Never Dare a Dragon

by Ashlyn Chase

  Uh-oh. This is it, Jayce thought.

  When Chloe returned to her seat, she remained standing until all three leprechauns had found their places. Meanwhile, the photographer moved around the room, taking pictures from every angle.

  Jayce didn’t even realize he was on high alert until he jumped when Chloe tapped her glass, interrupting any ongoing conversations with a musical tinkle.

  “Thank you all for coming. I have the honor of introducing the Arishes. First, me brother, Rory, and me new sister, Amber…”

  To the sound of enthusiastic applause, the happy couple entered from a side door and were seated at one end of the table. Jayce wondered if the humans hadn’t been present if they’d be referred to as princes and princesses—or clan leaders and ladies or whatever. Keeping it simple was probably for everyone’s benefit.

  Then she introduced her cousin, Conlan, and his lovely wife, Amy. More applause made Amy’s grin grow even wider. If she had taken a stage bow, he wouldn’t have been surprised. As it was, she stopped and dropped a curtsy to Chloe, and Conlan offered a respectful bow.

  It seemed as if all was well. At last he could relax and enjoy the festivities. Until…

  Fagan rose, or at least he slipped off his chair. Clinking his glass, he announced, “May I have everyone’s attention please?”

  Jayce wouldn’t have heard Chloe mumble shite if he didn’t have paranormal hearing. Unfortunately, he did.

  “Before we get started, I’d like to present our gifts to the happy couples. We have a bit of mischief to make up for, so we wanted our gifts to be special.”

  Rory mumbled, “Is that what being kicked out of me own country is called? Feckin’ mischief?”

  If Fagan heard him, he ignored it. The O’Malleys came out with champagne and began pouring everyone’s glasses half full.

  They did a double take when looking at the kiddie table full of little bearded men but politely continued on their way.

  “One of our gifts is too large to show you here. It’s upstairs in the courtyard.”

  Chloe rose, and everyone else rose with her. Fagan grinned as if very pleased with himself. He ran on his little legs to the door, with his two compatriots following. “Let’s go,” he called. The guests looked at each other, slightly confused, but followed politely. After climbing two sets of stairs, the leprechauns in green paused, one on each side of the big double door that led to the courtyard. Fagan waited until everyone had gathered in the grand foyer and then announced, “This is for Conlan and Amy.” They threw open the double door and revealed a sleek, black Maserati convertible.

  Some of the guests gasped while others made impressed sounds like “Oooohhh…”

  Amy leaned toward Kristine and whispered, “Do you think they heard us talking?”

  Kristine shook her head and shrugged at the same time.

  Fagan focused on Amy. “Come here. Admire it.”

  Conlan took her hand, and they strolled over to it, making appreciative comments. Jayce noticed Conlan appeared hesitant.

  “Where did this come from?” Conlan asked.

  Fagan smirked. “Italy, of course.”

  He bit his lip, as if holding in his thoughts. Chances were he suspected something but was too polite to bring it up in front of their guests.

  Chloe cleared her throat. “Well, that is very generous of you, but I’m sure the O’Malleys have dinner planned, and we wouldn’t want it to get cold. So let’s go back down to the banquet room.”

  Her subjects followed without question. The other guests lingered a bit, taking a longing look at the car and then trailing behind the rest downstairs.

  The leprechauns jogged down the stairs to keep up with everyone. When all the guests arrived back at the ballroom and returned to their seats, Fagan and the other two remained standing.

  Everyone lifted their champagne glasses.

  “Wait. Before we begin the toasts,” Fagan called out, “we want to present our gift for the other couple. We know you’ll like it much more than a new car.”

  Ryan put down his glass.

  Rory and Amber glanced at each other.

  “Well… Come here.” Fagan waved them over.

  Brandee got herself in position to take a picture of their faces when they received whatever special gift they had coming.

