Tempting the Dragon

by Karen Whiddon

  “Really?” Libby shook her head. “Do you really think so?”

  “Judging from your tone, I take it you don’t agree with me?”

  Libby muttered something under her breath that sounded like, “Men,” and busied herself cleaning up the apple cider glasses.

  When she returned from the kitchen, her usual pleasant expression had returned to her face. “You and Eve are welcome to stay as long as you need. I don’t see any reason she should live in a hotel, but of course that’s up to you.”

  Still feeling shell-shocked, he nodded. “Thanks. I’d kind of figured I’d buy a place here. Now, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. I thought Jade...”

  “You thought Jade what?”

  Embarrassed, he lifted one shoulder in a hopefully casual shrug. “I thought she cared about me.”

  “I’m sure she does. And about Eve, too. As you said so eloquently, Jade is a giving and generous person.”

  Was that a trace of mockery he heard in Libby’s voice?

  “Why is that such a bad thing?” he asked, suddenly fed up with all the innuendo swirling around. “She’s your Guardian. You know how valuable those traits are.”

  “It’s hard to believe you’re a famous reporter.” This time, Libby didn’t bother to hide her disgust. “Tell me, were those two words honestly the best way to declare your feelings for Jade?”

  “I’m better with pictures.” He spread his hands. “Not so great with words.”

  “Obviously. Now tell me, do you love Jade?”

  Love. He frowned. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned love. He’d just assumed Jade understood how he felt. Why else would he ask her to marry him, to share his life and Eve’s?

  But then again, why would she know how he felt? With dawning horror, he realized what he’d done. He’d gone away and never called her. Worse, since he’d been back, he’d kept reiterating he wouldn’t be staying. He’d done nothing, absolutely nothing, to show her how he felt.

  Eve moaned, distracting him. He hurried over to her and felt her forehead, worried the fever might be returning. She felt all right, at least as far as he could tell. And she still slept. Maybe she’d just had a bad dream.

  Relieved, he looked up to find Libby watching him. “You have a lot on your plate,” she said. “Why don’t you take a moment or two and deal with Eve. Think this through. Then, if you’re really sure you want Jade, you’re going to have to fight for her.”

  * * *

  Jade knew she shouldn’t expect Rance to come after her. Clearly, after what he’d said to her, he’d only asked her to marry him so he could have a nursemaid and helper for Eve. She’d proven herself a great Guardian with Libby, after all. Too bad he couldn’t see she was so much more than that.

  She let herself mourn. Grieve, actually, since she’d lost someone she’d love forever. She couldn’t remain friends—she’d never understood how some women could go from passionately in love to simple friendship. Her feelings ran way too deep for that. As far as she was concerned, she never wanted to see Rance Sleighter again.

  He called. She didn’t answer. She deleted every message he left without listening to his meaningless words. Once, she would have given everything to have him pursue her. Now it was too little, too late and for all the wrong reasons.

  Over the next weeks, she went on with her life and got her wish. She got up, went to work, came home. She read the thick books Amber had kept from her, and took detailed notes. Once, the role of Guardian had been taken much more seriously. Libby had been regarded as a creature, a nonhuman entity, despite her ability to shape-shift in the same manner as the Burnetts.

  Reading, Jade understood why Libby had kept to herself, why she felt so alone. What had started as a self-defense mechanism had become habit. Not once had any of Jade’s ancestors appeared to realize how isolated Libby had become.

  She also found it interesting that the books hadn’t mentioned anything about the necklace and the need to pass it on to one’s successor. Which made Jade wonder if Libby had been the one who’d initiated that tradition.

  Another sunrise, another sunset. Jade changed into wolf with her family and hunted the woods. On Saturday, she went to town with Amber and Emerald and ate at Mother Earth’s Café. She visited Di, who now appeared hugely pregnant, making Jade think the baby still was growing way too fast. Through all of this, Jade never saw any sign of Rance or his rental car. She couldn’t help but wonder where he might be and if he was hiding for some reason.

  Or worse, if he’d left town all together.

  Finally, when she called Libby to suggest they have dinner together and Libby told her she thought it was best if Jade continued to stay away for a little while longer, she put the pieces together.

  Rance and Eve were staying at Libby’s. Stunned, Jade sank down on her front porch swing and wondered why she felt so betrayed.

  The bright riot of autumn color had just about come to an end. Dead and dying leaves swirled in the north wind. Her necklace felt unusually heavy around her neck, the purple stone radiated heat. Which reminded her of the one person she no longer wanted to think about at all.

  She stood, looking around at her beloved home, and knew what she had to do. Before she could talk herself out of it, she got in her SUV and drove to the lake, a spot directly across from the place where Libby’s house sat. Walking out to the edge of a cliff, she took the necklace from around her neck, trying to study the purple stone with a dispassionate gaze. For the first time she realized the color exactly matched Libby’s amethyst eyes. This made her feel a twinge of sadness, which she pushed away. Nothing would deter her from what she now felt she had to do.

