“Oh, nice and strong. Just how I like it.” Edith took a cup of coffee from the tray and set it down on the desk in front of Mr. Preston, then reached for another one. “Thanks, Fleur.”
“No problem. Shall we get all the paperwork out of the way? Once we’ve dealt with Woodacre, you two can enjoy an evening together.” She placed a hand on Mr. Preston’s shoulder. “I can deal with Ken Devizes tomorrow.”
“I’m okay. I can see this through,” her boss insisted. “Woodacre has brought us all together, it seems only right I’m the one who puts things straight.”
“That reminds me,” Edith said as she reached for her purse. “I have something for you.”
“You don’t have to give me anything,” Fleur insisted as Edith gave her a large heart-shaped pendant. It was old, and tarnished, not a piece of jewelry you would wear, at least not today. But Fleur sensed this was the piece of the puzzle they’d been looking for when they journeyed to visit Edith.
“It’s not actually for you. It’s for Doran. Open it up,” Edith instructed.
Fleur opened the heart. Inside was a small vial of red liquid. “What is it?” She couldn’t keep the hope from her voice as she held up the vial to the light. The contents were vibrant, a deep blood red liquid laced with gold.
“I don’t know. Not really, but it’s been in my family’s possession as long as Woodacre. Yolanda commissioned it from the finest silver. It’s survived all these years.” Edith beckoned to Doran. “She was sorry for what happened to you. That’s why she had this made. That’s why Woodacre was never allowed to be sold.”
“I remember her being a gentle soul who loved her son very much.” Doran came to join them, his eyes fixed on the vial. “I’m grateful to her and your family for what they’ve done.”
“Here.” Fleur handed him the vial, dropping it into his trembling hand.
“So this is the cure.” He shook the vial and the tiny bits of gold swirled around and around.
“It’s very old,” Fleur warned.
“Are you worried it might not work?” Doran asked as he unplugged the stopper and sniffed the contents.
“No, I’m worried it might be poisonous.” Fleur shot an apologetic glance toward Edith. “I don’t mean that I think you are trying to poison Doran. But I don’t think I’d like to drink anything that was a few hundred years old.”
“I understand what you mean, and I completely agree.” Edith took hold of Mr. Preston’s paper-white hands. “But this feels right to me. It’s as if I’ve completed the task given to my family and this man right here is my reward.”
“Yolanda would be proud of you.” Doran tipped the vial into his mouth and swallowed the contents.
Their fate was now in the hands of…fate. Fate that had worked so hard to get Fleur into the mountains to wake the dragon. Fate that had brought Edith here to Bear Creek to break the binding spell on Doran’s dragon.
She only hoped that fate didn’t have a terrible sense of humor and this was not some lousy trick.
Chapter Twenty-One – Doran
The metallic-flavored contents of the vial tasted familiar somehow. As it slid down his throat, a fire formed in his belly, as if the liquid were burning him from the inside out.
He clutched the back of a nearby chair, his fingernails digging into the soft leathery fabric as he swallowed hard to keep the liquid down.
Fleur closed the distance between them in two steps. “Doran. Doran, are you all right?”
He managed to nod. Not because he was all right, but because he wanted to comfort and reassure her. “It burns.”
“That’s good, right?” Fleur asked, her eyes searching his face for the truth.
“Probably.” But it didn’t feel good. Unless good was fire licking your insides, leaving the flesh blistered and burned.
“I’ll get you some water.” Fleur turned around and ran to the faucet and grabbed a clean coffee cup which she filled with water he wasn’t sure he should drink. If the fire inside him was peeling away the layers and freeing his dragon, he needed to let it happen. He had to push through it.
Trial by fire, his dragon’s voice filled his head briefly, and hope surged in Doran’s chest before it was gone.
The burning subsided, even before Fleur returned with his cup of water. It had done its work; his dragon was free.
“Here.” Fleur thrust the cup of water at him and he took it with hands that trembled.
