Seafire Dragon

by Natalie Kristen

  She could sense a fierce, primal power within him. She suspected that Seath was a shifter but she wasn’t afraid of him at all. In fact, she felt a lot safer with him around.

  Piper frowned suddenly when she remembered what Zander had said. She turned to her son and asked, “Honey, what did you mean when you said that Seath’s like you?”

  Zander shrugged as he picked up his toy truck. “He’s nice, and I like him,” was his distracted answer.

  After a while, Zander said, “Can Seath be my friend? Can he stay?”

  Piper knelt down so she could look her son in the eye. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “I don’t think Seath can stay. He has to go home.” And he probably has a wife, fiancee or girlfriend waiting for him at home.

  Piper winced as she swallowed her own disappointment.

  She had never been lucky in love. She just seemed to attract jerks into her life. None of her relationships ever lasted more than a few months. Caring, sweet and sexy men like Seath didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with her.

  And her last date had been disastrous. Piper swore that she would never go on a coffee date again.

  A few months ago, she had bumped into this dark, mysterious stranger in a bookshop and he had seemed so nice. So when he invited her to have coffee with him, she agreed. A cup of coffee in a public place couldn’t hurt, right? But the more they talked, the more uncomfortable Piper felt. When he insisted that she have dinner with him, Piper said no. That was when his whole demeanor changed. Piper left the cafe without finishing her coffee.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last she saw of him.

  He was part of the reason why Piper had been so eager and relieved to move to Shadow Point. On more than a few occasions, Piper had gotten up in the middle of the night and looked out the window. She had glimpsed a figure standing across the street, staring up at her window. She couldn’t see his face under the cap, but his height and build looked a lot like Mr Disastrous Coffee Date.

  Just her luck. She’d hardly dated since she adopted Zander, and her first date in more than two years had to be a stalkerish creep who didn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word “no”.

  Piper jumped when there was a loud clap of thunder. She pushed away the awful memories and peered out the window.

  “Lightning!” Zander shouted, jumping up and down excitedly.

  Piper watched the approaching storm with her son. Lightning intrigued and fascinated the little boy, and Piper noticed that he loved nature with a passion. The boy was happy to be living near the woods, and he often asked if he could go into the forest.

  That was why she needed to have a high fence built around the house. She didn’t want to risk her boy wandering into the forest one day and getting attacked by some wild animals.

  “Where is Seath?” she murmured worriedly.

  The guy wasn’t out front, so he was probably walking round to the side and back of the house. “He should come indoors before it starts to pour,” she mumbled.

  Piper didn’t know why she felt so safe with Seath. She had just met him, yet she knew without a doubt that he would never hurt her and Zander. In fact, she felt strangely warm, safe and contented knowing that he was near.

  “If only...” she said wistfully.

  If only he could stay. In their lives.

  Piper winced. She shouldn’t be indulging in such fantasies.

  She loved being Zander’s mom, and she had her hands full. But Piper realized that she was lonely. That was why she had jumped and said yes the moment a guy asked her out for coffee.

  And one cup of coffee was all it took to make herself the target of a creepy stalker.

  But Seath was nothing like her stalker.

  “No,” Piper admonished herself sternly. “Stop this foolishness. He’s just here to give you a quote and he’ll be on his way. He’s a nice guy, but...” She sighed deeply. “Nice guys and Piper Wylde don’t go together.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Seath checked the perimeter and figured it wouldn’t take him that long to erect a fence around the small house. He looked up when he heard rain splattering on the ground. In a few seconds, the skies opened up and it began to pour.

  He ran back to the house, and saw Piper waiting at the door for him.

  “Come in quickly,” she urged. “Goodness, you’re soaked!”

  Seath went in and accepted a towel from her. As he dried his hair and face, he noticed Zander moving a pail into position. Piper excused herself and hurried to her room.

  “What are you doing?” Seath asked the boy.

