Summer asked her if she’d go into the living room with her to meet Cart. The little man was just what she thought Santa would have looked like—a long white beard, fuzzy hair, and he actually had on pointy shoes. When Olivia sat down, he came to stand on her knee. He bowed to her and then sat.
“I’m thinking you and I are going to find us some fun. What do you think?” Olivia said she wasn’t really good at fun. “Oh, I think you’ve just been a waiting on the right faerie to come along and show you how to have it. Today I thought the two of us would get to know each other, then we can go out to the gardens. I can show you all kinds of things there that you won’t believe.”
After getting permission from her mom to go into the yard, Cart showed her where she could be with all manner of faeries and brownies. Not knowing the difference, she sat down on the little cushion he’d made for her and watched as he pointed out what they were doing today.
“You see the little fella carrying the bucket? He’s a brownie. There isn’t much in the way of telling the difference from here, but when you see him up close, you’ll see it.” Cart called for Apple, the little man with the bucket. She could see right away how the two men were different. “You see there, his wings? They’re not as big as mine, as he only has to fly from flower to flower to get the nectar. I might have to travel great long distances to be with you. Also, Pick will be very helpful in keeping old seeds in check. There isn’t a person around that can tell when a seed needs to have a rest better than a brownie. It’s why they’re so very helpful in the garden.”
Olivia was happy Cart told her how helpful all the creatures they met today were to the colony. Not only was Pick good at making sure the nectar was ready to be taken from the flowers, but he also made sure they didn’t take it all so the bees and other animals could have a nice taste of it.
“Do you know what the circle of life is, my dear?” She told him how she’d just learned it yesterday when talking to Aurora. “You’ve met the queen? She’ll not steer you wrong. Lady Aurora is the best there is. But in this, I want you to see what the ants are doing to make sure the ground gets what it needs. When they cut off a leaf or a small twig from a plant, they leave just enough of it behind so it can be there for other animals, the bugs and the flies that roam around here. Everyone has a part to play, and it’s what keeps the world a good place to live.”
The rest of the day was spent with her going to different parts of the yard to see what other creatures were doing to help. Aurora appeared with them when she was learning about what iron does to plants and trees. The story she told was very old, she told her, but it was something that had to be dealt with when there were humans around.
“They do not understand when they fire their guns at a tree for practice, they’re harming it. The weaponry they use, it cuts deeply into the fresh bark and makes a scar for a tree. With that wound, other creatures can get into the tree and harm it even more. Things like that, it can wipe out an entire tree in no time at all.” Olivia said she’d do all she could in spreading the word. With her thanks, Aurora then asked her if she wanted to see a haven for the animals that was protected by the Prince family. “You must not ever come out here alone, Olivia, unless you are hiding from some threat. The animals in this place are sacred to my people and the Prince family, and I’d not wish them harm.”
“I won’t bother them.” The gateway was just a gate at the end of the property where the woods started. As soon as she walked through the opening, Olivia felt something she’d never felt before. A calmness that not only made her feel good but also made her head clear. “Oh my, Lady Aurora. Oh, look at them.”
There were not only deer and smaller creatures there, but a unicorn. An honest to goodness unicorn. As she was watching her eat some of the bark off the tree, Olivia nearly squealed when she saw she had a baby with her. The smallest unicorn she’d ever imagined.
As the two of them walked around, careful of even the small ones on the ground, she saw a dragon sleeping. A wolf lying next to him, asleep as well. Keeping her hands behind her, tightly clasped together, Olivia knew she was being given a treat like nothing else, that few if any other humans had ever seen. Sitting upon a nicely shaped stone, Olivia watched the creatures live and play together.
“They know this is a place of safety. That they can come here to rest, to unwind after a battle or a hard week. Others know nothing of what is so very close to them, and we shall keep it that way.” Olivia said she’d tell no one. “I know this as well. A fox, see him there? He wishes to give you a gift. I know not what it is, but he said he has seen you out in the yard and would like you to have something to keep you from harm.”
“Is it all right with you, Lady Aurora?” She said it was so long as she was careful with whatever it was. “I will be. I will treasure it for all time.”
The fox sat on his bottom and looked at her. Raising up so that he was standing, he put out his paw. Olivia did the same with her hand. When he looked at his queen, Aurora laughed and nodded. The small bite to her hand didn’t harm her at all.
“He has given you the magic you will need to speak to all creatures. To tell if they are human or not. Also, to tell if they mean you harm. This will keep you safe more than any gun or other weapon can. His name is Billings, and he would like to talk to you.” Nodding, she was so happy when he welcomed her to his home, for he was the watcher of the haven, and told her she could come whenever she wished. “You’ve been given a great gift, Olivia. A gift like none of the other Prince family has. It will not just serve you well, but the others too. Thank you so much for trusting that we’d not harm you this day.”
When she was at home that night, having dinner with her mom and Kylan, Olivia kept her newfound magic to herself for a while. It was hers and only hers, and she wanted to bask in the thought of it being given to her by the watcher. Olivia hugged her mother tightly when she went to bed that night. Happiness was something she thought she’d known before but was now really experiencing it for the first time in her life.
