by Delta James
“I can. But as your father can attest, I fly much better than I land. I’m afraid I made rather a muck of it earlier... it’s been awhile since I stretched my wings and had to come back to earth.”
Gideon extended a hand to each of the boys and allowed them to lead him inside.
“Can you breathe fire?”
“I can, which can be very handy on cold nights to get the fire going quickly, not to mention to roast meat.”
Both boys giggled and ran to help him get seated. He hadn’t lied to Demelza; he had always loved being around children and still cherished the idea of one day siring his own. He shook his head. If he was going to do that, he would need to fly north again to pick up her scent.
Gideon sat down to enjoy a meal with Cadan and his family and started to make plans to put his stronghold back in order, begin to assemble and build his army, and ensure those who had waited for him had not waited in vain.
Gideon had persuaded Cadan and his family that he would be quite happy out in the barn. He had forgotten that the people of his homeland were kind and generous. The boys had helped him put together a sleeping pallet in the loft and had gone to great pains to ensure he would be warm and comfortable.
Sending his family back to their dwelling, Cadan turned to him.
“The legends say that you were always kind to children. My boys will treasure this memory for the rest of their lives. I pray that you will live to see their children and grandchildren.”
“What have I done to make you curse me so?” asked Gideon in mock anger.
“My lord?” Cadan asked in genuine concern.
“Didn’t the legends tell you that for a dragon to sire his own offspring he must give up his mortality, as must his mate? I would think you would want me to know the love and happiness you share with your wife and children.”
Cadan grinned. “I stand corrected, Milord. Then I wish that your children, their children, and their grandchildren will remain close friends and companions with my descendants.”
“Much better. And Cadan,” he said as his war chief turned to leave. Cadan stopped and faced him. “This My Lord Gideon and Milord are a bit cumbersome, especially for someone who has been asleep for more than a thousand years. Gideon will be fine.”
“Yes, Mil... Gideon. It is good to have you home. Our people are truly blessed that you have returned.”
“Good. Come tomorrow, we’ll meet with those who are able and go over all that needs to be done, not only to the fortress but to secure their homes and farms. I want to be ready to repel any invaders long before they discover I have returned.”
* * *
Bridget awoke with Ciara nestled against her. When she had vacated the rooms that belonged to the alpha of the pack, she had chosen a large, sunny room that had a good-sized annex off of it. She had set the room up so that her bed and private sitting area was in one, and Ciara’s bed and play area was in the other. Bridget knew that in time Ciara would outgrow her need to be close to her mother, but for now, her father’s death had rattled the normally self-confident child and she often took refuge in her mother’s bed during some portion of the night.
As much as she cherished her child, Bridget missed waking up in her mate’s arms and starting the day enjoying his strong and intimate embrace. It had been rare for her not to greet each sunrise with cries of rapture. There were times her body ached for him, but the thought of sharing her bed with another wolf made her heart clutch.
“Mother?” Ciara said as she woke, stretching and yawning.
“Are you waking up? Did you sleep well?”
“Very. I’m so glad you’re back.”
“You didn’t miss me at all while I was gone. I understand you were Seamus’ second in command,” Bridget teased.
The little girl nodded solemnly. “Yes. He and Aisling said they needed my help and with you and Mistress Arielle gone, it fell to me to be mistress of the pack and ensure things went smoothly.”
Bridget made a mental note to thank Seamus for his devotion to her daughter.
“Will you and Mistress Arielle go away again?”
“I doubt it. Arielle needs to take care of your uncle Ruari, who is our alpha...”
“He’s a male. They seem to need a lot of looking after,” Ciara pronounced.
“Yes, they do—especially the alphas,” Bridget replied, smiling. “We will need to help Ari get used to things here at Dundalk.” Thinking back on the story of the dragons and her own increasing sense of restlessness, she continued. “I may be gone for a few days, maybe even a few weeks if that’s all right with you.”
Ciara seemed to consider the question with gravity before replying, “Will you have more stories to tell me when you return?”
Bridget nodded. “I will. And Ari has said she’ll take special care of you while I’m gone.”
“Why would you go?”
“I think I need to see something outside the borders of Dundalk...”
“Weren’t you and Mistress Arielle beyond our boundaries?”
Her daughter had a quick and intelligent mind that seemed to be well beyond her years.
“Yes, but we were with Connor and Ruari and a lot of other men. I want to see some things on my own, chase down tales I’ve heard all my life. I’d love to see the ocean of the great beyond on Eire’s most distant western shore. Perhaps with an eye of establishing a home of our own, just for you and me and those of our kind like us.”
“You mean without a mate or a papa?”
Bridget could feel her heart seize in her chest. “Something like that.”
“Would we be safe without our pack? Will there be males to protect us?”
Bridget sat up and took her daughter’s hands in hers. “Ciara, listen to me. We don’t need male wolves to protect us. It was Mistress Arielle that saved the life of our alpha. Her sister is a blooded warrior and our kind has a history of what the men like to call rogue or wayward females. They have been neither. They simply had the courage to seek out their own fate, to carve out a destiny of their own and to keep themselves safe.”
