“Oh, do you know anyone there?”
The couple looked at each other. “No, not really,” Martha said with a tight smile. “We, uh…well, we had to leave our home real quick. They found out we were werewolves and…”
“The folks there didn’t take it too kindly,” Clark finished, his eyes hard. “And it just wasn’t safe. Especially for Nate. We heard Blackstone was welcoming of our kind and we could find good jobs and maybe a safe home.”
Riva’s eyes widened with shock. She looked over at Nate, at his cherubic cheeks and curly blond hair. Who would try to hurt a child? Anger bubbled into her. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s a shifter’s life,” Clark shrugged. “Anyway, young lady, why don’t we take you home? No way we’re leaving you alone ’til you’ve gotten back safe to your family. Just show us where.”
Relief washed over her. “Thank you,” she said, unshed tears shining in her eyes. “That would be wonderful.”
As soon as the truck pulled up to Blackstone Castle, Clark whistled. “You live here?”
Before she opened the door, Riva turned to Clark and Martha. “Thank you so much. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. Please don’t go yet, okay? I’ll have someone come out and take you to a guest room and get you settled in for a night.” She raised her hand when they began to protest. “No, please, I won’t take no for an answer.”
On the ride over, Clark and Martha had told her that they’d been driving for two days straight, sleeping in their car because they couldn’t afford to stay in a motel until they at least got to Blackstone. “Then tomorrow, we’ll talk about getting both of you jobs at Lennox Corporation. My husband is Hank Lennox.”
Martha burst into tears and even Clark’s eyes were shiny. “I don’t know what to say…you’re too kind.”
“Just accept it, please? Sorry, I have to go.” She waved at them, and raced to the front door. Her knuckles hadn’t even connected with the door when it opened.
“Mrs. Lennox!” Meg cried, her face pale. “You’re alive!”
“Of course I’m alive!” she exclaimed. “My husband! Is he back?”
“Yes, ma’am, but—”
“We’ll talk later,” she promised. She gave Meg some quick instructions to help the Caldwells and get them settled into one of the guest rooms.
Taking the steps two at a time, she ran to the master bedroom, throwing the door open. “Hank!”
Her husband was sitting on the bed, naked, his back to her. His head was hung low, his shoulders hunched over.
“Hank,” she called again. With careful steps, she approached him. “I’m here.”
“Riva…” he said in a soft, anguished voice and lifted his head.
As she came closer, she saw he was staring forward, out of the balcony doors. They were open and the wind howled and whipped at the curtains. “Riva, I tried. I’m sorry I didn’t find you. That I was too late.”
What was he saying? She walked in front of him, but he didn’t even flinch. “Hank, what are you talking about? I’m here.”
His eyes were glassy and rimmed with red. “I know you’re here. You’ll always be with me. You’re my mate…and now you’re dead because of me.”
“Hank!” she admonished. “I’m here! I’m not dead!” She grabbed his hands, and placed them on her face. “It’s me. I’m alive.”
Hank’s face paled, then his eyes cleared. He blinked at her, his eyes searching her face. “Riva…you’re here!”
“Of course I am, silly!” She laughed. “If I were dead, I wouldn’t waste my afterlife haunting you, you beast.”
“Oh, Riva…” He stood up and pulled her to him. He held her tight, as if he were afraid she’d disappear into thin air. “I thought I’d lost you. I’m so sorry…sorry for what I said and for not believing you.”
“I saw you. Your dragon, I mean. You were flying.”
“I was looking for you,” he confessed. “They said the car had washed away and they found your coat. I couldn’t believe them.”
“Oh, Hank…”
He sank down to his knees and pressed his cheek to her stomach. “Forgive me, Riva, please. For thinking you could do that to me. I love you, and I will do anything and everything you ask if you forgive me.”
“You love me?” she said, her heart soaring. “And I’m your mate, right?”
Hank nodded. “Yes. My dragon will be tied to you, devoted to you, for the rest of our lives. Even if you decide not to forgive me, I’ll dedicate the rest of my life to your happiness.”
She gasped and tears clouded her vision. “I love you, too, Hank. And yes…I forgive you.” How could she not? In her heart, she now knew what a mate was. She may not have understood it, but she just knew Hank was hers. Forever.
He got to his feet, drew her into his arms again, and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss burned like a soldering heat that joined metals, but this time, it was like their souls melding into one. She gasped when he finally pulled away.
“What…” It was a strange sensation. She felt warm all over, and so peaceful and content.
“Did you feel that?” he asked.
“I think so…what is it?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ve only heard…it’s a mating bond.” He looked at her. “It’s not supposed to happen for dragons, at least that was what we believed.”
She smiled at him. “Well, something tells me that from now on, we’ll be challenging a lot of these so-called ‘beliefs’.”
He pulled her down to the bed, then rolled on top of her. “Sweetheart, as long as you’ll stay by my side, I’m up for any challenge.”
She chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that.”
Epilogue
Six years later…
“No, you’re stupid!”
“No, you’re stupid!”
There was a growl, a roar, and the sound of claws hitting the ground.