  Taking a deep breath, she flung the necklace as far as she could, watching as it hit the water with a satisfying plop. She waited, curious to see if anything else would happen, but nothing did. The lake didn’t foam or bubble up; Libby or another dragon creature didn’t rise out of the water. And she didn’t fall down dead. In fact, she didn’t feel much different. Maybe a little bit lighter, but that was all.

  One thing she knew for certain—Libby would never be able to enter her head again now that the necklace was gone.

  So she got back in her car and drove home.

  Her cell phone rang as she turned onto her street.

  “It’s time.” Auntie Em sounded worried rather than excited. “The doctor wants to induce labor. I’m doing everything I can to get him to hold off.”

  “It hasn’t been long enough,” Jade protested.

  “I know. But all along these pregnancies have been weird. All of the babies have had some kind of accelerated growth.”

  “Are they all ready to deliver?”

  “Yes.” Em swallowed with an audible gulp. “Can you get a hold of your Fae friend?”

  While Jade wouldn’t go so far as to call Breena a friend, she understood the urgency in the request. Breena had told them the babies needed to be woken or there’d be disastrous consequences. “Yes. I’ll get her and send her to the hospital right away.”

  At least since Jade had the charmed crystal bell to ring, contacting her had become much simpler than running off to the woods and jumping into the portal.

  When Jade rang the bell, this time the tinkling sound reminded her of Breena’s laughter. A heartbeat later, the Fae queen stood in front of Jade, her blue eyes twinkling. “You rang?” she said, before dissolving into peals of laughter.

  Jade smiled along with her. She really thought she and Breena would eventually reach a tacit understanding. In time, the two might actually be able to be friends, but as ruler of a race of magical beings, Breena had a lot to deal with. Meanwhile, so did Jade.

  “The babies are about to be born,” Jade told her. “We need you to wake them before they are delivered.”

  “Of course.” She looked around the interior o
f Jade’s SUV with interest. “How fast can you make this thing go?”

  * * *

  Libby thoroughly enjoyed having Rance and Eve for company. No longer alone, she found she had a skill for entertaining a young child while at the same time teaching valuable skills. She taught Eve basic food prep skills, nothing too complicated or dangerous, but the little girl could now make a sandwich with a plastic spreader for her mayo with ease. This pleased her so immensely she’d taken to insisting she be the one to prepare lunch every single day.

  Eve’s strength had grown over time and Libby judged she’d soon be back to 100 percent.

  Rance, on the other hand, was restless. He spent a lot of time outside with his camera, photographing the sunrise, the sunset, the lake and the trees. Libby wondered if he missed Jade and if he had any intention of going after her, but she didn’t want to butt in where she wasn’t wanted.

  The truth of the matter was, Libby missed Jade, too. But she couldn’t invite her over while Rance stayed here. If she’d owned a car and knew how to drive, Libby would have gone and visited. She guessed she could order a cab like she had when she’d called the family meeting, but that would mean explaining to Jade what she was doing and why. She knew Jade would view this as a betrayal, as if Libby needed to choose sides—either Jade or Rance.

  Libby loved them both. She’d lived long enough to understand if she was patient, things would eventually work out.

  So in the end, she did nothing. Kind of like Rance, who looked more and more miserable every passing day.

  Finally, one morning when she went downstairs to make breakfast and found Rance sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her, she realized he’d reached a decision.

  “You made coffee,” she exclaimed, pretending not to notice anything out of the ordinary. “Thank you for that.”

  “Once you’ve gotten a cup, we need to talk,” he responded.

  “Okay.” She took her time adding cream and sugar, before carrying her mug over to the table and taking a sip. “What’s up?”

  “How is Jade doing?” he asked, his casual tone at odds with his intense expression.

  “Okay, I guess.” She carefully shrugged.

  “She won’t answer my calls. I’ve shown up at the house twice, and the second time, Amber threatened to call the police. She told me I’m not welcome.”

  “I can’t say I blame them,” Libby told him.

  His eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

  “You hurt her. Badly. I’m guessing you want to apologize so you can assuage your guilt.”

  “Not at all.” He swore. “I need to convince her I love her.”

  She snorted. “Do you? You could have fooled me.”

  His frown told her he didn’t appreciate her comment, but she’d had enough. “Rance, one thing I’ve come to know about you is if you want something, you go after it. If you really wanted Jade, you’d have found a way to get to her.”

  “I...” Then he closed his mouth and she knew he realized she was right.

  “Fine.” He placed his hands on the table. “What are you suggesting I do? She won’t see me or talk to me. I can’t become her stalker.”

  Libby said nothing, letting him work it out himself.

  “Will you help me?” he finally asked. “At least get her to agree to meet me.”

  “I haven’t really talked to her much lately.”

  He swore. “I’ve come between you. Believe me, that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”

  “You didn’t, I promise. Okay, maybe only a little. But Jade needed some alone time to figure things out.” She looked down at her hands. “Burnetts don’t stay Guardians forever, you know.”

  “You’re not thinking of cutting her loose, are you? That would destroy her.”

  Since she hadn’t truly decided herself, she couldn’t give him an answer. “All good things eventually come to an end,” she said. “I’d like to give Jade the freedom to have her own life.”

