Saving Cinder

by Maggie Hemlock

“Let’s drone one in then.” He offered.

  “I can’t access my bank account just yet. I mean, I can, but I’m not ready for anyone who could track it to find me. I need to find a place to sell all that chocolate I smuggled out.”

  “I’ll cover it,” Seth said.

  “How do you make so much money fishing?”

  “I’ve done some treasure hunting too.” He smirked

  “Let me guess, those boxes in the living room are full of priceless artifacts?” I teased.

  “Only the big crate,” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t tell Rhett. He’d never let me hear the end of it.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.” I winked. “Oh, but do you know anyone who’d like to buy some black-market chocolate?”

  “Brendan,” Seth laughed.

  “I can’t sell chocolate to the prince after all the help he’s given me.”

  “Medwin.”

  “I’ll call him.”

  “See if you can find out what Clarence is up to.”

  “I’m afraid to know.” I shook my head.

  Seth took Cookie out for a walk along the boardwalk and I made arrangements with Medwin to buy my smuggled chocolates. Seth was sweet to offer to buy me a phone, but I needed to find my own feet.

  “If we go with him as a chosen mate you have to accept gifts.”

  We’re living in his house. I think that’s enough of a gift. Besides, if I know that wolf half as well as I think I do he’ll come back with a phone for you anyway.

  As usual, my dragon was right. I pretended to scowl at Seth when he handed over the phone, but I was delighted to connect with the world again. After lunch, we shared a quick romp with me bent over the sofa. Then Seth headed out to go fishing with Rhett. He invited me along, but I declined. I had research to do.

  Over the next week, I spent most of my free time researching any beta named Carter. A lot of them came up, but none of them looked enough like me for me to be sure. I mean, even if some guy did resemble me, what was I supposed to do? Call and ask if they were my daddy. They’d think an escort service phoned them.

  “Any luck today?” Seth came home one Friday afternoon with his arms full of shopping bags.

  “And they say omegas like to shop.” I teased him.

  “I picked up a few things for you. You can’t keep living out of that tiny suitcase.”

  “You know I have clothes at home, right?” I stood up to help him carry things inside.

  “But we don’t know when you’ll be able to go home.”

  My heart fell into my stomach. I hadn’t thought much about Cornwall since leaving. Sure, I missed my house, but being with Seth felt right. I’d fill in the material gaps later.

  “Thanks.” I grinned and stole a kiss. “But you don’t have to spoil me like this.”

  “I know, but I enjoy it. It’s been too long since I had someone to spend money on. Cookie and I were on the boardwalk and I saw a shirt that reminded me of you. It’s the shirt one of the students made of Brendan carrying my boat off when I first found the island.”

  “And that reminded you of me?” I arched a brow.

  “I know, not all dragons are the same, but yes. You didn’t wreck the damn boat either. Then one thing led to this.” He held up the bags. “There are some things for Cookie in there too.”

  “Tell me you didn’t buy me and the furball matching shirts?”

  “Nah. She wouldn’t have liked that. I just bought her some stuff I should’ve picked up ages ago like a brush and some more toys for her. Oh, and I’m taking her into the groomer on Bashi Street tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Finally!” I mocked exasperation.

  “So, how’s the hunt going?” Seth asked.

  “Not so well. I don’t know where to start. Any news from Clarence?” I changed the subject.

  “Not yet and Debbie won’t tell me anything.”

  “Lunch or sex first?” He asked.

  Over the last week or so that had become our afternoon routine. Actually, food and sex went hand-in-hand more often than not during our days together.

  “What do you think?” I laughed.

  “Don’t leave it up to me. You remember what happened with the ice cream.”

  “Not again!” I held up my hand laughing. “I’m still cleaning ice cream off my back.”

  “That was fun.” He pulled me into his arms.

  “The cleanup wasn’t. Let’s put it on your back this time.”

  “Get something warmer and I’ll let you lick it off somewhere.” He leaned in close.