  Fagan spoke in a low voice so only the couple and those of paranormal persuasion could hear. “We know you can’t have children, so we found the perfect gift for you.” He swiveled, and when he turned back to them, he held a baby in his arms.

  “Shite!” Rory said as he took a step back. Amber just stood there with her mouth and eyes wide open.

  Jayce quickly glanced around the room and noticed the O’Malleys frozen in mid-step as they carried out trays of shrimp cocktail. The priest was frozen in place too. He checked on Amber’s mother and sister and noticed both of them gazing in the same direction, smiling and unblinking.

  Brandee snapped her fingers, and her camera disappeared. She marched over to Fagan and gently removed the baby from his arms. “Now, tell me where you found this child so I can return him or her.”

  Fagan looked deeply offended. “You would return our gift? Who are you to do such a thing?” He folded his arms and glowered.

  Gaia appeared. “Thank goodness my muse was here to stop you from giving humans a glimpse into the paranormal world.” She turned toward Brandee. “Give the child to me. I know right where she belongs.”

  Fagan bristled. “But the babe was in an orphanage. What kind of life is that for her? We were doing both her and the bride and groom a grand favor.”

  Mother Nature leaned over them and rose off the floor a few inches. “I know exactly what kind of life she’ll have. In a few days, she’ll be adopted by a loving family. Yes, they’ll make mistakes, and she will probably wind up in therapy someday, but if she grew up as a human with paranormal parents, she’d be in therapy that much sooner.”

  Fagan sighed. “Well, this is embarrassing… I suppose we’ll have to come up with something else now that we have everyone’s attention.”

  Gaia frowned. “I’ll deal with you later, leprechaun. My muse will turn back time just enough to erase the humans’ memories. Now I’m off to do the same at the orphanage.” With that, Mother Nature and the baby disappeared.

  Fagan scratched his head. “Feck. I thought we had the perfect gift for you,” he said to Rory.

  Rory smiled. “It was a lovely thought. Fortunately, we have everything we need. Just that you hoped to do something special for us is all the gift we could want.” He put his arm around Amber’s shoulder, she slipped her arms around his waist, and they gazed at each other lovingly.

  Fagan stamped his foot. “You see? You would have made very good, loving parents. I’m afraid I’m too upset to stay.” He turned to his brothers and said, “We shall leave now.” They nodded, and all three of them disappeared.

  A collective whoosh of air suggested that more than one guest had been holding their breath. Various expressions of relief followed.

  Brandee addressed Amber. “What now? How far should I back this up to cover the fact that they left?”

  Amber sighed. “I wish we could back it up to before they came, but too many guests were already here and in mid-conversation. I guess we can back it up to the point where they closed the doors on the courtyard upstairs and everyone filed downstairs.”

  “Then just pop them back to wherever they came from and make an excuse that they had a family emergency and had to leave—if anyone misses them.”

  Suddenly Jayce and Kristine were descending the stairs again.

  Jayce leaned over and whispered to Kristine, “Well, at least Amy and Conlan get to keep the Maserati.”

  Epilogue

  Jayce and Kristine snuggled on their couch, gazing out at the sunrise colors reflected in the river
. The still-twinkling lights and flow of the water mesmerized them. They wore matching white bathrobes, sipping their morning coffee. No words, television, or other entertainment was needed. They just enjoyed cuddling and being surrounded by their love for their condo and each other.

  Startled by the sudden appearance of a platinum-haired woman wearing a flowing Grecian robe, Kristine recovered first.

  “Gaia! What can I do for you?”

  “The question is, my little dragon, what can I do for you?” The goddess folded her arms and waited.

  Confused, Kristine sat up on the edge of the sofa and asked, “What do you mean?”

  Mother Nature rolled her eyes. “You haven’t heard? Whenever a modern muse offers her services to me and appears to be serious about performing her job well, I give that person a reward. So, what would you like? A new car? A house? A money tree?”

