Dana

by Kathi S. Barton

  His dad must have noticed them standing there, so he started acting a little put out about the arrangements. “Do you believe this kid? I bring him into the world and raise him up to be a good man, and what does he do? Kicks me out of his home like I didn’t provide for him all his life.” Elissa had enough of this man. And said that he wasn’t even his father. “Now, don’t be lying to him. That’s not right. Is it, Danburn?” “You’re not on friendly terms with me, so you will call me by my title or Mr. English. And it is true, you’re no more his father than I am yours. And had you been mine, you never would have made it to puberty.” Mel turned and looked at them, then back at his dad. “He’s not your father, son, but a man who stole you from your mom when you were newly born.” “No, that can’t be true. Dad, you said that.... You lied to me? All this time? When I asked you about what the doctor said, about us being so different, you said it was the way things went. Then when I asked you why I was so different, you told me that it was my mom’s fault, that she’d done drugs when I was in her womb. Why would you do that to me?” Melville told the boy that his mother had done drugs, and that she was a whore too. “No, I won’t believe you. You’ve lied to me enough. I’m glad that I’m not going to have to take care of you anymore. I don’t want you to come around me either. I want you to leave me alone. I don’t want.... You lied to me about my whole life. How could you do that to me?” When Mel turned his back on his father and walked away, Danburn stepped in front of Melville to stop him from following the younger man. But Sapphire went after Mel, as did Denny. If anyone could help the boy, she knew that they could do it. When Melville asked him what he’d done that for, her son only laughed. “No good is going to come from him knowing the truth. And now he’s all mad at me and stuff.” Melville looked in the direction that they had gone. “He didn’t give me any cash either. How am I supposed to live without something to get around on? My next check won’t be enough to cover my expenses and the bills that an apartment will generate.” “You didn’t think he needed the truth? I do. And I have someone looking into the death of that woman you killed.” He said that he’d not killed her, but she’d been dying. “But you did slit her throat and take her child, didn’t you? While she was still alive. That is against the law. And it doesn’t matter if she was dying already or on drugs, she died because of your actions that day. Then you took her child. You don’t think someone out there might have wanted him?” “No one will give a shit about a druggie woman so high on shit that she’d die anyway. At least her brat didn’t die with her. And he would have too. You think after all this time somebody would have come looking if they wanted him.” All her son said was perhaps. “You’re going to fix this for me. I’m out of work, and I don’t have any money because of you. Now someone has convinced my son that he needs to cut ties with me. And I want that sister too. I don’t even care what you have to do to make that happen. Like I said, you owe me.”

  “We don’t owe you crap, Melville. In fact, if I could, I’d make things harder on you. You’re a bad man and a terrible role model for that young man, and I for one am glad that he’s quit you. And you’ll never get one of our dragons. Not so long as I have breath in my body. And speaking of which, you do not want me to mess with you and my breath, buddy. But as for all this bad luck you seem to be having? I believe that you did that all on your own.” Elissa lifted her chin up when Melville drew back to hit her. “Do it. And you won’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. I will tear you the fuck apart, and then bury you so deep that no one will ever find you.” He walked away, and Elissa turned to speak to her son. But Danburn was laughing with the oddest expression on his face. When she asked him what was wrong, it took him a few minutes to be able to answer her. “You said fuck. Just like you used it every day.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him while patting her foot. It usually worked, but not today apparently. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not allowed to be mad at me when you’re the bad guy in this. To think, my sainted mother said a bad word and the world didn’t come crashing down on her head. I love it.” “I most certainly am not sainted. And if you breathe one word of this conversation to any of my new family, I will never speak to you again. So help me, Danburn—” He pulled her to him and kissed her on the forehead. There wasn’t a better way for him to show his love for her than to give her a hug. “You must think I’m a hypocrite.” “No, I think that you’re the most amazing woman that I’ve ever known, and you fight for justice whenever you need to. Even going so far as to curse and use the word right. I love you, Mom. More and more every day.” She looked up at him. “Mom, how did I forget that you are so incredible?” “You have a wife that outshines us all, and she’s not afraid to curse when she needs to. Even when she doesn’t need to, she can curse like a sailor.” He agreed with her on that one. “I love you, son. And I’m so excited to be a grandmother to your daughter.” “Me too. A daughter to watch grow up into a fearsome dragon. And to play with her in the yard or take a long walk with her. I think I will be the happiest man alive once she is in our lives. To be honest, I didn’t think I could be this happy. Having a child? Well, that sure does top the list of things I never thought would happen to me.” She held him tightly and then backed away. “We should see what trouble our dear Sapphire is in.” “You think that she’s in trouble?” Elissa just looked at him. “Yes, well, you could be right. But I’ve no doubt that she can get herself out of it just as easily. Besides, I think she and Denny can help young Mel much more than anyone can at this point. I think the young man already thinks of her as some kind of mother figure. Mel couldn’t do any better with Denny as his father figure either. He raised himself three fine sons.” “That much is true.” She thought of the sisters and what they were going to think once they were released. “She said that they’re going to move into the houses if they wish. I hope they do. It’ll give Dana and her so much more time to have fun.”