“Are we brave, Mama?”
Bridget kissed her forehead. “We are indeed. Don’t misunderstand, I love our pack here at Dundalk, and next to your father, your uncle Ruari is one of the best wolves I’ve ever known, but I want to see things beyond our borders and show them to you. I want you to have the freedom to be whatever you want to be and be with whomever you want to be.”
Ciara nodded. “Then I think we should go see them.”
“I do too. But how about if I go first to see what it’s like and maybe you can stay and help Arielle? She’s very new to our pack and I’ll bet she could use your expertise. After all, you were born here, and your father was alpha before her mate.”
Bridget watched as her daughter concentrated on what she’d said. “I think that’s a very good plan although I will miss you.”
“I will miss you more, but I won’t be too long.”
“Will you be back for my birthday celebration?”
“I will indeed. What do you say I bring you something from my travels?”
Ciara clapped her hands with delight. “I’d like that. Something nobody else has. Does the ocean of the great beyond have sea glass? Because if they do, that’s what I’d like. Are we going to keep this a secret too?”
“Were you okay with not telling anyone about Arielle and me?”
Ciara nodded her head. “Yes. I like that you shared a secret with me. It was fun knowing that you were safe even when Seamus was being silly and all worried.”
“All right then. How about if I stay a day or two longer and then leave? Arielle and Ruari should be out of seclusion fairly soon and you’ll be here to help.”
“Can I tell Arielle?”
“I think that would be a good idea. Then the two of you will know something no one else does. You can keep the secret together.”
Bridget spent the next two days surreptitiously gathering the things she needed for h
er journey. Shortly before dawn, she woke Ciara and told her she was leaving. She was proud of the fact that her daughter seemed to be genuinely happy that her mother was going on an adventure. Bridget was confident that the little girl would tell Arielle and keep her secret.
“I love you and I’ll see you soon,” Bridget whispered as she kissed Ciara.
Quietly, Bridget exited the keep and slipped into the barn, saddling the bay charger she had ridden to Britannia and escaping through the sally port. She swung up onto the horse, checked that the rising light was on the horizon behind her, and set off, feeling happier and more comfortable inside her own skin than she had in a very long time.
Chapter Three
Gideon was awake as the first rays of the sun kissed the sky. He climbed down from the loft and headed out of the barn. Two little boys sat on the fence of one of the pens, eagerly awaiting him.
“Good morning!” they chirped in unison.
“Boys!” admonished their mother. “Let his Lor—” Demelza stopped as she caught sight of his raised eyebrow. “Gideon,” she corrected herself with a smile, “start his day without being pestered.”
“They’re fine, Demelza. It’s not every day a young man gets to see a man emerge from his barn, turn into a dragon, and take to the sky. Would you let Cadan know I’ll be back shortly?”
Gideon thought he would never forget the look on the faces of Cadan’s sons. He grinned at them as he moved to a safe and discreet distance, removed his clothing, and called forth his great beast—a massive being on four legs covered with armor-like scales and an enormous wingspan. Gideon, as Lord of the Earth, was a deep, rich, two-toned brown. The outside of each scale was ringed in a toffee color, while the majority had a more chocolatey hue. In the sun, there was an almost iridescent hue to his skin.
He began to fill his lungs and cells with the fresh morning air as he felt his body transform. Once complete, he trotted away from the croft, unfurling his wings and beating them slowly to gain the thrust needed to take flight. Gideon’s feet lost touch with the earth as he gained altitude and flew into the clear, bright sky. He felt the strong winds coming off the coast and used its lift to glide through the air. There really was nothing to compare to flying.
He banked away from Cadan’s farm and toward his own fortress. He expected that being uninhabited and the elements of nature would have taken their toll. He was gladdened that the damage, at least when surveyed by air, was not as bad as he had feared. The roof was caved in, which was to be expected and the outer walls showed some damage but remained mostly intact.
Landing in the bailey, he was pleased that not only did he do so more gracefully than he had when landing on the beach, but that a good portion of the keep remained standing and in good order. Gideon shifted back to his human form and wandered through what had been his home, and the home of his ancestors, for as far back as time stretched.
He trotted down the stairs and into the nursery. There had been a time when the vast labyrinth for clutches of dragon eggs had been necessary. He realized that even if dragons one day reclaimed the numbers they had once had, it would be a long time before the caverns beneath his stronghold would be needed for their original use. But if Cadan was right, they could be useful for provision and arms storage as well as a place to keep his people safe in the event of an invasion. Hearing the sound of approaching horses, he returned to the surface.
Gideon breathed in, shaking his head and smiling. The scent of daffodils continued to assail his sense of smell. He rarely took a breath without having at least the faint fragrance of his mate. His cock began to swell at the thought of her. It had been far too long since he had felt a woman beneath him as he stroked her warm, wet sheath with his hardened staff. It was the only thing that exceeded the feeling of wind beneath his wings.
“Good morning, Gideon,” Cadan greeted him as he tossed him his clothes. “I’m sorry the castle was not ready for your return. It had been so long, and times have not been easy...”
