“I want to meet them,” Ivan said quietly.
“Valerie told us it was too dangerous,” Caleb explained.
“Valerie. She knows about these dragons, too?” Ivan’s eyes glowed with pain.
“Yes. When she adopted you, the dragons came to claim you, but she wouldn’t let you go. The dragon we met in Bear Creek, Fiona, intervened.” He held out his hands, imploring Ivan to keep calm. “Something happened. I don’t know what. But Fiona was made to forget. She’s never supposed to know about Wishing Moon Bay. She’s never supposed to go there.”
“Why?” Ivan’s eyes widened. “Is she my mother?”
“No. I don’t think so. Valerie just said it was safer for all of us if she never remembered. And if she finds you, she’ll ask questions.” Caleb looked up at the sky. “She’s so close.”
“Maybe it’s one of the other dragons,” Flora said. “It might not be Fiona.”
“My phone.” Elise’s hands trembled as she held the phone in both her hands and tapped the screen. “Karros. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I dropped my phone. I couldn’t find it.” He sounded breathless.
“Are you both safe? We’ve been trying to get a hold of you both.” Her voice wavered as she spoke.
“We’re fine. Zara ran out without her phone. I dropped mine when I ran after her. I managed to track her down and then we were searching for my phone. I heard it ringing when you were calling.” He paused. “We’re heading back to the house now.”
“Did you see whoever was stalking you?” She bit her nail as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The thrum of dragon wings drifted toward them on the breeze.
“No. Neither of us could figure out where they were. It was as if they were just out of reach.” He sounded tired.
“Okay, we’ll come to the house,” Elise said.
“You don’t have to. Whoever was out there seems to have gone.”
“I’ll call you back and let you know if we’re coming,” Elise said and ended the call.
“I’m staying here.” Ivan folded his arms as the thrum of wingbeats filled the air.
“It’s too late to run,” Aiden conceded.
“I think whoever this is, whoever the dragon is, that’s who has been stalking Zara,” Elise told them. “The reason Zara couldn’t ever track them was because the dragon was in the air.” She pointed toward the sky.
“Then it’s time we faced them and figured out what is going on.” Ivan’s jaw tensed yet his eyes were filled with hurt and betrayal.
“You can still leave,” Aiden said quietly. “If the dragon shifter is after Zara, this isn’t your fight.”
Ivan slipped his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “We’re family. If someone threatens Zara, they threaten us all.”
“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you,” Aiden told him.
Ivan inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly. “You did the right thing. Valerie would never have kept this from me unless it was for my own good. And I guess Fiona must have agreed to forget about me.”
“Yeah, since dragons are too bullheaded to do anything they don’t want to do,” Caleb teased.
“Yeah, that, too.” Ivan’s arms slid from around his brother’s shoulders as the beat of the dragon’s wings slowed, and dust swirled around them as a mighty dragon appeared above them. “Is that what I look like?” he asked in awe.
“I think you’re more impressive,” Caleb replied.
“I love you both,” Ivan said as he stepped in front of them, preparing to meet another dragon for the first time.
Chapter Thirty – Caleb
Why had they asked Ivan to bring them here? Caleb cursed their decision as the dragon landed in front of them.
Because our sister was in trouble, his bear replied.
But she’s safe now. She’s back at her house with Karros, while we plunged Ivan into trouble. The hairs on the back of Caleb’s neck stood on end as the dragon folded its wings and stared at them.
Can you tell if it’s Fiona? His bear gnashed his teeth together, wanting to come forth and protect those around him.
No. I can’t tell. But this dragon is older than Ivan and much bigger. Caleb inched forward, putting himself firmly between the dragon and his mate.
The dragon is going to shift. His bear lowered his head and growled menacingly inside Caleb’s head as the air shimmered around the dragon.
“So, here we are.” Fiona put her hands on her hips and stared at the five people in front of her. “I thought I smelled dragon on you when you last came to visit me. But it was so faint I thought I had to be mistaken.”