Chapter 2
Emmie was on her way up to the third floor to see her dad when a couple got on the elevator with her. She moved back, knowing there were some unwritten rules about elevator spaces and was dismayed to hear the two people arguing. He was yelling, and she was cowering in the corner—it was loud and vicious. As soon as he punched the woman in the face, knocking her to the floor, Emmie knew this was going to end badly for her. She wanted to just get off and wait for another lift up when the man turned to her.
“Are you listening to us? That’s fucking rude.” She told him so was arguing in a place where people could hear you. “Are you fucking with me right now? Listen, lady, as you can see, I’m this fucking badassed mother fucker. You just shut your mouth, and you might only get knocked around a little bit. I’m not shitting you when I tell you, I’m in a pissy mood right now.”
She looked down at his groin and smiled at him. “I don’t fuck with men who have nothing to show for themselves except a fist they’d rather use on people smaller than them.” She put her fingers up to show that he had a very little dick as far as she could see. “It takes a man with very little brains to fight with a woman half his size. Although, I’m thinking that even at half your size, you’d still be a big person. What do you weigh, six-fifty, seven hundred pounds?”
“You fucking bitch.” When he drew back his fist to hit her, the doors to the elevator opened. The man standing there took one look and grabbed the man’s arm before he could hit her. “She’s a fucking cunt, listening in on my conversation with my girlfriend. Then she said I have a little dick. I’ll show her what a little dick is.” Everyone laughed. She could see the confusion on his face when it suddenly occurred to him what he’d said. “I don’t have a little dick. I’m big. Like really fist sized big.”
“He hit her.” The man, she thought she should know him but couldn’t place him, nodded once. Before she could g
ather her thoughts to place him, the Prince men were standing behind him. “You guys just pop in and out of places when you’re needed? I might learn to like that part of having you guys around.”
“I’m Jack Winhall.” She knew the name but couldn’t think why he’d be right there when she needed him. The former vice president? No, that couldn’t be right. “It’s right. I was coming to see the new children’s ward that was only just opened. Are you here to see your father?”
While he was talking to her, the Prince men gathered up the woman and put her on a gurney, then took the man away. Kylan smiled at her when he entered the shaft with her and pushed the button for the floor she was getting off on.
She noticed he was dressed in a suit—a very expensive one if she didn’t miss her bet. When they got off at her floor, before he could follow her to the reception desk, she turned to him. There were quite a few things she had to say to him. But instead of getting to speak, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Kiss. It was so much more than that. When he finally lifted his head from hers, she could only stare at him. There was something so different about him she was unable to speak. Clearing her throat for what seemed like the hundredth time, she finally gathered her thoughts.
“I don’t understand.” He told her he sometimes didn’t either. “No. What I mean is, I’ve done nothing but shove you away since I met you. Yet when I need you, I know all I have to do is reach out and there you are. I don’t understand how I can feel all these emotions and not have any idea what I feel for you.”
“I understand. This is going very fast for you. For me, it’s been a lifetime of waiting on you to come to me so we could be together.” She frowned at him. “I told you I was very old. All I’ve thought about since my brother Bryant found his other half was having you, my mate, come to love me as much as I was going to love you.”
He turned her around. Confused again why he was doing that, it took her several seconds to realize her dad was standing there smiling at her. Racing to him, she hugged him several times as they both laughed and cried at the same time.
“You look amazing, Dad. My goodness. I don’t mean to be rude here, but you must have been really fighting those drugs before. I’m so happy for you.” Dad hugged her several more times as they made their way to the sitting area. “Olivia misses you too. She’s at the packhouse today looking at their advanced classes. She so wanted to be here.”
“I’m glad she’s not, in a way. I wanted to be able to talk with you and your man here. Kylan? Are you taking care of my girls?” Kylan said he was when she’d let him. “That’s my girl. She never could turn down a way to get into an argument with someone. But I do want to talk to you about a few things now that you’re here. I’ve made me a list.”
While Dad went to his room to get his list, Kylan asked her if she was all right. She nodded, then shook her head. Sure that he was going to laugh at her, she worked herself up so she’d have a good comeback.
“I’m feeling the same way if it makes you feel any better.” It didn’t, but she was glad he’d not picked a fight with her. “I would like to ask you a favor. When your dad tells you of his plans, please think about how hard this has been on him to tell you.”
“He’s not coming home, is he?” Kylan shook his head. “Why? What did this doctor tell him that I’m going to have to kill him for?”
“Nothing. Your dad has made this decision all on his own. It’s something he’s figured out at his group meetings. Will you listen to him?” She nodded. “Remember, this is going to be harder on him than it will be on you. All right?”
“Yes. All right. Not that I’m happy you’re not telling me all of it, but I can understand. I do tend to jump in too quickly.” He wisely said nothing. “I want us to talk too. I think we need to get a few things put out there.”
“I agree.”
When her dad returned, she was nervous. All she could think about was that he was going to be put into some sort of home and not taken care of. Or worse, doped up so badly that when she visited him, he’d not know who she was.
