“Is he my mate?” Theo watched Winnie as she seemed to struggle with answering Jamie. “I mean, all I could smell on him was the iron, as it turns out. If you can figure that out, I’d like to be made aware of it now.”
“Much like you, I can’t focus on anything but his illness. Trust me when I tell you, it will become clearer in the days ahead. Can he stay here? His faerie will be with him. If it’s too much of a burden for you—”
“No. I want him to stay here. For no other reason than that, I owe this family my life, and I will do anything needed of me to take care of one of their own.” Winnie nodded, then asked if she had any more questions. “Just one more. No biggie, but if he is my mate, will I have to worry about iron too?”
“Yes.”
Winnie turned back to Milo. The bed he was lying on was perfect for his size. Whoever made the bedroom suite for this room had kept in mind that all of the Mannings were larger than life. Milo was the shortest at six foot ten inches.
Winnie didn’t strain or anything like that when the iron that had been in his brother’s body was pulled free. As soon as she put Milo into a deeper sleep, she told them, she disappeared, taking what appeared to be about a cup of iron in small, almost powered particles. Lily, Milo’s faerie, knocked at the window, and it was Jamie that let her in.
“Whatever you need, you tell me, and I’ll make sure you have it.” Lily told her thanks and went to her master. “I’m assuming he’s going to sleep for a little while. I’ll be around if you need me.”
Jamie just left them there. Theo looked at his brother, then at George. Neither of them seemed to understand what had just happened. Was she mad at them? Did she not want him in her house now?
Instead of standing around without answers, Theo went to find her. She was the closest thing he’d had to a sister, excluding Rachel, and he didn’t want her upset with them. He found her in the kitchen.
“I’m going to have some cookies and tea. Would you like some?” He told her that would be good. “I’m going to talk, but so you know, I don’t want you to answer. I’m just babbling right now, and if I don’t, my head is going to explode. All right?”
“Yes. However, if I can answer, do you want me to?” She shook her head as she put a kettle on the burner to make some tea. “You do need to sit down, Jamie. I can hear your heart beating very quickly, and I don’t want you stressed out. Just have a seat, and I’ll make us the tea while you babble.”
She sat down but played with the cup and saucer she’d been holding. He pulled the kettle off the burner then put his hand on it. In a shorter time than it would have taken the stove, he had hot water. Pouring them both a cup and finding her stash of scones, he sat down across from her. She stared at him for several moments before she spoke.
“I’m not going to lie to you when I tell you I’m terrified of becoming a mate to any of you.” He asked her why. “I’ve come from a long line of people with mental illness. When I went to visit Missy yesterday, the doctor told me her illness is hereditary. It’s like a missing gene, he told me. That it more than likely would make it so that if I were to have two children, one of them would be affected by it.”
“No, not anymore.” She looked at him instead of at her teacup then. There was so much hope on her face that he was really glad he could help her out with this. “You’re not able to have any illnesses. That would include anything that might well have been passed down to you. The reason I know this is because when I was younger, I asked one of my aunts if the possibility of having gene pool issues would be a problem for an animal as big as we are. As in, what if a mate was ill with something like you’re talking about, how would it affect a dragon. She told me it wouldn’t be there. That essentially, when you were given the ability to live forever, you’d be free of anything like that, along with cancer and other long-term illnesses. You’d have nothing in your DNA that would produce a child with a handicap.”
“Will you and Pem have children?” He told her they were working on figuring that out. “Because you’re a dragon, and she’s not. I would imagine that her having an egg would be difficult since she isn’t built for that.”
“My brothers and I are the first generation of dragons that were born to dragons that were turned into human shifters.” He explained to her that his father was a dragon when he’d been born and changed to shift into a human when he was just a young dragon. “So, in answer to your question, I don’t know if we’ll be able to have any. You and Milo would be able to if he’s your mate. You’re neither one dragons, so we’re betting that the possibility of you having a child would be better than with me having one with Pem.”
“Because of the dragon thing.” He laughed and told her that was it. “I don’t know if I’m his mate. I don’t know what to think about him being the one either. I’m just getting my life together and figuring out what I can do. I’m not saying that I’d turn him down. I mean, just hanging around you guys, I know there isn’t anyone better than the Manning men.”
“Thank you for that. I’ll pass that on to my parents. They’ll be happy to know they did a good job of raising us.” Theo sipped his tea. He didn’t push her into whatever else she wanted to talk about but let her work it out. Looking around the kitchen, he realized that she was doing for herself. There was no cook here. No staff that he’d come across. He wondered if she had not hired them because of her need to have things quiet or just hadn’t gotten around to it. Theo started to ask her about it when she spoke again.
“I’ve noticed that you don’t tell Pem what to do. Do you suppose that if Milo is my mate, he’ll do the same thing?” Theo told her he thought she could put him in his place if he did start that. “Yes, I suppose I would. I’m not much of a people person. I’m all right once I get to know you, but I’m not the sort of person that goes out much and parties. I prefer a good book over the television. Working in the yard instead of being in the house. Also, I enjoy just being out of doors. I’m not sure how that is going to work either.”
“It’ll work because the fates have chosen you if you are above all other women in the world to match up perfectly with your mate. Milo, for the most part, would rather stay home than to date. All of us enjoy the outdoors. I think a lot of that stems from being a creature of the earth. George and Milo are not dragons, but they are powerful beings. They get their magic the same as us, from all the elements that make magic for the world.”