  “I’m helping Mommy catch the rain,” Zander replied smugly. “She has to catch the rain in her room, so I’m making sure all the rain falls in the pail and not on the floor here.”

  Seath looked up and saw a huge stain on the ceiling. He reached up and felt the dampness.

  “Your mom’s room is leaking too?” he asked.

  Zander nodded. “Her room gets flooded when it rains!”

  Seath walked towards Piper’s bedroom and leaned against the doorjamb.

  The door was open, and he saw Piper mopping up the water on the floor.

  “As you can see, it kind of rains in here too,” Piper said with an awkward laugh when she saw him.

  “You should get the roof fixed,” Seath said.

  “I know. I...I’m saving up. But the priority right now is the yard and the fence. For Zander’s safety.” Piper swallowed hard and looked away. She was doing her best but she wished she could provide a better living environment for her son.

  Seath pushed off the doorjamb and said, “I saw some roof tiles lying at the side of the house. Do you mind if I take a look at your roof?”

  “Right now?” Piper’s eyes rounded.

  “Yeah.”

  “But...it’s pouring outside!”

  Seath smirked. “Nah. It’s just a drizzle.”

  Before Piper could stop him, Seath strode to the front door and walked out. He heard Piper calling after him but he was already running to the side of the house.

  He picked up the extra tiles and ran back to the porch. “You got a ladder?” he asked.

  Piper gave a jerky nod. “Yeah. At the back...”

  “Okay.”

  “Seath! Don’t...”

  He ignored her protests and hurried to the back of the house. He found the ladder and propped it against the side of the house.

  Climbing up quickly, Seath began to replace the broken roof tiles. He knew he would have to come back tomorrow to make sure the roof was properly fixed, but for now, he would do what he could to stop the leak in Piper’s ceiling.

  He didn’t want Piper and Zander shivering in a cold, wet house the whole night.

  He covered up the gaping holes in the roof with the extra tiles and was about to scramble down the ladder when he noticed something flying towards him.

  The small creature landed on the roof and folded its wings. Seath’s eyes widened and he had to blink repeatedly.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Seath couldn’t believe his eyes. He knew what it was. This amazing creature was so rare that some even doubted its existence.

  The creature was half eagle, half horse. It was the size of a puppy, and its tiny hind hooves drummed against the roof tiles as it struggled to keep its balance.

  With a soft cry, it spread out its eagle wings and flew nearer to Seath.

  “A hippogriff!” Seath gasped.

  The little hippogriff stared at Seath with its brilliant blue eyes and cooed happily.

  Seath stared into those earnest blue eyes and started. “Zander?”

  The hippogriff nodded and squawked.

  Seath laughed delightedly. He’d realized that the boy was a shifter, but he couldn’t make out what his animal was. The boy’s scent was unique but it was impossible to identify his animal so Seath had simply concluded that Zander’s animal had not yet emerged. It was just dormant, lying asleep deep inside the little boy.

  “You
’re a hippogriff!” Seath exclaimed. “Is this the first time you’ve shifted?”

  Zander nodded and started scrambling towards Seath. His front claws clicked noisily on the roof tiles as he wobbled from side to side.

  “Be careful, Zander. Use your wings. Fly back down and wait inside the house, okay?” Seath said.

  But Zander continued scrambling furiously towards Seath.

  “Okay, you want to perch on my shoulder? Fine. I’ll wait for you,” Seath said. “Take your time. Slowly now...”

  Seath could hear Piper yelling Zander’s name. She sounded frantic. “Zander! Zander, where are you? Zander!”

  From the roof, Seath saw Piper running out of the house towards the forest. “Zander!” she screamed. “Are you there? Answer me! Zander!”

  “Piper, Zander is here,” Seath shouted. “I have him. Zander is up here, with me!”

  Piper looked up, shielding her eyes from the wind and rain.

  “What? How…?” she sputtered, stumbling back in shock.

