Chapter Fifteen – Sapphi
“Are you going to tell us what happened?” Sapphi asked Neil as they stood outside the apartment building an hour later. The police had sealed off Kim’s apartment and taken statements from all three of them. Any follow-up questions could be made by Brad back in Bear Creek.
Bear Creek, the place she longed to be.
“When Avery saw the photographs and called Brad, they sent the information over to the Holloway County Police Department. Avery made sure it got into the hands of people she trusted. At the same time, I was trying to track down your undercover cop. One thing led to another…and here I am.” Neil held out his hands.
“You flew here?” Sapphi asked incredulously.
“Didn’t you?” Neil dropped his voice. “A dragon might be fast, but an eagle has more stamina. I passed you while you were resting.”
“I will never doubt the nobility of eagles again.” Sapphi hugged Neil in a spontaneous action that took him by surprise. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” He rubbed her back. “I have heard of your mom’s temper, and I don’t want to be an oven-ready eagle, so I figured I should hightail it over here and make sure you civvies didn’t get yourselves into trouble.”
Sapphi let Neil go and stepped back to stand next to Alex, who was trying not to look as if his scales weren’t ruffled at seeing his mate in the arms of another man. “Thank you, Neil.”
“I was doing my job. Or my old job. Or new job, if I take up Brad’s offer. I do miss the excitement.” He smiled weakly as he looked at Kim. “How are you holding up, Kim?”
“I’m relieved it’s over, but I still don’t know where Jay is. Do you?” Kim asked hopefully.
“Not yet. There are several arrests being made all over Holloway County, and in surrounding towns. I am going to speak to his handler later this evening. See if he knows anything.” Neil pressed his lips together and looked away, staring at the hotel for a moment. “Kim, there’s something you should know.”
“What?” Kim sounded beaten down, as if she couldn’t take much more.
“Jayden hasn’t been checking in with his handler,” Neil’s tone was apologetic.
“Do you know why?” Alex asked.
“Possibly, but this is all hearsay.” Neil checked to see if anyone else was in earshot. “Some people in the force have been implicated in the photographs and information Jayden sent to Avery.”
“So, he may have gone dark?” Kim asked.
“Yes. If he didn’t know who to trust, he may have chosen not to trust anyone. Which is why he told you to get out of town.” Neil placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know one thing. If Jayden is half the man I think he is, he will do what it takes to get back to you.”
“And he thinks you are in Bear Creek,” Alex said.
“Can we go?” Sapphi asked. She was tired, bone tired, and her hand hurt like hell, but she wanted to get home, back to familiar people and familiar scenery. The bright lights were hurting her eyes and the noise never stopped. The calm serenity of the mountain she called home whispered her name, urging her to take flight and not stop until her feet touched the ground in Bear Creek.
“I’ll drive you somewhere quiet,” Neil said. His attention turned to Kim. “I can drive back to Bear Creek tomorrow, if you want a ride.”
“I have a ride.” Kim stood up wearily. “But thanks anyway.”
“You’re going with the dragons?” Neil asked.
“For the ride of my life.” Kim tried to smile. “I just want to see my baby boy.”
“Then, let’s get you on your way.” Neil opened the door of an unmarked police car and they got in. Sapphi sat up front, while Alex sat in the back next to Kim. Neil drove them through the quiet streets to the outskirts of town, where he stopped next to a wooded area.
“This looks perfect. Thanks, Neil.” Alex got out of the car and held out a hand for Kim.
“Is she going to be all right?” Neil asked.
“We have a blanket to wrap around her. I’m sure if we need to, we can fashion it into a harness.” Sapphi glanced out of the window. “She needs to be with Archie. I don’t know how she’s gotten through these last few days.”
“If I hear anything about Jayden, I’ll call you,” Neil promised.
“You’re a good friend, Neil.” Sapphi opened her door and got out. “Have a good flight back yourself.”
“I will. I can’t wait to get back to Bear Creek.” He breathed in deeply. “The air is just not the same here. Give me the clean air of the mountains and the wide-open spaces.”