“I’ve never met another dragon shifter,” Ivan told her. “At least, not that I remember.”
The statement seemed innocent enough, but Fiona was old and wise and also incredibly distrustful, it seemed. “So where did you come from?”
“I…have no idea,” Ivan stuttered.
Fiona swiveled her head to look at them each in turn, her eyes lingering on Elise and Flora the longest. “And you. You’re not what you seem. When Flora came to the house before, I should have paid more attention.”
“We’re exactly what we seem,” Flora answered sharply.
“Your ears…” Fiona squinted as she studied them then she yanked her head around and stared at Ivan once more. “Wishing Moon Bay.”
Ivan side-eyed his brothers but none of them answered.
How are we supposed to talk our way out of this? Caleb’s bear asked.
I have no idea, Caleb answered.
“How old are you?” Elise stepped forward.
“A lady never reveals her age. A dragon never reveals anything.” She studied Elise for a long moment. “You didn’t come with them last time.” She glanced at Caleb. “You’ve only just met. Mates that have only just met.”
“We are.” Elise nodded. “I’d say you were a few hundred years old at least.”
Caleb sucked in a deep breath. Was his mate crazy? Ivan might not be a typical dragon, but he knew not to goad him. And Elise was certainly goading Fiona.
“I’m older than that. Much older.”
“And you’ve lived out here in the world beyond all this time?” Elise asked.
“The world beyond.” Her eyes narrowed and she stepped toward Elise, getting a little too close for Caleb’s comfort. “The world beyond what?”
“It can’t be easy living in secrecy.” Elise jutted out her chin, but Caleb could sense her unease. “But you’ve managed to all these years.”
“Not all of those years,” Fiona replied, a sadness in her eyes that wrenched Caleb’s heart. She turned away and stared out across the mountains. “Once there were many of us. But not anymore.”
“What happened to them?” Ivan whispered.
“We were hunted almost to extinction. It was so long ago that we’re a myth now. But a few of us hung on.” She turned back to Ivan, her expression softer. “Which is why I had to find you. When I sensed you, I had to track you down. And here you are, an enigma.”
“No, I’m a chef,” Ivan answered lightly.
Fiona chuckled. “A dragon chef. Why not?”
“Is this why you have been spying on Zara?” Caleb asked.
“No.” Fiona’s flat answer was unexpected.
“Why were you spying on her?” Flora asked.
“Wishing Moon Bay.” Fiona tapped her temple. “There’s something in here, locked away. Locked away in Wishing Moon Bay.”
Caleb’s heart hammered in his chest. She knows.
No. She doesn’t know. She just knows there is something to know. His bear blinked. That wasn’t supposed to sound like a riddle.
And yet a riddle is exactly what this is. Caleb pressed his lips together trying to figure out their next move.
“How did you survive, Fiona?” Elise pushed the dragon shifter for an answer to what seemed like a pointless question.
Perhaps she’s stalling for time, Caleb’s bear suggested.
She might be, but why? Th
ere’s no way out of this for us. We need Ivan to shift and for us all to climb on his back if we intend to escape. I don’t think Fiona’s going to just stand there and let us leave.
Perhaps Elise has something from the wildwood she could use on the dragon shifter. Some of the sycombre fruit. His bear licked his lips, unable to not think of the sweet-smelling mushrooms they’d brought back from the wildwood. If they could clear this up, they could be back in Wishing Moon Bay and eating fermented mushrooms within the hour.
“I survived by using my senses. I survived by my own ingenuity. I survived by keeping my head down and never drawing attention to myself.” Fiona licked her lips and glanced at Ivan. “Where did you come from?”
“You helped Ivan,” Elise announced.
Everyone around her sucked in a startled breath.
Caleb shook his head in disbelief. How could his mate betray them like this?
“I helped Ivan?” Fiona stared at the young dragon shifter. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“You have,” Elise told her. “But you chose not to remember.”
