by Julia Mills
“Oh damn, lucky you. You ready for the family gig?”
“Actually, I think I am. I know Kyra will be an awesome mom and having a little guy to teach to use a sword, hunt, and fish…be a mini-me, sounds cool.”
“What if it’s a girl?”
“Then I move us to the farthest regions of the earth and build a hundred foot wall surrounded by a moat filled with gators around our well-guarded home and have fifteen locks on every door of our castle.”
Aaron choked and spit his tea across the table, “Seriously, old man? No way Kyra would let you get away with that.”
“Get away with what?” Kyra asked as she made her way through the front door with another pizza, and what smelled like muffins in a basket hanging from her arm.
“Your boy here says when you have a little girl…and I quote… ‘I’ll move us to the farthest regions of the earth and build a hundred foot wall surrounded by a moat filled with gators around our well-guarded castle.”
Kyra shook her head and chuckled, “Whatever, big guy. Just keep dreaming. If our children are anything like you and your brothers, we’ll need our clan and theirs, plus the coven just to keep tabs on them.”
“You know that’s right,” Royce agreed before pulling Kyra into his lap and kissing her like he hadn’t seen her in days.
Aaron was immediately uncomfortable as thoughts of Charlie and feelings of jealousy that she was not in his arms threatened to overwhelm him. Never one for sharing his feelings, he quickly covered with his best defense…sarcasm. “All right you two, stop that shit or get a room.”
The couple broke apart, the old man laughed, and Kyra stuck out her tongue as she crawled off Royce’s lap. “Do you have anything to drink besides beer, scotch, or iced tea, nasty ass?”
“Nasty ass?” Aaron asked in mock anger.
She smacked him on the back of the head on her way past. “You heard me.”
Chuckling and rubbing his head, he answered, “There’s Diet Pepsi. Kyndel threatened to beat me senseless if I didn’t have her favorite when she came over, so I relented.” Then, as an afterthought he added, “There’s also caffeine free something for Grace in the cabinet.”
While Kyra was rattling around the kitchen, Royce asked, “So you gonna fill me on what the hell’s going on with Charlie?”
“You know most of the story. We danced. We kissed. She saw Anya in dragon form and ran away. End of story.”
“Okay…” Royce’s eyebrows rose so high they almost disappeared under the hair laying across his brow. When he spoke, his tone said he wasn’t buying Aaron’s story. “Why haven’t you gone over there…made things right? Come on, man, you’ve battled hordes, wizards, and hunters, you gonna let one woman bring you down?”
Aaron chose to ignore the snort that came from the kitchen, deciding he didn’t want the white witch in on the conversation any more than she already was. He stood as he spoke, “Yeah, sure, okay.”
He threw his hands in the air as he paced from one end of the room to the other. “I’ll just show up, knock on her door, say ‘hey’, then tell her all about dragons and knights and old mages that combined the two. If she hasn’t fainted by then, or better yet, kicked me in the nuts, I’ll also tell her she’s my mate. And that the Universe said so. Wonder if I’ll get the ‘we’re meant to be together for at least a thousand years or so’ part out before she slams the door in my face?”
Turning on his heel and heading back the direction he’d come, he mumbled more to himself than his brethren, “Should go over like a fart in church.”
Royce’s chuckle stopped Aaron mid-pace and the words his brethren spoke grated on his nerves, especially because of their truth. “That’s about the size of it. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that straightforward and honest works the best. Oh! And then there’s groveling…that seems to be a winner for me.”
Kyra nodded behind him just as another voice entered the fray. “You know you really don’t have to grovel. All you need to do is take your ass over there and talk to her,” Sam instructed, shocking both men.
Aaron and Royce spun around at the sound of their brethren’s laugh and found both with ear-to-ear grins.
Afraid to hope, Aaron asked, “You really think that’s all it’ll take?” Then added, pointing at Sam, “Weren’t you sleeping soundly at the cottage just a few hours ago?”
