by Leela Ash
“You think this is a physical battle. As if our enemies will line up on one side of a field, us on the other, and we’ll lay into each other until only one of us remains.
“The battle we face is nothing like that. Our enemies are treacherous and sly. They won’t fight us. They’ll lurk in the shadows and poison our Wellspring. They’ll seduce us with cheap pleasures, weaken our wills, tempt us into debauchery until we’re no better than the Worms that lead them. This is a spiritual battle, a magical one. We need to prepare ourselves for it, not merely for combat.”
“Fine,” Owen grumbled. “You’ve made your point. I’ll work on controlling my temper.”
His Alpha wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. “That’s your first chore – but you’ve got a lot more work before you’re ready.”
Another insult. By now, though, his Dragon did little more that snarl. “Fine. What else?”
Lorde fixed him with a stern, unflinching glare. “You fathered three children, yet you did not protect either them or their mother until I requested it.”
Remorse pricked him as his leader’s plot became clear. This wasn’t something new. The Alpha had been watching him, testing him longer than he realized.
Trickery, his Dragon hissed inside his mind. A trap.
He felt its resentment, its injured pride. Hell, he shared those feelings. Yet, this accusation seemed to drive the Serpent near to hatred. The urge to challenge his Alpha, to ‘avenge’ his wounded pride, swelled within him. It was all Owen could do to contain himself.
And Lorde wasn’t through with his accusations, either. “Over the years, you have engaged in numerous dalliances. You have not loved a single one of these women. The Wellspring has been awake for a full year now and you have not Claimed a Mate.”
The force of his shame warred against his Dragon wrath, and slowly, slowly, it won. Owen turned away, unable to face Lorde’s recriminations. They were true. What had he done over the years except entertain himself and dream of ‘glorious’ battles?
Seeing his submission, the sternness faded from the Alpha’s face. “I do want you at my side. You are fearless in war. Yet, I need to know that your soul is pure and whole. I need to be sure I can trust you. That’s why I’m sending you to California.”
“I still don’t understand how waiting on Witch Hares is going to help.”
“Don’t you?” A sly smile crept across Lorde’s lips. “I’m sending you to a small town far away from the pleasures and distractions of the city. You’ll take your children with you and you’ll have plenty of time to become a true family. I’m also dumping you in the laps of thirteen beautiful young women. With any luck, one of those Hares will be your soul mate. If not, well, some Hares have a knack for fortune-telling. Perhaps one of them can point you in the right direction.”
And, of course, it all made sense. Owen sighed, deeply depressed. His Alpha had a plan. He always had a plan.
Other Dragons would fly to war.
He was getting sent to the Time Out corner, to get his life in order.
“Do you accept your mission?”
‘Mission.’ That was ludicrous.
But what choice did he have? When your Alpha gave you an order, you obeyed.
Owen gave a sour nod.
Chapter 3
The third dinner in the Jackson household got off to a much better start.
Formal meals seemed completely alien to the Jackson children. They expected to gobble down a few bites out by the pool, in front of the tv, or wherever hunger hit them. Not that hunger ever bit them hard, given how much candy, snacks, and soda they devoured during the day.
Well, that was going to change. Time to bring rules and discipline to the Jackson household. Starting with family meals. The family that ate together, stayed together.
The first two dinners were complete disasters.
Tonight, Ariel was pleased to note, Trey and Brody did not come in covered in mud. They did not run straight out of the pool and plop down, sopping wet, on their cushioned seats. Trey still had leaves in his hair and a huge grass stain down the side of his face. Yet, in just three days, they’d made tremendous progress. Everyone showed up at 5:00 pm, with an appetite.
Except Sydnee.
“Sydnee?” Ariel prompted.
“What?” Curled in her chair at the end of the table, the girl didn’t even glance up.
“What’s the rule about cell phones at dinner?”
The girl rolled her eyes – a particularly annoying gesture. Ariel reminded herself that twelve was a tough age, especially for girls.