“It’s done.” Doran grinned as he gulped down the water.
“It worked? Your dragon is back?” Edith asked excitedly as she stood up and came toward them. “Can I see him?”
“Sure.” Doran stood up straight. “But he’s too big for inside this building.”
“Then outside in the parking lot?” Edith suggested excitedly. “Just a glimpse.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We should go to Woodacre or at least into the foothills of the mountain.” Fleur’s worried expression wrenched at his soul.
“The parking lot is secluded, Fleur. As long as we’re quiet, no one will see.” Mr. Preston stood up, his legs still shaky but his expression brighter, filled with hope.
Fleur nodded, although her concern was evident. “Just a glimpse.” She turned to Doran. “You can control your dragon enough to shift and shift back quickly.”
“I can.” He hoped. His dragon seemed to shift inside him like a rubbery eel in an ice-cold stream, impossible to grasp hold of.
They left the building by the same door they had entered. Yet he was not the same man who had walked in through the steel security door. He was complete.
Wasn’t he? What if the contents of the vial were too old and not powerful enough to fully free his dragon?
“Are you sure?” Fleur asked quietly as she walked across the small parking lot reserved for the staff and clients of Bear Creek Real Estate, according to a small sign tacked onto the wall bordering the area. With the office closed and darkness descending, it should be possible to shift and shift back without drawing attention to himself.
“I’m sure.” That wasn’t a lie. He was sure he could remain unseen. But was that because he had complete control over his dragon or because his other side was still bound and not able to come forth?
“Okay.” Fleur’s eyes locked with his for one long moment before she tore her gaze away and walked back across the parking lot to join Edith and Mr. Preston.
Three people watched expectantly as Doran let go of his body and summoned his dragon. The air around him sizzled and spat as if he were at the center of a storm brewing over the mountains. As the air shimmered around him, he lost sight of Fleur and the others and the world slipped away.
Almost instantly it came back into focus. There was something stopping him from shifting. The barrier was still in place. His dragon was still bound to another reality. There was no use pushing it. He’d already tried.
“No!” Edith cried out and rushed toward Doran. “It should have worked.”
“It’s okay, Edith,” Doran answered with a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“We’ll find another way. Now we know a potion exists, we can find someone to make a new one, a fresh one.” Fleur’s bottom lip trembled as she spoke, but she fought to keep her tears at bay. He’d never been more proud of his mate as she attempted to reassure Edith.
“Fleur’s right. I’ll keep the vial, there are droplets of the potion left. I’m certain we can find someone to replicate it.” Doran spoke with confidence he didn’t feel. The potion had been made so long ago and the world had changed so much. But they had to try.
“We have to have hope, Edith.” Mr. Preston slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I nearly gave up on hope, but then here you are.”
“Here I am.” Edith shivered. “We should get you inside.”
Mr. Preston nodded. “Let’s get the paperwork for Woodacre sorted out and then we can go and grab something to eat and really get to know each other.” He turned to Fleur and added, “We can manage if you want to t
ake Doran home.”
“That might be best, if you are sure you are all right.” Fleur’s pale, tired drawn face told of the toll the last couple of days had had on her. Doran wished he could take it all back. He wished he’d awoken from a long sleep and swept her off her feet. Instead, he’d swept her into a tumultuous life of uncertainty.
“We can manage.” Edith nodded but before she went inside, she said, “Thank you for coming to find me. It feels as if this part of my life, the part of my family’s life that’s been tied to yours for so long, has come to a close.”
“If Yolanda believed she and your family had any debt that needed repaying, you have repaid it in full, Edith.” Doran bowed his head and placed his hand over his heart. “I will be eternally grateful.”
Edith nodded and then followed Mr. Preston inside. Fleur hung back, watching as the two new mates entered the offices. She had a goofy look on her face, the same kind of look his mom would wear when she saw a newborn baby, or a puppy or kitten. His mom liked anything small and helpless.