  Zander raised his talons to wave at his mom. Piper’s eyes grew wide and round, and she let out a strangled cry.

  “Z-Zander? Is that you? You...you’re a...a...” Utter disbelief, astonishment and finally a dawning comprehension rippled across her features.

  “What are you, Zander? You...I...Lisa never told me...” Piper was stammering incoherently as she stared up at her son.

  Zander squawked and flapped his wings proudly. He was showing off to his mom.

  “Good job, kid,” Seath said softly. “You’re awesome. But it’s dangerous up here. Fly down to your mom, Zander.”

  Zander flapped his wings but he didn’t take flight. As he hopped up and down excitedly, he lost his footing and began to slide down the sloping roof.

  “Zander!” Seath yelled, lurching forward to grab him. But the kid was just out of reach.

  Piper screamed as she watched her son lose his balance and tumble from the roof.

  “Zander! No!”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Piper screamed in horror as she watched Zander hurtle from the roof. She had never, ever seen Zander in his animal form before. In fact, she hadn’t even known that Zander was a shifter.

  Lisa was human, and it was likely that she didn’t even know that she had spent one night with a shifter. If Lisa had known that Zander’s biological father was a shifter, Piper was sure that she would have mentioned it.

  Piper didn’t know what kind of shifter the boy was. He looked like some sort of hybrid. The top half of his body looked like an eagle while the bottom half was that of a horse. But none of that mattered. He was her son, and right now, he was in terrible danger.

  “Fly!” Piper screamed. “Spread your wings, Zander! Fly!”

  But the kid appeared to be in shock. In his panic, he simply curled into a tight ball as he plummeted off the roof.

  “No!”

  Piper rushed forward to try and catch her son, lunging forward with her arms outstretched.

  The wind and the rain attacked her mercilessly, slowing her down. Piper kept her eyes on her son. But even as she threw herself forward, she knew that she was too slow and too far away. There was just no way she could reach the kid before he hit the ground.

  A violent gust of wind knocked her back and Piper fell onto the soggy ground with a cry. She looked up just in time to see an enormous shadow flash in front of her. The scream lodged in her throat as she stared at the huge shape swooping down and snatching Zander neatly out of the air.

  Choking out a cry of terror and distress, Piper scrambled up when she saw the terrifying creature soar away with Zander. She heard the beat of powerful wings and gasped when her mind finally acknowledged and accepted what her eyes were seeing.

  “Dragon!” she gasped.

  She was staring at a dragon. A real, live dragon with magnificent, shimmering blue scales!

  The dragon flew above the tree tops and turned around. It was holding Zander in its talons and circling the house slowly, as if to let Piper know that it had no intention of flying off with her son.

  The dragon watched her with its glowing green eyes, and Piper swallowed repeatedly. Why did those eyes look so familiar?

  She glanced towards the roof and saw that Seath was no longer there. Where was he? Did he scramble down the ladder and disappear into the house?

  Piper shook her head slowly. The dragon…Seath...

  Piper kept her eyes on the majestic creature flying languidly overhead. The dragon was descending slowly, and she could see Zander nestled comfortably in its huge talons.

  Zander was unharmed and he was making small, happy noises.

  As the dragon neared the house, it folded its wide wings and streamlined its shape.

  In a blink, the dragon was no more. Instead, Seath dropped to the ground in a crouch, holding Zander tightly in his arms.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Piper froze for just an instant before the words burst from her lips. “Zander! Seath!” Piper cried, running hard to them.

  Seath released Zander into her arms and stood up. Piper sobbed with relief as she hugged Zander tightly. He was still in his animal form, cooing softly and cocking his head at her.

  “You...you scared me!” she said, swiping tears and rainwater from her face. “You...oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

  “Come on,” Seath said as he put his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go indoors. You’re shivering.”

  Piper gave a jerky nod and hurried into the house with Zander. Once they were all safely indoors, Piper grabbed some towels and handed one to Seath.

