by Livia Quinn
And that just pissed me off. Then some kind of silent agreement or understanding was reached and Alejandro bowed to Conor. I breathed out a sigh I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“This is the comrade I told you about, Conor. He has agreed to lend his support to our community.” Dutch looked at me. “As you’ve probably surmised, Alej, Montana—”
“Branislava,” Conor interjected. Goddess, what was his deal?
Dutch nodded, not one to worry too much about the details, “Yes, whatever she prefers of course, she is a powerful warrior and one you can rely on in battle, Alej. I’ve told Alejandro of the difficulties some of our people have suffered since the Para-Moon. He’s agreed to throw in with us until things get back to normal.”
Conor looked at Alejandro. I looked from Conor to Dutch. What was this about? Why didn’t Conor offer a Welcome to the island or something? Did this have to do with Dylan’s loss of power, Jack’s less than complete transformation into his dragon, some problem with River? Or was there more, something Conor wasn’t telling me? There had to be a reason he’d decided suddenly to bring me to the Isle. But he must not have expected me to meet Obejoyo.
Dutch offered to buy Conor and me some refreshment along with Alej, but Conor was of a mind to return to Destiny. Fine with me. I wanted answers.
Alejandro bowed once again to Conor and Conor responded with a stiff one of his own.
He wasn’t feelin’ it.
Chapter 21
“You know what, knowing you… you’d better sit”
Jack
I drove with my lights flashing, straight to the gym as fast as conditions would allow. I’d called the coach and instructed her to keep Jordie there with her until I arrived. Hers was the only car in the parking lot when I screeched to a halt in front of the double doors. The doors banged open as she shoved through, head shaking. “Jordi—”
She threw her hands up in anger and frustration and brushed past me climbing in and slamming the door. I followed her, buckled in then drove out to lake. I tried to fill the drive with smalltalk, asking her how school was going, practice, about her friends. She answered without enthusiasm until I asked about the job with Aurora’s and then as usual she bubbled with happiness, so much so that even I noticed the difference until finally she realized she couldn’t return to being mad. She stopped as we drove to the edge of the lake.
“How could you just leave like that, Daddy?” Her voice broke and I unhooked the seat belt and reached for her. “God, Jordie. I’m so sorry. It’s my fault. Something… happened and I’ve been having a hard time dealing with it.”
She pulled back, looking me up and down to make sure I was whole, so like a woman, a nurturer. “You didn’t break up with Tempe did you?” Her horrified expression told me how concerned she’d been about my relationship with the woman who’d become like a sister to her. I hadn’t broken up with her intentionally, but what if Tempe thought my distance meant I no longer wanted to be with her? So, next on my list…
“No, though she has every right to be as mad at me as you are.”
“Well, then, what?” she asked forcefully.
Whooo, boy. Tempe and Montana had both said my daughter was smarter than I thought. That wasn’t exactly right. Jordie was brilliant and I knew it but all my decisions had been made based on my belief that I’d successfully kept this bubble around her protecting her from the worst realities about our supernatural home. I was about to bust that bubble.
“Let’s go outside.”
Her energy was evident as usual, even after a day of work and basketball practice. Oh, to be sixteen again. “I don’t need to go outside,” she said.
“Well, maybe your ‘ol man does.” I got out.
She slammed the door and walked around in a huff. “Is this about Andy, and Tempe and Arabella being able to do stuff? If so, I know all about that.”
That stopped me in my tracks. I flopped back weakly against the car. “What…stuff? When…”
“Sheesh, Daddy, you don’t know? You know what, knowing you, you’d better sit.” Her eyes were bright with excitement and her hands animated her words, “Andy…” she dragged it out watching my eyes for a reaction…“is a genie, but he spells it D-j-i-n-n-i. And Arabella,” she clapped her hands together excitedly, “Arabella is a fairy. Can you believe it, a fairy! And our dog, Beffie, is a fairy. I knew the night he came to live with us he wasn’t a dog dog.”