“I was, but this whole dragon’s mate thing means I don’t need much sleep. Now, for your original question…I know that’s all it’ll take.” Sam nodded and Lance shrugged behind her. Leave it to the pain in the ass of their group to lend no moral support whatsoever.
“We spent the night talking…”
“And drinking.” Her husband laughed, quickly followed by a grunt as her elbow connected with his gut.
“As I was saying, we spent the night talking. She asked tons of questions. I answered them all the best I could, and when we went to sleep, she was her old self. I’m sure you could tell a difference in her.”
The young doctor paused and winked with a coy smile plastered on her face. “I probably shouldn’t tell you, and if any of you ever breathe a word of this I will deny it and then kick your butts…” She looked around the room with narrowed eyes in an attempt to intimidate them all before continuing. “She’s attracted to you but is resisting it, as only my stubborn bestie can do. Every time I mentioned your name, her pupils dilated and there was a catch in her breath. She’s got it bad, but has no clue what’s really going on. I explained mates and their connection, hoping it might lead her to a logical conclusion, but as I said, she’s in denial. She’s a sharp cookie, though. If she hasn’t figured it out yet, it won’t be long. Now it’s all up to you, bud.”
“See, like I said, straightforward and grovel.” Royce snickered, heading to the kitchen.
Aaron slowly nodded, completely lost in thought as he tried to figure out exactly what to say to Charlie. Sam’s next question caught his attention.
“Did you plant flowers for her?”
For the first time that he ever remembered, Aaron O’Brien felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment. He thought about denying what he’d done, but decided his brethren would hear the lie as quickly as it left his lips, so he did the only thing he could. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and answered, “Yeah, I did.”
Lance and Royce roared with laughter before yelling, “Holy Shit!” in unison.
When Aaron opened his eyes, both Kyra and Sam were smiling at him with dreamy looks on their faces, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the front door opened and in walked Aidan and Grace, just as Royce bellowed, “Lookie there, lover boy’s been planting posies for his lady.”
Lance slapped him on the back, laughing so hard he shook. “What’s this I hear about flowers? Say it ain’t so. The confirmed bachelor has been bitten by the love bug?”
The thought of punching his brethren in the mouth sounded good for a split second, but he knew there was no use. The cat was out of the bag. He had no choice but to deal with their crap.
“It was all I could think to do to make up for my monumental screw up. She’d been out walking while I was running for several mornings in a row. I saw her stop and look at flowers, and she seemed to like them. Saw daisies at the hardware store and I thought it might soften her up to find something waiting for her. I had plans to leave other presents and one day ‘accidently’ get caught, forcing her to talk to me.” He stopped and looked around the room, surprised they were all listening and not giving him a hard time.
“But then Rian had a lead on the asshole. We were gone for over a week and I figured…” He let his words trail off, not sure what to say, and then finished barely above a whisper, “I convinced myself it wasn’t working and that she probably thought it was all corny any way.” He shrugged, “I just didn’t go back.”
Aaron knew he sounded like a whipped pup, and for the most part, that analogy was spot on. Head bowed, mortified that he had actually let his brethren and their mates see his soft und
erbelly, he almost fell out his chair when the voice of his Commander sounded from somewhere behind him. He didn’t know Rayne had come into the house, proof he was in way over his head. They were all trained to be constantly vigilant, something that failed him when all he could think about was Charlie.
“Women never think flowers are corny, you dumbass. Now, stop making us all look like spineless wimps. Get your head out of your ass and claim your mate. Destiny waits for no man.”
“And now for the voice of reason,” Rayne’s mate, Kyndel, laughed as she made her way around her husband and handed their son to his Auntie Kyra. “You just need to talk to her. Be honest. You’re gonna have to drop all the macho shit. The little bit I’ve seen of Dr. Gallagher, and Sam can correct me if I’m wrong,” she gestured towards the other woman as she spoke, “tells me she’s not going to stand for any bullshit. She’s an intelligent woman who’s used to calling the shots. It’s up to you to compromise.”
