Nodding, she picked up where she’d left off. “We’ve had enough, my dear child. Not just of life, but of the way humans are treating our kind. Your father and I, we’ve decided to rest for a time. And when you grant us a child, we will return. Perhaps things will be better for us then.” Bryce looked at Noah. “I didn’t think we could have children. Is this her way of saying that she’d not return?”
“No. I’m sure that she meant that any child that we bring into our lives, she’d think of them as her grandchildren. My parents loved everyone to a point. The breaking point would have been harming what is hers or what she considered hers.” Bryce nodded and looked down at the letter again. “Bryce, would you like to raise children with me?”
“More than anything. But you do know that they’d more than likely have a rough time of it, having a witch for a mother and a dragon for a father. Don’t you think?”
“So long as they’re loved and know it, I think they’ll be fine with whatever we are. And be proud of us so long as we make sure that they have knowledge and the wherewithal to deal with things that might come along.” She nodded, remembering her own childhood being a witch. “Bryce, things are different than they were back home. People, mostly because of Devon and his grandmother, are much more accepting than what we had there.”
“I know that in my head, but my heart has a hard time dealing with this. And now that I’m going to be in charge, all manner of things could befall them.” She looked at him when he laughed. “You think that’s funny?”
“Yes. Have you realized how much you’ve grown? You are so much stronger now than before you came here, I’d bet.” She nodded and told him why. “No, it’s not only because you’ve gotten more power. I think because you love and are loved, you have gotten much more confidence in yourself and your magic. Don’t you think?”
“Yes, now that you mention it.” She looked at the lovely handwriting on the letter, and at the monogram that was at the top. A crest—his crest, she’d bet. “I want to have children. Lots of them. As many as we can afford.”
“Good.” He told her about the stash of things in the mountain.
“You mentioned that. When do you want to see it? After this?”
“Yes. Snow said that she’d take us there. I had no idea that she worked for the household when my parents were here.” She said that she’d not either. “Read on and we’ll see what we can figure out.”
“Your father and I have left you our fortune in the mountain. I have instructed Snow when to tell you about it. We have also left you a great gift there—more than money will ever be able to give you. But you mustn’t think that you should have children to bring us back, my dear boy, but to bring them to you when you are ready. We love you with all our hearts, Noah and Bryce.” Turning the letter over, there was just a couple of lines more. “Bryce, you go to the meeting with that horrid man with my son. He is your animal to call, if you’ve not already figured that out. Such a smart girl, I’m sure that you have. But take him with you. It will end well for you both regardless of what you think now.”
They gathered up what they thought they might need to go to the mountain, and when Snow arrived to take them, she took everything away from them and told them to follow her. They set off with nothing more than a large canvas tote to bring a little of it back.
“I have talked to the lady queen of faeries. She is going to let us have a few of her people to come and bring the pictures and such back to the castle. Also, I have made arrangements, if you do not mind, to have the plants that were put to sleep awakened.” Noah told her that was fine. “There is much there, things that have not been seen by any human or dragon in a great many years. Also, the eggs. They will be about ready now that you two have come together.”
Bryce stumbled slightly. “I’m sorry. What did you mean, the eggs are about ready?” Snow stopped and turned to her. William was with her, and when he joined Snow, she asked them to have a seat. “No. If you don’t mind, I think I might take this better if I’m standing. That way if I fall, I’m going to hit my head and be unconscious for a while. What eggs, and why are they about ready? Not to mention, how are they ready?”
“Over the decades, there were eggs laid by many dragons. In the time that there were dragon hunters, the eggs would be left behind—no one to nurture them, to make sure that they were safe. The lady and lord of the castle, they would gather such eggs up and store them away. For you.” Bryce wished that she’d sat down when told. She was slightly dizzy. “My lady, are you ill?”
“Sort of overwhelmed.” William touched her forehead and she felt stronger, her legs not as wobbly as before. “How many eggs are we talking about?”
Snow didn’t look as if she was going to answer. And it was then that Bryce had a feeling that she didn’t want to know. There had to be too many, a dozen of them, for Snow to not want to tell her. That was what she was going to go with. Because if it was more than that, she wasn’t going to be able to survive this.
“Let’s just go to the cave or wherever it is, shall we?” Bryce could have kissed Noah. In fact, she needed to and did so. Holding her hand, he looked over at her. “This can’t be as bad as whatever is going through our minds, right? I mean, how many children could be there?”
“Hundreds? My mind is in overdrive, so let’s talk about something else. Do you have any idea how much it’ll cost us to have to put them in school? And don’t even get me thinking about college.” Shaking her head, she stopped walking when the faeries did. “Are we there?”
“Yes, my lady.” Snow looked hesitant. “You will help the town with this, will you not? They are in much need of many things. The school is in very poor shape. The library has not had a new book in a decade. The children, they are in need of a place to go to in the warmer months. Will you help them?”
