Wrapping her arms around her middle, she pushed on even though all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wait until morning when she had some kind of light to guide her way. Based on the way the pitch black of the night sky seemed more of a muted shade, she guessed dawn wasn’t more than an hour or two away.
“Heidi.”
The sound of her name made her jump, but the way it was spoken in a thick Irish accent made her heart soar.
Spinning around, she saw his faint outline that just seemed darker than the area around him. Heidi launched herself in his direction, overwhelmed by all the emotions clouding her mind. The joy and relief at seeing him was almost too much.
“Liam!” she cried as she crashed into him, almost knocking him down.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her from the ground. Winding her arms around his neck, she buried her face into his neck and cried. His arms around her waist were near suffocating but she relished in them. She didn’t want to let him go any more than he did.
“Are you all right?” he asked when she pulled away from his neck.
“Yes. Are you? How did you get away?”
He nodded. “I changed into my dragon. It was the first time in my life I wasn’t able to control it. As soon as that bitch Cliona touched you, I lost it. Where were you trying to go?”
“I didn’t have a destination in mind. I just knew I had to get away. They’d use me to get to you and vice versa.”
“No, I mean now. Where are you heading?” He nodded in the direction she’d come from.
“New Freedom.”
“You’re going in the wrong direction.”
“Oh.”
He set her back on her feet. “Come on, we need to keep moving. I don’t think they’ve stopped searching for us yet and I’m sorry to say you were pretty easy to track. We’re only a few meters from the river. I’ll have enough room to change there and then we can fly out.”
She never thought the idea of flying on his back would be a relief, but it was. As soon as they reached the river, she fell to her knees and drank as much as her stomach could hold. She hadn’t realized how dry her mouth had become. The sound of cracking bones made her look up. Liam had turned into the large fire-breathing reptile and was waiting for her.
With his help to get on his back, she leaned forward and held onto his neck. It felt different this time than what it had the last time she sat atop his massive form. Last time she’d been scared witless. Now she was nothing but relaxed and her fears allayed.
She didn’t mind the frigid air as it blew over her. She clung onto him, warmed by the heat that radiated from within him. It was like curling herself around a furnace.
It didn’t take long before she felt him descend. When she opened her eyes, she made out the outline of Maggie’s father’s cabin. There was no smoke rising from the chimney. No signs of life whatsoever.
Maggie wasn’t there.
Once Liam touched the ground, she wiggled off his back and waited for him to change back into the man she recognized before climbing the steps.
“New Freedom is this way,” Liam said from behind her.
She hadn’t realized Liam didn’t know who the cabin belonged to or that they were where she had been staying before all hell had broken loose until he spoke. “This is my friend’s cabin. My stuff is here,” she told him as she tried the knob. It was unlocked.
He didn’t say anything, but he climbed the porch steps behind her as she swung open the door. It was pitch black inside.
“She’s not here,” he said.
“I know. Her car wasn’t out front. I wouldn’t have thought she’d go back to Cantor without me.” She never would have thought Maggie would leave her behind. Maybe she’d given up on her coming back altogether.
“She’s probably staying in town with Jonah.”
“Who?”
“Jonah Cowan. I told you about him that morning when he came looking for you.”
“Her stuff isn’t here,” she said after glancing into the bedroom.
“Then that’s probably where she is. It wouldn’t be safe staying this far from town especially with the fae as riled up as they are. We’re not far from No-Man’s-Land.”
She’d heard that before on the day when she’d fallen off down into the ravine. “Why do you call it No-Man’s-Land?”
“It’s the land that the fae and the shifters are fighting over. It borders my territory, the shifters, and the fae lands.”
“And the fae want it?”
“Yes. That’s what this war with the shifters is about. That land and the shifters creeping into it—or at least that’s what the fae believe.”
“What’s so special about it?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what it is but my uncle used to say that it was the reason why he decided to settle in this area. I imagine why it’s the reason both the fae and the shifters came out here as well.”
“What do you think it is?”
“I haven’t a clue nor do I care. I have what I need. It may have attracted my uncle, but I’m perfectly fine with the life I have here. The life we have here.”
Her cheeks warmed.
“Are you saying you want me to stay with you?”
His thick black brows scrunched together. “You’re not leaving.”
“A simple yes or no would do.”
Liam frowned as if trying to decide if she really wanted to leave. “Yes, I want you to stay,” he said finally.
She nodded and grabbed her bag from where she left it next to the couch. “Good because once this craziness is over, I intend to stay.”
He came up behind her as she was pulling out a fresh pair of jeans. His large hands encircled her upper arms and pulled her against his chest. His warm breath ruffled her hair as he kissed the top of her head.
“You’re a mess,” he said after a minute. “You smell awful and you’re covered in dirt.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “The next time I go running through the woods, trying to get away from people who’d love to kill me, I’ll be sure to put on some perfume so I don’t offend your delicate nose.”
His chest vibrated with laughter as he turned her body in his arms. She dropped the jeans on the couch and wound her arms around him.