  “You mean sex?” She smacked him on the arm as they walked to the car. “I don’t doubt that they’ll be announcing they’re having a baby soon too. They’re as bad as Kendrick and I are about...having fun.” “Danburn, I swear there are times when I wish I had beaten you more.” He pointed out that she never had beaten him. Not once in all these years. “Perhaps it’s not too late to take up the habit. I’d need a large stick.” They were both laughing as they got into the car. She was going to love having all the children around. And she was already gathering up things about their grandpa that she could show them. They were going to know him as well as they did her. ~~~ Dana went to his office on the upper floors just as Sapphire came into the house. Christ, he loved that woman, and she only had to be close enough for him to touch to be in a better frame of mind too. When she came to him with open arms, he kissed her hungrily and picked her up from the floor so that she was wrapped around him. “You do, and you’ll never know what happened today.” She giggled as he carried her up the stairs. “Oh Dana, how did I ever make it in this world without you? You’re the sweetest, most romantic man I’ve ever known. Although, I’ve not known that many men.” “Nor will you from now on either. As for your day, I’m sure you did just fine. Did anything happen that caused death, bleeding, and/or someone who is going to have to be killed by me?” She told him not so much. “Good. I’m going to have you for my dinner, as Mrs. Crocket has gone home to fix dinner for her husband. I guess he had a wonderful day as well.” “He did. We all did. Mel knows about Melville not being his father. Melville has been told that he is no longer allowed to come near Mel. And not by me, but Mel. He really stood up for himself.” He told her that was enough. “But there is so much more. Don’t you want to hear about the clean up we did today? Or the shipment of buckets we got in? They’re beautiful.” “Buckets are not beautiful, even I know that, and no, I don’t want to know about your clean up or anything else you did while not with me today.” He laughed when he had trouble with the door. “Christ, you’re a handful, aren’t you?” Pushing the door open
with his foot, he threw her on the bed and watched her breasts as they bounced several times before he was naked. Magic made having quickie sex so much easier. But once he touched her, there was no need to hurry, he realized, and lifted her legs up to his shoulders. “I love the way you taste when you’re all wet. How your skin is all dewy with need.” He kissed the inside of her leg, just below the knee. “The way that your toes curl up when you’re aroused. And your nipples are tight against your shirt. You need to wear silk all the time, love, so I can see them when they’re as hard as my cock seems to be all the time.” “You’re taking too long. Talk less and take me faster. I thought that this was going to be a quickie.” He told her that he’d changed his mind. “Well, then I’m going to tell you about— Yes, that’s it. More.”