  “What did you have in mind?” I leaned in for a whiff of his warm masculine scent.

  “That caramel sauce you’re so fond of, maybe?” Seth arched a brow.

  “Lunch first. Then I’ll have you for dessert.” I laughed and headed into the kitchen.

  Lazy days with Seth turned to weeks before either of us knew it. With both of us home most of the day it was easy to nurture our growing relationship. Seth liked to dote on me and take me out on the town. I liked it best when we were home alone under the blanket watching old reruns or searching the internet for weird questions that crossed our minds like: Can a porcupine stick himself? How can I learn to speak dog? My favorite might have been “How to turn your lover into a dessert platter?

  “If you keep it up, you’ll have to start a blog on our exploits.” Seth teased.

  “Nah. They don’t need to know what we do. They’d send us to overeaters anon.” I laughed.

  “I don’t think we overeat. We just forgo the dishes more often than most.”

  “Less cleanup that way,” I laughed.

  Other days, Seth took the boat out over open waters and I flew while he fished. It felt good to stretch my wings and soar through free skies. Some days, Brendan joined me. We didn’t talk much during our flights, but it was nice to have company who didn’t expect anything of me. Reggie loved dragging me on what he called “romantic sky strolls,” but he always tried to turn it into something more than a flight.

  “Clarence is flying in,” Prince Brendan said during one lazy Sunday afternoon flight.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Good news, I think. It’s hard to read his emotion over the flight link. You know how Alphas are.”

  I almost said not ours but didn’t want to push my hypothetical relationship boundaries with Seth. Besides, Sivan was my Alpha.

  “Seth is now, though.” My dragon said.

  Since meeting Seth his long-lived sorrow eased. He enjoyed life again.

  “I think Sivan would approve.” He added to me as we circled back to tell the Alphas about Clarence’s impending arrival.

  Landing on the boat alongside another dragon meant taking turns. I usually insisted Prince Brendan land first, because of his title.

  “It’s your turn to land first,” Brendan said over the flight link.

  “You’re the royal.”

  “If you really believe that you should land first.”

  “Geez. Try to be nice to an elder and all they do is grumble,” my dragon put his two cents in.

  Prince Brendan blew a playful puff of smoke in my direction.

  “Are you two coming down or not?” Rhett shouted from the boat.

  “Fine. I’ll go first.”

  Landing while another dragon watched from the sky wrecked my nerves. Shifting in the seconds before your feet touch earth isn’t too vertigo inducing, but boats move. Sure, alone with Seth I didn’t care too much, but I’d never live down a bad landing in front of the Moonscale Prince.

  Rhett moved back, but Seth stayed close to the spot where I planned to land. He always did this now as if he trusted me not to misjudge my timing and whack him off the boat with a massive scaled forearm. His hands closed around my hips as I landed.

  “Gotcha,” he grinned.

  “Thanks.” I stole a kiss.

  “Are you okay? I smelled your nerves from down here,” he whispered as we moved out of Brendan’s way.


  “Clarence is coming. We don’t know why. The prince thinks it’s good news, but with Clarence you never know.” I said.

  “It’s about time he brings his scaly ass around to give us some news.”

  “What if it’s not about Reggie? What if he’s been off trying to hunt down that damn crown or something?” I hissed to him as Brendan made a flawless one-foot landing.

  “Show off!” I laughed and snarled at him.

  “Clarence isn’t alone.” Rhett turned to the sea and squinted at the sky. “There’s a big whitish dragon with him.”

  I shoved Seth out of the way and sprinted for the cabin door. I took the steps two at a time before realizing the cabin was a dead end.

  “Babe?” Seth followed me down the stairs.

  “Go upstairs and take us out of their line of sight!” I shouted.

  I squeezed my fingers into fists to stop their trembling.

  “Who is that?” Seth closed the cabin door behind him.