Riva walked out onto the back lawn, rubbed her lower back, and narrowed her eyes. When she saw the two juvenile dragons wrestling on the ground, she put her palm on her forehead. At least they can’t use their wings yet, she thought. “Matthew! Jason!” she called out. “What’s going on?”
The two dragons continued to roll on the ground and she let out a sigh. But before she could go over, a young grizzly bear cub came running across the lawn, grabbed the two dragons and pulled them apart.
Thank God for Ben, she thought. Despite only being three years older than her twin sons, he had appointed himself their older brother, protecting them, mostly from each other. Ben was the responsible one, always playing referee, but he loved Matt and Jason like they were his siblings.
As she walked toward them, a gray blur whizzed by her, the rush of air ruffling her skirt. “Nate, slow down!” she called to the wolf pup, who joined his three friends. The pup bounded toward the other three, knocking them down on the grass. She smiled. Nathan Caldwell was a sweet child, but he was always getting himself (and his friends) into trouble. He was also a charmer and loved making everyone laugh with his antics.
When she reached them, she found four naked children, laughing and giggling. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground. “All right, boys,” she said with a stern face. “Care to tell me what happened?”
Four pairs of eyes looked up at her, but no one said a word. “Anyone?” she asked.
Ben opened his mouth, but snapped it shut when Matt sent him a glare. “Sorry Aunt Riva,” he said, looking down at his feet. “But we ain’t no tattletales.”
She narrowed her eyes. Although she didn’t want them to think they could lie to adults, she had to admire their resolve in protecting each other. Something told her that would be something they’d need in the future. “All right. No one was hurt?”
The four boys shook their heads.
“And you’re not doing something we told you not to do?”
More shaking.
“As long as you follow the rules and no one gets hurt, I’ll let
it slide. Now, get dressed and cleaned up. Meg is taking fresh cookies from the oven and everyone can have one before dinner.”
“Cookies!”
“Hooray!”
“Are they chocolate chip?!”
“Yay!”
Riva laughed as all four boys scrambled into their clothing and ran to the castle. As she walked back, she looked up at her home with pride. The old crumbling castle she had moved into six years ago was certainly looking much grander these days.
After Riva had made the changes at the company, Hank appointed her president of Lennox. It had caused an uproar, but soon, everyone accepted her as head of the corporation. And thanks to her, Lennox was thriving. She also established the Lucas Lennox Foundation, a non-profit organization to which they funneled the profits that went into Blackstone. They were doing the same as before—providing education, healthcare, and other benefits to the town—but this ensured that no one could ever dispute Lucas Lennox’s will and made it easier for residents to access benefits. Hank was president of the foundation, a role he was much more suited to (and made him happier) than being head of a company.
After all the happened, she never thought she’d be so happy. The past was behind them—Melissa had been convicted and jailed for the murder of Harrison and Andrea. The FBI were also able to catch Daniel, and he was behind bars, too.
She went into the castle and headed into the kitchen, and eased herself onto a stool. The boys were sitting at the massive wooden table in the middle, all watching as Meg placed a cookie on each of their plates.
“What do we say to Meg?”
“Thank you,” the four of them chorused.
Meg laughed. “You’re all very welcome.”
The four boys gulped their milk and ate their cookies in two seconds.
Riva chuckled, and her own tummy gurgled. “All right, baby girl,” she cooed, rubbing her large tummy. “You can get one, too.” She took a cookie from the plate Meg was holding out, and thanked her before taking a bite. “Hmmmm…”
“You’re getting a sister?” Nathan said, sticking his tongue out.
“Hey, what’s wrong with getting a sister?” Ben said. “I hope Mommy’s baby is a girl.” Laura had just announced that after trying for several years, she was pregnant too.
“Girls are so icky,” Jason said.
“You might not mind girls so much in a few years, young man.”
Riva felt a warmth course through her at the sound of her mate’s voice. “Daddy! Daddy!” Jason and Matt chimed as they scrambled to Hank. He took both boys into his arms.
“You’re home early.” she said.
“Of course I’m home, I’ve missed you.” He kissed the twins on the cheek. “Have all you boys been behaving? Not getting into any trouble?” He glanced at Nathan and Ben.
“No,” they said in unison.
Riva gave him a wry smile. “Right.”
“Mom, can we keep playing?” Jason said, wiggling out of his father’s grip. “Auntie Laura and Auntie Martha aren’t picking up Nate and Ben ’til five, right?”
“All right,” she said. “You boys keep playing, but no roughhousing, and get out of your clothes if you’re shifting, okay?”
“Yes!”
The four boys scrambled out of the kitchen, already shucking off their clothes as they headed to the back lawn.
An arm went around her shoulder and Hank kissed her temple. “Welcome home,” she said.
“Glad to be home,” he answered, and put a hand on her belly. “How’s my girl?”
She sighed. “Overdue. I hate waiting.”
“You just hate being on maternity leave,” he quipped. “Don’t worry, Martha’s a capable assistant. I’m sure she’ll keep everyone in line while you’re away.” He rubbed her stomach. “Too bad this one’s just a single.”
