by L M Lacee
Charlie closed her eyes. “Thank you Rene`.”
“We do have the small matter of Kelsey!” He said as Charlie opened one eye. “Problem?”
“Yes as you know Kelsey is a cougar, she is also a witch, or she will be in the future. Probably around puberty.”
Charlie didn’t bother asking how he knew, she ran the problem over in her mind. This meant Kelsey was an anomaly an improbability. Witches and shifters did not produce young, or they were not known for doing so.
Charlie mentally shrugged, her girl was going to be okay. She would make it so. “Do you know of anyone that could help us? A witch and a shifter is not common. I have never encountered one before have you?”
“Well funny you should ask?” Verity said. “Sage, our sons shadow is the same combination, except she is wolf. I am sure she would undertake Kelsey’s education when the time comes. Sage and Reighn are not here, they are due home soon. We will all get together and work out a plan then!”
What are the odds! Charlie wondered then asked Rene`, “Will that work? Can we leave it until later? Is she safe?”
Rene` nodded and took a ‘mental’ deep breath then said, “I made very sure, oh you may like to know Kelsey can mind speak and hear as she demonstrated to me.”
“Of course she did!” Charlie muttered, louder she asked. “What did she say?”
Rene` grinned. “Nothing earth shattering, I have made sure she can no longer listen or talk.”
Charlie groaned. “She heard our conversation?”
“She did, I removed all of it. She is fine Charlie, my word on it. I must say you are taking this very well.”
Charlie blew out a gust of air. “Blah! I figure if I don’t have to kill anyone for a while, it is a win.”
“That is the spirit.” Cheered Verity.
Charlie gave her a sardonic look which she chose to ignore. “Witches, shifters, dragons, easy. So what you are saying is Cara is okay and apart from being a budding witch, shifter combo, Kelsey is fine as well?”
Rene` grimaced. “Well as for Cara, who I have got to tell you is something but I cannot put my finger on what. She’s not a regular shifter but there is something.” He muttered, staring off into the distance until Charlie smacked his knee making Verity laugh. “But she is alright?” She asked through clenched teeth.
“Of course, of course.” He assured her absently. She looked at the couple who were rapidly becoming more than friends. “I am so glad, I made the right decision to come here.”
Verity stood with the baby in her arms, she gave Charlie’s shoulder a small touch of affection. “How sweet, you think you made the decision!” Then she sauntered away with Charlie staring after her asking Rene`. “What does that mean?”
When he did not answer, she asked. “Seriously Dude! What did that mean? It was my decision right?”
Rene` sighed loudly, twice!
Verity held her laugh inside sharing her amusement with her dragon as she reached Edith, she mused out loud. “I wonder what she will call you.” Staring down into the small face of the sweet baby boy in her arms.
Sharm overhearing said. “I think she named him Justice Harper Easton.” He called across the room to Charlie. “Did you name him Justice Harper Easton?”
Charlie and Rene` strolled over to where everyone else had gathered. “Yeah...” She went to say more when Donald, his anger seeming to get the better of him and in a voice filled with outrage stated. “How dare you? You have no right to name this hatchling. He is a dragon and should have a dragon’s name, not some human title.”
Charlie stilled, her eyes beheld the irate dragon as he vented his anger, and the males dragged their females behind or to the side of them. She noticed Clint, the sweetie stood in front of June and Keeper stood in front of Ella who looked quite surprised at his move. Rene` went to pull Verity to him but, the stupid male dragon grabbed her arm and dragged her to him instead. Obviously the male had a brain fart, Charlie thought as he snarled. “Give me the hatchling he will be mine. I will oversee his rearing as a dragon should.”
Verity narrowed her eyes and wrenched her arm from his hold, leaving bruisers. Charlie could feel Rene`s and her sons rage as it gathered momentum. Walking to Donald she passed Verity nudging her behind herself and into Rene`s arms. Taking the baby from her, she gave her a wink. Standing in front of the tall healer she said. “You think you can raise this baby better than me?”
