Dragon's Gap: Set Includes Stories 6-7 Plus A Christmas Surprise

by L M Lacee

  He or it nodded and then held out the bag and basket. Ciana took both, as soon as his hand left the handle of the basket he or it disappeared. “Okay, I am not going to freak out or anything! Nope, just going to step back inside and look into the basket. Yep! That is what I am going to do!”

  Ciana did just that, except she dropped the bag, slammed the door closed and locked it. Then she picked up the bag and placed the basket and bag on the bed and stared at both for five whole minutes. She knew that because she timed it on the clock on her bedside table. It took that long for her heart to stop trying to break out of her chest.

  Finally taking a deep breath she gathered her courage in her hands and pulled the blanket off the lump in the basket and stared down at a pink wrapped up sleeping baby who had short white hair and pale cream colored skin with soft grey colored eyes when they flicked open and closed.

  “Oh shit!” A piece of silver paper floated down in front of her stunned eyes, she followed it as it landed on her out stretched hand and read the flowing script.

  Ciana this is my gift to Dragon’s Gap. Keep her safe. Your destiny awaits.

  “Nope! Still not going to freak out! Just going to sit here for a minute to collect myself.” She dropped onto the floor where she stood. Minutes passed she re-read the note three or four more times then she sighed. “Well little one seems like we are going on a road trip. I should imagine Goddesses do not like to be thwarted.”

  Ciana was positive she heard silvery laughter as she stood and looked in the bag and saw bottles, formula and diapers. “Well, you are going to need more than this. Looks like we are going shopping. Now what is this?”

  She pulled an envelope out of the side pocket of the bag. “Oh look at that you have your own passport clever Goddess.” Ciana opened the passport and read. “It says you are a female. Good to know. Now what is this?”

  Where the name was meant to be, were the words. ‘Place name here.’

  “Looks like I am naming you.” She told the sleeping baby. Ciana smiled. “Elara for moonlight because you are just like a new moon. Yes Elara Walker.”

  When she looked again at the passport, it read Elara Walker. Two weeks old. “Well Elara, looks like I am a mommy and you are a daughter.”

  Thankfully the hotel employed a concierge who was able to arrange a baby carrier and someone to install it in her car. Also he was able to direct her to a shop that sold baby clothes and equipment.

  Which Ciana was delighted to spend an hour or two in, buying what she considered a two week old baby would need, helped by the willing assistants.

  That same day she arranged travel for the next morning on a flight to America. She and the baby spent the better part of the day sightseeing or Ciana did, the baby slept or drank a bottle. Eventually she went back to the hotel and prepared the baby for the night and herself for an early call the next morning.

  When she arrived on the East Coast of America, she brought a SUV and traveled from New York to Dragon’s Gap. Stopping at different towns along the way to visit places she had heard about from her grandmother, their journey took four weeks to accomplish.

  The bonus of the trip was she fell in love with Elara and knew it would be impossible to give her up. When after weeks of travel she arrived at the crossroads and saw the humongous sign in the shape of a dragon proclaiming Dragon’s Gap. Ciana hesitated she left her foot off the gas and looked in the rear view mirror at the carrier that held Elara and wanted to run. It was with considerable effort that Ciana eased her foot back down on the pedal and turned down the road towards the town of Dragon’s Gap.

  Vowing that no one would be taking her baby girl from her she drove slowly along the dirt road. Her decision made, she stopped pulled over and sent a message resigning her employment in Brazil. She would stay where her baby was and that appeared to be Dragon’s Gap.

  Weird as it seemed a heavy load seemed to lift from her shoulders once she had made the decision. Causing Ciana to smile with relief. She started the car and drove toward her destiny.

  CHAPTER THREE:

  C iana drove along the winding dirt road until she came to ‘Y’ intersection surrounded by trees and acres of bush.

  She eased off the gas and looked to the left a tunnel of trees met her eyes, very enticing and something made her want to go that way.

