“Who’s afraid of the big scary dragon?” Alex cooed as he shifted back into his human form and picked up Archie, cradling him in his arms. “Not you, brave little man.” Damn, he was going soft. No wonder Archie wasn’t afraid of him.
Archie chuckled and reached out to stroke Alex’s stubbly chin. “Tomorrow we go into town, get a hotel room, and clean ourselves up.”
Archie gurgled in agreement. At eight months old, he was developing a personality all of his own. The small boy had a cheeky, toothless grin, and a cheerful outlook on life, despite the difficulties thrown his way since he was born.
“We need to get some sleep.” Alex rocked Archie in his arms, talking to him in a sing-song voice, which exposed a paternal side the dragon shifter had no idea he possessed until the baby came unexpectedly into his life. “There’s a good boy. Close your eyes. Go to sleep.”
Alex walked and rocked Archie until his eyes became heavy and he slipped into the realm of sleep. “Sweet dreams.”
Placing Archie in the car seat, Alex covered him with a blanket and tucked him, and their belongings, into a hollow in the cliff face. Then he silently shifted into his dragon, so as not to wake Archie, and curled up around the precious baby, tucking him under a make-shift tent of wings, to protect him from the elements and whatever else might be out there, waiting to hurt him.
***
The morning sun broke over the mountains, and Archie’s cries shattered the silence of the plateau. Alex shifted back into his human form and lifted the baby into his arms. Then began their morning routine of diaper changes, formula milk, and breakfast. By the time they were ready to leave their remote sanctuary, dawn was long gone, and so was any chance of them leaving the mountain on dragon wings. It was too risky, and so Alex strapped the bags to his back, and hooked the car seat over one arm, ready to hike down the mountain.
He wasn’t exactly dressed for a mountain expedition. His shoes were sturdy, but not his comfortable hiking boots. His clothes were comfortable, but not practical for walking for miles over rough terrain. But sometimes you had to do what you had to do. And right now, Alex had to get them to town. There, Alex’s mom might be waiting, sick with worry that he’d taken so long to get them both here.
But what if she wasn’t waiting, what if she’d been caught by the people who wanted to hurt her and Archie? One thing at a time. There was no point worrying about what might be, he had to focus on what was.
The sun rose higher in the sky, and he followed a trail that his dragon instincts told him led toward town. As he walked, he mused over the sensations that had sent him running, or flying, for the hills last night. A pressure on his chest, a weakness in his legs, his mind a whirl of confusion. It had been all he could do to get himself and Archie out of the cabin.
He hadn’t thought, he’d just run, even though his primal instincts told him to stay. That he was exactly where he was supposed to be. But why? Alex wasn’t a believer in fate. Not the kind of fate that spoke of true mates, and the bonds that held them together. Yet if he had to guess, those were what the sensations flooding his body promised.
A life filled with love, and a happy ever after.
If Archie wasn’t under his protection, he might have stayed, he might have faced whatever it was that flew through the night sky.
Dragons. His own dragon spoke the word with reverence. Neither of them held much hope of ever finding more of their kind. Yet, if Alex had to guess, that was exactly what he’d run from. His own kind.
He looked down at the baby, whose eyes were fixed on the leaves above their heads. Could he risk meeting his mate? The repercussions for Archie might shatter his world and break the promise Alex had made to the small child’s mother. More than that, trouble might be on Alex’s trail, and he didn’t want to put his mate in danger. Not ever.
The slope leading down the mountain trail grew steeper, and Alex half-slipped, half-ran down a long section, with small stones trickling before him. Archie giggled uproariously as he bounced along. “Not much further and we’ll be in town. Once I get a room, I’ll buy a stroller and we can go to the park and sit on the swings.”
Archie had been cooped up long enough, either carried in the car seat or in Alex’s arms most days as they made their dash across the country. At nights he crawled around whatever hotel they’d holed up in, pulling himself up on furniture as he attempted to take his first steps. Precious moments his mom, Kim, would miss if he couldn’t reunite them soon.
