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

by L M Lacee

  “It will make a wonderful lounge for you all, though.” Frankie sighed with pleasure. “Once it is decorated in normal colors.”

  They all agreed it would and moved on to the kitchen which basically ran the length of the house, it was so large. “This is like from the middle ages.” Paige quipped as they entered, Ocean just stopped herself from grimacing in distaste. Conor said as he looked around. “Well, this room will be the first to be remodeled.”

  “Although we can use the cooker, it is electric.” Kadee mumbled doubtfully. Shocked Joy cried out…“There are no taps. How did they get the water in here?”

  Conor smiled at her stunned tone. “The kitchen boys carried it in.” Horrified the three girls looked up at him as Joy asked. “Like in buckets?”

  Claire laughed at the expressions on all three faces. “Yes, they actually worked back then.”

  Paige asked. “But what about school?”

  “There was no school.”

  Horrified all over again Kadee squeaked. “What about books?”

  “Nope, no books or computers, TV, nothing like that.” Ocean told her.

  “It was the dark ages!” Paige cried as the other two girls nodded.

  “Well yes it was.” Conor said. “That is why it is called, ‘The dark ages.”

  “That is just wrong… so wrong we need taps.” Kadee stated. Ocean assured her there would be taps and water. Kadee nodded and stated. “Good, because I am not hauling water. I go to school.”

  Which made the adults laugh. “You will not have too!” Frankie said as she wrinkled her nose. “This is depressing we need the dragons.”

  “Why, can they remodel fast?” Paige asked as she looked around at the dark, horrible room.

  “Yes. If you can draw what you want, they will have it done enough for the decorators to come in.”

  “Seriously?” Ocean asked Frankie and Claire who both nodded. “Yep.” Claire told them, “They use dragon magic, which is how most of the Gap was developed so quickly.”

  “Wow that is so cool.” Kadee told Joy who agreed.

  Ocean agreed as well. “When can they come?”

  Frankie shut her phone. “Two are on their way, draw what you would like and they will have it done in an hour also George and Ivan are on their way.”

  “They are the decorators. They have their own company. We are lucky they are free.” Conor told Ocean who smiled. “Oh okay. So does anyone have paper?”

  Within minutes Paige, Joy and Kadee were racing upstairs where they remembered seeing paper. Conor passed her a pen. She smiled as she walked around the large empty room to the only piece of furniture there. A long scarred wooden table that had to be the original kitchen work bench. There were a few counters that remained against the wall although they looked like they were ready to fall down.

  By the time the girls were back, she had a good idea of what she wanted and as they all surrounded her she bent over the paper and sketched her dream kitchen with a few ideas thrown in by the others. She drew a long kitchen island and butler’s pantry, dish washers and an eight burner stove. Granite counters in black and a farmers sink, large refrigerators and walk-in-freezer.

  At Conor’s insistence she drew in the long table they were using as their kitchen dining table with at least twenty chairs around it. Placing it at the end of the kitchen sitting in front of the new bay window that had window seating. The floors were stone as were the walls, she left that the same, just cleaner and added a large window over the sinks. When she was finished, Conor and the girls along with Claire and Frankie were impressed.

  “Wow, you can really draw, that is so life like.” Frankie said, Ocean smiled at the compliment. “Thank you, it is not a medium I do much of. This was fun.”

  “What do you normally do?” Frankie asked.

  Ocean shrugged as she answered. “I take photos.”

  “Oh…oh my, you are that Ocean Walker, why did that not register before? I love your work! Absolutely love your work.”

  Ocean nodded. “Thank you that is kind of you to say.”

  “I missed your last showing. Will you show here?”

  “There is a gallery?” Ocean asked then inwardly cursed as she saw the bemused looks on her family’s faces. “I am a little famous for my work.” She explained. Frankie snorted. “A little, your mom is really famous.”

  “Frankie please.” Ocean flapped her hand around.

  “What? They will find out.”