  His eyes shifted to that of his wolf and his scent turned to that of a protector. Usually, his cave-Alpha antics turned me on, but if he wasn’t going to captain the boat somewhere safer all the pheromones in the world were useless to me.

  “My carrier. I’m not going back.” I dropped to my stomach to look under the bed. “Where did you put the crossbow?”

  “In the armory where it belongs.”

  “I need the code.”

  “Hey, come here.” Seth stepped into my path before I reached the scale plated armory door.

  “Seth, get out of the way. I love you, but I will fry your ass if you don’t move.”

  “Umm…” He laughed. “I love you too.”

  A hot blush crept over my face and neck.

  “Good. Now, move.” I growled a bit more politely.

  “No one’s taking you anywhere. Even if the whitish dragon, as my crazy brother called him, is your carrier, he’s not taking you anywhere you don’t want to go.”

  “But what if they paid Clarence off?”

  My heart pounded in my ears.

  “That man can’t be bought. His hoards are bigger than most clans’.”

  “Everyone has a price.”

  “I don’t,” he said.

  “Not everyone is as noble as you.”

  The boat rocked from the first of them landing and I threw myself into Seth’s arms. My reaction was irrational. Clarence knew I was engaged to Seth and even hosted a feast in our honor. I still couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was coming for me.

  “You’re safe. Stick with me.” Seth kissed my forehead. “Remember, we fought Reggie and he ended up covered in fish parts. We’re a team. That doesn’t change when who we’re fighting changes.”

  The door at the top of the stairs opened and Seth pushed me behind him.

  “You guys okay down there?” Rhett called from the top of the stairs.

  “Come down here, baby brother,” Seth waved Rhett down the stairs and gave him a quick explanation of what sent me hiding in the cabin.

  “Your carrier is here,” Rhett said looking over Seth’s shoulder. “Clarence won’t make his announcement until everyone’s together. Lars looks pretty upset, though. I think your father was wrapped up in some nasty business with your ex-fiancé and he’s on his own now.”

  “We have to go up,” my dragon said.

  “Let’s go find out.” I squared my shoulders and put on the bravest look I could muster.

  If he tried to bully me into going home, I didn’t know what I’d do. I let them bully me into working at the chocolate company after Sivan died. Maybe I was as spineless as a jellyfish since Sivan died.

  “We were depressed then. That takes the fight right out of anyone. We’re happy now.”

  I was until they showed up.

  Rhett led the way up the stairs, and I trailed behind the brothers. Onboard, Seth wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into his side trying to snag some of his courage for my own.

  “Cinder!” My carrier rushed to me. “Are you okay? Have you been eating? I’ve been worried sick, and no one would tell me where you were. I even tried to contact your dad to ask him. I thought maybe you found him.”

  “I can’t find him!” I growled.

  My carrier stepped back and frowned at me.

  “I’m not over how you lied to me. If I knew the truth to begin with my life could’ve been different.”

  Clarence cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him.

  “There will be plenty of time for shouting and family antics after you’re all updated on the situation.”

  “What situation?” Seth asked.

  Brendan moved to my other side and squared his shoulders. I didn’t know how well the four of us would fair against Clarence, but it was nice to have backup.

  “Reginald and Augustus were found guilty of kidnapping and forced prostitution. They along with several of their, let’s call them patrons, were arrested at dawn this morning. Their sentencing will take place later this month after I gather the stories from the victims.”

  “Did you know?” I asked my carrier.

  He shook his head.

  “How could you not know?”

  “You lived there without knowing.”

  I hung my head and looked at Seth out of the corner of my eye. He squeezed my hand and I stood a little straighter. For better or worse, Reggie was behind bars.

  “Are you okay?” I finally asked Dad.

  “I’m still in shock. I loved Augustus. I think I still do, but the man I love doesn’t exist. Maybe he never did. I don’t think my parents, your grandparents, knew what he was capable of. I’ll never know for sure now.”

  I stepped away from the others and hugged him.

