by Jo Ellen
She barely noticed as he led her to the sofa, sinking down into the cushions and trying to come to grips with her world being tilted on its axis.
Robert’s brow rose in question and Colin shrugged his shoulders and told him to wait, in a quiet undertone.
Stephanie knew they were silently studying her, expecting a freak out. Instead, she pushed all thoughts aside about shifters and magical ponds to focus on Robert. Her break down could wait until she had the time to deal with it.
She wanted to know why Robert had come for Colin in the first place. She remembered him saying he needed help when they were in the parking lot.
“Why do you need help? Aren’t you like, omnipotent or something?” she asked.
Robert laughed, his white teeth flashing against his olive complexion.
“Nae lass, we’re no’ gods. We are simply another race with magical abilities.”
“We talked while you were resting,” Colin said. “An old friend of ours needs to be…” he hesitated and looked to Robert.
“Corralled.” Robert sighed. “He’s a dragon shifter and they normally stay here in Faery.”
“A dragon!” Stephanie exclaimed. “There are dragons?”
“Aye lass; dragons, wolves, cougars, bears. All manner of shifters are living in different realms, but dragons canna’ fly easily and stay undetected in yer realm so they prefer to stay home in Faery.”
Stephanie quickly came to a conclusion. “And your friend is now on earth?”
Colin nodded. “Although it’s not so much earth as it is our realm.”
“Tis a thin veil between our realms lass. The Fae people enjoy traversing between the two. Anyway, our friend Doan got drugged by a woman and…”
“A pissed off woman,” Colin muttered.
Stephanie looked between the two men, quickly understanding.
“A woman scorned.” She nodded sagely.
Robert snorted. “I doona know all the details, just that he’s been flying around the woods yer pack holds. So far we’ve been lucky since most who live there are shifters and any lone humans will not believe what they see with their own eyes.”
“I don’t understand. When you said she drugged him I thought you meant poison or something. Why not just ‘transport’ him back here to Faery?” she asked.
“Tis not that easy. She gave him a drug that makes him feel like a sixteen-year-old boy. What you doona ken is that dragons at that age are verra mischievous and just coming into their powers. Even though his mind is reliving being sixteen, he is actually around a thousand years old which means he is a verra powerful dragon.”
“And not easy to catch,” Colin added, raking a hand through his hair.
“What powers?” she asked.
“Fire,” they said simultaneously.
“Speed, cunning, and strong are a few more adjectives I’d use,” Colin said.
Stephanie shrugged. “So why not just go to him and tell him he needs to go back to Faery. You said he was your friend so won’t he listen to you?”
Robert was already shaking his head. “Nae when he’s having so much fun. Dragons are verra stubborn too. We need something to counteract the poison.”
Colin groaned. “Daisy wine.”
“So, go to the Faery store and buy some. Sounds simple to me.” Stephanie didn’t understand why they were making this so difficult. Of course, she was still numb from Colin’s earlier revelation and knew she wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
Colin sighed. “I wish it were that easy. Faery doesn’t have a grocery store that stocks daisy wine. We need a witch that makes the wine which will remove the toxins in his body.” What he wasn’t saying was that he knew the witch they would be seeing…
“Aye. It takes special abilities to turn daisies into a drink that willnae kill a dragon. The witch has to be a chemist and mix in a spell that makes a special brew just for dragons.” Robert raked a hand through his hair in frustration since he knew Colin would not be happy about visiting a certain witch.
Stephanie clapped, delighted. “So we’re going on a quest?”
Both men looked at her, dumbfounded.
“Lass, you seem to be handling all this extremely well. Are you perhaps a magic user?” Robert asked, even though he sensed no magic around her.
Stephanie smiled, charming them both. “I started reading fantasy books when I was a kid. Grand quest, monsters, other worlds, just about anything I could get my hands on. I’d dream about a world where anything is possible.” She hesitated before speaking quietly. “I’ve always felt like something was waiting around the corner, something beyond what I could see with my eyes.” She shrugged. “Like magic was in the very air surrounding me.”
