“It’s a bird with black and white feathers, and it can summon lightning with its talons,” Gramma replied.
“It is one of the most dangerous and powerful familiars a witch can have,” Ne-ma added. “An impundulu is a vampiric creature.”
Leia reeled back. “You mean...”
“Yes. It drinks blood.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sky drove up to the house at the end of the street. He’d dropped his brothers off at the work site to finish the landscaping job for Tristan. There was just a little bit of work left to do and the project would be completed. Sky had no doubt that the houses would be snatched up like hot cakes once they went on sale.
Fireblood Landscapers was a relatively new business, so Sky made it a point to respond quickly to any potential clients. They had to get as much business as they could. Word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations went a long way. Fireblood Landscapers prided themselves on their reliability and fast turnaround time.
Since their new neighbor had asked for a quote, Sky decided to go take a look at her garden and see what she needed done. The faster you responded to a potential client, the more likely they were to hire you.
Sky pressed the doorbell and waited. After a minute, he rapped smartly on the door and called out, “Ma'am? Anybody home? I’m Sky Fireblood, from Fireblood Landscapers.”
The door opened and a tall, slim woman stepped out. She was wearing a flowing red dress which matched her crimson hair. Her black eyes glittered when she smiled at Sky.
“Hello, Sky,” she said. “Thank you for coming.”
Sky nodded politely. “Good afternoon, Ma'am. My brothers told me you needed some landscaping done.”
“Call me Cece. I’m Cece Bella. Please, come in.”
Sky followed Cece into the house. As he walked through the small living room, he saw framed family photographs. Sky squinted at a beautiful photograph on the side table. An elderly man in a colorful bathing suit, goggles and flippers was grinning at the camera. He had his arms around two laughing children, who were also in their bathing suits. The trio had sand in their hair and were crouching in front of a lopsided sandcastle. Sky smiled at the cheerful picture of a doting grandfather and his grandkids enjoying a day at the beach.
“Is that your...” Sky began, glancing at Cece.
“All the furniture and photos were already here when I arrived,” Cece said, wrinkling her nose. “The owner didn’t move any of his things. He planned to come back, I guess. But...” She lifted her slender shoulders in a shrug.
Sky gave a curt nod and didn’t ask further. It wasn’t any of his business. He had never met the old man in the photograph. No one was living in the house when he and his brothers moved to Shadow Point. The house had been empty for months.
“I need something planted in the backyard,” Cece said, walking quickly out the back door.
Sky followed her and surveyed the backyard. There were a few overturned flowerpots and a small tricycle in a corner. Weeds were starting to grow and the grass needed cutting.
“What would you like to plant?” Sky asked.
“Deadly nightshade, Wolfsbane and Dead Man’s Bells.”
Sky turned to stare at her. “These plants are toxic. They’re highly poisonous,” he said at last.
“Yes,” Cece answered, smiling. “Be careful when you plant them.”
She circled a spot in the middle of the backyard. “Plant them right here,” she said. “They will bloom when the full moon is directly overhead. I need them planted by this evening. The moon will be full tonight.”
Sky frowned. “You sure you want these plants in your backyard? If you have a pet...”
Sky saw her stiffen at the mention of a pet. Forcing a smile, Cece said coolly, “Don’t worry about my pet. It won’t touch these plants.”
“You have a dog, or a cat?”
“No. A bird.”
Sky didn’t see a birdcage anywhere in the house. Cece was hiding something, but it wasn’t his place to pry into her business and background. Everyone was entitled to their secrets.
He and his brothers had come to Shadow Point with a truckload of secrets. They didn’t tell anyone they had been run out of their hometown by the local wolf pack. Even now that Sky knew what he really was, he wasn’t ready to let the townspeople know that he and his brothers were dragon shifters.
Dragon shifters were very rare, and many of the other shifters regarded the dragons with a mixture of awe, fear and distrust.
Cece stalked silently towards him, her black eyes boring into him. She muttered an incantation under her breath and mist trailed from her fingertips to circle him.