  “Yes but later, today is about our home.”

  “Oh okay sure. Edith Kingsley owns the gallery she will love to show your work.” She looked at Conor as he sighed. “Just saying!”

  Which made the girls laugh. Stopping anymore of Frankie’s observations, Ocean said. “Well, I will go visit her soon.”

  Claire said. “I am sure she would love that.” She noticed Frankie frowning because she had just remembered Harper had a problem with Ocean Walker the photographer, what it was about she had no idea. She thought it had something to do with Ocean’s mother but she was not sure.

  The dragons arrived bringing her back to what was happening, they were two older males. Ian and Adam, Frankie had worked with them before they were kind, patient and very fast. They took Ocean’s sketch and smiled. Ian congratulated her. “We are impressed, this design is outstanding, would you mind if we made some adjustments?”

  Conor and Ocean shook their heads, Ocean said “Please do whatever you think would suit. I have never designed a kitchen before.”

  Conor asked. “Can you install a lift?” The three males went with Conor and the girls to see where one could go, after they assured him that a lift was as easy as installing the kitchen.

  Frankie, Claire and Ocean took the baby in her carrier and went upstairs to tour the two remaining floors. “This house is huge.” Frankie stated sometime later as they came from what was obviously the entertainment room.

  “It is, have you found your master bedroom yet?” Claire asked as she poked her head around a door to look into an empty room.

  “No!” Ocean called back as she came out of what would be a bathroom when upgraded. Paige ran up the stairs. “It is on the next floor.”

  “What?” The three females asked her. Paige grinned.

  As she told them. “There is another whole floor.”

  “You are not kidding are you?” Ocean asked her.

  “No, we already looked.” She showed them the staircase that lead up to double wooden iron banded doors like the ones at the entrance.

  “How did we miss these stairs?” Ocean asked the other two females.

  “Seems impossible.” Claire agreed.

  The door opened into a lounge that had doors leading off of it. A large stone fireplace covered one wall it was magnificent. “You can see a couple of comfortable chairs and table here with a fire going, so romantic!” Frankie sighed.

  Ocean could also see it, just as she could see a very lifelike Conor and herself on a large mat in front of a blazing fire. She averted her eyes from the area not wanting to explain the blush she could feel creeping over her face.

  They walked around the lounge and Frankie pulled open a door to a long closet. They could see no use for it so closed the door and shrugged at each other. Then they found the bedroom with the biggest bed Ocean had ever seen and from the silence that descended on the group it was the biggest they had ever seen as well. “I forgot, I am meant to show Kadee and Joy.” Paige called out as she ran from the room. “Does she not walk anywhere?” Claire asked with a smile as she looked after the girl.

  “Not that I have seen.” Ocean replied absently as she tipped her head to the side while saying. “You know that is one huge bed right? It is not just my imagination.”

  Frankie agreed. “Yes it is big alright!”

  Conor walked in saying. “Paige said the bed was… yes… she was not exaggerating that is really big.”

  He ended up next to Ocean staring at the bed. Ocean looked up at him as she said. “Your
lion could lie on that, and there would still be room for us all!”

  He smiled slowly as he returned her look. “He likes that idea.”

  “I bet he does.” She mumbled as her body tingled from the heated look he gave her. “Did you see the fireplace?” She asked her voice a little higher than normal causing Conor to smile wider, knowing she was not indifferent to him which made his beast stretch in anticipation.

  “I did, I will have them all cleaned before we can safely use them. I have placed them on my list.”

  Claire called to her and she gave him a vague smile as she hurried to see what Claire had found. Conor wandered from the room, he and his lion happy they had found their mate and she was receptive to him. Apparently his little mate did not care that he was a huge male and an even larger lion. Maybe it is because she was dragon.