“Weel lass, I think you might be an empath,” Robert said.
Colin stroked her back, “Which makes me wonder why you’d choose a career as a 911 call taker. Don’t you find that extremely difficult? I mean, dealing with all the drama that comes with the job.”
“Actually, no. It’s like getting high on drugs for me, but naturally. When I can relate to the caller and understand their needs, I find helping them to be a balm to my soul.” She shrugged again. “It’s easy.”
Colin snorted. “I’ve never in my life heard a dispatcher say it’s easy. You have a gift.”
Stephanie blushed, uncomfortable with praise. “It’s just a job where I get to talk with a lot of interesting people. Anyway, what do we do now?” she asked.
Chapter 5
“I could snipe him,” Ian said. He stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the huge dragon cruising in the sky above him.
“What the hell is he doing in this realm?” Rafe demanded as he watched the circling serpent.
Rafe was pissed; he didn’t need this crap. Nowhere in his job description did it say being the alpha meant he’d have to wrestle a freaking gigantic lizard. He looked at Ian, his brother and enforcer for the pack. “We can’t kill him, at least not until we know if he’s friend or foe.”
Their younger brother joined them, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Hey dude, I think that’s Doan.”
Rafe whipped around to stare at Devlin. “You’re shitting me, right? Doan’s over a thousand years old. He knows better than to expose himself like this in our realm.”
“Ha! Expose himself.” Devlin chuckled.
Ian slapped their younger brother upside his head before Rafe could.
Rafe ignored them both, quite used to his brother’s antics.
“So sniping’s out,” Ian said, dejectedly.
Ian took his job as enforcer seriously. Any threat to his pack or the magical pond was swiftly dealt with.
“Dude, you can’t snipe a dragon anyway. Skins too tough,” Devlin said.
Ian looked away from the sky to stare at his youngest brother in exasperation. “If you say ‘dude’ one more time, I’m gonna kick your ass.”
Devlin straightened, almost matching Ian’s over six and a half foot height. “Dude, you can try.”
Rafe pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. “I’m going down to the pond to call Robert. This is his problem.” His brothers followed.
* * *
Robert tilted his head, listening to something only he could hear.
“Shite. It’s Rafe. I was hoping we could fix this before he knew anything.” Robert motioned Colin and Stephanie over. “Time to go kids, Dad’s calling.”
Stephanie looked at Robert like he was crazy. He did not have a phone in his hand and she hadn’t heard anyone call for him.
Colin pulled her over to stand next to Robert. “You were conked out when Robert transported us here. Now you get to experience faery travel while conscious.” Colin held her hand tightly as Robert moved them both through space and time.
Stephanie felt her body wink out of existence. She was dead now, she knew it. All this had been a crazy dream or something. She was probably lying on her kitchen floor having some major seizure and chewing her tongue up like it was fi
let mignon. Except…she felt her body take form with terraferma solid under her feet. She inhaled a great gulp of air, fighting a slight case of nausea. Opening her eyes, she found herself standing in front of a pond with trees draping the edges and flowers blooming everywhere. And an honest to God castle.
“Wow, Heaven really is a beautiful place,” she said.
Robert laughed heartily. “Nae lass, yer not dead.”
Colin had his arm around her waist holding her steady. “Okay? Some people find the Fae’s way of traveling somewhat disorienting.” He looked up to see his alpha standing beside the pond with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Yeah, not my favorite way to get around,” Rafe said before the man hugs and back slapping began.
“Rafe, I’d like you to meet my mate, Stephanie.” Colin gave a differential nod to his alpha. “She knows about us.”
Stephanie was in awe of the three strangers standing in front of her. They were so tall she felt like a child looking up at them. With the same shoulder length brown hair and green eyes, she recognized they were brothers. They looked like triplets, but she could see slight differences. She squeaked as she was passed to each one for a quick hug.