  Zander squirmed and shrieked under the towel as she rubbed his soft, golden feathers.

  She let out a cry of surprise when Zander pushed the towel away and a little boy’s face peeked out at her.

  “Mommy!”

  “Oh, Zander...how did you do that?” Piper grabbed her son in a fierce hug. “You...you’re a...what are you? I’ve never seen...”

  Seath crouched beside them and stroked the boy’s wet hair. “Hey, Zander. Are you okay?”

  The boy nodded and grinned. “You are a dragon!” he exclaimed, pointing at Seath.

  Seath smiled. “Yes I am. And you are a hippogriff.”

  “A what?” Piper said, blinking at them.

  “A hippogriff,” Seath repeated. “He’s a very special, very rare kind of shifter.”

  Piper turned to him slowly. “So are you,” she said at last. “You’re a dragon!”

  Seath smiled. “No one has seen my dragon before,” he confessed.

  “Really?” Zander said, breaking into a grin. “You’ve never shown anyone your dragon?”

  “Nope.”

  “You showed us,” Zander said, thumping his chest.

  “Yeah.” Seath laughed. “The two of you are the first people to see my dragon. Even my brothers haven’t seen my dragon!”

  “I knew you were just like me, and I wanted to show you what I could do,” Zander told Seath excitedly. “You have a creature inside of you. So do I. I always knew it was inside of me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Zander?” Piper said, holding her son’s face in both her hands.

  “I thought you knew, Mommy.”

  Piper shook her head. “No. I didn’t know. But...how could I not know? I...I should have found out more. I should have questioned the doctors more closely...”

  Seath put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. You’re a great mother.”

  “No. I didn’t bother to find out...”

  “I don’t think you could have found out what he was. For more than twenty years, my brothers and I didn’t know what we really were. When my brother, Storm, and I first saw these strange scale-like patterns on our skins, we thought we were suffering from some awful disease. We went to the doctors, but none of them could tell what was wrong with us. We didn’t know that we were dragon shifters at that time, and the doctors couldn’t tell us anything that could help us,” Seath said quietly. “Af
ter a while, those scale-like patterns disappeared and we just carried on with our lives.”

  Piper stared at him, her mind reeling. “So...if Zander’s animal didn’t emerge...”

  “He would just live his life as a human,” Seath said. “The shifter gene can lie dormant for generations.”

  “I see.” Piper took a deep, steadying breath before turning back to her son. “I was so scared when I couldn’t find you in the house, Zander. I thought that you’d gone into the woods!”

  The boy lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

  Piper lifted his face and looked him in the eye. “Don’t go anywhere without telling me, Zander. You could have hurt yourself. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Mommy.”

  “Okay. Everything is all right now. I’m going to give you a warm bath and get you something to eat,” Piper said, gathering her son in her arms. “Come on.”

  Piper turned to give Seath a grateful smile. “Thank you for saving my son.” After a beat, she added, “Your dragon...is magnificent. I’ve never seen a dragon before.”

  “What about a hippogriff?” Zander asked eagerly.

  “I’ve never seen a hippogriff either!” She laughed and exclaimed, “What a night! I’ve just seen a dragon and a hippogriff, all in one night!”

  Zander’s stomach rumbled suddenly and he giggled. “I’m hungry. What’s for dinner? Is Seath having dinner with us? Can Seath have dinner with us?” he gushed. “Please?”

  Piper turned around and blushed. “Where are my manners? If you’re not in a hurry, please stay for dinner, Seath. It’s just a simple meal and there isn’t much, but...”

  “I would love to have dinner with you,” Seath answered at once. “Thank you.”

  “There’s a pot of soup on the stove. We have some leftover meatloaf and pizza...” Piper began.

  “I’ll warm everything up,” Seath said. Winking at Zander, he said, “Dinner will be ready by the time you finish your bath.”