“I chose not to remember?” Fiona shook her head. “How?”
“Why would be the better question, don’t you think?” Elise drew closer to Fiona and Caleb reached out, wanting to pull her back toward him, pull her out of striking distance of the dragon shifter.
“Why?” Fiona rubbed her hand across her chin, her eyes unfocused.
“Because you do what you have to do to survive. You always have.” Elise’s body language softened. “You did what you had to do to protect people you care about.”
Fiona tilted her head back and raised her chin. “That’s why I don’t remember Ivan or Wishing Moon Bay.”
“Yes.” Elise put her hands up. “You helped him find a home, a family of his own. A family who loves him. And maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. If you knew why, if we knew why, then we might all be in danger. Your family might be in danger.”
Fiona looked at them each in turn. “And family is what matters most. We protect those who love us. We protect those who need us.” She sighed. “Tell your sister I won’t be troubling her anymore. I got caught up in the moment. I heard her talking to you on the phone when I visited the other day. When I heard her say Wishing Moon Bay, it was like there was an itch inside of my head that I just couldn’t scratch. It drove me a little crazy.”
“That’s it, you’re going to let it go?” Caleb was stunned. More than stunned. Was this finally over?
“Your mate is right. I have survived millennia. If I agreed to forget, there must have been a good reason. I trust myself to accept that. For now at least.” She half-turned to look at Ivan. “It seems you were wrong. You have met a dragon shifter before.”
“I wish I remembered,” Ivan answered.
Fiona shrugged. “Aiden and Caleb know where we live if you want to spend time among your own kind.” Her eyes darted back to Elise. “I won’t ask questions. I won’t try to find Wishing Moon Bay.”
“You promise?” Ivan asked.
“I promise.” Her eyes narrowed. “Unless there comes a time you need me to remember. Unless you need my help once more.”
“Agreed.” Ivan bowed his head.
Fiona nodded, then the air shimmered all around her and she shifted before taking off and disappearing into the night.
“She’s gone.” Ivan sounded sad somehow as he stared into the night.
“We know where she lives,” Aiden told his brother. “And maybe it’s time you visited with other dragons and found out more about yourself.”
“I don’t know. Do you think Fiona will stick to her word and not try to find Wishing Moon Bay?” Ivan asked.
“I think she’ll keep her word.” Flora slipped her arms around Elise. “You were amazing. See, shifters do need fae.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I felt more desperate than amazing.” Elise ducked her head and blushed.
“No, you were amazing.” Caleb went to his mate.
“I wasn’t sure it would work. I was afraid that I’d betrayed you all for nothing,” Elise admitted.
“You are going to be a wonderful addition to the hotel restaurant staff,” Ivan told her.
“I am?” Elise asked warily.
“Yes, because you’re a fae and fae think differently than shifters,” Ivan told her.
“And that’s a good thing?” Elise asked suspiciously.
“A very good thing,” Caleb told his mate. “You saved us just then.”
“I didn’t do anything special,” she insisted.
“You did,” Flora agreed. “You made Fiona stop and think. You made her realize that she wouldn’t have agreed to give up a part of herself unless it was for her own self-preservation.”
“And because others would have gotten hurt if she’d pursued it. Fiona helps shifter children find families. She helped Ivan stay with Valerie. She would understand she did what she did for the right reasons.”
“She trusted in herself. Just like you trusted in yourself,” Caleb told her proudly.
“I don’t think I did anything special,” Elise insisted.
“You protected me,” Caleb told her. “And everyone else.”
“I did, didn’t I?” She winked at him. “See, you don’t need big muscles and sharp claws to keep those you love safe.”
“Shall we go join Zara and Karros and tell them the news?” Flora stifled a yawn. “It’s been a long day.”
“We can’t stay long,” Ivan said. “I have to get back to town. I have breakfasts to prepare in the morning.”
“Maybe in a few weeks, you could let Elise run the kitchen for a day. You could come here and spend some time with the dragons,” Caleb suggested.