“Ha! You say that because you’re not the one who feels like a jungle gym,” she countered. At that moment, their baby chose to give a strong kick. “Ooof!”
Hank laughed and kissed her belly. “I can’t wait to see you, baby girl. And I’ve already got my shotgun cleaned and ready for all those boys who’ll be trying to take you away from me.”
“She’ll be a dragon,” Riva retorted. “I think she’ll be capable of taking care of herself.”
“Aren’t you worried about the boys?” he asked jokingly. “About daddies with shotguns of their own?”
She let out a chuckle. “I know our boys will grow up to be very handsome, but something tells me that their future mates will keep a handle on things.”
“Is that so? Think they’ll have an easy time finding them?”
“Oh, don’t you know the legend of twins in my family?” He frowned. “I can’t believe I never told you! My mom is a twin, you know. She and my aunt would switch places all the time because no one could tell them apart,” she said with a sad smile. “The legend goes, the one who knows you from your twin is your soulmate. Anyway, my dad said he saw her at a coffee shop, hounded her for a date and wouldn’t leave her alone until she said yes. Thinking that she’d pull the wool over his eyes, she sent her twin in her place. My dad wasn’t fooled, of course, and demanded my mom come and finish the date with him.”
She’d often wondered what would have happened if her mother had been around. She didn’t have a lot of memories of her, but remembered her to be loving and kind. Would she have let Riva marry Hank? She shrugged. It didn’t matter. This was her life now and she loved every minute of it.
“You’re kidding, right?” Hank asked. “There’s no such thing as twin magic.”
“Oh, just because we’re human, we can’t have a bit of magic in us?” she teased.
“I’m pretty sure you have some kind of magic,” Hank said, his eyes warm. “In fact—”
“Uncle Hank! Auntie Riva!” Nathan’s shrill voice rang into the kitchen. The boy was barely shifted back and gray hair was still sprouting in patches all over his body. His cheeks were red from exertion. “You…gotta…come…out…now!”
Fear gripped Riva’s heart like a vice. “What’s wrong, Nate? Who is it? The twins? Ben?”
He shook his head and took a deep breath. “Just…come…” He turned and disappeared out of the kitchen.
Hank tensed beside her. “Stay here,” he said as he strode away.
Stay here? One of her children could be hurt! She waddled out, following her husband. Though it took her a while, she finally reached the doors leading to the outside patio.
Hank was walking toward the castle, all four children tagging along. He was holding a light brown bundle in his arms.
“Who…what is it?” she asked as he reached her. As she examined it closer, she realized it was some type of animal, based on the limbs, but she wasn’t sure what. She gasped when saw the red and dark brown streaks all over its fur. Blood.
Hank lowered the animal onto one of the wicker sofas. “Lion cub,” he said. “It’s…bad.”
Riva put a hand over her mouth. The cub was covered in claw marks. Though they were already healing, it was obvious they were enough to weaken the cub. She eased down on the sofa and placed a hand on its head, stroking the soft tufts of fur. Its eyes were closed, and its breath labored.
“It’s okay,” she cooed. “You’re safe.”
“Mommy!” Jason cried. “Look!”
The fur on the cub’s face began to recede, and the head and limbs shrank down. “Oh, my,” Riva gasped. It was a young boy, maybe the same age as Ben. The angry red marks all over his chest and back were still healing, but still, Riva couldn’t help but let out a cry.
“Let’s get him inside,” Hank said, gently pulling her away. “Riva, call Dr. Marks. Ben,” he called. “Go call your dad and tell him to bring Uncle Clark. You boys should go home.”
“No,” Ben said, hovering protectively over the other boy.
“We want to make sure he’s okay,” Nate said. “Please, Uncle Hank?”
He sighed. “You can if your parents let you stay. But
we might need their help, too. In case whoever hurt him is still around.” The two boys nodded and disappeared into the house, followed by Jason and Matt.
Riva froze. “Do you think…”
Hank’s expression hardened. “I didn’t scent anyone unfamiliar, aside from the cub. But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
She nodded. “Right. Let’s get him to a guest bedroom.” She ran her hands over the boy’s golden hair, still matted with blood.
The two of them walked into the castle, arms around each other and the boy. There might be danger about, but first, they needed to make sure this little one was safe.
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Hank and Riva’s story! I hope you liked it.
But the Blackstone Series has just begun.
There’s more romance, action and adventure in store.
Want to see how those adorable boys grew up?
Then turn the pages for a preview of the The Blackstone Dragon Heir, available now!
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Thanks for reading!
Alicia
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Preview: The Blackstone Dragon Heir
“Thank you, thank you everyone,” Riva Lennox said as thundering applause greeted the end of her speech. “And though we’ve already formalized everything with the board yesterday, let me take this moment to pass the baton to my son, the new CEO of Lennox Corporation, Matthew Everett Lennox.” More applause. “Son, go ahead and stand up—no, Jason, not you.” The crowd laughed. “Yes, honey, I know it’s you because I did the table settings. Hopefully you guys won’t be pulling the old switcheroo, since Jason will be busy running Lennox Foundation.”
The Last Blackstone Dragon Page 9