“We will help them as much as they need, even if we have to go through all of this and get jobs.” Snow smiled at them both. Noah glanced at Bryce before looking at Snow and continuing. “You make us a list of the most important things they need. After that, we’ll do what we can until we have more money coming in. I promise you this on my parents’ faerie garden.”
The wall moved. Just as he finished with his promise, the wall of stone simply moved away, and the opening was revealed. The darkness was eaten up by light from the outside, but more of it was lit as the seconds passed.
Beyond where they stood, she could see snake like lines of the light as it went through to each tunnel. It looked like there were at least four or five that she could see. Snow entered but waited until they joined her before she turned to them. The wall that they’d come through moved to close, closing off the outside world to them, and the only way that Bryce knew how to leave the cave.
“You will be safe in here. We must close the door so that no one, including animals, come into this place. If they should, they would surely die. There is no other way for them to leave, and there is no way for them to feed themselves.” Noah asked Snow if it had happened before. “Yes.”
That scared Bryce—just the single word, yes. How many? her mind wanted her to ask, but her heart told her to leave it alone. There wasn’t any reason for her to know that others, perhaps humans, had ventured into this place while the wall had been opened up, and had perished while waiting for someone to return. Shivering slightly, Bryce followed Noah and the faeries, glad for the hand that held hers.
As they walked along, she wondered briefly how she was ever going to find this way again. There didn’t seem to be anything that led a person along except for the light—light that she had no idea how it reached them, as there was no opening to make the path visible. Then she noticed something that she’d not before.
It wasn’t light that was making it so bright that they could see where they were going, but gems and jewels in the stone. Bright diamonds, rubies, as well as others. Gold snaked along the walls, from one jewel to the next, as if it were powering the gems to be at their brightest. Touching one, simply because s
he could, Bryce could feel warmth from the stone, and ran her fingers along the path the gold had taken to make the lights possible. It too was warm, almost like a liquid heat. Taking her fingers away, she could see the film of the gold on her fingers, like she’d washed her hands in shiny dew.
“I think we’re in trouble.” She looked at Noah when he stopped. The room—the huge fucking room—was filled with chests of more gems; golden objects such as tea pots and cups; jewelry of all the colors of a rainbow. “It looks sort of like a pirate’s treasure, don’t you think? But that over there, that’s what I was talking about.”
Bryce stared at the corner. Making her way there, she kept telling herself it was the reflection of the gems making it appear to be more. The colors of the eggs, she was sure, meant something, but what, her mind couldn’t narrow down. But touching one—just like before, putting her fingers over the first one she encountered—Bryce snatched her hand back when it burnt her, the heat boiling off it nearly hot enough to warm a house. Then she counted the eggs.
“There are forty-three eggs here. Forty-three dragon eggs. And we’re supposed to raise them all at once? At one time?” Snow was speaking, but Bryce’s mind couldn’t keep up with her quick words. And Bryce was sure that she was speaking in her own language. But it was too much. Just thinking of the diaper bill was enough to make her ill. Then the ground came up and just slapped the shit out of her by hitting her square in the face.
Chapter 10
Black decided it was time for him to make a stand against this woman. He was sick to death of hiding in shadows, keeping to himself and trying to find Gray. No matter where he went or who he asked, no one seemed to have any idea where the stupid man had gone.
There had been no more contact between him or Bryce either. Not a single note. And nothing from White, for that matter. The hall where they would hold their sentencing for other witches was devoid of even a chair. And his dais, the one that he’d taken so much pride in making, was just splintered wood. Not even a single jewel that he’d forged into it was left in the place. He’d not checked, but he’d bet that all the light bulbs had been ransacked as well.
Trying to come up with an animal to call, he’d been thinking of all the creatures that he could remember seeing with other witches. He knew that Bryce had a cockatoo, her grandmother a lizard. Small things, he knew, was what every witch that he’d ever encountered had. Something that would, if necessary, lend to the witch some of its power, but nothing that would harm someone else if the witch was threatened.
The best he could come up with was a tiger, but it would be enhanced. And he knew now how make armor. Not for himself—he’d tried that several times—but for the tiger that he was going to make. The mice that he’d tried it on had been killed by his trials, but now he had it perfect.
Black knew the possibility of finding himself a tiger around here was going to be zero. So, he found a homeless man and changed him into one, which had been a great deal more difficult than he thought it should have been. But the tiger—a little off center at times, somewhat stupid others—seemed to fit the bill for what he needed. His tiger would eat the bird and the lizard, and he’d be home free. A show of strength, that’s what he needed now.
Now all he had to do was bring her to him. That, he had no idea how to do. Since he’d been a council member, he’d only had to be present when the witches that had caused trouble, or what he had considered trouble, were brought to him. There had been workers for such a thing. Now he had to think where the books had been the last time he saw them.
“Damned grand witch. How the hell do I make us be in the same room?”
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he found himself in a great field, the witch in question standing there in front of him. Her mate, the stupid man who had shackled himself to her, was standing beside her.
“I’m glad that you called, Black. I think it is high time that we get this finished, don’t you?” He nodded, and then stiffened his back and called to his animal. “A tiger? You didn’t do him well enough. If you look there, some of his human is showing through. I don’t suppose you asked for permission from the human to change him, did you?”