“Owen doesn’t care if I use my phone.”
Hearing a child use their father’s first name grated on Ariel’s nerves. When Mr. Jackson returned, she’d ask him about that. Some parents apparently liked it. For the time, she let the name slide.
“Dinner is a time for a family to be together. It’s important that we be here, paying attention to each other. Not distracted by games.”
“What-ever,” Sydnee hissed. Thumbs darted across her phone, tapping out messages.
“Sydnee…”
“I’m saying goodbye, okay? Can I do that? Please? Or is that too much to ask?”
Sass and rudeness annoyed her. Yet, as Ariel opened her mouth to rebuke the girl, she saw something that killed her reproach.
Tears. Sydnee’s eyes brimmed with them. Beneath all that bluster and attitude, she quivered on the edge of a meltdown.
Patience. Love and kindness will win the day eventually. Just remember that this is no ordinary family. You don’t really know what these children have gone through.
So, unnatural as it was, she let the girl text away. When the cook brought out the salads, Sydnee did indeed put the phone away with a long, dramatic sigh.
“Who were you talking to?” the nanny asked, as if there had been no delay at all.
“A friend.”
“From school?”
“No,” Sydnee muttered. “I don’t have any friends here.”
The first piece of the puzzle fell into place. “So, you’re chatting with your friends from New Jersey?”
A shrug. Sydnee speared a piece of lettuce with her fork and began to nibble on it.
“Having dinner at 5:00 pm must make it tough to talk to them.” That got the girl’s attention. Ariel looked into her startled eyes and pressed her advantage. “They’re on the East Coast while you’re on the West. They get out of school while you’re still in. By the time you’re home, they’re eating dinner. You get an hour or so to catch up and then bam! It’s your dinner time.”
“Yeah. It sucks.” Sydnee scowled at her plate, a tiny ball of misery.
“Hmm. Would it help if we moved dinner later? Say, to 7:00? We could have a snack at 4:00, which you could eat in your room. Then a light dinner later.”
For once, Sydnee’s eternal sulk melted away. “That would be cool.” One tear escaped and trickled down her cheek before she swatted it away.
Ariel pretended she didn’t notice, though her heart ached to see how much the girl missed her old life. She wasn’t a bad child, she was lonely. Trey and Brody had each other to play with. Sydnee was alone.
“I’ll talk to the cook about that. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
The girl didn’t thank her. Yet, she did start eating her food with a bit more gusto.
I should talk to Mr. Jackson about excursions. He’s wealthy enough that he might not mind if I took the children back East over Spring Vacation. I bet they didn’t have time to say goodbye to anyone.
After salad, Mrs. Grover, the cook, brought out the main course. Ariel spent it gently encouraging the boys to use forks and napkins. The chicken disappeared. The vegetables… well, they lingered on both boys’ plates. She pointed out that green beans were not poisonous. Trey and Brody picked at them then declared themselves full. Until dessert arrived and they miraculously rediscovered their appetites.
That was another thing to work on. One step at a time, however.
As the last bits of cake disappeared, a distinctive sound came through the open window.
…woppa woppa woppa woppa…
“HELICOPTER!” the boys shrieked in unison. They shot to their feet, shoving their chairs backwards.
“Trey! Brody!” Ariel growled before they could rocket off. At once, they popped back into their seats, twitching with eagerness. “What do you say before you leave the table?”
“Pleasemaywebeexcused?” It all came out in one breathless, mushed-together jumble of sound.
“You may be excused,” she said. They cheered and sprinted off. It warmed her heart to know they were so anxious to see their father again.
“Sydnee, do you want to be excused too?”
“No.”
How disappointing that, unlike her brothers, the girl didn’t seem to care that Owen was home. Well, one step at a time. The cell phone discovery still felt like a huge breakthrough.
“Okay. Pardon me one moment, then.”
Ariel rose and stepped over by the window where she could make sure the little boys stayed in the backyard. Watching the helicopter land was fine. Running out under those lethal blades was not.