“I’ll think of you when we get there.” Sapphi shut the car door.
“Hey, you dragons are so slow, I’ll probably get there before you.” He waved out of the open car window, and then drove off into the night, leaving Alex, Sapphi and Kim alone.
“Are you sure about this?” Sapphi asked Kim. Alex was pulling the blanket from the backpack and unfolding it.
“Yes. The sooner we get back, the better. My priority should be to Archie. What will Jay think when he finds us and knows I abandoned his son?”
Sapphi reached out a comforting hand and placed it on Kim’s upper arm. “He’ll think you did your best in extremely challenging circumstances.”
“I should have told him about his son. Then none of this would have happened.” Kim wiped a tear from her cheek and took a deep breath, before catching hold of the blanket and asking, “How is this going to work?”
“We’ll go deep into the trees, find a clearing, and I’ll shift. Sapphi will help you climb on my back, and wrap this around you.” Alex indicated the blanket. “You’ll have to hold on tight to one of my spines, especially as we take off, but I’ll try to fly as smoothly as possible.”
“I’ll fly by your side. If you think you’re tiring, give me a sign and we’ll set down somewhere.” Sapphi gathered up Kim’s belongings. “Ready?”
“Yes.” Kim followed them into the trees, tired and pale, but holding it together as they found a clearing in the dense trees.
“This will have to do.” Alex looked up at the sky. “We don’t have many hours of nighttime left. I want to get as far as we can.”
Sapphi wanted to get all the way home, to reunite Kim with Archie by morning, but that would mean flying on with no rest. She didn’t know if Kim was capable of that. Or if her dragon was.
Alex shifted, his dragon standing magnificent in the moonlight, while Kim stared, her face registering shock. They might have been friends, and shared their knowledge of shifters, but Kim hadn’t see Alex’s dragon before.
“It’s safe.” Sapphi grabbed hold of the bags containing Kim’s belongings and climbed onto the green dragon’s leg, which he dipped down to make it easier for her to reach. She held out her hand, and Kim took it, hauling herself up beside Sapphi.
“He’s warmer than I expected.” Kim pressed her hand against the dragon scales, reassured by the heat from the dragon. “I thought he’d be cold, like a reptile.”
“We’re warm-blooded,” Sapphi told Kim as she boosted Archie’s mom up onto Alex’s back. “That’s it, as if you were riding a horse.”
Sapphi climbed up behind Kim and helped wrap the blanket around her shoulders and tuck it underneath her legs. When Kim was secure, Sapphi hooked the straps of the luggage over one of Alex’s spines, checking they were secure before jumping down to the ground.
“Good to go.” She gave Alex a thumbs up, and the dragon nodded his noble head before crouching down, ready to launch himself into the air. “Hold tight, Kim.”
Then the green dragon sprang up, and in one swoop of his wings, cleared the trees and set off toward Bear Creek. Sapphi shifted and followed, flying hard to catch up with the larger dragon. Her wings ached from their earlier journey, but she kept up with Alex, even though he flew faster than on the journey here.
On and on they flew, Sapphi concentrated on keeping a steady rhythm as her dragon tired. They passed the place where they had stopped to rest
earlier, with Alex pushing harder, further, and Sapphi gritted her teeth and willed herself to match his pace.
Kim looked tired as Sapphi’s dragon watched the human straddling the huge dragon, but she kept her grip on his spine, leaning over to hold on tightly as they rose up higher, passing through clouds that gathered with the promise of rain.
At last, three hours later, Alex dipped down out of the clouds, and searched for a wooded valley. As soon as he saw the location he sought, he headed straight for it and landed on the ground. However, Kim didn’t move, she sat frozen in position straddling the dragon. Sapphi landed next to Alex, shifted, and climbed on Alex’s dragon to helped her down.
“Here, have some water and a chocolate bar. It’ll help keep your energy up,” Sapphi offered.
Kim accepted them with stiff hands. “I don’t think I can do that for much longer.”
