“Thanks for preparing me, guys. I know you believed in the ‘you will know when you need to know’ mantra, but I kinda need to know now and you’re not around to help me.” I muttered. I had seen a computer in Edan’s study that made me think of my own laptop that was currently sitting somewhere in London, and I supposed that when I got my hands on it, I could do some research online but who knew how long Edan was going to be on this business trip?
I paced the concrete floor of the small cottage, so lost in my own thoughts that I was surprised when there was a knock at my door and when I went to open it, I realized it was late afternoon and the sun was starting to touch everything with amber light. On the other side of the door stood a young woman, probably about my age, with some shopping bags in her hands and a friendly smile on her face.
“Good evening Miss Lani. My name is Stephanie and Mr. Hugh thought it might be a big help if I went out today and picked up a few things for ye to help you make the cottage feel more like home. He mentioned that Mr. Cameron was picking up your bags while he is away, but ye could probably use a few things now. I hope the clothes fit, you’re taller than I am so I had to guess a little on sizes.” She handed me the bags and I took them in astonishment.
“Wow, Stephanie, thank you so much. That is amazing. Would you like to come in?” I offered but she shook her head regretfully.
“I would love to, but unfortunately I have chores in the barn to attend to since I was out shopping all afternoon. If there is anything ye need, don’t hesitate to track me down. I’m usually in the gardens, the barn or my cottage which is on the other side of the Doctor’s.” She smiled, waved and turned back towards the barn and I watched her go before closing the door and taking the shopping bags over to the table to sort through. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash in a delicate floral scent that I loved the minute I took a small sniff. Mousse for my hair, body lotion, deodorant. All the toiletries filled one bag and I was immensely grateful for them. Turning my attention to the next bag I found clothes; pajama pants and shirt, a few pairs of jeans and t-shirts, some workout leggings and a pair of running shoes, a burgundy cable-knit sweater, socks, underwear. Another godsend. The last bag held little things to make the cottage more homelike; pretty sheets for the bed, dish and bath towels, lavender-scented dish soap, some scented candles.
“This is amazing.” I whispered happily, quickly unpacking everything and putting it away. Once the toiletries were away in the bathroom I moved into the bedroom and quickly pulled off the plastic that covered the mattress and made up the bed with the new sheets. I hung the few sets of clothes in the small closet across from the bed and then went into the kitchen area to put the rest of the things away. Once everything was set up, I looked around and sighed contentedly. It wasn’t much, but the small touches had made it more comfortable in here and I lit a few of the vanilla-scented candles on the table. Another knock on the door got my attention and I went to open it, finding Hugh standing there, two covered plates of food in his hands.
“Hungry?” he asked, and I nodded with a laugh.
“Now that you mention it, I’m starving. Please, come in.” I opened the door wider to let him in and as he walked to the table and put the plates down, he looked around himself.
“Ah good, Stephanie was able to pick up a few things for ye.” He sounded pleased and I nodded quickly.
“Yes, thank you so much. This is wonderful.” He removed the covers off the plates and my mouth immediately started to water. Fish and chips; huge pieces of deeply fried fish and wedge potato fries with homemade coleslaw and a small dish of tartar sauce. And on my plate, well I assumed it was my plate by what was on it, were other small dishes of ketchup and barbecue sauce and little packets of salt and pepper. Seeing that had me doubled over in laughter and Hugh pulled up a chair and sat down, eyeing me curiously.
“I don’t claim to understand why ye have barbecue sauce and ketchup as well as tartar sauce but I’m sure ye’ll explain it to me.” He mused and I wiped my eyes and cleared my throat, sitting down across from him at the table.
“Long story short, I had a fascinating chat with Alice and Will today and we joked that they would leave little dishes of condiments stashed around the estate for me, should I decide to roast a random bird or something.” At that, Hugh tipped his chair back, roaring with laughter and I giggled again at the idea.