“Smooth, are you trying to impress your mate?” Ivan asked.
“I don’t have to impress her, she loves me already.” Caleb laughed.
“What are we going to do about…the other stuff?” Elise hesitated.
“About Murray?” Caleb asked.
“Yes. Are you going to let it go?” Elise asked.
“Aiden?” Caleb asked.
“I think we should leave it up to fate,” Aiden answered.
“What does that mean?” Flora linked arms with him and leaned on his shoulder.
“If we find out who he is, then I think it’s time we truly faced our past and finally gave ourselves some closure.” Aiden sucked in a lungful of air. “But if we hit another dead end, we let it go. Perhaps we were supposed to go on this journey, so we could find out a little bit more about who we are.”
“We’ve been given a gift. The memories were buried. Perhaps that was all we were meant to find.” He patted Ivan on the back. “And it led us here. Perhaps that was the point, too. All of this was for you to finally meet your own kind. Dragons.”
Ivan gave a short laugh. “Except I already knew my own kind. There are six of us. Six brothers bonded by more than blood. And a mother who loves us all.”
“You’re okay with Valerie not telling you about Fiona?” Aiden asked.
“Yes. I’m not saying I didn’t feel hurt and betrayed, but Mom has always watched out for us all. And if Fiona understands and accepts what happens, who am I to argue with an ancient dragon?” Ivan answered.
“I wouldn’t call her ancient to her face,” Flora advised. She looked up at the stars above their heads. “She might be out there listening.”
“If she’s that old, no wonder she has such amazing senses. I’m going to practice pushing mine farther,” Caleb said.
Elise slipped her arms around his neck as Ivan moved away from them and shifted into his dragon. “You know, we will finally have the house to ourselves. I suspect Karros will be staying with Zara for a few days even though the threat has gone.”
“You’re right.” He looked down at her as Aiden and Flora climbed onto Ivan’s back. “I can’t wait to spend some time alone with you. Just you and me. For the rest of our lives.”
“An
d our children.” She tilted her head up and he kissed her lips.
“Lots of children,” he murmured.
“I rode on the back of a dragon.” She chuckled as he made a face. “Sorry, it just hit me.”
“Am I going to have to get jealous?” he teased.
“Never. A bear shifter is the man for me.” She clasped his hands as they turned to Ivan. “But he is impressive.”
“I can show you impressive,” Caleb told her as they hurried toward Ivan.
“Yes, please,” she teased.
Ivan stamped his foot impatiently and Caleb caught hold of Elise as the ground shook beneath them.
As Caleb helped Elise onto Ivan’s back, he smiled to himself, a wave of love sweeping over him as his heart swelled. In one incredible journey, he’d found his mate and finally put the pieces of his past together.
Whatever came next, he’d be okay, because his mate was by his side. Along with his family.
They were truly blessed.
Chapter Thirty-One – Elise
“Good morning.” Caleb stroked her shoulder before pressing his lips to her skin.
She shivered and turned to face him, cupping her hands around his face. “Good morning.”
Caleb inched up the bed, his lips seeking hers and she sighed, content to be with him here in this moment. So what if she had all his family coming for a late lunch today?
She swallowed hard and pulled away from him, but he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “There’s plenty of time to get everything ready.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “Let’s just enjoy each other. The rest can wait.”
He slipped his hand under the sheet and cupped her breast, his thumb brushing against her nipple created tension in her body. As if she weren’t tense enough. Maybe he was right, she could spare some time for the love of her life.
“I guess I can give you five minutes of my time.”
He chuckled. “Wow, so generous. You are spoiling me.”
“Don’t get used to it.” She wagged her finger at him.
“I’ll temper my expectations,” he purred as he nuzzled her neck, his hands stroking her skin, moving lower, much lower.
“Oh.” She closed her eyes as he stroked her mound and then pushed a finger inside her. “Maybe I could make it seven minutes.”
Fae-ted to the Bear: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 4) Page 22