  Then a tap on her side window made her squeal in fright. With her heart pounding she lowered the window. “What? Dear Goddess, you spooked me!”

  “Oh so sorry.” A young woman with green hair and a sweet face said. Ciana thought she looked like a cherub. “Are you traveling with a baby?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Good, so I was to tell you go right and someone will meet you, just go around the castle you will see a row of small apartments there. Just go on in and make yourself comfortable. Someone will be with you soon.”

  “Ahh! Castle?” She grinned brightly.

  “Yep it is cool.”

  “Well okay, thank you for your help.”

  She nodded and said. “I am glad I could. It is my first time.”

  “Well, you did a good job, other than frightening me.”

  “Yeah, I will be careful next time.” With a wave she ran to the next car in line. Ciana had not realized there were a row of cars behind her. She hit the gas and moved to the right and slowly made her way pass the castle. It was huge and beautiful. It looked like the stone had a blue hue to it.

  The whole place was amazing, she noticed the drawbridge that looked like it lead into a courtyard. Smiling to herself, she could imagine this castle sitting in the English countryside with servants and lords and ladies milling around wearing lovely old dresses and suits.

  She drove around to the back of the castle. She pulled up at what looked like small apartments just like the girl with green hair said there would be. “Well Elara we are in the right place or so it would seem.” She told the sleeping baby Ciana was loath to move her. Elara had not been sleeping well lately ever since she changed her formula.

  Ciana and Elara had been sitting outside one of the small units soaking up the sun for about an hour when a woman bustled up. “Why are you here?”

  Ciana looked over at the tall well-dressed blonde haired woman with the scowling face and decided she did not like her. It was the feeling of superiority the woman carried around herself like a shield that irritated Ciana. From the rumbling noises Elara made from inside her carrier she felt the same. “I was directed here.” Ciana told her without inflection.

  “By who?” She snapped as though Ciana was lying.

  “No idea, some girl with green hair said to come here. So here we are.” Ciana thought she heard her say, damn fairies! But she wasn’t sure. Could the woman look any more pissed off, Ciana thought not.

  “Well, I better look while I am here!” She said with exasperation.

  “Look at what?”

  “The baby of course!”

  “Hey lady there is no of course! So pull your attitude in.”

  “How dare you. Do you know who I am?”

  “No bloody idea. Should I?”

  “I am healer Melinda Coatsvale of the family Coatsvale’s!”

  “Don’t care. Means nothing to me!” Stated Ciana and watched the woman turn red and her eyes almost bug out of her head. “Means nothing!” She spluttered, “Where do you come from?”

  Ciana grinned and looked up into the bright blue sky. “Ahh… well until last month Australia, before that England, before that Texas. Your point.”

  “Dear Goddess do you have any idea where you are?”

  Ciana was getting really annoyed now, and Elara was making funny little hissing noises. “Lady I am just about at the end of a very short tether so explain yourself better or piss off!”

  The woman went redder if that was possible and hissed again saying. “You are at Dragon’s Gap female.”

  “Of course I am. The bloody great big sign at the crossroads sort of let that cat out of the bag so to speak.” Th
e healer looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language, confirmed when she said. “I have no idea what you are saying. Is English your second language?”

  “Okay!” Ciana pinched the bridge of her nose and counted to ten. “Look I think the baby girl is a dragon!”

  The healer snorted. “Really what makes you think that, has she shifted?”

  “I think she has. The other night I went to pick her up and she felt like she had scales on her. Her eyes can appear elongated at different times and she growls.”

  “Oh please any one of those could be attributed to any animal and for your information, dragons do not shift until they are around five years old or puberty. You should also know there are no more female dragons being birthed and have not been for hundreds of years.”

  “Look lady she drinks her bottle but I think she needs a better type of food.”