Just breathe, Emmie.
Nodding at Kylan, she waited on her dad. Kylan had been showing her how to use the mind thing for the last few days. He’d just pop into her head and say something to her, and she’d feel calmed by it. It was then she realized how stressed she was all the time.
“Just let me finish, baby. I know you don’t want this, but I do. I need this.” Nodding, she reached for Kylan’s hand, something she’d been doing a great deal lately, and waited. Dad looked down at his notes, then at her. “I’ve been going to therapy for the last two days. I can’t believe how much better it makes me feel to know I’m not the only person struggling with the things I have. Being a drunk. Having lost your mom because of it. You being raped. The only good things that came out of that were that you were back with me, and little Olivia. But let me go on here. I need to go to therapy, if for no other reason than I have the ability to talk to others. Not just sad stories either, honey, but life things. I talked at the last meeting, and afterwards, two people told me how much it meant to them to hear someone else going through this.”
Emmie wanted to tell him that was all right, she’d make sure he got to the meetings. But she had a feeling there was more than just meetings behind his wanting to talk to her. When he glanced at his notes again, she braced herself for the other shoe to drop.
“I’ve done nothing since you were brought home to me. I’ve been nothing but a burden.” She started to object to that, but he put up his hand. “I have been. I know you quit your job, one that you loved, to be home with me. I was forever calling you there. Telling you I forgot how to make Olivia something. To verify what time she was to be at preschool. You and your baby, you’ve saved my life. Now it’s time I get out and live like a person that doesn’t need to be calling on someone to rescue me every minute.”
“I love you, Dad.” He told her he loved her as well. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, she was going to say something she hated to say as much as her dad needed this. “As much as I want to tell you I’ll take care of you, I believe you’re right. I hate to admit that. While I don’t want you to leave me, I can also understand how much this means to you. But please don’t ever call yourself a burden to me again. Never have you been anything but the man I love with all I have. You’ve been ill. And I loved being there for you.”
“Yes. And we both should have been pushing back instead of me depending on you too much and you putting me first all the time. We enabled each other. I needed you, but not nearly as badly as I was making out—the same with you. You loved helping me to the point where I couldn’t function on my own without you. We both messed up on that one.”
Nodding, she told him she understood. “Now, what is it we can do to get you back on the road to recovery? I do hope with this plan you will be able to see Olivia and me too. I don’t think I could stand not being able to talk to you or hug you when I want.”
“I’m going to be living in a group home. It’s much nicer than it sounds, I promise you. There will be a doctor on call all the time—nursing staff around the clock. Right now, there is an opening, and once I’m in the home, it will be two weeks before I can have you come to see me. I need, as the doctor told me, to acclimate myself to no longer being dependent on your help. That will be the most difficult thing for me.” She asked him where this place was. Instead of answering her, he looked at Kylan. “You know about this place?”
“My brothers Bryant and Samson have been running it for decades. While they don’t actually go there to run it, they hired the best staff they could to work there, as well as made sure it’s up to date in all manner of things.” She asked him if they’d pulled any strings to get Dad in there. “I don’t know, to be honest. When Collier mentioned it, I realized it was one of their facilities. I’ve been talking to Bryant about it since. He might have pulled some s
trings, but as your dad was going to be going there, I didn’t think it would matter.”
“No. I guess it doesn’t. I’m just glad it’s going to be safe. Is it close?” He said they’d be able to drive there in about an hour. “That’s not too bad. I was going to ask how much it was going to cost, but that doesn’t matter either. So long as my dad is happy and safe.”
“I’m sure the hospital has worked something out with my brothers.” He knew what it was going to cost but was saving it for when they were alone, she’d bet. When he stood up, she was afraid he was going to leave now. “I’ve got to make a phone call. It’s nothing bad, but I’ve been working with this person for a few days now, and I have to make sure the contract is what he wanted. Thank you for writing it for us. Harper said you did a fantastic job.”
“It was my pleasure. In fact, I rather enjoyed it.” She looked at her dad and smiled. “I guess I’m going to be the attorney for the family. It’s something I studied for, and I think it’s about time I got back to work.”
Kylan kissed her again before he left them there. Watching him walk through the door was difficult for her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to depend on him to be her rock. Looking at her dad when something occurred to her, she was embarrassed that it had taken her so long.
“I’m in love with him.” Dad laughed. It was hardy too, and a little rusty. “Why on earth do you find that funny?”
“Because it’s as plain as the nose on your face that you love him. I think that was why this decision was so easy for me to make. You have someone there that can hold your hand. Make you happy. When I speak to Olivia about the two of you, she tells me how much she enjoys having a family. I don’t think I realized until that moment that she’s been hanging out with us old people, and no one her own age.” Emmie asked him how he was talking to Olivia. “I can chat with her every day on the computer. She’s the one that told me I needed to get up off my bottom and get my life together. I’ve never seen a kid so much like their mother. My goodness, girl, I do pity the man that falls in love with her. She’s going to have him all tied up, I think.”
Kylan: Prince of Tigers – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Page 3