Owen hopped out of the chopper and Ariel felt her heart skip a beat. His hair, unruly by nature, whipped about his chiseled features. He looked like an action hero, ready for boat chases in Venice or skiing away from Bad Guys in the Alps. Were all Dragons this stunning?
The excitement that coursed through her brought a flush to her cheeks.
That’s no way to think about your employer, she scolded herself. I should remember that he’s ‘Mr. Jackson’ not ‘Owen.’
Mr. Jackson trotted across the lawn toward his sons. He waved… Trey and Brody waved back… then their father strode past them, leaving the kids to ogle what they really cared about.
The helicopter.
The sight made Ariel’s stomach knot. So much for warm family reunions! Now, admittedly, he hadn’t been gone long. But children and parents shouldn’t ignore each other like that. Trey and Brody ought to run to their dad and he should scoop them into his arms. Like her parents had done!
There was something deeply wrong with this family.
She flicked away that doubt, like a Bear swatting a fly. There were problems? Fine. She’d solve them in time. After just three days, she and the boys were getting along wonderfully. And today, for the first time, she had an idea of what lay behind Sydnee’s misery.
Their father? They’d bond in time too. Then she’d knit this family back together, the way it should have been from the start.
A door banged open. “George?” Owen… no, Mr. Jackson shouted as he strode into the room. “I’ve got news. Hey, Sydnee.” The girl ignored him. “Hi, um… Mary?”
“Ariel,” she corrected him. That stung a bit. Honestly, though, they’d only been together for three minutes. ‘Mary’ was at least in the ballpark.
The long-suffering George appeared in the doorway. “Yes, sir?”
“I’m turning Windhope Hall over to your competent hands.”
George gave a small bow, neither worried nor surprised by this change. “You’ve been assigned elsewhere, sir?”
“Yup. Siskuh… mmm, Sisk-someplace, California. Middle of absolute nowhere, out in the woods. The Flight arranged a house for me.”
“Staffed?”
“I assume so. Lorde told me to just take the kids and the nanny.”
Sydnee froze and while her eyes remained glued on her last bit of cake, Ariel could see her listening closely.
“How long will sir be absent?”
“No idea. Could be three weeks. Could be seven years. Best bet is, don’t expect us back any time soon.”
A home in the country sounded wonderful to Ariel. No doubt, it would be nice (she couldn’t imagine Owen living in a shack). And it had to be less intimidating than Windhope Hall!
Sydnee, however, exploded in rage. “You’re joking! We’re moving again?”
Owen shrugged. “Sorry, kid. Siska-whatever wasn’t my first choice either, but that’s where I got sent.”
“So go already – but leave us here! Why should we have to go?”
Ariel drifted closer to the girl, frowning softly and trying to catch Sydnee’s eye. She could understand her anger, yet this wasn’t the proper way for a daughter to address her father.
“That’s my orders. Me, kids, and nanny go.”
“Why?” his daughter wailed.
The whine that threaded through the girl’s voice made his eyes narrow. “My Alpha thinks I need to spend more time with my family.”
That was good news! Ariel sent a silent blessing to Mr. Brandon Lorde, a man of uncommonly good sense.
Sydnee burst out in incredulous laughter. “Family? You think we’re your family? Well, we’re not! We’re just the kids you got stuck with when Grampa died.”
That crossed the line. “Sydnee!” Ariel took a step forward. “That is not true. Apologize to your father.”
“No! It is true!” She leapt to her feet, snatched up her cell phone, and bolted for the stairs. “I hate you!” she shrieked as she ran out of the room. “You’re not my father!”
The three adults watched her outburst, silent. As her footsteps faded away upstairs, Owen turned to Ariel. “How the hell did you get Sydnee wound up? She’s the quiet one.”
Her? He blamed her for this tantrum? That was idiotic! Yet, at the same time, a craven corner of her mind whispered that he might be right. This could be her fault. Everything was, right?