  He devoured the small nubbin, nibbled on her nether lips as he slid his fingers in and out of her. Just seconds, that was all it took for her to fill his mouth with her cream and to soak his hand. Dana loved how responsive her body was for him. The way that she screamed out her releases. There was just too much to list about things he loved about this woman—his woman. “More, I need you, please, Dana.” He blew over her clit, then licked the entire length of her. Each time he did that, tasting more and more of her, she would scream that it was much too much, or that she needed more. Moving up her body, he made a feast of her navel. Suckled at her breasts. If he could have, he would have bitten her luscious ass. Taken her from behind while he was back there. Christ, he was hard as stone and almost in pain with it. “You better fill me or I’m coming again without you.” Slamming forward, he filled her with his cock. Sapphire held onto him so tightly, both his cock and his body, that he could barely move. Sliding over her, taking her throat to his mouth, he bit down just hard enough to make her come again, then he moved quickly in and out of her. He now needed to come. Needed to empty deep within her one more time. Christ, she was as hot as she was wet. “Come for me, love. Milk my cock while I empty myself into you.” Shaking her head, she told him she was done. “Nay, you are not. Come for me, Sapphire, and show me your lights.” He’d known that she would sparkle like her namesake when she came hard enough. He’d caught a glimpse of it just this morning when he’d taken her. And again in the shower today. But now he wanted to see it, watch her come with him as she showed him all that she was. When her wings spread out under her, he thought she was going to shift, but the wings were the light that he needed to see. “Christ, you’re beautiful.” He took her hard, slamming his cock deep within her, so hard that he was sure she’d be sore in the morning. But when she screamed out that she loved him, that she would forever, his own climax raced over his body and seemed to erupt from his cock like it had been too full a bottle of soda and it released its build up. They came together, the two of them, and Dana felt his world simply black out as he dropped over her. When he woke she was still beneath him and he rolled to his back, leaving her lying there on the bed. Dana wasn’t even sure that he could have lifted her up even should the house be on fire. Instead, when his knees were less shaky, he got up and pulled the blankets that had ended up on the floor over her. Dana made his way to use the bathroom and to wash his face. He looked in the mirror at his sigil. Ferne was there, and he knew that she wasn’t able to hear him when he didn’t say her name first. Calling to her when he wrapped a towel around him, he asked her if she could find out about the man he’d seen in town earlier. She sat on the counter now, her body much smaller than when he’d first spoken to her. Ferne told him it was because she didn’t need to waste energy on enlarging herself when small would do just fine. It was all right with him too. Less scary being in the bathroom with her alone and semi naked.

  “The man that crossed the street when you were at the bakery?” He said that was him. “I have looked, my lord. Other than having a gun and a knife on him, there is very little that I can find. The hotel has him as Smith. The car he has is a rental. Also under Smith. He has not asked for anyone that I can tell, but he does have a picture of the child and sister.” “Carmine.” She said she’d not yet met her, but knew of her from his thoughts. “This man, can you see what’s in his mind? I mean, is he here for Carmine?” He wasn’t sure how it worked, but when she left the counter to go to the window, he opened it for her and she took off. It occurred to him, too late he supposed, that she was going to a strange man’s bedroom, and as it was well after midnight, perhaps she would have sex with him. Not that he cared, but it was a strange thought. Dana went to check on Sapphire and took the sisters with him as he dressed for the conversation that he was going to have with them. “Come to me, sisters three.” They were suddenly in the room with him, and they sat down on the couch, a little shaken from the shift. “I have something I’d like to ask you. Sapphire is all right, but currently sleeping. But I have a plan to bring out the man who seeks you.” He told them what he wanted to do. “You have thought this through, have you not?” Opal had been a great deal nicer to him since she’d found out that he wasn’t her mate. “I think that will work. But it will take a bit out of us. To switch around like that, one body to the next, we won’t be able to help you should it turn nasty.” “I think we can handle him. What worries me is where he’s getting his magic. I found out today that the woman he killed to take the baby was indeed having a diabetic issue, and had he stayed with her or even called someone, she’d be alive right now. Her husband, as you can imagine, is devastated, as well as her parents. They’ve been searching for the missing child since. The only reason that they’re sure it was a boy is because of the DNA left behind.” Ferne came back just as he was explaining how things were going to work with the man. “He is alone in this. He has told no one that he is seeking to capture a dragon. And he is very upset with your mate, as well as Elissa, for keeping the dragons out of his reach.” She introduced herself to the others, and they in turn took a bit of her so that she could help them too should they need it. Ferne looked at Dana when she had a seat. “The man you saw in town worked with the other man, Ramon, but he’s not after the dragons, but the little girl. He has heard of her magic. The hotel where he is staying is paid up for the week by cash. There is plenty of money in his room, but it is tainted, with some kind of human drug. I think he stole the money. He has read the notes that he’s found on Ramon’s desk while he was cleaning it out. No one knows that he is here, nor do they have any idea that he’s here for the little girl. Just a man on vacation, or so it looks like to them.” She smiled then and looked at him. “You did something to him.” Ferne nodded then put her finger to her lush lips. “I don’t want to know. I just.... Please, never give me details about how you get your information.”