  Jayce returned her puzzled stare. “Don’t ask me. It’s your reward.”

  Kristine pondered the question. At last she said, “I don’t know what I want. I have everything I need. The man I love. A job I love. Enough money to live on. I really don’t need another thing. Unless… No. Never mind. That would be impossible.”

  Gaia smiled. “Let me be the one to decide what’s possible. I know what you want. You want knowledge and a little bend in the rules.”

  “Yeah, well… You can’t do that.”

  Mother Nature glared at her. “What makes you think I can’t? I can do pretty much anything I want. And I want to do something that will make you so grateful you won’t renege on your commitment to me.”

  Oh, so that’s what this is about. It’s more of a bribe than a reward.

  “I know what you really think, little dragon. Don’t forget that. It’s not a bribe. Try looking at it as a signing bonus.”

  “Okaaay.” Kristine racked her brain for anything nice that she would like as a bonus but really couldn’t come up with anything special.

  Mother Nature jammed her hands on her hips. “Seriously? You really aren’t going to ask for what you want? I already told you it’s not impossible.”

  Kristine’s eyes rounded. “You mean to tell me I don’t have to go back to the bottom of the ladder and I can be a Boston firefighter?”

  “Not only that, you can be promoted if you want.”

  Jayce pulled himself up next to her and draped an arm around her shoulder. “Think about it. You can do the job you’ve always loved without losing a thing.” Then he gazed up at the deity and asked, “You can plant the knowledge she needs into her brain? The policies she needs to know for the BFD?”

  Mother Nature folded her arms, tipped her chin up, and looked smug. “Not only that, I can make her your equal. A captain.”

  Jayce smiled at Kristine. “She has always been my equal.”

  “Well, equal but different,” she said.

  “That’s for sure. I don’t wear granny panties.”

  Kristine pulled her robe to the side a bit. “When I’m with you, I hardly wear panties at all.”

  “And I always remember to floss.” He chuckled, and they shared a knowing grin.

  The goddess shook her head. “I don’t pretend to know what that means, and I don’t want to. I’m getting impatient. Do you want this reward, or don’t you?” She began tapping her foot.

  “Yes. Yes!” Kristine cried. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

  Mother Nature threw her hands in the air and snorted. “What have I been telling you? Never underestimate me. At least I finally know what you want.” She strode over to Kristine, placed her hands on top of her head, and gave them a push. “There!”

  The deity disappeared. Suddenly Kristine realized she knew things she hadn’t known before. Excitedly, she spouted some of these facts to Jayce.

  He laughed. “Yup, only an officer in the BFD would know any of that.”

  The phone rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Kristine said. She reached over to the end table and picked up the cordless phone. The irony of having a landline when she was the muse of wireless communication didn’t escape her.

  “Hello?” she said.

  “Scotty. This is Chief O’Brian. I have what I think will be good news for you.”

  She had never met him, yet the chief sounded as if he knew her.

  “That’s great, sir. I’m anxious to hear what you have to say.”

  “We can use a new captain in District 2. Your name came up, and I couldn’t think of a better candidate. With your experience, both in New York and Boston, we feel you’d be a perfect fit.”

  Kristine wondered if he really knew what he was saying, but it seemed as if Mother Nature had performed her magic. I’d better just go with it. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

  “Anyway, the job is yours if you’ll accept it.”

  “I’d be honored to serve in the capacity of captain in any Boston firehouse, and I’ll do my very best to make you proud, sir.”

  “I know you will. After all, you’re going to be a Fierro.”

  “Wait. Did I get this job because I’m related to Jayce? Or rather, I will be after Christmas.”

  “Not at all. You got it on your own merit. It’s just nice to know there’s another Fierro officer who we can count on. After your honeymoon, of course. By the way, will I be invited to the wedding?”

  Kristine almost groaned. The guest list was already huge and still growing. But why not? She would be part of a large, noisy, sometimes rowdy family. Back when she was a little girl, she never dreamed her wedding would be such a well-attended event.