  Forcing a smile, she looked up. “Meanwhile, you have your own path to follow.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “I think the time has come for me and Eve to move on,” he told her.

  Concerned, she made an effort not to frown. She would never have pegged him as a quitter. “Where are you thinking of going?”

  He looked up from his own coffee and met her gaze. “I’d like to buy a place here in town. Nothing fancy, a simple house with a couple of bedrooms and a garage. I know I can’t afford lake view, but I’d like to live as close to the lake as possible.”

  This time, she didn’t even attempt to hide her blazing grin. “I knew you wouldn’t give up so easily,” she exclaimed. “I’ll help you in any way I can. I hope once you find your own place, you and Eve will visit often.”

  “Of course we will.” And then he surprised her and gave her a hug. “We consider you family, you know. Eve has no grandparents and I’d be honored if you’d consider filling that spot for her.”

  Delighted, she hugged him back. “Of course I will. You have no idea how happy that’s made me. Now go on. I’ll watch Eve while you begin your house search. I think one of the Burnett family is a Realtor.”

  Something flickered in his eyes at the mention of the name. “All right. But I’d prefer to work with a Realtor other than a Burnett. Can you tell me where another real estate office is?”

  “Of course.” She gave him directions, shooing him out the door before Eve woke up. Then she got busy making some homemade cinnamon rolls for her granddaughter.

  * * *

  As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Jade hustled Breena upstairs. Of course even with them rushing down the hallway, both of them garnered several double takes and outright stares. Jade guessed Breena was probably used to this. For herself, all the attention made Jade feel uncomfortable.

  “Thank goodness you’re here,” Amber exclaimed, jumping to her feet so quickly the magazine she’d been reading fell onto the floor. “Em’s doing her best to keep the doctors from starting a C-section. I think the other girls’ mothers are doing the same. I even heard talk about inducing labor.”

  “Don’t worry.” Breena’s tranquil smile instantly vanquished the panic in Jade’s mother’s expression. “I’m here now. I’ve got everything under control.”

  What happened after that, Jade would later go over again and again in her mind. Even she, who had a pretty good understanding of magic, was astounded. What Breena did boggled the mind.

  First, she froze time. Everyone, from the nurses to the doctors, even the machines, became like statues. Even Amber, Emerald and Di were immobilized. Out of curiosity, Jade moved her arm, surprised to realize she hadn’t been frozen like the others.

  “They can’t see anything,” Breena told her softly. “But you can. I might need your help.”

  “Of course,” Jade answered, though she wasn’t sure what exactly she could do.

  Next Breena went to Di, lying prone in the hospital bed. She passed her hands over Di’s protruding belly, again speaking in that unintelligible Fae language. Immediately, Di’s baby bump began to contract.

  “What’s happening?” Jade asked, fearing for her cousin.

  “I woke the infant up and now she’s wanting to be born.”

  “What?” Panicked, Jade looked around. The nurses and the doctor remained like statues. “Don’t you need to wake them up so they can help?”

  “I will once I help the other women.” Breena’s matter-of-fact tone helped steady Jade’s nerves. “Come, we’d better hurry. There are going to be several babies all born at once.”

  Later, once Breena had done her work and the normal hospital hustle and bustle resumed, the nurses shooed everyone from the room except the pregnant women’s mothers.

  Despite having done nothing but watch, Jad
e felt exhausted. She sank down in a waiting room chair, managing a smile as the rest of her family trickled in. Somehow, she completely missed Breena’s departure. The Fae queen must have slipped away while Jade had been occupied with greeting her two sisters.

  The three healthy babies—one boy and two girls—were born minutes apart. Breaking family tradition, Di elected not to name her daughter after a gemstone, choosing instead an ordinary human name—Mary. Amber claimed to be appalled, but Emerald declared she was fine with it.

  As usual, Jade’s twin sisters were engaged in a private conversation. They went quiet as Jade approached them. Jade noticed Pearl had something sheltered in her hand, like she didn’t want Jade to see it.

  “What do you have there?” Jade asked, curious.

  Sapphire and Pearl exchanged a glance. “You’d better show her,” Sapphire said. “You know she’s going to find out eventually.”

  Finally Pearl nodded. “I found this.” Pearl held up a familiar silver necklace, sheltering the stone with her hand. “Lucas and I were walking on the shores of the lake and I found this washed up, stuck between two rocks. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Though she already knew, Jade had to be certain. “Let me see the stone.”

  Still Pearl hesitated. “Okay, so it looks just like the one you always wear.” She peered at her sister. “Or used to wear.” Resignation settled in her young face. “Did you lose yours?”

  “No.” Jade took a deep breath and then pried Pearl’s fingers away. The amethyst stone gleamed in Pearl’s small palm. “I threw it into the lake.”

  Pearl gasped. “Why?”

  “It’s a long story.” Slipping her arm around Pearl’s shoulders, Jade hugged her close. “It looks like Libby has chosen my successor. I think it’s time you and I had a long talk.”

  “Here?” Pearl squeaked.

  Glancing around the still-packed waiting room, Jade shook her head. “No, not here. We’ll talk when we get home. In the meantime, you’d better put the necklace on. You don’t want to lose it.”