by Julie Wetzel
Careful not to hit her head on the upper bunk, Angela swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat there, considering the small cabin. She’d been too exhausted and numb last night to even give the small room a second thought. She’d just been grateful there was a bed to pass out in, but now she wasn’t sure what to think.
The little cabin wasn’t much more than a single room with a set of bunk beds, a few folding chairs, and a table. At the far end of the room was a small closet. Angela could see a toilet past its partially open door. The back wall of the cabin held a few cabinets over a counter with a microwave, a sink, and a small fridge. It reminded her of her days in summer camp, but with a few more amenities. Angela pushed her thoughts away and stood up to answer nature’s call. Pushing the bathroom door open, she was surprised to find the small closet held a shower and sink in addition to the toilet.
Once done with the toilet, Angela stood in front of the sink and stared into the mirror. What reflected back made her cringe. She started to run her fingers through her hair but stopped when she got them in sights. Dark stains covered her skin. She looked down at her hands shocked to see she still had blood on them. Her stomach turned and she quickly turned the water on to wash the mess away.
She watched the water turn red as she thought about the life she’d help save. Kyle had danced in and out of her thoughts and dreams all night long. The feel of his golden energy fluttering through her mind made her worry. He had been so distraught yesterday when Noah pulled her away. Is he okay? Cupping a handful of clean water, she splashed it on her face and prayed he was safe.
A sharp knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
Angela twisted the faucet off and grabbed the hand towel from next to the sink. “Just a second,” she called as she scrubbed the water from her skin and dropped the towel in the sink.
Crossing the cabin, Angela opened the door. She was surprised by the small group standing on the porch. The lady right in the front held a huge tray filled with food. She shot Angela a huge smile.
“Good morning, my dear,” the woman said as she pushed her way into the cabin.
Angela stepped back and held the door open. Two other women followed the first woman in. Angela recognized one face in the group.
Kara shot her an apologetic smile as she passed.
“I do hope you’ll forgive our intrusion,” the first woman said as she set the large tray down on the table. “I didn’t know what to think when Kara told me what happen.” She turned away from the tray and made her way back to Angela.
Angela gripped the edge of the door for support. She hadn’t been prepared for this sudden burst of activity in her contemplative morning.
The woman reached out and took Angela’s hand. “Thank you for bringing our Kyle back to us.”
Drawing in a breath, Angela stood there unsure what to say, but the woman didn’t stop long enough for Angela to respond.
“These past few days have been hell,” the woman explained. “Kyle may be king to all the dragons, but he’s our brother. Patrick has been beside himself with this loss. And to wake up this morning and find him returned to us…” She rolled her eyes up and blinked, trying to keep the tears from dribbling down her face. After a moment she looked back at Angela. “Thank you.”
The look Angela gave the woman was part grimace, part smile. She didn’t know how to react to the gratitude so she said the only thing she could. “You’re welcome.” She still had no idea who this woman was. Dropping her gaze down, Angela took in the short woman. Her heart-shaped face was surrounded by long dark hair that was pulled back in a thick braid. She was shorter than Angela but had a presence that felt older than she looked.
A flash of color at her neck caught Angela’s attention, and she stared at the red scales poking out of the top of the woman’s blouse. Angela’s mouth dropped open in fright and she met the woman’s eyes once again. The woman didn’t look like an unstable dragon, but Angela couldn’t think of any other reason she would have scales showing in her human form. “You’re a dragon?”
The woman laughed and waved Angela’s concern away. “No,” she said, pulling Angela into the cabin. She led the way to the table where the other women were laying out a morning meal. “I’m as human as you are.”
Angela looked at the rough skin on the woman’s shoulder. “But the scales?”
“My dear Patrick’s,” the woman explained as she sat Angela in a chair. “A sign of our bonding. Although I never expected them to spread so far.” She pulled the neckline of her shirt back to show that the patch of scales marched their way down her shoulder and under her shirt.
“The number of scales on a mate increases with the strength of a bonding and time.”
The male voice from the doorway made Angela turn to see who else was coming in. Fed up with not knowing what was going on, Angela glared at them all and snapped. “I’m sorry, but who are you people?”
The man at the door chuckled and shut the door. “Forgive us,” he said as he came over and leaned against the pole of the bunk beds. “I am Daniel Callaghan, head of Eternity.” Pain flashed across his face before he corrected himself. “Or I was.”
Kara made a rude noise. “You’re still the head of Eternity,” she said as she got up and took him a cup of coffee. “We’ll get this straightened out. Michael has already talked to Carissa and now that we have the king back, things will be better.”
Anger crossed Daniel’s face. “But we still don’t know what happened to him,” he snapped. Ignoring the cup in his hand, he turned his attention to Angela. “What do you know?”
The first woman held her hand up, stopping Daniel from continuing. “In due time.” She turned her attention to Angela again. “Forgive Daniel,” she said. “Kyle isn’t just his king, he’s his friend and charge. For someone to kidnap him from right under Daniel’s nose hurts his pride.”
Daniel harrumphed his displeasure but did not say anything.