“How—” My shock left me speechless. Who had been filling my daughter in on these details. Had she just figured it out on her own? “Who told you these uh, facts?”
She waved her fingers down as if to say oh, that, “No one told me at first. I can tell when people are different, you know, like, see their aura.”
“Their aura?” The conversation had flipped upside down on top of me. I was supposed to be the one informing her and— “What do you mean you see their aura?”
“Well, for instance Andy looks different from Arabella who looks different from Tempe, who has the most unique one I’ve seen yet. It changes, especially when she might be getting ready to create a lightning bolt.”
“Wait! Jordie. You’ve seen Tempe create lightning? When…”
She sighed and looked at me like I needed compassion and sympathy and like I was… clueless. “Daddy, I saw stuff and heard people talk about the things that happened in town last spring. And I did stay out at Tempe’s. What do you think I am, stupid?”
I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t been giving her enough credit. “So can you tell when people are…”
“Special? Yes.” She crossed her arms and her head tilted as she really looked at me. “Your aura has changed,” she said, narrowing her eyes.
This was the first time I’d heard anything about auras, and to hear it from Jordie…
Once again, it was as if my universe was a cartoon character that fell on the ground with its hands to its ears, its feet kicking at the sky. NO! My own precious baby whom I had been trying to protect from the dangers of unknown threats in the form of crazy supernaturals inherently knew more about the realities of Destiny and our friends’ natures than I had. And she accepted it as just another fantastic, exciting part of her life.
“What’s wrong with your aura, Daddy?” This time her expression was fraught with concern. “You’re not sick, are you?”
“No,” I rushed to assure her. She relaxed and studied me further, eyebrows crinkling inward as she tried to read me. Then she smiled. “You’re special now, too.” She threw her arms around me and I felt the breath stutter into my lungs, relief and love surging through me as I wrapped my arms around her.
“I love you so much, baby girl.” She stiffened but I tightened my hold. “Jordie, I know you’re growing up, but you’ll always be my little girl, you understand that don’t you?”
She nodded against my chest. I stroked her hair, winding my fingers around her ponytail and kissed the top of her head. Her voice was muffled into my shirt, “So, are you going to tell me what you are?” She looked up at me, frowning. “How does this happen? I mean, I’m not special but it seems like everyone around me is, except Jarell, even though he can shoot like a wizard.”
She obviously couldn’t see her own aura, thank God. I cleared my throat. “You’re priceless, sweetheart, and I can’t answer your question. You get the big picture more than I did initially. Tempe had to practically beat it into me that being um, special, is Destiny’s version of normal.” I inhaled, taking the plunge, “What do you see when you look at me?”
“Besides my Dad?” She grinned seeming to understand my question better than I understood what I was asking. “Let me look.”
This was weird, standing there while my daughter studied me, her expression one of peaceful confidence, the first time I’d ever seen it. I had an instant vision of the power and influence she might one day have on her world.
“Wow, when I open my senses to your full essence, I see so much. First of all, if you could turn down your lig
ht a bit, you’re so bright it’s hard to see much else. It’s like watching sunlight bounce off the water on a clear day with all the colors in the rainbow but a lot of pure blinding white.” She closed her eyes and reached out, placing her palm on my chest.
“I get images of you flying, looking down at things around you like our house, Tempe, the levee? Don’t know what that’s about. I must be seeing your past in the service. Maybe my aura reading thingie is broken…no, no…Daddy, how long have you known you’re a dragon? Coooooooeeelllll! My father is a dragon! Wait ‘til I tell Andy. Does he know already? OmaGod, I can’t believe this. Don’t you just love it?”
Not the reaction I’d expected for sure. To say Jordie was excited about me being part of the dragon species of supernaturals was like saying Woverine’s fingernails were long enough for a manicure.