“I do.”
Charlie squinted at him. “Huh! So where were you?”
Puzzled, he looked at her. “What do you mean, shifter?”
“For a dragon you are an idiot in more ways than one. I am not a shifter and what I mean is. Where were you when his parents were killed? When he was taken from them, when he was placed in a cold dark room by himself with no heat and barely any food.” She leant closer to him and then enunciated each word. “WHERE. WERE.YOU?”
“I did not know what was happening, neither did you?” He blustered.
Charlie nodded her head. “That is true, so if you had found the ones who had him and the girls. What would you have done dragon?”
“I would have done exactly what you did of course. Saved the hatchling.”
Which, sort of settled it in Charlie’s mind he only thought of the baby dragon. The girls did not even register on his radar. They were not worth thinking of because they were not dragon.
“Oh, so you would have questioned the Fredsons. That was their name in case you were wondering. Until they told you everything and when you were sure they had been truthful about stealing children and then selling them. Shifters as well as hatchlings!” Her voice now turned glacial, her eyes hardened further and turned ghost grey and the female who had stood before him only seconds ago was gone. In her place was a figure out of a horror novel. Donald backed away from her and started to think he may have misread the female and the situation. She was more dangerous than he realized.
“You healer, up holder of the pure dragon nation, you with your hands that have never held an instrument of death. You would have placed the barrel of a gun against their foreheads and pulled the trigger. You would have delivered justice to the people who wanted to sell these children!” She stared at him from ghost eyes and shrugged, saying casually. “Good to know!”
Donald was starting to sweat again as he stuttered. “Tor...tor... Kil...Kill!” He gulped and wiped his top lip, finally getting out between dry lips. “You killed them?”
Charlie smiled a dead smile and whispered which frightened him more than if she had shouted. “Oh dragon! I did more, so much more, than that.”
Then she held the sleeping baby out to him and her words were a mere whisper of sound yet they reverberated throughout the room. “Take him!”
As he hesitantly started to reach for the baby, the rest of her words struck his awareness. “If you think you can run and hide anywhere in this world that I will not find you. Then take my son from my hands but just think on this. When I catch you, and dragon I will find you. Remember what happened to that couple tonight.” She leant a little nearer and her voice took on a tone that sent shivers down everyone’s spine, Donald’s included. “Think on this as you flee with my son in your arms. I had not even held him then.” She shrugged again as she said. “But hey if you have the balls for it, take him.”
Donald looked from the hatchling she still held out to him and dropped his hands. He scanned the room and started making his plea to the dragons for understanding. “I am not wrong. I may have read the situation incorrectly.”
He ignored the snort from Sharm and the, ‘I did tell you Sharm. He is a twat!’ Comment from Edith.
“I may even be accused of being a purist because of my high ideals of what is right and wrong for dragon kind. Don’t you see?” He appealed once again to the dragons there. “Only dragons can and should raise dragons, especially if there is a chance he is royal, not anyone else. It is an abomination to sacrifice our few precious young to the likes of someone like her
an admitted killer.” He spat out the rationalization as he pointed to Charlie. “This is who you want raising our young?”
Rene` had enough. The initial danger was over, he squeezed Charlie’s shoulder saying. “Go to Verity.” As he walked by her. Charlie automatically did as he said with baby Justice secure in her arms. Verity enfolded the trembling female close to her body and knew it was not fear that caused her tremors. No it was a killing rage. One she felt as well.
Keeper and Johner joined Rene` as they moved towards Donald. When Rene` was close enough he reached out and delivered a punch hard enough that it sent the dragon backwards smashing up against the far wall. His legs unable to keep him upright dropped him to the floor. Rene` stood over the male and growled. “You think to touch my shadow? I should kill you for that alone. You have no knowledge of what you talk of, pure, killers, dragon kind, you know so little! Where are you and your precious morals of what is right and wrong? When my sons and I fight to keep you safe and give you the freedom to have ideals? You scorn a female for killing two degenerate people, who stole babies from their mother’s dead arms and sold them. Do... You... Hear... Me? SOLD! Children, shifters, hatchlings for what… For money.” Disgusted his dragon roared. “Get up you fool!”