Inhaling the mist, a slow smile spread across her face. “Ah, I was right,” she breathed.
“Sky Fireblood,” she purred as she walked her long fingers up his arm to his shoulders. She stepped close to him and whispered in his ear, “You...are a dragon.”
Sky was careful not to let his body language betray his emotions. “You are a witch,” he said impassively.
Cece laughed. “We are what we are.” Running a finger down his jaw, she said, “I won’t tell.” If you won’t.
Sky heard her unspoken words clearly. She was making a pact, a threat.
“Can you get what I want, Sky? If you can’t get the plants I need, I may be forced to...”
“I’ll get your plants,” Sky said. “They’ll be planted by this evening, Ma'am.”
Sky turned and walked out of the house.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Leia staggered into her house with her big bags of groceries. She dumped the bags on the counter and winced. She had bought way too much food.
After she parted ways with Gramma and Ne-ma, she had pushed her shopping cart round the supermarket, thinking about what Gramma and Ne-ma had said. She just kept loading her cart as she walked, replaying the conversation in her head.
By the time she realized that her cart was overflowing, she was at the checkout counter. She didn’t want to put everything back so she just paid and loaded everything into her car.
Leia stared at the bulging bags of groceries. She usually ate her meals at the restaurant, so it would probably take her weeks, maybe months, to finish all this food.
She smiled suddenly. She had been resisting the urge to call Sky the whole day. But now she had the perfect excuse.
She dialed Sky’s number quickly before she could chicken out.
“Leia,” Sky answered almost immediately. She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Hey,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I...I was just wondering if you’d be free for dinner. I...”
“Dinner sounds great,” he said enthusiastically. “I’ll pick you up.”
“Actually, I was thinking, maybe I could cook for you.”
“Wow. That...that’s fantastic, Leia.”
“I bought too much food. And it’s been a while since I cooked a meal for more than one.” A thought struck her suddenly. “Why don’t I cook for you and your brothers? You haven’t had dinner with your brothers for a long time, right? I’ll come over to your place. It’s bigger than mine and you have a bigger kitchen...”
“Leia, this means a lot to me. Thank you for thinking of me and my brothers. This dinner...this family dinner will be so special,” Sky said. “But are you sure it’s not too much trouble...”
“It’s no trouble at all,” Leia assured him. “It’d be fun.”
“I can’t wait.” Lowering his voice, Sky said, “I can’t wait to see you, Leia.”
She blushed as images of their entwined bodies flashed through her mind.
“Come over anytime,” Sky said. “I’m working just across the street, so my front door is unlocked. Just let yourself in.”
Leia found herself humming as she drove to Sky’s house. She saw Sky’s truck parked in front of the corner house on his street.
She stopped her car behind his truck and got out, frowning slightly. This house bel
onged to George, and she’d visited him a couple of times after his wife died. George was a sweet, elderly man and a loving, doting grandfather to his son’s two rambunctious children. His son had to move to the city for work, but the family often came to Shadow Point to visit George. About half a year ago, George told his neighbors that he would be going to stay with his son for a while. His daughter-in-law was ill so he was going to help take care of his grandchildren while she got better.
George simply locked up his house and left. He would stay in the city for as long as he was needed there. But he always planned to come home to Shadow Point.
Leia stared at the little house, thinking of the kindly grandfather who sometimes came over to help her mom mow the grass or fix a leak. George liked keeping busy after he retired, and he was always happy to lend a helping hand.
“Maybe he decided to stay on a little longer in the city,” Leia muttered. “Maybe that’s why he’s renting out his house. But why didn’t he say anything to any of us?” she wondered aloud.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
As Leia was walking towards the house, the front door opened and a beautiful, red-haired woman stepped out.
The woman’s black eyes narrowed when she saw Leia.
“H-hi,’ Leia stammered. “I was just...”