“Since Robert transported her here, I kind of deduced that she knew about us.” Rafe snorted. “Welcome to our pack Stephanie.”
After she was introduced, she moved closer to Colin when Ian sort of grunted at her. That man was scary. Obviously not a people person. She couldn’t decide if Devlin, the youngest brother was an overgrown Labrador or Lothario when he winked at her playfully.
Robert looked up as a large shadow blocked the sun. “We have a wee problem.”
Rafe growled, “Wee my ass. What the hell was he thinking coming here? Of all the realms to choose from, the human plane is not an option.”
Stephanie found herself gripping Colin when the huge beast glided quietly down and shifted right before he hit the ground. She gasped when his form flickered and a man stood where the dragon had been. His auburn hair matched the scales she’d seen on his dragon form. He was just as tall as the other men with icy blue eyes that seemed to drill into her soul. Wearing blue jeans and a dark T-shirt, nothing stood out marking him as a shifter.
Colin had been naked when he shifted back to his human form. That thought had her snickering and wondering how he’d obtained his attire.
“Hey pretty lady, want to go for a ride?” The dragon/man held his hand out to Stephanie. His smile transformed him from scary into striking.
Colin pushed her behind him to challenge his old friend. “Back off, now! She’s my mate.” His chest rumbled as he growled his irritation.
Doan held his hands up in acceptance. “It’s cool man, she’s too old for me anyway.”
Stephanie squeaked in outrage. “I’m only twenty-three!”
Doan nodded. “Yeah, too old man.” He turned to Devlin. “Hey buddy, wanna go down to the high school and pick up some cheerleaders?”
Devlin’s look of confusion was the same as his brother’s. “Man, what’s up with that? Your talking jail bait and the sheriff’s right here.”
Robert gripped Doan’s shoulder as he spoke to him. “You’ve been poisoned lad. Yer nae sixteen, more like a thousand and sixteen.”
Rafe and Ian both dropped the F bomb upon realizing this would not be an easy fix.
Devlin slapped Doan on the back. “You had me worried there for a minute man. Good to know you’re not a sicko.”
They all watched Doan walk down to the waters edge to stare as if mesmerized by pond.
“What’s the plan?” Rafe asked as he stared at the dragon shifters back.
Robert sighed. “We go back to Faery and hope a witch we know will help us.” He heard Colin groan behind him.
Rafe nodded. “And you need Colin to accomplish this?” He wondered why Robert had shown up with Colin and his new mate.
“Aye.” Robert sheepishly spoke to Colin. “She’ll be happy to see you.”
“She?” Stephanie could read the undercurrents. She wasn’t stupid.
Colin growled in frustration. “I knew her many, many years ago when I was a pup. My young and stupid days.” His hair practically stood on end after he ran his hand through it. “We dated, but I knew she wasn’t my mate so we broke up by mutual consent.”
“Uh huh. Sounds like that mutual consent may not have been so mutual,” Stephanie said.
Robert quickly moved the conversation back to their problem. “Anyway, with Colin along she’ll more than likely be willing to help us.”
Stephanie smiled devilishly, “Can’t wait to meet her.”
“No! There’s no need for you to go with us. You can stay here with our pack until I get back. This shouldn’t take too long.” Colin was adamant.
Stephanie was already shaking her head in denial. “You are not taking my quest away from me.”
Devlin looked from one to the other before quietly asking, “What quest is she talking about?”
She turned to the youngest brother. “Dragon, witch, poison, traveling to another realm. Sounds like a quest to me.”
Devlin laughed and slapped Colin’s shoulder. He was a gamer and this was right up his alley. “She’s right, it is a quest. Don’t cheat her out of the opportunity to collect her trophy.”
Colin’s teeth ground together in annoyance. “This will not be fun.”
Devlin grinned, “Maybe not for you but your mate looks delighted.”