“Let’s hope your mom made her way to Bear Creek, too, just like she promised,” Alex told Archie as they finally reached the lower slopes of the mountain. The town was laid out before them, with the creek running through it. “Okay, Archie. Soon we’ll be there and then we can have lunch.”
His stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and Archie kicked his legs in agreement. Whether he understood the words, Alex couldn’t tell. He liked to think the boy did, he was smart, like his mom.
Alex refused to let himself worry about Kim. Not until he reached town and found out for sure she wasn’t there. But the thin thread of hope he held onto was frayed, worried away by the lack of contact between Kim and Alex. She had his cell phone number, but hadn’t called, and when Alex tried to call her, the phone went to voicemail.
“She’ll be there,” Alex told Archie. “If not, we wait for a couple of days.”
And then what? his dragon asked. What do we do then?
There was no backup plan. Alex had been given the task of getting Archie safely to Bear Creek. He knew no one in the town. The only information he had from Kim was that she needed to meet someone here. Someone who could possibly help them. But who that was, and more precisely, what they were to Kim, was information Alex didn’t possess. Old, young, male or female, he couldn’t narrow it down, or rule out anyone in Bear Creek. The only clue was a comment Kim had made about an undercover cop.
An hour later, his feet hit the sidewalk. “Back to civilization,” Alex told Archie, who was beginning to whimper. They needed to eat. “It’s not lunchtime yet, little man, but I think we both deserve a nice full stomach.”
Reaching the main street through town, Alex looked for a diner or café. The smell of freshly cooked food made his mouth water, even before he saw the sign for Momma Bear’s Café. Alex didn’t care what it was called, or if it were full of bears, nothing was going to stand between him and food.
“Hi there, welcome to Momma Bear’s. I’m Betsy.” A middle-aged lady with a warm smile greeted him. “And who is this cutie pie?” She waved at Archie, who did his best to charm the applesauce out of Betsy.
“This is Archie.” Alex lifted the car seat for Betsy to take a proper look. “And I’m Alex.” He hadn’t considered if they should lie about their names. Alex was a straight-talking guy; when you were a dragon shifter, you didn’t want people asking about your past. Sure, he’d made a fortune in business, but never by taking advantage of people or being untruthful.
“Aren’t you the most handsome boy I’ve seen today, Archie.” Betsy cast an approving glance over Alex. “Although you might have some competition from your daddy.” Betsy ushered them toward a table. “Doesn’t take a genius to see where he gets his looks from.”
“Oh…thanks.” What the hell was he supposed to say? “Do you have a menu?”
“Sure. I’ll get you some coffee. And does Archie need his food warmed? Maybe he’d like to sample some ice cream.”
“I’m sure he would, after his lunch.” Alex rummaged in the baby bag and took out a jar of chicken casserole. “Looks good enough to eat,” he joked as Betsy took it from him.
“I’ll be right back. You both look as if you need some good home cooking.”
“We do.” Alex cast his eyes over the menu. Everything made his mouth water, he could sit here all day and eat. “I’ll have the breakfast, with everything, please.”
“Sure thing,” Betsy called back from behind the counter.
“Come on, fella, let’s get you freshened up.
” Alex picked Archie up and grabbed his diaper bag, heading to the bathroom to change him. Not one of Alex’s favorite jobs, but like everything else Archie needed, Alex had quickly adapted to the challenge of pinning down a wriggling baby long enough to fix a diaper securely on his butt. And don’t even get Alex started on the unnatural things that came out of that baby butt.
After changing Archie, Alex washed his hands and face, looking at his reflection in the mirror. Five days’ worth of stubble adorned his usually clean-shaven chin. It gave him a rugged look, and along with his dusty clothes, he might almost look like a vagabond. He was going to have to clean himself up if he didn’t want too many questions aimed his way.
The last thing he needed was a busybody asking questions about who he was and where he was going. Young babies brought out the protective side in people. Maybe he wouldn’t look so suspicious if he had a car, he doubted many men with babies appeared out of the mountains. As soon as he was settled in a hotel room, he’d buy one. There had to be a second-hand dealership in town. Although he had enough funds to buy a brand-new car, he wanted to blend in with the locals.