A pang of loss hit him, and he swung around to look up at the mountains. “I think we should go and get some fresh air.”
“You want to go and visit Woodacre.” Fleur read his mind.
“Yes. I need space.” He gave a short laugh. “And maybe I’ll get lucky and fate will have left another vial of the cure there.”
“We could go look.” Fleur shrugged. “We have nothing to lose. And we’re just in the way here.”
“Did they move my treasure last night?” Doran asked, needing to be prepared for the empty underground room where he’d slept for hundreds of years on a bed of gold and jewels.
“Yes. Jax texted me this morning.” She gave a coy smile. “I should have said but I didn’t want to bring up the subject of your treasure. Not when your dragon was still bound.”
“I’m a big boy, I can handle it.” He walked toward the car. “I think I’ll feel better about the whole thing once I see the vault where it’s kept.”
“We could go there after we’ve visited Woodacre. I’m sure Harlan will be happy to show you.” Fleur stopped in her tracks. “I’ve left my purse in the office.”
“I’ll run back and get it for you.” Doran walked backward away from his mate. “It’s one thing I can still do even though I’m no longer a dragon shifter.”
Fleur came to him and caught hold of him, threading her arms around his neck. “There is one other thing you can still do. Or have you forgotten last night?” She pressed her lips to his and a thrill of excitement coursed through him.
“You know if my treasure was still there, I would lay you down amongst the piles of gold and make love to you,” he murmured against her neck as he rained butterfly kisses down on her neck and along her collarbone.
“I like the sound of that.” She nuzzled his neck and threaded her hands through his hair as she added, “We might have to take our clothes off properly. Plus, I have a good memory, I can remember what your treasure looked like and the feel of it in my hands.” She slid her hands down over his shoulders and along his back before they came to rest on his toned butt.
“With you in my arms, the world is complete, even though my dragon is bound.” He inhaled her scent and then lifted his head. “I’ll go get your purse.”
“I’ll wait right here.” She leaned against the door of her car and watched as he raced back to the office. It took him five strides to get to her desk where she’d dropped her purse when they’d arrived. And five strides to get back outside.
He froze as his feet touched the ground. There was a man wrestling with Fleur.
“Let her go!” Doran yelled, his fingers gripping Fleur’s purse so tight the whites of his knuckles showed. Knuckles that he would use to pummel the life out of the man touching his mate. A man he recognized.
“I saw you two this morning. Outside Edith’s cottage.” Ken Devizes yanked his hand back and Fleur moved like a puppet. Her hair was wound around Ken’s hand. A hand Doran would rip from the wrist it was attached to if any harm came to his mate.
“Let her go!” Doran ordered.
“Nope. I think I’ll use her as security. Thanks to you, Edith knows about Woodacre. Which means I need another source of funds.” Ken snarled as he said, “I want your treasure.”
“Not happening.” Fleur brought her elbow forward and then forced it back into Ken’s gut. As she broke free, the air shimmered as she prepared to release her bear. But Ken moved fast and struck her across the head, sending her sprawling across the hood of her car.
Doran ran forward, but Ken had hold of Fleur and dragged her off the car. “Keep your distance.”
Fire built inside Doran. A fire he could no longer contain as his mate was half carried, half dragged away from Doran. No man had the right to hit his mate. No man had the right to touch his mate.
A red mist flecked with gold descended over his eyes, blurring his vision as the fire burned hot. Flames licked his flesh both inside and out, burning away the barrier between him and his dragon. In a sudden movement, he leaped forward, shifting in midair.
Ken Devizes might have believed in dragons when treasure was mentioned, but the look of surprise on his face when he was confronted with an incredibly angry dragon was one of complete disbelief.
Ken stumbled backward, releasing his hold on Fleur as Doran opened his massive jaws and prepared to breathe fire. Sensing his imminent demise, Ken dropped to the ground and sniveled as he begged for his life.
But Doran’s dragon wasn’t in the mood for forgiveness. He had blood to spill.