“I guess everyone’s starting to get used to the idea of having ye around. Didn’t take long.” He commented, sounding a bit relieved before biting into a crispy piece of fish and I nodded slightly in agreement. So far, no one seemed to give me a hard time, or seemed overly surprised to see me and that made it far easier for me to settle in. Now if only I could get some answers.
“Hugh, can I ask a favor?”
“Of course, lass! Ask whatever is on yer mind!”
“Is there a computer I could use that has internet access? At least until Edan comes back with mine? I want to try researching what I am and see if I can get some answers. To say I’m a little lost right now is an understatement.”
“I have a computer in my cottage that ye’re welcome to use. What do ye think ye’re going to find?”
“I have no idea but I don’t know what else to do right now.” I said honestly, chewing thoughtfully on a french fry.
“Can I ask a bit of a selfish question now?” he asked and I raised my eyebrows in interest and nodded, popping another fry in my mouth as I waited. “Have ye changed again since last night?” at that I laughed and shook my head.
“No Hugh, I haven’t. I haven’t really had the chance. I walked with Ciara earlier today, then chased a bird out of her room, had a chat with Alice and Will and then came here. So you haven’t missed anything.” I assured him and he cleared his throat uncomfortably, making me think I knew what was coming next.
“Think ye might like to try it again?” he asked shyly and I played with my coleslaw as I thought about his question.
“Well, I guess the only way I’m going to get comfortable with what I am and how it works is to try it again, right? Sure, let’s finish up our suppers and we can go out to the cliffs again. After I check on Ciara to make sure she’s okay.” I said sternly and Hugh nodded quickly in agreement.
“Och, Ciara’s fine, lass. When I was up at the house she was deep into a game of chess with Madeline.” He assured me and I smiled primly.
“It’s my job to make sure that she’s okay. Edan’s orders. I feel bad enough that I’ve spent so much time in here this afternoon, I really should make an appearance and see if there is anything I can do for her.”
“That’s fair enough.” He agreed and we fell silent, enjoying our respective dinners in peace. After we were finished, I stacked up the plates, gave them a quick rinse in the sink and then we carried them back to the main house where Ciara sat at the dining table with Madeline and Dr. Andarsan, the three of them finishing up their own dinners and she looked up with a smile when I walked in.
“Lani! Hugh! Have you two eaten?” she asked brightly and I regarded her closely for a moment. The last time I had seen her she was recovering from a sudden bird attack in her bedroom, but to see her now, you wouldn’t have known anything out of the ordinary had happened.
“Yes, thank you. Hugh brought me a plate because I lost track of time in my cottage. Stephanie was kind enough to go into town to pick up a few things for me and I was busy putting them away.” I admitted sheepishly and while her smile remained warm, she had a surprised look on her face.
“Oh! I didn’t realize that you were moving into one of the cottages. How long will you be staying with us?” she asked, her gaze swiveling from me to Hugh and back again and we exchanged glances. Clearly, Edan had not enlightened his wife before he’d left. I cleared my throat slightly as I thought how best to answer her, remembering Edan’s words that his wife didn’t believe in fairy tales and hocus pocus.
“Well, Edan has offered to let me stay for a little while. He wants to go over some security issue
s that he has with the estate, and with my background as a security guard, he’s going to pick my brain and see if and where he can improve things and make it safer for all of you.” I told her honestly and felt Hugh relax minutely beside me.
“Oh, he is such a worrier! But I am glad to hear that you will be staying longer! Which cottage are you staying in?”
“The old Williams’ cottage. Ironically, that is the same cottage that her grandparents lived in years ago.” Hugh spoke up and her eyes widened in surprise and she laughed.
“You’re kidding? What a surprise! Today has just been full of them, hasn’t it? I think I have about had my fill of them and am glad the day is about over!” She exclaimed with a tired but happy smile and we all agreed wholeheartedly.