The two of them spoke for several more minutes before George joined them. He opened her fridge and closed it. When he opened it the second time, he could see that it had been filled. Taking out the stuff to make subs, George told them what he knew.
“First of all, I want to let you know that your fridge is magical. I believe all of ours are, and there isn’t any reason for you to do without. Whatever you want will appear in it. Including juice, which, no matter if Milo is your mate or not, you’ll need to drink more of. Magic is draining.” He set a thick roast beef sub in front of Theo and a meatball one in front of Jamie. “Milo is resting now. No longer in the deep sleep he’d been in. Just having the iron taken from his body is making him feel a great deal better. I’ve not bothered talking to Winnie. She’ll let us know when she knows what happened.”
Again, they talked for a while. Pem joined them when they moved to the parlor. After a while, the rest of the family showed up, each of them checking on Milo to see if he was all right. Mom and Dad had been informed and said they would be there soon. He felt terrible that they’d been here so much. Maybe they’d move here soon. That would be great.
Supper was ordered when it became apparent that no one wanted to leave just yet. Jamie, for all her liking quiet time, was doing well with all of them there. He hoped that Milo was her mate. It would be epic to have them together.
~*~
Milo didn’t move around too much. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but he was achy. He’d never experienced anything like th
is before. Lily had brought him some clothing from his house, and he had thought about taking a shower. Even the thought of getting out of the bed again after going to the bathroom made him want to nap again. Lily asked him if he was all right.
“I’m sure I am. I just feel like I’ve been run over. I never understood that saying before today. Christ, I do feel like exactly that has been done to me.” Lily laid her head on his forehead and told him he was no longer as hot. “Good. That means I’m not feverish anymore.”
That had startled him, having a fever. Even as a child, he’d never been sick. Never had anything close to a fever. Nor had he fought a cold. He thought this was the reason he felt so sore. It had never happened to him before.
The lady of the house hadn’t been to see him since he’d woken up. His brothers had. So had Rachel and Pem. He’d thought she was avoiding him, but Lily assured him that she was very busy taking a test. It had taken him asking his brothers what sort of test would take so much time, and it turned out she was simply studying for her board exams, not just taking a test.
“She’s going to work in the hospital. Run the entire surgery department for us.” He asked Theo if Pem was going to work there as well. “I’ve not asked her directly, but I think that is her plan. The two of them together have been making adjustments to the plans that even the architect is impressed with. Also, you’ll be glad to know it’ll be easier going green with this project. Solar panels are going to be on most of the roof, as well as one-quarter of the back lot. Having all that land is going to save a great deal of money in the way of heating and cooling.”
Milo told Theo about the things he’d been able to unearth where he’d been. Getting in and out of computers had always been something he’d been very good at. Apparently, in the office they ran—it took care of their massive amounts of donations—the computers had been bogged down with not just games, but movies and personal information that was slowing the computers to the point of them not running as well as they all knew they should have been.
“The program I designed will not only keep them from using the computers for anything personal but now that they have to log in and out of the Internet with their cards, it will make sure they’re working when they should be. I was amazed to find out that almost sixty percent of their time was spent on shopping and browsing the Internet. No wonder it takes them so long to get back to us on payroll questions.”
Theo had come to see him a couple of times today, earlier that morning and then just a few minutes after he’d gotten his clothing from Lily. Milo was worried he was taking Theo from whatever he had been doing, but his brother assured him that Pem was studying too, and he was bored. He wasn’t sure how to take himself being a replacement for boredom, but he didn’t comment.
“I wanted to see how you were feeling now. I know I was here only a couple of hours ago, but there are some things I’d like you to help me out with. Just questions mostly, but I could use your input on them.” Milo sat up straighter in the bed and felt better for it. “Also, you should know that I’ve spoken to Jamie. She’s been in and out of here while you were sleeping. She’s going to come and see you later tonight. But she really is working hard.”
“You guys still think she’s my mate?” Theo said he didn’t think she was. “Why is that? I mean, don’t you want me to have a beautiful wife too?”
“Nah, nothing like that. But she’s been here with you, in and out, and neither of you seems to be foaming at the mouth to be together.” That made him laugh, and he was sure that was what Theo was intending for him to do. “Not only that, but she’s more like you than I thought. Quiet and reserved. She doesn’t even own a television. Not that it’s a deal breaker, but she seems to just not care what is going on in the world around her. I think she’s always been that way. I keep getting sidetracked when I go to ask Pem about her.”
“I bet you do.”
They laughed again when someone knocked at the door. Milo pulled the covers up over his bare chest when he bid the person entry. He’d bet anything that the woman standing there was Jamie.
“Hello.”
Before You Go…
Share your voice and help guide other readers to these wonderful books. Even if it’s only a line or two, your reviews help readers discover the author’s books so they can continue creating stories that you’ll love. Login to your favorite retailer and leave a review. Thank you.
Kathi Barton, a winner of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and a best-selling author on Amazon and All Romance books, lives in Nashport, Ohio, with her husband, Paul. When not creating new worlds and romance, Kathi and her husband enjoy camping and going to auctions. She can also be seen at county fairs with her husband, who is an artist and potter.
Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman, brings her stories to life for her readers in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance, with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi online and drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans. [email protected].
Follow Kathi on her blog: http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Theodore: Xavier’s Hatchlings ― Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Page 15