She was full of energy. Obviously I’d been wrong about so many things. Jordie’s talents must have something to do with the type of Paramortal she was going to be. I hadn’t gotten to that point in my conversation with mom and dad. I’d been on sensory overload. I should be used to it by now. But as revelations went, this one transferred “shock and awe” from the “Surreal” column to “My real life”.
Something dropped into place for me, a feeling of acceptance, of the rightness of our place here. I’d been deep in thought and hadn’t heard Jordie’s question. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, what did you say?”
Her eyes were wide with suppressed excitement, “I asked if I could see it?”
“See what?” The fear was back.
“The dragon. What does it… you… look like? Andy says there’s a huge black dragon in town. Is that you?” she asked excitedly, blond brows bouncing on her forehead.
I shook my head in wonder. Jordie knew about Conor!
“No, I am… uh, that is…” Holy hell, this was not a conversation I’d prepared for.
She placed her hands on her hips, head cocked, her ponytail curled down over her shoulder. Her curiosity was apparent but she figured out I hadn’t anticipated her reaction. She grinned. “This is weird, huh?”
I nodded, my expression serious. “You really want to see the dragon? I’m not too good at it yet.”
“Not good at what?” Jordie frowned.
“In the first place, I have no idea why I’m a dragon, what I’m supposed to do with it.”
“You mean like fly or slither or breathe fire or some of the other kinds I’ve read about?” she asked.
I was speechless and just stared though I don’t know why I was surprised. Jordie was going to be the next valedictorian of Destiny High. Finally, I cleared my throat and asked, “Read about it where?” I was sure there were no reference guides to dragons that exposed all our secrets, strengths and weaknesses. If so, I needed to read it…
“Oh, Daddy, you know that all myths are based on a bit of truth.” I wouldn’t have thought so, no, but I listened. “There seem to be red, black, green, white, yellow and gold dragons, that I know of. Some have scales and wings and clawed feet and some are built more like snakes. Some fly, others are earthbound and some even live in the roots of special trees.” Her eyebrows dipped. “You don’t know any of this…” The eyes rolled, “Wow. No wonder you’ve been worried. I actually studied supernatural beings for my biology class.”
Huh?
“I had to show the scientific reasons for their mobility, feeding practices and environment. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been an acceptable subject. My instructor said I did an excellent job of proving that fantasy creatures exist—hypothetically.” She grinned, “We won’t tell him he’s wrong. It would probably be against some kind of rule.”
I shook my head at her innate understanding of our new world without knowing the details. Jordie’s eyes narrowed as a serious thought occurred to her, “The thing is, my research and theory convinced me beings we all thought as fantasies do exist in reality. I guess that’s why I wasn’t all that surprised about you, although it’s almost too cool that my own dad is a dragon. Woot!”
Wait till she got some insight into some of the others around here. “Have you… mentioned what you know to anyone?”
She snickered, “Like who?” Her response was so automatic and a bit sarcastic but then I watched her mind start working. When was the last time she’d seen Montana… my eyes got wide, or Katerina or Dutch? I felt like I needed to do damage control but I was afraid it was too late. When I looked up, Jordie had crossed her arms and was leaning against the vehicle…waiting.
“All right. But you have to promise to turn around when I get ready to change back.” There were many words to describe how I felt about turning into a dragon for Jordie for the first time… embarrassed, scared, though not as badly now, but uncertainty about the details of my change topped the list.
“Why?” She frowned.
“Just promise me, okay? Whenever you say you’ve seen enough, tell me to change back. Don’t try to ask questions because I can’t… communicate yet in that form.”
I had to admit this was going a lot better than I’d dreamed, which was an understatement. I closed my eyes, half in prayer, and called the dragon.
Chapter 22
“It’s okay. You’re awesome just the way you are.
Jack
“Oh, Daddy.” I heard distress, but when my eyes snapped to hers I saw wonder… and tears. Damn it. My dragon paws itched to wrap around her. I was seconds from calling the change when her hand shot out, “No, don’t. You’re so beautiful. Can I…touch you?”
