and over her body. “Fate, I don’t exactly know what I’m doing here. I just know that I want to be close to you. I promise to try to make it all feel good, but if there is anything you don’t like, you say the word.”

“Okay.” She was panting and reaching for his shoulders to pull him down to her.

She had no idea what he’d said to her though. Sure her language skills are growing by the second, but he couldn’t do anything without making sure she knew exactly what he wanted, what they were going to do together.

He hadn’t lied when he said he didn’t know much about sex. His own experience was not much more than R-rated movies and instinct. Well, that and the times he’d been an accidental voyeur on Kady and Neo. Luckily, he’d been able to scurry away before they got too hot and heavy when they hadn’t noticed his little hedgehog self curled up in the pillows.

He’d knew enough that a gentleman made sure his lady was one-hundred percent willing and wanting.

“Fate,” he whispered. “It’s... okay to tell me no.”

She looked at him slightly confused so he was going to have to show her the best he could. He brushed his lips across hers. “Okay.”

“Okay, Percy,” she whispers back, her lips moving against his with her agreement.

He moved down and before he pressed a kiss against her pulse point, he asked, “okay?”

“Percy.” Her voice was low and breathy. “Okay.”

He ran his tongue over her skin and nibbled his way to the first button of the shirt. His shirt on her looked amazing and he never wanted her to wear anything else. Except right now, he wanted her not to be wearing anything. His fingers unhooked the top button while staring into her dark sparkling eyes. “Okay?”

“Okay, okay, okay.”