Ariel’s eyes lit with outrage, both at him and her own willingness to accept blame. She was Bear Kin, not a dishrag! He had no right to treat her like this.
After a quick three-count, she slipped a leash on her flash of temper. “Your daughter is just lonely. She lost all of her friends when you brought her here. Now, after just one month, she’s moving again. She knows she’ll switch schools and have to start all over with new friends. Not easy to do, especially in a rural area where everyone knows each other.” She herself had grown up in a small town and knew how unwelcoming children could be to strangers.
She expected him to bite her head off, given how badly he took it when George disagreed with him.
Instead, he pursed his lips. “Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“That’s why she’s on her phone all the time. She’s desperately trying to keep in touch with her old friends. Something the difference in time zones makes very difficult.”
“Huh.” The idea seemed as new to him as it had been to her. “Moving to… Siskel isn’t going to help that either.”
“Mr. Jackson,” George interrupted. “If you have no further need of me…?”
“What? Oh, sure.” At his employer’s nod, the butler retreated from the room.
While Owen seemed open, Ariel pushed ahead with her plans. “Sydnee and I discussed this a bit over dinner. I’ve got some ideas about how we could help her.”
“That would be awesome. I think I’m going to need a lot of help with this whole ‘fatherhood’ thing.”
He looked at her, his green eyes unguarded. A soft, grateful smile stole across his lips. And, once more, Ariel felt her heart melt.
It wasn’t his fault he was a haphazard father.
Well, it probably is…
He just needs a little help.
If he’ll accept it…
Despite her doubts, she found herself beaming back at him.
He was so damned handsome when he was happy. How could she stay mad?
Sadly, she couldn’t.
Chapter 4
Ariel woke into a dream.
Only a moment ago, she had lain down in her soft, quilted bed. Then she opened her eyes and found herself standing on a beach.
Spotless white sand curved away on both sides. Before her, waves rolled in from a crystal blue ocean, curling around her bare feet. Its waters mirrored the cloudless heavens, sky, and sea merging into one. Gulls circled overhead, crying plaintive
ly.
A gauzy white gown wrapped around her, its cloth as delicate as tissue. It billowed in the wind, whispering across her bare skin. Ariel gaped at this strange garment, amazed, until the truth registered.
This is a dream, nothing more.
But it was so real! Salt tang laced the air. The sun blazed down, hot upon her skin. Could any dream be this vivid?
Behind her, cliffs ringed the beach, giving it complete privacy. An enormous blanket, red with gold lozenges, lay on the sand. And on it lay…
Him.
Owen Jackson. Sleeping.
Tanned, sleek, oiled… and almost naked. Taut muscles glistened in the sun, iron bands that ran in sharp definition along his legs. Her eyes rose hungrily along them, rising to his groin where a small blue sash hid his manhood from her. Nothing concealed his tight, sculpted abs, however, and the strong-jawed face she already knew and adored.
Watching him, she felt her body awaken. Warmth blossomed between her legs, echoing the sun’s heat. Her breath grew shallow, rough, as she studied his elegance, the glorious, masculine perfection of his body.
Until the foolishness of it all struck her, and she laughed.
“Wow.” Ariel forced herself to speak out loud just to break the illusion. “I’m dreaming about making love to my employer.”
At the sound of her voice, Owen startled awake. “What the…” He bolted upright, sending his sash sliding lower. Not quite low enough to give her the glimpse she hungered for, though. “Ariel?”
His confusion unsettled her. This did not feel like a dream!
Joy lit his face and with a crow of delight, Owen leaped to his feet.
Now the sash did flutter to the ground. Ariel drew a sharp breath at the sight of his manhood. But the Dragon didn’t even seem to notice his nakedness. Giddy with delight, he cried, “I did it!”
She had no idea what he was talking about. Absolutely nothing in this dream made sense. “Did what?”
“Found you!” His glee, the wonder in his eyes as he gazed at her made her head swim. “See, I didn’t tell you everything about my assignment. My Alpha wants me to find my Mate. And I did: you!”