Alex shouldered the door open and re-entered the diner, with Archie in his arms. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, something was off. Was this a warning, a sixth sense that there was something wrong? Had they found him?
Whoever they were. When Kim asked him to take Archie to safety, she hadn’t told him who she was running from, only that they were dangerous. The next time he spoke to Kim, it was a rushed telephone call telling him to get out of town, and go to Bear Creek, where she’d meet him as soon as it was safe. After eating, he would find a room and a car, then he would begin asking questions about Kim. She’d given Alex no rendezvous point, and Bear Creek wasn’t exactly a small town.
“Here they are,” Betsy announced to the other occupants of the café, which consisted of a middle-aged couple sharing mid-morning coffee, and three women, who all turned to look at Alex and Archie. “Nothing cuter than a daddy holding his son.”
The room became a blur, the other faces hazy in his peripheral vision as his eyes locked with hers. Not Kim. Not danger.
His mate.
Chapter Three – Sapphi
“Sapphi, are you, all right?” Fiona’s voice seemed to come from a long way off, as if she’d drifted into the sky, like a balloon on the breeze.
Sapphi’s attention was solely focused on the man standing across the café—with a baby in his arms.
Her breath came fast as all the pieces came together. Falling from the sky, the dark shadow flying away, and the jar of baby food. She’d found her mate, and he had a baby. Worse, if he had sensed her last night, he’d run from her. What kind of mate did that?
“Sapphi.” Fiona’s hand touched her arm and the balloon popped, bringing Fiona back into focus.
“Yes?” Sapphi jumped guiltily, her eyes flickering to Fiona’s face, before being drawn back to his. Whoever he was.
Fiona stared at Sapphi. Ruby stared at Sapphi. Then they both switched their attention to stare at the man with the baby. Who was staring back.
A shriek filled the café, breaking the tension that filled the air, as if an impending storm was about to break over the mountains.
“Here we are,” Betsy bustled up to the table and placed a bowl down, alongside a cup of coffee. “Your food will be here in a moment.” Betsy tickled the child’s tummy and received a loud shriek.
“Shh, Archie,” the man said, and sat the young boy down in a booster seat, his eyes flicking up to look at Sapphi.
“Is that your mate?” Fiona asked, forthright in her accusation.
“Yes,” Sapphi replied breathlessly. “I think it is.”
“Is that why you invited me for coffee?” Fiona kept her tone even, but her voice wavered. “You knew he was here.”
“No,” Ruby said quickly, speaking for her sister, who had lost the ability to communicate. “And probably yes.”
“No riddles,” Fiona told Ruby hotly.
“When we were flying last night, Sapph lost control. She said she saw a shadow flying across the sky, but we didn’t know what it was. Then we went to Carter’s cabin and found a jar of baby food.” The words came out in a jumbled list of the events from last night. “We didn’t know what it all meant.”
“But now you do.” Fiona sounded defeated, but she took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, centering herself, as the girls had seen her do so many times. Fiona had learned to take a moment to compose her thoughts before speaking. In that way, arguments and confrontations were often avoided. “I suggest we go over and introduce ourselves.”
“No, Mom,” Sapphi said quickly. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. You have to know for sure.” Fiona got up and looked down at Sapphi, who wanted to hide away. And yet, the draw of her mate was too intense to ignore. “Unless you want to do this alone?”
Sapphi paled. She’d never been comfortable around boys, or girls for that matter. From a young age, she’d had to act older than her years. After her real mom died, she’d taken on the role of mother until Ruby and Sapphi were taken in by Fiona. The ability to bond with other people her age was weakened, leaving her socially awkward at times. Boys were a particular enigma she’d never been able to fathom.
“Fiona,” Ruby said, hanging onto her mom’s sleeve and pulling her backward. “Sit down and let Sapphi handle this.”
“I don’t know how to handle it,” Sapphi replied, fighting the need to hyperventilate. She breathed in deeply, before letting out her breath slowly.