I slipped into the kitchen to put the dishes I was holding in the big dishwasher and when I went back into the dining room, Hugh was sitting at the table laughing at something that Madeline had said to him. After watching him interact with everyone around the estate, it was clear that he was a favorite. I had yet to see anyone who didn’t break into a big grin when they saw him and if they were too far away to call out a greeting, everyone waved.
We ended up spending the rest of the evening in the dining room; Ciara did some painting, Madeline, Alice and Will talked quietly with Hugh, and Dr. Andarsan and I played a game of checkers. He had originally challenged me to a game of chess but the look of panic that had crossed my face had made him laugh.
“I take it you don’t play chess?” he asked lightly and I shook my head quickly.
“No sir. I’ve never been able to keep track of the names of all of the pieces, let alone master the strategy behind it.” I admitted with a faint blush and he chuckled softly.
“Checkers, perhaps?” he ventured and I relaxed and nodded.
“Checkers I can do. Flip a coin to see who plays which color?” I suggested with a flirty smile and he chuckled again and reached into the pocket of his beige khakis to see if he had a coin.
“Heads is black, tails is red. Fair?”
“Fair. You call it.”
“Heads.” He flicked the coin in the air, caught it and slapped it onto the back of his hand and we both peered at it. “Tails. You’re red and you go first.” We sat down opposite each other at the table with the game board between us and as we thought out our first moves, I glanced up at him and caught him watching me instead of the board.
“So, Dr. Andarsan,” I began shyly and he shook his head almost immediately.
“I’m off-duty right now, please call me Ian.”
“Okay, Ian.” I tried again. “You don’t seem to be as interested in poking and prodding at me as I kind of thought you might. Considering what I apparently went through last night and all.” I said casually, keeping my voice down but tone light, just in case Ciara overheard. I didn’t need to worry about anyone else in the room hearing and wondering what I was talking about but I didn’t want to creep the Laird’s wife out any more than I already had.
“I won’t deny that you captivate me, Miss Kailani. Your eyes alone are enough to preoccupy me for longer than they probably should. And that glowing trick of yours certainly has me stumped. But I am a private man and try to respect others privacy too.” He said quietly, his one man nimbly skipping over two of mine in one move and I scowled at the board.
“Mmm, I forgot about the glowing. I haven’t told Hugh about that yet so please don’t say anything.” I cast a quick glance over at the elder Cameron and the lively conversation he was in with the others and the doctor followed my gaze before looking back at our game.
“I won’t breathe a word of anything to anyone unless you give me permission to do so. Any idea what that was though?” he frowned as I skipped my red man over three of his and I smiled at him sweetly as I took his pieces off the board.
“Not a clue. After I left Ciara’s room, I walked the entire house and I can make every door-frame and window ledge glow. But I have no idea what it means.”
“Entrance and exit points.” He mused thoughtfully and my green eyes shot up to his and he felt his heart skip a beat. Thanks to my very human anatomy, my almond-shaped eyes were more feline than the reptilian he had originally thought when he’d first seen them and the green color was so surreal that he thought he could stare into them forever and never get bored. Blinking rapidly to clear his thoughts, he raised his eyebrows at my expression. “What did I say?”
“I’m not sure it’s what you said but what it tickled in my mind when you said it. Entrance and exit points. I must be able to do something with them, and as a drag - I mean, as a protector,” I caught myself and corrected my train of thought before anyone heard me. “Maybe I can do something to make them safer. Damn, I wish I could get a hold of my laptop! How long is Edan usually gone on business?”
“Two days usually. He goes to London every six months or so to meet with a few of his clients.” Clearly, I had spoken the question louder than I had intended, which made Ciara look up from the landscape that she was working on and I raised my eyebrows in interest.
“Clients? What does he do?”
“He’s a database programmer and website designer.”
“Oh, wow. Two things that totally made my head hurt in high school.” I laughed and then started to rise to my feet when I caught Ciara stifling a huge yawn. “You my dear, should be off to bed.”