Donald climbed laboriously to his feet, head hung low. Anger threaded Rene`s words as he snarled. “You stand there and tell me that this courageous, beautiful female with a heart of gold. Should not be allowed to care for not only a lost lonely hatchling, but those sweet little girls as well? If I was Dragon Lord, you would be dead where you stand.”
“But my Lord she is…”
“ENOUGH!” Rene`s dragon roared. “Look in her eyes and tell me that you could honestly take that hatchling from her or anyone could and live. Then tell me you, or anyone else would be a better parent.”
Donald looked up from the floor where his eyes had dropped to after Rene` had told him to stand, with his nose and lips bleeding. And looked into the eyes of death and whimpered in fear. Before he could say anything a swarm of faeries flew into the room and a loud buzz filled the air, taking the attention off the healer.
Keeper and Johner grabbed Donald as he thought to slip away. “Not so fast dragon.” Keeper murmured as he looked at the faeries fluttering around the room. One faerie flew over to land on Ella’s shoulder.
“Prudence?” Ella asked. “What is this, what has happened? Why have the Queen and King left the Grove?”
Prudence turned tearful eyes towards Ella and she wrung her hands in agitation. “A grey one has come to the lands. They...we are most upset, grey ones were thought to be lost. The dangerous ones, we were told had all been killed and we find this is not true, the Queen is most concerned.”
Ella asked. “The grey ones, who are they? Are they dangerous?”
“Yes most dangerous.” Whispered Prudence. Everyone by now was listening to Ella’s one sided conversation, voices rose as they all asked questions.
“SILENCE!” An authoritative voice rang out. Charlie turned to see a huge male and short female enter. She could see they would have to be the Royal Lord and Lady. They held power so easily it enfolded them in its embrace as though it lived only for them. A sight to behold.
Charlie did not acknowledge Rene`s sense of wonder that filled her mind. She went to gently close the door that was still slightly opened between them, on the mental pathway they forged. When they had spoken mind to mind, then remembered what it felt like when he had withdrawn earlier. She left it ajar, the connection held a certain comfort for her, it was almost like the bond she had many years ago with her sister Harper.
Shocked Rene` heard her thoughts and felt the door remain open but was too stunned at Charlie’s revelation to question her decision. No one, other than dragons could see what Charlie called power, which was in fact dragon’s breath. He wondered if she fully understood what it was for and how it connected couples together once they were bonded. Charlie was indeed a very special female.
Charlie watched as the Dragon Lord and his shadow who was so not a dragon. She must be the half-blood witch, enter farther into the room. They almost but not quite eclipsed the male behind them. Charlie heaved a soundless sigh, at long last. It seemed to be her dragon he was here. She could hardly believe that her dragon was in the room.
“What is going on here? We have returned to the castle to find we have been invaded by the Grove’s Faeries. Why is this?” Demanded Reighn.
Charlie stood bedside Verity guarding her still sleeping girls with the baby in her arms. She watched as faeries of all colors shapes and sizes flew and settled on pieces of furniture. Two finally stalled in front of the Dragon Lord and his Lady and as amazing as it seemed, they grew into two fully grown adults. A male and female and just behind them two other faeries grew.
Charlie was impressed to see fully armored Warriors standing behind the first two faeries, all four bowed. The female who was in front said. “We apologize Dragon Lord, we are concerned a grey one has arrived at the castle.”
Reighn nodded, he knew what a grey one was but could not see why there was agitation from the Faerie Queen and King, he inclined his head. “Let us retire to my reception room where we can discuss this in private.”
At their nods of agreement, he turned and said. “My Sire and Dam, please come with us. Sharm can your patients be moved?”
Sharm’s raised his eyebrows and in his calm way replied. “They can.” The short answer made Reighn grin, he then spoke to Keeper and Johner with a nod of his head at Donald and a grin still in place. “You have that my brothers?”