“You just go over there and say hi,” Ruby encouraged.
“And then what?” Sapphi asked.
“Then you stare into each other’s eyes until one of you says something else.” Ruby grinned, Sapphi felt sick.
Fiona drank her coffee quickly. “Ruby, you’re right. Let’s go.”
“No!” Sapphi said, horrified, even though deep down, she knew this was something she had to do alone. He was her mate. Wasn’t he? “What if I’ve got it wrong?”
“If what you said was true, about yesterday, and taking into account how he can’t keep his eyes off you, then I believe he is your mate.” Fiona glanced at the man, who was feeding an exuberant infant. “At least you know he’s good with children.”
“Children. What if he’s married, or has a girlfriend?” Sapphi hissed.
“Then shame on him,” Fiona said a little too loudly as she got up from the table.
“Shame on him,” Sapphi repeated, sipping her coffee and wishing she’d never let Ruby talk her into inviting Fiona to the café so they could talk about last night.
It’s fate, her dragon said matter-of-factly.
That’s it, we’re going to spend the rest of our lives with a man, because it’s fate? Sapphi shook her head, her stomach churning. What if he doesn’t let us do what we want? What if he thinks he can control us? Sapphi knew how some dragons could be. Headstrong, forthright. She glanced up at Fiona. Her mom was old-school, born in a different age.
Then we teach him he’s wrong. Her dragon leaped for joy at the prospect of talking to their mate, of reaching out and touching him, feeling the sense of connection that her real mom used to talk about. The moment you touched your mate for the first time was electrifying.
But he has a baby.
“See you later, Sapphi.” Fiona kissed her on the cheek, and then she took hold of Ruby’s arm as if she were an unruly toddler and left the café.
“Everything all right?” Betsy asked, bustling over and taking the empty cups.
“Yes.” Sapphi wanted to scream, no, but she couldn’t deny this, couldn’t run from it.
She got up, meeting his gaze, and not letting it drop. They were meant to be together. This was fate, her dragon told her, pushing her forward.
He stood up as she approached. Tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair curled around his collar, and with stubble on his chin, he was mouthwateringly handsome. “Hello.”
&n
bsp; “Hi.” She lifted her hand up and waved, then let it drop, feeling stupid. “I saw you.”
“I saw you, too.” His voice was warm, gentle like a summer breeze. “You feel it?”
“I do.” Her eyes drank in every drop of the man who was her mate. And she was certain now, beyond any doubt, that he was hers. The baby gave an earsplitting shriek, breaking the moment. “He sure does like to make that noise.”
“Archie has just discovered it, so he has to keep trying until he’s perfected it. I expect every glass in the café to smash before that happens.” Her mate smiled indulgently at Archie. “I’m Alex, by the way. I thought I should get that in there, before Archie steals your heart.”
“Sapphi.” She smiled shyly. “Short for Sapphire.”
“A blue dragon?” Alex asked quietly.
She blushed and looked down at her hands which were clasped together in her lap, her thumb rubbing against the back of her hand. “Yes. And you?” Sapphi risked a quick look at him, committing his features to memory. His eyes were chocolate brown, his skin tanned, as if he spent a lot of time in the open air. His hands, as they spooned baby goop into Archie’s mouth, were strong, with callouses on his palms from hard labor.
“I am green, with flashes of red. If I get hot.” He smiled, his eyes warm and inviting. She’d love to make him hot.
Sapphi swallowed, her stomach flipping with nerves. “I’d like to see you…fly.”
Alex’s eyes crinkled at the corners as a smile slid across his face. A sexy smile that made her heart thump loudly in her chest. So this was what it was like to be in love? Sapphi had seen other people find their mates, she’d watched Fiona and Harlan fall in love, and Kit and Suzy. But she hadn’t expected this.
She couldn’t breathe, and when she returned his smile, her body shuddered with the effort.
“Here’s your breakfast,” Betsy said cheerfully as she placed a plate of food in front of Alex. “I thought you were new in town, but I see you know Sapphi.” Betsy fished for information, as always.
Single Daddy Dragon Page 2
