Carroll: Morgan’s Leap – Leopards Shapeshifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  “They all have excuses for what they’ve done. Some of the things they’re here for are silly things that no one will get up in arms about. Like this one. Caster is being accused of stealing water from the creek running by his neighbor’s home. It’s not a crime that I see, but Flower doesn’t want him in his yard. He smashes his pretty flowers. Since he won’t accuse him of crushing the flowers, as that is a bigger crime that his neighbor would be in trouble for, he says he steals.” Hanna asked her what she did about that. “I just suggest that Caster gets water from the area set up for anyone to gather water and send them on their way. Usually, that’s all there is to deal with. But today, you have a larger issue. The dragon flowers that have been planted by the lady earth have been coming up missing. The thing is, they’re very popular with the florists around town and beyond. Someone, I think, is stealing them, but I don’t know who it is. That is a very bad issue. Flowers that grow here are for the animals, not the humans.”

  They sat there with their mom for an hour before she said she’d return. Mom was still handing off projects to each of them, and he was glad for it. Even Hanna said she thought Mom looked more rested in the last few days, as well as happier. Her whistling had become something everyone was looking forward to hearing.

  After this hearing, there was the one for the flowers. After looking around, knowing what he did about the flowers, Carroll knew who was taking them. However, the reason why was something he wanted to know as well. He looked at Hanna when the people for her trial stood up.

  “My lord and lady, I have come here today to ask that you expel Margie from being here any longer. I don’t like her.” Hanna asked the little faerie, Brown, why he’d want someone expelled. She thought the area was large enough for everyone. “’Tis, my lady. ‘Tis. But Margie is not telling me, yes, and I need for her to be my mate.”

  “I see. Does your kind take mates as the other creatures hereabout do?” He said they didn’t breed, so no, they needed no mates. “Then I don’t understand why she needs to be your mate. What reason could you have to force me to make her your mate? Or toss her from here to make you happy? I’m going to need a better answer than just that she won’t tell you yes.”

  “She has such a lovely place, my lady. It hangs out over the waterway. There are even some windows she’s put in. A nice place. Even the flowers on the tree seem to grow just for her.” Hanna told him it was nice to have a lovely home. “Exactly. I have a tiny home. I have no windows to speak of. I don’t want to have to find the glass that would fit. I will admit I am very lazy, but I do work hard when I must. Also, my home has no view like Margie’s does. It’s just looking out over the back end of the tree, and I have no shade in the fall. She needs to be mine so I can live in her home too.”

  “You don’t love her.” He said he liked her all right when she was nice to him. Which he told them wasn’t all that often. “So, in a plot to make her take you into her home, which I’m assuming you’d not help with the upkeep of, you’d have me toss her away.”

  “It is her home, my lady. I’d not expect her to clean up my home if we were to be living there. That would be just silly when we both know her home is much nicer anyway.” Hanna looked at Carroll, then back at Brown. “If you have to expel her, that will work out fine for me as well. Then I will simply move into her home and call it my own. That way, everyone is happy.”

  “Except for Margie.” He said she’d have to give up something if she wasn’t going to cooperate with him. “How about we do this? You will simply live in your home or find yourself a new one. If you do that, then someone can go into your home and make improvements to it so they’d have a place to live.”

  “No, no. That won’t work. Do you have any idea how much work goes into building a home for yourself? More than I want to work with. No, my way is better. Don’t you see? She’d be able to have another home, and I’d not have to put up with living with her. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

  I would expel him at this point. But, if you would be so kind as to tell Hanna to not say it until the very end of her sentencing, he’d have to do it as it was told to him. Does that make sense? He told his mom it did and then asked her why she’d not told Hanna. I don’t want her to think I’m stepping on her toes. She is doing so much better than I would have done with that man. I would have squashed him years ago had I had my way.

  While laughing, he told Hanna what his mom suggested. When she smiled at him, he sort of felt sorry for the faerie. Margie was asked to stand, and Hanna asked her why she didn’t want to be living with Brown.

  “Not that I blame you at this point. He does seem to have a very high opinion of himself.” Margie agreed, telling Hanna that she knew his plan and didn’t want any part of it. “Just for the record, Margie, you have no desire to have Brown as your mate? And you do not wish him to have anything to do with your home?”

  “No, my lady. He is a pain in the backside, and I’d just as soon be expelled than to have to put up with him for the rest of my days.” They all looked at Brown when he huffed. He was picking his nose like he wasn’t the center of attention. “As you can see, my lady, no one—I doubt even his own mother—would want him nearby.”

  “All right. I’ve made my decision.” Brown actually moved toward Margie, putting his arm around her as if he knew what the outcome was going to be. Her punching him in the belly knocked the little man back, but he didn’t move back to his own seat. “Brown, you will build yourself a home you can live in. With a view or not. I don’t care. You will be kind to others—no more assuming that they’ll just do what you want all the time. Also, and this one tickles me to no end. You are hereby expelled from the land known as Morgan’s Leap.”