  “I thought I was giving you a better life. They told me this was the only way and I believed them. I’m so sorry for that. I’m sorry I didn’t see the world for what it is.”

  “The world is a mixed bag. Some good. Some bad. There’s someone very special to me I want you to meet. He fought off Reggie and brought me here to Moonscale Island.” I stepped out of the embrace and looked towards Seth. “Dad, this is Seth. Seth this is my dad.”

  Seth held out his hand and for a second Dad only looked at it. Then finally, he shook it.

  “Are you taking good care of my son?” Dad asked.

  “I don’t have to. Cinder takes care of himself,” said Seth.

  I smiled.

  “Sivan used to say something like that too. Cinder’s trouble prone, though. Always getting into something he shouldn’t be.”

  “He’s not a little boy anymore. He likes adventure and challenges and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “It is when he worries me to death.”

  “Dad, I’m sorry I couldn’t live your life. I was withering away in the chocolate factory.”

  “Don’t worry about the factory. I sold it to Moonscale Industries. It’s easier that way. I don’t want to live in the house and work in the factory where so many lies were built. When you were a little boy, I begged Augustus to give me another child. I wanted you to have a sibling, but he said we didn’t have the time. Now, I’m grateful for that. I got lucky with you. You’re a lot like your father and don’t need to be told right from wrong. I don’t know if I could’ve gotten that lucky twice.”

  Not knowing what else to do I hugged him again.

  “You can come stay with us if you need to get away from it all for a bit.” I offered praying Seth wouldn’t mind.

  “Thank you, but I need to get farther away than that. I need some time on my own and a fresh start. The Moonscale cousins run a place for omegas like me in the states. I’m going to check it out. Maybe you can come visit when I get settled.”

  “We’d like that,” I grinned.

  “Carter Degray,” Dad whispered.

  “Thank you.” I blinked back the tears threatening to fall.

  My father’s surname and the possibility of finding out where I really came f
rom was the best parting gift Dad could have ever given me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Seth

  That evening we all shared a mini-feast at the castle. Cookie roamed the courtyards and steered clear of Baby Stacy and Elwin. Both kids shifted in and out of the dragon forms throughout dinner to get in and out of their highchairs at will. Cinder squeezed my hand tight under the table as he spoke with Lars. Their relationship was strained, but on the mend since Lars handed over Carter’s surname.

  “We’re in deep shit. Almost a month has passed since we made our deal with Cinder. I don’t want to lose him. Fix this,” my wolf growled.

  You’re the one who thought it was a bad idea to tell them.

  “Since when do you listen to me? You didn’t when going on all those damn benders!”

  I swallowed hard and tried to pay attention to the dinner conversation. Brendan was entertaining everyone with a story from his childhood, but I couldn’t focus. If I couldn’t find a way out of this jam, I’d lose Cinder forever and Carter would never talk to me again either. How did I fuck things up even when I tried to fix them?

  “Keep talking like that and I’ll think you need a meeting.”

  That’s not a bad idea except there’s none here. I don’t want to use. I just want to not be put in these fucked up predicaments. I should’ve broken the rules of the damn meetings and told Cinder. Carter’s more serious about staying clean than most people who waltz their asses into those damn meetings. They could’ve handled it.

  “Stop. Pause when agitated. Eat before Cinder thinks something is wrong.”

  Something was wrong, but the dinner table wasn’t the place for that discussion. After dinner, Rhett headed off to put the kids to bed and Brendan invited the rest of us into the parlor for wine.

  “I need to check in with a friend from group,” I whispered to Cinder.

  “Are you okay?” He squeezed my hand.

  “I’m fine. We just make a habit of checking on each other.”

  “Okay. Let me know if there’s anything I can do. This we’re in this together thing goes both ways, you know?”

  I kissed him to end the conversation.

  “I’ll join you guys in a few minutes. This shouldn’t take long.” That was a lie.

  I found Cookie in an empty courtyard chasing her shadow around a boulder as the sun set.