  “Seriously if her formula is not doing what you think, you should change it. Really it is not rocket science it is just a matter of care. Now let us be clear here. If you are looking for a free ride, you need to get your facts right or if you were hoping to have the first female dragon…”

  She smirked and laughed with a superior attitude as though she had caught Ciana out in a lie or worse a con. “I would suggest you try another angle to make yourself famous. This one will not work and no one will believe you. My goodness they will let any animal in here now.”

  She looked at Ciana and peered into the carrier, and Ciana was sure she heard her say under her breath. “Damn animals.”

  Ciana stood and a growl rumbled deep in her throat which surprised her. She had never made such a sound before. Ciana did not reach the woman’s height but her seldom seen temper raised its head. Whatever the woman saw in her lavender eyes, combined with the growl was enough to make her scream, throw her hands in the air and run away. Ciana watched her go and said to Elara. “Well look at that Elara we seemed to have scared the horrible lady healer.”

  Elara was still making noises, but they had decreased in volume. “I know sweetie. She was a nauseating bigot who thought I was lying. I mean who lies about things like that. Well little one let me feed you your bottle that should calm you down enough for your nap.”

  Thirty minutes later Ciana was drinking the last of the tea she had made from the stocked kitchen. She sat and worried about Elara. It was like she was drinking her bottle but not getting much from it, which was what she was hoping to talk to a doctor or healer about but apparently not the Healer Melinda.

  Her head came up as she watched a man walk towards her, he was in no hurry reflected by his unhurried gait. Maybe Melinda sent a real doctor Ciana hoped. When he was within talking distance, she asked. “Who are you, have you come to take a look at my baby?

  “No dear girl. I have not.” The tall, older man said. “I am waiting for my friend.”

  “Oh, you have friends here that must be nice.”

  “Not as many as I did in the past.” He said cryptically, then he smiled and said. “I am waiting for one friend in particular.”

  “You can wait with me if you want too?” She shyly offered. Her tone suggested he would probably not.

  Andre` had been wandering the old path that ran the length of the north facing wall of the castle. It was now Wednesday, he had spent the last three days meeting his large family and being charmed by all the little ones.

  Then renewing friendships he had let go over the years. Monday he spent a pleasant amount of hours in the training yards with his past students and nephews. It had renewed their ties and relationships more profoundly than any dinner together could have.

  Yesterday he met the other members of his team unfortunately not Finlay Slorah his second as he was away for another few days. A very efficient young male, a unicorn he believed, had shown him to his office where he had remained for the rest of the day reading the reports gathered and the documents Reighn had obtained from the Elturnian group.

  Andre` had been shocked to learn they were still in existence he was sure they had been disbanded when his Sire had passed away. He read the information the Elementals had obtained from their captives, at the end of the day he had written his conclusions and recommendations. Then left to have a meal with Rene’ and Verity while his mind churned over what he had learnt that day.

  Today he had decided to renew his knowledge of the castle and the town. Apparently the female named Harper had a workshop that he was hoping to visit. More precisely he wished to visit the female that could produce such wonderful art he had seen in around the castle. She had not been present at the family day, so he still only knew of her, but not actually met her.

  Many hundreds of years ago they had turned these small rows of unused storage rooms into bedsits and apartments for part time staff, or the overflow of guests when big celebrations took place at the Castle. He was surprised when he came across the apartments, to his knowledge they were meant to have been demolished.

  Obviously his assumption was incorrect. When he spied the young female sitting in the late afternoon sun, he could not help talking to her and finding out why she was there. So he walked slowly to her giving her plenty of time to see him approaching. When she made no objections to his company and just stared at him a little wide eyed, he pulled the chair out from the table and took a seat, watching the female watch him. He could feel waves of exhaustion, sadness and loneliness wash over him. He tightened his mental barriers, almost sighing in relief when her emotions halted.