“That’s all I seem to do now is try to sleep.” The young woman grumbled good-naturedly as Madeline, who sat closer to her than I did, stood up to go help her get ready.
“You are carrying twins Ciara, and very active ones that do not like sleeping at night. You need to get your rest whenever you can.” Ian assured her and she pulled a face.
“Makes me wonder what these two are going to be like once they’re born! Will Edan and I get any sleep?” with that, she bid everyone in the dining room a good night and followed Madeline out of the room and down the hall towards the master bedroom. Once she was gone and everyone had resumed their previous conversations, Ian flawlessly picked up where we had left off in our own chat.
“Going back to your desire to get your hands on a computer, if you want to use one until Edan gets back, you are welcome to use the one in my cottage.” He offered and I smiled warmly at the offer.
“Thank you so much, that is very kind but Hugh has already offered me the use of his.” I said a touch regretfully and the doctor’s dark eyes cut over to the Laird’s father who was laughing almost hysterically at something he had just been told.
“With all due respect to Hugh, my cottage would probably offer you a wee bit more discretion, should you need it.” He said meaningfully and I glanced at the group Hugh was sitting with. Madeline was in the process of rejoining the group and she caught me watching them and she tried to shush the others, making Hugh and Will look in our direction too as their voices dropped.
“Point taken. This is all new enough to me without me feeding the rumor mill so openly.” I agreed and Ian made a quiet sound of distaste at the back of his throat in response to my comment, even as he took one of his game pieces and slid it into one of my home spots.
“King me.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked as I capped his man and when he looked up at me, I continued. “Why are you being so accommodating to me? Shouldn’t I be an anomaly that you of all people with your medical background would be itching to discuss? Out of everyone, in this room, you seem to be the least interested.”
“As I mentioned, I am a very private person and while the thought of your ability to… be who you are fascinates me, I will give you the privacy you deserve and will watch and learn from a distance, and if you need any assistance, I will be here to help in any way I can.”
“Thank you.” I said earnestly. Whatever my earlier thoughts had been about the handsome doctor were now tinged with a sense of awe and appreciation. I had no doubt whatsoever that I was a fascination to him but more than being an anomaly, I was a human being. Hugh had be
en an immense help to me since I’d arrived, what with sharing any knowledge he had and making me feel at home on the estate, but I had a feeling that if you gave the man a drink or two, he’d have no problem winding up the old gossip mill to share a few stories or speculations on my behalf.
Somewhat to my relief, Hugh didn’t revisit his idea for me to shift into dragon-form again that night and it was the doctor that escorted me back to my cottage after our game of checkers.
“Rematch tomorrow evening perhaps?” he offered as we neared my door and I laughed and nodded in quick agreement, feeling the wind gust around us and whip my long ponytail into my face.
“I’d like that. I need another opportunity to try to beat you.” I laughed and he chuckled with a wink, finally relaxing completely now that we were out of sight of everyone else and he could let his guard down.
“Bring it on lass, I’m somewhat of a competitive sport.” He warned good-naturedly and I stopped at my door and turned to him, an amused look on my face. “What did I say?” he asked in surprise and I laughed lightly.
“When you’re truly off-duty and no one is around to hear you, your accent actually changes. I can hear your Scottish burr more now than at any other time since I’ve gotten here. It’s kind of charming.” I admitted and he blushed in the darkness and shot a look down at his feet as he composed himself.
“Aye, well my Ma always told me that my burr got a little sloppy the later at night it got. She was English so she could always tell the difference.” He cleared his throat and then glanced at his watch. “I’m doing house-calls tomorrow morning after I check in with Miss Ciara so ye are welcome to use my laptop in my cottage whenever ye would like. There are no passwords that you need to worry about if you’re just going to be doing some internet browsing.” He offered and I smiled in appreciation.
DragonSpell Page 7