The air filled with static electricity as Alex shifted back to his human form. Sapphi cast an appraising eye over her mate. He was tired, too, but the determined expression on his face told Sapphi they were not about to stay here for the rest of the night.
“How are you both doing?” Alex asked as he took the chocolate bar Sapphi offered him. “Thanks.”
“Tired, but I can fly on longer if we have to.” Sapphi’s reassuring smile did not fool Alex.
“You look done in.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. She leaned into him as her body absorbed the heat and strength he offered her.
“I can do it,” Sapphi assured him. “But we’re so close to dawn.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. If you both ride on my back, I can fly high above the clouds, and reach the outer edges of the mountains before dawn.” He took a long drink of water.
“I can fly,” Sapphi insisted.
“But Kim can’t hold on much longer. I could feel her grip loosening.” He studied Kim closely, then said to Sapphi, “I know you can fly. But Kim needs your help.”
Sapphi nodded, half-relieved. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to go all the way. But if Alex had asked her to, she would have matched his speed for as long as she could before dropping to the ground to rest, while they carried on without her.
“Can you carry both of us?” Sapphi asked.
“Yes, easily.” Alex’s reassurance settled it. She had to do what was best for them all.
“How about you, Kim? If I sit behind you, and keep us both safe, can you continue?” Sapphi asked.
Kim nodded. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“We want to get home, too,” Sapphi assured her. “Let’s do this.”
Alex kissed her cheek, and then shifted into his dragon. Time was not on their side, they had to leave now.
Chapter Sixteen – Alex
Despite the many hours his dragon had flown that night, he was committed to getting Kim back to Archie, and Sapphi safely back home.
Visions of what might have happened if the men in the elevator had pulled their guns out and opened fire on Sapphi kept filtering into his thoughts, not matter how hard he tried to shut them out. Alex needed to put distance between his mate and danger.
His dragon launched himself into the air, wings beating hard as he climbed above the trees, higher and higher, until they reached the heavy clouds. For several minutes he couldn’t see anything but cloud vapor, and his dragon senses became the only thing keeping them safe. At this altitude, they could easily slam into a jetliner, but Alex was used to flying long distances, and his dragon’s instincts kept them out of range, and view, of any plane in the sky.
Breaking through the clouds, his flight leveled out, and he fixed his eye on a distant point on the horizon. He couldn’t see them yet, but the mountains surrounding Bear Creek were out there, calling him home like a long-lost son.
With stamina he didn’t know he possessed, and a determination that was renewed every time Sapphi shifted her weight on his back, sending jolts of recognition through his body, he flew on. The miles behind him were hard fought, each downbeat of his wings costing him more energy, but he could not give in.
On and on, he focused on each breath, each rise and fall of his massive wings, willing himself to keep going when everything told him to stop and rest. He was close to beat when a sense of excitement coursed through him, and Sapphi’s voice called out, “I can see the mountains.”
He stared into the distance, through a haze of fatigue. She was right, the dark shadows of mountain peaks, crested with snow, were visible in the growing light as the sun broke over the horizon and tinged the clouds pink. With renewed effort, he raced on, faster, faster, knowing he was running out of time and energy. If he stopped now, if he had to land, he would never make it off the ground again, his body couldn’t take the strain.
With each beat of his wings, the mountains grew bigger, closer, he could do it. Muscles straining, lungs burning, he reached the lower slopes of the mountains. They were so high, he could not see the houses nestled peacefully in valleys, their occupants sleeping as the dragon flew overhead.
This was the outer edges of the mountain range, they had so much further to travel, but he followed the peaks, as if he were joining the dots to make a picture of home. He slowed, fatigue finally catching up with him. They were so close, but could he make it back before dawn broke fully and made them too easy to spot in the early morning sky?
Sapphi stroked his scales, the touch of her hand giving him strength, urging him to make one last effort. His dragon banked and followed a valley that led down the side of the mountain toward Sapphi’s house. The warm air met him, and he glided down on a thermal, angling his body to change direction.