“I don’t need to ask anyone for anything. I’m a witch of the highest quality. And you are right, it is high time that we finished this up. You aren’t nearly as strong, nor as scary, as you think you are, young Bryce. And this will show you.” He put his hand on his cat, the only way that he could put the armor on him and was dismayed that it didn’t work the way that he wanted. “I haven’t had this amount of power in some time. It’s almost too much.”
“Is it? Well, I guess we’ll just have to see about that, won’t we? Anyway, you have been brought before me to talk about all the crimes you have committed against other witches of your kind, and—”
“Wait, wait, wait. I’m not sure you understand. I’m far superior to you in all ways. If you would just give me a moment, I’ll show you that I should and will have my job back, and you will...well, I’m afraid that you’re going to have to die.” She smiled at him, asking him why he’d think that. “For one thing, you have messed with the order of the way things are run. The council has a great many rules. And while you have broken only a few, the ones you have messed with, they are the ones that can get you killed. Now, I’m willing to cut you some slack, as they say, and only take one or two things from you in the form of payment. One of those, sadly, will be most of your magic. And your animal to call. Where is old Fred, anyway?”
“Fred has asked to be retired. And since I have found a new animal, I allowed him to go.” Black told her that she wasn’t allowed to do that either. “And why is that? There are no rules about anyone changing their animal. Why, I know for a fact that you have changed yours several times. That is, until I had to take him away from you for abusing the poor creatures. Did you know that they’re just as we are? They need to eat and drink too. You left that little cat to suffer in ways that you shouldn’t have.”
“He wasn’t what I wanted anyway.” Waving her off, he asked her again where her animal was. She told him that she had no need to bring him out just yet. “Bring him out? When are you going to learn that you must have him with you at all times? My goodness. And you think yourself the grand witch? You’re no more the grand witch than that man standing beside you.”
“No, he’s not the grand witch. And I do believe that he’s all right with that. But I will have to tell you, Black, he certainly is enjoying the magic that was given to us. I am as well. I can do all sorts of things now that I never dreamed of doing before.” When she put out her hand, he flinched. Christ, the laughter coming from her, the way she was making fun of him, made him see red. But he didn’t let go of his temper, not yet anyway.
Black knew that it was important not to show too much at the beginning. Let her wear her magic out before he was ready, then he’d have a greater advantage over her. Not that he didn’t already. She’d been remiss in letting him have enough magic to hang her with. Almost giddy now, he asked her again if she was willing to give up her magic to him.
“No. Why should I do that? It’s not like you’re going to be around long enough to use it anyway.” Black asked her what she meant. “You know exactly what I mean. When you are read all the names of the people, humans, that you’ve murdered, then I will pass sentencing on you. You brought this all on yourself, Black.”
“I did nothing of the kind. And I will be passing judgement onto you, Bryce Frost.” She told him her name, all of it. “Yes, yes, I remember the titles. But those, as you said, will do you little good if you’re not around to be able to use them.”
He thought himself clever, turning her phrase back on her. Now all he had to do was turn his tiger into his fighting machine, ask her again what she was going to give him, and be done with her. It was really too bad that her mother wasn’t there. It would have been wonderful to him to have killed the human in front of Bryce. Almost as if he’d conjured her, the very woman came from
the tree line and stood next to her daughter.
“Hello, Black. I’ve come to see you meet with your sentencing.” He asked the woman, Laura he thought her name was, what she was talking about. “I’m sure that it’s been explained to you what you’re here for.”
“Yes. No, I called her here.” He’d only thought of her and ended up in a field that was unfamiliar to him, but he wasn’t going to be picky. “Listen, this is getting us nowhere. And believe it or not, I have many things to do today, and none of them involve standing around while you make a decision. What will it be, Bryce? Am I to turn my beast on you? Or are you going to give up your magic and your mother to satisfy your misdeeds?”
“What misdeeds is it that you think I’ve done? And before you answer that, you should know that if you call your beast, or whatever that thing is that you’ve put together, I will call my own. And if I have to, you will never see another sunrise nor sunset. I will end you. It will be my pleasure.” Black laughed. It was all he could do under such circumstances. “You think this is a joke? What is about to happen to you, you think that it’s funny?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I do. You cannot seriously think that you are going to take me over, Bryce. I mean, surely you have seen what my beast here is.” He glanced over at the tiger and saw that it was sleeping on its back with its armor nearly off him. Kicking it in the side, it yawned twice before standing next to him. “He’s had a rough night, tearing into witches that have broken the laws.”
Black was looking bad. And worse than that, he had a feeling that he needed to regroup and come back at this another day. But there wasn’t going to be any way that she’d allow that. And if she was in charge much longer, or her thinking she was in charge, then things might go badly for him. The end needed to come. Her end was all he needed to get himself back to where he’d been before.
Noah: House of Wilkshire ― Erotic Paranormal Dragon Shifter Romance Page 12