  “Of course, sir. We haven’t sent out invitations yet, but you can expect yours when we do.”

  They exchanged pleasant good-byes, and she hung up. She stared at Jayce. His eyes were twinkling, and he wore that sexy smile that she had fallen in love with.

  “That’s one hell of a signing bonus,” Jayce said.

  “It certainly is. And it seems as if we’d better hurry up and order invitations. A whole crapload of them.”

  Jayce laughed. “Yeah. Between your friends at FDNY, my friends at BFD, our families, our extended families, and our parents’ long-time friends, we’ll have to find a bigger venue too. If it weren’t a winter wedding, maybe we could rent out Fenway Park.”

  “Well, I don’t want to push off the honeymoon until spring. I’m looking forward to St. Kitts in late December and early January.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll cram everyone into Emmanuel Church somehow. But you’re right about needing to get on those invitations. Do you want anything special?” Jayce asked.

  “I don’t really care what the invitations look like. Just as long as you’re standing beside me on our wedding day. It’s you I want.”

  “You have me. And I’m thankful that I have you.”

  They shared a tender kiss and the promise of a bright future full of fun, laughter, and love.

  For more Boston Dragons

  check out book 1 in the series

  I Dream of Dragons

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  Available now from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

  Chapter 1

  Thunk.

  “What the hell?” Rory picked himself up off the floor beside his bed, rubbing his sore hip. Three little men dressed in green stood by his bedroom door. One of them looked angry, and one of them was trying not to snigger. The other seemed like a neutral party with his hands in his pockets.

  “Rory Arish, you’re being charged with theft,” the angry one said.

  Rory blinked and stared at the little men. “Theft, is it? What is it I’m accused of stealin’?”

  “Me gold. All of it.”

  Rory scratched his head. “Lucky, is it?” he asked, trying to put names to their faces.

  “If
you’re talkin’ about me name, it’s Clancy. Lucky is me brother.” The man with his hands in his pockets withdrew one and waved at Rory. “If you’re talkin’ about your day, I’d say this is the unluckiest of your whole long life.”

  The red-haired man who’d been trying not to laugh moved his hand, uncovering his short, red beard. “Nobody steals from leprechauns and gets away with it—no matter how big you are.”

  Rory sighed. “There’s been some kind of misunderstandin’. I haven’t stolen anyone’s gold—or anythin’ else for that matter. Do you see anythin’ worth stealin’ here?” He spread his arms wide and swiveled, indicating the whole sparsely furnished room.

  He and his sisters had moved from the crumbling castle on the cliffs to the caretakers’ cottage a few years ago. The Arishes hadn’t changed much, leaving the cottage about the same as when the caretakers had lived and died there.

  “Move your arse, dragon,” the angry one said. “March me to my gold!”

  “I will not march anywhere,” Rory said. “Especially when I don’t know where your feckin’ gold is.”

  Clancy balled his fists.

  The gleeful one muttered, “Oh, that did it.”

  “Be quiet, Shamus,” Clancy snapped. Then he focused his attention on Rory again. “Mr. Arish, I’m trying to be reasonable, but I’m not a patient man. Now, admit what you did and rectify the situation, or we’ll be forced to end the treaty between our people.”

  Clad only in their nightgowns, Rory’s sisters appeared in the doorway behind the little people. Well…behind and over them. Even at five foot five or six, the girls were easily twice the size of a leprechaun.

  “What’s goin’ on here?” his sister Chloe mumbled as she rubbed the sleep out of her green eyes.

  “Apparently I’m bein’ accused of a crime I did not commit,” Rory said.

  His youngest sister, Shannon, piped up. “Crime? What crime?”

  Clancy whirled on the girls. “Mayhaps one of you took me gold. We don’t know if it was your brother or not, but it had to be the work of a dragon. Who else would have the strength to move it?”