Gideon waved him off, dressing quickly. “It’s not nearly as bad as I feared. With just a bit of work, we can make it habitable for me.”
“I took the liberty of sending for the others. There are more than enough of us to restore the keep.”
“What about you and your family? It has been the tradition that the ranking members of the clan and their families lived within the fortress, but you have a farm to see to.”
Cadan laughed. “And it will be my honor to do so. My brother Daniel will move to the farm. His wife is already looking forward to giving birth in the farmhouse.”
The remainder of their men joined them. Gideon was impressed that the descendants of those who had once served him were still loyal and held no rancor that the last of his kind had forsaken them. After they had drawn up a list of things to be done and assigned jobs, Gideon addressed those assembled.
“I have been trying in the past few hours to decide which I need to do first—apologize for my kind abandoning you for so long or be humbled by your steadfast belief that I would return...”
Murmurs of disagreement rumbled through the crowd and made him smile.
“Suffice it to say that we had suffered a great loss and were shattered. We believed that the only way to ensure that our kind did not become extinct was to slumber in a kind of hibernation. We believed that if our kind survived elsewhere, they would come to wake us. The sorceress that cast the spell was the sister of Duncan’s mate who was the last female dragon. She was told to leave no provision for us to wake on our own. It would seem that like most females, she wasn’t inclined to follow instructions. I have no idea why my rest was disturbed, just that it was. My first conscious thought was to come home to prepare but prepare for what I haven’t a clue.”
“What about the others?” asked one of the men.
“They were still sealed in their separate chambers. They are safe and so I chose to follow my instinct and come home,” answered Gideon.
“What about a mate?” called another.
Gideon chuckled and clapped Cadan’s shoulder. “Isn’t that your line?”
All of the men, including Cadan, joined in the laughter.
“Funny you should mention that. I thought I’d make sure everyone’s need for meat was taken care of before I go in search of my mate.”
“Might she be amongst us?”
Gideon shook his head. “I don’t think so. I caught her scent north of here... oddly enough in the midst of a battle. I considered seeking her out then, but decided it was best to return to what must be done to ready the castle for occupation again. My hope is that if your needs for meat are met that most of you can lend me the majority of your time to restoring our fortress. That way if and when trouble comes from the wolves to the north and west of us or the Old Continent, we’ll be ready to take them on and teach them a thing of two about dancing with dragons.”
A small cheer went up. Gideon felt truly humbled that while he had slept his people had never lost faith that he would return.
“It’s settled then,” said Gideon. “Cadan, I will leave you in command in my absence while I seek my mate and bring her home. I will bring the meat back here for dispersal. Some of it can be distributed raw, but I can roast some as well if we have spits set up when I return with it.”
Gideon separated from his men, removed his clothes, and called forth his dragon as he took to the skies. He found his land to be rich with prey for hunting. Within a few hours, he had amassed what he believed would be enough meat to keep his people for more than a month, less time than they had estimated repairs to the keep would take.
He descended from on high, neatly depositing the carcasses before landing behind one of the walls where he had spied Cadan had left his clothing. He wasn’t necessarily given to modesty, but he didn’t blame his men for choosing to keep their women from gazing upon his nudity. And there were women and plenty of them. They had been organized to help with preparing the meat, as well as harvesting what else they could
so as to make the most and best use of his kill.
Gideon was happy to see so many children laughing and playing among all the hard work.
“Milord?” he heard Demelza say behind him.
“Demelza, you must call me Gideon. I’ve never been one to stand on ceremony and we will be sharing a home.”
She smiled sweetly. “Aye, Gideon. I wanted to thank you for your bounty. I don’t think we thought you’d return with so much so quickly. I wanted you to know, Cadan spent part of the day forging a reticule that I’ve lined with sealskin to keep it waterproof. We thought it would be an easy way for you to carry your clothing and what other supplies you might want to take with you. I’ve already put in another pair of breeches and two more shirts.”
“That’s kind of you.”
“And he attached your scabbard and sword so it should be easy for you to keep your things together and safe from the elements.”
Gideon took the proffered cylinder. It was an ingenious design and would do exactly what it was intended to do.
Cadan joined them. “Will you stay the night, Gideon? The people are hoping you will, and we can have a bonfire. The women have been preparing food to bring and...”
“Say no more, Cadan. You have convinced me. I can’t think of a better way to wrap up this day than feasting with those with whom I am beginning a new life.”
“Good, because they’re all on their way.”
The rest of the afternoon and evening was divided between work, play, and celebration. Food was plentiful, drink flowed like a fast-flowing river, and people danced by the light of a bonfire. Gideon was reminded again and again why his ancestors had chosen this place and these people to call their own. As the evening drew to a close, and families began collecting sleeping children, Gideon heard several female voices join together in an old, familiar ballad:
When the moon is on the sea
Kosk yn ta, kosk yn ta
Silver pilchards called to thee
Kosk yn, kosk yn ta
Dream of starry gazey pie
Kosk yn, kosk yn ta