Kyndel held up her hand, successfully halting his rebuttal and added, “Which I know is completely against your nature. You gotta suck it up, buttercup, if you want the girl.”
With that, she headed to the kitchen to join the other women who had silently exited while she spoke.
Royce was the first to recover, looking at their Commander as he spoke. “That mate of yours damn sure has a way with words.”
“That she does,” Rayne confirmed, grabbing a glass and pouring some iced tea before sitting.
Aaron had just thanked the Universe that Devon wasn’t in attendance since he’d given the most Zen of all his brethren a rash of shit like no other when Devon had found Anya. However, his prayers of thanks had come too soon. The front door burst open and in ran Sydney, Sam and Lance’s daughter. A four-foot five inch bundle of curly blonde hair with boundless energy, she was chattering a mile a minute, pulling Devon and Anya along beside her.
“Hey Aaron! I brought Dev and Anya. Is Aunt Charlie here?”
Now even the kid is kicking my ass. Doesn’t anybody sleep in around here?
Thankfully, Sam came in and saved the day. “No, Sweetheart, Aunt Charlie’s not here. She’s at the cottage, but we can go see her tomorrow if you like.”
“Yay!” Sydney squealed as her mother ushered her into the kitchen, with Anya close behind.
Devon grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator tucked in the bottom of the antique china cabinet that had been his mother’s and took a seat next to Royce. Aaron could tell from the looks he was getting that Royce was bringing the other Guardsmen up to speed through their private link. His worst fears were confirmed when Devon took a long draw off his water, leaned back in his chair, and looked Aaron right in the eye. Devon’s obnoxious grin only added to Aaron’s trepidation. When he finally spoke, Devon’s words caused the entire house to erupt in laughter. “I hate to throw your words back atcha, Bro, but…” the calmest of their Force paused, never breaking eye contact, “it seems as though your girl’s gotcha all tied up in your underwear.”
Unable to keep a straight face, Aaron laughed along, knowing he was only getting what he deserved. He’d given every single one of his brethren as much shit as he could shovel when they’d found their mates. It was only fair they return the favor. All he had to do was get it together and claim her as his own.
The razzing went on and on, but soon his brethren moved on. They ordered Chinese food for lunch since several hours were wasted discussing his love life…or lack thereof. The whole crowd hung out watching soccer games he had DVR’d until Royce came into the room with a determined look and his hands fisted at his sides. “Rian’s found another trail.”
The Guardsmen headed for the door as the older Guardsman went on, “It stops right before the mountain outside of town where we battled the wizards almost two years ago. Rian called Rory and the others to meet us there.” Looking less than pleased, he went on, “I didn’t know he was on patrol tonight.”
“He wasn’t supposed to be,” Rayne answered as they loaded into the black SUVs parked outside. His tone said there would be words between the Commander of the Golden Fire Clan and the Elder of the Blue Thunder Clan in the very near future. Aaron was glad he had no dog in that fight.
The tension continued to raise the entire trip. Aaron could feel how much every Guardsman wanted this to be the time they finally caught the traitor. The vehicles stopped and they exited without a word. Rian motioned from behind a row of oak trees far off the beaten path.
Ever the Commander, Rayne was the first to speak, using their common link to avoid detection. “What did you find?”
“His scent ends behind the mountain on the far side of the lake. The trail is no more than a month old. Best guess is the traitor used the water to hide his tracks. Kellan found a blood trail as well. It’s Andrew’s. He’s hurt…. or was. If his dragon senses are only intermittent, he may still be healing.”
As a unit they all turned, looking at the terrain. Aaron could hear several different conversations as each man tried to determine the best way to tackle the search without alerting the traitor to their presence. Rory and the rest of his Force arrived just as Royce said, “We need to split up into four groups. Each group takes a side and we’ll work our way up from the bottom. The little son of a bitch could be anywhere. There are at least a hundred caves and alcoves all over that monstrosity where he could be hiding. We don’t want to spook him.”