Dragon or not, she understood my surprise. My skin rippled like a newborn colt’s under her hand. I tried to speak but it came out less like yes and more like hsss.
My daughter placed her palms on the scales of my neck and I lowered my head to make it easier. The fine snowy mane on my head and neck dripped and tinkled like crystal beads through her fingers. She moved on, exploring my giant feet and claws, oohing and ahhing.
“You must be so proud. I’m mean you were always awesome but this…”
Surprise made my mouth gape open. What she serious? But she didn’t let me gape, tapping her fingers on my upper leg with impatience, “Get down here so I can check you out.”
I collapsed to my knees on the grass, looking over my shoulder to make sure we weren’t being observed and allowed my tall athletic girl, who was now eye level with my shoulder, to do just that. She giggled as she watched my skin slither and flash under her hand. Then, she leaned in toward one eye and asked, “Can I ride?”
I felt the eye react as consternation assailed me and she saw it. “What is it? Oh, right—hold on then, I want to check out your tail.” She ran down the length of me and I heard grunting as she tried to lift it, “You must weigh a lot. Have you seen your tail, it’s got that same fluffy crystal thing goin’ on.” I twisted my head back and nodded toward the unit.
“Okay, okay. How long—never mind… I’ll be over there. Besides the er, scent is pretty strong right here. Was that, like, a dragon fart?”
I blushed, I think, and she laughed, “I’m sorry I teased you. This is all so new. It’s okay, you know, your internal organs must have to grow and adjust to the changes.”
You’re too smart, kid, I thought.
The change took a bit longer this time, probably because I was nervous. I heard the trudge and slide of my valet, the worm again, but shooed him away silently not wanting to add another weird explanation with Jordie. I dressed and called, “Okay, you can come out now.”
Jordie ran into my arms. When she looked up her eyes were soft and compassionate and full of excitement. I was seeing myself through my daughter’s eyes and it wasn’t at all what I’d had expected. My whole life was not what I’d expected. I sighed and pulled her close.
“I love you, Daddy.” She said as if she knew I needed to hear it. My entire body relaxed as months of worry over her reaction dissipated. I leaned against the door with my arm around her looking out at the lake.
“Jordie, when did you know
something was wrong with Georgeanne?” It seemed obvious to me now that she hadn’t been surprised when the woman she’d thought was her mother started dying before her eyes, taking on her fae nature, an ugly bottom feeder Tempe’d called a Groache.
She shrugged. “‘I’m not sure exactly but it started after Beffie came to stay with me. And the day you killed her—” she didn’t mince words, “I knew she was evil, though I didn’t know exactly what she was.”
“I want you to know, baby, I’m done with avoiding my problems, it’s not me. There is one thing though.” I hesitated.
“Yeah?”
“About that ride…” her eyes lit up. “It ain’t happenin’.” To her credit, her face didn’t display disappointment or judgment. That was part of my dilemma. “If I told her how badly I wanted to fly and couldn’t, I’d look even more like the coward I’d been. No, I wasn’t going there. “According to Conor, the uh, black dragon…”
Her mouth dropped wide open and she slapped her palm over it, then made a motion to zip it shut and nodded at me to continue. “You mentioned the black dragon, so…”
“Yea..ah, but he’s got a name and you’re like, buddies?”
“Anyway,” I got her back on track, “he says we don’t know the full extent of my abilities or um, strengths yet. He thinks I’ll eventually be able to communicate in that form, but for now at least… no rides. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’re awesome just the way you are.”
You’re awesome just the way you are. And she meant it. What an incredible gift my daughter was. I hugged her and basked in the luxury of holding my sweet, intelligent, surprising child until she couldn’t take it anymore. There’s only so much togetherness a teenager can put up with.
“Let’s get back to the house. I have some things to talk to you about,” I said, knowing I’d better break the news about calling the real estate agent. I was about to sell the first real home my daughter had ever had.