His eyes were soft. “I love you, stink and all. I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
Her heart thundered in her chest and she felt like laughing and crying at the same time. Instead, she smacked him playfully on the arm. “I love you, too.”
“That’s how you express it? By whacking me?”
“If I wasn’t so dirty and stinky and sore, I’d express it in other ways,” she said with a smile.
He released her a second later. “Come on, mate of mine. We have to get into town. Get dressed and let’s go.”
“You’re going naked?” she asked when she realized he was still in his birthday suit. But then, it’s not like they’d been able to stop for clothes.
“I doubt you’d have anything that would fit me. Besides, I don’t intend to parade down Main Street.”
“Are we going to find Jonah?”
“Find Jonah? There’s no searching involved. I know where he lives.”
Heidi breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she wanted to do was go searching for a shifter with her naked dragon mate a few hours before dawn. She couldn’t help the excitement that began to well up inside her. Seeing Jonah would also mean seeing Maggie. And she couldn’t wait to see Maggie.
She had so much to tell her.
The log cabin they stopped in front of was two stories tall. The logs were thick and dark. The gabled windows on the second floor were dark, as were the windows on the first floor. The people inside would be sleeping peacefully, never expecting a dragon and his mate to come knocking on their door.
Maggie’s CRV was sitting in the driveway and she couldn’t help but feel relieved that her friend hadn’t left her behind. Of cours
e Maggie would never leave her behind, and she was upset with herself that the thought had even entered her mind. Maggie was as close to a sister as she’d ever had.
“Are you going to ring the bell?” she asked him, looking from his head to his feet. She wondered how this mysterious Jonah would feel about a naked man at his door so early in the morning. “Or should I?”
“I’ll do it.”
Heidi shrugged and followed him up the steps and onto the front porch. Liam punched the doorbell and Heidi could hear the chiming inside the house. It was a few minutes before she heard rustling around inside.
“Who is it?” a man’s deep voice asked from the other side of the door.
“Liam.”
Locks turned and in a second the door was swung open to reveal a tall man with dark buzzed hair and sleepy eyes. He was dressed in a plain white T-shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts. Behind him, standing in the living room, Heidi saw Maggie.
Her black hair was bedraggled and she was dressed in a grey tank top and a pair of boxer shorts. When she saw Heidi, her eyes widened.
“Heidi!” Maggie came charging forward, almost knocking Jonah out of her way. Her arms twisted around Heidi’s neck and if it hadn’t been for Liam’s hand on her back, Maggie would’ve thrown them off the side of the porch.
“Hey,” she tried to say as Maggie clung to her.
“I’ve been so worried! You have no idea. Are you all right?” When she pulled back a second later and looked at her, she frowned. “You look a mess. What have you gotten into? You smell like…like moose shit.”
“Thanks.”
Maggie shrugged. “Come inside. You can have a hot shower and get some rest. What are you doing out this early? And why is he naked?”
Heidi blushed, but Maggie didn’t seem phased in the slightest, only curious as to why there was a naked man standing on Jonah’s front porch.
“I guess you need to borrow some clothes,” Heidi heard Jonah say once Maggie dragged her into the living room. She had picked Heidi’s bag up off the porch on her way inside and she carried it over her shoulder before tossing it onto the couch.
“That would be nice.”
Maggie had ushered Heidi upstairs to get her a shower and settled in for the night while Jonah pulled out a T-shirt and pair of sweatpants for Liam. Unfortunately, Jonah was a few inches shorter than Liam and not quite as big around. It showed in the clothes he lent him. The T-shirt was snug and the pants ended a few inches too short. He looked awkward, but it was much better than parading around and showing the world his private bits. Especially in front of Maggie.
After he’d dressed, Jonah made him a cup of coffee and Liam sat at the bar in the kitchen while Jonah fixed him a quick sandwich so he could have something in his stomach.
Liam expected Jonah to ask about him mating Heidi. Mating humans didn’t happen in the Netherworld, so he expected Jonah’s curiosity to get the better of him. But thankfully, his friend stayed quiet about it. There would be no denying that he’d mated with Heidi, not that he’d ever deny it. He was proud of her and wanted to show her off, but he understood the dangers that came with it. Jonah would’ve been able to smell the change as soon as he opened the front door.
“Are you going to tell me how you came to be standing naked on my front porch at five in the morning?” Jonah asked him as he refilled Liam’s mug.
“Bloody fae,” he grumbled when he swallowed the bite of the turkey sandwich he’d been scarfing down.
Jonah snorted. “What did they want?”
“To use me as a weapon against the shifters is my best guess. Stormed into my cave, took Heidi, and jumped me when I was changing back into my human shape. Tried to get me to cooperate by threatening her.”
“Smart.”
Liam shook his head. “No. It was stupid.”
“Use your mate to get you to cooperate? They had to be desperate.”
“They had no other way to control me.”
“How did you get away?” Jonah asked after filling up his own mug and placing it on the counter in front of him.
“Heidi. She refused to move and confused the hell out of them. I guess they thought she’d just go along willingly. When Cliona cut her, I changed, and Heidi took off.”