“What about him?” Ian pointed at Doan who was now swimming in the pond.
Stephanie gasped. “He’s naked!”
Rafe once again pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nudity is common among shifters.” He waved them off. “Go. We’ll babysit the dragon. Since he thinks he’s sixteen years old, Devlin can keep him occupied with one of his computer games.”
“I think there’s an insult somewhere in there. You forget I’m almost a hundred. Just because I’m a gamer doesn’t make me immature.” Devlin studied his brother and alpha.
Stephanie was shocked. This kid was almost a hundred years old? He looked to be in his middle twenties, with his brothers just a couple years older.
“No insult intended baby bro. You’re the one with the genius I.Q. level. I simply meant you’re the most relatable to a sixteen-year-olds thinking process.” Rafe patted his brothers back.
Devlin groaned. “Relatable? You know, it sucks being the youngest male.”
“I doubt Mom and Dad will have another so suck it up cupcake.” Ian smirked.
Rafe ignored them and spoke seriously to Robert. “Is he a danger to my pack?”
Robert considered his old friend before looking out to the pond. “He shouldn’t be. Doan’s a good man, even at this age. He may flirt with every female in the area, but he has a dragon’s heart. He’s a protector through and through.”
“Colin, you know how time varies in Faery. Ian will make sure your deputies cover any shifts you may miss.” Rafe told him.
Stephanie was watching Doan playfully dive and flip through the water like an Olympic swimmer. She imagined if he were in his dragon form the amount of water displaced would have been huge. She caught the tail end of their conversation.
“Wait. What? Time varies?” she asked.
Colin sighed wearily. “Call your boss and tell him your taking a vacation, or quit if you want. We may be gone a few minutes or a month.” He waited for her to make a decision.
Stephanie chewed on her lip in thought. Was she really ready to change her entire life to follow this man? No, not yet. She shook her head. She had time built up she could use without quitting her job. She wasn’t ready to let go of everything she knew even if she was leaning toward that decision. She knew deep inside she couldn’t turn her back on this fantasy world. Except that word didn’t really fit anymore. Her fantasy world was not a fantasy anymore. She wanted to pull her hair out in frustration and forget the ‘real’ world and go on this journey of a lifetime. How could she turn her back on this opportu
nity? Be brave, she thought. Nodding her head she reached out for the phone Colin was holding out for her.
Calling her work place was easy, calling her best friend wasn’t. Lisa was not thrilled to learn Stephanie had gone to Colin’s home. Adding one more thing to her over loaded to do list, she moved introducing Lisa to Colin to the top of her list.
Chapter 6
Colin looked around the field where the three of them landed. He loved coming to Faery with its colorful sky, forest stretching up to the sun and air that smelled of oak. The faery forest was a werewolves dream habitation.
“Did anyone simply ask him to go home?” Stephanie balanced herself by holding on to Colin’s arm as she took in the beautiful landscape.
Robert laughed. “Aye lass, I did. And here I’m quoting him, ‘Too many effing dragons in the sky there. Faery needs an air traffic controller.’”
Colin shook his head. “That’s BS. He’s hiding out from that woman and too chicken shit to face her.”
“Weel my friend, can you blame him?” Robert quirked an eyebrow.
Not liking the comparison, Colin scowled at his friend. “It’s not the same,” he grumbled.
Robert turned toward a well-worn path. “Let’s get this quest started.”
Colin motioned for Stephanie to follow Robert and fell into step behind her, watching their backs out of habit.
His affair with the witch was a very long time ago and maybe she wouldn’t even remember him. His memories were probably inflated by his own conceit when he was young and thought himself such a fine specimen. He scoffed remembering how full of himself he was back then. Young male werewolves were not known for being self-deprecating.
“Are we looking for a gingerbread house?” Stephanie asked. You could hear the laughter in her voice.
Colin smiled as his glum thoughts faded away in light of his mate’s happiness. He could tell she was thoroughly enjoying this quest of theirs.