At that instant, Sky came walking out of the house behind the woman. His whole face lit up when he saw Leia and his eyes looked even greener in the sunlight.
The woman sidled up to Sky and put a hand on his shoulder. “Hello,” the woman purred. “Sky has been in the house with me the whole afternoon. We’ve been busy.” She laughed. “I’m Cece. Who are you?”
“Oh. I...I’m Leia,” Leia stammered, taken aback at the challenge and hostility in Cece’s eyes. “I just wanted to talk to Sky.”
“Sky is really busy right now,” Cece said, stroking her fingers up and down Sky’s arm.
A muscle worked in Sky’s jaw as he strode past Cece and came up to Leia. “Leia, I’ll be done in a while. I just need to...”
“It’s okay,” Leia said quickly. “You get back to work. I’ll go.”
Sky took her hand. “Don’t go.”
“I’m not going anywhere, silly,” Leia smiled. “I’m just going to put my things in your kitchen and start chopping up the ingredients. I’m preparing dinner, remember?”
Sky smiled at her. “Thanks, Leia. I’ll be home soon, okay?”
Leia pulled away and glanced back at Cece. The woman was staring at her with those inscrutable, inky eyes and running her tongue slowly over her lips. Her knowing, predatory smile unnerved Leia.
As Leia went back to her car, she saw Cece press close to Sky and whisper in his ear. A stab of jealousy pierced her heart and Leia shook herself. No, she had no right to be jealous.
She heard Cece’s shrill laughter and turned to see them walking back into the house together. At the last minute, Cece turned to wink at Leia over her shoulder just before she closed the door.
Leia yanked her car door open and got in.
It was obvious that the woman wanted Sky in her bed.
As Leia started the engine, she glared at the house and tried to control her turbulent emotions.
She couldn’t bear the thought of Sky being with another woman. But Sky wasn’t hers. They’d had one night of incredible sex, but they weren’t exclusive. They hadn’t made any promises to each other.
Sky was a sexy, desirable, very single and available man.
“Oh stop it!” Leia cried, gripping the steering wheel. “Stop being stupid, Leia. This is what Cece wants. That bitch did that on purpose!”
How could she let Cece drive a wedge between her and Sky? Cece had flirted with Sky on purpose in front of her to make her jealous and to make her doubt herself. That bitch was just riling her up, trying to make her lose her cool and composure. If she got all crazy and paranoid, she would just be falling right into Cece’s trap.
Sky was just doing some work for Cece. He was her landscaper, not her lover.
Leia drove away without looking back. She parked in front of Sky’s house and marched up to the house with her groceries. She trusted Sky and she cared for him. And she cared for the people he cared about. She was looking forward to meeting his two younger brothers, who sounded like such amazing, wonderful young men.
They were going to enjoy a very special family dinner together, and nothing and no one was going to spoil it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Leia put the beef pies in the oven and checked on the pot of soup on the stove. She jumped when the door slammed open and two tall, brawny men came striding into the house.
“Oof! Hey, why did you stop all of a sudden, Storm?” The taller guy scowled when he banged his nose on the back of his brother’s head.
One look at them and Leia knew that they were Sky’s brothers. They all had the same piercing green eyes and golden blond hair.
The two men was staring at her, frozen to the spot. Leia wiped her hands quickly on her apron and stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Leia,” she said. “I’m Sky’s friend.”
“Hi, Leia, I’m Seath.” The youngest brother grinned. “And this is Storm. We’ve been dying to meet you. Sky told us so much about you.”
Storm shook her hand and looked around. “Where’s Sky?”
“Isn’t he home yet?” Seath asked. “We thought...”
Leia shrugged. “He hasn’t come in. I think he’s still working. He’s just across the street...”
“He’s still there?” Seath said, his brows shooting up. “What’s taking him so long? It’s just a small, simple job. We went home to shower and change, and we’re here before him? Geez, how long does it take to plant a few shrubs?”
“I’ll give him a call,” Storm said, whipping out his phone. “He should be here.”