Keeper grinned back at him. “We will escort this piece of dragon dung to the cells.” Donald moaned, Keeper threw him a disgusted look as he said. “Tomorrow is early enough to deal with this.”
Reighn’s eyebrows lowered as he listened to his father’s mind to mind explanation of the evening’s events. When he had all the details, he nodded back at his brother happy to see him light hearted again. Keeper seemed to have been disturbed of late but he must have worked it out, he seemed balanced and content. “Done! Tomorrow then!”
Whereby, Keeper and Johner left with a deflated and fearful Donald between them. Charlie heard booted feet in the hall. It sounded like they had an escort.
June tapped her on the shoulder. “I will take you to your place now.” She whispered. Charlie really wanted to stay and watch the full-grown faeries. To see what was going on but she figured no one was going to let her. She took another quick look at her dragon only to see his black as coal eyes on her and for the first time that she could recall. Charlie did something so alien to her nature, she almost shot herself, she blushed she fully blushed. Damn it!
She ducked her head in case he saw and answered June. “Yeah, I think we are done here, who gets who?” Ella bent down and collected Cara into her arms. “I have Cara.”
Sharm came and picked up Kelsey. Clint picked up their bags so with nothing left to do Charlie, after one long look at Verity and Rene`. Followed the people who were carrying her children. As they all filed from the room she could not help brushing passed her dragon as she moved towards the door. She was sure she heard him growl as she walked into the hall. Her body shimmed as though fingers lightly stroked her spine. A not too unpleasant feeling.
Shadow! Roared Storm’s dragon as Charlie passed through the doorway.
I know my friend, I know. Soon we will get her, let us see what the Faeries are upset about first. His dragon snarled not liking that plan, soothingly Storm told him. We must make sure our shadow and young are not in danger!
His dragon subsided. We will listen to the faeries, then we will see our shadow and young.
We have young! His dragon sounded as astounded as he, himself felt. Yes, we do!
Charlie smiled as she walked behind all the others with Justice in her arms. They made quite a group with Sharm and Edith in the lead, with Kelsey cradled in Sharm’s arms, followed by Ella with Cara and June beside her. Charlie and a subdued Clint brought
up the rear. Even after such a short association with the teenager, Charlie could tell this was not a normal state for him. “So what’s got you down?”
Clint shrugged his shoulders as the tips of his ears went red. He knew, as she had not kept her voice down, that the others they were following had heard her question. When he did not answer immediately Charlie threw out a guess. “It wouldn’t have something to do with you being friends with Donald. The healer, would it?”
“Yeah.” Clint answered, his head nodding up and down. “I feel bad. He is or was my friend. After my brother left, we hung out all the time. I knew he was a bit of a tool sometimes, but I never...” He trailed off and looked sadly at Charlie.
“I say again, he is a twat.” Called Edith.
They heard Sharm say. “Again I say, yes dear!” Which made Charlie grin widely, especially when Edith snarled. “Did I hear attitude?”
Sharm’s reply of. “Yes of course you did, let it go.” Edith’s sniff was well timed as Clint said. “I swear Charlie I never knew he was like that?” His eyes grew round when desperately he begged. “You don’t think I am like that, do you?”
They all stopped, the others looking back at the two involved in the conversation. Charlie grabbed Clint’s ear and pulled him down to her, face to face. “If for one moment I thought you were, you would be going to the cells with Donald or you would be dead on the healer’s floor back there. So no silly dragon, I do not.” Then she gave him a smacking kiss on his lips which fired him bright red and let him go.
Charlie grinned. “Come on people. I am so tired. My feet want to divorce me, and I think my throat is running for the hills. It is so long ago since I had coffee.” Which got everyone laughing and moving again. She was serious!
The baby, Justice started to make noises, the first Charlie had heard from him as they neared the lifts. Edith called back. “I know that sound, someone is getting ready to wake and want a bottle.”