  She was a lovely female around thirty. Females were always hard to age. Andre` thought but he thought he was close. She was short about five foot five or six with purple shoulder-length hair, no he thought more a plum color really, and it was the red streaks in it that made it appear purple. Her eyes, when she looked at him were a light lavender that held flecks of silver, they were unusual. He frowned slightly as his dragon said. We have eyes like that. I find that amusing!

  She had a delightfully small straight nose with what his mate would have called a cupid bows mouth. She was pleasantly rounded or curvy with nice shaped hands. He was charmed.

  Slowly so she could track his movements, he held his hand out across the table. She stared at it for a moment and then placed her tiny one in his. He gently clasped it and said. “Hello, my name is Andre` Kingsley. I am pleased to meet you.”

  She shook his hand and replied. “Hello Andre`. My name is Ciana Walker and I am very pleased to meet you.” She stared at the handsome older man, he looked around fifty but Ciana had a suspicion he was much older. Andre` was actually over four thousand years old. He waited while she studied him knowing she saw an over six foot male with wide shoulders, well-muscled in a trim, athletic body. Andre` was proud of how he had kept his training up, not allowing himself to regress as many of his age did, of course, his brother Rene` was as fit as he always was.

  Ciana noted the long golden hair with streaks of dark wine and was impressed she never knew hair could be that shade of gold, his eyebrows and lashes were a deeper gold almost brown. He also had purple eyes more violet though than her lavender ones and if she wasn’t mistaken he had small flecks of silver in their depths as well. Amazing, Ciana had never met anyone with eyes like hers.

  They were a little unnerving, they seemed to see into her soul. He had an aristocratic nose unbroken which amazed her. She just knew he was a soldier of some kind. It was in the way he carried himself she thought, his face was still handsome, clean shaven with a nice mouth and he had long tapered fingers.

  Ciana relaxed, this man could be trusted she smiled when he said. “You say that like you have not met many people here?”

  Ciana grimaced. “Probably because I have not. The people here are very, very busy it seems, we have been here for over two hours and only met one other person than you and that meeting did not go well.”

  She angled her body across the table, towards him, looked around and whispered. “Did you know that there are Dragons here?”

  Andre`s eyes laughed at
her. “I did. Yes! Did you know that there was other beings here also?”

  “No, I know nothing! No one has told me anything. As I said I have only met you and the other lady.”

  Andre` pulled on his bottom lip. “Ciana, my dear. I do not like the sound of that. Why do you not tell me what has happened, then I can help you remedy the problem?”

  “Andre` there is no problem. I was told to come here from a sweet woman with green hair. Then another woman showed up who said she was a healer, she said some unpleasant things and I chased her away sort of. I put Elara, that is my baby girl to bed and when she wakes. I will go and find help. See no problem.”

  He still had her hand in his. He gave it a little squeeze and then released it, saying in a tone that would brook no opposition. “Well Ciana that sounds fine and yet I insist I help. I am more than willing to explain what I can do. Plus I have the time so tell me who the unfortunate female was and what she said and why you need help… and we will go from there.”

  Ciana sighed, he looked determined. “Okay.” She spent the next few minutes telling him how she got Elara and her talk with the Goddess and then her trip to Dragon’s Gap. Plus the short visit with the medic. As she spoke he listened and became stunned, another female and young apparently touched by a Goddess. Andre`s face remained impassive as his dragon’s rage joined his. After having no one to talk to for so long, Ciana found once she started she couldn’t seem to stop and she told Andre` everything. It all came pouring out, her fears and worries.

  What could she do to stop them taking her baby because she told Andre`. “She is my baby!”

  Amazed by her story and outraged on her behalf. Andre` could not stop his dragon calling for his brother Rene’ and his brothers shadow Verity.

  As old as he and his dragon were, he had never known him to act in such a way before. But there seemed to be something going on here that his dragon was not telling him about. It all had to do with Ciana Walker. Then it suddenly struck Andre` that this female may be delusional.

  His dragon scorned that idea. No! She is not, she is ours to protect. We must keep her safe.