Jonah seemed surprised. “She left you behind?”
Liam nodded. “There was no way the both of us were going to get out of there together. I know that and I think she knew that. At least with her out of harm’s way there was nothing stopping me.”
“Well, you’re here and I’m glad you’re out of harm’s way,” Jonah said.
Placing his mug carefully on the counter, Liam tried to come up with the best way to phrase what he needed to say. Finally, he decided to just be direct. “They’re going to come to New Freedom. Roarke is planning an attack and even though he can no longer use me in his plans, I don’t think that’ll stop him.”
“Whatever Roarke and Cliona have planned—”
“Cliona’s dead.”
“Really?” It wasn’t what Jonah expected to hear.
“Her mate’s dead. The warlock.”
Jonah took a step back. “I didn’t realize she’d mated a warlock. Roarke allied himself with them? Even I have a hard time believing he’d bow to Dis.”
“Well, believe it because he’s bowing, although I think the fae king probably believes he’s running the show. I would love to see his face when he realizes how little control he actually has. Roarke is nothing except a pawn, but he’s too narcissistic to see it.”
Jonah rubbed his chin, his fingers scratching through the stubble. “You’re probably right. But still, that won’t stop him from attacking New Freedom when he’s ready.”
“He’ll attack, sooner or later. Do you think New Freedom can stand against the fae?”
“It’s guns against spears and bows and arrows.”
Liam shook his head. “You forget about the fae magic. Do you really think they’ll only use their spears? They have time to plan and prepare, so think again.”
Fae magic took time, but with enough preparation they could decimate New Freedom. A nice tornado would rip the guns right out of the shifters hands. A lightning storm could fry dozens. Eventually the fae would show themselves and pick off the rest in hand to hand combat, but unless the shifters prepared themselves, they’d be sitting ducks. But how does one prepare to fight nature and the forces controlling it?
“Will you stay and fight or will you take Heidi back to Cantor?”
“There are warlocks in Cantor who want Heidi just as bad as the fae did.”
“So that means you’ll stay?” Wouldn’t the shifters love knowing they have a dragon fighting on their side? Liam was sure of it when he saw Jonah’s face brighten at the prospect.
“Aye, I’ll stay. I’ll stay because this is my home and I won’t back down. If Heidi and I are ever going to have peace, it’s going to be here and it’s going to now. I won’t run.”
Jonah drained the rest of his coffee before setting the empty mug back down on the counter. “We have to start planning. We already initiated some things—”
“Heidi and I walked into town without anyone being the wiser.”
Jonah frowned. “We have to tighten up the defenses.”
“You have to do more than that.”
Maybe it was the way he said the words, but suddenly Jonah’s eyebrow raised. “What do you have in mind?”
Liam sat back in his seat and stared at Jonah, his eyes narrowing on the shifter. “I don’t know how, and I don’t know when, but the fae are coming. And when they do, they’ll go up in flames.”
*To Be Continued*
About the Author
Olivia Hutchinson resides in North Carolina with her husband, son, and their two dogs. She loves hearing from her readers. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
www.oliviahutchinson.net
WORKS
Once Bitten
Up in Flames
When S
parks Fly - coming soon
When Sparks Fly
18 years ago
The leaves had already turned their most brilliant shades of red and yellow, a sure sign the bitter cold of winter wasn’t too far away. Before long the frigid air would steal in through the cracks of the cabin walls and chill Maggie’s toes which would be nestled inside her favorite pink and purple striped socks.
Every long weekend and holiday, Maggie and her father would steal into the wild mountains surrounding the small town of New Freedom. Her father could teach her everything she ever needed to know in those mountains. He taught her how to hunt and how to fend for herself. He taught her how to skin a moose and prepare the best bear meat stew in all of Maine. What could a fancy city school possibly show her that her father could not?
Since her mother died when she was five, her father acted as both parents to her. He raised his precious little girl and showed her how to take care of herself.
“You have to be independent, Maggie. You can’t rely on anyone to take care of you. Not me. Not anyone else. The only person you can count on is yourself,” he’d say to her after dinner before she’d curl up in front of the wood stove with her book. This week she was reading Animal Farm.
“Animals prancing around, speaking as if they were human. Isn’t it funny, Daddy?”
“There is more to it than that, sweetheart. Read between the lines, don’t just understand what the words say. It goes deeper. Much deeper.” That’s what she had been thinking about as she wandered through the woods on that brisk day.
She loved it out there. The fresh air and the open spaces. How could anyone not love the tranquility of the woods? She’d get lost but she would always find her way back to the safety of the cabin. Back to her books.
It was in the woods where her imagination was let free. It was in the woods where she felt like a fairy princess. She, the trees, and the animals around her were one. She was part of nature. If animals could talk, she could finally understand their secrets. They could whisper to her the secrets of the wild mountains and streams. The birds could speak to her of the trees and what it felt like to soar high above them. The bear could tell her of what he dreamed during his long winter sleep.
Up In Flames (Netherworld Series Book 2) Page 19