  The little man simply disappeared. Not only that, but Morgan told Carroll when he asked her about it, so did his home and his belongings. Brown would no longer be a welcome faerie, nor would anyone help him with his tasks. He would be a branded faerie for the rest of his days.

  No one said a word for several seconds. Then as if a large pall had been lifted from the area, all the little creatures, and large ones as well, clapped and celebrated. It seemed to him that Brown would never be missed, nor would his ways. Carroll was glad that, first of all, Hanna got to expel him, and second, that she was here to see how well her verdict was received.

  “The next case involves the dragon flowers that are grown on this land. They are a special plant that not only feeds the dragons when they come to visit from the other realms but are also the only known medicine to cure some diseases that are death to all trolls. The flowers have been spotted in several nurseries hereabout, as well as in arrangements that have been delivered to homes. We are here to take to task the person or persons that have been taking them.” The faerie and the brownie he knew had taken them stepped forward. To have so readily told on themselves made him think there was more to this than just someone trying to hurt their lands. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “We had no choice, my lord.” They peeked at him, then lowered their heads again. “The woman in town, she told us that if we didn’t do this thing for her, she would pluck our wings off us and all of our family. First, we were only to bring her a single seed. The human said it wouldn’t be enough. I told her we could not do that. So she killed my mate and—” The faerie, he thought his name was Pix, fell to the ground in apparent agony. “She killed my mate, your lordship. Because when I told this woman there would be no more, she said I’d do what she said, or all would die at her hand.”

  “Do you know her name? This murderer. Do you know what she goes by?” Carroll could see they were terrified. Of him or the woman, he wasn’t sure. “You know how to handle these flowers so that you’re not covered in their dye. There is only one reason that you would be stained as you are. Did you not use magic to handle them, so I’d see the blood-red stain on your hands?”

  “Yes, my lord. We talked it over, and Mary and I dec
ided it would be better to have your wrath come down on us than to betray our families and others around here to the woman luring them to their certain death.” Pix looked up at him. “We don’t know her name. No, but we do know where she is. I don’t know how she was able to get us. I am still confused about how we were lured there in the first place. I am so sorry, my lord.”

  That would take some looking into. Whoever this woman was, if she was the one trying to kill his mother, she’d be gone soon enough. But they needed proof for his mother to take action against her. Killing one of the faeries was akin to killing off the most endangered species there had ever been. Their magic disappearing when they were killed would have a rippling effect for decades to come. Asking the two of them, Mary and Pix, to come to him, he looked over their hands as well as the cuts on their bodies. Asking them if she’d done this as well, Mary answered this time.

  “We are both willing to die for what we have done. I have told my mate should I not return, she isn’t to mourn me, but to know I was killed because I did a very big wrong to all of us.” He glanced at Hanna when she put out her hand. Mary stepped up on her palm like she was going to be executed. “I would thank you, my lady, to make it quick and to not make my mate suffer. She knew nothing about this until I told her today.”

  “I have no intentions of killing either of you.” She looked at him, and he nodded. “This is a terrible thing that was done. I don’t mean the dragon seeds but to you and your families. To think that someone out there has harmed you has my blood boiling in anger. Tell us what she looks like, then we’ll take care of this for you. It is only fitting that you be a part of this murderer’s downfall.”

  As it turned out, it wasn’t Blanche but someone related to her. It was her sister-in-law, and they lived in the same house. Something had to be done about the two women, and Hanna wanted to confront them both now. But it was his mom that would mete out the punishment, and he and his brothers would be right there with her when she did.

  The rest of the trials were small things that took no time at all to take care of. Someone was complaining about how the brownies in one section of the land were taking too long of breaks. However, since they came in a full two hours before the others did, Hanna let them have the extra break for doing some of the work before the hottest part of the day. One of the gnomes came forward and asked if he could make a watering system for his own garden. Since he was brilliant in his ability to make it work, Carroll asked him if he’d make a way for others to have the same system. And he would get paid for his labor.

  “I meant to ask you, how do you pay a faerie? I mean, it’s not like they can carry around money or even a credit card. I’m sure you guys take care of that in some way.” He told her they did, but they paid in items like string for thatches for their roof. Or dried bark for their doors. “I like that. But we need to come up with something very special for them. Something that will make them the envy of all the others. I have noticed they love to make their fellow workers jealous of things.”

  “I think that’s what they live for.” They were headed back to the house when he thought of something they might well like. “Did you know that they drink tea? I’m sure you noticed all of them drink all the time, but it’s sweetened with honey. What if we were to give them a bit of a honeycomb? Something they’d use, but also something that for them is hard to come by. I have a friend that has bees. It might be something we can think about.”

  “I love that idea. I know your mom produces honey too. I did get to use what she gave me the next morning. Even the grape tasting one is very good.” Carroll told Hanna that the man, Mr. Banks, had been raising bees and getting honey for decades. That his mom had helped him start his own hive. “It’s the best I’ve ever eaten next to your mom’s. Morgan told me he doesn’t use chemicals either for the flowers he grows for the flavors. That is an excellent idea.”

