by Emma Alisyn
Right?
“Do I get to meet the boy?” he asked when he was certain his voice was even and his Dad mask was firmly in place. Even though he was head of his family, head of the dragons in Felicity Falls and a city council member, he had to pretend to be nothing more than an affable businessman. Humans, even shifters, were nervous around dragons. He and his brothers had worked hard in this experimental city where Supernaturals and humans mingled in peace to make others comfortable. To project, if not quite a harmless mien, at least a harmless unless in mortal danger mien. And they couldn’t be blamed for that, since any creature would defend itself if in mortal danger. Even if most creatures couldn’t burn down whole cities, but hey. Details.
“I don’t think so. Not yet. Let's give it a few days, okay? We—Josh and I—we were gonna talk about midwives—”
Calm evaporated. “I’m your father. I arrange for your medical care.”
“Dad. Josh is the baby daddy. Don’t you think he should have a say? Put on your two-legger hat.”
“How old is he?”
She was silent for a long, wary moment. “You aren’t going to go to the human police are you?”
His hackles rose. “Kayla.”
She sighed. “He’s only nineteen, Dad. A senior. He’s so sweet, though. I think you’d like him. He casts the coolest little spells to—”
Donato held up a hand, silencing her. “Excuse me? Spells?” This was getting worse by the minute. A human was bad enough . . . . “He’s a warlock?”
“Well, duh. I wouldn’t expose a human to my temper. I need a man who can defend himself, yo.”
He shoveled back the retort that she didn’t need a man at all, because obviously that cat was out of the bag, as two-leggers said. Where had he failed? Had she needed affection, attention? Why had she turned to another male?
Kayla’s eyes narrowed. “I can see you thinking. Just stop. Don’t think, okay? Why don’t you go check the oven, and take a few minutes’ breather, and then we’ll go get ice cream and talk. I have a craving for pistachio.”
Leandros hid his amusement, but then he could afford amusement, he was not the head of the family. Donato stared at his younger brother, resentful. He’d called him because Leandros was the most level-headed of his brothers and usually the most sympathetic. He’d needed counsel and commiseration. But Leandros didn’t seem at all perturbed at the thought of their dead sister’s daughter having a baby.
“She is a healthy dracaena coming into her prime,” Leandros said. “We should have expected it, I suppose. We forget, living among humans, how earthy our natures are.”
Maybe he had forgotten. Soccer, gymnastics, debate club. All the normal things one did this century with young female offspring. They no longer razed villages together or hunted wild game. It was all very civilized. So, perhaps it had not occurred to him that she was coming into the very lusty nature of a young dragon female and would need extra help managing it. He had his business to run, and the council.
“It will all work out,” Leandros said. “The important thing is that she is healthy and well cared for. Is she going to homeschool?”
He hadn’t thought that far. “I don’t know. I’ll have to contact the school and see what their policies are.” But Kayla was his daughter, she could do whatever she wished. So, if she wanted to continue her education on campus even after the dragonling was born, then she would. But maybe she would want to homeschool, so she could stay home and . . . breastfeed.
He cringed. “I don’t know if I’m going to handle this well,” he said. “I should have married, brought in a female to mother her when our sister died.” He’d wanted a mate, desperately, wanted dragonlings to fill the house. But there was never any female who he thought worthy of raising his niece, now daughter. No female he could stomach inside his territory, embedding her scent and making his domain her own.
“It seems odd now,” Leandros said. “But once the dragonling is here, we will all have adjusted. That is life, brother. It goes on, literally.”
The young would always reproduce, whether the elders approved of their mates or not. “But . . . are they even mates?”
“Did you ask her?”
“No. We hadn’t gotten that far in the conversation.” He hadn’t been able to form a coherent sentence. “We were supposed to go get ice cream later.”
“Well, brother, take our niece and go get ice cream.” Leandros clapped him on the back. “Don't you think she will be a good mother? She’s young, but we will help her.” His expression altered. “We will need to meet this male, however. If he is not fit to raise our new niece or nephew, steps will have to be taken.”
Yes. Steps would have to be taken. Perhaps he hadn’t protected Kayla from her own heart, or at least her own youthful lust, but he would protect her now.
3
Jezamine printed off an updated list of orders. Despite the fancy inventory system she’d invested in, sometimes she just preferred papers. Delight warred with dismay. Her social media ads were working, as were the coupon codes she’d left in various businesses throughout the city along with free samples she’d mailed out in a recent campaign. Business was booming locally, and as local business boomed, witches and even humans spread the word to relatives nationally, and the internet orders were pouring in.
“Joshua,” she called.
It was time he began helping her in the family business. At least, until she could afford to hire an assistant. But an assistant meant commitment, and when had they ever been able to live in the same place more than a few years? She yearned for a permanent home, a place to set her feet down for the next hundred years and make her own. It wasn’t to be. So she’d pay Joshua a little something, enough to teach him the concrete value of work and to ensure his attention was focused. Besides, it was good practice. He could take over the simpler infusions, and she would double-check his incantations afterward, of course.