“Roy’s right,” Rory agreed. “I also think we need to have a better game plan. I know Ri was excited, but a bunch of men with knives and swords running around in broad daylight are bound to freak out even the most sane human. Let’s head back to the lair, make a plan, and come back after midnight when the rest of the world is asleep.”
Aaron watched as the vein in Rayne’s head began to bulge, a sure sign the Commander was about to lose his cool. Devon was the first to speak. “Someone needs to stay and keep watch. If Andrew is here, we need to make sure he doesn’t wander off,” then volunteered, “I’ll take the far side.”
“I’ll take the east side,” Lennox, one of Rory’s Force, said before turning and disappearing through the trees.
“I’m going west,” Aidan responded. Then to Aaron alone, he said, “You better go check on your lady.”
Aaron caught only the slightest glimpse of his twin’s back as he used his enhanced speed to take his post, but his chuckle was loud and clear in his mind.
“Asshole,” was Aaron’s only response.
“South is mine,” Kellan, another of the Blue Thunder clan, chimed in before evaporating into thin air. Aaron had heard he was what the military called a ‘ghost’. Story was the man had been on more black ops missions than any other marine. He was the one they sent to places no one else could or would go. Whenever anyone asked about the scar on his cheek, his answer was always the same, “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” Aaron knew Kellan meant what he said. He was a very scary dragon.
Rayne’s voice brought him back to reality. “All right, we’ll reconvene at the Great Hall at eleven.”
Aaron glanced at his watch as he made his way back to their vehicles. Ten hours until we’re supposed to be at the Great Hall. Is that enough time?
“I know you’re not talking to me but since you asked,” Aidan’s laugh in his head let Aaron know he had dropped his guard again. “Hell, yes, it’s enough time. Get your butt over there as soon as you can. Time’s wasting.”
“I hear ya,” was all he could say. He cut their connection and shored up his mental shields for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.
The return trip was quiet, but just as tension filled as the beginning of their excursion. They pulled up in front of his house, exited the vehicles, and headed inside. Aaron was almost to the house when he noticed Rayne and Rian had stayed back by the vehicles. Luckily, it looked like they were just talking, not throwing punches.
After making sure everyone was settled in, he took a quick shower, pulled on a T-shirt and jeans,
and headed out the backdoor. As he pulled away, he called out to Royce, “I’m heading over to Charlie’s. Be back in time for the meeting.”
“Do what you gotta do. I’ll cover if need be.”
“Thanks.”
“No worries.”
He spent the ride trying to come up with something witty to say. It wasn’t until he pulled in her driveway that he realized how nervous he truly was.
It’s now or never and never is not an option; he heard his mother’s voice repeating her favorite saying as he made his way up the walk.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
A broken clay pot, the front door was ajar, and Charlie nowhere in sight…
CHAPTER THREE
Restless and unable to stop thinking about all she and Sam had discussed the night before, Charlie decided she needed fresh air. Heading out for her walk, she glimpsed the daisies that had been anonymously planted. In the next three steps, the rose bush came into view and she became irritated.
Totally irrational, but I can’t help it.
One about face later she found herself in the kitchen making tea and looking through Sam’s old cookbooks. Turning pages without even seeing them, Charlie slammed the book closed, growled under her breath, and stared out the window.
Her mind was so cluttered, a mass of pictures and thoughts…all that defied reason. She couldn’t focus on any one thing for longer than a few seconds. Dragons and witches. Fate and Destiny. The Universe actually making one woman for one man. No, change that…one woman for one dragon. Hunters and wizards. It was all so confusing. There was so much more to the world then she had ever imagined. So many things that just didn’t make sense.
She picked up the notes she’d made while talking to Sam, scanned the list, and tossed it across the table. Nothing on the paper was going to turn back time and make her forget all she’d learned. It was time to stop moping….time to get a grip and accept things as they were.
Come on, girlie. Up and at ‘em. Do something constructive.