  Claire and Frankie had indeed found another room which Claire told her was called a dressing room. Frankie told her there were two when Ocean asked why. Claire launched into a lecture about what dressing rooms were used for in the past. Once they decided on what should now be in the rooms for shoes and clothes. Frankie told her about the revolving shoe rack which they all sighed at and Ocean agreed she needed one. They eventually left to look at what was behind the two other doors and found two small studies, in the second one Conor stood looking out the large window. “I like this room for a nursery for Parker. What do you think?” He asked the three as they entered. Ocean smiled. “Yes its ideal, once we decorate it, she will be very happy in here.”

  Claire said. “Did you guys notice the French doors that go to the balcony?” They walked back into the lounge to where she had pulled back the heavy drapes exposing several French doors as Ocean and Frankie walked quickly to Claire, when she opened a door they were going to walk out. Conor stopped them. “Ladies I think it may be a good idea for us to find out how sound the deck is before you step out on it.”

  All three halted. ”Ah ha! Good idea!” Ocean agreed. They all took a step back and turned to him. “This is a massive master suite do you think, we really need all this room?” Ocean asked him with a little worry in her voice because even though she asked him, she really loved the space and could visualize how it would look once a bathroom was added and it was decorated.

  Conor nodded. “I do, we need a bolt hole from the pride when they descend on us. Also one of those small rooms we will use for Parker the other is where the lift will come too.”

  “Oh a private lift, how cool!”

  He winked at her. “I need a fast access to the kitchen.” They all laughed at his innocent expression.

  “You know?” Claire told them “You could put a little bar fridge in the nursery for snacks and drinks.”

  “Ohh, I love that, let’s make that happen.” Ocean asked Conor, who nodded. “I will add it to my list.”

  Frankie asked. “Where are you going to put the bathroom?”

  Conor said. “Come with me I will show you. I was thinking we could fit it between the dressing rooms we will take a little from both of them.”

  “We need a big one.” Called Ocean as she trailed behind them thinking Conor needed a huge tall shower and she loved a bath.

  “Oh, it will be.” They all went to where he opened the same narrow door they had earlier, that was between both dressing rooms. “This is where in the old days the manservant would stash all his cleaning equipment and clean or polish the master’s boots, etc.”

  “Oh!” Ocean and the other two said as understanding hit. It looked like a long three foot wide dark cupboard.

  “What a horrible place to have to work in.” Claire murmured.

  “How do you know about all that?”

  Frankie asked Conor who grinned as he replied. “I like history and especially I like to read about old homes.”

  “Oh okay.”

  He told Ocean who was standing back trying to visualise the bathroom. “I will have Ian and Adam here after they finish the lift and the other bathrooms. By the time they are finished it will be like it was always here.” She looked up at him and smiled to reassure him. “I bet it will, so where should we stay while we knock this place into shape?”

  Conor looked around. “Here, we can eat out and the bedrooms are okay once they all have bathrooms. We can have the downstairs redecorated first then shift into a few of the rooms down there while they do upstairs.”

  Ocean shrugged. “Sounds good to me. We will need a bassinet for Parker actually several then she can come downstairs with us. We need to shop.”

  Conor nodded. “Good, so after we do lunch you can shop and I will collect my stuff.”

  “Agreed.” Ocean and Conor smiled at each other.

  “Enough you two. Sheesh!” Frankie rolled her eyes at Claire. Before Ocean could retort they all heard squealing and giggles. Claire and Frankie turned from Conor and Ocean and started towards the noise as Conor bent down and kissed Ocean, who wrapped her arms around him. He stood lifting her off her feet as the kiss became heated. Pulling away before he took her to the floor and showed her what a lion wanted from his mate plus when he finally made her his, he wanted a bed. He growled low in his throat as Ocean blinked to bring her thoughts back on line. “Oh...oh!” Was all she could think of to say! “My thoughts exactly.” He grumbled out. Conor grinned as his eyes heated with desire. “I cannot wait until we are alone.” Ocean blushed as he placed her back down on her feet and slowly let her go. Then he placed his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing her again.