  “Are we going to be giving any to Mary and Pix?” Hanna thought that might not be such a good idea. “Oh? Why, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “They should have come to us when she first captured them. I know they said they didn’t want to bother us when it was only the single seed, but as you pointed out, a single seed can produce a lot of flowers. And now, not only will we have to destroy the plant that she more than likely grew, but the seeds that go with it. I think that’s a good thing they did, but they should have come forward sooner.”

  “That’s good thinking. I like that.” She laughed when he did. “I hope that if we were to have children, you’d be the one that would be there for punishments. I’d be so bad at it, finding some way to reward them no matter what they did.”

  “Do you want children with me?” They’d not really talked about it, but he told her he really did. “I’ve thought of all kinds of things about our children. Things I don’t think as a human I’d have to worry about. Like, will they be cats? Will they be at least part human? This isn’t something a person goes into lightly, is it?”

  “They don’t. Does that mean you don’t want to have children? It’s your body, and I have no trouble whatsoever if you don’t.” She smiled at him. “Did that sound like I was being too nice? I mean it. I do. I’d never force anything on you that you didn’t want to do. Ever.”

  “I want children with you.” He picked her up and swung her around the room. He would have taken care that she would not have his child if that was the way she wanted it, but he was thrilled to death that she wanted kids too. His mom would be happy as well, he thought.

  After settling down at the desk again, making notes on the things they’d done at the meetings, he thought about Hanna and children. Carroll wasn’t sure there was anything more beautiful than seeing a woman you loved heavy with a child. When his mom showed up, Hanna told her what they’d been talking about, including the honey, and she was happy with both ideas.

  “Now we take care of the Mission women. I have had her fired from the school. I know I didn’t have any proof, but I spoke with one of the many board members, and they did it immediately. Her sister, Rachel, is also going to lose her job. The people of this town know what it is they have in us, and they’re willing to do just about anything to keep us safe and happy.” Mom asked him what he wanted to do to the women. “And your brothers want in on this as well. When they heard about what they did to Pix’s mate, they were as angry as they were when they found out I was a target. We need to get this taken care of sooner rather than later. I don’t want her coming back on us again.”

  “Good. I have a plan.” He listened to what Hanna had to say, and it was brilliant. Even his brothers couldn’t find fault in it, which was saying a lot. They didn’t want anyone to get their comeuppance unless they did it. But Hanna, once again, had it under control. “We start tomorrow after the FDA in charge of this area now goes to see them. That’s the best way. Pile their woes up high, so they make a big mistake, then we go for the throat.”

  “Throat? All right. I’m in.” Mom laughed. “I think your sweet little mate here is more devious than I am. I’m going to love working with her on things.”

  “I’m glad. But Mom, when you two are plotting something that I’m going to have done to me, will you at least give me a heads up? I want to be able to get my will in order.” They all laughed, and he wasn’t certain they were humoring him or laughing with him. Carroll decided to be on his best behavior from now on.

  ~*~

  Rachel answered the door. She hated people, and today was making her like them even less. The only person in the world that seemed to understand her was Blanche, and she couldn’t stand her either.

  Blanche had been a spinster all her life. Even when men came around courting her, she would blow them off in favor of tormenting others. It had been a sore spot in her married life with her brother until they moved in with one another to save money. Then she got it. There was a lot of fun to be had when you did things to others.

  “Mrs
. Mission, I presume?” Rachel asked him what the fuck he wanted. “Such a nice disposition you have. I was warned you might be nasty to me. Well, this is going to just make your day. You have twenty-four hours to get all the chemicals out of your yard, including the toxic waste buried somewhere out there. There will be a crew coming on board as soon—” The man turned, and a large truck pulled up in front of her home. “Well, they’re here now. In addition to helping with the removal, you will need to find yourself someplace else to live. The land and the house here are no longer fit to live in. You’ll assist them in the removal and then pay them when it’s—”

  “What the bloody fuck are you talking about?” He handed her several sheets of paper, the top one showing the word contaminated. Trying to shove it back at him, she felt her temper rise up, which really wasn’t saying all that much. It seemed to be on a hair-trigger all the time nowadays. “I’m not doing shit with this stuff. We live here. What the hell am I supposed to do if I were to leave? Nothing, that’s what. Because I’m not leaving here unless it’s in a body bag.”

  “That can be arranged too if you wish.” She wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. The mumbled threat had been said while he was turning away. “These men will help you pack your things into boxes they’re providing for you. The only things you can remove from here are things that are not paper, metal, cloth, or food. Those will have to be inspected for any kind of contraband you might have wrapped into them before they are released.”

  “Well, that’s everything, now, isn’t it?” He laughed, and she glared at him. “Like I said, I’m not leaving anyway. So take this and shove it up your ass.”

  There were two women walking up her sidewalk when she shoved the man out of her way. Rachel was going to have a stroke if she didn’t get rid of these people. She’d already been terminated today, and she didn’t need anything else making her pissed. Blanche came from the backyard just as she was ready to pounce on the women.