He flew over Carter’s cabin, where only days ago he had sensed his mate. So close. He lost the thermal and raised his tired wings, bringing them down barely enough to move forward. Then, out of nowhere, he sensed another creature of fire and scales, a red dragon.
“Ruby!” Sapphi called out into the sky as the red dragon joined the green. They flew side by side, and then the red dragon surged ahead, leaving Alex flying in her slip stream. The last couple of miles were tough, but Ruby made it easier. She knew the mountains well, took him through shortcuts, and caught eddies that assisted him, until at last, as the sun broke through the clouds, they reached their destination.
Ruby landed first, shifting even before her feet touched the ground. She ran toward the house, taking cover as the large green dragon eased himself out of the sky. Okay, so it was close to a crash landing, but his dragon was exhausted!
“Sapphi!” Ruby ran toward her sister and climbed up on Alex’s back to reach her.
“Help Kim,” Sapphi instructed as she half climbed, half fell off Alex’s back.
More movement as Fiona and Harlan came out of the house, running forward to help. “Are you both all right?” Fiona’s voice was unusually emotional.
“Yes,” Sapphi said. “Although Alex is exhausted.”
“Get back, everyone,” Harlan called and ushered all the women away, holding onto Sapphi when she fought to be with her mate. “Alex needs to shift, he can’t stay like that.”
Alex wondered what Harlan meant, and then realized that as exhaustion claimed his dragon, he was close to losing the strength to shift. It wouldn’t hurt him to stay in his dragon form, but his dragon was not exactly easy to hide. He was big, throwing a blanket over him would not work, there would be a risk of him being seen from the mountain above.
Summoning the last of his strength, his dragon slipped out of the world, slowly, fighting every inch of the way to push his human body back out of the other realm, the place where the other side dwelled.
“Let’s get you all inside. I’ll warm you some soup, and then you can get to bed.” Harlan propped Alex up as they walked to the house, while Ruby and Fiona helped Sapphi and Kim.
The kitchen was warm, and the smell of the soup inviting, as Alex’s awareness slowly came back to him. They’d made it. Somehow, he’d found the strength.
“
You look like death,” Kim said to him as they sat at the kitchen table.
“Back at you,” Alex responded as he sipped his soup.
“Let’s never do that again,” Sapphi added.
“You’re back, that’s all that matters,” Fiona said, her voice calm, but her expression speaking of the worry they had endured.
“Neil called and said you were making your way home,” Ruby told them. “We weren’t sure if you would make it before morning.”
“I don’t think we would have if you hadn’t come and helped, Ruby,” Sapphi said.
“I’m supposed to protest, and tell you I had it all under control, but I didn’t.” Alex gave Ruby a weak smile, it was all he could manage. “Thank you, Ruby.”
“Any time. We’re family, after all.” She looked pleased with herself, as if she’d proven herself. And Alex had to agree, she had.
“A good night’s…day’s sleep, and you can tell us all about it.” Fiona began bustling around. “Sapphi, Alex can sleep with you in your room. Kim, you can have Ruby’s room.”
“But first, there is someone who wants to see you,” Harlan said, coming into the kitchen with a sleepy young boy.
“Archie!” Kim found the strength to get out of her seat and go to Harlan, her arms open wide.
Archie’s sleepy face lit up with a beaming smile that made all the miles, all the aching muscles, worth it a hundred times over. The little boy reached out for his mommy, and went into her arms, clinging to her and shrieking in his own ear-splitting way.
As Alex watched, Sapphi left her seat at the table, and came to stand next to him, her hand slipping into his. “Good job, dragon.”
“You didn’t do so bad yourself,” Alex said in return.
“Teamwork.” Sapphi slid her arm around his neck and bent her head to kiss his cheek.
“For life,” he murmured into her ear.
“Shall we go to bed?” Sapphi asked, watching Kim and Archie hug each other. Archie’s small hands tangled in Kim’s long black hair as he gave her a toothless smile and babbled happily. Kim buried her head in his small chest and sobbed, holding him tight, as if she would never let go again.
Single Daddy Dragon Page 10