Angela considered the short man. There was a paleness to his skin that spoke of illness or long hours of stress. While she watched, he reached up and rubbed a faded scar across his cheek. “I’m sorry,” she said, drawing his attention away from the cup in his hand. “I really can’t tell you more than I’ve already said.”
“Shh,” the woman said. “There will be time enough for stories after breaking our fast.” She handed Angela a plate. “Please help yourself to anything you like.”
Angela took the offered dish and looked up at the woman. “Thank you,” she said as she clutched the plate. “But, I still don’t know who you are.”
Surprise lit the woman’s face. “Forgive me,” she said. “I’m Kathryn Markel.”
Angela froze at the name. Markel wasn’t a very common name. “You’re related to the king?”
Kathryn smiled. “He’s my husband’s brother.”
This surprised Angela. Her textbooks had a whole chapter about The King of Dragons and his sister, but they didn’t say anything about him having a brother. “The king has a brother?’ she asked in disbelief.
The smile on Kathryn’s face widened. “Patrick is adopted.” She picked up a scone, pulled on the edge of Angela’s plate until it was level, and set the pastry on it. “Eat. You’ve had a long night, and I suspect today won’t be easy either.”
Angela looked at the golden cake on her plate. “Yes,” she said as she numbly set the plate on the table and picked up the scone. Her mind needed a few minutes to process things. She tore into the bread as she looked at the other two women. They had both taken seats at the table and were helping themselves to coffee and cakes. “So who are you?” Angela asked.
Kara smiled at her. “I’m Kara Rose,” she said. “I’m a doctor with the psychiatric division of Eternity.”
“A doctor?” Angela asked.
“A therapist, actually,” Kara admitted.
“Don’t let her fool you,” the other girl pipped up. “She’s one of the best in her field.”
Angela glanced a
t the other woman, before turning her attention back to Kara. “And what field do you specialize in?”
“I deal with dragons that have separation issues,” Kara explained.
Angela nodded as she slipped a bite of the scone into her mouth. Her mind worked to put things together. That makes sense. Noah had shown some of the classic signs of a split dragon. It was good to have a therapist on hand to help him through his issues.
Filing this away for later, Angela turned to the last woman. She was young compared to Kara and Kathryn, but older than Angela. Her short brown hair had been neatly trimmed in a stylish bob. “And what do you do in Eternity?”
Amusement brightened the woman’s face. “I grow corn.”
Angela sat taller in surprise.
The woman laughed and held out her hand. “I’m Terra Fied, and I don’t work for Eternity. My mate does.”
“Terrified?” Angela repeated in confusion as she took Terra’s hand.
Terra smiled sweetly at her. “It’s a long story. Just call me Terra.”
Angela nodded and sat back in her seat, “Well I’m Angela Lewis. I’m a law major at Dunham University.” She paused to think about school. Is it safe to go back to class? She stared off into space as she rolled last night’s events around and thought about how it affected the rest of her life. Probably not. Her roving eyes focused on Kathryn’s waiting face, and Angela pulled herself back to the conversation. “Or I was until last night.” She looked down and toyed with her partly eaten scone as her mind worked on the issue.
Kathryn’s touch drew Angela back out of her problems. “Patrick has a few contacts at Dunham University. Let me make some calls and see what I can do.”
Hope bloomed in Angela’s heart, but she didn’t let it go too far. It was finals week and she was going to miss all of her end of the year exams. She truly doubted that Kathryn had enough pull with the college to have the professors let her re-sit her tests. Where’s the harm in trying? “Thank you.”
“After we’ve found out what happened to Kyle,” Daniel interjected.
Kathryn shot Daniel an offended look. “Of course,” she said, withdrawing her hand from Angela’s arm. “The king’s safety comes first.”
“About that.” Angela turned her attention to the patiently waiting man. “I really don’t know anything.”
Daniel fidgeted with his coffee cup. “Then tell me what you do know,” he encouraged. “Start from the top and don’t leave anything out.”
Angela drew in a cleansing breath and nodded. She closed her eyes and ran over the previous night’s events once more before starting. “I got into a fight with my roommate…”
“And that’s about it,” Angela finished. Letting out an exhausted sigh, she folded her hands between her knees and waited for Daniel to respond. She watched him consider her long, rambling story for what seemed like forever.
“Your father is Minister Charles Lewis?”
Angela cocked her head. That was not the first question she expected. “Yes.”
“And you went to the barn so you wouldn’t disturb your father’s function?”
Irritation made Angela blow out a soft snort. “I wasn’t worried about disturbing my father’s party,” she explained. “I was tired, and I didn’t want to have to deal with people as I was passing through.” Pushing her aggravation away, she tried to elaborate. “As a minister’s daughter, I’m expected to hold up a certain level of decorum. After the fight with my roommate and the drive home, I was in no mood to be polite to anyone.”
A knowing smile turned the corner of Daniel’s mouth. “That I understand.”
Angela waited as he continued to ponder her tale.
“Were there a lot of people at this event?”
“There were enough that I couldn’t park close to the house.” She thought back to the line of cars on the driveway. “Maybe twenty cars.”
“Were they still there when you left?”