“Doran. No.” Fleur, still groggy from the blow to her head, reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder, stroking his scales soothingly. “He’s not worth it.”
His dragon reared backward, the fire inside him seeking to wash over the man groveling on the ground in front of him. But if he acted, if he killed this man in cold blood, he could lose his mate forever.
Doran’s dragon closed his mouth and absorbed the fire, but the rage continued to burn within him. With eyes that flashed red and amber, he stared down the man on the ground while Fleur pulled out her phone and called the local sheriff.
He didn’t want the authorities to take over and bring Ken to justice. Instead, he wanted to incinerate him, to burn him until no part of him remained.
“Sheriff is on his way.” Fleur patted the dragon on his snout, and he puffed out smoke before inhaling her scent. “It’s good to see you again.”
His dragon bowed his head. It is good to be seen again.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Fleur
“Thanks, Brad.” Fleur let out a sigh of relief as she signed her statement and handed it back to the sheriff of Bear Creek.
“All in a day’s work, Fleur.” Brad stood up and tapped the edges of the statements on the desk. “I have enough to charge Ken Devizes. He won’t be leaving that cell anytime soon.”
“At least Edith has a happy ending to help her get over Ken’s attempt to con her out of Woodacre.” Fleur grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She hoped her date with Doran was still on.
Of course, it’s still on, her bear replied. We’re mates. It’s always on.
“Edith Rothmore isn’t the only one to get a happy ending, from what I hear.” Brad waggled his eyebrows at Fleur. “A dragon shifter, huh?”
“Yeah, unexpected. But not unwelcome. He looks good for a six-hundred-year-old guy, don’t you think?” Fleur flashed Brad a smile that stuck on her face. She was happy. For the first time since she’d met her mate, everything was good. Everything was right.
“He does. I hear his dragon is pretty spectacular, too.” Brad inclined his head toward the cells. “I’m gonna work on making Ken believe he was hallucinating.”
“Yeah, that might be a problem.” Her good mood ebbed away.
“No, don’t worry about it. I’ve helped people forget a lot worse. I’ll likely tell him that he blacked out for a second.” He tapped Fleur’s statement. “And since you and Doran
don’t mention the dragon, it’ll be fine. You go and have some fun.”
“We will. I think we deserve it.” Fleur sensed Doran, who was in another interview room giving his version of events to Avery.
“How is he coping with everything? It can’t be easy waking up to find everything you knew is gone.” Brad filed her statement away and then turned to face her. “He’s lucky having you all to support him.”
“I think he’s coping well. He misses his family.” She glanced at the closed door, behind which her mate was thanking Avery for her help. Fleur lowered her voice and said, “I don’t know whether it was easier for him before he got his memories back or not. At least he didn’t know what he’d lost. But at least now that he has his memories and his dragon, we can begin to move past it all and build new memories.”
“If you need anything, just pick up the phone.” Brad stuck his thumbs in his belt as the door to the interview room opened and Avery and Doran came out. Doran looked relaxed and happy as he chatted with the young woman.
“And anytime you want to go fishing, let me know.” Avery handed Doran’s statement to Brad. “We’re all done. It’s been a pleasure to meet you, Doran.”
“The pleasure is mine. Let me know when you want me to give that talk on medieval weapons.” Doran reached out for Fleur and slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“A talk on medieval weapons?” Fleur asked.
“I’m a member of a renaissance group. They would love to get a firsthand account of what it was like.” Avery put her hands on her hips. “We have an assortment of weapons. You could put on a display.”
“I’d enjoy that.” Doran shook hands with Brad and then Avery. “I will speak to you soon.”
He steered Fleur out of the sheriff’s office after she said goodbye. Once outside, he inhaled deeply before exhaling in a rush of breath.
“Are you okay?” Fleur asked.
“Yes, being shut in the small interview room reminded me of what it was like when I woke up underground. I’m a little claustrophobic.” He inhaled once more. “Which is why I need to find work outside.”
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