  He gave her a smile and swaggered to the bedroom leaving Ocean to fan her over heated cheeks. Frankie stood just inside the door, she smiled when Ocean noticed her. “You two work well together almost like you were made for each other.”

  “Well if you believe in stuff like that, we are!” Ocean said as she walked towards her. “I really never thought I would have a mate. I figured my girls would be enough.”

  Frankie nodded as she said. “Oh me either, it is amazing huh?”

  “Yes, it really is.” Just then Parker cried and Ocean said. “Time for a bottle let’s go downstairs and talk.”

  CHAPTER NINE:

  A s Ocean fed Parker, they discussed moving in, Conor agreed to have all the remaining items of Ocean’s and the girls at the hotel picked up and he would have his stuff moved from his apartment.

  Saul walked in as he said that and was introduced to everyone. “You are leaving now?” He asked Conor who looked at his brother and said softly. “I am, this is my home now.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” He sounded so sad Ocean said. “No reason you cannot move in. There is plenty of room, and Conor could probably use the male company.”

  Saul’s face lit up “You mean that?”

  Ocean said. “I usually mean what I say.”

  Paige said. “We could go look at the cabins out the back. We saw them from upstairs. They may be liveable if you want to live there?”

  Saul and Conor grinned. “It sounds good.” Conor told her “Let’s go look.” With that he, Saul and the girls were gone.

  Claire said. “That was nice, offering Saul a place here, he would be lost without Conor. They only connected a few months ago. His father is Conor’s father when their dad died after a pride war. I think Saul was only ten or so, his mother was scared for his life she left, taking Saul with her.”

  Ocean looked after them as she asked. “She left Conor behind?”

  Claire nodded “She did, she was not his mother. Life was not easy for either of them. Conor survived to find Saul and together they lead a pride of misfits here.”

  Ocean nodded as though she thought of something that made sense to her. “Family is family!”

  Frankie looked at her and asked. “Does that sentiment mean your sister and father as well?”

  Claire looked at the suddenly serious Frankie, it was as though another being was superimposed over the normal carefree Frankie. Claire felt a shiver of apprehension as Ocean looked down at Parker’s small face and sighed, “Frank
ie you ask the hard questions.”

  “I know, but you are smart enough and wise enough to know it was not their fault as much as it was not yours. Others played god with your lives and now three people are hurting.”

  “That is true but…”

  “Tell me Ocean what are you going to punish them for?” Claire asked softly as Frankie said. “You can’t really, can you, it would be like punishing yourself. Because you didn’t know about them either just like they knew nothing about you. In fact the ones to be angry at are the Goddesses, and Andre` was really angry at her. Papa Rene` thought she was going to hurt him.”

  “When was this?” Ocean demanded as fear for the male she had not met came over her. Frankie looked out the corner of her eyes at Ocean seeing the concern, casually she said. “When she came here to tell him about Ciana and her babies and you. Although she did not now a lot about you, he was so angry he told her she had to explain why she had done what she had. If you wanted her too. He said that you were so much more important than they knew and she was to stay out of his and his daughters lives. He and his family would love you and fix the mess they have made.”

  She looked at Ocean and asked. “You know what you are. Right?”

  Ocean bypassed that question and asked one of her own instead. “How do you know all this, were you there?”

  Frankie did the lips thing as she thought about that question, and then she shrugged. “Nope, I was not. I just know it. That is all!”

  Ocean said slowly as she realized this strange woman was so much more than the sweet woman she appeared to be. “Okay, well, that gives me things to think about.”

  “Because I think it was as hard for them as it is for you to find out their daughter and sister was lost. It was as much a shock to them as it was for you and to take it out on them for something beyond all three of your control. That seems rather bitter and sad for the girls as well as you and them.” Claire told her as she tipped Ocean’s face up to her with two fingers under her chin. “You are so much better than that!”

  Ocean removed her face from those fingers and looked at her with sober eyes that held not anger but confusion.