That note of irritation climbed again. Angela opened her mouth to snap a positive answer, but she paused to think about her getaway. She didn’t recall the drive past the house being as full as it had been when she first came home. “No,” she said, changing her answer. “There were less, but I don’t know how many.”
Daniel nodded. “You said Eugene Henderson was the man wielding the knife.” He shot her a very serious look. “Are you sure?”
Knowing she was condemning the man, she swallowed hard and nodded. A chill ran up her spine. She could feel Daniel’s anger even though he hadn’t visibly changed. Rubbing her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she tried to ease the sudden dryness before she explained. “Eugene has been a family friend for a long time. We dated for a while when I was in high school, but we broke up when I went to college. Shortly after that, he got the job as my father’s aid. We hung out when I came home to visit, but things were never the same.”
“Why not?” Daniel asked.
Angela shook her head, trying to think of something that didn’t sound petty. They had gotten along pretty well, but there was something about Eugene that didn’t sit right with her. She couldn’t have put her finger on it at the time and chalked it up to not fitting together right. “We weren’t that serious,” she admitted. Which was a truth, of sorts. She’d kept their relationship causal when he had wanted to take it up to the next level. But that truth didn’t sit well with her, so she went on. “I didn’t want to deal with a long distance relationship while working on my master’s degree.”
“I see,” Daniel said as he leaned against the bedpost and stared at her.
Uncomfortable in his scrutiny, Angela fidgeted in her chair until Kathryn touched her arm again.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” the older woman said. “It must have been terrifying.”
Unable to come up with a better response, Angela nodded.
Kathryn tapped her on the arm more firmly. “Well, don’t you worry about a thing. You are my guest now, and I promise, we will take excellent care of you.”
Letting out a resigned sigh, Angela nodded and turned her attention back to her scone. Can I trust them? She glanced at the sympathetic faces around her. They were complete strangers, but she didn’t know what else to do. She’d broken her friendship with Jocelyn and going home was out of the question. What other choice did she have? She had to rely on these people for their kindness and hope it didn’t come back to bite her.
7
Something isn’t right. Kyle laid in the space between asleep and awake trying to figure out what was wrong. He ached, but it didn’t feel like he was injured. It was an all-over ache like he got when he was sick, but he couldn’t recall being ill. He worked his sluggish mind, trying to remember what happened.
Memories of being held prisoner fluttered in, but he couldn’t decide if they were real or the remnants of a very vivid dream. Bracing himself for the possibilities of reality, he cracked open his eyes.
The ceiling above him was pleasantly familiar. It had a lovely, white, popcorn finish that set him at ease. Nothing like the exposed wooden rafters from the barn he recalled. His instincts were unsettlingly quiet, but that, in itself, wasn’t unusual. His dragon wasn’t very responsive in the mornings. The feeling that something was seriously wrong still plagued him.
Putting those feelings aside for the moment, Kyle rolled his head so he could take in the rest of the room. Light blue walls and lace curtains made the place very cozy. There was something strangely familiar about the small bedroom, but exactly what eluded him.
“You’re awake?”
The familiar voice called Kyle’s attention and he rolled his head over to face its owner. “Patrick?” he rasped. His voice cracked, and he swallowed, trying to ease the dryness in this throat.
“Easy, my king,” Patrick said as he moved closer.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed and he glared at the red-haired man his mother had taken in. “How many times—”
Patrick chuckled and held up his hand to stop Kyle
’s rant. “I know, my brother, but it’s been too long since your last visit. I was afraid you’d forgotten.”
The smile on Patrick’s face said he was teasing, but Kyle reached up and caught his foster brother’s hand. “Never.” The fact that it had been several years since the last time Kyle had been by weighed heavily on his mind.
Patrick patted Kyle’s hand and eased the man’s grip. “I’m just glad you’re here now,” he said as he placed Kyle’s hand down on the comforter. “This past week has been hell for us. I can only imagine what poor Carissa is going through.”
Kyle swallowed hard as goosebumps ran up his arms. The vivid image of wooden barn walls raced through his brain. “What happened?” Anxiety pushed him to sit up in the bed. Colors flashed in his vision and the world spun in alarming ways.
“Careful,” Patrick warned. He stood and grabbed Kyle before he could pass out. “You’ve had a very hard night,” Patrick explained. “Why don’t you lay back and we can talk about it.”
Shaking his head, Kyle leaned on Patrick, trying to stay upright. Kyle had a sinking feeling that the wrongness he was feeling was somehow linked to what had happened to him. “Just tell me,” he insisted.
It didn’t take much force for Patrick to get Kyle to lie back on the bed. Keeping his hand on his brother’s shoulder, Patrick gave him a sharp look. “I will tell you if you relax,” he warned. “But if you try to get up before you’ve recovered, I’ll have to go get Kathryn, and she will put an end to all of this.”
Kyle relaxed to the mattress. If he was as bad off as Patrick suggested, calling Kathryn in wouldn’t get him what he wanted. She would clear everyone out leaving Kyle to rest with no one to explain. He narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Just tell me,” he insisted but made no move to sit up again.