“Yeah. Sky called us earlier and told us he was going to help you prepare a real special dinner. But it looks like you did everything.” Seath sniffed the air. “I smell pie, and soup!”
“Yeah, I hope you like beef pie and clam chowder. I just...”
“We love beef pie!” Seath cheered. “In fact, I love any kind of pie. I hope you made more than one, because I can eat a whole...”
“Seath!” Storm hissed, covering his phone with his hand. “Mind your manners.”
“Oh, sorry,” Seath said sheepishly.
“There are three huge pies in the oven,” Leia whispered when Storm turned away to speak rapidly into his phone.
“Yay!” Seath whispered back, giving her two thumbs up.
Storm clicked off and said, “Sky will be here in two...”
The door banged open and Sky marched in.
“...seconds.”
“You are late,” Seath said, wagging a finger at Sky.
“Very late,” Storm tsked.
Sky ignored his two brothers who were giving him similar disapproving looks with their hands on their hips. He went straight up to Leia and said, “I’m sorry, Leia. I know I’m late, and I’m really sorry. I was...”
“It’s okay,” she said.
“No, it’s not okay,” Sky said. “I should have come home to help you prepare dinner. But it took longer than expected to find the right...”
Leia waved a hand to cut him off. “Let’s not talk about...” Cece.
For some reason, she didn’t want him to mention Cece’s name at all. “Come, dinner’s ready. Let’s eat!” Leia said brightly. “Would you guys help me take the pies out of the oven?”
“Gladly,” Seath and Storm answered and hurried eagerly to the kitchen.
Everyone sat down at the dining table, and as Sky heaped food onto Leia’s plate, Storm and Seath were already digging in heartily. Leia could tell that they were all famished. They had been working hard the whole day, and those big bodies needed to refuel.
“This is soooooo good!” Seath said, shoveling more pie into his mouth.
“Yeah. This is the best meal I’ve eaten in a long time,” Storm agreed. “I mean
it.”
Sky squeezed her hand and said softly, “Thank you, Leia. The food is amazing.”
She smiled at him. “The company’s even better.”
Seath burped loudly. “Hey, wanna hear some embarrassing stories about my big brother? I’ve got loads of them,” he told Leia with a wink.
Seath started telling her about what Sky did as a teenager, and Sky fired back with some hilarious stories about Seath when he was growing up. Even Storm wasn’t spared.
Leia found herself laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from her eyes. “Oh, it sounds like you boys were a handful for your mom,” she said, shaking her head.
“We were,” Sky admitted. “She was a great mom.”
“She did a great job,” Leia said and sighed softly. “I wish I had siblings.”
Seeing Sky with his brothers made her long to be part of a close-knit, loving family. Her mother had loved her with all her heart, but after her mom passed away, she had no family. Leia wished she wasn’t an only child. Sky and his brothers teased and taunted one another relentlessly, but they looked out for one another. His brothers even refused to stay under the same roof as Sky because they feared they would spread their “disease” to him. It was clear that they would do anything to protect one another.
“You have us,” Seath said, giving her a cheeky grin. “We’re family, right? Because you and Sky...” He put two fingers together and chuckled.
Leia felt her cheeks burning and she looked down quickly. Storm was watching her reaction closely.
“You know that Sky is a dragon shifter, right?” Storm said quietly. “Are you afraid of him?”
Leia gasped, her head jerking up. “No. No, of course not. Sky saved me. I saw...”
“Did you see his dragon?” Seath asked.
“He didn’t shift fully that night, but I saw him breathe fire,” Leia said.
“His dragon emerged because of you,” Seath said with a sigh. “I wish we could shift into dragon form, like Sky. But Storm and I just can’t seem to reach our dragons. Our dragons won’t come out! I tried everything! I asked it very nicely to come out, I begged and grovelled, then I got angry and warned it to come out right now or face the consequences! Nothing worked.”
Skyfire Dragon (Dragons In Shadow Point Book 1) Page 7