Jezamine sighed. Not every male Hearn made a good warlock, though in his case it wasn’t from lack of power—his bloodlines were impeccable—simply a lack of interest. Something had been distracting him lately, but his aura had remained bright, so she’d decided to allow him his privacy for now because whatever it was, there was no negative effect on him.
She chewed on a fingernail. That might be a mistake, however. There were all kinds of activities young warlocks could get into that seemed positive on the surface level but weren’t, necessarily.
“Mom, you called.” He entered the garage turned office and production facility, not bothering to close the door behind him. She glared at the door until it shut. He eyed her worktable, likely knowing what was coming.
“Take a seat, Joshua.”
He sat, expression wary. “Is everything good?”
“Yes, but I need to talk to you about the business. It’s time you took a hand. I’m able to pay you a minimum wage for now, but not much more.” Puzzled, she watched as he visibly relaxed.
He straightened. “How many hours a week? Is this W2 or under the table cash?”
Her brow rose. True, humans considered their children adult at age eighteen, and he was a year past that, but adulthood to witches was trickier and had more to do with the balance between will and experience. Until one could bend energy and nature to one’s desire, one was considered a child.
“A real paycheck, direct deposit if you want it. You’re old enough for your own bank account.”
“Good. I’ve been applying for jobs, anyway.”
Really. “May I ask why?”
His eyes slid away from hers. “You know I don’t want to go to university.”
He’d never been interested in book learning. “You’re still set on that vocational college in—”
“No, I’m going to stay here. There’s a trade school that has a construction program.”
The news pleased her. She hadn’t wanted him to move all the way across the country, but she wondered about the change of mind. “Why do you want to stay in Feli
city Falls now?”
He shrugged, again not meeting her eyes. Her senses flashed into full alert. Her son was a terrible liar, and prevarication of any variety eluded him.
“What’s going on, Joshua?”
“Nothing. I’m graduating soon. I think it’s time I started taking on more adult responsibilities, don’t you?”
Now she knew something was wrong. Jezamine took in a cleansing breath, then smiled, shifting tactics. Normally, she would badger him until he gave up the information he was hiding, but this time . . . since he was being careful, so would she. “That’s good, son. I’m glad you feel that way. We should have a talk later this week, iron out the logistics.”
His eyes were wary. Pale-blue eyes, like his father. “. . . that’s cool.”
“Who are you hanging out with tonight? Tomorrow’s Sunday, right?” It was difficult to keep track of the week when she worked pretty much every day. The business took all her free time, and when she wasn’t packaging orders, or producing the product, she was on social media promoting. Yes, it was more than time for her tall, serious son to take over some of the duties required to maintain the household.
“Just some friends from school. Thinking about burgers and a movie.”
“Oh? Bring me back something. I’ll be working late.”
He slid off the stool. “No problem. I’ll throw in dessert, too.”
“You have enough money?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, well, have fun.”
Jezamine watched him flee without fleeing, waited until the front door clicked to prove he was making good on his getaway, and proceeded to walk up the stairs. His door was locked, and she still didn’t know why he bothered. She placed her hand on the knob and focused for a half second, and it clicked open.
Let the search begin.
It didn’t take long to track him down. She’d had a locator spell on him since he was a baby, after all. It only needed to be renewed occasionally. At some point, he may have guessed at the reason why she had an uncanny knack of finding him no matter where he was when out playing with friends, but he’d never exerted the effort to break the spell, and it really wouldn’t have taken much to do so.
Jezamine pulled into the shopping mall parking lot, one of only three in the city, and the one with the best food court. It catered mainly to supnats, while the one on the more human side of town where they lived geared towards a mostly mortal clientele.
She walked to the food court and took a seat, setting her purse on the table, and tugged on the spell binding her to her son. As she waited for him, she idly analyzed the various enchantments on the people walking by, shifting her vision. This woman with an illusion to appear ten years younger. A male enspelled to project alpha confidence. Simple spells considered legal because they altered only surface perception, and didn’t actively influence the mind. If she looked harder, she could she the construction of those spells, the words and weave putting them together. It was her gift, and one she refrained from using considering its rarity and how uncomfortable it made other witches. No one liked knowing that another spell caster could see the inner workings of their spells . . . and then unravel them at will. Jezamine shifted her sight back to normal and waited on Joshua, feeling his approach.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
He sized her up. He really was a tall boy, and handsome with his high cheekbones and golden-brown hair. She’d always worried some girl would snatch him up too soon. Jezamine knew she didn’t appear upset, and while waiting for him she’d ordered two lemonades infused with basil and strawberry. Which gave her an idea for another concoction. Dried lemon peels and strawberries with a rooibos base. Spelled to give the drinker a scent of herbs and lemon. She only had a handful of perfume spelled infusions, and that might be a nice addition for customers who didn’t necessarily enjoy heavier scents.
“Have a seat, son.” She read the ‘ah, shit’ in the resigned expression of his face. “Is there anything you’d like to discuss with me?”
“What do you think you know?”
“An interesting question.” A sophisticated response for a teenager, even a nineteen-year-old teenager.
They stared each other down. Jezamine put her cards on the table because really, she’d rather just get this conversation over with. “There is residue from a female aura in your room. You’ve almost managed to scrub it.” The fact that he’d exerted himself at all was an ominous sign. “There were other signs as well. Do you have a girlfriend, Joshua?”
She waited, heart in her throat. It would be his first, and the aura she’d sensed had been strong, and intermingled with Joshua’s, meaning the relationship with this female was deeper than mere teenager casual dating.
Joshua sighed. “I don’t want you to freak out, okay?”
“Do I ever?” Her tone was sharp with indignation. She wasn’t a yeller, and she’d never punish him when he didn’t deserve it. She also considered herself to be rather grounded, which meant that whatever issue he brought her, she already knew ‘freaking out’ would hardly solve anything.
“I have a girlfriend. Kayla.”
Jezamine’s lips pursed. “Okay. How long have you two been dating? She’s been in your room, obviously, and we are going to have to discuss that. It’s very disrespectful to have another female in my house without permission.” He was nineteen. Technically an adult. But it was her house. “Why have you hidden her from me?”
“Her Dad is a little . . . territorial. She said it would be better to keep in on the downlow until she turned eighteen.”
Jezamine's eyes closed. “How old is she, Josh?”
“Not eighteen.”
“Joshua.”
“Seventeen. She’s a junior. She’s very mature for her age. Fiery.”
He sounded defensive. And the way he said fiery . . . . “Is she human?”
“Uh . . . not really. Her father was human. Her mother was kind of a dragon.”
Oh, Hekate. Please not that Kayla. “Her closest male relative?”
“She lives with her uncle, he raised her. You may have heard of him. Donato Caruso. The dragon member of the city council?”
Oh, Hekate. “You’re dating Donato Caruso’s niece behind his back? Are you insane?” There were no words. No words. Her son would be fried if the male found out. Had she been so busy that she’d become that much out of touch with her son?
“We kind of aren’t just dating anymore.” He sighed, fingers thrumming on the table. “Mom, you have to promise me not to freak out.”
Her entire spine stiffened. What could be worse than dating Caruso’s daughter behind his back? What could be worse? She leaned forward on the table, fingers gripping the edge.
“Kayla’s pregnant. You’re going to be a grandma, Mom. That’s good right? You’ll be a young, cool grandma.”
He continued chatting, as if the flood of words would somehow soothe the shock of the announcement. His voice faded into the background as her conscious mind attempted to process those words.
“P-pregnant?” A human-dragon-warlock hybrid baby? “She’s seventeen?” Did Donato Caruso know? Demonstrably not, or their house would have already been a pile of smoking embers. She surged to her feet. “I’ve got to go cast a flame-retardant spell over the house—the wards were never adapted to repel dragon fire. You need to go into hiding until I can talk to him.”
Joshua rose, and she seized his arm. He didn’t budge, even though she tried to drag him out of the very public mall where an angry dragon could crash through the doors at any moment and start breathing fire . . . .
“Mom. Chill. We have a plan. I’m getting a job. She’ll stay in school, and I’ll take care of the baby during the day and work at night. And I’m going to go talk to him this week.”
“No! Absolutely not! I need to go first.” She took a deep breath, released his arm. “No. I need to talk to him first, parent to parent, before he meets you.” She’d save the lecture over unprotected sex and irresponsibil
ity for when she was calmer. When she was certain a dragon wouldn’t barbeque her only child.
Her son was going to be a father.
Oh, Hekate.
They couldn’t run anymore. Now they had to take a stand.
4
The city blocks allocated to the dragons—and there were only six of them in town—were closer to the edges of Felicity Falls. Partly for defensive reasons, because anyone entering the city would first have to go through dragon territory that ringed the supnat stronghold, and partly because dragons needed space.
Donato’s address was easy enough to find since it was public knowledge due to his status as a council member. A placard on the fence surrounding his property was inscribed with his name. The gate was not high tech, so all she had to do was push it open and drive up the long, two car wide gravel driveway. If he hadn’t wanted visitors, she supposed it would have been locked. Cattle roamed his grounds, large healthy cows raising their heads as she passed before going back to their grazing. Jezamine wondered if he sold the meat, used the cows for milking . . . or picked them off one by one for dinner.
The house was modest considering his rumored wealth. Not small, but two stories with a wraparound porch and lovingly tended flower beds. White brick, and a double door of glossy dark wood wide enough for a dragon to enter. Forest lined the edge of his property, and the mountains in the background had to only be a few minutes flight for something the size of a small airplane. No one had ever seen the dragons’ lairs, and she doubted anyone ever would.
Jezamine parked her car and approached the front door, ringing the doorbell. She’d had a day, plus the time it took to drive out here, to decide on how the conversation would go. She’d seen Donato on the local news since council meetings were public, and he’d always appeared to be a level-headed male. That fact had soothed her initial panic. Yes, dragons were territorial. But this one evidently, despite his position of head of his clan, could be counted on to react reasonably.